Dear Night on Fic Mountain Author
You are awesome! Thank you for writing for me! I hope you'll enjoy writing your story as much as I'll enjoy reading it!
I love all of these fandoms and all of these characters and will love fic about any of them, so if you already have an idea, then go for it; I know it will be as rad as you are! If a little detail from me will make things easier/more fun for you, then I'll ramble about fic in general and these particular fandoms/characters below:
Do-Not-Wants:
I'm fortunate not to have any triggers, but I do have a couple of back-button squicks that it would be great if you could avoid: romanticized/eroticized depictions of incest or rape are deal-breakers for me. If canon and/or the direction your story takes you include incest or rape, I'd prefer it not be depicted in great length or graphic detail. I'd prefer no a/b/o or mpreg. I'm comfortable receiving fic of any rating, and if you're moved to porn, I'd prefer nothing that kinks on fear, extreme pain, or risk of death or maiming.
Stuff I love, in general:
banter, found families, redemption narratives, missing scenes and tags/codas, gallows humor, h/c that's light on the 'hurt' and heavy on the 'comfort', characters playing poker, bedsharing (platonic or otherwise), women kicking literal and/or metaphorical ass, characters who own their mistakes (even if they can't seem to quit making them), double lives/secret identities, and hopeful, if imperfectly happy, endings. Most of my favorite stories could be distilled down to something like broken people make a home for each other and/or ragtag band of misfits save world, one another.
[Other General Details]
Shipping News:
I love gen fic a lot, but I'm also open to stories that include m/f, f/f, m/m, and poly relationships. I especially like UST, casual sex between characters who have respect and fondness for each other, and established relationships. Generally, I don't have a lot of unshakeable SRS BZNS shipping preferences (so feel free to sell me on any relationship that doesn't rely on abuse of power), but I'll try to give you an idea of any ships I have strong feelings about in the fandom-specific sections below.
Stylistically:
I don't have a dog in the past tense vs. present tense fight; I read, write, and enjoy both. I will always be a sucker for any kind of unusual narration: second-person, 1st-person plural, outsider POV, unreliable narrator, epistolary fiction, omniscient narrator, etc., etc., ad infinitum. But, third-person-limited is popular for a reason -and that reason is that it works!- so please don't feel pressured to try something you wouldn't have fun with. Just know that if you were thinking about experimenting, you'd find a receptive audience in me!
Spoilers and Jossing:
Some of the TV programs I've requested are open canons, airing new episodes throughout the writing period and reveals. It's fair to assume that I'm current with those canons, so don't worry about spoiling me for recent developments. On the other side of that coin, don't worry if the show takes a zig where your story assumes a zag; I'd rather read the divergent fic you're excited to write than the one that less-enthusiastically incorporates some June plot twist.
AUs/Fusions/Crossovers:
Generally, I'd prefer fic that works within the canon universes of these fandoms, though I love AUs that diverge from a specific point in canon: What if this character hadn't died? What if that one had caught that flight out of town? etc.
FANDOMS! ♥
My fandoms are listed below alphabetically, and if the herds of tl;dr associated with each one come in at different sizes, please know that's a function of the number of characters requested and my inveterate "any"-requesting ways and not a reflection of different levels of enthusiasm. I love all of these fandoms to a truly ridiculous degree, and will be delighted with wherever you end up writing for me!
[Banshee - any (prompts spoiler-y for Season 3)]
Banshee - any (tagset includes: Alison Medding, Nola Longshadow, Carrie Hopewell, Job, Lucas Hood, Siobhan Kelly )
You're probably looking up at my DNWs and wondering how I even watch this show, let alone love it as much as I do. /0\ Basically, I was already a goner by the time I encountered the things that've made me nope out of other media. Pretty much anything you want to write for this show - short of incest ship-fic - will be met with delight from me, but if specific ideas for the nominated characters will be useful:
I love flashbacks, so feel free to give me a piece of any characters' backstory: Hood and Job shenanigans prior to Hood's involvement with Rabbit? Ana, Job, and Hood working a job or laying escape plans? Job protecting Ana/Carrie after Hood's arrest? Ana learning to be under-the-radar Carrie? Siobhan making unexpected connections with women from the show's other subplots - like the Origins shorts with Rebecca and Amy? A moment from Nola's life during the times she left Banshee?
We don't know much about D.A. Medding yet, except that she's a survivor, who doesn't suffer fools lightly, and (so far as we yet know) doesn't have a long history in/ties to Banshee. What brought her there? Why would she stay? What's her perspective on the town/other characters as a relative outsider?
Season 3 was really hard on me in terms of losing characters I loved, so I would love something about the other characters' grief: More of Hood's mourning Siobhan, alone or in good company. Hood and Lotus's revenge road-trip. Carrie's and/or Hood's relationships with Deva (and Max) in the wake of Gordon's death. Is there anyone left behind to mourn Nola or Chayton?
Or alternatively, all the fix-it AUs: Siobhan and Hood both leave the Cadi alive and start a new life together somewhere else. Carrie and Nola build an unexpected alliance/friendship off of that scene in the diner and with each others' support avoid the death and loss that happened in canon.
I received really lovely fic in this fandom in a previous exchange, but if I had my way, Banshee would be too big for small-fandom exchanges ten times over, so I will always, always welcome more. The show is one of my recurring requests, so feel free to include any unnominated characters, or pull from the prompts/rambling in previous exchange letters if you'd like.
Shipping News: Most of the time Sheriff/Deputy would be a squicky-to-me power imbalance, but somehow Siobhan/Hood really works for me! I love how much and how genuinely they just plain like each other, even before they start having comfort sex and getting invested in each other's secrets.
[The Greatest Show On Earth - any]The Greatest Show On Earth - any (tagset includes: Angel, Brad Braden, Buttons,The Great Sebastian, Holly)
One of the things I love most about this movie is all of the behind-the-scenes circus-business, so I'd love some kind of slice-of-life from around the camp/train/etc. I'm also pretty charmed by all those lingering shots of the audience during performances, so I'd like a story about those faces in the crowd and what the show is doing for them.
I'm also really into all those bombastic voice-overs about the nature of the circus, so if you wanted to go weird, like fic from the POV of the circus personified as a massive beast with canvas skin, etc., I would totally be there for it.
I'd love more about Buttons' life on the lam. How did he decide on the circus? Coincidence, or some previous connection or experience? I get the impression that it's sort of an open secret within the circus that he's hiding from something that no one asks or answers too many questions about because he's one of theirs, so I'd love something that looks at how that works in his day-to-day.
Flashback to Angel and Sebastian's history, perhaps cut together with a scene from the future relationship they're implied to have? More from the part of the movie where Holly and Sebastian are flirting, in the form of ramping up the dangerousness of their acts?
I'd love more scenes with Angel and Holly (and/or any of the other women) in the dressing tent or sleeping cars, working up their routines and gossiping and killing downtime on the road together.
I'd love to read a day in the life of Brad Braden, another peek at all the big and little things that go into keeping the show on the road, and how keeping up with them sometimes means he misses his cues in his non-circus-business-relationships with people.
Shipping News: In general, I'm cool with any canon or non-canon relationships you'd care to include, but I'd especially love to read something about Holly, Braden, and Sebastian all navigating some form of poly relationship, whether as an OT3, or Holly in committed open relationships with each of them.
[Hart of Dixie - any (prompts spoilery for season 4)]Hart of Dixie - any (tagset includes: Annabeth Nass, Lavon Hayes, Lemon Breeland, Rose Hattenbarger, Wade Kinsella, Zoe Hart)
This show just makes me vanilla happy on a week-in, week-out basis. It's silly and heartfelt and warm and surprisingly snarky. It's also my perennial small/rare exchange request, and I've been fortunate to receive really lovely pieces of fic for it in multiple past exchanges; rest assured that I'd be thrilled to read about three million stories about these characters. In addition to the prompts below, anything I've mentioned in previous exchange letters would be excellently welcome!
It's not-yet-official, but almost certain that the show has been cancelled, and I'm kind of heartbroken to know that we'll probably never get to spend any more time with these characters, so one of the things I'd really love to see right now is future-fic: Wade and Zoe's first anniversary/TBA Kinsella's first birthday party. Rose, back for the summer after her first year at Columbia. Lemon/Lavon, Zoe/Wade, A-B/George getting together for brunch; it happens, like, semi-annually, and no one is allowed to miss it! Zoe, Wade, and family visit Mom and Rose in New York, and Zoe realizes/makes peace with the fact that she's become a tourist. Or any other future timestamp featuring any of these characters as well as any unnominated characters!
There were also some time jumps in season 4 that I'd love to get missing scenes from: the middle stages of Zoe's pregnancy (maternity-clothes-related woe! people touching her belly all the time, god! supervising Wade and Lavon in the construction of nursery furniture!, etc.); the run-up to Lemon and Lavon's wedding (ways it's different from the one that didn't happen with George? bachelor/ette parties gone awry! everyone's speeches at the reception! what happens when, say, Jaycene catches the bouquet?, etc.). Or anything else you wish the show hadn't skipped!
One of the things I'll miss most about the show is the web of warm and supportive (even if they started out prickly) relationships between all the characters, so I'd love some cozy friendship/family (of birth or choice or both) fic about any 2 or more characters in Bluebell. Lemon & Wade; Lemon & Magnolia & Scarlett; Lemon & Brick; Zoe & Lemon & Annabeth; the Belles; Annabeth & the Truitts; Zoe & Brick; Zoe & Rose; Zoe & Lavon; Zoe & George; Lavon & Wade; Wade & Earl; Zoe & Wanda & Shelby (and or Wade & Tom & Brick) as their kids grow up together, or, literally any other combination of characters, because I love them all a lot.
Shipping News: I'm pretty happy with the pairings the show has adopted as its probable end-game, so I'd prefer you didn't break any of them up in any fic set in the future. That said, I liked all the previous canon relationships as well, so feel free to include them in fic set earlier, or to sell me on any non-canon pairing except Zoe/George or Zoe/Lavon.
[NXT - any]NXT - any (tagset includes: Aiden English, Baron Corbin, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Buddy Murphy, Charlotte, Colin Cassady, Corey Graves, Enzo Amore, Finn Balor, Hideo Itami, Kevin Steen, Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Sasha Banks, Simon Gotch, Tyler Breeze, Wesley Blake)
What I'm looking for out of wrassling fandom is fic about the characters of my favorite soap-opera-with-superkicks, rather than RPF about the performers, so I'd prefer your story not include the wrestlers' real-world identities or any elements of their personal lives or relationships that have not been incorporated into kayfabe (i.e. I'd love to read about Charlotte thinking about Ric Flair's legacy, but I'd be far less keen on, say, Sasha Banks hanging out with her cousin Snoop).
I'm delighted by the large slate of characters nominated! I'll prattle about each individual character below, but here are a few catch-all prompts that you can swap any combination of characters into:
Car trouble or inclement weather strand the wrestlers of your choice at a Waffle House off a rural stretch of interstate; hijinks and/or bonding ensue.
Porn (with or without plot, as you see fit!) in which any past, current, or future title-holder (i.e. anyone) receives oral from an enthusiastic partner while wearing their championship belt.
Pro wrestling is an international community, and the NXT roster is a reflection of that. I'd love a story about homesickness and culture shock and finding/making a new space/life/family for yourself far from the place where you began, centered on any character(s) not originally hailing from the U.S.
Give me an origin story for the Vaudevillains! How did they come together? Is Simon Gotch's silence purely to throw off their opposition? If not, how do they communicate outside the ring? (Non-verbal cues? Signing? Is Aiden English secretly a telepath?) Mostly, I'd like to see these two being kind/affectionate to one another even while they're committing acts of dastardly mustache-twirling villainy against the tag division and the NXT universe in general.
The Realest Guys in the Room are pretty much my favorite sit-com these days. I'd love one of those short scenes of them outside the arena, with Enzo completely failing to be smooth (or self-aware!), and Cass acting as straight-man, videographer, and voice-of-reason. Goofball gen or CassAmore (just about the only smushname I find genuinely adorable!) equally welcome. I'd also be up for a Staten Island OT3, with Carmella charmed in spite of herself, Cass a perfect gentleman, and Enzo making up what he lacks in suavity with enthusiasm (and maybe a surprising willingness to take instruction?).
NGL, I would also be here for a freshly heel-turned Carmella just being absolutely done with Blake & Murphy as it's become increasingly clear that they're mostly into each other and too chicken to do anything about it without a buffer.
I still sort of hope that Baron Corbin's gimmick will evolve into "is maybe an actual werewolf", so I'd love to read that AU. Would also love to see friendship-fic or romantic ship-fic that pairs stoic ~lone-wolf Baron with any of the more animated/outgoing/overtly-cheerful characters: Bayley, Sami, Enzo Amore, pre-creeping-on-Carmella Blake & Murphy among the nominated characters; Alexa Bliss, Adam Rose, etc. in the wider universe.
One of the little things that I love about NXT is that it contains rather more hugging than you'd generally expect from a wrassling show. Quite a few of them come from Bayley, whose boundless enthusiasm and warmth never undercut her credibility as a serious competitor in the ring. I especially like to see her play off against someone a bit cooler, a touch more cynical - Charlotte! and I'm really into Bayley's current angle with bitter heelish Emma - , having them gradually, even grudgingly, won over into respect and affection.
We've seen Becky Lynch as a good-girl friend to Bayley and one-half of team Best-At-Everything; which of those is closest to the truth?
Adrian Neville has just made his RAW debut, and Charlotte is likely headed to the main roster soon; I'd love to see either or both of them saying their goodbyes to Full Sail at large and to the other characters who've been friends or partners or opponents or all of the above (and with luck, will be again).
I love all the little asides in NXT's commentary that hint toward relationships and angles Corey Graves might be involved in, even as he's stepped out of the ring. His transparent crush on the King of Cuteville! Is his disdain for Becky Lynch really a form of pulling on her pig-tails? Would also enjoy something more introspective about being so involved with the promotion while being unable to wrestle again himself.
Talk to me about the nature of Finn Balor's demon: does the act of getting painted up summon it, somehow, or is it always there with him under the surface? Alternatively, all the fluff or smut or h/c related to someone(s) he trusts helping to apply or remove the body-paint!
Tell me all about Hideo Itami's Wrestlemania weekend! Who's waiting to celebrate with him behind the curtain? Who spirits him away from the media for pancakes and a few minutes' peace in the middle of everything? How about that G-T-S?
My read on Kevin Owens is that he does actually and desperately love Sami, even as he resents him, and despite all he's done since he got to NXT, so I am here for any flashbacks or tortured longing or deep denial you care to include. On a lighter note, we also have photographic evidence that even (wishes-he-were-)heartless Owens can't hate Bayley; tell me about an unlikely friendship between them.
Actual human sunbeam Sami Zayn canonically spent some portion of his time away from NXT wandering the cold and rainy streets of his hometown in the small hours of the morning, brooding over Kevin and the past and doubting his future; this surely calls for all the anguished slash! In a more light-hearted direction, I'd love to see Sami supporting Bayley as she embarks on her own "Road to Redemption"-style arc, with their relationship platonic, romantic, or anyplace in between.
I'd love to read about Sasha Banks finally winning the Women's Title - that hug/shove with Charlotte!; emotional post-match interview with Renee Young - at Rival. Would also love to see Sasha and Tyler taking over the world, one wrestling ring at a time, or The Boss finding it's lonely at the top, looking for some new BFFs.
The show seems to have trailed off on the Tyler Breeze, stalked by the Phantom of Full Sail, storyline, so I'd love to read a fic take on that. Or the twitter/in-ring feud with Hideo. Or really, his ruminations on the uggoes he finds himself constantly surrounded by on any given day.
Shipping News: Honestly, I suspect that if you drew the names of any 2-3 characters in this fandom from a hat, I would find that I already do - or could be easily persuaded to - ship it, so if you signed up hoping to write any particular ship, have at; I am here for it! In particular, I'm a sucker for pairings of tag-team partners, and Sami, Tyler, Bayley, and Hideo are all little black dress-type characters who I can imagine having an interesting dynamic with friends and opponents and even characters we haven't seen them spend much/any time with (yet) in canon.
[Pat Novak for Hire - any]Pat Novak, For Hire - any (tagset includes: Pat Novak, Inspector Hellman, Jocko Madigan)
I suspect that if we've matched on this fandom, you will already have some idea of what you might like to write. If that's the case, have at; I definitely want to read it! If some ideas from me might help:
My favorite thing about this series is world-weary Pat's OTT hard-boiled narration, so I'd love something that plays with that style. But, it would also be fun to see a job (whether from an existing episode, or one you invent for the fic) unfold through Jocko's eyes as he takes Patsy's calls at the local watering hole or Hellman's as he finds that nogoodnik Novak crouched over yet another stiff.
A missing scene from any episode (I'm most familiar with Jack Webb's runs, but anything available on archive.org or elsewhere online is awesome) would be cool.
Every now and then, a job must break Pat Novak's way, with his actually getting paid and no one in a holding cell or the morgue or floating in the Bay at the end; what does that look like?
An off-duty Hellman hires Pat to take care of something the Inspector is invested in seeing done but can't do himself: what is it? does it change anything about their relationship?
Shipping News: I don't particularly ship anything in this universe, apart from a vague Novak/Dame (or /Hard-Luck-Chuck) of-the-Week, but don't let me stop you!
I hope I haven't frightened you off with this wall of text; I just really love talking about my fandoms and exchange letters are a convenient excuse to do so! I hope something above is useful to you, but if not then please ignore it; I intend the prompts here to be helpful, not stressful!
Thanks again for writing for me! I hope your Night On Fic Mountain is lovely! ♥
I love all of these fandoms and all of these characters and will love fic about any of them, so if you already have an idea, then go for it; I know it will be as rad as you are! If a little detail from me will make things easier/more fun for you, then I'll ramble about fic in general and these particular fandoms/characters below:
Do-Not-Wants:
I'm fortunate not to have any triggers, but I do have a couple of back-button squicks that it would be great if you could avoid: romanticized/eroticized depictions of incest or rape are deal-breakers for me. If canon and/or the direction your story takes you include incest or rape, I'd prefer it not be depicted in great length or graphic detail. I'd prefer no a/b/o or mpreg. I'm comfortable receiving fic of any rating, and if you're moved to porn, I'd prefer nothing that kinks on fear, extreme pain, or risk of death or maiming.
Stuff I love, in general:
banter, found families, redemption narratives, missing scenes and tags/codas, gallows humor, h/c that's light on the 'hurt' and heavy on the 'comfort', characters playing poker, bedsharing (platonic or otherwise), women kicking literal and/or metaphorical ass, characters who own their mistakes (even if they can't seem to quit making them), double lives/secret identities, and hopeful, if imperfectly happy, endings. Most of my favorite stories could be distilled down to something like broken people make a home for each other and/or ragtag band of misfits save world, one another.
[Other General Details]
Shipping News:
I love gen fic a lot, but I'm also open to stories that include m/f, f/f, m/m, and poly relationships. I especially like UST, casual sex between characters who have respect and fondness for each other, and established relationships. Generally, I don't have a lot of unshakeable SRS BZNS shipping preferences (so feel free to sell me on any relationship that doesn't rely on abuse of power), but I'll try to give you an idea of any ships I have strong feelings about in the fandom-specific sections below.
Stylistically:
I don't have a dog in the past tense vs. present tense fight; I read, write, and enjoy both. I will always be a sucker for any kind of unusual narration: second-person, 1st-person plural, outsider POV, unreliable narrator, epistolary fiction, omniscient narrator, etc., etc., ad infinitum. But, third-person-limited is popular for a reason -and that reason is that it works!- so please don't feel pressured to try something you wouldn't have fun with. Just know that if you were thinking about experimenting, you'd find a receptive audience in me!
Spoilers and Jossing:
Some of the TV programs I've requested are open canons, airing new episodes throughout the writing period and reveals. It's fair to assume that I'm current with those canons, so don't worry about spoiling me for recent developments. On the other side of that coin, don't worry if the show takes a zig where your story assumes a zag; I'd rather read the divergent fic you're excited to write than the one that less-enthusiastically incorporates some June plot twist.
AUs/Fusions/Crossovers:
Generally, I'd prefer fic that works within the canon universes of these fandoms, though I love AUs that diverge from a specific point in canon: What if this character hadn't died? What if that one had caught that flight out of town? etc.
FANDOMS! ♥
My fandoms are listed below alphabetically, and if the herds of tl;dr associated with each one come in at different sizes, please know that's a function of the number of characters requested and my inveterate "any"-requesting ways and not a reflection of different levels of enthusiasm. I love all of these fandoms to a truly ridiculous degree, and will be delighted with wherever you end up writing for me!
[Banshee - any (prompts spoiler-y for Season 3)]
Banshee - any (tagset includes: Alison Medding, Nola Longshadow, Carrie Hopewell, Job, Lucas Hood, Siobhan Kelly )
You're probably looking up at my DNWs and wondering how I even watch this show, let alone love it as much as I do. /0\ Basically, I was already a goner by the time I encountered the things that've made me nope out of other media. Pretty much anything you want to write for this show - short of incest ship-fic - will be met with delight from me, but if specific ideas for the nominated characters will be useful:
I love flashbacks, so feel free to give me a piece of any characters' backstory: Hood and Job shenanigans prior to Hood's involvement with Rabbit? Ana, Job, and Hood working a job or laying escape plans? Job protecting Ana/Carrie after Hood's arrest? Ana learning to be under-the-radar Carrie? Siobhan making unexpected connections with women from the show's other subplots - like the Origins shorts with Rebecca and Amy? A moment from Nola's life during the times she left Banshee?
We don't know much about D.A. Medding yet, except that she's a survivor, who doesn't suffer fools lightly, and (so far as we yet know) doesn't have a long history in/ties to Banshee. What brought her there? Why would she stay? What's her perspective on the town/other characters as a relative outsider?
Season 3 was really hard on me in terms of losing characters I loved, so I would love something about the other characters' grief: More of Hood's mourning Siobhan, alone or in good company. Hood and Lotus's revenge road-trip. Carrie's and/or Hood's relationships with Deva (and Max) in the wake of Gordon's death. Is there anyone left behind to mourn Nola or Chayton?
Or alternatively, all the fix-it AUs: Siobhan and Hood both leave the Cadi alive and start a new life together somewhere else. Carrie and Nola build an unexpected alliance/friendship off of that scene in the diner and with each others' support avoid the death and loss that happened in canon.
I received really lovely fic in this fandom in a previous exchange, but if I had my way, Banshee would be too big for small-fandom exchanges ten times over, so I will always, always welcome more. The show is one of my recurring requests, so feel free to include any unnominated characters, or pull from the prompts/rambling in previous exchange letters if you'd like.
Shipping News: Most of the time Sheriff/Deputy would be a squicky-to-me power imbalance, but somehow Siobhan/Hood really works for me! I love how much and how genuinely they just plain like each other, even before they start having comfort sex and getting invested in each other's secrets.
[The Greatest Show On Earth - any]The Greatest Show On Earth - any (tagset includes: Angel, Brad Braden, Buttons,The Great Sebastian, Holly)
One of the things I love most about this movie is all of the behind-the-scenes circus-business, so I'd love some kind of slice-of-life from around the camp/train/etc. I'm also pretty charmed by all those lingering shots of the audience during performances, so I'd like a story about those faces in the crowd and what the show is doing for them.
I'm also really into all those bombastic voice-overs about the nature of the circus, so if you wanted to go weird, like fic from the POV of the circus personified as a massive beast with canvas skin, etc., I would totally be there for it.
I'd love more about Buttons' life on the lam. How did he decide on the circus? Coincidence, or some previous connection or experience? I get the impression that it's sort of an open secret within the circus that he's hiding from something that no one asks or answers too many questions about because he's one of theirs, so I'd love something that looks at how that works in his day-to-day.
Flashback to Angel and Sebastian's history, perhaps cut together with a scene from the future relationship they're implied to have? More from the part of the movie where Holly and Sebastian are flirting, in the form of ramping up the dangerousness of their acts?
I'd love more scenes with Angel and Holly (and/or any of the other women) in the dressing tent or sleeping cars, working up their routines and gossiping and killing downtime on the road together.
I'd love to read a day in the life of Brad Braden, another peek at all the big and little things that go into keeping the show on the road, and how keeping up with them sometimes means he misses his cues in his non-circus-business-relationships with people.
Shipping News: In general, I'm cool with any canon or non-canon relationships you'd care to include, but I'd especially love to read something about Holly, Braden, and Sebastian all navigating some form of poly relationship, whether as an OT3, or Holly in committed open relationships with each of them.
[Hart of Dixie - any (prompts spoilery for season 4)]Hart of Dixie - any (tagset includes: Annabeth Nass, Lavon Hayes, Lemon Breeland, Rose Hattenbarger, Wade Kinsella, Zoe Hart)
This show just makes me vanilla happy on a week-in, week-out basis. It's silly and heartfelt and warm and surprisingly snarky. It's also my perennial small/rare exchange request, and I've been fortunate to receive really lovely pieces of fic for it in multiple past exchanges; rest assured that I'd be thrilled to read about three million stories about these characters. In addition to the prompts below, anything I've mentioned in previous exchange letters would be excellently welcome!
It's not-yet-official, but almost certain that the show has been cancelled, and I'm kind of heartbroken to know that we'll probably never get to spend any more time with these characters, so one of the things I'd really love to see right now is future-fic: Wade and Zoe's first anniversary/TBA Kinsella's first birthday party. Rose, back for the summer after her first year at Columbia. Lemon/Lavon, Zoe/Wade, A-B/George getting together for brunch; it happens, like, semi-annually, and no one is allowed to miss it! Zoe, Wade, and family visit Mom and Rose in New York, and Zoe realizes/makes peace with the fact that she's become a tourist. Or any other future timestamp featuring any of these characters as well as any unnominated characters!
There were also some time jumps in season 4 that I'd love to get missing scenes from: the middle stages of Zoe's pregnancy (maternity-clothes-related woe! people touching her belly all the time, god! supervising Wade and Lavon in the construction of nursery furniture!, etc.); the run-up to Lemon and Lavon's wedding (ways it's different from the one that didn't happen with George? bachelor/ette parties gone awry! everyone's speeches at the reception! what happens when, say, Jaycene catches the bouquet?, etc.). Or anything else you wish the show hadn't skipped!
One of the things I'll miss most about the show is the web of warm and supportive (even if they started out prickly) relationships between all the characters, so I'd love some cozy friendship/family (of birth or choice or both) fic about any 2 or more characters in Bluebell. Lemon & Wade; Lemon & Magnolia & Scarlett; Lemon & Brick; Zoe & Lemon & Annabeth; the Belles; Annabeth & the Truitts; Zoe & Brick; Zoe & Rose; Zoe & Lavon; Zoe & George; Lavon & Wade; Wade & Earl; Zoe & Wanda & Shelby (and or Wade & Tom & Brick) as their kids grow up together, or, literally any other combination of characters, because I love them all a lot.
Shipping News: I'm pretty happy with the pairings the show has adopted as its probable end-game, so I'd prefer you didn't break any of them up in any fic set in the future. That said, I liked all the previous canon relationships as well, so feel free to include them in fic set earlier, or to sell me on any non-canon pairing except Zoe/George or Zoe/Lavon.
[NXT - any]NXT - any (tagset includes: Aiden English, Baron Corbin, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Buddy Murphy, Charlotte, Colin Cassady, Corey Graves, Enzo Amore, Finn Balor, Hideo Itami, Kevin Steen, Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Sasha Banks, Simon Gotch, Tyler Breeze, Wesley Blake)
What I'm looking for out of wrassling fandom is fic about the characters of my favorite soap-opera-with-superkicks, rather than RPF about the performers, so I'd prefer your story not include the wrestlers' real-world identities or any elements of their personal lives or relationships that have not been incorporated into kayfabe (i.e. I'd love to read about Charlotte thinking about Ric Flair's legacy, but I'd be far less keen on, say, Sasha Banks hanging out with her cousin Snoop).
I'm delighted by the large slate of characters nominated! I'll prattle about each individual character below, but here are a few catch-all prompts that you can swap any combination of characters into:
Car trouble or inclement weather strand the wrestlers of your choice at a Waffle House off a rural stretch of interstate; hijinks and/or bonding ensue.
Porn (with or without plot, as you see fit!) in which any past, current, or future title-holder (i.e. anyone) receives oral from an enthusiastic partner while wearing their championship belt.
Pro wrestling is an international community, and the NXT roster is a reflection of that. I'd love a story about homesickness and culture shock and finding/making a new space/life/family for yourself far from the place where you began, centered on any character(s) not originally hailing from the U.S.
Give me an origin story for the Vaudevillains! How did they come together? Is Simon Gotch's silence purely to throw off their opposition? If not, how do they communicate outside the ring? (Non-verbal cues? Signing? Is Aiden English secretly a telepath?) Mostly, I'd like to see these two being kind/affectionate to one another even while they're committing acts of dastardly mustache-twirling villainy against the tag division and the NXT universe in general.
The Realest Guys in the Room are pretty much my favorite sit-com these days. I'd love one of those short scenes of them outside the arena, with Enzo completely failing to be smooth (or self-aware!), and Cass acting as straight-man, videographer, and voice-of-reason. Goofball gen or CassAmore (just about the only smushname I find genuinely adorable!) equally welcome. I'd also be up for a Staten Island OT3, with Carmella charmed in spite of herself, Cass a perfect gentleman, and Enzo making up what he lacks in suavity with enthusiasm (and maybe a surprising willingness to take instruction?).
NGL, I would also be here for a freshly heel-turned Carmella just being absolutely done with Blake & Murphy as it's become increasingly clear that they're mostly into each other and too chicken to do anything about it without a buffer.
I still sort of hope that Baron Corbin's gimmick will evolve into "is maybe an actual werewolf", so I'd love to read that AU. Would also love to see friendship-fic or romantic ship-fic that pairs stoic ~lone-wolf Baron with any of the more animated/outgoing/overtly-cheerful characters: Bayley, Sami, Enzo Amore, pre-creeping-on-Carmella Blake & Murphy among the nominated characters; Alexa Bliss, Adam Rose, etc. in the wider universe.
One of the little things that I love about NXT is that it contains rather more hugging than you'd generally expect from a wrassling show. Quite a few of them come from Bayley, whose boundless enthusiasm and warmth never undercut her credibility as a serious competitor in the ring. I especially like to see her play off against someone a bit cooler, a touch more cynical - Charlotte! and I'm really into Bayley's current angle with bitter heelish Emma - , having them gradually, even grudgingly, won over into respect and affection.
We've seen Becky Lynch as a good-girl friend to Bayley and one-half of team Best-At-Everything; which of those is closest to the truth?
Adrian Neville has just made his RAW debut, and Charlotte is likely headed to the main roster soon; I'd love to see either or both of them saying their goodbyes to Full Sail at large and to the other characters who've been friends or partners or opponents or all of the above (and with luck, will be again).
I love all the little asides in NXT's commentary that hint toward relationships and angles Corey Graves might be involved in, even as he's stepped out of the ring. His transparent crush on the King of Cuteville! Is his disdain for Becky Lynch really a form of pulling on her pig-tails? Would also enjoy something more introspective about being so involved with the promotion while being unable to wrestle again himself.
Talk to me about the nature of Finn Balor's demon: does the act of getting painted up summon it, somehow, or is it always there with him under the surface? Alternatively, all the fluff or smut or h/c related to someone(s) he trusts helping to apply or remove the body-paint!
Tell me all about Hideo Itami's Wrestlemania weekend! Who's waiting to celebrate with him behind the curtain? Who spirits him away from the media for pancakes and a few minutes' peace in the middle of everything? How about that G-T-S?
My read on Kevin Owens is that he does actually and desperately love Sami, even as he resents him, and despite all he's done since he got to NXT, so I am here for any flashbacks or tortured longing or deep denial you care to include. On a lighter note, we also have photographic evidence that even (wishes-he-were-)heartless Owens can't hate Bayley; tell me about an unlikely friendship between them.
Actual human sunbeam Sami Zayn canonically spent some portion of his time away from NXT wandering the cold and rainy streets of his hometown in the small hours of the morning, brooding over Kevin and the past and doubting his future; this surely calls for all the anguished slash! In a more light-hearted direction, I'd love to see Sami supporting Bayley as she embarks on her own "Road to Redemption"-style arc, with their relationship platonic, romantic, or anyplace in between.
I'd love to read about Sasha Banks finally winning the Women's Title - that hug/shove with Charlotte!; emotional post-match interview with Renee Young - at Rival. Would also love to see Sasha and Tyler taking over the world, one wrestling ring at a time, or The Boss finding it's lonely at the top, looking for some new BFFs.
The show seems to have trailed off on the Tyler Breeze, stalked by the Phantom of Full Sail, storyline, so I'd love to read a fic take on that. Or the twitter/in-ring feud with Hideo. Or really, his ruminations on the uggoes he finds himself constantly surrounded by on any given day.
Shipping News: Honestly, I suspect that if you drew the names of any 2-3 characters in this fandom from a hat, I would find that I already do - or could be easily persuaded to - ship it, so if you signed up hoping to write any particular ship, have at; I am here for it! In particular, I'm a sucker for pairings of tag-team partners, and Sami, Tyler, Bayley, and Hideo are all little black dress-type characters who I can imagine having an interesting dynamic with friends and opponents and even characters we haven't seen them spend much/any time with (yet) in canon.
[Pat Novak for Hire - any]Pat Novak, For Hire - any (tagset includes: Pat Novak, Inspector Hellman, Jocko Madigan)
I suspect that if we've matched on this fandom, you will already have some idea of what you might like to write. If that's the case, have at; I definitely want to read it! If some ideas from me might help:
My favorite thing about this series is world-weary Pat's OTT hard-boiled narration, so I'd love something that plays with that style. But, it would also be fun to see a job (whether from an existing episode, or one you invent for the fic) unfold through Jocko's eyes as he takes Patsy's calls at the local watering hole or Hellman's as he finds that nogoodnik Novak crouched over yet another stiff.
A missing scene from any episode (I'm most familiar with Jack Webb's runs, but anything available on archive.org or elsewhere online is awesome) would be cool.
Every now and then, a job must break Pat Novak's way, with his actually getting paid and no one in a holding cell or the morgue or floating in the Bay at the end; what does that look like?
An off-duty Hellman hires Pat to take care of something the Inspector is invested in seeing done but can't do himself: what is it? does it change anything about their relationship?
Shipping News: I don't particularly ship anything in this universe, apart from a vague Novak/Dame (or /Hard-Luck-Chuck) of-the-Week, but don't let me stop you!
I hope I haven't frightened you off with this wall of text; I just really love talking about my fandoms and exchange letters are a convenient excuse to do so! I hope something above is useful to you, but if not then please ignore it; I intend the prompts here to be helpful, not stressful!
Thanks again for writing for me! I hope your Night On Fic Mountain is lovely! ♥