Dear Chocolatier,
Jan. 6th, 2019 09:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
island_of_reilHappy new year! Thanks for offering to write for me, and for reading this letter. As I prefer to err on the side of too much than not enough detail, I will provide as much as I can. Let me start with the fandoms I’m requesting, and then I’ll move on to general preferences.
(Note: All these prompts contain canon spoilers, and the SnK/AoT section contains spoilers for recent chapters.)
Ships:
Gartnett Corbie/Hutch. I think they'd be a great match post-canon. She's a former sex worker, he's an amiable and low-key magician who knows what it's like to be judged by others, and neither of them is Corambin. I imagine he might step in with mentoring her when Felix leaves for Grimglass, and things would eventually develop, maybe with a friendship first. If you wanted, you could write it well into the future, with them sending their magically talented teenager to a fairly mellowed Felix for an apprenticeship.
Gideon Thraxios & White-Eyed Lady. She’s there to meet him and take him away when it’s time; and despite his grief, anger, and regrets, he welcomes her with awe and gratitude. If you can pull off first-person Gideon POV that’d be amazing, but please don’t feel pressured to. Bonus: Anything about the water garden under the Mirador that was dedicated to the WEL.
Gideon Thraxios/Louis Goliath. A beautiful teenage boy, too magically powerful for his own good, being groomed sexually and in matters of espionage by the monstrous spymaster of the Bastion. Smut would be lovely for this, full of extremely dubious consent, body betrayal, shame, and a yearning for approval (perhaps met with praise kink?). You can also fade to black if you like.
Kay Brightmore/Felix Harrowgate. They’re both violet, they’re living in a big-ass castle with lots of privacy, Kay’s the Warden, and Felix is its Virtuer who just saved Caloxa and Corambis from disaster. So long as they’re discreet, no one’s going to care if they bone. So they bone. Of course it’s much more tender than “boning” would imply, because they’ve admitted their darkest secrets to one another, and because Kay is blind and Felix saved him from sacrificing himself, Felix feels protective of him …
… or is it more tender, and does Felix feel protective? Felix has also realized he’s a martyr/shadow, and while Kay isn’t canonically into BDSM and I don’t think he’d want to inflict pain on anyone, he’s a warrior and leader who commands fealty even when he doesn’t want it. I think he’d put forth a sexual energy similar to Murtagh’s, the kind Felix could obey with full trust. Maybe their sexual relationship would be D/s without painplay or anything but the lighest of bondage, with Kay using “thou” pronouns to Felix but Felix still addressing him as “you.” Once Kay has a room and Felix’s body mapped out in his mind I don’t see his blindness getting in the way of the D/s. (And if Kay were sitting and Felix kneeling, would Felix still be taller than Kay?)
More soppily, do they sometimes get it on in the lighthouse in summer, Felix overcoming his fear of running water because he wants to please Kay — and because he wants to sit next to him afterward at the water’s edge and describe the current and the breeze and the seashells and everything else? (Do whelks remind them of labyrinths? Is this good or bad?)
Methony Feucoronne/Diokletian of the House Aiantis. Methony was uncontrollable, obstinate, “wanton,” janus, magically weak, and desperate to be seen as an equal by the celebrants she seduced. Diokletian tells Felix, “You are quite extraordinarily like her—even more so now.” And when Felix sees her sardonic expression in her portrait, he knows it’s true. Based on that, I’d love pre-canon fic from either her or Diokletian’s point of view, centered on their doomed relationship and her pregnancy.
If the story is from her POV, does she know Felix’s paternity or not? Is he Diokletian’s son? Does she know this but conceal the truth because she doesn’t want any celebrant, and especially not the jealous and pining Diokletian, to have any claim on her? Why does she run away, when she has so much more privilege in Troia than she will in Mélusine — is it because she wants to start over fresh and is too sheltered to have considered money first?
If you continue the story into Mélusine (at which point I guess it’d shade into character study), did Methony know who Mildmay’s father was? Does she join that religious cult out of shame at having been a sex worker and pickpocket — then feel even more shame at having to sell Mildmay to Kolkhis of Britomart, whom she justifiably distrusts on sight? Even though Felix was sold to his Keeper before Mildmay was born, he still spent some time with Methony, as she died in that brothel fire he escaped, so it’s possible the half-brothers met as very small children and never retained the memory. When she sells Mildmay to Kolkhis, does Methony hope her sons will in fact meet again someday?
Diokletian says Methony liked to sing, too. If you have her singing — love songs to her lovers, lullabies to Felix and/or Mildmay, bawdy ballads to her fellow sex workers, magical songs with whatever little magic she had — that’d be lovely, and lyrics would be a bonus.
Vincent Demabrien/Ivo Polydorius. In public, Vincent was Polydorius's catamite. In private, he was his tarquin. Mirador gives the distinct impression that Vincent loathed all aspects of the job, staying in it only because he was too old to find himself a better patron. Did he take his frustrations out on Ivo's body? Did he remain emotionally detached while tarquining him? If you don't want to write smut, maybe Vincent's thoughts about the whole thing, either before or after Polydorius is convicted and condemned.
Ships:
Azusa/Moriya/Date. They work so well together — the brave but insecure haafu, the rational and deadpan noble son, and the loyal anger management case. Maybe a tender scene at Azusa's bed … or in Azusa's bed … in the otherwise empty hospital room? But, really, I'll take anything shippy for these three.
Berkut/Klaus von Wolfstadt. An excellent enemy ship made up of two hot, dangerous, highly skilled failboats. Hatesex or noncon would be terrific, especially during the train sequence.
Ships:
Armin Arlert/Onyankopon. They don't get a huge amount of panel time together, but I like the idea of this ship for them both being very bright, mostly serious, and devoted (Armin to humanity, Onyankopon to God). I also got the impression when Onyankopon first mentioned his religious beliefs that Armin was, without question, skeptical. But I can see them bonding as comrades and then as lovers. Pretty much anything is good here, at any level of explicitness, including angst.
Mikasa Ackerman/Louise. This one interests me because Louise idolizes Mikasa from years ago in Trost, but as a Jaegerist she's now one of Mikasa's enemies…or is she? And we saw in the lockup scene that Mikasa was obviously not too comfortable being for once on the receiving end of that kind of blind devotion. What went through Mikasa's head when she locked Louise into that cell and walked away? What's going through her mind now, that she's locked up with the remains of her comrades? Is Louise going to defect from Eren to the remaining Survey Corps veterans because of Mikasa?
Sasha Blouse/Nicolo. One of the very few genuine romantic relationships in SnK, and of course we didn't know it until it was posthumous. I'm not really seeking smut for this one; more a very sweet and gentle relationship based around food. Nicolo cooking for Sasha; Sasha hunting for Nicolo, perhaps? Either POV is fine, as is Nicolo angst after Sasha dies and especially after the events of the last few chapters.
Ship: Ralston/Farnesse/Lio. I would loooooove post-canon smut for these three. Ideas: Ralston and Farnesse double-penetrating Lio gently and carefully. Lio finally getting to top one or both of the others. Cracky smut where they're trying to get their freak on and the two dogs keep wandering into the scene, whining for attention and sticking cold noses into sensitive places. I imagine that any other fans of this book would want to write smut for it, but if you'd like a non-explicit option, how about Farnesse and Ralston doing custom carpentry together, with Lio keeping the books, suggesting novel designs, or helping out in some other way?
Ships:
Thara Celehar/Teru Tethimar. AFAIK I’m the only person who’s written this pairing, based on Teru calling Thara by his given name during their audience with Maia after Winternight. I want to see how someone else might write them. How do you envision the nightingale-voiced Archprelate with the frog-voiced erstwhile Prelate and future Witness vel ama? So long as they’re both sympathetic characters and they don’t break up, anything is fine, from fluff to smut to long theological or political discussions to talking about how they’re the black sheep of their respective houses (or Teru was, as he’s the last of the Tethimada) to angst (e.g., they’ve grown old together and one of them dies, promising to wait for the other in Ulis’s realm).
Thara Celehar/Aina Shulivar. Pious, loyal, and emotionally vulnerable iron-woobie cleric with supernatural powers who’s been shamed for his sexuality meets brilliant, murderous revolutionary with a Rasputin-like charm. Okay, sure, they met only once in canon and Thara saw right through Shulivar, whose zeal blinded him to everything. But suppose Shulivar became a Curneise leader because he can pick up on little things … such as something being off about this new zhornu who just sits quietly and listens. Maybe Thara finds him hot if disturbing, which he obviously isn’t going to write Maia about.
Maybe Shulivar picks up on that… or maybe he finds Thara attractive without caring if it’s reciprocal. Does he proposition Thara, who has been so lonely and horny since Evru was executed? Or, perhaps, under the guise of confiding even greater secrets in him, does he lead Thara to one of the Stone Tree’s smallest inner rooms, one that was set aside for trysts, and proceed to noncon/dubcon him? Does he threaten Thara with further public shame, physical danger, or danger to those he serves in order to keep him quiet? If it’s either consensual or dubcon, does Thara stay in Amalo and keep coming back to Shulivar for more of that sweet, sweet extremist dick — perhaps while they’re both on duty, in hidden corners of the airship hangar? I’d also be okay with something set in the Nevennamire before Shulivar’s execution.
Maia Drazhar/Ainu Shulivar. The idea of this ship intrigues me. Obviously, Shulivar isn't going to seduce Maia in the Nevennamire with the nohecharei right there, but perhaps a canon divergence with a second kidnapping? Or perhaps just UST in that dungeon cell, with Shulivar working his charms on Maia? I don't see Maia being even slightly tempted to let him go, never mind have sex with him. But perhaps Shulivar manages to get him shamefully aroused, and he continues to have fantasies about Shulivar for a while (which might make the executions even more horrific for him).
Aina Shulivar & Eshevis Tethimar. Tethimar paid Shulivar and his co-conspirators to plant that explosive device on the Wisdom of Choharo. What was the initial interaction between these two monsters like? And when Tethimar learned that Shulivar had double-crossed him, did he try to seek him out again somehow? If so, how did that go?
Teru Tethimar & Eshevis Tethimar. It's fairly clear that there is a split between the Archprelate and his house, although we don't see anything under the surface from Maia's POV. How long were they estranged? Did it start when the cousins were younger? Note that Eshevis is 30 in canon, and I think Teru is in his mid-to-late 30s, so there probably wasn't childhood bullying on Eshevis's part but there might have been other reasons for bad blood. Was that "hunting accident" that killed Eshevis's brother no accident, and does Teru know?
Ships:
Hiraga Josef Kou/Roberto Nicholas. I love these two and their dynamic so much. My preferences for RobeHira would be smutty fluff, hurt/comfort, loyalty kink, casefic, and/or dangerous adventures in faraway places. Infodumps on esoteric subjects in bed are entirely welcome!
Josef Lycolas Bartridge/Roberto Nicholas. The platonic ideal of sweet, tender, and doomed first love. I'd be up for pining, smarm (Roberto's head in Josef's lap as Josef reads to him?), a first (and only?) kiss, or even explicit (and very angsty and excruciatingly tender) sex. Perhaps Josef initiates that sex because he wants to experience it before he dies, and God told him that it would be okay because he and Roberto love one another. Explicit fantasies/wet dreams on either of their parts about the other would also be good.
Julia Michael Borge/Hiraga Josef Kou. Dubcon or noncon for this one, set at any time from the second arc through post-canon. Bonus points if you can work Julia's self-flagellation in there somehow. Maybe he somehow persuades Hiraga to flog him? (If you've ever seen the manga panels, Hiraga's pretty muscular under that cassock, if not as much so as Roberto…)
Lauren di Luca/Roberto Nicholas. Certain fanworks have sold me on the notion of Roberto appearing in Lauren's jackoff fantasies, much to Lauren's chagrin. In Lauren's head, Roberto, being tall, broad-shouldered, and supercilious, is a lot more dominant and willing to use his strength than he is IRL. Anything that involves imaginary!Roberto holding Lauren down and having his way with him or disciplining him would be great.
Mario Lotte/Carlos Diego/Sebastian Franklin. Maybe something in the aftermath of the San Rosario fallout, or some fearful hurt/comfort set during that arc. I lean away from the explicit with this OT3 because Sebastian looks like he's about 10 years old, but since he's the same age as Mario and Carlos I could handwave his looks.
Father McGee/Julia Michael Borge. IDK. They're both hot, McGee is a stone badass, and Julia is completely amoral and fucked up. They don't meet in canon, but who cares, it's VME, go wild.
Ships:
Maia Drazhar (TGE) & Thamuris (DoL). Either meditation or a dream carries Maia into the Kloïdanikos on a night when Felix isn’t there. What is this beautiful place? “Thamuris” sounds like an elvish name, but why does this man have such small, round ears, why is his hair bright red, and why is he so sickly-looking? (Or does Maia recognize the consumption because Chenelo died of it, too?) And why, in the names of all the gods, is the night sky backward? Does Cstheio Caireizhasan know about this?
For Thamuris’s part, he is intrigued to be hosting a stranger from a very different world. Maia, who senses himself to be far out of his depth, is unimperially apologetic for having intruded upon this strange and lovely garden and for knowing nothing about oneiromancy. Thamuris assures him (not verbatim), “You are far more polite and pleasant than my usual conversational companion.” And there is some confusion over pronouns. But eventually there is fruitful discussion based in mutual curiosity. Or, given that the minimum is 300 words, you can cut to the chase and have them already familiar with each other from previous visits and comfortably chatting away.
Thara Celehar (TGE) & Ismae Rienne (His Fair Assassin - Robin LaFevers). I can’t possibly figure out how you can set Thara in late 15th-century Brittany, but if you can, great. If not, how about “Ismaö Rienin” as lowborn, badly scarred, gifted with Witnessing powers in which she’s untrained, and running from an abusive and hateful father who wants to force her into marriage to take her off his hands? Instead of the Convent of Saint Mortain, she winds up under Thara’s wing somehow. Despite his bent for solitude and his frequent curtness, Thara did learn how to mentor while training as a cleric, and he has a great deal of empathy for anyone who rebels against their family’s plans. If “Ismaö” is a marno elf (I ship Ismae/Sybella/Annith as well as Ismae/Sybella without Annith), that’s another thing she and Thara would have in common. If you want to explore worldbuilding around Witnesses for the Dead, including sexism or classism in their ranks, go for it, but of course a short vignette would be fine too.
Ship: Catholic Priest/Male Demon. Noncon or, even better, dubcon, focused on body betrayal and shame. Is the demon conjured up during a forbidden ritual that the priest is performing For Reasons? Do they meet during an attempted exorcism? Does the demon take the form of a real man — or youth — the priest has been lusting after? Any sort of religious/demonological lore you can work in, no matter how esoteric, would be lovely.
Thank you for reading. I look forward to your fic! :)
My AO3 handle is Island_of_Reil.
(Note: All these prompts contain canon spoilers, and the SnK/AoT section contains spoilers for recent chapters.)
Doctrine of Labyrinths | Maiden Rose | Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan | The Collared Knight | The Goblin Emperor | Vatican Miracle Examiner | Crossover Ships | Original Work | General Preferences
Fandoms
Doctrine of Labyrinths
Fanworks: Either fanfic or fanart.Ships:
Gartnett Corbie/Hutch. I think they'd be a great match post-canon. She's a former sex worker, he's an amiable and low-key magician who knows what it's like to be judged by others, and neither of them is Corambin. I imagine he might step in with mentoring her when Felix leaves for Grimglass, and things would eventually develop, maybe with a friendship first. If you wanted, you could write it well into the future, with them sending their magically talented teenager to a fairly mellowed Felix for an apprenticeship.
Gideon Thraxios & White-Eyed Lady. She’s there to meet him and take him away when it’s time; and despite his grief, anger, and regrets, he welcomes her with awe and gratitude. If you can pull off first-person Gideon POV that’d be amazing, but please don’t feel pressured to. Bonus: Anything about the water garden under the Mirador that was dedicated to the WEL.
Gideon Thraxios/Louis Goliath. A beautiful teenage boy, too magically powerful for his own good, being groomed sexually and in matters of espionage by the monstrous spymaster of the Bastion. Smut would be lovely for this, full of extremely dubious consent, body betrayal, shame, and a yearning for approval (perhaps met with praise kink?). You can also fade to black if you like.
Kay Brightmore/Felix Harrowgate. They’re both violet, they’re living in a big-ass castle with lots of privacy, Kay’s the Warden, and Felix is its Virtuer who just saved Caloxa and Corambis from disaster. So long as they’re discreet, no one’s going to care if they bone. So they bone. Of course it’s much more tender than “boning” would imply, because they’ve admitted their darkest secrets to one another, and because Kay is blind and Felix saved him from sacrificing himself, Felix feels protective of him …
… or is it more tender, and does Felix feel protective? Felix has also realized he’s a martyr/shadow, and while Kay isn’t canonically into BDSM and I don’t think he’d want to inflict pain on anyone, he’s a warrior and leader who commands fealty even when he doesn’t want it. I think he’d put forth a sexual energy similar to Murtagh’s, the kind Felix could obey with full trust. Maybe their sexual relationship would be D/s without painplay or anything but the lighest of bondage, with Kay using “thou” pronouns to Felix but Felix still addressing him as “you.” Once Kay has a room and Felix’s body mapped out in his mind I don’t see his blindness getting in the way of the D/s. (And if Kay were sitting and Felix kneeling, would Felix still be taller than Kay?)
More soppily, do they sometimes get it on in the lighthouse in summer, Felix overcoming his fear of running water because he wants to please Kay — and because he wants to sit next to him afterward at the water’s edge and describe the current and the breeze and the seashells and everything else? (Do whelks remind them of labyrinths? Is this good or bad?)
Methony Feucoronne/Diokletian of the House Aiantis. Methony was uncontrollable, obstinate, “wanton,” janus, magically weak, and desperate to be seen as an equal by the celebrants she seduced. Diokletian tells Felix, “You are quite extraordinarily like her—even more so now.” And when Felix sees her sardonic expression in her portrait, he knows it’s true. Based on that, I’d love pre-canon fic from either her or Diokletian’s point of view, centered on their doomed relationship and her pregnancy.
If the story is from her POV, does she know Felix’s paternity or not? Is he Diokletian’s son? Does she know this but conceal the truth because she doesn’t want any celebrant, and especially not the jealous and pining Diokletian, to have any claim on her? Why does she run away, when she has so much more privilege in Troia than she will in Mélusine — is it because she wants to start over fresh and is too sheltered to have considered money first?
If you continue the story into Mélusine (at which point I guess it’d shade into character study), did Methony know who Mildmay’s father was? Does she join that religious cult out of shame at having been a sex worker and pickpocket — then feel even more shame at having to sell Mildmay to Kolkhis of Britomart, whom she justifiably distrusts on sight? Even though Felix was sold to his Keeper before Mildmay was born, he still spent some time with Methony, as she died in that brothel fire he escaped, so it’s possible the half-brothers met as very small children and never retained the memory. When she sells Mildmay to Kolkhis, does Methony hope her sons will in fact meet again someday?
Diokletian says Methony liked to sing, too. If you have her singing — love songs to her lovers, lullabies to Felix and/or Mildmay, bawdy ballads to her fellow sex workers, magical songs with whatever little magic she had — that’d be lovely, and lyrics would be a bonus.
Vincent Demabrien/Ivo Polydorius. In public, Vincent was Polydorius's catamite. In private, he was his tarquin. Mirador gives the distinct impression that Vincent loathed all aspects of the job, staying in it only because he was too old to find himself a better patron. Did he take his frustrations out on Ivo's body? Did he remain emotionally detached while tarquining him? If you don't want to write smut, maybe Vincent's thoughts about the whole thing, either before or after Polydorius is convicted and condemned.
Maiden Rose
Fanworks: Fanfic only.Ships:
Azusa/Moriya/Date. They work so well together — the brave but insecure haafu, the rational and deadpan noble son, and the loyal anger management case. Maybe a tender scene at Azusa's bed … or in Azusa's bed … in the otherwise empty hospital room? But, really, I'll take anything shippy for these three.
Berkut/Klaus von Wolfstadt. An excellent enemy ship made up of two hot, dangerous, highly skilled failboats. Hatesex or noncon would be terrific, especially during the train sequence.
Shingeki no Kyojin / Attack on Titan
Fanworks: Fanfic only.Ships:
Armin Arlert/Onyankopon. They don't get a huge amount of panel time together, but I like the idea of this ship for them both being very bright, mostly serious, and devoted (Armin to humanity, Onyankopon to God). I also got the impression when Onyankopon first mentioned his religious beliefs that Armin was, without question, skeptical. But I can see them bonding as comrades and then as lovers. Pretty much anything is good here, at any level of explicitness, including angst.
Mikasa Ackerman/Louise. This one interests me because Louise idolizes Mikasa from years ago in Trost, but as a Jaegerist she's now one of Mikasa's enemies…or is she? And we saw in the lockup scene that Mikasa was obviously not too comfortable being for once on the receiving end of that kind of blind devotion. What went through Mikasa's head when she locked Louise into that cell and walked away? What's going through her mind now, that she's locked up with the remains of her comrades? Is Louise going to defect from Eren to the remaining Survey Corps veterans because of Mikasa?
Sasha Blouse/Nicolo. One of the very few genuine romantic relationships in SnK, and of course we didn't know it until it was posthumous. I'm not really seeking smut for this one; more a very sweet and gentle relationship based around food. Nicolo cooking for Sasha; Sasha hunting for Nicolo, perhaps? Either POV is fine, as is Nicolo angst after Sasha dies and especially after the events of the last few chapters.
The Collared Knight (Tara McGolden)
Fanworks: Fanfic only.Ship: Ralston/Farnesse/Lio. I would loooooove post-canon smut for these three. Ideas: Ralston and Farnesse double-penetrating Lio gently and carefully. Lio finally getting to top one or both of the others. Cracky smut where they're trying to get their freak on and the two dogs keep wandering into the scene, whining for attention and sticking cold noses into sensitive places. I imagine that any other fans of this book would want to write smut for it, but if you'd like a non-explicit option, how about Farnesse and Ralston doing custom carpentry together, with Lio keeping the books, suggesting novel designs, or helping out in some other way?
The Goblin Emperor
Fanworks: Fanfic only.Ships:
Thara Celehar/Teru Tethimar. AFAIK I’m the only person who’s written this pairing, based on Teru calling Thara by his given name during their audience with Maia after Winternight. I want to see how someone else might write them. How do you envision the nightingale-voiced Archprelate with the frog-voiced erstwhile Prelate and future Witness vel ama? So long as they’re both sympathetic characters and they don’t break up, anything is fine, from fluff to smut to long theological or political discussions to talking about how they’re the black sheep of their respective houses (or Teru was, as he’s the last of the Tethimada) to angst (e.g., they’ve grown old together and one of them dies, promising to wait for the other in Ulis’s realm).
Thara Celehar/Aina Shulivar. Pious, loyal, and emotionally vulnerable iron-woobie cleric with supernatural powers who’s been shamed for his sexuality meets brilliant, murderous revolutionary with a Rasputin-like charm. Okay, sure, they met only once in canon and Thara saw right through Shulivar, whose zeal blinded him to everything. But suppose Shulivar became a Curneise leader because he can pick up on little things … such as something being off about this new zhornu who just sits quietly and listens. Maybe Thara finds him hot if disturbing, which he obviously isn’t going to write Maia about.
Maybe Shulivar picks up on that… or maybe he finds Thara attractive without caring if it’s reciprocal. Does he proposition Thara, who has been so lonely and horny since Evru was executed? Or, perhaps, under the guise of confiding even greater secrets in him, does he lead Thara to one of the Stone Tree’s smallest inner rooms, one that was set aside for trysts, and proceed to noncon/dubcon him? Does he threaten Thara with further public shame, physical danger, or danger to those he serves in order to keep him quiet? If it’s either consensual or dubcon, does Thara stay in Amalo and keep coming back to Shulivar for more of that sweet, sweet extremist dick — perhaps while they’re both on duty, in hidden corners of the airship hangar? I’d also be okay with something set in the Nevennamire before Shulivar’s execution.
Maia Drazhar/Ainu Shulivar. The idea of this ship intrigues me. Obviously, Shulivar isn't going to seduce Maia in the Nevennamire with the nohecharei right there, but perhaps a canon divergence with a second kidnapping? Or perhaps just UST in that dungeon cell, with Shulivar working his charms on Maia? I don't see Maia being even slightly tempted to let him go, never mind have sex with him. But perhaps Shulivar manages to get him shamefully aroused, and he continues to have fantasies about Shulivar for a while (which might make the executions even more horrific for him).
Aina Shulivar & Eshevis Tethimar. Tethimar paid Shulivar and his co-conspirators to plant that explosive device on the Wisdom of Choharo. What was the initial interaction between these two monsters like? And when Tethimar learned that Shulivar had double-crossed him, did he try to seek him out again somehow? If so, how did that go?
Teru Tethimar & Eshevis Tethimar. It's fairly clear that there is a split between the Archprelate and his house, although we don't see anything under the surface from Maia's POV. How long were they estranged? Did it start when the cousins were younger? Note that Eshevis is 30 in canon, and I think Teru is in his mid-to-late 30s, so there probably wasn't childhood bullying on Eshevis's part but there might have been other reasons for bad blood. Was that "hunting accident" that killed Eshevis's brother no accident, and does Teru know?
Vatican Miracle Examiner
Fanworks: Fanfic only.Ships:
Hiraga Josef Kou/Roberto Nicholas. I love these two and their dynamic so much. My preferences for RobeHira would be smutty fluff, hurt/comfort, loyalty kink, casefic, and/or dangerous adventures in faraway places. Infodumps on esoteric subjects in bed are entirely welcome!
Josef Lycolas Bartridge/Roberto Nicholas. The platonic ideal of sweet, tender, and doomed first love. I'd be up for pining, smarm (Roberto's head in Josef's lap as Josef reads to him?), a first (and only?) kiss, or even explicit (and very angsty and excruciatingly tender) sex. Perhaps Josef initiates that sex because he wants to experience it before he dies, and God told him that it would be okay because he and Roberto love one another. Explicit fantasies/wet dreams on either of their parts about the other would also be good.
Julia Michael Borge/Hiraga Josef Kou. Dubcon or noncon for this one, set at any time from the second arc through post-canon. Bonus points if you can work Julia's self-flagellation in there somehow. Maybe he somehow persuades Hiraga to flog him? (If you've ever seen the manga panels, Hiraga's pretty muscular under that cassock, if not as much so as Roberto…)
Lauren di Luca/Roberto Nicholas. Certain fanworks have sold me on the notion of Roberto appearing in Lauren's jackoff fantasies, much to Lauren's chagrin. In Lauren's head, Roberto, being tall, broad-shouldered, and supercilious, is a lot more dominant and willing to use his strength than he is IRL. Anything that involves imaginary!Roberto holding Lauren down and having his way with him or disciplining him would be great.
Mario Lotte/Carlos Diego/Sebastian Franklin. Maybe something in the aftermath of the San Rosario fallout, or some fearful hurt/comfort set during that arc. I lean away from the explicit with this OT3 because Sebastian looks like he's about 10 years old, but since he's the same age as Mario and Carlos I could handwave his looks.
Father McGee/Julia Michael Borge. IDK. They're both hot, McGee is a stone badass, and Julia is completely amoral and fucked up. They don't meet in canon, but who cares, it's VME, go wild.
Crossover Ships
Fanworks: Fanfic only.Ships:
Maia Drazhar (TGE) & Thamuris (DoL). Either meditation or a dream carries Maia into the Kloïdanikos on a night when Felix isn’t there. What is this beautiful place? “Thamuris” sounds like an elvish name, but why does this man have such small, round ears, why is his hair bright red, and why is he so sickly-looking? (Or does Maia recognize the consumption because Chenelo died of it, too?) And why, in the names of all the gods, is the night sky backward? Does Cstheio Caireizhasan know about this?
For Thamuris’s part, he is intrigued to be hosting a stranger from a very different world. Maia, who senses himself to be far out of his depth, is unimperially apologetic for having intruded upon this strange and lovely garden and for knowing nothing about oneiromancy. Thamuris assures him (not verbatim), “You are far more polite and pleasant than my usual conversational companion.” And there is some confusion over pronouns. But eventually there is fruitful discussion based in mutual curiosity. Or, given that the minimum is 300 words, you can cut to the chase and have them already familiar with each other from previous visits and comfortably chatting away.
Thara Celehar (TGE) & Ismae Rienne (His Fair Assassin - Robin LaFevers). I can’t possibly figure out how you can set Thara in late 15th-century Brittany, but if you can, great. If not, how about “Ismaö Rienin” as lowborn, badly scarred, gifted with Witnessing powers in which she’s untrained, and running from an abusive and hateful father who wants to force her into marriage to take her off his hands? Instead of the Convent of Saint Mortain, she winds up under Thara’s wing somehow. Despite his bent for solitude and his frequent curtness, Thara did learn how to mentor while training as a cleric, and he has a great deal of empathy for anyone who rebels against their family’s plans. If “Ismaö” is a marno elf (I ship Ismae/Sybella/Annith as well as Ismae/Sybella without Annith), that’s another thing she and Thara would have in common. If you want to explore worldbuilding around Witnesses for the Dead, including sexism or classism in their ranks, go for it, but of course a short vignette would be fine too.
Original Work
Fanworks: Fanfic only.Ship: Catholic Priest/Male Demon. Noncon or, even better, dubcon, focused on body betrayal and shame. Is the demon conjured up during a forbidden ritual that the priest is performing For Reasons? Do they meet during an attempted exorcism? Does the demon take the form of a real man — or youth — the priest has been lusting after? Any sort of religious/demonological lore you can work in, no matter how esoteric, would be lovely.
General Preferences
What I like/would be fine with
- Either party topping or bottoming in anal sex. I generally prefer penetration as dominance in noncon, but you don't have to write it that way for any of the relevant ships.
- One or more participants being underage, so long as they’re both past puberty.
- Canon divergence for the non-crossovers. (Crossovers are kinda divergent by definition.)
- Loyalty. Yeeeeeessssss, please. Oaths of fealty, blood oaths, standing by one’s friend or loved one when everyone else has turned against them, fighting back to back, returning to the scene of battle to save the other, knowingly sacrificing one’s life for the other. This goes especially for Azusa/Moriya/Date, Roberto/Hiraga, or Thara & Ismae.
- Leaders being good at leadership. Reciprocating the loyalty of their subordinate(s), in ways described in the previous bullet point. Trusting their judgment and encouraging them to trust their own. Making sure they have what they need in order to get their jobs done. Treating them not as equals in rank, but as equals in humanity (substitute whatever species here works for you). Holding them accountable when they fuck up, fairly but not too leniently, because the leader doesn’t want it to happen again.
- “Competence porn” — not in a Mary Sue-ish way (e.g., Ayla in the Clan of the Cave Bear books), but in a natural and realistic kind of way. Think of Felix in DoL, Csevet in TGE, Hange in SnK, or Roberto in VME.
- Moral greyness/ambiguity in situations and characters. My favorite characters are morally ambiguous but sympathetic overall. I also like basically good characters with rough or snarky exteriors, or at least those who have spines and who lose their tempers ever so often. I’m not so much into cartoonish villains who are into being bad for the sake of being bad, or “hard men making hard choices.” I’d rather read about evil done out of apathy, self-interest, emotional dysfunction, revenge, desperation, despair, and other all-too-human things. At the other extreme, I’m not into flawless goody-two-shoes types. Characters are like diamonds in that flaws are what make them interesting.
- Darkfic. “Grimdark" in the Warhammer 40K sense is too much. But I am fine with injury, death, and damnation where appropriate to the canon; exploration of harrowing issues so long as it's done tastefully; or even noncanonical death of a canon character if it is not gratuitous and is handled well.
- Endings that are happy, sad, or ambiguous, so long as they’re fitting for the story.
- Atmospherics. I love rich descriptions of anything, especially of nature, but also of towns and cities, clothing, food, etc. Small details are always welcome.
- Research. If you’ve got knowledge of historical details, language, etc. that’s relevant to any of these prompts, and you can work it into the fic without it feeling superfluous, please feel free to. Again, small details are always welcome. If you genuinely love doing research, do so to your heart’s content, but please do not feel obligated to bury yourself in it in order to write a story. Especially not for this exchange.
- Intricate plottiness, the machinery of politics, and political intrigue — if they fit the canon and, again, if you feel up to it.
- Magical worldbuilding, politics, and/or schools of thought.
- Tattoos, especially magical or spiritual ones. Especially but not exclusively for DoL.
- Character study.
- Love/hate relationships.
- Pining and UST.
- A little purpleness in the prose. “Purple” tends to be in the mind of the beholder anyway. If your style is stripped-down and tight, that’s fine too, but I don’t want writers to worry about using “too many” adjectives or adverbs.
What I would not like
- Character bashing or slut-shaming by the author.
- Rigid gender roles — especially for het ships. If the male char and female char have a tense relationship in canon, I’d like to see it explored. I don’t want them flattened into a cliché of champagne, roses, wedding gowns, and babies. If she’s powerful in canon, please don’t reduce her to a damsel in distress who needs rescuing.
- Silly misunderstandings that the characters could clear up with a little communication, but don’t.
- Heavy use of epithets, such as “The taller man then leaned down and kissed the blond soldier.” Names and pronouns are usually enough.
- Tropes, kinks, and headcanons that I like in some fics but am not seeking in this exchange:
- AUs other than canon divergence or crossover
- Crossovers/fusions other than the ones I’ve listed
- Rule 34/gender changes
- Polyamory
- Daddy or mommy kink
- Feminization of men
- A/B/O
- Other mpreg
- Tentacles
- Public humiliation/embarrassment
- Incest
- Slavefic
- Bestiality
- Second-person narration
- Tropes, kinks, and headcanons that are hard nopes for me:
- Time loops/“Groundhog Day”
- Curtainfic
- Trans or nonbinary characters
- Asexuality
- Noncanonical disabilities
- Autism
- Hardcore gore, torture, or mutilation. Floggings are about my limit, and even then I don’t want the character whipped to death or nearly to death. (Passing mentions of the other things are fine.)
- Infantilism
- Watersports, scat, or vomit play
- Eroticized pedophilia (shota/loli)
What is context-dependent
- I'm okay with explicit sex in any of the romantic ("/" not "&") ships I’ve listed, except for Nicolo/Sasha.
- Fluff. In general, a little bit goes a looooong way for me. I’d be okay with a little for Corbie/Hutch, Armin/Onyankopon, Thara/Teru, Roberto/Hiraga, or Roberto/Josef; or in a good-natured discussion between Maia and Thamuris. Otherwise it’s not what I’m looking for.
- Witty banter. In general, I like the old-fashioned sort you see in Shakespeare’s comedies or comic-relief scenes, or in the work of Oscar Wilde. I am not fond of the Joss Whedon/modern-sitcom kind.
- Kidfic is okay for Corbie/Hutch, not for other ships.
- Crack is fine for McGee/Julia or Ralston/Farnesse/Lio, not for other fics.
- Humor in general. I think a fic with an overall comic tone would be okay for Ralston/Farnesse/Lio crackfic, or McGee/Julia or Roberto/Lauren fic. For the other prompts, a little humor in an otherwise serious fic is fine but I’m not seeking a humorous story per se.
- Hurt/comfort. I prefer the male characters to be the ones who suffer. I’m not all that big on pure whump, but OTOH I don’t want a character to be fussed over for getting a paper cut, especially if they’re tough and stoic in canon.
- Angst, so long as it’s age- and situation-appropriate. Conflict-related angst, existential angst, depression, and even manpain are all fine, but adults acting like emo teenagers, not so much.
- Noncon/dubcon. Okay if mentioned in prompts; otherwise, please no.
- Consensual BDSM. For Kay/Felix, Vincent/Ivo, Roberto/Hiraga, Hiraga/Julia (flagellation), or Ralston/Farnesse/Lio, yes. For other ships, please no.
- Some kind of xenophilia would be all right for Catholic Priest/Male Demon, but not for other ships.
- Infidelity. I don’t have a particular thing for it, but a lot of people list it as a squick. I thought I would specify that I’m okay with it, especially for Methony/Diokletian. All I ask is that the cheater realizes it’s unethical and deals with guilt at some level. I don’t like love being used as a justification for it.
- Overall I prefer third-person narration, but I’m okay with first-person for the DoL characters, since that’s how canon is written.
- For any relationship other than Roberto/Hiraga, infodump exposition (that is, telling rather than showing). I realize it’s a YMMV thing.
- Discussion of social issues. They’re inherent in any world with human or humanoid characters, and I like it when fic addresses them in a natural way that serves both characters and plot. But I can’t read preachy issuefic — especially if it’s wildly anachronistic (e.g., use of words like “heteronormative" in a historical or quasi-historical canon). Character X stopping the action to lecture Character Y on Issue ABC is just not my bag, sorry.
Thank you for reading. I look forward to your fic! :)
My AO3 handle is Island_of_Reil.
