Yuletide Time!
Oct. 9th, 2017 09:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
st_aurafinaWelp, I have lived long enough to have reached my twelfth Yuletide. I am surprised and pleased at this outcome, especially after the way that 2017 rolled in for the whole world.
Anyway. Yuletide is always fun for me, I've always loved my gifts, and I try to generally be chill about the process, so I hope I can make your assignment easy and enjoyable for you, too. My letters tend to be long – please don't worry! I am chatty, and excited that we share a fandom. I am all on board with optional details being optional: you go and ODAO if you have to. We have connected over our love for a fandom. I will love what you write.
I've put down ideas for each fandom – they are honestly just random things that have occurred to me as I write my letter, things that would be cool to read. I'm not particularly attached to any one idea (or fandom, for that matter), but wanted to throw out some prompts in case you're the kind of writer that likes prompts or wants to get an idea of how I view the fandom. If you find those prompts too constrictive, please fly free! I love the fandom, I love all the characters, I love the way that people are fannish about the characters. I am a fan of fandom, so show me how you love the characters we matched on, and I will be happy. I promise.
After eleven of these letters, I've got my likes and dislikes pinned down, so I've cut and pasted them from previous letters:
Things that generally tickle my fancy:
People! Gen, slash, femslash, het. Friendship fic, relationship fic, frenemies, enemies, sexy enemies. People putting their differences aside to work with each other. Backstory, AUs (though not so much the mundane kind), crossovers (see![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
st_aurafina for fandoms), teamwork.
Plot! Big sweeping plot, small canon-compliant plot, things for the characters to do while they're snarking at each other, things going on around them while they're getting it on. I like stuff to happen.
Competence! I have a huge competence kink. I love seeing people being really, really good at stuff. I love lateral thinkers and characters who follow their instincts and people putting their skills to use in unexpected ways.
Ladies! BAMF female characters who don't have to bring other female characters down to be BAMFs. Mothers and sisters and girlfriends and girlfriends and wives. Women with agency. Women treated with respect.
Representation! People of colour. People outside the gender binary. Queer identities and culture. Non-nuclear families, found families, poly families, family that is family because you get to define it.
Things that I don't like as much (but can handle if the story takes you there):
Sad endings, character death, angst, embarrassment.
Things I'd rather you didn't write:
Cross-gen relationships, incest, teacher/student, employee/employer, non-con, terminal illness.
I've talked about the specific fandoms under the cut, with possible scenarios or prompts. I talk more about some than others, but please understand I have no favourite. It's just what has come to mind as I write the letter. I would be happy with fic for any of these fandoms.
There are important spoilers here for Westworld and The Good Place, so if you're browsing letters, please be careful!
Beautiful Losers – Jack Vettriano
Happy with M/M/F, any combination of the three, or a single POV. World-building, expansion of the scene or anything that catches this dreamy, intense feeling would be great.
This is the tiniest of fandoms; it's one picture: Beautiful Losers II
I get the feeling it's not cool to like Vettriano? But I do, I have a big print of The Singing Butler hanging over my fireplace and I don't even care. I love the whimsy of his work, and the hyper-romanticising of the era it represents. Beautiful Losers II is one of his edgier works but it still has that pastel dream-like quality. I like that there's a feeling of passion and detachment contained in the same image, and I am always a sucker for love scenes where one or more people are fully dressed.
I'd love to know more about what's going on here: what's the dynamic between these three people? Is this a regular meeting or are they strangers? Where are they? On a ship, in the country or the city? Whose residence is this? Are there other rooms where similar liasons are being carried out? A single scene would work, or go all out and build a world for these people. Feel free to draw on other Vettriano images if you want: I'm a fan of his works but also the world in which he puts his figures.
I think there's a few kinks that could apply to this image. I'm good with voyeurism or exhibitionism, role-play scenarios, partner-swapping or swinging. There's definitely a D/s vibe in this image, and I am fine with you exploring that.
The Defenders
I'd love more of the Elektra and Alexandra dynamic as Elektra is coming to grips with being alive again. Gen or femslash would great.
I loved the snarkfest that was Jessica and Matt working together and would love anything with them as a team. Gen or shippy, I'm fine, as long as Jessica's relationships are the carwreck that they traditionally are.
Best team-up ever, right? I loved so many things about this series. I would love anything you want to cook up: missing scenes, what happened next, prequel meet-ups, gen adventures, puppy pile bedroom scenes, characters hanging out and snarking at each other. It's all good. I could only select four characters so I chose the ones that chimed hardest for me, but know that I love all four of the main team, I love Misty and Colleen and Clare, I love Karen and Trish and all the friends and family of the main four that had to huddle together while their loved ones were stupidly heroic.
Things I liked most about the show:
- The Matt and Jessica snark. I would have watched an entire series of these two sniping at each other. I'd love fic where their individual cases bump into or obstruct the other, hopefully requiring a grudging team-up. Maybe Matt has to be her lawyer again.
- Alexandra, and her complicated relationship with Elektra. Alexandra trying to get Elektra to fit into her world and being stymied by Elektra's nature, and by her memories coming back in unexpected ways. I'd love to see them at some glamorous event, maybe bumping into Matt or Foggy, and things being triggered. Chandeliers falling! Champagne on fire!
New Rules – Dua Lipa (Music video)
Literally anything with this weird bunch of hair-brushing girls in bathrobes. I have some cracked out suggestions in my letter, but I'd be really happy with any story with women protecting women.
If this wasn't your assigned fandom, the music video is here: New Rules – Dua Lipa. It's short! It's fun!
Women sticking up for each other! Brushing each other's hair! Strutting around the pool, looking fine and pretending to be flamingos! This video absolutely plays to my loyalty kink, and I love it. If you wanted to write straight-up background fic about why these girls have congregated here, and what they're protecting Dua Lipa from, awesome. If you want to write sweet Sapphic fic about the girls brushing each other's hair, cuddling, and keeping each other safe, I am here for that.
There's definitely something strange going on at this hotel, though. And I do love my paranormal AUs. And there is a definite Brides of Dracula vibe here. I've always felt sorry for the brides of Dracula and would love to see them all ganging up and taking care of the newest baby vampire girl, to make sure she stays safe from that bastard. A kind of vampire cult deprogramming group, based in the tropics where Dracula is extremely unlikely to ever venture.
Or are they shapeshifters? Omg, are they FLAMINGO shapeshifters? Like Swanmays? Is this a kind of tropical Swan Lake situation?? *gasps* That's why they move in formation – they're a flock! Or they could be a kind of tropical Selkie: ladies who can turn into manatees. Sailors used to think manatees were mermaids, after all. Omg. I think I just made myself love this video even more.
Doctor Strange
Stephen settling into the new Sanctum, struggling to fit his two lives together post the movie. Stephen and his amazing cloak having adventures with other artifacts in the Sanctum, or elsewhere. Wong being more au fait with modern culture than he lets on.
Doctor Strange isn't my favourite comics character, so I was surprised at how much I loved this movie. I've never really thought much about Strange, until he came along in movie form with all his sassy wizard friends and enemies. And his cloak!! Omg, Cloak/Stephen Strange, unexpected OTP!
I would love to read more about Stephen getting to know the Sanctum in New York, learning how to live with a sentient cloak that clearly has an enormous fondness for him, and how to integrate his previous mundane life with his new. Does he bring Christine back to the Sanctum? Does his medical life keep crashing into his magical existence, as it did in the movie? Can he truly keep himself from meddling in medical affairs? What does he get up to day to day in there? I'd love mundane stuff like ordering pizza, or magical plotty stuff, or magical day to day stuff like artifacts going on the rampage, the mailbox eating the mailman, the cloak wanting one thing and Stephen another.
They're not nominated but I loved the vibe between Strange, Wong, Mordo and the Ancient One so feel free to have cameos if you want. Same for Kaecilius: he's the sassiest of villains.
Westworld
Arnold/Robert, or Arnold and Robert building their park together. Dolores being strong and self-determining, Maeve being astute and ruthless but letting that compassion show.
Any sort of world building story with these characters. Anything that reflects on the mythology and philosophy of this world.
Eee, this beautiful, terrifying show. I loved the layering of stories, and the symbolism and the secrets and the mythologies both imposed on the androids and created by them. Any kind of story that explores sentience and the possibility of happiness would be welcome. I've picked my favourite four characters but really I love all of them except for William (in any time period.) I do not like non-con, and I'd like you to steer clear of the non-con scenarios with Dolores and the Man in Black. (Or him and anyone, really.)
I ship Arnold and Robert, in a tragic way, where their differences were eventually too much for them to overcome. I'd love to see prequel fic set when they're building their world: things that went right or wrong in the early stages, hints that their ideologies were diverging, little domestic things that happen when you live in the amusement park that you're building.
Dolores is a knight on a terrifying journey, and I'd love any story about her discovering her strength and her determination, whether before, during or after the events of Season One. I haven't specifically requested Teddy but I do find him very dear and wouldn't mind if he made an appearance. The same goes for Dolores' father. Team-up fic with Dolores and Maeve would be interesting, since we never really got to see them interact. What happens in the havoc after the final episode? Could they work together to firm up their position and protect the other androids? They both have very different views on love and the physicality of love so I could easily ship them, to see them helping each other figure things out.
Maeve is amazing, and I love how hard she fought to get herself free. I loved how surprised she was to be protective of Clementine, and would love to see her showing that side of herself more. An AU where she leaves and finds herself outside the park would be interesting, as would a chance to see her with her daughter again, whether or not her daughter is aware or recognises her. Again, I'd love to see her teaming up with other android characters.
Anything that plays into the mythology that Maeve and others constructed would be interesting. Did other androids who saw and retained some memory of the park workers create different mythologies to explain what they saw? A story contributing to the world-building, either within the park or without would be great.
The Good Place
Craaaaaaaack! Femslash, slash, gen, het, crack! I don't mind who pairs up with who as long as forking weird shirt happens and there are excellent food puns.
Holy forking shirtballs! This show is crack and I love it. There's very little I wouldn't like, and the fact that there have been many resets gives a writer the opportunity to go wild. Episode 2.03 gave us many version of the afterlife, and expanding any of those would be amazing, especially the Tahani and Eleanor soulmate one! Any character's POV would be awesome – a deeper insight into Vicky's motivations, or Michael learning about his human body. What's really going on between Michael and Trevor? Are they friends in reality? Tell me more of the great love between Jason and Janet, or how Eleanor just keeps on doing the right thing by Chidi, no matter how much she tries not to.
I really think I could ship any combination here: Eleanor/Michael, Eleanor/Vicky, Chidi/Jason, Chidi/Tahani, Eleanor/Jason, Trevor/anyone on the worst date of their life, Trevor/Michael, Trevor/Eleanor, Jason/Trevor in a scenario where Trevor thinks he's torturing Jason in really clever ways but Jason is just that oblivious that he's sailing through effortlessly. Wait – I thought of someone I can't ship with everyone, and that's Janet. I can't see Janet with any of the bad guys here. Chidi, Eleanor, Jason or Tahani, yeah. But not Michael, Trevor or Vicky.
Miscellanea
If we've matched on a large canon, and it's not going to work for you, I've got a few small and easily accessed canons here:
A painting: Beautiful Losers II, Jack Vettriano
A music video: New Rules – Dua Lipa.
For stalking purposes, I'mst_aurafina and ![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
st-aurafina. All my previous Dear Author letters are here: Dear Author. If you have any questions, you're welcome to message my partner, lilacsigil. She will keep your secret for life, or at least until after reveals.
Thank you so much for writing! I hope your Yuletide is fantastic.
Anyway. Yuletide is always fun for me, I've always loved my gifts, and I try to generally be chill about the process, so I hope I can make your assignment easy and enjoyable for you, too. My letters tend to be long – please don't worry! I am chatty, and excited that we share a fandom. I am all on board with optional details being optional: you go and ODAO if you have to. We have connected over our love for a fandom. I will love what you write.
I've put down ideas for each fandom – they are honestly just random things that have occurred to me as I write my letter, things that would be cool to read. I'm not particularly attached to any one idea (or fandom, for that matter), but wanted to throw out some prompts in case you're the kind of writer that likes prompts or wants to get an idea of how I view the fandom. If you find those prompts too constrictive, please fly free! I love the fandom, I love all the characters, I love the way that people are fannish about the characters. I am a fan of fandom, so show me how you love the characters we matched on, and I will be happy. I promise.
After eleven of these letters, I've got my likes and dislikes pinned down, so I've cut and pasted them from previous letters:
Things that generally tickle my fancy:
People! Gen, slash, femslash, het. Friendship fic, relationship fic, frenemies, enemies, sexy enemies. People putting their differences aside to work with each other. Backstory, AUs (though not so much the mundane kind), crossovers (see
Plot! Big sweeping plot, small canon-compliant plot, things for the characters to do while they're snarking at each other, things going on around them while they're getting it on. I like stuff to happen.
Competence! I have a huge competence kink. I love seeing people being really, really good at stuff. I love lateral thinkers and characters who follow their instincts and people putting their skills to use in unexpected ways.
Ladies! BAMF female characters who don't have to bring other female characters down to be BAMFs. Mothers and sisters and girlfriends and girlfriends and wives. Women with agency. Women treated with respect.
Representation! People of colour. People outside the gender binary. Queer identities and culture. Non-nuclear families, found families, poly families, family that is family because you get to define it.
Things that I don't like as much (but can handle if the story takes you there):
Sad endings, character death, angst, embarrassment.
Things I'd rather you didn't write:
Cross-gen relationships, incest, teacher/student, employee/employer, non-con, terminal illness.
I've talked about the specific fandoms under the cut, with possible scenarios or prompts. I talk more about some than others, but please understand I have no favourite. It's just what has come to mind as I write the letter. I would be happy with fic for any of these fandoms.
There are important spoilers here for Westworld and The Good Place, so if you're browsing letters, please be careful!
Beautiful Losers – Jack Vettriano
Happy with M/M/F, any combination of the three, or a single POV. World-building, expansion of the scene or anything that catches this dreamy, intense feeling would be great.
This is the tiniest of fandoms; it's one picture: Beautiful Losers II
I get the feeling it's not cool to like Vettriano? But I do, I have a big print of The Singing Butler hanging over my fireplace and I don't even care. I love the whimsy of his work, and the hyper-romanticising of the era it represents. Beautiful Losers II is one of his edgier works but it still has that pastel dream-like quality. I like that there's a feeling of passion and detachment contained in the same image, and I am always a sucker for love scenes where one or more people are fully dressed.
I'd love to know more about what's going on here: what's the dynamic between these three people? Is this a regular meeting or are they strangers? Where are they? On a ship, in the country or the city? Whose residence is this? Are there other rooms where similar liasons are being carried out? A single scene would work, or go all out and build a world for these people. Feel free to draw on other Vettriano images if you want: I'm a fan of his works but also the world in which he puts his figures.
I think there's a few kinks that could apply to this image. I'm good with voyeurism or exhibitionism, role-play scenarios, partner-swapping or swinging. There's definitely a D/s vibe in this image, and I am fine with you exploring that.
The Defenders
I'd love more of the Elektra and Alexandra dynamic as Elektra is coming to grips with being alive again. Gen or femslash would great.
I loved the snarkfest that was Jessica and Matt working together and would love anything with them as a team. Gen or shippy, I'm fine, as long as Jessica's relationships are the carwreck that they traditionally are.
Best team-up ever, right? I loved so many things about this series. I would love anything you want to cook up: missing scenes, what happened next, prequel meet-ups, gen adventures, puppy pile bedroom scenes, characters hanging out and snarking at each other. It's all good. I could only select four characters so I chose the ones that chimed hardest for me, but know that I love all four of the main team, I love Misty and Colleen and Clare, I love Karen and Trish and all the friends and family of the main four that had to huddle together while their loved ones were stupidly heroic.
Things I liked most about the show:
- The Matt and Jessica snark. I would have watched an entire series of these two sniping at each other. I'd love fic where their individual cases bump into or obstruct the other, hopefully requiring a grudging team-up. Maybe Matt has to be her lawyer again.
- Alexandra, and her complicated relationship with Elektra. Alexandra trying to get Elektra to fit into her world and being stymied by Elektra's nature, and by her memories coming back in unexpected ways. I'd love to see them at some glamorous event, maybe bumping into Matt or Foggy, and things being triggered. Chandeliers falling! Champagne on fire!
New Rules – Dua Lipa (Music video)
Literally anything with this weird bunch of hair-brushing girls in bathrobes. I have some cracked out suggestions in my letter, but I'd be really happy with any story with women protecting women.
If this wasn't your assigned fandom, the music video is here: New Rules – Dua Lipa. It's short! It's fun!
Women sticking up for each other! Brushing each other's hair! Strutting around the pool, looking fine and pretending to be flamingos! This video absolutely plays to my loyalty kink, and I love it. If you wanted to write straight-up background fic about why these girls have congregated here, and what they're protecting Dua Lipa from, awesome. If you want to write sweet Sapphic fic about the girls brushing each other's hair, cuddling, and keeping each other safe, I am here for that.
There's definitely something strange going on at this hotel, though. And I do love my paranormal AUs. And there is a definite Brides of Dracula vibe here. I've always felt sorry for the brides of Dracula and would love to see them all ganging up and taking care of the newest baby vampire girl, to make sure she stays safe from that bastard. A kind of vampire cult deprogramming group, based in the tropics where Dracula is extremely unlikely to ever venture.
Or are they shapeshifters? Omg, are they FLAMINGO shapeshifters? Like Swanmays? Is this a kind of tropical Swan Lake situation?? *gasps* That's why they move in formation – they're a flock! Or they could be a kind of tropical Selkie: ladies who can turn into manatees. Sailors used to think manatees were mermaids, after all. Omg. I think I just made myself love this video even more.
Doctor Strange
Stephen settling into the new Sanctum, struggling to fit his two lives together post the movie. Stephen and his amazing cloak having adventures with other artifacts in the Sanctum, or elsewhere. Wong being more au fait with modern culture than he lets on.
Doctor Strange isn't my favourite comics character, so I was surprised at how much I loved this movie. I've never really thought much about Strange, until he came along in movie form with all his sassy wizard friends and enemies. And his cloak!! Omg, Cloak/Stephen Strange, unexpected OTP!
I would love to read more about Stephen getting to know the Sanctum in New York, learning how to live with a sentient cloak that clearly has an enormous fondness for him, and how to integrate his previous mundane life with his new. Does he bring Christine back to the Sanctum? Does his medical life keep crashing into his magical existence, as it did in the movie? Can he truly keep himself from meddling in medical affairs? What does he get up to day to day in there? I'd love mundane stuff like ordering pizza, or magical plotty stuff, or magical day to day stuff like artifacts going on the rampage, the mailbox eating the mailman, the cloak wanting one thing and Stephen another.
They're not nominated but I loved the vibe between Strange, Wong, Mordo and the Ancient One so feel free to have cameos if you want. Same for Kaecilius: he's the sassiest of villains.
Westworld
Arnold/Robert, or Arnold and Robert building their park together. Dolores being strong and self-determining, Maeve being astute and ruthless but letting that compassion show.
Any sort of world building story with these characters. Anything that reflects on the mythology and philosophy of this world.
Eee, this beautiful, terrifying show. I loved the layering of stories, and the symbolism and the secrets and the mythologies both imposed on the androids and created by them. Any kind of story that explores sentience and the possibility of happiness would be welcome. I've picked my favourite four characters but really I love all of them except for William (in any time period.) I do not like non-con, and I'd like you to steer clear of the non-con scenarios with Dolores and the Man in Black. (Or him and anyone, really.)
I ship Arnold and Robert, in a tragic way, where their differences were eventually too much for them to overcome. I'd love to see prequel fic set when they're building their world: things that went right or wrong in the early stages, hints that their ideologies were diverging, little domestic things that happen when you live in the amusement park that you're building.
Dolores is a knight on a terrifying journey, and I'd love any story about her discovering her strength and her determination, whether before, during or after the events of Season One. I haven't specifically requested Teddy but I do find him very dear and wouldn't mind if he made an appearance. The same goes for Dolores' father. Team-up fic with Dolores and Maeve would be interesting, since we never really got to see them interact. What happens in the havoc after the final episode? Could they work together to firm up their position and protect the other androids? They both have very different views on love and the physicality of love so I could easily ship them, to see them helping each other figure things out.
Maeve is amazing, and I love how hard she fought to get herself free. I loved how surprised she was to be protective of Clementine, and would love to see her showing that side of herself more. An AU where she leaves and finds herself outside the park would be interesting, as would a chance to see her with her daughter again, whether or not her daughter is aware or recognises her. Again, I'd love to see her teaming up with other android characters.
Anything that plays into the mythology that Maeve and others constructed would be interesting. Did other androids who saw and retained some memory of the park workers create different mythologies to explain what they saw? A story contributing to the world-building, either within the park or without would be great.
The Good Place
Craaaaaaaack! Femslash, slash, gen, het, crack! I don't mind who pairs up with who as long as forking weird shirt happens and there are excellent food puns.
Holy forking shirtballs! This show is crack and I love it. There's very little I wouldn't like, and the fact that there have been many resets gives a writer the opportunity to go wild. Episode 2.03 gave us many version of the afterlife, and expanding any of those would be amazing, especially the Tahani and Eleanor soulmate one! Any character's POV would be awesome – a deeper insight into Vicky's motivations, or Michael learning about his human body. What's really going on between Michael and Trevor? Are they friends in reality? Tell me more of the great love between Jason and Janet, or how Eleanor just keeps on doing the right thing by Chidi, no matter how much she tries not to.
I really think I could ship any combination here: Eleanor/Michael, Eleanor/Vicky, Chidi/Jason, Chidi/Tahani, Eleanor/Jason, Trevor/anyone on the worst date of their life, Trevor/Michael, Trevor/Eleanor, Jason/Trevor in a scenario where Trevor thinks he's torturing Jason in really clever ways but Jason is just that oblivious that he's sailing through effortlessly. Wait – I thought of someone I can't ship with everyone, and that's Janet. I can't see Janet with any of the bad guys here. Chidi, Eleanor, Jason or Tahani, yeah. But not Michael, Trevor or Vicky.
Miscellanea
If we've matched on a large canon, and it's not going to work for you, I've got a few small and easily accessed canons here:
A painting: Beautiful Losers II, Jack Vettriano
A music video: New Rules – Dua Lipa.
For stalking purposes, I'm
lilacsigil. She will keep your secret for life, or at least until after reveals. Thank you so much for writing! I hope your Yuletide is fantastic.