Yuletide 2016
Sep. 27th, 2016 12:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
polkad0ttingHello, I’m ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
polkad0tting (polkadot on AO3). Welcome to my little sports-crazy world! (I am generally pretty sports-crazy anyway, and it’s an Olympics year, so I’m super sports-crazy right now.) You’re already my new favorite person for volunteering to write one of my fandoms. Please don’t be worried about writing for me – I’m very easy to please. :)
I have lots of old letters from many different exchanges, so if you’d like more insight and/or ideas about what I enjoy (particularly in sports-fic), please do feel free to poke through them. I generally talk a LOT, because I am a chatty person and have lots of feelings, haha.
Like list:
I think the most basic like I have is “affection”. That can take both platonic and romantic forms. If you write me a story about people who have genuine affection for each other, I’ll love it no matter what the plot is. Platonic friendships full of laughter, falling-in-love, comfortable established relationships – I love it all. Banter and bromance and bro-romances are all my jams. (Using bromance as gender-neutral here – sismance sounds quite strange.)
• Basic: SPORTS, friends-to-lovers, falling in love, comfortable established relationships filled with affection and in-jokes, couples kicking butt together and saving the team (and then picking up the drycleaning on the way home), people knowing each other really well, banter, emotional support, plans, plans that don’t go according to plan, working together and using different strengths, coming-out stories, five-times fics, sports (did I mention sports?!)
• In romance: Snark, banter, fond teasing, zaniness, affection laced with humor, snuggling in bed, having sex on sports equipment.
• In porn: Kissing, exploring a partner’s body, unexpected erogenous zones, talking during sex, sex that doesn’t go quite right but they run with it and make it awesome anyway, incoherent noises, morning sex, well-developed biceps and shoulders, fingering that's enjoyed for itself, wall-sex, multiple orgasms, laughter.
Squick list
• Basic: Infidelity, bullying, cruel jokes, noncon, dubcon, incest (see note), bestiality, underage, character death, graphic descriptions of character injury, Ryan Lochte.
• In romance: Gaslighting, characters who are in love but don’t seem to really like each other very much, A/B/O.
• In porn: Pain being inflicted as a kink, bad dirty talk (if not joked about by the participants), someone not caring about their partner's comfort and pleasure.
• Note re incest: I do occasionally have an incest ship, in this case Renaud/Valentin. I do however have a few severe squicks involving some common incest dynamics, so if you’re interested in writing Renaud/Valentin (yay!!!), please check out this post for more info.
Two final general notes:
1) Infidelity is in my squick list. In cases where a character has a RL partner, I would prefer for this exchange that we pretend that the RL relationship never existed, or ended amicably some time before. (If writing a shippy fic, that is. If it’s gen, RL partner can exist but please only be mentioned in passing.)
2) Some of these athletes come from countries where homosexuality is either not accepted, or where it would at least be difficult to be a gay athlete (and particularly in a team context). In real life, if they were gay they would almost surely stay closeted. I’m okay with either a) this same dynamic in fic (staying closeted, worrying about being accepted by teammates, even internalized homophobia), as long as the story itself has a happy ending, or b) non-realism on the small scale (they’re secure & happy in their sexuality, all their friends & teammates accept them, it’s not an issue at all, etc.) No public coming-out fics for athletes from homophobic countries, though – it would give me anxiety to think about Nikita coming out and being attacked by Putin, for instance.
My requests:
* Men’s Pole Vault RPF (Renaud Lavillenie, Valentin Lavillenie)
* Men’s Gymnastics RPF (Kohei Uchimura, Oleg Verniaiev, Kenzo Shirai, Nikita Nagornyy)
* Diving RPF (Chen Aisen, Qiu Bo)
* Swimming RPF (Le Clos, Ledecky, Manuel, Adrian)
* Track RPF (De Grasse, Bolt, Van Niekerk)
Men’s Pole Vault RPF
Characters: Renaud Lavillenie, Valentin Lavillenie
I love pole vault a ridiculous amount. To learn more about these characters (and my feelings about them), check out my pole vault fandom primer!
I’ve asked for Renaud and Valentin because they are my faves. :) But I like all the nominated characters (including the ones in Women’s Pole Vault!), and am more than fine with a story that includes additional ones (or for that matter any additional vaulters I talk about in the primer). I would be equally enthused by a story with a loud colorful cast (say, a day in the life of a pole-vaulting competition) and by a quiet character study of, say, Valentin.
(I’ll say right here that although I would adore a fic with both Renaud & Valentin, if that doesn’t end up working for you, it’s totally okay if you want to just write about one of them.)
In pole vault, as in all these fandoms, I am equally happy with shipfic and gen. I adore sports gen, and it’s pretty rare, so please don’t feel that I’m just giving you a ‘gen out’ out of obligation. I really do enjoy and get excited about the gen options and prompts I give. :) And meanwhile, I also adore shipfic, and I’m a total multishipper so if you ship you’re pretty sure to find a pairing you like. :)
Some ships I’d enjoy seeing in a story (as either a primary, secondary, or background relationship, or as a bromance):
* Renaud/Valentin (see my intro notes)
* Renaud/Sam and Renaud/Raphael (bromances-to-lovers); Renaud/Thiago (rivals-to-lovers); Renaud/Bubka (all-time greats-to-lovers)
* Valentin/Sam, Valentin/Thiago, Valentin/Raphael
* Sandi/Eliza, Sandi/Ekaterini, Sandi/Yarisley, Ekaterini/Yarisley
General things I will enjoy in this fandom include:
* the rhythms of the pole-vault tour and pole-vault competitions (particularly the Diamond Race tour, the Olympics, and Worlds, but also smaller-stakes competitions, including street vaulting (which seems really cool)). Competitions can go on for hours. What’s happening in the meantime?
* work hard, party hard. (especially Valentin)
* the push-pull between in-competition competitiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* the mutual-support society most vaulters seem to have going on (including getting the crowd to clap for their opponents – Sam and Sandi especially known for this)
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* strength and athleticism in bed as a major turn-on (pole vaulters’ bodies are so amazing!)
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, goofing-off, etc.
* a pair having to figure out what it means that they keep falling into bed together.
* competition bets - not monetary, but forfeits (gen) or sex bets (shippy)
* coming-out fic (privately or publicly)
* first-time fic
* established-relationship fic (what’s it like to be in a relationship with a competitor?)
* five-times fic
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic)
Some specific prompts:
Renaud
gen
What keeps him motivated? What was it like during the couple of years where he was chasing Bubka’s record – and what was it like when he broke it? How did he recover from Rio? How do all his bromances with other pole-vaulters and other French athletes (notably Mayer & Lemaitre) differ from each other (what makes different ones special)? Tell me more about the pole-vault in his back garden, because that cracks me up. What’s it like nearing 30 and having Shawnacy and Thiago emerge to chase him? What’s it like to know that you’re simultaneously one of your brother’s best friends and yet one of his sporting idols? Finally, as stated above I am a total sucker for happily-ever-after fic, so Renaud finally winning an outdoor Worlds this year (or the Tokyo Olympics!) would be fantastic.
shippy
How did it start? One-night stand? Feelings that grew out of a bromance? Banter that went somewhere unexpected? What is he like in bed? Does he ever use the pole-vault pit in his back garden for ~shenanigans? What about strip-vaulting, where you have to lose an article of clothing every time you knock the bar down (and it’s not like they’re wearing a ton of clothes to start with)? Tell me about behind-the-scenes at the nude advert with Kevin. ;) Or how about outside POV, where outside-POV-er gradually realizes that Renaud/X aren’t just a bromance, but something more? (Note: not for Renaud/Valentin pls.) What about that time where he broke the world record and then immediately injured himself trying to break it again (hurt/comfort wooo!) And how about somebody (either established-relationship or first-time) comforting him after Rio?
Valentin
gen
What’s it like being the younger brother of the best pole-vaulter in the world? Is he angsty about it, or philosophical (he did train with Renaud for years, so he can’t have been TOO broken up about it)? Gen emotional hurt/comfort with Renaud after Moscow 2013. :’( What are his friendships in the pole vaulting community like? Now that he’s struck out on his own and no longer trains with Renaud, how is life outside his brother’s shadow? (Or can he ever escape?) Emotional hurt/comfort from Renaud or another pole vaulter after he juuuuust fails to make the Rio team. :’( Happily-ever-after fic in which he has the meet of his life and unexpectedly wins a Worlds or Olympics medal!
shippy
Most of Renaud’s shippy prompts would also work for Valentin. In addition, I love the idea of combining Valentin-shippy with Valentin&Renaud-gen – so for example, a Valentin/Thiago falling-in-love fic that includes Valentin & Renaud friendship and Renaud & Thiago competitiveness.
~//~
Men’s Gymnastics RPF
Characters: Kohei Uchimura, Oleg Verniaiev, Kenzo Shirai, Nikita Nagornyy
Gymnastics! *happy sigh*
This Olympics was very satisfying to me, given that I’m a big fan of the Japanese team and Oleg Verniaiev. So much good gymnastics, and wonderful storylines as well! The joy of the Japanese team when they won gold. The battle between Kohei and Oleg, which came right down to the wire. Fabian winning high bar. Oleg winning parallel bars! The Russian team screaming and crying and being so frickin’ happy to get silver in the team competition. Just – everything. <3
I’ve asked for these four specific characters because I would like my story to include at least one of them. (You have official permission to not include all of the four if you don’t want to – actually, including all four would be tricky, lol.) But I love all the nominated characters, and am more than fine with a story that includes additional ones (or for that matter anyone on the Japanese, Ukrainian, or Russian teams, as well as Danell Leyva, Marian Dragulescu, or, well, pretty much anyone). I would be equally enthused by a story with a loud colorful cast (say, a day in the life of a gymnastics competition) and by a quiet character study of, say, Kenzo.
In gymnastics, as in all these fandoms, I am equally happy with shipfic and gen. I adore sports gen, and it’s pretty rare, so please don’t feel that I’m just giving you a ‘gen out’ out of obligation. I really do enjoy and get excited about the gen options and prompts I give. :) And meanwhile, I also adore shipfic, and I’m a total multishipper so if you ship you’re pretty sure to find a pairing you like. :)
Most of my ships involve either Kohei or Oleg (or both). I’d love to read a story in which any of these ships were involved either as a primary, secondary, or passing-mention:
* Kohei/Oleg, Kohei/any other member of the Japanese team,
* Oleg/any other member of the Ukrainian team, Oleg/Danell, Oleg/David Belyvaskiy, Oleg/Nikita, Oleg/any member of the Japanese team
* Kenzo/Oleg, Kenzo/any other member of the Japanese team
* Nikita/DavidB, Fabian/Epke
(Actually, for secondary ships or passing mentions you can pretty much ship anybody with anybody, lol – I’m definitely open to being persuaded.)
General things I will enjoy in this fandom include:
* the rhythms of gymnastics training and competitions
* the push-pull between in-competition competitiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* the mutual-support society gymnasts seem to have going on (I love the fist-bumps as someone comes off an apparatus and passes the next gymnast, and all the hugs)
* having friends from all across the globe – and the problems that creates when there’s international tensions (like all the online abuse Oleg got when he dared to take a happy friendly selfie with Nikita)
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* strength and athleticism in bed as a major turn-on (gymnasts’ bodies, nggh)
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, showing-off, goofing-off, etc.
* a pair having to figure out what it means that they keep falling into bed together.
* competition bets - not monetary, but forfeits (gen) or sex bets (shippy)
* challenging each other to develop new skills and tricks
* coming-out fic (privately or publicly)
* first-time fic
* established-relationship fic (what’s it like to be in a relationship with a competitor?)
* five-times fic
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic)
Some specific prompts:
Kohei
Tell me about the trials of being a superstar. :P What’s it like to be so adored? What’s it like to be leading his team (again)? How satisfying was it to win Worlds team gold in Glasgow, and then back it up with Olympics team gold in Rio? Did Kohei think he’d lost all-around to Oleg, and how did he feel when he stuck his dismount on high bar (and then won!) How did Oleg standing up for Kohei in press re the scoring make Kohei feel? Does Kohei enjoy making people swoon just by taking his shirt off? Does he feel weary when he thinks about doing gymnastics for another four years so he can compete in Tokyo? Is he happy to hand over the all-around mantle to Kenzo and Ryohei? And ship-wise, well, I will enjoy anything with Kohei in one of my ships. All ratings, all plots, as long as there’s a happy ending. Falling in love, first time, established relationship, sex on a vaulting horse – you name it, I want it.
I’d also enjoy Kohei as the outside-POV for someone else’s story – perhaps a Kenzo/Ryohei or Kenzo/Oleg one? Kohei always seems dryly amused to me, and I think it’d be pretty fun to watch him observing the development of a relationship between his friends.
And like in pole vault, dreams-come-true fic is something I will always enjoy. Team Japan wins Tokyo! And perhaps Kohei wins high bar? Even though he is Ancient? (Or he is an awesome cheerleader while Kenzo and Ryohei win everything, because those gifs of him being a cheerleader for Kenzo in Rio are so adorable.)
Oleg
Oleg’s not even 23 yet, and yet already he’s a two-time Olympic veteran and one of the leaders of his team. I’d love to see the balance between maturity and athletic prowess on the one hand, and silly goofing-off playfulness on the other. (The latter being heavily in view on his Instagram and Snapchat.)
What was it like to come so close to dethroning Kohei? (Both in the good way – so nearly the best in the world! – and in the bad way – if only!) What was the Olympics experience like in general? How awesome was winning the parallel bars gold? How did he celebrate? Did he have help celebrating? ;) Does he enjoy all the new attention and fans, or does it make him a little shy? What does a competition day look like for him? What’s with his obsession with collecting tshirts from all the different countries? (Seriously, he’s always running around in a Team China/Japan/USA/Belgium/Cuba/Germany/etc. tshirt.) And how does he collect the tshirts? ;) [Seriously, I ship Oleg with pretty much everybody, so if he’s collecting them through ~shenanigans, that is highly relevant to my interests.]
If you want to go more angsty, what is it like trying to be a world-competitive gymnast and compete with the likes of Kohei when Ukraine is so abysmally lacking in funding and support? Is Oleg ever tempted to jump ship like Kuksenkov and Stepko? And if you’re going shippy, what’s it like to be a gay athlete in a homophobic country (particularly if you’re shipping him with another athlete from a homophobic country, like David or Nikita)? [Happy – or at least not unhappy – ending please, though.]
Gen, ship, and porn are all more than welcome here; all ratings. All ratings, all plots, as long as there’s a happy ending. Falling in love, first time, established relationship, sex on a vaulting horse – you name it, I want it.
Kenzo
What’s it like being the kid superstar-in-training on a team like the Japanese team? (Kenzo was the only newbie on the team, with everyone else returning from 2012.) He’s surrounded by teammates who have known him since he was knee-high; how does he gain their respect? I love how much of a sweetheart he is, like when he took all those pictures so he could make his teammates each an individualized photo album capturing their Rio experiences together. I also love how confident and natural he is about his athletic ability; athletes being quietly self-assured about their awesomeness is something I will always enjoy.
Although he is always portrayed as the kid on the team, he’s 20 now. This next quad is going to be a big one for him, especially leading in to Tokyo. (I love how he stayed up all night for the bid announcement – bless.) Just how many elements will he be able to get named after himself? Does he feel ready to take over all-around from Kohei? How will he try to embrace his growing superstarness with Kohei’s established fame? If you ship them, how does he get Kohei to see him as more than a kid, but as an adult and a romantic partner? (This would also be a point for Kenzo/Ryohei.) I’d love to see the balance between maturity and athletic prowess on the one hand, and his wide-eyed sweetness and huge grins on the other.
Ship-wise, I will enjoy anything with Kenzo. All ratings, all plots, as long as there’s a happy ending. Falling in love, first time, established relationship, sex on a vaulting horse – you name it, I want it.
Nikita
Another super-enthusiastic young gymnast. <3 Seriously, if you shipped him and Kenzo the fic might literally bounce. :D I love his vlogs. And his Instagram is never-ending fun. (The trick dive into the inner-tube!) Many Russians don’t really smile much (it’s a cultural thing), but Nikita NEVER STOPS.
What’s the story of the Russian team in Rio? I was worried they’d be heartbroken when Japan overtook them at the end of the team competition, but instead they were so, so, so overjoyed to win silver that it was just too adorable. What’s Nikita’s role on the team? Is he a team morale-booster like Kenzo? (David always looks so sad/serious; how does Nikita cheer him up?) Like Oleg, he seems like a big fraternizer across country lines (especially with Oleg, lol). Who does he bromance and what are their adventures like? What does a competition look like from Nikita’s perspective (not just the actual competition, but training, after-hours fraternization, etc.)? Does he have Big Plans for the next quad?
Ship-wise, I will enjoy anything with Nikita. All ratings, all plots, as long as there’s a happy ending. Falling in love, first time, established relationship, sex on a vaulting horse – you name it, I want it. My biggest ships for Nikita are Nikita/Oleg, Nikita/David, and Nikita/Kenzo, but if you have an alternative ship, I’m happy to read it too! (Only exception: while he and RL girlfriend Daria Spiridonova from the Russian women’s team are super-cute, I’m not comfortable reading fic about canon couples. This goes for Igor Radivilov and Angelina Kysla/Radivilova (not sure if she changed her name) too, as well as Stretovich/Paseka.)
Two final notes:
1) I’m very anti-Putin. I’d prefer to have Russian characters share my views (and just be staying quiet about it out of political necessity) or at least be conflicted, or for their views on him not to be mentioned. DNW pro-Putin feelings from any POV or sympathetic characters. (Most especially from Nikita or David.)
2) Please don’t have Nikita teased or made fun of for his acne.
~//~
Diving RPF
Characters: Chen Aisen, Qiu Bo
Diving! I confess that I don’t follow diving on a regular basis between Olympics, but it’s one of my favorite Olympic sports to watch. This year was bittersweet for me because of the 10m platform results. At the London Olympics, Qiu Bo just missed out on the gold medal to David Boudia of the USA, and he was the one left devastated poolside while Boudia and Daley (the bronze medallist) celebrated. So in Rio he was out for redemption – but he’d have to go through Chen Aisen, his younger compatriot and rival. (Bo is 23 and Aisen is 20.) Bo is a triple Worlds gold medallist in the individual 10m, and Aisen had never won a Worlds gold, but past results only mean so much; Aisen is a remarkable diver.
In Rio, Aisen won the 10m synchro gold, and came into 10m individuals on a high. In qualifications, Tom Daley turned in the performance of his life and was 1st, with Bo 2nd and Aisen 3rd. In the semifinal, however, Tom crashed out of the competition, and Aisen stepped it up. He and Bo were 1 and 2 in the semis, but Aisen posted 559 points to Bo’s 504. (The points reset for the final, but it’s an indication as to their form going in.) And in the final, it was a real heartbreaker – Bo turned in two absolutely beautiful, perfect, achingly gorgeous dives, but there are six dives in total, and he bombed two of the others. :( After his first bomb he clawed back into medal contention, but the second one meant he finished off the podium, way down in 6th. Aisen, meanwhile, had a flawless performance and finished with 585 points to the silver medalist’s 532. Going into the final dive he basically only had to avoid a complete belly flop disaster to win gold, he was that far ahead. (The full replays of the diving events aren’t yet available on Youtube, though they may become available during the Yuletide period. For now, here’s Aisen’s six dives in the final, all in under 40 seconds, including his ridiculously perfect final dive.)
So to make a long story short, the characters I’ve requested here are rival compatriots – the established champion out for redemption, and the young challenger trying to seize his moment. Aisen's story is one of perfection and glory; he completed the 10m individual/synchro double and gave China its first gold in individual 10m since 2004 Athens. Bo’s story is one of renewed heartache; those two perfect dives in the final showed (as if we didn’t already know) how frickin’ good he can be, but it wasn’t to be for him – again.
There are a lot of different types of stories I’d enjoy in this fandom. I would love to see Bo be comforted (or ~comforted) after the competition – Aisen would be a fantastic choice, whether you wrote it as a platonic bromance, a romantic relationship, a respectful-rival situation, or something else. (Happy for the comforting to be anything from G to NC-17.) I’d also be open to other comforters; Sanchez, the silver medallist, seemed like a nice guy (and extremely surprised and overwhelmed by his medal), Steele Johnson is absolutely gorgeous and would be excellent for porn-related comfort, and Tom Daley would be a good choice if you wanted to write the comfort as mutual. (Poor Tom.)
I’d also love to see Aisen rewarded for his flawless performance and double gold, whether that be by Bo or by Sanchez, Johnson, Daley, or someone else. (Feel free to use your fave if you like.) I’m good with any level of rating. ;)
If you want to take a step back from the individual 10m competition, there are a lot of Olympics-related stories that I’m interested in seeing in any fandom. These include:
* the rhythms of diving competitions (what’s going on in the ready room, the warmup pool, the locker rooms, the hot tubs?)
* surely the divers know how much audiences enjoy the free peep show? Do they play into that, tease each other about it, know who makes the fans swoon the most, joke about each other’s fancy Speedo designs, etc? (Seriously, the Mexican team had what looked like a lace design on their butts.)
* work hard, party hard (but only in the Village and with each other, pls no Lochtian shenanigans)
* the Olympics!! And all the plots that come with the Olympics. (including fraternization in the Olympic Village, but also things like the nerves that come with competing for your country, the amazing feeling of getting a medal for your country and seeing your flag be raised, making friends standing in line for free McDonald’s, awkward conversations with doping control officers because they came to test you right after you peed and now you’re stuck with them for hours, flirting & making friends across language barriers, watching other sports, trying out other sports & sucking at them, etc. etc. etc.)
* the push-pull between in-competition competitiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* divers supporting each other
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* strength and athleticism in bed as a major turn-on
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, goofing-off, etc.
* a pair having to figure out what it means that they keep falling into bed together.
* competition bets - not monetary, but forfeits (gen) or sex bets (shippy)
* coming-out fic (privately or publicly)
* first-time fic
* established-relationship fic (what’s it like to be in a relationship with a competitor?)
* five-times fic
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic) [Bo winning gold in Tokyo would definitely make me get hearts in my eyes]
~//~
Swimming RPF
Characters: Chad le Clos, Katie Ledecky, Nathan Adrian, Simone Manuel
Swimming! I’ve requested three adorable powerhouse badasses, and a cute trolly clown. (I say this with all love.) If including all four doesn't work for your story, that's okay! I'd prefer at least two of them to be in the story, but even that isn't 100% necessary, if one of my prompts takes you a different direction. Think of this fandom like "or" matching. :)
In swimming, as in all these fandoms, I am equally happy with shipfic and gen. I adore sports gen, and it’s pretty rare, so please don’t feel that I’m just giving you a ‘gen out’ out of obligation. I really do enjoy and get excited about the gen options and prompts I give. :) And meanwhile, I also adore shipfic. :)
I ship all combinations of these swimmers, haha. So if you feel like writing shipfic, go to town! For Chad I also ship him with Michael Phelps, but for everybody else I’d prefer only ships from this subset. (And please, please, please – no Ryan Lochte.)
Things I will enjoy in this fandom include:
* the rhythms of swimming competitions (what’s going on in the ready room, the warmup pool, the locker rooms?)
* work hard, party hard (but only in the Village and with each other, pls no Lochtian shenanigans)
* the Olympics!! And all the plots that come with the Olympics. (including fraternization in the Olympic Village, but also things like the nerves that come with competing for your country, the amazing feeling of getting a medal for your country and seeing your flag be raised, making friends standing in line for free McDonald’s, awkward conversations with doping control officers because they came to test you right after you peed and now you’re stuck with them for hours, flirting & making friends across language barriers, watching other sports, trying out other sports & sucking at them, etc. etc. etc.)
* the push-pull between in-competition competitiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* swimmers supporting each other
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* strength and athleticism in bed as a major turn-on (swimmers’ shoulders, omg)
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, goofing-off, etc.
* a pair having to figure out what it means that they keep falling into bed together.
* competition bets - not monetary, but forfeits (gen) or sex bets (shippy)
* coming-out fic (privately or publicly)
* first-time fic
* established-relationship fic (what’s it like to be in a relationship with a competitor?)
* five-times fic
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic)
Ship-wise, if you’re interested in writing Nathan + either Katie or Simone, I think it’d be fun if it was Katie/Simone who put the moves on him. (He said something in an interview about having a secret wish to be swept off his feet for a change!) Since he’s a few years older than them, I’d love to see the “gain respect in the pool” dynamic. Maybe Katie/Simone says “if I win gold, I’m claiming a kiss” (or something like that, I am not suave)? And then events eventuate. ;)
Katie/Simone is an awesome ship that I really would love to see. Stanford girls kicking mega ass! They were Rio roommates too. So there is Much Space for fic.
Meanwhile Chad is an insufferable hilarious dude. I love him/Michael, with all that happened in the pool and out, and would definitely be interested in Olympics-fic about that. I also think Chad/Nathan would be an interesting pairing (and really hot).
~//~
Track RPF
Characters: Andre De Grasse, Usain Bolt, Wayde van Niekerk
So I confess that my ships in this fandom are Andre/Usain, Wayde/Usain, and Andre/Usain/Wayde. But I also know that you might be a gen writer, so if you’re not comfortable writing one of those ships (or don’t ship them), don’t worry. In track, as in all these fandoms, I am equally happy with shipfic and gen. I adore sports gen, and it’s pretty rare, so please don’t feel that I’m just giving you a ‘gen out’ out of obligation. I really do enjoy and get excited about the gen options and prompts I give. :)
[Note: You don't have to include all three of the guys, if they don't all fit the story you want to tell. Write what makes you happy! :)]
If you’re not a shipper, some of the gen things I really enjoy in sports fandoms are:
* the rhythms of training and competitions
* the Olympics!! And all the plots that come with the Olympics. (including fraternization in the Olympic Village, but also things like the nerves that come with competing for your country, the amazing feeling of getting a medal for your country and seeing your flag be raised, making friends standing in line for free McDonald’s, awkward conversations with doping control officers because they came to test you right after you peed and now you’re stuck with them for hours, flirting & making friends across language barriers, watching other sports, trying out other sports & sucking at them, etc. etc. etc.)
* the push-pull between in-competition competiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* the mutual-support society many athletes seem to have going on (fist-bumps, congratulations, hugs, etc.)
* having friends from all across the globe
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, showing-off, goofing-off, etc.
* forfeit bets made on competitions (either one’s own or those of others) or in training
* challenging each other to develop new skills and tricks
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic)
And if you do ship some combination of the guys (or are intrigued and thinking about it), here is why I like them:
Usain is such a legend, and I loved the dynamic between Andre and Wayde’s wide-eyed respect and hero-worship of him, and his own affectionate respect in return. It was big-brotherly and fond without being patronizing; he sincerely seemed happy for Andre (while continuing to beat his ass to the finish line, of course), and he was thrilled for Wayde’s WR (loved the way he interrupted Wayde’s interview to congratulate him, leaving Wayde all starry-eyed and speechless after his departure).
So yes, I’d love a fic that looked at how that mutual respect turned into something more. ;) After all, aren’t Olympic Villages known for their fraternization? ;) Anything that gets either or both of the younger guys in bed with Usain (or against a wall/in a shower/etc.) is excellent.
(One specific prompt: if you go with “both”, I think it’d be really hot to have Andre and Wayde be competitive about it, because they obviously have competitive personalities. And Usain can sit back and reap the benefits, lol.)
~//~
Whew, that’s all the fandoms! Sorry that my letter’s such a behemoth – I have lots of feelings, haha. Hopefully something in here has given you an idea! Remember, you’re awesome. :) Thanks again!!
polkad0tting (polkadot on AO3). Welcome to my little sports-crazy world! (I am generally pretty sports-crazy anyway, and it’s an Olympics year, so I’m super sports-crazy right now.) You’re already my new favorite person for volunteering to write one of my fandoms. Please don’t be worried about writing for me – I’m very easy to please. :)I have lots of old letters from many different exchanges, so if you’d like more insight and/or ideas about what I enjoy (particularly in sports-fic), please do feel free to poke through them. I generally talk a LOT, because I am a chatty person and have lots of feelings, haha.
Like list:
I think the most basic like I have is “affection”. That can take both platonic and romantic forms. If you write me a story about people who have genuine affection for each other, I’ll love it no matter what the plot is. Platonic friendships full of laughter, falling-in-love, comfortable established relationships – I love it all. Banter and bromance and bro-romances are all my jams. (Using bromance as gender-neutral here – sismance sounds quite strange.)
• Basic: SPORTS, friends-to-lovers, falling in love, comfortable established relationships filled with affection and in-jokes, couples kicking butt together and saving the team (and then picking up the drycleaning on the way home), people knowing each other really well, banter, emotional support, plans, plans that don’t go according to plan, working together and using different strengths, coming-out stories, five-times fics, sports (did I mention sports?!)
• In romance: Snark, banter, fond teasing, zaniness, affection laced with humor, snuggling in bed, having sex on sports equipment.
• In porn: Kissing, exploring a partner’s body, unexpected erogenous zones, talking during sex, sex that doesn’t go quite right but they run with it and make it awesome anyway, incoherent noises, morning sex, well-developed biceps and shoulders, fingering that's enjoyed for itself, wall-sex, multiple orgasms, laughter.
Squick list
• Basic: Infidelity, bullying, cruel jokes, noncon, dubcon, incest (see note), bestiality, underage, character death, graphic descriptions of character injury, Ryan Lochte.
• In romance: Gaslighting, characters who are in love but don’t seem to really like each other very much, A/B/O.
• In porn: Pain being inflicted as a kink, bad dirty talk (if not joked about by the participants), someone not caring about their partner's comfort and pleasure.
• Note re incest: I do occasionally have an incest ship, in this case Renaud/Valentin. I do however have a few severe squicks involving some common incest dynamics, so if you’re interested in writing Renaud/Valentin (yay!!!), please check out this post for more info.
Two final general notes:
1) Infidelity is in my squick list. In cases where a character has a RL partner, I would prefer for this exchange that we pretend that the RL relationship never existed, or ended amicably some time before. (If writing a shippy fic, that is. If it’s gen, RL partner can exist but please only be mentioned in passing.)
2) Some of these athletes come from countries where homosexuality is either not accepted, or where it would at least be difficult to be a gay athlete (and particularly in a team context). In real life, if they were gay they would almost surely stay closeted. I’m okay with either a) this same dynamic in fic (staying closeted, worrying about being accepted by teammates, even internalized homophobia), as long as the story itself has a happy ending, or b) non-realism on the small scale (they’re secure & happy in their sexuality, all their friends & teammates accept them, it’s not an issue at all, etc.) No public coming-out fics for athletes from homophobic countries, though – it would give me anxiety to think about Nikita coming out and being attacked by Putin, for instance.
My requests:
* Men’s Pole Vault RPF (Renaud Lavillenie, Valentin Lavillenie)
* Men’s Gymnastics RPF (Kohei Uchimura, Oleg Verniaiev, Kenzo Shirai, Nikita Nagornyy)
* Diving RPF (Chen Aisen, Qiu Bo)
* Swimming RPF (Le Clos, Ledecky, Manuel, Adrian)
* Track RPF (De Grasse, Bolt, Van Niekerk)
Men’s Pole Vault RPF
Characters: Renaud Lavillenie, Valentin Lavillenie
I love pole vault a ridiculous amount. To learn more about these characters (and my feelings about them), check out my pole vault fandom primer!
I’ve asked for Renaud and Valentin because they are my faves. :) But I like all the nominated characters (including the ones in Women’s Pole Vault!), and am more than fine with a story that includes additional ones (or for that matter any additional vaulters I talk about in the primer). I would be equally enthused by a story with a loud colorful cast (say, a day in the life of a pole-vaulting competition) and by a quiet character study of, say, Valentin.
(I’ll say right here that although I would adore a fic with both Renaud & Valentin, if that doesn’t end up working for you, it’s totally okay if you want to just write about one of them.)
In pole vault, as in all these fandoms, I am equally happy with shipfic and gen. I adore sports gen, and it’s pretty rare, so please don’t feel that I’m just giving you a ‘gen out’ out of obligation. I really do enjoy and get excited about the gen options and prompts I give. :) And meanwhile, I also adore shipfic, and I’m a total multishipper so if you ship you’re pretty sure to find a pairing you like. :)
Some ships I’d enjoy seeing in a story (as either a primary, secondary, or background relationship, or as a bromance):
* Renaud/Valentin (see my intro notes)
* Renaud/Sam and Renaud/Raphael (bromances-to-lovers); Renaud/Thiago (rivals-to-lovers); Renaud/Bubka (all-time greats-to-lovers)
* Valentin/Sam, Valentin/Thiago, Valentin/Raphael
* Sandi/Eliza, Sandi/Ekaterini, Sandi/Yarisley, Ekaterini/Yarisley
General things I will enjoy in this fandom include:
* the rhythms of the pole-vault tour and pole-vault competitions (particularly the Diamond Race tour, the Olympics, and Worlds, but also smaller-stakes competitions, including street vaulting (which seems really cool)). Competitions can go on for hours. What’s happening in the meantime?
* work hard, party hard. (especially Valentin)
* the push-pull between in-competition competitiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* the mutual-support society most vaulters seem to have going on (including getting the crowd to clap for their opponents – Sam and Sandi especially known for this)
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* strength and athleticism in bed as a major turn-on (pole vaulters’ bodies are so amazing!)
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, goofing-off, etc.
* a pair having to figure out what it means that they keep falling into bed together.
* competition bets - not monetary, but forfeits (gen) or sex bets (shippy)
* coming-out fic (privately or publicly)
* first-time fic
* established-relationship fic (what’s it like to be in a relationship with a competitor?)
* five-times fic
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic)
Some specific prompts:
Renaud
gen
What keeps him motivated? What was it like during the couple of years where he was chasing Bubka’s record – and what was it like when he broke it? How did he recover from Rio? How do all his bromances with other pole-vaulters and other French athletes (notably Mayer & Lemaitre) differ from each other (what makes different ones special)? Tell me more about the pole-vault in his back garden, because that cracks me up. What’s it like nearing 30 and having Shawnacy and Thiago emerge to chase him? What’s it like to know that you’re simultaneously one of your brother’s best friends and yet one of his sporting idols? Finally, as stated above I am a total sucker for happily-ever-after fic, so Renaud finally winning an outdoor Worlds this year (or the Tokyo Olympics!) would be fantastic.
shippy
How did it start? One-night stand? Feelings that grew out of a bromance? Banter that went somewhere unexpected? What is he like in bed? Does he ever use the pole-vault pit in his back garden for ~shenanigans? What about strip-vaulting, where you have to lose an article of clothing every time you knock the bar down (and it’s not like they’re wearing a ton of clothes to start with)? Tell me about behind-the-scenes at the nude advert with Kevin. ;) Or how about outside POV, where outside-POV-er gradually realizes that Renaud/X aren’t just a bromance, but something more? (Note: not for Renaud/Valentin pls.) What about that time where he broke the world record and then immediately injured himself trying to break it again (hurt/comfort wooo!) And how about somebody (either established-relationship or first-time) comforting him after Rio?
Valentin
gen
What’s it like being the younger brother of the best pole-vaulter in the world? Is he angsty about it, or philosophical (he did train with Renaud for years, so he can’t have been TOO broken up about it)? Gen emotional hurt/comfort with Renaud after Moscow 2013. :’( What are his friendships in the pole vaulting community like? Now that he’s struck out on his own and no longer trains with Renaud, how is life outside his brother’s shadow? (Or can he ever escape?) Emotional hurt/comfort from Renaud or another pole vaulter after he juuuuust fails to make the Rio team. :’( Happily-ever-after fic in which he has the meet of his life and unexpectedly wins a Worlds or Olympics medal!
shippy
Most of Renaud’s shippy prompts would also work for Valentin. In addition, I love the idea of combining Valentin-shippy with Valentin&Renaud-gen – so for example, a Valentin/Thiago falling-in-love fic that includes Valentin & Renaud friendship and Renaud & Thiago competitiveness.
~//~
Men’s Gymnastics RPF
Characters: Kohei Uchimura, Oleg Verniaiev, Kenzo Shirai, Nikita Nagornyy
Gymnastics! *happy sigh*
This Olympics was very satisfying to me, given that I’m a big fan of the Japanese team and Oleg Verniaiev. So much good gymnastics, and wonderful storylines as well! The joy of the Japanese team when they won gold. The battle between Kohei and Oleg, which came right down to the wire. Fabian winning high bar. Oleg winning parallel bars! The Russian team screaming and crying and being so frickin’ happy to get silver in the team competition. Just – everything. <3
I’ve asked for these four specific characters because I would like my story to include at least one of them. (You have official permission to not include all of the four if you don’t want to – actually, including all four would be tricky, lol.) But I love all the nominated characters, and am more than fine with a story that includes additional ones (or for that matter anyone on the Japanese, Ukrainian, or Russian teams, as well as Danell Leyva, Marian Dragulescu, or, well, pretty much anyone). I would be equally enthused by a story with a loud colorful cast (say, a day in the life of a gymnastics competition) and by a quiet character study of, say, Kenzo.
In gymnastics, as in all these fandoms, I am equally happy with shipfic and gen. I adore sports gen, and it’s pretty rare, so please don’t feel that I’m just giving you a ‘gen out’ out of obligation. I really do enjoy and get excited about the gen options and prompts I give. :) And meanwhile, I also adore shipfic, and I’m a total multishipper so if you ship you’re pretty sure to find a pairing you like. :)
Most of my ships involve either Kohei or Oleg (or both). I’d love to read a story in which any of these ships were involved either as a primary, secondary, or passing-mention:
* Kohei/Oleg, Kohei/any other member of the Japanese team,
* Oleg/any other member of the Ukrainian team, Oleg/Danell, Oleg/David Belyvaskiy, Oleg/Nikita, Oleg/any member of the Japanese team
* Kenzo/Oleg, Kenzo/any other member of the Japanese team
* Nikita/DavidB, Fabian/Epke
(Actually, for secondary ships or passing mentions you can pretty much ship anybody with anybody, lol – I’m definitely open to being persuaded.)
General things I will enjoy in this fandom include:
* the rhythms of gymnastics training and competitions
* the push-pull between in-competition competitiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* the mutual-support society gymnasts seem to have going on (I love the fist-bumps as someone comes off an apparatus and passes the next gymnast, and all the hugs)
* having friends from all across the globe – and the problems that creates when there’s international tensions (like all the online abuse Oleg got when he dared to take a happy friendly selfie with Nikita)
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* strength and athleticism in bed as a major turn-on (gymnasts’ bodies, nggh)
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, showing-off, goofing-off, etc.
* a pair having to figure out what it means that they keep falling into bed together.
* competition bets - not monetary, but forfeits (gen) or sex bets (shippy)
* challenging each other to develop new skills and tricks
* coming-out fic (privately or publicly)
* first-time fic
* established-relationship fic (what’s it like to be in a relationship with a competitor?)
* five-times fic
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic)
Some specific prompts:
Kohei
Tell me about the trials of being a superstar. :P What’s it like to be so adored? What’s it like to be leading his team (again)? How satisfying was it to win Worlds team gold in Glasgow, and then back it up with Olympics team gold in Rio? Did Kohei think he’d lost all-around to Oleg, and how did he feel when he stuck his dismount on high bar (and then won!) How did Oleg standing up for Kohei in press re the scoring make Kohei feel? Does Kohei enjoy making people swoon just by taking his shirt off? Does he feel weary when he thinks about doing gymnastics for another four years so he can compete in Tokyo? Is he happy to hand over the all-around mantle to Kenzo and Ryohei? And ship-wise, well, I will enjoy anything with Kohei in one of my ships. All ratings, all plots, as long as there’s a happy ending. Falling in love, first time, established relationship, sex on a vaulting horse – you name it, I want it.
I’d also enjoy Kohei as the outside-POV for someone else’s story – perhaps a Kenzo/Ryohei or Kenzo/Oleg one? Kohei always seems dryly amused to me, and I think it’d be pretty fun to watch him observing the development of a relationship between his friends.
And like in pole vault, dreams-come-true fic is something I will always enjoy. Team Japan wins Tokyo! And perhaps Kohei wins high bar? Even though he is Ancient? (Or he is an awesome cheerleader while Kenzo and Ryohei win everything, because those gifs of him being a cheerleader for Kenzo in Rio are so adorable.)
Oleg
Oleg’s not even 23 yet, and yet already he’s a two-time Olympic veteran and one of the leaders of his team. I’d love to see the balance between maturity and athletic prowess on the one hand, and silly goofing-off playfulness on the other. (The latter being heavily in view on his Instagram and Snapchat.)
What was it like to come so close to dethroning Kohei? (Both in the good way – so nearly the best in the world! – and in the bad way – if only!) What was the Olympics experience like in general? How awesome was winning the parallel bars gold? How did he celebrate? Did he have help celebrating? ;) Does he enjoy all the new attention and fans, or does it make him a little shy? What does a competition day look like for him? What’s with his obsession with collecting tshirts from all the different countries? (Seriously, he’s always running around in a Team China/Japan/USA/Belgium/Cuba/Germany/etc. tshirt.) And how does he collect the tshirts? ;) [Seriously, I ship Oleg with pretty much everybody, so if he’s collecting them through ~shenanigans, that is highly relevant to my interests.]
If you want to go more angsty, what is it like trying to be a world-competitive gymnast and compete with the likes of Kohei when Ukraine is so abysmally lacking in funding and support? Is Oleg ever tempted to jump ship like Kuksenkov and Stepko? And if you’re going shippy, what’s it like to be a gay athlete in a homophobic country (particularly if you’re shipping him with another athlete from a homophobic country, like David or Nikita)? [Happy – or at least not unhappy – ending please, though.]
Gen, ship, and porn are all more than welcome here; all ratings. All ratings, all plots, as long as there’s a happy ending. Falling in love, first time, established relationship, sex on a vaulting horse – you name it, I want it.
Kenzo
What’s it like being the kid superstar-in-training on a team like the Japanese team? (Kenzo was the only newbie on the team, with everyone else returning from 2012.) He’s surrounded by teammates who have known him since he was knee-high; how does he gain their respect? I love how much of a sweetheart he is, like when he took all those pictures so he could make his teammates each an individualized photo album capturing their Rio experiences together. I also love how confident and natural he is about his athletic ability; athletes being quietly self-assured about their awesomeness is something I will always enjoy.
Although he is always portrayed as the kid on the team, he’s 20 now. This next quad is going to be a big one for him, especially leading in to Tokyo. (I love how he stayed up all night for the bid announcement – bless.) Just how many elements will he be able to get named after himself? Does he feel ready to take over all-around from Kohei? How will he try to embrace his growing superstarness with Kohei’s established fame? If you ship them, how does he get Kohei to see him as more than a kid, but as an adult and a romantic partner? (This would also be a point for Kenzo/Ryohei.) I’d love to see the balance between maturity and athletic prowess on the one hand, and his wide-eyed sweetness and huge grins on the other.
Ship-wise, I will enjoy anything with Kenzo. All ratings, all plots, as long as there’s a happy ending. Falling in love, first time, established relationship, sex on a vaulting horse – you name it, I want it.
Nikita
Another super-enthusiastic young gymnast. <3 Seriously, if you shipped him and Kenzo the fic might literally bounce. :D I love his vlogs. And his Instagram is never-ending fun. (The trick dive into the inner-tube!) Many Russians don’t really smile much (it’s a cultural thing), but Nikita NEVER STOPS.
What’s the story of the Russian team in Rio? I was worried they’d be heartbroken when Japan overtook them at the end of the team competition, but instead they were so, so, so overjoyed to win silver that it was just too adorable. What’s Nikita’s role on the team? Is he a team morale-booster like Kenzo? (David always looks so sad/serious; how does Nikita cheer him up?) Like Oleg, he seems like a big fraternizer across country lines (especially with Oleg, lol). Who does he bromance and what are their adventures like? What does a competition look like from Nikita’s perspective (not just the actual competition, but training, after-hours fraternization, etc.)? Does he have Big Plans for the next quad?
Ship-wise, I will enjoy anything with Nikita. All ratings, all plots, as long as there’s a happy ending. Falling in love, first time, established relationship, sex on a vaulting horse – you name it, I want it. My biggest ships for Nikita are Nikita/Oleg, Nikita/David, and Nikita/Kenzo, but if you have an alternative ship, I’m happy to read it too! (Only exception: while he and RL girlfriend Daria Spiridonova from the Russian women’s team are super-cute, I’m not comfortable reading fic about canon couples. This goes for Igor Radivilov and Angelina Kysla/Radivilova (not sure if she changed her name) too, as well as Stretovich/Paseka.)
Two final notes:
1) I’m very anti-Putin. I’d prefer to have Russian characters share my views (and just be staying quiet about it out of political necessity) or at least be conflicted, or for their views on him not to be mentioned. DNW pro-Putin feelings from any POV or sympathetic characters. (Most especially from Nikita or David.)
2) Please don’t have Nikita teased or made fun of for his acne.
~//~
Diving RPF
Characters: Chen Aisen, Qiu Bo
Diving! I confess that I don’t follow diving on a regular basis between Olympics, but it’s one of my favorite Olympic sports to watch. This year was bittersweet for me because of the 10m platform results. At the London Olympics, Qiu Bo just missed out on the gold medal to David Boudia of the USA, and he was the one left devastated poolside while Boudia and Daley (the bronze medallist) celebrated. So in Rio he was out for redemption – but he’d have to go through Chen Aisen, his younger compatriot and rival. (Bo is 23 and Aisen is 20.) Bo is a triple Worlds gold medallist in the individual 10m, and Aisen had never won a Worlds gold, but past results only mean so much; Aisen is a remarkable diver.
In Rio, Aisen won the 10m synchro gold, and came into 10m individuals on a high. In qualifications, Tom Daley turned in the performance of his life and was 1st, with Bo 2nd and Aisen 3rd. In the semifinal, however, Tom crashed out of the competition, and Aisen stepped it up. He and Bo were 1 and 2 in the semis, but Aisen posted 559 points to Bo’s 504. (The points reset for the final, but it’s an indication as to their form going in.) And in the final, it was a real heartbreaker – Bo turned in two absolutely beautiful, perfect, achingly gorgeous dives, but there are six dives in total, and he bombed two of the others. :( After his first bomb he clawed back into medal contention, but the second one meant he finished off the podium, way down in 6th. Aisen, meanwhile, had a flawless performance and finished with 585 points to the silver medalist’s 532. Going into the final dive he basically only had to avoid a complete belly flop disaster to win gold, he was that far ahead. (The full replays of the diving events aren’t yet available on Youtube, though they may become available during the Yuletide period. For now, here’s Aisen’s six dives in the final, all in under 40 seconds, including his ridiculously perfect final dive.)
So to make a long story short, the characters I’ve requested here are rival compatriots – the established champion out for redemption, and the young challenger trying to seize his moment. Aisen's story is one of perfection and glory; he completed the 10m individual/synchro double and gave China its first gold in individual 10m since 2004 Athens. Bo’s story is one of renewed heartache; those two perfect dives in the final showed (as if we didn’t already know) how frickin’ good he can be, but it wasn’t to be for him – again.
There are a lot of different types of stories I’d enjoy in this fandom. I would love to see Bo be comforted (or ~comforted) after the competition – Aisen would be a fantastic choice, whether you wrote it as a platonic bromance, a romantic relationship, a respectful-rival situation, or something else. (Happy for the comforting to be anything from G to NC-17.) I’d also be open to other comforters; Sanchez, the silver medallist, seemed like a nice guy (and extremely surprised and overwhelmed by his medal), Steele Johnson is absolutely gorgeous and would be excellent for porn-related comfort, and Tom Daley would be a good choice if you wanted to write the comfort as mutual. (Poor Tom.)
I’d also love to see Aisen rewarded for his flawless performance and double gold, whether that be by Bo or by Sanchez, Johnson, Daley, or someone else. (Feel free to use your fave if you like.) I’m good with any level of rating. ;)
If you want to take a step back from the individual 10m competition, there are a lot of Olympics-related stories that I’m interested in seeing in any fandom. These include:
* the rhythms of diving competitions (what’s going on in the ready room, the warmup pool, the locker rooms, the hot tubs?)
* surely the divers know how much audiences enjoy the free peep show? Do they play into that, tease each other about it, know who makes the fans swoon the most, joke about each other’s fancy Speedo designs, etc? (Seriously, the Mexican team had what looked like a lace design on their butts.)
* work hard, party hard (but only in the Village and with each other, pls no Lochtian shenanigans)
* the Olympics!! And all the plots that come with the Olympics. (including fraternization in the Olympic Village, but also things like the nerves that come with competing for your country, the amazing feeling of getting a medal for your country and seeing your flag be raised, making friends standing in line for free McDonald’s, awkward conversations with doping control officers because they came to test you right after you peed and now you’re stuck with them for hours, flirting & making friends across language barriers, watching other sports, trying out other sports & sucking at them, etc. etc. etc.)
* the push-pull between in-competition competitiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* divers supporting each other
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* strength and athleticism in bed as a major turn-on
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, goofing-off, etc.
* a pair having to figure out what it means that they keep falling into bed together.
* competition bets - not monetary, but forfeits (gen) or sex bets (shippy)
* coming-out fic (privately or publicly)
* first-time fic
* established-relationship fic (what’s it like to be in a relationship with a competitor?)
* five-times fic
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic) [Bo winning gold in Tokyo would definitely make me get hearts in my eyes]
~//~
Swimming RPF
Characters: Chad le Clos, Katie Ledecky, Nathan Adrian, Simone Manuel
Swimming! I’ve requested three adorable powerhouse badasses, and a cute trolly clown. (I say this with all love.) If including all four doesn't work for your story, that's okay! I'd prefer at least two of them to be in the story, but even that isn't 100% necessary, if one of my prompts takes you a different direction. Think of this fandom like "or" matching. :)
In swimming, as in all these fandoms, I am equally happy with shipfic and gen. I adore sports gen, and it’s pretty rare, so please don’t feel that I’m just giving you a ‘gen out’ out of obligation. I really do enjoy and get excited about the gen options and prompts I give. :) And meanwhile, I also adore shipfic. :)
I ship all combinations of these swimmers, haha. So if you feel like writing shipfic, go to town! For Chad I also ship him with Michael Phelps, but for everybody else I’d prefer only ships from this subset. (And please, please, please – no Ryan Lochte.)
Things I will enjoy in this fandom include:
* the rhythms of swimming competitions (what’s going on in the ready room, the warmup pool, the locker rooms?)
* work hard, party hard (but only in the Village and with each other, pls no Lochtian shenanigans)
* the Olympics!! And all the plots that come with the Olympics. (including fraternization in the Olympic Village, but also things like the nerves that come with competing for your country, the amazing feeling of getting a medal for your country and seeing your flag be raised, making friends standing in line for free McDonald’s, awkward conversations with doping control officers because they came to test you right after you peed and now you’re stuck with them for hours, flirting & making friends across language barriers, watching other sports, trying out other sports & sucking at them, etc. etc. etc.)
* the push-pull between in-competition competitiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* swimmers supporting each other
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* strength and athleticism in bed as a major turn-on (swimmers’ shoulders, omg)
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, goofing-off, etc.
* a pair having to figure out what it means that they keep falling into bed together.
* competition bets - not monetary, but forfeits (gen) or sex bets (shippy)
* coming-out fic (privately or publicly)
* first-time fic
* established-relationship fic (what’s it like to be in a relationship with a competitor?)
* five-times fic
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic)
Ship-wise, if you’re interested in writing Nathan + either Katie or Simone, I think it’d be fun if it was Katie/Simone who put the moves on him. (He said something in an interview about having a secret wish to be swept off his feet for a change!) Since he’s a few years older than them, I’d love to see the “gain respect in the pool” dynamic. Maybe Katie/Simone says “if I win gold, I’m claiming a kiss” (or something like that, I am not suave)? And then events eventuate. ;)
Katie/Simone is an awesome ship that I really would love to see. Stanford girls kicking mega ass! They were Rio roommates too. So there is Much Space for fic.
Meanwhile Chad is an insufferable hilarious dude. I love him/Michael, with all that happened in the pool and out, and would definitely be interested in Olympics-fic about that. I also think Chad/Nathan would be an interesting pairing (and really hot).
~//~
Track RPF
Characters: Andre De Grasse, Usain Bolt, Wayde van Niekerk
So I confess that my ships in this fandom are Andre/Usain, Wayde/Usain, and Andre/Usain/Wayde. But I also know that you might be a gen writer, so if you’re not comfortable writing one of those ships (or don’t ship them), don’t worry. In track, as in all these fandoms, I am equally happy with shipfic and gen. I adore sports gen, and it’s pretty rare, so please don’t feel that I’m just giving you a ‘gen out’ out of obligation. I really do enjoy and get excited about the gen options and prompts I give. :)
[Note: You don't have to include all three of the guys, if they don't all fit the story you want to tell. Write what makes you happy! :)]
If you’re not a shipper, some of the gen things I really enjoy in sports fandoms are:
* the rhythms of training and competitions
* the Olympics!! And all the plots that come with the Olympics. (including fraternization in the Olympic Village, but also things like the nerves that come with competing for your country, the amazing feeling of getting a medal for your country and seeing your flag be raised, making friends standing in line for free McDonald’s, awkward conversations with doping control officers because they came to test you right after you peed and now you’re stuck with them for hours, flirting & making friends across language barriers, watching other sports, trying out other sports & sucking at them, etc. etc. etc.)
* the push-pull between in-competition competiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* the mutual-support society many athletes seem to have going on (fist-bumps, congratulations, hugs, etc.)
* having friends from all across the globe
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, showing-off, goofing-off, etc.
* forfeit bets made on competitions (either one’s own or those of others) or in training
* challenging each other to develop new skills and tricks
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic)
And if you do ship some combination of the guys (or are intrigued and thinking about it), here is why I like them:
Usain is such a legend, and I loved the dynamic between Andre and Wayde’s wide-eyed respect and hero-worship of him, and his own affectionate respect in return. It was big-brotherly and fond without being patronizing; he sincerely seemed happy for Andre (while continuing to beat his ass to the finish line, of course), and he was thrilled for Wayde’s WR (loved the way he interrupted Wayde’s interview to congratulate him, leaving Wayde all starry-eyed and speechless after his departure).
So yes, I’d love a fic that looked at how that mutual respect turned into something more. ;) After all, aren’t Olympic Villages known for their fraternization? ;) Anything that gets either or both of the younger guys in bed with Usain (or against a wall/in a shower/etc.) is excellent.
(One specific prompt: if you go with “both”, I think it’d be really hot to have Andre and Wayde be competitive about it, because they obviously have competitive personalities. And Usain can sit back and reap the benefits, lol.)
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Whew, that’s all the fandoms! Sorry that my letter’s such a behemoth – I have lots of feelings, haha. Hopefully something in here has given you an idea! Remember, you’re awesome. :) Thanks again!!
