Jukebox Requests
Hi, dear writer! Thank you for offering to write something for me! Please know that I'll be happy with whatever you produce - if you have an amazing idea that doesn't match with my suggestions below, follow your inspiration!
General likes - I love stories with atmosphere and plot, where things happen, where characters come out of the story changed in some way, even if it's a subtle change. I appreciate world-building and subtle detail, but I also like character studies. I especially love the interactions between characters, snarky dialogue, personality clashes, conflict, revenge, confessions, teamwork, families (chosen or biological), romance (not all necessarily in the same story!) It's okay with me if everything's not happily ever after at the end, but I'd prefer if there's some hope for the future, however bleak or dark it might be. I like fic that challenges traditional gender roles and expectations. I'm fine with fic of any rating, and I have no particular triggers or squicks. I especially like fantasy, sci-fi, and historical settings, but don't feel bound by those options!
Seven Devils - Florence + The Machine
It seems like there's so much fascinating potential background with this song. What are the seven devils? Why is the singer dead, or going to be dead (are they both at once? a ghost, undead, trapped in between worlds?) Why does the singer seek to destroy the kingdom - what was the evil that was done that can't be undone? I imagine this as a fantasy story, or historical/fantasy maybe, but basically whatever direction you want to go with this, I'm interested in your answers!
The Man Who Sold The World - David Bowie
This song is so deceptively simple, but leaves so much to the imagination. I tend to see it as a sci-fi story - maybe the man who sold the world did so literally, to aliens or some other outside eldritch power? Or is it a metaphorical 'sale'? The merging of 'I' and 'we' as the song goes on is especially interesting to me, as it suggests a blurring of the lines between the singer and the man who sold the world. If you want to explore that (twins, dopplegangers, possession, virtual reality?) it would be cool.
The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine - Spoon
The most straightforward interpretation of this song as far as I can see is that it's about acting - the singer wants "to land the part of Eddie in the Stranger Dance" because he gets to do so many cool things, maybe things that the singer doesn't get to do in real life but would like to. But then, you think things are straight but they're not what they seem, so other possible interpretations are also cool! Maybe 'The Stranger Dance' is some sort of important ritual, literally a dance involving strangers? Is Eddie also Monsieur Valentine (the 'two sides' of the title?) I think the reference to his 'blackheart machine' is especially fascinating, and gives the whole thing a bit of a steampunk vibe to my mind.
Thomas The Rhymer - Trad. Ballad
I would love to see an adaptation of this story that plays with the setting and/or the tropes involved. You want to do a futuristic cyberpunk dystopian version? Great! Transplant it to 17th century Venice, or 19th century Texas, or 21st century Japan? Awesome. Twist and alter the characters and their motivations? Go for it! Basically, I'm interested in seeing the traditional framework of the story in a different context than the usual. If you have some other inspiration for that, please feel free to go with it :)
General likes - I love stories with atmosphere and plot, where things happen, where characters come out of the story changed in some way, even if it's a subtle change. I appreciate world-building and subtle detail, but I also like character studies. I especially love the interactions between characters, snarky dialogue, personality clashes, conflict, revenge, confessions, teamwork, families (chosen or biological), romance (not all necessarily in the same story!) It's okay with me if everything's not happily ever after at the end, but I'd prefer if there's some hope for the future, however bleak or dark it might be. I like fic that challenges traditional gender roles and expectations. I'm fine with fic of any rating, and I have no particular triggers or squicks. I especially like fantasy, sci-fi, and historical settings, but don't feel bound by those options!
Seven Devils - Florence + The Machine
It seems like there's so much fascinating potential background with this song. What are the seven devils? Why is the singer dead, or going to be dead (are they both at once? a ghost, undead, trapped in between worlds?) Why does the singer seek to destroy the kingdom - what was the evil that was done that can't be undone? I imagine this as a fantasy story, or historical/fantasy maybe, but basically whatever direction you want to go with this, I'm interested in your answers!
The Man Who Sold The World - David Bowie
This song is so deceptively simple, but leaves so much to the imagination. I tend to see it as a sci-fi story - maybe the man who sold the world did so literally, to aliens or some other outside eldritch power? Or is it a metaphorical 'sale'? The merging of 'I' and 'we' as the song goes on is especially interesting to me, as it suggests a blurring of the lines between the singer and the man who sold the world. If you want to explore that (twins, dopplegangers, possession, virtual reality?) it would be cool.
The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine - Spoon
The most straightforward interpretation of this song as far as I can see is that it's about acting - the singer wants "to land the part of Eddie in the Stranger Dance" because he gets to do so many cool things, maybe things that the singer doesn't get to do in real life but would like to. But then, you think things are straight but they're not what they seem, so other possible interpretations are also cool! Maybe 'The Stranger Dance' is some sort of important ritual, literally a dance involving strangers? Is Eddie also Monsieur Valentine (the 'two sides' of the title?) I think the reference to his 'blackheart machine' is especially fascinating, and gives the whole thing a bit of a steampunk vibe to my mind.
Thomas The Rhymer - Trad. Ballad
I would love to see an adaptation of this story that plays with the setting and/or the tropes involved. You want to do a futuristic cyberpunk dystopian version? Great! Transplant it to 17th century Venice, or 19th century Texas, or 21st century Japan? Awesome. Twist and alter the characters and their motivations? Go for it! Basically, I'm interested in seeing the traditional framework of the story in a different context than the usual. If you have some other inspiration for that, please feel free to go with it :)