Drabble Meme

[cmbranford]

I put in a request on youkai_girl's round of this meme, so here is mine.

The first five comments will get their own drabble (~100-300 words). If you request something, please put this in your own journal (unless you already have).

I don't have time to write crossover fics (and they wouldn't make sense in a drabble, anyway), so none of those.  I wil not write non-canon pairings, so any pairings you want me to write must be justifiable in canon (Ichigo/Rukia can squeak by, but Ichigo/Byakuya ain't happenin', sorry).  This is to make it easier for me to write short fics for fandoms that I do not normally write for.  Also, don't expect too much.  I can barely do anything with less than 300 words to work with, so you're not going to get anything particularly erotic.

Please be specific about what you want.  Give me the series/universe you want, the characters you want to be in it and some kind of prompt about what you would like to see happen (it can be very specific, like "I want to see these two characters fight over pocky" or vague like the prompt, "stone").  If you do not give me these three pieces of information I will ignore your request until you do.  If 5 other fics have been successfully requested (whether they posted before you or not) before you add the necessary information, you will be out of luck, sorry.  

The fics may take me a few days to finish/post. I am very busy with work this week, so I will do them as I have time.  I apologize in advance for any delays.  This meme will remain active until the 5 requests are made (however long that takes: weeks, months, years...).

I will write for the following fandoms and any others not listed here that are present on my FF.net profile bio or in my interests list here at LiveJournal (on the user info page).  Keep in mind that fandoms I have already written for are ones I am more comfortable with and will probably result in better fics. 

Bleach
Gravitation
X/Tokyo Babylon
Any Makoto Tateno Series/Universe (Aoi Hitsuji no Yume and Steal Moon are in the same universe, for example).

**I have currently received 4 requests and have fulfilled 4 of them.**

Comments

[koyuki]

Um, actually, it probably wouldn't be that hard. We do need a translator, but megori has a friend who knows, according to her, "like 16 languages." He apparently does know both Japanese and Chinese though. If that doesn't work out, we could ask for a translator through the comm. Of course, we'd need the scans... I know I've seen them, but of course, we would need to go through the formality of asking the scanner for them because it's just impolite not to. =\ However, Megori also said she's willing to buy the books and scan them and I know I am willing too... if only to have them.

Distribution is definitely something that needs to be guarded heavily. I'm thinking against redistribution rules (like, Megori has a server and has more bandwidth than she ever needs, so she could probably host it and we could forbid people to reupload other places, etc.) and we would take off the scans two weeks prior to the release of the volume and kindly ask people to delete scans. I know not everyone does, but oh well. *sigh* Another option is opening another comm and asking people to pledge to join?

And yes, I'm very annoyed with fangirls like that. I can understand wanting to sample a work before buying it, and it's sometimes hard since most yaoi is plastic-wrapped, but I think one volume is more than enough of a sample. =\ I try to buy all the stuff I really like and have kept on my computer (because uh, I tend to delete yaoi after I read it, so if I keep it, I do like it XD...) but sometimes the company is really bad at distribution. *cough*bebeautiful*cough* So despite the annoying fangirls, I really do want to see this, and I think waiting a year would kill me. @_@

Well, Kai is fairly smart and intuitive... except really about himself, so I guess this is questionable. If Kai is jealous and possessive of Ratri (at least subconsciously) then I'm kind of curious why he was able to tease Nozomi in Steal Moon about Ratri being interested in him. I think Kai might also be more obviously jealous because the prostitutes are kind of mean to him, if quietly so. Somehow, I get the feeling that they're jealous of Kai as well, which brings me to the conclusion that Ratri is Very Popular.

B-but sometimes clothes can be sexy. Especially if they're button-down shirts that aren't taken off completely. *swoon* However, it might also have been more professional of an occurrence too? Ratri was debriefing Kai on something... actually, if you consider it intellectually, Ratri doing that has more benefits than just making Kai blush. It's probably safer to relate information to each other if only for the fact that other people would be less likely to eavesdrop. I mean, I guess they would if they were desperate for information, but it'd still be probably horrifying to have to listen to them have sex. *laughs* (Not for us though~ It's a treat. :D)

Kai always looks so cute when he sees that Ratri is acknowledging him. It always makes my heart go *doki doki doki* I'd really like to see Ratri tell Kai he loves him some day, but I think that might be asking too much. However, just imagine the look on Kai's face. *squee*

Yeah... I think one of the reasons why Kai didn't fight what's his face over it is because he acknowledges it. It's heartbreaking to see Kai feel so responsible for Gaku's death. *sigh* Undoubtedly, Kai would never and doesn't blame Ratri for his decision... which is also heartbreaking.

[compli-cait.livejournal.com]

Well, the only downside to buying the books yourself is that you'll have to break the bindings to get good scans. Buying the books, though, is pretty inexpensive, especially of you go for the tankoban over the magazine issues. And AHnY is widely available right now, since it is currently serializing.

In terms of distribution, I would recommend a private server with password protection and a strict registration system with severe penalties (like pulling the scans completely) if anyone is found to be redistributing them anywhere. If through an LJ community then registration should not be automatic, and perhaps only those who are already members of makoto_tateno should be allowed to join. It should also be unlisted on LJ so it can't be found in a search. In addition, it should be a rule of members not to talk about the community outside of < lj user="makoto_tateno"> and that particular community. Also, members should be required to pledge to buy either the Japanese tankonban or the English manga (when released), and possibly even go so far as to require proof of intent. The harder/more work it is to get the scans, the easier it will be to control the people who download them.

I'm in the process of buying the tankoban for all the scans I own that I do not already have the English versions of. I just finished collecting all of Haru wo Daiteita (up to the last volume released, 13), and I bought both Yellow and AHnY. I also have Ike Reibun's Aoiro Keiyaku since it is isn't licensed and I like it so much. I'm still waiting to see if Kizuna and Finder Series are going to get relicensed, and if there are no announcements by the end of the year I will probably be picking those up (at least from the last English volumes I have). Tateno's other series, Like Muse... and Martini... I'm waiting to see if they get licensed. I like some series, but I don't want to buy the Japanese version only to repurchase the English version six months later. Only a select few of the ones I love the most will have that distinction (Yellow, AHnY).

Luckily AHnY was licensed by DMP, so even if we end up with a less than stellar translation, we will certainly have the books by next year. BeBeautiful can't be blamed in entirety, though. Their troubles with Libre are really the root of their lack of releases these past couple years.

Anyway, I think Kai is able to tease Nozomi in Steal Moon because by that time his relationship with Ratri would have stabilized, possibly to the point where they not only trust in each other professionally, but also romantically. I know in AHnY they are both very insecure, but it seems that by Steal Moon they are very much comfortable in each others' presense.

I think a partially clothed uke is ten times more sexy than a partially clothed seme. It always annoys me when the seme does nothing more than unzip his pants for sex. Making the uke vulnerable and not exposing himself at all is a cowardly act (and so unsexy). I have to wonder why Ratri is wearing clothes in that AHnY volume 2 scene. Was he between meetings and having a quickie? Or was he teasing Kai for some unrevealed reason? Perhaps I will try translating some of the kana on that page...

I think volume 3 chapter 2 is the closest we are ever going to get to seeing Ratri tell Kai he loves him. Touching Kai's hand while he gently kisses him on his hospital bed I think is the sweetest gesture he has ever made towards Kai. ^_^

I think Kai accepts his fate because he feels guilty for killing someone, but I also think that ultimately, he sticks to the choice he made when he killed Garu: to do whatever he had to to stay by Ratri's side, including taking life. Kai knew that Ratri would be disappointed in him if he simply had laid down and died for his "sin." He fights back because he knows that that is what would make Ratri the most proud of him. And I bet you anything that is one of the things that Ratri says to him on that hospital bed (along with, hopefully, "It'll never happen again").