Dear Rare Pair Fest Writer
Jul. 1st, 2017 01:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
auroracloudDear Rare Pair Fest writer,
Awesome, you’ve offered to write for one of these fandoms and pairings I’m really into! Can’t wait to see what you create! So don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll be thrilled with what I get.
NOW FINISHED UPDATING. SORRY IT TOOK FOREVER. Life just kind of happened and I was too exhausted to string many sensible sentences together. I'm not sure I'm still capable, but I'll do my best to write what I'm going to write here. So this should be the final state of this letter, unless I notice some typos and such I want to fix.
Fic likes: I love femslash, slash, het, and am fine with various polyamorous scenarios for any of these relationships. I love hurt/comfort, adventures, daily life moments and domesticity, angst (but hopefully with a happy/comforting ending), fluff, porn (though preferably so that the sex tells something about the characters), first times, established relationships, kisses, space, history, loyalty, found family, characters coming to accept some previously neglected/repressed part of themselves, canon divergence AUs (various ”what if”s changing some event or element of the canon but still keeping the world basically the same) etc. etc. Really a lot of things, so feel free to let your imagination roam as long as you respect my Do Not Wants / dislikes.
Many of these characters come equipped with teams, friends etc. and I’m very fine with these making an appearance in the story, should it work out for the story. There can be no sex or a little sex or lots of sex, however you like. Any rating from General to really really Explicit is fine.
Do Not Wants/Dislikes: graphic violence, gore and torture, non-con, sexual abuse, character bashing, mpreg, wildly different AUs of the coffee shop / high school / werewolf etc. variety. It depends a bit on the canon how much violence/torture/abuse I can deal with, but generally, please not higher level than the canon. That basically means that in Torchwood I can deal with worse stuff than others, because it comes with the canon. Also, no abuse/rape/consent issues between the requested characters or their canon significant other. Please no 2nd person POV, and in fic 1st person doesn’t work often either unless it’s in diary/epistolary format.
Now onto the pairings and requests. My request in italics and any additions in regular font. If I'm not adding much to the actual request, doesn't mean I care less about that pairing, just that I actually managed to say what I wanted before the sign-ups closed.
Wayfarers Series - Becky Chambers
Rosemary Harper/Sissix Seshkethet
Request: I love these two so much, and I'd love to see anything of their relationship beyond what we see in the book. Space exploration shenanigans, little daily life things, unexpectedly romantic moments, steamy sex scenes, navigation of cultural misunderstandings - anything with these two are go! As long as you don't make them break up, basically. If you want to include some of the other Wayfarer crew, I love them all, but especially Kizzy, Dr. Chef, and Ashby.
Do Not Want: Unhappy ending for these two, graphic violence/gore/torture, sexual abuse, non-con, one partner feeling they have to settle for something they feel truly uncomfortable with.
I love these books so much! So much that I read the first book (where these two characters are from) twice within a month. It’s a lovely combination of comfort reading, fun space adventure, food for thought, Awesome Inspiringness of the Universe, and a safe space where women are awesome, sexual orientation is not a thing that defines anyone or causes problems, and humankind can be something different.
I’d like my gift to respect that basic thing about the book and not turn the story anything really dark. Otherwise lots of things are go, so feel free to let your imagination run wild. I also requested this fandom and pairing for Yuletide, so feel free to check out that letter as well.
Parasol Protectorate - Gail Carriger
Genevieve Lefoux/Alexia Tarabotti
Request: I admit, I’ve always been more into this ship than into the actual main romance for Alexia in the books. I always wished there would be more between them, though it was a lot of fun to watch Alexia skirt the border of awareness about being attracted to her crossdressing inventor friend. Anyway, these two continue to be one of my favourite interactions in the book series, and I’d love to see something where they’re together.
It can be a brief interlude or a long-term relationship, set during or after the series or whatever you prefer. And do with Lord Maccon whatever you like; he can continue being Alexia’s husband, or be whisked away for some not-too-terrible reason, or never have entered the picture at all. I shan’t be offended either way, as I like him but prefer this pairing. I would absolutely love if Madame Lefoux’s awesome mad steampunk inventions and Alexia’s smart dress sense had a place in the story.
These books have been one of my favourite fun-and-fluffy-yet-smart with strong women and LGBT rep books for the past years. I love that unlike most steampunk I can find, it's not incredibly violent and depressing, yet manages to be more subversive and rebellious than looks on the surface. Alexia and Madame Lefoux are among the most delightful characters in the books (okay, I do adore Biffy and Lyall and Akeldama like any sensible person would) and some of my favourite sf/f ladies. I love that while Alexia is all sorts of kick-ass, she still is a woman of her era and confined by many of the standards of the Victorian ages, because let's face it, we all are affected by the mores of the society we grow up in. And I would absolutely love to see Geneviève make her defy those standards even more than she does. There's this undercurrent of attraction Alexia feels towards her, and the very obvious attraction she feels towards Alexia, and while Alexia and Lord Maccon are my favourite of Gail's het pairings (ie. the only one I do like), I still ship these two more. Feel free to either ignore Lord Maccon, have Alexia break up with him, have him never have entered her life, or have them enjoy a happy open relationship - everything is fine and nothing more preferable than the other.
I haven't yet read Romancing the Inventor, though it's on my to-order list, so might be I will before the stories go live. I'm fine with setting this story any time during the Parasol Protectorate books or after them. One possibility is also setting it during The Custard Protocol or after Imprudence - how would an older Alexia and Geneviève romance after everything else they've been through?
Torchwood
Jack Harkness/Martha Jones (Torchwood)
Request: I love both Jack and Martha very much, and there’s something I really enjoy about their chemistry together and made me wish we could have seen more of it. I also am fascinated by their parallels — both have feelings for the Tenth Doctor but are not appreciated enough by him, both have really hellish experiences during the Year That Never Was, and both turn out strong enough to walk away from the Doctor on their own, to their own lives. I would love to see either them connecting in the aftermath of the Valiant, or something later, either during Torchwood S2 or at some later point in their lives. Suggestions: maybe an adventure together, or just having fun, or getting through their hurtful experiences and memories together.
Do Not Want: Really graphic descriptions of torture, gore or graphic violence, though considering everything they’ve gone through, I can do darker and stronger stuff with this fandom and pairing than I can with others. I don’t want sexual abuse, non-con or dub-con between these two.
They're both among my favourite Companions, they've been hurt a lot yet they've also become strong from it, they make me think and hurt and feel lots, and they're also both devastatingly hot. I've wanted to pair up these two especially since I saw the Martha episodes on Torchwood - while the kiss was decidedly unlike Jack's other snogs (perhaps out of surprise?), I feel this fascinating chemistry between them, not to mention all the connection they share because of the Doctor and the Year That Never Was. I wrote a fic myself, which is here, but you don't need to read that or follow any of my interpretations. I just wish there was more fic with these two!
An addition: I might also have requested Gwen/Ianto and Gwen/Jack/Ianto out of the available relationships, because I have a Thing for both. But I was tired when doing my sign-up so I left them out. This doesn't necessarily help my assigned writer, but if someone feels like treating, feel free to treat away on those relationships, too! Just please don't make either Ianto or Jack want Gwen more than each other. I love Jack/Ianto, the messed-up puppies though they sometimes are.
Le Comte de Monte-Cristo | Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
Eugénie Danglars/Louise d’Armilly
Request:
I love having what is as much a canon f/f relationship in a 19th century novel - it's pretty damn clear from the book that this is what the author intended, not just my wishful thinking. And that things don't turn out bad for them and that they're basically described sympathetically and positively, even if the narrative doesn't adore Eugénie quite as much as I do.
I always want to know more about what happens to them after the events described in the book. How will their life turn out? Alternatively, I'd love to see 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.
I remember first reading this book years ago and pretty much squealing and being besides myself with joy when I noticed the obvious lesbian subtext that wasn't really all that sub by the end. And it ends well, too! We don't know what becomes of them, but they're on their way to freedom and don't really have to suffer much from the devastating cycle of revenge and hurt, other than the whole Andrea business and him coming out of their chimney. Eugénie is probably my favourite character from the book, being so headstrong and defiant, and I love how these two connect through music and are so determined to escape the confined life assigned to them.
Crossover Fandom
Tenth Doctor (Doctor Who)/Ianto Jones (Torchwood)
Request: I normally focus on shipping both of these characters separately with Jack Harkness, but I harbour a not-so-secret-anymore desire to read about the Doctor and Ianto together. They’re both such interesting characters and I keep wondering how their dynamic would turn out. Would they get on like wildfire or get madly on each others’ nerves but still want to do each other? Who would be attracted first, and how would they go on about it? I would find it particularly entertaining if the Doctor fell head over heels for Ianto, who would be bemused at first, but feel free to introduce me to a different scenario.
Possible suggestions:
AU where they work together to solve what’s going on at Torchwood One
Some sort of hurt/comfort after Canary Wharf
Both Ianto and the Doctor are in a relationship with Jack, aware of each other and more or less dealing. But when they spend more time together, they also begin to develop attraction to each other.
So yeah, just clarifying because it apparently is unclear in my prompt: I am fine with
- Ianto being in an open relationship with Jack and/or knowing that Jack won't mind
- this being part of some three-way relationship
- just not commenting on that part at all
- some AU or pre-Torchwood scenario where Jack isn't in the equation
All I don't want is Ianto explicitly breaking up or having broken up with Jack, or some form of Jack-bashing in fic (awareness of Jack's many imperfections is fine, of course). I love that pairing and Jack as a character, so it would make me uncomfortable to read.
I love Ianto for a lot of reasons: his sharp-dressed meticulousness, his drivenness and determination, his obvious and under-used intelligence, the way he's the efficient quiet person on the background who keeps everything running, his dry with and scathing comments, his geekiness, his vulnerable side, his strength. Oh, and he's cute. My relationship with the Tenth Doctor is as complicated as he is - I both adore him to bits and want to whack him on the head repeatedly (oh, his conceit, his superiority, the insensitive way he treats some of his companions even while he loves them - but oh, how inspiring and exhilarating he is!). How would he and Ianto get along? Would they connect in their well-dressed geekiness or would Ianto roll his eyes at the Doctor's ego and mile-a-minute babble or dislike him for the way he's treated Jack in the past? How about Ianto's Torchwood One past? Would the Doctor be able to deal with it? How would any of these things affect their relationship to each other? What if Ianto and the Doctor had interacted during or after the events of Canary Wharf? How would they comfort each other in their losses? How would Ianto feel about meeting the Doctor after Jack's return in S2? After Journey's End? So many possibilities!
I think Ianto would make a formidable companion, if you want to take the story that way. Though the Doctor would probably miss the more openly starry-eyed enthusiasm in the ones he's actually picked up on the show, but Ianto's quiet efficiency would balance him out nicely, and he'd be able to show Ianto a more wondrous side of the universe than Torchwood could. I keep wanting to take Ianto to space. The Doctor would be able to do that.
Awesome, you’ve offered to write for one of these fandoms and pairings I’m really into! Can’t wait to see what you create! So don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll be thrilled with what I get.
NOW FINISHED UPDATING. SORRY IT TOOK FOREVER. Life just kind of happened and I was too exhausted to string many sensible sentences together. I'm not sure I'm still capable, but I'll do my best to write what I'm going to write here. So this should be the final state of this letter, unless I notice some typos and such I want to fix.
Fic likes: I love femslash, slash, het, and am fine with various polyamorous scenarios for any of these relationships. I love hurt/comfort, adventures, daily life moments and domesticity, angst (but hopefully with a happy/comforting ending), fluff, porn (though preferably so that the sex tells something about the characters), first times, established relationships, kisses, space, history, loyalty, found family, characters coming to accept some previously neglected/repressed part of themselves, canon divergence AUs (various ”what if”s changing some event or element of the canon but still keeping the world basically the same) etc. etc. Really a lot of things, so feel free to let your imagination roam as long as you respect my Do Not Wants / dislikes.
Many of these characters come equipped with teams, friends etc. and I’m very fine with these making an appearance in the story, should it work out for the story. There can be no sex or a little sex or lots of sex, however you like. Any rating from General to really really Explicit is fine.
Do Not Wants/Dislikes: graphic violence, gore and torture, non-con, sexual abuse, character bashing, mpreg, wildly different AUs of the coffee shop / high school / werewolf etc. variety. It depends a bit on the canon how much violence/torture/abuse I can deal with, but generally, please not higher level than the canon. That basically means that in Torchwood I can deal with worse stuff than others, because it comes with the canon. Also, no abuse/rape/consent issues between the requested characters or their canon significant other. Please no 2nd person POV, and in fic 1st person doesn’t work often either unless it’s in diary/epistolary format.
Now onto the pairings and requests. My request in italics and any additions in regular font. If I'm not adding much to the actual request, doesn't mean I care less about that pairing, just that I actually managed to say what I wanted before the sign-ups closed.
Wayfarers Series - Becky Chambers
Rosemary Harper/Sissix Seshkethet
Request: I love these two so much, and I'd love to see anything of their relationship beyond what we see in the book. Space exploration shenanigans, little daily life things, unexpectedly romantic moments, steamy sex scenes, navigation of cultural misunderstandings - anything with these two are go! As long as you don't make them break up, basically. If you want to include some of the other Wayfarer crew, I love them all, but especially Kizzy, Dr. Chef, and Ashby.
Do Not Want: Unhappy ending for these two, graphic violence/gore/torture, sexual abuse, non-con, one partner feeling they have to settle for something they feel truly uncomfortable with.
I love these books so much! So much that I read the first book (where these two characters are from) twice within a month. It’s a lovely combination of comfort reading, fun space adventure, food for thought, Awesome Inspiringness of the Universe, and a safe space where women are awesome, sexual orientation is not a thing that defines anyone or causes problems, and humankind can be something different.
I’d like my gift to respect that basic thing about the book and not turn the story anything really dark. Otherwise lots of things are go, so feel free to let your imagination run wild. I also requested this fandom and pairing for Yuletide, so feel free to check out that letter as well.
Parasol Protectorate - Gail Carriger
Genevieve Lefoux/Alexia Tarabotti
Request: I admit, I’ve always been more into this ship than into the actual main romance for Alexia in the books. I always wished there would be more between them, though it was a lot of fun to watch Alexia skirt the border of awareness about being attracted to her crossdressing inventor friend. Anyway, these two continue to be one of my favourite interactions in the book series, and I’d love to see something where they’re together.
It can be a brief interlude or a long-term relationship, set during or after the series or whatever you prefer. And do with Lord Maccon whatever you like; he can continue being Alexia’s husband, or be whisked away for some not-too-terrible reason, or never have entered the picture at all. I shan’t be offended either way, as I like him but prefer this pairing. I would absolutely love if Madame Lefoux’s awesome mad steampunk inventions and Alexia’s smart dress sense had a place in the story.
These books have been one of my favourite fun-and-fluffy-yet-smart with strong women and LGBT rep books for the past years. I love that unlike most steampunk I can find, it's not incredibly violent and depressing, yet manages to be more subversive and rebellious than looks on the surface. Alexia and Madame Lefoux are among the most delightful characters in the books (okay, I do adore Biffy and Lyall and Akeldama like any sensible person would) and some of my favourite sf/f ladies. I love that while Alexia is all sorts of kick-ass, she still is a woman of her era and confined by many of the standards of the Victorian ages, because let's face it, we all are affected by the mores of the society we grow up in. And I would absolutely love to see Geneviève make her defy those standards even more than she does. There's this undercurrent of attraction Alexia feels towards her, and the very obvious attraction she feels towards Alexia, and while Alexia and Lord Maccon are my favourite of Gail's het pairings (ie. the only one I do like), I still ship these two more. Feel free to either ignore Lord Maccon, have Alexia break up with him, have him never have entered her life, or have them enjoy a happy open relationship - everything is fine and nothing more preferable than the other.
I haven't yet read Romancing the Inventor, though it's on my to-order list, so might be I will before the stories go live. I'm fine with setting this story any time during the Parasol Protectorate books or after them. One possibility is also setting it during The Custard Protocol or after Imprudence - how would an older Alexia and Geneviève romance after everything else they've been through?
Torchwood
Jack Harkness/Martha Jones (Torchwood)
Request: I love both Jack and Martha very much, and there’s something I really enjoy about their chemistry together and made me wish we could have seen more of it. I also am fascinated by their parallels — both have feelings for the Tenth Doctor but are not appreciated enough by him, both have really hellish experiences during the Year That Never Was, and both turn out strong enough to walk away from the Doctor on their own, to their own lives. I would love to see either them connecting in the aftermath of the Valiant, or something later, either during Torchwood S2 or at some later point in their lives. Suggestions: maybe an adventure together, or just having fun, or getting through their hurtful experiences and memories together.
Do Not Want: Really graphic descriptions of torture, gore or graphic violence, though considering everything they’ve gone through, I can do darker and stronger stuff with this fandom and pairing than I can with others. I don’t want sexual abuse, non-con or dub-con between these two.
They're both among my favourite Companions, they've been hurt a lot yet they've also become strong from it, they make me think and hurt and feel lots, and they're also both devastatingly hot. I've wanted to pair up these two especially since I saw the Martha episodes on Torchwood - while the kiss was decidedly unlike Jack's other snogs (perhaps out of surprise?), I feel this fascinating chemistry between them, not to mention all the connection they share because of the Doctor and the Year That Never Was. I wrote a fic myself, which is here, but you don't need to read that or follow any of my interpretations. I just wish there was more fic with these two!
An addition: I might also have requested Gwen/Ianto and Gwen/Jack/Ianto out of the available relationships, because I have a Thing for both. But I was tired when doing my sign-up so I left them out. This doesn't necessarily help my assigned writer, but if someone feels like treating, feel free to treat away on those relationships, too! Just please don't make either Ianto or Jack want Gwen more than each other. I love Jack/Ianto, the messed-up puppies though they sometimes are.
Le Comte de Monte-Cristo | Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
Eugénie Danglars/Louise d’Armilly
Request:
I love having what is as much a canon f/f relationship in a 19th century novel - it's pretty damn clear from the book that this is what the author intended, not just my wishful thinking. And that things don't turn out bad for them and that they're basically described sympathetically and positively, even if the narrative doesn't adore Eugénie quite as much as I do.
I always want to know more about what happens to them after the events described in the book. How will their life turn out? Alternatively, I'd love to see 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.
I remember first reading this book years ago and pretty much squealing and being besides myself with joy when I noticed the obvious lesbian subtext that wasn't really all that sub by the end. And it ends well, too! We don't know what becomes of them, but they're on their way to freedom and don't really have to suffer much from the devastating cycle of revenge and hurt, other than the whole Andrea business and him coming out of their chimney. Eugénie is probably my favourite character from the book, being so headstrong and defiant, and I love how these two connect through music and are so determined to escape the confined life assigned to them.
Crossover Fandom
Tenth Doctor (Doctor Who)/Ianto Jones (Torchwood)
Request: I normally focus on shipping both of these characters separately with Jack Harkness, but I harbour a not-so-secret-anymore desire to read about the Doctor and Ianto together. They’re both such interesting characters and I keep wondering how their dynamic would turn out. Would they get on like wildfire or get madly on each others’ nerves but still want to do each other? Who would be attracted first, and how would they go on about it? I would find it particularly entertaining if the Doctor fell head over heels for Ianto, who would be bemused at first, but feel free to introduce me to a different scenario.
Possible suggestions:
AU where they work together to solve what’s going on at Torchwood One
Some sort of hurt/comfort after Canary Wharf
Both Ianto and the Doctor are in a relationship with Jack, aware of each other and more or less dealing. But when they spend more time together, they also begin to develop attraction to each other.
So yeah, just clarifying because it apparently is unclear in my prompt: I am fine with
- Ianto being in an open relationship with Jack and/or knowing that Jack won't mind
- this being part of some three-way relationship
- just not commenting on that part at all
- some AU or pre-Torchwood scenario where Jack isn't in the equation
All I don't want is Ianto explicitly breaking up or having broken up with Jack, or some form of Jack-bashing in fic (awareness of Jack's many imperfections is fine, of course). I love that pairing and Jack as a character, so it would make me uncomfortable to read.
I love Ianto for a lot of reasons: his sharp-dressed meticulousness, his drivenness and determination, his obvious and under-used intelligence, the way he's the efficient quiet person on the background who keeps everything running, his dry with and scathing comments, his geekiness, his vulnerable side, his strength. Oh, and he's cute. My relationship with the Tenth Doctor is as complicated as he is - I both adore him to bits and want to whack him on the head repeatedly (oh, his conceit, his superiority, the insensitive way he treats some of his companions even while he loves them - but oh, how inspiring and exhilarating he is!). How would he and Ianto get along? Would they connect in their well-dressed geekiness or would Ianto roll his eyes at the Doctor's ego and mile-a-minute babble or dislike him for the way he's treated Jack in the past? How about Ianto's Torchwood One past? Would the Doctor be able to deal with it? How would any of these things affect their relationship to each other? What if Ianto and the Doctor had interacted during or after the events of Canary Wharf? How would they comfort each other in their losses? How would Ianto feel about meeting the Doctor after Jack's return in S2? After Journey's End? So many possibilities!
I think Ianto would make a formidable companion, if you want to take the story that way. Though the Doctor would probably miss the more openly starry-eyed enthusiasm in the ones he's actually picked up on the show, but Ianto's quiet efficiency would balance him out nicely, and he'd be able to show Ianto a more wondrous side of the universe than Torchwood could. I keep wanting to take Ianto to space. The Doctor would be able to do that.
