May the 4th 2021 letter

[elsajeni]

This letter is finished! Thank you for your patience, if you stopped by and saw it in its unfinished state :)

Dear Yoda -- thanks for stopping by! You've seen my general likes/DNWs in my signup already, but here they are again, for the sake of having everything in one place:

Likes: bantering and bickering; moments of humor even in dark situations; pining; hurt/comfort; rescue missions; casual relationships; "undercover as a couple" tropes; "actually a couple, undercover as something else" tropes.

Sexy Likes, if you go in that direction: light bondage; lots of talking during sex, both sweet and dirty; laughing during sex; inappropriate use of Force powers; "foreplay" activities as the main event. If you're writing about teen characters, I'd rather not have anything explicit on-page (as noted in my DNWs), but I'm fine with offscreen or fade-to-black sex.

DNWs: rape/non-con unless specified; incest; explicit scenes with underage characters; detailed description of bodily fluids; mundane AUs (coffeeshop, high school, etc.); A/B/O; infidelity; pregnancy, miscarriage, or infertility; unrelentingly dark and grim stories (I like a glimmering of hope).

Canon preferences: I'm sure you can tell from my request list that I love and miss the old EU/Legends content. For any request that features Legends characters, I'd be very happy with a purely Legends-based fic, but I also love gluing the loose ends of Legends continuity into the loose ends of sequel trilogy continuity; please feel free to mix and match! (One area where I do have a strong preference: if you're writing Wedge for me, I like Legends Wedge best. If you're not really a Legends person, just go easy on details from his new-canon backstory and I'll be happy.)

My main requests are for fic, but if you've ended up here because you're considering a treat, please know I'd be delighted to receive an art treat!

On to the relationship-specific prompts and details! These are grouped by "category" in the same way they were grouped in my signup, so hopefully easy to sort if you're looking for a specific pairing...

FAMILY STUFF:
Anakin Solo & Jacen Solo & Jaina Solo & Anakin Skywalker

• I would love to see some Force-ghost interaction when the kids are young!
• How much do they actually know about their granddad, and how much does he know about them? Do they immediately understand that this ghost is him, or is it a shared Imaginary Friend for a while? How much of this are they willing to share with their parents, and how does THAT conversation go?
• I just really like the idea of redeemed-but-dead Anakin getting to actually get to know his grandkids -- and also, sort of the tension of the Solo family having to actually have a relationship of sorts with him, which is more complicated than forgiving someone who's helpfully died so you'll never have to actually talk to them again.

Jaina Solo & Wedge Antilles

• I know they have more canonical interaction when Jaina's grown up and a pilot herself, but I'm interested in this with Jaina as a kid with big dreams.
• What does Kid Jaina actually think about Wedge -- hero worship? Leeetle crush? Or is he just one of her parents' dorky friends?

Owen Lars & Luke Skywalker & Beru Whitesun
Owen Lars/Beru Whitesun

• Basically the same request for both of these, just different focus: I want to know more about Luke's childhood, and about how Owen and Beru balanced trying to raise him as, you know, a normal little kid with what they knew about his parentage and possible future, and about how they balanced raising a surprise baby with their own relationship.
• If you'd rather leave Luke out of it, I'd also love a story about Owen and Beru's early relationship -- we see them briefly when they're already clearly pretty serious about each other; how did they meet? What was their "dating" or courtship period like? When did they decide to get married?
• Infertility is on my DNW list; it's also now a canonical part of Owen & Beru's history. If you feel it's got to come up, I can live with a throwaway mention, but please don't make it a major present concern or sore spot.

Darth Vader & Beru Whitesun

• All right, this is sort of a weird one. But he met her, briefly, as Anakin -- I'd be interested to see them meet again, under whatever circumstances!
• Does Vader even remember Anakin's meeting Beru? It was a, uh, let's say tumultuous few days.
• Does Beru have any idea that there's a connection between her little family and Vader, that there might be a particularly personal kind of danger here? Or does she only see him as a threat in the same way that anyone in the galaxy would see him as a threat?
• An AU where Beru (and Owen, if you like) is taken into Imperial custody instead of being killed, and is dragged into an interrogation room to face this monstrous armored apparition, and then the apparition... like... recognizes her? and... calls her by her maiden name? and this is still, I guess, technically an interrogation, he is definitely asking a lot of questions in a sinister voice, but the tone seems to have changed pretty significantly and what is going on here?
• Or, alternately, just a very weird encounter between a citizen of Tatooine and "I don't know, some kind of higher-up in the government, jeez, I thought stormtrooper helmets were creepy--" Ships passing in the night, neither of them realizing there's more of a connection between them.

MENTORS, GOOD/BAD/HARD TO SAY:
Mara Jade & Darth Vader

• I'm interested in Mara's childhood and youth, and the sort of... just-under-the-surface yawning horror that we know is there, but that doesn't get dug into much in Legends canon.
• Let me see the time they encountered each other -- as rivals for Palpatine's attention, as tentative allies in the intrigues of the Imperial court, as student and tutor?

Mara Jade & Rey

• Don't mind me, just trying to sneak my Legends faves into new canon through the crack under the door
• I'd love to see Mara interacting with Rey, whether they get along or not, as she tries to sort out what's left of the Jedi texts and her own relationship to the Force after TLJ.
• (I'm always happy with AUs where Luke survives, which could add an interesting dimension here; if it's of interest to you, I'll note that I've also requested Rey & Luke and Mara/Luke, and I'd be happy to see some combination of those relationships featured.)

Rey & Luke Skywalker

• What I'm looking for here is either filling in the gaps of TLJ, or something after it -- either, as above, an AU where Luke survives, or some Force-ghost interaction
• I'm particularly interested in the ways that they continue to not get along! Luke's approach to the Force has... fallen apart, kind of. Rey is trying to do something new, or rebuild something stronger out of the loose bricks of what came before. Where do they run into tension, and where do they manage to understand and appreciate each other's styles?

Katooni & Hondo Ohnaka

• ORDER 66 SURVIVOR AND OHNAKA GANG JUNIOR MEMBER KATOONI, thank you and goodnight
• Or sometime later, after she's gone her own way: Hondo is not being altruistic when he hears about Jedi-hunting raids and takes off to find his former protegee, okay, he is being practical, he invested a lot of resources in her training and there's no percentage in letting her get executed--

Rey & Mirax Terrik

• This one could just as well have gone in the "I Kinda Just Want To See Where You're Going With This" category
• Honestly I'm just intrigued! How do they run into each other? What is Mirax's connection with the Resistance -- or does she have nothing to do with them, and picks up Rey when she's off doing her own thing somewhere? Is there still a Corran in this universe, giving Mirax some tangential connection to the Jedi and maybe some useful advice to offer Rey, or is this purely a meeting between an older smuggler and a bright young thing who needs a ride somewhere?
• I'd also be interested in this as a pre-TFA meeting -- the smugglers and rogues of the galaxy must pass through Jakku sometimes, after all. Mirax buys some scrap and some local gossip off a scrawny little kid and tries to find out what she's doing out here alone? Mirax collars a scrawny little kid trying to take off with her wallet and tries to find out who is responsible for her? Both?

WRAITH SQUADRON:
Character: Falynn Sandskimmer

• Listen. I've been marching up and down carrying this banner that says "FALYNN SANDSKIMMER DESERVED BETTER" for so long. My arms are so tired. You take it for a minute, won't you?
• Let Falynn survive and prove herself and be happy! With Myn or without (slight preference for without, tbh!). I'd especially like to see her get past the embarrassment of thoughtlessly insulting Piggy and develop a real friendship with him.
• Alternately, something from her past -- teen Falynn raising hell in Mos Eisley? Or the misadventures in her early career that put her on track for Wraith Squadron?

Mara Jade/Gara Petothel

• Is this ridiculous? Yes. Do I love it anyway? Yes.
• The most plausible version of this is maybe Mara/"Kirney" during Lara's Intelligence training -- the timeline is a little vague, but it seems plausible that they might have been on Imperial Center at the same time, and that the Emperor's Hand might have been sent to the same sort of society parties where Kirney Slane flirted with promising young officers.
• Alternately, I think they could have some very interesting things to say to each other later on, after they've both changed sides (a few times, in Lara's case) and spent some time sorting out what the Empire did to their heads.
• A fun angle might be the two of them meeting later on and realizing that they've also met before -- Lara becomes Kirney again in the end, after all, and I'm a sucker for the idea of shuttle pilot Kirney running into someone who knew party girl Kirney and having to navigate the "well I never would have guessed you'd end up here!" conversation.

Garik "Face" Loran/Ton Phanan

• This is a long shot, but: GHOSTS
• Give me Ton hanging around after death -- where else does he have to go, after all?
• Haunting all of the Wraiths, or just Face, or trying to figure out how he can weaponize haunting and go ruin some Imperials' day
• Making Face miserable, or still making him laugh (and is he real, or is this some kind of coping mechanism, and does Face really want to know which?), or not seeming to know that he's dead
• If ghosts aren't for you, I am also happy to see them getting into trouble and having lots of very snarky sex during happier days!

Myn Donos/Gara Petothel

• My request for these two is basically always "just hurt my feelings"
• What really works for me is those agonizing bits of Solo Command where Lara is trying to convince Myn to stay away from her, and clearly trying to convince herself as well -- I'd love a fic that puts them in a situation where it would be so easy to give in, or a situation where she does give in and then has to try and figure out how to take it back.
• For a happier take, how about the story of how they made their way back together? We have the message Myn gets from "Kirney," and then we have a glimpse at Donoslane Excursions something like 30 years later -- what happened in between? How did Myn answer that message?

Wedge Antilles/Wes Janson

• The perfect pairing for some rescue missions or hurt/comfort, imo! These guys are always in situations going from bad to worse; let's see how they get out of one, or the aftermath.
• If you're feeling ambitious, you could fix Isard's Revenge for me by writing their reunion post-Distna, after they've both believed each other to be dead for weeks.
• Alternately, look, I'll never turn down more Wraith Squadron/Starfighter of Adumar-type shenanigans. I'd love to see some silly undercover-as-a-couple kind of stuff, or just some pure stress-relief casual fun.

THREESOMES, VARIOUS:
Lando Calrissian/Leia Organa/Han Solo
Wedge Antilles/Leia Organa/Han Solo

• Once again, two relationships with pretty similar requests! With either of these, what I'd most like to see is Leia and Han inviting a friend (or a friendly ex) into their bedroom as a one-time fling or an ongoing, but casual, FWB situation; I'm less interested in a "committed triad" type of situation.
• With Lando (who I absolutely assume is Han's ex), I'd love to see a little tension between him and Leia as they sort out their respective claims on Han (but ultimately I do want this to be a fun time for everyone!)
• With Wedge, I've always liked the close friendship he seems to have with Leia in Legends; I'd love for that to be his closer tie to her and Han, or make it also a "friendly exes" thing (I do have Wedge/Leia in my requests somewhere below)
• Either of these could also be interesting to bring into the sequel trilogy timeline -- I can see Wedge as the solid point that both Leia and Han end up orbiting after their relationship has sort of fallen apart, or Lando as the outside escape that both of them end up turning to when the whole Republic/Resistance/whatever business is too much to deal with.

Obi-Wan Kenobi/Owen Lars/Beru Whitesun

• Obi-Wan -- Ben, now -- stays nearby, after he leaves the baby with them. Maybe it's to keep an eye out, to make sure Anakin's child doesn't attract any undue attention; after all, where the other twin will have the protection of the Alderaanian throne, this one is almost entirely on his own. But maybe it's not just that.
• I'd love basically anything you do with this -- a one-time fling that everyone is a little awkward about in the morning? An arrangement that sees Obi-Wan coming by the homestead every few months for dinner and conversation and, after the kid is in bed, a night of companionship? A full-on AU where Luke grows up with Uncle Ben as essentially a third parent?
• I'm also happy for this to sort of become an "& Luke" version of the relationship tag; I'm mainly interested in the relationship between the adults, but obviously he's around in any version of this, and I'd be happy to see some scenes of his upbringing and how he gets along with an extra adult around some or all of the time.

Lando Calrissian/Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker

• I liked Lando and Mara's Legends relationship, and wasn't too happy about the "it was a cover" retcon. I like Luke and Lando as a sort of casual-relationship pairing, too, so why not bring it all together?
• Three busy people who all care deeply for each other, but aren't often in the same place at the same time -- so when they are, well, let's meet over a mug of hot chocolate and see where the evening takes us, shall we?
• (I'd prefer this with everyone on more-or-less equal footing, rather than one established couple and an outside third party.)

Wedge Antilles/Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker

• I'd love to see this as a V with Luke at the point that gradually becomes a more even triad, as Wedge and Mara come to see more in each other than Commander Square Corners and a barely-trustworthy semi-reformed Imperial assassin. Maybe some kind of rescue mission, forcing them to rely on each other and build up that base of trust and respect?
• I'm most interested in this as a getting-together or early-relationship fic, with everyone still sorting out their feelings and their respective claims on each other.
• Alternately, if you want to tie this into the sequel trilogy timeline, I'm interested in what Luke's choice to isolate himself would have meant for this relationship -- were either or both of them ever on Ahch-To with him? Have they been in contact at all since he disappeared? (Have Wedge and Mara stayed together without him, or drifted apart?) When he resurfaces, are they in a rush to see him again, or are one or both of their feelings more complicated? (As always, very happy to see an AU where Luke doesn't die! But I'm also happy with a tragic ending, or some Force-ghost contact after death.)

I KINDA JUST WANT TO SEE WHERE YOU'RE GOING WITH THIS:
DJ/Talon Karrde

• I don't really have a plan here, I just think this is a fantastic idea. I was thinking about Karrde the whole time DJ was on screen, and half-expecting him to turn out to BE Karrde, and I am delighted by the idea of this pairing.
• I think there's something interesting here about grey areas, and the "rogue with a heart of gold" archetype, and what it means, realistically, to play both sides against the middle when one side is overtly and dramatically evil

C-3PO/Lando Calrissian/R2-D2

• This is the truest "I just want to see where you're going with this" of all. Just to start with... how... exactly?
• Obviously C-3PO and R2 have been in whatever a committed relationship means to droids for a long time, so presumably this is them inviting Lando to join them as a third, and I just... I would like to know how that idea came up, and when it came up, and how it goes, is all.

Winter Celchu & Poe Dameron

• Once again trying to sneak Legends material into canon through the back door...
• I don't know, he clearly has a pretty close relationship with Leia, right? More personal than merely "subordinate officer several levels removed"? So surely he would have gotten to know Winter at some point, too.
• I'm also interested in this as partially a professional mentorship -- the early Rebel agent sometimes known as "Targeter" probably has some useful tips for pilots in the fledgling Resistance being sent on their first undercover mission, right?

Mara Jade & Teneniel Djo

• lol
• You can probably guess from my likes/dislikes, but what I don't want is any kind of jealousy/competition thing about who "gets" Luke in the end, etc. "We both have complicated history with the same dude" might be a point of tension or awkwardness between them! But it's not the whole deal of their relationship to each other.
• I'd be interested in something touching on their very different histories with and approaches to the Force, and/or their different histories with the dark side in particular

Camie Marstrap/Luke Skywalker

• Schoolyard crush? Wholesome teen dating? Summer fling?
• I'm interested in them meeting again as adults -- Luke ends up back on Tatooine various times. Whatever their relationship was as kids, are they drawn to pick it back up, or just to fondly reminisce about it? Or is meeting again as adults the first time that they look at each other and think "... oh"?
• I understand there's something about a dream of an alternate life in the novelization of TLJ, or something? Anyway, I'm intrigued by that alternate life, and by the idea of canon Luke being somehow aware of it -- or of that Luke being somehow aware of the life canon Luke led instead?

MISCELLANEOUS:
Mara Jade/Darth Vader

• Some of the same stuff I said under Mara & Vader applies here -- I'm interested in Mara's youth, and the just-under-the-surface horror of it, and surely she and Vader encountered each other in the Emperor's court or had some kind of relationship or connection...
• This could go a lot of different ways, from something as relatively innocent as a kid's crush on the one person she has anything in common with, to something as dark as the Emperor straight-up ordering one of them to the other's bedroom. Whatever way you go, I'd like you to treat the power dynamics and age dynamics here seriously, and lean into the darkness that's present in what we know about Mara's upbringing -- no one here is really having a good time or doing something they'll look back on fondly.
• This is the one sort-of exception to my "no rape/non-con" DNW -- the questionable or compromised consent that the situation implies is part of what I like about it. But I'd prefer that you stay more on the "dubcon" side of the line -- deceit, coercion, and uncomfortable power imbalances: yes! Violence, physical or Force-based force, or explicit non-consent that's ignored: no thanks.
• (Note that this is not an exception to the "no explicit scenes with underage characters" DNW -- if you're writing this with Mara as a teen, please keep any actual sexual contact offscreen.)

Winter Celchu/Mara Jade

• What I'm really interested in here is Targeter and the Emperor's Hand, meeting by chance -- both on separate missions, neither aware of who the other is, but hey, they've got a little extra time and there's nothing in their mission parameters that says they can't take a night out to spend with an interesting new friend.
• Or, maybe one or both of them did know who the other was -- hatesex? Pure curiosity about the other side? A honeypot act, trying to win some information out of their counterpart?
• (What must they be thinking when they meet again, this time officially, as representatives of the New Republic and Karrde's organization? Do they talk about it? Does anything rekindle?)

Biggs Darklighter/Luke Skywalker

• I like this best as a teen relationship that grows pretty naturally out of their friendship, is a good time while it lasts, and transitions pretty easily back into friendship when it ends.
• That said, anything you do here is going to be a little bit tinged with sadness; if you prefer it a LOT tinged with sadness, I'd also love a fic set in the brief window between when they reconnect in the Rebellion and the Death Star run.
• Alternately, get weird with it -- find a way for Biggs to survive, or bring him back from the dead. Write that Space Winter Soldier AU that I secretly kind of love, or Luke being haunted by the literal ghosts of his past.

Oola/Leia Organa

• There wasn't a LOT of time for dancers to hang around unsupervised at Jabba's palace, and they were only there together for a couple of days, at most. But sometimes it only takes a couple of days, and sometimes all you need is a few bright stolen moments.
• (Honestly, to make them meet at all takes a bit of timeline-fudging; feel free to fudge as far as you need, or even to work out a way for Oola to make it out! But whether she makes it out or not, I'd rather this stay a short-term circumstantial fling.)

Teneniel Djo/Luke Skywalker

• Here again, I'm into short-term relationships and relationships that just... end, and it's not a big deal or the great tragedy of anyone's life. It's just not always meant to be.
• They had some fun times, while it lasted, and I'd like to hear about some more of them -- or fudge a little to let it last a little longer!
• I'm also interested in the contrast of their respective histories with and relationships to the Force, and in seeing Teneniel get to be the expert or the authority or the one giving advice for once.

SON OF MISCELLANEOUS:
Lando Calrissian/Mara Jade

• I liked their Legends relationship, and wasn't happy with the "it was all a cover" retcon; show me the time, or times, that it wasn't just a cover.
• Or, how about an earlier meeting in their lives -- maybe when Mara was brand-new to Karrde's organization? Maybe during the couple of days they must have both been at Jabba's?
• Part of the dynamic I like here is: Lando is 100% sincere and genuine in his charm; Mara is losing her goddamn mind trying to figure out what his angle or ulterior motive is
• Likewise: Lando is going to show you a nice time if it goddamn kills him; Mara is... actually... and sort of against her will... having a nice time?

Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker

• Obviously, a longtime favorite and a pairing where I would enjoy pretty much anything you give me!
• I'm especially interested in the innate connection that exists between them before they ever meet, and how that shapes their relationship.
• (This is the very rare pairing where I actually like a soulmate-type AU, if that's your thing -- not least because of how completely furious Mara would be about it)
• I am, of course, very into their eventual true love and the canonical slow build into it; I'm also super into the idea that they had the occasional purely-chemistry-driven goddammit-I-don't-even-like-you hookup long before that.

Wedge Antilles/Leia Organa

• I mentioned it under Wedge/Leia/Han -- I've always been fond of the close friendship that Wedge and Leia seem to have in Legends! They've obviously known each for a long time and like each other a lot; let's play around with that.
• This is another relationship that I like best as a short-term or casual thing, more a FWB thing that grows out of that friendship or a fling that ends happily than a long-term romance -- maybe during their early days in the Rebellion, or in the post-ROTJ period where Leia and Han are still sorting their shit out.
• I'd also be interested in bringing this into the sequel-trilogy timeline. Leia and Han have separated, her kid has run off to follow the dark side, the Republic she helped to found has turned in a direction she can't follow -- maybe she can find some comfort, or some peace, with an old friend.

Wedge Antilles/Luke Skywalker

• I'm interested in the pressures that their respective positions and commitments put on the relationship, and especially the difficulty of maintaining a relationship with someone who's always disappearing on incomprehensible Jedi business.
• (Luke just up and vanishing off of Hoth is a pivotal moment in my idea of this relationship! What the fuck, man.)
• Alternately, go back further in time: a little pilot training (Luke may have been a natural, but someone at least had to show him which button does what, right?), for a fun silly version, or two freaked-out survivors of the Death Star run finding comfort with each other, for a darker or more bittersweet version.
• I guess we've gotten a glimpse at sequel-era Wedge now, which is something I've been asking for for the last few years. But I'd still like something that brings Wedge and Luke as a relationship into the sequel timeline, in which case the same ideas as for Wedge/Mara/Luke apply -- have they been in contact since Luke pulled his disappearing act, did Wedge ever join him on Ahch-To, is Wedge in a rush to see him again or is it more complicated than that?

Winter Celchu/Leia Organa

• I'd like to see this as a youthful experiment between friends -- something casual that doesn't last, but remains a fond memory and a bit of an in-joke.
• I'd love something purely sweet and fluffy and silly -- schoolgirl romance, before the Senate and the Rebellion really intrude. Staying up all night talking. Sneaking out of the palace to go on a regular teenage date, whatever that looks like on Alderaan. Awkward first kisses.
• I'd also love more of an early-Rebellion adventure fic -- getting into trouble and watching each other's backs. (Undercover as a couple? A rescue mission or a bit of h/c, when one of them gets in a little over her head?)