rebecca2525

Whee, I'm so excited that you're writing for me! I hope you have fun with your assignment; I don't expect you to read my mind, and I don't want you to write something you feel unenthusiastic or even uncomfortable about. Really, every fic in my teeny tiny fandoms is a win! Yuletide is for fun and the collective squee, and I'm already overjoyed that you like one of my fandoms enough to offer to write for it!

I don't have any triggers and I am very hard to squick, but I'd rather the fic does not contain (m)preg, death of canon characters, non-con involving canon characters, or overly kinky sex. (Unless it's a canon event. Everything that's canon is fair game!) Other than that, go wild!

If you've already got an idea for your fic, that's great; I can't wait to see what you come up with! :D In case you do want some inspiration, though, here's what I have to say about my fandoms:

Snipes: Any

Snipes is the first video game I ever played as a child. (Well, I think technically Pacman might have been the first, but I only tried it once and didn't like it.) Although the game only consists of simple ASCII graphics and the most basic of gameplays (move, shoot, kill all the Snipes), without any background story whatsovever, it has always fascinated me. Maybe it's because of the maze the game is set in. Since it repeats after a few screens in each direction, it practically never ends and you never get to see an entrance or exit. The maze just is. With the black backround and plain walls, it's easy to imagine some bleak or grim SciFi setting, or maybe the dark insides of a computer. If you're hunting down the last Snipe, the maze feels vast and deserted, but if you're coming across an active hive, all of a sudden you're in the middle of a huge swarm of Snipes, and an epic battle begins.

I remember that I used to call the hives factories as a child, and I've always thought of the Snipes as some sort of sort of robots or Borg who are a little dumb. I whiled away the time during boring car trips imagining the streets were the maze and other cars were Snipes set out to get us.

As a computer geek, I also find the story behind the development of Snipes interesting: They added the multi-player option to showcase the network they were developing; there were no other network-enabled programs at the time. It was the beginning of the LAN as we know it!

In any case, wherever you want to take this, be it grim, dark, humourous, philosophical; be it horror, SciFi, crack or whatever else you can think of, I'm excited to see your ideas! It's always interesting to know what other people make of such a minimalistic setting.

Story ideas

Who are the Snipes? Where do they come from, what do they want? Do they have a plan or a leader? Or maybe there was a leader once, and now they're just carrying on without any purpose behind their actions? ~*~ What is the maze? Is there a world outside of it or not, are there legends of what's oudside, or can you just go outside? Is the maze maybe what remains after some apocalypse-like incident? ~*~ Who's the player character? Human, alien, robot, something else? If they're a robot, do they know what they are, or do they think themselves human? What's their goal? Just survival, or are they set on revenge, or do they work for the greater good, or are they trying to find their way outside? ~*~ The player character could be the only one/last one of their kind (single player), or there could be more like them (multi-player). In the latter case, are they working against each other, or alongside each other?

Or maybe some Tron-like thing where the maze represents the inside of a computer in some way? Maybe the developers face some problems with their network and have to go inside the computer to solve them? The Snipes could be the bugs or something. ~*~ Or something along the lines of Wreck-It Ralph, were the Snipes and the player character(s) are aware that they're inside a computer game? Maybe they've got lives outside the game (but still inside the computer)? What are they up to? World dominition? (Fits with the "The SNIPES have triumphed!!!" message you get when you lose a game...)

Availability

Snipes is considered abandonware and downloadable on various sites (e.g. here). It runs in DosBox, and there are also re-implementations for Windows and iPhone. The game mechanics are easy to understand, and each game only takes a few minutes tops. But you don't even have to play yourself. You can easily read up on how it works, see here, here or here, or you can watch YouTube videos. And there's an interesting article about the history of Snipes.

RubyQuest: Any

I love how creepy and twisted RubyQuest is. It's amazing how those simple graphics and minimalistic descriptions create such an intense atmosphere. I love the bleak setting, how there are things left unexplained, how we only get fragments of the truth, how things change subtly in places we've been before, thus hinting at the presence of other creatures. Then there's this whole imagery about eyes/seeing going on, like the hidden cameras and screens, the constant feeling of being watched, Ruby's third eye and the fact that the whole thing is a facility for blind people, the creepy images/models/symbols of eyes everywhere... And in between all the horror, we get cute and heart-warming moments between Ruby and Tom, and the whole game style is also quite funny the way classical point-and-click adventures or pen-and-paper RPGs sometimes are. It's great fun to read along the suggestions and discussions of the "players".

I couldn't really decide on a character, as I especially love the general setting of RubyQuest. I'm not picky about whom of the characters you write, of if you completly go for world-building instead. But just in case you want to narrow down the choice, the characters I find most interesting are: Ruby, because she's central to the plot. (Apart from the obvious fact that she and Tom seem to be the only ones ever getting close to escaping, she also seems to be the patient who showed signs of something going wrong first, though we don't really know whether that was coincidence or not.) She's also cute. Red: I find him the creepiest character during the first part, and then we find out that he's probably responsible for lots of things and among the first to know what's going on, and he's smart enough to "beat" the curse once and for all. Bella: She's the only one who remembers, and maybe that makes her fate the saddest of them all. Tom: His MANLY PHYSIQUE cracks me up every time.

As to shipping, I find Ruby/Tom very adorkable together (and quite tragic if you think about what we learn about their realationship in earlier iterations), and I also like the idea that Red was secretly in love with Ruby. I wouldn't mind reading about any of this, but in this fandom, I'd prefer if romance weren't the main focus since there's so much background and unexplored past I'm curious about.

Story ideas

I normally stay clear of fics that are very dark, involve canon character death, non-con etc, but for this fandom, all bets are off, because, well, this is RubyQuest.

What's actually behind the cure/curse? Something Cthulu-like? The artefacts seem to point to something supernatural. Did the researchers know in advance and did they build the facility on purpose on that spot, or did they find out later on? ~*~ Red's POV about how he found out about the cure and its side-effects? ~*~ Something about the whole people-keep-dying-and-getting-revived-and-so-things-repeat-themselves thing that's going on? Maybe something from an earlier version of Ruby's and Tom's escape that went similar, or completely different from what we've seen? Or Bella's POV, since she's the only one not affected? ~*~ Given the group photo, maybe something from the happy early days with foreshadowing of what's to come? ~*~ Something about Red's final suicide, how he came up with it etc? Since he commited suicide at least once before, he too must have suffered from memory loss and re-learned everything. Did he leave notes for himself? ~*~ Why exactly was subject #6 moved to Lab B? ~*~ It seems people only get revived when they're placed in the lockers; who keeps placing people in lockers? Ace? Why? ~*~ Ruby seems to have agreed to take part in the research programme, but all we ever get for proof is a contract. Is it legit or was she forced somehow? How much did Ruby (or any of the other patients, really, or even the staff) know about what she was letting herself into? ~*~ Something that involves "the players," meta discussion, ...?

Availability

RubyQuest is completely available online. There's a flash version , which I prefer to the original post since it's streamlined quite a bit. It takes about one or two days to read. This wiki also has a page for interesting speculations. If you don't know RubyQuest, be warned that it's extremely creepy and quite gory (as gory as stick figure graphics can be...)

Neues aus Büttenwarder: Kurt Brakelmann, Arthur 'Adsche' Tönnsen

One reason I love Büttenwarder so much is that I grew up in a rural area in North Germany myself, and watching Büttenwarder definitely evokes fond memories. I love the situational humour, the faces the characters can pull (especiall Adsche's), the North German stereotypes (slow, tight-lipped, equanimous, ...), the loving details of the set and props. I love how the show manages a slow pace without being boring, and how in between all the silly antics there are some touching moments as well.

The characters with their quirks are all very adorable, and there's no-one I don't like. My favourites, however, are definitely Adsche and Brakelmann; their friendship/rivalry defines the show for me. There's a lot about them that reads like an old married couple to me. I love how they've known each other pretty much their whole lives, and since the show has been running for over fifteen years now, we actually see them grow old together. Maybe their relationship has formed out of necessity or convenience more than love, but they understand each other and each other's idiosyncrasies, and they're happy together more often than not. I also enjoy their fights, not only because they are usually pretty funny and often amusingly childish, but also because they emphasise how close Adsche und Brakelmann are. And, well, we always know they're going to make up in the end. :)

I have to admit I ship these two, but I can understand that it's not everyone's cuppa. I can't picture either of them doing deep emotions and feelings, romance, or big love; I think with them it's rather small things, maybe a pragmatic approach of taking what you can actually have, maybe realising that they wouldn't want anyone else all that much after all, maybe a best friends with benefits relationship (maybe starting out as an experiment due to a lack of alternatives, or a drunken accident) that grows into more.

Another favourite of mine is Onkel Krischan, so if you don't feel inspired by Adsche and Brakelmann, feel free to write a story that focuses on him instead!

Story ideas:

I love Brakelmann's chicken and how they turn up in every shot at Brakelmann's place, so maybe Brakelmann's latest plan to make money involves the chicken? Weird ideas to make them lay more eggs, or training them to take part in an animal show? ~*~ Maybe one of them being a bit worried about the other? Nothing dramatic, maybe a simple cold, or a fight that went a bit out of hand—just something that shows that they do care for each other, even if their first concern is usually money and their rivalry. (I really love how in "Auf großer Fahrt" Adsche is concerned about Brakelmann and in the end helping him out with his boat.) ~*~ Something about Adsche's and Brakelmann's childhood? Maybe their friendship started when they were both ignored or nettled by other children? Or have they always been friends? ~*~ Some big childhood adventure like camping or building a tree-house? ~*~ Teenaged Brakelmann and Adsche getting physical? Either a strictly platonic thing that happens between boys like a brawl, play-wrestling, tickle-fights, snowball fights etc, or something that unexpectantly develops into more from there? ~*~ Something to do with the Christmas episode ("Weihnachten")? I just love how Adsche und Brakelmann so naturally fall into the role of a couple; and what about Adsche being so attached to his pretend pregnancy? There must be a (friend-)shippy plot in there somewhere, especially given the last scene... ~*~ Awkward experimenting as teenagers? If tied in with the present, either something they never again talked about (which might or might not suddenly come up again in the present) or something AU-ish in which they've been in some sort of relationship ever since? ~*~ Onkel Krischan, bless his confused soul, as (accidental) matchmaker/enabler? Maybe he is mistaking something he's seen on TV for the truth and now is convinced that Adsche and Brakelmann are a couple?

Fic in German is a-okay, in case that's not clear from the fandom itself. ;-)

Availability

Many episodes and extras are available on YouTube (some High German, some Low German; there are no translations into other languages), and the NDR website has lots of interesting stuff up. There are 49 half-hour episodes, but the show's extremly episodic and very consistent, so a couple of episodes will probably be enough to get a handle on the characters.

Tatort: Frank Thiel, Karl-Friedrich Boerne

Tatort Münster has everything I love about a buddy cop show: A dash of humour, and two investigators who couldn't be more different and are bound to dislike each other when they first meet, but who come to accept each other and, very slowly, become friends, even if they aren't realising it themselves or wouldn't admit to it if they did. I have a huge thing for such slowly developing relationships, and for couples that work despite all odds.

I love Thiel, his down-to-earth, no-nonsense way, his dry humour, his untalkative, often a bit grumpy manner. Boerne, on the contrary, I love for his overblown way of talking, and talking too much, his frankness, his ignorance (or pretend ignorence, I never know with him) of other people's sensibilities and boundaries, and his funny lines. It's hilarious to watch how they push each other's buttons, how they fight, how you'd think they must be sick of each other after having to work together, but how they still hang out together during most of their free time. However, as much as I love to see them quarrel, I want to see them make up as well. There are a few episodes where there seem to do nothing but fight, distrust each other and work against each other, whereas I prefer the ones where, despite all their differences, they solve problems together and know they can rely on each other when the chips are down.

It's probably not surprising that I ship these two. I can totally see part of their fighting as an outlet for repressed desire, or the fighting leading to emotions that could easily turn into desire. (Though I don't think they'd ever stop fighting even if in a relationship.) In any case, it's often Boerne who initiates the slashy moments (be it sleeping in Thiel's bed, following him into the shower, stealing asparagus from Thiel's plate...) and I'm never quite sure if he's as ignorant as he seems. It also amuses me how Thiel more often than not just puts up with him.

I love the other characters as well, so feel free to include whomever you like. I especially like Wilhelmine Klemm and her dry humour, and Alberich who knows how to talk back to Boerne.

Story ideas

I love the laundry scene with Thiel and Boerne in "Fakten, Fakten, Fakten", it's the mix between unexpected bonding, their working out a solution to a case together in an unusual situation, and the Klemm being amused when she learns about it and acknowledging they're a good team. Maybe something else along these lines? ~*~ I know I didn't request Herbert, but ever since I watched "Spargelzeit" I've been curious how he and Boerne got on with each other when they ate asparagus together. If possible, they're even more different than Thiel and Boerne. The only thing they do have in common, other than their love for asparagus, is Thiel, and I wonder if Herbert maybe told Boerne a lot about Thiel that Thiel wouldn't easily reveal himself (embarrassing childhood stories?) or if Boerne even pried a bit himself, curious as he is. And for a shippy direction, maybe Herbert realises that there's more between his son and Boerne than friendship, whether they already are in an established relationship or haven't realised their feelings themselves yet? ~*~ With all the slashyness, I'm surprised the show never went for a "Mistaken for being in a relationship" quip yet, but I'd love to get that from a complete outsider, and Thiel's and Boerne's reaction to it (and maybe the rest of the team's reaction as well); be it with ensuing shippy plot or staying completely platonic. ~*~ A moment where they're happy and relaxed together, maybe even drunk and silly? Cooking together maybe? Romantic or platonic, wherever you want to take this. ~*~ A heated quarrel that suddenly turns into something sexual? ~*~ I'll never ever get tired of the "Undercover as a couple" trope, and this show seems like the perfect fandom for it... ~*~ In "Summ, Summ, Summ," I half expected Thiel and Boerne to end up in the honeymoon suite together, and I'd still love to see that happen!

Fic in German is a-okay, in case that's not clear from the fandom itself. ;-)

Availability

Many of the episodes are on YouToube; they're all German with no translation available. There are currently 23 90-minutes episodes, but their are very episodic so a couple of episodes should be enough to get a handle on the characters.

General Likes/Disklikes

If you want to see what other fandoms or stories I like, or what I write (not much!), have a look at my fic and bookmarks on AO3, at my sticky post, and at last years' letters.

The following is a brainstormy collection of things I tend to like. Please take this as a possible source of inspiration; I'm not suggesting that your fic should contain any of these (some wouldn't even make sense for some of my requests...) or can't contain anything else.

romance
humour
action/adventure/casefic/mystery/...
plot, plot-twists
banter/snark/witty dialogue
flirting
first touches/first kisses/first times (not necessarily as in sex, but especially as in 'getting together')
dancing
all variations of "they are forced to do it but secretly want it anyway": aliens made them do it/mate or die/mistletoe/truth or dare/bets/sex pollen/drunk fic/under the influence/undercover as a couple/having to share a bed/...
using each other's titles as a playful endearment/developing an own, unconventional language (verbal or not) in which to declare each other's appreciation or love
coming to terms with things: one's past, one's feelings, ...
competence/people being good at their job
outsider POV: someone else's view on my favourite characters or relationships; unusual POVs
matchmaking
other people realising the epic love or friendship or ability to work well together before the pairing/thinking they're together or should be
feels like an episode/episode related (missing scene, post-ep, casting a new light upon canon events)
bittersweet/melancholy atmosphere
beautiful prose
geeky/nerdy/techy stuff; science
uniforms/formal attire; hiding behind
UST/becoming aware of one's feelings/trying to suppress one's feelings and failing
best buddies or colleagues (with or without slowly becoming lovers)/acting like a married couple/knowing how to handle each other's quirks/settling into routines
relationships (as friends or lovers) that seem mismatched, unbalanced or unlikely at first glance, but aren't or work out against all odds; couples complementing each other
a silly premise
open or ambiguous ending
happy ending
meta
world-building: exotic flora, fauna, architecture
alien sexuality
things that seem confusing at first/keep me guessing/reveal their mystey only slowly, but make sense in the end/make sense on second reading
Epistolary fic (be it traditional letters, or mails, chats and texts)

I don't mind Christmas fics at all, though being an Atheist, for me Christmas is more about family than religion. I'm fine with het, slash, femslash, and gen, though I tend to gravitate towards slash. Any rating works for me, be it for sex, violence, language, or lack thereof.

There are also a few things which I normally don't care much for, but which aren't deal-breakers per se: darkfic, genderswap, extremely fluffy fluff with fluff on top, AUs of the "they are vampires/in high school/in another century" variety. (The AU's of the "What if?" variety or the "Let's ignore this part of canon for reasons" variety are awesome though!)