linndechir | FIAB Letter 2021

Dear FIAB writer,

Thank you for writing for me and having a look at this letter. I've got some general likes and dislikes listed - those are the important parts, really. They're followed by a list of kinks I like, should you feel inclined to write porn, and some fandom-specific prompts, but if those don't work for you - as long as you include a thing or two that I like and don't include my DNWs, I'm sure I will love whatever you write for me. :D

As a general rule, I enjoy all ratings; I like darker, angstier fic and more light-hearted stories, although neither completely conflictless fluff nor completely bleak darkfic without a ray of hope are quite my thing. I'm always happy about porn, but it's not a must. I like shorter fics and plotty longfic. If you do write porn and you want more smut-related prompts, I've requested most of these ships for Smut Swap before. The fandoms are listed alphabetically. The length of the fandom-specific sections doesn't indicate an order of preference; I just had more ideas and prompts for some of them.

I use the same name on AO3 and tumblr as here. I'm signing up for this exchange twice; this is the regular signup for my main account, my Cyberpunk requests are here, if anyone is looking for them.

Do Not Wants:

character death of characters I like (random side characters or antagonists dying is fine)
serious illnesses, permanent injuries (blood and wounds that will heal again are fine)
completely tragic/bleak endings
animal death/cruelty
genderbend of any kind, mpreg, A/B/O, characters being werewolves/vampires/anything than what they are in canon
non-canon gender identities/sexual orientations (e.g. writing characters as trans or asexual), except for writing characters as gay or bi
unrequested ships (including canon ships) *
unrequested crossovers or fusions
complete AUs (canon divergence is fine, but no high school AUs, coffee shop AUs, in space AUs, groundhog day AUs etc.)
unnecessary epithets, please use characters' names/pronouns unless their name isn't known to the POV character (or unless the characters think of each other by e.g. their title rather than their name)
1st and 2nd person fic (unless canon is in 1st person, then it's fine)
for porn: detailed kink negotiation, safewords for scenes that don't involve consent play (and even then I'm not really into safewords); scat, watersports, coming in pants, crossdressing, feminisation, infantilisation (daddy kink and calling characters "boy/girl" is fine); for het: femdom, pegging, focus on cunnilingus

* I'm fine with mentions of characters' past relationships with OCs (and obviously with things like random OC couples in casefic or mentioning people's parents). However, I don't want these ships to play a central role: a character thinking back of how they tried out this kink before with some guy they hooked up with five years ago, or briefly thinking that they used to date this guy who hated it when they did X? Totally fine. A character spending half the fic thinking about or interacting with their ex? Not something I'm interested in.

Canon-specific: I'm fine with mentions of past canon relationships that were (almost) over before canon started (like Nikolaos/Myrrine for AC or Joseph/his wife for Far Cry 5), but if a relationship happens during canon, I'd rather pretend it never happened (like Jonathan/Elisabeth for Vampyr). Brief mentions of Geralt's past relationships with Yennefer and Triss (or other people) for The Witcher are fine, but I don't want those relationships (or thinking about those relationships) to play a huge role in the fic. If I've requested several ships in a fandom, I'm fine with them appearing in the same fic.

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Things I like to read about:

first time/getting together: slow burn, pining, UST finally getting resolved, but also antagonistic hate sex or casual hookups that are only later followed by feelings (emotional pining while already having sex is great)
developing relationships: relationship conflicts after the characters got together, trying to figure out how to make things work, some things maybe not working at first, temporary breakups, basically anything that doesn't assume that first time sex -> perfect relationship
porn, especially porn with feelings/porn that says something about their relationship (see list below for kinks I like)
enemies to lovers, partners to lovers
reluctant allies grudgingly starting to like each other
non-verbal expressions of affection, unusual romantic gestures that fit the characters
familiarity, intimacy, characters getting to know each other better (their habits, their hangups etc.)
pre-canon/background stories, first meetings/first impressions (especially if we didn't see those in canon)
post-canon fic
canon divergence
casefic
moral dilemmas, characters having to question/go against their principles, situations in which there is no clear right or wrong
loyalty, devotion, trust, but also trust/commitment issues
obsessive, codependent, complicated relationships
unhealthy relationships that should be a trainwreck, but work for the characters involved
obsessive/intense family relationships
us-against-the-world
villains in love, bad guys who would literally burn down the rest of the world for each other, horrible people being sweet to each other and awful to everyone else
jealousy, possessiveness
age differences
misunderstandings (as long as there's a good reason for them)
competence, characters being smart and skilled and good at what they do; characters with different skill sets complementing each other
hurt/comfort (after injuries/exhaustion, not so much with illness)
angst: self-doubts, guilt, shame, internalised homophobia, nightmares, fears, self-destructive tendencies, alcohol abuse ...
period-typical attitudes towards sex, sexuality, class, morality, religion etc. (I obviously don't expect 100% historical accuracy, but I like reading about characters from different societies having different values and principles from our own - this also applies to fictional societies)
infidelity (not between my requested ships, but one half of my ship cheating on their previous partner with the other half of my ship)
meaningful name uses (e.g. characters who always call each other by their last name or title switching to using first names)
outside POVs, different POVs than in canon (more "usual" POVs are great, too)
sleep-related themes: waking each other from nightmares, falling asleep on each other's shoulder etc.
soulbonds (but no soulmates, please)
undercover as enemies (or undercover as a couple) - as long as the set-up fits the setting/characters
I like darker elements (violence, murder, noncon/dubcon, manipulation, depression, whatever fits your plot and isn't on my DNW list), but I'd prefer a happy or semi-happy ending. Feel free to make me bawl my eyes out, but please cheer me up again afterwards.

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Kinks I like to read about:

anal, blowjobs, PIV for het, fingering, intercrural, frottage, rimming & felching are all great
asphyxiation/choking/breathplay (this is my kink holy grail that makes everything else hotter to me; even just throat-touching without choking is great)
switching
biting, bruising, marking; possessive sex
rough/angry sex, hate sex, fighting/sparring leading to sex, adrenaline-fuelled post-battle and "thank fuck we/you're alive" sex
dressed sex, dressed/naked, clothes kink (suits, uniforms, gloves, boots; shirt with rolled up sleeves + waistcoat etc.), neat characters being dishevelled for once, casual characters cleaning up nicely
D/s (I prefer casually developing kink to minutely negotiated, formalised BDSM; if anything under-negotiated kink is a plus for me)
kink discovery/exploration
strength kink; body worship; men's body hair (on chest, arms, thighs, butt; not so much on back and shoulders)
stubble/beard burn
hand kink; fisting; finger sucking
large/thick cocks (not absurdly huge, but bigger than average); size kink
bondage: leather cuffs, ropes, restraints, chains, collars
face slapping, spanking, flogging, riding crops
gun play, knife play, blood play
consent play
dirty talk (both the praising and the humiliating/condescending kind), voice/accent kink
praise kink
banter, teasing
hard, desperate kissing with lots of biting
barebacking (including the ill-advised, unplanned, unnegotiated we-really-shouldn't-have-done-that-but-it-was-so-hot kind - I'm not into serious STD scares, though; if there is an "oh fuck, what did we just do?" aftermath, please have both characters be certain that they're clean)
come play (licking come off fingers/skin, felching, feeding each other come, kissing after blowjobs/felching ...)
come as lube, spit as lube (including the top spitting on the bottom's ass), blood as lube (preferably blood from battle wounds or knifeplay cuts or the like)
messiness (sweat, come play, dishevelled hair/clothes)
overstimulation; characters being overwhelmed, begging for more, becoming speechless ...
shaving (face or body), especially with straight razors/knives
sex on tables, against walls, on the floor, on a chair, in the shower ... (sex in beds is great, too)
masturbation/fantasising about the other before getting together
incest kink (i.e. characters who are related kinking on it - calling each other father/brother/son etc. in bed, fucking in front of mirrors because they get off on their physical similarities ...)
competence kink, admiration
kneeling, hand kissing, physical expressions of loyalty/fealty
scars and their history
oral fixation (while smoking, drinking, talking ...)
sharing cigarettes, clothes, food ...
shame in sexual desires (whether about being attracted to another man at all, being attracted to this specific person for whatever reason, wanting to bottom, wanting to suck dick, wanting to hurt their partner, wanting to be hurt by their partner ...)

Assassin's Creed (Valhalla & Odyssey)

Male Eivor/Sigurd Styrbjornson

Note: I'm fine with Sigurd's arm loss coming up, no need to retcon it (though I also wouldn't mind an AU in which he doesn't get his arm chopped off). But I'd prefer if he learnt how to fight again with his left hand and generally regained his strength, rather than him just feeling helpless and weak forever.

So anyway, this is the part where nobody is surprised that I came out of Valhalla shipping the two brothers who are SUPER INTENSE about each other. They love each other so much - Eivor is so utterly devoted to Sigurd and willing to move mountains for him, and Sigurd trusts Eivor so completely and relies on him and happily leaves him in charge and wants to rule together with him (well, at least until he gets his mind fucked with by Fulke and Basim). They obviously don't care about anyone else in their lives half as much as they do about each other, and it's glorious.

I also just generally really love Eivor - his poetic side, that he's a total badass, that he gets drunk and high all the time, that he's charismatic and could be a leader in his own right but he just really doesn't want to, he wants Sigurd back. I'm quite attached to him being blond, bearded and long-haired - you don't have to mention it in any way, of course, but I'd prefer if you didn't directly contradict it because that might throw me out of the fic for a moment. :) And I love Sigurd's ambition, I love that he's charismatic but also really full of himself, I love that he's kind of a dick, but apparently just immediately adored his new brother.

I don't like Eivor becoming jarl in Sigurd's place in the end. That's the only thing Sigurd ever wanted! So I'd much rather have Eivor refuse if Sigurd offers, or Sigurd doesn't offer, or Eivor initially accepts as a temporary solution, but then makes sure to give the job back to Sigurd once he's feeling better.

I also really don't care for the Isu and the modern storyline. If it gets mentioned, I'll live, but I'd rather not get a fic that focuses much on it. I am totally okay with "Norse mythology is real" AUs in which they just have divine visions or something like that.

I'm happy to read underage for this ship (down to about 15 for Eivor). And they're very much brothers, adopted or not, so I'm all for leaning into the incest angle. I'm totally fine with mentions of any of Eivor's male canon hookups (and of Sigurd having slept with various other people in his life) as long as none of them are particularly romantic. I'm fine with Sigurd and Randvi still being married or not (not like they seem to care all that much about each other) and with Randvi's unrequited thing for Eivor, but I'm not interested in Eivor returning her feelings.

any kind of pre-canon first time: Sigurd telling Eivor about his conquests and Eivor being way too into that, Sigurd showing Eivor how to kiss/jerk off properly/whatever else you like because that's totally a normal big brother thing to do, Eivor asking Sigurd to show him these things, Eivor telling Sigurd about his fantasies because he's horny and frustrated (maybe pretending they're fantasies about other people, but they're really about Sigurd), bedsharing in cold winters leading to more ...
generally all the things Sigurd taught Eivor: fighting, hunting, fishing, but also things like Sigurd being with Eivor when he gets his first tattoo (matching tattoos yes/yes?) ...
they were separated for so long (both when Sigurd went raiding for two years and when he was captured) - so how about rediscovering each other's bodies, new scars and new tattoos, in totally platonic brotherly ways until it's very much not platonic anymore? maybe Eivor got a tattoo high on his thigh precisely so he has an excuse to undress completely to show it to Sigurd?
sparring/fighting leading to sex! whether it's back in Norway or post-rescue when Sigurd is training to fight with his left hand
after years of UST, they finally fucked shortly before Sigurd left on his two-year-voyage - that's the reason Sigurd avoided Eivor so much, because he feels like he can't risk doing that again
Eivor is happily fucking his way through England (while pining for Sigurd) - Sigurd gets jealous and possessive
Sigurd realises Eivor has a type, specifically men who are taller than him and bearded (and possibly also ginger)
so that first scene in the game feels like an engagement scene, right? that's not just me? Cue Sigurd and Eivor talking a lot about how they would have been married if Eivor had been a woman ... Can lead to an argument in which one of them tells the other to cut it out (because those jokes hit too close to home), can lead to actual, er, roleplayed wedding night fucking? please no feminisation, though (some joking comments that Sigurd clearly has to top because Eivor is the wife are fine, but not more than that)
but also: a handwavey AU in which they do get engaged/married - maybe nobody expects them to consummate it because it's not like they can have children anyway, it's just a formal alliance, and the way they grow up together after Eivor's parents' death means they see each other as brothers anyway, so it'd be awkward ... except as they grow older, they really want to consummate said marriage (could be loooong periods of UST and pining until they both dare to admit it, could be Sigurd all but demanding Eivor come to his bed)
hair and beard washing/braiding - can be in Norway, can be in England early on, can be after Sigurd loses his arm and needs help
the new arrivals in Ravensthorpe have no idea if Eivor and Sigurd are brothers or lovers - they call each other brother all the time? but they CLEARLY share a bedroom? what is going on? is this just a weird Norse custom? outside POV would be delightful
but also: new arrivals think they're lovers while Sigurd and Eivor aren't fucking yet ... this makes them reconsider that they might finally have to do something about their UST
post-canon fic: just give me anything about Sigurd recovering, remembering his actual goals and ambitions in life before he got his head messed with, maybe raiding with Eivor, or getting more involved in the actual leading of his clan again, Eivor helping him get back on his feet, Sigurd interacting with the wolf/the other wolf/the fox/any of the random animals Eivor adopted ...
post-canon co-ruling: that's what Sigurd basically wanted from the start, right? so instead of all that nonsense about making Eivor jarl, they rule together just like they planned when they left England
during his weird "I'm a god" phase post-rescue, Sigurd decides that the rules of mortals don't apply to him anymore - so there's no reason he should keep resisting the urge to fuck his brother, right? (I'd be up for both Eivor being all :D about it and something more dubcon-y because Eivor is pretty sure Sigurd will regret this once he comes to his senses, so he should probably say no, but Sigurd won't accept a no and Eivor doesn't want to fight back too hard and hurt him ...)
fun times with drugs, considering that Eivor is constantly high: taking Sigurd along on one of his wild drug trips, or maybe Sigurd comes to see Eivor while Eivor is already high and Eivor thinks this is a very nice hallucination and doesn't realise they actually fucked until the next day ...
Sigurd moves into Eivor's room when he and Randvi split because throwing her out feels rude - it's supposed to be temporary (it very much is not temporary)
Eivor has to seduce someone on a bet, the other person (Vili? very drunk Randvi? one of his raiding crew?) picks Sigurd because no way Eivor can seduce his brother - this can lead to either drunk seducing with lots of filthy jokes, or Eivor going very poetic on Sigurd
for porn: creative uses of their respective strength, hair- and beard-pulling, Eivor having a thing for getting railed by men who are bigger than him (switching is totally fine, too, I just want Eivor to get fucked at least some of the time), wall sex, adrenaline-fuelled post-battle fucking, knifeplay (knives? axes? just sharp things) ...

Alexios/Brasidas

I mostly have protagonist!Alexios in mind for this. I love his sense of humour, I love how cheerful and arrogant he is at times, I love that he likes to help people but will still tell them they're ridiculous dicks afterwards. I played him as fairly pro-Sparta and genuinely wanting to return home, which I think goes rather well with this ship anyway. I love his banter and his immediate connection with Brasidas (that warehouse fight! *heart eyes*), I love how much they just get each other and trust each other - even though Alexios really has reason enough to mistrust just about anyone he runs into. And since it's absolutely tragic the game didn't let us romance Brasidas, that's clearly what fic is for. :D As for Brasidas, I love how smart and cunning he is, how he thinks outside the box while still being a ruthless fighter when the situation calls for it, and how much he genuinely and openly cares about people who are important to him.

I'm up for setting this at any point during the game - around their first meetings in Korinth, when Alexios is in Sparta, or when they're working together later on - or post-game in a verse in which Brasidas didn't die. Because I'm in denial about that and damn historical accuracy. ;)

While I usually DNW unrequested ships, I'm fine with mentions of 1) Alexios's male canon hookups, 2) Brasidas being married (or widowed) because it's just unlikely that he wouldn't be, although I'd see that more as a practical arrangement than a marriage of love, 3) any erastes/eromenos-style relationships Brasidas might have been in, whether it's him currently having someone under his wing or still being good friends with the guy who, er, "mentored" him years ago. However, I wouldn't want any of those relationships to be more meaningful to them than each other, if that makes sense.

any getting together scenario, set at any point in or after the game, whether it's casual hookups long before they get closer or years of pining before they finally make the first step, or anything in between, though I have a special place in my heart for any kind of friends-with-benefits slowly turning to lovers scenario
post-fighting/sparring sex, lots of kinking on each other's strength and skill, manhandling each other (wall sex and the like), getting turned on during battles ...
Alexios and Brasidas working together, whether to hunt down Cultists or serving Sparta in some way - fighting side by side, Brasidas scheming and thinking outside the box, saving each other's life, patching each other up ...
fix-it fic for Brasidas's death: Alexios saving his life, Alexios thinking he's dead but Brasidas was captured and Alexios comes to save him, Brasidas being badly injured (I'm fine with longer recoveries, but please have him get well and be able to fight again at the end), or even something like Brasidas dying and Alexios saving him from the underworld (though I'd prefer if Brasidas wasn't dead and absent for 90% of the fic)
post-canon fic about Alexios settling down in Sparta, getting used to having a home, Brasidas teaching him about what it means to be a Spartan, Brasidas interacting with Alexios's family (I just really need Brasidas and Stentor in one room, or Brasidas and Nikolaos); Brasidas and Alexios having a really hard time finding places to hook up in peace because neither of them lives alone ...
Alexios seems pretty chill about being into men, but maybe Brasidas isn't? Or maybe they both are chill about it in general, but there were still so many cultural hangups in Ancient Greece about which men you're allowed to be into, and about penetrative sex, and and and, so feel free to write me some angst about any of those things
jealousy! whether it's while they're pining, or while they're friends with benefits and then they slowly realise they're not really okay with the other one sleeping around anymore
any AU in which Alexios grows up in Sparta, especially if you go with Brasidas becoming Alexios's erastes and Nikolaos approving very much - I'm totally on board with underage
Super Specific Scenario I love (doesn't hurt to try, right? ;)): post-canon, Alexios lives in Sparta, Brasidas has a son who's 12ish, Alexios - pining for Brasidas and certain he can never have him - starts wooing his son in the hopes of becoming his erastes because hey he's a respectable Spartan citizen now and a badass fighter and Brasidas' friend; instead of approving Brasidas seems absolutely furious about the idea - because he's jealous, but of course Alexios assumes it's because Brasidas doesn't think he's good enough for his son ... TLDR they figure things out and get together and Brasidas' son can get an erastes who isn't using him as a replacement goldfish for his dad
I'm not super into the whole Isu/artefacts aspect of the game, tbh, so I'd love an AU in which Greek mythology is simply real and the gods like meddling and that's why there's lots of weird magic and creatures and items around (I will admit that a big part of this is because I want to hear the bizarre story of how Zeus got Myrrine pregnant - thunderstorms? a sexy possum? a tree fell on her head? because clearly Alexios is Zeus's son ;)) - this could work well for adventure fic, or for something like the gods or some monster creating a soulbond between them, or for any of the gods giving Alexios some big task and Brasidas trying to help, or for Hades demanding something from Alexios if he wants to get dead!Brasidas back ...

Nikolaos/Stentor

Daddy Issues The Ship. :D I'm so here for how not chill and angry and repressed Stentor is about everything, and how loyal and devoted he is to Nikolaos while clearly craving his approval. I also love that they both must have kind of messed up, complicated feelings about each other: Stentor clearly has a chip on his shoulder and he cares so much about being Nikolaos' son that he must angst a lot about also being into him; and Nikolaos lost both his kids (and his wife), so adopting someone else must not have been easy for him either. Feel free to play up the incestuous aspect as much or as little as you like - I mean, they do clearly refer to each other as father and son, but I figure that's still a different relationship when Stentor was adopted as a teenager (or maybe even as an adult) than if he spent his whole life as Nikolaos' kid.

I'm 100% here for Stentor having been Nikolaos' eromenos, and Nikolaos eventually adopting him (I don't really care if Stentor basically grew up without parents, or if he was orphaned as a teenager and Nikolaos adopted him then). Underage down to 12ish is totally fine for this ship. Feel free to do whatever with Stentor's age, as long as he isn't quite as absurdly old as he looks in game. ;)

Should it come up, I prefer Alexios as the elder sibling and protagonist. Totally fine with mentions of background Alexios/Brasidas (and Brasidas being alive is always A+), and of Nikolaos/Myrrine and Stentor/the wife he definitely has because he's a Good Spartan (TM), although I doubt that's a particularly loving, passionate relationship rather than just him being dutiful and doing what's expected of him.

I'm totally up for pre-canon fic: what's Stentor's background? does he have any living family left? what did he do as a teenager to get Nikolaos' attention and become his eromenos (Nikolaos is kind of a big deal, he wouldn't have taken any random kid under his wing)? did Stentor actively try to get his attention and pursue him while Nikolaos was a bit reluctant, or was Stentor surprised that someone as important as Nikolaos was interested in him? at what age did Nikolaos actually adopt him? how long was this after Nikolaos lost his own kids?
both of them trying to pretend the sex is all about Bonding and Teaching when Stentor is a teenager, and both guiltily enjoying it far more than they think they should
they think they should stop sleeping with each other when Stentor gets "too old" for it (and maybe he's officially Nikolaos' son by then), but they don't want to ...
or conversely: they do stop sleeping with each other and only start again years later - maybe after Stentor finds out Nikolaos isn't dead and jumps even though he really really shouldn't? bonus if they end up a lot more passionate about it than they ever allowed themselves to be when Stentor was younger
both of them angsting to hell and back about how Nikolaos must be disappointed in Stentor for still wanting this, or how Nikolaos must clearly disrespect Stentor if he still treats him like a boy in bed ... feel free to heap as much shame and guilt as possible on them ;D
they're both very repressed and proper and serious and probably suck at talking about their feelings, so give me all the misunderstandings - Stentor desperately trying to make Nikolaos proud and not knowing that Nikolaos is proud of him, neither of them being entirely aware just how much the other one loves him because they'd never ever talk about it ... maybe physical affection is the only thing they manage?
Stentor's angst about whether Nikolaos will ever love him as much as the children he lost - especially once Alexios is back in Nikolaos' life and he's a stronger fighter than anyone else and he's charming and handsome and everybody loves him and how the hell is Stentor supposed to compare to that?
related: Stentor worrying that Nikolaos doesn't really want/need him around anymore once he has his "real" family back and trying to stay away - maybe that can lead to Nikolaos actually telling him he cares about him, even if he has Alexios (and Kassandra) back
sparring, fighting together, more sparring, hunting together, patching each other up after fights, steamy rough sex after fighting together, saving each other's life on the battlefield ...
Stentor being far less of a dick to Nikolaos than to everyone else (including, like, his friends and comrades and his wife)
as repressed and serious as they are, they probably have a really hard time relaxing and having fun, so I just really want some porn for them to see how that goes :D

Fallout: New Vegas

I've had such a craving for Legion fic for such a long time - because the game leaves so many questions open about them and so many gaps to be filled. That and I find characters who are horrible people entertaining. Feel free to go dark and fucked up with these assholes, that's what they're there for, although I'd enjoy it if there was a bit more to them than just doing everything for the evulz. We do get a good look at what goes on in Caesar's head in the game, but the same can hardly be said for Lucius or Vulpes, so I'd enjoy fic that gives them a bit more depth. (I really don't like secretly-not-so-bad Vulpes, though. I know that seems to be a thing in fandom, but it's not my kind of thing. Let him be horrid and evil. I do like not-necessarily-a-horrible-person-at-heart-just-devoted-to-a-horrible-system!Lucius, but not going-to-desert-the-Legion-first-chance-he-gets!Lucius.)

I'd also enjoy the hell out of some Legion worldbuilding. I'd love to see more about growing up in the Legion, what life is like back in the Eastern territories, what everyday life is like, what the Mojave would look like if the Legion wins at the end of the game (Caesar wants his Rome - let him have it and show me what he does with it), expanding on worldviews, political/military discussions among the Legion higher-ups, to what extent people like Lucius or Vulpes believe all that Son of Mars stuff, things like education and language use (I'm always here for language geekery like which things they use Latin for and if maybe Latin becomes increasingly a lingua franca when you assimilate a bunch of tribes that speak different English dialects ...)

These prompts obviously stray darker than what I usually prefer and I'm totally fine with that, no happy ending required (and I certainly don't expect anyone to be in love for these ships). However, I'd still prefer if there was more to the fic than just unrelenting misery, and most of my DNWs like no character death and no mutilation etc. still apply - I don't want to read about Arcade's canon death, for example. I'm totally okay with killing off Caesar, though, as long as you somehow get Lanius out of the way first so someone slightly less batshit like Lucius takes over. In general, though, these are awful people doing awful things (well, except for Arcade), no need to sugarcoat that.

Caesar/Arcade Gannon

I'd be perfectly okay with gen for this, too! No need to make it shippy if you don't want to.

intellectual discussions slave!Arcade lets himself get drawn into because he can't resist an argument (and he does seem to have a kind of grudging, horrified respect for Caesar while also disapproving of him in every possible way) - Arcade occasionally enjoying their discussions and hating himself for it
I find it fascinating that Caesar likes Arcade despite the fact that he seems to despise it whenever anyone disagrees with him, so I'd love to see how that happened
moral dilemmas: some kind of character study about how Arcade feels about his choice to survive (instead of letting Caesar die even if it means his own death), to technically help the Legion etc.
I have a thing for enemies forced to work together, so what if there was some kind of bigger threat that's even worse than the Legion, just to put Arcade in the awful situation of wanting to help them?
anything explicit would have to be noncon, I think, because no way would Arcade agree to sleeping with Caesar - whether it's Caesar just taking what he wants, or raping Arcade to punish him, or convincing himself that Arcade totally wants him back and just doesn't admit it ...

Lucius/Arcade Gannon

stuck in the Mojave together: maybe Lucius has to escort Caesar's favourite slave somewhere and *handwave* things go wrong and it ends up being just them, having to work together to survive; even funnier if Lucius finds Arcade irritating as fuck (but also surprisingly useful)
Lucius seems like a semi-decent guy for a Legionary, so I'd like to see moments of him being nice in some way to Arcade and Arcade not having it because he's not accepting shit from these bastards (or maybe eventually accepting it because he's miserable and lonely and it's been so long since he's had anything nice)
rape by proxy: Caesar doesn't want to fuck Arcade himself, but he has Lucius do it - either as a "reward" for his favourite pet slave (because, hey, Arcade is gay, surely he'll like getting banged by a hot guy! /s) or as a punishment because Arcade pissed him off. I'd find it especially interesting if Lucius didn't really want to do it, but it doesn't even occur to him to disobey - and maybe he gets into it over time
grudging, confused attraction! grudging on Arcade's part, maybe confused on Lucius's if he's never/rarely ever been into a guy. I'd be totally okay with just lots of UST neither of them wants to do anything about, but a resolution would also be awesome
so here for Lucius-becomes-Caesar future fic - what would that mean for Arcade, if he's still around by then? what would it mean for the Legion? would Lucius listen to Arcade's advice in some regards, while still generally holding on to Legion principles and frustrating Arcade horribly?

Caesar & Lucius, Caesar & Vulpes Inculta

Lumping these together because I'm looking for fairly similar things for both ships. I'm mostly thinking gen here, but I'd also be up for a shippy version.

villainous loyalty kink is one of my favourite things. Caesar is such a hypocritical jerk in game, I'd love to get to see him through the eyes of men who think he's the greatest person ever. Or who maybe think he is fallible, but still are loyal to him and believe in what he does. (Especially for Vulpes, I find the combination of Utterly Ruthless Sociopath and Genuine Belief in the Legion and its ideals fascinating.)
how much of the official Legion doctrine does Lucius/Vulpes believe? and if they don't believe it, how do they reconcile that with being devoted to Caesar anyway?
background stories: we know how Vulpes became a frumentarius, but did Caesar then personally keep an eye on that smart young legionary or did a few years pass before he saw him again? When did Vulpes become the head of the frumentarii? What about the circumstances of Lucius becoming a praetorian, and then head of the praetorians? What was it like for either of them to actually get to meet and know the man they were taught to worship from afar since they were kids?
I'm really here for messy consent issues, with Caesar demanding what he wants and the other one not being in any position to say no (and not even thinking that they should be able to say no) - whether he feels honoured or kinda uncomfortable or actively unhappy about it or something in between. Could be extra interesting if you add some masculinity issues and/or internalised homophobia.
variation of the above: Caesar loves to get fucked, but nobody must ever know, so he can only trust his most loyal men with that

Lucius & Vulpes Inculta

As above, I'm mostly thinking gen, but I definitely wouldn't object to shipfic either (or something ambiguous and pre-slashy).

what do they think of each other? they're both so devoted to Caesar, but serve him in very different ways - do they respect each other? how well do they even know each other?
first meetings/impressions are always great - Vulpes's age is pretty ambiguous in canon, but if he is rather young, Lucius may well already have been a praetorian by the time Vulpes rose to any importance
navigating Caesar on his worse days - how do they feel about his temper tantrums or his more irrational moments? shrug and move on? disapproving but feeling guilty because they have no right to think badly of anything Caesar does?
anything set around the time of Caesar's illness
anything set around the defeat at Hoover Dam and Caesar's big bad breakup with Joshua Graham; we know Lucius was at Boulder City (but clearly Caesar didn't think he personally failed, since he's still alive); what was Vulpes up to?
future fic in which Lucius becomes Caesar: I'd imagine Vulpes wouldn't worship him the way he does Caesar, but he'd probably still respect him and serve him out of loyalty to old Caesar; and maybe the worshipping happens over the years ...
related: Vulpes deciding after Caesar's almost-death that he really needs to do something about Lanius and scheming to have him killed - if that makes Lucius Caesar's new successor, how does Lucius feel about that? how does Vulpes feel about that beyond "at least it's not fucking Lanius"?
whatever handwavey reason you need to get Lucius into profligate territory with Vulpes - Lucius probably doesn't know much about non-Legion life, so I'd love to see his reaction to that

Far Cry 5
Joseph Seed/Jacob Seed/John Seed (and every combination of them)

Just to be clear: I absolutely ship all three of them together, but I'd be just as happy to read about just two of them with the third one either not appearing at all or not appearing in a shippy way. I'd just ask that you didn't go out of your way to explicitly tell me that they're totally not into the third brother, because I like to imagine that all three of them being together is at least a possibility. :)

I love everything about these three evil bastards. Villainous loyalty kink, devotion, each having their own personal brand of evilness, fucked up tragic backstories, religious weirdness, starting a cult together, murdering and torturing people together, those very different relationships they have with each other - these three really have it all. It's like someone tailor-made them for me. And I love how absolutely batshit insane all three of them are in their own way, completely obsessive and ruthless about it, and I'd really love to see how they all feel about each other's respective batshit insanity, I mean, er, dedication to doing the right thing. ;)

Also, after writing these prompts, I realised they were basically all variations of "oh god I want everything I love them" - I'm sorry? I hope this is still somewhat helpful. But I'm so starved for fic about them that I do, in fact, want everything

backstory! I especially want to know all about Joseph finding Jacob and/or John when they were at their lowest and saving them - what did he tell them? how did they react to Joseph showing up? did it take Joseph time to convince them and pull them out of their depressed buzz or were they immediately happy to follow him?
related, I'd love to see more about the early days of the cult - in the game they've already taken over and aren't playing nice anymore, but I'd love to see the earlier recruitment stuff, the preaching and the propaganda and convincing people to join, John's political and legal scheming to acquire all that land, Joseph and John's preaching, the beginnings of Jacob's little army ... also, the songs! how did those (frankly fantastic) propaganda folk songs start? when did Joseph write his Word of Joseph? at what point did John go full torture-dungeon on people when converting them?
I love Joseph's and John's over-the-top religiousness - how does that play into any incestuous inclinations? does John just say yes to everything his brothers suggest? do they angst about it? does Joseph come up with a convenient reason why this is totally okay? or do they think for a while that it's a horrible sin they need to atone for? what about Jacob - less religious fervour there, but does he feel bad for wanting the brothers he's supposed to protect, or does he think they're all above such petty moral concerns?
Joseph/Jacob: I love their dynamics of the older brother being the follower, and how that balances things out between them a little, with Jacob being the only person who isn't afraid of Joseph - does Joseph sometimes still put him in his place (or try to) or does he talk to Jacob when he wants to hear an honest opinion (does he ever want to hear an honest opinion)? do they argue a lot (what with that "he fought me" line in the eulogy)? how does Joseph feel about Jacob's lack of religious fervour - accept it or try to convert him still? and does Joseph ever manage to offer Jacob some comfort for his Tragic Past (TM) despite that?
Joseph/John: I love that John both worships Joseph and is terrified of him, I love his eagerness to please and fucked up parental issues that he projects onto Joseph (I generally love how much of a fucking MESS John is, he's broken in so many fascinating ways), and Joseph loves him but is clearly not above manipulating him (possibly while telling himself it's for John's own good/to rein in his worst impulses) - and also, Joseph likes to criticise John's sadism at times, but also enables it, so how does that work in his mind? I also like them bonding over their whole religious rapture thing; oh, and I'd love John guiltily confessing that he wants Joseph (and Jacob) because he's all about exposing his horrible sins and atoning for them and being punished ... and then Joseph gives him what he wants instead of punishing him
Jacob/John: I'd love to see them interact since that's not really something canon gave us - I could see some jealousy on John's side about Jacob being, in a way, a rival for Joseph's love (and also much more of Joseph's equal), but at the same time they might well have a more normal brotherly relationship (minus the whole Father and Messiah thing John has with Joseph) - I like Jacob being protective of him, and I like John trying to make him see the light (or maybe enjoying that Jacob isn't really his responsibility to guide and to convert); I like them bonding over their devotion to Joseph even as it comes from very different places, and maybe also bonding over their very inappropriate attraction to him (especially if they think Joseph doesn't feel that way about them); I'd also be up for John starting some very fucked up attempts at finally making Jacob find his faith (even if it means hurting him? or trying to?) - or conversely Jacob deciding to take John on a hunting&survival trip to toughen him up, and maybe ending up quite impressed with how much John can take?; I'd love to see them find common ground once they're reunited despite having lived such extremely different lives
and if you throw all three of them together, how does that go? is John jealous of what Jacob and Joseph have? how does Jacob feel about Joseph pretty shamelessly manipulating John? how does Joseph feel about his brothers maybe turning to each other for comfort about this whole incestuous attraction business rather than to him?
throw as much religious stuff over all this as you like - sexy confessions, sexy punishments, begging for forgiveness, kneeling, their whole scarification and tattoo kink (does Jacob have any of those, hidden under his clothes? did John or Joseph insist? did Jacob want them, for his own reasons?), guilt and lots of talk about shameful sins, but also convoluted justifications for why it's totally fine for them to love each other that way ...
porn-wise: lots of kneeling, cutting and blood/knifeplay, Joseph having a Thing for being called Father, D/s and ordering each other around (I'm up for any switching or top/bottom constellation you like), one of them watching the other two (and maybe commenting on it/telling them what to do), John's sadism and his masochism, Jacob manhandling them, weird religious talk in bed ...
bunker/post-apocalyptic fic, in an AU in which John and Jacob don't die obviously

Frey & McGray series - Oscar de Muriel
Ian Frey/Adolphus "Nine-Nails" McGray

I love these books so much! I really adore the antagonism between Frey and McGray and the genuine slow burn of how many near-death experiences it takes for them to grow closer. I love what a fantastic team they are and I love their bickering and their insults, I love the social/cultural/class differences, I love that they're both such pricks who absolutely deserve each other. I love the mutual life-saving, the tension between them, the growing loyalty and understanding. I enjoy how utterly stuck-up and arrogant Frey's POV is.

(Also, should you write porn? Feel free to ignore my feminisation DNW because McGray calling Frey "lassie" in bed is very hot and I'm very happy to see that expanded on. But please still no crossdressing.)

I'm up to date and have read the most recent book, so no worry about spoilers. I'm very okay with 1st person fic from Frey's POV for this canon, but don't feel like you have to go with that.

getting together fic! I'd imagine it'd take some time until Frey trusts McGray not to mock him mercilessly for this, but really, come up with any scenario you like :D
one thing I'd specifically like: Frey sleeping with McGray when he's at his lowest after book 4 and already planning to run off to England anyway ... and then when they're reunited, McGray is kind of hurt Frey wanted to leave for good, and Frey hates that he has to actually see him again after the things they did
angst and internalised homophobia - I see Frey as incredibly repressed, to the point where he can probably barely admit to himself what he wants - and realising he's into McGray of all people is just humiliating (I imagine that McGray is more chill about it all, even if he understands the need to keep that sort of thing secret); cue mind-blowing first time sex that is way better than anything Frey ever imagined
Frey grudgingly making heart eyes every time McGray dresses up is a delight and I want more of it - making out in dark rooms after parties, Frey getting distracted by McGray shaved and wearing a nice suit ...
related, because it's a crime that canon hasn't provided this yet: McGray in a kilt (Frey wants to find it barbaric and ridiculous, but he's so into it)
something about that bathtub scene in book 4 - maybe they can talk some more while Frey is bathing,
maybe McGray can help him scrub his back? maybe he can just hit on Frey and have a lot more success (but really, anything about that scene would make me happy)
casefic, mutual life-saving, both of them actually being impressed by the other ...
casefic in which magic is actually, undeniably real (whether it's ghosts, demons, wizards, supernatural creatures, curses ...) - I'd love to see Frey having to deal with the realisation that there are things he can't explain rationally, and McGray being smug about being right
related to that: tropey stuff like sex pollen, magic soulbonds, magic fuck-or-die, ritual sex required to save the world ...
I'm a sap and would love fic in which Pansy gets better somehow (possibly through magical means); I just want McGray to be happy, okay
I also find Frey's terrible family entertaining and would love for them to show up and be terrible (or adorable, in Elgie's case) - including AUs in which Maurice doesn't die, partly because I want to see him find out about Frey/McGray, partly because Frey losing him is heartbreaking
if you're familiar with either Rivers of London or Vampyr, I'd love a crossover with either canon - really just throw any of them together for some supernatural shenanigans with a side of class issues and I'll be happy (for Vampyr: not sure if "vampires are real" was the confirmation of the supernatural McGray was looking for, but here they are - McGray and McCullum would probably get along great, and Reid will never seem snobby and foppish again to McCullum after meeting Frey; Frey meanwhile has probably some dreadful opinions about the Irish, and he might actually know Reid quite well)

Kraken - China Miéville
Dane Parnell/Billy Harrow

I love Dane and Billy's relationship: how quickly they start trusting each other, how well they work together despite being such different people, Dane teaching Billy about the world of magic and weird shit, saving each other's life, and of course the size kink is a bonus. I find the worldbuilding and the general weirdness of this book fascinating and would love more of that, and I'm also really interested in Dane's whole kraken faith. (I'm much less into body horror than Miéville is, though, so I'd appreciate fic that goes less hard on that. Feel free to break out the tentacles for porn, but I don't need detailed descriptions of people being turned into radios or having their teeth slammed into their throats.)

Unfortunately I wasn't a big fan of how the book ended, so if you write post-canon fic, my main request is really just "please change the ending". Specifically, I'd like for 1) Dane to live, 2) Billy not to be Billy 2.0 after beaming, but just Billy, 3) people not to forget half the plot of the book because that's one of my least favourite tropes. How you make these things happen, or if you just handwave all of it, is totally up to you.

getting together fic is always A+, no matter what or when or how
Dane Not Dying: being krakenbit gave Dane some more serious juice in the fight against Grisamentum, being krakenbit makes him survive what Grisamentum did to him/makes him come back from the dead a few hours/days later, Billy manages to do something to save his life (again), Dane does die but somehow comes back to life (thanks, God Kraken!), Dane comes back but maybe a little wrong ...
I like the idea of Dane incorporating all that ink from the Kraken library, mostly because I was so sure that's where that scene was going: Dane rebuilding his church, Dane being overwhelmed/changed in some ways by all that knowledge that was suddenly crammed into his brain (but still mostly being himself), Dane getting some snazzy new powers from all that knowledge, Billy being kind of in awe of this new Dane, Billy helping Dane adjust ...
Dane's faith and upbringing in general fascinate me, so more about that would be great
ritual sex/sex magic to save the world: tentacles optional but totally okay. Pining afterwards and stupidly assuming the other wouldn't actually want to have sex with them except to save the world is excellent.
for this fandom, I'm super happy to read various tropey stuff: sex pollen/something made them do it, pretending to be a couple while on the run, accidental/forced soulbond caused by magic or whatever - everything with a heavy dose of pining :D
I have no good prompts for it, but I'm totally up for freaky magic stuff happening - another end of the world, supernatural bad guys coming after them, some magical problem they have to deal with ...
Billy getting Dane back from the Kraken-y underworld because he doesn't want to lose him just yet
if you're familiar with both canons, I would love a Kraken/TMA fusion - Dane as an avatar of the Vast? Dane and Simon interacting? Billy giving a statement at the Institute (or Dane stopping him from it because he knows what statements do to you)? Billy working at the Institute? Dane & Billy and Jon & co working together to stop another ritual/apocalypse before they know they don't need to anyway?

Mass Effect

Because I'm very frustrated the games didn't let me romance the characters I wanted to romance most. I adore Shepard's relationship with both Garrus and James so much: that undying loyalty, will-follow-you-to-the-end-of-the-galaxy friendship he has with Garrus, and how much renegade Shepard enables Garrus's darker impulses and how much they just get each other; and that more complicated relationship with James, the fact that James massively hero-worshipped Shepard before meeting him, and then babysat him for six months when Shepard was at his lowest, and then in ME3 he really feels like one of the people who keep Shepard grounded, who are aware that he's human and that this war is taking a toll on him, that his hero is fallible.

I strongly prefer renegade Shepard (who is nicer to his companions/friends) - ruthless and efficient, the end justifies the means, snarky and intimidating, willing to do whatever needs to be done, no matter the cost to himself or to others. Should it come up, I really prefer him sabotaging the genophage cure for that reason because Shepard having to kill two of his friends to do what he thinks is right is such a horrifically great moment in the games. I picked the Spacer/Ruthless backgrounds and vanguard as his class, but I'm not fixated on that, if you want to use something else. Ending-wise, I think for fic a handwavey "the Crucible destroyed the Reapers without destroying the geth, and Shepard is alive" works best. I'd also be super interested in a variation of the Control ending, though, in which Shepard doesn't die while uploading part of himself into a God-AI, simply because the mindfuck of co-existing with an all-powerful AI version of yourself must be incredible. In general, I love stoic and/or angry suffering, so feel free to whump Shepard hard as long as there's a happy-ish ending.

I'm very attached to his default looks and name, so please no custom Shepards. I love pretty much all the other companions and am happy to read about them. My other faves are Zaeed, Legion, Miranda, Jack, Cortez, Mordin, Joker, Grunt, Samara, Traynor.

Male Shepard/Garrus Vakarian

all the awkward getting together scenarios, whether it's something similar to the canon romance for femShep or something completely different (though I wouldn't want a simple retelling of the canon romance just with mShep, please). I'd love them hooking up to blow off steam, but I'd also be really interested in a fic in which they pine and pine for ages while thinking their friend doesn't want anything more than friendship - maybe they only sleep with each other just before the final assault on Earth because they both know they might die, or maybe it's only after Shepard almost died at the end of the game that they do something about all that attraction
I love Garrus being confused by his attraction to a human - whereas Shepard is maybe more chill about being into a turian. I'd be definitely here for Garrus seeing Shepard hook up with turians when they're on the Citadel and having very complicated feelings about it (jealousy? but why would he be jealous, shouldn't he be glad his friend is getting laid? relief? but why would he be relieved that Shepard is clearly into turians when Garrus is tooootally not interested in him that way ...)
Shepard hurting and Garrus being (almost) the only one who catches on and sees through his "I'm totally fine" facade is like catnip to me (that scene when Garrus figures out Shepard sabotaged the genophage cure and killed Mordin is one of my favourites). More of that, always. Shepard getting captured by someone and tortured or raped or otherwise hurt, or he has to make more awful decisions that weigh on him, and he bottles it all up and refuses to talk about it and Garrus is just quietly there for him (and cheers him up with snark and shooting competitions).
so, mhm, Garrus clearly has an awkward romantic streak and Shepard ... not so much. I'm all for the hilarity that may ensue from that.
post-canon fic: I'm all for Shepard being badly hurt/in a coma and nobody knowing if he'll live for a while. I'm also here for post-war Shepard having lots of trouble readjusting to a normal life (well, what counts as normal for him, he's still a soldier - I'm not interested in him retiring). How do you even have a normal life if you're the fucking saviour of the galaxy? I can see him running away from all that to his usual marine duties and chasing the next battle and refusing to deal with how weirdly numb and empty he feels without death constantly looming.
I love turians in general and am super interested in more worldbuilding for them: relationship traditions/expectations, meeting Garrus's family, possible issues with an interspecies relationship, possible issues with Garrus dating someone who's in essence his commanding officer as long as he serves on the Normandy (is that acceptable for turians or not?) ... I'm always interested in cultural differences and misunderstandings (also ye goode olde trope of one of them doing something innocuous the other misunderstands as a romantic overture, or conversely doing something romantic the other misunderstands as friendly or even insulting ...)
porn is always good. I like Shepard bottoming (and being demanding about it); I like desperate we-might-die/you-almost-died sex; I like sparring leading to sex; I like xeno weirdness (I'd like turians to have a dick and an ass, but beyond that feel free to include lots of xeno weirdness liked barbed or ridged dicks or whatever, just spare me the word cloaca please) and kinking on each other's differences (Shepard loving the scratch of Garrus's talons, Garrus getting off on how soft Shepard's skin is, things like that).

Male Shepard/James Vega

I'd really love casual hooking up during the war while they slowly develop feelings they're trying to ignore because this is so not the time (I like Shepard especially refusing to think about what might happen post-war, because he doesn't really expect to survive it)
related: pining while sleeping with each other, especially on James's side - wondering if there's more to this or if the Commander is just blowing off steam, wondering if they'll keep doing this after the war, wondering if he's being stupid for wanting more ...
Vega's constant insistence that he's totally straight sounds so much like protesting too much that I'd love to see some repression/denial from him. Nooo, he's totally not attracted to men; it's perfectly normal to jerk off with a buddy, right? Or appreciate the muscles on another guy at the gym? That's not gay. And then Shepard just kind of ... steamrolls over him because they might die any day, he's either getting laid or not, none of that "jerking off together" nonsense. Or maybe they do start with things like that and Shepard keeps escalating it to more and Vega is way more into it than he ever thought he'd be. (I would like James to be very enthusiastic about it all, though, please nothing as uncomfortably creepy as the Citadel DLC hookup of "get him drunk so he does things he wouldn't do otherwise".)
conflicts about the whole fraternisation/banging your superior/subordinate thing. Trying to stop because they really shouldn't be doing this but it keeps happening; sneaking around because they don't want people to know ...
whump Shep! idek why I want that so much. capture/hurt/torture/rape him a bit, have him be all "I'm totally fine" about it afterwards, and well, James knows that Shepard is just human. Maybe he can coax him into sparring fights to get past all his mental defences too.
I also love that despite his admiration, James is never afraid to speak up and disagree with Shepard, so anything with that would be fun. I love Shepard bulldozing over people, but I also love that some people don't let him.
post-canon fic: I'm all for Shepard being badly hurt/in a coma and nobody knowing if he'll live for a while. I'm also here for post-war Shepard having lots of trouble readjusting to a normal life (well, what counts as normal for him, he's still a soldier - not really interested in him retiring). How do you even have a normal life if you're the fucking saviour of the galaxy? I can see him running away from all that to his usual marine duties and chasing the next battle and refusing to deal with how weirdly numb and empty he feels without death constantly looming.
I like how surprisingly sweet James is? he's supportive, he's friendly, he cooks for people ... I'd like to see more of that, once he becomes more comfortable around Shepard, and Shepard maybe not quite knowing what to do with it.
porn! I like Shepard bottoming (and being very demanding about it), I like them using sparring as foreplay, I LOVE the size difference between them, Shepard getting off on how big James is, wall sex, manhandling, James having a huge cock and Shepard loving it, muscle worship, adrenaline-fuelled hookups only slowly becoming more tender over time (and neither of them knowing what to make of that), Shepard being utterly shameless in bed and James being super into it. Also, dirty talk. No way James doesn't have a filthy mouth in bed.

Male Shepard/Garrus Vakarian/James Vega

Basically just throw the two requests above together? I mostly see this starting as a V - they both want Shepard, Shepard wants them both, it leads to a mildly awkward threeway arrangement, and over time Garrus and Vega actually start being into each other as well. They're already buddies who love a good snark and clearly like each other, so that's a good start.

I don't have specific prompts as such; I'd love to see any of the things I've requested above just for all three of them together. Whumping Shepard, post-canon fic, weird cultural differences, some conflicts about wanting a human/turian/dude, lots of porn (double-teaming Shepard y/y?). I love how ridiculously competitive Garrus and James are, and I'd love to see that extend to sex and ridiculous competitions like who can make Shepard come faster, or fuck him for longer, anything like that.

Any set-up for this is good. Whether you start with Shepard/Garrus and James joins them somehow, or Shepard/James getting together and Garrus thinks he missed his chance (but he didn't), or Shepard having mad UST with both of them and maybe eventually deciding he wants them both, or hell, even Garrus and James hooking up over their pining for Shepard and Shepard wondering why the hell he wasn't invited. ;)

Original Work

This is my first time requesting OW in an exchange and I'm really excited! All of these ship tags sound so good and I'm looking forward to seeing what kinds of characters you come up with for any of them and what world the story will be set in and all that. Below you can find a lot of rambling because I figured I should give you some general ideas of what I enjoy in characters and what I might like for these tags specifically. All of these are just suggestions and preferences. I absolutely do not expect you to include literally everything I've listed here or to follow every single one of my preferences to the letter! I just wanted to give you a lot of options, this is not some kind of list I expect you to work your way through.

With that disclaimer, here are some general things I thought of that I enjoy, and then some prompt ideas for the ships I requested.

For characters:

morally grey characters: whether they're generally good-hearted people for whom the end justifies the means or power-hungry bastards who still have some principles or noble(ish) goals - I find those more interesting than shining heroes who never do anything wrong or cardboard villains who kick puppies all day for the evulz
character traits I like: loyalty, competence, confidence, intelligence, ruthlessness, principles, a sense of duty, either emotional repression or complete certainty in their devotion to someone (or both!), either very calm and controlled or very angry (or both! like calm types who are terrifying when they lose their temper), charm and/or charisma - I like Magnificent Bastards, Affably Evil characters, Determinators, stoic badasses, loyal second-in-commands, dutiful types who deny themselves happiness because they don't think their feelings should matter
character traits I enjoy less: insecurity, awkwardness, lack of determination/goals; Everyman characters, Loveable Fools, or characters who are mostly meant to be pathetic or pitiable (bad things happening to the characters is fine! I'd just like them to resist and fight back in some way, not just cry and be sad about it)
I generally like characters who are 25+, but I also enjoy age differences and am totally up for younger characters if the other half of the ship is considerably older - so two 17-year-olds are not my thing, but a 17-year-old and their 40-year-old mentor works for me
I like contrasts between characters: age, social class, cultural origins, looks, skill sets, life experience ...
mutual loyalty is really important to me for these ships - I don't enjoy it if one character is devoted to the other and the other sees them as nothing but a useful asset (though I'd find it very interesting if things started out that way and then evolved into mutual loyalty)
strong sexual attraction between the characters - porn isn't necessary (though welcome), but I like getting a sense that these characters are passionately into each other and have a great sex life, even if it's off-page
looks-wise (this is 100% optional, but just in case): I like muscular, tall, strong men, but also the more leanly muscled type; I ~~like~~ LOVE beards; long hair is great, so is very short/buzzed hair or baldness (especially combined with beards); black/ginger hair; blue/green/grey eyes; contrasts in looks - both between the two characters, but also for one character's looks (e.g. pale skin and dark hair, dark skin and very light eyes ...)
magic is cool - if you want to make any of these characters a mage, a priest with divine powers, a druid who controls animals, a sorcerer with some distant supernatural ancestors, a medium that can talk to ghosts, a prophet with visions ... go for it :D

For settings:

I like all kinds of fantasy - high fantasy with magic and dragons, low fantasy with none of that, fantasy inspired by other cultures than the typical Vaguely European Middle Ages (although I like that, too! but if you want to take inspiration from the Vikings, the Ancient Romans, the Byzantine Empire, the Aztecs, whatever, please do!)
I also like more modern-ish inspired settings - steampunk, Vaguely Victorian, industrial revolution, stuff like Dishonored or Blades in the Dark
futuristic/technologically advanced settings are cool too, but I'd rather not receive a story ~in space~ - the king being the ruler of an intergalactic futuristic empire would be cool, but I'd rather read a story set in the capital of said empire than on a spaceship
I'd rather not read a story set in the current real world or in similar modern (20th/21st century) settings - I'd like either a historical or a futuristic vibe
worldbuilding - dump all the history, religion, politics, art, literary traditions, people/tribes/countries with cultural differences etc. you like on me
I like moral nuance in settings, too, more than Good Guys fight Bad Guys; I also like fictional settings that aren't perfect utopias - if your world has sexism, homophobia, colonialism, slavery, wars, corruption, any of that stuff, that's interesting, and I find explorations of different value systems fascinating
for the monarchs, I'd like them to have actual political power - not necessarily absolute power (conflicts with councillors or powerful noble families are fun), but I don't just want them to be figureheads (but I'm good with stories about figurehead monarchs deciding to take over for real)

King's Bastard Half-Brother/Silver Fox General who helps him oust the king (M/M) (OW)

What's the background here? Was the bastard raised at court and the king actually treated him well, but the bastard was too jealous and wanted to take his place anyway? Or was the king cruel and sent him away or mistreated him and now the bastard wants revenge? Does the king even know he has a half-brother? (I'd prefer if it wasn't "Good Half-Brother ousts Cartoonishly Evil King", though the king being kind of shitty at ruling his kingdom and the bastard thinking he can do a better job is totally fine.)

And what about the general? Why is he helping the bastard? Out of loyalty to him or because he has some kind of grudge against the king? (Both are good, but I'd like it to end with loyalty to the bastard even if it doesn't start there.) And what's their plan for taking over - a full-scale military rebellion? Political scheming and assassination? How does the rest of the court and/or the country feel about the king and the bastard?

Some ideas:

the general was the mentor/teacher in all things war and strategy of both brothers, but the bastard was always his favourite, so when the bastard was put in charge of military campaigns by the king, the general went with him (and their rebellion against the king grows out of that)
the general was the mentor/teacher in all things war and strategy of both brothers, but the bastard was always his favourite, so when the king banished the bastard from court (whether out of paranoia or because the bastard was legitimately scheming against him), the general accompanied him into exile
generally, I'd love an age difference between these two, with the general being much more experienced when it comes to war and maybe politics, but the bastard being quite brilliant and learning fast
the general gets banished by the king (because he lost a battle? because he wins too many battles and is too popular?) and wants revenge - he decides to find the king's rumoured bastard brother and help him take over (is the bastard aware he's the king's brother? what's he up to - is he a soldier, a brigand, a mage ...?)
is the bastard a fighter too? or is he more the intellectual type? (is there sexy sparring? :D)
incest option: the general is actually the bastard's father and that's why he's so devoted to him, whether or not the bastard knows this from the start (though I'd prefer him finding out eventually, possibly after they started sleeping with each other); I'd rather not have the general and the bastard's mother in a serious relationship, though, I'd want the general's devotion to be about the son, not about his mother

Lawful Evil King/His Brilliant Devoted Favourite Male Slave and Closest Confidant (OW)
Lawful Evil King/His Devoted Personal Assassin (M/M) (OW)
Lawful Evil King/His Devoted Silver Fox General (M/M) (OW)

I'm really into villainous loyalty kink, in case you can't tell. :D And into villains with some sort of principles who rule with an iron fist and believe in Law and Order. I'd love some politics or scheming or courtly intrigue for this, and also a feeling that the king can't really trust anyone else, so it's just extra special that he has this one person he trusts so completely. I'd love background stories or flashbacks or mentions of the past for any of these ships to see how they grew so close, and I'm also always interested in hearing how the rest of the court feels about the king's closest advisor (if it's even known that he's the king's closest advisor).

Like I said above, I really love mutual loyalty, so it'd also be amazing to see the king do something for the other one on the rare occasions that the slave/assassin/general asks him for a favour, or the king protecting him or helping him in some way. I'd also enjoy it if they disagreed sometimes (on what to do, on how exactly to proceed, on how to deal with an enemy), while still respecting each other a lot. (Serious arguments are great, too, as long as they make up.)

What's the king like? Is he also very martially minded and a warrior himself? Is he the scholarly type? Is he blunt and direct or cunning and scheming? With the assassin and the general - are they his favourite way of dealing with problems (assassination or sending his army) or are they a last resort when the usual methods don't work? What exactly does the slave do for him - just help him come up with political schemes or collect blackmail on his enemies or devise strategic plans for wars ...?

Some ideas:

the king's court is full of power-hungry vipers who only care about their own advancement, but he can't just get rid of all of them - so there's a whole complicated system of blackmail/threats etc. to keep them in line (does the slave know about all the dirt they have on everyone? does the assassin occasionally intimidate people? does the general make sure the king's personal army is always very strategically positioned?)
there's an uprising against the king - maybe they need to flee for a while before regaining power, maybe there's an assassination attempt, maybe there's a plot to convince the king the other half of the ship has betrayed him (but they haven't)
either of them gets hurt - the king during a military campaign or an assassination attempt, the general in a war, the assassin on a mission, the slave ... not sure how the slave might get hurt, but I'd read that, too! Either way the other one 1) is extremely worried and upset, 2) goes absolutely nuclear on whoever or whatever hurt him.
King/Slave: I'd prefer if the slave hadn't been born a slave, but captured later. is he from the same people/tribe/nation as the king or not? was he initially a sex slave who turned out to be smart and trustworthy, or was he a very educated slave (a scribe maybe) or a captured great warrior whom the king only started sleeping with later? I love the huge power imbalance for this ship and the slave over time learning/having learnt that he's actually allowed to speak openly to the king (in private). do people know the king trusts the slave so much or do they think the slave is just his favourite bedwarmer? did the slave already start out with positive feelings towards the king or did he initially hate him for, you know, the whole slavery business? (I don't mind if this is a profoundly fucked up, unhealthy relationship, as long as they're both happy with it)
King/Assassin: why does the king have a personal assassin? did he have him trained personally? did he hire him for a job some day and decided to keep him? did the assassin actually plan to kill the king but then changed his mind (possibly because he watched the king for a while and decided he liked/admired the guy)? what's the assassin's position at court - is he officially a bodyguard or servant? is he officially nothing at all because he only sneaks in and out at night? or is Royal Assassin an official court position?
King/General: I'd love similar vibes to the mentor/mentee prompts I mentioned in my Bastard/Silver Fox General prompts above - maybe the general already worked for the king's father and watched him grow up, taught him about war etc.; but I'd also be up for the general only rising to importance during a war the king starts. or maybe he was a common soldier/lieutenant/captain the king put in charge because his generals were all noble idiots who got their position through money and influence.
I'm repeating myself, but ... age difference! honestly either direction works for all these ships, so do whatever pleases you :D
again, if you wanna give any of them some magic? yes please. Mage King? Priest King? General who's actually a powerful battle mage? Assassin who's some kind of arcane trickster type? Assassin who's a cleric of the god of night/darkness/murder? Slave who has divination powers he uses to spy on the king's enemies?

Warrior King/His God (M/M) (OW)
Male Paladin of Vengeance/His God (M/M) (OW)

Badass warriors having bizarrely intense relationships with and getting fucked by their gods, yes please. :D I'm really into the whole "paladin of vengeance" concept as a more ruthless, the-end-justifies-the-means take on a paladin (while still being generally a Righteous Warrior Fighting For Justice), and I'd love to see what kind of god it is he worships - is it Ragathiel by any other name (look, I just love the angry warrior angel with the flaming wings)? Is his god a more traditionally Lawful Good Type who maybe disapproves of the paladin's methods sometimes (or admires his relentless devotion to the cause)? Is it a darker god of vengeance who'd like to corrupt the paladin a little bit on his quest for vengeance? Lots of interesting dynamics possible! The Warrior King is probably a bit more straightforward, though of course he too might not necessarily worship a god of war, so y'know, feel free to go wild. If you want to write a warrior king who worships the god of Beauty and Music, I'm certainly not going to mind. :D If you want to take any inspiration from my Lawful Evil King prompts above for the Warrior King, feel free.

I would generally like for these gods to exist unambiguously in the setting - so not just faith and hoping you're right, but the gods actually do things (grant prayers/favours/miracles DnD/Pathfinder-style? actively intervene or show up? send their magical heralds/animals/avatars?). I'd also prefer if there were several gods in the setting, rather than just One True God. And I'd like it if the king/paladin were or became pretty special to the god, too, rather than just some random worshipper among thousands or millions.

Some ideas:

how did the king/paladin find his faith? was he raised in it? does he actually worship a fairly rare god because he had a vision or met some lone priest who convinced him? did he almost die and this god saved his life? did the god send him on a quest?
different gods vying for the powerful king/the mighty paladin and trying to convince him to worship them, trying to corrupt or redeem him, would be fun
how does communication between them work? I'd love some king of, er, increase in mutualness? maybe initially the king/paladin just prays, maybe at some point they get some divine favours, maybe they get visions, but maybe the god doesn't talk to them much (aside from an initial vision, if that's how it started) ... until that happens more and more
meeting your god in person for the first time must be wild - does it happen in some kind of dream/vision scape? does the king/paladin visit whatever plane the god resides on (for reasons)? does the god just drop by some day?
do they only meet physically after the king's/paladin's death? (I'd like there to be an actual afterlife, if that's the case, and the king/paladin maybe fighting in the god's celestial army now or whatnot). or maybe the god doesn't want his most faithful servant to die and offers him immortality as his herald - maybe the king/paladin has to do a bunch of quests/tasks/magic whatnots to achieve immortality because the god can't just give it to him
weird godfucking? weird godfucking :D whether physically or in dreams, but either way it should be a pretty mindblowing experience (does the god usually fuck mortals or is this kind of a new experience for him, to fall for one of their mortal servants?); go wild on the religious/sexual ecstasy or whatever else you can think of
for all the mutual loyalty, I do like demanding gods who have high expectations and expect their worshippers to be extremely Dutiful and Devoted and all that (unless we're going with something like the Warrior King and the God of Beauty who's just trying to get this guy to relax and watch the flowers or something - I'd probably enjoy that, too)

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Canderous Ordo/Male Revan

I strongly prefer Dark Side Revan, although I'm also fine with a more morally grey version of Revan if that's what you want to write, who's not really interested in this whole binary opposition of good and evil, but just does his own thing. Actually even with Dark Side Revan I prefer Pragmatic Evil and ruthless, power-hungry ambition over Ludicrous Evil and "bwahahaha I kick puppies in my free time for the Evulz". Mostly I'm just not interested in redeemed, saintly Light Side Revan. If you want to include any of the other characters, that's fine by me, although I'd rather not read about Bastila. I especially love HK-47 because he's hilarious, so I'm all for HK-47 cameos. :D

loyalty kink, because Canderous canonically just about worships the ground Revan walks on, so I'd love to see anything that expands on that - kneeling and hand-kissing and "loyal dog" rhetoric, including things liks Revan calling Canderous his dog in bed
violent post-battle sex: Canderous loves a good fight and he considers Revan the greatest warrior who ever lived, so I bet they get up to a lot of blood-soaked fun after fights
DS!Revan ruling the galaxy post-canon with Canderous as his general
I'd also like to see disagreements between them, whether it's because you write a less unequivocally cruel and power-hungry Revan or simply because Revan and Canderous sometimes disagree on how to rule the galaxy or how to treat defeated enemies or whatever; I'd love to see Revan both respecting Canderous' opinion, and putting his foot down and reminding Canderous of his place when he's done arguing
inappropriate uses of the Force: Force-choking, Force-bondage, rough pain play combined with Force-healing, inappropriate uses of telepathy - making Canderous hallucinate, making him feel Revan's presence in his mind, Revan controlling his body while letting Canderous be aware of what he's doing (I'm fine with dubcon, although I'd prefer if the relationship in itself was consensual/if Canderous basically considered it Revan's right to do whatever he likes with him) ... did I mention Force-choking? ;D
mind bonds are generally a lot of fun to play around with: Revan staying in touch that way when they're apart, invading Canderous' dreams, commenting on Canderous' actions or thoughts, whispering into his brain when Canderous is jerking off or fucking someone else
I'd prefer if Revan, no matter how DS, was at least somewhat emotionally attached to Canderous and didn't only consider him a useful tool; I also love the whole villains in love trope - Revan loving Canderous with all that mad, possessive Dark Side passion ...

Vampyr
Jonathan Reid/Geoffrey McCullum

This ship has so many things I love! Antagonism and profound distrust and grudging respect and so much potential to work together reluctantly and grow closer ... I'm easy. :D I did a Not Even Once playthrough and ended up being incredibly frustrated by the game's morality system, where letting awful people go free or saving their life is apparently always the best choice, and I realised that I much prefer a version of Jonathan who's generally a good person and wants to help others, but who can also be rather ruthless and is very willing to get his hands dirty when he thinks someone deserves it. I love that he and Geoffrey are both stubborn people who tend to think they're always right, and I love how much they'll probably always butt heads even once they're closer.

I didn't enjoy the forced romance, so I'd prefer if we could pretend that Jonathan and Elisabeth were simply friends (and tbh thematically I prefer the ending in which she chooses to die to the one where he saves her with the power of love or somesuch). I'd prefer if Swansea didn't show up (unless it's before his possible in-game death, of course) because I have a hard time justifying turning him in-game. I also prefer Jonathan not turning Geoffrey in-game, simply because I find it more interesting if they have some time to get to know each other better while Geoffrey is still human, but I'm totally up for him turning Geoffrey later on.

getting to know each other better post-game: maybe they keep running into each other on their nightly rounds, maybe they have to work together to defeat some big bad evil vampire, maybe one of them saves the other's life ...
Geoffrey stalking Jonathan post-game because he wants to make sure that he's really the good guy he claims to be, watching him night after night - maybe Jonathan starts growing on him, or maybe he saves his ass one night when Jonathan picks a fight he can't win, or maybe Jonathan does something very suspicious-looking and Geoffrey has to investigate further ...
antagonistic hate sex! maybe after they worked together on something and argued half the time and were still a decent team and they drive each other crazy ... maybe they make a habit of post-hunting antagonistic hate sex, and over time it turns less and less antagonistic ...
Jonathan is pretty lonely, and it's hard to meet new people or reconnect with old friends when you have a secret that big and ugly, and Geoffrey is one of the few people he can actually just be himself around - I generally like the idea that, even early on when they don't like each other, they can both offer the other something they can't have with any other people in their lives
I'd love to know more about Geoffrey's, er, coworkers in the Guard, since they're probably basically his family - we only see him interacting with people he dislikes and distrusts in-game, I'd love to see what he's like with people he cares about; I'd also love to see him explaining his fellow vampire hunters why this one vampire is actually kind of okay
Geoffrey knows more about vampires than Jonathan does, so when Jonathan needs help with something vampire-related (some new problem with feral skals? some new powers he has trouble controlling? some confusing old artefact he dug up somewhere?), he asks Geoffrey for help
Jonathan turning Geoffrey eventually, whether it's many years later and Geoffrey actually agreed to it, or spontaneously after Geoffrey gets badly injured and Jonathan refuses to let him die; or alternately Geoffrey getting turned by Arthur's blood, or even Geoffrey deciding to turn himself by drinking Jonathan's blood without asking Jonathan's permission - in any case I'd love to see his extremely conflicted feelings about becoming what he hated most his entire life (and if Jonathan is the one to turn him? fun with telepathic bonds yay :D)
Geoffrey letting Jonathan drink his blood: maybe Jonathan got so badly injured in a fight that he doesn't even heal and the sun will be rising soon and Geoffrey does it to save his life ...
Catholic guilt and shame! Considering that faith has demonstrable power in this setting, I could see Geoffrey as fairly devout. Between that and it being the 1910s, he might well have a few hangups about being attracted to men - is he trying to be in complete denial? or not in denial, but doing his damnedest not to act on it until that damn leech comes along? does he occasionally fuck rentboys and then hate himself for it afterwards, but he's never actually been with someone he didn't pay?
class differences: feel free to sprinkle these heavily over whatever you're writing, because I'm sure a posh successful West End boy and an orphaned not-exactly-rich Irish guy have lived very different lives
Jonathan and McCullum having various adventures throughout the next decades (I'd definitely be up for fic set decades after canon, if you want to write about them in the 50s or the 70s or present-day or whenever - just please 1) no focus on WWII, 2) no focus on recent or current real life events like Corona or Brexit or anything like that; I'd want McCullum in jeans and a leather jacket, not Reid talking about NHS funding problems)
if you're familiar with both canons, I'd absolutely love a Vampyr/Rivers of London crossover (I requested this for last year's Fic in a Box, if you're interested in some prompts) - and come to think of it, I'd also love a Vampyr/Frey&McGray crossover (not sure if "vampires are real" was the confirmation of the supernatural McGray was looking for, but here they are - and man, Reid will never seem snobby and foppish again to McCullum after meeting Frey; Frey meanwhile has probably some dreadful opinions about the Irish, and he might actually know Reid quite well)

The Witcher (game verse)
Geralt/Ciri

I'll never be over how much I love these two. Moving heaven and hell to save each other! The fact that Ciri seems completely incapable of talking to Geralt without touching him. The way they LOOK at each other. Mutual protectiveness, lying and killing for each other, fighting together, witcher!Ciri hitting the road with Geralt (I'm not really into Empress!Ciri).

For the record, I'm familiar with the show, but haven't read the books; but I'm fine with working in elements from either canon if you want to - I'd just prefer game canon when there are contradictions. As for canon ships, I'd prefer if we could treat all of Geralt's past canon ships as "I guess they happened, but they're over now and he's over them" (especially for Geralt/Yennefer, I really like the Last Wish side quest ending with him realising that, without the djinn, he just isn't that crazy about her). They can get mentioned, but I'd prefer if they didn't play a huge role.

Het-specific DNW: please no femdom or pegging. I also don't particularly enjoy reading about cunnilingus - brief mentions of it happening are fine, but I'd rather not have it be the main event or described in lengthy detail. And I hate the word "folds". Most of my prompts are for post (or during) canon fic, but should you have a great idea for something set earlier, go ahead - underage is perfectly fine down to about 15.

post-canon fic, when they're witchering together or maybe settled down in Toussaint and just working when they feel like it
sparring, fighting together, Geralt teaching her, mutual life-saving, patching each other up after battles ...
lots of guilty pining and UST and trying to be in denial about it because they shouldn't be into each other, and anyway there's no way the other one feels the same, except it becomes harder and harder to be in denial and eventually all that UST explodes in their faces and they fuck and angst some more but eventually live happily ever after ...
they're so touchy-feely in canon, so more of that please - less and less plausible deniability, touching that feels less and less platonic ...
"Oh No They're Hot" moments: mostly Geralt having a moment of "oh no, she grew up and is hot now", but I'd also be up for grown-up Ciri only realising that her father figure is hot as fuck when they meet again
Ciri pursuing what she wants because Geralt would just pine stoically and never do anything, so Ciri has to get him to break somehow (can be something sweeter and fluffier, can be her shamelessly teasing him until he breaks)
maybe on top of everything else, Geralt assumes Ciri isn't into men because she's only ever expressed interest in women (I'd be very much here for Ciri never having slept with a guy until Geralt)
what if Ciri doesn't come back immediately after the finale and Geralt assumes she died? he tries to move on, maybe goes to Toussaint and tries to start anew there, but he's absolutely devastated ... and then it turns out there was just some portal wonkiness and Ciri is back
for porn: size kink, wall sex, manhandling - I have simple needs when it comes to het porn, and that's a big guy absolutely wrecking a much smaller woman against whatever surface is available and her loving every minute of it (probably after Ciri teased him so badly he's going a bit crazy)
also: scar kink, sparring leading to sex, hurt/comfort wound tending leading to sex, bathing leading to sex, Geralt with his decades of experience blowing Ciri's mind ...
I'm not usually into marriage fic, buuuut ... since they're pretending Ciri is dead ... what if people in Toussaint simply assume the young woman who moved in with Geralt is his new wife? and Geralt wants to correct them, but Ciri thinks it's a great cover! so now they're fake-married and Ciri will absolutely milk that for what it's worth to touch him in public while the UST gets worse ... (I love the whole Toussaint side cast, btw, especially Damien, so feel free to have them show up)

And that's it! I hope that something in this letter works for you, a prompt you find interesting or a trope you enjoy writing. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with, no matter which fandom we matched on! :D

Thank you!

linndechir