SWRarepairs 2021 Letter

[elsajeni]

Hi -- 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.

Sex & Kink 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; overstimulation. If you're writing about teen characters (since some relationships I'm requesting would lend themselves to that), I'd rather not have anything explicit on-page, 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; non-Star-Wars-setting AUs; A/B/O; infidelity; pregnancy, miscarriage, or infertility; unrelentingly dark and grim stories (I like a glimmering of hope).

Canon tastes and preferences: I'm sure you can tell from my requests that I love and miss the old EU/Legends content. I also love mixing and matching timelines, and gluing the loose ends of Legends continuity into the loose ends of new-canon continuity. I've requested multiple "versions" of some ships, and even where I haven't (usually because there was only the one version in the tagset), some of my prompts are mix-and-matchy -- of course, feel free to ignore those or focus on whichever version of the pairing you like the best, but if the mix-and-match approach does appeal to you, please also feel free to mess around! Write a canon pairing in a more Legends-influenced setting or bring a Legends pairing into the new-canon timeline, write a pairing in a different era than they're listed under in the tagset, whatever. (The one thing I do feel strongly about is Wedge's backstory -- I like Legends Wedge, and I have stuck to requesting Legends versions for any pairing with Wedge in it. Even if you write in the new-canon timeline, please give Wedge his Legends background.)

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


On to the ship-specific prompts and details! I usually try to group these by theme or timeline, but I kind of gave up this year -- the organizing principle here is Ships With Mara In 'Em -> Ships With Wedge In 'Em -> Everything Else.

Lando Calrissian/Mara Jade

• I liked Lando and Mara's EU relationship, and wasn't too happy with the "it was all just 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, and getting to know his contacts in the smuggling world? Maybe during the couple of days that they must have both been at Jabba's?
• Part of the dynamic I like here is: Lando is totally sincere and genuine in his charm; Mara is losing her mind trying to figure out what the hell his ulterior motive is
• Also: Lando is going to show you a nice time if it goddamn kills him; Mara is actually... to her surprise, and sort of against her will... having a nice time?

Lando Carlssian/Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker

• And continuing directly from the above, I also like Lando/Luke as kind of a 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 a more-or-less equal footing, rather than one established couple and an outside third party.

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 one aware of who the other one is, but hey, they've got a little extra time and there's nothing in their mission parameters that says they can't take one night out to spend with an interesting new friend.
• Or, maybe one or both of them did know who they were dealing with -- hatesex? Pure curiosity about the other side? A honeypot act, trying to coax some information out of their counterpart?
• (What must they both be thinking when they meet again, formally this time, as representatives of the New Republic and Karrde's organization? Do they talk about it? Does anything rekindle?)

Mara Jade/Gara Petothel | Lara Notsil

• 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 kind of society parties where Kirney Slane flirted with promising young officers.
• Alternately, I think they could have some very interesting things to say to one another later on, after they've both changed sides (a few times, in Lara's case) and are making progress on sorting out what the Empire did to their heads.
• An interesting angle might be the two of them meeting later on and realizing that they alsomet 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 expected you'd end up here!" conversation.

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's not really dug into much in Legends. I think it is technically Legends canon that Palpatine kept his two pets pretty separate, but that's no fun. Let me see the time they did encounter each other -- as rivals for Palpatine's attention, as tentative allies in the intrigues of the Imperial court, as student and tutor?
• This could go in a lot of different directions, from something as relatively innocent as a kid's awkward crush on the only person she's ever met who has anything in common with her, to something as dark as the Emperor straight-up ordering one of them to the other's bedroom. Whatever you do with it, 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" clause -- 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.
• (Note that this is NOT an exception to the "no explicit scenes with underage characters" clause -- if you write this with Mara as a teen, please keep anything explicitly sexual off-screen.)

Wedge Antilles/Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker

• Taking a sharp left turn back into Let Mara Have A Nice Time territory!
• I'd love to see this as a V (with Luke at the point) gradually changing shapes into 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 or undercover work, an outside crisis that forces 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 reappears, are they in a rush to see him again, or are one or both of their feelings more complicated? (If you go this route, I am very happy to see an AU where Luke doesn't die! But I can also get along with a downer ending -- or maybe some Force-ghost contact after death?)

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 keeps 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 pilot, but someone must have had to show him the X-wing controls, right?), for a fun silly version, or two freaked-out survivors of the Death Star run finding comfort with each other, for something more bittersweet.
• I guess we've gotten a glimpse at sequel-era Wedge now, which is what I've been asking for the last couple years. But I would still like something that brings (Legends) Wedge and Luke as a couple into the sequel trilogy 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?

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 of it.
• If you're feeling ambitious, you could fix Isard's Revenge and give them a more satisfying reunion after they've both believed each other to be dead for weeks.
• Alternately, look, I'll never turn down more Wraith Squadron/Starfighters of Adumar-style shenanigans. Silly undercover-as-a-couple type of stuff, or just some pure stress-relief casual fun, or whatever floats your boat.

Wedge Antilles/Leia Organa/Han Solo

• What can I say, I love a threesome.
• With this one, what I'd most like to see is Leia and Han inviting an old friend (or friendly ex?) into their bedroom as a one-time fling or an ongoing, but casual, FWB arrangement; I'm less interested in a long-term triad.
• I've always been very fond of the friendship Wedge seems to have with Leia in Legends; I'd love that to be his closer tie to her and Han, or make that a "friendly exes" situation (see also: Wedge/Leia, below).
• This could be an interesting one to bring into the sequel timeline, too -- I can see Wedge as the solid point that both Leia and Han end up orbiting after their relationship has sort of fallen apart, slowly drawing them back together into a new balance.

Wedge Antilles/Leia Organa

• As I mentioned above, I've always liked the close friendship that Wedge and Leia have in Legends! They've obviously known each other for a long time, get along great, and like each other a lot; let's see some more of that.
• This is another relationship that I'd like better as a short-term or casual thing, more of 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 put so much of her life into founding has turned in a direction she doesn't believe in -- maybe she can find some comfort, or some peace, with an old friend.

Lando Calrissian/Leia Organa/Han Solo

• This is a very similar request to Wedge/Leia/Han, above -- I'd like to see Leia and Han inviting a friend/friendly ex into their bedroom for some short-term or casual fun; I'm less interested in a committed triad situation.
• I do fully assume that Lando is Han's ex; I'd be interested to see, if this is the first time they've done this, what the weather is like between him and Leia as they sort out their respective claims on Han. A little tense, maybe? (But ultimately I do want this to be a fun time for everyone!)
• This one, too, could be interesting to bring into the sequel timeline -- I can see Lando as the outside escape or safe place that Leia and Han both turn to when the whole Republic/Resistance/whatever business, not to mention their family situation, is just too much to deal with.

Biggs Darklighter/Luke Skywalker

• I like this a lot as a teen relationship that grows easily out of their friendship, is fun while it lasts, and transitions pretty naturally back into friendship when it ends.
• That said, anything you do here is going to be a little tinged with sadness; if you prefer it a LOT tinged with sadness, I'd also love a fic set during 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.

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 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 he's dead.
• If ghosts aren't for you, hey, I won't turn down just two best friends and wingmates in happier days, getting into trouble and having very snarky sex.

Myn Donos/Gara Petothel | Lara Notsil

• 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? In canon, we have the message Myn gets from "Kirney," and then a glimpse of Donoslane Excursions like 30 years later -- what happened in between? How did Myn answer that message, when did he come back to Corellia to join her, what else bridges that decades-long gap?

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 little 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.)

DJ/Talon Karrde

• I'll be honest, 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 evil.

Luke Skywalker/Original Porg Conservationist

• Listen, I know not everyone likes prickly withdrawn TLJ Luke. Personally I love him. And that is what makes this such a great pairing concept! These two people should not get along, and yet, somehow...
• My basic vision here is that the porg conservationist would really like Luke to fuck off and find a different island to mope on, he is affecting the porg habitat and also getting in the way of their field work, but also, inconveniently, the longer they spend on the island trying to get rid of this crotchety-ass hermit weirdo, the more they are finding themselves... into the crotchety-ass hermit weirdo...
• No strong preferences about the gender or species of the conservationist; do what you like!

Original Downed Rebel Pilot/Original Farmer Hiding Them From The Authorities

• A short-lived, hot-blooded fling that lasts only the couple of nights it takes for the pilot to set up a rescue?
• Star-crossed true love, doomed to be separated when the pilot's rescue arrives, only able to send carefully coded holomessages and long for the fall of the Empire?
• A stirring romance for the ages, ending with the farmer leaving their home and throwing in their lot with the Rebellion?
• A stirring action romance, ending with the farmer, the pilot, and whoever else they manage to recruit overthrowing the Imperial governor so they can stay together but also still bring in the space-turnip harvest next month?
• It says "Rebel," but I'm not super picky about the timeline or the exact factions involved; if you want this to be a Resistance or New Republic pilot, or if "the authorities" are neither the Empire nor the First Order but some independent hostile sector government or whatever, that's fine with me.
• I'd enjoy a version of this where the farmer was already sympathetic to the Rebel cause, or one where they had never really questioned their sort of default loyalty to the Empire; I'd rather not read a version where they are a committed Imperial making one exception for a particularly cute Rebel.
• No strong preferences about the genders or species of either pilot or farmer; some preference for a queer story, whatever that looks like to you.