Yuletide Letter 2013

[kannaophelia]

Hi Yuletide Writer! Welcome to Kanna’s Yuletide Requests 2013, niche pink girly games edition.

If you’re writing for me, it means you have offered (or pinch hit) one of my favourite games, and for that, I salute you. And also—thank you. You are writing for me, and that makes me very happy and excited. I’m sure I’ll love anything you write me.
 

All of these games are female-oriented (except possibly Rorona, which caters to the moe crowd as well) games with female protagonists and an emphasis on relationships, romantic or otherwise. They also tend to have several of the following:  visual novel style storytelling, fashion, stats raising, dancing rhythm games, jrpg, and  otome (dating sim for girls) elements. Some are localised Japanese games, some are Japanese influenced OEL indie games.  They’re all fluffy and super-cute. They are all also happy-place games for me, so it is easy to please me!

A note:  I’ve asked for characters and pairings I’d particularly enjoy seeing, but these are very rare fandoms and nearly anything in them would make me happy. If you’d prefer to focus on other nominated (female) characters and just cameo the requested ones, feel free to go with that.

Triggers: I don't think it will come up, but just in case, I find anything to do with infertility, miscarriage, elective terminations, traumatic childbirth, stillbirth or other harm to babies and children incredibly triggering.  I also find sexual violence and, especially, dubcon upsetting.

Some things I love:
• f/f
• First times
• True love
• Kissing and cuddling
• Jealousy
• Magic
• Slow burn
• Plotty gen (or plottiness in general)
• Worldbuilding

• Girls going on adventures

• Canon details and playfulness with canon

• Socially selfconscious awkwardness/uselessness

• Humour

• Angst

• “What if X had happened different?” AUs

• Cuteness

• Shippy best friends one of whom is butch and protective, the other more feminine (my total castiron kink)

Some general dislikes:

• Toys and magical penises

• Bdsm

• Crack

• Mundane AU

• Zombie apocalypse etc.

• Genderswap  of female nominated characters

• Scenes retold from a character’s perspectives

• Five Things fic

Things it’s totally okay to include if you’re wondering:

• Holidays

• OCs

• Negotiated, loving poly

• Love triangles

Now, on to the requests! In alphabetical order, no preference implied.
 

Atalier Rorona: Alchemist of Arland (PS3)

An incredibly cute low fantasy jrpg with otome elements,  a heavy emphasis on the alchemy mechanics, and a loving-hearted alchemy apprentice protagonist  who goes out adventuring to  save her indolent mistress’ shop. There’s a wiki here.

Request: Rorona/Cordelia

These two are so incredibly cute together, with their mutual low self-esteem getting in their way but obviously meaning the world to each other. I’d love shippy fic (especially if Cory’s  jealousy is involved), or a story with the girls going out adventuring together, either as BFFs or a couple.

I haven’t yet played Totori or Meruru, so don’t worry about contradicting later canon.  I love the world of this game, and I have a deep love for most of the characters, male or female. Cory and Rorona are my favourites, but  I also have a fondness for Esty/Tiffany . The one reservation I have is that I find Astrid’s sexual harassment of the other characters uncomfortable, and I’d prefer you not to go there; that aside, I’m quite fond of her.  I don’t mind if Hom is male or female!

Cute Knight Kingdom (PC, Mac, Linux)
A fantasy stats raising sim with otome and rpg elements, in which you control a young woman in a fantasy world, your choices leading her to one of a number of fates… including love. Its website is here

Request: Player Character

I’d love a story focussing on one of the multiple “career” endings/paths of this game, worldbuilding, backstory or a story pairing the PC with one of her female romantic options (Helena and Princess Alana).  Gen or f/f, please!

I have an obsession with stats raising sims,  and the Cute Knight games have been filling the Princess Maker shaped hole in my gaming. I really love that there are female romance options, so I nominated Helena and female-Al with that in mind, but  didn’t end up requesting either because I would be equally happy with gen focussing on the poor PC slaving day after day at her training and jobs in order to end up in one of the endings, or expanding character backgrounds. I forgot when nominating, but I think the PC default name is Sorami.

Heartstring Bugs (PC, Mac, Linux)

A Ren’Py stats raising/otome game, set in school, about a girl trying to make a better (and more open and honest) go of her next year at high school, and maybe find love, with the help of an adorable alien baby virus. Available  free here.

Request: Any

This game didn't have a romance route for the three female NPCs—I would love to read one! Alternatively, I’d enjoy any two the girls paired with each other, BFF gen, or explorations of the background and lives of the nominated characters… baby viruses for bonus points!

I mentioned an obsession with stats raising sims, didn’t I? I find this otome dating sim, with its  sympathetic protagonist,  endearing and absorbing. I was, however, a little disappointed that the girl characters only had friendship routes, not romance. I would love a fic that fixes that, or pairs any of the nominated characters (Elly, Alice, Naomi and Tamera)  with each other. If gen is more your style, something expanding the emotional world or background of one of the girls, BFF fic, or just something cute with Vic the baby virus would be equally welcome. I would prefer not het, as the game is so full of it already! If I had to pick a favourite girl, it would be Naomi, but I truly like them all.

Pretty Ballerina/Imagine: Ballet Dancer/Star (NDS)

A very pretty Japanese rhythm/career sim game with simple minigames and lots of gorgeous costumes,  following the stories of three young ballerinas. It’s really sad that this game was so overlooked, probably because it was released in English on the Imagine label, which has very erratic quality. There’s a review here.

Request: Keira/Naomi

The end of Keira’s story makes it clear that Naomi is the most important person in the world to Keira. I would love a story developing on this, preferably as a pairing, but BFF gen would be great. Something focusing on the pretty pink world of this game with ballet and fashion would be perfect, or with Naomi finding a happy-ever-after despite her thwarted ballet dreams.

Any story set in this pretty pink, sparkling world, would be wonderful, especially if you incorporate the costumes! I love all the characters and even though I don’t particularly like ballet personally, I’ve always loved career building narratives, I  love the way ballet is the Most Important Thing in the World… except friendship. That being said, I ship Keira/Naomi like fire.

Princess Debut (NDS)
A  super cute otome rhythm game about a girl who switches places with a princess in a ballroom dancing-obsessed magic kingdom, working on winning the prize at the Great Ball… and perhaps finding true love with her dancing partner. Wiki here.

Request: Sabrina/Princess Isabel

I really wish poor prickly, lonely Isabel had a route, or at least, that the results of the promises between Isabel and Sabrina to drop their rivalry and become friends had led to actual friendshippy scenes. I’d love something exploring their friendship, romantically or not… or fiction about the Princesses in general. f/f or gen, please!

Despite the dreadful dancing graphics, I have had so much fun with this game. Princess Isabel was my favourite character, poor kid, and I was disappointed that after the interminable “looking for Isabel” sequence her story basically went nowhere. I would love a  missing Isabel route fic, or f/f or BFF gen about Sabrina and Isabel. An ensemble story about more of the princesses would also be great. For all I’m asking for female characters, I’m fond of all the princes except the little brat, and don’t mind at all if they appear.

Wagamama Girls Mode 2/New Style Boutique/Style Savvy Trendsetters (3DS)
An incredibly addictive fashion game where you  choose stock, advise customers, style your boutique, compete in fashion parades, and network, network, network to get your boutique to the top. There’s a wiki for the series here.

Request: Player Character

Anything set in the fashion-obsessed, mutually supportive world of Style Savvy would be wonderful. Gen would be great, or I’m cool with the PC being paired with any of the women who make it their mission in life to help her succeed, her models, or with the cute delivery boy with a crush.  Basically, I want the labels, the shop and the networking!

I have wasted incredible amounts of my life on this ultimate game of dress up. And the characters are so charming and sweet! Gen would be great for this game, especially if it involves the fashion obsessions and the ability to completely redesign and refocus your image and your shop every ten minutes. I’m also very fond of all the female characters and totally up for f/f, and I wouldn’t mind het for this one, because the delivery boy is so adorable! Oh, and my favourite brand is Marzipan Sky and my least favourite is Enid Chen. ;)
 

 

So that’s all my requests! You have no idea how excited I am at the thought of getting a story for one of these games. Again, thank you so much, and I hope you enjoy yourself writing!

XX Kanna