Dear Heart Attack Writer
AO3 name: Alley_Skywalker
Dear Heart Attack Writer
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/ships!
GENERAL STUFF
Relationsihps/Sex/Ratings:
Likes:
Genres/Themes/Tropes (and such):
Likes:
FANDOMS
Game of Thrones
Fandom-specific DNWs
Theon Greyjoy/Robb Stark
I have so many feelings about this ship but also so many of them are really sad? Because, realistically, this relationship is kinda toxic. I’m not saying that in like a Purity Police way or anything, but just the power dynamics, and the fact that Robb is not above employing them when it suits him/when he’s ticked off, means that there is a lot of tension and angst and shit involved - it’s not just fluff and Cute ™. Also Alfie certainly chose to play this a Certain Way where Theon is basically making heart eyes at Robb the whole time. And Robb….never really reciprocates and is kinda cold/distant a lot? Like he sort of is generally reserved here, but it’s kinda jarring when Theon seems to desperately be giving his all - it reads a bit like unrequited love. Although! My favorite way to go here is that Robb is just kind of repressed/unable to deal with his feelings or whatever and never says the things he means/feels. Or maybe (if they’ve got a FWB type thing going) takes it for granted and just assumes that Theon knows his feelings, completely failing to understand that Theon does not actually expect for love and affection to be handed to him and does in fact need it spelled out.
Like, ok, Theon has self-guilt trips in canon about his defection (and other shit he did, admittedly) and that’s plenty explored in fic. But I’d love some Robb angst! Robb pining uselessly (and guiltily. angrily?) after Theon defects, being baffled by why Theon walked away from him, and pissed off, but then actually taking a moment to think through the why and realizing all the ways in which he’d screwed up with this relationship (and just how hurtful things like the Bran incident and the “not your duty, not your house” putdown would have been). I’m open to various takes on what their relationship was beforehand. Maybe Robb is repressed and didn't fully realize his feelings until after Theon left. Maybe Robb was repressed but realized his feelings but knew fuck all what to do with them, not to mention how to express them. Maybe they were casual and never managed to have like A Conversation about their feelings/relationship. Maybe they were lovers and Robb is really confused/pissed at first but then slowly realizes that they hadn't been communicating well/things had been off for a while. (Maybe the fact that Robb never directly addressed the hostage issue after his father died and before sending Theon to Pyke put a strain on things?)
Or you know something lighter would be amazing too! Mutual pining that does get resolved and ends up in them getting together. Banter and being really awkward about their feelings. Worrying about each other’s safety now and again during the war (especially Robb worrying about Theon). (Because, ok, IDK if this will make sense, it does in my head, but like…I’m a lot more invested in Robb being in love with Theon, regardless of whether he manages to confess it or not, than vice-versa, but it’s also important to me that the feelings are actually requited/they’re both in love with each other.)
The mandatary hurt/comfort prompt (lol) - Robb having (another) break down the night he finds out his father is dead and Theon comforting him. Maybe with unexpected tenderness. Could be they’re mutually pining too or could be this is when they end up kissing for the first time. But really, any hurt/comfort scenario you can think of would be great! I especially love the interplay of hurt/comfort and pining! For example, the idea of the pining character receiving care and comfort from someone they’re in love with and both desperately wanting/needing that comfort and realizing how hard it is to keep their feelings under control (and maybe ultimately failing to) when they’re in a more vulnerable state. And in reverse: the tenderness and stress of caring for the object of their affection and wanting to be even MOAR sweet but also feeling like they need to hide it. With someone who seems to have as difficult a time with communicating and processing feelings as Robb, this can all be extra fun! (And I think I’d especially prefer his POV here.)
Maybe also an AU where Theon decides to go back to Robb instead of defecting to his family, but he’s hurt in the “escape” from Pyke/on his way back and shows up in camp in pretty bad shape and Robb’s got to deal with both the practicality of the political situation this leaves them in while also providing comfort/care for Theon…and pining, maybe especially hard and guiltily as he realizes how much Theon’s decided to give up for him. (In this situation though, I'll say that it's really important for me that Theon stands up for himself and his decisions. In the show especially he's decently good at not letting Robb walk all over him/calling Robb out on his BS, so while he might be nervous and uncertain about how Robb will react, I'd rather they fight/argue if there's reason to, like if Theon appears to have considered a defection or had to pretend to take part for a while, than Theon completely falling all over himself to get Robb to take him back or acting like Robb would do him the greatest favor ever if he does.)
For some extra drama and whump - I love those “captured together” scenarios where the ship has to provide care/comfort for each other after interrogation/torture or them being forced to watch each other’s interrogations or getting one of them to do/say something with the threat of hurting the other. (Per my DNWs I don’t want really extreme or gory torture, nothing Ramsay-esque, but like…characters getting generally beat up is ok; being threatened with more extreme torture is also ok.) If they’re pining during - extra great! If there’s dramatic escapes and/or politics or whatever also involved - even better!
Would love some kind of AU where Theon makes some smarter choices, e.g. sacks Winterfell, grabs Bran and Rickon, and goes to Deepwood Motte to join Yara/back to the Iron Islands with them as hostages. The really tense negotiations with Robb, or facing off against each other in battle somehow. (The conflict! Also I just want Theon in command and kicking ass, lbr *sigh*.) A fortune reversal where Robb ends up a POW in this AU at whatever stronghold Theon/Theon and Yara are holding. Would love them to get a chance to work out their shit where they are on a more equal footing - and both being forced to confront their mistakes (Theon obviously defecting, but Robb having to come to terms with what position Theon really was in with his family and how he was definitely not sensitive enough to that). Any kind of ending tone here you want (though I’d very much prefer Theon not losing or at least him and Robb being equally screwed) - happy (somehow…) or bittersweet or even sad.
I generally love fortune reversal AUs for them! For example:
A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Fandom-specific DNWs
Minors-under-16/adults DNW is waived for Robb/Theon, although I'd very much prefer that Robb is at least 15 when anything reciprocated happens/Theon develops romantic feelings for him. Robb can have a crush as early as seems reasonable, though :).
Not a DNW-related thing, but more a general Theon thing: for post-Ramsay fic that's set further out into the future (post-war, etc), I really-really love the fanon that Theon's hair eventually starts growing back in dark/black. (Let him have nice things ahhh!!)
Tristifer Botley/Theon Greyjoy
The ship that seems to have come out of nowhere, but wouldn’t it be nice for Theon to have a happy ending with a nice ironborn boy? And you can't tell me Tris wasn't just made for some delicious pining and loyalty kink! (But...he really does need to get over Asha for his own good, so here's his chance lol.)
While I'm down for canon-compliant, post-canon fic for these two, here are some AUs I love the idea of:
Theon Greyjoy/Jeyne Poole
Preliminarily, I will say that I don't mind if you age Jeyne up a couple of years if it's needed for timeline things. ANYWAY, I love this ship both for thematic reasons and also just as a straight up love story - the desperation, the shared angst, the heroic/daring escape, and the chance to find happiness and understanding in each other! And, really there are so many things about them but the one that’s underappreciated I feel like is Jeyne’s pre-series/AGOT era crush on/attraction to Theon. (She likes older guys, clearly, ok. That’s not an abnormal teenager thing lol.) And, of course, then when she meets him again he’s not nearly the attractive, dashing boy he used to be, but he saves her - he saves her when before he probably paid her no attention at all. And it’s like…it’s that story of the girl who grew up in her prettier/better-off/more popular bff’s shadow getting the guy she’s always wanted, and yet…not really? Because it’s not exactly a fairytale and Theon is not the boy he used to be (and yet…in some ways he still is).
But anyway, I just want some of them falling in love and being in love. Idiots to Lovers if great for them. as is pining. What were they up to during the war? Would love to see Jeyne meeting Asha and maybe some other people Theon knows/who are part of his life (what do they think of her? Who does he tell them she is/what is she to him?). What kind of life do they build together? (Do they adopt a child? Or, fuck it, canon is vague enough about this that it’s not strictly speaking acononical/AU to say that Theon still has the ability to procreate, if you catch my drift. Let them have a whole bunch of babies lol.) Does she stick with him from the moment they escape or are they separated at some point and then find each other later/after the war? Also, while I would enjoy fluff for them and definitely want a happy ending with this ship, the whole thing doesn’t have to be fluff. There can be angst and drama, both of the romantic sort and the We Are At War With Zombies/Euron type. (inevitably, their mutual trauma and trauma recovery will likely be a theme, but I’d rather the trauma/PTSD aspect not be the only/overwhelming aspect of the fic.)
Theon Greyjoy & Robb Stark; Theon Greyjoy/Robb Stark
Ok, so given their age difference in the books (some 4 and a half years) I especially like the platonic older/younger brother dynamic for the book version of these two. (Although I do still love books!canon shipfic of course!) And ahhh I would really, really love some childhood fluff or hurt/comfort or even some angst. How close they are in the books is a bit ambiguous. We never get Robb’s POV at all, though he clearly trusts Theon at least in a professional capacity, and Robb is the one person Theon regrets hurting with his defection to his family/from the Starks. (I mean, to be clear, I don’t think he owed the Starks anything, including Robb, but canonically Theon has regrets about it, specifically when it comes to Robb.) But it doesn’t seem too much of a stretch to say they were at least kind of close, to the extent their age difference and general difficulty of the situation allowed.
So…how do they get there? Is it Robb following around the new older boy and being a cutie that finally breaks through Theon’s defenses? Does Theon just really, really need a friend so he doesn’t go crazy and Robb’s the best option, but then they end up bonding? Really any cute childhood adventures would be great - especially anything with Theon in a (perhaps unwilling/unintentional) mentorship role. (And ahaha how annoyed Cat would be that her Pride and Joy has taken a shining to this Suspicious ™ Greyjoy boy who’s a bad influence.) Actually, maybe something about Theon being a bad influence on Robb, but like in a mostly harmless way - teaches him how to sneak out, teaching him not-quite-age-appropriate stories/jokes/things about sex. For a more hurt/comfort angle (!!!) - tiny Robb really attaching to Theon, just deciding this is his older brother now so he’s gonna like crawl into his bed when he has a nightmare or conscript him into telling him stories when he’s unwell, and all the while Theon is like “I really did not sign up for this shit” but secretly he’s really, embarrassingly soft for this stupid child. (But also - I think there’s implications that Theon sometimes has nightmares about the siege of Pyke, and those were probably more intense when he was much younger so…an unexpected role reversal?)
For something more sad…Ned taking Theon to executions and making him squire is just fgbsdfhklgfh. So like…Ned taking Robb to his first execution when he’s maybe just a little older than Bran was his first time (so maybe 8) and then Theon has to go too and it’s also his first one. And they’re both really shaken, but for different reasons (Theon doesn’t have his laugh-about-everything-always defensive mechanisms worked out yet) and kinda take comfort in each other in a way. Or…maybe at some point when they’re both in the teenage/pre-teen era, there’s some troubling news from the Islands and the boys jump the gun with panic and whether or not The Time has come for Ned to take Theon’s head. (And maybe they try to run away/escape…)
I enjoy the fanon that Grey Wind takes a special liking to Theon, moreso than the other direwolves. The implication usually I guess is that it's because Robb likes Theon so much, but it would be fun/natural if it's also just that Robb and Theon spent a lot of time together and Theon got roped into helping Robb take care of his new puppy.
But I’m also totally into stories from when they’re older/canon-era, and a more romantic slant on their relationship is also welcome. As well as all the role reversal and canon-divergence AUs! For the sake of not making this super long letter any longer by repeating the exact same prompts, feel free to use any of the prompts in the above GoT section that I gave for them with either a platonic or romantic slant (most of them should be workable for book canon and dynamics as well, and I think the tensions between them/in their relationship are similar ultimately, even if book!Robb is younger and thus reads softer (at least at the start) and Theon doesn’t give off quite as strong unrequited love vibes as in the show, and just generally there is a shift in dynamic due to the age gap).
Original Fic
Fandom-specific DNWs
I really like the idea of split loyalties here - how the Lover manages both his feelings toward his boyfriend-the-Conspirator and his friendship and affection for the ruler. Who does he choose in the end? Can he figure out a way to not interfere with his boyfriend’s plans/keep him from getting arrested and still help his friend escape/survive? Can he convince his boyfriend to abandon the conspiracy in the name of love? Or maybe he doesn’t know. Maybe it’s all about the Conspirator character’s POV/decision making. Does he tell his lover the truth about his plans/let him in on the plot? Or is he too afraid to do so/doesn’t trust him enough? Can he convince his lover to join in or at least keep their secret in the name of love? How does he feel about hurting his lover either by keeping secrets from him or by being a part of a plot to hurt someone his lover really cares about? What does all of this do to their relationship? Is it all about personal loyalties or do they have ideological differences to contend with as well?
I don’t necessarily want/need the Lover to end up choosing his Conspirator-boyfriend. Maybe he doesn’t. Maybe he chooses his friend in the end. (And if he does, what’s the fallout? Can he still protect his Conspirator-boyfriend afterward? Can their relationship survive a “betrayal” like that?)
I love a contrast in personality in my ships too! In my head, the Conspirator character is more cynical/practical, maybe a little roguish/a badboy, or more snarky. Maybe a little lower in class/economic status? And the Lover character is a bit more emotional/idealistic/guileless. Or hey, maybe it's the complete opposite and the conspiracy isn't just a coup but a brewing revolution and the Conspirator-boyfriend is a bright-eyed revolutionary all for new and brave democratic ideas and his Lover is more jaded and thinks he's barking up the wrong tree and they're better off with a good man like his friend-the-Ruler leading the country.
(I know there isn't a gender for the ruler baked into the tag, but I admit that this character is also male in my head.)
Dear Heart Attack Writer
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/ships!
GENERAL STUFF
Relationsihps/Sex/Ratings:
Likes:
- Outside of any ships I ask for specifically, I'm good with slash, het or fem for background ships!
- All ratings up to R/Mature.
- A focus on the romantic/emotional aspect of a relationship and some semblance of a plot/point rather than just sex.
- Mutual pining, especially if it's secretly requited pining and the parties think it's unrequited. (Unrequited pining can be nice too.)
- 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 (and I'm more interested in the romantic tension getting resolved, than the sexual tension anyway).
- Conversely from the above - romantic partners who just can’t help but adore each other.
- Kissing, hugging, holding hands, non-sexual physical contact in general. (Special shout out to face touching, forehead kisses and hand kisses!)
- Praise kink (in the sense that there’s a lot of emotional investment in and getting-off on getting praised or otherwise acknowledged as worthwhile. Works especially well with characters who are deeply insecure. I’m generally fond of other related things, such as body worship, partners being encouraging during sex in a very sweet, reassuring way, etc).
- Threesomes/moresomes and polyamory, unless specifically requested/prompted.
- Incest (unless specifically requested or explicitly canon; this DNW does not include cousins).
- Parings with large age disparity (over 10 years) unless specifically requested.
- Minors under 16 in sexual/romantic relationships with adults; one-sided teenage crushes on adults are fine. I'd rather not read about teenagers under 16 having sex, even if both are 14/15, but romance/kissing and some groping and whatnot is fine; references to off-screen sexual experimentation/sex is fine if it's something that fits the characters/story.
- Explicit rating and PWPs.
- Healing cock.
- 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; anything specifically listed as a “like”).
- Foot fetishes (I know I said liking specific body parts is fine, but this is the exception).
- Humiliation (both sexual and not).
- Non-con/rape (dub-con that leans toward/ends up as consensual is ok).
- Mpreg.
Genres/Themes/Tropes (and such):
Likes:
- 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.
- Related to the above, I enjoy explorations of divided/conflicted loyalties in various contexts.
- Friendship, family (dynamics), platonic love.
- Backstories, especially childhood fics.
- Fluff, banter, cuddling/snuggling, kissing, general adorableness (and adoration!).
- Well-rounded characters, characters with emotions/sympathetic motives; the “other side of the story”.
- Politics, intrigue; plot (if you already happen to be that way inclined).
- Worldbuilding, especailly in fantasy and historical settings.
- 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 Sci-Fi, 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; graphic gore.
- 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.
- Parental favoritism presented in a positive/non-negative light by the narrative.
- 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
Game of Thrones
Fandom-specific DNWs
- Fics set during Theon’s canonical captivity by Ramsay and AU situations where Theon is still captured by Ramsay, unless it’s a “captured together” scenario with Robb.
- Ramsay/Theon.
- The sort of Robb-survives-the-Red-Wedding AUs where everything in Theon’s storyline stays the same but Robb survives the Red Wedding and then they are brought back together when Robb takes back the North, etc along those lines. If he survives in some major AU where Theon doesn't defect/never goes to Pyke or Theon's storyline goes differently re: getting captured by Ramsay (e.g. he goes with Yara to Deepwood Motte or something) then that's fine.
- Reunited-in-the-afterlife fics for Theon/Robb.
- Theon begging Robb to take him back/get back together after a breakup/fight (normal apologizing for past hurtful actions is fine, though also, whatever mess they’re in I’d rather it not be/not be presented as all Theon’s fault).
- Theon thinking Robb is "too good" for him or having similar insecurities.
Theon Greyjoy/Robb Stark
I have so many feelings about this ship but also so many of them are really sad? Because, realistically, this relationship is kinda toxic. I’m not saying that in like a Purity Police way or anything, but just the power dynamics, and the fact that Robb is not above employing them when it suits him/when he’s ticked off, means that there is a lot of tension and angst and shit involved - it’s not just fluff and Cute ™. Also Alfie certainly chose to play this a Certain Way where Theon is basically making heart eyes at Robb the whole time. And Robb….never really reciprocates and is kinda cold/distant a lot? Like he sort of is generally reserved here, but it’s kinda jarring when Theon seems to desperately be giving his all - it reads a bit like unrequited love. Although! My favorite way to go here is that Robb is just kind of repressed/unable to deal with his feelings or whatever and never says the things he means/feels. Or maybe (if they’ve got a FWB type thing going) takes it for granted and just assumes that Theon knows his feelings, completely failing to understand that Theon does not actually expect for love and affection to be handed to him and does in fact need it spelled out.
Like, ok, Theon has self-guilt trips in canon about his defection (and other shit he did, admittedly) and that’s plenty explored in fic. But I’d love some Robb angst! Robb pining uselessly (and guiltily. angrily?) after Theon defects, being baffled by why Theon walked away from him, and pissed off, but then actually taking a moment to think through the why and realizing all the ways in which he’d screwed up with this relationship (and just how hurtful things like the Bran incident and the “not your duty, not your house” putdown would have been). I’m open to various takes on what their relationship was beforehand. Maybe Robb is repressed and didn't fully realize his feelings until after Theon left. Maybe Robb was repressed but realized his feelings but knew fuck all what to do with them, not to mention how to express them. Maybe they were casual and never managed to have like A Conversation about their feelings/relationship. Maybe they were lovers and Robb is really confused/pissed at first but then slowly realizes that they hadn't been communicating well/things had been off for a while. (Maybe the fact that Robb never directly addressed the hostage issue after his father died and before sending Theon to Pyke put a strain on things?)
Or you know something lighter would be amazing too! Mutual pining that does get resolved and ends up in them getting together. Banter and being really awkward about their feelings. Worrying about each other’s safety now and again during the war (especially Robb worrying about Theon). (Because, ok, IDK if this will make sense, it does in my head, but like…I’m a lot more invested in Robb being in love with Theon, regardless of whether he manages to confess it or not, than vice-versa, but it’s also important to me that the feelings are actually requited/they’re both in love with each other.)
The mandatary hurt/comfort prompt (lol) - Robb having (another) break down the night he finds out his father is dead and Theon comforting him. Maybe with unexpected tenderness. Could be they’re mutually pining too or could be this is when they end up kissing for the first time. But really, any hurt/comfort scenario you can think of would be great! I especially love the interplay of hurt/comfort and pining! For example, the idea of the pining character receiving care and comfort from someone they’re in love with and both desperately wanting/needing that comfort and realizing how hard it is to keep their feelings under control (and maybe ultimately failing to) when they’re in a more vulnerable state. And in reverse: the tenderness and stress of caring for the object of their affection and wanting to be even MOAR sweet but also feeling like they need to hide it. With someone who seems to have as difficult a time with communicating and processing feelings as Robb, this can all be extra fun! (And I think I’d especially prefer his POV here.)
Maybe also an AU where Theon decides to go back to Robb instead of defecting to his family, but he’s hurt in the “escape” from Pyke/on his way back and shows up in camp in pretty bad shape and Robb’s got to deal with both the practicality of the political situation this leaves them in while also providing comfort/care for Theon…and pining, maybe especially hard and guiltily as he realizes how much Theon’s decided to give up for him. (In this situation though, I'll say that it's really important for me that Theon stands up for himself and his decisions. In the show especially he's decently good at not letting Robb walk all over him/calling Robb out on his BS, so while he might be nervous and uncertain about how Robb will react, I'd rather they fight/argue if there's reason to, like if Theon appears to have considered a defection or had to pretend to take part for a while, than Theon completely falling all over himself to get Robb to take him back or acting like Robb would do him the greatest favor ever if he does.)
For some extra drama and whump - I love those “captured together” scenarios where the ship has to provide care/comfort for each other after interrogation/torture or them being forced to watch each other’s interrogations or getting one of them to do/say something with the threat of hurting the other. (Per my DNWs I don’t want really extreme or gory torture, nothing Ramsay-esque, but like…characters getting generally beat up is ok; being threatened with more extreme torture is also ok.) If they’re pining during - extra great! If there’s dramatic escapes and/or politics or whatever also involved - even better!
Would love some kind of AU where Theon makes some smarter choices, e.g. sacks Winterfell, grabs Bran and Rickon, and goes to Deepwood Motte to join Yara/back to the Iron Islands with them as hostages. The really tense negotiations with Robb, or facing off against each other in battle somehow. (The conflict! Also I just want Theon in command and kicking ass, lbr *sigh*.) A fortune reversal where Robb ends up a POW in this AU at whatever stronghold Theon/Theon and Yara are holding. Would love them to get a chance to work out their shit where they are on a more equal footing - and both being forced to confront their mistakes (Theon obviously defecting, but Robb having to come to terms with what position Theon really was in with his family and how he was definitely not sensitive enough to that). Any kind of ending tone here you want (though I’d very much prefer Theon not losing or at least him and Robb being equally screwed) - happy (somehow…) or bittersweet or even sad.
I generally love fortune reversal AUs for them! For example:
- Robb growing up a hostage on Pyke instead of the other way around, or being captured in an ironborn raid in a ‘verse where the rebellion never happened/Theon was never a hostage. (I’ll say that I believe that if Theon grew up with his family he would have had a good relationship with his sister and a decent one at least with his father. It would have probably been a Tywin-and-Jaime type situation if he was the heir and, if his brothers were still alive, he would have probably just been a bit ignored in favor of them, but not mistreated as such. A lot of the tension between Theon and his family in canon is because of the hostage situation/he had been away for so long.)
- Theon never goes to Pyke and is with Robb at the Red Wedding. Everything happens as in canon, but the boys manage to escape. Robb is now a king without the majority of his army whom everyone believes dead. So what do they do? (I guess not exactly fortune reversal, since Theon has still been written off by his fam. But! Actually, I would love some twist that while they’re hiding out, Balon dies. Theon decides to go home to try to reclaim his birthright and Robb comes along because he’s kinda got nowhere else to go at the moment. Cue them teaming up with Yara to get rid of Euron and Robb fighting for Theon’s cause for a change. Maybe Yara ends up as Queen or she and Theon as co-rulers and Theon goes back temporarily with Robb to help him reclaim the North. Or maybe Sansa and Jon have already reclaimed the North while they were busy with Euron and Robb stays with Theon on the Islands, leaving Sansa to rule in Winterfell?) (Re: Robb's wife in this scenario: I'm ok with them never getting married and maybe the Freys just go ahead with the RW even though Robb's the groom because they figured the Lannisters have more to offer after all or whatever. But they can also get married and she dies at the RW - maybe she was Robb's rebound because he and Theon fought/broke up for some reason, e.g. Robb not addressing the hostage situation until he's forced to.)
- Theon defects but doesn’t take Winterfell. He’s mired in winning back his father’s approval, maybe he's even making progress (if not with Balon) than with his people) when they hear about the RW. Balon decides to make a renewed strike at the North while it’s so weak, so they capture the Dreadfort (maybe while the majority of Bolton forces have gone to siege Winterfell or whatever other reason). Meanwhile, Robb has survived the RW but has been taken prisoner by Ramsay… (I realize it doesn’t make a ton of sense for them to go for the Dreadfort because it’s on the other coast, but feel free to handwave this.)
A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Fandom-specific DNWs
- Fics set during Theon’s canonical captivity by Ramsay and AU situations where Theon is still captured by Ramsay, unless it’s a “captured together” scenario with Robb or Tris.
- Ramsay/Theon.
- The sort of Robb-survives-the-Red-Wedding AUs where everything in Theon’s storyline stays the same but Robb survives the Red Wedding and then they are brought back together when Robb takes back the North, etc along those lines. If he survives in some major AU where Theon doesn't defect/never goes to Pyke or Theon's storyline goes differently re: getting captured by Ramsay (e.g. he goes with Asha to Deepwood Motte or something) then that's fine.
- Reunited-in-the-afterlife fics for Theon/Robb.
- Theon begging Robb to take him back/get back together after a breakup/fight (normal apologizing for past hurtful actions is fine, though also, whatever mess they’re in I’d rather it not be/not be presented as all Theon’s fault).
- Theon thinking Robb is "too good" for him or having similar insecurities.
Minors-under-16/adults DNW is waived for Robb/Theon, although I'd very much prefer that Robb is at least 15 when anything reciprocated happens/Theon develops romantic feelings for him. Robb can have a crush as early as seems reasonable, though :).
Not a DNW-related thing, but more a general Theon thing: for post-Ramsay fic that's set further out into the future (post-war, etc), I really-really love the fanon that Theon's hair eventually starts growing back in dark/black. (Let him have nice things ahhh!!)
Tristifer Botley/Theon Greyjoy
The ship that seems to have come out of nowhere, but wouldn’t it be nice for Theon to have a happy ending with a nice ironborn boy? And you can't tell me Tris wasn't just made for some delicious pining and loyalty kink! (But...he really does need to get over Asha for his own good, so here's his chance lol.)
While I'm down for canon-compliant, post-canon fic for these two, here are some AUs I love the idea of:
- Theon makes somewhat better decisions after defecting from Robb to his family (a choice which, in and of itself I completely understand and support, let’s just say straight up) and either never takes Winterfell or takes Winterfell but leaves shortly after with Bran and Rickon as hostages… And then he has to deal with his internal conflicts and also earning his people’s/family’s trust even though he kind of resents having to, but Dagmer’s right that like…his ability to bond with them was disrupted by the time he was away. (Not that Balon is right or not a complete asshole. But also maybe if Theon brings some Stark kids as hostages, things will go at least a tiny bit better there - although, maybe on the other hand he kinda hates the idea of having to take these kids as hostages just to impress his dad, because he knows how much the hostage thing sucks). What does this have to do with Tris? I mean basically, whatever the plot backdrop is, part of Theon finding his place on the Iron Islands and in the ironborn war efforts would, in this case, also involve him and Tris falling in love. (Bonus points if they at some point bond over their first loves (Robb and Asha, respectively) being people who don’t love them back.)
- AU where Tris is one of the men of Theon’s crew when he goes raiding and takes Winterfell. (Do things still happen as in canon and they're doomed or is Tris able to counteract Ramsay's bad influence/keep Theon from spiraling so completely?) And relatedly -- if they're still doomed and get captured together, I love the scenario of The Ship having to provide comfort/care for each other while being held cpative together, maybe their captors using them against each other (or trying to). Especially sweet if they're secretly pining for one another during all this or have a Feelings Reailzation moment! And really, the captured together scenario doesn't have to be via Ramsay - could be any other AU set-up.
- Balon dies unexpectedly just prior to Theon’s arrival on Pyke and either Theon takes his place as heir (and does the alliance with Robb) or, hell, maybe Asha beats him in a Kingsmoot or whatever (although, I’m not sure how the kingsmoot would happen with a clear line of succession but whatever), but once she’s won, she’s less intent on alienating him than her father was, and decides to go along with the proposed alliance. Or! Maybe they don’t do the alliance and go to war with the North anyway but things pan our differently with Theon’s decision-making. So, Theon and Tris go to war together…and fall in love.
- AU where Theon is never taken hostage - because Balon wins the rebellion or because the rebellion never happens - and he and Tris get together. They both seem like people who aren’t perfect fits for the Ironborn culture and maybe this pulls them together. Maybe, if Theon had stuck around, Tris would fall in love with a different Greyjoy sibling ;) (Though, I’ll say that I don’t think Theon’s relationship with his father, or Asha, would have been so strained if the hostage thing didn’t happen. I’d imagine him and Asha growing up pretty close and then with Balon…it would likely be complicated, given what kind of person Balon is, but far more within reasonable bounds than what we get in ACOK.)
Theon Greyjoy/Jeyne Poole
Preliminarily, I will say that I don't mind if you age Jeyne up a couple of years if it's needed for timeline things. ANYWAY, I love this ship both for thematic reasons and also just as a straight up love story - the desperation, the shared angst, the heroic/daring escape, and the chance to find happiness and understanding in each other! And, really there are so many things about them but the one that’s underappreciated I feel like is Jeyne’s pre-series/AGOT era crush on/attraction to Theon. (She likes older guys, clearly, ok. That’s not an abnormal teenager thing lol.) And, of course, then when she meets him again he’s not nearly the attractive, dashing boy he used to be, but he saves her - he saves her when before he probably paid her no attention at all. And it’s like…it’s that story of the girl who grew up in her prettier/better-off/more popular bff’s shadow getting the guy she’s always wanted, and yet…not really? Because it’s not exactly a fairytale and Theon is not the boy he used to be (and yet…in some ways he still is).
But anyway, I just want some of them falling in love and being in love. Idiots to Lovers if great for them. as is pining. What were they up to during the war? Would love to see Jeyne meeting Asha and maybe some other people Theon knows/who are part of his life (what do they think of her? Who does he tell them she is/what is she to him?). What kind of life do they build together? (Do they adopt a child? Or, fuck it, canon is vague enough about this that it’s not strictly speaking acononical/AU to say that Theon still has the ability to procreate, if you catch my drift. Let them have a whole bunch of babies lol.) Does she stick with him from the moment they escape or are they separated at some point and then find each other later/after the war? Also, while I would enjoy fluff for them and definitely want a happy ending with this ship, the whole thing doesn’t have to be fluff. There can be angst and drama, both of the romantic sort and the We Are At War With Zombies/Euron type. (inevitably, their mutual trauma and trauma recovery will likely be a theme, but I’d rather the trauma/PTSD aspect not be the only/overwhelming aspect of the fic.)
Theon Greyjoy & Robb Stark; Theon Greyjoy/Robb Stark
Ok, so given their age difference in the books (some 4 and a half years) I especially like the platonic older/younger brother dynamic for the book version of these two. (Although I do still love books!canon shipfic of course!) And ahhh I would really, really love some childhood fluff or hurt/comfort or even some angst. How close they are in the books is a bit ambiguous. We never get Robb’s POV at all, though he clearly trusts Theon at least in a professional capacity, and Robb is the one person Theon regrets hurting with his defection to his family/from the Starks. (I mean, to be clear, I don’t think he owed the Starks anything, including Robb, but canonically Theon has regrets about it, specifically when it comes to Robb.) But it doesn’t seem too much of a stretch to say they were at least kind of close, to the extent their age difference and general difficulty of the situation allowed.
So…how do they get there? Is it Robb following around the new older boy and being a cutie that finally breaks through Theon’s defenses? Does Theon just really, really need a friend so he doesn’t go crazy and Robb’s the best option, but then they end up bonding? Really any cute childhood adventures would be great - especially anything with Theon in a (perhaps unwilling/unintentional) mentorship role. (And ahaha how annoyed Cat would be that her Pride and Joy has taken a shining to this Suspicious ™ Greyjoy boy who’s a bad influence.) Actually, maybe something about Theon being a bad influence on Robb, but like in a mostly harmless way - teaches him how to sneak out, teaching him not-quite-age-appropriate stories/jokes/things about sex. For a more hurt/comfort angle (!!!) - tiny Robb really attaching to Theon, just deciding this is his older brother now so he’s gonna like crawl into his bed when he has a nightmare or conscript him into telling him stories when he’s unwell, and all the while Theon is like “I really did not sign up for this shit” but secretly he’s really, embarrassingly soft for this stupid child. (But also - I think there’s implications that Theon sometimes has nightmares about the siege of Pyke, and those were probably more intense when he was much younger so…an unexpected role reversal?)
For something more sad…Ned taking Theon to executions and making him squire is just fgbsdfhklgfh. So like…Ned taking Robb to his first execution when he’s maybe just a little older than Bran was his first time (so maybe 8) and then Theon has to go too and it’s also his first one. And they’re both really shaken, but for different reasons (Theon doesn’t have his laugh-about-everything-always defensive mechanisms worked out yet) and kinda take comfort in each other in a way. Or…maybe at some point when they’re both in the teenage/pre-teen era, there’s some troubling news from the Islands and the boys jump the gun with panic and whether or not The Time has come for Ned to take Theon’s head. (And maybe they try to run away/escape…)
I enjoy the fanon that Grey Wind takes a special liking to Theon, moreso than the other direwolves. The implication usually I guess is that it's because Robb likes Theon so much, but it would be fun/natural if it's also just that Robb and Theon spent a lot of time together and Theon got roped into helping Robb take care of his new puppy.
But I’m also totally into stories from when they’re older/canon-era, and a more romantic slant on their relationship is also welcome. As well as all the role reversal and canon-divergence AUs! For the sake of not making this super long letter any longer by repeating the exact same prompts, feel free to use any of the prompts in the above GoT section that I gave for them with either a platonic or romantic slant (most of them should be workable for book canon and dynamics as well, and I think the tensions between them/in their relationship are similar ultimately, even if book!Robb is younger and thus reads softer (at least at the start) and Theon doesn’t give off quite as strong unrequited love vibes as in the show, and just generally there is a shift in dynamic due to the age gap).
Original Fic
Fandom-specific DNWs
- Modern/contemporary settings (defined here as post-1899)
- Scifi, steampunk, post-apocalytpic, space opera
- Magical/supernatural elements in an explicitly otherwise “real” world (these are welcome in a secondary world)
- Non-human characters in major roles
- Superheroes/superpowers (magic is fine)
I really like the idea of split loyalties here - how the Lover manages both his feelings toward his boyfriend-the-Conspirator and his friendship and affection for the ruler. Who does he choose in the end? Can he figure out a way to not interfere with his boyfriend’s plans/keep him from getting arrested and still help his friend escape/survive? Can he convince his boyfriend to abandon the conspiracy in the name of love? Or maybe he doesn’t know. Maybe it’s all about the Conspirator character’s POV/decision making. Does he tell his lover the truth about his plans/let him in on the plot? Or is he too afraid to do so/doesn’t trust him enough? Can he convince his lover to join in or at least keep their secret in the name of love? How does he feel about hurting his lover either by keeping secrets from him or by being a part of a plot to hurt someone his lover really cares about? What does all of this do to their relationship? Is it all about personal loyalties or do they have ideological differences to contend with as well?
I don’t necessarily want/need the Lover to end up choosing his Conspirator-boyfriend. Maybe he doesn’t. Maybe he chooses his friend in the end. (And if he does, what’s the fallout? Can he still protect his Conspirator-boyfriend afterward? Can their relationship survive a “betrayal” like that?)
I love a contrast in personality in my ships too! In my head, the Conspirator character is more cynical/practical, maybe a little roguish/a badboy, or more snarky. Maybe a little lower in class/economic status? And the Lover character is a bit more emotional/idealistic/guileless. Or hey, maybe it's the complete opposite and the conspiracy isn't just a coup but a brewing revolution and the Conspirator-boyfriend is a bright-eyed revolutionary all for new and brave democratic ideas and his Lover is more jaded and thinks he's barking up the wrong tree and they're better off with a good man like his friend-the-Ruler leading the country.
(I know there isn't a gender for the ruler baked into the tag, but I admit that this character is also male in my head.)