Dear Jukebox Fest Writer (2014)
Hi! I'm terribly sorry this is so late-possibly it is not much good to you now-but life got in the way for a while there. I hope I haven't made your writing process too much harder.
General likes and dislikes: I like all kinds of things in the general area of science fiction/fantasy/horror. I like worldbuilding. I like dystopian and post-apocalyptic worlds, but I also like to read about people fixing or improving or even just surviving in them-I prefer when things aren't totally grim and hopeless, although I'm up for a certain amount of tragedy. I like adventure and big things happening, but I'm also good with more low-key plots as long as it's not just someone sitting around thinking about things. I'm fine with romance involving any combination of genders (I'm particularly fond of f/f but I don't think any of the songs I requested particularly lend themselves to it, unfortunately). Given the vague and nebulous "canon" provided by the songs, it's hard for me to cover everything I might possibly want or not want to see in a story, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask me.
Vienna Teng - The Hymn of Axciom
I'd love a story about what this society is like to live in, or maybe how it came about and whether it was sinister from the outset or the result of good intentions that went terribly wrong? Really, any further exploration of the world the song implies would be great. I don't have strong plot ideas, but I love the atmosphere of the song-how serene and soothing it seems on the surface and how creepy it gets when you pay attention.
Janelle Monae - Violet Stars Happy Hunting!
I'm a big fan of Janelle Monae in general and her Metropolis Suite in particular, but feel free to toss out the rest of the songs and the information provided in them and just focus on this one. Mostly I'm interested in the forbidden android/human love story here. How did it start? How does it end? And, if you feel like going into it further, how does that tie into the position of androids in this society, what rights they do or don't have, and what they're doing about that?
Wolf Parade - Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts
I'm intrigued by the sort of lawless world this song implies (I'm getting a sort of Wild West vibe, or rather a speculative-fiction variant thereof) and also by the way the narrator apparently rejects the lawlessness and violence towards the end and wants to try something different. I'd like to know more about this world, and who the narrator is, and what he(?) ends up doing. And what's the deal with the hungry ghosts?
Sting - After the Rain Has Fallen
How does the princess adjust to her new life? Does she ever regret her decision? I mean, I don't think I'd want a story where she decides it was a poor choice and goes back to the palace, but it definitely seems to me that she'd have a lot to learn and it would be hard at times. Plus, she and the thief barely know each other-how does that relationship develop? Does it actually work out as a romance in the long run? (I'm fine with this part going either way.) Or just tell me about the adventures the two of them have after leaving the palace-heists they pull, messes they get into and how they get out of them.
Really, though, I don't have ideas I'm dead-set on for any of these, so if you get a brilliant idea that's in a completely different direction from my vague prompts (assuming you haven't... already started... which you probably have), go for it! I'm excited to see where you go with any of these.