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Thank you so much for participating in the challenge! As you've no doubt read half a dozen times by now, you shouldn't feel absolutely compelled to write any details beyond the chosen fandom and characters. All of which is to say, if I requested something that you don't feel able to write, DON'T PANIC. Pretty much anything featuring the characters I requested would make me ecstatic, and I think it's more important for you to write a story that you're happy with and feel proud of than it is for you to write a story that exactly matches my request.
Generally speaking, things that I don't like to read include breathplay/asphyxiation, character-bashing, misogyny, death, abuse, betrayal, bad grammar and spelling, PWPs, non-con, coercion, and violence.
Things that I like include happy (or at least hopeful) endings, friendship, family (either biological or chosen), cooking and/or eating (but no foodsmut, please), physical affection (not just between the romantically involved characters), sharing beds, kissing, first-time fic, established relationship fic (especially if there's some sort of shift in the dynamics of the relationship), uncertain and/or awkward first relationship fumbling, character-driven gen, and mild angst with an eventual happy ending.
Havemercy, Balfour/Thom.
Slash, please, set after the events of the book. I'd prefer romance and a happy ending for the two of them--at least, as much as is possible considering canonical events.
Thom's my favorite character in the book, and I really wish we could have seen more of his hesitant friendship with Balfour than the brief glimpses we got before his relationship with Rook took center focus. His interaction with all of the airmen was just fascinating to watch, and I loved how smart and self-assured and competent he was during the initial hazing and then as he forged more sustainable relationships with all of them. If you do decide to write Balfour's and Thom's relationship as platonic, then that particular dynamic--Balfour as one of the airmen with whom Thom was beginning to build a strong relationship--is one that I can't get enough of.
Please, no Thom/Rook, though, even as a secondary pairing. I'll happily acknowledge Rook's possessiveness with regard to Thom, as well as Thom's fascination with Rook, but I don't personally see either of those as impelled by romantic or sexual feelings. That said, if you wanted to write Rook as jealous of Balfour for taking away part of Thom's time and attention, that would be completely awesome.
Hana-Kimi, Kayashima Taiki/Nakatsu Shuichi.
I'd love a story set post-series in which Nakatsu comes to terms with the fact that he actually is gay, with Kayashima there either to provide moral support/friendship or as a romantic prospect (or, ideally, both).
I know this story's been written before, but it's also a plot that I think could stand a few more variations on the theme. If it's not working for you, though, then pretty much anything about Kayashima and Nakatsu's relationship would be great. I love how compatible the two of them are, even as they appear to have very little in common...and I think that Nakatsu's habit of internal reflection points to a certain affinity with Kayashima's more obvious brand of self-awareness.
Nobuta wo Produce, Kiritani Shuji/Shittaka.
I'd prefer slash for these two, but gen's okay, too, if you don't see a way to get them together. I just really want to see Shuuji and Shittaka interacting sometime post-series, maybe because they're going to the same college or are employees at the same company or run into each other while on vactation. If you do go the platonic route for their relationship, feel free to hook Shittaka up with Nobuta if you like. Please don't include any Shuuji/Mariko, though; I prefer the two of them as just friends.
Some explanation of my fondness for this pairing is probably in order. First of all, I adore both of the characters individually. Shuuji's such a fascinatingly conflicted person, and I love his evolution from someone who expends his energy on all the wrong things even as he cares desperately underneath, to someone who discovers the value of honesty and of true friendship...though I don't doubt that he still has difficulty reconciling the various expectations placed on him by others and by himself. Also, he's kind of adorably neurotic, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
As for Shittaka, when he first came on the scene, I thought him cute but a bit shallow and silly, only then he really ended up surprising me. He's a lot less conformist than Shuuji is in some ways--the bit where he was willing to date Nobuta despite the rumors circulating the school comes to mind--but he looks up to Shuuji, as well. It strikes me that they could have things to learn from each other, which I find incredibly appealing. I'd love to see their relationship take a romantic turn, but, as I said in my original request, gen with or without a Shittaka/Nobuta subplot would be fine, too. I do think that Nobuta's dislike of Shittaka is based more on circumstance and misunderstanding than anything else, and that the two of them would make a cute couple. (Shuuji I pretty much see as gay, but that's definitely not a dealbreaker for me as far as his characterization goes, so don't sweat it if you see him as strictly heterosexual.)
Wang Qiu Wang Zi, Long Ma/Xiao Bo.
Tennis-playing and boys falling in love, please. And if Tao Cheng Wu could find out about their relationship somewhere in the story, that would be choice.
Confession: I've only seen through episode five so far--my Chinese being nowhere near the level where I could watch an unsubbed drama--so if Long Ma starts dating Lin Ying later in the series or something else happens that makes this pairing more difficult, my apologies. (Though if that particular scenario does occur in canon, don't feel that you have to keep Long Ma and Lin Ying together on my account. High schoolers break up; as long as you don't bash Lin Ying in the process, I'm cool with that.)
Regarding my particular request: Xiao Bo's absolutely adorable, and I love how he's one of the very few people for whom Long Ma has any patience. I also love how Long Ma doesn't seem to know quite what he wants from Xiao Bo, but he keeps going to see him anyway. And it's interesting to see Long Ma interact with someone on a level that centers upon tennis (unlike his relationship with Lin Ying) without being consumed by it (as are his relationships with his father and the tennis team). Any exploration of that dynamic in their relationship would be incredible.
Again, thanks so much for offering to write a story in one of my favorite fandoms, and please have a lot of fun in the writing of it.
Generally speaking, things that I don't like to read include breathplay/asphyxiation, character-bashing, misogyny, death, abuse, betrayal, bad grammar and spelling, PWPs, non-con, coercion, and violence.
Things that I like include happy (or at least hopeful) endings, friendship, family (either biological or chosen), cooking and/or eating (but no foodsmut, please), physical affection (not just between the romantically involved characters), sharing beds, kissing, first-time fic, established relationship fic (especially if there's some sort of shift in the dynamics of the relationship), uncertain and/or awkward first relationship fumbling, character-driven gen, and mild angst with an eventual happy ending.
Havemercy, Balfour/Thom.
Slash, please, set after the events of the book. I'd prefer romance and a happy ending for the two of them--at least, as much as is possible considering canonical events.
Thom's my favorite character in the book, and I really wish we could have seen more of his hesitant friendship with Balfour than the brief glimpses we got before his relationship with Rook took center focus. His interaction with all of the airmen was just fascinating to watch, and I loved how smart and self-assured and competent he was during the initial hazing and then as he forged more sustainable relationships with all of them. If you do decide to write Balfour's and Thom's relationship as platonic, then that particular dynamic--Balfour as one of the airmen with whom Thom was beginning to build a strong relationship--is one that I can't get enough of.
Please, no Thom/Rook, though, even as a secondary pairing. I'll happily acknowledge Rook's possessiveness with regard to Thom, as well as Thom's fascination with Rook, but I don't personally see either of those as impelled by romantic or sexual feelings. That said, if you wanted to write Rook as jealous of Balfour for taking away part of Thom's time and attention, that would be completely awesome.
Hana-Kimi, Kayashima Taiki/Nakatsu Shuichi.
I'd love a story set post-series in which Nakatsu comes to terms with the fact that he actually is gay, with Kayashima there either to provide moral support/friendship or as a romantic prospect (or, ideally, both).
I know this story's been written before, but it's also a plot that I think could stand a few more variations on the theme. If it's not working for you, though, then pretty much anything about Kayashima and Nakatsu's relationship would be great. I love how compatible the two of them are, even as they appear to have very little in common...and I think that Nakatsu's habit of internal reflection points to a certain affinity with Kayashima's more obvious brand of self-awareness.
Nobuta wo Produce, Kiritani Shuji/Shittaka.
I'd prefer slash for these two, but gen's okay, too, if you don't see a way to get them together. I just really want to see Shuuji and Shittaka interacting sometime post-series, maybe because they're going to the same college or are employees at the same company or run into each other while on vactation. If you do go the platonic route for their relationship, feel free to hook Shittaka up with Nobuta if you like. Please don't include any Shuuji/Mariko, though; I prefer the two of them as just friends.
Some explanation of my fondness for this pairing is probably in order. First of all, I adore both of the characters individually. Shuuji's such a fascinatingly conflicted person, and I love his evolution from someone who expends his energy on all the wrong things even as he cares desperately underneath, to someone who discovers the value of honesty and of true friendship...though I don't doubt that he still has difficulty reconciling the various expectations placed on him by others and by himself. Also, he's kind of adorably neurotic, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
As for Shittaka, when he first came on the scene, I thought him cute but a bit shallow and silly, only then he really ended up surprising me. He's a lot less conformist than Shuuji is in some ways--the bit where he was willing to date Nobuta despite the rumors circulating the school comes to mind--but he looks up to Shuuji, as well. It strikes me that they could have things to learn from each other, which I find incredibly appealing. I'd love to see their relationship take a romantic turn, but, as I said in my original request, gen with or without a Shittaka/Nobuta subplot would be fine, too. I do think that Nobuta's dislike of Shittaka is based more on circumstance and misunderstanding than anything else, and that the two of them would make a cute couple. (Shuuji I pretty much see as gay, but that's definitely not a dealbreaker for me as far as his characterization goes, so don't sweat it if you see him as strictly heterosexual.)
Wang Qiu Wang Zi, Long Ma/Xiao Bo.
Tennis-playing and boys falling in love, please. And if Tao Cheng Wu could find out about their relationship somewhere in the story, that would be choice.
Confession: I've only seen through episode five so far--my Chinese being nowhere near the level where I could watch an unsubbed drama--so if Long Ma starts dating Lin Ying later in the series or something else happens that makes this pairing more difficult, my apologies. (Though if that particular scenario does occur in canon, don't feel that you have to keep Long Ma and Lin Ying together on my account. High schoolers break up; as long as you don't bash Lin Ying in the process, I'm cool with that.)
Regarding my particular request: Xiao Bo's absolutely adorable, and I love how he's one of the very few people for whom Long Ma has any patience. I also love how Long Ma doesn't seem to know quite what he wants from Xiao Bo, but he keeps going to see him anyway. And it's interesting to see Long Ma interact with someone on a level that centers upon tennis (unlike his relationship with Lin Ying) without being consumed by it (as are his relationships with his father and the tennis team). Any exploration of that dynamic in their relationship would be incredible.
Again, thanks so much for offering to write a story in one of my favorite fandoms, and please have a lot of fun in the writing of it.
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Why hello there, Yuletide Santa!
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