Not Primetime Letter
Dear not-primetime player,
We matched on one of the following fandoms, so clearly, you are full of awesome. I've put together this letter in the hopes that it will be helpful, but I want to preface it with this: Despite rambling a bit, I'm easy. Anything you do about these fandoms/characters will make me incredibly happy. If you have your own idea, please, feel free to go off in whatever direction you want.
(Also, a lot of these are less prompts and more just thoughts I have about canon that might spark something. Hopefully you find that useful.)
Onwards to the requests!
Community, Troy Barnes and Abed Nadir
I requested Troy and Abed because yes, I am a huge shipper. I would love to get shippy fic with them, or with Troy/Abed/Annie. But don't worry - I'd be happy with gen too! Some thoughts:
-- Troy/Abed(/Annie): I especially love love LOVE first kiss/getting together/general beginning of the relationship stuff for this ship. How do they end up turning their friendship into something more? Who realizes they want to make the change? How does Abed's emotional inaccessibility play into it? What about Troy's slow journey towards adulthood? Feel free to go smutty if you want, but it's definitely not something I feel a need for - I'd rather have the focus be on the emotional development - and for this ship I prefer keeping kinkiness to a minimum.
Alternatively, seeing Troy/Abed work through more serious relationship issues further into a romantic relationship would be interesting. Or: What would their marriage look like? One request: If you do T/A fic, please have a happy ending. I can't really deal with the idea of these two breaking up.
Other things I'm interested in, either for gen or in shippy fic:
-- The Troy-Jeff relationship. The combination of admiration, disillusionment and competition going on here is really interesting to me. In general, Troy's process of growing up is one of my favorite things about the character.
-- The Abed-Jeff relationship. I like that in some weird way, they are peers who learn from each other. I'd like to see more of that. Their moments at the end of Contemporary American Poultry and Critical Film Studies are some of my favorite on the show, and I'm sad we've seen less of this recently.
-- Group adventures/bonding! Or just Troy & Abed adventures. Or any combination of Troy & Abed & another character.
-- Crossovers! This is a fandom where I think crossovers would be a lot of fun. I've always wanted to see a Community/Sherlock (BBC) crossover - Sherlock trying to solve a crime in the non-logical Community world would be hilarious, and I'd love to see him and Abed interact. I've also always wanted to see Troy & Abed go on an adventure with The Doctor - or Inspector Spacetime! Or what if Veronica Mars comes to Greendale to solve a crime, or the Fringe team has to investigate a strange occurrence at Greendale (another zombie outbreak?)?
-- In general I prefer things not to get TOO dark for Community fic. Some angst or bittersweet endings are fine, but this show is my happy place.
Once Upon a Time, Rumplestiltskin/Gold
Congratulations. If you have matched me on Rumple/Gold, you have a very easy job, because he's one of my two or three favorite character on TV right now (and I watch a loooot of TV). Bring me more of him, and I'm happy. Seriously.
So, what do I like about him? I am a sucker for highly competent chessmaster villains, so I love watching him manipulate the heck out of people in either world. I like fraught parent-child relationships, so I'm a sucker for Rumple-Bae stuff. I love villains who struggle (emphasis on struggle) towards being better because of love, so Rumbelle is fantastic for me. Basically, I like me some Rumple who is dark, dangerous, manipulative, but also possibly redeemable (unless you want to set it during his darkest phase, which would be great, too).
Some more thoughts/prompts if they would be useful:
-- If you want to go shippy I love Rumbelle as long as it's not too saccharine. I also like Gold/Lacey, if you prefer that. Plus, I adore Rumple/Cora as a twisted dark!ship.
-- For gen, I also adore watching Rumple/Gold play off all of the characters, but especially Regina, Emma, and Charming. So exploring any of those dynamics would be great. Plotty manipulations, hilarious banter in a single scene - whatever floats your boat.
-- As suggested above, I'd LOVE anything involving Rumple and Bae, especially anything that explores their relationship in the present and whether or not it can ever truly be repaired.
-- I really like retold fairy tales, so if you're into the idea I'd love to see Rumple incorporated into another "flashback" retelling of a tale the show hasn't done.
Skins, Any
I picked any and I mean it. I adore all the nominated characters (and many who weren't) and want more with them, whether it's a look at where they are years down the line, missing scenes from the show, or anything inbetween. I love both Gen 1 and Gen 2, so feel free to pick characters from either; or mix it up! I'd be interested in seeing characters who never met in canon bump into each other. I've bullet pointed some ideas and ship preferences based on the nominated characters, but please feel free to go in other directions and pull in any Gen 1 or 2 characters you'd like.
-- My #1 Skins ship is Effy/Cook in all their self destructive, seize-the-day, broken, angry, desperate glory, so I'd adore anything about them. I also actually like the love triangle with Freddie, as long as the Freddie-Cook (or, yes, Freddie/Cook) relationship is given as much weight as the romantic relationship with Effy (something I think the show did really well). Feel free to go AU from Freddie's death if that's interesting to you.
-- Speaking of Freddie's death, I'd love anything about how that impacted the group, or any of the characters, especially Effy and/or Cook.
-- Other favorite ships include Chris/Jal (breaks. my. heart.), Tony/Maxxie, Thomas/Katie. And really, I enjoy all of the canon ships.
-- I love this show for the friendships even more than the relationships. I love all the big group dynamics and would love fic that incorporated a lot of the characters, but if you want more specifics, I particularly like (in no particular order) Tony-Syd, Chris-Cassie, Tony-Maxxie (esp. during Tony's recovery), Effy-Panda, Naomi-Cook (loooove this one), and, of course, Cook-Freddie-JJ.
-- Effy and Tony. Oh my god their relationship fascinates and touches me. I'd love anything that explores the way their lives interweave and impact each other. I really, really want to know how Tony felt about Effy's depression. When did he hear? How did he react? Even though I understand, from a meta production standpoint, why he never showed up in Series 4, it bothered me. I'd love to see them address that part of her life. Or anything about them. What was the Stonem household like when they were younger?
-- I haven't said much about Maxxie, Jal, or Chris yet, but rest assured I love them as much as Cook, Effy, and Tony. Beyond the (friend/)ships mentioned above, I'd be really interested in future fic for Maxxie or Jal (I think I'm drawn to them because I have faith that they're going to do cool things with their lives in the end). Chris is ... well, Chris is Chris. He's the best, and anything you want to do with him goes.
Final thoughts: I would prefer if you kept fic grounded in canon. That said, this canon is really surreal/crazy at times, and you should feel free to embrace that. I'd also definitely be interested in fics that explore "what-if" AUs based on major canon events turning out differently (like the big deaths, Tony's accident, etc.)
Suits, Mike Ross and Harvey Spector
I picked Mike and Harvey, because yes, I ship them like burning. If you want to go in that direction, I've included a few more thoughts on their dynamic below. But I'm open to gen, too! I really just enjoy the world of this show, the snappy dialogue, and Mike and Harvey's relationship in any form, so anything that incorporate that will delight me. Here are some prompts/thoughts that might be helpful in either case.
-- I love any time Harvey reveals that he actually gives a fuck about Mike, either in small ways or by really going to the bat for him; I love how surprised Mike always is.
-- I adore watching characters being competent, so something where one or both kick legal butt is always nice.
-- Harvey getting high = Best. Ever. Would not be opposed to more of that.
-- Other characters I especially adore are Jessica, Donna, and Louis. I love all three's dynamics with Harvey and Mike both separately and together. I'm especially fascinated by Louis's faltering attempts to be a better person and bond with them, and the various ways Jessica manvers to keep them in line (or fail to, sometimes).
-- I also like Katrina Bennett and Edward Darby, who were introduced in the back half of Season 2, so if you want to play with how either of their presences could impact things, please do.
On Harvey/Mike (slash or pre-slash or whatever): I'll admit it: I like the skewed power dynamics in this relationship - but not in a non-con/dub-con way. Harvey is Mike's boss and Mike basically worships him, and I like when that's carried over into ship fic. But at the same time, Harvey is totally drawn to and fascinated by Mike. Mike's one of the few people Harvey trusts; despite the mentor-mentee relationship they BOTH care about and respect each other. That's how I see it, anyway.
In terms of ship fic, this is one of the few fandoms where I adore rom-com and romance tropes. H/C (in either direction) is my Suits crack, as is Mike being threatened and Harvey freaking out and realizing his feelings. Also fun: Fake dating, Donna conspiring to get them together, etc. etc. I particularly enjoy fic that's about the beginning of the relationship, realizing/admitting they have feelings for each other (or even just gen hinting at it).
Some thoughts on general likes and dislikes:
-- Characters are the most important part of fan-fic for me. I love a good plot, don't get me wrong, but seeing more of the characters I love is the number one thing I'm here for.
-- I'm open to all kinds of tones and genres! Angst, humor, thrillers, character pieces - whatever works for the story you want to tell.
-- I don't like AUs of the "the characters are all in high school together" variety, but I am down with "What If" AUs that explore what would happen if one aspect of canon was different.
-- I'm not in anyway tied to the idea of explicit sex, but I'm open to it. Some more details on that:
+ I'm not into non-sex related body fluids
+ I'm not so interested in well-thought out, established and healthy BDSM relationships.
+ I AM interested in D/s dynamics in bed that just develop (esp for Harvey/Mike).
Other Likes: Strong character voices, first times, characters realizing how much someone else means to them, H/C, morally ambiguous characters, small moments that have significance for the people involved, twisty plots, dysfunctional relationships that somehow work anyway, dysfunctional relationship that fall apart gloriously, snark, banter, intense friendships, tentative beginnings (romantic or otherwise).
Other dislikes: I'm not big on cracky fics (or at least, no more so than canon itself). I'm also not that into schmoop. I'm not big on fantasy added into non-fantastical worlds, mpreg, or anything else that diverges from canon TOO much in terms of tone.
We matched on one of the following fandoms, so clearly, you are full of awesome. I've put together this letter in the hopes that it will be helpful, but I want to preface it with this: Despite rambling a bit, I'm easy. Anything you do about these fandoms/characters will make me incredibly happy. If you have your own idea, please, feel free to go off in whatever direction you want.
(Also, a lot of these are less prompts and more just thoughts I have about canon that might spark something. Hopefully you find that useful.)
Onwards to the requests!
Community, Troy Barnes and Abed Nadir
I requested Troy and Abed because yes, I am a huge shipper. I would love to get shippy fic with them, or with Troy/Abed/Annie. But don't worry - I'd be happy with gen too! Some thoughts:
-- Troy/Abed(/Annie): I especially love love LOVE first kiss/getting together/general beginning of the relationship stuff for this ship. How do they end up turning their friendship into something more? Who realizes they want to make the change? How does Abed's emotional inaccessibility play into it? What about Troy's slow journey towards adulthood? Feel free to go smutty if you want, but it's definitely not something I feel a need for - I'd rather have the focus be on the emotional development - and for this ship I prefer keeping kinkiness to a minimum.
Alternatively, seeing Troy/Abed work through more serious relationship issues further into a romantic relationship would be interesting. Or: What would their marriage look like? One request: If you do T/A fic, please have a happy ending. I can't really deal with the idea of these two breaking up.
Other things I'm interested in, either for gen or in shippy fic:
-- The Troy-Jeff relationship. The combination of admiration, disillusionment and competition going on here is really interesting to me. In general, Troy's process of growing up is one of my favorite things about the character.
-- The Abed-Jeff relationship. I like that in some weird way, they are peers who learn from each other. I'd like to see more of that. Their moments at the end of Contemporary American Poultry and Critical Film Studies are some of my favorite on the show, and I'm sad we've seen less of this recently.
-- Group adventures/bonding! Or just Troy & Abed adventures. Or any combination of Troy & Abed & another character.
-- Crossovers! This is a fandom where I think crossovers would be a lot of fun. I've always wanted to see a Community/Sherlock (BBC) crossover - Sherlock trying to solve a crime in the non-logical Community world would be hilarious, and I'd love to see him and Abed interact. I've also always wanted to see Troy & Abed go on an adventure with The Doctor - or Inspector Spacetime! Or what if Veronica Mars comes to Greendale to solve a crime, or the Fringe team has to investigate a strange occurrence at Greendale (another zombie outbreak?)?
-- In general I prefer things not to get TOO dark for Community fic. Some angst or bittersweet endings are fine, but this show is my happy place.
Once Upon a Time, Rumplestiltskin/Gold
Congratulations. If you have matched me on Rumple/Gold, you have a very easy job, because he's one of my two or three favorite character on TV right now (and I watch a loooot of TV). Bring me more of him, and I'm happy. Seriously.
So, what do I like about him? I am a sucker for highly competent chessmaster villains, so I love watching him manipulate the heck out of people in either world. I like fraught parent-child relationships, so I'm a sucker for Rumple-Bae stuff. I love villains who struggle (emphasis on struggle) towards being better because of love, so Rumbelle is fantastic for me. Basically, I like me some Rumple who is dark, dangerous, manipulative, but also possibly redeemable (unless you want to set it during his darkest phase, which would be great, too).
Some more thoughts/prompts if they would be useful:
-- If you want to go shippy I love Rumbelle as long as it's not too saccharine. I also like Gold/Lacey, if you prefer that. Plus, I adore Rumple/Cora as a twisted dark!ship.
-- For gen, I also adore watching Rumple/Gold play off all of the characters, but especially Regina, Emma, and Charming. So exploring any of those dynamics would be great. Plotty manipulations, hilarious banter in a single scene - whatever floats your boat.
-- As suggested above, I'd LOVE anything involving Rumple and Bae, especially anything that explores their relationship in the present and whether or not it can ever truly be repaired.
-- I really like retold fairy tales, so if you're into the idea I'd love to see Rumple incorporated into another "flashback" retelling of a tale the show hasn't done.
Skins, Any
I picked any and I mean it. I adore all the nominated characters (and many who weren't) and want more with them, whether it's a look at where they are years down the line, missing scenes from the show, or anything inbetween. I love both Gen 1 and Gen 2, so feel free to pick characters from either; or mix it up! I'd be interested in seeing characters who never met in canon bump into each other. I've bullet pointed some ideas and ship preferences based on the nominated characters, but please feel free to go in other directions and pull in any Gen 1 or 2 characters you'd like.
-- My #1 Skins ship is Effy/Cook in all their self destructive, seize-the-day, broken, angry, desperate glory, so I'd adore anything about them. I also actually like the love triangle with Freddie, as long as the Freddie-Cook (or, yes, Freddie/Cook) relationship is given as much weight as the romantic relationship with Effy (something I think the show did really well). Feel free to go AU from Freddie's death if that's interesting to you.
-- Speaking of Freddie's death, I'd love anything about how that impacted the group, or any of the characters, especially Effy and/or Cook.
-- Other favorite ships include Chris/Jal (breaks. my. heart.), Tony/Maxxie, Thomas/Katie. And really, I enjoy all of the canon ships.
-- I love this show for the friendships even more than the relationships. I love all the big group dynamics and would love fic that incorporated a lot of the characters, but if you want more specifics, I particularly like (in no particular order) Tony-Syd, Chris-Cassie, Tony-Maxxie (esp. during Tony's recovery), Effy-Panda, Naomi-Cook (loooove this one), and, of course, Cook-Freddie-JJ.
-- Effy and Tony. Oh my god their relationship fascinates and touches me. I'd love anything that explores the way their lives interweave and impact each other. I really, really want to know how Tony felt about Effy's depression. When did he hear? How did he react? Even though I understand, from a meta production standpoint, why he never showed up in Series 4, it bothered me. I'd love to see them address that part of her life. Or anything about them. What was the Stonem household like when they were younger?
-- I haven't said much about Maxxie, Jal, or Chris yet, but rest assured I love them as much as Cook, Effy, and Tony. Beyond the (friend/)ships mentioned above, I'd be really interested in future fic for Maxxie or Jal (I think I'm drawn to them because I have faith that they're going to do cool things with their lives in the end). Chris is ... well, Chris is Chris. He's the best, and anything you want to do with him goes.
Final thoughts: I would prefer if you kept fic grounded in canon. That said, this canon is really surreal/crazy at times, and you should feel free to embrace that. I'd also definitely be interested in fics that explore "what-if" AUs based on major canon events turning out differently (like the big deaths, Tony's accident, etc.)
Suits, Mike Ross and Harvey Spector
I picked Mike and Harvey, because yes, I ship them like burning. If you want to go in that direction, I've included a few more thoughts on their dynamic below. But I'm open to gen, too! I really just enjoy the world of this show, the snappy dialogue, and Mike and Harvey's relationship in any form, so anything that incorporate that will delight me. Here are some prompts/thoughts that might be helpful in either case.
-- I love any time Harvey reveals that he actually gives a fuck about Mike, either in small ways or by really going to the bat for him; I love how surprised Mike always is.
-- I adore watching characters being competent, so something where one or both kick legal butt is always nice.
-- Harvey getting high = Best. Ever. Would not be opposed to more of that.
-- Other characters I especially adore are Jessica, Donna, and Louis. I love all three's dynamics with Harvey and Mike both separately and together. I'm especially fascinated by Louis's faltering attempts to be a better person and bond with them, and the various ways Jessica manvers to keep them in line (or fail to, sometimes).
-- I also like Katrina Bennett and Edward Darby, who were introduced in the back half of Season 2, so if you want to play with how either of their presences could impact things, please do.
On Harvey/Mike (slash or pre-slash or whatever): I'll admit it: I like the skewed power dynamics in this relationship - but not in a non-con/dub-con way. Harvey is Mike's boss and Mike basically worships him, and I like when that's carried over into ship fic. But at the same time, Harvey is totally drawn to and fascinated by Mike. Mike's one of the few people Harvey trusts; despite the mentor-mentee relationship they BOTH care about and respect each other. That's how I see it, anyway.
In terms of ship fic, this is one of the few fandoms where I adore rom-com and romance tropes. H/C (in either direction) is my Suits crack, as is Mike being threatened and Harvey freaking out and realizing his feelings. Also fun: Fake dating, Donna conspiring to get them together, etc. etc. I particularly enjoy fic that's about the beginning of the relationship, realizing/admitting they have feelings for each other (or even just gen hinting at it).
Some thoughts on general likes and dislikes:
-- Characters are the most important part of fan-fic for me. I love a good plot, don't get me wrong, but seeing more of the characters I love is the number one thing I'm here for.
-- I'm open to all kinds of tones and genres! Angst, humor, thrillers, character pieces - whatever works for the story you want to tell.
-- I don't like AUs of the "the characters are all in high school together" variety, but I am down with "What If" AUs that explore what would happen if one aspect of canon was different.
-- I'm not in anyway tied to the idea of explicit sex, but I'm open to it. Some more details on that:
+ I'm not into non-sex related body fluids
+ I'm not so interested in well-thought out, established and healthy BDSM relationships.
+ I AM interested in D/s dynamics in bed that just develop (esp for Harvey/Mike).
Other Likes: Strong character voices, first times, characters realizing how much someone else means to them, H/C, morally ambiguous characters, small moments that have significance for the people involved, twisty plots, dysfunctional relationships that somehow work anyway, dysfunctional relationship that fall apart gloriously, snark, banter, intense friendships, tentative beginnings (romantic or otherwise).
Other dislikes: I'm not big on cracky fics (or at least, no more so than canon itself). I'm also not that into schmoop. I'm not big on fantasy added into non-fantastical worlds, mpreg, or anything else that diverges from canon TOO much in terms of tone.