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dolorosa_12) wrote2019-04-14 11:53 am
dolorosa_12) wrote2019-04-14 11:53 am
Entry tags:
Dear Night on Fic Mountain writer
Thank you for writing for me!
I'm pretty easygoing about what type of fic you want to write for me. I read fic of any rating, and would be equally happy with plotty genfic or something very shippy. I read gen, femslash, het and slash, although I have a slight preference towards femslash, het, and gen that focuses on female characters. I mainly read fic to find out what happens to characters after the final page has turned or the credits have rolled, so I would particularly love to have futurefic of some kind. Don't feel you have to limit yourself to the characters I specifically mention — I'm happy with others being included if they fit with the story you want to tell.
Feel free to have a look around my Ao3 profile, as it should give you a good idea of the types of things I like to read.
General likes
Found families and 'us against the world' dynamics
Human/non-human pairings
Relationships with power imbalances
People with vastly different backgrounds, perspectives, or life experience working together - especially grudging enemies/antagonists-to-allies/lovers stories
Grudging, pragmatic temporary alliances that turn into mutual respect and/or love
Fairytale, folktale or mythology being incorporated into fic
Characters with a strong sense of home and place (whether that 'home' is a city, or other people)
General dislikes
Fusions and crossovers
AUs, apart from canon-divergence AUs
Incest
Infidelity
Several fandom-specific dislikes, which I will outline below
Fandom-specific prompts:
The Bone Season — Samantha Shannon
Requested characters/relationships: Warden | Arcturus Mesarthim, Paige Mahoney, Paige Mahoney/Warden | Arcturus Mesarthim
Canon consists of three books (The Bone Season, The Mime Order, and The Song Rising) of what will eventually be a seven-book series. There are also several short stories, but they were limited releases and I would not expect them to be treated as canonical.
What I like about the series
The intricate alternate world, particularly Scion London, with its underworld of criminal clairvoyants trying to eke out an existence in the face of oppression, the uneasy shifting alliances, and all the little details about the urban geography and history of Soho, Covent Garden and so on.
The pervasive sense of threat and menace that permeates the series, and the choices this forces the characters to make.
Paige and Warden's relationship — the initial mistrust, the power imbalances, the secrets they keep from each other, the way they share dreams, and the way Warden makes Paige a bit more supernatural and she makes him a bit more human.
The tensions and contradictions in Paige's existence — becoming a criminal mollisher for Jaxon Hall gives her a measure of safety, but also puts her in greater danger, and in some ways the series represents her slow shift from pragmatism to risk-taking revolutionary leadership.
Prompts I'd love to see
Any fic that explores Paige and Warden's relationship, particularly the power imbalances, cultural differences, and the ways in which their relationship forces them to reflect on their respective identities as human and Rephaite. Missing moments from either their time together in Oxford or when Paige was in hiding in London would be fantastic. I'd also love to read futurefic set just after the end of events in The Song Rising — how are they coping on the run? Has Paige become unmoored without the familiarity of London and the syndicate to fall back on? I'd love to read fic set in another part of Samantha Shannon's alternate world — so far we've seen Scotland, England and Ireland, but nothing of the rest of the world. What are other Scion countries like? Alternatively, a fic that takes place entirely within shared dreamscapes would be absolutely amazing!
I'm happy for another other characters from the series to feature in any fic you write, but I would prefer it if your fic didn't focus on Jaxon Hall.
The Daevabad series — S. A. Chakraborty
Requested characters and relationships: Alizayd al Qahtani, Nahri (Daevabad Series), Alizayd al Qahtani/Nahri
Canon consists of two books, City of Brass and Kingdom of Copper of an eventual trilogy
What I like about the series
Nahri is such a joy of a character — I love her steely practicality, and how it wars with her desire for generosity and justice.
The fact that although various forms of discrimination are built into daeva/djinn society, different characters are attempting different approaches to combat them — but without making common cause or really listening to one another, they're doomed to be ineffectual. (So a potential prompt might be how such characters overcame this.)
The simmering historical grievances and inability of Daevabad's ruling elite to do anything to address them due to inertia and the enormity of the task.
The intricate setting, which is such a great blend of real-world nineteenth-century history, and Middle Eastern mythology. I love the city of Daevabad, in particular.
Prompts I'd love to see
I love any pairing that throws together one rules-following, earnest, honest character and one devious, rules-bending character whose self-interest wars with an innate desire to do good, so Nahri and Ali are firm favourites of mine. I ship them romantically, but would be happy with any fic about them — ship or gen — that focused on these two characters being forced to solve a problem which brought their clashing personalities to the fore. I'm also intrigued by the groups in daeva/djinn society that we don't see much of, so any fic that took the two characters into less familiar communities would be wonderful. I would also really enjoy reading any fic that saw Ali and Nahri involved in efforts to help the shafit (particularly with Nahri fully reclaiming and embracing her own identity as one of them), ranging from small-scale rescue efforts to involvement in an all out revolution. Post-canon scenes in which the two characters have to navigate their way through problems and life-threatening situations in Cairo would also be very welcome. Or, if you prefer something a bit more contemplative, why not delve into any of the mythology that underpins Chakraborty's world and frame a story around that?
The Queens of Innis Lear — Tessa Gratton
Requested characters and relationships: Elia Lear, Aefa Thornhill, Morimaros, Ban the Fox, Elia/Aefa/Morimaros/Ban
Canon consists of a single book, The Queens of Innis Lear
What I like about the book
I love that it digs behind the bluster and symbolism of King Lear to get to the heart of what motivates the characters psychologically, coming up with convincing and emotive explanations for what could seem like very (self-) destructive behaviour.
I love that all the nominated characters are ultimately motivated by a desire to do good, but what that good looks like is so fundamentally different that it sets them all in conflict.
The quiet moments of devastation: when Elia realises she’s so passive and reactive that people think of her as a sort of buffer, the calm shore against which crash the waves of other people’s emotions, selfishness, and sheer greedy need, or the tragedy of Ban, who is so accustomed to being treated not like a person but rather as a tool or weapon to be wielded that he gives his devoted loyalty to the first person who asks to use him so, rather than demanding or assuming.
The setting of Innis Lear — I love how it's almost a character of its own, alive and reacting to the actions of the characters who walk upon it, the tensions between worship of the stars and worship of roots and earth, and the way this informs the magic of Gratton's world, with people talking to trees and flowers.
The transformation over the course of the book of Elia — from quiet, austere, guarded star priest to a queen who is at once regal and of the earth.
Prompts I'd love to see
This is a fandom in which I'd particularly enjoy post-canon fic. What kind of queen is Elia, and how does she interact with Aremoria, and Morimaros, in the years that follow? Any particular moments requiring royal diplomacy between the two kingdoms would be great. Alternatively, how does she go about repairing the fractured pieces of Innis Lear — dealing with the nobles who sided with Regan or Gaela, reintroducing worship of rootwater, opening the wells again, and so on? What role might Aefa play in that? A canon-divergent AU in which Ban survived (or possibly survived in another form, such as some elemental, otherworldly being that was almost part of supernatural fabric of Innis Lear) would also be really interesting.
In terms of shipping, this is a fandom in which I am a genuine and enthusiastic multi-shipper. I love pretty much any combination of the four nominated characters (including threesomes or all four of them together). Elia and Morimaros is such a fraught pairing — they both know they are not just themselves, but are their entire kingdoms as well, and so getting together has political implications far beyond their own immediate desires. There is genuine admiration and attraction there, but the politics holds them back, particularly Elia (although I love that by the end of the book, Morimaros has realised that he needs to put aside his own aims for the kingdom of Aremoria and just be there for Elia if he's to have any chance at doing the right, moral thing). I always got the feeling from the book that Aefa herself was a little in love with Morimaros (in any case, she certainly ships him and Elia), and is constantly pushing Elia towards him — and I'm therefore intrigued by the idea of Elia/Morimaros/Aefa, or Aefa/Morimaros (although I feel the latter pairing would be fraught with guilt about Elia). Then we come to Ban, whose upbringing has given him a terrible understanding of what love means — to him it means love is like a loaf of bread, and if you cut off one slice for someone, there is less to go around — and whom both Elia and Morimaros love, but, due to their roles as rulers of entire kingdoms, can never put him first. He is at first utterly devoted to Morimaros because he was the first person to truly value Ban and his skills, and I can see very easily how, pre-canon, this might have become something more, although it would be a very bittersweet pairing, as Ban would always be aware that Morimaros meant more to him than he to Morimaros. Ban and Elia are childhood sweethearts, and do get together in canon, but it's painful and fraught for both of them. And I feel that Elia/Aefa would also be a great pairing to explore: Aefa is one of the few people in canon who genuinely cares about Elia not for what she symbolises, but for herself, and who truly knows Elia as a person. I love the contrast in the two of them between Elia's celestial guardedness, and Aefa's kind, earthy practicality.
As I say, if you want to write shipfic in this fandom, pretty much any pairing (Elia/Morimaros, Morimaros/Ban, Ban/Elia, Elia/Aefa, Elia/Morimaros/Aefa, Elia/Morimaros/Ban, Elia/Morimaros/Ban/Aefa, Morimaros/Aefa) would be wonderful. The only pairing I think wouldn't work is one that paired Ban and Aefa without either of the other two characters.
Winternight series — Katherine Arden
Requested characters and relationships: Morozko (Winternight Series), Vasilisa Petrovna, Morozko/Vasilisa Petrovna
Canon consists of three books, The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower, and The Winter of the Witch of a completed trilogy.
What I like about the series
I love the way it weaves medieval Russian history with Russian mythology and the more intimate, personal stories of the characters.
The human/non-human pairing of Morozko and Vasya.
The vivid setting: the contrast between the frozen harshness of the natural world (bleak lakes, snow-covered forests) and the warmth of human spaces (massive kitchen stoves, bathhouses, warm blankets and delicious food).
Vasya's goodness and compassion and her strong sense of duty and justice, and the courage it takes her to do what is right, even at great personal cost.
I love the emphasis on women's work and women's spaces - for all Vasya shuns them, they have shaped her, and have their own power that drives a lot of the action of the series.
Prompts I'd love to see
Pretty much any fic in which Vasya and Morozko have to work together to solve a problem either supernatural, political, personal, or some combination thereof. I love the tensions that simmer between these two characters - in interacting with one another they have somehow each managed to shift something fundamental about themselves, and neither character has fully dealt with that in canon yet. Morozko is the god of death, and it appears from canon that his ability to be so is weakened by his love for Vasya - how could this be resolved? I would love a fic that brought in more allusions to Russian mythology/folklore, especially if it could be framed to fit with the two characters. I really ship the pairing of Vasya/Morozko but am happy if you would prefer to take their relationship in a gen direction as well - I'd love any fic about these two as long as it emphasised the differences in culture, attitude, and moral outlook that their respective identities as human/non-human characters create. I also love the way the supernatural can be smaller and more domestic (all the elemental domestic deities that Vasya interacts with) and would adore a fic that explored this further and saw both Vasya and Morozko dealing with smaller deities whose existence is fixed to a particular house, stables, bathhouse or similar. And I love the two horses who carry these two characters, and would really love to read fic that saw the pair of them interacting with the horses, illuminating interesting things about their character.
Don't feel you have to stick rigidly within the bounds of my prompts. As long as your fic is focused on the characters I requested, I will be thrilled to receive anything you write for me, as these really are some of my most beloved fandoms of the heart, and the existence of any fic for them will make me extremely happy.
I'm pretty easygoing about what type of fic you want to write for me. I read fic of any rating, and would be equally happy with plotty genfic or something very shippy. I read gen, femslash, het and slash, although I have a slight preference towards femslash, het, and gen that focuses on female characters. I mainly read fic to find out what happens to characters after the final page has turned or the credits have rolled, so I would particularly love to have futurefic of some kind. Don't feel you have to limit yourself to the characters I specifically mention — I'm happy with others being included if they fit with the story you want to tell.
Feel free to have a look around my Ao3 profile, as it should give you a good idea of the types of things I like to read.
General likes
General dislikes
Fandom-specific prompts:
The Bone Season — Samantha Shannon
Requested characters/relationships: Warden | Arcturus Mesarthim, Paige Mahoney, Paige Mahoney/Warden | Arcturus Mesarthim
Canon consists of three books (The Bone Season, The Mime Order, and The Song Rising) of what will eventually be a seven-book series. There are also several short stories, but they were limited releases and I would not expect them to be treated as canonical.
What I like about the series
Prompts I'd love to see
Any fic that explores Paige and Warden's relationship, particularly the power imbalances, cultural differences, and the ways in which their relationship forces them to reflect on their respective identities as human and Rephaite. Missing moments from either their time together in Oxford or when Paige was in hiding in London would be fantastic. I'd also love to read futurefic set just after the end of events in The Song Rising — how are they coping on the run? Has Paige become unmoored without the familiarity of London and the syndicate to fall back on? I'd love to read fic set in another part of Samantha Shannon's alternate world — so far we've seen Scotland, England and Ireland, but nothing of the rest of the world. What are other Scion countries like? Alternatively, a fic that takes place entirely within shared dreamscapes would be absolutely amazing!
I'm happy for another other characters from the series to feature in any fic you write, but I would prefer it if your fic didn't focus on Jaxon Hall.
The Daevabad series — S. A. Chakraborty
Requested characters and relationships: Alizayd al Qahtani, Nahri (Daevabad Series), Alizayd al Qahtani/Nahri
Canon consists of two books, City of Brass and Kingdom of Copper of an eventual trilogy
What I like about the series
Prompts I'd love to see
I love any pairing that throws together one rules-following, earnest, honest character and one devious, rules-bending character whose self-interest wars with an innate desire to do good, so Nahri and Ali are firm favourites of mine. I ship them romantically, but would be happy with any fic about them — ship or gen — that focused on these two characters being forced to solve a problem which brought their clashing personalities to the fore. I'm also intrigued by the groups in daeva/djinn society that we don't see much of, so any fic that took the two characters into less familiar communities would be wonderful. I would also really enjoy reading any fic that saw Ali and Nahri involved in efforts to help the shafit (particularly with Nahri fully reclaiming and embracing her own identity as one of them), ranging from small-scale rescue efforts to involvement in an all out revolution. Post-canon scenes in which the two characters have to navigate their way through problems and life-threatening situations in Cairo would also be very welcome. Or, if you prefer something a bit more contemplative, why not delve into any of the mythology that underpins Chakraborty's world and frame a story around that?
The Queens of Innis Lear — Tessa Gratton
Requested characters and relationships: Elia Lear, Aefa Thornhill, Morimaros, Ban the Fox, Elia/Aefa/Morimaros/Ban
Canon consists of a single book, The Queens of Innis Lear
What I like about the book
Prompts I'd love to see
This is a fandom in which I'd particularly enjoy post-canon fic. What kind of queen is Elia, and how does she interact with Aremoria, and Morimaros, in the years that follow? Any particular moments requiring royal diplomacy between the two kingdoms would be great. Alternatively, how does she go about repairing the fractured pieces of Innis Lear — dealing with the nobles who sided with Regan or Gaela, reintroducing worship of rootwater, opening the wells again, and so on? What role might Aefa play in that? A canon-divergent AU in which Ban survived (or possibly survived in another form, such as some elemental, otherworldly being that was almost part of supernatural fabric of Innis Lear) would also be really interesting.
In terms of shipping, this is a fandom in which I am a genuine and enthusiastic multi-shipper. I love pretty much any combination of the four nominated characters (including threesomes or all four of them together). Elia and Morimaros is such a fraught pairing — they both know they are not just themselves, but are their entire kingdoms as well, and so getting together has political implications far beyond their own immediate desires. There is genuine admiration and attraction there, but the politics holds them back, particularly Elia (although I love that by the end of the book, Morimaros has realised that he needs to put aside his own aims for the kingdom of Aremoria and just be there for Elia if he's to have any chance at doing the right, moral thing). I always got the feeling from the book that Aefa herself was a little in love with Morimaros (in any case, she certainly ships him and Elia), and is constantly pushing Elia towards him — and I'm therefore intrigued by the idea of Elia/Morimaros/Aefa, or Aefa/Morimaros (although I feel the latter pairing would be fraught with guilt about Elia). Then we come to Ban, whose upbringing has given him a terrible understanding of what love means — to him it means love is like a loaf of bread, and if you cut off one slice for someone, there is less to go around — and whom both Elia and Morimaros love, but, due to their roles as rulers of entire kingdoms, can never put him first. He is at first utterly devoted to Morimaros because he was the first person to truly value Ban and his skills, and I can see very easily how, pre-canon, this might have become something more, although it would be a very bittersweet pairing, as Ban would always be aware that Morimaros meant more to him than he to Morimaros. Ban and Elia are childhood sweethearts, and do get together in canon, but it's painful and fraught for both of them. And I feel that Elia/Aefa would also be a great pairing to explore: Aefa is one of the few people in canon who genuinely cares about Elia not for what she symbolises, but for herself, and who truly knows Elia as a person. I love the contrast in the two of them between Elia's celestial guardedness, and Aefa's kind, earthy practicality.
As I say, if you want to write shipfic in this fandom, pretty much any pairing (Elia/Morimaros, Morimaros/Ban, Ban/Elia, Elia/Aefa, Elia/Morimaros/Aefa, Elia/Morimaros/Ban, Elia/Morimaros/Ban/Aefa, Morimaros/Aefa) would be wonderful. The only pairing I think wouldn't work is one that paired Ban and Aefa without either of the other two characters.
Winternight series — Katherine Arden
Requested characters and relationships: Morozko (Winternight Series), Vasilisa Petrovna, Morozko/Vasilisa Petrovna
Canon consists of three books, The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower, and The Winter of the Witch of a completed trilogy.
What I like about the series
Prompts I'd love to see
Pretty much any fic in which Vasya and Morozko have to work together to solve a problem either supernatural, political, personal, or some combination thereof. I love the tensions that simmer between these two characters - in interacting with one another they have somehow each managed to shift something fundamental about themselves, and neither character has fully dealt with that in canon yet. Morozko is the god of death, and it appears from canon that his ability to be so is weakened by his love for Vasya - how could this be resolved? I would love a fic that brought in more allusions to Russian mythology/folklore, especially if it could be framed to fit with the two characters. I really ship the pairing of Vasya/Morozko but am happy if you would prefer to take their relationship in a gen direction as well - I'd love any fic about these two as long as it emphasised the differences in culture, attitude, and moral outlook that their respective identities as human/non-human characters create. I also love the way the supernatural can be smaller and more domestic (all the elemental domestic deities that Vasya interacts with) and would adore a fic that explored this further and saw both Vasya and Morozko dealing with smaller deities whose existence is fixed to a particular house, stables, bathhouse or similar. And I love the two horses who carry these two characters, and would really love to read fic that saw the pair of them interacting with the horses, illuminating interesting things about their character.
Don't feel you have to stick rigidly within the bounds of my prompts. As long as your fic is focused on the characters I requested, I will be thrilled to receive anything you write for me, as these really are some of my most beloved fandoms of the heart, and the existence of any fic for them will make me extremely happy.