Rare Women Letter
Dear Writer,
Hello, and thank you for offering to write in one of my fandoms! This is my first time doing this exchange, and I'm really glad to see it around.
All of the suggestions both here and in my signup are just suggestions, so if you've got an idea that you want to run with already, go ahead! If you're like me and you like somewhere to jump off of, I hope this letter helps. I'll try to talk about what aspects I like in each of these canons, but first a few general things!
I don't have any triggers to watch out for (though I'm pretty squeamish about bad things happening to eyes, so I'll be skimming quickly if anything like that comes up). I'll read fic with a variety of ratings and ships. In general, I'm fine with either het or femslash, though for Pretty Little Liars I'd prefer not to get het, and I'm fine with all range of ratings, though I'd prefer not to get porn for Zelda. That makes it sound like I only want shipping fic, but I'm really, really into gen too! I like looking at the day-to-day lives of the characters-- we see them when something interesting is going on, but what about when they're just going about their business? On that note, I like stories that fill in the gaps between what we see on screen. I love AUs exploring the path not taken. I'm also really drawn to family dynamics in fic, or to "found families" where the people might not be blood relatives but they're still very close. Thematically, I also like really dark setups and dysfunctional relationships, just as much as I like happy stories. None of these are requirements so much as me trying to assure you not to worry about if I'll like it or not! As a consequence, this is immensely long. If you've already got an idea, or if you just don't want to read through this rambling, definitely just go with what you feel!
A Song of Ice and Fire- Asha Greyjoy.
I've only recently gotten into A Song of Ice and Fire, and I'm really, really into it lately. I've read all of the books so far plus what's available from Winds of Winter, though you don't need to include anything from there if you'd rather not spoil yourself! I haven't read the Dunk and Egg stories, though; I don't predict that being a problem, but feel free to bring in worldbuilding information from them if you've read them. I've also been following the TV show, and I like it, but I'd prefer to get bookverse fic.
A Song of Ice and Fire is a series where the only characters I can say that I dislike are the ones who outright bore me (and that is limited to Arys Oakheart, who I found so forgettable that I didn't even realize Dorne was cool until after he ate it); even the truly horrendous characters are ones that I love to hate, if that makes sense. Basically, include whoever you like! I love the scope of the series, and I'd hate for you to feel you have to limit yourself to the really small proportion of the setting that Asha interacts with in canon (which isn't to say that you have to branch out, either!)
Shipping-wise, I mean it when I say I'd love to see Asha with anyone, ever. Part of the fun of shipping for me is seeing the interesting pairings that would never cross my mind and yet just work. Even just her interacting nonromantically with various other characters, considering how tied up she is in the Ironborn politics and then halted in the snow with Stannis and co., and that's about the limits of who she sees. For some examples, how would she and Cersei clash, when both of them are considered (or consider themselves) their father's true son? What about her and Brienne, who both force their way into male gender roles but with completely different results? On that note, her and Sarella? Arianne? Arya? Sansa? Dany? Not that this is limited to other women; what would Jon have to say to her if she showed up on the Wall? (What if she hung out with Ygritte??) What would she have to say to Bran, for that matter? How much sarcasm do you get with Asha and Tyrion in the same room?
Not that you have to travel away from canon to find interesting things to work with for her! I was really into the Ironborn chapters as a whole, not just hers, and I'd love to see something with her and her family negotiating the politics in the present part of the storyline, or something about her growing up as the only child left and how that shaped her into who she is today. Something with her and the Harlaws would also be great; not all her family members are krakens, after all, and I've got a soft spot for the Reader (just like many others, I'd bet!) I also thought her clashing with the Northerners was really interesting, even if they were just trapped in the snow; her pseudo bond with Alysane Mormont, complicated by the fact that they're enemies not just in this conflict but historically, her thoughts on the religions she's exposed to and how they reflect on her own, her interactions with Stannis.
One last thing I'd like to note is that obviously this canon has a lot of violence and horrible things happening in sometimes very gendered ways. I don't necessarily shy away from those aspects of the book, though I know that other people definitely might, so please keep to your own comfort level and don't feel you have to tackle certain subjects just because they're present in the original canon. That being said, I'd like to reiterate that I've been fine with reading about anything that's present in the text (rape, torture, incest, murder, etc) so don't worry about what you're including (aside from no detailed terrible things happening to eyes, please!)
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time- Any.
I adore the Zelda series; it's my all-time favorite fandom and the one I will never leave. I love the way the games feel connected even when they're standalone stories, and the feeling that there are other stories to tell, whether about the characters after Link's done interacting with them or in the setting's past or future.
Because there's a lot of theories tossed around about Ocarina of Time, I'd like to establish some of my own thoughts! The only thing I have a really firm stance on is that Link isn't physically mute; I think it's pretty clear that he is capable of talking to the other characters, we just don't get his dialogue, so it throws me out of the story for a bit when it's implied or stated that Link can't talk. You don't have to include him in your story, of course, and if you choose to, I'm not picky about what his "voice" sounds like, just that he has one, so go with your own characterization! For any other theory out there, I don't have a firm preference either way, and I like to see them all explored in fic! The one that's particularly relevant for this challenge is the question of whether or not the sages had to die to get their powers to awaken. Whatever you choose (if they're dead, alive, alive but in the Spirit Realm for all intents and purposes, etc), I'm fine with it!
The Zelda series is one where things start to look really dark once you stop and take a look at them closely, and I really love that about the games. Exploring some of these darker points would be great! For instance, the implications of the Shadow Temple are pretty torture-y; what's that about? Or, there's some information in the coding that the Iron Knuckles have a Gerudo model under the armor. Or Fado, the pleasant Kokiri girl who cheerfully explains that the adults who get lost in the woods turn into monsters, like the ones you've been fighting. Orrrr Jabu Jabu has cows in his stomach in the Master Quest. There's a potential for this to get too into pure worldbuilding and I don't mean to derail the challenge like that, but those sorts of things are really interesting to me, and could be really interesting fuel for a story. Of course, this doesn't have to be some sort of super dark fic! I love the general feeling of hope, even in the worst of the bad end future, that it's okay because Link's going to fix this-- and doubly so if he's not the only one who's responsible for getting everything patched together again, which is where these ladies come in.
I love each of the characters in this game, so whichever one(s) you want to write about for this challenge is fine! I'll try to talk about each character, though I might toss out ideas for interactions between two or more of them, so this isn't a super organized thing, just me blabbing on about my favorite series, haha.
Impa is fascinating to me as one of the few characters who appears in multiple incarnations. If you're into the series as a whole, this could be fascinating in and of itself! Why does Impa reincarnate along with Link and Zelda? Is she like Ganondorf, and there's only really one Impa, consistent from Skyward Sword all the way to the original games, with some sort of reverse-aging thing involved? Is it tied into destiny and the goddesses somehow? Is 'Impa' a title? Obviously, I'm interested in Impa-in-OOT as a person and not just Impa-across-games, so that's by no means a requirement. She didn't seem to be incapacitated during the seven-year gap like the others were; what was she up to during this time? Training Zelda? Working undercover? Saving the people of Castle Town and Kakariko? For that matter, what did she do beforehand? Something on Sheikah culture would also be really interesting, given how little we know about it!
Nabooru is one of the most fun characters in the game, and like with Impa, I'm really interested in the Gerudo culture. She's also the character with the most history with Ganondorf, so something exploring that could be fascinating, either when he's first planning to try and take the Triforce or when they're growing up. Actually, rebel leader Nabooru sneaking around trying to damage control and convince her people to stop following their stupid predestined king only to get brainwashed and do a complete 180 is really awesome in general! I also think she'd make a really interesting counterpoint to Impa; they're the two who are adults for the entire time out of this set of characters (putting aside that Saria is a special case), working on rebellions that manifest in totally different ways. Actually, any of these (excluding Malon) interacting as leaders of their people could be really interesting.
Ruto holds a special place in my heart, because she is so much fun to throw at jellyfish, haha. Seriously, though, I love Ruto's transformation from brat with a hint of responsibility to mostly responsible with a hint of brattiness, and the growing up she does (offscreen, mostly). The Zora are also really interesting, haha, I just like these cultures! If you're up to it, Ruto/Zelda-as-Sheik has a special place in my heart, though it's very out there. There's also the fact that, for a time, Ruto was the only Zora who was unfrozen; what would that have been like? Had she even gone around the rest of the world before? How does she deal with that? Ruto also explicitly tries to solve the problem on her own, which is something that could definitely use some recognizing (let's be real, a fic where all five of them are working together to contribute towards the final victory beyond just 'awakening as sages and gifting a horse' would be awesome).
Malon! Malon is another of the mysterious reappearing characters, whether as an expy or by name (maybe Malon is just a popular name in the Hylian countryside?) She is the character I'd most like to see doing her own thing, whether during the seven-year gap or after the end of the game, because she doesn't even get to contribute as a sage lending Link her power. When we first see her in the future, she does seem pretty down; she could be a great way of looking at how Ganondorf's rule impacted normal people, not just heroes and the leaders of the world. Maybe she helps carry things between Castle Town and Kakariko! Maybe she runs letters around the world, someone has to do it before Link shows up! This story doesn't have to be set during the time we don't see her, of course; as a child teasing Link or... an adult teasing Link, she's really fun, and I'd like to see more of her.
Saria is interesting because of how... old she seems. She'd be a really interesting character to get a viewpoint from, especially when time is passing so visibly for Link and the others while the Kokiri stay the same, and she's the only one who even recognizes Link as an adult. She also seems aware of some of the troubles that are going to come by, so I think she'd work really well for something pretty bittersweet. Of course, it doesn't have to be! Cute interactions with eternal children are adorable, and something with her and the Kokiri being kids would be awesome, or something more quiet with her and music, or even-- she's the Sage of Forest, how much of nature outside of the Lost Woods has she even seen?
This setup seems to imply I'd only like to focus on one of the characters, but really I'd be interested in any combination of them! Girls chipping together to help save the world is awesome, basically.
Pretty Little Liars- Hanna, Spencer.
Hanna is my favorite character, with Spencer as a very close second! If you're able to write both of them, I'd love to see a shipping fic about them! This one is pretty shallow, haha. If you'd rather not, that's totally fine, but I would ask to leave the canon love interests out of the focus, in that case.
I think Hanna is one of the more realistic characters on the show; I love how she's usually the one who just wants to let it go and move on, and then Mona came in and complicated everything. Something with her and Mona interacting would also be great, actually! That unhealthy friend dynamic is really interesting to me, especially if there are real friends there to help get through it. The same goes for interactions with Ali, and I think the way Ali treated Hanna was really sadly realistic. That being said, something totally divorced from messed up friendships would be great, too! Girl deserves some normalcy in her life. Something with Hanna (and the others, if you feel inclined!) going through normal sitcom teenager problems would be fun, too, instead of murdered friends and omnipotent stalkers.
As for Spencer, I love her for how over-the-top she is, as a super overachiever and crazy motivated girl detective. I'd prefer to see her get out of the mentality she's currently stuck in at the time of writing (late season 3, due to the TobAy drama); whether you want to take that into the future or set a story in the past is up to you! I'd just really like to see her come out of this stronger, like I know she eventually will on the show; if you choose to go that route, I'm not a huge fan of the idea of her getting over it by getting into a new relationship (getting into a new relationship after getting over it is fine, just dating isn't a magic cure for problems!). Aside from that, I just really love Spencer doing Spencer things. This is a fandom where futurefic could be fun, once all this A stuff is behind them (it has to end eventually, right?) I also think this fandom could work well for more humorous stories, though I've been talking mainly serious topics here.
Hello, and thank you for offering to write in one of my fandoms! This is my first time doing this exchange, and I'm really glad to see it around.
All of the suggestions both here and in my signup are just suggestions, so if you've got an idea that you want to run with already, go ahead! If you're like me and you like somewhere to jump off of, I hope this letter helps. I'll try to talk about what aspects I like in each of these canons, but first a few general things!
I don't have any triggers to watch out for (though I'm pretty squeamish about bad things happening to eyes, so I'll be skimming quickly if anything like that comes up). I'll read fic with a variety of ratings and ships. In general, I'm fine with either het or femslash, though for Pretty Little Liars I'd prefer not to get het, and I'm fine with all range of ratings, though I'd prefer not to get porn for Zelda. That makes it sound like I only want shipping fic, but I'm really, really into gen too! I like looking at the day-to-day lives of the characters-- we see them when something interesting is going on, but what about when they're just going about their business? On that note, I like stories that fill in the gaps between what we see on screen. I love AUs exploring the path not taken. I'm also really drawn to family dynamics in fic, or to "found families" where the people might not be blood relatives but they're still very close. Thematically, I also like really dark setups and dysfunctional relationships, just as much as I like happy stories. None of these are requirements so much as me trying to assure you not to worry about if I'll like it or not! As a consequence, this is immensely long. If you've already got an idea, or if you just don't want to read through this rambling, definitely just go with what you feel!
A Song of Ice and Fire- Asha Greyjoy.
I've only recently gotten into A Song of Ice and Fire, and I'm really, really into it lately. I've read all of the books so far plus what's available from Winds of Winter, though you don't need to include anything from there if you'd rather not spoil yourself! I haven't read the Dunk and Egg stories, though; I don't predict that being a problem, but feel free to bring in worldbuilding information from them if you've read them. I've also been following the TV show, and I like it, but I'd prefer to get bookverse fic.
A Song of Ice and Fire is a series where the only characters I can say that I dislike are the ones who outright bore me (and that is limited to Arys Oakheart, who I found so forgettable that I didn't even realize Dorne was cool until after he ate it); even the truly horrendous characters are ones that I love to hate, if that makes sense. Basically, include whoever you like! I love the scope of the series, and I'd hate for you to feel you have to limit yourself to the really small proportion of the setting that Asha interacts with in canon (which isn't to say that you have to branch out, either!)
Shipping-wise, I mean it when I say I'd love to see Asha with anyone, ever. Part of the fun of shipping for me is seeing the interesting pairings that would never cross my mind and yet just work. Even just her interacting nonromantically with various other characters, considering how tied up she is in the Ironborn politics and then halted in the snow with Stannis and co., and that's about the limits of who she sees. For some examples, how would she and Cersei clash, when both of them are considered (or consider themselves) their father's true son? What about her and Brienne, who both force their way into male gender roles but with completely different results? On that note, her and Sarella? Arianne? Arya? Sansa? Dany? Not that this is limited to other women; what would Jon have to say to her if she showed up on the Wall? (What if she hung out with Ygritte??) What would she have to say to Bran, for that matter? How much sarcasm do you get with Asha and Tyrion in the same room?
Not that you have to travel away from canon to find interesting things to work with for her! I was really into the Ironborn chapters as a whole, not just hers, and I'd love to see something with her and her family negotiating the politics in the present part of the storyline, or something about her growing up as the only child left and how that shaped her into who she is today. Something with her and the Harlaws would also be great; not all her family members are krakens, after all, and I've got a soft spot for the Reader (just like many others, I'd bet!) I also thought her clashing with the Northerners was really interesting, even if they were just trapped in the snow; her pseudo bond with Alysane Mormont, complicated by the fact that they're enemies not just in this conflict but historically, her thoughts on the religions she's exposed to and how they reflect on her own, her interactions with Stannis.
One last thing I'd like to note is that obviously this canon has a lot of violence and horrible things happening in sometimes very gendered ways. I don't necessarily shy away from those aspects of the book, though I know that other people definitely might, so please keep to your own comfort level and don't feel you have to tackle certain subjects just because they're present in the original canon. That being said, I'd like to reiterate that I've been fine with reading about anything that's present in the text (rape, torture, incest, murder, etc) so don't worry about what you're including (aside from no detailed terrible things happening to eyes, please!)
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time- Any.
I adore the Zelda series; it's my all-time favorite fandom and the one I will never leave. I love the way the games feel connected even when they're standalone stories, and the feeling that there are other stories to tell, whether about the characters after Link's done interacting with them or in the setting's past or future.
Because there's a lot of theories tossed around about Ocarina of Time, I'd like to establish some of my own thoughts! The only thing I have a really firm stance on is that Link isn't physically mute; I think it's pretty clear that he is capable of talking to the other characters, we just don't get his dialogue, so it throws me out of the story for a bit when it's implied or stated that Link can't talk. You don't have to include him in your story, of course, and if you choose to, I'm not picky about what his "voice" sounds like, just that he has one, so go with your own characterization! For any other theory out there, I don't have a firm preference either way, and I like to see them all explored in fic! The one that's particularly relevant for this challenge is the question of whether or not the sages had to die to get their powers to awaken. Whatever you choose (if they're dead, alive, alive but in the Spirit Realm for all intents and purposes, etc), I'm fine with it!
The Zelda series is one where things start to look really dark once you stop and take a look at them closely, and I really love that about the games. Exploring some of these darker points would be great! For instance, the implications of the Shadow Temple are pretty torture-y; what's that about? Or, there's some information in the coding that the Iron Knuckles have a Gerudo model under the armor. Or Fado, the pleasant Kokiri girl who cheerfully explains that the adults who get lost in the woods turn into monsters, like the ones you've been fighting. Orrrr Jabu Jabu has cows in his stomach in the Master Quest. There's a potential for this to get too into pure worldbuilding and I don't mean to derail the challenge like that, but those sorts of things are really interesting to me, and could be really interesting fuel for a story. Of course, this doesn't have to be some sort of super dark fic! I love the general feeling of hope, even in the worst of the bad end future, that it's okay because Link's going to fix this-- and doubly so if he's not the only one who's responsible for getting everything patched together again, which is where these ladies come in.
I love each of the characters in this game, so whichever one(s) you want to write about for this challenge is fine! I'll try to talk about each character, though I might toss out ideas for interactions between two or more of them, so this isn't a super organized thing, just me blabbing on about my favorite series, haha.
Impa is fascinating to me as one of the few characters who appears in multiple incarnations. If you're into the series as a whole, this could be fascinating in and of itself! Why does Impa reincarnate along with Link and Zelda? Is she like Ganondorf, and there's only really one Impa, consistent from Skyward Sword all the way to the original games, with some sort of reverse-aging thing involved? Is it tied into destiny and the goddesses somehow? Is 'Impa' a title? Obviously, I'm interested in Impa-in-OOT as a person and not just Impa-across-games, so that's by no means a requirement. She didn't seem to be incapacitated during the seven-year gap like the others were; what was she up to during this time? Training Zelda? Working undercover? Saving the people of Castle Town and Kakariko? For that matter, what did she do beforehand? Something on Sheikah culture would also be really interesting, given how little we know about it!
Nabooru is one of the most fun characters in the game, and like with Impa, I'm really interested in the Gerudo culture. She's also the character with the most history with Ganondorf, so something exploring that could be fascinating, either when he's first planning to try and take the Triforce or when they're growing up. Actually, rebel leader Nabooru sneaking around trying to damage control and convince her people to stop following their stupid predestined king only to get brainwashed and do a complete 180 is really awesome in general! I also think she'd make a really interesting counterpoint to Impa; they're the two who are adults for the entire time out of this set of characters (putting aside that Saria is a special case), working on rebellions that manifest in totally different ways. Actually, any of these (excluding Malon) interacting as leaders of their people could be really interesting.
Ruto holds a special place in my heart, because she is so much fun to throw at jellyfish, haha. Seriously, though, I love Ruto's transformation from brat with a hint of responsibility to mostly responsible with a hint of brattiness, and the growing up she does (offscreen, mostly). The Zora are also really interesting, haha, I just like these cultures! If you're up to it, Ruto/Zelda-as-Sheik has a special place in my heart, though it's very out there. There's also the fact that, for a time, Ruto was the only Zora who was unfrozen; what would that have been like? Had she even gone around the rest of the world before? How does she deal with that? Ruto also explicitly tries to solve the problem on her own, which is something that could definitely use some recognizing (let's be real, a fic where all five of them are working together to contribute towards the final victory beyond just 'awakening as sages and gifting a horse' would be awesome).
Malon! Malon is another of the mysterious reappearing characters, whether as an expy or by name (maybe Malon is just a popular name in the Hylian countryside?) She is the character I'd most like to see doing her own thing, whether during the seven-year gap or after the end of the game, because she doesn't even get to contribute as a sage lending Link her power. When we first see her in the future, she does seem pretty down; she could be a great way of looking at how Ganondorf's rule impacted normal people, not just heroes and the leaders of the world. Maybe she helps carry things between Castle Town and Kakariko! Maybe she runs letters around the world, someone has to do it before Link shows up! This story doesn't have to be set during the time we don't see her, of course; as a child teasing Link or... an adult teasing Link, she's really fun, and I'd like to see more of her.
Saria is interesting because of how... old she seems. She'd be a really interesting character to get a viewpoint from, especially when time is passing so visibly for Link and the others while the Kokiri stay the same, and she's the only one who even recognizes Link as an adult. She also seems aware of some of the troubles that are going to come by, so I think she'd work really well for something pretty bittersweet. Of course, it doesn't have to be! Cute interactions with eternal children are adorable, and something with her and the Kokiri being kids would be awesome, or something more quiet with her and music, or even-- she's the Sage of Forest, how much of nature outside of the Lost Woods has she even seen?
This setup seems to imply I'd only like to focus on one of the characters, but really I'd be interested in any combination of them! Girls chipping together to help save the world is awesome, basically.
Pretty Little Liars- Hanna, Spencer.
Hanna is my favorite character, with Spencer as a very close second! If you're able to write both of them, I'd love to see a shipping fic about them! This one is pretty shallow, haha. If you'd rather not, that's totally fine, but I would ask to leave the canon love interests out of the focus, in that case.
I think Hanna is one of the more realistic characters on the show; I love how she's usually the one who just wants to let it go and move on, and then Mona came in and complicated everything. Something with her and Mona interacting would also be great, actually! That unhealthy friend dynamic is really interesting to me, especially if there are real friends there to help get through it. The same goes for interactions with Ali, and I think the way Ali treated Hanna was really sadly realistic. That being said, something totally divorced from messed up friendships would be great, too! Girl deserves some normalcy in her life. Something with Hanna (and the others, if you feel inclined!) going through normal sitcom teenager problems would be fun, too, instead of murdered friends and omnipotent stalkers.
As for Spencer, I love her for how over-the-top she is, as a super overachiever and crazy motivated girl detective. I'd prefer to see her get out of the mentality she's currently stuck in at the time of writing (late season 3, due to the TobAy drama); whether you want to take that into the future or set a story in the past is up to you! I'd just really like to see her come out of this stronger, like I know she eventually will on the show; if you choose to go that route, I'm not a huge fan of the idea of her getting over it by getting into a new relationship (getting into a new relationship after getting over it is fine, just dating isn't a magic cure for problems!). Aside from that, I just really love Spencer doing Spencer things. This is a fandom where futurefic could be fun, once all this A stuff is behind them (it has to end eventually, right?) I also think this fandom could work well for more humorous stories, though I've been talking mainly serious topics here.