merle_p

Happy Yuletide Season, dear writer!

Thank you so much for writing a story about my favorite characters in one of my favorite tiny fandoms. I'm very excited and hope you have fun writing for me as well!

I am invested in all the requested fandoms and characters equally. Please don’t read anything into the length of the passages, the order of the fandoms (alphabetic), the nature of the prompts – if there are differences, they are coincidental; it has nothing to do with how much I want the fandom or the characters. Treats are great too!

I'm merle_p on AO3 as well. 

FANDOMS/CHARACTERS:

 Thank you so much for creating something for me. Whatever it is going to be, I really appreciate your gift and look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Please know that I am invested in all the requested fandoms and ships equally. Please don’t read anything into the length of the passages, the order of the fandoms or ships, the nature of the prompts – if there are differences, it is coincidental and has nothing to do with how much I want the fandom or the ships.

I'm merle_p on AO3 as well (and on tumblr and on LJ, but I use LJ and Dreamwidth only for exchange letters these days). 


GENERAL LIKES:

Feel free to pick and choose. These are all things I reliably love, so I’ll be thrilled to receive a work that includes any one or two things from the list below. In general, please don’t feel like you need to fit as many likes or prompts as possible into your work if it doesn’t happen organically. I also enjoy a ton of other stuff, so don’t worry about including other tropes not listed in this letter as long as they don’t show up in my DNWs. Many of these likes also apply to art, so obviously if you are an artist, anything here is also meant as inspiration for you, but there are more art-specific likes further below.

Plot/Character-related:

• Dialogue/banter
• Any kind of hurt/comfort or angst with a happy/hopeful ending
• Canon divergence (AUs in the regular canon setting that diverge from canon in small but significant ways)
• Crack treated seriously
• Sidekick/underappreciated characters being appreciated
• Competent people who are good at what they do without being super-human
• Recreational alcohol, tobacco, drug consumption

Ship/Friendship-related:

• Getting together/first times
• Friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers
• Friendships of all kinds (with a soft spot for male/female friendship and for supportive friendships between siblings)
• Pining, jealousy, misunderstandings (as long as they get resolved in the end!)
• People taking care of each other
• People working well together as a team

  Sex/Porn-related:

• Sex scenes of all ratings are lovely, but most definitely not a requirement to make me happy – allusions to potential future sex, fade-to-black, or whatnot are all equally welcome!
• Spontaneous sex (I love sex happening spontaneously in the moment, including but not limited to: out of desperation, after a declaration of feelings, due to intoxication, in a somewhat unusual location …)
• Passionate/rough sex
• Messy/sloppy sex
• Porn with Feelings
• Size difference/size kink
• Loyalty kink and praise kink
• Kissing, lots of kissing (on the mouth or any other body parts)
• Bodily fluids I like in sexual contexts: Sweat, saliva, blood, come.
  

FANART LIKES:

• Style: I generally like all art styles – impressionist, expressionist, realist, romanticist, neo-[whatever], manga- or comics-style, actual comic panels, it’s all good, as long as it generally falls into the category of figurative art.
• Technique/Material: Same here – pencil, crayon, watercolor, digital, they are all lovely.
• Rating: Any rating is fine.
• Hugs and kisses: I love seeing characters hug/cuddle/kiss/lie on top of each other/put their heads in each other’s laps ….
• Hair: Curls, wavy hair, wind-swept hair, one character putting their hands in the other’s hair (but also stubble and beards, chest hair, other body hair …)
• Tattoos and scars: Or really any kind of marking of skin, from make-up to body paint to bite marks ...
• Domestic scenes: I have a soft spot for domestic moments in fanart. Reading on the couch, cooking, knitting, clutching coffee mugs, working on laptops, petting cats.
• Blood: In contrast, I also love darker scenes – characters covered in blood, cuts, and bruises; being restrained; in a moment of despair; having life-affirming sex in the blood of their enemies (if you want to go there).
• Symbolic imagery: If you associate specific symbols, animals, seasons, or whatever with the characters and want to include that in your art, that’s wonderful.

GENERAL DNWs:

• Devastating endings or hopelessly unrequited love (unless requested otherwise in specific prompts)
• Permanent character death for requested characters (Death of other characters is fine; being in heaven/in hell/a demon/ghost etc. in Supernatural does not count as PCD)
• A/B/O-verse, Dom/Sub-verse, Soulmate verse
• Mundane AUs (coffeeshop, highschool/college AUs, and similar scenarios)
• Genderswap, bodyswap, mpreg
• Non-canonical trans or ace headcanons for requested canon characters
• Infantilism kink, Mommy/Daddy kink
• Explicit sex with or between characters under 13 (older teens having sex is always a-okay; brief mentions of CSA are fine; sweet puppy love for younger characters is also perfectly fine).
• Use of formalized safewords (I prefer the characters to say simply “stop” or “no” if needed), or explicit extended kink and consent negotiation (But casually checking in with each other along the lines of “Is this okay?” – “Yes!” etc. is great)
• Eating disorders, cutting as ritualized self-harm
• “Shovel talks” (so, please no “They’ll never find your body if you hurt my friend/kid” conversations)

FANDOMS/SHIPS:

Prompts and Tropes are always optional and just meant to give you an idea of the kind of things I would enjoy. If you have a different idea that doesn’t collide with my DNWs, please go for it!

Attack the Block (Fic or Art)

Moses/Pest

Tropes/Kinks: Friends-to-lovers, teenage angst, pining, loyalty kink, crack/humor, aliens, crime, moving in together, backstory/pre-canon, catching feelings, brojobs, sharing clothes

 Prompts:

• Making out in a police van
• Dealing with the aftermath of their friends’ deaths’
• Moses’ uncle disappears, Pest keeps bringing him pizza
• Getting high together
• Relationship development from jerking off together to going steady
• Parkour chases in the council estate

 
Firefly (Fic or Art; feel free to keep Wash alive in post-canon works if you would like)

Mal/Simon

Tropes/Kinks: Mutual pining, misunderstandings, fake relationship, hurt/comfort, injuries, fighting and making up, class differences, denial of feelings, jealousy, protectiveness, heist fic

Prompts:

• Medical care (Simon stitching up Mal, Mal having to do first aid on Simon)
• Getting captured/trapped together
• Settling down post-canon
• Simon doesn’t want River to know. Mal doesn’t want Inara to know. They find out anyway.
• Companion!Simon (undercover-as-companion or canon divergence, your choice)

Jayne/Simon

Tropes/Kinks: Enemies-to-lovers, spite-sex, rough sex, misunderstandings, crack/humor, hurt/comfort, awkward courtship, fuck-or-die, size difference, denial of feelings, catching feelings

 Prompts:

• Meeting the family (either Jayne's or Simon's, up to you)
• Jayne likes to mess Simon up a little from time to time
• Jayne accidentally consumes a performance enhancing drug. Simon’s “medical expertise” is needed
• Encounter with Reavers (and the aftermath?)
• Jayne gives Simon shooting lessons

Supernatural (Fic or Art; any season/era is good)

Sam/Dean

(To clarify: I'm good with death scenes for either Sam or Dean being featured, as long as the story doesn't end on that and they come back in one way or another)

Tropes/Kinks: Mutual (resolved) pining, codependency, possessiveness, protectiveness, hurt/comfort, fuck-or-die, ritual sex, curses/spells, domesticity, outsider POV, permanent injuries, (semi) public sex

 Prompts:

• Post-canon: Hijinks in Heaven (or: Sam and Dean fuck and also break Heaven, somehow)
• Canon divergence (finale): Dean has unfinished business and is haunting Sam.
• Canon divergence/fix-it (finale): Sam calls that ambulance. Things go very differently that day.
• Marriage proposal/wedding, Winchester style
• Someone they care about finds out
• Demon Dean and Boyking Sam (or any variation on this theme)

 
Rowena/Sam

(To clarify: I'm good with Rowena's death scene being featured - since I know she'll come back, I don't consider this permenant character death, even if that part doesn't feature in the fic)

Tropes/Kinks: Frenemies-to-lovers, ritual sex, size kink/size difference, magic/witchcraft, fake relationship, hair washing/brushing/braiding, restraints 

Prompts:

• Episode 15.03: The spell to close the rupture requires not only blood but also sex (this could be angsty/dark; or a fix-it, up to you)
• Episode 15.08: Sam feels guilty for killing Rowena. The Queen of Hell has ideas for how he can make it up to her.
• Demons are acting weird around Sam, turns out they think Sam and Rowena are Hell’s new power couple
• Rowena seduces Sam to distract him from what she’s up to. Only one problem: That’s exactly what he’s doing as well.
• The things you can do with magic in the bedroom 

 
Jody/Sam

Tropes/Kinks: Friends-to-lovers, Friends with benefits, comfort sex, secret relationship, cooking for each other, massages and footrubs, coping with trauma, (co)parenting

Prompts:

•  Canon divergence (finale): Sam adopts a baby, Jody offers him a place to stay
• “You do know that the neighbors think you are fucking my mom.” – “You call Jody mom?” – “This is the part you are focusing on?”
• Episode 9.08: Dean unexpectedly strikes out with Suzie; meanwhile, Sam is losing his newfound virginity again in a motel room …
• Sneaking around during a case in close quarters (up to you if they are found out or not)
• Jody thinks she’s really too old to have this kind of schoolgirl crush. 

Crowley/Sam

Tropes/Kinks: Enemies-to-lovers, post-battle sex, dubcon, fuck-or-die, mindfuck, demon deals, bloodplay, restraints, inconvenient feelings

 Prompts:

• “Stilettos and a leather bustier, putting the S-A-M into S&M”
• Demon Dean really wishes Crowley would stop asking him questions about his brother
• Blood drinking (your choice which one of them is drinking the other’s blood … or maybe it’s mutual)
• Post-Season 8: That’s Sam’s blood flowing in Crowley’s veins now, and it does something to him.
• There was a time when Crowley had fantasies of making Sam his demon consort. Or being the demon consort to Sam’s King of Hell. He's not picky, really.

 
Jack/Sam

(To clarify: You can ignore my age-related DNWs for this ship, since I don’t think Jack’s age/maturity can be defined in human terms)

Tropes/Kinks: First time/experimentation, pining, secret relationship, angel powers, angst with happy ending, hurt/comfort, awkward courtship, size difference/size kink, wingfic, mindfuck/mindmeld

Prompts:

•  Sam feels guilty for defiling a Nephilim. Jack would really like him to get over it so they can get back to the fucking.
• Jack asks Castiel and/or Dean for advice on how to seduce Sam. Awkwardness ensues.
• What’s it like to be the one who deflowered God?
• Sam isn’t used to being treated like he’s precious. Especially not by someone who looks like jailbait.
• Canon divergence (finale): Jack said he was going to be a hands-off God. He may have lied.

Crossover Fandom: Leverage/Supernatural (Fic or Art; any season/era for either show is good)

Alec Hardison/Eliot Spencer/Parker (Leverage) & Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester (Supernatural)

(To clarify: I'm good with aromantic and/or asexual Parker since I think the show treats that as more or less canonical. But I'm also not wedded to that interpretation, so go with what feels right to you for her character, either is fine with me)

Tropes/Kinks: Heist fic, team fic, ghosts, mistaken identity, jealousy, friendship, crack/humor, protectiveness, kicking ass and taking names

 Prompts:

• Hardison and Sam met on a hacker forum online; when the Leverage team runs into something they can’t explain, he reaches out for help.
• The guy Dean used to hunt with during Sam’s Stanford days was not Christian Kane’s character from 15.07 “Last Call” but Eliot Spencer. They run into each other again down the road.
• Texas. Cowboys and Rangers. Go wild.
• They cross paths during a case, and both teams think the other team is up to something sinister at first.
• Finally there’s someone who understands what it’s like to be in a relationship that defies categorization.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Fic or Art)

 Reggie/Shy Baldwin

Tropes/Kinks: Mutual (resolved) pining, friends-to-lovers, caretaking, secret relationship, angst with happy ending, singing together, dancing, protectiveness, jealousy, loyalty kink, backstory

 Prompts:

• Being in love with each other for ages but each thinking the other one doesn’t love them back like that
• They are used to Reggie taking care of Shy. Reggie struggles with Shy having to take care of him for once.
• Shy loves Reggie’s voice and does everything he can to get him to sing
• Dealing with the emotional fallout of the Season 3 finale
• The development of their relationship from childhood days to adulthood

I am invested in all the requested fandoms and characters equally. Please don’t read anything into the length of the passages, the order of the fandoms (alphabetic!), the nature of the prompts – if there are differences, it is coincidental and has nothing to do with how much I want the fandom or the characters.

I'm merle_p on AO3 as well (and on tumblr and on LJ, but I use LJ and Dreamwidth only for exchange letters these days). 

GENERAL LIKES:
Feel free to pick and choose. These are all things I reliably love in fic, so I’ll be thrilled to receive a story that includes any one or two things from the list below. In general, please don’t feel like you need to fit as many likes or prompts as possible into your work if it doesn’t happen organically. I also enjoy a ton of other stuff, so don’t worry about including other tropes not listed in this letter as long as they don’t show up in my DNWs.

Plot/Character-related:

• Dialogue/banter
• Sarcasm, snark 
• Any kind of hurt/comfort or angst with a happy/hopeful ending
• Canon divergence (AUs in the regular canon setting that diverge from canon in small but significant ways)
• Sidekick/underappreciated characters being appreciated
• Competent people who are good at what they do without being super-human
• People from different (social, national, political…) backgrounds being confronted with each other’s perspective on the world
• Cynical and world-weary characters
• Recreational alcohol, tobacco, drug consumption

  Ship/Friendship-related:

• Getting together/first times
• Friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers
• Friendships of all kinds (with a soft spot for male/female friendship and for supportive friendships between siblings)
• Pining, jealousy, misunderstandings (as long as they get resolved in the end!)
• Unwavering loyalty, the willingness to make sacrifices for each other, no questions asked
• Deep emotions that are expressed in understated ways 
• People taking care of each other
• People working well together as a team

  Sex/Porn-related:

• Sex scenes of all ratings are lovely, but most definitely not a requirement to make me happy – allusions to potential future sex, fade-to-black, or whatnot are all equally welcome!
• Spontaneous sex (I love sex happening spontaneously in the moment, including but not limited to: out of desperation, after a declaration of feelings, due to intoxication, in a somewhat unusual location …)
• Passionate/rough sex
• Messy/sloppy sex
• Porn with Feelings
• Size difference /Size kink
• Loyalty kink and Praise kink
• Kissing, lots of kissing (on the mouth or any other body parts)
• Tattoos and scars (I also like those in non-sexual contexts)
• I am explicitly fine with teenagers 13+ having on-screen sex
• Bodily fluids I’m good with/like in sexual contexts: Sweat, saliva, blood, come.

• Devastating endings or hopelessly unrequited love
• Permanent character death for requested characters (death of other characters is fine)
• Character bashing
• A/B/O-verse, Dom/Sub-verse, soulmate-verse
• Mundane AUs (coffeeshop, highschool/college AUs, and similar scenarios)
• Genderswap, bodyswap, mpreg
• Non-canonical trans or ace headcanons for canon characters
• Infantilism kink, Mommy/Daddy kink
• Sex with or between characters under 13 (brief general mentions of CSA are fine)
• Explicitly sexual use of feces or vomit (Mentions of these in non-sexual contexts are fine)
• Use of formalized safewords (I prefer the characters to say simply “stop” or “no” if needed), or explicit extended kink and consent negotiation (But casually checking in with each other along the lines of “Is this okay?” – “Yes!” etc. is great)
• Eating disorders, cutting as ritualized self-harm
• “Shovel talks” (so, please no “They’ll never find your body if you hurt my friend/kid” conversations)
• Accidentally acquired babies, children playing matchmaker, or stories written from the perspective of a child who is not a requested character (But kids, especially canonical ones, appearing or being discussed in the story is perfectly fine; and so are background narratives about the requested characters’ childhoods)

FANDOMS/CHARACTERS:

All the character constellations I ask for are characters that I do very much ship together. That being said, what I fell in love with was their dynamic in canon, so if you don’t see their relationship the same way and/or aren’t interested in exploring a possible romantic or sexual dynamic between them, I will also be over the moon to receive fic that is based on their friendship dynamic as portrayed in canon. Seriously.

I would prefer if my requested characters are at the center of the story. However, I absolutely do not mind other characters being included and enjoy when the relationship between my requested characters is explored indirectly also in conversations or interactions with other characters. Unless I explicitly mention a character I prefer not to see in the story, all canon characters are fair game. I’m perfectly fine with including OCs as well, but would prefer if they didn’t take center stage.

Attack the Block: Moses, Pest

What I like about them: I really like the contrast between Moses’ stoic quiet leadership and Pest’s dorkiness and his questionable efforts at bravado; I like that Pest trusts Moses to lead them well, and that he is firmly in Moses’ corner. The final scene in the van gives me all the feels: I just love the fact that Pest seems so pleased about people on the block recognizing Moses as a hero. There’s some true devotion shining through in that moment.

Ideas/suggestions for fic:  

You don’t need to include all or any of them, these are just some examples to give you a sense of what I’d enjoy. Most of these prompts should work both as gen and shippy prompts so feel free to go either way with them. Specifically shippy stuff is listed at the end.

• Post-Canon: Anything set after the movie, where they recover from/cope with what happened to them and end up turning towards each other for comfort. Like, the movie is hilarious, but also, they lose friends in really horrific ways and get arrested … how do they deal with that, separately and together?
• Pre-Canon: I am also curious about their past … how did their friendship develop? How did their first encounter go? Were they once the little “Mayhem and Probs” of the block, before they became part of the teenage gang we see in the film?
• Complicated family lives: Anything that explores Moses’ living/family situation in some way: Maybe the elusive uncle finally disappears for good, and Pest keeps bringing food over to make sure Moses eats? Maybe Pest sort-of moves himself into Moses’ apartment? Or maybe Moses moves in with Pest’s family instead?
• New adventures: The alien invasion probably wasn’t the first and certainly not the last strange, dramatic, bizarre, dangerous situation they have found themselves in. Give me Moses and Pest (and if you want, any of the other characters) dealing with other tricky situations: Outsmarting the police? Parkour chases through the council estate? Dealing with the new big baddie on the block? Taking over the local weed business with Ron?
• Shippy/sexy:
  • Pest has had a crush on Moses forever, but Moses has a hard time believing that anyone would be seriously interested in him – cue pining, misunderstandings, awkward confessions …
  • Moving from “jerk-off buddies” to OMG, feelings!!! to going steady
  • Maybe one of them moves away and they realize how much they miss each other and make sure to reconnect?

 
Banlieue 13: Leïto, Damien

What I like about them: For all that they are such opposite personalities, they are so in synch, so comfortable with each other, and seem to have so much fun together in pretty much every scene they share. I could watch their shared parkour and fight scenes on repeat for hours. Add to that the loyalty, the trust, and the willingness to put their lives on the line for each other, despite their different backgrounds and life experiences, and I’m 100% here for it. 

Ideas/suggestions for fic:  

You don’t need to include all or any of them, these are just some examples to give you a sense of what I’d enjoy. Most of these prompts should work both as gen and shippy prompts so feel free to go either way with them. Specifically shippy stuff is listed at the end.

• Post-canon: How does Damien being in charge of rebuilding District 13 change their relationship? Does Leïto struggle with the pressure of leading a more “respectable” life (or maybe he purposefully doesn’t)?
• Class differences: Anything that explores the fact that they have very different backgrounds and had very different lives. Do those social differences cause tensions between them? How do they overcome them? (I’m cool with anything ranging from humorous to light-hearted to serious and dramatic here)
• Hurt/Comfort: One of them being on the run (from the police, from bad guys?) and having to move in with the other? One of them getting seriously injured and having to cope with a slow recovery/not being mobile while the other is taking care of him? One of them getting hurt saving the other?
• Physicality/Parkour: Sparring, working out together, fighting side-by-side, anything related to the parkour elements of canon
• Paris: If you want to bring the city into the fic somehow, I’m totally on board – specific locations, local culture, clichés about the arrondissements, the history of the banlieue, le métro … certainly not required, definitely not expecting anything requiring a lot of research, but feel free to sprinkle in any details you would like.
• Disguises: More creative/ridiculously perfectionist disguises Damien slips into for his job? Does Leïto immediately recognize him? Or maybe Leïto is the one dressing up for once?
• Shippy/sexy:
  • Shippy tropes and dynamics I love for those two include: (requited/resolved) pining, loyalty kink, slow-burn friends-to-lovers, adrenaline-fueled spontaneous post-mission “thankgodwearealive” sex, sweaty post-workout sex
  • Also, they both have really lovely arms? And I’m super into Leïto’s spiky hair and tattoos (and maybe Damien is too?)!

Fandom-specific DNW (only applies to shipfic): Infidelity/Cheating. If the story is set post-Ultimatum, I’m okay with however you want to handle that: Damien and Sonya breaking up before he gets together with Leïto, Sonya being a casual fling that’s over now, or even just simply ignoring the brief scenes between Damien and Sonya. I just don’t want to see Damien cheating on one of them with the other.

Dogs of Berlin: Erol Birkan, Kurt Grimmer

What I like about them: I am incredibly intrigued by the complicated dynamic between these two characters, the way they can’t seem to stop taunting each other, the push-and-pull they are engaged in, the teammates/sort-of enemies/allies-but-not-friends relationship they have. Considering the different backgrounds and priorities they have, it’s not surprising that they clash; so it’s fascinating to see them slowly and grudgingly warm up to each other throughout the series.

Ideas/suggestions for fic:

You don’t need to include all or any of them, these are just some examples to give you a sense of what I’d enjoy. Most of these prompts should work both as gen and shippy prompts so feel free to go either way with them. Specifically shippy prompts are listed at the end.

• Work partners: The two of them working together after the Tarik-Amir raid and grudgingly realizing that they make a good team. Leading the team together. Commiserating about red tape/bureaucracy.
• Good cop/bad cop: Erol’s upstanding attitude “rubbing off” on Kurt who is suddenly developing ambitions to be a “good cop” but feeling (slightly) resentful about it; Erol being conflicted about the things he ends up doing in the context of his work with Kurt.
• Hurt/Comfort: Saving each other’s lives on the job; one of them getting injured, the other one realizing how much they care; one of them having to confront a traumatic part of their past and the other one helping or providing support in some way.
• Vice: Would love to see anything related to Kurt’s gambling addiction – for example, how does Erol react when he experiences it first-hand? Is he put in the position to cover Kurt’s debts to save him from physical violence? Is he able to help Kurt cope with it in some way? I will say that I am not really interested in therapy fic (or even necessarily recovery fic) here; I’m more thinking of something like, them having an agreement where Kurt comes to Erol whenever he is itching to gamble and Erol gives him something to do/gets drunk with him to distract him/etc.
• Shippy/sexy:
  • The two of them developing an (unhealthy?) obsession with each other (emotionally, sexually)
  • I am 100% here for all the sexual tension, for aggressive “I don’t even like you” sex as much as for “I know I shouldn’t but I’m falling for you” romance
  • Secret workplace relationship – how does that go? 

• Romanticizing or excusing Kurt’s political past (feel free to mention it, make it part of the plot, or ignore it; I just don’t want to see it presented as positive in any way)
  
• (Only applies for shipfic): Poly/open relationships. I would prefer for them to either hook up once one or both are single post-breakup/post-divorce/post-death of canon partner(s); or for them to cheat on their significant others with each other.

Pilgrimage: Brother Diarmuid, The Mute

What I like about them: Their dynamic in canon is one of my favorite things ever: the fact that Diarmuid saved the Mute’s life, the Mute’s utter and blatant devotion to Diarmuid, Diarmuid being gentle with and protective of the Mute, their differences (in world experience, in physical appearance, in age), the way they communicate with each other.

Ideas/suggestions for fic:

You don’t need to include all or any of them, these are just some examples to give you a sense of what I’d enjoy. Most of these prompts should work both as gen and shippy prompts so feel free to go either way with them. Specifically shippy prompts are listed at the end. 
(EDIT: I just realized that I didn't initially say anything about The Mute's name. I don't really have a strong preference for how to handle that. I'm good with him remaining nameless and being called "Mute" by the narrator but I am also good if you would like to give him a name or have him take on a new name. Either is equally fine with me.)

• Protectiveness: Anything touching on the contrast between the Mute’s capability for violence and his infinite gentleness when it comes to Diarmuid, and the way he is ready to sacrifice his comfort, sanity, and life for Diarmuid, no questions asked. But also Diarmuid being so vocal in his defense of the Mute, whenever someone questions the Mute’s motives, intellect, etc.
• Post-canon: Fix-it or canon divergence – give me all the happy endings for those two, whatever they may look like! (As for how to get there: Healing/recovery? Another miracle? Or a slightly different ending that avoids the Mute’s injury – for example, what would have happened if he had refused to obey Geraldus on the beach?)
• Mythology/Culture: I really loved the elements of Celtic/Gaelic culture and religion throughout the film and would love to read more: Is the Mute healed through the use of “pagan” rituals or medicine? Maybe a canon-divergent AU where they somehow end up staying with a group of Gaels? (Just please no demonization of the Gaels).
• Hurt/Comfort: Really, any h/c scenario for these two: One of them experiencing emotional or physical hurt of any kind, and all the concern and caretaking and protectiveness from the other.
• Tattoos: Something about the Mute’s back tattoo, or one of them tattooing the other for … reasons, or … up to you!
• Shippy/sexy:
  • Size difference/size kink for those two? Yes please.
  • I love super gentle, worshipful sex for them, but I also really like the idea of rough physical passion between these guys.
  • Cross-dressing on the road: Perhaps post-canon they try to stay under the radar by having Diarmuid pretend to be the Mute’s wife?

• Reiterating my general “No permanent character death” DNW here. I’m totally on board with all other options, including post-movie fix it/recovery, canon divergence, pre-canon scenes, or scenes taking place during canon before the finale.
• (Only applies to shipfic): Diarmuid being completely naïve when it comes to sex. I am perfectly happy for him to not have any practical experience, in fact, I’d kind of expect that with the life he has led, and virginity kink is always nice. I just would prefer him to not be completely oblivious to the concept of sex or his own sexual desires.  

The Angel: Ashraf Marwan, Danny Ben Aroya

What I like about them: Okay so I was incredibly intrigued with their relationship dynamic throughout the film. I found it so interesting how they both seem to put so much importance in the idea of trust and honesty even as each of them is playing his own game. But despite all the distrust and the deception and the political games, they genuinely seem to like each other on a personal level, and I loved all the moments that reminded them (and the audience) that in one way or another, they both wanted the same thing: prevent a devastating war. (It certainly doesn’t hurt that Marwan Kenzari looks so pretty when gazing tearfully at his co-stars).

Ideas/suggestions for fic:

You don’t need to include all or any of them, these are just some examples to give you a sense of what I’d enjoy. Most of these prompts should work both as gen and shippy prompts so feel free to go either way with them. Specifically shippy prompts are listed at the end.

• Spy shenanigans: Secret meetings in odd places, being in touch through coded messages, shaking off tails, clever disguises, Danny having to deal with his superiors being suspicious of his work with Ashraf …
• Hurt/(Comfort): Dealing with the fallout from Ashraf being kidnapped and threatened by Judah. Feel free to go “off-script” (aka canon divergence) here – does Danny know and feel guilty about what happened? Maybe a canon-divergent twist where Danny is present for the confrontation? Does Ashraf struggle to cope in the aftermath?
• Religion: I absolutely don’t expect/require this, but I was so intrigued by Ashraf’s side comment to Danny about the irony of them (a Muslim and a Jew) meeting in a place where neither of them are wanted. I would be interested in seeing how their different religious backgrounds affect the way they engage with each other, the things they have in common and the things that separate them. Coffeehouse conversations about theology? Religious holidays? All good.
• Post-Canon: Can they stay in touch? Do they meet every few years on a park bench? Do they send books to each other on a regular basis?
• Shippy/sexy:
  • Danny also believes that Ashraf is having an affair with Diana and is jealous (along the lines of “If he’s having an affair, it should be with me!”)
  • Super-secret, super-taboo, super-dangerous frantic hookups during their spy meetings (cheating on their canon spouses would be okay and likely expected for this one)
  • Post-canon: Maybe they are now both separated/divorced and find themselves gravitating towards each other in a tentative romance between two burnt-out, jaded ex-spies?

Fandom-specific DNW: Focusing on Ashraf Marwan as an actual real person/historical figure. For the purpose of this request, I would prefer if you treated him as a fictional character and stuck to the information we get in the film about the fictionalized version of Ashraf. (I’m perfectly fine with reading about the historical/political context or other real historical figures that appear in the film, though).

Dear Creator: Thank you so much for going on this adventure with me. I am 100% excited to see what you create for this one, I just love the entire concept of the exchange so much. 

The different number of medium opt-ins necessarily mean that the fandom-related passages differ significantly in length, but this has absolutely nothing to do with how much I want the fandom/ship. I love them all equally. It’s just that for some of them I’m primarily interested in fic whereas with others I’m up for receiving a number of different things – again, this has zero to do with my love for the pairing.

I'm merle_p on AO3 as well (and on tumblr and on LJ, but I use LJ and Dreamwidth only for exchange letters these days). 


GENERAL (FIC) LIKES:

Feel free to pick and choose. These are all things I reliably love in fic, so I’ll be thrilled to receive a story that includes any one or two things from the list below. In general, please don’t feel like you need to fit as many likes or prompts as possible into your work if it doesn’t happen organically. I also enjoy a ton of other stuff, so don’t worry about including other tropes not listed in this letter as long as they don’t show up in my DNWs. Many of these likes may also apply to art, comics, fanvids, etc, so obviously if you are an artist or vidder, any of these likes are also meant as inspiration for you (medium-specific likes are further below).

Plot/Character-related:

• Dialogue/banter
• Any kind of hurt/comfort or angst with a happy/hopeful ending
• Canon divergence (AUs in the regular canon setting which diverge from canon in small but significant ways)
• Sidekick/underappreciated characters being appreciated
• Competent people who are good at what they do without being super-human
• People from different (social, national, political…) backgrounds being confronted with each other’s perspective on the world

  Ship/Friendship-related:

• Getting together/first times
• Friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers
• Friendships of all kinds (with a soft spot for male/female friendship)
• Pining, jealousy, misunderstandings (as long as they get resolved in the end!)
• People taking care of each other
• People working well together as a team

  Sex/Porn-related:

• Sex scenes of all ratings are lovely, but most definitely not a requirement to make me happy – allusions to potential future sex, fade-to-black, or whatnot are all equally welcome!
• Spontaneous sex (I love sex happening spontaneously in the moment, including but not limited to: out of desperation, after a declaration of feelings, due to intoxication, in a somewhat unusual location …)
• Passionate/rough sex
• Messy/sloppy sex
• Porn with Feelings
• Size difference /Size kink
• Loyalty kink and Praise kink
• Kissing, lots of kissing (on the mouth or any other body parts)

GENERAL DNWs (for fic and all other media):

• Devastating endings or hopelessly unrequited love
• Permanent character death for requested characters (temporary death, or death of other characters is fine)
• Character bashing
• A/B/O-verse, Dom/Sub-verse, soulmate-verse
• Mundane AUs (coffeeshop, highschool/college AUs, and similar scenarios)
• Genderswap, bodyswap, mpreg
• Non-canonical trans or ace headcanons for canon characters
• Infantilism kink, Mommy/Daddy kink
• Use of formalized safewords (I prefer the characters to say simply “stop” or “no” if needed), or explicit extended conversations about consent and kink (casually checking in with each other along the lines of “Is this okay?” – “Yes!” is absolutely fine)
• Eating disorders, cutting as ritualized self-harm
• “Shovel talks” (so, please no “They’ll never find your body if you hurt my friend/kid” conversations)
• Accidentally acquired babies, children playing matchmaker (kids, especially canonical ones, appearing or being discussed in the story is perfectly fine; and so are background narratives about the requested characters’ childhoods)

FANVID/FAKE TRAILER LIKES:

• Music: I like all kinds of music, and the most important thing to me is that you think the song/piece fits the canon/characters. So if you think the vid needs classical music or country or a children’s lullaby, that’s cool. Lyrics in languages other than English? Also cool. But if you are uncertain, then mainstream pop, indie, classic rock, and folk from 1970-present is a safe way to please me.
• Dialogue/narration: I like all variations – vids that only have a music track, vids that have some or only dialogue, or vids with music and voice-over narration. I do prefer when voice track and music don’t overlap too much, or at least when the music fades into the background while characters are speaking.
• Editing: I like vids where the on-screen action and/or the editing matches the beat of the music to a certain degree, but I also know that this is not always easy to achieve, so this is an extra bonus, certainly not a requirement.
• Tone: Anything from dramatic to light-hearted to straight-up satirical is good.

FANVID/FAKE TRAILER DNWs:

• Please no face morphing/distorting effects

 FANART/COVER ILLUSTRATION/COMICS LIKES:

• Style: I generally like all art styles – impressionist, expressionist, realist, romanticist, neo-[whatever], manga- or comics-style, it’s all good, as long as it generally falls into the category of figurative art.
• Colors: I like green and purple. I also like pretty much all other colors! And black&white art is also great.
• Rating: Any rating is fine.
• Hugs and kisses: I love seeing characters hug/cuddle/kiss/lie on top of each other/put their heads in each other’s laps ….
• Hair: Curls, wavy hair, wind-swept hair, one character putting their hands in the other’s hair (but also beards, chest hair, other body hair …)
• Symbolic imagery: If you associate specific symbols, animals, seasons, or whatever with the characters and want to include that in your art, that’s wonderful.

FANART DNWs:

• Abstract art (by abstract, I mean art that is distinctly non-figurative).
• Visual representations of characters under 15 in sexual(ized) poses and situations.  

 
FANDOMS/SHIPS/PROMPTS:

Banlieue 13: Leïto/Damien

Medium Opt-In: Fake Trailer
Medium Opt-In: Fanvid

What I like about them: For all that they are such opposite personalities, they are so in synch, so comfortable with each other, and seem to have so much fun together in pretty much every scene they share. Add to that the loyalty, the trust, and the willingness to put their lives on the line for each other … I’m here for all the hurt/comfort, the pining, the loyalty kink, the slow-burn romance as well as the adrenaline-fueled spontaneous post-mission sex.

Ideas/suggestions for fic (that doesn’t mean you need to include all or any of them, these are just some suggestions to give you a sense of what I’d enjoy):

• Anything post-canon would be wonderful: How does Damien being in charge of rebuilding Banlieue 13 change their relationship?
• One of them being on the run (from the police, from bad guys) and having to move in with the other
• One of them getting seriously injured and having to cope with a slow recovery/not being mobile while the other one is taking care of them.
• Sparring, working out together, fighting side-by-side …
• Class differences - do they cause tensions between them, and how do they overcome those?

Ideas/suggestions for vids/fake trailers:

• Any of the themes listed under fic, if you are interested in exploring one of those themes/tropes in a fanvid
• Anything from their shared action/parkour scenes – I love seeing them move in synch
• Anything that emphasizes the chemistry between the characters: the casual touches, the soulful looks, the banter
• Bare arms/shoulders – always a plus.
• French hip-hop or electronic dance are genres that suit the canon well, IMO, but I’m 100% open regarding your choice of music.

Fandom-specific DNW: Infidelity/Cheating. For fic, if the story is set post-Ultimatum, I’m okay with however you want to handle that: Damien and Sonya breaking up before he gets together with Leïto, Sonya being a casual fling that’s over now, or even just writing a universe in which the character doesn’t exist. For vids, just ignore the scene(s) with Damien and Sonya and you are good.

The Old Guard:  Booker/Copley

Medium Opt-In: Comics
Medium Opt-In: Fanart

What I like about them: Those two have so much potential! They both have their tragic backstories, they are both grieving, they both do things out of desperation that they later regret, they are both lonely – and clearly they have been communicating at some point pre-movie, perhaps even for a longer period of time? Any kind of hurt/comfort, comfort sex, awkward romance, pining is great in my book.

Ideas/suggestions for fic (that doesn’t mean you need to include all or any of them, these are just some suggestions to give you a sense of what I’d enjoy):

• Maybe they were already in a relationship/sleeping together before the events of the movie? How would that have changed their feelings/reactions throughout the film?
• Anything post-movie: Booker dropping in on Copley to ask how the team is doing … turns into them hanging out/getting drunk together … turns into more …
• Sad, awkward, (drunk?) first-time sex turning out to be much, much better than they both expected
• One of them is mortal, the other is not. What does that mean for them?
• How does Copley respond to Booker getting taken by Quynh if they are already together/have feelings for each other?

Ideas/suggestions for art/comics:

• Any of the themes listed under fic, if you are interested in exploring one those themes/tropes in an image or comic
• Curling up on the couch with a bottle of wine
• One of them watching over the other while they are sleeping (or even passed out from drinking)
• Doing research together

Ship-specific DNW: The team officially “allowing” or “forbidding” the relationship. I’m perfectly fine with seeing the others’ (positive, negative, neutral) responses, but I don’t want them to imply that Booker needs their permission.

The Old Guard: Joe/Nicky

Medium Opt-In: Excerpts from a Character's Journal/Notebook/Sketchbook
Medium opt-in: In-Universe Poetry
Medium Opt-In: Fanart
Medium Opt-In: Comics
Medium Opt-In: Fanart Cover/Illustration of Recipient's Fic
Medium Opt-In: Remix - Art Remix of my Fic

What I like about them: I just love how they are so familiar with each other, how they know each other so well, and still are clearly so in love with each other and attracted to each other after such a long time. I love them fighting alongside each other, and the way they fear for each other’s lives every single time. A thousand years of relationship backstory – so many potential stories to explore.

Ideas/suggestions for fic (that doesn’t mean you need to include all or any of them, these are just some suggestions to give you a sense of what I’d enjoy):

• A moment in their relationship that is complicated for whatever reason (physical danger, arguments, jealousy, misunderstandings, forced physical separation) but ultimately allows them to affirm their love for each other
• Outsider POV from a person they save … and perhaps even run into again down the road?
• Early (or not so early) days and talking about their past sexual/romantic experiences before they knew each other
• Drawing or writing on each other’s bodies (with paint or ink, but something like charcoal, berry juice, or even blood is also good)
• Historical caper: For [...] reasons, they have to impersonate a wedding couple, complete with crossdressing and veils

Ideas/suggestions for excerpts from journal or sketchbook/in-universe poetry:  

• Joe’s love poetry dedicated to Nicky (I’m on board with any style from pretty much any historical period post-1100. Maybe Joe wrote all of Shakespeare’s sonnets and Shakespeare just stole them and filed off the serial numbers? Or if you would like to write something inspired by 12^th century classic Arabic love poetry, please, go for it – I just need an English translation, too)
• Pages from Joe’s sketchbook: Sketches of Nicky, random thoughts jotted down on paper, scenes from places where they have traveled …
• An entry from Nicky’s personal journal from sometime in the 19^th century (or whenever, really)
• If you have other ideas, please knock yourself out!

Ideas/suggestions for fanart/comics:

• Any of the themes listed under fic, if you are interested in exploring one of those themes/tropes in an image or comic
• Any historical scene that appeals to you … Nicky and Joe as Jacobins? As farmers in the 14^th century? As wedding couple in Mughal India? (Just please no WWII scenarios)
• Carrying/brandishing/using their respective weapons (in whatever context)
• Paintings of Nicky as drawn by Joe from different periods of art history

Note re: cover art/art remix:

• I have written 10 The Old Guard fics, all of which are Joe/Nicky, and you are absolutely free to pick any of them (one is a threesome, one is a team orgy, but these are also fair game and tagged specifically with Joe/Nicky in addition to the other constellation). They are HERE.
• Please, surprise me! I am just curious to see how one of my stories might inspire you, in whatever way. My other likes/fanart likes/fic likes (general and fandom-specific) all apply here as well.

Pilgrimage: Brother Diarmuid/The Mute

What I like about them: I love their character dynamic in canon, the fact that Diarmuid saved the Mute’s life, the Mute’s utter and blatant devotion to Diarmuid, Diarmuid being gentle with and protective of the Mute, the frequent touches and looks, their differences (in world experience, in physical appearance, in age). With those two, it’s all about the loyalty, trust, and devotion for me, about repressed emotions coming to the surface, and overcoming traumatic experiences with and for each other.

Ideas/suggestions for fic (that doesn’t mean you need to include all or any of them, these are just some suggestions to give you a sense of what I’d enjoy):

• Anything touching on the contrast between the Mute’s capability for violence and his infinite gentleness when it comes to Diarmuid
• But I would also love to see rough affection between them for a change, such as the Mute ravishing Diarmuid, who is very much into it … for example, something where the Mute is still coming down from his “fight mode” and he absolutely recognizes Diarmuid but hasn’t entirely calmed down yet and they have sex that way. Or, you know, simply because they both like it that way.
• Post-canon fix-it or canon divergence: Give me all the happy endings for those two, whatever they may look like (goat farm fic is always good but I’m here for all kinds of other scenarios as well)
• Celtic/Irish mythology/culture
• Tattoos? (Something about the Mute’s back tattoo, or them tattooing each other for whatever reasons, or …)
• Crossdressing on the run: they figure they'll draw less attention if Diarmuid pretends to be the Mute's wife

Fandom-specific DNWs:

• Diarmuid being completely naïve when it comes to sex (I am fine with him not having any practical experience; I just don't want him to be oblivious to the realities of sex or his own physical desires).
• Also reiterating my general “No permanent character death” DNW here. I’m totally on board with post-movie fix-it/recovery, canon divergence, pre-canon scenes, or scenes taking place during canon, whichever you prefer.

Dogs of Berlin: Erol Birkan/Kurt Grimmer

What I like about them: I am incredibly intrigued by the complicated dynamic between these two characters, the way they can’t seem to stop taunting each other, the push-and-pull they are engaged in, the teammates/sort-of enemies/allies-but-not-friends relationship they have. Give me all the sexual tension, the enemyslash, the hatesex, the enemies-to-lovers stories, the dramatic physical hurt/comfort scenarios for those two!

Ideas/suggestions for fic (that doesn’t mean you need to include all or any of them, these are just some suggestions to give you a sense of what I’d enjoy):

• The two of them working together after their first case and grudgingly realizing that they make a good team.
• Erol’s upstanding attitude “rubbing off” on Kurt who is suddenly developing ambitions to be a “good cop” but feeling (slightly) resentful about it.
• The two of them developing an unhealthy obsession with each other (emotionally, sexually)
• Saving each other’s lives on the job (+ Thank-god-we-are-alive-sex or Thanks-for-rescuing-me-sex)
• One of them getting injured, the other one realizing how important he has become to him.
• In case you are wondering, for this particular pairing I’m explicitly okay with the characters cheating on their significant others with each other. But if you would like to avoid that, feel free to give Kurt and Paula a divorce and have Erol and Guido break up, or find a different way to avoid themes of infidelity.

Fandom-specific DNWs: Romanticizing or excusing Kurt’s political past, romanticizing police corruption, Erol being explicitly submissive in sexual scenarios (but I don’t care about whose penis goes where), Paula in a major role (mentions and brief appearances are fine).

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015): Illya Kuryakin/Napoleon Solo

Medium Opt-In: Fanart
Medium Opt-In: Fanart Cover/Illustration of Recipient’s Fic
Medium Opt-In: Remix - Art Remix of my Fic

What I like about them: Those guys, so brilliant, so messed up, and so much in need of genuine affection and someone they can trust. I love that they both are very strong and independent individuals but also strangely needy in a repressed kind of way. I enjoy seeing how quickly they gravitate towards each other in canon, despite supposedly not liking each other. Anything that touches on issues of trust, loyalty, hurt/comfort, the fear of betrayal, the conflict between their professional duties and their feelings for each other … is wonderful.

Ideas/suggestions for fic (that doesn’t mean you need to include all or any of them, these are just some suggestions to give you a sense of what I’d enjoy):

• Anything that explores their fear of betrayal, or a misunderstanding/political complication that leads to one of them temporarily doubting the other …
• Illya holding down Napoleon roughly during sex and being gentle with him afterwards (and Napoleon enjoying it)
• Illya starts buying/stealing/collecting little things for Napoleon because he thinks Napoleon will like them …
• Napoleon feeling protective of Illya/taking care of Illya, and Illya having a hard time accepting his help/support/protection.
• AU where Napoleon was caught by the KGB instead of the CIA and meets Illya during their training for the KGB.

Ideas/suggestions for art:

• Any of the themes listed under fic, if you are interested in exploring one those themes/tropes in an image
• Battle couple (during a mission, in a fight, post-battle … )
• 1960s vibe (that could be anything … their clothing, the art style, brands, anything inspired by a specific song from the 60s …)
• Dancing together

Note re: cover art/art remix:

• I have written 6 Man from U.N.C.L.E. fics. They are HERE.
• Five of them are Illya/Napoleon fics, but if for whatever reason you prefer to choose an Illya&Napoleon-centric moment from the one Illya/Gaby fic, that’s great too … you just may need to let the mods know that it’s “recip-approved” so they count it towards your assignment.
• Please, surprise me! I am just curious to see how one of my stories might inspire you, in whatever way. My other likes/fanart likes/fic likes (general and fandom-specific) all apply here as well.

Empire Records (1995)

Relationships: Lucas/Mark (Empire Records), Lucas & Joe Reaves

Post-Canon, First Time, First Kiss, Getting Together, Miscommunication, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Self-Doubt, 1990s, Recreational Drug Use, Feelings Realization

6346 words

Dear movie fan,

Thank you so much for taking on one of those favorite movies of mine. I am thrilled to know that you will be writing me fic for one of these tiny tiny fandoms so I know I’ll love whatever you come up with.

My requests are fic-only, but I do love art of all styles and ratings, so just in case you feel at all inspired by ships or prompts in my letter, please know that art treats are more than welcome.  

I'm merle_p on AO3 as well (and on tumblr and on LJ, but really, my fandom presence has been primarily at AO3 for a long time). 


GENERAL LIKES:
Feel free to pick and choose. These are all things I reliably love in fic, so I’ll be thrilled to receive a story that includes any one or two things from the list below. I also enjoy a ton of other stuff, so don’t worry about including other tropes not listed here as long as they don’t show up in my DNWs.

Plot/Character-related:

• Dialogue/banter
• Any kind of hurt/comfort or angst with a happy/hopeful ending
• Canon divergence (canon-setting AUs which diverge from canon in small but significant ways)
• Sidekick/underappreciated characters being appreciated
• Competent people who are good at what they do without being super-human
• People from different (social, national, political…) backgrounds being confronted with each other’s perspective on the world

 Ship/Friendship-related:

• Getting together/first times
• Friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers
• Friendships of all kinds (with a soft spot for male/female friendship)
• Pining, jealousy, misunderstandings (as long as they get resolved in the end!)
• People taking care of each other
• People working well together as a team

Sex/Porn-related:

• Sex scenes of all ratings are lovely, but most definitely not a requirement to make me happy – allusions to potential future sex, fade-to-black, or whatnot are all equally welcome!

• Spontaneous sex (I love sex happening spontaneously in the moment, including but not limited to: out of desperation, after a declaration of feelings, due to intoxication, in a somewhat unusual location …)
• Passionate/rough sex
• Messy/sloppy sex
• Porn with Feelings
• Size difference /Size kink
• Loyalty kink and Praise kink
• Kissing, lots of kissing (on the mouth and other body parts)

GENERAL DNWs:

• Devastating endings or hopelessly unrequited love
• Character bashing
•  A/B/O-verse, Dom/Sub-verse, soulmate-verse
• Mundane AUs (coffeeshop, highschool/college AUs, and similar scenarios)
• Genderswap, bodyswap, trans or ace headcanons, mpreg
• Infantilism kink, Mommy/Daddy kink
• Eating disorders, cutting as ritualized self-harm
• “Shovel talks” (so, please no “They’ll never find your body if you hurt my friend/kid” conversations)
• Accidentally acquired babies, children playing matchmaker, or stories written from the perspective of a child who is not a requested character (kids (especially canonical ones) appearing or being discussed in the story is perfectly fine; and so is fic about the requested characters’ childhood)
• Violence played for laughs (I don’t have a problem with violence in fic at all, make it as messy/gruesome as you like, but I’m not a fan of unnecessary/excessive violence being treated as a joke)

FANDOMS/SHIPS/PROMPTS:
I sorted the fandoms alphabetically, so no reason to read anything into the order. Potential differences in length between the fandom-related passages are entirely arbitrary. I adore them all.

ATTACK THE BLOCK

Moses/Pest

When I first saw the film, I was kind of low-key shipping them throughout the movie up to the final scene in the police van, and then it hit me hard … and now I can’t un-see it. I just love the fact that Pest seems so pleased about people on the block recognizing Moses as a hero. There’s some true devotion shining through in that moment. But I also really like the contrast between Moses’ stoic quiet leader type and Pest’s dorkiness and his questionable efforts at bravado; I like that Pest trusts Moses to lead them well, and that he is firmly in Moses’ corner.

Prompt Ideas (please don’t feel shackled to them, absolutely feel free to do something else!)

I would love to see something set after the movie, where they recover from/cope with what happened to them and end up turning towards each other for comfort.

But I am also curious about their past … how did their friendship develop? Were they once the little “Mayhem and Probs” of the block, before they became part of the teenage gang we see in the film?

Or something that explores Moses’ living situation in some way: Maybe the elusive uncle finally disappears for good, and Pest keeps bringing food over to make sure Moses eats … and then one day he just doesn’t leave …

Feel free to include any of the other characters in the fic as well. I have a soft spot for Dennis, Biggz, Mayhem, Probs, Brewis, and Tia, but really, I love them all!

CIDADE DE DEUS/CITY OF GOD

Zé Pequeno/Bené

Every time I watch this film, I keep being more and more convinced that Zé Pequeno/Li'l Zé is totally in love with Bené/Benny. Like, Benny is literally the only person in the world he cares about deeply, and the only thing that holds him back from going completely berserk - so it's no surprise that Li'l Zé goes a little crazy when Benny dies. In my mind, that’s also why he doesn’t show any interest in girls … until the moment Benny tells him that he’s about to leave.

Prompt Ideas (please don’t feel shackled to them, absolutely feel free to do something else!)

I would love to see something that explores the obvious affection between those two. I am curious to hear more about what ties these two guys together - why does sweet gentle friendly Benny stick with coldly obsessive Li'l Zé? Why is Li'l Zé so gone on Benny?

Is there any way they could find some small slice of happiness together? Perhaps if Benny was able to convince Li'l Zé to go away with him (instead of planning to leave with Angelica), perhaps the full-blown gang war could be avoided, and those two could have their own version of the goat farm fix-it future fic somewhere in the countryside?

I absolutely do not require or expect explicit fic (much less a specific type of explicit), but I’m putting this out here just in case you find it intriguing: I can definitely see Li'l Zé as a sexual sadist who does not have a good outlet for his desires, and I’m wondering if there would be a way to steer his urges into a less homicidal direction … like something where Benny basically agrees to a BDSM-type relationship to stop Li'l Zé from murdering? (This one could totally be darker than what I typically ask for).

EMPIRE RECORDS

 Mark/Lucas

I love the juxtaposition between Lucas’ moody cynicism and Mark’s unstoppable enthusiasm. I love their little interactions (and have watched them about a million times), like when Mark and Eddie do the little dance for Lucas and Mark wiggles his eyebrows at him, and the conversation they have about Mark’s band, where Lucas is patient enough to humor him, and the fact that Mark is the one who comes up with the crazy idea that saves the day, and Lucas immediately realizes that it’s a genius idea. I also really, really like Mark’s curls. 

Prompt Ideas (please don’t feel shackled to them, absolutely feel free to do something else!)

Mark is like a puppy, following Lucas around, and Lucas’ emotional walls are just not made to withstand that force of affection.

A guy at the store hits on Mark, and Mark goes along with it, and the others are more stuck on the part where they didn’t know that Mark is into guys, only Lucas mostly just immediately decides that he hates the dude …

They make out drunkenly (after the end of the movie, or a different event), and the next day Lucas simply assumes they won’t be talking about it, but Mark assumes they are now an item. Cue misunderstandings and pining.

One of them is set to leave town, the other realizes he has a problem with that, and tries to stop him/invites himself along.

If you want to include any of the other characters in the fic, that’s great: aside from Mark and Lucas, I especially like Eddie, A.J., Debra, Gina, Jane, as well as Lucas’ complicated “father/son” relationship with Joe, but the others are more than welcome to make an appearance as well.

HOLIDAY

Ned Seton/Linda Seton/Johnny Case

Ned Seton/Susan Potter/Nick Potter

I adore this movie, but for all that I love the happy ending for the main couple, the one thing that always breaks my heart is Ned being left behind at the mansion with his narrow-minded father and his self-absorbed sister, and Linda’s epic line to her brother: “I’ll come back for you!” I would love to see him finally get a little bit of the happiness he deserves, in whatever constellation. I also simply love the way the five people listed here get along so effortlessly ... their celebration as a "small group of very unimportant people" in the playroom during New Year's Eve is one of my favorite scenes in all of film history. So anything dealing with the friendship and companionship between some or all of these folks is wonderful.

Prompt Ideas (please don’t feel shackled to them, absolutely feel free to do something else!)

Ned changes his mind and joins the others on the cruise, and a Ned/Linda/Johnny threesome unfolds, since he clearly adores his sister and also agrees with her that Johnny is quite the catch …

Ned decides to quit his job and leave his father's house, and somehow ends up living with Nick and Susan ... with Nick and Susan being their wonderful caring selves and Ned finally getting to come out of his shell.

Linda and Johnny come back from their cruise and check in on Ned, as Linda promised. They decide that he needs rescuing and whisk him away for a night on the town/weekend trip that turns into more …

 And uhm, I didn't nominate this and therefore didn't request it, but if you cannot decide between the two triangles and just want to throw them all together ... go for it! 

THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO

Jimmie/Mont

Oh man, the ending of this film really did a number on my heart … having them make up only to let Jimmie take off???? I so badly wanted to see them reunited at the end. I loved their relationship throughout the film, the quiet companionship and loyalty they shared, and even when they were fighting, it was because they cared so much about each other. I just wanted to see more of them being kind to each other.

Prompt Ideas (please don’t feel shackled to them, absolutely feel free to do something else!)

A post-movie fix-it? Jimmie must return at some point, doesn’t he? Or does Mont set out to find him? Also, dealing with feelings of guilt after their fallout in the film: Mont feeling like he has driven Jimmie away, Jimmie feeling guilty for leaving Mont … 

A getting together/first-time story that deals with the change in their relationship … or perhaps deals with how much things *aren’t* really changing despite the fact that they are now sleeping together.

Mont's grandfather dies, and Jimmie is there to comfort him? Do they officially move in together?

And really, anything about how they can’t really be apart and don’t feel complete when they are separated would be great.

Poe Dameron (SW: ST), M/M, Fanfic

• For Poe, I love any kind of hurt/comfort scenario, with Poe being the hurt character ... I like him being brave and stubborn and stoic and trying to take care of everyone until he breaks down/gets injured and someone else gets to take care of him for a change. 
• I also really like him with canonically older guys (except please not anything sexual where Poe is under 14-15, and no explicit daddy!kink) ... He has to be so grown-up and in charge all the time, and I suppose I like the idea of him being courted by someone more mature. Plus, no one can convince me that Poe doesn't have an experience!kink, so he would be into men who can teach him a thing or two. 
• I see him as someone who can get interested in very different types of people, physically and personality-wise, so you are absolutely encouraged to branch out from the characters he usually gets paired with in fic, including xeno. 
• Oh, and dubcon and noncon are also great, as long as Poe is the victim/the one being taken advantage of. 

Pairing DNW: Poe/Finn (just for this exchange!), Poe/Kes 

Opt-in: (1) Some crossover pairings: Poe/Din Djarin, Poe/Bodhi Rook, Poe/Terex, and any of his pilots from the comics. (2) Poe/Black Squadron or Poe/Pilots ... this exception would specifically be for a moresome/poly situation with Poe and several of his pilots, and these moresomes can also include female characters such as Jess, Karé, Paige. 
 

Simon Tam (Firefly), M/M, M/F, Fanfiction

Simon is a long-time favorite of mine whom I always felt was a little underappreciated, both by the other characters and by fandom. So even after all this time, I'm still very much on board with Simon getting more love, in whatever form!

• Hurt/Comfort is always wonderful for Simon, especially with him being the hurt character. Physical hurt is excellent but I'm also very fond of emotional h/c for this character, with him feeling lonely, out of place, unloved, and then being proven wrong by someone who carries a torch for him. 
• I also very much like competent/bad-ass Simon, with him getting to show off his skills as a doctor, or demonstrating some unexpected talents, or getting over himself and doing things he didn't think he could (probably to protect someone he loves). 
• For M/M pairings, I do like the image of Simon getting manhandled a little, in a sexy way ... 
• Dubcon/noncon is also great, as long as Simon is the victim/the one being taken advantage of - however, if he was paired with one of the crew members on Serenity, I would prefer for it not to be straight-up noncon (something that starts as dubcon and later turns consensual is great). 
  

• I love Eliot for being incredibly bad-ass but not always totally in touch with his feelings, so anything that plays with him being forced to reveal a more vulnerable side to a partner is great. 
• But he's also a caretaker/protector at his core, so protective, self-sacrificial Eliot is always welcome.
• And uh, whom am I kidding, I love seeing Eliot hurt ... physical hurt/comfort in particular, with him getting injured during a fight/mission and someone else having to rescue him/take care of him. 
• Eliot cooking for people is always a plus, especially when it happens under somewhat unusual circumstances that diverge from your typical "cooking dinner for his date" scenario
• Fighting-turning-into-sex or rough sex/hate sex with an opponent/frenemy/former partner are great.

Pavel Chekov (ST: AOS), M/M, Fanfiction

• Pavel is wonderful when he's hurt, especially emotional hurt that comes from being this hyper-intelligent but far too young and fragile-looking young man ... initially dismissed by his crush as immature? Teased by other crew members? Trying to survive in a gun fight? 
• But I also really like him when he has to be/gets to be strong and capable for someone else - he might be taking care of a superior officer who's been injured on a mission, he might be working hard to convince a senior colleague that he is old enough to make his decisions about whom to date. 
• He clearly tends to have science/tech crushes on brilliant people, so him fawning over a character for being good at their job seems almost canon.
• Regarding sex, feel free to write him as the fumbling virgin or as the grown-up-beyond-his-years kid who had plenty of sex as a teenager at Starfleet Academy.

Poe Dameron/The Mandalorian

Ever since I realized that their timelines/lifelines sort of overlap, I’ve become obsessed with the idea that these two should meet. I like the fact that they have such different personalities (one open and trusting, one closed-off and suspicious), that they are both too self-sacrificing and too daring when it comes down to it, and that they have plenty of difficult life experiences they could bond over.

Maybe they meet after TROS, when Poe is somewhat at a loss about what to do with his life after the war? Maybe for some reason Din ends up joining the Resistance at some point, more or less reluctantly? Or they run into each other during one of Poe’s missions with the Black Squadron? How would they develop mutual trust/attraction/a relationship despite the Mandalorian wearing his helmet? Would he end up taking it off for Poe eventually? Or has he already lost it by the time they meet and is still mourning its loss? (Btw, my general DNW: accidentally acquired babies does not apply to this canon/pairing, since the baby in question is canonical ... so I'll be happy to see Baby Yoda make an appearance as well).

Pairing-specific DNW: I would prefer if you didn’t diverge from the canonical timeline too much; in other words, I would expect there to be a 30-year age difference between them, give or take. Somewhat related, I would prefer not to read shipfic where Poe is under at least 15 or so … I do like the idea of them meeting for the first time when Poe is still a kid, so I am perfectly happy with you including an earlier meeting between them – but please nothing shippy until they meet (again) when Poe is older. 
 

Lando Calrissian/Poe Dameron

 If you have seen the promo picture of Poe and Lando co-piloting the Falcon … that’s my fascination with this pairing in a nutshell. Dashing reckless pilots! Ridiculously over-the-top flirting! Romantic gestures and adventurous sex; Poe being a little confused by Lando's flamboyance while being equally impressed with his style; Poe realizing how much he likes being wooed; Lando basking in the attention from Poe; Lando thinking that perhaps he should be too old for this shit but really, how is he expected to resist someone like Poe walking into his life …

I loved their interactions in TROS, with Lando comforting Poe and emphasizing the importance of friendship, and then later basically showing up like the knight in shining armor to support Poe and his fleet. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the movie retconning Poe’s backstory from the Poe Dameron comics, but I do love that it establishes yet another parallel between Lando and Poe, with both of them being not only hotshot pilots but also former smugglers. If you would like to explore any of these points of connection between them, that would be excellent. Also, I would love anything about Lando satisfying Poe’s need for praise and approval … if you would like to write some praise kink, for example, I’m on board! 

Poe Dameron/Armitage Hux

TROS unexpectedly left me with a lot of Hux/Poe feels and a craving for fic, plus I found myself rather saddened by Hux’ sudden and anticlimactic ending. I would love to see a fix-it of sorts where Poe and Finn decide to take Hux with them when they escape (with or without Finn shooting him in the leg). Maybe they put him in a cell and after everything is over, someone is like “What should we do with the prisoner?” and Poe is all, crap, what am I supposed to do with you now? And somehow that ends with them getting real close … whether that’s in the form of adrenalin-fueled post-battle hate sex, or slow burn romance in the aftermath of the war, I’m open to either of those and everything in between.

Or maybe the Resistance allows Hux to get involved in the fight and he gets his chance to be heroic and save Poe’s life? If it turns out that Hux always found Poe irresistibly attractive and secretively and shamefully used to jerk off to forbidden fantasies about bratty reckless rebels, well … I definitely would not say no! 

Pairing-specific DNW: I would prefer a story that didn’t gloss over the complicated dynamic between them. I like the idea of the ship precisely because it seems, at first glance, a terrible idea. I am perfectly happy with them eventually ending up in a mutually caring proper relationship, but I don’t see them as a ship that lends itself to conflict-free fluff.

Poe Dameron/Temmin "Snap" Wexley

With Poe/Snap, it's all about loyalty kink for me. Those two have been through so much together, and Snap would follow his commander anywhere, he's that devoted. But it goes both ways - Poe would die for Snap, which is exactly the kind of attitude that inspires this level of devotion in Poe's pilots and Snap in particular. But the flipside is that I see Poe as the kind of guy who always feels responsible for everything, who is not good at delegating difficult tasks because he thinks he should be doing it himself, and as a result, he has all this weight to carry and needs help with letting loose, and Snap is one among the tiny number of people Poe trusts enough to be vulnerable with.

I am sucker for h/c, so anything along those lines will always be welcome. I would love to see a get-together fic for those two because that's something I have not seen explored yet in any fic. I would love seeing something where Snap thinks he's just a fill-in or convenient or FWB, and he thinks he can be okay with that for Poe's sake, except Poe's like, duh, we are in a relationship, I am not just fucking you because it's easy. (Although if you would like to aim for a more FWB kind of vibe with lots of intense feelings of friendship and loyalty on both sides, I am certainly on board with that too).

Pairing-specific DNW: I would prefer if Snap neither cheated on Karé nor had an open relationship with her. I’m fine with however way you want to handle that – probably the most obvious/easiest way would simply be to ignore the EU and thus Karé’s existence, but any other solution is good for me too. I just don’t want Snap being in a relationship/marriage with Karé while he’s sleeping with Poe. 

Poe Dameron/Terex

I’ve been lucky enough to receive an amazing fic for this pairing in another exchange before but there simply cannot be too much fic for those two in my eyes. I mean. They have so much tension going on from their first encounter in the comics, all the very obvious flirtatious pigtail-pulling even while they are trying to kill each other, tough hardened military guys that they are.
I am 100% on board with the idea of Terex being kind of obsessed with Poe (somewhat unhealthily so since he’s that type of guy) but obviously not really in a good position to do anything about it. But I also like scenarios where they both are attracted to each other and perhaps find a strange kind of comfort and familiarity in their back-and-forth and actually sort of miss each other when they don’t interact for a while.

Maybe it’s obvious but I should probably clarify that I am not really imagining a lovey-dovey romance with sentimental declarations and breakfast in bed. It could just be requited sexual attraction, something where they keep having ill-advised awesome sex when they run into each other during ops and then have to part ways again. BUT I do also like the idea of them reconnecting after the war in a more substantial way and having to figure out how to interact now that they are not enemies anymore. Or Terex could be switching sides (because he’s nothing if not an opportunist) and sticking around the Resistance mostly for Poe’s sake. 

Pairing-specific DNW: Please no non-con/rape. I am totally fine with Terex hinting at the possibility during a situation where he’s got the upper hand, but would prefer the actual sex to be consensual (though self-hate and thoughts of “WTF am I doing here?” are perfectly fine). Please also no “First Order!Poe AU”.