geri_chan | Yuletide Letter 2024

Likes: Happy endings (for both romance and gen). Romantic fluff is fine, but I also like angsty fics--as long as they eventually end happily. For gen, I have a soft spot for stories about family or friendship. For both romance and gen: humor, drama, hurt/comfort--it's all good, as long as it ends happily, or at least hopefully. (Actually, I have a pretty big narrative kink for emotional hurt/comfort in particular.) If you decide to write romance, I'm generally fine with any rating--explicit, steamy sex scenes are great, but I'm happy even if it doesn't go beyond a kiss or fade-to-black. The emotions that the characters share are more important to me than the level of physical affection.

Do Not Wants: Character death, noncon, incest (including step/adopted family members), BDSM, underage (meaning under 18) explicit fic, infidelity, threesomes/poly, mpreg.

Listed below are some prompt ideas for my chosen fandoms in case you'd like some suggestions, but I want to stress that these are only suggestions and you should feel free to follow your muse. If you come up with an idea that's completely different, it will be all the more exciting for me because it's a surprise, and I'm sure I'll be thrilled with whatever you write!

Please be aware that my letter may contain spoilers for the various canons.

Per this Yuletide post about AO3 treat settings, I am open to treats.

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Hudson & Rex (TV): Charlie Hudson (Hudson & Rex), Rex (Hudson & Rex), Sarah Truong: See my promo post for what I love about this show, but basically I love the partnership between Charlie and Rex--and it is a partnership! Whenever someone refers to Rex as "your dog," Charlie always corrects them and says that Rex is his partner.

Also, Rex is absolutely adorable when he's comforting a victim's loved one with a sad, soulful look, or begging for food with puppy dog eyes, or sprawling across Charlie and/or Sarah's lap(s) like an overgrown lapdog.

And I love the relationship between Charlie and Sarah, which starts off as a solid friendship and gradually deepens into a romance over the course of the series. We can see how much they trust and care about each other even before they get together as a couple, and it's telling that Rex seems almost as comfortable with her as he is with Charlie. (It's a great sign of trust when Charlie asks Sarah to be Rex's guardian if anything happens to him.)

I nominated/requested Charlie, Rex, and Sarah, but I do love all the main characters and most of the recurring/guest characters, so please feel free to include any other characters you want, especially Jesse and Joe.

Here are a few suggested prompts in case you need inspiration, but if you have own ideas, I'll be excited to read whatever you come up with!

-Canon style casefic, maybe something where Charlie and Rex go undercover at a dog show?

-Charlie and Sarah go out on a date or a romantic getaway, with Rex, of course. Maybe their date/vacation is interrupted by a case?

-Rex is kidnapped (dognapped?) and Charlie and Sarah have to find him. Or Charlie or Sarah are in danger, and the other two have to save him/her.

-A story from Rex's POV. A case from a dog's eye point of view, or maybe Rex trying to get Charlie and Sarah together before they do in canon? Obviously those two belong together, and Rex doesn't understand why his two favorite humans don't seem to realize this! It's okay if you want to go canon divergent on this prompt and have them get together in a different way than the show. Or you can stick with canon and have him be relieved that they finally got together.

-If you want to do a Christmas story, I'm totally down with that! Maybe Charlie, Sarah, and Rex celebrating their first Christmas together? Or they end up having to work on Christmas because of a case? Maybe the victim or the culprit is dressed as Santa?

休日のわるものさん | Kyuujitsu no Warumono-san | Mr. Villain's Day Off (Webcomic): Akatsuki Red, Shogun (Mr. Villain's Day Off): The webcomic/manga and anime are categorized separately, but since the anime follows the manga closely, I don't mind if you want to draw inspiration from the anime.

I think the manga is hilarious, and I love Mr. Villain's dedication to pandas and enjoying his day off! And I love that for a villain, he is actually a pretty nice and softhearted guy who loves cuddly animals and is kind to children. He says he intends to wipe out humanity, but if it really came down to it, would he actually be able to do it...?

I also love his interactions with Red, and how he frequently ends up helping the directionally challenged Red on his days off, and how Red calls him "the nice guy from the Evil League". I ship the two of them, but if you don't, I am totally fine with their canonical frenemy relationship. Oh, and I love how the General/Shogun refers to Red as "little ranger"--a bit condescending, but perhaps also a bit affectionate?

Btw, I've been reading the official Seven Seas manga, but feel free to use either their translation or the Japanese names. In other words, it's fine if you call Mr. Villain either the General or Shogun; same with the Rangers. And feel free to include any other characters that you want, including the other Rangers or aliens from the Evil League, such as Rooney.

For ships, I prefer either Mr. Villain/Red or gen.

Some suggested prompts, but please feel free to use your own ideas if you have something different in mind:

-Earth and the Evil League decide that the war isn't winnable for either side and negotiate a peace treaty, to be sealed with a marriage alliance between the General and Red.

-The zoo is under attack and Red and the General must team up to save the pandas.

-The alien race that built the robot cat arrive to attack Earth, so the Rangers and the Evil League must team up to fight them.

-If you're up for it, maybe a little worldbuilding regarding the Evil League's homeworld? Why are some of the League's relatives in cryosleep back on the home planet? Is it because they're aren't enough resources there, and that's why they are so intent on conquering Earth?

-Red and the General somehow end up celebrating Christmas together. Maybe Santa requests their help? Or Red calls a truce because he wants to give the General a Christmas gift as thanks for helping him all the times that he got lost?

Otoyomegatari | The Bride's Stories: Aigul (Otoyomegatari), Baimat Hergal (Otoyomegatari): I fell in love with this pair when I read Vol. 14 of the manga! I love how careful and gentle and tender Baimat is with Aigul. I also love how calm and stoic and dependable he is--the perfect partner for someone like Aigul. In non-romantic terms, I also liked the way that he was able to calm everyone down and smooth things over when Azel got a little hot-tempered during the alliance negotiations between the townsfolk and the nomads in Vol. 14.

As for Aigul, I admire her bravery at being willing to take a chance on marriage again after her first experience. We the readers know that Baimat is a good guy, but she doesn't have a way to be absolutely sure of that despite his vow never to harm her. Although maybe she is reassured by his calm and gentle manner, and the way that he makes sure to ask if she will accept him as her husband after he chooses her. I just really want to see Aigul find happiness in her new marriage after everything she has suffered!

You are welcome to include any other characters you want. I particularly like how protective Bique is of Aigul.

I know their marriage is part of an alliance between the clans to fight the Russians, but I'd prefer to leave warfare out of the story and focus on the more peaceful, happy moments in their lives.

I have only read through Vol. 14, but I'm okay with spoilers if you've read beyond that.

Suggested prompts (but of course feel free to come up with your own):

-I would love to see Baimat and Aigul's married life! As I mentioned before, I want to see her be happy. Maybe something with her adjusting to her new life and slowly being able to relax and feel safe and happy as she gets to know Baimat better? If you want to include Ryazat and Bique, perhaps they help her to get settled into married life and/or she feels safer and more confident having them close by.

-Something from Baimat's POV. He seems to notice Aigul even before they choose their brides, early during the horse race. Something about her clearly captures his attention--is it just that she's covering her face with the scarf and he wonders why? Or is he drawn to her for some reason he can't fully explain? Is he impressed by her riding skills? Did seeing her remind him of his young kinswomen who were (most likely) murdered by their husband, and is that partly what motivates him to want to protect Aigul?

-Speaking of horses, I do love the horses and the horse race and how much the characters are impressed by how beautiful and/or swift the horses are. Aigul clearly is a good rider (though probably not quite as good as Bique), and maybe horses/riding is something she and Baimat can bond over? Maybe she feels more free and confident on horseback, and riding together helps them to get closer?

-If you want to write a future fic in which they have a child or children, I'd be happy to see them being parents.

Vivant (TV 2023): Nogi Yusuke, Nozaki Mamoru: OMG, I loved this series so much--all the plot twists and intrigue, and when you finally start to think you might know what's going on, something happens to completely turn everything upside down!

I love Nogi and how he seems to be an innocent victim of circumstance, but turns out to be a secret spy! And I love his alternate personality (whom I will call alt!Nogi for convenience's sake), and how he argues with himself. I love the inherent contradictions in him, and how on one hand, he is extremely skilled and sometimes ruthless in his work for Beppan, and on the other hand, he is still the vulnerable and wounded child longing for a family.

I also love Nozaki and how he is also more than he seems at first, and how intrigued by Nogi he is, as he tries to unravel the mysteries behind the terrorist attack, Beppan, and of course, Nogi himself.

And I love the bond that develops between the two! Even though they don't entirely trust each other, there is respect and liking and despite what I said, a certain amount of trust between them--I particularly love the scene where Nozaki goes back to rescue Nogi in the desert even though he said he wouldn't turn back. (He saves Kaoru too, of course, but I feel like it was primarily Nogi that he went back for.) I definitely ship the two of them, but if you prefer not to go there, I would definitely still enjoy their canonical relationship.

I love pretty much all the characters, so feel free to include anyone else that you want! I'm especially fond of Drum and Chinggis, and I love Kaoru and Jamin, though I prefer to have Nogi and Kaoru deciding to be friends rather than a couple.

Suggested prompts (but of course feel free to come up with your own):

-Post canon fic: I'm dying to know what happens to them after the series ends! Do they go on another mission together? And/or I'd love shipfic about them!

-Nozaki interacting with Alt!Nogi. He's seen video of Nogi talking to himself, so I think he's aware that Nogi has another personality. It can be within the context of a mission, with Alt!Nogi taking charge to protect Nogi. Or it could be something more personal, like Alt!Nogi realizing that Nogi likes Nozaki but is reluctant to act on it, so Alt!Nogi decides to help get them together.

-This is completely optional, since only Nogi and Nozaki were nominated, but if you're up for it, did Beki, Piyo, and Batlaka really die? I am somewhat skeptical since their supposed bodies were burned beyond recognition, so there's a possibility that their deaths were faked. If so, did either Nogi or Nozaki help them escape for whatever reason? Does Nogi ever reconnect with his father?

-Something about Nozaki's past or personal life--we don't know as much about him as we do about Nogi. Maybe something about the subordinate of his who was killed? Were they just colleagues/friends or were they lovers? Maybe Nogi asks him about it, or looks into it on his own, and that ends up drawing them closer together?

Cross-posted to IJ here.