Dear Femslash Exchange Creator
Sep. 25th, 2019 11:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
auroracloudFemslash Exchange Letter 2019
Hello, dear creator,
Thank you for creating for me! This letter is so that I can add stuff I didn't have time to add to the sign-up. I've had rather a hard time actually focusing on things lately, so I left the sign-ups until quite late. Sorry about that. Everything I write here is intended to help you if you happen to find it useful, so if anything makes you feel pressured about your writing, forget it and don't worry about it. I'm sure there are plenty of things I'd enjoy which I simply haven't thought to mention. I'm including the fandom-specific details from the sign-up in italics. How long I go on about each fandom/relationships is not a measure of how much I want it — I'll be happy for any of these!
This year is the first time I've requested fan art as well, so if you're creating that, I must admit I've little idea of how to prompt art. The good news is that I like a wide variety of styles and I'm curious to see whatever you come up with, I promise. In general terms I can say that I love colours, but I also enjoy black-and-white, so whatever works for you! I like both realist and non-realist styles - I'm cool with depicting super-realist scenes or something more dreamlike or collage-like. I love symbolism, presence of nature/landscape/natural objects, and I love works that have a strong expressiveness of characters (with e.g. facial expressions, body language) and/or a strong atmosphere/mood. With historical fandoms, I love seeing historical items, costumes, places or other reminders of the era; with science fiction settings I love space, science instruments, general vague science-y things, strange places etc. Otherwise, you can adhere to my general likes and do not wants, and adapt them to art.
I usually like canon universe, or canon divergence AUs. I used to say I don't want other kinds of AUs, but I've found I can occasionally quite enjoy them - though most often I enjoy them as humour, or sometimes in case of fandoms like Machineries of Empire where the canon is so extreme that it can also be a relief to take the characters somewhere where the stakes aren't quite as high, or are different, and explore their interactions there. Sometimes I've also found myself enjoying mythology, fairy tale and historical AUs, for example. But often it's better to go with canon universe and something close to it.
Otherwise I'm fine with a lot of things, as long as you avoid my listed Do Not Wants, which are
- graphic violence and gore (beyond canon level)
- non-con
- Underage sex (here understood as under 16, for the record)
- non-canonical death of requested characters or other important characters
I don't have anything against canon m/f that happens to be present in the story, but obviously in this exchange we're into the f/f, so please focus on that! Bisexual characters are more than fine, and please no biphobia or transphobia.
Here's a non-exhaustive list of things I like:
- Space, stars, astronomy
- Science
- History
- Period details
- Food, cakes and biscuits, tea
- Cooking and baking
- Sensory details
- Books, geekiness
- Humour
- Mild to moderate angst with a happy/comforting/hopeful ending
- Hurt/comfort (leaning rather towards the comfort than the hurt)
- Friendship and found/chosen family
- Touching, hugging, clinging, physical comfort, whether platonic or not
- Friends to lovers scenarios where appropriate
- Banter
- Dreams
- letters, epistolary format, diaries, etc.
- Handwriting and fountain pens
- music
- Other arts and culture
- Creative women
- Intelligent women
- Women and science
- Women being competent
- Women supporting one another
- Dancing
- Nature and animals
I enjoy all ratings for stories, from chaste handholding and glances to hot detailed sex, though I do hope the sex is not all there is to the story. I like character-driven/emotional sex that is a part of the characters' emotional journey, relationship development etc.
Doctor Who
Doctor Who has been my steady fandom of the past four years. I discovered it via New Who, but since summer 2018 I've also been hugely into Classic Who, though I haven't seen nearly all of it (I've seen something of all Doctors and most companions, though). I have lots of lovely female characters I love, and have requested many different f/f ships in different exchanges, but I thought I'd stick to a few I'm particularly fond of right now.
Zoe Heriot/Isobel Watkins
One of the main f/f ships from Classic Who, and for good reason! They're so cute and fun in Invasion, and they really take into one another right from the start! I love how Isobel makes Zoë relax and find ways to have fun and enjoy frivolous and fun things like cute clothes, miniskirts, and being photographed, while continuing to be the awesome logical maths-and-physics genius. I love the way they're so fearless and adventures, and go off exploring together, whether or not the consequences are good. I would love to see more of that undaunted spirit of them. They're also both smoking hot and even hotter together, and their chemistry is great.
Note: I'm very very pained by the memory wipe of War Games and refuse to believe it's permanent (for either Zoe or Jamie, but we're talking about Zoe now), so if you want to fix that, it's welcome. I'd rather not have the gift work remind me of it if you're not going to fix it, though, because it's painful.
From the sign-up:
Suggested prompts/topics:
- attractions, crushes, experimentation
- Hot photography sessions
- Cuteness, dating or hotness between the Cybermen adventure and Zoe's departure
- AU where Isobel joins them on the TARDIS
- More adventures!
- Something where Zoe ends up back in London with Isobel, possibly fixing the memory wipe as well.
For art prompts, I'm rather fond of their outfits in this story, so that could be fun. Yay miniskirts. Also, something where they're being badass adventurers would be particularly entertaining as art. Or making out in the middle of a photo session.
Zoe Heriot/Victoria Waterfield
I've seen this ship on AO3 a few times, but not enough to explore all the possibilities, and I just can't let go of the idea. On the surface they're very different, but I feel like they'd find a lot of common ground if they knew each other, and after learning to understand where the other is coming from, they could be good friends, and why not more? I could also see each being attracted to the very things that make the other so different. I'd also enjoy some competence kink here - Zoe's obviously very competent with science and maths and general smartness, and it would be fun to see Victoria be head over heels with that, but also it would be fun to see what Victoria has and does that makes Zoe think "OMG that girl!!!" I think Victoria's a lot more competent and sassy than people sometimes give her credit for, she's just sensible enough to also be afraid of danger.
Also, if they're travelling on the TARDIS together, I bet they bond a lot over trying to get the Doctor and Jamie to behave, heh. (I love both Two and Jamie, so while you can have them be fairly ridiculous and get into lots of trouble, because they do, please no bashing.)
Note: I haven't yet seen most of the missing stories from the Second Doctor era — I've watched the existing episodes on the Lost in Time DVD, and watched all stories that exist on DVD either in full or with missing parts reconstructed. I'm working my way towards watching all of Two era with the missing stories as well, but I've no idea how far I'll be into it by the reveals.
From the sign-up:
This would have to be a canon divergence AU, or some weird follow-up to their canon endings. I'd love to see them both travel on the TARDIS together, deal with the Doctor and Jamie (and keep them in order, as much as it's possible), learn from each other. Would they understand each other right away or take some time to get to appreciate one another?
More suggestions: wearing each other's clothes, appreciating each other's cuteness/hotness. 19th and 21st century values meeting. Discovering feelings. Adventuring together. Saving each other or the Doctor and/or Jamie. Or the world. Geekery and space. Interludes on the TARDIS or in beautiful places. Visiting each other's times. Cuteness. Comfort. Tea and sweets.
Also, specific art prompts:
- dress-up things, trying on each other's clothes or just both of them wearing something pretty or hot would be extra fun for these two!
- Also I'd love to see them in some pretty places, whether that's in space, in a lush garden or whatever
Martha Jones / Bill Potts
I love both of these characters dearly, and I've loved the idea of this pairing ever since Bill's Doctor Who season was on. I feel like they'd like each other and be good for each other, plus yay for female companions of colour and especially yay if we could have the two of them interact. I don't really have a lot to add to the prompts in the letter, but I would love anything along those lines, or something completely different if you prefer. For art, I'd just love anything cute or pretty or hot with them together, or possibly a moment from an adventure that has a shippy flavour to it.
Prompts from the sign-up:
- Either post-canon for Martha, like her cooperating with the Twelfth Doctor on something and meeting Bill along the way; or something during both of their times with the Doctor, possibly with Ten and Twelve getting into some background shenanigans while Bill and Martha are more interested in each other. Or something completely different! Feel free to fix Bill's ending. Or to use it to bring them together.
Tegan Jovanka/Nyssa of Traken
I haven't seen all of their stories, but I feel I've seen enough to request them. But just so you know, the stories I've seen in full are Logopolis, Castrovalva, Arc of Infinity, Mawdryn Undead, and Terminus, plus I've seen parts of some others. So if you want to do something episode-related, sticking to one of those five stories would be good, because I'm not 100 % sure I'll have got around to watching the others by the reveals.
Anyway, I feel attracted to the supportive friendship these two young women from very different backgrounds have, and it's very easy to see them as being something more, especially since they share a bedroom when there's so much space on the TARDIS. Ahem. And I find them both very attractive so that doesn't hurt either. Nyssa being a human-looking alien from another planet while Tegan is an Earth woman from the 20th century gives lots of opportunities for cultural differences and moments of learning, either hilarious or painful, that could prod a story onwards or just add cuteness. I love Nyssa for being such a sweet intelligent science princess with lovely fairy outfits, and Tegan for being headstrong and mouthy and daring, and I feel like they'd complement each other beautifully in a relationship.
Promps from the sign-up
Some prompts:
- Comforting each other; they sure go through a lot of bad stuff, and they seem to care about each other.
- Bed-sharing, or bedroom-sharing, anything related to it!
- Nyssa is overjoyed to have Tegan back in the beginning of Season 20.
- Adventures, both of them being kick-ass in their ways.
- AU where Tegan joins Nyssa at Terminus, or something where she goes back there later or they find each other again in some other way.
And here are some additional art prompts
- something where Nyssa is sciencing and Tegan is either helping or hindering or just trying to get her to stop and come to bed already
- Stargazing or something involving space
- In bed together
- cuddles
This Is How You Lose the Time War — Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Red/Blue
Note: this can be a good emergency fandom in the case you don't feel you can write another fandom we matched on, since it's a novella and doesn't take that long to read. So if you're in such a situation, you can take a look at my little promo of this story and see if it sounds like something you'd like. I also wrote a non-spoilery review of it in my journal here.
From the sign-up:
I love this book madly and would adore any fan content of it and these beautiful characters! Some suggestions:
- letters or scenes during the story that we didn't see in the book
- Red and Blue after the book ends! How do they recover from all the stuff that they go through? How do they communicate with each other in real time? How do they set up their own little bridge between time lines and defend it? How many dogs do they get and what are they like? Slice of life, scenes/snapshots, cuteness, smooches, conflicts, learning to understand one another, still writing each other letters, drinking tea, puns, angst, declarations of love, whatever you like!
- I'm also super into stuff involving time travel, different times and time strands, timey-wimeyness of how changing events transforms the possible outcomes, particular time periods they enjoy or people they meet, etc. Feel free to play with that if you want to, but no need if you don't want.
- Please stick to canon universe, or canon divergence (fork-in-the-road) if you have a particularly alluring idea in mind.
If you're doing art, I'm also happy with illustrating a scene/scenes from canon, or Red and Blue and some imagery from their letters or anything else that fits the mood of the story. Something that combines elements from different scenes or times etc. would be particularly apt here, as would be motifs related to time or nature. For this fandom I would definitely enjoy vivid colours, as they're such a part of the language of the book.
I don't really have much else to add, just that I read this book twice during the 2-week loan period of the e-book, and have ordered my own hardcover copy. So that illustrates how much I love it. There are just a few fanworks on AO3 so far, and I'd love more, so I'm very open for anything, either based on my suggestions or something completely different! I love the poetic and partly dream-like atmosphere of the book, so if you want to go for something similar, I would be very happy about it, but if you'd rather do something else, I'll also be happy to see what you come up with.
The Count of Monte Cristo — Alexandre Dumas
Eugénie Danglars / Louise d'Armilly
These two are such an obviously a lesbian couple in a 19th century novel and I love that and love them. I'll be happy with anything more of their relationship. Here are some suggestions:
- What happens to them after the events described in the book. How will their life (and their artistic careers) turn out?
- some of their courtship either before or during the times we see them in the book. How they become interested in each other, become aware of their feelings, and how their relationship progresses behind the scenes. Eugénie being quite the intellectual lady and writing poetry, it could also be fascinating to see the written word play a role — Eugénie’s poetry, letters, anything you like.
- It could be intriguing to see how they became so friendly and close originally, and how the whole thing went down with Eugénie’s family. After all, it says that Eugénie can’t be seen with Louise publicly because she is destined for stage, but at the same time, it seems quite fine that they spend extensive amounts of time together.
- Anything involving music, their musical careers, rehearsing, Louise teaching Eugénie, four-handed piano playing, etc. Seeing how they get started in their life in Rome would be interesting. Are they going to be off to a successful start and or find a lot of obstacles on the way? How is Eugénie, accustomed to wealth and luxury, going to adapt to her new circumstances as an aspiring artist? Do they get to perform together in something?
Prompts from the letter
- something involving music or other arts
- beginnings of relationship; how did they end up so close?
- Their adventures in Rome and in the world of music.
- flaunting norms and expectations for women and defying patriarchy
Machineries of Empire Series - Yoon Ha Lee
Cheris/Khiruev
I'm starting with the prompts/suggestions from the sign-up:
- canon moments of aching yet sweet (or just complicated) emotion
- moments of comfort, even if fleeting
- dealing with the fact that through most of Raven Stratagem, Khiruev thought Cheris was Jedao. Where to go from there?
- Anything post-Raven Stratagem where they interact.
- AU where they end up together and try to figure things out; or at least have an opportunity for that.
- Or even them being apart and just having thoughts or feelings about each other.
When I read Raven Stratagem, I was struck by the achingly beautiful low-key current of these two having some feelings for each other amidst all that identity fuckery and war and everything. It's complicated but beautiful. It's of course made even more complicated by the fact that Khiruev thought Cheris was completely Jedao most of that time — how does finding out the truth affect Khiruev's feelings or change the way they interact? On the other hand, I'd also be super-happy about anything during the events of Raven Stratagem, any missing moment or other point of view, especially as we don't spend any time in Cheris's head. Since Revenant Gun doesn't feature any closure for these two (even though I loved the ending for Cheris as such), I'd also equally enjoy some sort of AU that allows these two more time with each other. On the other hand, some separated-but-longing feelings are also nice for this one.
This fandom is darker than my other fandoms, so I'd particularly like to note: please nothing more violent than canon, and keep any other dark themes to canon level or less.
If you're doing art, in this fandom I particularly enjoy:
- the symbolism present in the books, such as the various animal symbols, or symbolic objects
- Some degree of weird, off-kilter, unreal
- Maths references
- But I also enjoy lots of other things!
I've read all three of the novels, and I'm reading Hexarchate Stories. While I haven't yet read Glass Cannon, I will have read it before the reveals, in case it has something about Cheris's post-trilogy life that is of importance to the fic/art you're creating.
Hello, dear creator,
Thank you for creating for me! This letter is so that I can add stuff I didn't have time to add to the sign-up. I've had rather a hard time actually focusing on things lately, so I left the sign-ups until quite late. Sorry about that. Everything I write here is intended to help you if you happen to find it useful, so if anything makes you feel pressured about your writing, forget it and don't worry about it. I'm sure there are plenty of things I'd enjoy which I simply haven't thought to mention. I'm including the fandom-specific details from the sign-up in italics. How long I go on about each fandom/relationships is not a measure of how much I want it — I'll be happy for any of these!
This year is the first time I've requested fan art as well, so if you're creating that, I must admit I've little idea of how to prompt art. The good news is that I like a wide variety of styles and I'm curious to see whatever you come up with, I promise. In general terms I can say that I love colours, but I also enjoy black-and-white, so whatever works for you! I like both realist and non-realist styles - I'm cool with depicting super-realist scenes or something more dreamlike or collage-like. I love symbolism, presence of nature/landscape/natural objects, and I love works that have a strong expressiveness of characters (with e.g. facial expressions, body language) and/or a strong atmosphere/mood. With historical fandoms, I love seeing historical items, costumes, places or other reminders of the era; with science fiction settings I love space, science instruments, general vague science-y things, strange places etc. Otherwise, you can adhere to my general likes and do not wants, and adapt them to art.
I usually like canon universe, or canon divergence AUs. I used to say I don't want other kinds of AUs, but I've found I can occasionally quite enjoy them - though most often I enjoy them as humour, or sometimes in case of fandoms like Machineries of Empire where the canon is so extreme that it can also be a relief to take the characters somewhere where the stakes aren't quite as high, or are different, and explore their interactions there. Sometimes I've also found myself enjoying mythology, fairy tale and historical AUs, for example. But often it's better to go with canon universe and something close to it.
Otherwise I'm fine with a lot of things, as long as you avoid my listed Do Not Wants, which are
- graphic violence and gore (beyond canon level)
- non-con
- Underage sex (here understood as under 16, for the record)
- non-canonical death of requested characters or other important characters
I don't have anything against canon m/f that happens to be present in the story, but obviously in this exchange we're into the f/f, so please focus on that! Bisexual characters are more than fine, and please no biphobia or transphobia.
Here's a non-exhaustive list of things I like:
- Space, stars, astronomy
- Science
- History
- Period details
- Food, cakes and biscuits, tea
- Cooking and baking
- Sensory details
- Books, geekiness
- Humour
- Mild to moderate angst with a happy/comforting/hopeful ending
- Hurt/comfort (leaning rather towards the comfort than the hurt)
- Friendship and found/chosen family
- Touching, hugging, clinging, physical comfort, whether platonic or not
- Friends to lovers scenarios where appropriate
- Banter
- Dreams
- letters, epistolary format, diaries, etc.
- Handwriting and fountain pens
- music
- Other arts and culture
- Creative women
- Intelligent women
- Women and science
- Women being competent
- Women supporting one another
- Dancing
- Nature and animals
I enjoy all ratings for stories, from chaste handholding and glances to hot detailed sex, though I do hope the sex is not all there is to the story. I like character-driven/emotional sex that is a part of the characters' emotional journey, relationship development etc.
Doctor Who
Doctor Who has been my steady fandom of the past four years. I discovered it via New Who, but since summer 2018 I've also been hugely into Classic Who, though I haven't seen nearly all of it (I've seen something of all Doctors and most companions, though). I have lots of lovely female characters I love, and have requested many different f/f ships in different exchanges, but I thought I'd stick to a few I'm particularly fond of right now.
Zoe Heriot/Isobel Watkins
One of the main f/f ships from Classic Who, and for good reason! They're so cute and fun in Invasion, and they really take into one another right from the start! I love how Isobel makes Zoë relax and find ways to have fun and enjoy frivolous and fun things like cute clothes, miniskirts, and being photographed, while continuing to be the awesome logical maths-and-physics genius. I love the way they're so fearless and adventures, and go off exploring together, whether or not the consequences are good. I would love to see more of that undaunted spirit of them. They're also both smoking hot and even hotter together, and their chemistry is great.
Note: I'm very very pained by the memory wipe of War Games and refuse to believe it's permanent (for either Zoe or Jamie, but we're talking about Zoe now), so if you want to fix that, it's welcome. I'd rather not have the gift work remind me of it if you're not going to fix it, though, because it's painful.
From the sign-up:
Suggested prompts/topics:
- attractions, crushes, experimentation
- Hot photography sessions
- Cuteness, dating or hotness between the Cybermen adventure and Zoe's departure
- AU where Isobel joins them on the TARDIS
- More adventures!
- Something where Zoe ends up back in London with Isobel, possibly fixing the memory wipe as well.
For art prompts, I'm rather fond of their outfits in this story, so that could be fun. Yay miniskirts. Also, something where they're being badass adventurers would be particularly entertaining as art. Or making out in the middle of a photo session.
Zoe Heriot/Victoria Waterfield
I've seen this ship on AO3 a few times, but not enough to explore all the possibilities, and I just can't let go of the idea. On the surface they're very different, but I feel like they'd find a lot of common ground if they knew each other, and after learning to understand where the other is coming from, they could be good friends, and why not more? I could also see each being attracted to the very things that make the other so different. I'd also enjoy some competence kink here - Zoe's obviously very competent with science and maths and general smartness, and it would be fun to see Victoria be head over heels with that, but also it would be fun to see what Victoria has and does that makes Zoe think "OMG that girl!!!" I think Victoria's a lot more competent and sassy than people sometimes give her credit for, she's just sensible enough to also be afraid of danger.
Also, if they're travelling on the TARDIS together, I bet they bond a lot over trying to get the Doctor and Jamie to behave, heh. (I love both Two and Jamie, so while you can have them be fairly ridiculous and get into lots of trouble, because they do, please no bashing.)
Note: I haven't yet seen most of the missing stories from the Second Doctor era — I've watched the existing episodes on the Lost in Time DVD, and watched all stories that exist on DVD either in full or with missing parts reconstructed. I'm working my way towards watching all of Two era with the missing stories as well, but I've no idea how far I'll be into it by the reveals.
From the sign-up:
This would have to be a canon divergence AU, or some weird follow-up to their canon endings. I'd love to see them both travel on the TARDIS together, deal with the Doctor and Jamie (and keep them in order, as much as it's possible), learn from each other. Would they understand each other right away or take some time to get to appreciate one another?
More suggestions: wearing each other's clothes, appreciating each other's cuteness/hotness. 19th and 21st century values meeting. Discovering feelings. Adventuring together. Saving each other or the Doctor and/or Jamie. Or the world. Geekery and space. Interludes on the TARDIS or in beautiful places. Visiting each other's times. Cuteness. Comfort. Tea and sweets.
Also, specific art prompts:
- dress-up things, trying on each other's clothes or just both of them wearing something pretty or hot would be extra fun for these two!
- Also I'd love to see them in some pretty places, whether that's in space, in a lush garden or whatever
Martha Jones / Bill Potts
I love both of these characters dearly, and I've loved the idea of this pairing ever since Bill's Doctor Who season was on. I feel like they'd like each other and be good for each other, plus yay for female companions of colour and especially yay if we could have the two of them interact. I don't really have a lot to add to the prompts in the letter, but I would love anything along those lines, or something completely different if you prefer. For art, I'd just love anything cute or pretty or hot with them together, or possibly a moment from an adventure that has a shippy flavour to it.
Prompts from the sign-up:
- Either post-canon for Martha, like her cooperating with the Twelfth Doctor on something and meeting Bill along the way; or something during both of their times with the Doctor, possibly with Ten and Twelve getting into some background shenanigans while Bill and Martha are more interested in each other. Or something completely different! Feel free to fix Bill's ending. Or to use it to bring them together.
Tegan Jovanka/Nyssa of Traken
I haven't seen all of their stories, but I feel I've seen enough to request them. But just so you know, the stories I've seen in full are Logopolis, Castrovalva, Arc of Infinity, Mawdryn Undead, and Terminus, plus I've seen parts of some others. So if you want to do something episode-related, sticking to one of those five stories would be good, because I'm not 100 % sure I'll have got around to watching the others by the reveals.
Anyway, I feel attracted to the supportive friendship these two young women from very different backgrounds have, and it's very easy to see them as being something more, especially since they share a bedroom when there's so much space on the TARDIS. Ahem. And I find them both very attractive so that doesn't hurt either. Nyssa being a human-looking alien from another planet while Tegan is an Earth woman from the 20th century gives lots of opportunities for cultural differences and moments of learning, either hilarious or painful, that could prod a story onwards or just add cuteness. I love Nyssa for being such a sweet intelligent science princess with lovely fairy outfits, and Tegan for being headstrong and mouthy and daring, and I feel like they'd complement each other beautifully in a relationship.
Promps from the sign-up
Some prompts:
- Comforting each other; they sure go through a lot of bad stuff, and they seem to care about each other.
- Bed-sharing, or bedroom-sharing, anything related to it!
- Nyssa is overjoyed to have Tegan back in the beginning of Season 20.
- Adventures, both of them being kick-ass in their ways.
- AU where Tegan joins Nyssa at Terminus, or something where she goes back there later or they find each other again in some other way.
And here are some additional art prompts
- something where Nyssa is sciencing and Tegan is either helping or hindering or just trying to get her to stop and come to bed already
- Stargazing or something involving space
- In bed together
- cuddles
This Is How You Lose the Time War — Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Red/Blue
Note: this can be a good emergency fandom in the case you don't feel you can write another fandom we matched on, since it's a novella and doesn't take that long to read. So if you're in such a situation, you can take a look at my little promo of this story and see if it sounds like something you'd like. I also wrote a non-spoilery review of it in my journal here.
From the sign-up:
I love this book madly and would adore any fan content of it and these beautiful characters! Some suggestions:
- letters or scenes during the story that we didn't see in the book
- Red and Blue after the book ends! How do they recover from all the stuff that they go through? How do they communicate with each other in real time? How do they set up their own little bridge between time lines and defend it? How many dogs do they get and what are they like? Slice of life, scenes/snapshots, cuteness, smooches, conflicts, learning to understand one another, still writing each other letters, drinking tea, puns, angst, declarations of love, whatever you like!
- I'm also super into stuff involving time travel, different times and time strands, timey-wimeyness of how changing events transforms the possible outcomes, particular time periods they enjoy or people they meet, etc. Feel free to play with that if you want to, but no need if you don't want.
- Please stick to canon universe, or canon divergence (fork-in-the-road) if you have a particularly alluring idea in mind.
If you're doing art, I'm also happy with illustrating a scene/scenes from canon, or Red and Blue and some imagery from their letters or anything else that fits the mood of the story. Something that combines elements from different scenes or times etc. would be particularly apt here, as would be motifs related to time or nature. For this fandom I would definitely enjoy vivid colours, as they're such a part of the language of the book.
I don't really have much else to add, just that I read this book twice during the 2-week loan period of the e-book, and have ordered my own hardcover copy. So that illustrates how much I love it. There are just a few fanworks on AO3 so far, and I'd love more, so I'm very open for anything, either based on my suggestions or something completely different! I love the poetic and partly dream-like atmosphere of the book, so if you want to go for something similar, I would be very happy about it, but if you'd rather do something else, I'll also be happy to see what you come up with.
The Count of Monte Cristo — Alexandre Dumas
Eugénie Danglars / Louise d'Armilly
These two are such an obviously a lesbian couple in a 19th century novel and I love that and love them. I'll be happy with anything more of their relationship. Here are some suggestions:
- What happens to them after the events described in the book. How will their life (and their artistic careers) turn out?
- some of their courtship either before or during the times we see them in the book. How they become interested in each other, become aware of their feelings, and how their relationship progresses behind the scenes. Eugénie being quite the intellectual lady and writing poetry, it could also be fascinating to see the written word play a role — Eugénie’s poetry, letters, anything you like.
- It could be intriguing to see how they became so friendly and close originally, and how the whole thing went down with Eugénie’s family. After all, it says that Eugénie can’t be seen with Louise publicly because she is destined for stage, but at the same time, it seems quite fine that they spend extensive amounts of time together.
- Anything involving music, their musical careers, rehearsing, Louise teaching Eugénie, four-handed piano playing, etc. Seeing how they get started in their life in Rome would be interesting. Are they going to be off to a successful start and or find a lot of obstacles on the way? How is Eugénie, accustomed to wealth and luxury, going to adapt to her new circumstances as an aspiring artist? Do they get to perform together in something?
Prompts from the letter
- something involving music or other arts
- beginnings of relationship; how did they end up so close?
- Their adventures in Rome and in the world of music.
- flaunting norms and expectations for women and defying patriarchy
Machineries of Empire Series - Yoon Ha Lee
Cheris/Khiruev
I'm starting with the prompts/suggestions from the sign-up:
- canon moments of aching yet sweet (or just complicated) emotion
- moments of comfort, even if fleeting
- dealing with the fact that through most of Raven Stratagem, Khiruev thought Cheris was Jedao. Where to go from there?
- Anything post-Raven Stratagem where they interact.
- AU where they end up together and try to figure things out; or at least have an opportunity for that.
- Or even them being apart and just having thoughts or feelings about each other.
When I read Raven Stratagem, I was struck by the achingly beautiful low-key current of these two having some feelings for each other amidst all that identity fuckery and war and everything. It's complicated but beautiful. It's of course made even more complicated by the fact that Khiruev thought Cheris was completely Jedao most of that time — how does finding out the truth affect Khiruev's feelings or change the way they interact? On the other hand, I'd also be super-happy about anything during the events of Raven Stratagem, any missing moment or other point of view, especially as we don't spend any time in Cheris's head. Since Revenant Gun doesn't feature any closure for these two (even though I loved the ending for Cheris as such), I'd also equally enjoy some sort of AU that allows these two more time with each other. On the other hand, some separated-but-longing feelings are also nice for this one.
This fandom is darker than my other fandoms, so I'd particularly like to note: please nothing more violent than canon, and keep any other dark themes to canon level or less.
If you're doing art, in this fandom I particularly enjoy:
- the symbolism present in the books, such as the various animal symbols, or symbolic objects
- Some degree of weird, off-kilter, unreal
- Maths references
- But I also enjoy lots of other things!
I've read all three of the novels, and I'm reading Hexarchate Stories. While I haven't yet read Glass Cannon, I will have read it before the reveals, in case it has something about Cheris's post-trilogy life that is of importance to the fic/art you're creating.
