Dear Extreme Deadline Writer!
Apr. 24th, 2015 01:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redleaderficHello, writer! Thank you for writing for me, and if nothing here sparks for you please remember that optional details are indeed optional!
Likes: Hurt/Comfort, angst (especially with a happy or at least bittersweet ending,) loyalty (conflicted or otherwise,) shenanigans on the road, the supernatural characters really being supernatural. I enjoy when people who are bad a communicating find ways to say things without words, buried emotions coming to the surface and fic that show the absurdities of the wrestlers’ day to day lives.
Dislikes: No non-con or character death, please (unless the death is magically fixed or time travel’s involved. Then go to town!) I like people being tied up or manhandled but I’m not a big fan of in depth, negotiated D/s scenes. Also, PLEASE keep everything kayfabe – no real names (unless they use those,) no family members who aren’t part of the story, that kind of thing. I’m fine with some wiggle room, like a mention of Dean having worked for a while in Puerto Rico under another name since that slides in pretty neatly, but otherwise please stick to what we see on the shows and supplemental, mostly-kayfabe sources like the the Shield documentary or Tyler Breeze’s twitter feed.
AUs: I didn’t mention it in the actual sign up because I’d already rambled on long enough, but for WWE and NXT I love Medieval or Superhero AUs. Journeymen knights Noble and Mercury trying to keep their jackass new lord alive! A mercenary brotherhood calling themselves the Shield roaming around striking down the powerful (until the inevitable betrayal!) Charlotte taking up the sword to honor her family’s legacy! Dramatic jousts, knights trying to prove themselves, oaths of fealty, etc. I love that stuff. (WWE did design a whole bunch of heraldic crests so it seems like they do too.:)
And superheroes work just as well – you’d have bitter Dean trying to deal with his brother throwing in with the supervillains (Dean is most functional Rorschach, I don’t care what John Cena says,) Corey having to give up his life of supervillainy after a fight with Sami goes bad and Sami feeling awful about it because he didn’t mean for things to go that far, etc. (I’m only not saying AUs are great across the board because Lucha Underground is already a magic fight club where people learn the art of Lucha Libre to avenge the slaughter of their parents, y’know? It’s its own AU. But if you can make it work I’d love to see it. Angélico would make a very pretty knight or superhero.)
WWE
I really love Dean/Seth and the incredible ball of dysfunction they are when they’re together. I like fic where they keep being pulled into each other’s orbit even though it’s incredibly unhealthy for them both, where Seth is a selfish user who very deep down cares more than he wishes he did and Dean keeps making the self-destructive choice to let Seth back in even though Seth Rollins is, objectively, absolutely awful. Bring on all the conflicted emotions, especially with all the ways life on the road can bring those to the surface (cars breaking down in the middle of nowhere, getting stranded in airports, scary near-misses that have to be brushed off for the next show, etc.) I like Seth having to toe that very fine line of putting up a strong front for the Authority but he and Dean still falling into their old dynamic when they’re alone and the cameras are off. (I haven’t found any AUs of Hell in a Cell where Bray never shows up and on-the-verge-of-a-breakdown-Dean goes through with that curb stomp through the cinderblocks – what does the aftermath of that look like?)
I didn’t request Roman by himself but I also love Shield-era fics, especially if the reader can see the cracks already forming. I would be all over bad road trips and the three of them being hungry and struggling to make it up the card. I’m a sucker for Shield fics were Dean and Seth are hooking up and trying to keep it a secret (and are terrible at it.) And post-breakup I would love fic where Roman’s watching Dean spiral down and doesn’t know what to do about it, or where he finds out Dean and Seth are still hooking up and is all “The hell is wrong with you?” at Dean. I’m OTP about Dean/Seth but I love Dean and Roman being bros.
On the gen side of things I LOVE the Js and their completely inexplicable affection for Seth Rollins. If I had to choose Joey Mercury is my favorite of the Js, I’ve been a fan of his for years and there’s a lot to work with there, but I love them both. Let’s have fic about the Js trying to wrangle Seth’s ridiculous life and protect him from all the problems he brings on himself, especially if it gets into why they like him enough to put up with all this in the first place. Devoutly loyal lieutenants to the, let’s face it, kind of undeserving are one of my favorite narrative hooks.
And getting away from the Shield, Bray Wyatt. Bring me a Bray who’s evil and creepy and more than a little inhuman, who believes every word he says. Bray targeting people to achieve goals that only make sense to him is the best Bray. I don’t want too much backstory (explaining the monster weakens the monster 9 times out of 10) but I love the mythology they’ve built around him, especially the relationships he has with Harper and Rowan. (Whenever Bray and Rowan fight it’s appointment viewing for me, I love the psychology they always bring.) Have him go after the Authority, where he’d be outnumbered for once and how that brings up conflicted feelings in his boys, take the feud he had with Dean and twist it darker, have him launch himself at Seth by taking down the Js and everyone else around him until Seth’s alone and panicking and looking over his shoulder. I’d also really love fic dealing with him post-WrestleMania – I loved that match but wanted a little more emotional payoff at the end. Did they meet after that? Bray’s still calling himself the New Face of Fear and there’s no undead protesting – does that mean the Undertaker agrees? How does Kane feel about Bray being the one to pull his brother back to the land of the living?
NXT
I ship Corey Graves with the world. There isn’t anyone on the NXT roster I don’t think I couldn’t conceivably picture him with, with maybe the exception of Kevin Owens (no adultery for Owens! His family is too important!) and Alex Riley (because Alex Riley.) I’m an especially big fan of his transparent crush on Tyler Breeze and would love to see what Tyler is like in a relationship. (Does he give pictures of himself as presents? Just how nice ARE all those vacation homes?) I’m also enjoying his growing fascination with Finn and happily ship them (demons and paint and tattoo kink, how could I not?) but also love the potential of his disdain for Becky Lynch covering up for something and all then the shared history he has with Sami, especially with the angst factor that Sami was part of the match that gave Corey that final concussion. (I’m more of a friendly rivals turned mostly friends person about him and Neville, but like I said, I ship Corey with the world so I’m open to that too.) With Corey there’s always the potential that him being knocked around could have dramatic consequences, so getting him roughed up is a handy way to bring out some emotions. (Maybe Owens starts manhandling the announcers some more, or someone gets tossed into the broadcast table.) Gen-wise, I’d love fic about Corey adjusting to his new role, especially if that come along with some envy about what he won’t get to do and someone (Tyler, Finn, Sami, whomever) helping him out with that. Maybe a genie (or a Wyatt) shows up and offers Corey his heart’s desire but the price turns out to be too high. (Sucker for that.)
Corey aside, I love Tyler and his neverending struggle to survive in a world of Uggos. Show how incredibly put upon he is! How hard it is to be so much more beautiful than everyone else! Truly, his life is an unfair struggle. (I love Tyler’s twitter, so twitter shenanigans would be much appreciated.)
I love the idea that Finn’s demon is an actual thing, something he has to struggle with to control and let out. What is it like to carry that around, especially when he can look up at the main roster and see Bray and Kane and the Undertaker all with their various demons and darkness? Is Finn’s demon the same kind of thing Bray is, just better controlled? Does he not wear the paint every match for the psychological edge, or is he afraid that if he leans on it too much he’ll lose himself in it? I don’t ship him and Hideo, I like Hideo more as his friend/mentor, but I do like the idea that Hideo brought Finn in not just to help with the Ascension but because he was genuinely worried about Finn not keeping a handle on things. How did they meet, and when did the whole, “So, something I have to tell you…” conversation happen?
Charlotte and Bayley! I love them, especially that whole Bayley trying to earn Charlotte’s respect era. They’re such a fun contrast, ruthless Charlotte with the family name she so fiercely wants to live up to and shiny, happy Bayley who deep down wants to be respected and taken seriously more than anything. Femslash or friendship, I’m here for both – let’s have Bayley crack through Charlotte’s shell and Charlotte letting in her despite herself, even though she’s grown up watching her dad and knows friendship is a luxury the business generally doesn’t allow.
I’ll be honest, I requested Baron Corbin mostly for werewolf shenanigans. Because he’s clearly, CLEARLY a werewolf. Have him get caught out during a full moon after a show and wreck whatever diner they’re all in after a show, or maybe he gets locked in with someone during a turn and has to control himself so he doesn’t kill someone. (Five Times Baron Corbin Almost Killed One Of His Coworkers?) Does he keep his matches short because he’s worried he’ll lose control if he doesn’t? Does Finn hear alarm bells go off when he looks at Baron and not know why (until he finds out why?) How DOES William Regal handle werewolf hunters showing up at his tapings? (Considering the amount of the supernatural running around the WWE, there may well be procedures for that.) I don’t ship Baron with anyone in particular, so sky’s the limit.
But werewolf shenanigans, please. Possibly while riding a motorcycle in the rain.
Lucha Undergound
I’m pretty OT3 about about Angélico/Ivelisse/Son of Havoc, but I’d be just as happy with gen fic about the three of them getting on each other’s nerves and learning to be a team. I love how they’re all outsiders to the Lucha Libre world, not Mexican (if you watch the Spanish feed they point out that Ivelisse is Puerto Rican about 500 times each match), not luchadors in the traditional sense, and while that matters less in the Temple it’s still something they all would feel. Let’s have some fic where they all slowly admit they maybe don’t hate each other THAT much, or how Havoc and Ivelisse realize the rough patches they were going through were actually them adjusting to Angélico becoming part of the dynamic without them realizing. I’m a big fan of in-ring trauma bringing up hidden emotions and these three are great for that – maybe Pentagón Jr decides that Angélico would make a very pretty sacrifice and the other two have to scramble to stop it, or he actually does get his hands on Angélico and hurts him, giving Havoc and Ivelisse emotions they’re not happy about having. And of course the Trios Tournament! I am ALL HERE for Trios fic, during and especially after.
Switching gears, I’m in love with the battle going on for Prince Puma’s soul and the friendly rivalry he has with Johnny despite Konnan’s objections. He clearly values Konnan’s wisdom (for some reason) so why is this the hill Puma’s decided to die on? What will he do if Konnan decides this problem needs a more brutal solution? On Johnny’s side, what is he getting out of this? Is manipulation, a way to have an edge on the champ, or does he genuinely like Puma? Did it start as one and turn into the other? Does he see Konnan as a bad influence and want to save Puma (the way he would have liked to save another tag partner he watching get in over his head years ago but couldn’t?) Johnny’s playing a dangerous game – is this cockiness, calculation or a little of both? What’s going on with these two, and how far would they go? (Also not a bad place for Pentagón to do some sacrificing, either at Konnan’s suggestion or just as an agent of chaos.)
TNA
This is a long shot, but I was so in love with AJ Styles/Christopher Daniels back in the day. The Golden Boy and the Fallen Angel! Remember when they were enemies and feuding, but then Samoa Joe turned on Daniels at Genesis and AJ stood by the curtain and watched, in clear agony over whether he should run in or not? Or later on when Joe was beating on AJ and Daniels ran in to save him? Or HOW GREAT a tag team they were? Ugh, TNA, no one is better than you at wasting good things. I would love anything about them, either them being rivals with all those conflicted emotions, that team that should never have broken up or even reconnecting down the road after all the smoke has cleared. (These two also work really well for AUs. Knight in shining armor AJ forced to ask for help from warlock Daniels, or a superhero world where the morally gray Fallen Angel tries to break wide-eyed new hero AJ’s idealism only to dragged closer to the side of good despite himself.)
Likes: Hurt/Comfort, angst (especially with a happy or at least bittersweet ending,) loyalty (conflicted or otherwise,) shenanigans on the road, the supernatural characters really being supernatural. I enjoy when people who are bad a communicating find ways to say things without words, buried emotions coming to the surface and fic that show the absurdities of the wrestlers’ day to day lives.
Dislikes: No non-con or character death, please (unless the death is magically fixed or time travel’s involved. Then go to town!) I like people being tied up or manhandled but I’m not a big fan of in depth, negotiated D/s scenes. Also, PLEASE keep everything kayfabe – no real names (unless they use those,) no family members who aren’t part of the story, that kind of thing. I’m fine with some wiggle room, like a mention of Dean having worked for a while in Puerto Rico under another name since that slides in pretty neatly, but otherwise please stick to what we see on the shows and supplemental, mostly-kayfabe sources like the the Shield documentary or Tyler Breeze’s twitter feed.
AUs: I didn’t mention it in the actual sign up because I’d already rambled on long enough, but for WWE and NXT I love Medieval or Superhero AUs. Journeymen knights Noble and Mercury trying to keep their jackass new lord alive! A mercenary brotherhood calling themselves the Shield roaming around striking down the powerful (until the inevitable betrayal!) Charlotte taking up the sword to honor her family’s legacy! Dramatic jousts, knights trying to prove themselves, oaths of fealty, etc. I love that stuff. (WWE did design a whole bunch of heraldic crests so it seems like they do too.:)
And superheroes work just as well – you’d have bitter Dean trying to deal with his brother throwing in with the supervillains (Dean is most functional Rorschach, I don’t care what John Cena says,) Corey having to give up his life of supervillainy after a fight with Sami goes bad and Sami feeling awful about it because he didn’t mean for things to go that far, etc. (I’m only not saying AUs are great across the board because Lucha Underground is already a magic fight club where people learn the art of Lucha Libre to avenge the slaughter of their parents, y’know? It’s its own AU. But if you can make it work I’d love to see it. Angélico would make a very pretty knight or superhero.)
WWE
I really love Dean/Seth and the incredible ball of dysfunction they are when they’re together. I like fic where they keep being pulled into each other’s orbit even though it’s incredibly unhealthy for them both, where Seth is a selfish user who very deep down cares more than he wishes he did and Dean keeps making the self-destructive choice to let Seth back in even though Seth Rollins is, objectively, absolutely awful. Bring on all the conflicted emotions, especially with all the ways life on the road can bring those to the surface (cars breaking down in the middle of nowhere, getting stranded in airports, scary near-misses that have to be brushed off for the next show, etc.) I like Seth having to toe that very fine line of putting up a strong front for the Authority but he and Dean still falling into their old dynamic when they’re alone and the cameras are off. (I haven’t found any AUs of Hell in a Cell where Bray never shows up and on-the-verge-of-a-breakdown-Dean goes through with that curb stomp through the cinderblocks – what does the aftermath of that look like?)
I didn’t request Roman by himself but I also love Shield-era fics, especially if the reader can see the cracks already forming. I would be all over bad road trips and the three of them being hungry and struggling to make it up the card. I’m a sucker for Shield fics were Dean and Seth are hooking up and trying to keep it a secret (and are terrible at it.) And post-breakup I would love fic where Roman’s watching Dean spiral down and doesn’t know what to do about it, or where he finds out Dean and Seth are still hooking up and is all “The hell is wrong with you?” at Dean. I’m OTP about Dean/Seth but I love Dean and Roman being bros.
On the gen side of things I LOVE the Js and their completely inexplicable affection for Seth Rollins. If I had to choose Joey Mercury is my favorite of the Js, I’ve been a fan of his for years and there’s a lot to work with there, but I love them both. Let’s have fic about the Js trying to wrangle Seth’s ridiculous life and protect him from all the problems he brings on himself, especially if it gets into why they like him enough to put up with all this in the first place. Devoutly loyal lieutenants to the, let’s face it, kind of undeserving are one of my favorite narrative hooks.
And getting away from the Shield, Bray Wyatt. Bring me a Bray who’s evil and creepy and more than a little inhuman, who believes every word he says. Bray targeting people to achieve goals that only make sense to him is the best Bray. I don’t want too much backstory (explaining the monster weakens the monster 9 times out of 10) but I love the mythology they’ve built around him, especially the relationships he has with Harper and Rowan. (Whenever Bray and Rowan fight it’s appointment viewing for me, I love the psychology they always bring.) Have him go after the Authority, where he’d be outnumbered for once and how that brings up conflicted feelings in his boys, take the feud he had with Dean and twist it darker, have him launch himself at Seth by taking down the Js and everyone else around him until Seth’s alone and panicking and looking over his shoulder. I’d also really love fic dealing with him post-WrestleMania – I loved that match but wanted a little more emotional payoff at the end. Did they meet after that? Bray’s still calling himself the New Face of Fear and there’s no undead protesting – does that mean the Undertaker agrees? How does Kane feel about Bray being the one to pull his brother back to the land of the living?
NXT
I ship Corey Graves with the world. There isn’t anyone on the NXT roster I don’t think I couldn’t conceivably picture him with, with maybe the exception of Kevin Owens (no adultery for Owens! His family is too important!) and Alex Riley (because Alex Riley.) I’m an especially big fan of his transparent crush on Tyler Breeze and would love to see what Tyler is like in a relationship. (Does he give pictures of himself as presents? Just how nice ARE all those vacation homes?) I’m also enjoying his growing fascination with Finn and happily ship them (demons and paint and tattoo kink, how could I not?) but also love the potential of his disdain for Becky Lynch covering up for something and all then the shared history he has with Sami, especially with the angst factor that Sami was part of the match that gave Corey that final concussion. (I’m more of a friendly rivals turned mostly friends person about him and Neville, but like I said, I ship Corey with the world so I’m open to that too.) With Corey there’s always the potential that him being knocked around could have dramatic consequences, so getting him roughed up is a handy way to bring out some emotions. (Maybe Owens starts manhandling the announcers some more, or someone gets tossed into the broadcast table.) Gen-wise, I’d love fic about Corey adjusting to his new role, especially if that come along with some envy about what he won’t get to do and someone (Tyler, Finn, Sami, whomever) helping him out with that. Maybe a genie (or a Wyatt) shows up and offers Corey his heart’s desire but the price turns out to be too high. (Sucker for that.)
Corey aside, I love Tyler and his neverending struggle to survive in a world of Uggos. Show how incredibly put upon he is! How hard it is to be so much more beautiful than everyone else! Truly, his life is an unfair struggle. (I love Tyler’s twitter, so twitter shenanigans would be much appreciated.)
I love the idea that Finn’s demon is an actual thing, something he has to struggle with to control and let out. What is it like to carry that around, especially when he can look up at the main roster and see Bray and Kane and the Undertaker all with their various demons and darkness? Is Finn’s demon the same kind of thing Bray is, just better controlled? Does he not wear the paint every match for the psychological edge, or is he afraid that if he leans on it too much he’ll lose himself in it? I don’t ship him and Hideo, I like Hideo more as his friend/mentor, but I do like the idea that Hideo brought Finn in not just to help with the Ascension but because he was genuinely worried about Finn not keeping a handle on things. How did they meet, and when did the whole, “So, something I have to tell you…” conversation happen?
Charlotte and Bayley! I love them, especially that whole Bayley trying to earn Charlotte’s respect era. They’re such a fun contrast, ruthless Charlotte with the family name she so fiercely wants to live up to and shiny, happy Bayley who deep down wants to be respected and taken seriously more than anything. Femslash or friendship, I’m here for both – let’s have Bayley crack through Charlotte’s shell and Charlotte letting in her despite herself, even though she’s grown up watching her dad and knows friendship is a luxury the business generally doesn’t allow.
I’ll be honest, I requested Baron Corbin mostly for werewolf shenanigans. Because he’s clearly, CLEARLY a werewolf. Have him get caught out during a full moon after a show and wreck whatever diner they’re all in after a show, or maybe he gets locked in with someone during a turn and has to control himself so he doesn’t kill someone. (Five Times Baron Corbin Almost Killed One Of His Coworkers?) Does he keep his matches short because he’s worried he’ll lose control if he doesn’t? Does Finn hear alarm bells go off when he looks at Baron and not know why (until he finds out why?) How DOES William Regal handle werewolf hunters showing up at his tapings? (Considering the amount of the supernatural running around the WWE, there may well be procedures for that.) I don’t ship Baron with anyone in particular, so sky’s the limit.
But werewolf shenanigans, please. Possibly while riding a motorcycle in the rain.
Lucha Undergound
I’m pretty OT3 about about Angélico/Ivelisse/Son of Havoc, but I’d be just as happy with gen fic about the three of them getting on each other’s nerves and learning to be a team. I love how they’re all outsiders to the Lucha Libre world, not Mexican (if you watch the Spanish feed they point out that Ivelisse is Puerto Rican about 500 times each match), not luchadors in the traditional sense, and while that matters less in the Temple it’s still something they all would feel. Let’s have some fic where they all slowly admit they maybe don’t hate each other THAT much, or how Havoc and Ivelisse realize the rough patches they were going through were actually them adjusting to Angélico becoming part of the dynamic without them realizing. I’m a big fan of in-ring trauma bringing up hidden emotions and these three are great for that – maybe Pentagón Jr decides that Angélico would make a very pretty sacrifice and the other two have to scramble to stop it, or he actually does get his hands on Angélico and hurts him, giving Havoc and Ivelisse emotions they’re not happy about having. And of course the Trios Tournament! I am ALL HERE for Trios fic, during and especially after.
Switching gears, I’m in love with the battle going on for Prince Puma’s soul and the friendly rivalry he has with Johnny despite Konnan’s objections. He clearly values Konnan’s wisdom (for some reason) so why is this the hill Puma’s decided to die on? What will he do if Konnan decides this problem needs a more brutal solution? On Johnny’s side, what is he getting out of this? Is manipulation, a way to have an edge on the champ, or does he genuinely like Puma? Did it start as one and turn into the other? Does he see Konnan as a bad influence and want to save Puma (the way he would have liked to save another tag partner he watching get in over his head years ago but couldn’t?) Johnny’s playing a dangerous game – is this cockiness, calculation or a little of both? What’s going on with these two, and how far would they go? (Also not a bad place for Pentagón to do some sacrificing, either at Konnan’s suggestion or just as an agent of chaos.)
TNA
This is a long shot, but I was so in love with AJ Styles/Christopher Daniels back in the day. The Golden Boy and the Fallen Angel! Remember when they were enemies and feuding, but then Samoa Joe turned on Daniels at Genesis and AJ stood by the curtain and watched, in clear agony over whether he should run in or not? Or later on when Joe was beating on AJ and Daniels ran in to save him? Or HOW GREAT a tag team they were? Ugh, TNA, no one is better than you at wasting good things. I would love anything about them, either them being rivals with all those conflicted emotions, that team that should never have broken up or even reconnecting down the road after all the smoke has cleared. (These two also work really well for AUs. Knight in shining armor AJ forced to ask for help from warlock Daniels, or a superhero world where the morally gray Fallen Angel tries to break wide-eyed new hero AJ’s idealism only to dragged closer to the side of good despite himself.)
