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90s_channel_tv_exchange.
I use the same name everywhere so I am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
beatrice_otter on AO3. Treats are awesome.
Lovely author, here is my theory about letters: how much detail people want in a letter is HIGHLY variable. Some people (such as myself) prefer if their recip gives LOTS of guidance on their wishes. Some prefer as little as possible so they can be free as a bird. Most are somewhere in between. So! Here's everything including the kitchen sink if you find it helpful, but feel free to ignore it if it is not helpful. I would rather get a story you were happy with than "well, she said she liked x, so I guess I have to do x even though I don't like x and/or am just not inspired that way." I'm fairly easy to please; I've been doing ficathons for over a decade and am very rarely disappointed with my gifts.
The most important thing for me in a fic is that the characters are well-written and recognizably themselves. Even when I don't like a character, I don't go in for character-bashing. If nothing else, if the rest of this letter is too much or my kinks just don't fit yours, just concentrate on writing a story with everyone in character and good spelling and grammar and I will almost certainly love what you come up with.
I have an embarrassment squick, which makes humor kind of hit-or-miss sometimes. The kind of humor where someone does something embarrassing and the audience is laughing at them makes me uncomfortable. On the other hand, the kind of humor where the audience is laughing with the characters I really enjoy.
Please no incest or darkfic. I define "darkfic" as stuff where there's a lot of suffering and no hope even at the end and all the characters are terrible. Angst with a happy ending is fine, I enjoy it, but there's gotta be a payoff. Even an ambiguous ending is fine! But there has to be some note of grace or redemption or hope somewhere, it can't just be "people are awful and the world sucks, the end."
General Likes and Dislikes
Here are some other things to keep in mind:
I love outsider perspectives and academic takes on things. In-universe meta (newspaper articles, academic monographs--especially with the sort of snarky feuding common in actual real-world academia, social media feeds in current day or future worlds) is awesome.
Also, I'm picky about European historical clothing details. You don't have to talk about it at all! In fact, if you don't know much about historical clothing, I would prefer if you didn't mention it at all. My pet peeve is corsets: no, they weren't a restrictive tool of the patriarchy, no, they didn't interfere with most women's daily lives, no, most women weren't wearing them so tight they couldn't breathe.
I like religion but I'm picky about it. Basically, Christianity is deeply weird compared to most other religions, and a lot of people whose only experience with religion is living in a culturally-Christian nation assume that what they know about Christianity is some sort of universal principle of What Religion Is Like, and that's just not the case. For example, in Christianity what you believe is more important than what you do. This is not to say we Christians don't teach and practice Christian ethics or have rituals we are very attached to, but rather that if you don't believe in Jesus Christ, it doesn't matter what rituals you participate in or what ethical things you do, you are not a Christian. Every Christian group has at least a minimal core theology that members must affirm, but participation in ritual is far less rigidly a requirement. Most other religions rank what you do (both ethically and ritually) as more important than what you believe, and it is often quite possible to be a member in good standing if you participate in the practices and rituals even if you believe none of the teachings. Anyway, point is, if you are doing worldbuilding for a fantasy or SF or otherwise non-Christian religion ... unless it is explicitly a Christian-analogue, it should be different from Christianity. Question your assumptions and see where that leads you, and I will be fascinated and thrilled.
Batman Beyond
My two favorite things about Batman Beyond are the noiresque cyberpunk setting, and the way it takes the character motifs/patterns of other batman media and remixes them. It's not the same, it's not Batman Mark II, but it rhymes. The way Terry-as-Batman is more like Jason Todd and Dick Grayson in some ways than he is like Bruce. The way Max has parallels with Babs-as-Oracle, Babs-as-Batgirl, and Alfred, while still being her own person. The way the show so clearly loves Batman and Batgirl and the Robins and all the classic Batman characters ... while still holding up their flaws. It's haunting.
As for story prompts, here are a few. I would love something that involved Terry and/or Max learning more about the history of the Batfamily, and either learning from it or helping to heal some of the breaches (as best they can given the very real pain caused by Bruce's choices). I would also love something about Terry and/or Max getting involved with the Justice League and getting to go on adventures with the League. Casefic is always appreciated, especially one that (like the show) takes modern problems with a noir cyberpunk twist. Or you could go with the repercussions of Terry being (biologically) Batman's son.
DNW: bashing, incest, explicit sex, rape/noncon, major embarrassment/humiliation, modern AUs, human/no powers AUs, darkfic.
Crossovers
Jed Bartlett & Jack O'Neill: I'd love to see how Bartlett handles the whole Stargate thing and negotiating with/being at war with aliens. And I think he'd go well with Jack's snark. (And if you know anything about economics, I'd be interested to hear Bartlett's perspective on what the SGC knows about the economics of the larger galaxy.)
Jed Bartlett & Clark Kent: I'm assuming he doesn't know Clark Kent is Superman. I would be happy with either Bartlett dealing with Clark Kent, Reporter or Superman, alien superhero, or both. Maybe there are legal issues (Superman's legal residency and/or citizenship? saving refugees or illegal immigrants and bringing them to where they want to go instead of where they came from?). Maybe there are international policy issues caused by the Justice League and/or Superman and where they help and where they don't. Maybe Clark Kent has written an insightful-and-important exposé that has caught the President's attention. (Maybe Bartlett wants to learn more--and pontificate about--alien politics and/or economics.)
Matt Santos & Sam Carter. Maybe he needs to be briefed on something--either the SGC's crisis-of-the-day or the entire existence of the Stargate. Or! Santos used to be a Marine pilot! Maybe in an alternate universe he stayed in the Marines instead of retiring and going into politics, and is working for the SGC, and accidentally touches a Quantum Mirror and ends up in the WW universe and has to be switched back and it's weird for everyone. Maybe he's got friends who ended up working in the Stargate Program somehow, and has a very odd view of what they do in there, and needs to be set straight.
DNW: bashing, incest, explicit sex, rape/noncon, major embarrassment/humiliation, modern AUs, human/no powers AUs, darkfic.
Babylon 5
Ah, the fandom of my youth! This was my first fandom that was mine, and not just something the family watched together. I love the layering of the themes, and how you can watch it on multiple levels (action/adventure, character arcs, political allegory, deeper themes about truth and freedom and who are you and what do you want and why are you here). The characters and their story arcs were all so compelling. I loved the worldbuilding, especially the Minbari culture. As a kid, I loved John and Delenn as star-crossed lovers (although as an adult I think she is WAAAAAAAAY out of his league). I love the playfulness of Marcus and Stephen together, although I headcanon Marcus as a romantic ace (or possibly demisexual). (Feel free to change Marcus' fate.) One of the things I love about Babylon 5 is that there were so many characters where the fact that they were antagonists didn't mean they were stupid or bad people, just people with a different perspective honestly trying to do what is right. Stephen Franklin was a terribly underused character, and my two favorite people to see him with are Susan and Marcus.
I especially love Minbari culture. If you do worldbuilding for Minbari culture, past, present, or future, I will love you forever. I consider "To Dream in the City of Sorrows" canon and firmly believe that when Sinclair went into the past and became Valen, he found Catherine again after she was lost in time.
Is there a mystery about Jeff/Valen and the Minbari, something having to do with prophecy, time travel and/or messages from Sinclair/Valen in the past? What if Neroon survived somehow and had to learn to be religious caste? Is there a problem on Babylon 5 that needs to get solved? Is there some Minbari cultural rite or Earthforce political intrigue? Is the PsiCorps making trouble? I'd also love something post-series about peace-building.
DNW: bashing, incest, explicit sex, rape/noncon, major embarrassment/humiliation, modern AUs, human/no powers AUs, darkfic.
Star Trek TNG
I love alien culture worldbuilding. I love boldly going and exploring and wacky science hijinks and time travel and alternate universe shenanigans. I love the hopeful attitude that we can become better than we are. All my feelings about Star Trek in general can be summed up with this vid. I love cross-cultural romance (especially when it deals realistically with having to figure out what compromises each is going to make on what they expect out of a relationship--love is not all you need, you also need a lot of hard work and communication). I love Klingons, and PARTICULARLY when they are not written as one-dimensional fighters. Like, yes, the warrior ethos shapes their entire culture, but it's not the only thing about them.
Deanna Troi/Worf: Talk about culture clash, but I'd love to see their relationship explored and given more time and not just used as shock material. And I'd love it to be a relationship built on mutual respect. Feel free to bring in the perspective Martok and the others had on mental illness when they were trapped in that Dominion prison camp, that mental illness is an enemy to fight and it takes a lot of strength to fight an enemy in your own head. From that perspective, Deanna is a weapons trainer for the mind.
Guinan is awesome and I love her, but please tone down the Magical Negro stereotype--she's a person, not just The Wise Magic Therapist/Advisor. She's got her own prejudices and traumas. I would love anything that dove into her past or her culture. Also, Picard and Guinan have INCREDIBLE chemistry. Go watch Time's Arrow and just watch the way he LOOKS AT HER. Something with time travel and meeting in the wrong order a la Time's Arrow would be interesting, but so would them hanging out together and being friends.
Picard & Ro: I love the friendship and mentorship they have despite (or maybe because of) their differences, and the mutual trust they built. I'd be interested in an episode-type story set before she defected to the Maquis, or an AU where she didn't for some reason. Maybe an AU where Earth was the one conquered by the Cardassians and Bajor is the perfect paradise world that's the founder of the Federation and provides most of the people for Starfleet. How would Starfleet be different? How would Ro be different? How would PICARD be different if he was from a conquered people and had a background in terrorism before joining Starfleet? Or maybe they meet up again after the Dominion War when the Maquis are gone and she's in Bajoran service?
Picard/Kamala. You know, the "empathic metamorph" who imprinted on Picard but then went on to her arranged marriage anyway? Probably nobody but me even remembers her, but she has lived rent-free in my head for the last two and a half decades. Because on the one hand, you have the appeal of the whole soulmate trope, and on the other you have the ickyness of how that works for an empathic metamorph, but on the other hand, he was the one she chose, and then you've got the political aspects, and even once she's free do either of them even want a long-term relationship, despite the fact that they are perfectly matched ...
I don't see it as anything other than unrequited, unless perhaps the dude Kamala married died in an accident and she left the planet to live her own life, but even then, I don't know that she would have sought him out. I like that her choice was just that--her choice. And in a shitty situation, she chose to bond with the person whose desires made her into someone she wanted to be. I wonder what she did after? Like, obviously, duty and ethics are very important to her, that's why she chose Picard. But what does that mean, in the long run, given her situation? Does she use her position to advocate for change, or just endure until her husband died and then leave after he dies (she's a lot younger than he is)? OTOH, what happens if something happened and the Enterprise had to go back to the planet she married into?
For Ro and Guinan, they're both survivors of conquest, but they have very different perspectives on it. I'd love something that explores that.
I think Geordi was another one who didn't get much character development, but he was a great guy. Professional even in the face of all the wackiness Star Trek could throw at him, very smart, very compassionate. Geordi rarely got a chance to shine, but I always liked him, and aside from that one episode with the genetically engineered society, they didn't do much with his blindness besides "disabilities give you superpowers" with his visor. What are the downsides to it? What, if any, tradeoffs did he have to make, and was it his choice or something his parents decided for him? Does he ever get grief from fellow officers about "what happens if your visor gets knocked off, you'll be blind!" as if not being able to see would make him incompetent?
I absolutely LOVE Ro Laren, she's such a contrast to the rest of them. I love how much exploration of her backstory she got, partly because it was such a contrast with the perfect/paradise that the Federation is supposed to be.
As for plot ... it's Star Trek. If you want to play it serious, go for it. But if you want to lean into the wacky tropes Star Trek was known for, that's great too. As long as everyone is in character, feel free to go as cracktastic as you want with the time travel and travel to alternate universes and weird missions and science hijinks.
DNW: bashing, incest, explicit sex, rape/noncon, major embarrassment/humiliation, modern AUs, human/no powers AUs, darkfic.
Voyager
I love alien culture worldbuilding. I love boldly going and exploring and wacky science hijinks and time travel and alternate universe shenanigans. I love the hopeful attitude that we can become better than we are. All my feelings about Star Trek in general can be summed up with this vid. I love cross-cultural romance (especially when it deals realistically with having to figure out what compromises each is going to make on what they expect out of a relationship--love is not all you need, you also need a lot of hard work and communication).
My headcanon on Vulcans was shaped by 80s Trek novels but I also enjoy trying to fit the Star Trek: Enterprise Vulcans with ... everything else we know about Vulcans. One thing I will point out, though, is that while there are a lot of things about Vulcan culture that seem/are sexist, the most powerful Vulcans we see throughout the series are elderly women. I love Pon Farr, but mostly dealing with the implications of it (both before and after) and not the sex part.
I think Kate Mulgrew did an excellent job of playing Janeway despite the inconsistent writing she was given, and I love the way Tuvok was definitely a Vulcan but also a very different Vulcan than Spock. And I think their friendship was a foundation for both of them, having someone they'd known and trusted for years while so far from home. OTOH, if you want to go for romance and/or sex ... she's very casual about touching his hands, and he's fine with it. Whether it's just for Pon Farr or something deeper and longer lasting, I'm here for it.
Prompts: Day in the life stuff about dealing with the challenges of being so far from home and the top-ranking loyal Starfleet officers. Maybe something set early on dealing with Tuvok's suspicion of the Maquis (and their suspicion of him) and Janeway trying to bring the crew together would be interesting. Pre-series stuff about how they came to be close. Post-series stuff--I mean, it's great, they're both glad to be home, but they've changed and the Federation has changed. (Has Tuvok's wife moved on/remarried?) If you wanted to handle Pon Farr and/or them becoming a couple, I would enjoy that too. Or something dealing with the aftermath of the episode Blood Fever, which I would imagine made Pon Farr and/or Vulcans a really public topic of discussion on the ship. (It's not something that could have been easily hushed up!) Another idea: some Vulcan festival is coming up, and the Vulcans are going to have a hard time celebrating it so far from home, so Tuvok and Janeway have to get creative to figure out how to handle it.
If none of that appeals ... it's Star Trek. If you want to play it serious, go for it. If you want to lean into the wacky tropes Star Trek was known for, that's great too. As long as everyone is in character, feel free to go as cracktastic as you want with the time travel and travel to alternate universes and weird missions.
DNW: bashing, incest, explicit sex, rape/noncon, major embarrassment/humiliation, modern AUs, human/no powers AUs, darkfic.
DS9
I love alien culture worldbuilding. I love boldly going and exploring and wacky science hijinks and time travel and alternate universe shenanigans. I love the hopeful attitude that we can become better than we are. All my feelings about Star Trek in general can be summed up with this vid. I love cross-cultural romance (especially when it deals realistically with having to figure out what compromises each is going to make on what they expect out of a relationship--love is not all you need, you also need a lot of hard work and communication). I love Klingons, and PARTICULARLY when they are not written as one-dimensional fighters. Like, yes, the warrior ethos shapes their entire culture, but it's not the only thing about them.
As for plot ... it's Star Trek. If you want to play it serious, go for it. If you want to lean into the wacky tropes Star Trek was known for, that's great too. As long as everyone is in character, feel free to go as cracktastic as you want with the time travel and travel to alternate universes and weird missions.
If I could have included more tags, I'd have requested Benjamin Sisko & Jake Sisko, Kira Nerys & Tora Ziyal, and Kira Nerys/Benjamin Sisko/Kasidy Yates in addition, if any of those are speaking to more than the ones I squeezed in to my request, I'd be equally happy with any of those.
Consequences! That was one of my favorite things about DS9, it dealt with consequences. If you want to take a canon event that you think didn't get enough exploration and run with it, that would be awesome.
I love Dax's relationship with Sisko, that lasted three hosts. When Sisko comes back from the wormhole (if he ever does) will Dax still be Ezri or will enough time have passed that the relationship stretches to four hosts? Or more about Jadzia, Worf, Martok, and Martok's family (including but not limited to Sirella). Worf and Jadzia go to Qo'nos! (I would not mind an AU where she lived.)
I'd love something that dove into Bajoran religion, and the more ALIEN it is the better. We've MET the prophet and they have such a fundamentally different perspective on EVERYTHING than us linear creatures, I don't want it to feel like another screed on What Is Wrong With Christianity In America. You could lean into the Prophets' timey-wimey non-linearity and what that means for a religion that worships them. Most Earth religions are heavily time-based, with regular repeating festivals that serve a lot of purposes both social and religious--how would that work (or not work) when worshiping beings who see everything happening at once? Or explore the Orbs! What other orbs are there besides Time and Prophecy, and what do they DO? You don't have to have any ritual or belief or ANYTHING to use them, if they have line-of-sight to you they can DO THINGS. Give you visions! Send you time traveling! Whatever it is the others do! No Earth religion has any artifact that is anything like that, and besides wondering what the other orbs even are/do, I'm curious as to how they shaped Bajoran religion, and how it was that the Bajorans ended up worshiping the ones who SENT the orbs instead of the orbs themselves. Especially given that the Prophets mostly ... don't seem to want to be gods or care about being worshiped or what's going on on Bajor or anything. So it's not like they were sending messages with the Orbs about who sent them and why, which leaves a lot of scope for interpretation on the part of the Bajorans who found them.
I haven't read the novels, but if you want to take the idea that after the show ended Kira eventually became a Vedek and later Kai and explore her faith and relationship with the Prophets, I would find that interesting.
Sisko's position as Emmisary is endlessly fascinating to me, and how it shaped his relationship with Kira, and how he came to be more comfortable with it as the show went on. What was that like for Bajorans? He's an outsider! He doesn't believe in the Prophets! At the best of times, that had to have been an issue, but especially after years of occupation and the Cardassians stealing the Orbs to experiment on, there's got to be more complexity to it than we saw on the show. And especially what was it like for the Bajorans who served on DS9, for whom he was both commanding officer and religious figure. The Federation/Starfleet perspective on that had to be interesting. Were the Prophets truly hands-off on Benjamin's life between when they released Sarah and when he came to Bajor? I could go either way, and a story exploring that would be FASCINATING. And once Benjamin learned what the Prophets did to Sarah--how much of that did he tell his father? What if Sarah had survived instead of dying conveniently in an accident--what was her perspective on all of it?
I thought that Kira and the O'Briens had a lot of chemistry, but also they have such radically different backgrounds and expectations. Culture, religion, childhood trauma--all radically different. I'd like to see how they could make it work.
I do not like Dukat. I hate, loathe, and despise him. He's an awesome antagonist! It's fine if he is complex and nuanced and charming (because he is in canon). But if he shows up, don't ever forget that he's a manipulative weasel who, despite having soft spots for specific people such as Ziyal, most often actively chooses to do the worst thing possible. Even if he's doing something good in the moment, you can't ever forget that the moment is temporary.
DNW: bashing, incest, explicit sex, rape/noncon, major embarrassment/humiliation, modern AUs, human/no powers AUs, darkfic.
Stargate SG-1
I love the team. I love the wacky hijinks and the deep serious relationships. I love all of them. I love how they never left anyone behind, and how the show didn't demonize the military but they didn't just give the military a free pass either. And I think Teal'c and the Jaffa got badly shortchanged by the writers, who rarely used him as anything more than the muscle and when they did, it was all too often a "warrior culture Klingon Lite" sort of thing. I also think that the Tok'ra are fascinating, how the symbionts relate to the hosts and to the Goa'uld and how they split off from the Goa'uld and what, exactly, is their endgame? And then there's all the stuff with Sam, and how different is her father and how much the same, and all of that.
Prompts: Teamfic! Fighting the Goa'uld! Building a new Jaffa society! Mediating peace between the Rebel Jaffa and the Tok'ra! Teal'c having a real role besides Stoic Warrior And Occasional Comic Relief! What about Teal'c's Adventures On Earth? For Jack/Sam, please deal with the realities of being in the same chain of command. And the reality that the consequences of any relationship are going to fall MUCH harder on Sam than on Jack. It doesn't have to be an angst-fest but I don't want to have to suspend all knowledge of reality and military protocol, either. Or some AU where they aren't in the same chain of command. (I'm not opposed to well-done kidfic.) As for Jacob Carter, I am fascinated by the Tok'ra and how he is caught in the middle between his homeworld, his career, his friends, his daughter ... and his new symbiote and people. I have less problems with the Tok'ra than a lot of fandom does, but they're not angels, either. Some Goa'uld-fighting adventure where that comes into conflict would be awesome. Or maybe there's an adventure on Earth where Jacob tags along a la Seth. What about Teal'c trolling Jack? What about Sam and Teal'c trolling Jack? (Jack got to spend enough time trolling everybody else on the show, I think he could stand to have some of his own back.) I really like Sam and Teal'c's dynamic of support.
DNW: bashing, incest, explicit sex, rape/noncon, major embarrassment/humiliation, modern AUs, human/no powers AUs, darkfic.
West Wing
I like older characters, characters who are mature and set in their ways. I like the relationship dynamics between people who have known each other for a very long time and know each others' foibles. And I like when there's still surprise and growth and change for such characters. And with the WW, Jed and Leo and Abbey are wonderful examples of this. I also love Charlie Young, because he manages to be a) the most down-to-earth, sensible person in the entire cast and also in a lot of ways the most idealistic. And I thought he and Zoe were cute together. As for Leo/Annabeth, while I don't know that I see them in anything serious and long-term, I thought their dynamic was very interesting. (And I'm willing to be convinced about the 'serious and longterm bit, if that's where you want to go.)
Prompts: canon-typical political shenanigans, either international or US-focused. Something dealing with the personal costs of Jed's MS, and the toll it took on them. An AU where Leo doesn't die, and/or something between him and Annabeth during the campaign. They're together all the time in very stressful situations, what happens? Future fic where Zoe and Charlie are together and what their life looks like with less spotlight on them. Jed writing his memoirs in retirement.
DNW: bashing, incest, explicit sex, rape/noncon, major embarrassment/humiliation, modern AUs, human/no powers AUs, darkfic.
90s_channel_tv_exchange.I use the same name everywhere so I am
beatrice_otter on AO3. Treats are awesome.Lovely author, here is my theory about letters: how much detail people want in a letter is HIGHLY variable. Some people (such as myself) prefer if their recip gives LOTS of guidance on their wishes. Some prefer as little as possible so they can be free as a bird. Most are somewhere in between. So! Here's everything including the kitchen sink if you find it helpful, but feel free to ignore it if it is not helpful. I would rather get a story you were happy with than "well, she said she liked x, so I guess I have to do x even though I don't like x and/or am just not inspired that way." I'm fairly easy to please; I've been doing ficathons for over a decade and am very rarely disappointed with my gifts.
The most important thing for me in a fic is that the characters are well-written and recognizably themselves. Even when I don't like a character, I don't go in for character-bashing. If nothing else, if the rest of this letter is too much or my kinks just don't fit yours, just concentrate on writing a story with everyone in character and good spelling and grammar and I will almost certainly love what you come up with.
I have an embarrassment squick, which makes humor kind of hit-or-miss sometimes. The kind of humor where someone does something embarrassing and the audience is laughing at them makes me uncomfortable. On the other hand, the kind of humor where the audience is laughing with the characters I really enjoy.
Please no incest or darkfic. I define "darkfic" as stuff where there's a lot of suffering and no hope even at the end and all the characters are terrible. Angst with a happy ending is fine, I enjoy it, but there's gotta be a payoff. Even an ambiguous ending is fine! But there has to be some note of grace or redemption or hope somewhere, it can't just be "people are awful and the world sucks, the end."
General Likes and Dislikes
Here are some other things to keep in mind:
- I like stuff that takes side characters and puts them center-stage, especially when they are characters of color or women. I enjoy seeing them come to life.
- I don't like it when characters of color or women get relegated to the sidekick/supporting/helper role so that it can be All About The White Dude.
- I like it when female characters are more than just the Strong Female Character(tm) or The Nurturer.
- I like fluff
- I like angst with a happy ending
- I like stories that make me think about things in a new way.
- I like to know that culture matters to people, and to see how different cultures interact and where the clashes are.
- I like unreliable narrators.
- I like acknowledgment that different people can have different points of view without either of them being wrong.
- I like stories that engage with problematic aspects of the source, and which deal with privilege in one way or another instead of sweeping it under the rug.
- Worldbuilding is my jam, I am pretty much always up for explorations of why the world is the way it is. I love hearing about the economics, the politics, the religion, the clothing, the history, the folklore, all of that kind of stuff. And I want to know why it matters--how is all this cultural background stuff affecting the characters, the plot, everything. You don't have to do deep worldbuilding, but I'll enjoy it if you do.
- I don't like it when plots hinge on characters being selectively stupid, or selectively unable to communicate. Like, if they are stupid or a himbo or whatever in general, or have problems communicating in general, that's fine! But if it's just "the only way I can think of for this plot to work is if the character spontaneously and temporarily loses half their intelligence and competence," then I'm going to spend the rest of the fic wondering why the character didn't just ____?
- I like AUs, but not complete setting AUs (i.e. no highschool or college or coffee shop AUs, and especially not mundane AUs--nothing where you keep characters but drop most of the worldbuilding). I like fork-in-the-road type AUs, where one thing is different and the changes all result from that one thing, and you explore what might have been if such-and-such happened.
- I like historical AUs, but only when the author actually knows the history period in question and does thoughtful worldbuilding to meld actual culture of the time with the canon.
- Crackfic is really hit and miss for me, sometimes I love it and sometimes I can't stand it. Basically, if it's the characters we know and love in a ludicrous situation, that's great. If they're OOC or parodied in order to make something funny ... it's not funny to me.
I love outsider perspectives and academic takes on things. In-universe meta (newspaper articles, academic monographs--especially with the sort of snarky feuding common in actual real-world academia, social media feeds in current day or future worlds) is awesome.
Also, I'm picky about European historical clothing details. You don't have to talk about it at all! In fact, if you don't know much about historical clothing, I would prefer if you didn't mention it at all. My pet peeve is corsets: no, they weren't a restrictive tool of the patriarchy, no, they didn't interfere with most women's daily lives, no, most women weren't wearing them so tight they couldn't breathe.
I like religion but I'm picky about it. Basically, Christianity is deeply weird compared to most other religions, and a lot of people whose only experience with religion is living in a culturally-Christian nation assume that what they know about Christianity is some sort of universal principle of What Religion Is Like, and that's just not the case. For example, in Christianity what you believe is more important than what you do. This is not to say we Christians don't teach and practice Christian ethics or have rituals we are very attached to, but rather that if you don't believe in Jesus Christ, it doesn't matter what rituals you participate in or what ethical things you do, you are not a Christian. Every Christian group has at least a minimal core theology that members must affirm, but participation in ritual is far less rigidly a requirement. Most other religions rank what you do (both ethically and ritually) as more important than what you believe, and it is often quite possible to be a member in good standing if you participate in the practices and rituals even if you believe none of the teachings. Anyway, point is, if you are doing worldbuilding for a fantasy or SF or otherwise non-Christian religion ... unless it is explicitly a Christian-analogue, it should be different from Christianity. Question your assumptions and see where that leads you, and I will be fascinated and thrilled.
Batman Beyond
My two favorite things about Batman Beyond are the noiresque cyberpunk setting, and the way it takes the character motifs/patterns of other batman media and remixes them. It's not the same, it's not Batman Mark II, but it rhymes. The way Terry-as-Batman is more like Jason Todd and Dick Grayson in some ways than he is like Bruce. The way Max has parallels with Babs-as-Oracle, Babs-as-Batgirl, and Alfred, while still being her own person. The way the show so clearly loves Batman and Batgirl and the Robins and all the classic Batman characters ... while still holding up their flaws. It's haunting.
As for story prompts, here are a few. I would love something that involved Terry and/or Max learning more about the history of the Batfamily, and either learning from it or helping to heal some of the breaches (as best they can given the very real pain caused by Bruce's choices). I would also love something about Terry and/or Max getting involved with the Justice League and getting to go on adventures with the League. Casefic is always appreciated, especially one that (like the show) takes modern problems with a noir cyberpunk twist. Or you could go with the repercussions of Terry being (biologically) Batman's son.
DNW: bashing, incest, explicit sex, rape/noncon, major embarrassment/humiliation, modern AUs, human/no powers AUs, darkfic.
Crossovers
Jed Bartlett & Jack O'Neill: I'd love to see how Bartlett handles the whole Stargate thing and negotiating with/being at war with aliens. And I think he'd go well with Jack's snark. (And if you know anything about economics, I'd be interested to hear Bartlett's perspective on what the SGC knows about the economics of the larger galaxy.)
Jed Bartlett & Clark Kent: I'm assuming he doesn't know Clark Kent is Superman. I would be happy with either Bartlett dealing with Clark Kent, Reporter or Superman, alien superhero, or both. Maybe there are legal issues (Superman's legal residency and/or citizenship? saving refugees or illegal immigrants and bringing them to where they want to go instead of where they came from?). Maybe there are international policy issues caused by the Justice League and/or Superman and where they help and where they don't. Maybe Clark Kent has written an insightful-and-important exposé that has caught the President's attention. (Maybe Bartlett wants to learn more--and pontificate about--alien politics and/or economics.)
Matt Santos & Sam Carter. Maybe he needs to be briefed on something--either the SGC's crisis-of-the-day or the entire existence of the Stargate. Or! Santos used to be a Marine pilot! Maybe in an alternate universe he stayed in the Marines instead of retiring and going into politics, and is working for the SGC, and accidentally touches a Quantum Mirror and ends up in the WW universe and has to be switched back and it's weird for everyone. Maybe he's got friends who ended up working in the Stargate Program somehow, and has a very odd view of what they do in there, and needs to be set straight.
DNW: bashing, incest, explicit sex, rape/noncon, major embarrassment/humiliation, modern AUs, human/no powers AUs, darkfic.
Babylon 5
Ah, the fandom of my youth! This was my first fandom that was mine, and not just something the family watched together. I love the layering of the themes, and how you can watch it on multiple levels (action/adventure, character arcs, political allegory, deeper themes about truth and freedom and who are you and what do you want and why are you here). The characters and their story arcs were all so compelling. I loved the worldbuilding, especially the Minbari culture. As a kid, I loved John and Delenn as star-crossed lovers (although as an adult I think she is WAAAAAAAAY out of his league). I love the playfulness of Marcus and Stephen together, although I headcanon Marcus as a romantic ace (or possibly demisexual). (Feel free to change Marcus' fate.) One of the things I love about Babylon 5 is that there were so many characters where the fact that they were antagonists didn't mean they were stupid or bad people, just people with a different perspective honestly trying to do what is right. Stephen Franklin was a terribly underused character, and my two favorite people to see him with are Susan and Marcus.
I especially love Minbari culture. If you do worldbuilding for Minbari culture, past, present, or future, I will love you forever. I consider "To Dream in the City of Sorrows" canon and firmly believe that when Sinclair went into the past and became Valen, he found Catherine again after she was lost in time.
Is there a mystery about Jeff/Valen and the Minbari, something having to do with prophecy, time travel and/or messages from Sinclair/Valen in the past? What if Neroon survived somehow and had to learn to be religious caste? Is there a problem on Babylon 5 that needs to get solved? Is there some Minbari cultural rite or Earthforce political intrigue? Is the PsiCorps making trouble? I'd also love something post-series about peace-building.
DNW: bashing, incest, explicit sex, rape/noncon, major embarrassment/humiliation, modern AUs, human/no powers AUs, darkfic.
Star Trek TNG
I love alien culture worldbuilding. I love boldly going and exploring and wacky science hijinks and time travel and alternate universe shenanigans. I love the hopeful attitude that we can become better than we are. All my feelings about Star Trek in general can be summed up with this vid. I love cross-cultural romance (especially when it deals realistically with having to figure out what compromises each is going to make on what they expect out of a relationship--love is not all you need, you also need a lot of hard work and communication). I love Klingons, and PARTICULARLY when they are not written as one-dimensional fighters. Like, yes, the warrior ethos shapes their entire culture, but it's not the only thing about them.
Deanna Troi/Worf: Talk about culture clash, but I'd love to see their relationship explored and given more time and not just used as shock material. And I'd love it to be a relationship built on mutual respect. Feel free to bring in the perspective Martok and the others had on mental illness when they were trapped in that Dominion prison camp, that mental illness is an enemy to fight and it takes a lot of strength to fight an enemy in your own head. From that perspective, Deanna is a weapons trainer for the mind.
Guinan is awesome and I love her, but please tone down the Magical Negro stereotype--she's a person, not just The Wise Magic Therapist/Advisor. She's got her own prejudices and traumas. I would love anything that dove into her past or her culture. Also, Picard and Guinan have INCREDIBLE chemistry. Go watch Time's Arrow and just watch the way he LOOKS AT HER. Something with time travel and meeting in the wrong order a la Time's Arrow would be interesting, but so would them hanging out together and being friends.
Picard & Ro: I love the friendship and mentorship they have despite (or maybe because of) their differences, and the mutual trust they built. I'd be interested in an episode-type story set before she defected to the Maquis, or an AU where she didn't for some reason. Maybe an AU where Earth was the one conquered by the Cardassians and Bajor is the perfect paradise world that's the founder of the Federation and provides most of the people for Starfleet. How would Starfleet be different? How would Ro be different? How would PICARD be different if he was from a conquered people and had a background in terrorism before joining Starfleet? Or maybe they meet up again after the Dominion War when the Maquis are gone and she's in Bajoran service?
Picard/Kamala. You know, the "empathic metamorph" who imprinted on Picard but then went on to her arranged marriage anyway? Probably nobody but me even remembers her, but she has lived rent-free in my head for the last two and a half decades. Because on the one hand, you have the appeal of the whole soulmate trope, and on the other you have the ickyness of how that works for an empathic metamorph, but on the other hand, he was the one she chose, and then you've got the political aspects, and even once she's free do either of them even want a long-term relationship, despite the fact that they are perfectly matched ...
I don't see it as anything other than unrequited, unless perhaps the dude Kamala married died in an accident and she left the planet to live her own life, but even then, I don't know that she would have sought him out. I like that her choice was just that--her choice. And in a shitty situation, she chose to bond with the person whose desires made her into someone she wanted to be. I wonder what she did after? Like, obviously, duty and ethics are very important to her, that's why she chose Picard. But what does that mean, in the long run, given her situation? Does she use her position to advocate for change, or just endure until her husband died and then leave after he dies (she's a lot younger than he is)? OTOH, what happens if something happened and the Enterprise had to go back to the planet she married into?
For Ro and Guinan, they're both survivors of conquest, but they have very different perspectives on it. I'd love something that explores that.
I think Geordi was another one who didn't get much character development, but he was a great guy. Professional even in the face of all the wackiness Star Trek could throw at him, very smart, very compassionate. Geordi rarely got a chance to shine, but I always liked him, and aside from that one episode with the genetically engineered society, they didn't do much with his blindness besides "disabilities give you superpowers" with his visor. What are the downsides to it? What, if any, tradeoffs did he have to make, and was it his choice or something his parents decided for him? Does he ever get grief from fellow officers about "what happens if your visor gets knocked off, you'll be blind!" as if not being able to see would make him incompetent?
I absolutely LOVE Ro Laren, she's such a contrast to the rest of them. I love how much exploration of her backstory she got, partly because it was such a contrast with the perfect/paradise that the Federation is supposed to be.
As for plot ... it's Star Trek. If you want to play it serious, go for it. But if you want to lean into the wacky tropes Star Trek was known for, that's great too. As long as everyone is in character, feel free to go as cracktastic as you want with the time travel and travel to alternate universes and weird missions and science hijinks.
DNW: bashing, incest, explicit sex, rape/noncon, major embarrassment/humiliation, modern AUs, human/no powers AUs, darkfic.
Voyager
I love alien culture worldbuilding. I love boldly going and exploring and wacky science hijinks and time travel and alternate universe shenanigans. I love the hopeful attitude that we can become better than we are. All my feelings about Star Trek in general can be summed up with this vid. I love cross-cultural romance (especially when it deals realistically with having to figure out what compromises each is going to make on what they expect out of a relationship--love is not all you need, you also need a lot of hard work and communication).
My headcanon on Vulcans was shaped by 80s Trek novels but I also enjoy trying to fit the Star Trek: Enterprise Vulcans with ... everything else we know about Vulcans. One thing I will point out, though, is that while there are a lot of things about Vulcan culture that seem/are sexist, the most powerful Vulcans we see throughout the series are elderly women. I love Pon Farr, but mostly dealing with the implications of it (both before and after) and not the sex part.
I think Kate Mulgrew did an excellent job of playing Janeway despite the inconsistent writing she was given, and I love the way Tuvok was definitely a Vulcan but also a very different Vulcan than Spock. And I think their friendship was a foundation for both of them, having someone they'd known and trusted for years while so far from home. OTOH, if you want to go for romance and/or sex ... she's very casual about touching his hands, and he's fine with it. Whether it's just for Pon Farr or something deeper and longer lasting, I'm here for it.
Prompts: Day in the life stuff about dealing with the challenges of being so far from home and the top-ranking loyal Starfleet officers. Maybe something set early on dealing with Tuvok's suspicion of the Maquis (and their suspicion of him) and Janeway trying to bring the crew together would be interesting. Pre-series stuff about how they came to be close. Post-series stuff--I mean, it's great, they're both glad to be home, but they've changed and the Federation has changed. (Has Tuvok's wife moved on/remarried?) If you wanted to handle Pon Farr and/or them becoming a couple, I would enjoy that too. Or something dealing with the aftermath of the episode Blood Fever, which I would imagine made Pon Farr and/or Vulcans a really public topic of discussion on the ship. (It's not something that could have been easily hushed up!) Another idea: some Vulcan festival is coming up, and the Vulcans are going to have a hard time celebrating it so far from home, so Tuvok and Janeway have to get creative to figure out how to handle it.
If none of that appeals ... it's Star Trek. If you want to play it serious, go for it. If you want to lean into the wacky tropes Star Trek was known for, that's great too. As long as everyone is in character, feel free to go as cracktastic as you want with the time travel and travel to alternate universes and weird missions.
DNW: bashing, incest, explicit sex, rape/noncon, major embarrassment/humiliation, modern AUs, human/no powers AUs, darkfic.
DS9
I love alien culture worldbuilding. I love boldly going and exploring and wacky science hijinks and time travel and alternate universe shenanigans. I love the hopeful attitude that we can become better than we are. All my feelings about Star Trek in general can be summed up with this vid. I love cross-cultural romance (especially when it deals realistically with having to figure out what compromises each is going to make on what they expect out of a relationship--love is not all you need, you also need a lot of hard work and communication). I love Klingons, and PARTICULARLY when they are not written as one-dimensional fighters. Like, yes, the warrior ethos shapes their entire culture, but it's not the only thing about them.
As for plot ... it's Star Trek. If you want to play it serious, go for it. If you want to lean into the wacky tropes Star Trek was known for, that's great too. As long as everyone is in character, feel free to go as cracktastic as you want with the time travel and travel to alternate universes and weird missions.
If I could have included more tags, I'd have requested Benjamin Sisko & Jake Sisko, Kira Nerys & Tora Ziyal, and Kira Nerys/Benjamin Sisko/Kasidy Yates in addition, if any of those are speaking to more than the ones I squeezed in to my request, I'd be equally happy with any of those.
Consequences! That was one of my favorite things about DS9, it dealt with consequences. If you want to take a canon event that you think didn't get enough exploration and run with it, that would be awesome.
I love Dax's relationship with Sisko, that lasted three hosts. When Sisko comes back from the wormhole (if he ever does) will Dax still be Ezri or will enough time have passed that the relationship stretches to four hosts? Or more about Jadzia, Worf, Martok, and Martok's family (including but not limited to Sirella). Worf and Jadzia go to Qo'nos! (I would not mind an AU where she lived.)
I'd love something that dove into Bajoran religion, and the more ALIEN it is the better. We've MET the prophet and they have such a fundamentally different perspective on EVERYTHING than us linear creatures, I don't want it to feel like another screed on What Is Wrong With Christianity In America. You could lean into the Prophets' timey-wimey non-linearity and what that means for a religion that worships them. Most Earth religions are heavily time-based, with regular repeating festivals that serve a lot of purposes both social and religious--how would that work (or not work) when worshiping beings who see everything happening at once? Or explore the Orbs! What other orbs are there besides Time and Prophecy, and what do they DO? You don't have to have any ritual or belief or ANYTHING to use them, if they have line-of-sight to you they can DO THINGS. Give you visions! Send you time traveling! Whatever it is the others do! No Earth religion has any artifact that is anything like that, and besides wondering what the other orbs even are/do, I'm curious as to how they shaped Bajoran religion, and how it was that the Bajorans ended up worshiping the ones who SENT the orbs instead of the orbs themselves. Especially given that the Prophets mostly ... don't seem to want to be gods or care about being worshiped or what's going on on Bajor or anything. So it's not like they were sending messages with the Orbs about who sent them and why, which leaves a lot of scope for interpretation on the part of the Bajorans who found them.
I haven't read the novels, but if you want to take the idea that after the show ended Kira eventually became a Vedek and later Kai and explore her faith and relationship with the Prophets, I would find that interesting.
Sisko's position as Emmisary is endlessly fascinating to me, and how it shaped his relationship with Kira, and how he came to be more comfortable with it as the show went on. What was that like for Bajorans? He's an outsider! He doesn't believe in the Prophets! At the best of times, that had to have been an issue, but especially after years of occupation and the Cardassians stealing the Orbs to experiment on, there's got to be more complexity to it than we saw on the show. And especially what was it like for the Bajorans who served on DS9, for whom he was both commanding officer and religious figure. The Federation/Starfleet perspective on that had to be interesting. Were the Prophets truly hands-off on Benjamin's life between when they released Sarah and when he came to Bajor? I could go either way, and a story exploring that would be FASCINATING. And once Benjamin learned what the Prophets did to Sarah--how much of that did he tell his father? What if Sarah had survived instead of dying conveniently in an accident--what was her perspective on all of it?
I thought that Kira and the O'Briens had a lot of chemistry, but also they have such radically different backgrounds and expectations. Culture, religion, childhood trauma--all radically different. I'd like to see how they could make it work.
I do not like Dukat. I hate, loathe, and despise him. He's an awesome antagonist! It's fine if he is complex and nuanced and charming (because he is in canon). But if he shows up, don't ever forget that he's a manipulative weasel who, despite having soft spots for specific people such as Ziyal, most often actively chooses to do the worst thing possible. Even if he's doing something good in the moment, you can't ever forget that the moment is temporary.
DNW: bashing, incest, explicit sex, rape/noncon, major embarrassment/humiliation, modern AUs, human/no powers AUs, darkfic.
Stargate SG-1
I love the team. I love the wacky hijinks and the deep serious relationships. I love all of them. I love how they never left anyone behind, and how the show didn't demonize the military but they didn't just give the military a free pass either. And I think Teal'c and the Jaffa got badly shortchanged by the writers, who rarely used him as anything more than the muscle and when they did, it was all too often a "warrior culture Klingon Lite" sort of thing. I also think that the Tok'ra are fascinating, how the symbionts relate to the hosts and to the Goa'uld and how they split off from the Goa'uld and what, exactly, is their endgame? And then there's all the stuff with Sam, and how different is her father and how much the same, and all of that.
Prompts: Teamfic! Fighting the Goa'uld! Building a new Jaffa society! Mediating peace between the Rebel Jaffa and the Tok'ra! Teal'c having a real role besides Stoic Warrior And Occasional Comic Relief! What about Teal'c's Adventures On Earth? For Jack/Sam, please deal with the realities of being in the same chain of command. And the reality that the consequences of any relationship are going to fall MUCH harder on Sam than on Jack. It doesn't have to be an angst-fest but I don't want to have to suspend all knowledge of reality and military protocol, either. Or some AU where they aren't in the same chain of command. (I'm not opposed to well-done kidfic.) As for Jacob Carter, I am fascinated by the Tok'ra and how he is caught in the middle between his homeworld, his career, his friends, his daughter ... and his new symbiote and people. I have less problems with the Tok'ra than a lot of fandom does, but they're not angels, either. Some Goa'uld-fighting adventure where that comes into conflict would be awesome. Or maybe there's an adventure on Earth where Jacob tags along a la Seth. What about Teal'c trolling Jack? What about Sam and Teal'c trolling Jack? (Jack got to spend enough time trolling everybody else on the show, I think he could stand to have some of his own back.) I really like Sam and Teal'c's dynamic of support.
DNW: bashing, incest, explicit sex, rape/noncon, major embarrassment/humiliation, modern AUs, human/no powers AUs, darkfic.
West Wing
I like older characters, characters who are mature and set in their ways. I like the relationship dynamics between people who have known each other for a very long time and know each others' foibles. And I like when there's still surprise and growth and change for such characters. And with the WW, Jed and Leo and Abbey are wonderful examples of this. I also love Charlie Young, because he manages to be a) the most down-to-earth, sensible person in the entire cast and also in a lot of ways the most idealistic. And I thought he and Zoe were cute together. As for Leo/Annabeth, while I don't know that I see them in anything serious and long-term, I thought their dynamic was very interesting. (And I'm willing to be convinced about the 'serious and longterm bit, if that's where you want to go.)
Prompts: canon-typical political shenanigans, either international or US-focused. Something dealing with the personal costs of Jed's MS, and the toll it took on them. An AU where Leo doesn't die, and/or something between him and Annabeth during the campaign. They're together all the time in very stressful situations, what happens? Future fic where Zoe and Charlie are together and what their life looks like with less spotlight on them. Jed writing his memoirs in retirement.
DNW: bashing, incest, explicit sex, rape/noncon, major embarrassment/humiliation, modern AUs, human/no powers AUs, darkfic.
