Yuletide Letter 2013!
Dear Yulefriend,
Hello! I have just met you and I already love you! Feel free to poke me here if you have any questions or if you just want to flail over our mutual fannish loves/make friends - anon commenting is on, both here and on my tumblr (where I am considerably more active these days)! COME SAY HI. Also, I don’t have any bookmarks there yet or anything, but I’m novembersmith on AO3, too.
So, an honest and sincere prompt from me for all of these fandoms/characters would just be MORE. I really will be over the moon to get a new story for any one of these fandoms. However, I know that is not incredibly helpful, and as it happens I do have a ton of feelings that I can ramble about for ages. Hopefully some of this will be inspiring to you! But definitely feel free to ignore all of this (except the DNWs, please!) and write whatever sparks your interest.
A General Overview, Mined From Previous Letters:
ON TO THE REQUESTS (in alphabetical order, not in order of most loved I LOVE THEM ALL EQUALLY):
***
Fandom: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club
Characters: Nanase Haruka, Matsuoka Rin
Canon Links: All 12 episodes streaming free (HA HA) on Crunchyroll. | drama cd activity log 1 and log 2 (i.e. CD transcripts of dialogue of the boys all being TOTAL IDIOTS and generally charming my socks off) |
Optional Details: I love all of the characters to bits, but Rin is by far and away the swimming drama llama of my heart. ANYTHING that gives me more of him will make me intensely, incredibly happy. Fic focused on one of the drama CD log incidents? Letters from Australia he never sent? Soulbonding (RED STRING OF FATE)? Pacific Rim!AU? Vulcan!Haru obsessing over water and also his very human captain and/or fellow student (who is obsessed with living up to his dad’s legacy)? Tsuritama AU with actual!fish!Haru? Go nuts, seriously! I’d love anything from AUs to trope fic to missing scenes to future fic.
As far as shipping goes, I ship Haru/Rin HARD, but if that’s not your cup of tea, please don’t feel obligated to write shippy fic! I’d be delighted for anything that gives me more of these characters and their dynamic, friendship or otherwise.
So, yeah! I threw out a ton of ideas in my prompt, some of them pretty wacky, I know. And, uh, obviously you do not have to try to cover all of them! Pick one, or come up with your own! I’d just love more of Rin, and especially more of Rin with Haru. The intensity of their dynamic and the depth of the emotions they inspire in each other is what hooked me into the show and kept me watching. Rin’s such a hot mess of feelings and gets flustered so easy and has lost all his self-esteem/self-confidence, and Haru is so the OPPOSITE, in control and deliberate and almost remote, and they both kind of balance the other. I… really love that combination, ngl.
Also… god, okay, I have to admit, I just HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT RIN MATSUOKA. And ughhh so does Haru, which is a die-hard kink of mine - stoic unemotional characters breaking down when the person they care about is hurt.
HARU'S FACE when Rin loses HE CARES SO MUCH:
THEN RIN CRYING ON HARU'S FACE BECAUSE HE LOST AND HE THINKS HARU'S GOING TO LAUGH AT HIM
MY BABY. So. Uh. Yes. RIN. I really would love ANY story centered on him, especially if it delves into the impossible pressure he put on himself and how miserable it made him, to the point he was self-destructing and pushing everyone away. Take that into an AU if you like! Maybe his dad was a Jaeger pilot that died, or a dead!George Kirk Star Fleet type? I’d also love love LOVE to see Rin post-series regaining some of that playfulness he had as a child (WHEN HE WAS THE CUTEST LITTLE BUTTON EVER BTW) and subsequently lost in Australia. Maybe he and Haru keep practicing/competing post-series, except for now it’s fun and Rin doesn’t take losing as an indication he's failed as a person? Actually, I’d love a fic where all the Free! characters are involved in the continuing rehabilitation of Rin - maybe a five times Rin lost and one time he won sort of thing? That's be an awesome gen fic! Plus, I definitely don’t mind a side of Nagisa/Rei or Mikoshiba/Gou pairings, so long as Haru ad Rin aren't paired with anyone else. I have nothing against Makoto! I love him as a close friend of both Haru and Rin and important part of their lives, I just don't ship it.
And do not feel obliged at all, buuuuut if you want to write porn of Haru focusing intently on Rin in bed and making Rin feel loved and wanted and also making him come repeatedly until he’s a sobbing mess, well. FEEL FREE (hah, it never gets old). One of the things I love most about them as a couple is how Haru always zones in on Rin the way he normally only zones in on all things water, so I definitely see Haru as the type to get off on him getting Rin off, Rin being super embarrassed by all the noises and sounds he makes and Haru loving it. Also, oh man, taking that competitiveness into the bedroom would be SCORCHING. And Haru delighting in getting Rin flustered, which, let's face it, would be super easy.
...also, if you happen to have been itching to write dolphin!Haru and shark and/or human!Rin getting it on? PLEASE DO. (See amazingly cute art here and amazingly hot NSFW illustrations here, here, and here for inspiration if you are so inclined).
GOD, sorry for this mess of feelings. Really, you can ignore everything above this and just write anything Rin-centric that you like. All I ask is that if you A) don't bash him as a character and B) don't write Haru and Rin in separate pairings. Other than that, you can't lose. :D
***
Fandom: Hockey Twitter Accounts
Characters: @BlueJacketsNHL, @LAKingsCanon
Canon Links: A good short summation by PuckDaddy.
OPTIONAL DETAILS: So, a high school AU of all the NHL twitter personalities would be amazing. Or they could all be actual hockey players in some random team (LOGISTICS: IGNORED). Or maybe avatars/sprites in a cyberworld like ReBoot? Or maybe they come to life in our world through some wacky magical hijiniks!
But yes, basically, all that aside, I really just want a happy ending for my favorite teammance. LA and Lumbus are my twitter OTP and I just want them to be together forever. Maybe LA starts tentatively flirting with a new team, and Lumbus discovers that they… actually… really mind? More than they thought they would? But seriously, whatever works for you! I just want them to wind up together and happy and however that happens floats my boat so hard you don’t even know.
Hockey Personified (1/?): LA and Lumbus
LOOK AT THAT FUCKING CUTENESS. Honestly, I don’t even know where to start here. I was not anticipating falling like this for /TEAM TWITTER ACCOUNTS/ when I got into hockey last year, because what the fuck, who would. But basically, the LA Kings twitter is hilarious and sassy as hell (a great link if you want to skim for characterization purposes), and they fell for Lumbus (aka the Columbus Blue Jackets) hard and fast and kind of out of nowhere. And, canonically, they’ve dated. Their mutual support for each other’s teams is super cute. But the Lumbus twitter is a little quieter, drier, and more aloof, and claims/claimed they aren’t looking for anything serious. They flirt with LA, sure, but they kind of do that with everyone. Actually, is there a team in the league that they AREN'T flirting with at this point? Everyone wants to hang with Lumbus, they’re the belle of the ball and now they’re moving to the Eastern Conference and leaving LA behind. LA is SO IN LOVE and obviously wrestling with some insecurities and long-distance issues and maybe Lumbus just really has NO CLUE what’s wrong/how to fix it, and I just want everything to work out for them arghhhhhhh.
Hockey Personified (2/?): Lumbus hangs out with Ed;
LA invites Pitt to walk with him.
LOOK AT LA’S MISERABLE LITTLE FACE AUGH
So, um. ANYWAY. This is a fandom that I think is actually pretty easy to pick up. So if you’re just browsing and have been felled by the LA/Lumbus cuteness (WHICH HOW COULD YOU NOT BE LOOK HERE THEY ARE IN MANGA STYLE i die), my personal request really only requires a rudimentary understanding of hockey. You can start at the back of this tumblr’s tag to pick up the dynamics/history of the characters, and browse the NHL Wikipedia page for the basics on the league/game. Of course, DEFINITELY feel free to go into hella hockey detail if that’s your thing, and I will go over the moon with joy because HOCKEY. But what I really really want more than anything are these characters. KISSING. And maybe getting married. And holding hands and teasing each other and just. IDK MAN. A GOOSHY DUMB TROPE-FILLED ROMANCE OF MY DREAMS WOULD BE GREAT, or a comedy of errors in which LA mopes a lot and Lumbus leaves a trail of broken hearts behind him and there’s a drinking club for his exes and then they find each other and kiss in the rain, idek I’M A SHELL OF A PERSON I’M SORRY help.
Have you guys seen those ponies of you and Lumbus on tumblr?
***
Fandom: The Importance of Space Travel - Svetlana Chmakova
Characters: Any
Canon Link: Entire short comic (REBLOGGED BY THE AUTHOR HERSELF :D)
OPTIONAL DETAILS: MORE PLEASE. But wow, that’s unhelpful, so: I’d love a prequel, about Jeannie’s Mom and Dad meeting and falling in love. Or backstory for why they’re separated and on Earth now. Or the story of the POOR TEACHER, whose horrified face and outstretched arms continue to engender all the sympathy from me. Or just MORE OF JEANNIE AND NATHAN, playing video games and growing up together and saving the world. Or just surviving high school. I’d love Nathan the Popular Kid with his Secret Mineralogy Geekery and Oddball Jeannie to be best friends forever. I’d love Nathan to have a crush on her for years then find out she’s actually a princess and OH GOD HE ISN’T WORTHY HE’S THE BIGGEST ASSHOLE IN THE UNIVERSE OH FUCK. I’d love him to become her bodyguard/captain of the guard/staunch defender.
So, uh, yeah. BASICALLY, MORE PLEASE. Please don’t make Nathan out to be an irredeemable asshole, but I can’t think of much (besides, like, angst and deathfic for the kids) that wouldn’t send me over the moon for this fandom.
The first time I saw this comic it lodged in my heart and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be there forever. It does so much in such a short space, and is so very vividly real re: kids and how they act. And it’s got such a glorious message about being different being okay and how you can, if you try, apologize for your mistakes and move past them. Which, let’s be honest, is hard for ADULTS to do. I adore Jeannie’s sunshiney smile and positivity and persistence, and I love how she’s crushing on Nathan (HER LITTLE BLUSH) and I love how Nathan in that way of Small Boys Noticing Girls is tormenting her because he liiiiiiiiikes her. The look of horror on his face when she jumps and the way he sweats as he dithers over what to do on the playground after. And how did he get that necklace back? I’d love the story of that, too, if that’s something that pings your interest!
And oh god, Jeannie’s dad! He so clearly adores his daughter, it’s just-he’s such a DAD and I want to know so much more about him, how he deals with Nathan, and where the Queen of Pluto is, and how they met-is he an Earth astronaut who got blown off course and met with interstellar royalty? Did the Queen of Pluto meet him on Earth while undercover as an Earthling during a vacation? I NEED TO KNOW MORE. I'd love to know more about Jeannie and her mom, too-maybe the letters they send each other, or a vignette from her mom's POV, apart from her daughter?
But yes, basically: I really like both the kid characters and to be honest, I’m shipping the hell out of them. But friendship and gen and him being her stalwart platonic defender when they grow up? Also awesome! And maybe it takes them a while to get there? I could totally see Nathan hiding their friendship from his more popular friends, and Jeannie being confused but not caring because she’s JEANNIE. And then one day Nathan’s friends get totally snotty and Nathan LOSES IT in her defense, because HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE JEANNIE??? EVEN IF SHE IS CRAZY SHE’S WONDERFUL EVERYONE FUCK OFF. >:(
Or Jeannie takes him on a vacation to Pluto and at first he’s like HA HA OH JEANNIE and then he’s like WHAT THE FUCK THIS IS A SPACE SHIP WHAT THE FUCK and she’s just like *BEAM* come meet the Universal Empress, Nathan! :D :D :D
…so, uh. Yeah! I have a lot of ideas, obviously, but the bottom line is what I love are the CHARACTERS. Feel free to write basically anything for this fandom and I can almost guarantee beyond a shadow of a doubt I will love it.
Also, if you’re despairing over my OTHER rambling prompts and looking for something quick to pick up - this is the fandom for you. It’s about 20 pages, give or take, and it’s a FAST read and full of space for more space stories. ♥
***
Fandom: Paleontology RPF
Characters: Edward Drinker Cope, Othniel Charles Marsh
Canon Resources: A great article by Slate summing up the rivalry (ugh omg that show would have been awesome ;___; RIP Gandolfini ;___; | Wikipedia on the Bone Wars | 1 hr PBS documentary |
OPTIONAL DETAILS: The rivalry between these two paleontologists cracks me up. It's just so over-the-top and ludicrous! I'd love maybe some seething letters penned between them, or a series of notes to a scientific journal, or even the correspondence of their colleagues, writing to say "WTF HAVE YOU HEARD WHAT COPE'S DONE NOW???" So, yes. The bone wars! Lots of backstabbing and intrigue and two dudes being TOTALLY RIDICULOUS for basically no reason, even though they started out as friends! THEY USED TO NAME FOSSILS AFTER EACH OTHER. Now they eviscerate each other in print and destroy each other’s fossil sites. And to be honest, I wouldn't turn down some slash. I mean. Come on. Cope left Marsh HIS SKULL IN HIS WILL, SO THE QUESTION OF WHO WAS SMARTER COULD BE ANSWERED ONCE AND FOR ALL. That is some strong feelings, there. Brings to mind that one Kate Beaton comic about the beloved nemeses.
Anyway, there's so much to play with here, please feel free to go nuts and follow where inspiration leads you!
THE BONE WARS. This period of history is so fascinating to me. I would adore some exploration of their totally over-the-top madcap fossil-stealing shenanigans, or you could set them IN SPAAAAACE or have conversations between Marsh and Cope’s skull, or have a modern AU with hapless bewildered grad student POV. THE HATESEX COULD BE PHENOMENAL. I love the James Gandolfini as Marsh and Steve Carrell as Cope casting, but use whatever image of these dudes floats your boat!
so sexy
so beardy
Also, I am very aware that there are NUMEROUS issues with white guys from these time periods. Don’t feel you have to focus on these issues, but if they comes up please don’t gloss over them, either, if that makes sense? But yeah, basically these two guys were assholes. Fascinating assholes. The scientists from Pacific Rim kind of remind me of them a bit, but from the 1800s instead of the future and with dinosaurs instead of kaiju. A Pacific Rim AU might be fun, actually! Or a zombie apocalypse fic, or something else where they have to get over themselves and work (reluctantly) together.
Don’t feel obliged to be perfectly accurate, by the way! The reference links are just there in case you want/need them. I love the historical details and dinosaur facts, sure, but I also just love the characters and their mutually assured self-destruction, so don’t stress out about anachronisms or getting shit perfectly right, because it definitely won’t bother me. Also, this is one fandom where I’m totally fine with the characters being miserable and NOT getting a happy ending. Because, well. They’re assholes. Assholes with DINOSAURS. *G*
***
Fandom: Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Characters: William Laurence, Tenzing Tharkay
Canon Links: Books 1-7 are available for Kindle on Amazon for $5.99, and Blood of Tyrants (Book 8) is $10.99
OPTIONAL DETAILS: THARKAY THARKAY THARKAY. I mean, uh. Yes, I would like some more Tharkay, please. I’d love for fic set during Blood of Tyrants, but I’m honestly happy for more Tharkay from any point in the series. For one thing, what was he up to the entirety of Book 7 (SPOILERS WITHIN)? But seriously oh god the AMNESIA PLOTLINE in Book 8, what a goddamned gift to fandom. I’d love some post-rescue hurt/comfort, or Tharkay being tortured alone in the caves and what he was thinking/feeling then, or maaaaybe even some Laurence brooding over Little and Granby and wondering about his feelings toward Tharkay and if maybe they’re not so platonic after all? OR ALL OF THE ABOVE.
As far as romance goes: I really really REALLY prefer Tharkay/Laurence. I love how they’re so well-suited temperamentally, how they respect each other, how LAURENCE RECOGNIZES HIM i perish from feelings. If this is not your cup of tea/doesn’t fit your headcanon, though, strong friendshipfic is more than fine!
So as is possibly obvious, Tharkay is my tip-top favorite character. He's so dry and brilliant and loyal and gives no fucks and is clever and competent and I just love him a lot. Anything with Tharkay = A++++++++++ in my book.
Accurate rendition of a BAMF
Also, BLOOD OF TYRANTS YOU GUYS. I just can’t handle it. It was like getting to read the first part of the series AGAIN, but new and fresh and fun. I love concussed!Laurence and the way that his memory loss and subsequent return slightly, but significantly, change his perspective. An example of what I mean: when he thought on the difference between the Laurence before and the Laurence now and how they’d have treated the prosecution of homosexuality, he decided “he was done with that subtle species of cowardice which hid behind the judgment of other men.” WHICH, YAY. It’s just overall nice to see him stop being so self-loathing about everything and move forward. AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE HIM MOVE THARKAYWARDS AS A RESULT >.> I’d especially love if he was helping tend Tharkay’s wounds over their months of travel, helping dress Tharkay because injured hands and all, and it brings them closer.
Also… if you want to do porn in which Tharkay’s gets aroused as Laurence does up his pants-area and both of them are embarrassed and then Laurence has a momentary brainfart and finds himself jerking Tharkay off… you could totally do that. Um.
Another possible (and cracky) prompt: what if Temeraire was only persuaded to let Tharkay share Laurence’s imperial robes if they got married? MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE FIC. <3__<3 Um, by which I mean I would welcome both serious and tropey fic, fluff or angst, whatever you prefer! Seriously, if you have a Tharkay/Laurence or a Tharkay gen idea you’ve been considering for ages PLEASE WRITE IT!!! I can’t get enough of these guys, seriously.
Laurence gets me.
***
Well, that’s about it! (She said, thousands of words later.) Seriously, though, let me know if you have any questions, but the take-home message here should be: write a story that you’ll enjoy writing. I guarantee that if it’s about these characters and you love it, I will love it. Happy Yuletide! I CAN’T WAIT TO OPEN MY PRESENT THIS YEAR!
♥
L
Hello! I have just met you and I already love you! Feel free to poke me here if you have any questions or if you just want to flail over our mutual fannish loves/make friends - anon commenting is on, both here and on my tumblr (where I am considerably more active these days)! COME SAY HI. Also, I don’t have any bookmarks there yet or anything, but I’m novembersmith on AO3, too.
So, an honest and sincere prompt from me for all of these fandoms/characters would just be MORE. I really will be over the moon to get a new story for any one of these fandoms. However, I know that is not incredibly helpful, and as it happens I do have a ton of feelings that I can ramble about for ages. Hopefully some of this will be inspiring to you! But definitely feel free to ignore all of this (except the DNWs, please!) and write whatever sparks your interest.
A General Overview, Mined From Previous Letters:
- I am a giant nerd and I love learning things, so going into wacky levels of detail in your story - anything from Napoleonic politics, draconic biology, hockey stats, paleodentistry, paleontology or planetary geology - all of that would delight me to bits. Basically, if something is your jam, I would love to hear about it and get your perspective via fandom. (That said, I don’t at all mind hand-waving some of the specifics in lieu of focusing on the story, so don’t feel like you NEED to include that kind of level of detail!)
- I love: bantering dialogue, character-building, world-building, alternate universes, dinosaurs, zombies, zombie dinosaurs, superheroes, and all manner of fic ratings. Gen, het, slash or femslash, it’s all awesome! I love flirting and UST and kisses and pining! I also am delighted by found family feelings and intense friendships sans romance and non-traditional romances.
- I do love porn but: it is NOT REQUIRED. Should you be interested in writing porn, as long as both parties are sentient and consenting, I am pretty much happy as a clam. I adore everything from awkward first times to comfortable sleepy married sex to furious fucking against a wall - whatever makes sense for the characters involved. Some particular kinks of mine are desperation, overstimulation, and forced or delayed orgasms, but I also really love “bad” sex where both characters laugh at each other and fall off the bed and start arguing mid-coitus about dumb shit.
- I also love: serious fic, darkly humorous fic, straight-up humorous fic, epistolary fic, plot-driven fic, epic poetry, character vignettes, missing scenes, fake academic papers.... whatever format/style works for you, I can pretty much guarantee I will like it also.
- I do not love: character-bashing, non-con, non-canon death fic, annnnd, uh. Well, that's about it! I don't like fic that is unremittingly dark and hopeless? I love creepiness and eeriness and horror, though! I guess, basically, I just don’t like stuff that’s depressing - I get enough of that in my day-to-day.
ON TO THE REQUESTS (in alphabetical order, not in order of most loved I LOVE THEM ALL EQUALLY):
***
Fandom: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club
Characters: Nanase Haruka, Matsuoka Rin
Canon Links: All 12 episodes streaming free (HA HA) on Crunchyroll. | drama cd activity log 1 and log 2 (i.e. CD transcripts of dialogue of the boys all being TOTAL IDIOTS and generally charming my socks off) |
Optional Details: I love all of the characters to bits, but Rin is by far and away the swimming drama llama of my heart. ANYTHING that gives me more of him will make me intensely, incredibly happy. Fic focused on one of the drama CD log incidents? Letters from Australia he never sent? Soulbonding (RED STRING OF FATE)? Pacific Rim!AU? Vulcan!Haru obsessing over water and also his very human captain and/or fellow student (who is obsessed with living up to his dad’s legacy)? Tsuritama AU with actual!fish!Haru? Go nuts, seriously! I’d love anything from AUs to trope fic to missing scenes to future fic.
As far as shipping goes, I ship Haru/Rin HARD, but if that’s not your cup of tea, please don’t feel obligated to write shippy fic! I’d be delighted for anything that gives me more of these characters and their dynamic, friendship or otherwise.
So, yeah! I threw out a ton of ideas in my prompt, some of them pretty wacky, I know. And, uh, obviously you do not have to try to cover all of them! Pick one, or come up with your own! I’d just love more of Rin, and especially more of Rin with Haru. The intensity of their dynamic and the depth of the emotions they inspire in each other is what hooked me into the show and kept me watching. Rin’s such a hot mess of feelings and gets flustered so easy and has lost all his self-esteem/self-confidence, and Haru is so the OPPOSITE, in control and deliberate and almost remote, and they both kind of balance the other. I… really love that combination, ngl.
Also… god, okay, I have to admit, I just HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT RIN MATSUOKA. And ughhh so does Haru, which is a die-hard kink of mine - stoic unemotional characters breaking down when the person they care about is hurt.
HARU'S FACE when Rin loses HE CARES SO MUCH:
THEN RIN CRYING ON HARU'S FACE BECAUSE HE LOST AND HE THINKS HARU'S GOING TO LAUGH AT HIM
MY BABY. So. Uh. Yes. RIN. I really would love ANY story centered on him, especially if it delves into the impossible pressure he put on himself and how miserable it made him, to the point he was self-destructing and pushing everyone away. Take that into an AU if you like! Maybe his dad was a Jaeger pilot that died, or a dead!George Kirk Star Fleet type? I’d also love love LOVE to see Rin post-series regaining some of that playfulness he had as a child (WHEN HE WAS THE CUTEST LITTLE BUTTON EVER BTW) and subsequently lost in Australia. Maybe he and Haru keep practicing/competing post-series, except for now it’s fun and Rin doesn’t take losing as an indication he's failed as a person? Actually, I’d love a fic where all the Free! characters are involved in the continuing rehabilitation of Rin - maybe a five times Rin lost and one time he won sort of thing? That's be an awesome gen fic! Plus, I definitely don’t mind a side of Nagisa/Rei or Mikoshiba/Gou pairings, so long as Haru ad Rin aren't paired with anyone else. I have nothing against Makoto! I love him as a close friend of both Haru and Rin and important part of their lives, I just don't ship it.
And do not feel obliged at all, buuuuut if you want to write porn of Haru focusing intently on Rin in bed and making Rin feel loved and wanted and also making him come repeatedly until he’s a sobbing mess, well. FEEL FREE (hah, it never gets old). One of the things I love most about them as a couple is how Haru always zones in on Rin the way he normally only zones in on all things water, so I definitely see Haru as the type to get off on him getting Rin off, Rin being super embarrassed by all the noises and sounds he makes and Haru loving it. Also, oh man, taking that competitiveness into the bedroom would be SCORCHING. And Haru delighting in getting Rin flustered, which, let's face it, would be super easy.
...also, if you happen to have been itching to write dolphin!Haru and shark and/or human!Rin getting it on? PLEASE DO. (See amazingly cute art here and amazingly hot NSFW illustrations here, here, and here for inspiration if you are so inclined).
GOD, sorry for this mess of feelings. Really, you can ignore everything above this and just write anything Rin-centric that you like. All I ask is that if you A) don't bash him as a character and B) don't write Haru and Rin in separate pairings. Other than that, you can't lose. :D
***
Fandom: Hockey Twitter Accounts
Characters: @BlueJacketsNHL, @LAKingsCanon
Canon Links: A good short summation by PuckDaddy.
OPTIONAL DETAILS: So, a high school AU of all the NHL twitter personalities would be amazing. Or they could all be actual hockey players in some random team (LOGISTICS: IGNORED). Or maybe avatars/sprites in a cyberworld like ReBoot? Or maybe they come to life in our world through some wacky magical hijiniks!
But yes, basically, all that aside, I really just want a happy ending for my favorite teammance. LA and Lumbus are my twitter OTP and I just want them to be together forever. Maybe LA starts tentatively flirting with a new team, and Lumbus discovers that they… actually… really mind? More than they thought they would? But seriously, whatever works for you! I just want them to wind up together and happy and however that happens floats my boat so hard you don’t even know.
Hockey Personified (1/?): LA and Lumbus
LOOK AT THAT FUCKING CUTENESS. Honestly, I don’t even know where to start here. I was not anticipating falling like this for /TEAM TWITTER ACCOUNTS/ when I got into hockey last year, because what the fuck, who would. But basically, the LA Kings twitter is hilarious and sassy as hell (a great link if you want to skim for characterization purposes), and they fell for Lumbus (aka the Columbus Blue Jackets) hard and fast and kind of out of nowhere. And, canonically, they’ve dated. Their mutual support for each other’s teams is super cute. But the Lumbus twitter is a little quieter, drier, and more aloof, and claims/claimed they aren’t looking for anything serious. They flirt with LA, sure, but they kind of do that with everyone. Actually, is there a team in the league that they AREN'T flirting with at this point? Everyone wants to hang with Lumbus, they’re the belle of the ball and now they’re moving to the Eastern Conference and leaving LA behind. LA is SO IN LOVE and obviously wrestling with some insecurities and long-distance issues and maybe Lumbus just really has NO CLUE what’s wrong/how to fix it, and I just want everything to work out for them arghhhhhhh.
Hockey Personified (2/?): Lumbus hangs out with Ed;
LA invites Pitt to walk with him.
LOOK AT LA’S MISERABLE LITTLE FACE AUGH
So, um. ANYWAY. This is a fandom that I think is actually pretty easy to pick up. So if you’re just browsing and have been felled by the LA/Lumbus cuteness (WHICH HOW COULD YOU NOT BE LOOK HERE THEY ARE IN MANGA STYLE i die), my personal request really only requires a rudimentary understanding of hockey. You can start at the back of this tumblr’s tag to pick up the dynamics/history of the characters, and browse the NHL Wikipedia page for the basics on the league/game. Of course, DEFINITELY feel free to go into hella hockey detail if that’s your thing, and I will go over the moon with joy because HOCKEY. But what I really really want more than anything are these characters. KISSING. And maybe getting married. And holding hands and teasing each other and just. IDK MAN. A GOOSHY DUMB TROPE-FILLED ROMANCE OF MY DREAMS WOULD BE GREAT, or a comedy of errors in which LA mopes a lot and Lumbus leaves a trail of broken hearts behind him and there’s a drinking club for his exes and then they find each other and kiss in the rain, idek I’M A SHELL OF A PERSON I’M SORRY help.
Have you guys seen those ponies of you and Lumbus on tumblr?
***
Fandom: The Importance of Space Travel - Svetlana Chmakova
Characters: Any
Canon Link: Entire short comic (REBLOGGED BY THE AUTHOR HERSELF :D)
OPTIONAL DETAILS: MORE PLEASE. But wow, that’s unhelpful, so: I’d love a prequel, about Jeannie’s Mom and Dad meeting and falling in love. Or backstory for why they’re separated and on Earth now. Or the story of the POOR TEACHER, whose horrified face and outstretched arms continue to engender all the sympathy from me. Or just MORE OF JEANNIE AND NATHAN, playing video games and growing up together and saving the world. Or just surviving high school. I’d love Nathan the Popular Kid with his Secret Mineralogy Geekery and Oddball Jeannie to be best friends forever. I’d love Nathan to have a crush on her for years then find out she’s actually a princess and OH GOD HE ISN’T WORTHY HE’S THE BIGGEST ASSHOLE IN THE UNIVERSE OH FUCK. I’d love him to become her bodyguard/captain of the guard/staunch defender.
So, uh, yeah. BASICALLY, MORE PLEASE. Please don’t make Nathan out to be an irredeemable asshole, but I can’t think of much (besides, like, angst and deathfic for the kids) that wouldn’t send me over the moon for this fandom.
The first time I saw this comic it lodged in my heart and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be there forever. It does so much in such a short space, and is so very vividly real re: kids and how they act. And it’s got such a glorious message about being different being okay and how you can, if you try, apologize for your mistakes and move past them. Which, let’s be honest, is hard for ADULTS to do. I adore Jeannie’s sunshiney smile and positivity and persistence, and I love how she’s crushing on Nathan (HER LITTLE BLUSH) and I love how Nathan in that way of Small Boys Noticing Girls is tormenting her because he liiiiiiiiikes her. The look of horror on his face when she jumps and the way he sweats as he dithers over what to do on the playground after. And how did he get that necklace back? I’d love the story of that, too, if that’s something that pings your interest!
And oh god, Jeannie’s dad! He so clearly adores his daughter, it’s just-he’s such a DAD and I want to know so much more about him, how he deals with Nathan, and where the Queen of Pluto is, and how they met-is he an Earth astronaut who got blown off course and met with interstellar royalty? Did the Queen of Pluto meet him on Earth while undercover as an Earthling during a vacation? I NEED TO KNOW MORE. I'd love to know more about Jeannie and her mom, too-maybe the letters they send each other, or a vignette from her mom's POV, apart from her daughter?
But yes, basically: I really like both the kid characters and to be honest, I’m shipping the hell out of them. But friendship and gen and him being her stalwart platonic defender when they grow up? Also awesome! And maybe it takes them a while to get there? I could totally see Nathan hiding their friendship from his more popular friends, and Jeannie being confused but not caring because she’s JEANNIE. And then one day Nathan’s friends get totally snotty and Nathan LOSES IT in her defense, because HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE JEANNIE??? EVEN IF SHE IS CRAZY SHE’S WONDERFUL EVERYONE FUCK OFF. >:(
Or Jeannie takes him on a vacation to Pluto and at first he’s like HA HA OH JEANNIE and then he’s like WHAT THE FUCK THIS IS A SPACE SHIP WHAT THE FUCK and she’s just like *BEAM* come meet the Universal Empress, Nathan! :D :D :D
…so, uh. Yeah! I have a lot of ideas, obviously, but the bottom line is what I love are the CHARACTERS. Feel free to write basically anything for this fandom and I can almost guarantee beyond a shadow of a doubt I will love it.
Also, if you’re despairing over my OTHER rambling prompts and looking for something quick to pick up - this is the fandom for you. It’s about 20 pages, give or take, and it’s a FAST read and full of space for more space stories. ♥
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Fandom: Paleontology RPF
Characters: Edward Drinker Cope, Othniel Charles Marsh
Canon Resources: A great article by Slate summing up the rivalry (ugh omg that show would have been awesome ;___; RIP Gandolfini ;___; | Wikipedia on the Bone Wars | 1 hr PBS documentary |
OPTIONAL DETAILS: The rivalry between these two paleontologists cracks me up. It's just so over-the-top and ludicrous! I'd love maybe some seething letters penned between them, or a series of notes to a scientific journal, or even the correspondence of their colleagues, writing to say "WTF HAVE YOU HEARD WHAT COPE'S DONE NOW???" So, yes. The bone wars! Lots of backstabbing and intrigue and two dudes being TOTALLY RIDICULOUS for basically no reason, even though they started out as friends! THEY USED TO NAME FOSSILS AFTER EACH OTHER. Now they eviscerate each other in print and destroy each other’s fossil sites. And to be honest, I wouldn't turn down some slash. I mean. Come on. Cope left Marsh HIS SKULL IN HIS WILL, SO THE QUESTION OF WHO WAS SMARTER COULD BE ANSWERED ONCE AND FOR ALL. That is some strong feelings, there. Brings to mind that one Kate Beaton comic about the beloved nemeses.
Anyway, there's so much to play with here, please feel free to go nuts and follow where inspiration leads you!
THE BONE WARS. This period of history is so fascinating to me. I would adore some exploration of their totally over-the-top madcap fossil-stealing shenanigans, or you could set them IN SPAAAAACE or have conversations between Marsh and Cope’s skull, or have a modern AU with hapless bewildered grad student POV. THE HATESEX COULD BE PHENOMENAL. I love the James Gandolfini as Marsh and Steve Carrell as Cope casting, but use whatever image of these dudes floats your boat!
so sexy
so beardy
Also, I am very aware that there are NUMEROUS issues with white guys from these time periods. Don’t feel you have to focus on these issues, but if they comes up please don’t gloss over them, either, if that makes sense? But yeah, basically these two guys were assholes. Fascinating assholes. The scientists from Pacific Rim kind of remind me of them a bit, but from the 1800s instead of the future and with dinosaurs instead of kaiju. A Pacific Rim AU might be fun, actually! Or a zombie apocalypse fic, or something else where they have to get over themselves and work (reluctantly) together.
Don’t feel obliged to be perfectly accurate, by the way! The reference links are just there in case you want/need them. I love the historical details and dinosaur facts, sure, but I also just love the characters and their mutually assured self-destruction, so don’t stress out about anachronisms or getting shit perfectly right, because it definitely won’t bother me. Also, this is one fandom where I’m totally fine with the characters being miserable and NOT getting a happy ending. Because, well. They’re assholes. Assholes with DINOSAURS. *G*
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Fandom: Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Characters: William Laurence, Tenzing Tharkay
Canon Links: Books 1-7 are available for Kindle on Amazon for $5.99, and Blood of Tyrants (Book 8) is $10.99
OPTIONAL DETAILS: THARKAY THARKAY THARKAY. I mean, uh. Yes, I would like some more Tharkay, please. I’d love for fic set during Blood of Tyrants, but I’m honestly happy for more Tharkay from any point in the series. For one thing, what was he up to the entirety of Book 7 (SPOILERS WITHIN)? But seriously oh god the AMNESIA PLOTLINE in Book 8, what a goddamned gift to fandom. I’d love some post-rescue hurt/comfort, or Tharkay being tortured alone in the caves and what he was thinking/feeling then, or maaaaybe even some Laurence brooding over Little and Granby and wondering about his feelings toward Tharkay and if maybe they’re not so platonic after all? OR ALL OF THE ABOVE.
As far as romance goes: I really really REALLY prefer Tharkay/Laurence. I love how they’re so well-suited temperamentally, how they respect each other, how LAURENCE RECOGNIZES HIM i perish from feelings. If this is not your cup of tea/doesn’t fit your headcanon, though, strong friendshipfic is more than fine!
So as is possibly obvious, Tharkay is my tip-top favorite character. He's so dry and brilliant and loyal and gives no fucks and is clever and competent and I just love him a lot. Anything with Tharkay = A++++++++++ in my book.
Accurate rendition of a BAMF
Also, BLOOD OF TYRANTS YOU GUYS. I just can’t handle it. It was like getting to read the first part of the series AGAIN, but new and fresh and fun. I love concussed!Laurence and the way that his memory loss and subsequent return slightly, but significantly, change his perspective. An example of what I mean: when he thought on the difference between the Laurence before and the Laurence now and how they’d have treated the prosecution of homosexuality, he decided “he was done with that subtle species of cowardice which hid behind the judgment of other men.” WHICH, YAY. It’s just overall nice to see him stop being so self-loathing about everything and move forward. AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE HIM MOVE THARKAYWARDS AS A RESULT >.> I’d especially love if he was helping tend Tharkay’s wounds over their months of travel, helping dress Tharkay because injured hands and all, and it brings them closer.
Also… if you want to do porn in which Tharkay’s gets aroused as Laurence does up his pants-area and both of them are embarrassed and then Laurence has a momentary brainfart and finds himself jerking Tharkay off… you could totally do that. Um.
Another possible (and cracky) prompt: what if Temeraire was only persuaded to let Tharkay share Laurence’s imperial robes if they got married? MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE FIC. <3__<3 Um, by which I mean I would welcome both serious and tropey fic, fluff or angst, whatever you prefer! Seriously, if you have a Tharkay/Laurence or a Tharkay gen idea you’ve been considering for ages PLEASE WRITE IT!!! I can’t get enough of these guys, seriously.
Laurence gets me.
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Well, that’s about it! (She said, thousands of words later.) Seriously, though, let me know if you have any questions, but the take-home message here should be: write a story that you’ll enjoy writing. I guarantee that if it’s about these characters and you love it, I will love it. Happy Yuletide! I CAN’T WAIT TO OPEN MY PRESENT THIS YEAR!
♥
L