Letter: Yuletide 2023
Oct. 20th, 2023 07:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sadlikeknivesDearest Yulethor,
AO3 user sadlikeknives here, and I can't believe Yuletide is already here! I'm sure it's gonna be a great one. Let's get to it.
Basic likes: I strongly prefer third person prose in fic, including for canons originally in first person. I like pining, hurt/comfort, people using other people's prejudices and expectations of them to their own advantage, loyalty kink, competence kink, scars, soulbonds and soulmates, sexy-type biting and related bloodplay, size kink (I really like both the bigger party manhandling the smaller party and the smaller party loving it, and the smaller party bossing the bigger party around and the bigger party loving it), praise kink. If you want to write wintery, Christmasy fic (or other-winter-holiday fic) I'm totally into that for any of these fandoms!
For the record: I am open to extra gifts.
DNWs:
- bestiality (including sexual content involving shapeshifters in animal form)
- scat or watersports
- cannibalism/vore
- noncon
- infidelity/cheating involving requested characters: if they're married or in a relationship in canon, I'm fine with either 'the canon couple never got together for whatever reason' or some kind of poly situation, however you want to handle it! Just please no bashing of the canon partner.
- omegaverse, aka a/b/o, or any other type of mpreg
- graphic animal harm (for example: mention of a werewolf eating a bunny: fine; graphic description of what happened to the bunny: not great)
- permanent death of requested characters
The Addams Family (Movies – Sonnenfeld)
Pubert Addams
We all remember this scene, right?
"Oh, no. He lives." Outstanding.
So here's what I want: I want Pubert's condition to have become irreversible before the family reconciled. I want this golden-curled, rosy-cheeked ray of sunshine Addams, and the rest of the family doing their best to relate to him and support his interests and vice versa, because in this household we love and support our family members even if we don't understand them or their bizarre desire to become an Eagle Scout. Or maybe Pubert out in the wider world pursuing his dream of becoming an orthodontist, a lawyer, or even...president, all-American as apple pie except for how he's still an Addams raised by Addamses. Maybe an AU where Debbie realizes she's found Her People in the Addamses and lovingly takes Pubert under her wing as the next generation of Pastel Addams, and somehow he turns out even weirder than he might have if he'd just stayed a regular Addams. (His parents are so proud, except for of the pastels.) Or maybe Margaret takes him under her wing instead, because while rewatching the Addams Family movies this Halloween season I sort of fell in love with Margaret. Maybe something happens and he has to call Wednesday to help him hide a body. Maybe something happens and the rest of the lacrosse team is like, "Why...why do you know how to hide a body?" and he's like, "What, like it's hard?" Where you go with this is entirely up to you, I just don't want Pubert to have a bad relationship with the rest of his family/look down on them for being "weird." Those aren't Addams Family Values. (Badum tish)
Benjamin January Mysteries - Barbara Hambly
Abishag Shaw, Livia Levesque
Gentle author, we are gathered here today to make Abishag Shaw and Livia Levesque...talk to each other. If you just gasped, good. We're on the same page.
So here's what's amazing: they both clearly hate each other, and I don't think we've ever really seen them interact because LOL as if Livia willingly would, and also that is something Ben is willing to go to great lengths to prevent. Livia is still calling Shaw an animal over a dozen books in, and I'm pretty sure Shaw has called Ben's mom 'a real piece of work' at least once, and, I mean, he's not wrong. And they are both very intelligent people who excel at using other people's perceptions against them and figuring out why other people do the things they do, and using that, and so I really want them to have to deal with each other. I don't really have specific prompts here, just a nebulous notion: maybe Livia has a problem and she's like, "Ugh, fine, I guess I'll summon Ben's pet American policeman*," or maybe she's (however peripherally) involved in a case Shaw is investigating and he's like, "Fuck me gently with a not-yet-invented chainsaw, I have to interview Ben's mom." And then they are forced by circumstance to work together and/or use and/or respect one another's skill sets and forms of intelligence, and it's kind of horrible for both of them. And maybe one or both of them gains insight into What The Other One Thinks They're Doing Here that rattles the other, because...most people don't see that deep.
And then possibly Ben finds out and is never going to emotionally recover from this. Or maybe he remains blissfully oblivious. IDK it's up to you!
As you may (or may not) already be aware, I ship Ben/Shaw, and if you want to indicate in some way that they're a thing in your fic, I'd be into that (and if you'd like more info on how I'd like that handled, here's a letter from a previous exchange), but that's entirely up to you. If you do go that route, you can write that from the standpoint that Livia knows and deeply disapproves, Livia knows and thinks they don't know she knows (Shaw probably does, Ben is blissfully oblivious), or she is the blissfully oblivious one despite thinking she knows everything. I think any of these could be delightful.
*Bonus points if Livia refers to Shaw as Ben's pet American and/or policeman to his face and he's just like, "Yes, and?"
Hidden Legacy Series - Ilona Andrews
Nevada Baylor, Augustine Montgomery, Connor "Mad" Rogan
I was talking to a friend a while back about these books and I was like, "Basically at this point Ilona Andrews could reveal that Augustine and Rogan were actually together romantically and had a really bad breakup when he left for the military, and I feel like no one would be surprised," and just, that's it, that's the vibe. I'm really into the concept of them having broken up messily back in the day and then maybe Nevada finding/figuring it out and having to deal with this mess and them still being in love with each other in the present. I feel like the character dynamics of this trio are really interesting because they're all such prickly people, and they all have such clear reasons for friction in their interpersonal relations--Nevada & Augustine's professional dealings, Rogan & Augustine's rocky past, Rogan's whole psychological deal in general--but even when Rogan and Augustine don't seem to like each other that much they'd still throw down for each other. And my God, what a power trio this would be. And I feel like Nevada/Connor/Augustine would be a really interesting relationship because just...how do I phrase this? Picture the rotating pivot point of any two of them siding against the other one on any one petty issue. Picture the absolute terror that is the three of them united against you. It's glorious.
1. I'm thinking soulmates AU? Like, Rogan seems like just the kind of asshole that he'd ditch Augustine and run off to the military anyway because he was bucking against his whole life being lined up for him, and now it's ten years later and he's got to deal with the mess he made if the city doesn't burn down first. He might be hoping the city burns down first a little. (I have always sort of thought that part of the reason Augustine recruited Nevada for the Pierce case was that he realized Rogan would probably get involved and he was willing to do absolutely anything to avoid him a little longer, so...meanwhile Nevada is just standing here holding the brain cell.)
And Rogan totally seems like the kind of special that would have two soulmates. (If you go with something like 'soulmate-identifying marks,' Augustine could even suspect Nevada is the other soulmate before he sends her after Pierce, which would be interesting.) How does he feel about his soulmates unionizing against him, and why is the answer 'turned on?'
2. Until recently, I assumed (even though we've been told they'll fool things like retinal scanners) that Augustine's illusions were visual, but in recent Q&As Ilona Andrews have said things that make them sound like they're also physical--like that Augustine has clothes tailored in different sizes to make things easier on himself. I'm going to be honest, this is sort of bending my brain trying to figure out how the clothes fit without Augustine being an actual shapeshifter, but let's not stress the details of magic and let's just get right to the sexytimes possibilities of Augustine's illusions being that real. And combined with Rogan being a tactile? Yowza.
3. Augustine has finally started interviewing for a potential bride and Rogan can't figure out why he's so mad about it until someone, possibly one of his soldiers, possibly his mom, possibly Nevada, hits him with a clue bat.
4. Maybe Rogan and Augustine never broke up/fell out when Rogan went off to the military. Maybe they've been on again/off again for over a decade and they snipe at each other as a form of foreplay. Maybe they're Houston's secret or not at all secret power couple, and now Nevada's in the middle of this. Whatever you want to do with it!
5. Either Rogan or Nevada has some unskippable social event they're supposed to go to with the other and something comes up that means they can't make it, and need to not be seen not making it, so Augustine impersonates the missing partner. If it's Rogan I feel like he's slightly sarcastic about it all night and Nevada has to keep trying not to laugh. If it's Nevada Rogan is probably weirded out by how good he is at it. And then they all meet back up at home and *cough* debrief.
6. Rogan sees Augustine without his illusions for the first time in more than ten years and there's some sort of significant change he wasn't expecting. Maybe Augustine's hairline is, in fact, receding and Rogan's more upset about this than Augustine is ("I was joking about that!" "It's just hair, Connor.") Maybe the scar Konstantin could see in Ruby Fever is new, and Augustine refuses to tell Rogan how he got it so he can go kill the person who gave it to him ("They're already dead anyway." "There has to be SOMEONE I can kill!") Maybe Augustine distracts him with sex. Maybe Augustine just has new crinkles around his eyes and Rogan is alarmed by how attractive he finds them.
7. Rogan teaching Nevada how to play 'Spot the Pancakes' at society functions. His illusions are flawless, his impersonations impeccable, but Rogan will find him. (Possibly the forfeits are sexual?)
8. Anything with some bad guy realizing at the worst possible time that the power couple is actually a power trio and now they're screwed. Possibly:
Bad guys: and now we are going to kill you
Nevada and Rogan, bored: Oh no. Please don't.
Augustine: Oops there is an Illusion Prime with a knife in this room.
But it could also be like a business deal situation or literally anything.
7. Maybe an AU where the Rogan-Baylors had the good sense to get their on-call Illusion Prime to consult on that disgusting sex tape Victoria Tremaine had made and sent to them, and Augustine gets to hold the brain cell for once: "You are both going to sit down and not do anything rash because here are all the reasons this is a clear fake. I mean they didn't even get your cock right, Connor, it's much nicer than that."
Kate Daniels - Ilona Andrews
Christopher Steed, Hugh d'Ambray
Quick note: I have not yet read the Wilmington books, although I keep meaning to get to it. I am, however, familiar with certain spoilers regarding Hugh which Ilona Andrews dropped in a Q&A after they got themselves into a bind by writing books set long after certain information has been revealed in-universe before writing the books where said information is revealed. (If you know, you know.)
Okay, so after the part in Magic Triumphs where Christopher tells Kate that A) unlike pretty much everyone else outside the Iron Dogs, he paid enough attention to figure out what Roland was doing to control Hugh pretty early on and B) Hugh took better care of him when he was in the cage than previously thought, and possibly than he was supposed to, considering it's mentioned he fed and talked to him only at night when no one else was around, and Hugh's guilt-flashback re: Christopher in the cage in Iron & Magic and how he thinks about Christopher as the only Legatus he could ever stand, I went back and reread Magic Rises and I realized that maybe Hugh set Kate up to rescue Christopher accidentally-on-purpose with the 'anything in this courtyard' wording (not consciously because of Roland's conditioning and because he really didn't expect to lose that match, but on some level I really think he knew what he was saying there, because Hugh is not wired to withstand someone suffering on his watch like that and he had to fix it somehow).
And now I ship it. It's a whole mess of history and dynamics to dig into and I'm into it. Like: they were horrible men, and they were equals. And then one of them kept the other one in a cage. And now they're both different people in some ways, living in the aftermath of all of that, and it's just...really interesting to me. And yet we never really get to see them interact. There's that one really tense moment in Magic Triumphs, and then their actual conversation takes place offscreen and that's it. I need more.
Note: please nothing sexual during the period when Christopher was mentally unstable. As far as the canon relationships go, I'm happy for Hugh's marriage to Elara to remain a professional business arrangement, or with some form of polyamory, it never happened because of reasons, whatever you want to do there. As far as Christopher's relationship with Barabas, I can't really see Barabas sharing Christopher with Hugh d'Ambray of all people, but, I mean, maybe? Or maybe they didn't get together. However you can make it work!
Prompts!
1. Some kind of FWB arrangement set during their days as Legatus and Preceptor that maybe gets more serious than either of them meant it to, or mutual pining and both of them aware that it's a REALLY BAD IDEA as far as Roland is concerned, and then maybe after everything they meet up again and realize they have a second chance.
2. Or in that same period, something with Christopher and Hugh working together to salvage a situation, possibly one that's gone south thanks to Roland's meddling/not listening to Hugh/maybe even brainwashing Hugh. Like, when Omaha got broken, was that...was that what was supposed to happen? Or were they both pretty sure for about five minutes there that they were super going to die (and then possibly "I can't believe we survived that" sex?)?
3. Something to do with Christopher losing his wing in Magic Triumphs, because I have this notion that Hugh is the healer you call in to deal with the situation when you've got an actual avatar with an extra-crispy appendage, and then you've got Christopher, of course, devastated, and Hugh feeling really guilty about being unable to save the wing and yes good angst. (I mean, we now know it grew back, but that was still very much in doubt at the end of Magic Triumphs.
4. Something set during the preparations to face Neig, with Hugh and Christopher both being weirded out by how easily they fall into a groove of working together again and the Iron Dogs enthusiastically embracing Christopher because it's always nice when someone they used to know A) is alive and B) isn't trying to kill them, and possibly also ragging the hell out of Hugh for having A Type, because haha wow are there some similarities between Elara and Christopher.
5. The whole situation with Christopher crazy and being kept in a cage, from the POV of the guy who respected and/or loved him and was keeping him in a cage, and apparently feeding and talking to him in secret in his own castle.
6. So oops it turns out Hugh can't marry Elara to seal their alliance because he and Christopher are already married. Maybe they didn't realize that thing they did as a quick way to solve a problem one time was legally binding. Maybe it was entirely on purpose and a secret. Maybe they're trying to get a quickie divorce and absurd romcom style obstacles keep falling in their path. Whatever just run with it.
7. I noticed on reread that Hugh grows throughout the course of the series—something in the range of four to six inches. While I'm pretty sure this is just another authorial inconsistency like his country of origin switching early in the series from England to France, it could also be fanwanked as the result of his stint healing in a phoenix egg, so something with Christopher reacting to his new height (and Hugh to Christopher's new shoulders?) could be a thing.
8. Anything, platonic or romantic, to do with them after the series ends, dealing with the fact that they were both really horrible people who did horrible things (and that Hugh did some of those things *to* Christopher), and now...here they are in the aftermath, in some ways very different people but in some ways still who they always were, just with a chance to be better now.
Sons of the Fallen - Jaclyn Osborn
Any
For any of these scenarios, I would love to see some wing kink. Like, actual wing kink, not the wing slit kink we see in the text (although that is also hot). But like touching someone's wings being intimate and pleasurable for the one being touched, trying to avoid the sharp edges of the feathers, mutual grooming, etc. I would also like to see sexy biting/blood-drinking, because...hot.
Alastair/Lazarus
Okay, look. As early as book one I was like, "Why...why can they communicate telepathically and none of the other brothers know why? Wouldn't it be a total trainwreck if it's because they're secretly soulmates?...I see a lot of potential there, actually," and then they were secretly soulmates. But...I didn't love how it was handled in book seven. Like, Lazarus wasn't just "hard on Alastair" or whatever, he used him as a whipping boy. The history is ugly, and it felt like that got swept under the rug--Lazarus expected Alastair to reject him at first, but that was at least partially because of his hiding the truth and being an asshole for the last few millennia, not because of their early relationship, and Alastair sort of breezed right past all of it faster than I would have expected even for the guy whose sin makes it impossible for him to admit anything is ever wrong. Like, I really thought that when Lazarus was permanently marked with whip scars and then Alastair, the boy he used to whip whenever any of his brothers screwed up, was his freaking soulmate, that that would turn out to be more of a thing than it was. I mean, the scars were touched on, but...I expected more angst and drama there. Additionally I expected way more of a reaction from Alastair's brothers, and every time Lazarus called Alastair a brat or threatened to spank him I was like, "Nope, absolutely the hell not," and I'm not opposed to that kind of thing under the right circumstances. 'Literally and abusively raised him' is...not those circumstances, for me.
But I still think it's a pairing with a lot of potential, so: fanfic?
DNW anything involving punishment or like, whipping or spanking in a sexual context for this pairing. I think there's way too much baggage for that to be sexy here. References to their canonical history involving those things in a non-sexual context is a-okay, and I'm okay with face slapping. IDK why, brains and ids are weird. Maybe the snap-out-of-it slap in Raiden did things to me. But, yeah. Lazarus can slap Alastair to snap him out of a Pride meltdown or whatever, or just because they're into it (although ideally Lazarus should be conflicted at first in this case before he's like "...no okay that's really hot.").
1. I really thought Alastair knew. Like, I thought it was more likely that he knew and Lazarus didn't than the other way around, from some things he said and did in Bellamy. So: AU where Alastair's the one who knew all along and, like, Michael sealed the bond, and now the seal's it's broken and Lazarus has to come to terms with having been a dick to his soulmate for a few thousand years. (Or maybe without the added pressure of feeling the connection Alastair didn't, and the council breathing down his neck, he would have been less of a dick and more likely to spend some of that time trying to make amends for how he treated them as children, therefore making the situation harder for an Alastair who's aware? Hmmm.)
2. Or! AU where Lazarus told Alastair the truth early on and Alastair was able to make informed choices about how to conduct his life under such difficult and unusual circumstances, rather than having it sprung on him at the eleventh hour and having to feel vaguely guilty about every relationship he's ever had in front of Lazarus' face. Alastair still wouldn't feel the bond, but he might have organically developed emotions for Lazarus over time, leading to a lot of delicious pining and hidden angst behind his brothers' back.
3. Or maybe during the book the council pushes the issue and Lazarus puts his money where his mouth is and falls to be with Alastair, and is this just an excuse for more blood drinking porn? Absolutely. But you could also have the council after everything's done and it's firmly established that Lazarus was right like, "So...does anyone know how we reinstate an angel...?"
4. I really liked the bits about how Alastair tends to spiral and Lazarus can stop that and get him out of his head, and am totally into the idea of Alastair being submissive sexually for this purpose, with Lazarus praising him and telling him he's good and perfect and etc.
5. I would also like to see Lazarus experience some of the first times we didn't get to see in the book--first time bottoming, first time giving head, first rim job. I would kind of like to see him kneeling at Alastair's feet; that role reversal feels very satisfactory and possibly cathartic.
Just Alastair
I think about this quote on selfishness from the Tiffany Aching books a lot when it comes to Alastair, considering that Pride as a sin is all about selfishness, and I would sort of like to see him with that sort of mindset: these are his brothers, and his world, and therefore he has a duty to them. Or, to put a completely different and no less accurate tone on it: this is his circus, and these are his monkeys.
I love the running thing about how Alastair is basically a grandpa in the body of a young man. He loves his books and his classical music and his tea and, in the best under-the-radar joke in Raiden, Werther's fucking Originals. And I feel like he just really deserves a nice day off, maybe a trip to a rare bookstore...maybe at some point during canon, or the past, his brothers frantically trying to crisis manage and keep him from finding out A Thing Is Happening in the background, because they all agree that Al needs this.
Or I would love to see Alastair spending family time with his brothers. Their Christmases seem fun, how about that? Or maybe something with Alastair and Joseph? I felt like Joseph got a raw deal in the last book. He gave Alastair his whole life knowing Alastair couldn't give him all of his, and he got sort of...brushed aside. That love was real when it happened, and I would not object to a nice fic about it. Or maybe something set at some point in the past where Alastair got involved in some sort of shenanigans his brothers would not believe of him. Maybe Konnar was involved. Maybe he did drag or accidentally started one tiny little political revolution. Or both.
Bellamy
I feel like there's a lot of unexplored potential with Bellamy and Lust. There are some things that aren't really touched on in canon that I wonder about, and some things that are stated outright that I'd like to see fic going in a different direction from.
First off, the whole thing with Bellamy's real eye color feels like it deserves a deleted scene where his brothers find out about it, because in everybody else's POV we've gotten no indication that anyone knows Bellamy has a secret eye color he's angsting about, and at this point someone has to have seen Phoenix look at him and his eyes turn blue at least once. I want the fallout from that, because while it's by no means on the level of the Alastair/Lazarus thing, it's a secret he's been keeping from his brothers for thousands of years, and it feels like the reaction would be epic.
Second, we're told that Bellamy's never had sex with any of his brothers, but I don't really...buy that. Like, it doesn't seem to jive with how he gets sick if he doesn't have sex regularly, and the fact that they were isolated until they turned eighteen. I've been around teenaged boys, there is no way Lust didn't wake up until after Bellamy was eighteen. (And while it's possible, considering they were eight when they met and didn't automatically see each other as brothers, a strong incest taboo just doesn't...fit, especially when we know Castor and Galen had a fling.) I also find it kind of implausible there's never been a dry spell where there weren't really other options around in all the time since. So maybe something with one of those scenarios, or just even like, sex as comfort. Maybe at a different period in history, Bellamy was less all up in his head about it and saw things more like Raiden's worldview: orgasms are nice. Bellamy gives great orgasms. Who wants some?
Third, I'm interested in the darker side of Lust, both in the bloodlust that's been sort of touched on but not really explored--I'd like to see Bellamy go over to that for a longer, more cohesive period of time, both what that looks like and the fallout from it for everyone to deal with--and the fact that any time he goes out in public Bellamy must be exposed to all kinds of mental filth. I have a headcanon, completely unsupported by the text, that Echo Bay's vampire population mainly feeds on pedophiles and rapists Bellamy tips them off to, but basically anything dealing with those drawbacks of Lust instead of, "Oh, woe is me, I must have all the sex," would be interesting to explore, I think.
Also, I feel like Bellamy could be perceived as Lazarus' favorite, from how he was the only one who didn't hate or at least dislike him from the word go, and how he always tries to see the best of his motivations and whatnot. And I know most of them would care but, boy, all things considered, Alastair could. That bit in Bellamy where Lazarus is ripping into Alastair over his handling of Bellamy's kidnapping in front of everyone is...honestly pretty ugly, when you consider that Bellamy's already been safely retrieved at that point, and, again, all things regarding Alastair and Lazarus considered. I also wonder if Bellamy being pro-Lazarus at first had something to do with how harshly Lazarus cracked down on the whole group, to prevent him and say, Castor, from splitting the boys into factions. And I would kind of like to see some sort of blowup over all of that after everything's out in the open, in the interests of ripping some things that have been festering open so they can heal or what have you.
OR I'd like to see Phoenix (or someone else, as we've already established I think Bellamy should fuck his brothers) be like, "I know Lust makes you always be all about whatever your partner wants, but tonight it's all about YOU," and then just like, cater to Bell and help him figure out what he likes.
Gray
I love this sleepy ball of sunshine, and real talk, I remain somewhat surprised that his focus book did not go to even a little bit of a somnophilia place. "Oh, no, Gray is getting sleepy, now we cannot have sex." Yes, you can! I expect more initiative and can-do spirit from a marine. Gray doesn't even have to be fully asleep, you could go with sleepy, warm and relaxed sex or something during one of his bad lethargic periods, where he can't really do anything except lay there and take it, but that's okay because he's still mentally into it and his partner loves manhandling him. His partner doesn't have to be Mason, you could go with that pirate captain he used to roll with (love a pirate fic), or maybe he has an ongoing arrangement with one of his brothers, like he's Bellamy's go-to partner during a dry spell (he can totally come in his sleep!) or a stress relief thing with Alastair. Or maybe it's all of them, from time to time! (I know several of the bros only bottom on-page, but I think Raiden is the only one who's explicit about being an exclusive bottom--but I'm willing to ignore all of that for porn logic's sake.)
I'd also like to see fic about Gray just, like, navigating the world with Sloth. Oh, no, he's asleep again. In the middle of this battle. Or just in the middle of this Target. It never gets old to me. I love him. So just anything with Gray being Gray and everyone else fondly coping with that: A+.
Or how about, since Gray is the brother who really loves Christmas, Christmas fic? Maybe that Christmas that everything went wrong that...I think it's Daman talks about in the books, in more detail, or just another cozy family Christmas. What do you even buy Greed for Christmas, anyway? Hell, what do you buy Galen? And now there are all these soulmates and we've gotta shop for them, and fuck me, do I have to get Lazarus a Christmas present?
Just Lazarus
1. Maybe an AU where when Lazarus suddenly found himself a single parent to eight kids who hated him to various degrees it was more funny and awkward and less of a total fucking nightmare for everyone involved? Maybe he tried his best instead of beating them with a whip. Maybe that.
2. Maybe something when he was stuck at Clara's after he injured his wing in Bellamy and he just had to put up with this human witch being casually mean to him because she was also helping (and also, she's right).
3. Five times Raiden talked him into trying human food and one time he actually liked it.
4. Something with the 'Bellamy may be perceived as his favorite' thing I went into above.
5. In Bellamy it's revealed that Lazarus at one point agreed with/followed Lucifer, so, like, AU where he fell? (This could also be a juicy Alastair/Lazarus prompt, just sayin'.)
AO3 user sadlikeknives here, and I can't believe Yuletide is already here! I'm sure it's gonna be a great one. Let's get to it.
Basic likes: I strongly prefer third person prose in fic, including for canons originally in first person. I like pining, hurt/comfort, people using other people's prejudices and expectations of them to their own advantage, loyalty kink, competence kink, scars, soulbonds and soulmates, sexy-type biting and related bloodplay, size kink (I really like both the bigger party manhandling the smaller party and the smaller party loving it, and the smaller party bossing the bigger party around and the bigger party loving it), praise kink. If you want to write wintery, Christmasy fic (or other-winter-holiday fic) I'm totally into that for any of these fandoms!
For the record: I am open to extra gifts.
DNWs:
- bestiality (including sexual content involving shapeshifters in animal form)
- scat or watersports
- cannibalism/vore
- noncon
- infidelity/cheating involving requested characters: if they're married or in a relationship in canon, I'm fine with either 'the canon couple never got together for whatever reason' or some kind of poly situation, however you want to handle it! Just please no bashing of the canon partner.
- omegaverse, aka a/b/o, or any other type of mpreg
- graphic animal harm (for example: mention of a werewolf eating a bunny: fine; graphic description of what happened to the bunny: not great)
- permanent death of requested characters
The Addams Family (Movies – Sonnenfeld)
Pubert Addams
We all remember this scene, right?
"Oh, no. He lives." Outstanding.
So here's what I want: I want Pubert's condition to have become irreversible before the family reconciled. I want this golden-curled, rosy-cheeked ray of sunshine Addams, and the rest of the family doing their best to relate to him and support his interests and vice versa, because in this household we love and support our family members even if we don't understand them or their bizarre desire to become an Eagle Scout. Or maybe Pubert out in the wider world pursuing his dream of becoming an orthodontist, a lawyer, or even...president, all-American as apple pie except for how he's still an Addams raised by Addamses. Maybe an AU where Debbie realizes she's found Her People in the Addamses and lovingly takes Pubert under her wing as the next generation of Pastel Addams, and somehow he turns out even weirder than he might have if he'd just stayed a regular Addams. (His parents are so proud, except for of the pastels.) Or maybe Margaret takes him under her wing instead, because while rewatching the Addams Family movies this Halloween season I sort of fell in love with Margaret. Maybe something happens and he has to call Wednesday to help him hide a body. Maybe something happens and the rest of the lacrosse team is like, "Why...why do you know how to hide a body?" and he's like, "What, like it's hard?" Where you go with this is entirely up to you, I just don't want Pubert to have a bad relationship with the rest of his family/look down on them for being "weird." Those aren't Addams Family Values. (Badum tish)
Benjamin January Mysteries - Barbara Hambly
Abishag Shaw, Livia Levesque
Gentle author, we are gathered here today to make Abishag Shaw and Livia Levesque...talk to each other. If you just gasped, good. We're on the same page.
So here's what's amazing: they both clearly hate each other, and I don't think we've ever really seen them interact because LOL as if Livia willingly would, and also that is something Ben is willing to go to great lengths to prevent. Livia is still calling Shaw an animal over a dozen books in, and I'm pretty sure Shaw has called Ben's mom 'a real piece of work' at least once, and, I mean, he's not wrong. And they are both very intelligent people who excel at using other people's perceptions against them and figuring out why other people do the things they do, and using that, and so I really want them to have to deal with each other. I don't really have specific prompts here, just a nebulous notion: maybe Livia has a problem and she's like, "Ugh, fine, I guess I'll summon Ben's pet American policeman*," or maybe she's (however peripherally) involved in a case Shaw is investigating and he's like, "Fuck me gently with a not-yet-invented chainsaw, I have to interview Ben's mom." And then they are forced by circumstance to work together and/or use and/or respect one another's skill sets and forms of intelligence, and it's kind of horrible for both of them. And maybe one or both of them gains insight into What The Other One Thinks They're Doing Here that rattles the other, because...most people don't see that deep.
And then possibly Ben finds out and is never going to emotionally recover from this. Or maybe he remains blissfully oblivious. IDK it's up to you!
As you may (or may not) already be aware, I ship Ben/Shaw, and if you want to indicate in some way that they're a thing in your fic, I'd be into that (and if you'd like more info on how I'd like that handled, here's a letter from a previous exchange), but that's entirely up to you. If you do go that route, you can write that from the standpoint that Livia knows and deeply disapproves, Livia knows and thinks they don't know she knows (Shaw probably does, Ben is blissfully oblivious), or she is the blissfully oblivious one despite thinking she knows everything. I think any of these could be delightful.
*Bonus points if Livia refers to Shaw as Ben's pet American and/or policeman to his face and he's just like, "Yes, and?"
Hidden Legacy Series - Ilona Andrews
Nevada Baylor, Augustine Montgomery, Connor "Mad" Rogan
I was talking to a friend a while back about these books and I was like, "Basically at this point Ilona Andrews could reveal that Augustine and Rogan were actually together romantically and had a really bad breakup when he left for the military, and I feel like no one would be surprised," and just, that's it, that's the vibe. I'm really into the concept of them having broken up messily back in the day and then maybe Nevada finding/figuring it out and having to deal with this mess and them still being in love with each other in the present. I feel like the character dynamics of this trio are really interesting because they're all such prickly people, and they all have such clear reasons for friction in their interpersonal relations--Nevada & Augustine's professional dealings, Rogan & Augustine's rocky past, Rogan's whole psychological deal in general--but even when Rogan and Augustine don't seem to like each other that much they'd still throw down for each other. And my God, what a power trio this would be. And I feel like Nevada/Connor/Augustine would be a really interesting relationship because just...how do I phrase this? Picture the rotating pivot point of any two of them siding against the other one on any one petty issue. Picture the absolute terror that is the three of them united against you. It's glorious.
1. I'm thinking soulmates AU? Like, Rogan seems like just the kind of asshole that he'd ditch Augustine and run off to the military anyway because he was bucking against his whole life being lined up for him, and now it's ten years later and he's got to deal with the mess he made if the city doesn't burn down first. He might be hoping the city burns down first a little. (I have always sort of thought that part of the reason Augustine recruited Nevada for the Pierce case was that he realized Rogan would probably get involved and he was willing to do absolutely anything to avoid him a little longer, so...meanwhile Nevada is just standing here holding the brain cell.)
And Rogan totally seems like the kind of special that would have two soulmates. (If you go with something like 'soulmate-identifying marks,' Augustine could even suspect Nevada is the other soulmate before he sends her after Pierce, which would be interesting.) How does he feel about his soulmates unionizing against him, and why is the answer 'turned on?'
2. Until recently, I assumed (even though we've been told they'll fool things like retinal scanners) that Augustine's illusions were visual, but in recent Q&As Ilona Andrews have said things that make them sound like they're also physical--like that Augustine has clothes tailored in different sizes to make things easier on himself. I'm going to be honest, this is sort of bending my brain trying to figure out how the clothes fit without Augustine being an actual shapeshifter, but let's not stress the details of magic and let's just get right to the sexytimes possibilities of Augustine's illusions being that real. And combined with Rogan being a tactile? Yowza.
3. Augustine has finally started interviewing for a potential bride and Rogan can't figure out why he's so mad about it until someone, possibly one of his soldiers, possibly his mom, possibly Nevada, hits him with a clue bat.
4. Maybe Rogan and Augustine never broke up/fell out when Rogan went off to the military. Maybe they've been on again/off again for over a decade and they snipe at each other as a form of foreplay. Maybe they're Houston's secret or not at all secret power couple, and now Nevada's in the middle of this. Whatever you want to do with it!
5. Either Rogan or Nevada has some unskippable social event they're supposed to go to with the other and something comes up that means they can't make it, and need to not be seen not making it, so Augustine impersonates the missing partner. If it's Rogan I feel like he's slightly sarcastic about it all night and Nevada has to keep trying not to laugh. If it's Nevada Rogan is probably weirded out by how good he is at it. And then they all meet back up at home and *cough* debrief.
6. Rogan sees Augustine without his illusions for the first time in more than ten years and there's some sort of significant change he wasn't expecting. Maybe Augustine's hairline is, in fact, receding and Rogan's more upset about this than Augustine is ("I was joking about that!" "It's just hair, Connor.") Maybe the scar Konstantin could see in Ruby Fever is new, and Augustine refuses to tell Rogan how he got it so he can go kill the person who gave it to him ("They're already dead anyway." "There has to be SOMEONE I can kill!") Maybe Augustine distracts him with sex. Maybe Augustine just has new crinkles around his eyes and Rogan is alarmed by how attractive he finds them.
7. Rogan teaching Nevada how to play 'Spot the Pancakes' at society functions. His illusions are flawless, his impersonations impeccable, but Rogan will find him. (Possibly the forfeits are sexual?)
8. Anything with some bad guy realizing at the worst possible time that the power couple is actually a power trio and now they're screwed. Possibly:
Bad guys: and now we are going to kill you
Nevada and Rogan, bored: Oh no. Please don't.
Augustine: Oops there is an Illusion Prime with a knife in this room.
But it could also be like a business deal situation or literally anything.
7. Maybe an AU where the Rogan-Baylors had the good sense to get their on-call Illusion Prime to consult on that disgusting sex tape Victoria Tremaine had made and sent to them, and Augustine gets to hold the brain cell for once: "You are both going to sit down and not do anything rash because here are all the reasons this is a clear fake. I mean they didn't even get your cock right, Connor, it's much nicer than that."
Kate Daniels - Ilona Andrews
Christopher Steed, Hugh d'Ambray
Quick note: I have not yet read the Wilmington books, although I keep meaning to get to it. I am, however, familiar with certain spoilers regarding Hugh which Ilona Andrews dropped in a Q&A after they got themselves into a bind by writing books set long after certain information has been revealed in-universe before writing the books where said information is revealed. (If you know, you know.)
Okay, so after the part in Magic Triumphs where Christopher tells Kate that A) unlike pretty much everyone else outside the Iron Dogs, he paid enough attention to figure out what Roland was doing to control Hugh pretty early on and B) Hugh took better care of him when he was in the cage than previously thought, and possibly than he was supposed to, considering it's mentioned he fed and talked to him only at night when no one else was around, and Hugh's guilt-flashback re: Christopher in the cage in Iron & Magic and how he thinks about Christopher as the only Legatus he could ever stand, I went back and reread Magic Rises and I realized that maybe Hugh set Kate up to rescue Christopher accidentally-on-purpose with the 'anything in this courtyard' wording (not consciously because of Roland's conditioning and because he really didn't expect to lose that match, but on some level I really think he knew what he was saying there, because Hugh is not wired to withstand someone suffering on his watch like that and he had to fix it somehow).
And now I ship it. It's a whole mess of history and dynamics to dig into and I'm into it. Like: they were horrible men, and they were equals. And then one of them kept the other one in a cage. And now they're both different people in some ways, living in the aftermath of all of that, and it's just...really interesting to me. And yet we never really get to see them interact. There's that one really tense moment in Magic Triumphs, and then their actual conversation takes place offscreen and that's it. I need more.
Note: please nothing sexual during the period when Christopher was mentally unstable. As far as the canon relationships go, I'm happy for Hugh's marriage to Elara to remain a professional business arrangement, or with some form of polyamory, it never happened because of reasons, whatever you want to do there. As far as Christopher's relationship with Barabas, I can't really see Barabas sharing Christopher with Hugh d'Ambray of all people, but, I mean, maybe? Or maybe they didn't get together. However you can make it work!
Prompts!
1. Some kind of FWB arrangement set during their days as Legatus and Preceptor that maybe gets more serious than either of them meant it to, or mutual pining and both of them aware that it's a REALLY BAD IDEA as far as Roland is concerned, and then maybe after everything they meet up again and realize they have a second chance.
2. Or in that same period, something with Christopher and Hugh working together to salvage a situation, possibly one that's gone south thanks to Roland's meddling/not listening to Hugh/maybe even brainwashing Hugh. Like, when Omaha got broken, was that...was that what was supposed to happen? Or were they both pretty sure for about five minutes there that they were super going to die (and then possibly "I can't believe we survived that" sex?)?
3. Something to do with Christopher losing his wing in Magic Triumphs, because I have this notion that Hugh is the healer you call in to deal with the situation when you've got an actual avatar with an extra-crispy appendage, and then you've got Christopher, of course, devastated, and Hugh feeling really guilty about being unable to save the wing and yes good angst. (I mean, we now know it grew back, but that was still very much in doubt at the end of Magic Triumphs.
4. Something set during the preparations to face Neig, with Hugh and Christopher both being weirded out by how easily they fall into a groove of working together again and the Iron Dogs enthusiastically embracing Christopher because it's always nice when someone they used to know A) is alive and B) isn't trying to kill them, and possibly also ragging the hell out of Hugh for having A Type, because haha wow are there some similarities between Elara and Christopher.
5. The whole situation with Christopher crazy and being kept in a cage, from the POV of the guy who respected and/or loved him and was keeping him in a cage, and apparently feeding and talking to him in secret in his own castle.
6. So oops it turns out Hugh can't marry Elara to seal their alliance because he and Christopher are already married. Maybe they didn't realize that thing they did as a quick way to solve a problem one time was legally binding. Maybe it was entirely on purpose and a secret. Maybe they're trying to get a quickie divorce and absurd romcom style obstacles keep falling in their path. Whatever just run with it.
7. I noticed on reread that Hugh grows throughout the course of the series—something in the range of four to six inches. While I'm pretty sure this is just another authorial inconsistency like his country of origin switching early in the series from England to France, it could also be fanwanked as the result of his stint healing in a phoenix egg, so something with Christopher reacting to his new height (and Hugh to Christopher's new shoulders?) could be a thing.
8. Anything, platonic or romantic, to do with them after the series ends, dealing with the fact that they were both really horrible people who did horrible things (and that Hugh did some of those things *to* Christopher), and now...here they are in the aftermath, in some ways very different people but in some ways still who they always were, just with a chance to be better now.
Sons of the Fallen - Jaclyn Osborn
Any
For any of these scenarios, I would love to see some wing kink. Like, actual wing kink, not the wing slit kink we see in the text (although that is also hot). But like touching someone's wings being intimate and pleasurable for the one being touched, trying to avoid the sharp edges of the feathers, mutual grooming, etc. I would also like to see sexy biting/blood-drinking, because...hot.
Alastair/Lazarus
Okay, look. As early as book one I was like, "Why...why can they communicate telepathically and none of the other brothers know why? Wouldn't it be a total trainwreck if it's because they're secretly soulmates?...I see a lot of potential there, actually," and then they were secretly soulmates. But...I didn't love how it was handled in book seven. Like, Lazarus wasn't just "hard on Alastair" or whatever, he used him as a whipping boy. The history is ugly, and it felt like that got swept under the rug--Lazarus expected Alastair to reject him at first, but that was at least partially because of his hiding the truth and being an asshole for the last few millennia, not because of their early relationship, and Alastair sort of breezed right past all of it faster than I would have expected even for the guy whose sin makes it impossible for him to admit anything is ever wrong. Like, I really thought that when Lazarus was permanently marked with whip scars and then Alastair, the boy he used to whip whenever any of his brothers screwed up, was his freaking soulmate, that that would turn out to be more of a thing than it was. I mean, the scars were touched on, but...I expected more angst and drama there. Additionally I expected way more of a reaction from Alastair's brothers, and every time Lazarus called Alastair a brat or threatened to spank him I was like, "Nope, absolutely the hell not," and I'm not opposed to that kind of thing under the right circumstances. 'Literally and abusively raised him' is...not those circumstances, for me.
But I still think it's a pairing with a lot of potential, so: fanfic?
DNW anything involving punishment or like, whipping or spanking in a sexual context for this pairing. I think there's way too much baggage for that to be sexy here. References to their canonical history involving those things in a non-sexual context is a-okay, and I'm okay with face slapping. IDK why, brains and ids are weird. Maybe the snap-out-of-it slap in Raiden did things to me. But, yeah. Lazarus can slap Alastair to snap him out of a Pride meltdown or whatever, or just because they're into it (although ideally Lazarus should be conflicted at first in this case before he's like "...no okay that's really hot.").
1. I really thought Alastair knew. Like, I thought it was more likely that he knew and Lazarus didn't than the other way around, from some things he said and did in Bellamy. So: AU where Alastair's the one who knew all along and, like, Michael sealed the bond, and now the seal's it's broken and Lazarus has to come to terms with having been a dick to his soulmate for a few thousand years. (Or maybe without the added pressure of feeling the connection Alastair didn't, and the council breathing down his neck, he would have been less of a dick and more likely to spend some of that time trying to make amends for how he treated them as children, therefore making the situation harder for an Alastair who's aware? Hmmm.)
2. Or! AU where Lazarus told Alastair the truth early on and Alastair was able to make informed choices about how to conduct his life under such difficult and unusual circumstances, rather than having it sprung on him at the eleventh hour and having to feel vaguely guilty about every relationship he's ever had in front of Lazarus' face. Alastair still wouldn't feel the bond, but he might have organically developed emotions for Lazarus over time, leading to a lot of delicious pining and hidden angst behind his brothers' back.
3. Or maybe during the book the council pushes the issue and Lazarus puts his money where his mouth is and falls to be with Alastair, and is this just an excuse for more blood drinking porn? Absolutely. But you could also have the council after everything's done and it's firmly established that Lazarus was right like, "So...does anyone know how we reinstate an angel...?"
4. I really liked the bits about how Alastair tends to spiral and Lazarus can stop that and get him out of his head, and am totally into the idea of Alastair being submissive sexually for this purpose, with Lazarus praising him and telling him he's good and perfect and etc.
5. I would also like to see Lazarus experience some of the first times we didn't get to see in the book--first time bottoming, first time giving head, first rim job. I would kind of like to see him kneeling at Alastair's feet; that role reversal feels very satisfactory and possibly cathartic.
Just Alastair
I think about this quote on selfishness from the Tiffany Aching books a lot when it comes to Alastair, considering that Pride as a sin is all about selfishness, and I would sort of like to see him with that sort of mindset: these are his brothers, and his world, and therefore he has a duty to them. Or, to put a completely different and no less accurate tone on it: this is his circus, and these are his monkeys.
I love the running thing about how Alastair is basically a grandpa in the body of a young man. He loves his books and his classical music and his tea and, in the best under-the-radar joke in Raiden, Werther's fucking Originals. And I feel like he just really deserves a nice day off, maybe a trip to a rare bookstore...maybe at some point during canon, or the past, his brothers frantically trying to crisis manage and keep him from finding out A Thing Is Happening in the background, because they all agree that Al needs this.
Or I would love to see Alastair spending family time with his brothers. Their Christmases seem fun, how about that? Or maybe something with Alastair and Joseph? I felt like Joseph got a raw deal in the last book. He gave Alastair his whole life knowing Alastair couldn't give him all of his, and he got sort of...brushed aside. That love was real when it happened, and I would not object to a nice fic about it. Or maybe something set at some point in the past where Alastair got involved in some sort of shenanigans his brothers would not believe of him. Maybe Konnar was involved. Maybe he did drag or accidentally started one tiny little political revolution. Or both.
Bellamy
I feel like there's a lot of unexplored potential with Bellamy and Lust. There are some things that aren't really touched on in canon that I wonder about, and some things that are stated outright that I'd like to see fic going in a different direction from.
First off, the whole thing with Bellamy's real eye color feels like it deserves a deleted scene where his brothers find out about it, because in everybody else's POV we've gotten no indication that anyone knows Bellamy has a secret eye color he's angsting about, and at this point someone has to have seen Phoenix look at him and his eyes turn blue at least once. I want the fallout from that, because while it's by no means on the level of the Alastair/Lazarus thing, it's a secret he's been keeping from his brothers for thousands of years, and it feels like the reaction would be epic.
Second, we're told that Bellamy's never had sex with any of his brothers, but I don't really...buy that. Like, it doesn't seem to jive with how he gets sick if he doesn't have sex regularly, and the fact that they were isolated until they turned eighteen. I've been around teenaged boys, there is no way Lust didn't wake up until after Bellamy was eighteen. (And while it's possible, considering they were eight when they met and didn't automatically see each other as brothers, a strong incest taboo just doesn't...fit, especially when we know Castor and Galen had a fling.) I also find it kind of implausible there's never been a dry spell where there weren't really other options around in all the time since. So maybe something with one of those scenarios, or just even like, sex as comfort. Maybe at a different period in history, Bellamy was less all up in his head about it and saw things more like Raiden's worldview: orgasms are nice. Bellamy gives great orgasms. Who wants some?
Third, I'm interested in the darker side of Lust, both in the bloodlust that's been sort of touched on but not really explored--I'd like to see Bellamy go over to that for a longer, more cohesive period of time, both what that looks like and the fallout from it for everyone to deal with--and the fact that any time he goes out in public Bellamy must be exposed to all kinds of mental filth. I have a headcanon, completely unsupported by the text, that Echo Bay's vampire population mainly feeds on pedophiles and rapists Bellamy tips them off to, but basically anything dealing with those drawbacks of Lust instead of, "Oh, woe is me, I must have all the sex," would be interesting to explore, I think.
Also, I feel like Bellamy could be perceived as Lazarus' favorite, from how he was the only one who didn't hate or at least dislike him from the word go, and how he always tries to see the best of his motivations and whatnot. And I know most of them would care but, boy, all things considered, Alastair could. That bit in Bellamy where Lazarus is ripping into Alastair over his handling of Bellamy's kidnapping in front of everyone is...honestly pretty ugly, when you consider that Bellamy's already been safely retrieved at that point, and, again, all things regarding Alastair and Lazarus considered. I also wonder if Bellamy being pro-Lazarus at first had something to do with how harshly Lazarus cracked down on the whole group, to prevent him and say, Castor, from splitting the boys into factions. And I would kind of like to see some sort of blowup over all of that after everything's out in the open, in the interests of ripping some things that have been festering open so they can heal or what have you.
OR I'd like to see Phoenix (or someone else, as we've already established I think Bellamy should fuck his brothers) be like, "I know Lust makes you always be all about whatever your partner wants, but tonight it's all about YOU," and then just like, cater to Bell and help him figure out what he likes.
Gray
I love this sleepy ball of sunshine, and real talk, I remain somewhat surprised that his focus book did not go to even a little bit of a somnophilia place. "Oh, no, Gray is getting sleepy, now we cannot have sex." Yes, you can! I expect more initiative and can-do spirit from a marine. Gray doesn't even have to be fully asleep, you could go with sleepy, warm and relaxed sex or something during one of his bad lethargic periods, where he can't really do anything except lay there and take it, but that's okay because he's still mentally into it and his partner loves manhandling him. His partner doesn't have to be Mason, you could go with that pirate captain he used to roll with (love a pirate fic), or maybe he has an ongoing arrangement with one of his brothers, like he's Bellamy's go-to partner during a dry spell (he can totally come in his sleep!) or a stress relief thing with Alastair. Or maybe it's all of them, from time to time! (I know several of the bros only bottom on-page, but I think Raiden is the only one who's explicit about being an exclusive bottom--but I'm willing to ignore all of that for porn logic's sake.)
I'd also like to see fic about Gray just, like, navigating the world with Sloth. Oh, no, he's asleep again. In the middle of this battle. Or just in the middle of this Target. It never gets old to me. I love him. So just anything with Gray being Gray and everyone else fondly coping with that: A+.
Or how about, since Gray is the brother who really loves Christmas, Christmas fic? Maybe that Christmas that everything went wrong that...I think it's Daman talks about in the books, in more detail, or just another cozy family Christmas. What do you even buy Greed for Christmas, anyway? Hell, what do you buy Galen? And now there are all these soulmates and we've gotta shop for them, and fuck me, do I have to get Lazarus a Christmas present?
Just Lazarus
1. Maybe an AU where when Lazarus suddenly found himself a single parent to eight kids who hated him to various degrees it was more funny and awkward and less of a total fucking nightmare for everyone involved? Maybe he tried his best instead of beating them with a whip. Maybe that.
2. Maybe something when he was stuck at Clara's after he injured his wing in Bellamy and he just had to put up with this human witch being casually mean to him because she was also helping (and also, she's right).
3. Five times Raiden talked him into trying human food and one time he actually liked it.
4. Something with the 'Bellamy may be perceived as his favorite' thing I went into above.
5. In Bellamy it's revealed that Lazarus at one point agreed with/followed Lucifer, so, like, AU where he fell? (This could also be a juicy Alastair/Lazarus prompt, just sayin'.)
