Dear Alternate Universe Exchange Writer,
Thank you for writing for me! Some common themes for my requests this year include enemies forced to work together, people playing mind games with the ones they love, creepy eldritch rituals and supernatural occurrences, and of course, men in nice suits and gloves because that is a given for me.
DNWs:
- No permanent nominated character death - characters can be near death, mistakenly thought dead, or supernatural beings brought to undead life through curses, magic, or people commiting acts of dubious science, but I want them to be consciously aware and capable of physically interacting with the world (no ghosts of nommed characters, please). Also, death of any characters not nominated is fine - that includes characters in the tagset that I didn't choose.
- No animal harm, extreme underage, bodily fluids (blood is fine). Canon level violence/gore is fine too.
- No focus on unrequested pairings involving nominated characters. I'm fine with minor characters being paired off (including canon parents of characters) and references to past canon relationships are fine, as long as characters aren't wishing they were with someone else instead.
Monster (Anime & Manga)
Group: Tenma Kenzou/Johan Liebert (Monster)
I will always have a special fondness for these two and their messed-up dynamic - Tenma's the father figure, but Johan's the one trying to mold him into something. Mind games, murder, creepy fairy tales - all of it is deeply relevant to my interests. So I'm very much into the whole mental manipulation/corruption aspect of their relationship and the idea of exploring it in different scenarios or universes.
ALL: Ageswap AU
Yeah, I'm thinking that an older Johan who got his hands on a 10-year-old Tenma would be a terrible, horrific thing, and by that, I mean, utterly beautiful, because Johan would totally be down for trying to corrupt him, murdering people who tried to stop him, and of course, telling delightfully disturbing fairy tales. And then Tenma grows up...
ALL: Death Note AU
Johan with a Death Note might be overkill, but Johan as a Shinigami who goes around seeing who might take advantage of it is a fun image, especially if it happens to fall into the hands of an exhausted, overworked doctor who doesn't believe in any of this. So really, what harm would it be to just write a name in it, whispers the voice in his head? It's not like it means anything.
ALL: Dishonored Fusion
You know that Outsider!Johan would be completely up for giving wrongly convicted/imprisoned Tenma eldritch powers just to see what he'd do with them. And yeah, Tenma would definitely be Low Chaos all the way, but that's not to say Johan wouldn't make things interesting (and tempting) for him to go further.
ALL: Murderer/Criminal Psychologist
This is probably the least canon divergent of all my options, since it just means that Tenma took a slightly different route in med school - unless you flip it. Tenma's the murderer - or at least suspected one - and there's a brilliant young psychologist sent to profile him. And by profile, I mean corrupt him, because we may not have cannibalism, but by god, we will still have literary tangents and philosophical bullshit.
ALL: Someone Is an AI
I just feel like anyone trying to teach AI Johan about ethics and humanity would have an uphill battle. If it's any consolation to the human race (and Tenma), I don't think Johan would want a complete revolution - it's too much fun to play with your toys than entirely break them.
ALL: Unedited Footage of a Bear AU
To be honest, I have no idea how this would work as an AU, but it's such a fascinating concept to nominate. If anything can work with the psychological mindfuck that is Monster, a scenario of split personalities, mind-altering drugs, and beating your alter ego up certainly feels like it would.
ALL: Vampires
I think I've just got a sweet spot for immortally young Johan screwing around with Tenma, because it would be amazing if Johan decided to make Tenma into a vampire and then disappear on him, leaving a few drained corpses behind, just to see what would happen.
Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Group: Matoba Seiji/Natori Shuuichi (Natsume Yuujinchou)
I'm so fond of their relationship - it's clearly built on a firm foundation of mutual loathing heightened by unresolved (or is it?) sexual tension with the knowledge that you probably understand the other person better than most people in their lives, youkai servants notwithstanding. I'd love to see more with the two of them working together, even if they're at each other's throats, snarking and occasionally saving each other's life, the entire time.
All: Marriage Arranged Because of Matching Soulmarks, ALL: Mukoyōshi Marriage
Because you know that the Matoba clan would just be thrilled that someone of Shuuichi's background would match to their heir, but hey, that's how it's done in the world of exorcism and before you know it, it's a happily married couple who may or may not try to kill each other instead of the youkai. No preference on whether Shuuichi knew Matoba before everything was set up - it's equally fun either way.
ALL: Character was kidnapped as child and raised by enemy instead
We know the Matoba have a penchant for snatching promising talent, and while Shuuichi may not be as easy or as talented a target as Natsume is, I would love to see something where the Matoba are like screw it, the Natori family can't stop us and it would be a waste to have a child grow up in such a wasteful environment.
All: Hunger Games AU
Shuuichi is the darling of that year's Hunger Games - handsome, charming, and utterly deadly. Seiji just happens to be his sponsor from the Capitol and he's looking for repayment (plus perhaps a little bit of intrigue and mayhem down the line).
All: Mecha
Shuuichi is totally one of those galactic idols, who rose to fame on nothing more than his winning smile, delightful voice, and utterly ruthless, but demolishing of everyone who stood in his way. Matoba is his childhood friend/rival pilot who has nebulous government connections and lost his an eye under strange, alien circumstances that he refuses to explain.
ALL: Noir AU
He walked into my office, flashing gams that wouldn't quit and a look that said I'm worth all the trouble you're about to get into. I told the kid out front to scram - I'd seen Seiji sizing him up for his organization and I wasn't going to drag another one down with me.
“Natori, I'm calling in my favor.”
I thought about shooting him and decided, as I always did, to do it next time.
ALL: Ready or Not AU
I wouldn't put it past the Matoba to have some sort of bullshit wedding ritual tradition that means a lot of people end up dead before the night is through. Also, you know Natori would totally rock any form of blood-spattered wedding regalia.
All: Tam Lin AU
So it's some sort of weird youkai curse/abduction that took the Matoba heir when he was younger and Natori's the one that's sent to see what's up with the creepy shit going down in the woods. Really, it's a trap, but lucky for everyone involved, he's more than just a pretty face.
Secret History - Donna Tartt
Group: Richard Papen/Henry Winter (Secret History - Tartt)
Who could have known that having a Dionysian ritual would end in blood, madness, and death? Oh, right, everyone who's ever read The Bacchae. I love that Henry, as smart as he is, is too confident and blind to see how dumb his plans are. I love that Richard is too enamored with the cool kids to see how they're using him. And I love that at the end, it's him and Henry (even if it's a dream) since I was so into their messed-up hero worship dynamic.
ALL: Character Is Resurrected But Came Back Wrong
Yay! Henry is alive! Surely there is no way this can possibly go wrong, since canon already involved copious amounts of murder, bloodshed, and people doing esoteric rituals that end horribly. Maybe Henry's possessed by some eldritch entity, or he's just lost even more of his humanity and Richard, being the terribly obtuse horror protagonist that he is...
ALL: Character Journeys To The Underworld to Rescue Their Dead Lover
The gates of hell are open night and day;
Smooth the descent, and easy is the way:
But to return, and view the cheerful skies,
In this the task and mighty labor lies.
All: Evil Dead AU - Someone Read From The Necronomicon; Now Everyone Must Fight Deadites
Turns out the bacchanal went worse than expected - maybe they shouldn't have read that weird book that someone found in Julian's office. Now the countryside is filled with the living dead, Henry won't stop quoting Epicurus, and how the hell did Bunny get a shotgun?
ALL: House of Leaves AU
Let's face it, Henry would absolutely adore the labyrinth with the beast at the center, while Richard would be wondering just how his life got to this point. And let's face it, they're both literary (see also: pretentious) enough to appreciate the copious footnotes and analysis of their situation.
ALL: Cosmic Horror/Eldritch Abomination AU, ALL: Lovecraftian AU
Henry would make an excellent protagonist in his stories - fond of knowledge, contemptuous of humanity, values ancient history and customs above modernity. So if he was really summoning an Elder God, it would not surprise me in the slightest.
ALL: Time loop where character makes things worse before making them better
The good news, Richard, is that you may have found a way to save Henry. The bad news is that it's going to take a lot of work, time, and potentially the death of everyone else before you succeed.
ALL: Vampires
The Classics group has good taste and they make sure any new members do as well. Henry's the final arbiter of just how blue Richard's blood really is. (Julian is totally Henry's sire, and there's a whole lot of baggage with that one as well).
John Wick (Movies)
Group: John Wick/Winston (John Wick)
Look, I'm a simple person with simple pleasures and one of them is seeing two badasses hooking up together, especially if they look like Keanu Reeves and Ian McShane. Also, I will never not be into the idea of older mentor figure who realizes that he may have taken on way more than he bargained for with his relationship with the protege, and hopes the younger man doesn't figure it out. (He does.) Also. I'm a sucker for the whole aesthetic - the nice suits, the classical music, the glorious art of kicking everyone's ass in some really cool places and did I mention the worldbuilding? Because that's pretty amazing too.
All: Altered Carbon Fusion
John Wick's an ex-Envoy, Winston's a fully equipped hotel AI, and there's still a global conspiracy to do nefarious things. Also, it turns out that Winston has very particular thoughts on which bodies he prefers of John's - the ranking mainly goes by how well they wear suits.
All: Canon's Plot Is Interrupted By An Alien Invasion
You know, I can't be the only one that looked at John Wick and thought, I love it, but what if it was even more batshit insane and over the top? So I like to think that somewhere in the bylaws of the High Table, there is a contingency plan for alien invasion - and John Wick is reluctantly pardoned to deal with it.
ALL: Cyberpunk AU
You can't give me Keanu Reeves in a Cyberpunk trailer and not have me go, okay, so John Wick with like a metal arm and maybe a cool robotic eye that automatically scans things and at some point, someone is holding a laser rifle and screaming something about being offline? I don't know, but it probably involves black leather too, which Winston is all in favor of.
All: Hunger Games AU
John Wick as the former victor ripped away from his grief and forced to mentor a new tribute while Winston (Stylist? Past mentor? Gamemaker with a soft spot?) warns him about going up against the Capitol. Not that he's going to listen to it.
ALL: Kingsman AU
They have so much in common - finely tailored suits, cultured badasses, inappropriate sexual tension with older men! And John would be great as that guy who's taken away from his life of petty crime and turned into a polished weapon.
ALL: One character is a dragon
Winston totally has a hoard and you know he really wants to add John to it someday. Also, at some point, John has figured this out, but he's not saying anything, because you have to tell people, Winston. You can't just give them significant looks and make cryptic responses.
ALL: Renaissance AU
All right, so it probably would turn into a slight Assassin's Creed rip-off at this point, but I'd take John Wick leaping from roof to roof, avoiding people sent to kill him, because you know, whether it's now or 500 years ago, excommunication is serious business. Also, Winston would totally be down with the Medici/Borgia/Sforza type of patronage.
Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Group: Rufus Shinra/Cloud Strife (FFVII Remake)
Rufus has probably always been one of my favorite characters, but it's hard to love boxy pixels. And then Advent Children came along and I liked him a lot more, but there was still something missing. Then the Remake came out and Rufus was running around, using guns to propel himself forward and trying to hit on Cloud left and right in that smooth voice, and I was like, fine, FFVII, you win. I love that asshole. As for Cloud, he's just so much fun and Remake really plays up how great he is. So the two of them together is a pairing I never thought I'd love as I suddenly do now and I crave more of their banter, their fighting, and even working together?
ALL: Alternate First Meeting--Woke Up Married
Look, I don't know, but Tifa's bar has strong drinks, Rufus just hangs around Midgar to get into trouble, and Cloud has the misfortune of bumping into him. Sense does not need to enter into any equation here; only hilarity and Rufus deciding to go along with it for the sake of sheer amusement (and possibly causing a stroke in his father).
ALL: Ancient Rome
Not going to lie, I feel like Rufus's lines in his fight scream for a gladiator/patrician who buys him AU where Rufus is of course the spoiled rich son with hidden depths who seemingly buys Cloud on a whim in the ring and then proceeds to mind fuck (and actually fuck) the shit out of him.
All: Bodyguard AU
There are a lot of divergent canonical possibilities for this one (Cloud makes it into Shinra and/or is sent to Junon) , but the ending definitely opens up the possibility of a timeline where Zack's successful last stand allows them to be mercenaries together (and be hired by Rufus for his own purposes). Perhaps Rufus even remembers the other timeline (he did see the Whispers) and wants to keep Cloud close.
ALL: Character was kidnapped as child and raised by enemy instead
Look, we know that Rufus didn't get his gun skills from his dad, and while we could speculate that yes, Turk training combined with his own ruthless determination and ambition made him the badass he is in the Remake, there's another fun answer as well. What if Vincent, instead of moping in the basement, decided fuck it, I'm taking the Shinra heir with me, and lo and behold, decades later, we get Rufus shooting people in the face for good, not evil.
ALL: Inception fusion
Rufus would totally hire people to incept his rivals - let's face it, his dad - and AVALANCHE seems tailor made for this. Also, Sephiroth is definitely the wraith that's flitting around Cloud's mind.
All: Fate Holy Grail War AU
Cloud doesn't remember his past (or his class), but Rufus isn't going to waste a command spell on such trivial matters. As long as he wins, that's what counts.
All: Zombie Apocalypse
Damn it, Hojo. Because you know he would totally find a way to unleash the living dead on humanity, and then let everyone else fend for themselves. But Cloud is a hero and there's no way Rufus wants to rule over a dead city, so it looks like everyone's going zombie-hunting.