Yuletide letter
Oct. 23rd, 2020 11:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meteordustDear Yuletide Writer,
Thank you so much for offering to write a story for me! I love all these fandoms, and I'm keen to see what you do in them! I've provided some prompts in case you're looking for inspiration, but I'd also love to see whatever other ideas capture your imagination.
For me, it's about the characters and their interactions. I'm not a stickler about researching canon details, as long as the spirit of the characters and the flavour of their world is there. I want to see adventures that might have been, or missing moments from between scenes, or a slice of their daily lives, or where the future might take them.
LIKES: Some of the things I enjoy in stories are: undying loyalty, personal bravery, risking self to protect others, displaying cool competence, big damn hero moments, special everyday moments, banter, hijinks, confessions exposing emotional vulnerability, conversations loaded with unspoken meaning, tough people showing a soft side, and soft people showing a tough side. Some of my favorite tropes and genres are: amnesia, angst with a happy ending, animal transformation, arranged marriage, bodyswap, cosmic horror, curtainfic, five things fic, getting together, hurt/comfort, mutual requited pining, mystery solving, road trips, sex pollen, slice of life, stranded together, and time travel.
DISLIKES: I generally prefer optimistic stories in exchanges, so I'm not keen on anything that is brutally violent or hopelessly bleak. However, I don't mind darkness during the story, as long as there is a glimmer of light at the end. Endings that are bittersweet or ambiguous are also fine.
DO NOT WANT: Noncon, underage, bleak endings, crossovers, setting change AUs like high school, coffee shop, or omegaverse (but canon divergence AUs are fine).
RATING: I am open to gen or ships for these characters. For the latter, I'd enjoy anything ranging from unresolved sexual tension, to getting together, to established relationship. I'm fine with explicit sex, but it's usually not the most important part of the story for me.
STYLE: I'm fine with first, second, or third person. I'm fine with past or present tense. I'm fine with stories of any length, including stories that start in media res or consist of a scene that implies a larger plot.
POV: I'm open to stories from the point of view of a different character from the ones requested, especially if they provide an interesting perspective on the requested characters.
INTERACTIVE FICTION: I like interactive fiction and would welcome it.
I've listed more details under each individual request.
I hope this helps. Have fun writing!
Yours sincerely,
meteordust
(AO3 name Serenade)
***
Request 1
Fandom: Falcon - Mark Smith and Jamie Thomson
Characters: Falcon, Agidy Yelov
Details: Your codename is Falcon. You are a Special Agent of TIME, sworn to protect the timelines from chaos. You have psionic powers, your trusty blaster, an intelligent supercomputer, and a time machine called Falcon's Wing. Awesome! You are also assigned a vital mission to uncover the renegade changing history, get framed as a traitor and hunted by your colleagues, and discover that your superior officer has set you up. You die a lot because this is a gamebook series with a difficulty setting of ridiculous.
Note: Like the Choose Your Own Adventure books, this gamebook series is narrated in the second person. Falcon's gender is unspecified. In my head, I think of Falcon as male, but I'm also open to leaving it unspecified.
Ideas:
- I've always been fascinated by Yelov and the complicated relationship Falcon has with him - once chief and subordinate, now renegade and enforcer. (And later on, Falcon even gets promoted into Yelov's old job, which must be a strange reversal.) I'd love to see them cross paths again, whether they're hunting each other, working together against a common foe, forced to cooperate to survive, or having a doomed torrid affair.
- I want all the emotional fallout of the betrayal that the gamebook skims over. Yelov is clearly obsessed with revenge, but how does Falcon feel about things? Yelov was respected as a leader: ambitious, dedicated, and deadly. Did Falcon admire him? What did Yelov think of this talented new recruit? Was Falcon always meant to be a pawn or originally destined for more?
- I like the camaraderie between Falcon and the other Special Agents, like Bloodhound and Lynx, so I'd be interested in anything from dramatic joint missions to the office holiday party. What was it like when they were being mentored by Yelov, eg what kind of lecture, demo, or training mission might he have given?
- While the characters often travel back to historic events, I'm more interested in the present day of 3033 AD and its galactic adventures, or the far future and its dying suns and strange civilisations.
- Relationships: I'm fine with gen or ships. If you would like to include shipping, I ship Falcon and Yelov.
Canon: There are six books in this series. However, I would be perfectly happy with a story based only on the first book, The Renegade Lord.
Resources: The Falcon books are out of print, but they can be found secondhand on AbeBooks, eBay, and Amazon. Falcon at Demian's Gamebook Web Page contains brief information about the series. PDFs of the books used to be available for download at Home of the Underdogs, but not anymore, although copies of the archive seem to float around on filesharing sites. There is also a Let's Play community playthrough of the entire series on the RPG.net forums, although I haven't read the whole thread.
***
Request 2
Fandom: Fortress Series - CJ Cherryh
Characters: Tristen, Barrakkêth
Details: Even though I have requested both these characters, I would be happy with a story just about Tristen or just about Barrakkêth.
Tristen
- I love that Tristen is kind and trusting and loyal, learns to be brave and just, and chooses not to be ruthless like his predecessor. I love when he surprises people with his good qualities and overturns their expectations. I love when he gets to rescue someone with his combat skills, help someone with his magical instincts, or solve a dispute with wisdom and compassion.
- Exploring the relics of the past. What ancient ruins still exist in Amefel? What memories do they unfold for Tristen? Can any of them be rebuilt for use again, like how unwalled Althalen becomes a sanctuary for refugees?
- Enjoying leisure time with his friends and allies, which normally they get precious little chance to do, in between the demands of politics and war.
- Discovering new and marvellous things: traditions, foods, baby animals, etc.
- Relationships: I'm fine with gen or ships. If you would like to include shipping, I ship Tristen with Crissand, or Cefwyn, or Ninévrisë. No infidelity please (ie before Cefwyn and Ninévrisë get together, or they never got together and the alliance was made differently, or they have a special understanding about Tristen, or the three of them have a relationship).
Barrakkêth
- There's so much mystery around the origins of the Sihhë! Were they born, made, or always existing? Was there friendship between the five of them who came down from the north? Why did they agree to help Mauryl overthrow the Galasieni?
- What was Barrakkêth like as a ruler? What did the fortresses and the cities look like in those days? What was his relationship like with the aetheling who was ancestor to Crissand?
- If all Place is one Place and all Time is one Time, did Barrakkêth know the future? Could he foresee Tristen? Is there anywhere in the gray space they can talk? What was his purpose in writing the Book?
- Relationships: I'm fine with gen or ships. If you would like to include shipping, I don't have any particular preferences for Barrakkêth, so feel free to write whoever you want.
Canon: There are five books in this series. However, I would be perfectly happy with a story based only on the first book, Fortress in the Eye of Time.
Resources: The Fortress books are available in print and ebook formats.
***
Request 3
Fandom: City of Bones - Martha Wells
Characters: Khat, Elen
Details: This book blew me away with its awesome worldbuilding. A fantasy world where a cataclysm turned the sea into a desert, full of strange new creatures and mysterious lost ruins. Khat is a relic dealer, and a krisman, created to survive the deadly wasteland by the last of the Ancients. Elen is a warder, wielding the magic of the Ancients to protect people, but at the risk of falling into madness. Together, they are hunting for an arcane engine that holds secrets those in power will kill for. I love that Khat and Elen are both prickly people, from vastly different backgrounds, but develop a strong rapport and become formidable allies.
Ideas:
- Post-canon reunion! When Khat and Elen part ways, it's because of the gulf between their stations. But they bridged that gulf once before, and I want them to rekindle their friendship or more. What is Khat doing in his new city? What is Elen doing in her new position? Do they correspond with each other? Do they join forces to solve a new mystery?
- Adventures! Exploring the ruins of the Ancients, or the world the spirits come from, or other gates to other worlds. Or what if they get to meet another one of the Ancients?
- When Khat hides the relic in his pouch, and it makes him feel feverish, I thought this was leading up to a magical transformation, or even a magical pregnancy. But no, it's because a pouch is for brooding offspring and not storing foreign objects. But what if the relic did have some kind of unexpected magical effect? Maybe it triggers the next step in evolution for krismen, or creates new life inside him, or gives him special powers, or lets him connect with the minds of the Ancients.
- Relationships: I'm fine with gen or ships. If you would like to include shipping, I ship Khat and Elen.
Canon: This is a standalone novel.
Resources: City of Bones is available in print, ebook, and audiobook formats.
Thank you so much for offering to write a story for me! I love all these fandoms, and I'm keen to see what you do in them! I've provided some prompts in case you're looking for inspiration, but I'd also love to see whatever other ideas capture your imagination.
For me, it's about the characters and their interactions. I'm not a stickler about researching canon details, as long as the spirit of the characters and the flavour of their world is there. I want to see adventures that might have been, or missing moments from between scenes, or a slice of their daily lives, or where the future might take them.
LIKES: Some of the things I enjoy in stories are: undying loyalty, personal bravery, risking self to protect others, displaying cool competence, big damn hero moments, special everyday moments, banter, hijinks, confessions exposing emotional vulnerability, conversations loaded with unspoken meaning, tough people showing a soft side, and soft people showing a tough side. Some of my favorite tropes and genres are: amnesia, angst with a happy ending, animal transformation, arranged marriage, bodyswap, cosmic horror, curtainfic, five things fic, getting together, hurt/comfort, mutual requited pining, mystery solving, road trips, sex pollen, slice of life, stranded together, and time travel.
DISLIKES: I generally prefer optimistic stories in exchanges, so I'm not keen on anything that is brutally violent or hopelessly bleak. However, I don't mind darkness during the story, as long as there is a glimmer of light at the end. Endings that are bittersweet or ambiguous are also fine.
DO NOT WANT: Noncon, underage, bleak endings, crossovers, setting change AUs like high school, coffee shop, or omegaverse (but canon divergence AUs are fine).
RATING: I am open to gen or ships for these characters. For the latter, I'd enjoy anything ranging from unresolved sexual tension, to getting together, to established relationship. I'm fine with explicit sex, but it's usually not the most important part of the story for me.
STYLE: I'm fine with first, second, or third person. I'm fine with past or present tense. I'm fine with stories of any length, including stories that start in media res or consist of a scene that implies a larger plot.
POV: I'm open to stories from the point of view of a different character from the ones requested, especially if they provide an interesting perspective on the requested characters.
INTERACTIVE FICTION: I like interactive fiction and would welcome it.
I've listed more details under each individual request.
I hope this helps. Have fun writing!
Yours sincerely,
meteordust(AO3 name Serenade)
***
Request 1
Fandom: Falcon - Mark Smith and Jamie Thomson
Characters: Falcon, Agidy Yelov
Details: Your codename is Falcon. You are a Special Agent of TIME, sworn to protect the timelines from chaos. You have psionic powers, your trusty blaster, an intelligent supercomputer, and a time machine called Falcon's Wing. Awesome! You are also assigned a vital mission to uncover the renegade changing history, get framed as a traitor and hunted by your colleagues, and discover that your superior officer has set you up. You die a lot because this is a gamebook series with a difficulty setting of ridiculous.
Note: Like the Choose Your Own Adventure books, this gamebook series is narrated in the second person. Falcon's gender is unspecified. In my head, I think of Falcon as male, but I'm also open to leaving it unspecified.
Ideas:
- I've always been fascinated by Yelov and the complicated relationship Falcon has with him - once chief and subordinate, now renegade and enforcer. (And later on, Falcon even gets promoted into Yelov's old job, which must be a strange reversal.) I'd love to see them cross paths again, whether they're hunting each other, working together against a common foe, forced to cooperate to survive, or having a doomed torrid affair.
- I want all the emotional fallout of the betrayal that the gamebook skims over. Yelov is clearly obsessed with revenge, but how does Falcon feel about things? Yelov was respected as a leader: ambitious, dedicated, and deadly. Did Falcon admire him? What did Yelov think of this talented new recruit? Was Falcon always meant to be a pawn or originally destined for more?
- I like the camaraderie between Falcon and the other Special Agents, like Bloodhound and Lynx, so I'd be interested in anything from dramatic joint missions to the office holiday party. What was it like when they were being mentored by Yelov, eg what kind of lecture, demo, or training mission might he have given?
- While the characters often travel back to historic events, I'm more interested in the present day of 3033 AD and its galactic adventures, or the far future and its dying suns and strange civilisations.
- Relationships: I'm fine with gen or ships. If you would like to include shipping, I ship Falcon and Yelov.
Canon: There are six books in this series. However, I would be perfectly happy with a story based only on the first book, The Renegade Lord.
Resources: The Falcon books are out of print, but they can be found secondhand on AbeBooks, eBay, and Amazon. Falcon at Demian's Gamebook Web Page contains brief information about the series. PDFs of the books used to be available for download at Home of the Underdogs, but not anymore, although copies of the archive seem to float around on filesharing sites. There is also a Let's Play community playthrough of the entire series on the RPG.net forums, although I haven't read the whole thread.
***
Request 2
Fandom: Fortress Series - CJ Cherryh
Characters: Tristen, Barrakkêth
Details: Even though I have requested both these characters, I would be happy with a story just about Tristen or just about Barrakkêth.
Tristen
- I love that Tristen is kind and trusting and loyal, learns to be brave and just, and chooses not to be ruthless like his predecessor. I love when he surprises people with his good qualities and overturns their expectations. I love when he gets to rescue someone with his combat skills, help someone with his magical instincts, or solve a dispute with wisdom and compassion.
- Exploring the relics of the past. What ancient ruins still exist in Amefel? What memories do they unfold for Tristen? Can any of them be rebuilt for use again, like how unwalled Althalen becomes a sanctuary for refugees?
- Enjoying leisure time with his friends and allies, which normally they get precious little chance to do, in between the demands of politics and war.
- Discovering new and marvellous things: traditions, foods, baby animals, etc.
- Relationships: I'm fine with gen or ships. If you would like to include shipping, I ship Tristen with Crissand, or Cefwyn, or Ninévrisë. No infidelity please (ie before Cefwyn and Ninévrisë get together, or they never got together and the alliance was made differently, or they have a special understanding about Tristen, or the three of them have a relationship).
Barrakkêth
- There's so much mystery around the origins of the Sihhë! Were they born, made, or always existing? Was there friendship between the five of them who came down from the north? Why did they agree to help Mauryl overthrow the Galasieni?
- What was Barrakkêth like as a ruler? What did the fortresses and the cities look like in those days? What was his relationship like with the aetheling who was ancestor to Crissand?
- If all Place is one Place and all Time is one Time, did Barrakkêth know the future? Could he foresee Tristen? Is there anywhere in the gray space they can talk? What was his purpose in writing the Book?
- Relationships: I'm fine with gen or ships. If you would like to include shipping, I don't have any particular preferences for Barrakkêth, so feel free to write whoever you want.
Canon: There are five books in this series. However, I would be perfectly happy with a story based only on the first book, Fortress in the Eye of Time.
Resources: The Fortress books are available in print and ebook formats.
***
Request 3
Fandom: City of Bones - Martha Wells
Characters: Khat, Elen
Details: This book blew me away with its awesome worldbuilding. A fantasy world where a cataclysm turned the sea into a desert, full of strange new creatures and mysterious lost ruins. Khat is a relic dealer, and a krisman, created to survive the deadly wasteland by the last of the Ancients. Elen is a warder, wielding the magic of the Ancients to protect people, but at the risk of falling into madness. Together, they are hunting for an arcane engine that holds secrets those in power will kill for. I love that Khat and Elen are both prickly people, from vastly different backgrounds, but develop a strong rapport and become formidable allies.
Ideas:
- Post-canon reunion! When Khat and Elen part ways, it's because of the gulf between their stations. But they bridged that gulf once before, and I want them to rekindle their friendship or more. What is Khat doing in his new city? What is Elen doing in her new position? Do they correspond with each other? Do they join forces to solve a new mystery?
- Adventures! Exploring the ruins of the Ancients, or the world the spirits come from, or other gates to other worlds. Or what if they get to meet another one of the Ancients?
- When Khat hides the relic in his pouch, and it makes him feel feverish, I thought this was leading up to a magical transformation, or even a magical pregnancy. But no, it's because a pouch is for brooding offspring and not storing foreign objects. But what if the relic did have some kind of unexpected magical effect? Maybe it triggers the next step in evolution for krismen, or creates new life inside him, or gives him special powers, or lets him connect with the minds of the Ancients.
- Relationships: I'm fine with gen or ships. If you would like to include shipping, I ship Khat and Elen.
Canon: This is a standalone novel.
Resources: City of Bones is available in print, ebook, and audiobook formats.
