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redsnake05) wrote2019-10-21 08:59 pm
redsnake05) wrote2019-10-21 08:59 pm
Entry tags:
Yuletide letter
Thank you so much for being interested in at least one of these fandoms! I am pretty excited for this Yuletide, and I hope you are too. I've listed some general likes and dislikes, and some more fandom-specific ideas and thoughts, but I am pretty flexible and I love reading stories that people clearly loved writing. If you have any questions, apart from asking through the mods, then tjs_whatnot knows everything about what I like and is super discreet.
Some general things I like are stories with a strong sense of place, or a setting that is a definite part of the story. I like minor characters and OCs, and feel free to include other people, or tell from a different POV. I love world-building and explanations and detailed descriptions. I have a fondness for arts, crafts and skills, and love to see people with hobbies and interests exploring them. I like strong themes and exploring ideas and ways of thinking or looking at the world. I like stories that develop a character or reveal them in new ways. I love gen, and am also open to all kinds of relationships of various kinds, and I tend to prefer quiet devotion, loyalty, appreciation and getting a sense of companionship between characters.
I do not want violence outside canon norms, character death, or rape. I do not want AUs (canon forks are absolutely fine, though) or crack. I would prefer a fic that doesn't focus exclusively on sex or porn, though I have no particular squicks in this regard. I do not want a fic focused exclusively on children or pregnancy. I would prefer not to receive incest, unless noted in the fandom-specific section below.
I know some of these fandoms seem super uneven. It's not a reflection on how much I love them! Some just have more characters or need more explanation or whatever was going on in my head when I wrote this. I am really excited about all of these fandoms and characters.
Wellington Paranormal (Officer Kyle Minogue, Officer O'Leary, Sargeant Maaka)
I was so excited to see the second season finally scheduled for October. I know it's a little awkward, as it's going to overlap, so please don't feel you have to worry at all about continuity or anything (and one of last year's prompts was one of this year's episodes, and I will not care if that happens).
Of particular interest are stories in which Wellington itself is an integral part of the story. I loved how the fountain in Cuba Mall was central to the first episode of season one, so go hard. Sirens at the waterfront? Yes. The Beehive has a resident apiarist? Yes. An annual flower festival at the Botanical Gardens is disrupted by sex pollen? YES (and this is, now that I have typed it, clearly an exception and I would be delighted to get sex pollen fic for this). Or, if not Wellington, then some elements that you would only find in Aotearoa New Zealand. A barista who sold their soul for the perfect coffee art, or ghostly suffragettes, or something about our notoriously changeable weather - make it specific, and I'll be happy.
I love the three characters I've named, but I don't need all three of them in the fic to be happy. If you want to focus on just one or two, include another character or an OC, that is fine by me. Some things I would love to know more about include whether Officer Minogue is actually a virgin (as speculated by Officer O'Leary), and his various dating disasters (bearing in mind I think he is actually lovely and clueless, so please don't show him being a stalker or anything). Or perhaps Sergeant Maaka helps him out with some advice about the ladies? Or a practical lesson? Or he has a well-established and delightful romance that, for whatever reason, he doesn't want to disclose? Or he meets a special someone and it's glorious? And how does Officer O'Leary always spot the lesbians? I mean, we know why, but I'd love to hear your take on it. I definitely do not want O'Leary/Minogue, though. Not even with sex pollen. Though I reckon O'Leary would definitely be susceptible to sirens.
For Sergeant Maaka, how did he get involved in the paranormal side of policing in the first place? Tell me more about his gran, she of the jam doughnuts, and what she thinks about her grandson's odd interests. Did he learn mau rākau as a child, and, despite everything we see, is surprisingly deadly in the right circumstances?
Finally, and this is an incredibly niche little idea and in no way any kind of compulsory, but I'd love to see a crossover with some other delightful little New Zealand canons, like the Legend drink driving ads, or the Grim Reaper water safety ads, or Margaret Mahy's The Witch in the Cherry Tree or A Lion in the Meadow. No pressure, but if you happened to be interested, I would be down with it.
Akkadian Empire RPF (Enheduanna)
Enheduanna: poet, priestess and, almost certainly, politician. I'd love to know more about her, and I really don't think you can go wrong with this. I will be delighted with anything that explores her life, experiences or adventures.
I am particularly interested in her relationship with Inanna, after all that passionate devotional poetry. If this is a direction you'd like to take, I'd love to hear about how Inanna manifests to Enheduanna - perhaps a real relationship between them (totally into Inanna/Enheduanna), or perhaps Enheduanna's private, spiritual, relationship with the goddess, as poured out in her writings. I'd love to know about the political point to her poetry also, particularly if you're interested in the temple hymns. Was she cynical about some of them? Had she visited every temple she wrote about, and, if so, what was her progression like? I would love the temples to actually be alive, with the god or goddess existing in the temple and somehow revealed to Enheduanna, or living through their priests and priestesses.
If you wanted to do some worldbuilding, perhaps tell me about the scribes who record her work, or about how she runs her temple, or about how she manages her lands. What was it about her writing that was so popular? Tell me about the rituals practiced in her temples, or something from her childhood, perhaps around how her father was elevated to the kingship and she became important. I'd also be keen to hear about the other gods, and the way they interact with the land and how the temple viewed them.
I haven't requested Sargon, but if you offered him then I am more than happy for him to turn up in the story too. I'd love to hear about the shared political vision between him and his daughter. What did her appointment to the priestly position mean? How did she share and support his goals? When he died, what did she do to ensure smooth succession? What did she think of her presumptuous nephew and his proclamation as a god? I'm not generally a fan of incest, but if you wanted to write some (non-explicit) Enheduanna/Sargon where they have a complicated relationship - ceremonial, intellectual, political, familial or sexual - then that's fine too. I would especially love some Enheduanna/Inanna/Sargon, either as a love triangle or a threesome. Please, though, nothing particularly explicit between Enheduanna and Sargon.
What we do in the Shadows (Nadja)
My favourite new thing this year. I loved the original, and this is just as much fun. They are so very, very ridiculous, and who doesn't love ridiculous vampires? I'd love to receive a fic about Nadja alone or with other characters. I'm particularly interested in how and when she became a vampire. When one is poor, a woman and a Romani, how does one meet a vampire and get turned rather than being dinner? If you want, I'd love to see her meet and interact with any of your favourite historical figures (if you're into art, perhaps she was the muse for Artemisia Gentileschi's Judith Slaying Holofernes, or perhaps she has opinions about Vlad the Impaler? Maybe she (and Lazlo, if you'd like) were intimates of Charles II, Nell Gwyn and John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester?) . While I'd prefer not to receive pure porn, I would be happy with any sort of erotic adventures.
I'm interested in her current life too. I'd love to see her and Jenna have more vampiric adventures, like reinventing Jenna's wardrobe, or getting her first coffin, or figuring out how to hypnotise someone. I'd love to see more adventures with her and the rest of the household, especially if she's the one who has to get them out of trouble. What if their street is chosen for a house or garden tour? What if they are mistaken for cosplayers from the Snug Harbour Cultural Centre (and, importantly, discover they can make money from it)?
The Mask of Apollo - Mary Renault (Nikeratos, Axiothea)
I love both the characters I requested, and it's absolutely fine to focus on just one, and I've given separate prompt sections for them below as well as together. Likewise, if you offered other characters, or have others not in the tagset that you love, I'm happy to see them too (though I don't want Plato as a central character). This especially goes for Apollo and Dionysus, as I love stories about the intersection between the divine and the mundane, and the way the unknowable gods can interact with mortals.
I love the way Niko experiences the world. I'd love to know about his place in the theatre more - other roles he played that shaped him, or important places and theatres at which he played, for example. I'd love to see something that explores the Socratic belief that once something is written down it loses its ability to change and grow, and how theatre pushes that with interpretations of plays to suit times and places. Ancient theatres were places of practical mathematics, particularly in the field of acoustics, and I'd love to know more about how Niko experiences this aspect of his craft, particularly compared to the mathematics of philosophy. I love the importance placed on masks, and I loved all the times Niko contemplated the mask - I really love that this locates the mask of Apollo specifically at liminal places, which are a time for Dionysis. I would love to know more about how you see the relationship between Niko, Apollo and Dionysus, whether in the physical world, the spiritual one, or somewhere in between. I'm also interested in all the other relationships he has, from the love between him and Thettalos, to his friendship with Menekrates, to the feelings of Hagnon as he painted the mask the first time. A tale of a performance or tour or drunken revel or oracle or party with prostitutes and poets would all be awesome.
I love Axiothea, as a philosopher who wants to see and experience, not just think. Perhaps you can tell me a story of her return to Athens as compared to her journey out, or how she first felt the love of mathematics as a girl, or even her experience of running and how that discipline and joy shaped her. If you wanted to explore her possible life as a maenad, in the physical world or not, that would be wonderful (this might verge into an AU request, and that's cool), as well as how her experience as a servant of Dionysus shaped her future (no pregnancy fic, please!). I'm interested to learn more about her future, too, like how she sets up her own academy, or her ongoing relationship with Lastheneia.
For Axiothea and Niko together, I loved the whole section when she was in Syracuse, and I'd love to hear a story from her time there as Apollodorus. How did that name suit her and why did they choose it? I'd love to see them take another journey together, perhaps to a temple or an oracle that Axiothea has always wanted to see and has never felt able to get to. I loved how Niko described her as settling into a 'strange, archaic beauty', and I wondered if she came to represent another godly mask to Niko, or even to herself. I'd love to see the friendship between them continue to deepen as their shared understanding and experience grows.
Finally, thank you so much for writing for me! I am looking forward very much to seeing what you come up with.
tjs_whatnot knows everything about what I like and is super discreet.Some general things I like are stories with a strong sense of place, or a setting that is a definite part of the story. I like minor characters and OCs, and feel free to include other people, or tell from a different POV. I love world-building and explanations and detailed descriptions. I have a fondness for arts, crafts and skills, and love to see people with hobbies and interests exploring them. I like strong themes and exploring ideas and ways of thinking or looking at the world. I like stories that develop a character or reveal them in new ways. I love gen, and am also open to all kinds of relationships of various kinds, and I tend to prefer quiet devotion, loyalty, appreciation and getting a sense of companionship between characters.
I do not want violence outside canon norms, character death, or rape. I do not want AUs (canon forks are absolutely fine, though) or crack. I would prefer a fic that doesn't focus exclusively on sex or porn, though I have no particular squicks in this regard. I do not want a fic focused exclusively on children or pregnancy. I would prefer not to receive incest, unless noted in the fandom-specific section below.
I know some of these fandoms seem super uneven. It's not a reflection on how much I love them! Some just have more characters or need more explanation or whatever was going on in my head when I wrote this. I am really excited about all of these fandoms and characters.
Wellington Paranormal (Officer Kyle Minogue, Officer O'Leary, Sargeant Maaka)
I was so excited to see the second season finally scheduled for October. I know it's a little awkward, as it's going to overlap, so please don't feel you have to worry at all about continuity or anything (and one of last year's prompts was one of this year's episodes, and I will not care if that happens).
Of particular interest are stories in which Wellington itself is an integral part of the story. I loved how the fountain in Cuba Mall was central to the first episode of season one, so go hard. Sirens at the waterfront? Yes. The Beehive has a resident apiarist? Yes. An annual flower festival at the Botanical Gardens is disrupted by sex pollen? YES (and this is, now that I have typed it, clearly an exception and I would be delighted to get sex pollen fic for this). Or, if not Wellington, then some elements that you would only find in Aotearoa New Zealand. A barista who sold their soul for the perfect coffee art, or ghostly suffragettes, or something about our notoriously changeable weather - make it specific, and I'll be happy.
I love the three characters I've named, but I don't need all three of them in the fic to be happy. If you want to focus on just one or two, include another character or an OC, that is fine by me. Some things I would love to know more about include whether Officer Minogue is actually a virgin (as speculated by Officer O'Leary), and his various dating disasters (bearing in mind I think he is actually lovely and clueless, so please don't show him being a stalker or anything). Or perhaps Sergeant Maaka helps him out with some advice about the ladies? Or a practical lesson? Or he has a well-established and delightful romance that, for whatever reason, he doesn't want to disclose? Or he meets a special someone and it's glorious? And how does Officer O'Leary always spot the lesbians? I mean, we know why, but I'd love to hear your take on it. I definitely do not want O'Leary/Minogue, though. Not even with sex pollen. Though I reckon O'Leary would definitely be susceptible to sirens.
For Sergeant Maaka, how did he get involved in the paranormal side of policing in the first place? Tell me more about his gran, she of the jam doughnuts, and what she thinks about her grandson's odd interests. Did he learn mau rākau as a child, and, despite everything we see, is surprisingly deadly in the right circumstances?
Finally, and this is an incredibly niche little idea and in no way any kind of compulsory, but I'd love to see a crossover with some other delightful little New Zealand canons, like the Legend drink driving ads, or the Grim Reaper water safety ads, or Margaret Mahy's The Witch in the Cherry Tree or A Lion in the Meadow. No pressure, but if you happened to be interested, I would be down with it.
Akkadian Empire RPF (Enheduanna)
Enheduanna: poet, priestess and, almost certainly, politician. I'd love to know more about her, and I really don't think you can go wrong with this. I will be delighted with anything that explores her life, experiences or adventures.
I am particularly interested in her relationship with Inanna, after all that passionate devotional poetry. If this is a direction you'd like to take, I'd love to hear about how Inanna manifests to Enheduanna - perhaps a real relationship between them (totally into Inanna/Enheduanna), or perhaps Enheduanna's private, spiritual, relationship with the goddess, as poured out in her writings. I'd love to know about the political point to her poetry also, particularly if you're interested in the temple hymns. Was she cynical about some of them? Had she visited every temple she wrote about, and, if so, what was her progression like? I would love the temples to actually be alive, with the god or goddess existing in the temple and somehow revealed to Enheduanna, or living through their priests and priestesses.
If you wanted to do some worldbuilding, perhaps tell me about the scribes who record her work, or about how she runs her temple, or about how she manages her lands. What was it about her writing that was so popular? Tell me about the rituals practiced in her temples, or something from her childhood, perhaps around how her father was elevated to the kingship and she became important. I'd also be keen to hear about the other gods, and the way they interact with the land and how the temple viewed them.
I haven't requested Sargon, but if you offered him then I am more than happy for him to turn up in the story too. I'd love to hear about the shared political vision between him and his daughter. What did her appointment to the priestly position mean? How did she share and support his goals? When he died, what did she do to ensure smooth succession? What did she think of her presumptuous nephew and his proclamation as a god? I'm not generally a fan of incest, but if you wanted to write some (non-explicit) Enheduanna/Sargon where they have a complicated relationship - ceremonial, intellectual, political, familial or sexual - then that's fine too. I would especially love some Enheduanna/Inanna/Sargon, either as a love triangle or a threesome. Please, though, nothing particularly explicit between Enheduanna and Sargon.
What we do in the Shadows (Nadja)
My favourite new thing this year. I loved the original, and this is just as much fun. They are so very, very ridiculous, and who doesn't love ridiculous vampires? I'd love to receive a fic about Nadja alone or with other characters. I'm particularly interested in how and when she became a vampire. When one is poor, a woman and a Romani, how does one meet a vampire and get turned rather than being dinner? If you want, I'd love to see her meet and interact with any of your favourite historical figures (if you're into art, perhaps she was the muse for Artemisia Gentileschi's Judith Slaying Holofernes, or perhaps she has opinions about Vlad the Impaler? Maybe she (and Lazlo, if you'd like) were intimates of Charles II, Nell Gwyn and John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester?) . While I'd prefer not to receive pure porn, I would be happy with any sort of erotic adventures.
I'm interested in her current life too. I'd love to see her and Jenna have more vampiric adventures, like reinventing Jenna's wardrobe, or getting her first coffin, or figuring out how to hypnotise someone. I'd love to see more adventures with her and the rest of the household, especially if she's the one who has to get them out of trouble. What if their street is chosen for a house or garden tour? What if they are mistaken for cosplayers from the Snug Harbour Cultural Centre (and, importantly, discover they can make money from it)?
The Mask of Apollo - Mary Renault (Nikeratos, Axiothea)
I love both the characters I requested, and it's absolutely fine to focus on just one, and I've given separate prompt sections for them below as well as together. Likewise, if you offered other characters, or have others not in the tagset that you love, I'm happy to see them too (though I don't want Plato as a central character). This especially goes for Apollo and Dionysus, as I love stories about the intersection between the divine and the mundane, and the way the unknowable gods can interact with mortals.
I love the way Niko experiences the world. I'd love to know about his place in the theatre more - other roles he played that shaped him, or important places and theatres at which he played, for example. I'd love to see something that explores the Socratic belief that once something is written down it loses its ability to change and grow, and how theatre pushes that with interpretations of plays to suit times and places. Ancient theatres were places of practical mathematics, particularly in the field of acoustics, and I'd love to know more about how Niko experiences this aspect of his craft, particularly compared to the mathematics of philosophy. I love the importance placed on masks, and I loved all the times Niko contemplated the mask - I really love that this locates the mask of Apollo specifically at liminal places, which are a time for Dionysis. I would love to know more about how you see the relationship between Niko, Apollo and Dionysus, whether in the physical world, the spiritual one, or somewhere in between. I'm also interested in all the other relationships he has, from the love between him and Thettalos, to his friendship with Menekrates, to the feelings of Hagnon as he painted the mask the first time. A tale of a performance or tour or drunken revel or oracle or party with prostitutes and poets would all be awesome.
I love Axiothea, as a philosopher who wants to see and experience, not just think. Perhaps you can tell me a story of her return to Athens as compared to her journey out, or how she first felt the love of mathematics as a girl, or even her experience of running and how that discipline and joy shaped her. If you wanted to explore her possible life as a maenad, in the physical world or not, that would be wonderful (this might verge into an AU request, and that's cool), as well as how her experience as a servant of Dionysus shaped her future (no pregnancy fic, please!). I'm interested to learn more about her future, too, like how she sets up her own academy, or her ongoing relationship with Lastheneia.
For Axiothea and Niko together, I loved the whole section when she was in Syracuse, and I'd love to hear a story from her time there as Apollodorus. How did that name suit her and why did they choose it? I'd love to see them take another journey together, perhaps to a temple or an oracle that Axiothea has always wanted to see and has never felt able to get to. I loved how Niko described her as settling into a 'strange, archaic beauty', and I wondered if she came to represent another godly mask to Niko, or even to herself. I'd love to see the friendship between them continue to deepen as their shared understanding and experience grows.
Finally, thank you so much for writing for me! I am looking forward very much to seeing what you come up with.