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Jukebox Exchange: Dear Author Letter
Hello, mystery creator!
Jukebox is a rather different exchange from most of those I do, and as such I feel it calls for a bit of a different "dear author" note. In other letters I often link this post, which talks about things I like and dislike reading in fanfic, and this one, which talks about the kinds of AUs I like. If you're a thorough person who likes to know everything they possibly can about their recipient's taste, I recommend reading them. If you'd rather travel light, stay here for the cliff notes version.
In terms of dislikes, all I ask from you in absolutes are that you avoid any content with gratuitous angst for angst's sake, rape, abuse, physical assault, terminal or mental illnesses, homophobia as a plot device, jealousy as a plot device, pregnancy or child-rearing, and foot fetishes.
In terms of things I like in fiction, I really adore science fiction and fantasy as genres, and a lot of the songs I picked are ones that seem to portray something more than our "ordinary" reality. I love interesting worldbuilding and three-dimensional characters with strong narrative voices, innovative language and vivid imagery, and experimental story structures or just really solid, deliberate pacing. I like seeing tropes subverted and used in unexpected ways, and I like seeing small moments being given particular significance.
In terms of content more so than general execution, I'll contain my suggestions to a section for each song that I've asked for. This is the same information that's in my AO3 signup, but gathered in one place with my general info for ease of reference.
"bad wine and lemon cake" by The Jane Austen Argument ;; [lyrics]
I love the mood of this song a lot; it's really soft-edged and calm, and I'd love to read something that captures that tone in writing. Especially since it's really at odds with some of the lyrics. I'd love to read something for it about little mundane moments being given extra significance despite otherwise being rather ordinary.
There are also a few lines that I think would be pretty neat jumping-off points for a story. For one: "My lovely love affairs / Are all scheduled 'round the TV guide / And my sex life has all been plagiarised / In an attempt to meet a harsh deadline." I'd love to see what this kind of sex life looks like.
Then there's this other bit that's especially fascinating: "I'd like to rent a wife / Then rent a husband to keep her for life / The three of us, we could be so happy / (Them with each other, me with company)" I love polyamory, so I'd love to see how this relationship works. If there's something you'd like to do with it, I'd adore seeing that story most of all.
"cold snap" by Harvey Danger ;; [lyrics]
This song has such a fun feel to it, it's really smooth and jazzy, but with a hard edge underneath. It makes me think of smoky lounges and slow, consuming sex, and I'd love to see any story with that kind of mood.
In terms of the lyrics, I love both of the characters created as I see them. There's the "incorrigible flirt," who comes off as a bit of a bad-boy who overestimates himself when it comes to this particular girl. And then there's the girl, who seems fairly self-possessed and confident in who she is, but who still gets tripped up by this guy a little — "she thought she felt her will break" — only to get the best of him in the end: "but it was the weather: from a chilling wind to a full-fledged cold snap."
I'd love to see what the relationship between them, such as it exists ("she is nobody's girlfriend") really looks like. Some fun points to come at it might be their first meeting, when he's cocky and she's a bit taken, or at a point further in when they're used to each other — the line "(we will be) comfortable with our clothes off" in particular just speaks so much to me about how they relate to each other. I also love the transition from "she is nobody's girlfriend, she doesn't mind" to the "he doesn't mind" at the end and think that might be fun to play with.
Besides this, I just really love femdom, so if you want to overtly go in that direction with a cold-eyed, self-assured female character, I'm sure to love it.
"make me a robot" by Tessa Violet ;; [lyrics]
The sound of this song is super cool! I love how the use of autotune fits the concept, and I especially love everything to do with robots. I feel like the song could be taken entirely as a metaphor, but I would prefer something more literal.
Show me a world where robots are commonplace, where it's possible to be mechanically transformed from human to machine. Show me how how that would feel, what it entails, how the social landscape exists around such a transformation. I love technical jargon and I love the visceral experience of transforming, so if either of those things are relevant to you, bring it on.
On the other hand, there's the narrator's mental state. Their despair feels especially poignant and "becoming a robot" sounds rather like giving up, but also like it's their way of taking control of a situation that's hopeless. I'd love to see anything that delves into that, though I'd definitely prefer it with at least the glimmer of a light at the end of the tunnel.
There's also the line at the beginning, "I don't want to make mistakes any more, he's won." I'd love to know who that "he" is and how he fits into the narrator's story.
"wonderland" by Natalia Kills ;; [lyrics]
This is one of two songs I requested which has to do with fairytales. What I find interesting about this one is that it evokes a lot of popular fairytales, but each reference is made as a renunciation. I'd love to see a story about defying fairytale expectations, or one that's initially set up as a fairytale but subverts the genre and becomes something else midway through.
On the flipside, "I don't believe in fairytales" leaves so many possibilities for a reluctant narrator being forced to accept the reality of magic as it begins to transform their life. There's also the repeated line "take me to wonderland," which to me raises the question of what or where "wonderland" is, and I think that might be fun to explore in a story.
Besides these possibilities, the song very much contains a love story and there's a lot that could be done with that. The narrator is confident and self-assured and I'd love to see how she pursues this relationship in the face of (preferably supernatural) hurdles. Overall, any story with dark fantasy, psychological horror, or twisted fairytale elements would be really fun for me.
There are also a few lines that are such good lead-ins for erotica, so if you like writing porn, bring it on. Between "I don't need a knight / so baby take off all your armor" and "You be the beast / and I'll be the beauty beauty" the song paints some really nice pictures. I love femdom but I also love power dynamics and characters pushing at each other in general, so there are some good angles for that kind of thing.
"fairytale" by Alexander Rybak ;; [lyrics]
This is the second of two songs I requested which has to do with fairytales. What I love about it is how otherworldly it sounds, and how upbeat the music itself is, for a song with some pretty hopeless lyrics. I'd love to read anything that has a similar tone, and am particularly interested in content focusing on the fairytale concepts of bargains or curses.
There's a definite love story component in the song, and I'd love to see that factored into a story which isn't primarily a romance. I love the thought of a curse as something freeing, where it's a form of hitting rock bottom so once the narrator is "already cursed" there's nothing holding him back. I also really love the concept of magical madness, so anything to do with magical compulsions and slowly losing one's sense of self to magic would be really neat.
Beyond those ideas, I think a story that portrays the "her" as more of a concept and which follows a quest plot where the narrator is chasing something fleeting and otherworldly would be really cool. Or on the flipside, a story where the "her" he's chasing is more of a key, and the "Nowadays, I cannot find her / But when I do, we’ll get a brand new start" line is more about freeing himself from the curse.
"the queen and the soldier" by Suzanne Vega ;; [lyrics]
Considering that this song is a ballad, it's pretty much an entire story in and of itself. So I feel like the best story to tell is anything that fits in along its existing chronology but expands upon the characters and the situations it depicts.
I find both the soldier and the queen to be really compelling characters, they each have very obvious motivations and struggles but not all of that is revealed in the song and I'd love to see that expanded on. Why won't the soldier fight for the queen any more? What was the final straw that pushed him to that point — it isn't simply not knowing what he's fighting for, is it? What is the "burning thread" the queen speaks of swallowing, which cuts her up inside? What is she struggling with?
I also think the line "tell me how hungry you are? how weak you must feel / as you are living here alone, and you are never revealed" is incredibly interesting. In what way is the queen hiding? Her soldiers know they fight in her name, so her existence isn't a secret. I love characters with ambition and I want to know about this hunger the queen feels — what is she trying to accomplish?
There are also two specific points I'd be most interested in seeing expanded upon. One is this: "Out in the distance her order was heard / And the soldier was killed, still waiting for her word." I feel it's implied that she does it because she can't deal with the challenge he presents her and the possibility of loving him and I'd love to see her perspective as she struggles with that. There's also the line in the beginning about how she's seen his face before, which I'd love to see incorporated.
The other is: "I want to live as an honest man / To get all I deserve and to give all I can / And to love a young woman who I don't understand." It's just such a noble sentiment, and the idea of loving someone who you don't understand is fascinating to me, so any story to do with that would be really interesting.
"ophelia" by Natalie Merchant ;; [lyrics]
I feel that what this song is meant to be about is all the different possibilities of womanhood, since it sings about all these very different Ophelias who lived very different lives.
But the story I'd most like to see is definitely one with reincarnation, where each Ophelia was one soul all along. And I feel like the best execution for that kind of story is one where there's some common thread through each of her lives, or where she retains some memory of past lives when she's reincarnated. (especially with the last lines, "Ophelia's mind went wandering / You'd wonder where she'd gone / Through secret doors / Down corridors / She'd wander them alone" which could be disappearing into a past life at whatever point is her "present.")
If that's a bit too ambitious, I think a story focusing on any single Ophelia would also be a lot of fun. The ones of most interest to me are the mafia courtesan, the demigoddess, and the national sweetheart, but if one of the other possibilities catches your fancy more, they all present a lot of interesting possibilities.
"o death" by Amy Van Roekel ;; [lyrics]
"O Death" has always interested me as a folk song. It has so much personality and force behind it, and I think this particular take on it is really powerful and enjoyable. Death is that one fear that every human being experiences, that thing that will come for you sooner or later no matter who you are or what life you've lead. Likewise, cheating death is a frequent, persisting theme in stories and I love that.
I'd love to read anything that plays with the power and fear of death, and the idea of trying to cheat or escape it. I'm really not picky on this one, nor do I have more specific prompts. I do love to see death as a character, otherworldly and fearsome, if that interests you. I'm also really interested in character-driven stories when playing with these sorts of themes, so I'd love to see what sort of person would or wouldn't fear death, why they think they should be spared, how they plan to cheat it.
This all said, I'd just like to thank you in advance for making something for me! I like to give my gifter something to work with, but in the end, I feel the songs themselves are prompt enough. If nothing I've said really speaks to you and you have an idea of your own, please do follow that. So long as you take my general tastes into consideration and make sure not to include the things that will squick me, I'm certain I'll enjoy any story you put heart into writing.
Jukebox is a rather different exchange from most of those I do, and as such I feel it calls for a bit of a different "dear author" note. In other letters I often link this post, which talks about things I like and dislike reading in fanfic, and this one, which talks about the kinds of AUs I like. If you're a thorough person who likes to know everything they possibly can about their recipient's taste, I recommend reading them. If you'd rather travel light, stay here for the cliff notes version.
In terms of dislikes, all I ask from you in absolutes are that you avoid any content with gratuitous angst for angst's sake, rape, abuse, physical assault, terminal or mental illnesses, homophobia as a plot device, jealousy as a plot device, pregnancy or child-rearing, and foot fetishes.
In terms of things I like in fiction, I really adore science fiction and fantasy as genres, and a lot of the songs I picked are ones that seem to portray something more than our "ordinary" reality. I love interesting worldbuilding and three-dimensional characters with strong narrative voices, innovative language and vivid imagery, and experimental story structures or just really solid, deliberate pacing. I like seeing tropes subverted and used in unexpected ways, and I like seeing small moments being given particular significance.
In terms of content more so than general execution, I'll contain my suggestions to a section for each song that I've asked for. This is the same information that's in my AO3 signup, but gathered in one place with my general info for ease of reference.
"bad wine and lemon cake" by The Jane Austen Argument ;; [lyrics]
I love the mood of this song a lot; it's really soft-edged and calm, and I'd love to read something that captures that tone in writing. Especially since it's really at odds with some of the lyrics. I'd love to read something for it about little mundane moments being given extra significance despite otherwise being rather ordinary.
There are also a few lines that I think would be pretty neat jumping-off points for a story. For one: "My lovely love affairs / Are all scheduled 'round the TV guide / And my sex life has all been plagiarised / In an attempt to meet a harsh deadline." I'd love to see what this kind of sex life looks like.
Then there's this other bit that's especially fascinating: "I'd like to rent a wife / Then rent a husband to keep her for life / The three of us, we could be so happy / (Them with each other, me with company)" I love polyamory, so I'd love to see how this relationship works. If there's something you'd like to do with it, I'd adore seeing that story most of all.
"cold snap" by Harvey Danger ;; [lyrics]
This song has such a fun feel to it, it's really smooth and jazzy, but with a hard edge underneath. It makes me think of smoky lounges and slow, consuming sex, and I'd love to see any story with that kind of mood.
In terms of the lyrics, I love both of the characters created as I see them. There's the "incorrigible flirt," who comes off as a bit of a bad-boy who overestimates himself when it comes to this particular girl. And then there's the girl, who seems fairly self-possessed and confident in who she is, but who still gets tripped up by this guy a little — "she thought she felt her will break" — only to get the best of him in the end: "but it was the weather: from a chilling wind to a full-fledged cold snap."
I'd love to see what the relationship between them, such as it exists ("she is nobody's girlfriend") really looks like. Some fun points to come at it might be their first meeting, when he's cocky and she's a bit taken, or at a point further in when they're used to each other — the line "(we will be) comfortable with our clothes off" in particular just speaks so much to me about how they relate to each other. I also love the transition from "she is nobody's girlfriend, she doesn't mind" to the "he doesn't mind" at the end and think that might be fun to play with.
Besides this, I just really love femdom, so if you want to overtly go in that direction with a cold-eyed, self-assured female character, I'm sure to love it.
"make me a robot" by Tessa Violet ;; [lyrics]
The sound of this song is super cool! I love how the use of autotune fits the concept, and I especially love everything to do with robots. I feel like the song could be taken entirely as a metaphor, but I would prefer something more literal.
Show me a world where robots are commonplace, where it's possible to be mechanically transformed from human to machine. Show me how how that would feel, what it entails, how the social landscape exists around such a transformation. I love technical jargon and I love the visceral experience of transforming, so if either of those things are relevant to you, bring it on.
On the other hand, there's the narrator's mental state. Their despair feels especially poignant and "becoming a robot" sounds rather like giving up, but also like it's their way of taking control of a situation that's hopeless. I'd love to see anything that delves into that, though I'd definitely prefer it with at least the glimmer of a light at the end of the tunnel.
There's also the line at the beginning, "I don't want to make mistakes any more, he's won." I'd love to know who that "he" is and how he fits into the narrator's story.
"wonderland" by Natalia Kills ;; [lyrics]
This is one of two songs I requested which has to do with fairytales. What I find interesting about this one is that it evokes a lot of popular fairytales, but each reference is made as a renunciation. I'd love to see a story about defying fairytale expectations, or one that's initially set up as a fairytale but subverts the genre and becomes something else midway through.
On the flipside, "I don't believe in fairytales" leaves so many possibilities for a reluctant narrator being forced to accept the reality of magic as it begins to transform their life. There's also the repeated line "take me to wonderland," which to me raises the question of what or where "wonderland" is, and I think that might be fun to explore in a story.
Besides these possibilities, the song very much contains a love story and there's a lot that could be done with that. The narrator is confident and self-assured and I'd love to see how she pursues this relationship in the face of (preferably supernatural) hurdles. Overall, any story with dark fantasy, psychological horror, or twisted fairytale elements would be really fun for me.
There are also a few lines that are such good lead-ins for erotica, so if you like writing porn, bring it on. Between "I don't need a knight / so baby take off all your armor" and "You be the beast / and I'll be the beauty beauty" the song paints some really nice pictures. I love femdom but I also love power dynamics and characters pushing at each other in general, so there are some good angles for that kind of thing.
"fairytale" by Alexander Rybak ;; [lyrics]
This is the second of two songs I requested which has to do with fairytales. What I love about it is how otherworldly it sounds, and how upbeat the music itself is, for a song with some pretty hopeless lyrics. I'd love to read anything that has a similar tone, and am particularly interested in content focusing on the fairytale concepts of bargains or curses.
There's a definite love story component in the song, and I'd love to see that factored into a story which isn't primarily a romance. I love the thought of a curse as something freeing, where it's a form of hitting rock bottom so once the narrator is "already cursed" there's nothing holding him back. I also really love the concept of magical madness, so anything to do with magical compulsions and slowly losing one's sense of self to magic would be really neat.
Beyond those ideas, I think a story that portrays the "her" as more of a concept and which follows a quest plot where the narrator is chasing something fleeting and otherworldly would be really cool. Or on the flipside, a story where the "her" he's chasing is more of a key, and the "Nowadays, I cannot find her / But when I do, we’ll get a brand new start" line is more about freeing himself from the curse.
"the queen and the soldier" by Suzanne Vega ;; [lyrics]
Considering that this song is a ballad, it's pretty much an entire story in and of itself. So I feel like the best story to tell is anything that fits in along its existing chronology but expands upon the characters and the situations it depicts.
I find both the soldier and the queen to be really compelling characters, they each have very obvious motivations and struggles but not all of that is revealed in the song and I'd love to see that expanded on. Why won't the soldier fight for the queen any more? What was the final straw that pushed him to that point — it isn't simply not knowing what he's fighting for, is it? What is the "burning thread" the queen speaks of swallowing, which cuts her up inside? What is she struggling with?
I also think the line "tell me how hungry you are? how weak you must feel / as you are living here alone, and you are never revealed" is incredibly interesting. In what way is the queen hiding? Her soldiers know they fight in her name, so her existence isn't a secret. I love characters with ambition and I want to know about this hunger the queen feels — what is she trying to accomplish?
There are also two specific points I'd be most interested in seeing expanded upon. One is this: "Out in the distance her order was heard / And the soldier was killed, still waiting for her word." I feel it's implied that she does it because she can't deal with the challenge he presents her and the possibility of loving him and I'd love to see her perspective as she struggles with that. There's also the line in the beginning about how she's seen his face before, which I'd love to see incorporated.
The other is: "I want to live as an honest man / To get all I deserve and to give all I can / And to love a young woman who I don't understand." It's just such a noble sentiment, and the idea of loving someone who you don't understand is fascinating to me, so any story to do with that would be really interesting.
"ophelia" by Natalie Merchant ;; [lyrics]
I feel that what this song is meant to be about is all the different possibilities of womanhood, since it sings about all these very different Ophelias who lived very different lives.
But the story I'd most like to see is definitely one with reincarnation, where each Ophelia was one soul all along. And I feel like the best execution for that kind of story is one where there's some common thread through each of her lives, or where she retains some memory of past lives when she's reincarnated. (especially with the last lines, "Ophelia's mind went wandering / You'd wonder where she'd gone / Through secret doors / Down corridors / She'd wander them alone" which could be disappearing into a past life at whatever point is her "present.")
If that's a bit too ambitious, I think a story focusing on any single Ophelia would also be a lot of fun. The ones of most interest to me are the mafia courtesan, the demigoddess, and the national sweetheart, but if one of the other possibilities catches your fancy more, they all present a lot of interesting possibilities.
"o death" by Amy Van Roekel ;; [lyrics]
"O Death" has always interested me as a folk song. It has so much personality and force behind it, and I think this particular take on it is really powerful and enjoyable. Death is that one fear that every human being experiences, that thing that will come for you sooner or later no matter who you are or what life you've lead. Likewise, cheating death is a frequent, persisting theme in stories and I love that.
I'd love to read anything that plays with the power and fear of death, and the idea of trying to cheat or escape it. I'm really not picky on this one, nor do I have more specific prompts. I do love to see death as a character, otherworldly and fearsome, if that interests you. I'm also really interested in character-driven stories when playing with these sorts of themes, so I'd love to see what sort of person would or wouldn't fear death, why they think they should be spared, how they plan to cheat it.
This all said, I'd just like to thank you in advance for making something for me! I like to give my gifter something to work with, but in the end, I feel the songs themselves are prompt enough. If nothing I've said really speaks to you and you have an idea of your own, please do follow that. So long as you take my general tastes into consideration and make sure not to include the things that will squick me, I'm certain I'll enjoy any story you put heart into writing.