Dear Yuletide Writer Letter
Dear Yuletide Writer,
Firstly, I would like to say thank you for the timjavascript:void(0);e and effort that you are willing to put into making me a wonderful winter-holiday gift :)
I suppose you are here looking for details, so without further ado…
GENERAL STUFF
Parings/Sex/Ratings:
I love slash. I also like gen and het. For these fandoms, I really would prefer to not have femslash. I love love-triangles but not so much threesomes and/or polyamory. I’d also prefer to not have incest (Helene/Anatole are the exception) and parings with large age disparity (over 15 yrs) unless specifically stated otherwise. I don’t like pedophilia and I would prefer that all characters involved in sexual situations/relationships be 16 or older.
I’m comfortable with all ratings up to R. PWP just isn’t my thing though; I would prefer a focus on the romantic/emotional aspect of a relationship and some semblance of a plot/point. I don’t care much for BDSM and heavy kink (scat, watersports, bloodplay, necro, etc). Although I will make an exception for light breathplay with scarves :p I don’t really mind dub-con but non-con/rape as the main sexual interaction doesn’t interest me. (If you wanna write something where MALE Character A got raped and he and his boyfriend have to deal with the after-affects - that’s a different story.) MPreg, cross-dressing, and genderbending/genderswap are turn offs. As is bestiality.
Genres/Themes (and such):
I love angst! I LOVE hurt/comfort. Especially of the m/m variety ;) Fluff and mush are lovely. Cuddling/snuggling and adorable!fic are great too.
I definitely don’t mind things like Dark!fic and character death.
Humor is fine too. Give me adorable banter or - where appropriate - family and/or friendship fic and I’m sure you’ll put a smile on my face :) However, I’m not the biggest fan of crack!fic/parody. UAs of the “what if” variety are fine and I do enjoy well-done modernizations of historical (set pre-1850) fandoms, but not so much radical AUs that subvert the universe (genderswaping the cast, setting a modern fandom as a fairytale, turning a historical fandom all Sifi, etc).
I like well-rounded characters. Give me characters that have motives and feeling and don’t look like a stereotype cardboard cut-out. I also realize that characterization is fairly up to interpretation but just don’t give me something obviously intentionally out of characters. PLEASE don’t bash any of my requested characters. (I don’t see why anyone who offered to write a character would but just in case :)
I feel like most other things are fandome specific so…onward to the fandoms!
Barber of Siberia
Characters Requested: Andre Tolstoi/Count Polievsky
You can find the full canon on YouTube in 7 parts HERE
I LOVE cadet boys. Especially in this movie. The interactions between the boys are always so entertaining and amusing and the sense of friendship you get is so awesome. First of let me say that if you don’t want to write slash, adorable friendship!fic would be awesome. Maybe something dealing with the consequences of the duel. Polievsky’s guilt, him and Andrei rebuilding their friendship, hurt/comfort - it’s all good.
If you want to be extra awesome and write me slash with these two, I would totally love that! First time, UST, jealousy, hurt/comfort, general cuteness, cuddling, post-movie angst - I love it all! If you have to make allusions to Jane that’s fine, but lets not give her too much screen time :p Honestly, I would LOVE to know what was going on in their heads before, during and after the duel and if there was some cuddling afterwards ;) Or, maybe, a tearful goodbye before Andrei is shipped off to Siberia? The fact that they have to hide their relationship from their friends (?) makes it even more exciting!
Impact (2008)
Characters Requested: Roland Emerson
HERE you can find links to where you can stream the canon. (Megavideos and three other options so you can use your website of choice!)
This was such a fun and emotionally involving movie. Even with all of its faults and scientific flaws. I love Roland and I was really sad that he had to die, but it almost adds to the appeal of the character. I think I would love just about anything with him - gen, slash, het, doesn’t matter.
I would love to read about his feelings during the lunar mission or before it, while they are still figuring out what to do with the situation or even pre-movie. I would be very happy with a Roland/Martina fic as well. They are such a cute couple and anything at all that stays true to their canon relationship would be wonder. I think Marina is a strong woman but one who loves Roland enough to stay with him even through all of his workaholic tendencies. I would enjoy a fic about how they met, for example, if you are looking to do something pre-movie.
Then there is Roland/Alex. I wasn’t even shipping this paring until…until the last 15 or so minutes of the movie happened. Alex’s idiotic heroism - “we’re not leaving anyone behind!” - and how strangely sad he looks on the flight back home when you’d think he’d be jumping for joy at having saved the planet and going back to his kids (and apparently the woman he’d had a crush on at least before but they just have no chemistry argh). There is just something about this tense UST almost feeling that is there between them, especially when they make eye contact or smile at each other (like in that scene right before Roland is told they’ve found Martina). So I would love a shippy fic with them. For something pre-film... well they’ve obviously met each other before so, have they worked together? Did they, perhaps, meet as university students at some awesome international student conference? Seriously, whatever strikes your fancy.
The Borgias
Characters Requested: Juan Borgia
You can find the canon scattered over YouTube but your best bet at finding all the episodes for streaming HERE
Ok, so yes, Juan can be a bit of a jerk. But I think he's not that bad. Deep down, I think he's no worse or better than Cesare, he's just more open about his wild desire to just live life and enjoy himself and be awesome and there is nothing especially wrong with that.
My top desire in this fandom is Juan/Djem fic. Given canon, I know there is ought to be some darkness seeping through but I would appreciate something with genuine feeling. I love the little fencing scene between them in that episode and how they seem to just click and be so happy with each other. I don’t think killing Djem was as easy of a choice for Juan as it may have seemed. A slash theory of this whole thing that I have is that there was quite some jealousy involved over what was going on between Djem and Lucrezia. You can play with that idea or not at all as you like.
For a het paring: Juan/Sancia are just plain hot together. Although I don't want a PWP a tale of passion and romance is certainly something that would interest me! And I find it interesting how Juan still manages to care about his little brother and his well being through it all. He just wants Sancia too. He wants everything lol.
I also feel like Juan goes through some insecurities about himself and his heritage which I think lead to some of his more dick-ish outburst. That whole “arrogance to cover up insecurity” thing. I think it really shows in how he treated Theo - that was fear, not hatred talking. It also seems like things are tense between him and Cesare. Why? I wouldn’t mind an exploration of that as well.
The only thing I ask of you: NO INCEST. At all. Please. I know I said that above in the general stuff, but I feel like it needs a repeat for this fandom specifically.
War and Peace
Characters Requested: (Any: Fyodor Dolokhov, Anatole Kuragin, Sonya Rostov, Pierre Bezukhov)
Notes: I listed characters, yes, but those are ALL of the four nominated characters, listed just for the sake of people who may not know which were nomed. On Dolokhov’s first name: I’m use to the translated version - Theodore - and I’ll use that in this letter but if you’re used to the transliterated version - Fyodor - feel free to use that in the fic. I’m not fussed at all. (Same goes for other variants ei: Nikolai v Nicholas. Whatever you’re comfortable with.
The book is in the public domain so finding it free online shouldn’t be an issue, but if you need somewhere to start HERE is one place you can try.
Let’s start with: I ADORE THIS FANDOM OMG and have wanted a fic in it for ages. Baring a couple of hard and fast deal-breakers, I’ll be pretty happy with most things you could possibly think of centered around one of those four characters or any combination therefore.
Deal breakers: First, Bolkonskis. I don’t like them - any of them - I don’t want them as central characters or part of the central happy couple. This doesn’t mean “go character bash them and make them evil” and I’m fine with them in love triangles of angst, but I’d rather these characters be generally absent or peripheral (or as the antagonists or just angst-causers for the main paring, if you like). Second, Pierre/Natasha. Other than that, I’m not picky.
I’ll go through slash parings first, then het parings, then maybe some more babbling and gen prompts/ideas for each of the characters.
Slash
Dolokhov/Anatole are my OTP of all time! I adore them together. I think Theodore really does love the boy SO MUCH. He obviously tries to take care of him in his own way (see scene where Theodore tries to talk Anatole out of running away with Natasha). And canon even says that Anatole “genuinely loves” Dolokhov :D You could do anything with them! Happy, fluffy summertime fic. Banter, first time, UST (especially at a ball ;) ), friendship-turned-more, drunk fooling around - it all works! As does mushy hurt/comfort. As does awfully angsty war!fic. How does Theodore take Anatole’s death at Borodino? What about that whole Anatole/Natasha thing? How does that fit in? Not to say that their relationship has to be flawless. With someone like Theodore it’s never going to be. I’m sure there would be plenty of jealousy and cheating and hurting each other (probably unintentional on Anatole’s end and intentional on Dolokhov’s). There’s just so much chemistry between them! Can you tell how excited I am? Just do whatever you think fits and I’ll be falling over with squealing delight.
Dolokhov/Nikolai was actually the first paring I shipped in this fandom. They’re very cute, I think. I’d love to see a scene from that summer they spent together in Moscow after the duel when Nikolai’s family is out in the country. Or maybe a post-duel hurt/comfort fic? Throwing someone like Dolokhov into a situation where he’s hurt and vulnerable can be so interesting. Or Nikolai’s reaction to the card game? Why such a “messy” break-up? (We know in canon it’s Sonya but was it really?)
Dolokhov/Petya - this is canon. No really.
"Really!" he cried, "you are such a hero! Oh, how fine, how splendid! How I love you!"
"All right, all right!" said Dolokhov. But Petya did not let go of him and Dolokhov saw through the gloom that Petya was bending toward him and wanted to kiss him. Dolokhov kissed him, laughed, turned his horse, and vanished into the darkness.
-- Book 14, Chapter 9
This, and just the whole French Camp Expedition episode is SO intense and sparks are flying all over the place. Petya’s hopelessly in love if you ask me. And Dolokhov is uncharacteristically gentle with him…
Anatole/Pierre. I was converted to this paring, actually and now it is one of my favorites. I especially like the idea of this being a start-of-book or pre-book paring. Maybe they got together in Paris during Pierre’s time at University? They’re both just such boyish sweethearts (Pierre changes but he starts like that, at least!). I can also imagine a Pierre/Anatole/Dolokhov (not necessarily in that order) triangle. You could play an Anatole/Pierre/Andrei Bolkonski triangle if you want, but in this case I would like to see being pretty torn over the whole thing. Post-war angst is always a go.
Ok, I know I said Bolkonskis are deal breakers, but if you can make a Dolokhov/Andrei Bolkonski paring work in character I’d be interested in seeing what you do with it. Actually, I think I would be pretty happy with any Dolokhov slash paring within reason (see age difference rule above).
Het
Dolokhov/Sonya! How I want her to have a happy ending and how sad it is that Dolokhov is never even mentioned in the epilogue. I wouldn’t mind an AU where Sonya accepts his proposal or at some point realizes Nikolai isn’t worth waiting for or something. I would even more love a post-war fic because then Nikolai is married and Sonya has no ties to him anymore. (I think this is important because I somehow feel it would have diminished Sonya in Theodore’s eyes had she “jumped” men at the time that he proposed.) I would love-love-love for them to have a happy ending together. I think this could be such a sweet pairing!
Dolokhov/Helene! They’re great on a whole spectrum of genres and themes. A pre-book teenage romance, their affair after Helene’s marriage, and exploration of the class issues standing between them… I think they can range anywhere from sweet and beautiful, if hopeless, romance to something dark, passionate, complicated and possibly selfish. I think with them I would love to see a “mature” relationship. I think they’re both characters that put up with a lot. I think there’s lots of pressure on Helene from society and her father to be a certain way and I think that leaves its mark. (I’m seriously thinking about the Christina Aguilera song “Reflection” right now.)
Anatole/Natasha! The one Natasha paring I honestly love. These two are so…gah! It’s so teenage romance/first love and they completely lose their heads. I wish I knew what prompt to give you but I’m pretty sure that anything - even just a canon-tight expansion on their romance - would be fantastic! I’d rather not have dark!fic with them or anything like that but angst is certainly fine. This was the one time I really sympathized with Natasha and I think Anatole was not devious at all here. Immature and irresponsible? Sure. But he’s not some evil seducer, more like a boy who gets the biggest crush in the world and allows his imagination to run away with him.
Anatole/Helene. They’re the incest exception. It’s just hinted at in canon and it’s just a rumor, but these two have massive chemistry. (I blame the 2007 miniseries for this honestly.) Just please, don’t normalize it, incest isn’t really a normative behavior nor should it be. But I would love to see this very close brother-sister relationship with a sexual tension (unresolved or not) layer and how this effects them and their lives. I see this as a darker, more angsty fic but you can take it wherever it takes you, so to speak.
If you want to do Sonya/Nikolai that’s great too. A happy ending AU maybe? Letters while Nikolai is away in the army? I would like to see Nikolai struggle over what he did to Sonya, even if he considered that making the choice of money over love was the right one at the moment. Ooooh. Or an affair during his marriage! That would be NICE ;)
Pierre/Sonya may seem like a strange paring but I would be interested in seeing how something like that might play out. I’d really rather he’d ended up with her than Natasha to begin with. Post-war is preferable but, you know, whatever takes your fancy.
Gen and etc
Dolokhov is obviously close to his mother and sister. But where is his father? Did he die? If yes, was it something tragic like a duel? Did Theodore know him at all? How did this effect Theodore and his personality growing up? Or maybe a tender moment with his little sister. (She’s a hunchback; we don’t know to what extent but either way, given that time’s medicine there were bound to be health issues involved.) He’s supposed to be an awesome brother. Let’s see that! Anatole and Dolokhov Friendship!fic would be very-very welcome if you don’t like slash. I would love to read about their antics, either as young men or something from their childhood together. Dolokhov’s older so he’d be like an older brother, holding a mentor/protector role. Basically, Dolokhov is my absolute love and I’d love just about anything that allows him to be awesome (in which ever way that is).
Anatole is so misunderstood by fandom. At least that’s what it feels like to me. I feel like people think that he does what he does while understanding the consequences. Honestly, I think he doesn’t. He just doesn’t THINK it through. Not a good trait, but thoughtlessness and immaturity is not the same thing as causing intentional harm. I would love a Kuragin family!fic. Anatole and Helene (in a non-incest way lol) and their relationship or maybe Anatole’s relationship with his older brother. We don’t get a lot of Hippolyte in canon. Are they close? If no, why not? Is it the age difference or something else? How does the family deal with his death in the war?
A fic about Pierre’s friendship with Anatole and how that fell apart would be interesting. I feel like canon isn’t quite clear WHAT EXACTLY went wrong between them. There isn’t any definitive scene or narrative segment. If this doesn’t work…I would enjoy a moment between Pierre and his children (introduced in the epilogue). What advise could he give his oldest daughter Masha or his son Petya? What is his relationship like with them? I feel like Pierre could be a good father. (Again, not Pierre/Natasha…just Pierre and the kids :) )
Sonya! I’m not sure what prompt to give you but let me just say that I love her and I’m sure I would be pleased with just about anything you write centered on her. She is a character I relate to a lot and is probably my favorite female character in lit (or, like, anywhere). I love her ability to sacrifice her happiness for that of others and I love how she is still a strong woman in her own way without being a feminist at all. It's an inner sort of trength that isn't always obvious at first sight.
I know all that looks like a LOT. Please don’t stress over it. These are all just things I love but optional details are optional and you can write whatever wonderful plot bunnies pop into your head. I would just appreciated if you avoided my turn-offs and if you want to follow what I wrote here then that’s bonus points. But I’m sure I will love whatever story you chose to write!
Have fun! Happy Yuletide!
~Alley
Firstly, I would like to say thank you for the timjavascript:void(0);e and effort that you are willing to put into making me a wonderful winter-holiday gift :)
I suppose you are here looking for details, so without further ado…
GENERAL STUFF
Parings/Sex/Ratings:
I love slash. I also like gen and het. For these fandoms, I really would prefer to not have femslash. I love love-triangles but not so much threesomes and/or polyamory. I’d also prefer to not have incest (Helene/Anatole are the exception) and parings with large age disparity (over 15 yrs) unless specifically stated otherwise. I don’t like pedophilia and I would prefer that all characters involved in sexual situations/relationships be 16 or older.
I’m comfortable with all ratings up to R. PWP just isn’t my thing though; I would prefer a focus on the romantic/emotional aspect of a relationship and some semblance of a plot/point. I don’t care much for BDSM and heavy kink (scat, watersports, bloodplay, necro, etc). Although I will make an exception for light breathplay with scarves :p I don’t really mind dub-con but non-con/rape as the main sexual interaction doesn’t interest me. (If you wanna write something where MALE Character A got raped and he and his boyfriend have to deal with the after-affects - that’s a different story.) MPreg, cross-dressing, and genderbending/genderswap are turn offs. As is bestiality.
Genres/Themes (and such):
I love angst! I LOVE hurt/comfort. Especially of the m/m variety ;) Fluff and mush are lovely. Cuddling/snuggling and adorable!fic are great too.
I definitely don’t mind things like Dark!fic and character death.
Humor is fine too. Give me adorable banter or - where appropriate - family and/or friendship fic and I’m sure you’ll put a smile on my face :) However, I’m not the biggest fan of crack!fic/parody. UAs of the “what if” variety are fine and I do enjoy well-done modernizations of historical (set pre-1850) fandoms, but not so much radical AUs that subvert the universe (genderswaping the cast, setting a modern fandom as a fairytale, turning a historical fandom all Sifi, etc).
I like well-rounded characters. Give me characters that have motives and feeling and don’t look like a stereotype cardboard cut-out. I also realize that characterization is fairly up to interpretation but just don’t give me something obviously intentionally out of characters. PLEASE don’t bash any of my requested characters. (I don’t see why anyone who offered to write a character would but just in case :)
I feel like most other things are fandome specific so…onward to the fandoms!
Barber of Siberia
Characters Requested: Andre Tolstoi/Count Polievsky
You can find the full canon on YouTube in 7 parts HERE
I LOVE cadet boys. Especially in this movie. The interactions between the boys are always so entertaining and amusing and the sense of friendship you get is so awesome. First of let me say that if you don’t want to write slash, adorable friendship!fic would be awesome. Maybe something dealing with the consequences of the duel. Polievsky’s guilt, him and Andrei rebuilding their friendship, hurt/comfort - it’s all good.
If you want to be extra awesome and write me slash with these two, I would totally love that! First time, UST, jealousy, hurt/comfort, general cuteness, cuddling, post-movie angst - I love it all! If you have to make allusions to Jane that’s fine, but lets not give her too much screen time :p Honestly, I would LOVE to know what was going on in their heads before, during and after the duel and if there was some cuddling afterwards ;) Or, maybe, a tearful goodbye before Andrei is shipped off to Siberia? The fact that they have to hide their relationship from their friends (?) makes it even more exciting!
Impact (2008)
Characters Requested: Roland Emerson
HERE you can find links to where you can stream the canon. (Megavideos and three other options so you can use your website of choice!)
This was such a fun and emotionally involving movie. Even with all of its faults and scientific flaws. I love Roland and I was really sad that he had to die, but it almost adds to the appeal of the character. I think I would love just about anything with him - gen, slash, het, doesn’t matter.
I would love to read about his feelings during the lunar mission or before it, while they are still figuring out what to do with the situation or even pre-movie. I would be very happy with a Roland/Martina fic as well. They are such a cute couple and anything at all that stays true to their canon relationship would be wonder. I think Marina is a strong woman but one who loves Roland enough to stay with him even through all of his workaholic tendencies. I would enjoy a fic about how they met, for example, if you are looking to do something pre-movie.
Then there is Roland/Alex. I wasn’t even shipping this paring until…until the last 15 or so minutes of the movie happened. Alex’s idiotic heroism - “we’re not leaving anyone behind!” - and how strangely sad he looks on the flight back home when you’d think he’d be jumping for joy at having saved the planet and going back to his kids (and apparently the woman he’d had a crush on at least before but they just have no chemistry argh). There is just something about this tense UST almost feeling that is there between them, especially when they make eye contact or smile at each other (like in that scene right before Roland is told they’ve found Martina). So I would love a shippy fic with them. For something pre-film... well they’ve obviously met each other before so, have they worked together? Did they, perhaps, meet as university students at some awesome international student conference? Seriously, whatever strikes your fancy.
The Borgias
Characters Requested: Juan Borgia
You can find the canon scattered over YouTube but your best bet at finding all the episodes for streaming HERE
Ok, so yes, Juan can be a bit of a jerk. But I think he's not that bad. Deep down, I think he's no worse or better than Cesare, he's just more open about his wild desire to just live life and enjoy himself and be awesome and there is nothing especially wrong with that.
My top desire in this fandom is Juan/Djem fic. Given canon, I know there is ought to be some darkness seeping through but I would appreciate something with genuine feeling. I love the little fencing scene between them in that episode and how they seem to just click and be so happy with each other. I don’t think killing Djem was as easy of a choice for Juan as it may have seemed. A slash theory of this whole thing that I have is that there was quite some jealousy involved over what was going on between Djem and Lucrezia. You can play with that idea or not at all as you like.
For a het paring: Juan/Sancia are just plain hot together. Although I don't want a PWP a tale of passion and romance is certainly something that would interest me! And I find it interesting how Juan still manages to care about his little brother and his well being through it all. He just wants Sancia too. He wants everything lol.
I also feel like Juan goes through some insecurities about himself and his heritage which I think lead to some of his more dick-ish outburst. That whole “arrogance to cover up insecurity” thing. I think it really shows in how he treated Theo - that was fear, not hatred talking. It also seems like things are tense between him and Cesare. Why? I wouldn’t mind an exploration of that as well.
The only thing I ask of you: NO INCEST. At all. Please. I know I said that above in the general stuff, but I feel like it needs a repeat for this fandom specifically.
War and Peace
Characters Requested: (Any: Fyodor Dolokhov, Anatole Kuragin, Sonya Rostov, Pierre Bezukhov)
Notes: I listed characters, yes, but those are ALL of the four nominated characters, listed just for the sake of people who may not know which were nomed. On Dolokhov’s first name: I’m use to the translated version - Theodore - and I’ll use that in this letter but if you’re used to the transliterated version - Fyodor - feel free to use that in the fic. I’m not fussed at all. (Same goes for other variants ei: Nikolai v Nicholas. Whatever you’re comfortable with.
The book is in the public domain so finding it free online shouldn’t be an issue, but if you need somewhere to start HERE is one place you can try.
Let’s start with: I ADORE THIS FANDOM OMG and have wanted a fic in it for ages. Baring a couple of hard and fast deal-breakers, I’ll be pretty happy with most things you could possibly think of centered around one of those four characters or any combination therefore.
Deal breakers: First, Bolkonskis. I don’t like them - any of them - I don’t want them as central characters or part of the central happy couple. This doesn’t mean “go character bash them and make them evil” and I’m fine with them in love triangles of angst, but I’d rather these characters be generally absent or peripheral (or as the antagonists or just angst-causers for the main paring, if you like). Second, Pierre/Natasha. Other than that, I’m not picky.
I’ll go through slash parings first, then het parings, then maybe some more babbling and gen prompts/ideas for each of the characters.
Slash
Dolokhov/Anatole are my OTP of all time! I adore them together. I think Theodore really does love the boy SO MUCH. He obviously tries to take care of him in his own way (see scene where Theodore tries to talk Anatole out of running away with Natasha). And canon even says that Anatole “genuinely loves” Dolokhov :D You could do anything with them! Happy, fluffy summertime fic. Banter, first time, UST (especially at a ball ;) ), friendship-turned-more, drunk fooling around - it all works! As does mushy hurt/comfort. As does awfully angsty war!fic. How does Theodore take Anatole’s death at Borodino? What about that whole Anatole/Natasha thing? How does that fit in? Not to say that their relationship has to be flawless. With someone like Theodore it’s never going to be. I’m sure there would be plenty of jealousy and cheating and hurting each other (probably unintentional on Anatole’s end and intentional on Dolokhov’s). There’s just so much chemistry between them! Can you tell how excited I am? Just do whatever you think fits and I’ll be falling over with squealing delight.
Dolokhov/Nikolai was actually the first paring I shipped in this fandom. They’re very cute, I think. I’d love to see a scene from that summer they spent together in Moscow after the duel when Nikolai’s family is out in the country. Or maybe a post-duel hurt/comfort fic? Throwing someone like Dolokhov into a situation where he’s hurt and vulnerable can be so interesting. Or Nikolai’s reaction to the card game? Why such a “messy” break-up? (We know in canon it’s Sonya but was it really?)
Dolokhov/Petya - this is canon. No really.
"Really!" he cried, "you are such a hero! Oh, how fine, how splendid! How I love you!"
"All right, all right!" said Dolokhov. But Petya did not let go of him and Dolokhov saw through the gloom that Petya was bending toward him and wanted to kiss him. Dolokhov kissed him, laughed, turned his horse, and vanished into the darkness.
-- Book 14, Chapter 9
This, and just the whole French Camp Expedition episode is SO intense and sparks are flying all over the place. Petya’s hopelessly in love if you ask me. And Dolokhov is uncharacteristically gentle with him…
Anatole/Pierre. I was converted to this paring, actually and now it is one of my favorites. I especially like the idea of this being a start-of-book or pre-book paring. Maybe they got together in Paris during Pierre’s time at University? They’re both just such boyish sweethearts (Pierre changes but he starts like that, at least!). I can also imagine a Pierre/Anatole/Dolokhov (not necessarily in that order) triangle. You could play an Anatole/Pierre/Andrei Bolkonski triangle if you want, but in this case I would like to see being pretty torn over the whole thing. Post-war angst is always a go.
Ok, I know I said Bolkonskis are deal breakers, but if you can make a Dolokhov/Andrei Bolkonski paring work in character I’d be interested in seeing what you do with it. Actually, I think I would be pretty happy with any Dolokhov slash paring within reason (see age difference rule above).
Het
Dolokhov/Sonya! How I want her to have a happy ending and how sad it is that Dolokhov is never even mentioned in the epilogue. I wouldn’t mind an AU where Sonya accepts his proposal or at some point realizes Nikolai isn’t worth waiting for or something. I would even more love a post-war fic because then Nikolai is married and Sonya has no ties to him anymore. (I think this is important because I somehow feel it would have diminished Sonya in Theodore’s eyes had she “jumped” men at the time that he proposed.) I would love-love-love for them to have a happy ending together. I think this could be such a sweet pairing!
Dolokhov/Helene! They’re great on a whole spectrum of genres and themes. A pre-book teenage romance, their affair after Helene’s marriage, and exploration of the class issues standing between them… I think they can range anywhere from sweet and beautiful, if hopeless, romance to something dark, passionate, complicated and possibly selfish. I think with them I would love to see a “mature” relationship. I think they’re both characters that put up with a lot. I think there’s lots of pressure on Helene from society and her father to be a certain way and I think that leaves its mark. (I’m seriously thinking about the Christina Aguilera song “Reflection” right now.)
Anatole/Natasha! The one Natasha paring I honestly love. These two are so…gah! It’s so teenage romance/first love and they completely lose their heads. I wish I knew what prompt to give you but I’m pretty sure that anything - even just a canon-tight expansion on their romance - would be fantastic! I’d rather not have dark!fic with them or anything like that but angst is certainly fine. This was the one time I really sympathized with Natasha and I think Anatole was not devious at all here. Immature and irresponsible? Sure. But he’s not some evil seducer, more like a boy who gets the biggest crush in the world and allows his imagination to run away with him.
Anatole/Helene. They’re the incest exception. It’s just hinted at in canon and it’s just a rumor, but these two have massive chemistry. (I blame the 2007 miniseries for this honestly.) Just please, don’t normalize it, incest isn’t really a normative behavior nor should it be. But I would love to see this very close brother-sister relationship with a sexual tension (unresolved or not) layer and how this effects them and their lives. I see this as a darker, more angsty fic but you can take it wherever it takes you, so to speak.
If you want to do Sonya/Nikolai that’s great too. A happy ending AU maybe? Letters while Nikolai is away in the army? I would like to see Nikolai struggle over what he did to Sonya, even if he considered that making the choice of money over love was the right one at the moment. Ooooh. Or an affair during his marriage! That would be NICE ;)
Pierre/Sonya may seem like a strange paring but I would be interested in seeing how something like that might play out. I’d really rather he’d ended up with her than Natasha to begin with. Post-war is preferable but, you know, whatever takes your fancy.
Gen and etc
Dolokhov is obviously close to his mother and sister. But where is his father? Did he die? If yes, was it something tragic like a duel? Did Theodore know him at all? How did this effect Theodore and his personality growing up? Or maybe a tender moment with his little sister. (She’s a hunchback; we don’t know to what extent but either way, given that time’s medicine there were bound to be health issues involved.) He’s supposed to be an awesome brother. Let’s see that! Anatole and Dolokhov Friendship!fic would be very-very welcome if you don’t like slash. I would love to read about their antics, either as young men or something from their childhood together. Dolokhov’s older so he’d be like an older brother, holding a mentor/protector role. Basically, Dolokhov is my absolute love and I’d love just about anything that allows him to be awesome (in which ever way that is).
Anatole is so misunderstood by fandom. At least that’s what it feels like to me. I feel like people think that he does what he does while understanding the consequences. Honestly, I think he doesn’t. He just doesn’t THINK it through. Not a good trait, but thoughtlessness and immaturity is not the same thing as causing intentional harm. I would love a Kuragin family!fic. Anatole and Helene (in a non-incest way lol) and their relationship or maybe Anatole’s relationship with his older brother. We don’t get a lot of Hippolyte in canon. Are they close? If no, why not? Is it the age difference or something else? How does the family deal with his death in the war?
A fic about Pierre’s friendship with Anatole and how that fell apart would be interesting. I feel like canon isn’t quite clear WHAT EXACTLY went wrong between them. There isn’t any definitive scene or narrative segment. If this doesn’t work…I would enjoy a moment between Pierre and his children (introduced in the epilogue). What advise could he give his oldest daughter Masha or his son Petya? What is his relationship like with them? I feel like Pierre could be a good father. (Again, not Pierre/Natasha…just Pierre and the kids :) )
Sonya! I’m not sure what prompt to give you but let me just say that I love her and I’m sure I would be pleased with just about anything you write centered on her. She is a character I relate to a lot and is probably my favorite female character in lit (or, like, anywhere). I love her ability to sacrifice her happiness for that of others and I love how she is still a strong woman in her own way without being a feminist at all. It's an inner sort of trength that isn't always obvious at first sight.
I know all that looks like a LOT. Please don’t stress over it. These are all just things I love but optional details are optional and you can write whatever wonderful plot bunnies pop into your head. I would just appreciated if you avoided my turn-offs and if you want to follow what I wrote here then that’s bonus points. But I’m sure I will love whatever story you chose to write!
Have fun! Happy Yuletide!
~Alley