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Yuletide 2024
Oct. 17th, 2024 04:51 amHello, writer, or treat-er! Thank you so much for embarking on this excellent journey. I look forward to reading whatever you choose to give me, but if you’re looking for a sense of my tastes, here you go! You can also find me on AO3 at Mousek.
DNWs:
Fic where sex is the focus. Sex is fine, not PWP please - it’s really just not my thing.
On-screen physical assault. Violence and battles, I’m fine with! Bring on the swords, martial arts, and blasters. But I don’t like people getting cornered and abused/similar situations.
Things I love:
Experimental nonsense (and experimental not-nonsense). Truly, go wild with your formatting and push the boundaries of what a linear “story” could be. I’ll be thrilled.
Worldbuilding. While I’d be happy to get an AU, I would much prefer an exploration of the canon world!
Playing with formatting - epistolary, interactive fiction, script format, news article style, overheard conversations, fairy-tale style, take this as your second go-ahead to do something absolutely wild.
“Found documents” - by which I mean the lore, campfire stories, songs, and poetry that one would find in the world. Always Coming Home style, if you’ve read that.
Mission fic
Gen (ie, no romance)
Ace characters, regardless of whether they are in canon
Trans/nonbinary characters, regardless of whether they are in canon (although I prefer it if the fic isn’t focused on issues caused by them being trans).
Polyamory
Missing scenes/post-canon
Things written in the style of the original media
Meditations on the concept of “home,” and thoughts on how adventure and home work together
Found family, chosen family, family aggressively created.
Mini challenge opt-ins:
Before I start, please do not take this list as a limit. These are things I’m very excited about, but it does NOT mean that you should not write something for a challenge I didn’t specifically select! Please do it!!
Wrapping Paper (Art)
Interactive Fiction
Chromatic Yuletide (characters of color)
Queering the Tide
TransTide
So now: fandom-specific thoughts! As well as prompts for each - feel free to use them or do something else!
The Strange Case of Starship Iris (podcast)
Characters: Any
I love all of these characters. I would love something written in the style of an episode, or something unconventional (for fanfic), so something like mission reports, daily ship’s log, voicemails - any of that would be super exciting for me! I’m also curious about what remnants of Violet’s past IGR life still remain? What remnants of any of their lives still exist and influence their behavior? Something about Brian Jeeter’s linguistic skills or Violet’s biology skills being critical to the mission would also be super cool. Or something about Brian and/or Krejjh's interactions with Krejjh's bio family. Honestly any of the team being highly competent at their respective fields gets to me. I’d also love anything about any of their pasts - they all had such fascinating lives!
Tress of the Emerald Sea (Brandon Sanderson)
Characters: Tress
The fairytale vibe of this story drew me in and hooked me immediately, as did the fascinating world. And Tress is a wonderful protagonist - she doesn’t think she’s anything special, but she absolutely is!! I picked just the one character because I wanted to leave as many options open for you as possible. Maybe it’s a pre-canon story about her life on the island! Maybe it’s a scene from her time on the ship! Maybe she’s meeting new and fascinating people from new and fascinating different places! I’m in this story partly for Tress as a character (learning! growing! finding her place and family!!) and partly for the worldbuilding, so feel free to go far afield with new and different things she might be seeing/experiencing.
Monk and Robot (Becky Chambers)
Characters: Any
These stories are a very quick read, and absolutely worth it.
The solarpunk, hopeful world here heals my soul. It’s the kind of thing that we could do, that we should do, that people are working towards!! I’d love to see more about how the different towns live, or more of Dex’s time travelling as a tea monk, or more stories that Dex tells Mosscap. Or more stories that Mosscap tells Dex! Mosscap has a very different experience than Dex, but still has so much knowledge to share. Maybe it’s a story about Mosscap before leaving to meet Dex - what was going on in the world of the robots, or what was there to observe and learn about? Or maybe it’s about Mosscap after getting that part fixed/replaced. How does this impact robot culture? How do the robots react to it? Is there a subset of robot culture that now acquires new parts, whether for themselves or to augment new robots?
Chants of Senaar (video game)
Characters: Any
In my experience, this game takes about 10 hours of playtime, so if you're interested, you should do it!
There are so many small worldbuilding aspects of this game that we see briefly and are left with questions about. Any of them would make a great story - show me something new in this world! What’s going on around/behind/before/after our traveler’s experience? Some suggestions:
What’s going on with the rebellion in the bard’s district?
More about the Prophet and the religion of that district
Interactions between two peoples after they meet
The alchemists and/or warriors with the Monster
17776 (online story)
Characters: Nine and/or Ten
If you haven't read this before, it'll take about an hour or two and be so worth your time!
I just read this the other week, finally, and it made me feel such a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s such a strange future combination of success and complacency. I’d love to read more of Nine and Ten talking, or of them watching a game, or talking to people. The strange games that humans have come up with are so cool - what are some others? What are more of Nine’s questions? What are these wonderful robots feeling? How do they feel about other human traditions - be it holidays or education or art or more thoughts on religion?
As a side note, I’m a whitewater kayaker and have at some points worked in the medical system, so the nanos fascinate me. How do they play out when people are doing something deliberately dangerous? How do they play out if, for example, people are boxing, and throwing punches? What’s left for doctors to do?
One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston
Characters: Any
Somehow McQuiston always knows exactly what I need. In this case, it was a happy queer magic romance. I am so down for happy queer magic romance. I also would love to read more about the pancake shop, or the other people that Jane must have interacted with on the train. A series of vignettes with people she meets - either before or after she can retain memories? A series of vignettes about people August or Jane meet at the pancake house? Just the fun times everyone living in those apartments has? Or the inevitable we-will-help-each-other-out that happens in queer communities like theirs - either emotionally or materially?
My partner and I - not too different from August and Jane - also somewhat-accidentally acquired a queer 17 year old a year or two ago. I believe there’s a term for this amongst kidfics, but I’m not sure what it is. What would happen if a queer teen just dropped into their household/laps?
DNWs:
Fic where sex is the focus. Sex is fine, not PWP please - it’s really just not my thing.
On-screen physical assault. Violence and battles, I’m fine with! Bring on the swords, martial arts, and blasters. But I don’t like people getting cornered and abused/similar situations.
Things I love:
Experimental nonsense (and experimental not-nonsense). Truly, go wild with your formatting and push the boundaries of what a linear “story” could be. I’ll be thrilled.
Worldbuilding. While I’d be happy to get an AU, I would much prefer an exploration of the canon world!
Playing with formatting - epistolary, interactive fiction, script format, news article style, overheard conversations, fairy-tale style, take this as your second go-ahead to do something absolutely wild.
“Found documents” - by which I mean the lore, campfire stories, songs, and poetry that one would find in the world. Always Coming Home style, if you’ve read that.
Mission fic
Gen (ie, no romance)
Ace characters, regardless of whether they are in canon
Trans/nonbinary characters, regardless of whether they are in canon (although I prefer it if the fic isn’t focused on issues caused by them being trans).
Polyamory
Missing scenes/post-canon
Things written in the style of the original media
Meditations on the concept of “home,” and thoughts on how adventure and home work together
Found family, chosen family, family aggressively created.
Mini challenge opt-ins:
Before I start, please do not take this list as a limit. These are things I’m very excited about, but it does NOT mean that you should not write something for a challenge I didn’t specifically select! Please do it!!
Wrapping Paper (Art)
Interactive Fiction
Chromatic Yuletide (characters of color)
Queering the Tide
TransTide
So now: fandom-specific thoughts! As well as prompts for each - feel free to use them or do something else!
The Strange Case of Starship Iris (podcast)
Characters: Any
I love all of these characters. I would love something written in the style of an episode, or something unconventional (for fanfic), so something like mission reports, daily ship’s log, voicemails - any of that would be super exciting for me! I’m also curious about what remnants of Violet’s past IGR life still remain? What remnants of any of their lives still exist and influence their behavior? Something about Brian Jeeter’s linguistic skills or Violet’s biology skills being critical to the mission would also be super cool. Or something about Brian and/or Krejjh's interactions with Krejjh's bio family. Honestly any of the team being highly competent at their respective fields gets to me. I’d also love anything about any of their pasts - they all had such fascinating lives!
Tress of the Emerald Sea (Brandon Sanderson)
Characters: Tress
The fairytale vibe of this story drew me in and hooked me immediately, as did the fascinating world. And Tress is a wonderful protagonist - she doesn’t think she’s anything special, but she absolutely is!! I picked just the one character because I wanted to leave as many options open for you as possible. Maybe it’s a pre-canon story about her life on the island! Maybe it’s a scene from her time on the ship! Maybe she’s meeting new and fascinating people from new and fascinating different places! I’m in this story partly for Tress as a character (learning! growing! finding her place and family!!) and partly for the worldbuilding, so feel free to go far afield with new and different things she might be seeing/experiencing.
Monk and Robot (Becky Chambers)
Characters: Any
These stories are a very quick read, and absolutely worth it.
The solarpunk, hopeful world here heals my soul. It’s the kind of thing that we could do, that we should do, that people are working towards!! I’d love to see more about how the different towns live, or more of Dex’s time travelling as a tea monk, or more stories that Dex tells Mosscap. Or more stories that Mosscap tells Dex! Mosscap has a very different experience than Dex, but still has so much knowledge to share. Maybe it’s a story about Mosscap before leaving to meet Dex - what was going on in the world of the robots, or what was there to observe and learn about? Or maybe it’s about Mosscap after getting that part fixed/replaced. How does this impact robot culture? How do the robots react to it? Is there a subset of robot culture that now acquires new parts, whether for themselves or to augment new robots?
Chants of Senaar (video game)
Characters: Any
In my experience, this game takes about 10 hours of playtime, so if you're interested, you should do it!
There are so many small worldbuilding aspects of this game that we see briefly and are left with questions about. Any of them would make a great story - show me something new in this world! What’s going on around/behind/before/after our traveler’s experience? Some suggestions:
What’s going on with the rebellion in the bard’s district?
More about the Prophet and the religion of that district
Interactions between two peoples after they meet
The alchemists and/or warriors with the Monster
17776 (online story)
Characters: Nine and/or Ten
If you haven't read this before, it'll take about an hour or two and be so worth your time!
I just read this the other week, finally, and it made me feel such a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s such a strange future combination of success and complacency. I’d love to read more of Nine and Ten talking, or of them watching a game, or talking to people. The strange games that humans have come up with are so cool - what are some others? What are more of Nine’s questions? What are these wonderful robots feeling? How do they feel about other human traditions - be it holidays or education or art or more thoughts on religion?
As a side note, I’m a whitewater kayaker and have at some points worked in the medical system, so the nanos fascinate me. How do they play out when people are doing something deliberately dangerous? How do they play out if, for example, people are boxing, and throwing punches? What’s left for doctors to do?
One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston
Characters: Any
Somehow McQuiston always knows exactly what I need. In this case, it was a happy queer magic romance. I am so down for happy queer magic romance. I also would love to read more about the pancake shop, or the other people that Jane must have interacted with on the train. A series of vignettes with people she meets - either before or after she can retain memories? A series of vignettes about people August or Jane meet at the pancake house? Just the fun times everyone living in those apartments has? Or the inevitable we-will-help-each-other-out that happens in queer communities like theirs - either emotionally or materially?
My partner and I - not too different from August and Jane - also somewhat-accidentally acquired a queer 17 year old a year or two ago. I believe there’s a term for this amongst kidfics, but I’m not sure what it is. What would happen if a queer teen just dropped into their household/laps?
Yuletide 2022
Oct. 16th, 2022 02:52 pmHello, writer, or treat-er! Thank you so much for embarking on this excellent journey. I look forward to reading whatever you choose to give me, but if you’re looking for a sense of my tastes, here you go! You can also find me on AO3 at Mousek.
DNWs:
Fic where sex is the focus. Sex is fine, not PWP please - its' really just not my thing.
On-screen physical assault. Violence and battles, I’m fine with! Bring on the swords, martial arts, and blasters. But I don’t like people getting cornered and abused/similar situations. Similarly, torture is ok if that’s where you go!
Things I love:
Worldbuilding. While I’d be happy to get an AU, I would much prefer an exploration of the canon world!
Playing with formatting - epistolary, script format, news article style, overheard conversations, fairy-tale style, take this as your go-ahead to do something absolutely wild. I’m sure I’ll love it.
“Found documents” - by which I mean the lore, campfire stories, songs, and poetry that one would find in the world. Always Coming Home style, if you’ve read that.
Mission fic
Gen
Ace characters, regardless of whether they are in canon
Trans/nonbinary characters, regardless of whether they are in canon (although I prefer it if the fic isn’t focused on issues caused by them being trans).
Missing scenes/post-canon
Things written in the style of the original media
More thoughts:
I’ve been spending a lot of my time lately thinking about the concept of home, often revolving around this quote from The Dispossessed: “You can go home again, the General Temporal Theory asserts, so long as you understand that home is a place where you have never been.” Explorations around the concept of home, how characters find one, what that means for them to leave and return and find new homes and lose old ones will probably make me cry. Go for it. I'm building a new home, a new (chosen) family, right now, and I think it's wonderful. Also the quote "Life is a voyage that's homeward bound." (both adventure and home... how well they work together).
So now: fandom-specific thoughts! As well as prompts for each - feel free to use them or do something else!
Islander - Anderson/Melton:
Characters: Any
This musical is my absolute favorite musical, ever. It's atmospheric, and gorgeous, and the two actresses (yes, just two!) are incredible. But also the characters, setting, and magical realism vibes are so fascinating. Tell me more about them! Do the two ever meet again? What is life on the traveling island like? How are things for the whales?
Also a brief pitch: if you like any of the following, please go listen right now. In addition to the soundtrack, there is a bbc radio version. If you can't find it, talk to me on discord Mouse#6387
- the ocean
- a rural community changing, and grappling with that change, in a modern world
- mythology
- whales
- absolutely gorgeous music
- Character growth and development
The Strange Case of Starship Iris:
Characters: Any
I love all of these characters. I would love something written in the style of an episode, or something unconventional (for fanfic), so something like mission reports, daily ship’s log, voicemails - any of that would be super exciting for me! I’m also curious about what remnants of Violet’s past IGR life still remain? What remnants of any of their lives still exist and influence their behaviour? Something about Brian Jeeter’s linguistic skills or Violet’s biology skills being critical to the mission would also be super cool. Or something about Brian and/or Krejjh's interactions with Krejjh's bio family. Honestly any of the team being highly competent at their respective fields gets to me and any of the team being huge, oblivious social dorks (*cough* see: Violet and Arkady *cough*) also gets to me. They’re all so good at their things but they can still be so, so bad at others.
L'Oréal "Time Engraver" Commercials:
Characters: Any
Did not expect to find a short film in the commercials section of Yuletide, but here we are. This is exactly the kind of worldbuilding that gets to me. Tell me more about Time. Tell me more about what he does, what he thinks, how he feels about the people he sees over the course of their lives. Talk to me about what it's like not to age. Talk to me about what it's like to see the world over the course of millennia through the brief snapshots of these people. Does Time work on other species too? Is he watching the whales suffer - the lobsters, the trees, the forests? Does he work on ecosystems as a whole, the succession of species as a forest rebuilds?
One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston
Characters: Any
Somehow McQuiston always knows exactly what I need. In this case, it was a happy queer magic romance. I am so down for happy queer magic romance. I also would love to read more about the pancake shop, or the other people that Jane must have interacted with on the train. A series of vignettes with people she meets - either before or after she can retain memories? A series of vignettes about people August or Jane meet at the pancake house? Just the fun times everyone living in those apartments has? Or the inevitable we-will-help-each-other-out that happens in queer communities like theirs - either emotionally or materially?
Paradises Lost - Ursula K. Le Guin
Characters: Any
I'm interested in Hsing and Luis, of course. Their thoughts and emotions before and after landing on the new planet. Their thoughts about the discovery of the imminent arrival. I'm also interested in what happens on the ship after it departs the planet, and the cult of Bliss (in any time period).
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid
Characters: Any
This was an incredible story. I loved the exploration of how Evelyn handled her body, and her ownership of it. She was willing to use it to get what she wanted, and that was okay! That was a form of consent! Incredible. She also had a very matter-of-fact view of the truth, morality, and what is and is not acceptable that I love.
I also would love anything about Celia, her journey into queerness, her personal growth, her decisions about chasing what she wanted. I also love her relationship with Harry (and Celia's) and would be thrilled to see more about them helping each other out. They've all ended up in some tough spots. And what's all of their relationship like with Connor? How do they parent her together, separately, with all of their baggage and all of their love?
DNWs:
Fic where sex is the focus. Sex is fine, not PWP please - its' really just not my thing.
On-screen physical assault. Violence and battles, I’m fine with! Bring on the swords, martial arts, and blasters. But I don’t like people getting cornered and abused/similar situations. Similarly, torture is ok if that’s where you go!
Things I love:
Worldbuilding. While I’d be happy to get an AU, I would much prefer an exploration of the canon world!
Playing with formatting - epistolary, script format, news article style, overheard conversations, fairy-tale style, take this as your go-ahead to do something absolutely wild. I’m sure I’ll love it.
“Found documents” - by which I mean the lore, campfire stories, songs, and poetry that one would find in the world. Always Coming Home style, if you’ve read that.
Mission fic
Gen
Ace characters, regardless of whether they are in canon
Trans/nonbinary characters, regardless of whether they are in canon (although I prefer it if the fic isn’t focused on issues caused by them being trans).
Missing scenes/post-canon
Things written in the style of the original media
More thoughts:
I’ve been spending a lot of my time lately thinking about the concept of home, often revolving around this quote from The Dispossessed: “You can go home again, the General Temporal Theory asserts, so long as you understand that home is a place where you have never been.” Explorations around the concept of home, how characters find one, what that means for them to leave and return and find new homes and lose old ones will probably make me cry. Go for it. I'm building a new home, a new (chosen) family, right now, and I think it's wonderful. Also the quote "Life is a voyage that's homeward bound." (both adventure and home... how well they work together).
So now: fandom-specific thoughts! As well as prompts for each - feel free to use them or do something else!
Islander - Anderson/Melton:
Characters: Any
This musical is my absolute favorite musical, ever. It's atmospheric, and gorgeous, and the two actresses (yes, just two!) are incredible. But also the characters, setting, and magical realism vibes are so fascinating. Tell me more about them! Do the two ever meet again? What is life on the traveling island like? How are things for the whales?
Also a brief pitch: if you like any of the following, please go listen right now. In addition to the soundtrack, there is a bbc radio version. If you can't find it, talk to me on discord Mouse#6387
- the ocean
- a rural community changing, and grappling with that change, in a modern world
- mythology
- whales
- absolutely gorgeous music
- Character growth and development
The Strange Case of Starship Iris:
Characters: Any
I love all of these characters. I would love something written in the style of an episode, or something unconventional (for fanfic), so something like mission reports, daily ship’s log, voicemails - any of that would be super exciting for me! I’m also curious about what remnants of Violet’s past IGR life still remain? What remnants of any of their lives still exist and influence their behaviour? Something about Brian Jeeter’s linguistic skills or Violet’s biology skills being critical to the mission would also be super cool. Or something about Brian and/or Krejjh's interactions with Krejjh's bio family. Honestly any of the team being highly competent at their respective fields gets to me and any of the team being huge, oblivious social dorks (*cough* see: Violet and Arkady *cough*) also gets to me. They’re all so good at their things but they can still be so, so bad at others.
L'Oréal "Time Engraver" Commercials:
Characters: Any
Did not expect to find a short film in the commercials section of Yuletide, but here we are. This is exactly the kind of worldbuilding that gets to me. Tell me more about Time. Tell me more about what he does, what he thinks, how he feels about the people he sees over the course of their lives. Talk to me about what it's like not to age. Talk to me about what it's like to see the world over the course of millennia through the brief snapshots of these people. Does Time work on other species too? Is he watching the whales suffer - the lobsters, the trees, the forests? Does he work on ecosystems as a whole, the succession of species as a forest rebuilds?
One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston
Characters: Any
Somehow McQuiston always knows exactly what I need. In this case, it was a happy queer magic romance. I am so down for happy queer magic romance. I also would love to read more about the pancake shop, or the other people that Jane must have interacted with on the train. A series of vignettes with people she meets - either before or after she can retain memories? A series of vignettes about people August or Jane meet at the pancake house? Just the fun times everyone living in those apartments has? Or the inevitable we-will-help-each-other-out that happens in queer communities like theirs - either emotionally or materially?
Paradises Lost - Ursula K. Le Guin
Characters: Any
I'm interested in Hsing and Luis, of course. Their thoughts and emotions before and after landing on the new planet. Their thoughts about the discovery of the imminent arrival. I'm also interested in what happens on the ship after it departs the planet, and the cult of Bliss (in any time period).
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid
Characters: Any
This was an incredible story. I loved the exploration of how Evelyn handled her body, and her ownership of it. She was willing to use it to get what she wanted, and that was okay! That was a form of consent! Incredible. She also had a very matter-of-fact view of the truth, morality, and what is and is not acceptable that I love.
I also would love anything about Celia, her journey into queerness, her personal growth, her decisions about chasing what she wanted. I also love her relationship with Harry (and Celia's) and would be thrilled to see more about them helping each other out. They've all ended up in some tough spots. And what's all of their relationship like with Connor? How do they parent her together, separately, with all of their baggage and all of their love?
Yuletide 2021!
Oct. 20th, 2021 08:50 amHello, writer! Thank you so much for embarking on this excellent journey. I look forward to reading whatever you choose to give me, but if you’re looking for a sense of my tastes, because here you go! You can also find me on AO3 at Mousek.
DNWs:
Fic where sex is the focus. I don’t enjoy reading about sex. I’m here for cuddles, kissing, making out even, but sex just isn’t for me. I don’t want to stifle your creativity, so if it’s speaking to you in a minor way, go for it. But please not the main point of the fic!
On-screen physical assault. Violence and battles, I’m fine with! Bring on the swords, martial arts, and blasters. But I don’t like people getting cornered and abused/similar situations. Similarly, torture is ok if that’s where you go!
Pregnancy
Things I love:
Worldbuilding. While I’d be happy to get an AU, I would much prefer an exploration of the canon world!
Playing with formatting - epistolary, script format, news article style, overheard conversations, fairy-tale style, take this as your go-ahead to do something absolutely wild. I’m sure I’ll love it.
“Found documents” - by which I mean the lore, campfire stories, songs, and poetry that one would find in the world. Always Coming Home style, if you’ve read that.
Mission fic
Gen
Ace characters, regardless of whether they are in canon
Trans/nonbinary characters, regardless of whether they are in canon (although I prefer it if the fic isn’t focused on issues caused by them being trans).
Missing scenes/post-canon
Things written in the style of the original media
More thoughts:
I’ve been spending a lot of my time lately thinking about the concept of home, often revolving around this quote from The Dispossessed: “You can go home again, the General Temporal Theory asserts, so long as you understand that home is a place where you have never been.” Explorations around the concept of home, how characters find one, what that means for them to leave and return and find new homes and lose old ones will probably make me cry. Go for it.
So now: fandom-specific thoughts! As well as prompts for each - feel free to use them or do something else!
Starless:
Characters: Worldbuilding
I loved this book for the worldbuilding and for the gods, so I would love an exploration of that. What are the gods doing that we don’t see? What would a meeting between Brother Saan and Pahrkun look like? What are the relationships like amongst the gods? What are some of the stories Khai and Zariya would collect?
The Night Circus:
Characters: Any
The prose of this book was gorgeous, and I loved the way each “exhibit” built a mood. The relationship between the characters was less important to me, but still cool. You could write about a new exhibit, or a new rêveur. Someone new experiencing the circus for the first time.
Stormlight Archives:
Characters: Any
I’m obsessed with the Cosmere. The magic systems, the way he talks about the world, the worldbuilding, all the characters… anything you give me will be delightful. I’m particularly fond of Lift and her relationship with her spren and the relationship between Kaladin, Shallan, and Adolin (can these three get their polyamorous asses together? Seriously.) Also: Navani. BIG things happening with her at the end of the last book… what’s next for her?
Expert Judgement on Markers to Deter Inadvertent Human Intrusion…
Characters: Any
This is my five-minute fandom of the year. You can read the canon, but I HIGHLY recommend reading this fic instead/in addition: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8887861 (The Green Cats of Desolation City by Serenade).
I love the way fics for this canon can play with the passage of time. What will we lose and what will we gain over the upcoming thousands of years? What culture, what technology, what stories? How will the people of the now protect those of the future, when all of these things may have changed? If you’ve read Always Coming Home by Le Guin (which you may have, if you matched me on either/both of her books below) that could be a cool vibe for this fic - a sort of cultural anthropology of the future text. The stories and poems and songs of a new world.
The Dispossessed:
Characters: Any
Home!! The concept of it. Shevek’s future. A post-canon what-comes-next. My thoughts on the top stand for this text, and then stand again double. Or you could tell me a story of Odo, or of someone far in the future after Shevek is gone.
The Left Hand of Darkness:
Characters: Any
This book is begging for an analysis of queerness, gender, and sexuality. How do those themes play out in the cultural canon of this world? How do they play out in academia? How would these characters handle some sort of large-scale disaster?
DNWs:
Fic where sex is the focus. I don’t enjoy reading about sex. I’m here for cuddles, kissing, making out even, but sex just isn’t for me. I don’t want to stifle your creativity, so if it’s speaking to you in a minor way, go for it. But please not the main point of the fic!
On-screen physical assault. Violence and battles, I’m fine with! Bring on the swords, martial arts, and blasters. But I don’t like people getting cornered and abused/similar situations. Similarly, torture is ok if that’s where you go!
Pregnancy
Things I love:
Worldbuilding. While I’d be happy to get an AU, I would much prefer an exploration of the canon world!
Playing with formatting - epistolary, script format, news article style, overheard conversations, fairy-tale style, take this as your go-ahead to do something absolutely wild. I’m sure I’ll love it.
“Found documents” - by which I mean the lore, campfire stories, songs, and poetry that one would find in the world. Always Coming Home style, if you’ve read that.
Mission fic
Gen
Ace characters, regardless of whether they are in canon
Trans/nonbinary characters, regardless of whether they are in canon (although I prefer it if the fic isn’t focused on issues caused by them being trans).
Missing scenes/post-canon
Things written in the style of the original media
More thoughts:
I’ve been spending a lot of my time lately thinking about the concept of home, often revolving around this quote from The Dispossessed: “You can go home again, the General Temporal Theory asserts, so long as you understand that home is a place where you have never been.” Explorations around the concept of home, how characters find one, what that means for them to leave and return and find new homes and lose old ones will probably make me cry. Go for it.
So now: fandom-specific thoughts! As well as prompts for each - feel free to use them or do something else!
Starless:
Characters: Worldbuilding
I loved this book for the worldbuilding and for the gods, so I would love an exploration of that. What are the gods doing that we don’t see? What would a meeting between Brother Saan and Pahrkun look like? What are the relationships like amongst the gods? What are some of the stories Khai and Zariya would collect?
The Night Circus:
Characters: Any
The prose of this book was gorgeous, and I loved the way each “exhibit” built a mood. The relationship between the characters was less important to me, but still cool. You could write about a new exhibit, or a new rêveur. Someone new experiencing the circus for the first time.
Stormlight Archives:
Characters: Any
I’m obsessed with the Cosmere. The magic systems, the way he talks about the world, the worldbuilding, all the characters… anything you give me will be delightful. I’m particularly fond of Lift and her relationship with her spren and the relationship between Kaladin, Shallan, and Adolin (can these three get their polyamorous asses together? Seriously.) Also: Navani. BIG things happening with her at the end of the last book… what’s next for her?
Expert Judgement on Markers to Deter Inadvertent Human Intrusion…
Characters: Any
This is my five-minute fandom of the year. You can read the canon, but I HIGHLY recommend reading this fic instead/in addition: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8887861 (The Green Cats of Desolation City by Serenade).
I love the way fics for this canon can play with the passage of time. What will we lose and what will we gain over the upcoming thousands of years? What culture, what technology, what stories? How will the people of the now protect those of the future, when all of these things may have changed? If you’ve read Always Coming Home by Le Guin (which you may have, if you matched me on either/both of her books below) that could be a cool vibe for this fic - a sort of cultural anthropology of the future text. The stories and poems and songs of a new world.
The Dispossessed:
Characters: Any
Home!! The concept of it. Shevek’s future. A post-canon what-comes-next. My thoughts on the top stand for this text, and then stand again double. Or you could tell me a story of Odo, or of someone far in the future after Shevek is gone.
The Left Hand of Darkness:
Characters: Any
This book is begging for an analysis of queerness, gender, and sexuality. How do those themes play out in the cultural canon of this world? How do they play out in academia? How would these characters handle some sort of large-scale disaster?
