May the 4th 2017: Letter.
Jan. 30th, 2017 10:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
musamihiHello! Thank you for offering to write for one of my pairings/character combos/what have you! I'll be thrilled to read anything you're excited to write, so if you have an idea that's dying to get out, please, have at it - but if you'd like a little inspiration, hopefully the following is helpful! I've thrown out a few sketchy ideas for each of my requested relationships here - if any or all of it sticks, go with it, but, of course, don't feel you have to run with my suggestions. I've mostly drawn from Rogue One and Episode VII characters & their surrounding canon, but I'm also very familiar with a lot of Legends material (if it was a novel, I probably read it), so if you want to throw in references to any of that, or if you prefer those backstories for particular characters ... go for it.
First, general stuff: I’m 100% fine with any rating, from general audiences to explicit sexual content, and with any level of canon-typical violence. My personal tastes tend toward the angsty/ambiguously-hopeful side of the spectrum, but if you prefer happy endings and a fluffier tone, I love reading that stuff, too; you just don’t have to be afraid that whatever you write will be too dark for me, because it will not. I love worldbuilding stuff, so if you want to go into wild digressions about Yavin IV or life in the proto-First Order, have at it. Where I've chosen / relationships, I'm also just as happy to receive their & versions; where I've chosen & relationships, it's generally because they're family members (I know, a Star Wars fan who doesn't like incest, I am the most boring), and I'd prefer that be respected unless I specifically note otherwise. In general, feel free to throw in background or side ships as you please - I have no NOTPs.
I'd ask that you please avoid the following:
Some things I particularly love include:
ROGUE ONE
Cassian Andor/Bodhi Rook
The contrast between the lifelong rebel and the brand new devotee to the cause is really appealing to me, here. How solid is Bodhi's dedication to the Rebellion, really? Is he just in this to assuage his conscience? To save people he cares about? He's seen the Empire up close and personal, and has presumably watched it perpetrate some pretty awful stuff both at home and abroad (and please feel free to dig into as much of his backstory on Jedha or flying for the Empire as you like). Is Cassian skeptical of his motivations - do they matter to him at all? How does Cassian deal with working with someone who was willing not only to turn a blind eye to the Empire's atrocities, but to work with them? Is there any excuse he accepts, for that sort of thing? Any way you can find to give them some time together would be great - a moment wedged into one of their flights, or on Yavin IV, or if they survive stranded on Scarif, or ... whatever works. Maybe an AU where Cassian's the one who recruits Bodhi as a Rebellion asset? Some post-Jedha (or post-Scarif) hurt/comfort? Coming to terms with the awful things they've both done, in the service of their respective employers?
Galen Erso/Bodhi Rook
As with pretty much all of my requested relationships, I'd be happy to see this interpreted as dark or as loving as you'd prefer - it can be full of love and pure intentions, or straight-up manipulation, whatever you'd like to write. I'd love to see something that touches on why Galen chose Bodhi for this particular mission, whether Bodhi needed to be seriously convinced, whether Galen ultimately had any second thoughts about whether to send Bodhi away when the time finally came (it must have been a pretty lonely life at that facility on Eadu, after all - presumably not a lot of friendly pilots to be found?), or any other of the complexities of their relationship before Bodhi defects. Bodhi's from Jedha - does he already know enough about Saw to know this isn't going to be all sunshine and roses? An AU where they do manage to extract Galen would be interesting - how does he react to Bodhi now that his purpose has been fulfilled? Does their relationship continue? Stop completely? They were both Imperial collaborators - are they regarded with equal skepticism, if they make it back to the Rebellion?
Jyn Erso/Bodhi Rook
I love that these two are both new/somewhat reluctant rebels (although obviously Jyn has some prior experience), and, of course, their connection through Galen Erso, and more briefly through Saw Gerrera. I'd love to see them sharing thoughts on Gerrera and his tactics; did Bodhi have to live with that insurgency before he was conscripted into the Imperial forces? Did Jyn ever have strong feelings about whether that sort of violence was worth the result, or was she just kind of along for the ride? They're both sort of conscripts, I guess, who get swept up in things and ultimately have to make a choice. I'd love to see them connecting over Galen, and what he meant to them (or maybe their feelings about him are more complicated - obviously Jyn's relationship with him is pretty fraught, and he did send Bodhi to get tortured). I'd love to see them struggling with wondering what they have to offer the Rebellion. If they survive Scarif, do they consider just not going back? An AU where they meet before R1, while Jyn is in Imperial custody, or where Jyn is conscripted instead of getting dropped into a labor camp, would be lovely; or some brief recovery time on Yavin IV, before heading off to Scarif, for them to grieve; or, again, if they survive, I'd love to see their reactions to Alderaan.
THE FORCE AWAKENS
Poe Dameron/Rey
Poe and Rey both seem to manage to make friends very quickly, but they come from such different places - I love the contrast between them, the way Poe seems to be very easily social, garrulous and willing to throw himself right into connections, and Rey is more isolated, wary, and suspicious, but still soft and easily touched in some ways. Rey seems to have a firm moral code that I think Poe would very much approve of, but it doesn't seem to come from devotion to a cause or a sense of history. I'd love to see an AU twist where Poe wanders into Rey's little dwelling during his post-crash daze on Jakku; or maybe their brief time together on D'Qar before she leaves to find Luke. They've both got a friend unconscious in the infirmary, they've both lost friends and colleagues, she's just maybe given up hope of ever being found by her family again ... it's a lot to bond over! Maybe he goes with her on her journey to Luke, and they get into a bunch of seedy spaceport shenanigans; maybe they get into a series of friendly piloting competitions that somehow turn much more serious.
Poe Dameron/Luke Skywalker
I've always felt like Luke needs a little sunshine in his life [insert Tatooine joke here], and Poe can definitely bring it. I really enjoy relationships between non-Force-sensitive characters and incredibly powerful ones, both for the odd dance they must have to do around that power disparity and to see how it changes the non-powerful party's relationship to the Force. How does Poe relate to the Force? (Is it just a superstitious touchstone, like knocking on wood? Or like a religion? Or something different?) To the Jedi code? Does Luke have any interest in talking about that kind of stuff with him? How does Luke justify a romantic attachment to himself? Poe seems like to kind of guy to throw his feelings into a relationship without much reservation, once he's in something - how do they deal with Luke's inability to do that? Do they ever answer the one real, all-important question: who's a better pilot? If you'd rather write this as one or both of them pining after something that can never be, that's totally fine. I'd love to see something pre-TFA, whether you put the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV or not, involving Poe's hero-worship (or, knowing Poe, his less-than-perfectly-reverent affection for said hero); or maybe something where Poe actually finds Luke on the quest Leia's sent him on; or post-TFA, maybe he goes with Rey to find Luke, or is sent on a mission to bring them both back, or whatever puts them in the same sector.
Poe Dameron/Kylo Ren | Ben Solo
I'm excited to read just about any relationship dynamic for these two - from straight-up non-con to redemption arc romance, it's all good. Poe's indefatigable resistance and sense of humor, and Kylo's exasperation (not uninterested exasperation, but ... exasperation) at having to deal with this pilot who has no power at all but won't stop mouthing off - it's gold. I enjoy Kylo having a bit of an obsession with him because he knows he's his mother's favorite, but if you'd rather write a different dynamic for them, I'm always, always eager for new angles. I'd love something where Poe never gets off the Finalizer, and they get some time to dig into each other; anything where Poe runs into Kylo unmasked and doesn't realize who he is, particularly something post-TFA, where Kylo knows exactly who Poe is; something with Poe getting far, far too invested in turning Kylo back to the light, despite the fact that he has no real idea how to do this.
Poe Dameron & Leia Organa & Kylo Ren | Ben Solo
I love this tangled mess of loyalty and betrayal and pain - It seems to me that Leia and Kylo both still love one another, although of course in rather complicated ways, and I love when Poe is devoted to Leia enough that the fact that her son is hell-bent on bringing terror and suffering to the galaxy elicits a very strong reaction from him. Poe's no pushover, but he doesn't strike me as the never forgive type, either, so I love stories where he has to deal with who Kylo Ren is, and who he was, and what he means to the people around him - and how Leia deals with having this man for a child. I'd love to see the debriefing back on base, after Kylo tortures Poe, with Leia deciding whether or not to let Poe in on the family secret; I'd love to see something post-TFA with Poe helping Leia find Kylo Ren (whether he knows who that is, or not); I'd love a First Order AU where they're all among the First Order leadership, and how their relationships and their devotion to one another overlap and lead to tension or ... one big happy First Order family, that's absolutely fine, too. (If, in any of these scenarios, you decide you want to incorporate some Leia/Poe and/or Kylo/Poe, that's totally fine with me, too - it is in no way required, I will love it either way.)
OTHER STUFF
Poe Dameron/Terex
I adore Poe (as has no doubt become obvious), but I am loving Terex, too, the more we learn about him. He's exactly the kind of smarmy, faux-sophisticate bastard I love most, all the more because his swaggering self-confidence is so thin you could scratch it away with a quarter. I love the contrast between Poe's real, deep-seated, unflappable confidence, and Terex's facade. This dude wants to be Poe Dameron, but he's not, and it's killing him, and it give me life. (If you wanted to show Poe having a sincere moment of self-doubt, and Terex reacting to that, that would be fascinating!) Their snark, their cat-and-mouse antics, and the growing bond they seem to have as hunter and hunted (maybe it's one-sided? I don't care, it's a bond) is all so wonderful. I'd love to see more of the same, Terex chasing after Poe for the First Order's benefit or for his own; or the two of them working together; or literally anything. I'm interested to see what Terex gets up to, once the First Order gets shot to hell at the end of TFA. I'd love to see them undercover together (whether it's planned, or they just run into one another in a precarious situation and need to get out alive), particularly if they have to pretend to be friends, or they have to pretend to be a superior and his underling. I'd love to read about why Terex enlisted with the Empire. ... I'd love to read about Terex.
Poe Dameron & Kes Dameron
So, I always really love reading more about father - son relationships. I find them fascinating especially when there's a strong sense of history being passed down between them, and history being repeated, and all that fun stuff - Kes fought a war, but it wasn't one he'd been steeped in his whole life, as Poe seems to have been. He and his wife came to the Rebellion because they saw something terrible happening and they wanted to help, and Poe enlisted with the Republic's fleet during (I assume, but this could be wrong) a time of peace. How does Kes feel about his son enlisting? What about his defection to the Resistance? Does he even know about it? Has Poe told him all the awful shit that happened to him during TFA, or does he keep it to himself? Now that he's a well-known member of the Resistance, with the (admittedly wounded) First Order looking for him, is his father ever in danger? Do they have to leave Yavin IV? (Side note: I love Yavin IV and fleshing it out as Poe's home in every way possible, so if you're inclined that way, feel free.)
Armitage Hux & Brendol Hux
Again with the father - son relationships. In this particular case, I'd prefer it be not a completely negative dynamic they have - not that Armitage has to be giving him a Galaxy's Best Dad mug, or anything, but I find it more interesting when they find something in one another to respect or (gasp!) love. How much of Brendol's philosophy and ideology goes into the birth of the First Order? Does his son agree with it? Does he try to cut it out, once he rises to power? Is Brendol still around, kicking it in the Unknown Regions? What does he think about this whole Starkiller snafu? Has his son ever/always gone to him for advice, or has he been more focused on escaping from his shadow? Have they ever schemed against each other? On behalf of one another? I'd love to see what life was like for them before the First Order really rose to prominence, but I'd also love to check in with them post-TFA. If you want to throw in other First Order characters, you'll get no complaints from me - Kylo, Snoke, Phasma, Mitaka, whoever - or our old Imperial friends, too. All are welcome.
First, general stuff: I’m 100% fine with any rating, from general audiences to explicit sexual content, and with any level of canon-typical violence. My personal tastes tend toward the angsty/ambiguously-hopeful side of the spectrum, but if you prefer happy endings and a fluffier tone, I love reading that stuff, too; you just don’t have to be afraid that whatever you write will be too dark for me, because it will not. I love worldbuilding stuff, so if you want to go into wild digressions about Yavin IV or life in the proto-First Order, have at it. Where I've chosen / relationships, I'm also just as happy to receive their & versions; where I've chosen & relationships, it's generally because they're family members (I know, a Star Wars fan who doesn't like incest, I am the most boring), and I'd prefer that be respected unless I specifically note otherwise. In general, feel free to throw in background or side ships as you please - I have no NOTPs.
I'd ask that you please avoid the following:
- detailed depictions of child abuse (mentions of or references to past abuse are fine);
- A/B/O dynamics;
- any soulmate/soulmark/soulbonding tropes;
- AU's not set within the Star Wars universe (so, no mundane AU's; canon divergence, First Order AU's everyone's a smuggler!AU's, etc. are just fine - just generally keep them away from Earth);
- bad things happening to birds. (I know. I just ... I really love birds.)
Some things I particularly love include:
- political and ideological dimensions to characters/stories;
- banter and arguing (whether good-natured or knock-down-drag-out rows);
- characters whose worldviews and personalities perpetually clash even if they love each other to the ends of the earth;
- characters whose worldviews and personalities perpetually clash and they can't fucking stand each other but they just can't resist each other, either;
- non-standard relationships - I love when what characters have together for whatever reason doesn’t fit comfortably within the terms we normally use to describe romance or friendship or whatever;
- hurt/comfort and characters bonding over caring for one another, patching one another up, etc., especially when they might not normally offer to or enjoy doing so (reluctant hurt/comfort full of sniping also very welcome);
- atmosphere and description are always fabulous;
- characters that are allowed to keep their flaws and edges are my favorites - if you can articulate why X character is an asshole but we still love them, I will dig that so, so hard.
Cassian Andor/Bodhi Rook
The contrast between the lifelong rebel and the brand new devotee to the cause is really appealing to me, here. How solid is Bodhi's dedication to the Rebellion, really? Is he just in this to assuage his conscience? To save people he cares about? He's seen the Empire up close and personal, and has presumably watched it perpetrate some pretty awful stuff both at home and abroad (and please feel free to dig into as much of his backstory on Jedha or flying for the Empire as you like). Is Cassian skeptical of his motivations - do they matter to him at all? How does Cassian deal with working with someone who was willing not only to turn a blind eye to the Empire's atrocities, but to work with them? Is there any excuse he accepts, for that sort of thing? Any way you can find to give them some time together would be great - a moment wedged into one of their flights, or on Yavin IV, or if they survive stranded on Scarif, or ... whatever works. Maybe an AU where Cassian's the one who recruits Bodhi as a Rebellion asset? Some post-Jedha (or post-Scarif) hurt/comfort? Coming to terms with the awful things they've both done, in the service of their respective employers?
Galen Erso/Bodhi Rook
As with pretty much all of my requested relationships, I'd be happy to see this interpreted as dark or as loving as you'd prefer - it can be full of love and pure intentions, or straight-up manipulation, whatever you'd like to write. I'd love to see something that touches on why Galen chose Bodhi for this particular mission, whether Bodhi needed to be seriously convinced, whether Galen ultimately had any second thoughts about whether to send Bodhi away when the time finally came (it must have been a pretty lonely life at that facility on Eadu, after all - presumably not a lot of friendly pilots to be found?), or any other of the complexities of their relationship before Bodhi defects. Bodhi's from Jedha - does he already know enough about Saw to know this isn't going to be all sunshine and roses? An AU where they do manage to extract Galen would be interesting - how does he react to Bodhi now that his purpose has been fulfilled? Does their relationship continue? Stop completely? They were both Imperial collaborators - are they regarded with equal skepticism, if they make it back to the Rebellion?
Jyn Erso/Bodhi Rook
I love that these two are both new/somewhat reluctant rebels (although obviously Jyn has some prior experience), and, of course, their connection through Galen Erso, and more briefly through Saw Gerrera. I'd love to see them sharing thoughts on Gerrera and his tactics; did Bodhi have to live with that insurgency before he was conscripted into the Imperial forces? Did Jyn ever have strong feelings about whether that sort of violence was worth the result, or was she just kind of along for the ride? They're both sort of conscripts, I guess, who get swept up in things and ultimately have to make a choice. I'd love to see them connecting over Galen, and what he meant to them (or maybe their feelings about him are more complicated - obviously Jyn's relationship with him is pretty fraught, and he did send Bodhi to get tortured). I'd love to see them struggling with wondering what they have to offer the Rebellion. If they survive Scarif, do they consider just not going back? An AU where they meet before R1, while Jyn is in Imperial custody, or where Jyn is conscripted instead of getting dropped into a labor camp, would be lovely; or some brief recovery time on Yavin IV, before heading off to Scarif, for them to grieve; or, again, if they survive, I'd love to see their reactions to Alderaan.
Poe Dameron/Rey
Poe and Rey both seem to manage to make friends very quickly, but they come from such different places - I love the contrast between them, the way Poe seems to be very easily social, garrulous and willing to throw himself right into connections, and Rey is more isolated, wary, and suspicious, but still soft and easily touched in some ways. Rey seems to have a firm moral code that I think Poe would very much approve of, but it doesn't seem to come from devotion to a cause or a sense of history. I'd love to see an AU twist where Poe wanders into Rey's little dwelling during his post-crash daze on Jakku; or maybe their brief time together on D'Qar before she leaves to find Luke. They've both got a friend unconscious in the infirmary, they've both lost friends and colleagues, she's just maybe given up hope of ever being found by her family again ... it's a lot to bond over! Maybe he goes with her on her journey to Luke, and they get into a bunch of seedy spaceport shenanigans; maybe they get into a series of friendly piloting competitions that somehow turn much more serious.
Poe Dameron/Luke Skywalker
I've always felt like Luke needs a little sunshine in his life [insert Tatooine joke here], and Poe can definitely bring it. I really enjoy relationships between non-Force-sensitive characters and incredibly powerful ones, both for the odd dance they must have to do around that power disparity and to see how it changes the non-powerful party's relationship to the Force. How does Poe relate to the Force? (Is it just a superstitious touchstone, like knocking on wood? Or like a religion? Or something different?) To the Jedi code? Does Luke have any interest in talking about that kind of stuff with him? How does Luke justify a romantic attachment to himself? Poe seems like to kind of guy to throw his feelings into a relationship without much reservation, once he's in something - how do they deal with Luke's inability to do that? Do they ever answer the one real, all-important question: who's a better pilot? If you'd rather write this as one or both of them pining after something that can never be, that's totally fine. I'd love to see something pre-TFA, whether you put the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV or not, involving Poe's hero-worship (or, knowing Poe, his less-than-perfectly-reverent affection for said hero); or maybe something where Poe actually finds Luke on the quest Leia's sent him on; or post-TFA, maybe he goes with Rey to find Luke, or is sent on a mission to bring them both back, or whatever puts them in the same sector.
Poe Dameron/Kylo Ren | Ben Solo
I'm excited to read just about any relationship dynamic for these two - from straight-up non-con to redemption arc romance, it's all good. Poe's indefatigable resistance and sense of humor, and Kylo's exasperation (not uninterested exasperation, but ... exasperation) at having to deal with this pilot who has no power at all but won't stop mouthing off - it's gold. I enjoy Kylo having a bit of an obsession with him because he knows he's his mother's favorite, but if you'd rather write a different dynamic for them, I'm always, always eager for new angles. I'd love something where Poe never gets off the Finalizer, and they get some time to dig into each other; anything where Poe runs into Kylo unmasked and doesn't realize who he is, particularly something post-TFA, where Kylo knows exactly who Poe is; something with Poe getting far, far too invested in turning Kylo back to the light, despite the fact that he has no real idea how to do this.
Poe Dameron & Leia Organa & Kylo Ren | Ben Solo
I love this tangled mess of loyalty and betrayal and pain - It seems to me that Leia and Kylo both still love one another, although of course in rather complicated ways, and I love when Poe is devoted to Leia enough that the fact that her son is hell-bent on bringing terror and suffering to the galaxy elicits a very strong reaction from him. Poe's no pushover, but he doesn't strike me as the never forgive type, either, so I love stories where he has to deal with who Kylo Ren is, and who he was, and what he means to the people around him - and how Leia deals with having this man for a child. I'd love to see the debriefing back on base, after Kylo tortures Poe, with Leia deciding whether or not to let Poe in on the family secret; I'd love to see something post-TFA with Poe helping Leia find Kylo Ren (whether he knows who that is, or not); I'd love a First Order AU where they're all among the First Order leadership, and how their relationships and their devotion to one another overlap and lead to tension or ... one big happy First Order family, that's absolutely fine, too. (If, in any of these scenarios, you decide you want to incorporate some Leia/Poe and/or Kylo/Poe, that's totally fine with me, too - it is in no way required, I will love it either way.)
Poe Dameron/Terex
I adore Poe (as has no doubt become obvious), but I am loving Terex, too, the more we learn about him. He's exactly the kind of smarmy, faux-sophisticate bastard I love most, all the more because his swaggering self-confidence is so thin you could scratch it away with a quarter. I love the contrast between Poe's real, deep-seated, unflappable confidence, and Terex's facade. This dude wants to be Poe Dameron, but he's not, and it's killing him, and it give me life. (If you wanted to show Poe having a sincere moment of self-doubt, and Terex reacting to that, that would be fascinating!) Their snark, their cat-and-mouse antics, and the growing bond they seem to have as hunter and hunted (maybe it's one-sided? I don't care, it's a bond) is all so wonderful. I'd love to see more of the same, Terex chasing after Poe for the First Order's benefit or for his own; or the two of them working together; or literally anything. I'm interested to see what Terex gets up to, once the First Order gets shot to hell at the end of TFA. I'd love to see them undercover together (whether it's planned, or they just run into one another in a precarious situation and need to get out alive), particularly if they have to pretend to be friends, or they have to pretend to be a superior and his underling. I'd love to read about why Terex enlisted with the Empire. ... I'd love to read about Terex.
Poe Dameron & Kes Dameron
So, I always really love reading more about father - son relationships. I find them fascinating especially when there's a strong sense of history being passed down between them, and history being repeated, and all that fun stuff - Kes fought a war, but it wasn't one he'd been steeped in his whole life, as Poe seems to have been. He and his wife came to the Rebellion because they saw something terrible happening and they wanted to help, and Poe enlisted with the Republic's fleet during (I assume, but this could be wrong) a time of peace. How does Kes feel about his son enlisting? What about his defection to the Resistance? Does he even know about it? Has Poe told him all the awful shit that happened to him during TFA, or does he keep it to himself? Now that he's a well-known member of the Resistance, with the (admittedly wounded) First Order looking for him, is his father ever in danger? Do they have to leave Yavin IV? (Side note: I love Yavin IV and fleshing it out as Poe's home in every way possible, so if you're inclined that way, feel free.)
Armitage Hux & Brendol Hux
Again with the father - son relationships. In this particular case, I'd prefer it be not a completely negative dynamic they have - not that Armitage has to be giving him a Galaxy's Best Dad mug, or anything, but I find it more interesting when they find something in one another to respect or (gasp!) love. How much of Brendol's philosophy and ideology goes into the birth of the First Order? Does his son agree with it? Does he try to cut it out, once he rises to power? Is Brendol still around, kicking it in the Unknown Regions? What does he think about this whole Starkiller snafu? Has his son ever/always gone to him for advice, or has he been more focused on escaping from his shadow? Have they ever schemed against each other? On behalf of one another? I'd love to see what life was like for them before the First Order really rose to prominence, but I'd also love to check in with them post-TFA. If you want to throw in other First Order characters, you'll get no complaints from me - Kylo, Snoke, Phasma, Mitaka, whoever - or our old Imperial friends, too. All are welcome.
