MCU AU Dear Gifter Letter!
Apr. 14th, 2015 12:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hiddencaitHey MCU AU darling!
I am so freaking thrilled you agreed to write for one of my pairings and AUs that I love. AUs are an addiction to me – I actually had to edit the heck out of my normal Dear Writer Letter as half of it referenced my love for AUs LOL.
In any case, I really am ridiculously excited to see what you write – this exchange may be the perfect one for me right about now! Really, I am going to love whatever I end up getting. No really. I mean it. I’m flailing like a lunatic and checking my watch to see if it’s time for reveals. I’m that excited – so don’t be scared!
Post-apocalypse fic, slice of life/domestic fic, teamfics, found family, epistolary stories, outsider POVs, supernatural elements, badass chicks and men who respect/lust after them for it, fixit fics to bring back killed off characters, fics where characters have kids and are adorable parents. Also, I am a total music junkie so anything incorporating that would be welcome! Some of my current loves are Florence and the Machine, Ellie Goulding, Imagine Dragons, Bastille, Bridget Mendler, and Sara Bareilles. I’m definitely OK with an M-rating, and for smutty fics, I particularly love dirty talk, a clear top ordering their bottom around, hair-pulling, restraints/ropes/shibari/handcuffs/holding partner down, wall sex, shower sex, cramped vehicular sex, biting/marking (without major blood being drawn), matebonds, “OMG we didn’t die” sex, and “sharing body heat” leading to sex (the sharing body heat trope never gets old lol).
No thanks, please: Slave worlds, demon-possession, mind control, noncon, dubcon, character death, infidelity, characters de-aged during the story (if you make one of the characters a child, make them “cannonly” children for that story if that makes sense), A/B/O, wingfic, gangster/mob, noir settings, amnesia fics, loss of limb/amputations, mpreg, underage, genderswap, RPF, or focus on drug abuse or alcoholism. For M-rated fics, for triggering reasons I have to shy away from knife play/blood play/gun play (only in a sexual context – cannon level plot/action violence is fine), scat, watersports, rape-as-fantasy-scenes, anal, and any kind of direct blow in a sexual connotation even including spanking/flogging.
Editing to Add: I know my writer has probably already read this and decided on what they'd like to write, but I forgot to mention that if at all possible, I'd prefer that Loki not be a main element of this story. I'm game with other MCU characters showing, but Loki is not a fave of mine. That said, if you've already started the story and Loki is present, please just make sure the focus is on the requested pairing. Also, given my dislike of infidelity, please don't have any of these people in another relationship while they get together. Please refrain from bashing the cannon couple though!
BTW, I’m requesting fic for my main request since it tends to be what I gravitate to first, but I’d be totally on board for art for treats!
Also, by the time fics are posted, I will definitely have seen Age of Ultron, so any details/connections you want to throw in there from the film are certainly welcome. I'm not sure it will actually apply with any of the pairings I've chosen, but I wanted to give the option :)
OK so on to the nitty gritty. This letter’s going to be long, but that’s because I wanted to give you the list of likes/dislikes, my minor musings on the requested pairings, AND a couple quick notes on some of the AUs in case you wanted hints for that, too. I picked the same AUs for each of my pairings, btw. Hopefully that will make it less complicated.
James “Bucky” Barnes/Jemma Simmons OK so these two are unlikely to ever be on screen together in cannon, but the idea keeps growing on me. Something about her specializing in biochem and being at least somewhat qualified to help put his pieces back together appeals to me. That and the way she clearly tried to be there for Fitz, but was able to realize when she was making him worse and back away, even when he blamed her for it. I could see her being the kind of woman who could understand Bucky’s broken bits. Mostly, I think these two are often overlooked or in the shadow of smarter scientists, or better field agents, or Steve being well… Steve. I’d like to see the two of them get to see the strength and the gentleness in each other. It just really, really appeals to me. Also, random, as much as I heart Bucky as a nickname, I think I prefer her calling him “James” oddly enough. No idea why that’s my headcannon for them, but it seems to be! LOL
Clint Barton/Darcy Lewis Ok so again, these two haven’t even made it on screen yet, but man something about the pairing appeals to me. Admittedly, I have a thing for May/December romances, but it’s also that I think there could be some fabulous stoic vs. snark convos occurring. Also, Darcy is clearly a lot more competent than the fandom sometimes think she is – I mean really, she pretty much carried the Earth-side of Thor II and did so handily. And I can totally see Clint having a bit of a competency kink, especially when it’s so unexpected. Plus, let’s be real – they’re both just so darned GORGEOUS, but in completely different ways to what’s considered conventionally attractive right now. Basically, I want their faces on each other’s faces, and I don’t really care how you get them there.
Clint Barton/Phil Coulson – One of those slash pairings where the fandom totally won me over, and now by God, I will go down with this ship. Hard. Plus Renner – I am totally behind the “just add moar Renner” phenomenon. BTW, if you play with a Dom/Sub relationship at all, I strongly prefer Clint in the sub role.
James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers – Oh man, if I hadn’t had leanings in this direction, Winter Soldier would have definitely pushed me over the edge. Oh these poor boys! Again, MAN if this isn’t a gorgeous pairing. I like the overall dynamic of childhood friends to comrades to lovers, so if there’s a way to keep that in the AU I’d really appreciate it. Also, I prefer Bucky to be the hurt one if you go the H/C route – I hate to say it, but he’s just darned attractive all angsty and tortured.
AU - Black Jewels Fusion – I totally am the one who nominated this, and would just flat love something set in this verse. The Black Jewels trilogy is one of my all time favorites, and I’d love to see any of our MCU darlings dealing with Blood protocol or building the First Circle of a court or tangling with the kindred or or or… Basically all the things for this one.
AU – Bed & Breakfast – I don’t know that I’ve actually read any B&B AUs in the MCU fandom, and I’m really intrigued to see what someone could come up with for these couples. It will probably have the same comfort-fic feel for me that Coffee Shops & Cafes do. Now that I'm really considering it, I do think I'd like one of each of these pairs to be the owner of the B&B instead of both characters meeting as guests there, though.
AU – Coffee Shops & Cafes – Totally a comfort fic trope for me. There are so many possibilities, and I would be on board with all of them.
AU - Fairy Tale Fusion - I love love love fairy tales, especially the darker original versions. Not that I don't enjoy Disney, but I like the balance between wishes and curses in the original tales. Some of my faves are Snow White and Rose Red, Beauty and the Beast, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and East of the Sun, West of the Moon. I'd really be happy with any tale really though - theres so much potential for all of these pairings I think!
AU – Fantasy – I especially like courtly love/knight errant type scenarios, but anything medieval magic-esque will thrill me. Also, I’ve seen some Game of Thrones style fics recently, specifically some dealing with the Dothraki, and I would definitely be on board with that. Also, epistolary courtships between royals are always a win for me.
AU – Harry Potter Fusion – I would love a Hogwarts Professors focus for this one. As much as I enjoyed the students’ POV in HP, I was more amused by what must have been going on behind the scenes. Any of these characters taking charge of a classroom or House would be awesome! Other MCU characters can certainly be thrown into the student ranks, but I’d like my requested characters to be professors if possible.
AU – Jaegers – Pacific Rim isn’t even a guilty pleasure for me at this point – I just revel in it. Put any of these characters in a Shatterdome, whether it’s as Jaeger pilots or not, and I will totally be gleeful. Hell, I think I might actually enjoy something focusing on non-pilot personnel even more now that I’m thinking about it. It’s such a rich setting with tons of potential.
AU – Kushiel’s Legacy Fusion - I would love to see any of these characters born to the Night Court, especially. No idea why this goes against my normal squick with prostitution, but it just is such a lovely take on the courtesan trope. Any of them as Kushiel’s Chosen could be amazing, too.
AU - Magical Realism – Oh man I’m so excited to see this listed! I recently discovered magical realism as a novel genre, and I’ve been reading everything I can get my hands on since then. I would love anything really for this, though I will admit, I seem to like the small town vibe for this genre ala Practical Magic and Sarah Addison Allen.
AU - Regency – Historical AUs are always a delight, and regency-set fics are definitely a fave. That said, I’d love anything from the Jane Austen high-society and coming out shenanigans to the more gritty take on the era and some of the “lower” classes from the North and South mini-series. This would be another place that I’d love to see some epistolary portions if that’s something you enjoy writing!
AU – Sentinel & Guides – Note: The sentinel and guide pairs don’t have to be romantic for this one, but I’m of course totally OK if they are. Also, I'd prefer Bucky and Clint be the sentinels in these pairings. Both Jemma and Phil especially seem like Guides to me. I have no idea which Darcy would be honestly, so I guess stick with Clint-as-Sentinel LOL.
AU – Space – Totally a fan of the space cowboy/space pirate trope ala Firefly, but space epics ala Star Wars and Star Trek are awesome too. Doesn’t have to be a specific fandom fusion – I just want pretty people on a ship LOL. Also, ensemble sci-fi casts make me happy, so extra characters are definitely welcome.
AU – Steampunk – I love everything about this genre, and seriously anything you write will make me happy. Anything from hard and heavy clock-work experiments to just lightly sprinkled in steampunk details. Really anything. Seriously.
AU – Western – I grew up with John Wayne and the Magnificent Seven and Young Riders, and I’m honestly sad that there’s so little of it on TV now. I’ve noticed I’m a fan of ensemble casts for this genre, too, so feel free to bring extra characters in if you want to.
I am so freaking thrilled you agreed to write for one of my pairings and AUs that I love. AUs are an addiction to me – I actually had to edit the heck out of my normal Dear Writer Letter as half of it referenced my love for AUs LOL.
In any case, I really am ridiculously excited to see what you write – this exchange may be the perfect one for me right about now! Really, I am going to love whatever I end up getting. No really. I mean it. I’m flailing like a lunatic and checking my watch to see if it’s time for reveals. I’m that excited – so don’t be scared!
Post-apocalypse fic, slice of life/domestic fic, teamfics, found family, epistolary stories, outsider POVs, supernatural elements, badass chicks and men who respect/lust after them for it, fixit fics to bring back killed off characters, fics where characters have kids and are adorable parents. Also, I am a total music junkie so anything incorporating that would be welcome! Some of my current loves are Florence and the Machine, Ellie Goulding, Imagine Dragons, Bastille, Bridget Mendler, and Sara Bareilles. I’m definitely OK with an M-rating, and for smutty fics, I particularly love dirty talk, a clear top ordering their bottom around, hair-pulling, restraints/ropes/shibari/handcuffs/holding partner down, wall sex, shower sex, cramped vehicular sex, biting/marking (without major blood being drawn), matebonds, “OMG we didn’t die” sex, and “sharing body heat” leading to sex (the sharing body heat trope never gets old lol).
No thanks, please: Slave worlds, demon-possession, mind control, noncon, dubcon, character death, infidelity, characters de-aged during the story (if you make one of the characters a child, make them “cannonly” children for that story if that makes sense), A/B/O, wingfic, gangster/mob, noir settings, amnesia fics, loss of limb/amputations, mpreg, underage, genderswap, RPF, or focus on drug abuse or alcoholism. For M-rated fics, for triggering reasons I have to shy away from knife play/blood play/gun play (only in a sexual context – cannon level plot/action violence is fine), scat, watersports, rape-as-fantasy-scenes, anal, and any kind of direct blow in a sexual connotation even including spanking/flogging.
Editing to Add: I know my writer has probably already read this and decided on what they'd like to write, but I forgot to mention that if at all possible, I'd prefer that Loki not be a main element of this story. I'm game with other MCU characters showing, but Loki is not a fave of mine. That said, if you've already started the story and Loki is present, please just make sure the focus is on the requested pairing. Also, given my dislike of infidelity, please don't have any of these people in another relationship while they get together. Please refrain from bashing the cannon couple though!
BTW, I’m requesting fic for my main request since it tends to be what I gravitate to first, but I’d be totally on board for art for treats!
Also, by the time fics are posted, I will definitely have seen Age of Ultron, so any details/connections you want to throw in there from the film are certainly welcome. I'm not sure it will actually apply with any of the pairings I've chosen, but I wanted to give the option :)
OK so on to the nitty gritty. This letter’s going to be long, but that’s because I wanted to give you the list of likes/dislikes, my minor musings on the requested pairings, AND a couple quick notes on some of the AUs in case you wanted hints for that, too. I picked the same AUs for each of my pairings, btw. Hopefully that will make it less complicated.
James “Bucky” Barnes/Jemma Simmons OK so these two are unlikely to ever be on screen together in cannon, but the idea keeps growing on me. Something about her specializing in biochem and being at least somewhat qualified to help put his pieces back together appeals to me. That and the way she clearly tried to be there for Fitz, but was able to realize when she was making him worse and back away, even when he blamed her for it. I could see her being the kind of woman who could understand Bucky’s broken bits. Mostly, I think these two are often overlooked or in the shadow of smarter scientists, or better field agents, or Steve being well… Steve. I’d like to see the two of them get to see the strength and the gentleness in each other. It just really, really appeals to me. Also, random, as much as I heart Bucky as a nickname, I think I prefer her calling him “James” oddly enough. No idea why that’s my headcannon for them, but it seems to be! LOL
Clint Barton/Darcy Lewis Ok so again, these two haven’t even made it on screen yet, but man something about the pairing appeals to me. Admittedly, I have a thing for May/December romances, but it’s also that I think there could be some fabulous stoic vs. snark convos occurring. Also, Darcy is clearly a lot more competent than the fandom sometimes think she is – I mean really, she pretty much carried the Earth-side of Thor II and did so handily. And I can totally see Clint having a bit of a competency kink, especially when it’s so unexpected. Plus, let’s be real – they’re both just so darned GORGEOUS, but in completely different ways to what’s considered conventionally attractive right now. Basically, I want their faces on each other’s faces, and I don’t really care how you get them there.
Clint Barton/Phil Coulson – One of those slash pairings where the fandom totally won me over, and now by God, I will go down with this ship. Hard. Plus Renner – I am totally behind the “just add moar Renner” phenomenon. BTW, if you play with a Dom/Sub relationship at all, I strongly prefer Clint in the sub role.
James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers – Oh man, if I hadn’t had leanings in this direction, Winter Soldier would have definitely pushed me over the edge. Oh these poor boys! Again, MAN if this isn’t a gorgeous pairing. I like the overall dynamic of childhood friends to comrades to lovers, so if there’s a way to keep that in the AU I’d really appreciate it. Also, I prefer Bucky to be the hurt one if you go the H/C route – I hate to say it, but he’s just darned attractive all angsty and tortured.
AU - Black Jewels Fusion – I totally am the one who nominated this, and would just flat love something set in this verse. The Black Jewels trilogy is one of my all time favorites, and I’d love to see any of our MCU darlings dealing with Blood protocol or building the First Circle of a court or tangling with the kindred or or or… Basically all the things for this one.
AU – Bed & Breakfast – I don’t know that I’ve actually read any B&B AUs in the MCU fandom, and I’m really intrigued to see what someone could come up with for these couples. It will probably have the same comfort-fic feel for me that Coffee Shops & Cafes do. Now that I'm really considering it, I do think I'd like one of each of these pairs to be the owner of the B&B instead of both characters meeting as guests there, though.
AU – Coffee Shops & Cafes – Totally a comfort fic trope for me. There are so many possibilities, and I would be on board with all of them.
AU - Fairy Tale Fusion - I love love love fairy tales, especially the darker original versions. Not that I don't enjoy Disney, but I like the balance between wishes and curses in the original tales. Some of my faves are Snow White and Rose Red, Beauty and the Beast, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and East of the Sun, West of the Moon. I'd really be happy with any tale really though - theres so much potential for all of these pairings I think!
AU – Fantasy – I especially like courtly love/knight errant type scenarios, but anything medieval magic-esque will thrill me. Also, I’ve seen some Game of Thrones style fics recently, specifically some dealing with the Dothraki, and I would definitely be on board with that. Also, epistolary courtships between royals are always a win for me.
AU – Harry Potter Fusion – I would love a Hogwarts Professors focus for this one. As much as I enjoyed the students’ POV in HP, I was more amused by what must have been going on behind the scenes. Any of these characters taking charge of a classroom or House would be awesome! Other MCU characters can certainly be thrown into the student ranks, but I’d like my requested characters to be professors if possible.
AU – Jaegers – Pacific Rim isn’t even a guilty pleasure for me at this point – I just revel in it. Put any of these characters in a Shatterdome, whether it’s as Jaeger pilots or not, and I will totally be gleeful. Hell, I think I might actually enjoy something focusing on non-pilot personnel even more now that I’m thinking about it. It’s such a rich setting with tons of potential.
AU – Kushiel’s Legacy Fusion - I would love to see any of these characters born to the Night Court, especially. No idea why this goes against my normal squick with prostitution, but it just is such a lovely take on the courtesan trope. Any of them as Kushiel’s Chosen could be amazing, too.
AU - Magical Realism – Oh man I’m so excited to see this listed! I recently discovered magical realism as a novel genre, and I’ve been reading everything I can get my hands on since then. I would love anything really for this, though I will admit, I seem to like the small town vibe for this genre ala Practical Magic and Sarah Addison Allen.
AU - Regency – Historical AUs are always a delight, and regency-set fics are definitely a fave. That said, I’d love anything from the Jane Austen high-society and coming out shenanigans to the more gritty take on the era and some of the “lower” classes from the North and South mini-series. This would be another place that I’d love to see some epistolary portions if that’s something you enjoy writing!
AU – Sentinel & Guides – Note: The sentinel and guide pairs don’t have to be romantic for this one, but I’m of course totally OK if they are. Also, I'd prefer Bucky and Clint be the sentinels in these pairings. Both Jemma and Phil especially seem like Guides to me. I have no idea which Darcy would be honestly, so I guess stick with Clint-as-Sentinel LOL.
AU – Space – Totally a fan of the space cowboy/space pirate trope ala Firefly, but space epics ala Star Wars and Star Trek are awesome too. Doesn’t have to be a specific fandom fusion – I just want pretty people on a ship LOL. Also, ensemble sci-fi casts make me happy, so extra characters are definitely welcome.
AU – Steampunk – I love everything about this genre, and seriously anything you write will make me happy. Anything from hard and heavy clock-work experiments to just lightly sprinkled in steampunk details. Really anything. Seriously.
AU – Western – I grew up with John Wayne and the Magnificent Seven and Young Riders, and I’m honestly sad that there’s so little of it on TV now. I’ve noticed I’m a fan of ensemble casts for this genre, too, so feel free to bring extra characters in if you want to.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2015-04-14 07:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-04-14 08:11 pm (UTC)I don't think I've seen more than maybe one or two and I think one actually was a vampire AU as well? So I have no idea what to expect, but I think it could be awesome. Hopefully my optional details that I'm hoping for a comfort fic feel will keep it from going off the rails? I wish I knew who had nommed it so I could clarify what they were hoping for, but oh well. Surprise fic for the win LOL.