fandomonymous (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fandomonymous) wrote2012-01-01 02:07 am
fandomonymous) wrote2012-01-01 02:07 am
Entry tags:
Dear Yuletide Writer 2011
Dearest Yuletide Writer:
Thank you for taking on my prompt! This is my first Yuletide, and first time writing fanfic at all for many years. I really appreciate whatever you'd give me for my characters, as I adore them so. <3
Some general notes:
I'm pretty easy. I like all kinds of consentual relationships (friendships, slash or het or genderqueer-love romantic ones with any number of people, mentor/protege, etc), all levels of rating from innocent to porny, all levels of tone from cracky to serious, and I am totally cool with kinks other than scat and necro. (If you do go with porny/kinky stuff, I have a soft spot for mild bondage with improvised restraints, food kink, formalwear of any culture and all genders, pegging, and gentle hair pulling. Again, TOTALLY NOT NECESSARY, but I will be super pleased if you do.) Dub-con and non-con make me a liiiiiitle nervy, but write it well and I will probably end up enjoying it anyway. I like canon-based and AU fics alike (including "mild AU" like "what if these characters had met earlier than they did" and full-on crack AU, like the time I tried to get![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mimsicality to write me Philipp Lahm as Dr. Dolittle and the Bayern players as various animals. Seriously. I'm easy.) I'm not a big fan of original characters, but if you use one convincingly to good effect I will be pleasantly surprised.
I'm pansexual in love with someone intrigued by occasional crossdressing, so if you do explore Things about Gender, try to keep the focus away from "humiliation" and more towards, well, play and exploration and honest thoughts about gender roles. I know that can be hard, but I appreciate it if you try! That being said, don't be afraid to go in that direction, and I will love you all the more if you do.
My journal isn't all that much about fannish stuff, but it is completely open if you want to poke around. In the next month or two I hope to expand this more into fannish thoughts - my feelings when rewatching episodes of my favorite things, my reactions to interviews and games, etc. There is an ancient, unloved German footie RPF reclist if you dig around, but it's out of date and mostly porny despite the fact that I like both porn and not-porn. If you are here for more on German footie, I am somewhat active over at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
touchline, so feel free to read my comments there for some idea of what goes on in my crazy little head. :D
Below I've talked a bit about each canon, about why my favorite characters are my favorites, and given you a pile of canon-based half-prompts to play with. (Again, AU is more than fine as well, from the most basic to the most silly, so play with whatever tropes you feel like over there.) Mix and match as you feel appropriate! I've also provided sources (or at least hints to sources for less-than-legal material).
Finally, I may or may not be around on Christmas day, but should be able to do a quick check-in of "I'm alive, I got your fic, thank you, I'll read it soon" on the 25th or 26th, and definitely read it and give lots of love by New Year's Day.
***
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Kusanagi Motoko
It's 2030 AD in Japan, and the world has gone cybernetic - many people have brains augmented by micromachines and other devices, for access to the Internet, better memory storage, and other boons. Artificial limbs are possible too, as well as entire artificial bodies. And yes, robotics has improved too - androids have surpassed the Uncanny Valley [sometimes] and have very advanced functionality. Telling the difference between man and machine can be...testy at best.
It's not all sunshine and rainbows of course - cybercrime is rampant, and the consequences can be very dire (including hacking of memories and messing with...whatever makes someone human, known in this series as their "ghost"). Combined with an unsettled political atmosphere both within Japan and abroad and a laundry list of important issues of the day ranging from diseases inherent to cyberbrain use to the handling of a large population of refugees, it sometimes looks like a very bleak world indeed.
Enter Public Security Section 9, a paramilitary task force dedicated to solving crimes brought on by cyberization and cyber warfare. Led by a mysterious woman with an incredible cyborg body going by the alias "Major Motoko Kusanagi", they work together to, well, fight crime, sometimes in very nontraditional ways.
It's a great series, rather well animated for mid 2000's anime and with a wonderful soundtrack by the illustrious Yoko Kanno, packed with action and intrigue. It's one of the few series I've marathoned...repeatedly. I actually don't know how many times I've watched it all the way through. But on top of the lush plot, there are the characters - Motoko herself and the rest of Section 9 - who are deep and fascinating in this canon, and deserve all the fic in the world.
Note I say "this canon" - the Stand Alone Complex (SAC) tag refers to two seasons of anime (a total of 52 episodes), a sequel TV movie called Solid State Society (SSS), and a few side story novels (which are not required for my requests, but are lovely anyway). There is an original three-volume manga by Shirow Masamune (which is the progenitor of this), as well as two movies by Mamoru Oshii, and yes, in theory they all use the same characters and the same world. However, those versions of canon characterize everyone a little differently than SAC, and I am asking if at all possible you stick to SAC canon. (Plus, SAC introduces a major character in season 2 that you might have fun writing.) I have spoiler-tagged things for ends of seasons as I felt appropriate. (Thank youisiscolo for that HTML help!)
Motoko to me is really interesting and really complex. She doesn't feel she's capable of emotional relationships, and feels they're probably a bad idea anyway - but she can't help the fact that she's human underneath. Perhaps she doesn't completely comprehend the emotions she feels - why she feels a need to use a female body, why she hasn't let go of her first body, why she's so protective of Section 9 even when she's left them. (Here's an idea for those of you intrigued by the Things about Gender bit - tell me how Motoko feels when she is in a male body, and the dysphoria involved.)
If you want to expand those relationships to, well, ships - that's awesome! When I first watched the series I shipped Motoko/Batou like nobody's business, then got confused and excited during season 2. Nowadays my understanding is more complex, but still, I squee a little at any hints of Motoko/Batou UST every time I watch. Pretty much any time you play with their feelings for each other, I'll be happy.
Some specific, end-of-season spoilery ones:
Click here to skip ahead of Season 1 spoilers! If you're feeling smutty (or even if you're not), expand on Motoko and Batou's safehouse scene in BARRAGE (episode 25). You know, the one where they're half-naked talking about their external memory devices. I've always imagined it smutty, but if you just want to keep it UST-tastic that's cool too.
Click here to skip ahead of Season 2 spoilers! Expansion of Motoko and Kuze's childhood would be FANTASTIC, or more on their conversation in episodes 25/26. [Also, did Kuze really hack Motoko's cyberbrain to bring her to the external memory device shop in episode 11? Or was it something else entirely? That entire episode is really, really surreal, and I'd love more on the how and why of it.] Or pretty much anything on Motoko's internal debate between the man she's been searching for all her life and the one she's grown to trust over the years. [And back to the memory shop, an option that may induce lots of cuteness would be Motoko trying to bring Batou there, and his reaction. Would they then leave their devices there (her watch, his weights)? That would be awesome to know!]
If you want to go non-shippy, there's options - tell me how she feels about the Tachikomas developing individual personalities and "human" emotions despite being a hivemind. ...Actually, any and all Tachikomas is welcome! I love the Tachikomas to bits. If you're really stuck on characterizing Motoko but still want to give me SAC fic, I will be more than happy with Tachikoma-centric cuteness/crack/omg these are badass robots with the personalities of children, or even serious stuff. Things you could tell me about: the end of season 1 and the assertion of their self-sacrifice, or between season 2 and Solid State Society and how the Tachikomas fared floating in the Net after sacrificing their AI satellite to save the world, or even things in Solid State Society like how Motoko *finds* the Tachikomas floating in the Net in her time away from Section 9 and gets them to serve her again, and/or the fates of Max and Musashi (the two named non-blue Tachis), who we never see outside of Motoko's comm-link before she "rejoins Section 9".
More ideas: Introduce her to Togusa's wife and daughter and let me know how she feels about their existence and their relationship to one of her most important squad mates. (Yes, I know they've met, but we never see it beyond a professional context.) Tell me if she has any other secret quirks embedded in her ghost beyond cranes and dolls. Tell me more about her past and her transition into her artificial body - we know it was difficult and maybe not by choice, but detailing that would be amazing. Tell me how she met Aramaki and joined Section 9, and formed its membership. (Season 2 gives a lot of good hints on this on each character's "individual" episode mid-season, but still, more would be great.)
No matter what you do, tell me something interesting about Motoko's personality and understanding of the world (even an AU world) and I'll be pleased as punch. (Or again, failing that, Tachikomas.)
Resources: I will not directly link it here, but a site called TheHylia has direct downloads of every episode of both seasons plus Solid State Society. There are also plenty of torrents out there for those who have access to that. It is, of course, fully licensed by Manga Entertainment, and I do support getting it legally if you can, as it's really an excellent show.
Bonus! Check out my Livejournal:fandomonymous. In the weeks ahead, I'll be posting rambly flaily goo about all of my feelings regarding the show, focusing on episodes that are heavy on Motoko characterization, Motoko relationships, and Tachikomas. If that sounds like your idea of a good time, go check it out!
***
German Football RPF - Philipp Lahm
Football? Really? Yes, as in the game you play with your feet, where 22 people take the field for 90 minutes and in the end, the Germans always win. (Except when they don't.) It's a great game to watch and filled with interesting players, and I've chosen my favorite above all favorites to request. Plus, sometimes those players get all touchy-feely on the pitch. And sometimes (like in this case) it seems as if their significant others are total badasses. Combined with the intrigue that always comes with being in the spotlight, it's a great thing to play around in, fic-wise.
Philipp Lahm is a defender, and specifically a full back, currently playing on the left side of the pitch. This means you won't see him scoring goals much, but he's instrumental in stopping others from scoring, and often pushes forward to create opportunities offensively as well. He's tiny for a footballer (5'7" = 1.70m), fast, and extremely tactically minded - he very rarely misses his passes and knows just where the ball is needed at any given moment. He is the captain of the German National Team (the one you saw kicking butt in the last two World Cups and then choking at the last moment to end up in third). He rose to this position after some...unfortunate happenings with the last captain, which uh, caused some drama. Oops. Now in football, the focus usually isn't on national team play - it's on club-level play, whether within the country or throughout Europe in the Champion's League. At this level, Philipp is also captain - for a large, powerful, rich team called FC Bayern Munich (yes based out of Munich), often considered a little arrogant, but with a long history of victory. FC Bayern has a habit of snapping up promising German national team players from their home clubs for crazy amounts of money, but Philipp was born and raised in Munich, and was recruited into their academy at a very young age. So unlike some Bayern players, his love for the club runs extremely deep, even going so far as to stay with the club after lucrative offers from elsewhere - including one from Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona a few years ago.
Characterization wise, it can go a lot of ways, which is why I'm so intrigued and excited by the idea of Philipp-centered fanfic. Philipp is small and cute and nerdy! (Totally One of Us.) Philipp is fierce and honest and badass, almost to a fault! (He wrote a book recently called The Subtle Difference, where he was very candid about his rise to fame...including some criticism of past coaches that I think was totally fair game, but others may not agree.) How do you justify these things with being one of the best defenders currently playing? ...You tell me.
Slash-wise, Philipp has a lot of potential suitors, and I don't mind whichever one you give me, or how far (or low) you put the rating. (More than one is also good! Seriously, I'm easy.) Feeling nostalgic about Timo Hildebrand from back when Philipp was on loan to Stuttgart and want to tell me where it went wrong? Sure! Want to make Philipp's relationship with Bastian Schweinsteiger be more than "captain and vice captain" (and play with the "I know everything about Philipp" line)? Neat! Want to understand why Andreas Ottl, his "one friend in football" according to a recent interview, would be the only one at Philipp's wedding? Fantastic! Want to play with a ping pong rivalry and find out how the hell Arne Friedrich talked to Philipp's mother about being a tree in a school play? Awesome! Or mix and match these - people fighting over Philipp's affections, or a transition between relationships, or anything else you can think of.
That being said, I'm perfectly happy with you answering those questions in a gen context (platonic friendship fic is seriously more than welcome, even though I'm quite the slash fangirl). Or tell me about Philipp's life as captain - what advice he gives to the young ones, headaches with the media (particularly over The Subtle Difference), et cetera. Or if you really feel like heading into drama territory, any and every correspondence he's had with Michael Ballack after Philipp's captaincy. (For full disclosure, Ballack used to be a huge favorite of mine...until his agent ranted about the German NT, including homophobic comments, and Micha did nothing. That soured me to him quite a bit. That being said, he's not entirely the villain some make him out to be, and if you manage to make him more complex in his lack of tact regarding Philipp, I'd be amazed and astounded.)
I would also be happy with you exploring his life with Claudia, if you're brave enough! (And if you want Claudia to be a major character in an otherwise slashy fic, be my guest - especially if you don't make her the villain.) Smut (and kink) about their wedding night? Go for it. Future fic where Philipp decides whether or not to encourage his children to join Bayern's academy? Awesome! Cute domesticity and picking out of Tracht? Heck yeah! (Yes, they're Bavarian. There's no reason to deny it! It'd be fun to see fic celebrating that fact, honestly.)
Notes: yeah, homophobia sucks, especially the fact that it's so damn prevalent in modern men's football. If you want to seriously explore that and relevant closet-related angst, feel free. If you want to just have a happy domestic fic where it's handwaved, I'm okay with that too. Lucky for us, Philipp has been on the record as anti-homophobia and believes he'd treat a gay teammate like he would a straight one. (He knows it's difficult and a sucky world though, this is not all sunshine and rainbows, but nevertheless!)
Also notes: Please, please, please, no vilifying FC Bayern. I'm okay with "what if Philipp left" fic or the like, but don't make Bayern the enemy. I know it's an awkward situation, being such a big club and we're sort of seen as bullies to the others, but despite everything - despite the arrogance, the ridiculousness, and the generally FC Hollywood nature - I love the club. It is my club, for good and for bad, and I think that Philipp sticking with Bayern through thick and thin is a Good Thing. Please respect that. That being said, other non-Bayern players can (and maybe should) be able to voice their distaste if it helps the story - but keep it minimal, and make it clear that it's that player's opinion.
Resources: Der Kapitän is a fantastic blog made by the one person who may be a bigger fan of Philipp than I am! She's got a lot of great translations of quotes, including the excerpts of The Subtle Difference that were up on Bild. Two fun Tumblrs for Bayern-related fangirling are Rekordmeister and Die Bayern; be sure to check folks they reblog as well. If you're feeling nostalgic,mannschaft_subs did an excellent fansub of Deutschland: ein Sommermärchen that was finished last Christmas; it's comm-locked to loewsmiserables (though Loew's is open). Loew's Miserables would be a good place to backread for World Cup 2010 info as well, as it was very active back then. On top of all of this, louis_quatorze did an EXCELLENT primer on Germany-related drama here, though it's not focused on Philipp. [Also of note: this fic is EXCELLENT. If you get permission from her to play in this AU universe I will dance a jig of joy.] If you know German, of course, there's Bild's sports section, Bayern's official site, and the DFB's official site (particularly for videos).
As far as actually watching games (in the US at least), many (but not all) Bayern Bundesliga and Pokal games are legally live-streamed on ESPN3 if you get that service, as well as German NT friendlies and qualifiers. Their "past shows" section may include a few older games. If you're extremely lucky, Bayern's Champion's League matches will be on Fox Soccer/Fox Soccer Plus, but it's not reliable. Folks atontd_football and other communities will also post links to less-than-legal streaming services the day of matches as well. For past games, you can attempt to look for downloads, or rely on reports from blogs and the like. There's also a site for past lineups.
***
Good Eats - Alton Brown
What happens when you get bored of "normal" cooking shows? When no one is explaining to you why certain tactics work better than others? When it seems that everyone is assuming you own fancy unitasking equipment that's useless outside that one thing it's for in the kitchen?
If you're Alton Brown, you make Good Eats, a cooking show that isn't quite a cooking show. Every episode goes into the why of things, complete with a 'cast' of surreal repeating characters from a whiny sister to a mythical Lady in the Refrigerator to a snark-happy food gadget seller named W to stuffy lawyers named Itchy and Twitchy. Also, there are crazy props, many involving silly balloons and packing peanuts and other things around the house, as well as silly sock puppets with rude attitudes - all used to demonstrate the nature of the chemistry behind your cooking. Oh, and yes, there are some pop cultural references too, if you know where to look - most titles are references (Dr. Strangeloaf, Myth Smashers, Stew Romance, Flap Jack Do It Again...) and there's plenty of punchy dialogue, like rambling about "the spice is life!!" while grating nutmeg onto a bowl of punch.
The thing is, it's not just for show - there's legitimate science going on, and the recipes really are genuinely amazing, ranging from my favorite pork chops ever (marinated in molasses, vinegar, and spices before grilling) to ridiculously good barbeque to homemade marshmallows to truly excellent pancakes... Well I could give lots of examples (there's 250 episodes), but it's a sight to behold. And it demands fic!
And yes, I mean within the universe, where the puppets are really sentient and Alton has an unrequited crush on the Lady in the Refrigerator and makes W facepalm on a regular basis. RPF, as I understand it, would acknowledge that these are actors, that there's a crew involved, and the like - but that's not quite what I'm going for here: I'm going for entering this crazy world and yet learning about food. :) [In my mind, instead of a camera, some anonymous, poor cook is following Alton around and learning from his conversation.]
In an ideal world, I'd basically get another episode of the show, now that it's ended its glorious run. Whether that's a "that's another show" that was never made, or just a favorite recipe of yours turned into an episode, I don't mind. Teach me about food the AB way! Solve problems with interesting uses of multitaskers! Have fun with food science, history, and nutritional anthropology! And of course, always make it good eats.
While Alton generally specialized in American classics, he started moving outside of that in later seasons (I'll always love the tempura episode and the Octopus Monster within!), so feel free to teach me some not-so-American dishes. If it happens to be a personal recipe/from your culture, I will be utterly thrilled, and will probably end up trying it in the days and weeks after reveal.
Barring that, any sort of story in the weird and wacky world of the show would be wonderful and appropriate. How did Alton and W meet, and why does she put up with him? Is there an epic quest for the Lady to send Alton to do? How would Alton react to a hostile takeover by the Yeast Puppets? What *really* summons the Nutritional Anthropologist? Basically, play in the world, have fun with the lighthearted tone and the wackiness of the set, and I'll be the happiest camper ever to happy.
Resources: Good Eats Fan Page is insanely extensive and wonderful. There's YouTube links to almost every single episode, and transcripts on top of that for many, as well as search and a "by topic" list to find specific episodes. (Feel free to use the transcript format if you do go the "another show" route...or not! Whatever feels good when writing it. Speaking of which, they actually have a full list of things Alton's said will be another show, if you need inspiration!) Alton now has a Twitter and a blog, though that's more the "real Alton" than "Good Eats Alton." Still, good thing to know.
***
Boy Meets World - Cory Matthews, Shawn Hunter
If you grew up in the United States around the same time I did, you probably know exactly why Boy Meets World is AWESOME. Yes, on the surface, it's yet another teen drama, but it was always more than that to me - it was the tales of a group of awesome people growing up, people who were realistic and heartbreaking and hilarious in equal measure. You wanted to root for them, you wanted them to do well, you wanted them to MAKE IT despite all odds to the contrary.
And man, these two. THESE TWO! Despite their very different personalities and feelings, they stuck with each other, through and through. Their friendship is so precious to me, all the more so as the series progressed and became deeper and more dramatic. That being said, I'd be extremely content with a thousand words of their banter and playing off of each other - I'd find it super precious and wonderful! :D
If you want something plotty, there's so much to do here, and so much to cover, despite us following them for so long. There's tons of blanks to fill in - especially when it comes to all the tragedy that surrounds Shawn, his family, and his past. A fic about Cory helping Shawn deal with the truth of his family history would be INCREDIBLE.
There's tons of opportunities for them to get away from the world and interact just with each other, and that would be fun to see too. What do they know about each other that they can't say to the rest of the world? How does their friendship grow and change (or not!) after college? SO MANY POSSIBILITIES.
My brain still hasn't decided whether or not I slash them together. I kind of do, but I kind of don't! If you have a strong feeling one way or the other, feel free to use your fic to convince me. ;) If not, well, why not use your fic to explore that in-between place between friendship and romance? That would actually be super nice.
And yes, part of the reason I'm unsure about slashing them is Topanga. I adore Topanga too, she was one of the first female characters I remember really liking growing up - so please don't bash her. She's not perfect, for sure, and it may be hard to reconcile if you choose to slash them, but I do like her!
Resources: The instant I find a reliable, non-buggy set of downloads for the episodes, I'll let you know. XP Wikipedia has episode summaries of all seven seasons, though, if that helps. Also, there's a bunch of scenes available on Youtube, including the extremely emotional and awesome final scene in Feeny's homeroom.
***
Once again, thank you thank you thank you, dearest Yuletide writer. You rock! I can't wait to read whatever you end up offering, and I hope you have as much fun writing as I do reading. :)
Thank you for taking on my prompt! This is my first Yuletide, and first time writing fanfic at all for many years. I really appreciate whatever you'd give me for my characters, as I adore them so. <3
Some general notes:
I'm pretty easy. I like all kinds of consentual relationships (friendships, slash or het or genderqueer-love romantic ones with any number of people, mentor/protege, etc), all levels of rating from innocent to porny, all levels of tone from cracky to serious, and I am totally cool with kinks other than scat and necro. (If you do go with porny/kinky stuff, I have a soft spot for mild bondage with improvised restraints, food kink, formalwear of any culture and all genders, pegging, and gentle hair pulling. Again, TOTALLY NOT NECESSARY, but I will be super pleased if you do.) Dub-con and non-con make me a liiiiiitle nervy, but write it well and I will probably end up enjoying it anyway. I like canon-based and AU fics alike (including "mild AU" like "what if these characters had met earlier than they did" and full-on crack AU, like the time I tried to get
mimsicality to write me Philipp Lahm as Dr. Dolittle and the Bayern players as various animals. Seriously. I'm easy.) I'm not a big fan of original characters, but if you use one convincingly to good effect I will be pleasantly surprised.I'm pansexual in love with someone intrigued by occasional crossdressing, so if you do explore Things about Gender, try to keep the focus away from "humiliation" and more towards, well, play and exploration and honest thoughts about gender roles. I know that can be hard, but I appreciate it if you try! That being said, don't be afraid to go in that direction, and I will love you all the more if you do.
My journal isn't all that much about fannish stuff, but it is completely open if you want to poke around. In the next month or two I hope to expand this more into fannish thoughts - my feelings when rewatching episodes of my favorite things, my reactions to interviews and games, etc. There is an ancient, unloved German footie RPF reclist if you dig around, but it's out of date and mostly porny despite the fact that I like both porn and not-porn. If you are here for more on German footie, I am somewhat active over at
touchline, so feel free to read my comments there for some idea of what goes on in my crazy little head. :DBelow I've talked a bit about each canon, about why my favorite characters are my favorites, and given you a pile of canon-based half-prompts to play with. (Again, AU is more than fine as well, from the most basic to the most silly, so play with whatever tropes you feel like over there.) Mix and match as you feel appropriate! I've also provided sources (or at least hints to sources for less-than-legal material).
Finally, I may or may not be around on Christmas day, but should be able to do a quick check-in of "I'm alive, I got your fic, thank you, I'll read it soon" on the 25th or 26th, and definitely read it and give lots of love by New Year's Day.
***
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Kusanagi Motoko
It's 2030 AD in Japan, and the world has gone cybernetic - many people have brains augmented by micromachines and other devices, for access to the Internet, better memory storage, and other boons. Artificial limbs are possible too, as well as entire artificial bodies. And yes, robotics has improved too - androids have surpassed the Uncanny Valley [sometimes] and have very advanced functionality. Telling the difference between man and machine can be...testy at best.
It's not all sunshine and rainbows of course - cybercrime is rampant, and the consequences can be very dire (including hacking of memories and messing with...whatever makes someone human, known in this series as their "ghost"). Combined with an unsettled political atmosphere both within Japan and abroad and a laundry list of important issues of the day ranging from diseases inherent to cyberbrain use to the handling of a large population of refugees, it sometimes looks like a very bleak world indeed.
Enter Public Security Section 9, a paramilitary task force dedicated to solving crimes brought on by cyberization and cyber warfare. Led by a mysterious woman with an incredible cyborg body going by the alias "Major Motoko Kusanagi", they work together to, well, fight crime, sometimes in very nontraditional ways.
It's a great series, rather well animated for mid 2000's anime and with a wonderful soundtrack by the illustrious Yoko Kanno, packed with action and intrigue. It's one of the few series I've marathoned...repeatedly. I actually don't know how many times I've watched it all the way through. But on top of the lush plot, there are the characters - Motoko herself and the rest of Section 9 - who are deep and fascinating in this canon, and deserve all the fic in the world.
Note I say "this canon" - the Stand Alone Complex (SAC) tag refers to two seasons of anime (a total of 52 episodes), a sequel TV movie called Solid State Society (SSS), and a few side story novels (which are not required for my requests, but are lovely anyway). There is an original three-volume manga by Shirow Masamune (which is the progenitor of this), as well as two movies by Mamoru Oshii, and yes, in theory they all use the same characters and the same world. However, those versions of canon characterize everyone a little differently than SAC, and I am asking if at all possible you stick to SAC canon. (Plus, SAC introduces a major character in season 2 that you might have fun writing.) I have spoiler-tagged things for ends of seasons as I felt appropriate. (Thank you
isiscolo for that HTML help!)Motoko to me is really interesting and really complex. She doesn't feel she's capable of emotional relationships, and feels they're probably a bad idea anyway - but she can't help the fact that she's human underneath. Perhaps she doesn't completely comprehend the emotions she feels - why she feels a need to use a female body, why she hasn't let go of her first body, why she's so protective of Section 9 even when she's left them. (Here's an idea for those of you intrigued by the Things about Gender bit - tell me how Motoko feels when she is in a male body, and the dysphoria involved.)
If you want to expand those relationships to, well, ships - that's awesome! When I first watched the series I shipped Motoko/Batou like nobody's business, then got confused and excited during season 2. Nowadays my understanding is more complex, but still, I squee a little at any hints of Motoko/Batou UST every time I watch. Pretty much any time you play with their feelings for each other, I'll be happy.
Some specific, end-of-season spoilery ones:
Click here to skip ahead of Season 1 spoilers! If you're feeling smutty (or even if you're not), expand on Motoko and Batou's safehouse scene in BARRAGE (episode 25). You know, the one where they're half-naked talking about their external memory devices. I've always imagined it smutty, but if you just want to keep it UST-tastic that's cool too.
Click here to skip ahead of Season 2 spoilers! Expansion of Motoko and Kuze's childhood would be FANTASTIC, or more on their conversation in episodes 25/26. [Also, did Kuze really hack Motoko's cyberbrain to bring her to the external memory device shop in episode 11? Or was it something else entirely? That entire episode is really, really surreal, and I'd love more on the how and why of it.] Or pretty much anything on Motoko's internal debate between the man she's been searching for all her life and the one she's grown to trust over the years. [And back to the memory shop, an option that may induce lots of cuteness would be Motoko trying to bring Batou there, and his reaction. Would they then leave their devices there (her watch, his weights)? That would be awesome to know!]
If you want to go non-shippy, there's options - tell me how she feels about the Tachikomas developing individual personalities and "human" emotions despite being a hivemind. ...Actually, any and all Tachikomas is welcome! I love the Tachikomas to bits. If you're really stuck on characterizing Motoko but still want to give me SAC fic, I will be more than happy with Tachikoma-centric cuteness/crack/omg these are badass robots with the personalities of children, or even serious stuff. Things you could tell me about: the end of season 1 and the assertion of their self-sacrifice, or between season 2 and Solid State Society and how the Tachikomas fared floating in the Net after sacrificing their AI satellite to save the world, or even things in Solid State Society like how Motoko *finds* the Tachikomas floating in the Net in her time away from Section 9 and gets them to serve her again, and/or the fates of Max and Musashi (the two named non-blue Tachis), who we never see outside of Motoko's comm-link before she "rejoins Section 9".
More ideas: Introduce her to Togusa's wife and daughter and let me know how she feels about their existence and their relationship to one of her most important squad mates. (Yes, I know they've met, but we never see it beyond a professional context.) Tell me if she has any other secret quirks embedded in her ghost beyond cranes and dolls. Tell me more about her past and her transition into her artificial body - we know it was difficult and maybe not by choice, but detailing that would be amazing. Tell me how she met Aramaki and joined Section 9, and formed its membership. (Season 2 gives a lot of good hints on this on each character's "individual" episode mid-season, but still, more would be great.)
No matter what you do, tell me something interesting about Motoko's personality and understanding of the world (even an AU world) and I'll be pleased as punch. (Or again, failing that, Tachikomas.)
Resources: I will not directly link it here, but a site called TheHylia has direct downloads of every episode of both seasons plus Solid State Society. There are also plenty of torrents out there for those who have access to that. It is, of course, fully licensed by Manga Entertainment, and I do support getting it legally if you can, as it's really an excellent show.
Bonus! Check out my Livejournal:
fandomonymous. In the weeks ahead, I'll be posting rambly flaily goo about all of my feelings regarding the show, focusing on episodes that are heavy on Motoko characterization, Motoko relationships, and Tachikomas. If that sounds like your idea of a good time, go check it out!***
German Football RPF - Philipp Lahm
Football? Really? Yes, as in the game you play with your feet, where 22 people take the field for 90 minutes and in the end, the Germans always win. (Except when they don't.) It's a great game to watch and filled with interesting players, and I've chosen my favorite above all favorites to request. Plus, sometimes those players get all touchy-feely on the pitch. And sometimes (like in this case) it seems as if their significant others are total badasses. Combined with the intrigue that always comes with being in the spotlight, it's a great thing to play around in, fic-wise.
Philipp Lahm is a defender, and specifically a full back, currently playing on the left side of the pitch. This means you won't see him scoring goals much, but he's instrumental in stopping others from scoring, and often pushes forward to create opportunities offensively as well. He's tiny for a footballer (5'7" = 1.70m), fast, and extremely tactically minded - he very rarely misses his passes and knows just where the ball is needed at any given moment. He is the captain of the German National Team (the one you saw kicking butt in the last two World Cups and then choking at the last moment to end up in third). He rose to this position after some...unfortunate happenings with the last captain, which uh, caused some drama. Oops. Now in football, the focus usually isn't on national team play - it's on club-level play, whether within the country or throughout Europe in the Champion's League. At this level, Philipp is also captain - for a large, powerful, rich team called FC Bayern Munich (yes based out of Munich), often considered a little arrogant, but with a long history of victory. FC Bayern has a habit of snapping up promising German national team players from their home clubs for crazy amounts of money, but Philipp was born and raised in Munich, and was recruited into their academy at a very young age. So unlike some Bayern players, his love for the club runs extremely deep, even going so far as to stay with the club after lucrative offers from elsewhere - including one from Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona a few years ago.
Characterization wise, it can go a lot of ways, which is why I'm so intrigued and excited by the idea of Philipp-centered fanfic. Philipp is small and cute and nerdy! (Totally One of Us.) Philipp is fierce and honest and badass, almost to a fault! (He wrote a book recently called The Subtle Difference, where he was very candid about his rise to fame...including some criticism of past coaches that I think was totally fair game, but others may not agree.) How do you justify these things with being one of the best defenders currently playing? ...You tell me.
Slash-wise, Philipp has a lot of potential suitors, and I don't mind whichever one you give me, or how far (or low) you put the rating. (More than one is also good! Seriously, I'm easy.) Feeling nostalgic about Timo Hildebrand from back when Philipp was on loan to Stuttgart and want to tell me where it went wrong? Sure! Want to make Philipp's relationship with Bastian Schweinsteiger be more than "captain and vice captain" (and play with the "I know everything about Philipp" line)? Neat! Want to understand why Andreas Ottl, his "one friend in football" according to a recent interview, would be the only one at Philipp's wedding? Fantastic! Want to play with a ping pong rivalry and find out how the hell Arne Friedrich talked to Philipp's mother about being a tree in a school play? Awesome! Or mix and match these - people fighting over Philipp's affections, or a transition between relationships, or anything else you can think of.
That being said, I'm perfectly happy with you answering those questions in a gen context (platonic friendship fic is seriously more than welcome, even though I'm quite the slash fangirl). Or tell me about Philipp's life as captain - what advice he gives to the young ones, headaches with the media (particularly over The Subtle Difference), et cetera. Or if you really feel like heading into drama territory, any and every correspondence he's had with Michael Ballack after Philipp's captaincy. (For full disclosure, Ballack used to be a huge favorite of mine...until his agent ranted about the German NT, including homophobic comments, and Micha did nothing. That soured me to him quite a bit. That being said, he's not entirely the villain some make him out to be, and if you manage to make him more complex in his lack of tact regarding Philipp, I'd be amazed and astounded.)
I would also be happy with you exploring his life with Claudia, if you're brave enough! (And if you want Claudia to be a major character in an otherwise slashy fic, be my guest - especially if you don't make her the villain.) Smut (and kink) about their wedding night? Go for it. Future fic where Philipp decides whether or not to encourage his children to join Bayern's academy? Awesome! Cute domesticity and picking out of Tracht? Heck yeah! (Yes, they're Bavarian. There's no reason to deny it! It'd be fun to see fic celebrating that fact, honestly.)
Notes: yeah, homophobia sucks, especially the fact that it's so damn prevalent in modern men's football. If you want to seriously explore that and relevant closet-related angst, feel free. If you want to just have a happy domestic fic where it's handwaved, I'm okay with that too. Lucky for us, Philipp has been on the record as anti-homophobia and believes he'd treat a gay teammate like he would a straight one. (He knows it's difficult and a sucky world though, this is not all sunshine and rainbows, but nevertheless!)
Also notes: Please, please, please, no vilifying FC Bayern. I'm okay with "what if Philipp left" fic or the like, but don't make Bayern the enemy. I know it's an awkward situation, being such a big club and we're sort of seen as bullies to the others, but despite everything - despite the arrogance, the ridiculousness, and the generally FC Hollywood nature - I love the club. It is my club, for good and for bad, and I think that Philipp sticking with Bayern through thick and thin is a Good Thing. Please respect that. That being said, other non-Bayern players can (and maybe should) be able to voice their distaste if it helps the story - but keep it minimal, and make it clear that it's that player's opinion.
Resources: Der Kapitän is a fantastic blog made by the one person who may be a bigger fan of Philipp than I am! She's got a lot of great translations of quotes, including the excerpts of The Subtle Difference that were up on Bild. Two fun Tumblrs for Bayern-related fangirling are Rekordmeister and Die Bayern; be sure to check folks they reblog as well. If you're feeling nostalgic,
mannschaft_subs did an excellent fansub of Deutschland: ein Sommermärchen that was finished last Christmas; it's comm-locked to loewsmiserables (though Loew's is open). Loew's Miserables would be a good place to backread for World Cup 2010 info as well, as it was very active back then. On top of all of this, louis_quatorze did an EXCELLENT primer on Germany-related drama here, though it's not focused on Philipp. [Also of note: this fic is EXCELLENT. If you get permission from her to play in this AU universe I will dance a jig of joy.] If you know German, of course, there's Bild's sports section, Bayern's official site, and the DFB's official site (particularly for videos). As far as actually watching games (in the US at least), many (but not all) Bayern Bundesliga and Pokal games are legally live-streamed on ESPN3 if you get that service, as well as German NT friendlies and qualifiers. Their "past shows" section may include a few older games. If you're extremely lucky, Bayern's Champion's League matches will be on Fox Soccer/Fox Soccer Plus, but it's not reliable. Folks at
ontd_football and other communities will also post links to less-than-legal streaming services the day of matches as well. For past games, you can attempt to look for downloads, or rely on reports from blogs and the like. There's also a site for past lineups. ***
Good Eats - Alton Brown
What happens when you get bored of "normal" cooking shows? When no one is explaining to you why certain tactics work better than others? When it seems that everyone is assuming you own fancy unitasking equipment that's useless outside that one thing it's for in the kitchen?
If you're Alton Brown, you make Good Eats, a cooking show that isn't quite a cooking show. Every episode goes into the why of things, complete with a 'cast' of surreal repeating characters from a whiny sister to a mythical Lady in the Refrigerator to a snark-happy food gadget seller named W to stuffy lawyers named Itchy and Twitchy. Also, there are crazy props, many involving silly balloons and packing peanuts and other things around the house, as well as silly sock puppets with rude attitudes - all used to demonstrate the nature of the chemistry behind your cooking. Oh, and yes, there are some pop cultural references too, if you know where to look - most titles are references (Dr. Strangeloaf, Myth Smashers, Stew Romance, Flap Jack Do It Again...) and there's plenty of punchy dialogue, like rambling about "the spice is life!!" while grating nutmeg onto a bowl of punch.
The thing is, it's not just for show - there's legitimate science going on, and the recipes really are genuinely amazing, ranging from my favorite pork chops ever (marinated in molasses, vinegar, and spices before grilling) to ridiculously good barbeque to homemade marshmallows to truly excellent pancakes... Well I could give lots of examples (there's 250 episodes), but it's a sight to behold. And it demands fic!
And yes, I mean within the universe, where the puppets are really sentient and Alton has an unrequited crush on the Lady in the Refrigerator and makes W facepalm on a regular basis. RPF, as I understand it, would acknowledge that these are actors, that there's a crew involved, and the like - but that's not quite what I'm going for here: I'm going for entering this crazy world and yet learning about food. :) [In my mind, instead of a camera, some anonymous, poor cook is following Alton around and learning from his conversation.]
In an ideal world, I'd basically get another episode of the show, now that it's ended its glorious run. Whether that's a "that's another show" that was never made, or just a favorite recipe of yours turned into an episode, I don't mind. Teach me about food the AB way! Solve problems with interesting uses of multitaskers! Have fun with food science, history, and nutritional anthropology! And of course, always make it good eats.
While Alton generally specialized in American classics, he started moving outside of that in later seasons (I'll always love the tempura episode and the Octopus Monster within!), so feel free to teach me some not-so-American dishes. If it happens to be a personal recipe/from your culture, I will be utterly thrilled, and will probably end up trying it in the days and weeks after reveal.
Barring that, any sort of story in the weird and wacky world of the show would be wonderful and appropriate. How did Alton and W meet, and why does she put up with him? Is there an epic quest for the Lady to send Alton to do? How would Alton react to a hostile takeover by the Yeast Puppets? What *really* summons the Nutritional Anthropologist? Basically, play in the world, have fun with the lighthearted tone and the wackiness of the set, and I'll be the happiest camper ever to happy.
Resources: Good Eats Fan Page is insanely extensive and wonderful. There's YouTube links to almost every single episode, and transcripts on top of that for many, as well as search and a "by topic" list to find specific episodes. (Feel free to use the transcript format if you do go the "another show" route...or not! Whatever feels good when writing it. Speaking of which, they actually have a full list of things Alton's said will be another show, if you need inspiration!) Alton now has a Twitter and a blog, though that's more the "real Alton" than "Good Eats Alton." Still, good thing to know.
***
Boy Meets World - Cory Matthews, Shawn Hunter
If you grew up in the United States around the same time I did, you probably know exactly why Boy Meets World is AWESOME. Yes, on the surface, it's yet another teen drama, but it was always more than that to me - it was the tales of a group of awesome people growing up, people who were realistic and heartbreaking and hilarious in equal measure. You wanted to root for them, you wanted them to do well, you wanted them to MAKE IT despite all odds to the contrary.
And man, these two. THESE TWO! Despite their very different personalities and feelings, they stuck with each other, through and through. Their friendship is so precious to me, all the more so as the series progressed and became deeper and more dramatic. That being said, I'd be extremely content with a thousand words of their banter and playing off of each other - I'd find it super precious and wonderful! :D
If you want something plotty, there's so much to do here, and so much to cover, despite us following them for so long. There's tons of blanks to fill in - especially when it comes to all the tragedy that surrounds Shawn, his family, and his past. A fic about Cory helping Shawn deal with the truth of his family history would be INCREDIBLE.
There's tons of opportunities for them to get away from the world and interact just with each other, and that would be fun to see too. What do they know about each other that they can't say to the rest of the world? How does their friendship grow and change (or not!) after college? SO MANY POSSIBILITIES.
My brain still hasn't decided whether or not I slash them together. I kind of do, but I kind of don't! If you have a strong feeling one way or the other, feel free to use your fic to convince me. ;) If not, well, why not use your fic to explore that in-between place between friendship and romance? That would actually be super nice.
And yes, part of the reason I'm unsure about slashing them is Topanga. I adore Topanga too, she was one of the first female characters I remember really liking growing up - so please don't bash her. She's not perfect, for sure, and it may be hard to reconcile if you choose to slash them, but I do like her!
Resources: The instant I find a reliable, non-buggy set of downloads for the episodes, I'll let you know. XP Wikipedia has episode summaries of all seven seasons, though, if that helps. Also, there's a bunch of scenes available on Youtube, including the extremely emotional and awesome final scene in Feeny's homeroom.
***
Once again, thank you thank you thank you, dearest Yuletide writer. You rock! I can't wait to read whatever you end up offering, and I hope you have as much fun writing as I do reading. :)