skieswideopen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
skieswideopen) wrote2024-01-03 10:25 pm
skieswideopen) wrote2024-01-03 10:25 pm
Entry tags:
Dear CandyHeartsEx Author
Dear Candyheartsex Author,
Thank you so much for writing for me! I'm so excited to read what you write.
My letter includes some general likes and dislikes, along with the prompts I included in my sign-up. If that's more than you need, please feel free to skip the letter and just use my sign-up as a starting point. If it's not enough, trying scroll back through the "dear author" tag, because most of these are fandoms I've requested before.
I'm![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
skieswideopen at AO3 as well, and I love treats.
Requested Fandoms: Cleopatra Fox Mysteries | Covert Affairs | Signora Volpe | Star Trek: Discovery
Things I Like:
* Competence. So much love for watching competent characters be competent!
* Secrets coming out, by choice, chance, or necessity.
* Equal partnerships in romantic relationships.
* Brief moments of emotional vulnerability from generally stoic or reserved characters.
* Heroic characters being heroic: doing the right thing, saving people, sacrificing themselves for others, etc.
* Stories that pick up dropped plot threads.
* Stories that explore how characters respond to unexpected situations.
* First times of various kinds (first kiss, first date, first night together, first day on the job, etc.).
* Forced proximity (handcuffed together, snowed in, trapped together in an elevator, etc.).
* Truth serum/in vino veritas/midnight confessions. (See my love of secrets coming out.)
* Undercover as a couple (or spontaneously posing as a couple to avoid detection).
* Post-apocalyptic, trapped-in-the-wilderness or mid-disaster survival scenarios.
* Time loops and dealing with the consequences when the loop ends.
* Time loops or time travel where our heroes try to prevent disaster.
* Heading home for weddings, funerals, high school reunions, holidays, etc. Alternately, family or old friends showing up.
Things I Don't Want:
* AUs that alter the setting, premise, or initial character backgrounds, unless otherwise noted. (Canon divergence is fine.)
* A/B/O.
* 24/7 BDSM.
* Unrequested poly unless it occurs in canon.
* Infidelity in a requested relationship, either the two of them cheating on each other or either one cheating on someone else in order to be together, unless it occurs in canon. (Infidelity in other contexts is fine.)
* Significant permanent mental or physical injuries to requested characters that don't occur in canon, especially any sort of maiming or amputation. (However, killing major characters is fine unless otherwise noted.)
* Any reference to current real-world U.S. politics or the war in the Middle East.
Other Things:
* I'm flexible on both genre and rating: plot-driven, character-driven, action, introspection, casefic, slice of life ... it's all good. So is anything from G to E. If you're interested in explicit sex, I prefer the sort moves the plot forward or that reveals something about the character(s).
* I'm fine with character death, including main and requested characters, unless otherwise noted. (I have noted it here for a couple of fandoms; see the specific requests.)
* Background non-con is fine if it's helpful for the story, but I'd rather not receive a story that focuses on the rape of a requested character. I am, however, perfectly fine with fluffy dubcon of the sort where external forces lead to their doing something they wanted to do anyway but didn't/couldn't because of Reasons (or because they just hadn't gotten around to it yet).
* I'm okay with references to the pandemic.
* I'm not a big fan of explicit torture or gore.
* I generally prefer happy, hopeful, and bittersweet endings to utterly bleak ones.
* I dislike plots that revolve around misunderstandings that could be cleared up with a simple conversation or that hinge on characters making foolish mistakes that they wouldn't make in canon.
Cleopatra Fox Mysteries
Requested Relationship: Harry Armitage/Cleopatra Fox
I love the coziness of Cleo's life in her family's hotel, and her determination to live life on her own terms, while also acknowledging the limits placed on her by her social position and the time period. And Harry is startlingly perfect, as well as being both admirably and frustratingly proper.
Cleo and Harry have a very will-they/won't-they relationship, with lots of very good period-specific reasons they can't get together. Those reasons are all perfectly valid in the context of the books, but for this exchange, I'd love to see them move straight to "yes, they will and they do."
Maybe something happens to reconcile Cleo's aunt and uncle to the match. Maybe Harry and Cleo get carried away after a difficult or near-death experience and then have to deal with the consequences. ("Carried away" could mean multiple things in this context; feel free to interpret it as you wish.) Maybe they have to find a clever way to save Cleo's reputation after a case puts them in an awkward situation. Maybe they decide to elope, without worrying about family approval. Or how about a five-things fic, like five times Harry and Cleo kissed?
Additional DNWs: I like the cozy nature of this particular fandom, so I'd rather neither Harry nor Cleo die, unless it's far-future old-age type of death. Everyone else is fair game, however.
Covert Affairs
Requested Relationship: Eyal Lavin/Annie Walker
Annie and Eyal are both ridiculously competent, with the multiple languages and the impressive undercover skills. I love their banter, their easy ability to keep up with each other in the field, and the minor, often complementary, differences in how they do things: Eyal's professional ruthlessness vs. Annie's empathy, Eyal's careful planning vs. Annie's tendency to play it by ear. I also really enjoyed Eyal's tendency to take care of Annie, cooking for her and tending to her injuries and generally looking out for her safety, without ever questioning her competence or trying to stop her from doing her job.
After all the flirting and near-romantic moments, I'd enjoy seeing how they finally get together. Feel free to embrace the tropes here! Undercover as a couple and it turns real? A near-miss or faked death leads Annie to realize how she feels and admit it to Eyal? An inconvenient encounter with truth serum leads to a confession and reciprocation? They get stuck in a time loop and eventually fall in love and get married in one of the loops, only to have it end right after? They're held prisoner together, and afterwards realize they can't live without each other? Or run with something more specific to the show. Complicated one-night stands and ongoing relationships are both welcome.
Alternately, jump ahead a bit and show what their life together might look like if they did find a way to be together. Do they both quit and start their own security business? Do they sail off into the sunset on Eyal's boat (with visits back to Israel for Avi)? Do they try to find a way to have it all, work and relationship?
Note: There are a few geopolitical obstacles to their being together as long as they work for their respective agencies. Those can be addressed or ignored as you like. If you're going post-series, feel free to have Eyal's reconciliation with Ronit and Annie's relationship with Ryan McQuaid either not work out or never happen.
Signora Volpe
Requested Relationship: Sylvia Fox/Giovanni Riva
This is another show about two smart, highly competent people who develop an appreciation for the other's professional skills. I particularly like the fact that Giovanni isn't threatened by Sylvia's skills, though he's sometimes concerned for her safety. I'd love to a glimpse into how their relationship develops, or maybe learn a little more about who they are and how their pasts have shaped them: case fic, or a quiet evening together, or whispered secrets, or a weekend away, or one asks the other for help.
This show isn't particularly interested in gritty reality, or at least not more than selectively — see, for example, Sylvia's seemingly endless supply of money, many helpful contacts even though she no longer works for MI6, and her delightfully decrepit house, with romantically crumbling stone and no signs of mould. I'm perfectly fine with sticking with that tone, only bringing in the darkness you're interested in exploring in the story while blithely ignoring inconvenient realities. Although if you'd like to address one or more of these factors, you're free to do that as well.
For specific ideas, maybe a local disaster leaves them trapped together, possibly with one injured, trying to survive and get help, or maybe they're held captive together and have to escape or hold out until rescued. Maybe Giovanni asks some oblique questions about Sylvia's past as an MI6 agent. Maybe they discuss their marriages and how they failed, or Giovanni heads back to Bari to start his legal separation from his wife. Maybe the two of them take a trip to Bari together so Sylvia can see where he lived for twenty years. Maybe Sylvia meets Giovanni's cousin in Perugia and hears some interesting stories, or dinner with Matteo and Isabelle leads to some stories about Sylvia from Isabelle. Or just follow through on their date at the end of the third episode, how that dinner goes and where it leads.
Additional DNWs: I'd rather neither Sylvia nor Giovanni die, unless it's far-future old-age type of death. Everyone else is fair game, however. Also, I'm not worried about Giovanni and Sylvia being together given his separation and impending divorce, but I don't want him sleeping with his estranged wife while in a relationship with Sylvia.
Star Trek: Discovery
Requested Relationship: Laira Rillak & Charles Vance
We don't see a lot of Vance and Rillak together, but they must work together closely, and I'd love to see more of that relationship. Of course they're both professional, but do they like each other or merely tolerate each other? How does their relationship develop over time? Do they become friends or remain mere colleagues? Did they know each other before Rillak became president?
For specific ideas, maybe something about Vance's thoughts when he first hears that Rillak was elected, or Rillak's thoughts on Vance as she prepares for their first meeting. Maybe one of them reads a public profile on the other, before or after they've met. Or either of their perspectives on their first meeting. Or perhaps a glimpse into a behind-the-scenes negotiation. (J'Vini? The meeting on Ni'Var about joining the Federation? The DMA? A entirely new scenario?) Or the two of them working together at a diplomatic function to get what they need. Or maybe their interactions at a (mostly?) social situation, either just the two of them (regular games of chess?) or with their partners or at a formal event. Or they're in dangerous situation and have to work together to get out of it?
Thank you so much for writing for me! I'm so excited to read what you write.
My letter includes some general likes and dislikes, along with the prompts I included in my sign-up. If that's more than you need, please feel free to skip the letter and just use my sign-up as a starting point. If it's not enough, trying scroll back through the "dear author" tag, because most of these are fandoms I've requested before.
I'm
Requested Fandoms: Cleopatra Fox Mysteries | Covert Affairs | Signora Volpe | Star Trek: Discovery
Things I Like:
* Competence. So much love for watching competent characters be competent!
* Secrets coming out, by choice, chance, or necessity.
* Equal partnerships in romantic relationships.
* Brief moments of emotional vulnerability from generally stoic or reserved characters.
* Heroic characters being heroic: doing the right thing, saving people, sacrificing themselves for others, etc.
* Stories that pick up dropped plot threads.
* Stories that explore how characters respond to unexpected situations.
* First times of various kinds (first kiss, first date, first night together, first day on the job, etc.).
* Forced proximity (handcuffed together, snowed in, trapped together in an elevator, etc.).
* Truth serum/in vino veritas/midnight confessions. (See my love of secrets coming out.)
* Undercover as a couple (or spontaneously posing as a couple to avoid detection).
* Post-apocalyptic, trapped-in-the-wilderness or mid-disaster survival scenarios.
* Time loops and dealing with the consequences when the loop ends.
* Time loops or time travel where our heroes try to prevent disaster.
* Heading home for weddings, funerals, high school reunions, holidays, etc. Alternately, family or old friends showing up.
Things I Don't Want:
* AUs that alter the setting, premise, or initial character backgrounds, unless otherwise noted. (Canon divergence is fine.)
* A/B/O.
* 24/7 BDSM.
* Unrequested poly unless it occurs in canon.
* Infidelity in a requested relationship, either the two of them cheating on each other or either one cheating on someone else in order to be together, unless it occurs in canon. (Infidelity in other contexts is fine.)
* Significant permanent mental or physical injuries to requested characters that don't occur in canon, especially any sort of maiming or amputation. (However, killing major characters is fine unless otherwise noted.)
* Any reference to current real-world U.S. politics or the war in the Middle East.
Other Things:
* I'm flexible on both genre and rating: plot-driven, character-driven, action, introspection, casefic, slice of life ... it's all good. So is anything from G to E. If you're interested in explicit sex, I prefer the sort moves the plot forward or that reveals something about the character(s).
* I'm fine with character death, including main and requested characters, unless otherwise noted. (I have noted it here for a couple of fandoms; see the specific requests.)
* Background non-con is fine if it's helpful for the story, but I'd rather not receive a story that focuses on the rape of a requested character. I am, however, perfectly fine with fluffy dubcon of the sort where external forces lead to their doing something they wanted to do anyway but didn't/couldn't because of Reasons (or because they just hadn't gotten around to it yet).
* I'm okay with references to the pandemic.
* I'm not a big fan of explicit torture or gore.
* I generally prefer happy, hopeful, and bittersweet endings to utterly bleak ones.
* I dislike plots that revolve around misunderstandings that could be cleared up with a simple conversation or that hinge on characters making foolish mistakes that they wouldn't make in canon.
Cleopatra Fox Mysteries
Requested Relationship: Harry Armitage/Cleopatra Fox
I love the coziness of Cleo's life in her family's hotel, and her determination to live life on her own terms, while also acknowledging the limits placed on her by her social position and the time period. And Harry is startlingly perfect, as well as being both admirably and frustratingly proper.
Cleo and Harry have a very will-they/won't-they relationship, with lots of very good period-specific reasons they can't get together. Those reasons are all perfectly valid in the context of the books, but for this exchange, I'd love to see them move straight to "yes, they will and they do."
Maybe something happens to reconcile Cleo's aunt and uncle to the match. Maybe Harry and Cleo get carried away after a difficult or near-death experience and then have to deal with the consequences. ("Carried away" could mean multiple things in this context; feel free to interpret it as you wish.) Maybe they have to find a clever way to save Cleo's reputation after a case puts them in an awkward situation. Maybe they decide to elope, without worrying about family approval. Or how about a five-things fic, like five times Harry and Cleo kissed?
Additional DNWs: I like the cozy nature of this particular fandom, so I'd rather neither Harry nor Cleo die, unless it's far-future old-age type of death. Everyone else is fair game, however.
Covert Affairs
Requested Relationship: Eyal Lavin/Annie Walker
Annie and Eyal are both ridiculously competent, with the multiple languages and the impressive undercover skills. I love their banter, their easy ability to keep up with each other in the field, and the minor, often complementary, differences in how they do things: Eyal's professional ruthlessness vs. Annie's empathy, Eyal's careful planning vs. Annie's tendency to play it by ear. I also really enjoyed Eyal's tendency to take care of Annie, cooking for her and tending to her injuries and generally looking out for her safety, without ever questioning her competence or trying to stop her from doing her job.
After all the flirting and near-romantic moments, I'd enjoy seeing how they finally get together. Feel free to embrace the tropes here! Undercover as a couple and it turns real? A near-miss or faked death leads Annie to realize how she feels and admit it to Eyal? An inconvenient encounter with truth serum leads to a confession and reciprocation? They get stuck in a time loop and eventually fall in love and get married in one of the loops, only to have it end right after? They're held prisoner together, and afterwards realize they can't live without each other? Or run with something more specific to the show. Complicated one-night stands and ongoing relationships are both welcome.
Alternately, jump ahead a bit and show what their life together might look like if they did find a way to be together. Do they both quit and start their own security business? Do they sail off into the sunset on Eyal's boat (with visits back to Israel for Avi)? Do they try to find a way to have it all, work and relationship?
Note: There are a few geopolitical obstacles to their being together as long as they work for their respective agencies. Those can be addressed or ignored as you like. If you're going post-series, feel free to have Eyal's reconciliation with Ronit and Annie's relationship with Ryan McQuaid either not work out or never happen.
Signora Volpe
Requested Relationship: Sylvia Fox/Giovanni Riva
This is another show about two smart, highly competent people who develop an appreciation for the other's professional skills. I particularly like the fact that Giovanni isn't threatened by Sylvia's skills, though he's sometimes concerned for her safety. I'd love to a glimpse into how their relationship develops, or maybe learn a little more about who they are and how their pasts have shaped them: case fic, or a quiet evening together, or whispered secrets, or a weekend away, or one asks the other for help.
This show isn't particularly interested in gritty reality, or at least not more than selectively — see, for example, Sylvia's seemingly endless supply of money, many helpful contacts even though she no longer works for MI6, and her delightfully decrepit house, with romantically crumbling stone and no signs of mould. I'm perfectly fine with sticking with that tone, only bringing in the darkness you're interested in exploring in the story while blithely ignoring inconvenient realities. Although if you'd like to address one or more of these factors, you're free to do that as well.
For specific ideas, maybe a local disaster leaves them trapped together, possibly with one injured, trying to survive and get help, or maybe they're held captive together and have to escape or hold out until rescued. Maybe Giovanni asks some oblique questions about Sylvia's past as an MI6 agent. Maybe they discuss their marriages and how they failed, or Giovanni heads back to Bari to start his legal separation from his wife. Maybe the two of them take a trip to Bari together so Sylvia can see where he lived for twenty years. Maybe Sylvia meets Giovanni's cousin in Perugia and hears some interesting stories, or dinner with Matteo and Isabelle leads to some stories about Sylvia from Isabelle. Or just follow through on their date at the end of the third episode, how that dinner goes and where it leads.
Additional DNWs: I'd rather neither Sylvia nor Giovanni die, unless it's far-future old-age type of death. Everyone else is fair game, however. Also, I'm not worried about Giovanni and Sylvia being together given his separation and impending divorce, but I don't want him sleeping with his estranged wife while in a relationship with Sylvia.
Star Trek: Discovery
Requested Relationship: Laira Rillak & Charles Vance
We don't see a lot of Vance and Rillak together, but they must work together closely, and I'd love to see more of that relationship. Of course they're both professional, but do they like each other or merely tolerate each other? How does their relationship develop over time? Do they become friends or remain mere colleagues? Did they know each other before Rillak became president?
For specific ideas, maybe something about Vance's thoughts when he first hears that Rillak was elected, or Rillak's thoughts on Vance as she prepares for their first meeting. Maybe one of them reads a public profile on the other, before or after they've met. Or either of their perspectives on their first meeting. Or perhaps a glimpse into a behind-the-scenes negotiation. (J'Vini? The meeting on Ni'Var about joining the Federation? The DMA? A entirely new scenario?) Or the two of them working together at a diplomatic function to get what they need. Or maybe their interactions at a (mostly?) social situation, either just the two of them (regular games of chess?) or with their partners or at a formal event. Or they're in dangerous situation and have to work together to get out of it?