Jukebox 2018

Thank you for writing or drawing for me! I'm within_a_dream on AO3, and I have a tag of previous letters if you want to see more of my requests/get a better idea of what I like.

I've requested fic and art for all songs/canons. I've tried to give fic-suitable prompts and art-suitable prompts, but I am not an artist so art prompts are a little harder for me. If the fic prompts grab you as an artist (or the art prompts grab you as a fic-writer), go wild!

My only DNW is pregnancy/childbirth. I'd rather not see pregnant characters in art, and in fic I'd prefer that pregnancy not be the focus of the story (mentioning that a character got pregnant is fine, an arc entirely focused on getting pregnant or coping with the pregnancy will squick me).

General likes include: fantasy, sci-fi, and historical settings (my favorite historical periods are WWI, the Old West, and pretty much anything that's not set in Europe or the US, but I am down for any setting you enjoy writing or drawing); supernatural elements (especially ghosts, fairies, and changelings); unconventional narrative voices and unusual art styles; the Comes Back Wrong trope; unreliable narrators; internalized homophobia; war stories (or war settings in art); kidfic/art (especially characters formally or informally adopting older children)

I like any (or no) relationship configurations--m/m, f/f, m/f, poly, gen, and everything else are all good by me! I've got no preferences for point of view and tense, either. I am fine with all levels of violence/gore, sex, and commonly-triggering materials (rape, abuse, etc). Feel free to include nonbinary and trans characters, and since someone asked last year, I am totally down to receive interactive fiction as a gift! As long as you don't include my DNW, I am very easy to please!

Saint John- Cold War Kids:
Lyrics, Song
We hear a little bit of the narrator's story, but I'd love to see it fleshed out more. How long has he been in jail? Does he really have hope that he'll be pardoned? How does his sister feel about what happened? This isn’t mandatory by any means, but given the genre and tone of the song, I assumed the narrator’s race was a large factor in him being arrested/sent to death row (especially with the way he specifies that it's the "white boys in their stay-pressed slacks" invading the town), and I'd love a work exploring this.

Artwise, the lyrics are so vivid, and I’d love to see something capturing the energy of the verses (the mobs of college boys and the way their hands “fidget electric”, the sister’s fear, John’s desperation), the weariness of the chorus (I just love the way the tempo drags when the song reaches the refrain), or both.

Frozen Man- James Taylor
Lyrics, Song
Taylor was inspired to write the song after seeing a National Geographic issue with a photo of John Torrington's corpse, and that in turn is how I found the song, as I have a ridiculous fascination with preserved corpses of all varieties. (Fair warning, if you google Torrington, lots of pictures of his exhumed body come up.) But the main thing that interests me about the song is the narrator's return to life, cobbled together and thawed out after what should have been his death. This hits me right in my love of the "comes back wrong" trope, as well as my love for time-travel stories in which people from the past get to explore our present.
I'd love a work that takes the backstory Taylor grants the frozen man in his song, one that draws on Torrington's life and death, or one that disregards both to come up with a different story entirely. The part of the story that grabs me is the death and resurrection, and I'd love to see anywhere that that takes you.

Art-wise, I'd love to see the details of what this thawing and medical intervention did to the Frozen Man, or any of the scenes from the song (I especially love the lyrics where he visits his grave, and sees the graves of his family).

The Chaconne - Dessa

Song, lyrics

A lot of the lyrics made me picture the events of the song in a historical setting, especially the sickly childhood of the violinist and the reference to "between the wars". So I'd especially love a historical or historical fantasy setting (although go where your heart takes you! ) My first thought is in the 1920s, between the two World Wars

For fic, I would love to hear about the narrator following the violinist from concert to concert, their affair, and when she realized the violinist cared more about his instrument and career than he ever did her. (Or does he? He certainly seems to be carrying a Torch after the narrator breaks things off, given the detail about his wife's resemblance to her) Or something about the wife, who's an intriguing character--it must be miserable to live with someone who spends his time locked away practicing, and who you don't trust to take care of your child.$$$ For art, something showing a concert with the narrator in the audience or showing the narrator consumed with his practicing are the first places my mind goes. (And given the line about nosebleeds, this is a good place to mention I love the aesthetics of blood in art). Or again, the wife--i picture her alone and isolated, or holding the baby, in a cold and atmospheric mansion, with her husband locked away practicing

NB: I'm not attached to any of the genders in these prompts, I'm fine with a male narrator, a husband in place of a wife, a female violinist , and/or nonbinary characters.

Alibi - Dessa

Song, lyrics

I am very interested in your take on what the man's crime is, and how his girlfriend might end up taking the fall for it. My first thought is Prohibition-era gangsters, as that seems to suit the slick sound of the song, but go wild! I am more interested in it as a literal crime than as infidelity or other relationship transgressions (though feel free to include any of those in addition to the crime, he doesn't sound like a very good boyfriend in the song!) I'd also love to learn more about the relationship between the narrator and the woman. Are they literally family, blood relatives, old friends, past partners in crime? I'd love to see the two of them shipped together.

For art, I would love to see the woman going out to set up her alibi in her little black dress, especially if you want to put her in your favorite historical era (I love historical clothing!), or her interactions with the narrator (I also love femslash!)

A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay

Song, lyrics

I'm struck by the image of the narrator and the "you" of the song watching this house from their past burn down, and I want to know what happened there to spurn such a strong reaction. This could be something realistic (a home, school, or hospital where abuse occurred), or something more fantastical in nature (fantasy military organization, witch's house, etc). I just want to see a backstory built off of the evocative imagery of the song. I'd also love to see the relationship between the narrator and their "you"--are they lovers? Friends? Siblings?

Full disclosure: this song was on my playlist for the novel I wrote in middle school, a fantasy story about a wizard kidnapped by the government as a child to be trained as a magical assassin and the man he falls in love with as an adult. So if you want to write/draw me your take on a magical assassin and his boyfriend returning to destroy the organization that turned him into a child soldier, I definitely won't be opposed.

Art-wise, I love the imagery of the fire, and would love to see the pair of the song watching the house burn. Or if you're into more architectural art, I love the appearance of abandoned buildings and that could fit well with the song.

Beautiful Trauma - P!nk (music video)

Video, lyrics

This music video is balls-to-the-wall wild, and I wanted fanworks for it from the moment a friend sent it to me. I love everything about it--the gleeful satire of 50s sitcom aesthetics, the crossdressing, the most fun portrayal of kink I've ever seen in a music video, the floofy skirts! The credits name the characters as Fred and Ginger, but feel free to choose other names.

I loved Ginger's little household failures like ironing a hole in Fred's shirt and burning her pastry, women who are failboats at housework are very endearing to me. The cross-dressing was probably my favorite part, if you want to take it as crossdressing or gender play during sex, as Fred being nonbinary or transfeminine (and/or Ginger being nonbinary/transmasculine), or as something else, I'd love to see more of it in art or fic! I also really loved the kink scene, and should you want to write or draw me Fred, Ginger, and their friend having the time of their lives goofing around with BDSM, I would love it.

Especially in art, I love the color palette of the video and would love to see something similar to it in your gift.