Jukebox 2021 Letter

[echoslam]

Dear Creator,

Thanks for checking out this letter! I'm echoslam on AO3, and it's great to be doing Jukebox this year. I adore music-inspired works, and I will be excited to see whatever you make for any of these songs that I love.

I enjoy all kinds of fanwork moods, from fun and lighthearted to grim and angsty. Please go with whatever works best for you. I'm also open to any sort of unusual format or POV.

Requesting fanart and fanfic for everything!

General themes I always love to see in fiction:

-Action and adventure
-Characters who are passionate about someone or something
-Competition and rivalries
-Cooking, food, and hospitality
-Death and the macabre
-Horror of all kinds
-Humor and silly stuff
-Journeys, both physical and spiritual
-Love stories...fluffy ones, messy ones, tragic romances, I just love the intense emotions
-Mystery investigations
-Sports
-The joys and perils of new technology
-Video games/virtual realities + the people who play or make them

Art-specific:

(I'm open to all styles and any kind of art, really, but these are just some ideas I thought might be fun).

-Advertising or logos
-Art for a fictional trading card game in the song's universe
-Fun with hair and fashion
-Infographic
-Landscapes
-Menu with pictures
-Original character portraits
-Symbology
-Technical illustration

General Do Not Wants:

-Bestiality (relationships involving shapeshifters are fine)
-Body waste kinks
-Fisting
-Futanari
-Inflation kink
-Use of the word “cunt” or "twat" during sex scenes

My prompts below are pretty basic, but please consider them to be completely open-ended! If you have ideas of your own, it's totally fine to change them up or to not use them at all.

Song: 一路向北 | All the Way North - Jay Chou
YouTube Link | Lyrics

Jay Chou's Initial D theme is of course perfect for driving and roadtrip themes. I also think of it as a thoughtful love ballad about regret and leaving the past in the rearview mirror.

Prompts:

-Emotionally-driven car stuff
-Taking the love ballad thing at face value, reflections on how the singer's relationship came apart,
-What lies in the north and what else does the narrator encounter on their way there?

Song: Blue Monday - New Order
YouTube Link | Lyrics

I read somewhere that New Order's co-founder Peter Hook once said "Blue Monday's not a song, it's a feeling," and I definitively agree with that sentiment! To me, this song is all about the "Cool 80s" vibe, and I would love anything that speaks to that.

Prompts:

-80s action hero or crime solver concept
-Innovation, technology, or transhumanism
-I think the lyrics lend themselves well to stories or images relating to power struggles


Song: Call Me - Blondie
YouTube Link | Lyrics

One of Blondie's many great bangers, I love the potential for narratives about passion or communication.

Prompts:

-Stuff about...phones??? Or any kind of communication methods or devices
-Something about a call-in radio show
-Anything about character(s) with on-call occupations

Music Video: 까탈레나 | Catellena - Orange Caramel
YouTube Link | Lyrics

Such an iconic song! This MV is so fun, and I love everything about it.

(DNW noncon for this request).

Prompts:

-Food and consumption themes
-Additional details about the lives of the mermaids and sushi people, everything's so colorful! show me more!
-What is the meaning behind their tears at the end of the video (at around 03:00)
-Showdown between the mermaids/sushi girls and the octopus (or maybe they become friends?)

Song: Lisztomania - Phoenix
YouTube Link | Lyrics

I love the energy in this song and would be so curious to see how you interpret that. A historical piece, musicology, fame/success stories, relationship drama...anything goes. Please have fun with this!

Prompts:

-Romance involving a difference in class or social status
-Hardcore classical music fans
-Banter or correspondence between musician colleagues or rivals

Song: Little Lies - Fleetwood Mac
YouTube Link | Lyrics

Lies vs. Truth is a favorite theme of mine, especially when it comes to relationships. I love the song's dreamy, romantic melancholy, which imo is the perfect tone for messy emotions.

Prompts:

-Taking or administering a lie detector test, whether based on a real life version (polygraph, truth serum, etc) or one that's more fantastical
-Intense relationship where a character knows they're being lied to but doesn't care
-"False advertising"


Song: My Delirium - Ladyhawke
YouTube Link | Lyrics

This song has such a great beat, and I would love something that touches on how (not) grounded the singer is in their reality.

Prompts:

-Character with a rich fantasy life
-Obsessive whirlwind romantic relationship
-Anything about messing with someone's head

Song: Rosa Pastel - Belanova
YouTube Link | Lyrics

This breakup song is so catchy, and I'd love to see more of the narrator and her attitude.

Prompts:

-Anything more about the singer's relationship with different colors or shades of pink
-"Hasta nunca" as a theme
-More about "the button that leads to happiness"

Music Video: Warriors - Imagine Dragons
YouTube Link | Lyrics

The Ultimate eSports promo, imo. League of Legends references are welcome but definitely not necessary. I'd welcome something more character focused that went into more detail about the players featured here and what they're all about.

Prompts:

-Rivalry between [Player in the Baseball Cap] and [Player in the Red Hoodie]
-Other instances of Red Hoodie's nerdrage (I feel like you can tell from their teammate's expression that it's probably a regular thing)
-Worldbuilding! How much of the players' world is real and how much is just power fantasy? Are they really just playing for a gaming championship or is there actually more at stake?
-Trash talk, trolling, or any kind of gamer nonsense

Thank you so much for your time!