Dear Rare Pairs Author
Dear Rare Pairs Author,
Firstly, I would like to say thank you for the time and effort that you are willing to put into making my gift :) I’m very excited for this fest and I hope you find this letter to be at least somewhat helpful/inspiring. I’ve included my general likes and dislikes as well as specific preferences and prompts for each fandom I’ve requested.
One of my fandoms has requests for art. I'm not very good at requesting art (like, I don't know what would be helpful). I have a "for artists" blurb in each section, which basically lists some art-accesible prompts and general things I think I'd like to see in an art piece.
GENERAL STUFF
Pairings/Sex/Ratings:
Likes:
-I’m good with het, fem and slash for background/secondary ships.
-All ratings up to R.
-A focus on the romantic/emotional aspect of a relationship and some semblance of a plot/point rather than just sex.
-Unrequited (or secretly requited) pining.
-Complicated relationship dynamics, love triangles, relationships that take some effort/time to work, loving each other but because [insert reasons here] not always being able to be together/communicate those feelings, etc in this vain.
-UST. Eventually resolved is probably better than not, however, not a must-have.
-Conversely from the above - romantic partners who just can’t help but adore each other.
Dislikes/Rather-Nots
-Threesomes/moresomes and polyamory.
-Incest (unless specifically asked for or canon).
-Parings with large age disparity (over 15 years) unless specifically asked for.
-Pedophilia (please keep minors in sexual relationships with adults 16 and over; if both partners are teens 14-15 is ok if treated appropriately).
-NC-17 and PWPs
-BDSM, omegaverse, and most kink. (NOT included in this: foreplay; bantery/lighthearted roleplay for the purposes of foreplay; preferences for a certain sexual position, fascination with a partner’s physical trait, such as, e.g., preferring redheads or virgins or younger partners or being fascinated by someone’s shoulders; rough/aggressive/desperate sex or outside-of-bedroom inequalities that transfer into the bedroom, even though there may be pining down of wrists or some other element that could be considered a kink or part of BDSM.)
-Foot fetishes (I know I said liking specific body parts is fine, but ah, feet are the exception).
-Humiliation (both sexual and not)
-Non-con/rape (dub-con that leans toward/ends up as consensual is ok).
-Mpreg; cross-dressing; genderbending/genderswap.
Genres/Themes (and such):
Likes:
-Angst, drama. (Generally, I’m ok with dark!fic too, but please don’t try to use this as a challenge to see how many angst/dark tropes you can fit into a single fic. I enjoy dark themes and things like character death don’t bother me, but if it feels like it’s just a marathon of horrible things happening with no light anywhere to be seen…that might be a little too intense for me.)
-Humor is fun too, but I like it more as an element in the story rather than a story that sets out to be funny first and foremost.
-Hurt/comfort (primarily for m/m).
-LOYALTY KINK! Themes of loyalty in general.
-Fluff, banter, cuddling/snuggling, kissing, general adorableness (and adoration!).
-Well-rounded characters, characters with emotions/sympathetic motives; the “other side of the story”.
Dislikes/Rather-Nots:
-Crack!fic, parody.
-Radical AUs that subvert the universe (eg: genderswaping the cast, setting a modern fandom as a fairytale, turning a historical fandom all Sifi, etc. This includes stuff like A/B/O and inserting magic/supernatural elements into a non-magic/supernatural universe).
-Crossovers (not counting specific crossover requests of course).
-Character bashing; intentional OOCness.
-Humiliation; any sort of glorification of bullying, or bullying being excused/condoned in the narrative (this includes things like victim blaming, etc).
-Narrative implications that “sex = love” or that romantic partners HAVE to have sex to have a “valid” relationship or to be “really” in love with each other.
FANDOMS
Captive Prince
Jord/Aimeric. Aimeric is a tragic character to me. He’s abused, then manipulated. His trauma response leaves him more vulnerable than Laurent. He gets caught up in a civil war and tries to do a brave thing (when you look at it from his side of the political divide) and it ends horribly. He ends up stuck between a manipulative “lover” and his family on one side and a man he’s come to love who genuinely loves him back but also a Prince he despises on the other. It’s all delightfully juicy angst but also terribly sad. Aimeric makes a lot of sense to me.
I would love me some Jord/Aimeric fluff or flangst or hurt/comfort. Jord/Aimeric hits all of my OTP kinks. I love how they work together, I love the difference in social power and yet the reverse difference in emotional vulnerability. I also just love Jord. I love how much Jord loves Aimeric. If you just want to write something utterly heartbreaking: Jord dealing with Aimeric’s death and realizing that despite the breach in trust he still loves the boy. And how devastating that realization is. (I feel like because the book is from Damen’s POV we don’t really get closure for Jord/Aimeric. I didn’t get closure, anyway, and I’d like some.)
Catherine (2014)
Canon: Youtube - Russian only | Youtube - English subs but only 10/12 eps currently up
So. This is a historical drama. Which fudges around with history quite a bit, especially timelines. But like, I don’t even care, because it’s wonderfully written and acted and offers up some wonderful characters. Characters based on real people, so feel free to use historical facts/background to flesh things out. (Although, since I’m looking for show!fic not RPF, show canon/characterization trumps history.)
Peter stole my heart. I understand Catherine’s struggles and that he pushed her away and generally has the tendency to be a snot a lot, but he won me over. There is so much genuine desperation, fear and unhappiness in his character that I just want to give him all the hugs. And of course it all ends so tragically.
Peter/Brockforff. Obviously, feel free to skip historical research as this is not an RPF request, but in case you're interested:[Who the hell is Christian August Brockdorff anyway?]Before Peter III was called to Russia to take his place as the crown prince, he grew up in a German/Prussian family. His father was close with Brockdorff's father. Peter and Brockdorff obviously knew each other as kids/teens because by the time Peter was called to Russia (he was like 14..maybe a tad older), ministers of the party currently in power in Russia had decided that Brockdorff had such an influence on him, that he should not be allowed into the country. So when Brockdorff tried to follow Peter to Russia, he was turned away at the border. Several years later he ended up basically sneaking into the country anyway, came to Petersburg, got a warm reception from Peter and stayed as the latter's Kammerherr. I'm sure the "real" motive behind all this was something along the lines of money-position-power. But the more romantic (read: slashy) theory is more fun :D (Info comes from Russian wiki article).
Brockdorff is always in the background but also always around, even when it doesn’t seem like he has a “duty” to be. (Or any comprehensible reason? Like when Peter is woken up in the middle of the night to go watch Catherine give birth and Brockdorff is there with him. I mean, other than like providing moral support, why would he be there? And why would he want to provide moral support in the middle of the night unless he cares a hell of a lot? See how this works? :)) Even if you don’t want to use historical background, Brockdorff seems to be the one person who is always exclusively on Peter’s side. (Shuvalov is too, to an extent, I suppose.) In that last scene before Peter gets arrested by Orlov and co., it’s Liza and Brockdorff who are with him and Brockdorff makes such a touching show of loyalty by offering to buy Peter time by “holding them off.” I don’t want to make this into a shipper’s manifesto or anything, but I just mean that there are so many little, subtle things.
This could even be a one-sided ship. I love the dynamic of the emotionally vulnerable, mildly daft Prince and his loyal and more competent/composed underling (chamberlain in this case). You could go fluffy - private, happy moments - or angsty - Brockdorff’s one-sided love or a complicated relationship made even more complicated by Peter’s constantly worsening paranoia and dissatisfaction with everything. Hurt/comfort <3 (I apologize for the lack of specific prompts. It’s more a mood/relationship dynamic I’m going for than anything else.)
For artists: anything cute/adorable, hugs and cuddles, kissing, holding hands, horseback riding, nature setting, summer days, balls and fancy clothes, longing looks (hidden or not, requited or not), mementos/things that remind one of the other (Peter’s sword with the ribbon comes to mind, also his violin), flying a kite (which burns up in the air!), quiet/intimate moments.
Please no sex. I'd preffer a rating of PG-13 or lower for art.
Peter/Liza. I love that of all the women Peter could have had he chose Liza. Not some flawless, sexy toy but a rough-around-the-edges, unattractive girl with a limp who loves what he loves and seems to understand him and knows all the right things to say (right in his POV). She makes Peter happy and I really like it when he’s happy. In fact, they make each other happy. They’re both outcasts in some way: Liza is not the flawless, demure bride prized by society at this time and age; Peter is stuck in a country he cares little for, far from what he considers home, his marriage is unhappy, he’s under the control of a tyrannical aunt… But when these two find each other, it’s like everything else goes away.
I don’t have a specific prompt, I admit. I just want fluff, I guess? I want them to be happy, to make each other happy. Lol, maybe Liza is actually in control of this relationship? Not in a creepy manipulative way, but like, she’s the only one who can talk Peter down from one stupid thing or another and she knows that though he might think that all the good ideas are his, they’re actually hers. I don’t think I want too much angst with this ship. Canon ends so heartbreakingly for them that I don’t think I could stand it :/
For artists: general happiness, bright colors, warm colors, candles, pretty dresses (for Liza), wedding (day, vows), holding hands, hugs from behind.
Please no sex. I'd prefer a rating of PG-13 or lower for art.
War and Peace
Dolokhov/Anatole. I ADORE them together. Personal headcanon is that Dolokhov takes not just a leading but protector type role in this relationship, but you can play with that as you like. You could do anything with them! Happy, fluffy summertime fic, banter, first time, UST (especially at a ball), friendship-turned-more, drunk fooling around. Or mushy hurt/comfort. Or awfully angsty war!fic. How does Dolokhov take Anatole’s death at Borodino? What about that whole Anatole/Natasha thing? How does that fit in? For something more “serious” - having to hide their relationship; maybe Anatole is in denial about having romantic feelings for men? There are some major socioeconomic imbalances in this relationship, but Dolokhov has the upper hand personality and intellect wise and an exploration of how all that translates into power dynamics within the relationship would be cool. Not to say that their relationship has to be flawless. With someone like Dolokhov it’s never going to be. I’m sure there would be plenty of jealousy and cheating and hurting each other (probably unintentional on Anatole’s end and intentional on Dolokhov’s). I’d be up for a kinda-fix-it where Anatole survives the war and well…that’s going to cause its own slew of problems and issues, but maybe a happy ending of sorts if you go in this direction? I do want these two to be happy, but their angst has the potential to be extremely delicious.
Dolokhov/Nikolai. This was actually the first pairing I shipped in this fandom. These two have the potential to be very cute. I’d love to see a scene from that summer they spent together in Moscow after the duel when Nikolai’s family is out in the country. Or maybe a post-duel hurt/comfort fic? Throwing someone like Dolokhov into a situation where he’s hurt and vulnerable can be so interesting. Or Nikolai’s reaction to the card game? Why such a “messy” break-up? (We know in canon it’s Sonya but was it really?)
Dolokhov/Sonya. How I want her to have a happy ending and how sad it is that Dolokhov is never even mentioned in the epilogue. I wouldn’t mind an AU where Sonya accepts his proposal or at some point realizes Nikolai isn’t worth waiting for or something. I would even more love a post-war fic because then Nikolai is married and Sonya has no ties to him anymore. (I think this is important because I somehow feel it would have diminished Sonya in Theodore’s eyes had she “jumped” men at the time that he proposed.) I would love-love-love for them to have a happy ending together. I think this could be such a sweet pairing!
Dolokhov/Helene. They’re great on a whole spectrum of genres and themes. A pre-book teenage romance, their affair after Helene’s marriage, and exploration of the class issues standing between them… I think they can range anywhere from sweet and beautiful, if hopeless, romance to something dark, passionate, complicated and possibly selfish. I think with them I would love to see a “mature” relationship. I think they’re both characters that put up with a lot. I think there’s lots of pressure on Helene from society and her father to be a certain way and I think that leaves its mark. (I’m seriously thinking about the Christina Aguilera song “Reflection” right now.)
Crossover: War and Peace x Eugene Onegin
Dolokhov/Onegin: I don’t think we ever get a canonical timeframe for Eugene Onegin, but inference and educated guesses and such, say that the age difference between Dolokhov and Onegin is actually about 15-20 years. However, if you would like to twist/bend the EO timeline a bit to make them closer in age, that’s fine too. I’ve seen it done very well before.
I think…I think this would be an interesting opportunity to see a younger, pre-canon, more vulnerable Onegin. Before he was quite so jaded with the world/society. Also a chance to see him as the more vulnerable/less experienced in a relationship. Dolokhov plays the most exquisite mind games, so there’s that. And what if Dolokhov is trying to use a young Onegin as a replacement for Anatole who died in the war? Or would these two have some sort of seduction stand-off? Or connect on a purely intellectual/cynical level? I don’t even know, honestly. But I would be super interested in seeing how this pairing would work. I don’t actually have any sort of headcanon that I’m much attached to, so I’d love to see any take you have on this ship.
Crossover: Suits x Law and Order: SVU
Scottie/Casey: Lawyer girls! Seriously, nothing hotter than gorgeous lawyer girls kicking ass in the courtroom and falling in love at the same time. Story ideas: working on a case together (maybe Dana becomes a D.A. or Casey goes into private practice), litigating a case against each other, late-night study sessions in law school (I don’t think we ever find out where Casey went to LS in canon). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not insisting on a casefic or something with lots of legal stuff in it. I just want these two falling in love in or adjacent to the high-paced professional environment that they both obviously love/are committed to, even if you handwave most of the legal stuff. God knows Suits does it a lot. (Though, as a note, handwavy-most-of-anything-important-happens-behind-the-scenes is waaaay better than utterly-wrong-over-dramatic-what-are-rules-of-evidence ala HTGAWM.)
Spartacus
Tiberius/Sabinus: I was rather disappointed with what the show did with Tiberius’ character after Ep 4, especially since I’d thought they finally decided to round out their antagonists a little more. So, characterization wise, I’d definitely prefer a story that sticks more to his early characterization, ie: the eager, slightly temperamental teenager who just wants to make his dad proud. Thankfully, Sabinus got to stay awesome and honorable until the very end.
I loved these two together. More or less anything that explores their relationship would be awesome. I am especially all about the loyalty kink with this pairing as well as hurt/comfort. A missing scene between that disaster of an attack on Spartacus and when we see them next in the tent the next day(?). Or a missing scene the night before decimation. Or, for an AU, what if that whole decimation thing is stopped somehow and Sabinus never dies. Would he be able to guide Tiberius away from disaster/doom? But, honestly, we get so much darkness with these two in canon that I’d probably prefer something more fluff/mush oriented. Flangst is cool. If it’s hurt/comfort - which, yes, please! - larger accent on the comfort part is preferred :)
The Imitation Game:
Hugh/Peter: Hugh is very aggressively heterosexual. Probably a little too much, lol. A lot of times when I look at this ship I think to myself, man I just want to ship the puppy and the hot cocky guy don't I? Which is true, I totally do. But, IDK, I think it could be a cute dynamic. I don't have any specific fic prompts...Maybe something while they're still at Bletchley? Something that starts off as a mentorship kinda and progresses to something more? Peter missing his brother and being drawn to Hugh initially in a platonic way as a replacement of sorts and then that evolving. Hurt/comfort. Or maybe Hugh is trying to teach Peter - who is hopelessly shy and awkward to flirt - and then it becomes more of a...demonstration?
John Cairncross/Peter Hilton: John’s accurate gaydar must be acknowledged with a slash ship of his own :p Lol, no but seriously, I do enjoy the potential for this dynamic. One had to stand by and let his brother die, the other is a misguided spy. ALL THE ANGST. All puppy-cute-shy Peter and outgoing-laid-back John would be adorable as a couple, come on. I see this ship being a little more "equals" then the one with Hugh. Again, I'm short on concrete prompts, but I think I'd love something post-canon. How do both of them deal with the trauma of the Bletchley experience and how do they come together again? What is if John got in trouble over the spying thing and Peter stepped in to help in some capacity? I could see him doing that as an attempt at saving someone he shouldn't (want to?) save just as a way to make up for what happened during the war.
How to Get Away With Murder
Asher/Conner: I would love something post-canon. Perhaps Asher and Connor are working at the same firm, maybe on the same case? Or perhaps they're working against each other. I would love to see something that plays with how different they are and the things they could learn from each other if they cared to try. I wish I had more ideas to give you, I realize this isn't very helpful, but it's more that I'm just not very picky. I want to see how they get together and the sorts of things they could offer each other in a relationship. Please no Connor/Oliver at all. Hopefully, ignoring it completely won't be too hard in a post-canon fic.
Harry Potter
Regulus/Barty: I have a theory that Regulus’ betrayal of Voldemort was more personal than ideological, i.e. he still believed in the Cause but he thought that Voldemort was a horrible leader, saw through his politics to the selfish ambitions, realized that Voldemort would destroy anyone and anything in order to get his way. Anyway…more on topic. I would love to see anything from angst to fluff with these two. War romance are lovely because there is so much potential for heightened emotions, for hurt/comfort, for desperation. A romance built on a school/childhood friendship and re-enforced by brothers-in-arms implicit trust. That’s a hell of a bond right there. With these two it's also interesting to see how their families affect them - Regulus' fully encourage his wartime activities but are also overbearing while Barty has to hide from his family. I have a bit of a headcanon that Barty's father (and his horrible parenting and extremism) was what pushed Barty toward the DEs initially. I don't shy away from character death, so Barty dealing with losing Regulus would be interesting too. Did he have any doubts/suspicions about what happened? Was he mislead into thinking that the other side was responsible for Regulus' death, which made him even more committed to Voldemort and his Cause?
Pansy/Lavender: As much as I love the idea of this ship, I don't have a ton to say about it. I just love how this sort of ship would thrive on the opposites attract trope. Tell me everything! How did they get together? How does their relationship function? Do they fight a lot? What do they agree on, how do they compromise? Do they just have lots of fun shopping and doing each others nails? Or is it all darker -- part PTSD, part lust, part something more?
Firstly, I would like to say thank you for the time and effort that you are willing to put into making my gift :) I’m very excited for this fest and I hope you find this letter to be at least somewhat helpful/inspiring. I’ve included my general likes and dislikes as well as specific preferences and prompts for each fandom I’ve requested.
One of my fandoms has requests for art. I'm not very good at requesting art (like, I don't know what would be helpful). I have a "for artists" blurb in each section, which basically lists some art-accesible prompts and general things I think I'd like to see in an art piece.
GENERAL STUFF
Pairings/Sex/Ratings:
Likes:
-I’m good with het, fem and slash for background/secondary ships.
-All ratings up to R.
-A focus on the romantic/emotional aspect of a relationship and some semblance of a plot/point rather than just sex.
-Unrequited (or secretly requited) pining.
-Complicated relationship dynamics, love triangles, relationships that take some effort/time to work, loving each other but because [insert reasons here] not always being able to be together/communicate those feelings, etc in this vain.
-UST. Eventually resolved is probably better than not, however, not a must-have.
-Conversely from the above - romantic partners who just can’t help but adore each other.
Dislikes/Rather-Nots
-Threesomes/moresomes and polyamory.
-Incest (unless specifically asked for or canon).
-Parings with large age disparity (over 15 years) unless specifically asked for.
-Pedophilia (please keep minors in sexual relationships with adults 16 and over; if both partners are teens 14-15 is ok if treated appropriately).
-NC-17 and PWPs
-BDSM, omegaverse, and most kink. (NOT included in this: foreplay; bantery/lighthearted roleplay for the purposes of foreplay; preferences for a certain sexual position, fascination with a partner’s physical trait, such as, e.g., preferring redheads or virgins or younger partners or being fascinated by someone’s shoulders; rough/aggressive/desperate sex or outside-of-bedroom inequalities that transfer into the bedroom, even though there may be pining down of wrists or some other element that could be considered a kink or part of BDSM.)
-Foot fetishes (I know I said liking specific body parts is fine, but ah, feet are the exception).
-Humiliation (both sexual and not)
-Non-con/rape (dub-con that leans toward/ends up as consensual is ok).
-Mpreg; cross-dressing; genderbending/genderswap.
Genres/Themes (and such):
Likes:
-Angst, drama. (Generally, I’m ok with dark!fic too, but please don’t try to use this as a challenge to see how many angst/dark tropes you can fit into a single fic. I enjoy dark themes and things like character death don’t bother me, but if it feels like it’s just a marathon of horrible things happening with no light anywhere to be seen…that might be a little too intense for me.)
-Humor is fun too, but I like it more as an element in the story rather than a story that sets out to be funny first and foremost.
-Hurt/comfort (primarily for m/m).
-LOYALTY KINK! Themes of loyalty in general.
-Fluff, banter, cuddling/snuggling, kissing, general adorableness (and adoration!).
-Well-rounded characters, characters with emotions/sympathetic motives; the “other side of the story”.
Dislikes/Rather-Nots:
-Crack!fic, parody.
-Radical AUs that subvert the universe (eg: genderswaping the cast, setting a modern fandom as a fairytale, turning a historical fandom all Sifi, etc. This includes stuff like A/B/O and inserting magic/supernatural elements into a non-magic/supernatural universe).
-Crossovers (not counting specific crossover requests of course).
-Character bashing; intentional OOCness.
-Humiliation; any sort of glorification of bullying, or bullying being excused/condoned in the narrative (this includes things like victim blaming, etc).
-Narrative implications that “sex = love” or that romantic partners HAVE to have sex to have a “valid” relationship or to be “really” in love with each other.
FANDOMS
Captive Prince
Jord/Aimeric. Aimeric is a tragic character to me. He’s abused, then manipulated. His trauma response leaves him more vulnerable than Laurent. He gets caught up in a civil war and tries to do a brave thing (when you look at it from his side of the political divide) and it ends horribly. He ends up stuck between a manipulative “lover” and his family on one side and a man he’s come to love who genuinely loves him back but also a Prince he despises on the other. It’s all delightfully juicy angst but also terribly sad. Aimeric makes a lot of sense to me.
I would love me some Jord/Aimeric fluff or flangst or hurt/comfort. Jord/Aimeric hits all of my OTP kinks. I love how they work together, I love the difference in social power and yet the reverse difference in emotional vulnerability. I also just love Jord. I love how much Jord loves Aimeric. If you just want to write something utterly heartbreaking: Jord dealing with Aimeric’s death and realizing that despite the breach in trust he still loves the boy. And how devastating that realization is. (I feel like because the book is from Damen’s POV we don’t really get closure for Jord/Aimeric. I didn’t get closure, anyway, and I’d like some.)
Catherine (2014)
Canon: Youtube - Russian only | Youtube - English subs but only 10/12 eps currently up
So. This is a historical drama. Which fudges around with history quite a bit, especially timelines. But like, I don’t even care, because it’s wonderfully written and acted and offers up some wonderful characters. Characters based on real people, so feel free to use historical facts/background to flesh things out. (Although, since I’m looking for show!fic not RPF, show canon/characterization trumps history.)
Peter stole my heart. I understand Catherine’s struggles and that he pushed her away and generally has the tendency to be a snot a lot, but he won me over. There is so much genuine desperation, fear and unhappiness in his character that I just want to give him all the hugs. And of course it all ends so tragically.
Peter/Brockforff. Obviously, feel free to skip historical research as this is not an RPF request, but in case you're interested:[Who the hell is Christian August Brockdorff anyway?]Before Peter III was called to Russia to take his place as the crown prince, he grew up in a German/Prussian family. His father was close with Brockdorff's father. Peter and Brockdorff obviously knew each other as kids/teens because by the time Peter was called to Russia (he was like 14..maybe a tad older), ministers of the party currently in power in Russia had decided that Brockdorff had such an influence on him, that he should not be allowed into the country. So when Brockdorff tried to follow Peter to Russia, he was turned away at the border. Several years later he ended up basically sneaking into the country anyway, came to Petersburg, got a warm reception from Peter and stayed as the latter's Kammerherr. I'm sure the "real" motive behind all this was something along the lines of money-position-power. But the more romantic (read: slashy) theory is more fun :D (Info comes from Russian wiki article).
Brockdorff is always in the background but also always around, even when it doesn’t seem like he has a “duty” to be. (Or any comprehensible reason? Like when Peter is woken up in the middle of the night to go watch Catherine give birth and Brockdorff is there with him. I mean, other than like providing moral support, why would he be there? And why would he want to provide moral support in the middle of the night unless he cares a hell of a lot? See how this works? :)) Even if you don’t want to use historical background, Brockdorff seems to be the one person who is always exclusively on Peter’s side. (Shuvalov is too, to an extent, I suppose.) In that last scene before Peter gets arrested by Orlov and co., it’s Liza and Brockdorff who are with him and Brockdorff makes such a touching show of loyalty by offering to buy Peter time by “holding them off.” I don’t want to make this into a shipper’s manifesto or anything, but I just mean that there are so many little, subtle things.
This could even be a one-sided ship. I love the dynamic of the emotionally vulnerable, mildly daft Prince and his loyal and more competent/composed underling (chamberlain in this case). You could go fluffy - private, happy moments - or angsty - Brockdorff’s one-sided love or a complicated relationship made even more complicated by Peter’s constantly worsening paranoia and dissatisfaction with everything. Hurt/comfort <3 (I apologize for the lack of specific prompts. It’s more a mood/relationship dynamic I’m going for than anything else.)
For artists: anything cute/adorable, hugs and cuddles, kissing, holding hands, horseback riding, nature setting, summer days, balls and fancy clothes, longing looks (hidden or not, requited or not), mementos/things that remind one of the other (Peter’s sword with the ribbon comes to mind, also his violin), flying a kite (which burns up in the air!), quiet/intimate moments.
Please no sex. I'd preffer a rating of PG-13 or lower for art.
Peter/Liza. I love that of all the women Peter could have had he chose Liza. Not some flawless, sexy toy but a rough-around-the-edges, unattractive girl with a limp who loves what he loves and seems to understand him and knows all the right things to say (right in his POV). She makes Peter happy and I really like it when he’s happy. In fact, they make each other happy. They’re both outcasts in some way: Liza is not the flawless, demure bride prized by society at this time and age; Peter is stuck in a country he cares little for, far from what he considers home, his marriage is unhappy, he’s under the control of a tyrannical aunt… But when these two find each other, it’s like everything else goes away.
I don’t have a specific prompt, I admit. I just want fluff, I guess? I want them to be happy, to make each other happy. Lol, maybe Liza is actually in control of this relationship? Not in a creepy manipulative way, but like, she’s the only one who can talk Peter down from one stupid thing or another and she knows that though he might think that all the good ideas are his, they’re actually hers. I don’t think I want too much angst with this ship. Canon ends so heartbreakingly for them that I don’t think I could stand it :/
For artists: general happiness, bright colors, warm colors, candles, pretty dresses (for Liza), wedding (day, vows), holding hands, hugs from behind.
Please no sex. I'd prefer a rating of PG-13 or lower for art.
War and Peace
Dolokhov/Anatole. I ADORE them together. Personal headcanon is that Dolokhov takes not just a leading but protector type role in this relationship, but you can play with that as you like. You could do anything with them! Happy, fluffy summertime fic, banter, first time, UST (especially at a ball), friendship-turned-more, drunk fooling around. Or mushy hurt/comfort. Or awfully angsty war!fic. How does Dolokhov take Anatole’s death at Borodino? What about that whole Anatole/Natasha thing? How does that fit in? For something more “serious” - having to hide their relationship; maybe Anatole is in denial about having romantic feelings for men? There are some major socioeconomic imbalances in this relationship, but Dolokhov has the upper hand personality and intellect wise and an exploration of how all that translates into power dynamics within the relationship would be cool. Not to say that their relationship has to be flawless. With someone like Dolokhov it’s never going to be. I’m sure there would be plenty of jealousy and cheating and hurting each other (probably unintentional on Anatole’s end and intentional on Dolokhov’s). I’d be up for a kinda-fix-it where Anatole survives the war and well…that’s going to cause its own slew of problems and issues, but maybe a happy ending of sorts if you go in this direction? I do want these two to be happy, but their angst has the potential to be extremely delicious.
Dolokhov/Nikolai. This was actually the first pairing I shipped in this fandom. These two have the potential to be very cute. I’d love to see a scene from that summer they spent together in Moscow after the duel when Nikolai’s family is out in the country. Or maybe a post-duel hurt/comfort fic? Throwing someone like Dolokhov into a situation where he’s hurt and vulnerable can be so interesting. Or Nikolai’s reaction to the card game? Why such a “messy” break-up? (We know in canon it’s Sonya but was it really?)
Dolokhov/Sonya. How I want her to have a happy ending and how sad it is that Dolokhov is never even mentioned in the epilogue. I wouldn’t mind an AU where Sonya accepts his proposal or at some point realizes Nikolai isn’t worth waiting for or something. I would even more love a post-war fic because then Nikolai is married and Sonya has no ties to him anymore. (I think this is important because I somehow feel it would have diminished Sonya in Theodore’s eyes had she “jumped” men at the time that he proposed.) I would love-love-love for them to have a happy ending together. I think this could be such a sweet pairing!
Dolokhov/Helene. They’re great on a whole spectrum of genres and themes. A pre-book teenage romance, their affair after Helene’s marriage, and exploration of the class issues standing between them… I think they can range anywhere from sweet and beautiful, if hopeless, romance to something dark, passionate, complicated and possibly selfish. I think with them I would love to see a “mature” relationship. I think they’re both characters that put up with a lot. I think there’s lots of pressure on Helene from society and her father to be a certain way and I think that leaves its mark. (I’m seriously thinking about the Christina Aguilera song “Reflection” right now.)
Crossover: War and Peace x Eugene Onegin
Dolokhov/Onegin: I don’t think we ever get a canonical timeframe for Eugene Onegin, but inference and educated guesses and such, say that the age difference between Dolokhov and Onegin is actually about 15-20 years. However, if you would like to twist/bend the EO timeline a bit to make them closer in age, that’s fine too. I’ve seen it done very well before.
I think…I think this would be an interesting opportunity to see a younger, pre-canon, more vulnerable Onegin. Before he was quite so jaded with the world/society. Also a chance to see him as the more vulnerable/less experienced in a relationship. Dolokhov plays the most exquisite mind games, so there’s that. And what if Dolokhov is trying to use a young Onegin as a replacement for Anatole who died in the war? Or would these two have some sort of seduction stand-off? Or connect on a purely intellectual/cynical level? I don’t even know, honestly. But I would be super interested in seeing how this pairing would work. I don’t actually have any sort of headcanon that I’m much attached to, so I’d love to see any take you have on this ship.
Crossover: Suits x Law and Order: SVU
Scottie/Casey: Lawyer girls! Seriously, nothing hotter than gorgeous lawyer girls kicking ass in the courtroom and falling in love at the same time. Story ideas: working on a case together (maybe Dana becomes a D.A. or Casey goes into private practice), litigating a case against each other, late-night study sessions in law school (I don’t think we ever find out where Casey went to LS in canon). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not insisting on a casefic or something with lots of legal stuff in it. I just want these two falling in love in or adjacent to the high-paced professional environment that they both obviously love/are committed to, even if you handwave most of the legal stuff. God knows Suits does it a lot. (Though, as a note, handwavy-most-of-anything-important-happens-behind-the-scenes is waaaay better than utterly-wrong-over-dramatic-what-are-rules-of-evidence ala HTGAWM.)
Spartacus
Tiberius/Sabinus: I was rather disappointed with what the show did with Tiberius’ character after Ep 4, especially since I’d thought they finally decided to round out their antagonists a little more. So, characterization wise, I’d definitely prefer a story that sticks more to his early characterization, ie: the eager, slightly temperamental teenager who just wants to make his dad proud. Thankfully, Sabinus got to stay awesome and honorable until the very end.
I loved these two together. More or less anything that explores their relationship would be awesome. I am especially all about the loyalty kink with this pairing as well as hurt/comfort. A missing scene between that disaster of an attack on Spartacus and when we see them next in the tent the next day(?). Or a missing scene the night before decimation. Or, for an AU, what if that whole decimation thing is stopped somehow and Sabinus never dies. Would he be able to guide Tiberius away from disaster/doom? But, honestly, we get so much darkness with these two in canon that I’d probably prefer something more fluff/mush oriented. Flangst is cool. If it’s hurt/comfort - which, yes, please! - larger accent on the comfort part is preferred :)
The Imitation Game:
Hugh/Peter: Hugh is very aggressively heterosexual. Probably a little too much, lol. A lot of times when I look at this ship I think to myself, man I just want to ship the puppy and the hot cocky guy don't I? Which is true, I totally do. But, IDK, I think it could be a cute dynamic. I don't have any specific fic prompts...Maybe something while they're still at Bletchley? Something that starts off as a mentorship kinda and progresses to something more? Peter missing his brother and being drawn to Hugh initially in a platonic way as a replacement of sorts and then that evolving. Hurt/comfort. Or maybe Hugh is trying to teach Peter - who is hopelessly shy and awkward to flirt - and then it becomes more of a...demonstration?
John Cairncross/Peter Hilton: John’s accurate gaydar must be acknowledged with a slash ship of his own :p Lol, no but seriously, I do enjoy the potential for this dynamic. One had to stand by and let his brother die, the other is a misguided spy. ALL THE ANGST. All puppy-cute-shy Peter and outgoing-laid-back John would be adorable as a couple, come on. I see this ship being a little more "equals" then the one with Hugh. Again, I'm short on concrete prompts, but I think I'd love something post-canon. How do both of them deal with the trauma of the Bletchley experience and how do they come together again? What is if John got in trouble over the spying thing and Peter stepped in to help in some capacity? I could see him doing that as an attempt at saving someone he shouldn't (want to?) save just as a way to make up for what happened during the war.
How to Get Away With Murder
Asher/Conner: I would love something post-canon. Perhaps Asher and Connor are working at the same firm, maybe on the same case? Or perhaps they're working against each other. I would love to see something that plays with how different they are and the things they could learn from each other if they cared to try. I wish I had more ideas to give you, I realize this isn't very helpful, but it's more that I'm just not very picky. I want to see how they get together and the sorts of things they could offer each other in a relationship. Please no Connor/Oliver at all. Hopefully, ignoring it completely won't be too hard in a post-canon fic.
Harry Potter
Regulus/Barty: I have a theory that Regulus’ betrayal of Voldemort was more personal than ideological, i.e. he still believed in the Cause but he thought that Voldemort was a horrible leader, saw through his politics to the selfish ambitions, realized that Voldemort would destroy anyone and anything in order to get his way. Anyway…more on topic. I would love to see anything from angst to fluff with these two. War romance are lovely because there is so much potential for heightened emotions, for hurt/comfort, for desperation. A romance built on a school/childhood friendship and re-enforced by brothers-in-arms implicit trust. That’s a hell of a bond right there. With these two it's also interesting to see how their families affect them - Regulus' fully encourage his wartime activities but are also overbearing while Barty has to hide from his family. I have a bit of a headcanon that Barty's father (and his horrible parenting and extremism) was what pushed Barty toward the DEs initially. I don't shy away from character death, so Barty dealing with losing Regulus would be interesting too. Did he have any doubts/suspicions about what happened? Was he mislead into thinking that the other side was responsible for Regulus' death, which made him even more committed to Voldemort and his Cause?
Pansy/Lavender: As much as I love the idea of this ship, I don't have a ton to say about it. I just love how this sort of ship would thrive on the opposites attract trope. Tell me everything! How did they get together? How does their relationship function? Do they fight a lot? What do they agree on, how do they compromise? Do they just have lots of fun shopping and doing each others nails? Or is it all darker -- part PTSD, part lust, part something more?