Seasons of Drabbles Letter Summer 2023

[firebatvillain]

Dear Seasons of Drabbles Author,

Thanks for writing - I'm super pumped for this exchange! It'll be my second time taking part in this exchange. I hope you’re excited as well! I’m FireBatVillain on Ao3 and Tumblr.

The stuff I’m including in this letter is optional as always, but I hope you consider them as you work. Whatever you make, I’ll appreciate it regardless, and I look forward to whatever comes. Prompts are just suggestions.

In addition to this letter, I also maintain an optional, general post about likes and dislikes if that's useful for you at all: https://firebatvillain.dreamwidth.org/3098.html

Things I like:

Happy stories, bittersweet stories, and stories that end with a spark of hope even if they are angry or sad. I like good communication, wordplay, honor, pointless heroism or love even if it won’t succeed. Probably one of my favorite ideas in fiction is the idea of heroism in the face of hopelessness, and love even if things seem sad.

A little mini scene or interaction, an ending or a beginning, that could be a canon-compliant off-screen scene or interaction - sounds fun! I also like AUs and alternate imaginings, if that can be crammed into a drabble, heheh.

I'm comfortable with and enjoy all levels of explicitness/maturity in fics and art.

Anyway - on to the important stuff!

Things I don’t like / DNWs:

In a drabble, my DNWs are authorial monarchist apologia, vivid descriptions of needles, and extreme underage.

Regarding the monarchism thing: I’m okay with characters in a feudal or monarchist setting, and even protags who are monarchs, and even these characters triumphing as monarchs as long as the story itself isn’t apologia for monarchism. Characters who like monarchism, who think of themselves as good kings, who want to restore the throne, etc - all good by me. Rider in Fate/Zero, or Moriarty in A Study in Emerald, etc are excellent characters and enjoy works about them. I just would prefer not to read a work where the final moral of the story is that democracy is bad and we should all be ruled by a single person with absolute unchecked power, as presented by the author.

Some other notes:

The inclusion of additional unrequested characters, ships, and ideas are A-OK with me, as is explicit content. Please feel free to use whatever prompts you like and don’t feel constrained by my suggestions here - aside from the DNWs and the tags we mall of this is included to inspire, rather than constrain. I do not mind darkfic. I do not mind any of the archive warnings aside from what's listed in my DNWs.

Requested Fandoms:

Request 1: Rurouni Kenshin: Saitou Hajime, Himura Kenshin

I really enjoy Kenshin and Saitou as former manslayers trying to find their way in a new era, and anything in during the revolution or during canon would be interesting about either of them.

Here are a few optional prompts to get the creative gears turning:

• Kenshin practices a new move, his own personal addition to Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu.
• Saitou contemplates the meaning of Aku Soku Zan - either during the revolution, or during canon
  
• Kenshin and Saito meet during the revolution.

Request 2: I Was a Teenage Exocolonist - Sol, Marz

I recently finished playing this game/VN extensively, and it was a blast! I liked the world it built and the characters we met along the way. Vertumna is a great, hostile, mysterious, and fun setting, and the plot element that allowed for replays was great. We get a lot of revelations through the many runs, and see so many little scenes that could have happened or could have gone another way. I'd love to see something that might have happened during a difficult timeline for the colony and for Sol, or something about Marz's ambition!

I don't have a preference on Sol's gender, I did playthroughs with a variety of options and found them all interesting.

Here are a few optional prompts if you're looking for inspiration:

• Sol's memories back coming to them when they're young and trying to convince their parents of something.
• A busy day in the life Marz, now the Governor after the events of the game. Or maybe a quiet, reflective moment for her, now that she has it all?
• In one of the later game years, Sol and Marz plan their coup against Lum.

Request 3: A Song of Ice and Fire - Benjen Stark

A lot of what's interesting about Benjen happens before the events of the first book. He was the Stark in Winterfell during Robert's Rebellion - he saw his father, as well brother Brandon and his sister Lyanna die. Ned almost certainly entrusted the truth of Jon's parentage to Benjen, who may have known more about Lyanna running away than anyone else. I'd love a little snippet or scene about him!

Here are a few optional prompts if you're looking for a starting point:

• Ned returns to Winterfell after the war, and Benjen learns the truth, and grieves.
• Benjen, when he realizes Lyanna has run away with and/or been abducted by Prince Rhaegar.
• Benjen comes to Winterfell sometime before canon to see his brother, his nieces and nephews, and Jon.
• A scene of Benjen's experience at the tourney at Harrenhal, plotting with Lyanna or seeing something amiss.

Request 4: Suzume no Tojimari - Any Character

I found this movie so moving and fun, both emotionally stirring funny! I really fell in love with the characters, and we only get little glimpses of what happens to them after the events of the film. I'd love anything related to that, or any more of Daijin and Sadaijin. Something uplifting and fun, maybe?

Here are a few prompts if you're looking for inspiration:

• Suzume and Chika meet up again later, perhaps on a break from school, or perhaps later on, and talk about boys or life.
• Suzume is off to university in Kobe! She tops by to check in on Rumi.
• Serizawa takes his car to get repaired.
• Souta speaks with his grandfather after the events of the movie.
• Tamaki has a date tonight, and Suzume is encouraging her.

Thanks for reading this!

Hopefully this gives you some ideas. I am sure I will like whatever you create. Drabbles are fun!

Thank you.