Dear Potential Yuletide Treater 2023
Nov. 19th, 2023 03:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
doranwenIf you're looking at this interested in writing me something, please know that I will be most appreciative for any size treat you are able to write. I didn't feel that I could commit to signing up this year, and while I was happy to take a pinch hit, I knew that would not guarantee me any gift.
I've tried to help you out by describing what I love about each fandom and/or character, and I've written a few prompts in case you find them useful, but if you come up with something of your own, please write what you think will work best! I've been wonderfully surprised by fics that I never would have thought of in a million years but which were absolutely amazing.
I once made up a 101 favorite tropes list (in no particular order), so feel free to make use of those if any of them get your muse going: https://doranwen.dreamwidth.org/240453.html
Besides those tropes, here are my general likes:
- deep platonic friendship / romantic friendship / nonsexual romance
- found families / teamfic
- apocalyptic / survival fic
- hurt/comfort / characters dealing with trauma / nonsexual physical touch (including cuddling)
- characters being vulnerable / character redemption
- positive treatment of religion
- trust building / friendship
- missing scenes
- canon divergence AU (especially fix-it fic)
- soulmates (as long as requested pair of characters are soulmates with each other)
- crossovers with fandoms I know (see list further down in this letter)
- any trope on this list: https://doranwen.dreamwidth.org/240453.html
DNWs:
- modern politics
- COVID-19 or pandemics
- onscreen sex / focus on sex (fade-to-black please!)
- supernatural/fantasy beings (elves outside of LOTR, vampires, werewolves, gnomes, zombies, etc.)
- AUs other than canon divergence or alt beginnings (i.e. no coffee shop AUs)
- gore / graphic violence (mild/medium violence is OK, just not as graphic as a surgery documentary)
- noncanonical death of canon characters or horror
- dark endings (happy or bittersweet endings only, please!)
- unrequested identity headcanons (gender/sexuality/etc.)
- calling an adult "baby" or "darling" ("sweetheart" works if you need a substitute)
- mpreg, A/B/O, genderswap, ageplay of any kind
- crack (nothing deliberately wacky)
- profanity (I'd rather see a mention that the character swore than read the word they actually said)
- 1st/2nd person
- unprompted noncanonical relationships between characters
- crossovers with fandoms I don't know
Opt-ins I'm OK with, if they should arise as part of the story you are writing:
- noncon & aftermath (this overrides the onscreen sex DNW)
- underage (please keep them teens at minimum, and observe the no onscreen sex DNW)
- het pregnancy
- characters being parents
- child abuse of any kind (as long as it's not the requested characters doing the abusing)
If writing a romantic friendship, I'd prefer the line be drawn at forehead/cheek kisses and cuddles; please reserve lip kisses for sexual relationships.
If a prompt requires something that's listed as a DNW, please follow the prompt rather than the DNW, such as prompts for soulmates, etc. :)
Also, if choosing between writing the characters as true to themselves as you can, vs. writing a particular trope or prompt, I'd prefer you to keep the characters true to themselves.
If you're crossover-inclined, here's a list of fandoms you could cross with the requested ones (besides, of course, any of my other requests):
1-800-Missing (TV) - love Jess, Brooke, and Sunny so much
Flood (2007) - love Sam and Rob, and Patricia and Leonard, and I might be slightly shippy with those two pairs…
Gold Diggers (1995) - I love Beth and Jody, and their friendship (which I'm happy turning into a romantic friendship)
Leverage (original only, I haven't watched Redemption nor is it canon to me, lol) - I ship Nate/Sophie, and like the younger three either as completely platonic or Eliot/Parker (not Hardison/Parker or OT3, please)
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman - Lois/Clark are my favs, though I also enjoy S1 Jimmy (I always picture him in stories I read, rather than the actor from S2+)
Lord of the Rings - books only, please; I prefer canon ships in all respects
The Pretender - Jarod and Miss Parker are my favs and my OTP
Push (2009) - am such a Nick/Cassie fan, and I'm OK with underage here, as I see Cassie as the driving force behind it
Rizzoli & Isles (TV) - Jane and Maura are fantastic; I headcanon Jane as asexual and Maura as probably bi, and love them in a romantic friendship
Smallville - S1-S3 only, am a Clark/Chloe fan and not into Erica Durance's Lois, nor any of the magic stuff that came in S4
Stick It (2006) - I love Haley, lol
Sue Thomas F.B.Eye - Myles and Tara are my favs (I ship them), but I adore Sue/Jack too
Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010) - I'm not sure exactly how you'd cross something like this with any of my requests, but I love the whole idea of it, even (Ellie is my favorite character, with Robyn a close second)
X-Men movieverse - original two films only, please; I ship Scott/Ororo, Scott/Rogue, Scott/Kitty, Logan/Rogue, or Kitty/Pete (don't have any OTPs here, lol)
Please don't worry if someone's written a similar idea before. My first real fandom was one where people used to write a dozen versions of the same TV ep, and I loved reading them all. There are never too many versions of the same story, in my opinion. Everyone comes at it differently and I'll enjoy it no matter what!
And now to the requests (in the order they appear in the tagset):
Earth Girl Series - Janet Edwards
Basic premise: Jarra is one of the Handicapped, someone whose immune system can't survive on any of humanity's thousand worlds except for Earth. She's grown up as one of the many Handicapped who were abandoned by their parents, raised as a ward of Earth. She's used to hearing slurs in the media, and she's sick of non-Handicapped thinking she's somehow less than human just because her immune system is faulty. So she's going to find a way to prove it to them… and in the process ends up turning her life upside down and changing the universe. Several of the characters who are greatly affected by her actions are Drago Tell Dramis (her cousin of some variety), Riak Torrek (a man who is her nonbiological grandfather), and Gemelle Tell Feren (her sister).
This is an awesome YA sci-fi trilogy! I love just about everything about it - the premise, the characters… The worldbuilding is fascinating and I found the slang growing on me over time. (I started thinking things like "utter nardle", lol.) The pictures above may only show the initial trilogy, but I have read every short story and novella as well and I love them!
Jarra is such an unreliable observer. She misses emotional things and has a limited viewpoint because of the way she's grown up. She really has no idea just how much she's impacted some people's lives, I feel like.
So for this request, I would love to see any of the events in the series from one of these three character's POVs, or just something that touches on that. You don't need to include all three in a fic; I'm happy with fic focused on just one of them! I would prefer no canon divergence for this fandom, and it would be very difficult to include all three in a single fic canonically anyway. Also, no crossovers with this fandom, please. :)
Prompts by tag:
Drago Tell Dramis
From the Hera 2781 short story, we know Jaxon was planning to tell Drago about Jarra. I'd love to see that conversation! Or at what point does Drago learn that they recruited Jarra into the military? Did he have conversations with Jaxon or anyone else about the time he met her? Or even later on, when she's being attacked, or undergoing the operation. We hear Fian's POV in the Earth Prime collection; if you've read it, maybe you want to write Drago's side of the story about what happened when they bonded as brothers? There are so many ways that Jarra's impacted Drago's life, but we don't get to see much of his thoughts towards her, as the only Drago POV stories existing canonically have very little of Jarra, if at all.
Riak Torrek
I'm not quite as interested about his thoughts towards Jarra in the early years, when she was born, though he surely would have known about her being Handicapped. But I would LOVE to see some of his thoughts about her when he first meets her. Does he discuss her with anyone else? Like, did he exchange messages with her parents about meeting her? Did he talk with Jaxon? What was his thought process in recruiting her for the Military and did he discuss that with anyone? Was there a very interesting "conversation" with some of his underlings when he found out Jarra was undergoing an operation that could kill her? So many questions, so few answers!
Gemelle Tell Feren
Of the characters I'm requesting, Gemelle is the one we see the LEAST of - she doesn't appear at all in Jarra's books! There's mention of "impersonal recorded messages" being exchanged, but that's all. Jarra doesn't even know what her sister is up to until Riak discusses it with her in the novella in Earth Prime. I would love to see Gemelle's reaction to any and all of the events in the series, or show me some of the behind-the-scenes things referenced in that conversation in the novella! (I'm trying not to be blatant about what that is if you haven't had the chance to read it yet. If that's the case, please avoid writing Gemelle as you may end up contradicting canon unwittingly. Focusing on Drago or Riak should work just fine as long as you avoid referencing what she's up to after the events of Earth Star.)
Jarra Tell Morrath
Jarra is such an unreliable observer. She misses emotional things and has a limited viewpoint because of the way she's grown up. She really has no idea just how much she's impacted some people's lives, I feel like. Since we see all the canon events through her eyes, I'd love AUs! What if - when Jarra tried the portal option at age 14 - they found they HAD made a mistake, and she was normal-born? What if her parents (probably with a few others) somehow survived the attack by the carnivore species and lost their ability to communicate with the rest of Planet First - and were only discovered at the point Jarra goes to Fortuna? What if Drago somehow DOES run into Jarra on Earth, totally by accident? All of these have been written to some extent, but I'd dearly love to see another take on the ideas!
combinations of the above
There are a ton of chances for Riak and Drago to have conversations, both before and after Alien Contact is activated; I would love to see any of them! And I'd love to see a conversation between Drago and Gemelle somewhere in the series; the best timing is probably right around the conversation with Riak mentioned in Earth Prime. And, of course, I would love to see that conversation between Riak and Gemelle that was mentioned in "The End, and the New Beginning".
Where to find canon: Pretty much any book or ebook site you look at.
Worldweavers - Alma Alexander
Basic premise: Galathea Winthrop (aka Thea) is a Double Seventh, a seventh child of seventh children. This should mean she's good at something really special, right? Except she can't do magic at all. And Ars Magica is part of the curriculum of every school in the entire nation—except for one: the Wandless Academy (which is sometimes called the Last Ditch School for the Incurably Incompetent). But between a summer school (with a class of one) like no other, and various unusual events, Thea begins to discover the gifts she has never known she had. Oh, and save the world in the process.
I'd really love more of Thea's story, particularly after the books end. I'd love to see more of her time at Amford; does she make friends with any other students? Does she get sucked into more adventures? Does she keep frustrating Humphrey May? Does she create anything really special in her life? Like the Elemental houses, for instance. Something that no one else could do. (Would prefer the fic not center on her relationship with Corey at all.)
But I'd also love worldbuilding! The worldbuilding the author did is just genius. The sheer idea of a world where Ars Magica is part of the entire school curriculum—really, where magic is so woven into the way things happen in the entire world that coffeeshops use spells to keep people's orders straight, you can buy a spell to keep gardens tidy, and a magic allergy is extremely life-threatening. Oh, and throw in the feral libraries, with elevators that act like four-year-olds! I fell in love with the world with that part. Just pure awesomeness! I also enjoy that part of it is set in my region of the US (the Pacific Northwest).
So if worldbuilding appeals, I'd love something about the education system, from a child starting their first Ars Magica classes to the creation of the Wandless Academy. I'm a math teacher, and the mention of mathemagic, spell-solving of equations, and fractionators had me wishing I could see more of those. Or write something about magic run amok, like feral libraries, or magic as used in crimes and criminal justice, etc. Or explore some of the other types of magic (the ones mentioned in the list of all the things they tried in order to find Thea's magic). Or maybe something with society setup, like the Federal Bureau of Magic, or how it's integrated into the everyday lives of people (note the bit in the first book about people not using cars much due to portals, slipways, transfigurations…), even as regards to having magic allergies (the medical profession would be interesting!) Use whatever you know well. I'm not into most sports (the only exception is Olympic gymnastics or ice skating which I watched back in the '90s, mainly) or fashion, but I'll find just about any other industry fascinating; I like complex systems and how they work. The world of Worldweavers feels familiar but there are so many interesting changes!
I'd prefer nothing set during the books themselves, and if focusing on Thea, would prefer it's not set during her childhood, but any time before or after works for worldbuilding fic. Feel free to create OCs as you need to flesh out the world.
I like how Thea's friends grow over time, and you can throw them in if you want, but I'd prefer that the fic not focus on them. I'm less interested in the Anasazi, Grandmother Spider/Tawaha/etc., Tesla and all of that; feel free to leave them out. I'd prefer if the fic not focus on the other polities (Alphiri, Faele, Dwarrowrim), as they're called in the books.
Also, this fandom is EXTREMELY crossable, both as pure crossovers and as fusion. I'd be absolutely delighted with either one, with any of the other fandoms I've requested or mentioned in my crossovers list. Feel free to be creative!
Where to find canon: The author's website links to the four books on Amazon or you can buy the ebooks on Smashwords.
Cybergeddon (Web Series)
Basic premise: FBI Special Agent Chloe Jocelyn (played by Missy Peregrym) is framed for cybercrimes she didn't commit, and has to go on the run to prove her innocence and save the world.
This is like a hacker version of The Fugitive (I'm told it's reminiscent of 24 as well). Missy Peregrym is amazing in this role with a great range - physical, emotional, etc. She sells her character so well and really makes you feel along with her. While I'm not crazy about the Norton ad aspects of the series (and I think they kind of forgot that Linux is a lot better protected than Windows in general), the rest of it is fantastic and well worth watching.
I loved this partly because I'm a bit of a geek myself. While not a hacker, I do run a version of Linux as my main OS on several computers, and I'm not afraid of the command line. If you aren't a techie person, don't worry, there are some prompts below that you can write without needing to know a lot of techie stuff.
I just want more of Chloe, really, so all my ideas below follow that in some way:
Early years: We know she was hacking at age 17, what's the story behind that and how that "went away"? How did her relationship with her mother get so bad?
Pre-canon: How'd she get to joining the FBI for cybercrimes work? Or show me how they decided on her becoming Yelena and what she had to go through to pull it off.
Missing scenes: There's an enormous gap between her saving the world and the scene in the new office. Show me some of the aftermath - we see power grids going out, we're told elevators all over fell, and we know planes went down. How much, how bad? I'd love to see Chloe's reaction to all of that, especially since nearly everyone saw her face and probably has figured out she was connected to it in some way. Or show me the conversation between her and Donna regarding Chloe's innocence and what was really happening. There was way too much that happened between her mother's hug and her look at the new office that we didn't see, and I'd love some of that fleshed out!
Post-canon: Show me Chloe taking down Gustov permanently somehow, or a conversation dealing with her having kissed Rabbit. I'm not fond of her relationship with Frank, so I'd be delighted if you felt like changing canon and having her turn down resuming a relationship with him (I don't feel like they're close enough for her to give up her dreams for him). Is she reinstated to the FBI as canon indicates or does she end up on the run again for some reason? Also, given that everyone knows her face (and what a context, too!), how does that affect her life?
I got the awesomest treat for this fandom a couple years ago but I love the canon so much I want more!
Where to find canon:
The company itself (as far as I can tell!) edited the webisodes into a single film and posted it here. Or you can find the DVD at the US Amazon.
Rookie Blue
This show is my biggest "why didn't you watch this sooner????" because the fandom is pretty much dead now, and I missed out on so much… I watched Stick It years ago and loved Missy Peregrym in that, but for some inexplicable reason waited until 2018 to watch Rookie Blue. I was hooked from the first couple episodes and watched all 74 in two weeks. :D All the drama, the emotion, the romance, the angst… (And SO MUCH AU POTENTIAL. Seriously. Feel free to AU this all over the place.)
I love Sam and Andy so much—I am totally team McSwarek. I ship Gail with Dov or Luke (not into Gail/Chris, Gail/Nick, or Gail/Holly), but there are a few Gail/Luke fics out there and almost no Gail/Dov ones, so give me the Gail/Dov! You can do what you want with Chris and Traci. I love Noelle and Oliver but am not a fan of Celery. I'm ambivalent about Chloe (I like her but not the whole Wes thing) and don't really care for Juliet or Marlo (who would've been much better if they hadn't used the bipolar thing in the way they did). My favorite seasons with Rookie Blue are S1 and S2, up until where Sam goes undercover.
I'm happy with either pair, so prompts are grouped that way:
Sam Swarek, Andy McNally
These two were meant for each other from day one, and I think it was obvious to anyone watching the pilot. Of course, the show mangled the process of getting them there, but hey, that's what fic is for, right?
And all the tropes are the best here. A few I thought would be particularly appropriate: Accidental baby acquisition, accidental marriage, amnesia (whether the affected person recovers the memories or not), canon divergence, captured together, forced proximity/sharing body heat, hurt/comfort (of just about any kind), in denial and forced to confront feelings, everyone thinks they're together, on the run together, outsider pov, unplanned pregnancy, secret relationship, sharing a bed, soulbond/soulmates, survival, telepathy, time travel (permanently stick Andy in the body of her past self and have her redo things much better this time, lol), undercover as a couple… See my MFTF 2021 letter for expanded prompts on any of those tropes if you want it.
Gail Peck, Dov Epstein
Dov is really the perfect person for Gail, as he's got enough snark to stand up to her if he decides to, and he is still genuine enough to really touch her inside.
The list of trope ideas for these two is a bit smaller than Sam/Andy: accidental marriage (just imagine Gail's reaction, LOL), canon divergence, defrosting ice queen, fake/pretend relationship for the job, forced proximity/sharing body heat, hurt/comfort, in denial and forced to confront feelings, sharing a bed, telepathy, time travel (this time stick Dov - before he meets Chloe - back in the body of his S2 self and have him do it right with Gail)
If one of these sparks an idea, thank you very much! :D
I've tried to help you out by describing what I love about each fandom and/or character, and I've written a few prompts in case you find them useful, but if you come up with something of your own, please write what you think will work best! I've been wonderfully surprised by fics that I never would have thought of in a million years but which were absolutely amazing.
I once made up a 101 favorite tropes list (in no particular order), so feel free to make use of those if any of them get your muse going: https://doranwen.dreamwidth.org/240453.html
Besides those tropes, here are my general likes:
- deep platonic friendship / romantic friendship / nonsexual romance
- found families / teamfic
- apocalyptic / survival fic
- hurt/comfort / characters dealing with trauma / nonsexual physical touch (including cuddling)
- characters being vulnerable / character redemption
- positive treatment of religion
- trust building / friendship
- missing scenes
- canon divergence AU (especially fix-it fic)
- soulmates (as long as requested pair of characters are soulmates with each other)
- crossovers with fandoms I know (see list further down in this letter)
- any trope on this list: https://doranwen.dreamwidth.org/240453.html
DNWs:
- modern politics
- COVID-19 or pandemics
- onscreen sex / focus on sex (fade-to-black please!)
- supernatural/fantasy beings (elves outside of LOTR, vampires, werewolves, gnomes, zombies, etc.)
- AUs other than canon divergence or alt beginnings (i.e. no coffee shop AUs)
- gore / graphic violence (mild/medium violence is OK, just not as graphic as a surgery documentary)
- noncanonical death of canon characters or horror
- dark endings (happy or bittersweet endings only, please!)
- unrequested identity headcanons (gender/sexuality/etc.)
- calling an adult "baby" or "darling" ("sweetheart" works if you need a substitute)
- mpreg, A/B/O, genderswap, ageplay of any kind
- crack (nothing deliberately wacky)
- profanity (I'd rather see a mention that the character swore than read the word they actually said)
- 1st/2nd person
- unprompted noncanonical relationships between characters
- crossovers with fandoms I don't know
Opt-ins I'm OK with, if they should arise as part of the story you are writing:
- noncon & aftermath (this overrides the onscreen sex DNW)
- underage (please keep them teens at minimum, and observe the no onscreen sex DNW)
- het pregnancy
- characters being parents
- child abuse of any kind (as long as it's not the requested characters doing the abusing)
If writing a romantic friendship, I'd prefer the line be drawn at forehead/cheek kisses and cuddles; please reserve lip kisses for sexual relationships.
If a prompt requires something that's listed as a DNW, please follow the prompt rather than the DNW, such as prompts for soulmates, etc. :)
Also, if choosing between writing the characters as true to themselves as you can, vs. writing a particular trope or prompt, I'd prefer you to keep the characters true to themselves.
If you're crossover-inclined, here's a list of fandoms you could cross with the requested ones (besides, of course, any of my other requests):
1-800-Missing (TV) - love Jess, Brooke, and Sunny so much
Flood (2007) - love Sam and Rob, and Patricia and Leonard, and I might be slightly shippy with those two pairs…
Gold Diggers (1995) - I love Beth and Jody, and their friendship (which I'm happy turning into a romantic friendship)
Leverage (original only, I haven't watched Redemption nor is it canon to me, lol) - I ship Nate/Sophie, and like the younger three either as completely platonic or Eliot/Parker (not Hardison/Parker or OT3, please)
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman - Lois/Clark are my favs, though I also enjoy S1 Jimmy (I always picture him in stories I read, rather than the actor from S2+)
Lord of the Rings - books only, please; I prefer canon ships in all respects
The Pretender - Jarod and Miss Parker are my favs and my OTP
Push (2009) - am such a Nick/Cassie fan, and I'm OK with underage here, as I see Cassie as the driving force behind it
Rizzoli & Isles (TV) - Jane and Maura are fantastic; I headcanon Jane as asexual and Maura as probably bi, and love them in a romantic friendship
Smallville - S1-S3 only, am a Clark/Chloe fan and not into Erica Durance's Lois, nor any of the magic stuff that came in S4
Stick It (2006) - I love Haley, lol
Sue Thomas F.B.Eye - Myles and Tara are my favs (I ship them), but I adore Sue/Jack too
Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010) - I'm not sure exactly how you'd cross something like this with any of my requests, but I love the whole idea of it, even (Ellie is my favorite character, with Robyn a close second)
X-Men movieverse - original two films only, please; I ship Scott/Ororo, Scott/Rogue, Scott/Kitty, Logan/Rogue, or Kitty/Pete (don't have any OTPs here, lol)
Please don't worry if someone's written a similar idea before. My first real fandom was one where people used to write a dozen versions of the same TV ep, and I loved reading them all. There are never too many versions of the same story, in my opinion. Everyone comes at it differently and I'll enjoy it no matter what!
And now to the requests (in the order they appear in the tagset):
Earth Girl Series - Janet Edwards
Basic premise: Jarra is one of the Handicapped, someone whose immune system can't survive on any of humanity's thousand worlds except for Earth. She's grown up as one of the many Handicapped who were abandoned by their parents, raised as a ward of Earth. She's used to hearing slurs in the media, and she's sick of non-Handicapped thinking she's somehow less than human just because her immune system is faulty. So she's going to find a way to prove it to them… and in the process ends up turning her life upside down and changing the universe. Several of the characters who are greatly affected by her actions are Drago Tell Dramis (her cousin of some variety), Riak Torrek (a man who is her nonbiological grandfather), and Gemelle Tell Feren (her sister).
This is an awesome YA sci-fi trilogy! I love just about everything about it - the premise, the characters… The worldbuilding is fascinating and I found the slang growing on me over time. (I started thinking things like "utter nardle", lol.) The pictures above may only show the initial trilogy, but I have read every short story and novella as well and I love them!
Jarra is such an unreliable observer. She misses emotional things and has a limited viewpoint because of the way she's grown up. She really has no idea just how much she's impacted some people's lives, I feel like.
So for this request, I would love to see any of the events in the series from one of these three character's POVs, or just something that touches on that. You don't need to include all three in a fic; I'm happy with fic focused on just one of them! I would prefer no canon divergence for this fandom, and it would be very difficult to include all three in a single fic canonically anyway. Also, no crossovers with this fandom, please. :)
Prompts by tag:
Drago Tell Dramis
From the Hera 2781 short story, we know Jaxon was planning to tell Drago about Jarra. I'd love to see that conversation! Or at what point does Drago learn that they recruited Jarra into the military? Did he have conversations with Jaxon or anyone else about the time he met her? Or even later on, when she's being attacked, or undergoing the operation. We hear Fian's POV in the Earth Prime collection; if you've read it, maybe you want to write Drago's side of the story about what happened when they bonded as brothers? There are so many ways that Jarra's impacted Drago's life, but we don't get to see much of his thoughts towards her, as the only Drago POV stories existing canonically have very little of Jarra, if at all.
Riak Torrek
I'm not quite as interested about his thoughts towards Jarra in the early years, when she was born, though he surely would have known about her being Handicapped. But I would LOVE to see some of his thoughts about her when he first meets her. Does he discuss her with anyone else? Like, did he exchange messages with her parents about meeting her? Did he talk with Jaxon? What was his thought process in recruiting her for the Military and did he discuss that with anyone? Was there a very interesting "conversation" with some of his underlings when he found out Jarra was undergoing an operation that could kill her? So many questions, so few answers!
Gemelle Tell Feren
Of the characters I'm requesting, Gemelle is the one we see the LEAST of - she doesn't appear at all in Jarra's books! There's mention of "impersonal recorded messages" being exchanged, but that's all. Jarra doesn't even know what her sister is up to until Riak discusses it with her in the novella in Earth Prime. I would love to see Gemelle's reaction to any and all of the events in the series, or show me some of the behind-the-scenes things referenced in that conversation in the novella! (I'm trying not to be blatant about what that is if you haven't had the chance to read it yet. If that's the case, please avoid writing Gemelle as you may end up contradicting canon unwittingly. Focusing on Drago or Riak should work just fine as long as you avoid referencing what she's up to after the events of Earth Star.)
Jarra Tell Morrath
Jarra is such an unreliable observer. She misses emotional things and has a limited viewpoint because of the way she's grown up. She really has no idea just how much she's impacted some people's lives, I feel like. Since we see all the canon events through her eyes, I'd love AUs! What if - when Jarra tried the portal option at age 14 - they found they HAD made a mistake, and she was normal-born? What if her parents (probably with a few others) somehow survived the attack by the carnivore species and lost their ability to communicate with the rest of Planet First - and were only discovered at the point Jarra goes to Fortuna? What if Drago somehow DOES run into Jarra on Earth, totally by accident? All of these have been written to some extent, but I'd dearly love to see another take on the ideas!
combinations of the above
There are a ton of chances for Riak and Drago to have conversations, both before and after Alien Contact is activated; I would love to see any of them! And I'd love to see a conversation between Drago and Gemelle somewhere in the series; the best timing is probably right around the conversation with Riak mentioned in Earth Prime. And, of course, I would love to see that conversation between Riak and Gemelle that was mentioned in "The End, and the New Beginning".
Where to find canon: Pretty much any book or ebook site you look at.
Worldweavers - Alma Alexander
Basic premise: Galathea Winthrop (aka Thea) is a Double Seventh, a seventh child of seventh children. This should mean she's good at something really special, right? Except she can't do magic at all. And Ars Magica is part of the curriculum of every school in the entire nation—except for one: the Wandless Academy (which is sometimes called the Last Ditch School for the Incurably Incompetent). But between a summer school (with a class of one) like no other, and various unusual events, Thea begins to discover the gifts she has never known she had. Oh, and save the world in the process.
I'd really love more of Thea's story, particularly after the books end. I'd love to see more of her time at Amford; does she make friends with any other students? Does she get sucked into more adventures? Does she keep frustrating Humphrey May? Does she create anything really special in her life? Like the Elemental houses, for instance. Something that no one else could do. (Would prefer the fic not center on her relationship with Corey at all.)
But I'd also love worldbuilding! The worldbuilding the author did is just genius. The sheer idea of a world where Ars Magica is part of the entire school curriculum—really, where magic is so woven into the way things happen in the entire world that coffeeshops use spells to keep people's orders straight, you can buy a spell to keep gardens tidy, and a magic allergy is extremely life-threatening. Oh, and throw in the feral libraries, with elevators that act like four-year-olds! I fell in love with the world with that part. Just pure awesomeness! I also enjoy that part of it is set in my region of the US (the Pacific Northwest).
So if worldbuilding appeals, I'd love something about the education system, from a child starting their first Ars Magica classes to the creation of the Wandless Academy. I'm a math teacher, and the mention of mathemagic, spell-solving of equations, and fractionators had me wishing I could see more of those. Or write something about magic run amok, like feral libraries, or magic as used in crimes and criminal justice, etc. Or explore some of the other types of magic (the ones mentioned in the list of all the things they tried in order to find Thea's magic). Or maybe something with society setup, like the Federal Bureau of Magic, or how it's integrated into the everyday lives of people (note the bit in the first book about people not using cars much due to portals, slipways, transfigurations…), even as regards to having magic allergies (the medical profession would be interesting!) Use whatever you know well. I'm not into most sports (the only exception is Olympic gymnastics or ice skating which I watched back in the '90s, mainly) or fashion, but I'll find just about any other industry fascinating; I like complex systems and how they work. The world of Worldweavers feels familiar but there are so many interesting changes!
I'd prefer nothing set during the books themselves, and if focusing on Thea, would prefer it's not set during her childhood, but any time before or after works for worldbuilding fic. Feel free to create OCs as you need to flesh out the world.
I like how Thea's friends grow over time, and you can throw them in if you want, but I'd prefer that the fic not focus on them. I'm less interested in the Anasazi, Grandmother Spider/Tawaha/etc., Tesla and all of that; feel free to leave them out. I'd prefer if the fic not focus on the other polities (Alphiri, Faele, Dwarrowrim), as they're called in the books.
Also, this fandom is EXTREMELY crossable, both as pure crossovers and as fusion. I'd be absolutely delighted with either one, with any of the other fandoms I've requested or mentioned in my crossovers list. Feel free to be creative!
Where to find canon: The author's website links to the four books on Amazon or you can buy the ebooks on Smashwords.
Cybergeddon (Web Series)
Basic premise: FBI Special Agent Chloe Jocelyn (played by Missy Peregrym) is framed for cybercrimes she didn't commit, and has to go on the run to prove her innocence and save the world.
This is like a hacker version of The Fugitive (I'm told it's reminiscent of 24 as well). Missy Peregrym is amazing in this role with a great range - physical, emotional, etc. She sells her character so well and really makes you feel along with her. While I'm not crazy about the Norton ad aspects of the series (and I think they kind of forgot that Linux is a lot better protected than Windows in general), the rest of it is fantastic and well worth watching.
I loved this partly because I'm a bit of a geek myself. While not a hacker, I do run a version of Linux as my main OS on several computers, and I'm not afraid of the command line. If you aren't a techie person, don't worry, there are some prompts below that you can write without needing to know a lot of techie stuff.
I just want more of Chloe, really, so all my ideas below follow that in some way:
Early years: We know she was hacking at age 17, what's the story behind that and how that "went away"? How did her relationship with her mother get so bad?
Pre-canon: How'd she get to joining the FBI for cybercrimes work? Or show me how they decided on her becoming Yelena and what she had to go through to pull it off.
Missing scenes: There's an enormous gap between her saving the world and the scene in the new office. Show me some of the aftermath - we see power grids going out, we're told elevators all over fell, and we know planes went down. How much, how bad? I'd love to see Chloe's reaction to all of that, especially since nearly everyone saw her face and probably has figured out she was connected to it in some way. Or show me the conversation between her and Donna regarding Chloe's innocence and what was really happening. There was way too much that happened between her mother's hug and her look at the new office that we didn't see, and I'd love some of that fleshed out!
Post-canon: Show me Chloe taking down Gustov permanently somehow, or a conversation dealing with her having kissed Rabbit. I'm not fond of her relationship with Frank, so I'd be delighted if you felt like changing canon and having her turn down resuming a relationship with him (I don't feel like they're close enough for her to give up her dreams for him). Is she reinstated to the FBI as canon indicates or does she end up on the run again for some reason? Also, given that everyone knows her face (and what a context, too!), how does that affect her life?
I got the awesomest treat for this fandom a couple years ago but I love the canon so much I want more!
Where to find canon:
The company itself (as far as I can tell!) edited the webisodes into a single film and posted it here. Or you can find the DVD at the US Amazon.
Rookie Blue
This show is my biggest "why didn't you watch this sooner????" because the fandom is pretty much dead now, and I missed out on so much… I watched Stick It years ago and loved Missy Peregrym in that, but for some inexplicable reason waited until 2018 to watch Rookie Blue. I was hooked from the first couple episodes and watched all 74 in two weeks. :D All the drama, the emotion, the romance, the angst… (And SO MUCH AU POTENTIAL. Seriously. Feel free to AU this all over the place.)
I love Sam and Andy so much—I am totally team McSwarek. I ship Gail with Dov or Luke (not into Gail/Chris, Gail/Nick, or Gail/Holly), but there are a few Gail/Luke fics out there and almost no Gail/Dov ones, so give me the Gail/Dov! You can do what you want with Chris and Traci. I love Noelle and Oliver but am not a fan of Celery. I'm ambivalent about Chloe (I like her but not the whole Wes thing) and don't really care for Juliet or Marlo (who would've been much better if they hadn't used the bipolar thing in the way they did). My favorite seasons with Rookie Blue are S1 and S2, up until where Sam goes undercover.
I'm happy with either pair, so prompts are grouped that way:
Sam Swarek, Andy McNally
These two were meant for each other from day one, and I think it was obvious to anyone watching the pilot. Of course, the show mangled the process of getting them there, but hey, that's what fic is for, right?
And all the tropes are the best here. A few I thought would be particularly appropriate: Accidental baby acquisition, accidental marriage, amnesia (whether the affected person recovers the memories or not), canon divergence, captured together, forced proximity/sharing body heat, hurt/comfort (of just about any kind), in denial and forced to confront feelings, everyone thinks they're together, on the run together, outsider pov, unplanned pregnancy, secret relationship, sharing a bed, soulbond/soulmates, survival, telepathy, time travel (permanently stick Andy in the body of her past self and have her redo things much better this time, lol), undercover as a couple… See my MFTF 2021 letter for expanded prompts on any of those tropes if you want it.
Gail Peck, Dov Epstein
Dov is really the perfect person for Gail, as he's got enough snark to stand up to her if he decides to, and he is still genuine enough to really touch her inside.
The list of trope ideas for these two is a bit smaller than Sam/Andy: accidental marriage (just imagine Gail's reaction, LOL), canon divergence, defrosting ice queen, fake/pretend relationship for the job, forced proximity/sharing body heat, hurt/comfort, in denial and forced to confront feelings, sharing a bed, telepathy, time travel (this time stick Dov - before he meets Chloe - back in the body of his S2 self and have him do it right with Gail)
If one of these sparks an idea, thank you very much! :D
