Dear Spacer Letter
17 Feb 2019 03:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kangeikoDear SpaceSwap Creator!
Thank you so much for writing for me! I am sure that I will be thrilled by whatever you write, and I cannot wait to unwrap it. I've included a copy of my sign-up below, as well as some further thoughts and prompts that I hope will be helpful. My overall position though is to please write what you feel comfortable with - I would much rather receive something that you enjoyed creating! So if you're looking at a ship I've requested and are thinking "good god WHY" then good news - I love gen just as much as shippiness! And I love canon a WHOLE lot. So I will always be happy with missing scenes, intense confrontations, emotionally fraught yet still unspoken encounters, family!fic, enemies forced to work together, h/c and a dozen other tropes that wouldn't be out of place on our screens.
I've requested fanfiction for my sign-up, however if you are an artist, vidder or podcaster who is passing by and feels inspired by any of the below and is generous enough to consider a treat, then please be assured that 1) I will love it, 2) I will love it, and 3) I will really love it! (As a side note to any remixers, podcasters and other creators, I have given blanket permission on my AO3 profile for transformations and remixes of my work, so should you want to, please do feel free to create whatever art inspires you!)
Some general likes and dislikes:
I love complexity in relationships, and I've picked relationships which have some element of conflict. I love that conflict. I love characters being asshats to each other, characters making the wrong choices and there being consequences, characters having to go out on a limb or to offer support to someone they don't have a good relationship with. I love enemies to lovers or at least enemies to slightly friendlier enemies, unlikely bedfellows and team-as-family. I love shippiness and gen and character portraits and worldbuilding.
DNWs: I'd rather not receive a PWP - the complexity of the characters is one of the things I love about them, so I'd definitely love something which showcases their personalities. That's not to say that smuttiness is not welcome, but please do add lashings of plot or character development as well! If you do go down the shippy or smutty route, please no non-con between the characters (although some have complex and potentially abuse-containing backstories, so references to that is fine). I really love the canon of each of the things I requested so please no AUs - e.g. "everyone is a merman", "High School AU" or ABO or anything like that - although I'm perfectly happy with canon divergence (where character A makes a different choice or things work out slightly differently than what we see on screen). I do tend to love all of canon so if characters are already in a committed relationship on screen I'd rather you didn't make their canonical other half the bad guy - feel free to handwave an open relationship if appropriate or a split if that makes more sense.
To the prompts!
Babylon 5
Relationship: G'Kar/Londo Mollari
Relationship: G'Kar & Londo Mollari
You can tell that I love these two! I find their character arcs fascinating, and there is of course something so beautiful and tragic about what they each lose. I've put some prompts below but honestly I would be happy with whatever you come up with for them!
1) S5 Londo /& G'Kar on Centauri Prime. Interactions with the other nobles? Does G'Kar really sleep at the foot of Londo's bed the entire time? How is that explained to the various courtiers and servants that see only a single bed? How would Londo handle insults against G'Kar? And does no one on Centauri Prime really not recognise G'Kar as one of the founding Alliance representatives?
2) S4 post escape from Cartagia. Londo obviously wants to make overtures to G'Kar, and he is rebuffed quite soundly. But eventually they must end up on the same page - certainly enough for them to be socialising by the end of the season - so how do they get there? What does Londo do differently that makes G'Kar more amenable to spending time with him? What's G'Kar's internal thought process on this?
3) S4 pre-escape from Cartagia. G'Kar is very mistreated. Does Londo make any attempt to ease his pain? What happens after Cartagia is dead and Londo et al are packing up to leave? Are the Narns really ok with their oppressors just leaving like this was a bad condo choice and there being no violent repercussions (even knowing that's a bad idea)?? Where does G'Kar go after he walks out of Cartagia's court? Does he even know that the plan to kill Cartagia succeeded until the retreat is announced? I HAVE QUESTIONS.
4) S3 the Refa assassination holy shit. How the hell did Londo come up with that plan, and what on earth made him think to approach G'Kar with it? Why would G'Kar agree to meet with him anyway?? WHAT IS GOING ON THERE.
If you want to go down a shippy route, I'd love it if you preserved the complexity of their relationship - even right at the end when so much has been resolved, they have SO MANY layers - and the knowledge of what is happening around them in canon. I love their snark, their mutual recriminations, the tragedy of their arcs (especially Londo's) and their complexity. I love world-building, both of Babylon 5 and of Centauri Prime. I love missing scenes, the conversations we never got to see, the drama that was happening when the camera was elsewhere. I love ALL of it!
Star Trek: Voyager
Relationship: The Doctor/Tom Paris
I am fascinated by how poorly the Doctor views Tom Paris! They spend a lot of time together and everyone else seems to warm up to him and yet the Doctor just... doesn't. Why is that? What could prompt him to change that perspective? Clearly somewhere along the line they become friendlier, but due to what? Although this is listed as shippy, some of my prompts have the Doctor in his capacity as physician, so if you feel more comfortable writing friendship rather than romance I am perfectly happy with that! If you are going down the shippy route, I'd prefer a first time or getting together fic (or pre-slash) rather than established relationship.
1) The Doctor's bedside manner is... terrible. He's brusque, he doesn't have time for people, and he doesn't offer much in the way of support. If you have someone on the road to recovery, that's fine. But what if someone (i.e. Tom) was more seriously injured and/or developed an illness or infection or something that was a longer process, that caused him more pain and required a softer approach. How would the Doctor deal with a Tom Paris who actually requires a softer approach? Would he get it wrong? Would someone have to correct him? Or would he be able to figure out a better relationship there?
2) What happens when they get back to Earth? Is it everything that they all hoped it would be? Having one of them be in peril and the other stick up for them would be delightful.
3) The classic "hurt a character to make the other character cooperate". Maybe the Doctor is (again) kidnapped by people who want to keep him, and they use Tom as the insurance to get him to cooperate.
4) Make the two of them agree on something - and disagree with the rest of the crew? Or have Tom stick up for the Doctor!
5) 30 days in solitary confinement??? What the hell. I am still so mad. Maybe the Doctor is monitoring Tom, ready to intervene if it looks like his mental health is deteriorating. Maybe he doesn't get it right, who knows, and then the aftermath of that - would Tom be able to trust that the Doctor has his best interests at heart? How would they get over that?
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Relationship: Odo/Quark
I love these two, and I will never get tired of reading 'getting together' or first time fics for them. I'm also interested in the whole mess of S6 and Odo essentially screwing over Quark for the female Founder. (Note - I requested this pairing for another fest so have used a lot of the same prompts - my previous letter where I wax rhapsodical about this pairing is here.)
1) Building on the above, Quark calling out Odo for his abandonment of Rom during the Dominion war. Bonus points for Odo realising he loves Quark more or less around the same time as Quark is tearing into him. How would that work in either a committed relationship (holy partner betrayal Batman!) or in a relationship on the cusp of consummating? How the hell did Odo get Quark to forgive him?
2) Injured Quark! Things keep happening to him that eventually make Odo suspect he's being targeted by someone which means Odo has to keep an eye on Quark without Quark knowing about it (& protect him, even if it's from himself).
3) Someone figures out that if they kidnap Quark, they can pretty much lean on Odo. How does Quark react to this? How does Odo, knowing he now has a weakness?
4) Odo decides he wants to learn about sex, he figures Quark would be willing to teach him in return for oomox. This is not a good situation for Quark who wants a whole lot more from Odo but figures this is what he's gonna get. Maybe someone sets Odo straight? Maybe Quark has enough and breaks it off? But then Odo has to actually get Quark to date him for real.
Things I love here are where Odo is very much in the wrong and has to apologise to Quark, or save Quark, or look after Quark, or... well, you get the idea. Quark cuddles please, and if you hurt him, please hug him better!
Red Dwarf
Relationship: Arnold Rimmer/David Lister
Speaking of pairings I've loved for years... oh, my poor teenaged heart. I heart these two so much. Again, my go-to loves are characters being unexpectedly heroic, showing unexpected feelings, and first times... so you'll see plenty of that in the prompts!
1) Let me get the smut out of the way first - the terrorformed moon has so many interesting and angsty possibilities! I will never tire of that setting.
2) Maybe something set in S10-S12? All those years, and they still haven't managed to work through their messed up feelings, and something changes. What?
3) Make Rimmer hurt. That's it, that's the prompt. Maybe someone is trying to get information on Lister whereabouts out of him, maybe they want him to do something - whatever it is, it's objectionable enough that he'd rather be hurt than give in, which is SO out of character that when he is eventually rescued, QUESTIONS are asked.
4) Make Rimmer hurt - part 2! What if the damage to his programme wasn't so easily fixed? Or something else happens where Lister is suddenly confronted with the realisation that he might lose Rimmer... and there will be no 'other' Rimmer to suddenly appear and fill that void. Or - having lost Rimmer once, twice, numerous times - he's not able to go through that again.
Basically anything where their mutual agreement to ignore their changing relationship is challenged in some way would be amazing.
Thank you so much for writing for me! I can't wait to read my gift!
Thank you so much for writing for me! I am sure that I will be thrilled by whatever you write, and I cannot wait to unwrap it. I've included a copy of my sign-up below, as well as some further thoughts and prompts that I hope will be helpful. My overall position though is to please write what you feel comfortable with - I would much rather receive something that you enjoyed creating! So if you're looking at a ship I've requested and are thinking "good god WHY" then good news - I love gen just as much as shippiness! And I love canon a WHOLE lot. So I will always be happy with missing scenes, intense confrontations, emotionally fraught yet still unspoken encounters, family!fic, enemies forced to work together, h/c and a dozen other tropes that wouldn't be out of place on our screens.
I've requested fanfiction for my sign-up, however if you are an artist, vidder or podcaster who is passing by and feels inspired by any of the below and is generous enough to consider a treat, then please be assured that 1) I will love it, 2) I will love it, and 3) I will really love it! (As a side note to any remixers, podcasters and other creators, I have given blanket permission on my AO3 profile for transformations and remixes of my work, so should you want to, please do feel free to create whatever art inspires you!)
Some general likes and dislikes:
I love complexity in relationships, and I've picked relationships which have some element of conflict. I love that conflict. I love characters being asshats to each other, characters making the wrong choices and there being consequences, characters having to go out on a limb or to offer support to someone they don't have a good relationship with. I love enemies to lovers or at least enemies to slightly friendlier enemies, unlikely bedfellows and team-as-family. I love shippiness and gen and character portraits and worldbuilding.
DNWs: I'd rather not receive a PWP - the complexity of the characters is one of the things I love about them, so I'd definitely love something which showcases their personalities. That's not to say that smuttiness is not welcome, but please do add lashings of plot or character development as well! If you do go down the shippy or smutty route, please no non-con between the characters (although some have complex and potentially abuse-containing backstories, so references to that is fine). I really love the canon of each of the things I requested so please no AUs - e.g. "everyone is a merman", "High School AU" or ABO or anything like that - although I'm perfectly happy with canon divergence (where character A makes a different choice or things work out slightly differently than what we see on screen). I do tend to love all of canon so if characters are already in a committed relationship on screen I'd rather you didn't make their canonical other half the bad guy - feel free to handwave an open relationship if appropriate or a split if that makes more sense.
To the prompts!
Babylon 5
Relationship: G'Kar/Londo Mollari
Relationship: G'Kar & Londo Mollari
You can tell that I love these two! I find their character arcs fascinating, and there is of course something so beautiful and tragic about what they each lose. I've put some prompts below but honestly I would be happy with whatever you come up with for them!
1) S5 Londo /& G'Kar on Centauri Prime. Interactions with the other nobles? Does G'Kar really sleep at the foot of Londo's bed the entire time? How is that explained to the various courtiers and servants that see only a single bed? How would Londo handle insults against G'Kar? And does no one on Centauri Prime really not recognise G'Kar as one of the founding Alliance representatives?
2) S4 post escape from Cartagia. Londo obviously wants to make overtures to G'Kar, and he is rebuffed quite soundly. But eventually they must end up on the same page - certainly enough for them to be socialising by the end of the season - so how do they get there? What does Londo do differently that makes G'Kar more amenable to spending time with him? What's G'Kar's internal thought process on this?
3) S4 pre-escape from Cartagia. G'Kar is very mistreated. Does Londo make any attempt to ease his pain? What happens after Cartagia is dead and Londo et al are packing up to leave? Are the Narns really ok with their oppressors just leaving like this was a bad condo choice and there being no violent repercussions (even knowing that's a bad idea)?? Where does G'Kar go after he walks out of Cartagia's court? Does he even know that the plan to kill Cartagia succeeded until the retreat is announced? I HAVE QUESTIONS.
4) S3 the Refa assassination holy shit. How the hell did Londo come up with that plan, and what on earth made him think to approach G'Kar with it? Why would G'Kar agree to meet with him anyway?? WHAT IS GOING ON THERE.
If you want to go down a shippy route, I'd love it if you preserved the complexity of their relationship - even right at the end when so much has been resolved, they have SO MANY layers - and the knowledge of what is happening around them in canon. I love their snark, their mutual recriminations, the tragedy of their arcs (especially Londo's) and their complexity. I love world-building, both of Babylon 5 and of Centauri Prime. I love missing scenes, the conversations we never got to see, the drama that was happening when the camera was elsewhere. I love ALL of it!
Star Trek: Voyager
Relationship: The Doctor/Tom Paris
I am fascinated by how poorly the Doctor views Tom Paris! They spend a lot of time together and everyone else seems to warm up to him and yet the Doctor just... doesn't. Why is that? What could prompt him to change that perspective? Clearly somewhere along the line they become friendlier, but due to what? Although this is listed as shippy, some of my prompts have the Doctor in his capacity as physician, so if you feel more comfortable writing friendship rather than romance I am perfectly happy with that! If you are going down the shippy route, I'd prefer a first time or getting together fic (or pre-slash) rather than established relationship.
1) The Doctor's bedside manner is... terrible. He's brusque, he doesn't have time for people, and he doesn't offer much in the way of support. If you have someone on the road to recovery, that's fine. But what if someone (i.e. Tom) was more seriously injured and/or developed an illness or infection or something that was a longer process, that caused him more pain and required a softer approach. How would the Doctor deal with a Tom Paris who actually requires a softer approach? Would he get it wrong? Would someone have to correct him? Or would he be able to figure out a better relationship there?
2) What happens when they get back to Earth? Is it everything that they all hoped it would be? Having one of them be in peril and the other stick up for them would be delightful.
3) The classic "hurt a character to make the other character cooperate". Maybe the Doctor is (again) kidnapped by people who want to keep him, and they use Tom as the insurance to get him to cooperate.
4) Make the two of them agree on something - and disagree with the rest of the crew? Or have Tom stick up for the Doctor!
5) 30 days in solitary confinement??? What the hell. I am still so mad. Maybe the Doctor is monitoring Tom, ready to intervene if it looks like his mental health is deteriorating. Maybe he doesn't get it right, who knows, and then the aftermath of that - would Tom be able to trust that the Doctor has his best interests at heart? How would they get over that?
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Relationship: Odo/Quark
I love these two, and I will never get tired of reading 'getting together' or first time fics for them. I'm also interested in the whole mess of S6 and Odo essentially screwing over Quark for the female Founder. (Note - I requested this pairing for another fest so have used a lot of the same prompts - my previous letter where I wax rhapsodical about this pairing is here.)
1) Building on the above, Quark calling out Odo for his abandonment of Rom during the Dominion war. Bonus points for Odo realising he loves Quark more or less around the same time as Quark is tearing into him. How would that work in either a committed relationship (holy partner betrayal Batman!) or in a relationship on the cusp of consummating? How the hell did Odo get Quark to forgive him?
2) Injured Quark! Things keep happening to him that eventually make Odo suspect he's being targeted by someone which means Odo has to keep an eye on Quark without Quark knowing about it (& protect him, even if it's from himself).
3) Someone figures out that if they kidnap Quark, they can pretty much lean on Odo. How does Quark react to this? How does Odo, knowing he now has a weakness?
4) Odo decides he wants to learn about sex, he figures Quark would be willing to teach him in return for oomox. This is not a good situation for Quark who wants a whole lot more from Odo but figures this is what he's gonna get. Maybe someone sets Odo straight? Maybe Quark has enough and breaks it off? But then Odo has to actually get Quark to date him for real.
Things I love here are where Odo is very much in the wrong and has to apologise to Quark, or save Quark, or look after Quark, or... well, you get the idea. Quark cuddles please, and if you hurt him, please hug him better!
Red Dwarf
Relationship: Arnold Rimmer/David Lister
Speaking of pairings I've loved for years... oh, my poor teenaged heart. I heart these two so much. Again, my go-to loves are characters being unexpectedly heroic, showing unexpected feelings, and first times... so you'll see plenty of that in the prompts!
1) Let me get the smut out of the way first - the terrorformed moon has so many interesting and angsty possibilities! I will never tire of that setting.
2) Maybe something set in S10-S12? All those years, and they still haven't managed to work through their messed up feelings, and something changes. What?
3) Make Rimmer hurt. That's it, that's the prompt. Maybe someone is trying to get information on Lister whereabouts out of him, maybe they want him to do something - whatever it is, it's objectionable enough that he'd rather be hurt than give in, which is SO out of character that when he is eventually rescued, QUESTIONS are asked.
4) Make Rimmer hurt - part 2! What if the damage to his programme wasn't so easily fixed? Or something else happens where Lister is suddenly confronted with the realisation that he might lose Rimmer... and there will be no 'other' Rimmer to suddenly appear and fill that void. Or - having lost Rimmer once, twice, numerous times - he's not able to go through that again.
Basically anything where their mutual agreement to ignore their changing relationship is challenged in some way would be amazing.
Thank you so much for writing for me! I can't wait to read my gift!