Dear Chocolate Box Creator
Dear Chocolatier,
Thank you so much for writing for me! I'm looking forward to whatever you come up with.
I've provided some general preferences below along with some prompts for each fandom. Hopefully something here will inspire you! However, optional details are optional; go ahead and write the story you want to write. Or steal a prompt from one of my other requests, or from one of my previous sign-ups, or from my general likes--whatever works best for you.
Also, given the minimum length in Chocolate Box, I'll certainly understand if you want to skip the set-up and move straight to the highlights. Want to just write a key scene and kind of vaguely handwave how we got there? Go for it.
I'm
skieswideopen at AO3 as well.
Requested Fandoms: Covert Affairs | Elementary | Intelligence | The Mentalist | Only Lovers Left Alive | Star Trek: Discovery
Things I Like:
* Competence. So much love for watching competent characters be competent!
* Secrets coming out, by choice, chance, or necessity.
* Equal partnerships in romantic relationships.
* Brief moments of emotional vulnerability from generally stoic or reserved characters.
* Heroic characters being heroic: saving people, sacrificing themselves for others, etc.
* Stories that pick up dropped plot threads.
* First times of various kinds (first kiss, first date, first encounter, first day on the job, etc.).
* Forced proximity (handcuffed together, snowed in, trapped together in an elevator, etc.).
* Truth serum/in vino veritas/midnight confessions. (See my above love of secrets coming out.)
* Undercover as a couple (or spontaneously posing as a couple to avoid detection).
* Post-apocalyptic, disaster, or trapped-in-the-wilderness survival scenarios.
* Time loops and dealing with the consequences when the loop ends.
* Heading home for weddings, funerals, high school reunions, holidays, etc. Alternately, family or old friends showing up.
Things I Don't Want:
* AUs that alter the setting, premise, or character backgrounds, unless otherwise noted. (Hardboiled detective stories are an exception to this. I'm always up for a good hardboiled detective story. And canon divergence is absolutely fine.)
* A/B/O; 24/7 BDSM.
* Unrequested changes to a canon character's sexuality/gender/etc. (I'm fine with making straight-presenting characters bi, and you can do whatever you like with OCs.)
* Expanding requested romantic relationships to include other (unrequested) characters.
* Infidelity within requested relationships, either them cheating on each other or them cheating on someone else to be together.
* Significant permanent mental or physical injuries to requested characters that don't occur in canon, especially any sort of amputation. (However, killing requested or major characters is fine unless otherwise noted.)
Other Things:
* I'm flexible on both genre and rating: plot-driven, character-driven, action, introspection, casefic, slice of life … it's all good. So is anything from G to E. However, I prefer to avoid PWP stories.
* I'm fine with character death, including main and requested characters, unless otherwise noted.
* Background non-con is fine if it's helpful for the story, but I'd rather not read a story that focuses on a requested character being raped or the aftermath thereof.
* Dub-con is fine as long as it involves mutual attraction and isn't overly traumatizing for those involved. Dub-con scenarios similar to those that occur in canon are also fine.
* I'm okay with mentions of the pandemic if it's relevant.
* I dislike plots that revolve around misunderstandings that could be cleared up with a simple conversation or that hinge on characters making foolish mistakes that they wouldn't make in canon.
Fandom: Covert Affairs
Requested relationship: Annie Walker/Eyal Lavin
Annie and Eyal are both ridiculously competent, with the multiple languages and the impressive undercover skills, and I love that about them. I enjoy the early tension, when there's attraction but also competition, and I love the deep friendship and absolute trust that develops between them later.
There are, of course, a few geopolitical obstacles to their being together as long as they work for their respective agencies. Those can be addressed or ignored as you like.
Prompts:
* One of them gets dosed with truth serum while undercover together (or when they run into each other while undercover separately) and the other has to help cover for them to prevent discovery while they both still try to complete their mission.
* Someone is targeting Eyal's family and a mole in Mossad means he can't rely on them, so he turns to Annie for help.
* Major world disaster/apocalypse (alien invasion? major war? an AI takes over?), and Annie and Eyal work together to survive (and protect their families?).
* Work or old enemies intrude on a date/family time/a holiday celebration/a wedding celebration (whether their own or someone else's).
* The morning after an unplanned night together.
* Spies have secrets and regrets. One of the advantages of dating another spy is that sometimes you can share and be understood.
* Circumstances force Annie to introduce Eyal to her (helpfully matchmaking?) sister.
* Eyal takes care of an injured Annie while avoiding (or eliminating) the people tracking her/them. Or Annie takes care of Eyal in a similar situation.
* Borrowing from
justmarriedexchange, Annie and Eyal get stuck in a time loop, fall in love, and decide to get married in one cycle, just for fun, only to have the time loop abruptly end.
* A classic trope scenario (e.g., undercover as a couple, truth serum, trapped together) finally forces them to admit their feelings.
Fandom: Elementary
Requested relationship: Marcus Bell/Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock and Marcus isn't an obvious pairing in Elementary, but there have been a few scenes, like when Sherlock prevented Marcus from assaulting a suspect in Chantal's beating or when Sherlock offered him an escape from his welcome-back party, not to mention Sherlock's clear and unequivocal admiration of Marcus, that suggested the possibility of taking their relationship in a different direction. I'd love to see what could happen there. (While writing this letter, I stumbled across a list of key moments, in case you're in search of inspiration.)
Prompts:
* The morning after an unplanned night together.
* Navigating a secret relationship.
* How does the visit to the insect restaurant go?
* Sherlock has done a number of favours for Marcus; Marcus finally gets a chance to repay one of them.
* Joan and/or Gregson do a little matchmaking.
* Midnight confessions.
* Sherlock is injured on a case. Marcus visits.
* Marcus's take on what it means to be in a relationship with Sherlock.
* A classic trope scenario (e.g., undercover as a couple, truth serum, trapped together) forces them to confront their feelings for each other.
Fandom: Intelligence (US)
Requested relationships: Gabriel Vaughn & Lillian Strand, Gabriel Vaughn/Riley Neal, Gabriel Vaughn & Riley Neal
I love Gabriel and Riley together, as both friends and lovers: the mutual competence, the unfailing loyalty, the fact that Riley is willing to protect Gabriel but refuses to fill the role of keeping him in line, and the fact that she pushes everyone, including him, to remember that he's still human.
Lillian is a great character, a successful woman in a field where women rarely rise to the top. She was tough enough to win support for Clockwork, and to push through after multiple subjects died, but she clearly does it because she cares about her country and people in general. I'd love to see more about her relationships with Gabriel, maybe at the beginning of the program, or one of them helping the other with a more personal problem, or just a peek into how they see each other.
Prompts:
* The chip never rests, even on vacation.
* Riley once again reminds Gabriel that he is still human, even when everyone else seems to forget it.
* A moment of connection on a mission.
* Gabriel accompanies Riley on a trip to see visit her family (or for a holiday or to attend a funeral).
* Gabriel discovers his CIA agent neighbour's family has been kidnapped to force compliance.
* A classic trope scenario (e.g., undercover as a couple, truth serum, trapped together) finally forces them to admit their feelings. (It's a classic for a reason, right?)
* Life after Clockwork goes public (either deliberately or after a leak).
* Lillian considers Gabriel as a candidate for Clockwork.
* Gabriel considers Lillian and whether he wants to go work for her.
* Gabriel visits an ill or injured Lillian.
* Lillian and Gabriel look back on their legacy.
Fandom: The Mentalist
Requested relationship: Patrick Jane/Walter Mashburn
Walter Mashburn and Patrick Jane have a lot in common: they're both arrogant, easily bored, and a little heartbroken. They both enjoy being the centre of attention and neither of them cares what others think of them. Mashburn likes Jane because Jane is interesting, and Jane can't seem to resist tugging on Mashburn's attention. I'd love anything about how they get together, or just what their relationship looks like: how they behave together, what they each get out of it, etc.
I'd rather Jane not cheat on Lisbon in this story, so maybe set it before they get together or go AU so that they never get together. (No need to be explicit. I'm happy to assume they never got together if the relationship is never mentioned.)
Prompts:
* Mashburn shows up while Jane is in exile after killing Red John and offers to fix things so Jane can come home. Or decides to spend some time in exile with him.
* Mashburn shows up in Texas in season 6, pre-Jane/Lisbon, and gets involved in a case that Jane's team is working on, which naturally leads to other things.
* Jane and Mashburn randomly encounter each other in Texas and go get a drink, which leads to something else.
* A classic trope scenario (e.g., undercover as a couple, trapped together) finally forces them to confront their feelings or maybe just leads to a one-night stand.
* Mashburn meets Jane's carny friends.
* Jane attends one of Mashburn's business events and decides to help him out.
* Jane sets out to seduce Mashburn.
* The morning after.
Fandom: Only Lovers Left Alive
Requested relationship: Adam/Eve
This is one of my favourite movies. I love Adam and Eve, both separately and together: the long history, their intense love for each other, their interest in music and books and their hoarding of related objects, Eve's list of all the things that make life worth living. (I'm sorry this is so short; I promise it's not because I want it less!)
Prompts:
* How did they first meet?
* A glimpse into one of their many weddings.
* Celebrating a birthday or holiday together.
* What happens after they leave Detroit?
* A slice of daily (vampire) life for them.
* Why the gloves?
Fandom: Star Trek: Discovery
Requested relationships: Saru/T'Rina, Charles Vance & Laira Rillak, Audrey Willa & Charles Vance
Vance is a great character: Tough but fair, idealistic and compassionate, and completely willing to fire on Discovery and kill the crew if it's necessary to save the Federation. Rillak is fascinating, also seemingly a believer in the Federation's principles, with a somewhat mysterious background. Willa is largely a cipher at this point, since we just haven't learned much about her.
ETA: Vance and Rillak seem to respect each other's positions, but we don't see much direct interaction between them, so we don't have a lot of clues as to what they actually think of each other. Presumably they knew something about each other before she was elected. Was she his first pick for president? Does he have private reservations? Would she prefer someone else in his role? Or are they aligned enough on their visions for Starfleet and the Federation to be happy working together? How easy was it to come to an agreement on how to handle J'Vini or getting Vance to feign illness?
Vance and Willa seem to have a strong working relationship and to get along well, but again, we have clue what they're like on a personal level. She seems to basically act as his aide-de-camp. What's their history together? What kinds of events have they gone through? What are their private discussions like?
I'd love anything that provides a little more insight into any of these characters, or fills in their background a bit, or illuminates the relationships between them. Or something that explores life in the 32nd century, and what it was like to grow up there. (Yes, any fic along these lines runs the risk of being contradicted in canon. I apologize for that, but I promise I'll enjoy reading it anyway.)
Saru/T'Rina is very sweet, and we'll probably get this in canon, but I'm impatient, so here we are. They're both calm, serene, skilled people who seem to complement each other very well. Progress their relationship a little, or show how they move to actually acknowledging things, or jump ahead to when they've been together for a while. Or even jump ahead post-relationship, and look at the shape of it as a whole.
Prompts:
* The first meeting between Vance and Rillak.
* A behind-the-scenes discussion/negotiation between Vance and Rillak. (J'Vini? The meeting on Ni'Var? The DMA? A entirely new scenario?)
* A late-night conversation between Vance and Willa. (Mentoring? Sharing concerns over the impending arrival of Discovery? Sharing fears over the DMA? Confessing a secret? Something else?)
* Willa's first day on the job, working with Vance.
* A day in the life of Vance and Willa.
* One character heroically puts theirself in harm's way to help/protect another (allowing theirself to be taken prisoner, intervening in an incredibly boring diplomatic conversation, taking down a would-be assassin, etc.)
* Early impressions.
* Getting to know the other person over a game of chess (or poker).
* Saru is with T'Rina when he senses death coming.
* Saru and T'Rina are assumed to be a couple while on a diplomatic mission.
* A conversation about cultural differences (and similarities). This entry was originally posted at https://skieswideopen.dreamwidth.org/268957.html, where it has
comments. Comments are equally welcome on either entry.
Thank you so much for writing for me! I'm looking forward to whatever you come up with.
I've provided some general preferences below along with some prompts for each fandom. Hopefully something here will inspire you! However, optional details are optional; go ahead and write the story you want to write. Or steal a prompt from one of my other requests, or from one of my previous sign-ups, or from my general likes--whatever works best for you.
Also, given the minimum length in Chocolate Box, I'll certainly understand if you want to skip the set-up and move straight to the highlights. Want to just write a key scene and kind of vaguely handwave how we got there? Go for it.
I'm
skieswideopen at AO3 as well.
Requested Fandoms: Covert Affairs | Elementary | Intelligence | The Mentalist | Only Lovers Left Alive | Star Trek: Discovery
Things I Like:
* Competence. So much love for watching competent characters be competent!
* Secrets coming out, by choice, chance, or necessity.
* Equal partnerships in romantic relationships.
* Brief moments of emotional vulnerability from generally stoic or reserved characters.
* Heroic characters being heroic: saving people, sacrificing themselves for others, etc.
* Stories that pick up dropped plot threads.
* First times of various kinds (first kiss, first date, first encounter, first day on the job, etc.).
* Forced proximity (handcuffed together, snowed in, trapped together in an elevator, etc.).
* Truth serum/in vino veritas/midnight confessions. (See my above love of secrets coming out.)
* Undercover as a couple (or spontaneously posing as a couple to avoid detection).
* Post-apocalyptic, disaster, or trapped-in-the-wilderness survival scenarios.
* Time loops and dealing with the consequences when the loop ends.
* Heading home for weddings, funerals, high school reunions, holidays, etc. Alternately, family or old friends showing up.
Things I Don't Want:
* AUs that alter the setting, premise, or character backgrounds, unless otherwise noted. (Hardboiled detective stories are an exception to this. I'm always up for a good hardboiled detective story. And canon divergence is absolutely fine.)
* A/B/O; 24/7 BDSM.
* Unrequested changes to a canon character's sexuality/gender/etc. (I'm fine with making straight-presenting characters bi, and you can do whatever you like with OCs.)
* Expanding requested romantic relationships to include other (unrequested) characters.
* Infidelity within requested relationships, either them cheating on each other or them cheating on someone else to be together.
* Significant permanent mental or physical injuries to requested characters that don't occur in canon, especially any sort of amputation. (However, killing requested or major characters is fine unless otherwise noted.)
Other Things:
* I'm flexible on both genre and rating: plot-driven, character-driven, action, introspection, casefic, slice of life … it's all good. So is anything from G to E. However, I prefer to avoid PWP stories.
* I'm fine with character death, including main and requested characters, unless otherwise noted.
* Background non-con is fine if it's helpful for the story, but I'd rather not read a story that focuses on a requested character being raped or the aftermath thereof.
* Dub-con is fine as long as it involves mutual attraction and isn't overly traumatizing for those involved. Dub-con scenarios similar to those that occur in canon are also fine.
* I'm okay with mentions of the pandemic if it's relevant.
* I dislike plots that revolve around misunderstandings that could be cleared up with a simple conversation or that hinge on characters making foolish mistakes that they wouldn't make in canon.
Fandom: Covert Affairs
Requested relationship: Annie Walker/Eyal Lavin
Annie and Eyal are both ridiculously competent, with the multiple languages and the impressive undercover skills, and I love that about them. I enjoy the early tension, when there's attraction but also competition, and I love the deep friendship and absolute trust that develops between them later.
There are, of course, a few geopolitical obstacles to their being together as long as they work for their respective agencies. Those can be addressed or ignored as you like.
Prompts:
* One of them gets dosed with truth serum while undercover together (or when they run into each other while undercover separately) and the other has to help cover for them to prevent discovery while they both still try to complete their mission.
* Someone is targeting Eyal's family and a mole in Mossad means he can't rely on them, so he turns to Annie for help.
* Major world disaster/apocalypse (alien invasion? major war? an AI takes over?), and Annie and Eyal work together to survive (and protect their families?).
* Work or old enemies intrude on a date/family time/a holiday celebration/a wedding celebration (whether their own or someone else's).
* The morning after an unplanned night together.
* Spies have secrets and regrets. One of the advantages of dating another spy is that sometimes you can share and be understood.
* Circumstances force Annie to introduce Eyal to her (helpfully matchmaking?) sister.
* Eyal takes care of an injured Annie while avoiding (or eliminating) the people tracking her/them. Or Annie takes care of Eyal in a similar situation.
* Borrowing from
justmarriedexchange, Annie and Eyal get stuck in a time loop, fall in love, and decide to get married in one cycle, just for fun, only to have the time loop abruptly end.
* A classic trope scenario (e.g., undercover as a couple, truth serum, trapped together) finally forces them to admit their feelings.
Fandom: Elementary
Requested relationship: Marcus Bell/Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock and Marcus isn't an obvious pairing in Elementary, but there have been a few scenes, like when Sherlock prevented Marcus from assaulting a suspect in Chantal's beating or when Sherlock offered him an escape from his welcome-back party, not to mention Sherlock's clear and unequivocal admiration of Marcus, that suggested the possibility of taking their relationship in a different direction. I'd love to see what could happen there. (While writing this letter, I stumbled across a list of key moments, in case you're in search of inspiration.)
Prompts:
* The morning after an unplanned night together.
* Navigating a secret relationship.
* How does the visit to the insect restaurant go?
* Sherlock has done a number of favours for Marcus; Marcus finally gets a chance to repay one of them.
* Joan and/or Gregson do a little matchmaking.
* Midnight confessions.
* Sherlock is injured on a case. Marcus visits.
* Marcus's take on what it means to be in a relationship with Sherlock.
* A classic trope scenario (e.g., undercover as a couple, truth serum, trapped together) forces them to confront their feelings for each other.
Fandom: Intelligence (US)
Requested relationships: Gabriel Vaughn & Lillian Strand, Gabriel Vaughn/Riley Neal, Gabriel Vaughn & Riley Neal
I love Gabriel and Riley together, as both friends and lovers: the mutual competence, the unfailing loyalty, the fact that Riley is willing to protect Gabriel but refuses to fill the role of keeping him in line, and the fact that she pushes everyone, including him, to remember that he's still human.
Lillian is a great character, a successful woman in a field where women rarely rise to the top. She was tough enough to win support for Clockwork, and to push through after multiple subjects died, but she clearly does it because she cares about her country and people in general. I'd love to see more about her relationships with Gabriel, maybe at the beginning of the program, or one of them helping the other with a more personal problem, or just a peek into how they see each other.
Prompts:
* The chip never rests, even on vacation.
* Riley once again reminds Gabriel that he is still human, even when everyone else seems to forget it.
* A moment of connection on a mission.
* Gabriel accompanies Riley on a trip to see visit her family (or for a holiday or to attend a funeral).
* Gabriel discovers his CIA agent neighbour's family has been kidnapped to force compliance.
* A classic trope scenario (e.g., undercover as a couple, truth serum, trapped together) finally forces them to admit their feelings. (It's a classic for a reason, right?)
* Life after Clockwork goes public (either deliberately or after a leak).
* Lillian considers Gabriel as a candidate for Clockwork.
* Gabriel considers Lillian and whether he wants to go work for her.
* Gabriel visits an ill or injured Lillian.
* Lillian and Gabriel look back on their legacy.
Fandom: The Mentalist
Requested relationship: Patrick Jane/Walter Mashburn
Walter Mashburn and Patrick Jane have a lot in common: they're both arrogant, easily bored, and a little heartbroken. They both enjoy being the centre of attention and neither of them cares what others think of them. Mashburn likes Jane because Jane is interesting, and Jane can't seem to resist tugging on Mashburn's attention. I'd love anything about how they get together, or just what their relationship looks like: how they behave together, what they each get out of it, etc.
I'd rather Jane not cheat on Lisbon in this story, so maybe set it before they get together or go AU so that they never get together. (No need to be explicit. I'm happy to assume they never got together if the relationship is never mentioned.)
Prompts:
* Mashburn shows up while Jane is in exile after killing Red John and offers to fix things so Jane can come home. Or decides to spend some time in exile with him.
* Mashburn shows up in Texas in season 6, pre-Jane/Lisbon, and gets involved in a case that Jane's team is working on, which naturally leads to other things.
* Jane and Mashburn randomly encounter each other in Texas and go get a drink, which leads to something else.
* A classic trope scenario (e.g., undercover as a couple, trapped together) finally forces them to confront their feelings or maybe just leads to a one-night stand.
* Mashburn meets Jane's carny friends.
* Jane attends one of Mashburn's business events and decides to help him out.
* Jane sets out to seduce Mashburn.
* The morning after.
Fandom: Only Lovers Left Alive
Requested relationship: Adam/Eve
This is one of my favourite movies. I love Adam and Eve, both separately and together: the long history, their intense love for each other, their interest in music and books and their hoarding of related objects, Eve's list of all the things that make life worth living. (I'm sorry this is so short; I promise it's not because I want it less!)
Prompts:
* How did they first meet?
* A glimpse into one of their many weddings.
* Celebrating a birthday or holiday together.
* What happens after they leave Detroit?
* A slice of daily (vampire) life for them.
* Why the gloves?
Fandom: Star Trek: Discovery
Requested relationships: Saru/T'Rina, Charles Vance & Laira Rillak, Audrey Willa & Charles Vance
Vance is a great character: Tough but fair, idealistic and compassionate, and completely willing to fire on Discovery and kill the crew if it's necessary to save the Federation. Rillak is fascinating, also seemingly a believer in the Federation's principles, with a somewhat mysterious background. Willa is largely a cipher at this point, since we just haven't learned much about her.
ETA: Vance and Rillak seem to respect each other's positions, but we don't see much direct interaction between them, so we don't have a lot of clues as to what they actually think of each other. Presumably they knew something about each other before she was elected. Was she his first pick for president? Does he have private reservations? Would she prefer someone else in his role? Or are they aligned enough on their visions for Starfleet and the Federation to be happy working together? How easy was it to come to an agreement on how to handle J'Vini or getting Vance to feign illness?
Vance and Willa seem to have a strong working relationship and to get along well, but again, we have clue what they're like on a personal level. She seems to basically act as his aide-de-camp. What's their history together? What kinds of events have they gone through? What are their private discussions like?
I'd love anything that provides a little more insight into any of these characters, or fills in their background a bit, or illuminates the relationships between them. Or something that explores life in the 32nd century, and what it was like to grow up there. (Yes, any fic along these lines runs the risk of being contradicted in canon. I apologize for that, but I promise I'll enjoy reading it anyway.)
Saru/T'Rina is very sweet, and we'll probably get this in canon, but I'm impatient, so here we are. They're both calm, serene, skilled people who seem to complement each other very well. Progress their relationship a little, or show how they move to actually acknowledging things, or jump ahead to when they've been together for a while. Or even jump ahead post-relationship, and look at the shape of it as a whole.
Prompts:
* The first meeting between Vance and Rillak.
* A behind-the-scenes discussion/negotiation between Vance and Rillak. (J'Vini? The meeting on Ni'Var? The DMA? A entirely new scenario?)
* A late-night conversation between Vance and Willa. (Mentoring? Sharing concerns over the impending arrival of Discovery? Sharing fears over the DMA? Confessing a secret? Something else?)
* Willa's first day on the job, working with Vance.
* A day in the life of Vance and Willa.
* One character heroically puts theirself in harm's way to help/protect another (allowing theirself to be taken prisoner, intervening in an incredibly boring diplomatic conversation, taking down a would-be assassin, etc.)
* Early impressions.
* Getting to know the other person over a game of chess (or poker).
* Saru is with T'Rina when he senses death coming.
* Saru and T'Rina are assumed to be a couple while on a diplomatic mission.
* A conversation about cultural differences (and similarities). This entry was originally posted at https://skieswideopen.dreamwidth.org/268957.html, where it has
comments. Comments are equally welcome on either entry.