Sakura Exchange 2024

[firebatvillain]

Dear Sakura Exchange Creator,

Thanks for writing or drawing for me - I’m really excited for this exchange. Sakura is one of my favorite exchanges, and I'm glad it's back for another year, hehe! I hope you’re excited as well! I’m FireBatVillain on Ao3 and Tumblr.

Aside from my DNWs, I hope you consider the prompts and likes in this letter as you work, and that they inspire you to make something you enjoy creating and that tickles my fancy! These prompts are meant to inspire, not restrain/restrict, so feel free to go beyond these prompts and create what you like!

In addition to this letter, I also maintain a longer, general letter about likes and dislikes if that's useful for you: https://firebatvillain.dreamwidth.org/5012.html

I am open to treats in unrequested format (fic/art/podfic etc).

Things I like in writing:

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.

I like explicit content and smut. I am okay with darkfic. I do not mind any of the archive warnings aside from what's listed in my DNWs.

Things I like in art:

Characters hugging, cute animal companions, manifestations of magic or the supernatural, characters looking fierce holding a weapon, item, or tool. Characters floating against abstract backgrounds with aquatic or space-ey feels. I'm happy with all art media, from digital to watercolor to mixed media to others.

In terms of mood: I like moods that are cozy, happy, fierce, or exciting, but I don't like moods in art that are dismaying, horrifying, or depressing.

In terms of how to depict the characters, feel free to diverge from straightforward direct physical depiction / canonical elements if you'd like! I'm comfortable with and enjoy all levels of explicitness/maturity in fics and art.

Anyway - on to the important DNWs and prompts!

Things I don’t like / DNWs:

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

In art, my DNWs are authorial monarchist apologia, depictions of needles breaking skin, pregnancy, 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.

Requested Fandoms:

Request 1: Chainsaw Man (Manga) - Fic - Denji & Power

I love these two! There's so much... gremlin energy! They are so awful and also are so there for each other in their immature ways. They're a ton of fun and I always enjoy reading about them. I know some people ship it and I don't mind that, but for me the way their personalities bounce off of each other and the way they get into shenanigans (and serious things) together, and the small moments where they're even there for each other is excellent.

Here's a few prompts if you're looking for something to inspire you.
- Denji and Power find themselves saddled with a serious responsibility - looking after a team member's young child for the day.
- Denji and Power have to solve a mystery of some kind, and put all of their (at times limited) social skills and brainpower together to do it.
- Nyako has gone missing, and Power is looking for her! Denji is doing his best to help and they get into all kinds of hijinks as a result.

Request 2: Legend of the Galactic Heroes - Fic - Siegfried Kircheis/Reinhard von Lohengramm

I’ll admit to not having watched nuLOGH! I’m just here for those deleted scenes that you could imagine playing out of what could have been between Kircheis and Reinhardt, I'm happy with something set before Kircheis' canonical death, or an AU where he survives. The politics and ideas of this series are kind of A Lot so there’s no need to encapsulate it all, but I always found the conflict that drove the characters fascinating - and I’m not just talking about spaceships blowing up. Though if it's just something about spaceships blowing up, count me in for that, too. The battles and interactions that happen in this anime are great and anything that reminds me of that is also neat.

Here's a few prompts if you're looking for something to inspire you.
- The assassination attempt against Reinhard goes as it went canonically, but Kircheis isn't killed, just badly injured. The two of them have a chance to talk, and maybe, admit some feelings - perhaps with Kircheis waking up a few days later after things went basically as they did in canon.
- A quiet moment between Kircheis and Reinhard before Kircheis deploys to fight in the Imperial Civil War. An admission of feelings, or something even more, a last chance for them before a risky separation that Kircheis may not return from.
- A scene set in an AU where Kircheis lives, before Reinhard makes a big mistake in ruling over his new Empire in how he deal with the deterioration of things with von Reuenthal.

Request 3: Naruto - Fic or Art - Sakura/Ino

I love the rivalry and friendship between these two! And I think it could have, or should have, been something more. At the very least, I would have liked better for both of them in terms of how their romances were characterized canonically. They may be the only ones who understand each other, and perhaps in their competition for Sasuke's love they realize how much they appreciate and respect each other? Or just leave that guy out entirely, who cares about him. And imo, nobody can really appreciate Sakura the way Ino can, and vice versa. They deserve each other! They deserve better!

Art Prompts:

- Ino and Sakura in casualwear, sitting on a bench together and holding hands. Mood: calm
- Ino and Sakura clashing kunai in training, looking determined, but with a heart in the background. Mood: determined
- Ino hugging Sakura from behind as she's reading or writing on a scroll at a desk. Mood: cute

Fic Prompts:
- Ino and Sakura get into a ridiculous competition for Sasuke's love, but realize they love each other.
- Sakura comes back from a mission unconscious, and only the skills and love of Ino can bring her back. And then they KISS.
- Sakura and Ino show off their skills to each other later in canon, and then they KISS.
 

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Thanks for reading this!

 

Hopefully this gives you some ideas. I am sure I will like whatever you create.

Thank you.