Dear Gen Exchange Author
A03 name: Alley_Skywalker
Dear Gen Exchange Author,
First, I would like to say thank you for the time and effort that you are willing to put into creating for me! Length of fandom sections or the order the fandoms are in no way indication of how much I want fic for any given fandom; I would be absolutely delighted to receive fic in any of the fandoms I asked for. I've tried to provide some details on the sorts of things I like (and don't) and give prompts for each of my fandoms/relationships.
GENERAL STUFF
Likes:
FANDOMS
Romeo And Juliet
Fandom DNWs: Benvolio/Mercutio (fine within the Montacrew OT3).
I really prefer there to be very little age difference within the Montacrew. Two years between oldest and youngest is prob max that works well for me.
Granted that this is a gen exchange, Romeo/Mercutio is my OTP, so feel free to include them into the background of anything/everything <3
Benvolio & Mercutio & Romeo Montague
TAGS:Best Friends Have Bad Ideas Together, Childhood Pranks, Coming of age shenanigans, Growing Up Together, Prank Wars, First Meetings, Families of Choice, Friendship that's more important than Character(s)'s romantic relationship(s), Platonic Bedsharing, platonic cuddle pile, Protectiveness - Mutual
Takes these tags and run with them! I just love the Montacrew and all their potential for banter, adventures, prank wars with the Capulets, childhood sillynes. Or even coming of age/teenage angst/drama if you like. (Mercutio being in absolute denial that he wants to screw Tybalt and not just fight him and the boys teasing him? Romeo and Mercutio giving Ben wildly different dating advise? Romeo maybe angsting over something non-romance, like his father's expectations?) I love the idea of them being the closest people to each other - more so then their families or even romantic interests. I love the idea of Mercutio thinking of himself as a Montague because he's not very close to anyone in his own family and Ben and Romeo is the family he chose. Any and all fluff you'd like is also very welcome!
TAGS: Emotional, Hurt/Comfort
As much as the above always applies, I also really love angst and hurt/comfort! I'd definitely also enjoy something more serious with them needing to help each other through disappointments, anxiety of growing up, and the likely trauma of just growing up in Verona where people are constantly dying in street fights apparently. But also physical hurt comfort of any kind you like - Mercutio no doubt gets into lots of fights, but the other two probably can't quite avoid the violence either.
TAGS: Character A and B work together to take care of hurt/ill mutual loved one, Characters A and B take care of hurt/ill Character C whom they both love platonically
This is basically a specific instance of the hurt/comfort I'd love: I'm a sucker for the whole "Mercutio survives the duel" AU, but what if he still gets hurt? What if his friends are the ones primarily the ones there to help him recover? ;) :D
TAGS: Character thinks no one is coming to save them; MULTIPLE people team up for the rescue, Hurt/Comfort - Character thinks no one cares about them but they're wrong, Hurt/Comfort - A finds out that B is/was suicidal, Suicide Attempt
The Montacrew (either as a friendship or an OT3) being really Soft and affectionate but also kinda dysfunctional because they all have their own baggage which they can’t always (or ever) communicate/talk about property (because teenagers, lbr) is an intriguing concept to explore. And in this case my focus is on Romeo. Romeo, who is loved by his friends and is a sweetheart but is also kind of Extra Naïve and emotional/romantic and therefore gets made fun of by his friends. Not maliciously, and he and Mercutio clearly can have a go at each other in pure fun, but I can see it imprinting on him a bit, maybe even without him realizing, and aggravating some feelings of inferiority he already had. So, I’d enjoy something dealing with that and it finally coming out in one way or another how insecure he feels and how much he’s afraid his friends might leave him behind. (And maybe the reason he’s so obsessed with finding romantic love/romantic love with a woman is because he thinks marriage is his only way of securing an attachment that’s not going to “slip away” from him or something.) And then when all this comes out him getting reassurance and comfort from Ben and Merc that he’s wrong and he’s very much loved and needed.
Specific prompt - some situation (AU or pre-canon, doesn’t matter) where Romeo is kidnapped (perhaps by Capulets) not so much for ransom but more as a “warning” to his parents. His captors rough him up a bit and then leave him tied up in some out-of-the-way location. (How hurt he actually gets by this is totally up to you!) Merc and Ben are, of course, frantically helping in the search for him, but Romeo is genuinely wondering if anyone other than maaaybe his parents will actually bother. (And then the ensuing h/c when they actually find him.)
Another specific prompt - maybe a modern AU (as an exception to my DNWs), or just canon-set AU/pre-canon, and Romeo is depressed and kind of low-key not alright long before he meets Juliet. And all that insecurity discussed above comes to a head and he attempts suicide. Maybe he just botches it or maybe his friends find him quickly by accident but anyway...the attempt fails but then he also has to explain to Ben and Mercutio, who are thoroughly distressed and freaked out, wtf is happening, and them finally being forced to treat his angst seriously.
TAGS: haracter arranges own death for good of group; group isn't happy, Helping Friend to Recover from Trauma
I enjoy the various headcanon/fanons regarding Mercutio's home life being...not the best. Whether it's cold parents, an abusive father or uncle, or even something even darker... And as much as I love angst of the Romeo's-insecurities soft, I love Mercutio angst too, and him being insecure about being good enough for his friends, or feeling too weird for the world, his cockiness maybe being bravado. But with that angst, as above with Romeo, I'd love too see the comfort part as well, with either his friends providing reassurance or helping him cope with some kind fo childhood trauma. I don't know in what scenario/AU Mercutio's death could benifit Romeo and Ben even very potentially, so surprise me!
Mercutio & Romeo Montague
TAGS: Friendship that's more important than Character(s)'s romantic relationship(s), platonic declarations of love, Protectiveness, Take me instead, Throwing Self Into Harm's Way To Protect Another, Loyalty - Gestures of Loyalty, A defends B/argues on B's behalf, A assumes that B will abandon them; B reaffirms their loyalty to A in A's time of need
A lot of the things that I said above about the Montacrew generally applies to Romeo and Mercutio, but, maybe because I also ship them romantically, the way I see their relationship in my head is always super intense. Honestly, when I have a platonic reading for them for fic, it's almost always still a very "platonic soulmates" or queerplatonic. I think their canon friendship/dynamic plays into this well - they seem to understand each other and be on each other's wavelength very easily (as exemplified by their banter and how they never miss a step with each other), even when Mercutio seems to not get Romeo in his pursuits for love, but honestly I think he's just frustrated by it more than anything. It's not that he doesn't know what Romeo wants, he just thinks Romeo is doing himself dirty. And he's jealous. And honestly, they're so intense about each other: Mercutio is always worrying and thinking about Romeo, he fights Tybalt for Romeo's safety/honor, and Romeo breaks and becomes a took of vengeance and violence - something he never wanted to be - when Mercutio dies. I'm really into loyalty kink, if you couldn't tell from these tags, so I would love for that to be a theme.
TAGS:Best Friends Have Bad Ideas Together, Childhood Pranks, Coming of age shenanigans, Growing Up Together
I also just love flat out fluff and banter and childhood adventures. What kind of trouble is Mercutio able to get Rome into? How do they get out of it (or don't) lol? Feel free to involve Benvolio or not. As much as I enjoy the headcanon of the Montacrew growing up together, I also enjoy the headcanon that Romeo and Mercutio were bff's first, and Ben and Mercutio didn't meet until later childhood/their pre-teens.
TAGS: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Helping Friend to Recover from Trauma, Late Night Conversations
I love fluff but I also love angst and hurt/comfort. Any kind of hurt/comfort - Mercutio hiding out at Romeo's when his dad/uncle/guardian has had too much to drink, Romeo being insecure about the pressures of being his father's only heir, Romeo taking care of Mercutio after the duel in an AU where Merc survives (!!!), whatever you like really!
TAGS: Refusing to believe a loved one is dead
I'm genuinely really fond of introspective angst pieces. I'd love something about Romeo coping with Mercutio's death (or trying to). It was always kind of annoying that he never seems to think of Mercutio again after killing Tybalt. Yes, it's plot expediency but still annoying, and he does bring up Tybalt so... can we please rectify this? ;)
Benvolio Montague & Romeo Montague
TAGS: Raised As Siblings, Protectiveness - Mutual
I would generally love an exploration of Ben and Romeo's dynamic as well as an exploration of the Montague family in general. I enjoy the headcanon of them being raised practically as siblings because Ben has been raised by Lord and Lady M since he was young because his parents died when he was little. Protectiveness is also one of my favorite things/tropes. I love the idea of Ben and Romeo being able to be protective of each other in different ways - with Ben maybe being more like...apt at dealing with the world while Romeo is more innocent, but then Romeo having an upper hand in the social sphere to the extent that he's the Montague heir/richer/legitimate (I have a pet headcanon 'verse in which Ben is illegitimate, to clarify lol).
TAGS: A and B mourn death of person they both loved
I would be interested in an AU where Romeo doesn't die/doesn't kill Tybalt and he and Ben have to deal with Mercutio's death, but at least they get to deal with it together.
TAGS: Child A comforts Child B after B has nightmare about their dead parents, Comforting after a nightmare, Platonic Bedsharing
So tbh, I have a headcanon (fanon?) where Benvolio comes to live with Romeo when they’re still kids after his parents die in an accident/some feud related thing. In my version of this, Ben spends a few months being passed around between various relatives before finally being taken in by Romeo’s family. By this point he’s not only still grieving his parents but also really unsure if going to get a real family again what with everyone passing him around and it kind of feeling like he’s a burden to all his relatives more than anything. And then Romeo happens and Romeo just like…adopts this kid in three seconds flat because why not? (In my head they’re somewhere between 6 and 8 years old.) So, yes, I just want childhood flangst with snuggles and nightmares and Benvolio being uncertain about everything and Romeo being sweet and loving and Ben being kind of confused/stunned and also grateful at Romeo’s ability to just…attach. (And one early morning Lady M goes to check in on the kids and finds them both asleep in Benvolio’s bed and is just like…whelp I guess we’re keeping him lol.)
Lady Montague & Lord Montague & Romeo Montague
TAGS: Canon Events From Perspectives Not Given In Canon, Father-Son Relationship, Mother-Son Relationship
I'd really enjoy something that takes a closer look at the Montague family. We get quite a bit about Juliet's relationship with her parents, but what was Romeo's relationship like with his? His mother was apparently extremely attached to him, given that his exile is implied to play a key part in her untimely death. But on the other hand, they don't seem to understand his teenage angst and he's clearly not confiding in them. How did they get there? Why is he an only child? Does he also have a bunch of dead siblings like Juliet or did the Montagues have problems conceiving and he's a late baby, or did Lady M have a very difficult early pregnancy that led to her not being able to have more children? What are the expectations that Romeo is under and how do they clash with who he is? He seems like a really soft character for a boy/man in the violent environment of Verona (hello toxic masculinity, our old friend!). Really, any worldbuilding/relationship study you want to do here is good with me!
TAGS: Comforting after a nightmare, Hurt/Comfort - Character Doesn't Expect Tenderness But Gets It Anyway
Fluff! I'm such a sucker for cute (family) fluff. I'm also a sucker for Romeo getting comfort, especially when he least expects it. So there's that! (Especially, like...in a scenario where he feel under pressure to be less sensitive about things and so it's a big surprise when his dad, say, reacts with understanding/affection instead of consternation to him having a breakdown over something.)
Harry Potter
Evan Rosier & Severus Snape
Avery Jr. & Mulciber Jr. & Evan Rosier & Severus Snape
Group: Canon First War Death Eaters Around Snape's and Regulus' Age
Regulus Black & Bartemius Crouch Jr.
TAGS: Character overuses magic/powers/etc to protect a loved one, Character thinks no one is coming to save them; MULTIPLE people team up for the rescue, Character thinks nothing matters except the Cause, Character(s) expresses grief through horrible behavior, Characters Being Competent Together, Competence - highly effective teamwork, Difficult Decisions In War Time, Late Night Conversations, Loyalty Kink - Us Against The World, Magical Ritual, Mission Fic, Prank Wars
I'm not separating the prompts out by tag, because these can really be mixed and matched at desired with as few or as many in the fic as you wish! Whether you choose to focus on a pair of BFFs (Sev and Evan, Reg and Barty) or do a more ensemble fic, I'm sure I'll love it!)
One of the things I've always loved in the HP universe was the era of the First War. I've got a lot of headcanons about it, but I enjoy reading other's takes on aspects of it as well. It was clearly such a tense time, and the war was ramping up as Severus, Regulus and their classmates were still in school. We don't know too much about the first war era, and about Severus' cohort of young(er) Death Eaters, but we do know some things. Obviously we know a lot about Snape, and we know some about Regulus (he did not see/feel the need to rebel against his family the way Sirius did and they apparently had a...complicated relationship at the least, but he eventually defected). We know Barty was and stayed extremely loyal despite his father being very anti-Voldemort and we can deduce that he was very clever. We know Evan was skilled enough to wound Moody in combat/a duel and he died laughing (though I read it as like bitter desperation/dark humor rather than insanity). But we don't really know how exactly the Death Eaters were organized, to what extent they were organized (similar to the Order? Karkaroff says most of them didn't know every other person who was or wasn't a Death Eater, but I imagine people suspected, and how much do we trust Karkaroff anyway?).
How did they train? What were their missions? I'm really interested in the war worldbuilding part of things. But I'm also interested in the more social - Pureblood Society, especially - part of worldbuilding. Most of these boys are purebloods. (Note, btw, that I headcanon Evan as being the same age as and friends with Severus). Also, don't feel limited to just the boys named in the tags of these specific groups - there's a reason why I requested that more vague group. Hell, you can even make up some OCs or include some of the older Death Eaters - Dolohov, Rookwood, Lucius - as mentors or family friends or commanding officers, or just people they know and have to deal with.
I really love themes and stories of friendship and loyalty, as well as explorations of how those are tested by war. Also explorations of how people come to extremism and how propaganda fucks people up. Who is there because they really believe this shit? Who is there for more practical reasons? Who is there because that's what their friends and family are all doing and/or out of a sense of duty to someone/something? Are there ideological debates they have? How does someone like Regulus, who stops believing in the Cause, or perhaps just stops believing in Tom Riddle's/Voldemort's leadership, feel and deal with having to betray his friends? (Or a similar question, but for Snape. Let's assume young Severus did have some genuine friendships, even if they didn't mean as much as his love for Lily or save him from being bullied.) I want to see some boys being friends and growing up together and doing dumb teenage things together (prank war with the marauders!) and fighting a war together and ending up torn apart by the world and/or their own choices. Or, you know, some subset of those things.
War and Peace
Anatole Vasilyevich Kuragin & Elena "Hélène" Vasilyevna Kuragina
TAGS: Growing Up Together Protective Siblings sibling relationships
I would love some kind of exploration of Helene and Anatole's relationship. I see them as very close, maybe even having somehow abnormal/atypical boundaries for siblings (thus inciting incest rumors), so I would be interested to see how they relate to each other either as adults or as children, and/or the adventures/trouble they get up to together. I definitely see Helene as a protective older sister :)
Fyodor Ivanovich Dolokhov & Elena "Hélène" Vasilyevna Kuragina
TAGS: Alternate Universe - Different People Survive, A and B mourn death of person they both loved
I would love a Helene lives!AU where she and Dolokhov have to learn to live without Anatole, who had been such a big part of their lives. Maybe Dolokhov and Anatole had been lovers, maybe just close friends - however you like. I'd be interested to see how these two build separate but intertwined lives after the war and deal with their respective loss(es).
TAGS: Best Friends Have Bad Ideas Together, Canon Events From Perspectives Not Given In Canon, Characters Being Competent Together
What I love about Dolokhov and Helene as friends is in part what I love about them as a romantic ship, but with the freedom to not have to deal with romantic/sexual fallout and drama: the banter, the defiance of social norms, the ability for them to be free with each other the way they can't be with others. I would love to see them do some scheming together. Maybe they plotted the duel with Pierre, even, to free Helene from her marriage. Or, for more angst, their perspective on the Anatole/Natasha affair or them trying to protect Anatole from his own bad ideas. Coincidentally, maybe they have some bad ideas of their own.
Fyodor "Fedya" Ivanovich Dolokhov & His Son by Helene
TAGS: Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst
I have this pet headcanon that Helene dies in childbirth and her son is also Dolokhov's child and Dolokhov raises him after the war (and names him Anatole, in my head, though of course that's very optional). What would Dolokhov be like as a parent? What things about his past (with Helene and maybe with Anatole, or something else) influence his relationship with his son or what does he project onto him or try to protect him from? What happens if the kid starts doing things Dolokhov disproves of due to past romantic/family/friendship drama reasons, like if he makes friends with the Bezukhov/Rostov kids or something? I'm happy with any sappy family fluff/angst as well as with some meta-type relationship/character study.
Dear Gen Exchange Author,
First, I would like to say thank you for the time and effort that you are willing to put into creating for me! Length of fandom sections or the order the fandoms are in no way indication of how much I want fic for any given fandom; I would be absolutely delighted to receive fic in any of the fandoms I asked for. I've tried to provide some details on the sorts of things I like (and don't) and give prompts for each of my fandoms/relationships.
GENERAL STUFF
Likes:
- I'm good with any kind of ships in the background, but have a preference for slash or otherwise canon ships.
- All ratings up to R.
- Complicated relationship dynamics, 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.
- Kissing, hugging, holding hands, non-sexual physical contact in general. And no this isn't a copy/paste mistake - I want these things in gen relationships too!
- Angst, drama. (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 have no issue with dark themes, angst is my crack and things like character death don’t bother me, but if it feels like it’s just a marathon of horrible things happening…that’s a little too intense for me. Exceptions apply if a specific prompt calls for dark!fic or similar endless angst.)
- 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 !!!
- LOYALTY KINK! Themes of loyalty and devotion in general. Protectiveness. I have a special place in my heart for the loylaty kink + rank difference combination, especially in M/M and M&M.
- Family. exploration of family dynamics, family histories
- Friendship, platonic love, queerplatonic relationships, platonic soulmates, friendships that are as important or even more important that a person's romantic relationship(s), choosing a friend/friendship over a romantic partner/romance if forced.
- Asexual characters (I DON'T want issuefic on this or a fic where a character's sexuality is the point, but I'm just saying that I will happily read about explicitly ace characters).
- Fluff, banter, cuddling/snuggling, general adorableness (and adoration!).
- Well-rounded characters, characters with emotions/sympathetic motives; the “other side of the story."
- Childhood fics (i.e. fics about characters' childhoods).
- Politics, intrigue; plot (if you already happen to be that way inclined).
- Worldbuilding, especailly in fantasy and historical settings.
- Incest as a prominent aspect, unless specifically prompted.
- Pairings with large age disparity (over 15 years), minors under 16 in sexual/romantic relationships with adults (one-sided teenage crushes on adults are fine).
- NC-17 (both for sex and violence).
- Sex as a large focus (e.g.: characters mentioning having sex or making some jokes about sex is fine; not so interested in a whole fic where people give their friend(s) tips on how to spice up their sex life. Someone angsting to their friends about romance or being in love however, is fine).
- Non-con/rape.
- Mpreg.
- Crack!fic, parody.
- AUs that subvert the universe or drastically change the setting (eg: setting a modern fandom as a fairytale, turning a historical fandom all Sifi, Coffee Shop/College AUs, etc. This includes stuff like A/B/O and inserting magic/supernatural elements into a non-magic/supernatural universe).
- Crossovers
- Time travel.
- Apocalypse/post-apocalypse scenarios, regardless of whether done as an AU or some kind of post-canon possibility thing. (Exception for when this setting is explicitly canon.)
- Character bashing. (Especially with requested characters.)
- Horror.
- Torture. (Mentions are fine if torture is something that happens in canon. BUT no deaths/executions by torture - eg: drawing and quartering - whatsoever.)
- Humiliation; any sort of glorification of bullying.
- Ccross-dressing; genderbending/genderswap; non-canonical genders and gender headcanons in general.
- 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
Romeo And Juliet
Fandom DNWs: Benvolio/Mercutio (fine within the Montacrew OT3).
I really prefer there to be very little age difference within the Montacrew. Two years between oldest and youngest is prob max that works well for me.
Granted that this is a gen exchange, Romeo/Mercutio is my OTP, so feel free to include them into the background of anything/everything <3
Benvolio & Mercutio & Romeo Montague
TAGS:Best Friends Have Bad Ideas Together, Childhood Pranks, Coming of age shenanigans, Growing Up Together, Prank Wars, First Meetings, Families of Choice, Friendship that's more important than Character(s)'s romantic relationship(s), Platonic Bedsharing, platonic cuddle pile, Protectiveness - Mutual
Takes these tags and run with them! I just love the Montacrew and all their potential for banter, adventures, prank wars with the Capulets, childhood sillynes. Or even coming of age/teenage angst/drama if you like. (Mercutio being in absolute denial that he wants to screw Tybalt and not just fight him and the boys teasing him? Romeo and Mercutio giving Ben wildly different dating advise? Romeo maybe angsting over something non-romance, like his father's expectations?) I love the idea of them being the closest people to each other - more so then their families or even romantic interests. I love the idea of Mercutio thinking of himself as a Montague because he's not very close to anyone in his own family and Ben and Romeo is the family he chose. Any and all fluff you'd like is also very welcome!
TAGS: Emotional, Hurt/Comfort
As much as the above always applies, I also really love angst and hurt/comfort! I'd definitely also enjoy something more serious with them needing to help each other through disappointments, anxiety of growing up, and the likely trauma of just growing up in Verona where people are constantly dying in street fights apparently. But also physical hurt comfort of any kind you like - Mercutio no doubt gets into lots of fights, but the other two probably can't quite avoid the violence either.
TAGS: Character A and B work together to take care of hurt/ill mutual loved one, Characters A and B take care of hurt/ill Character C whom they both love platonically
This is basically a specific instance of the hurt/comfort I'd love: I'm a sucker for the whole "Mercutio survives the duel" AU, but what if he still gets hurt? What if his friends are the ones primarily the ones there to help him recover? ;) :D
TAGS: Character thinks no one is coming to save them; MULTIPLE people team up for the rescue, Hurt/Comfort - Character thinks no one cares about them but they're wrong, Hurt/Comfort - A finds out that B is/was suicidal, Suicide Attempt
The Montacrew (either as a friendship or an OT3) being really Soft and affectionate but also kinda dysfunctional because they all have their own baggage which they can’t always (or ever) communicate/talk about property (because teenagers, lbr) is an intriguing concept to explore. And in this case my focus is on Romeo. Romeo, who is loved by his friends and is a sweetheart but is also kind of Extra Naïve and emotional/romantic and therefore gets made fun of by his friends. Not maliciously, and he and Mercutio clearly can have a go at each other in pure fun, but I can see it imprinting on him a bit, maybe even without him realizing, and aggravating some feelings of inferiority he already had. So, I’d enjoy something dealing with that and it finally coming out in one way or another how insecure he feels and how much he’s afraid his friends might leave him behind. (And maybe the reason he’s so obsessed with finding romantic love/romantic love with a woman is because he thinks marriage is his only way of securing an attachment that’s not going to “slip away” from him or something.) And then when all this comes out him getting reassurance and comfort from Ben and Merc that he’s wrong and he’s very much loved and needed.
Specific prompt - some situation (AU or pre-canon, doesn’t matter) where Romeo is kidnapped (perhaps by Capulets) not so much for ransom but more as a “warning” to his parents. His captors rough him up a bit and then leave him tied up in some out-of-the-way location. (How hurt he actually gets by this is totally up to you!) Merc and Ben are, of course, frantically helping in the search for him, but Romeo is genuinely wondering if anyone other than maaaybe his parents will actually bother. (And then the ensuing h/c when they actually find him.)
Another specific prompt - maybe a modern AU (as an exception to my DNWs), or just canon-set AU/pre-canon, and Romeo is depressed and kind of low-key not alright long before he meets Juliet. And all that insecurity discussed above comes to a head and he attempts suicide. Maybe he just botches it or maybe his friends find him quickly by accident but anyway...the attempt fails but then he also has to explain to Ben and Mercutio, who are thoroughly distressed and freaked out, wtf is happening, and them finally being forced to treat his angst seriously.
TAGS: haracter arranges own death for good of group; group isn't happy, Helping Friend to Recover from Trauma
I enjoy the various headcanon/fanons regarding Mercutio's home life being...not the best. Whether it's cold parents, an abusive father or uncle, or even something even darker... And as much as I love angst of the Romeo's-insecurities soft, I love Mercutio angst too, and him being insecure about being good enough for his friends, or feeling too weird for the world, his cockiness maybe being bravado. But with that angst, as above with Romeo, I'd love too see the comfort part as well, with either his friends providing reassurance or helping him cope with some kind fo childhood trauma. I don't know in what scenario/AU Mercutio's death could benifit Romeo and Ben even very potentially, so surprise me!
Mercutio & Romeo Montague
TAGS: Friendship that's more important than Character(s)'s romantic relationship(s), platonic declarations of love, Protectiveness, Take me instead, Throwing Self Into Harm's Way To Protect Another, Loyalty - Gestures of Loyalty, A defends B/argues on B's behalf, A assumes that B will abandon them; B reaffirms their loyalty to A in A's time of need
A lot of the things that I said above about the Montacrew generally applies to Romeo and Mercutio, but, maybe because I also ship them romantically, the way I see their relationship in my head is always super intense. Honestly, when I have a platonic reading for them for fic, it's almost always still a very "platonic soulmates" or queerplatonic. I think their canon friendship/dynamic plays into this well - they seem to understand each other and be on each other's wavelength very easily (as exemplified by their banter and how they never miss a step with each other), even when Mercutio seems to not get Romeo in his pursuits for love, but honestly I think he's just frustrated by it more than anything. It's not that he doesn't know what Romeo wants, he just thinks Romeo is doing himself dirty. And he's jealous. And honestly, they're so intense about each other: Mercutio is always worrying and thinking about Romeo, he fights Tybalt for Romeo's safety/honor, and Romeo breaks and becomes a took of vengeance and violence - something he never wanted to be - when Mercutio dies. I'm really into loyalty kink, if you couldn't tell from these tags, so I would love for that to be a theme.
TAGS:Best Friends Have Bad Ideas Together, Childhood Pranks, Coming of age shenanigans, Growing Up Together
I also just love flat out fluff and banter and childhood adventures. What kind of trouble is Mercutio able to get Rome into? How do they get out of it (or don't) lol? Feel free to involve Benvolio or not. As much as I enjoy the headcanon of the Montacrew growing up together, I also enjoy the headcanon that Romeo and Mercutio were bff's first, and Ben and Mercutio didn't meet until later childhood/their pre-teens.
TAGS: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Helping Friend to Recover from Trauma, Late Night Conversations
I love fluff but I also love angst and hurt/comfort. Any kind of hurt/comfort - Mercutio hiding out at Romeo's when his dad/uncle/guardian has had too much to drink, Romeo being insecure about the pressures of being his father's only heir, Romeo taking care of Mercutio after the duel in an AU where Merc survives (!!!), whatever you like really!
TAGS: Refusing to believe a loved one is dead
I'm genuinely really fond of introspective angst pieces. I'd love something about Romeo coping with Mercutio's death (or trying to). It was always kind of annoying that he never seems to think of Mercutio again after killing Tybalt. Yes, it's plot expediency but still annoying, and he does bring up Tybalt so... can we please rectify this? ;)
Benvolio Montague & Romeo Montague
TAGS: Raised As Siblings, Protectiveness - Mutual
I would generally love an exploration of Ben and Romeo's dynamic as well as an exploration of the Montague family in general. I enjoy the headcanon of them being raised practically as siblings because Ben has been raised by Lord and Lady M since he was young because his parents died when he was little. Protectiveness is also one of my favorite things/tropes. I love the idea of Ben and Romeo being able to be protective of each other in different ways - with Ben maybe being more like...apt at dealing with the world while Romeo is more innocent, but then Romeo having an upper hand in the social sphere to the extent that he's the Montague heir/richer/legitimate (I have a pet headcanon 'verse in which Ben is illegitimate, to clarify lol).
TAGS: A and B mourn death of person they both loved
I would be interested in an AU where Romeo doesn't die/doesn't kill Tybalt and he and Ben have to deal with Mercutio's death, but at least they get to deal with it together.
TAGS: Child A comforts Child B after B has nightmare about their dead parents, Comforting after a nightmare, Platonic Bedsharing
So tbh, I have a headcanon (fanon?) where Benvolio comes to live with Romeo when they’re still kids after his parents die in an accident/some feud related thing. In my version of this, Ben spends a few months being passed around between various relatives before finally being taken in by Romeo’s family. By this point he’s not only still grieving his parents but also really unsure if going to get a real family again what with everyone passing him around and it kind of feeling like he’s a burden to all his relatives more than anything. And then Romeo happens and Romeo just like…adopts this kid in three seconds flat because why not? (In my head they’re somewhere between 6 and 8 years old.) So, yes, I just want childhood flangst with snuggles and nightmares and Benvolio being uncertain about everything and Romeo being sweet and loving and Ben being kind of confused/stunned and also grateful at Romeo’s ability to just…attach. (And one early morning Lady M goes to check in on the kids and finds them both asleep in Benvolio’s bed and is just like…whelp I guess we’re keeping him lol.)
Lady Montague & Lord Montague & Romeo Montague
TAGS: Canon Events From Perspectives Not Given In Canon, Father-Son Relationship, Mother-Son Relationship
I'd really enjoy something that takes a closer look at the Montague family. We get quite a bit about Juliet's relationship with her parents, but what was Romeo's relationship like with his? His mother was apparently extremely attached to him, given that his exile is implied to play a key part in her untimely death. But on the other hand, they don't seem to understand his teenage angst and he's clearly not confiding in them. How did they get there? Why is he an only child? Does he also have a bunch of dead siblings like Juliet or did the Montagues have problems conceiving and he's a late baby, or did Lady M have a very difficult early pregnancy that led to her not being able to have more children? What are the expectations that Romeo is under and how do they clash with who he is? He seems like a really soft character for a boy/man in the violent environment of Verona (hello toxic masculinity, our old friend!). Really, any worldbuilding/relationship study you want to do here is good with me!
TAGS: Comforting after a nightmare, Hurt/Comfort - Character Doesn't Expect Tenderness But Gets It Anyway
Fluff! I'm such a sucker for cute (family) fluff. I'm also a sucker for Romeo getting comfort, especially when he least expects it. So there's that! (Especially, like...in a scenario where he feel under pressure to be less sensitive about things and so it's a big surprise when his dad, say, reacts with understanding/affection instead of consternation to him having a breakdown over something.)
Harry Potter
Evan Rosier & Severus Snape
Avery Jr. & Mulciber Jr. & Evan Rosier & Severus Snape
Group: Canon First War Death Eaters Around Snape's and Regulus' Age
Regulus Black & Bartemius Crouch Jr.
TAGS: Character overuses magic/powers/etc to protect a loved one, Character thinks no one is coming to save them; MULTIPLE people team up for the rescue, Character thinks nothing matters except the Cause, Character(s) expresses grief through horrible behavior, Characters Being Competent Together, Competence - highly effective teamwork, Difficult Decisions In War Time, Late Night Conversations, Loyalty Kink - Us Against The World, Magical Ritual, Mission Fic, Prank Wars
I'm not separating the prompts out by tag, because these can really be mixed and matched at desired with as few or as many in the fic as you wish! Whether you choose to focus on a pair of BFFs (Sev and Evan, Reg and Barty) or do a more ensemble fic, I'm sure I'll love it!)
One of the things I've always loved in the HP universe was the era of the First War. I've got a lot of headcanons about it, but I enjoy reading other's takes on aspects of it as well. It was clearly such a tense time, and the war was ramping up as Severus, Regulus and their classmates were still in school. We don't know too much about the first war era, and about Severus' cohort of young(er) Death Eaters, but we do know some things. Obviously we know a lot about Snape, and we know some about Regulus (he did not see/feel the need to rebel against his family the way Sirius did and they apparently had a...complicated relationship at the least, but he eventually defected). We know Barty was and stayed extremely loyal despite his father being very anti-Voldemort and we can deduce that he was very clever. We know Evan was skilled enough to wound Moody in combat/a duel and he died laughing (though I read it as like bitter desperation/dark humor rather than insanity). But we don't really know how exactly the Death Eaters were organized, to what extent they were organized (similar to the Order? Karkaroff says most of them didn't know every other person who was or wasn't a Death Eater, but I imagine people suspected, and how much do we trust Karkaroff anyway?).
How did they train? What were their missions? I'm really interested in the war worldbuilding part of things. But I'm also interested in the more social - Pureblood Society, especially - part of worldbuilding. Most of these boys are purebloods. (Note, btw, that I headcanon Evan as being the same age as and friends with Severus). Also, don't feel limited to just the boys named in the tags of these specific groups - there's a reason why I requested that more vague group. Hell, you can even make up some OCs or include some of the older Death Eaters - Dolohov, Rookwood, Lucius - as mentors or family friends or commanding officers, or just people they know and have to deal with.
I really love themes and stories of friendship and loyalty, as well as explorations of how those are tested by war. Also explorations of how people come to extremism and how propaganda fucks people up. Who is there because they really believe this shit? Who is there for more practical reasons? Who is there because that's what their friends and family are all doing and/or out of a sense of duty to someone/something? Are there ideological debates they have? How does someone like Regulus, who stops believing in the Cause, or perhaps just stops believing in Tom Riddle's/Voldemort's leadership, feel and deal with having to betray his friends? (Or a similar question, but for Snape. Let's assume young Severus did have some genuine friendships, even if they didn't mean as much as his love for Lily or save him from being bullied.) I want to see some boys being friends and growing up together and doing dumb teenage things together (prank war with the marauders!) and fighting a war together and ending up torn apart by the world and/or their own choices. Or, you know, some subset of those things.
War and Peace
Anatole Vasilyevich Kuragin & Elena "Hélène" Vasilyevna Kuragina
TAGS: Growing Up Together Protective Siblings sibling relationships
I would love some kind of exploration of Helene and Anatole's relationship. I see them as very close, maybe even having somehow abnormal/atypical boundaries for siblings (thus inciting incest rumors), so I would be interested to see how they relate to each other either as adults or as children, and/or the adventures/trouble they get up to together. I definitely see Helene as a protective older sister :)
Fyodor Ivanovich Dolokhov & Elena "Hélène" Vasilyevna Kuragina
TAGS: Alternate Universe - Different People Survive, A and B mourn death of person they both loved
I would love a Helene lives!AU where she and Dolokhov have to learn to live without Anatole, who had been such a big part of their lives. Maybe Dolokhov and Anatole had been lovers, maybe just close friends - however you like. I'd be interested to see how these two build separate but intertwined lives after the war and deal with their respective loss(es).
TAGS: Best Friends Have Bad Ideas Together, Canon Events From Perspectives Not Given In Canon, Characters Being Competent Together
What I love about Dolokhov and Helene as friends is in part what I love about them as a romantic ship, but with the freedom to not have to deal with romantic/sexual fallout and drama: the banter, the defiance of social norms, the ability for them to be free with each other the way they can't be with others. I would love to see them do some scheming together. Maybe they plotted the duel with Pierre, even, to free Helene from her marriage. Or, for more angst, their perspective on the Anatole/Natasha affair or them trying to protect Anatole from his own bad ideas. Coincidentally, maybe they have some bad ideas of their own.
Fyodor "Fedya" Ivanovich Dolokhov & His Son by Helene
TAGS: Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst
I have this pet headcanon that Helene dies in childbirth and her son is also Dolokhov's child and Dolokhov raises him after the war (and names him Anatole, in my head, though of course that's very optional). What would Dolokhov be like as a parent? What things about his past (with Helene and maybe with Anatole, or something else) influence his relationship with his son or what does he project onto him or try to protect him from? What happens if the kid starts doing things Dolokhov disproves of due to past romantic/family/friendship drama reasons, like if he makes friends with the Bezukhov/Rostov kids or something? I'm happy with any sappy family fluff/angst as well as with some meta-type relationship/character study.