Candyhearts Exchange letter
Dear Writer,
this is my first time in this exchange - I haven't done Chocolate Box before, either - and I'm very grateful to you for creating something for me in a fandom we share. My prompts are just that, prompts, not absolutes; if you have an idea that doesn't fit with any of them, but features (some of) the characters I asked for, I'll love it with added joyful surprise.
General DNWs:
A/B/O - if you want to write a werewolf AU for any of the canons I nominated, be my guest, but I'm really not into this particular type of story -, infantilisation, golden showers. Character bashing. (If the characters in question canonically loathe someone, you can of course include this, but I think you know the difference between that and having all characters agree about how terrible X is. Rape, unless it's canon and you want to explore how Character Y deals with the aftermath, or something like that.
General likes:
Character exploration, characters helping each other recover from trauma, messed up and/or co-dependent family relationships, witty banter, friendship against the odds, the occasional light moment in a darker story or conversely some serious character stuff thrown into a comedy fic.
Treats: are very welcome, including for fandoms from the tag list I did not list but which you know me to share.
Highlander
This is one of my oldest fandoms, and I've been hit by a wave of nostalgia recently. Amanda/Duncan is my favourite of the canon romantic relationships, with its mixture of playfulness and deep connection. They know each other really well, are aware that living with each other long term would not work out, but also need to reconnect throughout the centuries and always struck me as liking each other as friends beyond the sexual attraction. Hence one of my prompts: Duncan and Amanda at a moment (either historical or present day) where Amanda is with someone else (since canon already gave us scenarios where Duncan was, with Tessa and Anne), so they don't have sex, but are still there for each other - maybe Duncan needs Amanda's help for a change?
Of course I'd also be happy with Duncan/Amanda with no mortal s.o. in sight like I said, I do love their romance. Prompt: for fun, something involving both of them in a theatre troupe (as we know they were); for serious, while Duncan had the magical ability of always being on the "right" side of history, I was pleasantly surprised when Highlander: The Raven had Amanda and her friend Father Liam side with the loyalists in the American War of independence. So give me a historical scenario within their livetimes which they have genuinely different opinions about. Do they talk about it or do they have an "agree to disagree, see you in fifty years when it's all solved one way or the other" policy?
Amanda & Methos: I'm with the fanon that they knew each other, most likely through Rebecca, before Methos met Duncan, though probably not with Amanda aware just who Methos is, but if your headcanon is different, it will also be welcome. Just give me a glimpse at the somewhat prickly friendship we see bits and pieces of on the show. How does Amanda react when finding out Methos is the oldest Immortal? Given how things went down with the Methuselah Crystal, oes she see him after Alexa has died? Do they meet during the post Ahriman year when Duncan has disappeared?
Amanda/Rebecca: their relationship through the centuries. Did Amanda tell Rebecca about Kenny (who just might have been her first student after her own apprenticeship with Rebecca had dome to an end)? What was Rebecca's reaction when it became clear being a thief was something Amanda woiuld always return to? Did they ever have political differences? Did they ever talk about what would happen if they were the last two, unlikely as that was? Rebecca was one of the truly old Immortals; when, if ever, did she stop to think of Amanda as "young"?
Fandom specific DNW: Cheating. I do see them as basically polyamorous, not least because of their immortality, but I also think most mortal long term partners Duncan, Amanda or Rebecca have would have been inclined to monogamy, so if any of them is with with a mortal s.o., they'd respect that.
The Hunger Games
Haymith Abernathy & Peeta Mellark: I've always been curious about their relationship, which by necessity due to Katniss' pov we see relatively little of. A few ideas:
- Haymitch may have seen from the start that Katniss had the better survival skills and instincts of the two, but he must have been pleasantly surprised when Peeta turned out to have an instinct for PR and media manipulation (those Caesar interviews). Did they ever do a crash course together? Peeta doesn't have much of a relationship with his own parents - does he see Haymitch as a father figure or, on the contrary, someone so broken that he needs to be taken care of?
- Peeta post brainwashing and torture in Mockingbird: did he blame Haymitch for having left him in the arena? (Yes, at the time he was completely on board with Haymitch saving Katniss above and beyond, but that was before getting tortured, and he was in a very dark place post rescue for a while.)
- the time near the end of the novel when it's just the three of them in the old Victors' village, learning to live again. How do Peeta and Haymitch interact then? More like equals? More like family? Do they talk about what happened with Coin, and why? What did Peeta think when Haymitch said "I'm with the Mockingbird" re: should the Capitol's children be put in the arena?
Bond (Craig Movies)
Craig!Bond and female M are hands down my favourite relationship in any Bond film and probably responsible for making me from a casual watcher into a fan. I'd love to read anything focused on said relationship. Whether you interpret it as platonic or not is up to you, I'm good with either & or /, as it's precisely the ambiguity, the many possible ways it can be interpreted, that I find so compelling.
Possible prompts:
- M starts to notice Bond as a possible 00 - how and why?
- Bond for some reason has to play bodyguard (pre Skyfall that is) on an occasion where M has dinner with her husband - is this awkward or not awkward at all?
- so what did M think and feel when finding out Bond was still alive?
Fandom specific DNW: don't make the story all about Silva. Yes, his backstory with M is great, but he's not the character or the relationship I requested.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
I'll always love this show for adding Ahsoka Tano as Anakin's Padawan to the canon. Give me a scene with the two of them bickering, rescue each other and/or Obi-Wan, and I'm happy. Possible prompts:
- Anakin, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan get captured at the same time on some urgent mission, and there's a chance to escape, but only for two of them, while the third has to remain with the menace du jour till the others fulfill the mission/get the cavalry. No matter which combination you pick, the angst and hurt/comfort potential is delicious
- Ahsoka and Anakin at a quiet moment, talking about the people (preferably the Clones) they've already lost in the war
- Anakin teaching Ahsoka about mechanics while she finds out due to his different upbringing he's unaware of some basic Jedi custom
Fandom specific DNW: I'm not familiar with most of the books, so references to book events and people would be confusing for me. Also, I've only seen one and a half or so episodes of Rebels, meaning characters from it would be equally confusing.
Farscape
In 2021, I finished a complete rewatch which reminded me again how much I love the show. I've listed a few of my favourite relationships, and you can't go wrong with any of them. (They don't have to be all there, don't worry.) Some possible ideas:
Chiana & John: a look on how this relationship changes from their original meeting when he's the only one on Moya willing to give her a chance and she does her default flirting to the firm friendship of the later season; does she ever ask him why "Pip", whether the name has any particular meaning? Do they talk about the two Johns situation in s3? (Especially given there were also two Chianas on that Leviathan.) Maybe being on Earth, seeing John with his sister(s) reminds Chiana of Neri all over again?
John & Rygel: anything from getting on a sugar high together on Earth to Rygel seriously giving John advice (which he does try a couple of times - the first episode of s4 comes to mind) to Rygel asking John who the hell Yoda is will be welcome. I'm only half way joking when professing myself to be the world's lone John and Rygel shipper.
Crais & Aeryn: this relationship fascinates me and developed in such interesting ways; the mad Captain casually kicking Aeryn out for being compromised at the start of the show vs Aeryn taking her leave of Crais with that silent touching of his cheek in the s3 finale, and yet we've seen every step on the way. Crais never believed in the Peacekeepers the way Aeryn did due to having been forcibly recruited, and he did worse things than she did while in the organisation, but that they both were PKs and both left this world (for different reasons, but left) connects them as much as Talyn does later on. Crais and Aeryn, awkward adopted parents of the same child iis one of my favourite aspects of their relationsihip, but if you want to focus on other things about them, I'll be happy as well. What does PK Aeryn think about Crais having his brother with him so often in the pre show days, as these kind of family relationships are very atypical and frowned upon? Crais' behavior towards Aeryn markedly changes after she put him through a forced replay of his life in the s1 finale - in fact, that's when he starts to get interested in every since, so how did that work for him?
Crichton & Scorpius: Talk about obsession. Here, I've often wondered (and Scorpius must have, especially once the Multiverse became canon) how their relationship might have developed if it hadn't started with the Aurora Chair, so, five ways John and Scorpius did not meet? Otoh, remaining in canon: a slice of life from s4 when Scorpius is on board Moya, because I've always been frustrated the show actually seemed to reduce their interactions at this point.
Fandom specific DNW: physical rape between Crichton and Scorpius (one can argue about what Scorpius did to John being emotional or mental rape and that might be worth exploring, but I don't want physical rape) or Crais & Aeryn. (Just no.)
Around the World in 80 Days (2021):
I love this series and the way it handles its three main characters, their growing bond and OT3 status by the end of it. New adventures for Phileas Fogg, Fix and Passepartout are more than welcome. If you want, you can pick up the hint in the finale that they'll go after the Nautilus next, presumably in place of the 20 000 Miles under the Sea characters - what do they make of Nemo? Or how about a Dracula crossover - Abigail the reporter is on to the story of the "Bloofer lady", or maybe they want to solve the mystery of the Demeter?
Conversely: a quiet moment in their travels would be just welcome. Maybe Passepartout offers to teach Fogg how to cook (not too successfully) and they get to talk about his brother? Abigail gets an offer from another newspaper which would, however, require her to be somewhere the other two had no plan or wish to go at first, and she must decide whether or not to accept it?
Fandom specific DNW: Abigail only present as Yenta. I want all three being equally invested in each other.
18th Century CE RPF
Friedrich & Wilhelmine: a look at their first meeting after they reconciled from their big 1745/1746 argument(s), when Wilhelmine used the presence of a Prussian lady-in-waiting in Bad Ems to travel back to Berlin with her as a surprise. Give me all the emotions of this reunion! (Or at least 300 words of same. :)
Émilie & Voltaire: there are several versions of how they met - what's yours? Or: when did she decide she'll take him seriously enough to live with him? AU in which they do travel to Prussia together? When did he realize he was truly in love? Or, if you feel up to it: one of the missing Émilie/Voltaire letters, all of whom have disappeared/were destroyed - maybe from his 1743 joiurney when he had some explaining to do re: his longer absence? Or a letter from him to her when she's already dead?
Friedrich & Heinrich:
Ever since finding out Friedrich actually took Heinrich with him to Bad Pyrmont in the year of the Marwitz affair, I thought this was a golden opportunity for black comedy and sibling dysfunction. Conversely, if you want to go in a more serious direction, another relatively recent discovery was that their father in 1731, when Friedrich was still a prisoner in Küstrin, went through a "playful" game with five years old Heinrich where Heinrich was "arrested" and had to ask for a pardon. Did that ever come up between the brothers when they were adults? Extra bonus if it came up in Wusterhausen...
this is my first time in this exchange - I haven't done Chocolate Box before, either - and I'm very grateful to you for creating something for me in a fandom we share. My prompts are just that, prompts, not absolutes; if you have an idea that doesn't fit with any of them, but features (some of) the characters I asked for, I'll love it with added joyful surprise.
General DNWs:
A/B/O - if you want to write a werewolf AU for any of the canons I nominated, be my guest, but I'm really not into this particular type of story -, infantilisation, golden showers. Character bashing. (If the characters in question canonically loathe someone, you can of course include this, but I think you know the difference between that and having all characters agree about how terrible X is. Rape, unless it's canon and you want to explore how Character Y deals with the aftermath, or something like that.
General likes:
Character exploration, characters helping each other recover from trauma, messed up and/or co-dependent family relationships, witty banter, friendship against the odds, the occasional light moment in a darker story or conversely some serious character stuff thrown into a comedy fic.
Treats: are very welcome, including for fandoms from the tag list I did not list but which you know me to share.
Highlander
This is one of my oldest fandoms, and I've been hit by a wave of nostalgia recently. Amanda/Duncan is my favourite of the canon romantic relationships, with its mixture of playfulness and deep connection. They know each other really well, are aware that living with each other long term would not work out, but also need to reconnect throughout the centuries and always struck me as liking each other as friends beyond the sexual attraction. Hence one of my prompts: Duncan and Amanda at a moment (either historical or present day) where Amanda is with someone else (since canon already gave us scenarios where Duncan was, with Tessa and Anne), so they don't have sex, but are still there for each other - maybe Duncan needs Amanda's help for a change?
Of course I'd also be happy with Duncan/Amanda with no mortal s.o. in sight like I said, I do love their romance. Prompt: for fun, something involving both of them in a theatre troupe (as we know they were); for serious, while Duncan had the magical ability of always being on the "right" side of history, I was pleasantly surprised when Highlander: The Raven had Amanda and her friend Father Liam side with the loyalists in the American War of independence. So give me a historical scenario within their livetimes which they have genuinely different opinions about. Do they talk about it or do they have an "agree to disagree, see you in fifty years when it's all solved one way or the other" policy?
Amanda & Methos: I'm with the fanon that they knew each other, most likely through Rebecca, before Methos met Duncan, though probably not with Amanda aware just who Methos is, but if your headcanon is different, it will also be welcome. Just give me a glimpse at the somewhat prickly friendship we see bits and pieces of on the show. How does Amanda react when finding out Methos is the oldest Immortal? Given how things went down with the Methuselah Crystal, oes she see him after Alexa has died? Do they meet during the post Ahriman year when Duncan has disappeared?
Amanda/Rebecca: their relationship through the centuries. Did Amanda tell Rebecca about Kenny (who just might have been her first student after her own apprenticeship with Rebecca had dome to an end)? What was Rebecca's reaction when it became clear being a thief was something Amanda woiuld always return to? Did they ever have political differences? Did they ever talk about what would happen if they were the last two, unlikely as that was? Rebecca was one of the truly old Immortals; when, if ever, did she stop to think of Amanda as "young"?
Fandom specific DNW: Cheating. I do see them as basically polyamorous, not least because of their immortality, but I also think most mortal long term partners Duncan, Amanda or Rebecca have would have been inclined to monogamy, so if any of them is with with a mortal s.o., they'd respect that.
The Hunger Games
Haymith Abernathy & Peeta Mellark: I've always been curious about their relationship, which by necessity due to Katniss' pov we see relatively little of. A few ideas:
- Haymitch may have seen from the start that Katniss had the better survival skills and instincts of the two, but he must have been pleasantly surprised when Peeta turned out to have an instinct for PR and media manipulation (those Caesar interviews). Did they ever do a crash course together? Peeta doesn't have much of a relationship with his own parents - does he see Haymitch as a father figure or, on the contrary, someone so broken that he needs to be taken care of?
- Peeta post brainwashing and torture in Mockingbird: did he blame Haymitch for having left him in the arena? (Yes, at the time he was completely on board with Haymitch saving Katniss above and beyond, but that was before getting tortured, and he was in a very dark place post rescue for a while.)
- the time near the end of the novel when it's just the three of them in the old Victors' village, learning to live again. How do Peeta and Haymitch interact then? More like equals? More like family? Do they talk about what happened with Coin, and why? What did Peeta think when Haymitch said "I'm with the Mockingbird" re: should the Capitol's children be put in the arena?
Bond (Craig Movies)
Craig!Bond and female M are hands down my favourite relationship in any Bond film and probably responsible for making me from a casual watcher into a fan. I'd love to read anything focused on said relationship. Whether you interpret it as platonic or not is up to you, I'm good with either & or /, as it's precisely the ambiguity, the many possible ways it can be interpreted, that I find so compelling.
Possible prompts:
- M starts to notice Bond as a possible 00 - how and why?
- Bond for some reason has to play bodyguard (pre Skyfall that is) on an occasion where M has dinner with her husband - is this awkward or not awkward at all?
- so what did M think and feel when finding out Bond was still alive?
Fandom specific DNW: don't make the story all about Silva. Yes, his backstory with M is great, but he's not the character or the relationship I requested.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
I'll always love this show for adding Ahsoka Tano as Anakin's Padawan to the canon. Give me a scene with the two of them bickering, rescue each other and/or Obi-Wan, and I'm happy. Possible prompts:
- Anakin, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan get captured at the same time on some urgent mission, and there's a chance to escape, but only for two of them, while the third has to remain with the menace du jour till the others fulfill the mission/get the cavalry. No matter which combination you pick, the angst and hurt/comfort potential is delicious
- Ahsoka and Anakin at a quiet moment, talking about the people (preferably the Clones) they've already lost in the war
- Anakin teaching Ahsoka about mechanics while she finds out due to his different upbringing he's unaware of some basic Jedi custom
Fandom specific DNW: I'm not familiar with most of the books, so references to book events and people would be confusing for me. Also, I've only seen one and a half or so episodes of Rebels, meaning characters from it would be equally confusing.
Farscape
In 2021, I finished a complete rewatch which reminded me again how much I love the show. I've listed a few of my favourite relationships, and you can't go wrong with any of them. (They don't have to be all there, don't worry.) Some possible ideas:
Chiana & John: a look on how this relationship changes from their original meeting when he's the only one on Moya willing to give her a chance and she does her default flirting to the firm friendship of the later season; does she ever ask him why "Pip", whether the name has any particular meaning? Do they talk about the two Johns situation in s3? (Especially given there were also two Chianas on that Leviathan.) Maybe being on Earth, seeing John with his sister(s) reminds Chiana of Neri all over again?
John & Rygel: anything from getting on a sugar high together on Earth to Rygel seriously giving John advice (which he does try a couple of times - the first episode of s4 comes to mind) to Rygel asking John who the hell Yoda is will be welcome. I'm only half way joking when professing myself to be the world's lone John and Rygel shipper.
Crais & Aeryn: this relationship fascinates me and developed in such interesting ways; the mad Captain casually kicking Aeryn out for being compromised at the start of the show vs Aeryn taking her leave of Crais with that silent touching of his cheek in the s3 finale, and yet we've seen every step on the way. Crais never believed in the Peacekeepers the way Aeryn did due to having been forcibly recruited, and he did worse things than she did while in the organisation, but that they both were PKs and both left this world (for different reasons, but left) connects them as much as Talyn does later on. Crais and Aeryn, awkward adopted parents of the same child iis one of my favourite aspects of their relationsihip, but if you want to focus on other things about them, I'll be happy as well. What does PK Aeryn think about Crais having his brother with him so often in the pre show days, as these kind of family relationships are very atypical and frowned upon? Crais' behavior towards Aeryn markedly changes after she put him through a forced replay of his life in the s1 finale - in fact, that's when he starts to get interested in every since, so how did that work for him?
Crichton & Scorpius: Talk about obsession. Here, I've often wondered (and Scorpius must have, especially once the Multiverse became canon) how their relationship might have developed if it hadn't started with the Aurora Chair, so, five ways John and Scorpius did not meet? Otoh, remaining in canon: a slice of life from s4 when Scorpius is on board Moya, because I've always been frustrated the show actually seemed to reduce their interactions at this point.
Fandom specific DNW: physical rape between Crichton and Scorpius (one can argue about what Scorpius did to John being emotional or mental rape and that might be worth exploring, but I don't want physical rape) or Crais & Aeryn. (Just no.)
Around the World in 80 Days (2021):
I love this series and the way it handles its three main characters, their growing bond and OT3 status by the end of it. New adventures for Phileas Fogg, Fix and Passepartout are more than welcome. If you want, you can pick up the hint in the finale that they'll go after the Nautilus next, presumably in place of the 20 000 Miles under the Sea characters - what do they make of Nemo? Or how about a Dracula crossover - Abigail the reporter is on to the story of the "Bloofer lady", or maybe they want to solve the mystery of the Demeter?
Conversely: a quiet moment in their travels would be just welcome. Maybe Passepartout offers to teach Fogg how to cook (not too successfully) and they get to talk about his brother? Abigail gets an offer from another newspaper which would, however, require her to be somewhere the other two had no plan or wish to go at first, and she must decide whether or not to accept it?
Fandom specific DNW: Abigail only present as Yenta. I want all three being equally invested in each other.
18th Century CE RPF
Friedrich & Wilhelmine: a look at their first meeting after they reconciled from their big 1745/1746 argument(s), when Wilhelmine used the presence of a Prussian lady-in-waiting in Bad Ems to travel back to Berlin with her as a surprise. Give me all the emotions of this reunion! (Or at least 300 words of same. :)
Émilie & Voltaire: there are several versions of how they met - what's yours? Or: when did she decide she'll take him seriously enough to live with him? AU in which they do travel to Prussia together? When did he realize he was truly in love? Or, if you feel up to it: one of the missing Émilie/Voltaire letters, all of whom have disappeared/were destroyed - maybe from his 1743 joiurney when he had some explaining to do re: his longer absence? Or a letter from him to her when she's already dead?
Friedrich & Heinrich:
Ever since finding out Friedrich actually took Heinrich with him to Bad Pyrmont in the year of the Marwitz affair, I thought this was a golden opportunity for black comedy and sibling dysfunction. Conversely, if you want to go in a more serious direction, another relatively recent discovery was that their father in 1731, when Friedrich was still a prisoner in Küstrin, went through a "playful" game with five years old Heinrich where Heinrich was "arrested" and had to ask for a pardon. Did that ever come up between the brothers when they were adults? Extra bonus if it came up in Wusterhausen...