Fest: Rarewomen
Mar. 3rd, 2014 09:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
argentum_lsDear Rarewomen writer:
Thank you so much for signing up for this exchange and for agreeing to write me a story. I'm so excited about what you're going to do and I'm very much looking forward to see which rarewoman or women you've chosen to write about! For your convenience, I have some info about what I like and dislike.
Likes
Plot. Stories without a conflict and resolution are great (and I’ve written more than a few!), but if you ask me the one thing that will truly make me bounce with joy: it’s plot. My tastes in plot are about as wide open as they can be. I love h/c, drama, angst, friendship, family, schmoop, casefic, humor, and practically everything else, too.
Character exploration and strong characterization. Who the characters are and how these specific characters are going to act and react in a scenario are what drives a story for me.
All kinds of relationships, not just sexual or romantic ones. Two of my favorite relationship dynamics are (pseudo)parent-child and best friend-best friend, so if you would prefer to write a strong friendship rather than a romantic pairing, I'm completely on board with that.
Secrets. The common thread of my fandoms is that at least one of the characters has superpowers (or a superstate) that s/he/they have to keep secret from the world at large. I love secrets. I love seeing them kept and the cost that keeping secrets invariably has. I also love when a decision is made (or circumstances conspire) to bring the secret to light. And I love to watch the fallout. In those cases where an included character is not the secret holder, I'm always interested in the consequences of the secret holding on them.
Real World Grounding. Each of my favorite shows is also set in someplace that more-or-less is the real world, with the obvious exception of the inclusion of the superstate. I like this juxtaposition of people trying to maintain a real world identity while dealing with things that no one else can understand. I tend to lose interest in shows that focus on the supernatural to the exclusion of the real. So, stories that focus on real world problems first and show how the supernatural escalates those problems are my cup of tea.
Crossovers. I adore crossovers! (But, don't worry, I'm not expecting one.) If you're a crossover writer, and you're so inspired, let's see what you can do. Pick any of the shows I requested, or plumb my journal to find out what and who else I'm into.
Favored tropes include: Trapped!, Running Out of Time, Unexpected Allies, Secret Identity, and Friends With Benefits
If you happen to be playing in one of the various bingo games out there and you'd like to double up on a prompt for that with this, let's see it!
Dislikes
PWPs. Sexual activity (e.g. kissing, petting), UST, sexual tension, and romance are always fine, but I would prefer them to be part of the story and not the whole story (anything up through an R-rating is good).
Character assassination and/or bashing.
Torture!porn. Despite my love of h/c, I don’t like torture-for-the-sake-of-torture (e.g. the Saw movies).
AUs of the coffee shop/bakery/mechanic/all!human style. Stories that deviate from canon at a fixed point are fine as long as they stay in the established canon world.
Extreme jealousy. For example: stories where someone mis-overhears something, gets wildly upset, and refuses to address the issue; I’d like to think my favorite characters are more mature than that.
Permanent character maiming or death.
H2O: Just Add Water
I selected Any for the girls here, and I mean it. If you want to focus on one of the girls, a couple of them, or a combination of all of them, that's up to you. On the one hand, I love ensemble stories, regardless of whether it deals with the combination of Emma-Cleo-Rikki, Cleo-Rikki-Bella, or even Emma-Cleo-Rikki-Bella. On the other, a slapfight between Cleo and Kim is long overdue, Emma is last "seen" traveling the world with her family, university is always a big transition that often involves making new friends, and outsider-POV!Kim is bound to be fascinating.
For these characters, I'd love to know more about the little daily problems that their relationship with water creates for them: going to the beach with friends, surprise rain storms, leaky faucets, routine hand-washing, etc. I'm also curious about how the mermaid thing factors into their real life relationships. Their boyfriends all seemed really cool with the idea of dating mermaids, but were they really? Likewise, their parents are all bound to catch on to problems eventually. And, if they don't, the constant lies have to be generating friction.
I'd also like to know more about mermaid mythology. The show explores the siren song, ambergris, and the full moon hypnosis thing. Any of these could use more exploration, as could other elements of the legends. Or, you could make up your own mermaid mythology. I know almost nothing about mermaid myth, so I'd love to learn more as seen through the eyes of these mermaids.
Any rating story is fine. No porn, please (R-rated sexual exploring and tail!kink is fine, as well as entirely optional)
If you would like to include characters other than Emma, Rikki, Cleo, Bella, or Kim, have at it! I'm fine with any of them, including Nate and Charlotte.
If you would like to include pairings, please stick to the canon ones. I'm partial to Bella/Will and Emma/Ash, but really do find them all interesting in their own ways.
I selected Ceirdwyn and Angie Burke for this one. This is an "or" selection, or write about whichever woman strikes your fancy, or throw them together and see what happens.
Please keep Angie mortal. I like the outsider perspective she could bring.
For Angie, I'd like to know what kind of woman she grew up to be. She never knowingly was part of the Immortal world in canon, so did her tangential brush with it leave any marks? Did she ever find out? How did she deal with Richie's "death"? (Note: I'm firmly Clan Denial, so if you have Richie in the story, please keep him alive).
For Ceirdwyn, we have some age to work with. Two thousand years is a long time and the world has changed a lot during it. I'd love to know more about how this warrior woman faced those changes. Show me who she crossed paths with or what she took from those encounters (bits of wisdom, musical interests, a changed perspective?). Where did she go after her husband was killed? What did she go on to do with her Immortal life?
If you want to include pairings, I've always been partial to Angie/Richie. For something different, I'd also be curious about Adult!Angie/Ceirdwyn. Any other characters are welcome to populate the story. My favorites are (in no order): Richie, Methos, Amanda, and Gregor. I've never been fond of Duncan, but he's welcome, too.
I selected Elizabeth M'Bondo for this one. As long as the story centers on her, you're free to include any other characters you want or OC's that fit the world.
Tell me about Elizabeth's time at the Galactic Trig and what it meant for her to be an Ambassador. Tell me about being the co-leader of the TP and having to go up against John's stubbornness. What about her teaching? Did she continue on as an art teacher after becoming a TP? What was it like being Stephen's teacher part of the time and his co-conspirator the other part? What about being telepath and a teacher, in general?
If you want to include pairings, I'd prefer an OC for Elizabeth's other half. I can't see Elizabeth/John and I don't want to see her with any of the others.
I selected Jade Weston, Ami Jackson, and Lisa Davies for this one. This is an "or" selection, so pick one of the girls, or any combination of the three.
What I'd like to see for these girls is the downtime between savings of the world where they deal with their family and friends, having superpowers, and learning that grandiose wishes can come true (even if you'd rather they didn't). Have them grow up, if you want. Or keep them teens. Send them on a real-world adventure (dating, parental re-marriage, moving, having to figure out a life path) and show how telepathy, telekinesis, and teleportation can be both the solution and the problem. Or have them take charge and be the ones who save the boys from the latest alien invasion or mad scientist.
If you want to include pairings, I'd prefer OCs for the other half. Mixing these TP together feels squicky to me. If, however, you want to include other canon characters for the sake of story, have at it!
I selected Astrid Finch, Irene Quinn, and Hillary Cole for this one. This is an "or" selection, so pick one of the girls, or any combination of the three.
For Astrid, I'd like to see more of the friction of her dealing with the TP world as a non-TP. Tell me more about what happened when she was trapped in the lair, or have her be the one who rescues Stephen, or show what her daily life looks like now that she sees the world through a darker lens. I adore her friendship with Stephen and I'm really starting to enjoy her sibling-like relationship with John, so if you want to drag either of them (or any other canon character) into the story, have at it.
For Irene, I'd like to know about who she was before she became a TP. What happened to her family? How did she get on Ultra's radar? We know she telekinetically threw her dickhead adviser across the room, but that doesn't seem like a crime that Ultra would notice. What does she do with herself now that she's had to leave her old goals and dreams behind?
For Hillary, as with Irene, tell me more about her past. She became an Ultra agent. How did she get discovered without being de-powered? What motivates her to work with Ultra? Would she ever consider turning coat? If so, what would push her to that?
For extra fun, let's throw Hillary, Irene, and Astrid on a mission together. How would that happen, and how would they all get out of the situation intact?
If you'd like to include pairings, I'm partial to Astrid/Stephen, though at this point the show seems to be canonically shipping everyone with everyone, so leave anyone older than John out of the mix, and you can too (het, slash, or poly is all good).
I've tried to keep things open-ended with my extra info. Use what you need to, but don't agonize about stretching the boundaries. If you have any questions (or if you need more specific prompts), my tumblr has a really lonely ask box with anon turned on. You can also check in with htbthomas, who knows my tastes and knows how to keep a secret.
Thank you again!
Thank you so much for signing up for this exchange and for agreeing to write me a story. I'm so excited about what you're going to do and I'm very much looking forward to see which rarewoman or women you've chosen to write about! For your convenience, I have some info about what I like and dislike.
Likes
Favored tropes include: Trapped!, Running Out of Time, Unexpected Allies, Secret Identity, and Friends With Benefits
If you happen to be playing in one of the various bingo games out there and you'd like to double up on a prompt for that with this, let's see it!
Dislikes
H2O: Just Add Water
I selected Any for the girls here, and I mean it. If you want to focus on one of the girls, a couple of them, or a combination of all of them, that's up to you. On the one hand, I love ensemble stories, regardless of whether it deals with the combination of Emma-Cleo-Rikki, Cleo-Rikki-Bella, or even Emma-Cleo-Rikki-Bella. On the other, a slapfight between Cleo and Kim is long overdue, Emma is last "seen" traveling the world with her family, university is always a big transition that often involves making new friends, and outsider-POV!Kim is bound to be fascinating.
For these characters, I'd love to know more about the little daily problems that their relationship with water creates for them: going to the beach with friends, surprise rain storms, leaky faucets, routine hand-washing, etc. I'm also curious about how the mermaid thing factors into their real life relationships. Their boyfriends all seemed really cool with the idea of dating mermaids, but were they really? Likewise, their parents are all bound to catch on to problems eventually. And, if they don't, the constant lies have to be generating friction.
I'd also like to know more about mermaid mythology. The show explores the siren song, ambergris, and the full moon hypnosis thing. Any of these could use more exploration, as could other elements of the legends. Or, you could make up your own mermaid mythology. I know almost nothing about mermaid myth, so I'd love to learn more as seen through the eyes of these mermaids.
Any rating story is fine. No porn, please (R-rated sexual exploring and tail!kink is fine, as well as entirely optional)
If you would like to include characters other than Emma, Rikki, Cleo, Bella, or Kim, have at it! I'm fine with any of them, including Nate and Charlotte.
If you would like to include pairings, please stick to the canon ones. I'm partial to Bella/Will and Emma/Ash, but really do find them all interesting in their own ways.
I selected Ceirdwyn and Angie Burke for this one. This is an "or" selection, or write about whichever woman strikes your fancy, or throw them together and see what happens.
Please keep Angie mortal. I like the outsider perspective she could bring.
For Angie, I'd like to know what kind of woman she grew up to be. She never knowingly was part of the Immortal world in canon, so did her tangential brush with it leave any marks? Did she ever find out? How did she deal with Richie's "death"? (Note: I'm firmly Clan Denial, so if you have Richie in the story, please keep him alive).
For Ceirdwyn, we have some age to work with. Two thousand years is a long time and the world has changed a lot during it. I'd love to know more about how this warrior woman faced those changes. Show me who she crossed paths with or what she took from those encounters (bits of wisdom, musical interests, a changed perspective?). Where did she go after her husband was killed? What did she go on to do with her Immortal life?
If you want to include pairings, I've always been partial to Angie/Richie. For something different, I'd also be curious about Adult!Angie/Ceirdwyn. Any other characters are welcome to populate the story. My favorites are (in no order): Richie, Methos, Amanda, and Gregor. I've never been fond of Duncan, but he's welcome, too.
I selected Elizabeth M'Bondo for this one. As long as the story centers on her, you're free to include any other characters you want or OC's that fit the world.
Tell me about Elizabeth's time at the Galactic Trig and what it meant for her to be an Ambassador. Tell me about being the co-leader of the TP and having to go up against John's stubbornness. What about her teaching? Did she continue on as an art teacher after becoming a TP? What was it like being Stephen's teacher part of the time and his co-conspirator the other part? What about being telepath and a teacher, in general?
If you want to include pairings, I'd prefer an OC for Elizabeth's other half. I can't see Elizabeth/John and I don't want to see her with any of the others.
I selected Jade Weston, Ami Jackson, and Lisa Davies for this one. This is an "or" selection, so pick one of the girls, or any combination of the three.
What I'd like to see for these girls is the downtime between savings of the world where they deal with their family and friends, having superpowers, and learning that grandiose wishes can come true (even if you'd rather they didn't). Have them grow up, if you want. Or keep them teens. Send them on a real-world adventure (dating, parental re-marriage, moving, having to figure out a life path) and show how telepathy, telekinesis, and teleportation can be both the solution and the problem. Or have them take charge and be the ones who save the boys from the latest alien invasion or mad scientist.
If you want to include pairings, I'd prefer OCs for the other half. Mixing these TP together feels squicky to me. If, however, you want to include other canon characters for the sake of story, have at it!
I selected Astrid Finch, Irene Quinn, and Hillary Cole for this one. This is an "or" selection, so pick one of the girls, or any combination of the three.
For Astrid, I'd like to see more of the friction of her dealing with the TP world as a non-TP. Tell me more about what happened when she was trapped in the lair, or have her be the one who rescues Stephen, or show what her daily life looks like now that she sees the world through a darker lens. I adore her friendship with Stephen and I'm really starting to enjoy her sibling-like relationship with John, so if you want to drag either of them (or any other canon character) into the story, have at it.
For Irene, I'd like to know about who she was before she became a TP. What happened to her family? How did she get on Ultra's radar? We know she telekinetically threw her dickhead adviser across the room, but that doesn't seem like a crime that Ultra would notice. What does she do with herself now that she's had to leave her old goals and dreams behind?
For Hillary, as with Irene, tell me more about her past. She became an Ultra agent. How did she get discovered without being de-powered? What motivates her to work with Ultra? Would she ever consider turning coat? If so, what would push her to that?
For extra fun, let's throw Hillary, Irene, and Astrid on a mission together. How would that happen, and how would they all get out of the situation intact?
If you'd like to include pairings, I'm partial to Astrid/Stephen, though at this point the show seems to be canonically shipping everyone with everyone, so leave anyone older than John out of the mix, and you can too (het, slash, or poly is all good).
I've tried to keep things open-ended with my extra info. Use what you need to, but don't agonize about stretching the boundaries. If you have any questions (or if you need more specific prompts), my tumblr has a really lonely ask box with anon turned on. You can also check in with htbthomas, who knows my tastes and knows how to keep a secret.
Thank you again!
