Fest: Shipswap
Jan. 26th, 2015 11:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
argentum_lsDear Shipswap writer:
Thank you so much for signing up and offering to write on one of my pairings! I'm very much looking forward to the story you write, and I'd like to make it as easy for you as I can.
I'm LadySilver on AO3 and argentum-ls just about everywhere else. If the hyphen doesn't work, try an underscore.
Most of what's below is copied from my Yuletide letter. I have several years of letters is a variety of exchanges posted. Should you be brave enough to go trolling through my old letters, know that any prompt I've ever posted is fair game, even if someone's already filled it. Should you have any idea for a story you think I'd like that you'd rather write, then do that instead. I would much rather you enjoyed writing the story than twist yourself in knots trying to fill a prompt that isn't working for you.
Overall, what I like in a story is plot; that is, I want something to happen. Beyond that, the reins are pretty loose. I like h/c and whump, angst, drama, humor, casefic, action/adventure, and romance. I love pairings and I also love strong friendships. Ratings from G to hard-R are great. Crossovers are fantastic, though not anything I ever expect. I prefer canon based stories or canon-divergent AUs, and I prefer third-person storytelling, though I don't care if it's in past or present tense.
Other things I like:
Outsider POV
Characters talking about their superpowers/superstate in a way that provides insight into what it means for them.
Friends with Benefits
When two characters believe they're talking about the same thing, but aren't.
Real world situations (e.g. parental-dating, high school is hard, starting college/moving out) complicated by the supernatural
Clever or unusual uses of a character's powers.
Favorite Tropes: Trapped!, Running Out of Time, Unexpected Allies, Lying by Telling the Truth*, Secret Identity Revealed/Discovered
*Such as when a character tells the truth about his/her secret in such a way that she/he knows won't be believed. TV Tropes supplies Sarcastic Confession for this, though I prefer when it's played straight.
For higher rated stories, I'm interested in: First Times, Kissing, Touching/Touch, Body Discovery, situations where our characters could get caught (but don't), Consensual Sex Pollen, Oral Sex, Frottage, and Consensual Voyeurism.
DO NOT WANTS:
Crack, non-canon AUs (including A/B/O, mpreg, and genderbends), non con, permanent main character maiming or death, PWPs, E or NC-17 rated sexual material, extreme jealousy, character assassination/bashing, torture!porn (e.g. the Saw movies), incest, trans headcanons.
Fandoms
The Tomorrow People (2013)
The Tomorrow People is my perma-fandom. The '73 version is the show that I bonded with the hardest and that, arguably, set into place all of my favored tropes. Forty years later, I can't let go. The very idea of youths with something more to offer the world, yet who have to hide what they are from the world for their own safety, speaks powerfully to me. I love that the characters are thrust into situations that they don't have the experience to deal with, yet have the responsibility to take on because their powers make them the only ones who can solve the problems. I love how they are forced to rely on each other, and how although their powers separate them from their family and friends, the Tomorrow People still consider themselves part of the world at large. I also love how they continually have to grapple with the question of whether they are superior to or better than the people they're descended from, and how often the answer is “only in some ways.”
For all its flaws, the 2013 show brought us a new generation of characters with the problems of the modern world. Further, while the other versions of the show limited the TP experience to a small and fixed group of people—which is easy to teach and monitor—this one throws the doors open to myriad people, many of whom aren't good people. This would completely change the overall TP experience.
Pairings: Stephen Jameson/John Young, Cara Coburn/Stephen Jameson/John Young, Stephen Jameson/Irene Quinn, John Young/Astrid Finch/Stephen Jameson, Astrid Finch/Stephen Jameson
The 'ship choices should make it obvious that Stephen is one of my favorite characters. I've always had a weakness for those characters who are new to their powers: the ones who aren't yet comfortable with how their powers work, the consequences of using them, or the awareness of what can go wrong. I like seeing characters who are trying their best, yet who still manage to screw up because they simply haven't gained the life experience to make sound judgments about the best way to do what they think they need to do. OTOH, I also really like the characters who've seen the worst and who still fight on. This is John, to me, and, to a more limited extent, Cara. I love the bond between Stephen and Cara and I'd like to know more about what that means for them. What did she learn about him during the year in his head? What should he have learned about her? Astrid is also one of my favorites because of her aplomb at dealing with the whole TP world, which she's not even a part of except by choice. She knows what she wants and isn't afraid to pursue it. Why did she stick with Stephen during his breakout? And why does she continue to involve herself in the TP world? Irene, meanwhile, has traveled backwards, going from being a TP to being a regular human, and is stuck needing to figure out how to relive in that world (unless she somehow gets her powers back, of course). Why would she continue to associate with the TP? What could Stephen offer that would make up for the price she's paid?
What I'm interested in are stories that put the characters' TP-lives into conflict with their non-TP lives. Give me scenarios where they have to function in the world as we know it, yet run into problems because of their powers, their inability to kill, or because of the perspective that being TP brings to how one sees the world. Show me what it means to them to be TP, or not, as the case may be. Consider college parties, hazing rituals, figuring out how to be in the post-ULTRA world, or stories about getting John back. If you'd like to introduce any of the classic TP tropes to this version of the show, have at it: aliens, mad scientists, evil pop culture, or time travel are all good.
Note: the age difference between John and Stephen pushes the boundaries of what I'm comfortable with. I can deal with it, but if you choose this pairing, please respect their life-experience difference.
If you prefer to write friendship fic with any of these combos, I'm great with that, too.
All canon characters or OCs who fit the world are welcome to help populate your story.
If you happen to be familiar with one of the other versions of the TP and would like to adapt or plunder a storyline for this version, go for it. (Except “A Man for Emily.” Please don't do that one.)
H2O: Just Add Water
Pairings: Zane Bennett/Rikki Chadwick, Lewis McCartney/Cleo Sertori, Ash Dove/Emma Gilbert, Will Benjamin/Bella Hartley
What I love about this show is the girl-centricness of it. One of my favorite little scenes is when Cleo and Rikki are trying to cheer Bella up and they tell her that there’s always one thing that will make them happy. Bella assumes it’s swimming. Then the camera cuts to them finishing a shopping trip. They’re mermaids, but they’re girls first, and they aren’t ashamed of that. They’re also tough, vulnerable, smart, fallible, self-reliant, and occasionally needy—just like real girls.
I love how the girls are friends in an honest way. They support each other and look out for each other, but they don’t always get along. There’s tension and bad moods and the occasional overly-cutting remark. Rikki and Bella have an interesting big sister-little sister relationship, complete with rebellion and exasperation, and all the girls had their moments where they didn’t especially like their found family. Yet they will always be the first ones there for each other.
For these characters, I'm interested in post-series stories. Show me the ups and downs of being in a mermaid/human relationship. Show me how relationships that are tested in the normal world by normal concerns (friends who don't like your boyfriend, parents who don't like your girlfriend, going to university, getting a job, moving) are tested all the more when one of the participants isn't always human. Show me how water and full moon fever and ambergris and anything-you-want-to-make-up-about-mermaid-mythology cause problems for our couples, and show me how they make it through (or how they decide that they shouldn't). If you want to write about more than one of the couples, have at it. If not, that's fine, too.
Should you decide to write a higher rated story, I'd be interested in seeing how the mer-side factors into the couples' sexual activity. Do Zane or Will kink on Rikki or Bella's tail? Does Lewis have to devise some kind of science to get Cleo's halter top off since it seems to be part of her body? Does Ash suddenly get squicked at the idea of Emma not always having legs? How would they have to adjust their sexual explorations considering that licking might be enough to elicit a transformation, and shower sex is right out?
If you're writing for this show, you're welcome to repurpose prompts I've given for Mako Mermaids.
Hindsight
Pairings: Becca Brady/Xavier, Becca Brady/Lolly Lavigne
This show is still really new, so I don't have a lot of thoughts about it yet. After two episodes, what I know is that I totally adore the Becca/Lolly relationship, and I'd love to see more of Xavier. I really want Xavier to have a function in the story that isn't merely plot-device-y.
Give me more of Becca's assessment on the 90s and her efforts to improve her history. Maybe she and Lolly had a “bi-curious” moment one time on the first pass that Becca has always regretted not exploring. Maybe Lolly is the one who's interested in throwing caution to the wind now that she knows it's at least possible for someone to get a second chance at life.
Give Xavier a function: He is also a time-re-liver; he has the power to manipulate time lines to get people where he needs them to be; he's from Becca's first future and she charged him with making sure they got together.
Mako Mermaids
Pairings: Zac Blakely/Evie, David/Sirena, Cam/Nixie
Confession: While I like mermaids and the show's connection with H2O, I don't like how the entire plot hinges on the characters refusing to tell each other things, which just escalates problems that should have been easily resolved. That said, what I do like is the friendships and the identity porn. I'm such a sucker for Zac and Cam's relationship and even what happens to it at the end of the first season. Nixie is my favorite of the mermaid trio because of how practical she is. And Evie manages to hold her own despite everyone around her lying through their teeth at her. Also, the mer-stuff. Which is why I'm thoroughly spoiled for season 2 and I'm counting the days until I can suffer through every darn episode of it, hoping that the characters finally start to talk to each other.
I'm interested in a story exploring Zac and Evie's relationship now that she's in the know. Would she want to become a mermaid? Does she feel left out that she isn't one? Would they incorporate the mermaid side into their physical explorations? How?
Likewise with Cam and Nixie now that she knows that he knows. Nixie's expressed some desire to keep her legs, and Cam has outright tried to become a merman. Would they be interested in changing places? How far would each of them be willing to go to get what they want?
While recently rewatching the first season, I realized that David and Sirena are incredibly sweet together; the innocence of their relationship makes me all melt-y. I'd love to see more of them trying to figure out how to be together when Sirena has so much to learn about the land world and David doesn't know the most important thing there is to know about her.
ETA Feb 13: Having just watched the first 13 episodes of the 2nd season -- NEW PROMPTS: 1) One of Mimmi's spells gives Zac or Evie the ability to stay in human form while wet, but forces the other to stay in mer-form while dry; 2) Nixie returns, but only Cam knows. For Nixie to achieve her goal, Cam will have to choose between her and any attempt to ever heal the rift with Zac; 3) Sirena finally realizes that it's time for David to find his mermaid. Only, telling him will mean she has to leave. Unless she can find a way to stay in both worlds.
Thank you again for signing up. If you have any questions, you can contact htbthomas who knows all my tastes and knows how to keep a secret.
Thank you so much for signing up and offering to write on one of my pairings! I'm very much looking forward to the story you write, and I'd like to make it as easy for you as I can.
I'm LadySilver on AO3 and argentum-ls just about everywhere else. If the hyphen doesn't work, try an underscore.
Most of what's below is copied from my Yuletide letter. I have several years of letters is a variety of exchanges posted. Should you be brave enough to go trolling through my old letters, know that any prompt I've ever posted is fair game, even if someone's already filled it. Should you have any idea for a story you think I'd like that you'd rather write, then do that instead. I would much rather you enjoyed writing the story than twist yourself in knots trying to fill a prompt that isn't working for you.
Overall, what I like in a story is plot; that is, I want something to happen. Beyond that, the reins are pretty loose. I like h/c and whump, angst, drama, humor, casefic, action/adventure, and romance. I love pairings and I also love strong friendships. Ratings from G to hard-R are great. Crossovers are fantastic, though not anything I ever expect. I prefer canon based stories or canon-divergent AUs, and I prefer third-person storytelling, though I don't care if it's in past or present tense.
Other things I like:
*Such as when a character tells the truth about his/her secret in such a way that she/he knows won't be believed. TV Tropes supplies Sarcastic Confession for this, though I prefer when it's played straight.
For higher rated stories, I'm interested in: First Times, Kissing, Touching/Touch, Body Discovery, situations where our characters could get caught (but don't), Consensual Sex Pollen, Oral Sex, Frottage, and Consensual Voyeurism.
DO NOT WANTS:
Crack, non-canon AUs (including A/B/O, mpreg, and genderbends), non con, permanent main character maiming or death, PWPs, E or NC-17 rated sexual material, extreme jealousy, character assassination/bashing, torture!porn (e.g. the Saw movies), incest, trans headcanons.
Fandoms
The Tomorrow People (2013)
The Tomorrow People is my perma-fandom. The '73 version is the show that I bonded with the hardest and that, arguably, set into place all of my favored tropes. Forty years later, I can't let go. The very idea of youths with something more to offer the world, yet who have to hide what they are from the world for their own safety, speaks powerfully to me. I love that the characters are thrust into situations that they don't have the experience to deal with, yet have the responsibility to take on because their powers make them the only ones who can solve the problems. I love how they are forced to rely on each other, and how although their powers separate them from their family and friends, the Tomorrow People still consider themselves part of the world at large. I also love how they continually have to grapple with the question of whether they are superior to or better than the people they're descended from, and how often the answer is “only in some ways.”
For all its flaws, the 2013 show brought us a new generation of characters with the problems of the modern world. Further, while the other versions of the show limited the TP experience to a small and fixed group of people—which is easy to teach and monitor—this one throws the doors open to myriad people, many of whom aren't good people. This would completely change the overall TP experience.
Pairings: Stephen Jameson/John Young, Cara Coburn/Stephen Jameson/John Young, Stephen Jameson/Irene Quinn, John Young/Astrid Finch/Stephen Jameson, Astrid Finch/Stephen Jameson
The 'ship choices should make it obvious that Stephen is one of my favorite characters. I've always had a weakness for those characters who are new to their powers: the ones who aren't yet comfortable with how their powers work, the consequences of using them, or the awareness of what can go wrong. I like seeing characters who are trying their best, yet who still manage to screw up because they simply haven't gained the life experience to make sound judgments about the best way to do what they think they need to do. OTOH, I also really like the characters who've seen the worst and who still fight on. This is John, to me, and, to a more limited extent, Cara. I love the bond between Stephen and Cara and I'd like to know more about what that means for them. What did she learn about him during the year in his head? What should he have learned about her? Astrid is also one of my favorites because of her aplomb at dealing with the whole TP world, which she's not even a part of except by choice. She knows what she wants and isn't afraid to pursue it. Why did she stick with Stephen during his breakout? And why does she continue to involve herself in the TP world? Irene, meanwhile, has traveled backwards, going from being a TP to being a regular human, and is stuck needing to figure out how to relive in that world (unless she somehow gets her powers back, of course). Why would she continue to associate with the TP? What could Stephen offer that would make up for the price she's paid?
What I'm interested in are stories that put the characters' TP-lives into conflict with their non-TP lives. Give me scenarios where they have to function in the world as we know it, yet run into problems because of their powers, their inability to kill, or because of the perspective that being TP brings to how one sees the world. Show me what it means to them to be TP, or not, as the case may be. Consider college parties, hazing rituals, figuring out how to be in the post-ULTRA world, or stories about getting John back. If you'd like to introduce any of the classic TP tropes to this version of the show, have at it: aliens, mad scientists, evil pop culture, or time travel are all good.
Note: the age difference between John and Stephen pushes the boundaries of what I'm comfortable with. I can deal with it, but if you choose this pairing, please respect their life-experience difference.
If you prefer to write friendship fic with any of these combos, I'm great with that, too.
All canon characters or OCs who fit the world are welcome to help populate your story.
If you happen to be familiar with one of the other versions of the TP and would like to adapt or plunder a storyline for this version, go for it. (Except “A Man for Emily.” Please don't do that one.)
H2O: Just Add Water
Pairings: Zane Bennett/Rikki Chadwick, Lewis McCartney/Cleo Sertori, Ash Dove/Emma Gilbert, Will Benjamin/Bella Hartley
What I love about this show is the girl-centricness of it. One of my favorite little scenes is when Cleo and Rikki are trying to cheer Bella up and they tell her that there’s always one thing that will make them happy. Bella assumes it’s swimming. Then the camera cuts to them finishing a shopping trip. They’re mermaids, but they’re girls first, and they aren’t ashamed of that. They’re also tough, vulnerable, smart, fallible, self-reliant, and occasionally needy—just like real girls.
I love how the girls are friends in an honest way. They support each other and look out for each other, but they don’t always get along. There’s tension and bad moods and the occasional overly-cutting remark. Rikki and Bella have an interesting big sister-little sister relationship, complete with rebellion and exasperation, and all the girls had their moments where they didn’t especially like their found family. Yet they will always be the first ones there for each other.
For these characters, I'm interested in post-series stories. Show me the ups and downs of being in a mermaid/human relationship. Show me how relationships that are tested in the normal world by normal concerns (friends who don't like your boyfriend, parents who don't like your girlfriend, going to university, getting a job, moving) are tested all the more when one of the participants isn't always human. Show me how water and full moon fever and ambergris and anything-you-want-to-make-up-about-mermaid-mythology cause problems for our couples, and show me how they make it through (or how they decide that they shouldn't). If you want to write about more than one of the couples, have at it. If not, that's fine, too.
Should you decide to write a higher rated story, I'd be interested in seeing how the mer-side factors into the couples' sexual activity. Do Zane or Will kink on Rikki or Bella's tail? Does Lewis have to devise some kind of science to get Cleo's halter top off since it seems to be part of her body? Does Ash suddenly get squicked at the idea of Emma not always having legs? How would they have to adjust their sexual explorations considering that licking might be enough to elicit a transformation, and shower sex is right out?
If you're writing for this show, you're welcome to repurpose prompts I've given for Mako Mermaids.
Hindsight
Pairings: Becca Brady/Xavier, Becca Brady/Lolly Lavigne
This show is still really new, so I don't have a lot of thoughts about it yet. After two episodes, what I know is that I totally adore the Becca/Lolly relationship, and I'd love to see more of Xavier. I really want Xavier to have a function in the story that isn't merely plot-device-y.
Give me more of Becca's assessment on the 90s and her efforts to improve her history. Maybe she and Lolly had a “bi-curious” moment one time on the first pass that Becca has always regretted not exploring. Maybe Lolly is the one who's interested in throwing caution to the wind now that she knows it's at least possible for someone to get a second chance at life.
Give Xavier a function: He is also a time-re-liver; he has the power to manipulate time lines to get people where he needs them to be; he's from Becca's first future and she charged him with making sure they got together.
Mako Mermaids
Pairings: Zac Blakely/Evie, David/Sirena, Cam/Nixie
Confession: While I like mermaids and the show's connection with H2O, I don't like how the entire plot hinges on the characters refusing to tell each other things, which just escalates problems that should have been easily resolved. That said, what I do like is the friendships and the identity porn. I'm such a sucker for Zac and Cam's relationship and even what happens to it at the end of the first season. Nixie is my favorite of the mermaid trio because of how practical she is. And Evie manages to hold her own despite everyone around her lying through their teeth at her. Also, the mer-stuff. Which is why I'm thoroughly spoiled for season 2 and I'm counting the days until I can suffer through every darn episode of it, hoping that the characters finally start to talk to each other.
I'm interested in a story exploring Zac and Evie's relationship now that she's in the know. Would she want to become a mermaid? Does she feel left out that she isn't one? Would they incorporate the mermaid side into their physical explorations? How?
Likewise with Cam and Nixie now that she knows that he knows. Nixie's expressed some desire to keep her legs, and Cam has outright tried to become a merman. Would they be interested in changing places? How far would each of them be willing to go to get what they want?
While recently rewatching the first season, I realized that David and Sirena are incredibly sweet together; the innocence of their relationship makes me all melt-y. I'd love to see more of them trying to figure out how to be together when Sirena has so much to learn about the land world and David doesn't know the most important thing there is to know about her.
ETA Feb 13: Having just watched the first 13 episodes of the 2nd season -- NEW PROMPTS: 1) One of Mimmi's spells gives Zac or Evie the ability to stay in human form while wet, but forces the other to stay in mer-form while dry; 2) Nixie returns, but only Cam knows. For Nixie to achieve her goal, Cam will have to choose between her and any attempt to ever heal the rift with Zac; 3) Sirena finally realizes that it's time for David to find his mermaid. Only, telling him will mean she has to leave. Unless she can find a way to stay in both worlds.
Thank you again for signing up. If you have any questions, you can contact htbthomas who knows all my tastes and knows how to keep a secret.
