Dear Yuletide Author!
Hello author!
Thank you so much for producing something lovely for me! I’m saltstreets on ao3, and zevons on tumblr, if you’d like to flip through. You can also find previous author letters I’ve written pretty easily in my journal (although about 80% of them are just copy-pasted from exchange to exchange so they might not tell you much new).
Likes: Troooopes...tropes tropes tropes. Friends to lovers! Fake dating! It’s-obvious-we-should-get-together-and-everyone-but-us-knows-it! Complete opposites attracted to each other! AUs of all kinds- coffee shop, apocalypse, we’re-in-space-now. Historical, sci-fi, Hogwarts. Pretty much any AU you can imagine, I’ll love it. I like seeing how characters act thrown into different situations. And speaking of characters- I love a good character study so if you prefer writing them to plotty fics go for it! For Football RPF fandoms, I’m deeply invested in the concept of club loyalty and how it affects how players see themselves/each other, if you’re into that. On the other hand, I have never in my life turned down pwp.
In terms of rating, I’ll read anything from the most casual gen to the most brain-sizzling smut, so really anything you’re comfortable with.
Do Not Wants: Pregnancy/Mpreg, ABO, BDSM, scat or watersports, non-con. For RPF fandoms, please no evil wives/girlfriends (I’m fine with the ‘they don’t exist in this universe’ or the ‘open relationship/beard’ approaches.)
I’m bound to love whatever you come up with, and at the end of the day, I want to read what you want to write! The little prompty things I’ve included with the pairing descriptions are just in case you find it easier to start with some sort of jumping off point, and please don’t feel obligated to write whatever bizarre AUs I’ve started throwing about down there. :D
Arsenal FC RPF
(This is one of those instances where the two pairings belong almost to different fandoms, Ye Old Early 2000s Arsenal and Ye Not-So-Old Now-ish Arsenal. So don’t worry about including all four characters in one fic.)
Thierry Henry/Robert Pires
Who isn’t a little bit nostalgic for early/mid-2000s Arsenal? No one, that’s who!
I just want these two buzzing about in their slick and stylish way, whether that’s set during the dizzying heights of the Invincible season or in the (not-so distant...) future when Bobby is coaching Arsenal and Thierry is still being ruthlessly discerning on Sky Sports. What’s their relationship like? Is Bobby trying to get Thierry back on the Arsenal touchline?
AUs are, as mentioned, always welcome, and I’m going to throw in a shout for an espionage AU entirely inspired by this single photo, which always gets me going. (Shallowness, thy name is leather jacket!)
Wojciech Szczesny/Jack Wilshere
Ah yes, now is the winter of our extended loan spells. I love these two. They’re that kind of aura-of-trouble duo that shows up at a party and you automatically glance nervously at the cabinet with all the breakable china. Things haven’t been going smoothly for either of them lately, what with Woj in extended exile and Jack going for a rehabilitation spell at Bournemouth. Will they ever be back at Arsenal together again? Do they have a weekly commiserating telephone chat?
Roma was one of the clubs Jack was rumoured to be going on loan to. Did Woj have a hand in that? What would it have looked like if Jack hadn’t gone to Bournemouth instead? I’d love to see a phone call with Woj trying to coax Jack to Italy, or an AU where he does go.
There’s also so much back story to explore: when Wojciech first came to Arsenal, how did they become friends? What are some of the surely-ridiculous shenanigans that they’ve gotten up to over the years?
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Rosa Diaz/Gina Linetti
Every time these two interact on the show, my heart grows three sizes. I love their dynamic so much: they’re both a little bit chaotic in their own ways, and I love the contrast between Rosa keeping her hand close to her chest and Gina constantly flinging her cards everywhere and thriving on the confusion. They have such different styles but both manage to be equally cryptic. There are so many ways I can imagine this relationship going down. Who asks who out? Do they just start going on dates without defining it? What does everyone else in the precinct think is going on? The wooing process, from either side, would be amazing.
Since Rosa switches apartments every time her co-workers find out where she lives, does she stay with Gina for a few days while she's looking around after the end of last season?
A fic where they work a case together? Or conversely, an AU where they’re a criminal duo? The con-artist partnership between these two would be great and terrible.
Feel free to hand-wave Rosa’s relationship with Pimento, or ex-machina her out of it. I’m not fussy with canon-compliancy!
ESPN World Cup 2014 RPF
Michael Ballack/Alexi Lalas
This pairing is just oil and water and I love it. There’s this slightly bemused look of consternation that Micha seems to wear permanently whenever Alexi is talking at him that makes me wish that ESPN analysis could be a bit more like daytime TV sometimes. I’m talking indignant shouting about deep-lying playmakers and team character, and being physically restrained when the need demands.
I love how Alexi doesn’t seem at all put off by Michael’s aloofness, and I love how Michael seems to have genuinely warmed to him over the years. And then, this.
Micha aggressively not missing Alexi during the Euros! Long-distance bickering! Long-distance phone bills! Bickering over phone bills!
Time-travel AU where one of them is thrown back inexplicably and has to deal with the other’s younger self? AU where one’s a journalist during the other’s playing days? There are so many situations that I would love to see them in.
Feel free to includeTaylor Twellman in here if the fancy strikes. How did Alexi feel, doing commentary on the Copa America while Taylor was in France, gazing at Michael with joyful Labrador retriever love in his eyes? Not to mention the couple-y Instagrams. (‘City of Love’ I mean, Taylor. Please.)
Polish National Team RPF
Wojciech Szczesny/Robert Lewandowski
Oops, I’m back on Szczesny again. I just love Wojciech to a ridiculous degree, and I love his relationship with Robert. Woj is a bit of a self-immolating disaster and Lewy is the superstar, but they’re both complete goofs. (I rest my case.)
I love how amused Lewy is by Wojciech’s stupid antics, and how easily Woj can make him laugh. Sometimes it feels like Woj is a nice outlet for Lewy, who has all this responsibility as the star striker and captain. They’ve got a definite sense of the Odd Couple about them. Since I imagine Wojciech subsists mainly on a diet of candy bars and cigarettes when he’s not in active training (and maybe even when he is) how does this read with his friendship with the ultra-healthy Lewy? Has Lewy even been allowed a saturated fat since 2010?
Lewy has said that Woj tried to get him to move to Arsenal instead of Bayern. How did that particular piece of attempted persuasion go?
Freaky Friday AU? Either during club season or while on NT duty. Do they sort it out before having to play a match, or does Lewy wind up in goal in Woj’s body and Woj bemusedly leading the line?
If you want to put Anna in here I would love that. How despairing is she of Wojciech? SO DESPAIRING. Does she invite him to dinner to try and force nutritious meals down his throat? Can Woj keep up with Anna and Lewy’s (probably mind-bogglingly difficult) exercise routine? If you even wanted to explore the threesome route...well, I wouldn’t say no.
Wishing you happy writing, and a lovely Yuletide! :D