Multifandom Trope Fest 2018
Sep. 9th, 2018 01:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aurillyThank you for offering one of these! This got obscenely long because I like to leave a lot of info for those who want it (and exchanges with freeforms add a layer), but please don’t feel boxed in by the prompts. You can twist them around, or even ignore them entirely to write your own idea for these ships+tropes, hopefully with a general like or two thrown in. As long as you’re having fun, I’m sure I’ll love it!
I requested a lot of pairings, so here are some anchor links to help you navigate: Francis/Christian (Lymond Chronicles), Emeth/Tirian (Narnia), Bucky/Loki (MCU), Psmith/Mike (Wodehouse), Psmith/Narnia Crossovers, David Blaize Crossovers, MCU/Game of Thrones Crossovers - Jaqen Edition, All Other MCU/Game of Thrones Crossovers
General
1) Please don’t stress over whether there’s ‘enough’ of the tag we matched on. As long as my ships get together or my crossover gen pairings become friends, you’re golden!
2) I requested “Fic – Canon Divergence” for everything to be safe, because I don’t want alternate setting AUs and because none of my ships or crossovers are canon. I love all kinds of divergences, from 'for want of a nail' to 'change everything after the first five minutes of the first movie' to 'the setting is the same but there's also magic, no explanation needed or desired'. If you want to make a crossover the off-screen, canon-compliant explanation for why something went down as it did in canon, that would be cool, too!
3) I'm often more interested in watching characters deal with what comes after a prompted tag/premise than I am in the tag itself (this is doubly true for the crossovers). For example, I don't particularly care how they got to the same world and met or how/why the prompted scenario started. What I'm interested in is what happens next--the friendship or romance that develops, the adventures they have, the things they learn, etc. If you have the time and inclination to include the set-up as well, then great! But feel free to skip all that and start in media res, with people already in a new world or whatever. Basically, stories that end shortly after the introductions or before the characters actually do anything in the premise or setting make me sad.
Do Not Wants
— fics where the main characters never find out about the others' backgrounds or magic (the reveal doesn't have to happen 'on-screen', but please don't end it with everyone thinking everyone else is normal!)
— goofy crack, fusions, alternate setting AUs
— romantic pairings other than the ones specifically requested; poly
— characters written as ace, aro or demi; gender identity headcanons
— Things That Upset Me: permanent death of requested characters; the afterlife; bleak endings; shovel talks; "it was all a dream" endings; destiny/fate
— Schmoopiness: plotless fluff; non-canonical pet names or terms of endearment
— Sex & Relationship-Related: D/s dynamics; soulmates; yentas and matchmakers; pregnancy; adultery; underage/overage romance
— Writing Things: 1st & 2nd person POV; phonetically spelled dialogue (my brain genuinely struggles to process it)
— Crossover-related: tragically unresolved lifespan incompatibilities or mismatches (ex. Steve/Peggy-style endings); fourth wall breakage (ex. where Bucky has watched Game of Thrones)
Things I Always Love
— Devoted Odd Couples: enjoying one another's company; laughing at one another; fond exasperation; quietly self-sacrificial loyalty; contrasting speech patterns; friends to lovers (for Bucky/Loki or crossover ships, I'd be totally happy starting when they're already friends so you can focus on 'to lovers'!)
— Earning Your Happy Ending: self-help; tough love; getting over some of your baggage; finding home where you least expect it; whump and angst with a happy ending
— Badassery: competence and resourcefulness; high-functioning teams; laughing in the face of danger or absurdity; the pen is mightier than the sword; but swords are more fun
— Sexy Times: I'd be thrilled to get higher rated fic for my ships! See here for general porn likes applicable to any of my ships (not just the ones listed there); or here for the more egregiously detailed version.
— Crossovers: applying skills/knowledge from one world to another world's problems; contrasting or weaving together how a concept manifests across canons (ex. immortality, endless winters, time shenanigans); magic in one canon originates from another; characters coming up with logical but incorrect theories before discovering the truth; assuming characters have a past together (ex. cousins, old school chums, etc) and starting the story when they reunite in the present
Notes on a Few Tropes:
**Something being in this list doesn’t mean I want it more than other tags! It's just for ones that repeat or that I only like a certain way.
Sex Before Relationship:
Please let the ‘friends with benefits’, 'drunken sex', or ‘casual sex’ end with them in a real relationship! You can include the negotiation of the FWB at its inception or the story of how they got drunk as the set up, but I'd also be good with something that starts in media res of the FWB arrangement as they begin to or continue to yearn for more (how do they finally break the cycle of FWB to get together?), or the confused and awkward aftermath of the drunken sex.
Forced Proximity:
Captured or stranded or on missions together, etc. You can handwave the set-up! What I’m here for is how these tropes push relationships forward and help the characters learn new things about each other--both delightful and irritating--while working together. Huddling in search of warmth or comfort, starting to lose hope that they’ll ever get out of here, stoically trying to make the best of it, quiet gestures of loyalty or love, discovering each others’ skills, UST and longing… Two people who were either friends before but needed an extra push to become more, or else people who probably wouldn’t have become friends without being pushed together like this.
Marriage Tropes:
Similar to Forced Proximity. I don’t need you to spend a lot of time on the set-up (handwave away!), but I do need there to be a real reason for these tropes; I dislike “fake dating” for quotidian social scenarios. You can include the wedding day (and wedding night!) or start it afterwards to focus on how they slowly fall for each other and get together for real. Do they not realize the other has wanted it from the start? Or is it a slow growing affection for both that turns into love? Are there rituals or expectations that force them to have sex on their wedding night? Or do they get to it on their own schedule? If they’re pretending to be in love before they’re actually in love (or before they’ve confessed that they were never pretending), what kind of angst does that create?
Externally Driven Sex Tropes:
Sex pollen, ‘forced to do it’ type tropes, etc. No established romantic relationship or pre-arranged consent, please! I like these tropes when they have to get through this awkward/awful situation together, not knowing that their feelings are requited. Or maybe the experience leads one or both to realize they want more. Doing it out of angsty loyalty or secret longing or bloody-minded practicality, thinking the other person would never want it otherwise, guilt about enjoying it, trying to keep it clinical to hide their true feelings and failing horribly, intense desperation on the part of the sex pollened one (especially if they're usually reserved), one unknowingly giving the other all kinds of incorrect signals, unnecessary apologies afterwards... that sort of thing. But I definitely need the reveal that they were both into it even if they never would have chosen for it to happen this way! You can focus on the day of the event, or even start after it to focus on how they navigate the resulting awkwardness and get together.
Time Loops/Groundhog Day:
I love individual journeys of self-discovery, as well as self-help adventures in which people learn life lessons, overcome some baggage, figure out priorities, etc. This trope is amazing for all that! I don't really care how/why it starts or stops; feel free to handwave or leave things unexplained. I also don’t care which of the requested characters is in the loop (or maybe both!). Depending on whether it would be in-character for the character at hand, I enjoy a variety of reactions and loop iterations—from wacky, to “give no fucks”, to suicidal, to the darkest timeline, to erroneously thinking it’s over, etc. Or you could focus more the aftermath, as the character transitions back to normal with the memories of all the other ways it could have gone. This trope gets a little creepy for me when it’s solely focused on making someone fall in love with you, or where character B is treated simply as character A's oblivious reward. However, as long as the loop person has other goals/projects, I'll be ecstatic. Or maybe find a way for the non-loop person to have agency? (Basically, I’m not into ‘loop ends solely because A finally reveals feelings’.)
Magical Curing Kisses:
I’m most interested in characters working through angst and uncertainty in the aftermath of the kissing. So feel free to skip over the set-up or the details of the curse (but you can definitely include the kisser’s heartbroken devastation during the kissee’s illness or curse or whatever, if you want; that's always yummy). For example, maybe the kisser leaves before the kissee wakes up/gets uncursed and doesn’t immediately realize what happened? Or maybe the kissee doesn’t know who healed them, or erroneously assumes it was someone else (and maybe is disappointed, because they've been pining for the kisser)? What if the kisser is terribly embarrassed by their feelings and tries to cover up or deny what really happened—either because of internalized homophobia, or assumptions that feelings are not requited, or because he’s an aloof badass who wants to be immune to feelings, or is nauseated by this cheesy concept, or...? Did the kisser even know the extent of his or her feelings before the kissing worked like this? Did they mean to try to give true love’s kiss, or was it an accident? Is it actually a true love’s kiss, or is there some more scientific cure that coincidentally worked at the same time, and they realize only after the drama of thinking there was a real true love’s kiss has gotten them together?
Francis/Christian (Lymond Chronicles)
Tropes: Captivity – captured together; Undercover as a Couple, Undercover – breaking cover to protect partner; Fairy Tale Curses – broken by true love’s kiss; Magical Healing True Love’s Kiss; Fake Marriage – to survive a dangerous situation; Marriage of Convenience – regular, for protection, for logistical reasons, to avoid testifying against each other, or to avoid marriage to someone else; Time Loop – regular, Groundhog Day, Peggy Sue, length of looped time is inconsistent, or unexpectedly living with the consequences of actions during final loop
I yearn for a canon divergence AU about them unambiguously getting together (with actual makeouts, or more!) and being okay after the first book. The first book is far and away my favorite, so I'm fine ignoring the later ones. Francis is so much more insouciant and FUN in it, while still being deliciously anguished and badass. And they have so much fun together. I love their secret visits and correspondence and music. They conspire so dangerously, but at the same time, she's the only person he seems to relax around. I love how her blindness never stops her from being ridiculously capable. I love the way he understands how she wants to be treated, and quietly helps her get what she wants out of life. I love the way she is largely over his shit and keeps up with his erudite banter. I love their equal amounts of self-sacrificing love for one another.
This is one of my lifelong OTPs, so I need them to be unquestionably endgame. Instead of bashing or hurting Tom, please pretend their engagement amicably ended before the fic started, or the pairing never existed at all (as long as he's over it, it’s okay to reference past Francis/Lady Lennox). Canon ships that don't involve Francis or Christian are fine to include in the background. I don't need a whole explanation for how Christian is still alive, unless you're excited to write about that. You can assume she recovered before the fic started, or was never injured, or they were together during her recovery, or whatever!
— Most requested tropes fall into the ones discussed in the general trope section above
— More reputation-saving quests or diplomatic hijinks? Basically, any kind of canon-typical plot, but with the two of them working together while getting together.
— The books skipped over the first year of Francis’s reinstatement into Scottish high society. Maybe something set then?
— Perhaps the Queen Mother sends him/them on a mission to England or France? Or maybe his legal woes aren’t quite over, and the only way to fix it is for him to get married? Or something requires her to get married?
— Time Loops: Francis is the hottest mess, and therefore a great candidate for this trope, which creates extra time for people to sort out their internal shit. Or maybe he uses it to fix Christian’s death, or to navigate some adventure set in a post-Book 1 canon divergence that you make up, or…
Emeth/Tirian (Narnia)
Tropes: In Love with the Mark; Slavery – spoils of war; Captivity – prisoner of war; Identity Porn – quotidian coincidence, reveal due to near-death experience/injury or unknowingly enemies/rivals; Enemies to Lovers or Enemies to Friends to Lovers – regular or forced sex leads to feelings; Something Made Them Do It – ritual/tradition, sex magic, or the bad guys; Forced to Rape – while mutually pining; Time Loop – standard, Groundhog Day, Peggy Sue, length of time looped is inconsistent, or unexpectedly living with the consequences of actions during final loop
Tirian started out as a rash and inexperienced king, but he grew so much, and proved quite resourceful and clever once roused from his decadence. I loved the conflict Emeth faced between his reason, his duty, his devotion, and his desire to prove himself. They’re perfect for one another—brave, noble, handsome warriors, and all-around lovely guys. I want something where they unambiguously get together (with actual makeouts, or more!) in real life and have a happy/hopeful ending. The end of Narnia, train crash, and afterlife are my biggest DNWs. Please let it be clear that they will live out their lives.
— What if they had met in Narnia while Emeth was undercover as a merchant, and their love changes the course of the story?
— Tirian in a time loop, learning how to be a better, less rash king in a different way; the loop can fix the ending of the Last Battle, or it can take place in a divergence where the apocalypse never comes up. How does Emeth fit in and how does the loop lead to them getting together?
— We know Tirian has been to Calormen. Was it an official trip, or did he go incognito, either for fun or for espionage or a ritual/festival? Did Emeth know who Tirian was, or not? How might this change have affected the later plot? You could focus on the flashbacks, or you could assume the backstory and start the fic when they meet again later on... either way!
— Canon divergence where Calormen conquered Narnia, but no apocalypse. Tirian as war trophy, slave, or sacrifice to Tash? Tirian being all stoic while tied up and beaten was very, um, interesting to me as a child; as long as there's subsequent comfort from Emeth and a hopeful ending, you can whump him as hard as you like, including with noncon. Does Emeth decide to help him? How do they fall in love? Do they run away together? Get arrested together? Maybe Tirian is given to Emeth as a war prisoner (with Emeth as kind and noble jailer, please!), or to someone horrible and Emeth rescues him? Is Emeth forced by the Calormene generals to fuck Tirian in some sort of tradition? Or fucks him to spare Tirian from someone worse doing it?
— Or maybe it’s Narnia that wins the war, and Emeth who ends up as (kind and noble!) Tirian’s prisoner?
— Exploring differing views about same-sex romance? It doesn't have to be "Calormen=repressed, Narnia=free love" (though it could); maybe Calormen has a complicated Ancient Greek-style undercurrent, or Narnia's never shaken its Victorian influences. Or some other take?
Bucky/Loki (MCU)
Tropes: Captivity – Captured Together; Undercover as a Couple; Friends with Benefits; Casual Sex Leads to Feelings; Drunken Hookup Leads to Feelings; Fairy Tale Curses – broken by true love’s kiss; Magical Healing True Love’s Kiss; Magic Rituals – Blood Magic; Marriage of Convenience – regular, for citizenship, for protection, for logistical reasons; Time Loop – regular, Groundhog Day, Peggy Sue, length of time looped is inconsistent; Identity Porn – identity reveal, secret identity, quotidian coincidence, reveal due to injury or near-death experience; Sex Pollen - aftermath, only one affected (ultimately consensual); Something Made Them Do It – ritual/tradition, sex magic, bad guys
They are my two favorite MCU characters and will be my OTP forever, I don’t caaaaaaare. They would be amazing together, an entertainingly snarky, angsty and badass odd couple. Maybe with some tough love and self-help? As long as they come to genuinely care about one another and unambiguously get together (with actual makeouts, please, or more!), I will be pleased with anything, even if they start out prickly or wary.
Even before Infinity War, I loved extreme canon divergences or pretending disparate points in their timelines lined up. Ex. post-TWS+pre-Thor1, or mid-Ragnarok+Bucky escaped Hydra earlier and in some totally different way, or... You get the idea. As long as they retain the backgrounds and character beats established in the first few minutes of their first films, you can ignore any/all parts of later canon. I don't actually care about the logistics of the divergence; feel free to start after the divergence and/or after they become friends, handwaving the changes to canon.
Fandom-specific DNWs: 1) Infinity War. It didn't happen and will never happen. 2) A scene or two in a larger fic is fine, but I’m not into stories where Loki spends most of it in Jotun form or shapeshifted into someone else, or where Bucky spends most of it brainwashed or pathetic. 3) Steve and/or Bucky ever having more than platonic feelings for each other (I generally like to keep my Bucky ships separate). 4) I have a pet peeve about Bucky (and Steve) saying "ain't". Can they please speak as properly as they do in the films? Cursing is fine, though. 5) No Darcy or Sharon, and nothing from the TV shows, as I'm not familiar with them.
— The prompts below are all premise ideas to get you started in case you’re stuck on how to get them in the same place; however, as I said in the general section, I’m more than fine assuming these premises and starting later so you can focus on the shippy stuff. Notes on the actual tropes are in the general trope section at the top of this letter.
— The Convergence left wounded Loki stranded in Bucharest or wherever, to be found and taken in by post-TWS Bucky. What do they bond and bicker about day to day? Can Loki help Bucky's memories or triggers?
— Post-TWS or post-CW Steve asks Thor if Bucky can hide out on Asgard, where Loki is living as himself, not as Odin. Bucky's impression of the place and characters? Using Brooklyn street smarts to help royalty with a problem? Undertaking missions together for Frigga (who isn’t dead, dammit!)?
—A divergence where Loki and Bucky were handwavily forgiven and helped out the Avengers, going on missions and stuff, either on earth or in space? Or they have to get married to prevent one or both from being extradited for their crimes?
— Loki coming to Earth for some reason between WWII and TWS and somehow rescuing the Winter Soldier. What do they do once Bucky's lucid again? Is Loki stuck here, and they shack up together? Does Loki take Bucky back to Asgard to meet the fam?
— Magic Rituals: My id goes crazy over magic rituals where people have to cut and bleed all over each other and/or have sex. Is it private, or does the magic require witnesses? Are they trying to pretend it’s simply clinical, but something gives them away? Some other take?
— Magic Kissing: See write up in general section. For this, I’m fine if Loki erroneously thinks Steve woke Bucky up, and has stoic, non-creepy angst about it before it all works out for a Bucky/Loki happy ending.
— Bucky and Loki somehow met (and hooked up?) before or during WWII. However, what I'm actually interested in is what happens when they meet again later on. When/how does their reunion happen? What with the brainwashing, amnesia, Thanos-bidding, etc, it could be so angsty followed by such tender comfort, and possibly have identity porn. Yum. You can include the flashbacks, or just handwavily mention the backstory in passing to focus on the present-day.
— If you want even more prompts, check out this letter.
Psmith/Mike (Wodehouse)
Tropes: Wartime Romance – love in trenches; Trapped Behind Enemy Lines; Captivity – Captured Together; Friends with Benefits – regular and pining; Slavery – Slaves Together; Superpowers – sudden acquisition or manifestation; Genie Grants Three Wishes; Fairy Tale Curses – broken by true love’s kiss; Magical Healing True Love’s Kiss; Roaring Rampage of Revenge or Rescue; Stranded On a Desert or Magical Island; Time Loop – standard, Groundhog Day, Peggy Sue, length of time looped is inconsistent, or unexpectedly living with the consequences of actions during final loop
The odd coupling of Mike’s everyman pragmatism and Psmith’s dialogue is endlessly delightful to me. I love their loyalty and what self-sacrificing heroes they both are, while also being total little shits. As long as they unambiguously get together (with actual kissing, or more!), I’ll be over the moon.
I have two main asks: 1) Please set it before they met their wives and/or pretend they never did 2) While a little longing and hesitation are nice--and a touch of quietly understood, low-key forbiddenness does add a certain frisson--I don't want internalized homophobia, anguished coming outs, or serious discussion of social issues. Other types of angst and non-canonical darkness are welcome, though, as long as it turns out okay in the end and retains some sense of humour. Can they just… get away with their romance without having to discuss at length why they’re being secretive?
— Settings: You could set it at Sedleigh, the Bank, Cambridge, or the summer in America... Or a canon divergence that erases the post-Sedleigh settings. What if either or both of their fathers had not gone bankrupt? What if the plan for Mike to manage Psmith's estates had happened? What if...?
— True Love's Kiss: See general section above
— Genie Grants Three Wishes: I love stories where the wording of the wishes results in unexpected stuff, or the wisher didn’t realize his randomly voiced thought counted as a wish, or… What are the wishes, how do they go awry, and how do the boys set things right in the end, and how does the experience help them get together?
— Superpowers: Mike might be more hilariously aghast, but I don’t actually care which of them gets it (though I’d prefer just one of them to get powers) or how/why he gets them, so feel free to skip that or leave it unexplained. I just think it would be fun to see how they would react, in a world where superpowers are not known to exist. How does the other help him through it? What uses do they find for the power? How does this premise help them get together? Any superpower would be great, from traditional ones to something super random and seemingly useless.
— Slavery: Prompts for that are in the Narnia section below (but it could just as easily be about Game of Thrones instead). Or, if want to imagine a dystopian version of the canon Wodehouse world that has slavery, go for it! I'll reiterate that I DNW situations where one half of my pairing owns the other; they have to both be slaves.
— Stranded On Islands: They could go specifically to LOST’s Island and interact with the various magical mysteries there (since it’s the early 20th century, maybe they help Richard establish the Others?). Or any island you want, magical or not! Survival stuff, desperation, making the best of things, evenings under the stars…
— Whump with a Happy Ending: Stoic woobies... yum. Maybe something traumatizing happens or has happened to Psmith, who hides his pain behind his effervescent mask... but Mike eventually figures it out and works to make it all better. Or something terrible happens to Mike, and Psmith goes above and beyond to get revenge and/or set things right.
— WWI: I requested some of the tags with this in mind (but I’ll be just as happy with your own, non-war, take on them!). Fighting together, captured together, espionage missions, winning a key battle through impertinent ragging, Mike the accidental war hero, keeping one another warm in their trench, making out in a bombed out Belgian village, the desperation of war causing them to reveal long-secret pining, Psmith goes behind enemy lines to rescue Mike… Lots of whump and hurt/comfort welcome. You could even pretend the books were set later so that they are young soldiers in WWII instead. You can also use the Frank/Bucky prompts below for this ship.
Psmith/Narnia Crossovers
Pairings:
• Corin & Psmith & Mike
• Edmund & Psmith & Mike
• Rilian & Psmith & Mike
• Tirian & Psmith & Mike
Tropes: Earth Characters Stranded In Another Canon’s World; Fish out of Water – character from our world marvels at other world’s stuff; Met In a Dream – characters from different worlds meet in dreams then real life; Dimension Travel – summoned to another world by a magical artifact; Imaginary Friend – turns out to be real
I'm desperate for Psmith and Mike to visit Narnia and meet one of these characters. Feel free to skip/ignore the tags or how they got there to solely focus on the adventure that ensues. What are their reactions to being in another world? How might they help characters there? What do the Narnians think of them? I don't necessarily need to read about how The Last Battle was averted; you can just pretend it never even came up. I ship Psmith/Mike very hard, but as long as they go to Narnia and become friends with one of the requested characters, I’ll also be happy with gen.
Please pretend the Psmith books happened later than the publication dates so that they are the same age as Edmund for most of the story, or so their visit lines up with Rilian or Tirian's reign or the Golden Age. I consider the Psmith books as timeless as the Bertie ones (which floated changelessly from 1910-1970); they could just as easily have been at Sedleigh/Cambridge during WWII or later. And if we're pretending The Last Battle didn't happen (and therefore Jill and Eustace didn't come during it), then the end of Silver Chair is the last date connecting the two worlds' timelines. So, you can line up whatever subsequent times you want (ex. Cambridge+a year into Rilian’s reign, or Sedleigh+Tirian’s reign, etc.), no explanation needed or desired.
— Helping Tirian nip the entire plot of TLB in the bud? Or helping him with something pre-TLB?
— Helping Golden Age Edmund remember his previous life? Is this the only time they meet, or do they reconnect later back in our world?
— Helping newly crowned Rilian get settled on the throne or heal from his trauma after Jill and Eustace leave? Puddleglum and Psmith would be hilarious together.
— Does Edmund, Rilian or Tirian blow the horn, summoning Psmith and Mike for help with a problem? Espionage, fighting giants, outwitting Calormene spies, implementing educational policies, dealing with the Rabadash situation? Something else?
— Or just exploring or partying with Narnian or Archenland royalty in any of these eras! Is Psmith or Mike erroneously jealous of a Narnia character (one of the requested ones or someone else)? Stoic angst before they sort it out?
— Corin is like the Narnia version of a public school story boy. I think he’d get along splendidly with Psmith and Mike. Does he take them traveling through Archenland? Do they team up to play pranks on his new twin brother? Something else? I’d love a fic that delves into his character more—like, what it’s like to suddenly not be the crown prince, or to suddenly have a twin who knows nothing, or having grown up with a sweet but sad dad who was mourning the queen and a son? Do Psmith and Mike help him keep score against the bear?
— You know how Tirian astrally projected to the Friends of Narnia that one time? Well, what if he's been doing it for years with Psmith or Mike? They have always secretly thought they had an imaginary friend (or are going nuts), but one day they physically meet, either here or there. This prompt is the one exception to my preference for non-Earth settings; you can set it in England if you want.
— Slavery: This is the only prompt where I don’t need the requested Narnia characters to appear; however, since I requested this tag in the Psmith/Mike section, I definitely want my slavery fic to be shippy. It could also be done as a Game of Thrones crossover instead... Basically, Psmith and Mike blunder through a portal into the Lone Islands or somewhere in Essos (I don’t care how; you could even skip over that part), and are captured and sold into slavery. All the whump, hurt/comfort, and loyalty, please! Does Psmith secretly take Mike's beatings and/or sex duties to spare him? Or vice versa? Or are they forced to watch one another be abused, or even rape each other? Does all this trauma get them to finally act on their feelings? Or does Psmith arrange things so that life as slaves is actually pretty good, no rape or beatings? Are they rescued by the canon emancipators? Get revenge on their master(s)? Or do they organize a Socialist revolution, so that by the time Caspian or Danaerys or whoever arrive, they find the masters already overthrown and Psmith in charge, with Mike as his confidential secretary and advisor? Some wholly other direction you want to take this? Lots of OCs are (obviously) welcome. No body modification or branding, please.
David Blaize Crossovers
Pairings:
• Frank/Edmund (Narnia)
• Frank/Bucky (MCU)
General Frank Stuff
Frank is such a fascinating and endearing blend of judgmental, whimsical, bossy, charismatic, and melancholic. While his anguished self-loathing is super compelling, I ultimately want him to get over it (and himself, a little), without anyone explicitly lecturing him. I want him to find happiness and self-acceptance with someone new—with actual kissing, or more! Please let him completely get over his crush on David and be entirely into the new person, without bashing David.
DNW age differences, so my biggest ask is to please pretend the Benson books were set later so that Frank is around the same age as Edmund or Bucky during the story. And please set it when Frank is anywhere between 18-26 (ie. canon divergence, or shortly post-canon), so he doesn't have to wait long to be happier. The chapter where he devises the plan to catch the cheaters was such fun; if it fits, something that also showcases his cleverness and snark and take-chargeness in action would be lovely.
Frank Maddox/Edmund Pevensie
Tropes: Roommates to Lovers; Fish Out of Water – Characters from Our World Marvels at Other World’s Stuff; Friends to Lovers – regular and childhood friends reunite and develop feelings; Dimension Travel – Summoned to Another World by a Magical Artifact
I’d love for them to unambiguously get together (with actual makeouts, or more!) either when Frank goes to Narnia during the Golden Age or after Edmund’s Narnian adventures when he is 18+ again. To reiterate the general DNWs, if you’re setting it in England, please let Frank to find out about Narnia and Edmund’s secret. And please make it clear they will live out their lives (ie., no train crash).
Frank coming up with well-reasoned but incorrect theories to explain Edmund’s weirdness before eventually figuring it out? What is post-Narnia life like for Edmund? Is he also frustrated (sexually or otherwise)? Carrying around knowledge or experience that he can’t use? Desperate because he remembers adult relationships but has (until now) been too young/fixated on Narnia/lacked opportunity/hasn’t liked anyone enough/other? Or maybe he’s actually quite inexperienced. IDK. What draws them to each other?
— School or University: Prefects together at Marchester? Roommates at Cambridge? Edmund being really good at sneaking out/around? Have they always liked one another, or do they start as rivals (house rivalry, sports rivalry, etc.) but end up falling for one another? Wet and full of adrenaline after a sailing race or tennis match at Cambridge? Did they know one another in grammar school when Ed was an asshole and Frank was more of a hedonist, but now when they reunite they have changed? Did they not like each other very much before, or are they long-lost friends?
— Golden Age: Frank finds himself in Narnia (I don’t care how; feel free to skip over that part, but one option is the horn). What are his reactions to the place? How does Edmund, who probably doesn't have a ton of attractive humans around, react to having this nice, smart, handsome Brit in the castle? Can Frank help Ed and his siblings remember their lives from before?
— Greece: Does Edmund also become an archaeologist? Or does he study something else at Cambridge that allows them to travel to Greece together? Voyages on trains or ships (and possibly stranded when the vehicle breaks down)? Adventures with mythology that is real? Partying with Bacchus, who can be Ed's previous lover that he's over or just an old acquaintance?
— Post-Canon Adventures: I'm obsessed with Edmund using the rings to go adventuring to places other than Narnia instead of dying. Maybe it's Frank's parents' house that Edmund burgles to get the rings, and that's how they meet and go off on adventures together to the Wood Between the Worlds or not-so-dead Charn? Westeros/Essos (but I only know the TV show) is another option.
Frank Maddox/Bucky Barnes
Tropes: Captivity – Captured Together; Trapped Behind Enemy Lines; Stranded In Enemy Territory; Wartime Romance – love in trenches; First Time with a Guy; Something Made Them Do It – The Bad Guys; Mission Sex – regular or reveals feelings; Superpowers – sudden acquisition or manifestation; Hurt/Comfort – comfort sex, comforter is secretly nursing their own injury, hurt to protect the comforter, trauma recovery
I would like a WWII getting together story--no MCU canon other than the first Cap movie needed (unless you want)! Please pretend the books were set later so that they are around the same age. They’d make such a great odd couple. The Brooklyn boy/posh Brit, classical education/street smarts, etc. How do they overcome Frank’s (possibly also Bucky’s?) internalized homophobia and find something good? Is Bucky actually more open-minded or experienced with men than Frank? Or has he always denied himself before Frank?
MCU-specific DNWs are in the Bucky/Loki section above. Feel free to pretend Bucky didn’t fall off the train so they can have a happily ever after. Or maybe Frank encounters his brainwashed old flame and rescues him from Hydra in, like, 1950 (ie. before there’s a major age difference) for a happily ever after. Or you can make it bittersweet, with Bucky still falling, but even though he grieves, their time together has left Frank in a healthier place to live and love again without such self-loathing (and WE know Bucky will eventually be okay, per canon).
Does Frank start out initially jealous of Bucky’s friendship with Steve, because he’s projecting his own experiences with David onto Steve&Bucky? Does Bucky scoff because he and Steve aren't like that at all, or is Frank actually correct in thinking Bucky has been unrequitedly pining (this is my one sort-of exception to the Steve/Bucky DNW, but it has to be unrequited)? I only want pining if Bucky will completely get over Steve as he and Frank fall for one another, without bashing Steve. Or you could not bring up Steve/Bucky as a question or issue at all!
— Soldiers Together: Maybe the 107th is camped alongside Frank’s unit before their capture? Sharing a foxhole together? Exploring or hiding in a bombed out village together? Left behind and forced to trek to safety together? Saving one another? Does the desperation of war get them over their issues enough to act on their feelings?
— Captives Together: Do they huddle together between torture/experimentation sessions, clinging to each other and their identities? Hurt/comfort and desperate “we’ll probably die tomorrow” hookups? Nazis humiliating them or forcing them to do it or confess feelings or watch each other be hurt? Or maybe they only get together after Steve’s rescued them, while they’re stoically pretending to be fine despite retaining trauma?
— Howling Commandoes: Frank as part of the gang? Getting together while using their combined smarts on a mission, either with the whole group, or a side project just for them? I’m thinking stakeouts, disguises, need for quick thinking, getting information at a party, stranded in a snowy cabin, down time at a pub… anything!
— Missions: Or maybe Frank isn’t a soldier, but rather some sort of archaeologist/explorer civilian who is asked to use his specialized knowledge to help the war effort. They meet when the SSR partners Frank with special agent Bucky. Maybe Hitler’s after some Ancient Greek occult blah blah? Is it an action-adventure mission, or do they need to infiltrate a fancy society that's very free about homosexuality, and
— Superpowers: Start the fic after Steve has rescued him/them, with Bucky stoically wigging out as he slowly realizes that Hydra somehow gave him super powers. He doesn’t want to tell Steve because of angst or whatever, but Frank knows. Is it just Bucky, or, does Frank begin to manifest super-ness, too (assuming they were captured together)? Does Frank have the same abilities as Bucky, or different ones? Angst, hurt/comfort, and/or sexily exploring one another’s new abilities!
MCU/Game of Thrones Crossovers - Jaqen Edition
Tropes:
*See section below for requested tags and more general MCU/GoT crossover notes.
Pairings:
• Loki/Jaqen H'ghar
• Bucky/Jaqen H'ghar
General Jaqen Stuff
I really want it set in the GoT world (not ours), so you could have Bucky or Loki pop out in Braavos, or they meet while Jaqen is traveling around Westeros/Essos. If Bucky and Loki are trainees, do they get sent out on missions to kill people? How do they feel about that? Does Jaqen find character-specific ways to mess with their heads or mete out punishment or make them stronger through pain? Does Jaqen give Bucky or Loki tests that force them to face truths they were self-deluding about? Do they save each other or teach each other new skills? What gets them to realize they prefer to own who they are--traumas and all--than be nobody, and how does Jaquen react? Other GoT characters can be in the story or not, I don't care.
Unlike my other requested / pairings, I don't need it to be a proper romance. It could be something like Jaqen shapeshifting in ways that force Loki or Bucky to work out their feelings for other people (Steve/Bucky, Thor/Loki, or Bucky/Loki; this is an exception to my Steve/Bucky DNW). Or a hurt/comfort-style hookup with Tom Wlaschiha!Jaqen motivated by something else. Or maybe Jaqen is genuinely fond of Bucky or Loki and they have a brief, bittersweet fling, but that's all it can be because being nobody means you can't have real relationships. Or Bucky or Loki is misguidedly pining for Jaqen, who helps them realize he isn’t actually what they want. Or something else! If it doesn't end up going to a shippy place, don't force it; I’d be fine with gen, too.
Loki/Jaqen
Something that plays with and contrasts the characters' canonical shapeshifting/illusion abilities. Either a team-up or a face-off (pun intended). Additionally, there's that theme of Faceless Men needing to be very good liars, and Loki is the God of Lies, so... Why is Loki in Braavos? Is he lost and alone in this world and seeking safe refuge? Or is he the Many-Faced God (or, at least, they think he is)? Or did he willingly come here from Asgard looking to steal secrets/artifacts or wanting to train with them as a next step in his magical education? Or is it a road trip where they encounter and deceive/kill other GoT characters?
Bucky/Jaqen
Something playing with ideas of assassins, of being ‘no one’ or a ‘ghost’, of losing/reclaiming your identity, etc. Does angsty Bucky at first want to lose himself fully, or does he fight to regain who he is? Is he seeking refuge at the temple because he’s stranded in this weird world and doesn’t know where to go? Or did Jaqen seek him out? Like, maybe Bucky’s skills and amnesia initially make him seem like a perfect recruit, but then... something. Does he owe the Many-Faced God, or does the God owe him? How does the experience ultimately lead Bucky to greater health and healing?
MCU/Game of Thrones Crossovers - Gen Edition
Pairings:
• Bucky & Shireen
• Bucky & Sam/Gilly
• Loki & Tyrion
• Bucky & Tyrion
• Loki & Team Wight Hunters
• Bucky & Team Wight Hunters
Tropes: Dimension Travel – summoned to another world by a magical artifact; Earth Characters Stranded In Another Canon’s World; Fish out of Water – character from our world marvels at other world’s stuff
*Note: I’m counting Loki as an ‘Earth’ character, since he’s from ‘our world’
General MCU/GoT Stuff
So, I really don't care at all about the tags. All that matters is that I want Bucky or Loki to go to Westeros/Essos (I don't want it set in our world), have an adventure there, and make friends with people I like. How can their presence, skills or experiences help GoT characters, situations, or storylines, and how can the adventure there help Bucky or Loki to gain some healing, learn some life lessons or be happier? What do the GoT characters make of MCU character(s) and the idea of other worlds? What’s Bucky’s reaction to being in a new world? Do the dragons love Bucky? Bucky’s arm functioning as Valyrian steel? Can Loki’s ice or shapeshifting magic effect something useful or awesome? Ties between Thor and GoT worldbuilding concepts? Does this adventure force Loki to deal with his heritage issues enough to use his ice magic?
I have only seen the TV show, not read the books; however, you can include bits of book canon as long as MCU characters learn about it along with me. MCU DNWs are in the Bucky/Loki section above. GoT DNWs are Ramsay Snow and Jon/Danaerys. While the afterlife is one of my general DNWs, the stuff with Jon and Beric doesn’t bother me (they just feel fully alive!); neither do mindless zombies. I DNWed death of requested characters, but if you need to keep Thoros’s death for plot reasons, I’ll understand. However, Shireen must live!
You can include Steve in a Bucky story, or Thor in a Loki story, if you want; the adventure could lead to Steve/Bucky, Thor/Loki, or they remain platonic. Or, maybe Bucky and Loki (ship or gen) are together on the adventure—for any tag, not just the Tyrion or Wight Hunter ones! Or it can be Bucky or Loki alone on the adventure, as requested in the tags. As usual, I don’t care how MCU characters get to the GoT world. You also don’t need to think of a way to return them home (though you can if you want). I mean, maybe moving here permanently would solve their ‘on the lam’ problems?
Team “Up North to Kidnap a Wight”
I love everyone in thisbarfrozen wasteland, and the odd couple dynamics between them. I bet things would have gone so much better with Bucky or Loki there. Maybe the newcomer's presence leads them to ditch the original idea and do something entirely different that doesn't result in zombie dragons or Danaerys needing to come save their sorry asses; like, going after the White Walkers, or recruiting help from the Children of the Forest or Bran or something. Or maybe things went as in canon, but the story focuses on Bucky or Loki’s involvement in the aftermath. Do they take down the zombie dragon, or defeat the Night King, or find team members who went missing in the avalanche, or…? There’s so much possibility for badass awesomeness, buddy comedy, stoic courage, huddling for warmth, desperate last stands, and bonding with any/all of these guys. Back to back badasses with Beric? Can Thoros’s powers fix Bucky’s amnesia or complement Loki’s magic? What dry or hilarious things do the Hound or Tormund have to say about their new companion? Do Bucky and my darling Gendry bond over being the common sense commoners of the group or over the smithing of his arm? Extra bonus points if Bucky or Loki tell them all exactly how dumb this plan was.
Bucky with Sam and Gilly
I bet Sam would be so nerdily excited at Bucky’s mysterious appearance and the whole idea that there are other worlds. And generally, I think they would all like each other. Sam said his childhood dream was to be a wizard; was he messing around with old books in the Castle Black or Citadel library, and ended up accidentally reciting a spell that summons Bucky to Westeros? Is he erroneously pouty at first, thinking Gilly’s head has been turned by this handsome, magical badass, but really Bucky&Gilly are just sweet BFFs? How does Bucky help them, either in a divergence where they stayed in Oldtown, or on whatever project they were headed for at the end of S7? Or set it before they went to Oldtown? Does Bucky offer to use his badassery to help Sam impress people who would laugh at him, or help his self-confidence? Can Sam help Bucky’s triggers the way he helped Jorah’s illness? What do the people around Sam and Gilly (archmaesters, Night’s Watch guys, random travelers) think of Bucky, or do Sam and Gilly keep him hidden? Does Gilly somehow save the day?
Bucky & Shireen
I have a weakness for fics where Bucky finds healing while taking care of children, and also finds himself being taken care of. And Shireen is my FAVORITE child. She would be so nerdily excited about Bucky being from another world, like an angsty knight from her favorite fairy tale. I want them to become devoted to one another. You can write out the fix it, but I would be even more excited by something that assumes a canon divergence for her death and instead focuses on their subsequent adventures. Did Shireen find a spell in the Castle Black library (or an old Valyrian book on Dragonstone) that whisked him to her realm before the whole burning thing came up? Or did Bucky rescue her from the pyre—or the night before the pyre—and spirit her away before the story started? They would have the best Westerosi roadtrip! If they’re traveling, where are they headed, and what is their goal? Are they just trying to lay low and get somewhere ‘safe’, or do they have a mission? Or are they looking for a way back to Bucky’s world? Do they team up with other nice people? Or, maybe it’s a canon divergence where her parents left her at Dragonstone and Bucky shows up there? Is she queen once news of her parents' death comes? What happens when Team Danaerys shows up? Do Shireen and Bucky get to ride dragons?
With Tyrion
Tyrion could meet Loki or Bucky when he was hanging out with Podrick and Bronn, or later when he’s with Danaerys. Or in some other canon divergent time? I think Tyrion and Loki have a lot to bond over, being the always plotting, silver-tongued, “lesser” sons to the golden warriors. Their banter would be amazing! What do they team up to do, or is it a friendly battle of wits? Or, for Bucky, does Tyrion take this mysterious, silver-armed stranger on as his new bodyguard, or recommend him as Danaerys’s new bodyguard? Is he fussed that he can’t get Bucky drunk? Or does Dornish wine work on him? Does he make it a project to get Bucky or Loki to open up to him and be friends? Does he think of a clever use for Loki or Bucky’s skills or otherworldliness? Does he introduce Bucky or Loki to any of the other Lannisters? And generally, I want to hear what Tyrion has to say about the otherworldly visitor(s)!
With Team Danaerys
I love the whole ensemble—Missandei, Jorah, Varys, Danaerys, Tyrion, Greyworm, Daario (and maybe even Ser Barristan is still around!). So a story that’s more about Bucky or Loki’s growing friendship with the whole gang or with one of the members other than Tyrion would be just as good as a Tyrion-focused story! Which one of the group convinces Danaerys to let this stranger into her inner circle? What responsibilities do they give him? How do they discover his abilities? What does he think of Team Danaerys’s objectives? Can experience gained in our world help defeat the slavers or Lannisters or whatever? As a side note, I ship Jorah/Danaerys (maybe Daario has been left behind, as in canon?); if you want to include that in the background, yay, but don’t worry if not. Bonus points if Missandei helps save the day (I love her), especially with Bucky.
Off to Valyria!
What if, instead of going to Westeros, Team Danaerys decides to rebuild Valyria, and either takes the MCU character(s) with them, or meets him/them there. How do they work together and what do they accomplish? Valyria was described so wondrously in the show and DVD extras; I long to explore and know more. I once heard a book spoiler that Danaerys and Tyrion are immune to greyscale (though I don't know why). Are MCU characters also immune? Does Jorah’s cured state now make him immune? That would make almost everyone immune and able to explore. Did the Doom stem from some MCU-related event or can MCUish stuff help fix things? What magic (if any) do they find in Valyria? Can it help back in our world?
I requested a lot of pairings, so here are some anchor links to help you navigate: Francis/Christian (Lymond Chronicles), Emeth/Tirian (Narnia), Bucky/Loki (MCU), Psmith/Mike (Wodehouse), Psmith/Narnia Crossovers, David Blaize Crossovers, MCU/Game of Thrones Crossovers - Jaqen Edition, All Other MCU/Game of Thrones Crossovers
General
1) Please don’t stress over whether there’s ‘enough’ of the tag we matched on. As long as my ships get together or my crossover gen pairings become friends, you’re golden!
2) I requested “Fic – Canon Divergence” for everything to be safe, because I don’t want alternate setting AUs and because none of my ships or crossovers are canon. I love all kinds of divergences, from 'for want of a nail' to 'change everything after the first five minutes of the first movie' to 'the setting is the same but there's also magic, no explanation needed or desired'. If you want to make a crossover the off-screen, canon-compliant explanation for why something went down as it did in canon, that would be cool, too!
3) I'm often more interested in watching characters deal with what comes after a prompted tag/premise than I am in the tag itself (this is doubly true for the crossovers). For example, I don't particularly care how they got to the same world and met or how/why the prompted scenario started. What I'm interested in is what happens next--the friendship or romance that develops, the adventures they have, the things they learn, etc. If you have the time and inclination to include the set-up as well, then great! But feel free to skip all that and start in media res, with people already in a new world or whatever. Basically, stories that end shortly after the introductions or before the characters actually do anything in the premise or setting make me sad.
Do Not Wants
— fics where the main characters never find out about the others' backgrounds or magic (the reveal doesn't have to happen 'on-screen', but please don't end it with everyone thinking everyone else is normal!)
— goofy crack, fusions, alternate setting AUs
— romantic pairings other than the ones specifically requested; poly
— characters written as ace, aro or demi; gender identity headcanons
— Things That Upset Me: permanent death of requested characters; the afterlife; bleak endings; shovel talks; "it was all a dream" endings; destiny/fate
— Schmoopiness: plotless fluff; non-canonical pet names or terms of endearment
— Sex & Relationship-Related: D/s dynamics; soulmates; yentas and matchmakers; pregnancy; adultery; underage/overage romance
— Writing Things: 1st & 2nd person POV; phonetically spelled dialogue (my brain genuinely struggles to process it)
— Crossover-related: tragically unresolved lifespan incompatibilities or mismatches (ex. Steve/Peggy-style endings); fourth wall breakage (ex. where Bucky has watched Game of Thrones)
Things I Always Love
— Devoted Odd Couples: enjoying one another's company; laughing at one another; fond exasperation; quietly self-sacrificial loyalty; contrasting speech patterns; friends to lovers (for Bucky/Loki or crossover ships, I'd be totally happy starting when they're already friends so you can focus on 'to lovers'!)
— Earning Your Happy Ending: self-help; tough love; getting over some of your baggage; finding home where you least expect it; whump and angst with a happy ending
— Badassery: competence and resourcefulness; high-functioning teams; laughing in the face of danger or absurdity; the pen is mightier than the sword; but swords are more fun
— Sexy Times: I'd be thrilled to get higher rated fic for my ships! See here for general porn likes applicable to any of my ships (not just the ones listed there); or here for the more egregiously detailed version.
— Crossovers: applying skills/knowledge from one world to another world's problems; contrasting or weaving together how a concept manifests across canons (ex. immortality, endless winters, time shenanigans); magic in one canon originates from another; characters coming up with logical but incorrect theories before discovering the truth; assuming characters have a past together (ex. cousins, old school chums, etc) and starting the story when they reunite in the present
Notes on a Few Tropes:
**Something being in this list doesn’t mean I want it more than other tags! It's just for ones that repeat or that I only like a certain way.
Sex Before Relationship:
Please let the ‘friends with benefits’, 'drunken sex', or ‘casual sex’ end with them in a real relationship! You can include the negotiation of the FWB at its inception or the story of how they got drunk as the set up, but I'd also be good with something that starts in media res of the FWB arrangement as they begin to or continue to yearn for more (how do they finally break the cycle of FWB to get together?), or the confused and awkward aftermath of the drunken sex.
Forced Proximity:
Captured or stranded or on missions together, etc. You can handwave the set-up! What I’m here for is how these tropes push relationships forward and help the characters learn new things about each other--both delightful and irritating--while working together. Huddling in search of warmth or comfort, starting to lose hope that they’ll ever get out of here, stoically trying to make the best of it, quiet gestures of loyalty or love, discovering each others’ skills, UST and longing… Two people who were either friends before but needed an extra push to become more, or else people who probably wouldn’t have become friends without being pushed together like this.
Marriage Tropes:
Similar to Forced Proximity. I don’t need you to spend a lot of time on the set-up (handwave away!), but I do need there to be a real reason for these tropes; I dislike “fake dating” for quotidian social scenarios. You can include the wedding day (and wedding night!) or start it afterwards to focus on how they slowly fall for each other and get together for real. Do they not realize the other has wanted it from the start? Or is it a slow growing affection for both that turns into love? Are there rituals or expectations that force them to have sex on their wedding night? Or do they get to it on their own schedule? If they’re pretending to be in love before they’re actually in love (or before they’ve confessed that they were never pretending), what kind of angst does that create?
Externally Driven Sex Tropes:
Sex pollen, ‘forced to do it’ type tropes, etc. No established romantic relationship or pre-arranged consent, please! I like these tropes when they have to get through this awkward/awful situation together, not knowing that their feelings are requited. Or maybe the experience leads one or both to realize they want more. Doing it out of angsty loyalty or secret longing or bloody-minded practicality, thinking the other person would never want it otherwise, guilt about enjoying it, trying to keep it clinical to hide their true feelings and failing horribly, intense desperation on the part of the sex pollened one (especially if they're usually reserved), one unknowingly giving the other all kinds of incorrect signals, unnecessary apologies afterwards... that sort of thing. But I definitely need the reveal that they were both into it even if they never would have chosen for it to happen this way! You can focus on the day of the event, or even start after it to focus on how they navigate the resulting awkwardness and get together.
Time Loops/Groundhog Day:
I love individual journeys of self-discovery, as well as self-help adventures in which people learn life lessons, overcome some baggage, figure out priorities, etc. This trope is amazing for all that! I don't really care how/why it starts or stops; feel free to handwave or leave things unexplained. I also don’t care which of the requested characters is in the loop (or maybe both!). Depending on whether it would be in-character for the character at hand, I enjoy a variety of reactions and loop iterations—from wacky, to “give no fucks”, to suicidal, to the darkest timeline, to erroneously thinking it’s over, etc. Or you could focus more the aftermath, as the character transitions back to normal with the memories of all the other ways it could have gone. This trope gets a little creepy for me when it’s solely focused on making someone fall in love with you, or where character B is treated simply as character A's oblivious reward. However, as long as the loop person has other goals/projects, I'll be ecstatic. Or maybe find a way for the non-loop person to have agency? (Basically, I’m not into ‘loop ends solely because A finally reveals feelings’.)
Magical Curing Kisses:
I’m most interested in characters working through angst and uncertainty in the aftermath of the kissing. So feel free to skip over the set-up or the details of the curse (but you can definitely include the kisser’s heartbroken devastation during the kissee’s illness or curse or whatever, if you want; that's always yummy). For example, maybe the kisser leaves before the kissee wakes up/gets uncursed and doesn’t immediately realize what happened? Or maybe the kissee doesn’t know who healed them, or erroneously assumes it was someone else (and maybe is disappointed, because they've been pining for the kisser)? What if the kisser is terribly embarrassed by their feelings and tries to cover up or deny what really happened—either because of internalized homophobia, or assumptions that feelings are not requited, or because he’s an aloof badass who wants to be immune to feelings, or is nauseated by this cheesy concept, or...? Did the kisser even know the extent of his or her feelings before the kissing worked like this? Did they mean to try to give true love’s kiss, or was it an accident? Is it actually a true love’s kiss, or is there some more scientific cure that coincidentally worked at the same time, and they realize only after the drama of thinking there was a real true love’s kiss has gotten them together?
Francis/Christian (Lymond Chronicles)
Tropes: Captivity – captured together; Undercover as a Couple, Undercover – breaking cover to protect partner; Fairy Tale Curses – broken by true love’s kiss; Magical Healing True Love’s Kiss; Fake Marriage – to survive a dangerous situation; Marriage of Convenience – regular, for protection, for logistical reasons, to avoid testifying against each other, or to avoid marriage to someone else; Time Loop – regular, Groundhog Day, Peggy Sue, length of looped time is inconsistent, or unexpectedly living with the consequences of actions during final loop
I yearn for a canon divergence AU about them unambiguously getting together (with actual makeouts, or more!) and being okay after the first book. The first book is far and away my favorite, so I'm fine ignoring the later ones. Francis is so much more insouciant and FUN in it, while still being deliciously anguished and badass. And they have so much fun together. I love their secret visits and correspondence and music. They conspire so dangerously, but at the same time, she's the only person he seems to relax around. I love how her blindness never stops her from being ridiculously capable. I love the way he understands how she wants to be treated, and quietly helps her get what she wants out of life. I love the way she is largely over his shit and keeps up with his erudite banter. I love their equal amounts of self-sacrificing love for one another.
This is one of my lifelong OTPs, so I need them to be unquestionably endgame. Instead of bashing or hurting Tom, please pretend their engagement amicably ended before the fic started, or the pairing never existed at all (as long as he's over it, it’s okay to reference past Francis/Lady Lennox). Canon ships that don't involve Francis or Christian are fine to include in the background. I don't need a whole explanation for how Christian is still alive, unless you're excited to write about that. You can assume she recovered before the fic started, or was never injured, or they were together during her recovery, or whatever!
— Most requested tropes fall into the ones discussed in the general trope section above
— More reputation-saving quests or diplomatic hijinks? Basically, any kind of canon-typical plot, but with the two of them working together while getting together.
— The books skipped over the first year of Francis’s reinstatement into Scottish high society. Maybe something set then?
— Perhaps the Queen Mother sends him/them on a mission to England or France? Or maybe his legal woes aren’t quite over, and the only way to fix it is for him to get married? Or something requires her to get married?
— Time Loops: Francis is the hottest mess, and therefore a great candidate for this trope, which creates extra time for people to sort out their internal shit. Or maybe he uses it to fix Christian’s death, or to navigate some adventure set in a post-Book 1 canon divergence that you make up, or…
Emeth/Tirian (Narnia)
Tropes: In Love with the Mark; Slavery – spoils of war; Captivity – prisoner of war; Identity Porn – quotidian coincidence, reveal due to near-death experience/injury or unknowingly enemies/rivals; Enemies to Lovers or Enemies to Friends to Lovers – regular or forced sex leads to feelings; Something Made Them Do It – ritual/tradition, sex magic, or the bad guys; Forced to Rape – while mutually pining; Time Loop – standard, Groundhog Day, Peggy Sue, length of time looped is inconsistent, or unexpectedly living with the consequences of actions during final loop
Tirian started out as a rash and inexperienced king, but he grew so much, and proved quite resourceful and clever once roused from his decadence. I loved the conflict Emeth faced between his reason, his duty, his devotion, and his desire to prove himself. They’re perfect for one another—brave, noble, handsome warriors, and all-around lovely guys. I want something where they unambiguously get together (with actual makeouts, or more!) in real life and have a happy/hopeful ending. The end of Narnia, train crash, and afterlife are my biggest DNWs. Please let it be clear that they will live out their lives.
— What if they had met in Narnia while Emeth was undercover as a merchant, and their love changes the course of the story?
— Tirian in a time loop, learning how to be a better, less rash king in a different way; the loop can fix the ending of the Last Battle, or it can take place in a divergence where the apocalypse never comes up. How does Emeth fit in and how does the loop lead to them getting together?
— We know Tirian has been to Calormen. Was it an official trip, or did he go incognito, either for fun or for espionage or a ritual/festival? Did Emeth know who Tirian was, or not? How might this change have affected the later plot? You could focus on the flashbacks, or you could assume the backstory and start the fic when they meet again later on... either way!
— Canon divergence where Calormen conquered Narnia, but no apocalypse. Tirian as war trophy, slave, or sacrifice to Tash? Tirian being all stoic while tied up and beaten was very, um, interesting to me as a child; as long as there's subsequent comfort from Emeth and a hopeful ending, you can whump him as hard as you like, including with noncon. Does Emeth decide to help him? How do they fall in love? Do they run away together? Get arrested together? Maybe Tirian is given to Emeth as a war prisoner (with Emeth as kind and noble jailer, please!), or to someone horrible and Emeth rescues him? Is Emeth forced by the Calormene generals to fuck Tirian in some sort of tradition? Or fucks him to spare Tirian from someone worse doing it?
— Or maybe it’s Narnia that wins the war, and Emeth who ends up as (kind and noble!) Tirian’s prisoner?
— Exploring differing views about same-sex romance? It doesn't have to be "Calormen=repressed, Narnia=free love" (though it could); maybe Calormen has a complicated Ancient Greek-style undercurrent, or Narnia's never shaken its Victorian influences. Or some other take?
Bucky/Loki (MCU)
Tropes: Captivity – Captured Together; Undercover as a Couple; Friends with Benefits; Casual Sex Leads to Feelings; Drunken Hookup Leads to Feelings; Fairy Tale Curses – broken by true love’s kiss; Magical Healing True Love’s Kiss; Magic Rituals – Blood Magic; Marriage of Convenience – regular, for citizenship, for protection, for logistical reasons; Time Loop – regular, Groundhog Day, Peggy Sue, length of time looped is inconsistent; Identity Porn – identity reveal, secret identity, quotidian coincidence, reveal due to injury or near-death experience; Sex Pollen - aftermath, only one affected (ultimately consensual); Something Made Them Do It – ritual/tradition, sex magic, bad guys
They are my two favorite MCU characters and will be my OTP forever, I don’t caaaaaaare. They would be amazing together, an entertainingly snarky, angsty and badass odd couple. Maybe with some tough love and self-help? As long as they come to genuinely care about one another and unambiguously get together (with actual makeouts, please, or more!), I will be pleased with anything, even if they start out prickly or wary.
Even before Infinity War, I loved extreme canon divergences or pretending disparate points in their timelines lined up. Ex. post-TWS+pre-Thor1, or mid-Ragnarok+Bucky escaped Hydra earlier and in some totally different way, or... You get the idea. As long as they retain the backgrounds and character beats established in the first few minutes of their first films, you can ignore any/all parts of later canon. I don't actually care about the logistics of the divergence; feel free to start after the divergence and/or after they become friends, handwaving the changes to canon.
Fandom-specific DNWs: 1) Infinity War. It didn't happen and will never happen. 2) A scene or two in a larger fic is fine, but I’m not into stories where Loki spends most of it in Jotun form or shapeshifted into someone else, or where Bucky spends most of it brainwashed or pathetic. 3) Steve and/or Bucky ever having more than platonic feelings for each other (I generally like to keep my Bucky ships separate). 4) I have a pet peeve about Bucky (and Steve) saying "ain't". Can they please speak as properly as they do in the films? Cursing is fine, though. 5) No Darcy or Sharon, and nothing from the TV shows, as I'm not familiar with them.
— The prompts below are all premise ideas to get you started in case you’re stuck on how to get them in the same place; however, as I said in the general section, I’m more than fine assuming these premises and starting later so you can focus on the shippy stuff. Notes on the actual tropes are in the general trope section at the top of this letter.
— The Convergence left wounded Loki stranded in Bucharest or wherever, to be found and taken in by post-TWS Bucky. What do they bond and bicker about day to day? Can Loki help Bucky's memories or triggers?
— Post-TWS or post-CW Steve asks Thor if Bucky can hide out on Asgard, where Loki is living as himself, not as Odin. Bucky's impression of the place and characters? Using Brooklyn street smarts to help royalty with a problem? Undertaking missions together for Frigga (who isn’t dead, dammit!)?
—A divergence where Loki and Bucky were handwavily forgiven and helped out the Avengers, going on missions and stuff, either on earth or in space? Or they have to get married to prevent one or both from being extradited for their crimes?
— Loki coming to Earth for some reason between WWII and TWS and somehow rescuing the Winter Soldier. What do they do once Bucky's lucid again? Is Loki stuck here, and they shack up together? Does Loki take Bucky back to Asgard to meet the fam?
— Magic Rituals: My id goes crazy over magic rituals where people have to cut and bleed all over each other and/or have sex. Is it private, or does the magic require witnesses? Are they trying to pretend it’s simply clinical, but something gives them away? Some other take?
— Magic Kissing: See write up in general section. For this, I’m fine if Loki erroneously thinks Steve woke Bucky up, and has stoic, non-creepy angst about it before it all works out for a Bucky/Loki happy ending.
— Bucky and Loki somehow met (and hooked up?) before or during WWII. However, what I'm actually interested in is what happens when they meet again later on. When/how does their reunion happen? What with the brainwashing, amnesia, Thanos-bidding, etc, it could be so angsty followed by such tender comfort, and possibly have identity porn. Yum. You can include the flashbacks, or just handwavily mention the backstory in passing to focus on the present-day.
— If you want even more prompts, check out this letter.
Psmith/Mike (Wodehouse)
Tropes: Wartime Romance – love in trenches; Trapped Behind Enemy Lines; Captivity – Captured Together; Friends with Benefits – regular and pining; Slavery – Slaves Together; Superpowers – sudden acquisition or manifestation; Genie Grants Three Wishes; Fairy Tale Curses – broken by true love’s kiss; Magical Healing True Love’s Kiss; Roaring Rampage of Revenge or Rescue; Stranded On a Desert or Magical Island; Time Loop – standard, Groundhog Day, Peggy Sue, length of time looped is inconsistent, or unexpectedly living with the consequences of actions during final loop
The odd coupling of Mike’s everyman pragmatism and Psmith’s dialogue is endlessly delightful to me. I love their loyalty and what self-sacrificing heroes they both are, while also being total little shits. As long as they unambiguously get together (with actual kissing, or more!), I’ll be over the moon.
I have two main asks: 1) Please set it before they met their wives and/or pretend they never did 2) While a little longing and hesitation are nice--and a touch of quietly understood, low-key forbiddenness does add a certain frisson--I don't want internalized homophobia, anguished coming outs, or serious discussion of social issues. Other types of angst and non-canonical darkness are welcome, though, as long as it turns out okay in the end and retains some sense of humour. Can they just… get away with their romance without having to discuss at length why they’re being secretive?
— Settings: You could set it at Sedleigh, the Bank, Cambridge, or the summer in America... Or a canon divergence that erases the post-Sedleigh settings. What if either or both of their fathers had not gone bankrupt? What if the plan for Mike to manage Psmith's estates had happened? What if...?
— True Love's Kiss: See general section above
— Genie Grants Three Wishes: I love stories where the wording of the wishes results in unexpected stuff, or the wisher didn’t realize his randomly voiced thought counted as a wish, or… What are the wishes, how do they go awry, and how do the boys set things right in the end, and how does the experience help them get together?
— Superpowers: Mike might be more hilariously aghast, but I don’t actually care which of them gets it (though I’d prefer just one of them to get powers) or how/why he gets them, so feel free to skip that or leave it unexplained. I just think it would be fun to see how they would react, in a world where superpowers are not known to exist. How does the other help him through it? What uses do they find for the power? How does this premise help them get together? Any superpower would be great, from traditional ones to something super random and seemingly useless.
— Slavery: Prompts for that are in the Narnia section below (but it could just as easily be about Game of Thrones instead). Or, if want to imagine a dystopian version of the canon Wodehouse world that has slavery, go for it! I'll reiterate that I DNW situations where one half of my pairing owns the other; they have to both be slaves.
— Stranded On Islands: They could go specifically to LOST’s Island and interact with the various magical mysteries there (since it’s the early 20th century, maybe they help Richard establish the Others?). Or any island you want, magical or not! Survival stuff, desperation, making the best of things, evenings under the stars…
— Whump with a Happy Ending: Stoic woobies... yum. Maybe something traumatizing happens or has happened to Psmith, who hides his pain behind his effervescent mask... but Mike eventually figures it out and works to make it all better. Or something terrible happens to Mike, and Psmith goes above and beyond to get revenge and/or set things right.
— WWI: I requested some of the tags with this in mind (but I’ll be just as happy with your own, non-war, take on them!). Fighting together, captured together, espionage missions, winning a key battle through impertinent ragging, Mike the accidental war hero, keeping one another warm in their trench, making out in a bombed out Belgian village, the desperation of war causing them to reveal long-secret pining, Psmith goes behind enemy lines to rescue Mike… Lots of whump and hurt/comfort welcome. You could even pretend the books were set later so that they are young soldiers in WWII instead. You can also use the Frank/Bucky prompts below for this ship.
Psmith/Narnia Crossovers
Pairings:
• Corin & Psmith & Mike
• Edmund & Psmith & Mike
• Rilian & Psmith & Mike
• Tirian & Psmith & Mike
Tropes: Earth Characters Stranded In Another Canon’s World; Fish out of Water – character from our world marvels at other world’s stuff; Met In a Dream – characters from different worlds meet in dreams then real life; Dimension Travel – summoned to another world by a magical artifact; Imaginary Friend – turns out to be real
I'm desperate for Psmith and Mike to visit Narnia and meet one of these characters. Feel free to skip/ignore the tags or how they got there to solely focus on the adventure that ensues. What are their reactions to being in another world? How might they help characters there? What do the Narnians think of them? I don't necessarily need to read about how The Last Battle was averted; you can just pretend it never even came up. I ship Psmith/Mike very hard, but as long as they go to Narnia and become friends with one of the requested characters, I’ll also be happy with gen.
Please pretend the Psmith books happened later than the publication dates so that they are the same age as Edmund for most of the story, or so their visit lines up with Rilian or Tirian's reign or the Golden Age. I consider the Psmith books as timeless as the Bertie ones (which floated changelessly from 1910-1970); they could just as easily have been at Sedleigh/Cambridge during WWII or later. And if we're pretending The Last Battle didn't happen (and therefore Jill and Eustace didn't come during it), then the end of Silver Chair is the last date connecting the two worlds' timelines. So, you can line up whatever subsequent times you want (ex. Cambridge+a year into Rilian’s reign, or Sedleigh+Tirian’s reign, etc.), no explanation needed or desired.
— Helping Tirian nip the entire plot of TLB in the bud? Or helping him with something pre-TLB?
— Helping Golden Age Edmund remember his previous life? Is this the only time they meet, or do they reconnect later back in our world?
— Helping newly crowned Rilian get settled on the throne or heal from his trauma after Jill and Eustace leave? Puddleglum and Psmith would be hilarious together.
— Does Edmund, Rilian or Tirian blow the horn, summoning Psmith and Mike for help with a problem? Espionage, fighting giants, outwitting Calormene spies, implementing educational policies, dealing with the Rabadash situation? Something else?
— Or just exploring or partying with Narnian or Archenland royalty in any of these eras! Is Psmith or Mike erroneously jealous of a Narnia character (one of the requested ones or someone else)? Stoic angst before they sort it out?
— Corin is like the Narnia version of a public school story boy. I think he’d get along splendidly with Psmith and Mike. Does he take them traveling through Archenland? Do they team up to play pranks on his new twin brother? Something else? I’d love a fic that delves into his character more—like, what it’s like to suddenly not be the crown prince, or to suddenly have a twin who knows nothing, or having grown up with a sweet but sad dad who was mourning the queen and a son? Do Psmith and Mike help him keep score against the bear?
— You know how Tirian astrally projected to the Friends of Narnia that one time? Well, what if he's been doing it for years with Psmith or Mike? They have always secretly thought they had an imaginary friend (or are going nuts), but one day they physically meet, either here or there. This prompt is the one exception to my preference for non-Earth settings; you can set it in England if you want.
— Slavery: This is the only prompt where I don’t need the requested Narnia characters to appear; however, since I requested this tag in the Psmith/Mike section, I definitely want my slavery fic to be shippy. It could also be done as a Game of Thrones crossover instead... Basically, Psmith and Mike blunder through a portal into the Lone Islands or somewhere in Essos (I don’t care how; you could even skip over that part), and are captured and sold into slavery. All the whump, hurt/comfort, and loyalty, please! Does Psmith secretly take Mike's beatings and/or sex duties to spare him? Or vice versa? Or are they forced to watch one another be abused, or even rape each other? Does all this trauma get them to finally act on their feelings? Or does Psmith arrange things so that life as slaves is actually pretty good, no rape or beatings? Are they rescued by the canon emancipators? Get revenge on their master(s)? Or do they organize a Socialist revolution, so that by the time Caspian or Danaerys or whoever arrive, they find the masters already overthrown and Psmith in charge, with Mike as his confidential secretary and advisor? Some wholly other direction you want to take this? Lots of OCs are (obviously) welcome. No body modification or branding, please.
David Blaize Crossovers
Pairings:
• Frank/Edmund (Narnia)
• Frank/Bucky (MCU)
General Frank Stuff
Frank is such a fascinating and endearing blend of judgmental, whimsical, bossy, charismatic, and melancholic. While his anguished self-loathing is super compelling, I ultimately want him to get over it (and himself, a little), without anyone explicitly lecturing him. I want him to find happiness and self-acceptance with someone new—with actual kissing, or more! Please let him completely get over his crush on David and be entirely into the new person, without bashing David.
DNW age differences, so my biggest ask is to please pretend the Benson books were set later so that Frank is around the same age as Edmund or Bucky during the story. And please set it when Frank is anywhere between 18-26 (ie. canon divergence, or shortly post-canon), so he doesn't have to wait long to be happier. The chapter where he devises the plan to catch the cheaters was such fun; if it fits, something that also showcases his cleverness and snark and take-chargeness in action would be lovely.
Frank Maddox/Edmund Pevensie
Tropes: Roommates to Lovers; Fish Out of Water – Characters from Our World Marvels at Other World’s Stuff; Friends to Lovers – regular and childhood friends reunite and develop feelings; Dimension Travel – Summoned to Another World by a Magical Artifact
I’d love for them to unambiguously get together (with actual makeouts, or more!) either when Frank goes to Narnia during the Golden Age or after Edmund’s Narnian adventures when he is 18+ again. To reiterate the general DNWs, if you’re setting it in England, please let Frank to find out about Narnia and Edmund’s secret. And please make it clear they will live out their lives (ie., no train crash).
Frank coming up with well-reasoned but incorrect theories to explain Edmund’s weirdness before eventually figuring it out? What is post-Narnia life like for Edmund? Is he also frustrated (sexually or otherwise)? Carrying around knowledge or experience that he can’t use? Desperate because he remembers adult relationships but has (until now) been too young/fixated on Narnia/lacked opportunity/hasn’t liked anyone enough/other? Or maybe he’s actually quite inexperienced. IDK. What draws them to each other?
— School or University: Prefects together at Marchester? Roommates at Cambridge? Edmund being really good at sneaking out/around? Have they always liked one another, or do they start as rivals (house rivalry, sports rivalry, etc.) but end up falling for one another? Wet and full of adrenaline after a sailing race or tennis match at Cambridge? Did they know one another in grammar school when Ed was an asshole and Frank was more of a hedonist, but now when they reunite they have changed? Did they not like each other very much before, or are they long-lost friends?
— Golden Age: Frank finds himself in Narnia (I don’t care how; feel free to skip over that part, but one option is the horn). What are his reactions to the place? How does Edmund, who probably doesn't have a ton of attractive humans around, react to having this nice, smart, handsome Brit in the castle? Can Frank help Ed and his siblings remember their lives from before?
— Greece: Does Edmund also become an archaeologist? Or does he study something else at Cambridge that allows them to travel to Greece together? Voyages on trains or ships (and possibly stranded when the vehicle breaks down)? Adventures with mythology that is real? Partying with Bacchus, who can be Ed's previous lover that he's over or just an old acquaintance?
— Post-Canon Adventures: I'm obsessed with Edmund using the rings to go adventuring to places other than Narnia instead of dying. Maybe it's Frank's parents' house that Edmund burgles to get the rings, and that's how they meet and go off on adventures together to the Wood Between the Worlds or not-so-dead Charn? Westeros/Essos (but I only know the TV show) is another option.
Frank Maddox/Bucky Barnes
Tropes: Captivity – Captured Together; Trapped Behind Enemy Lines; Stranded In Enemy Territory; Wartime Romance – love in trenches; First Time with a Guy; Something Made Them Do It – The Bad Guys; Mission Sex – regular or reveals feelings; Superpowers – sudden acquisition or manifestation; Hurt/Comfort – comfort sex, comforter is secretly nursing their own injury, hurt to protect the comforter, trauma recovery
I would like a WWII getting together story--no MCU canon other than the first Cap movie needed (unless you want)! Please pretend the books were set later so that they are around the same age. They’d make such a great odd couple. The Brooklyn boy/posh Brit, classical education/street smarts, etc. How do they overcome Frank’s (possibly also Bucky’s?) internalized homophobia and find something good? Is Bucky actually more open-minded or experienced with men than Frank? Or has he always denied himself before Frank?
MCU-specific DNWs are in the Bucky/Loki section above. Feel free to pretend Bucky didn’t fall off the train so they can have a happily ever after. Or maybe Frank encounters his brainwashed old flame and rescues him from Hydra in, like, 1950 (ie. before there’s a major age difference) for a happily ever after. Or you can make it bittersweet, with Bucky still falling, but even though he grieves, their time together has left Frank in a healthier place to live and love again without such self-loathing (and WE know Bucky will eventually be okay, per canon).
Does Frank start out initially jealous of Bucky’s friendship with Steve, because he’s projecting his own experiences with David onto Steve&Bucky? Does Bucky scoff because he and Steve aren't like that at all, or is Frank actually correct in thinking Bucky has been unrequitedly pining (this is my one sort-of exception to the Steve/Bucky DNW, but it has to be unrequited)? I only want pining if Bucky will completely get over Steve as he and Frank fall for one another, without bashing Steve. Or you could not bring up Steve/Bucky as a question or issue at all!
— Soldiers Together: Maybe the 107th is camped alongside Frank’s unit before their capture? Sharing a foxhole together? Exploring or hiding in a bombed out village together? Left behind and forced to trek to safety together? Saving one another? Does the desperation of war get them over their issues enough to act on their feelings?
— Captives Together: Do they huddle together between torture/experimentation sessions, clinging to each other and their identities? Hurt/comfort and desperate “we’ll probably die tomorrow” hookups? Nazis humiliating them or forcing them to do it or confess feelings or watch each other be hurt? Or maybe they only get together after Steve’s rescued them, while they’re stoically pretending to be fine despite retaining trauma?
— Howling Commandoes: Frank as part of the gang? Getting together while using their combined smarts on a mission, either with the whole group, or a side project just for them? I’m thinking stakeouts, disguises, need for quick thinking, getting information at a party, stranded in a snowy cabin, down time at a pub… anything!
— Missions: Or maybe Frank isn’t a soldier, but rather some sort of archaeologist/explorer civilian who is asked to use his specialized knowledge to help the war effort. They meet when the SSR partners Frank with special agent Bucky. Maybe Hitler’s after some Ancient Greek occult blah blah? Is it an action-adventure mission, or do they need to infiltrate a fancy society that's very free about homosexuality, and
— Superpowers: Start the fic after Steve has rescued him/them, with Bucky stoically wigging out as he slowly realizes that Hydra somehow gave him super powers. He doesn’t want to tell Steve because of angst or whatever, but Frank knows. Is it just Bucky, or, does Frank begin to manifest super-ness, too (assuming they were captured together)? Does Frank have the same abilities as Bucky, or different ones? Angst, hurt/comfort, and/or sexily exploring one another’s new abilities!
MCU/Game of Thrones Crossovers - Jaqen Edition
Tropes:
*See section below for requested tags and more general MCU/GoT crossover notes.
Pairings:
• Loki/Jaqen H'ghar
• Bucky/Jaqen H'ghar
General Jaqen Stuff
I really want it set in the GoT world (not ours), so you could have Bucky or Loki pop out in Braavos, or they meet while Jaqen is traveling around Westeros/Essos. If Bucky and Loki are trainees, do they get sent out on missions to kill people? How do they feel about that? Does Jaqen find character-specific ways to mess with their heads or mete out punishment or make them stronger through pain? Does Jaqen give Bucky or Loki tests that force them to face truths they were self-deluding about? Do they save each other or teach each other new skills? What gets them to realize they prefer to own who they are--traumas and all--than be nobody, and how does Jaquen react? Other GoT characters can be in the story or not, I don't care.
Unlike my other requested / pairings, I don't need it to be a proper romance. It could be something like Jaqen shapeshifting in ways that force Loki or Bucky to work out their feelings for other people (Steve/Bucky, Thor/Loki, or Bucky/Loki; this is an exception to my Steve/Bucky DNW). Or a hurt/comfort-style hookup with Tom Wlaschiha!Jaqen motivated by something else. Or maybe Jaqen is genuinely fond of Bucky or Loki and they have a brief, bittersweet fling, but that's all it can be because being nobody means you can't have real relationships. Or Bucky or Loki is misguidedly pining for Jaqen, who helps them realize he isn’t actually what they want. Or something else! If it doesn't end up going to a shippy place, don't force it; I’d be fine with gen, too.
Loki/Jaqen
Something that plays with and contrasts the characters' canonical shapeshifting/illusion abilities. Either a team-up or a face-off (pun intended). Additionally, there's that theme of Faceless Men needing to be very good liars, and Loki is the God of Lies, so... Why is Loki in Braavos? Is he lost and alone in this world and seeking safe refuge? Or is he the Many-Faced God (or, at least, they think he is)? Or did he willingly come here from Asgard looking to steal secrets/artifacts or wanting to train with them as a next step in his magical education? Or is it a road trip where they encounter and deceive/kill other GoT characters?
Bucky/Jaqen
Something playing with ideas of assassins, of being ‘no one’ or a ‘ghost’, of losing/reclaiming your identity, etc. Does angsty Bucky at first want to lose himself fully, or does he fight to regain who he is? Is he seeking refuge at the temple because he’s stranded in this weird world and doesn’t know where to go? Or did Jaqen seek him out? Like, maybe Bucky’s skills and amnesia initially make him seem like a perfect recruit, but then... something. Does he owe the Many-Faced God, or does the God owe him? How does the experience ultimately lead Bucky to greater health and healing?
MCU/Game of Thrones Crossovers - Gen Edition
Pairings:
• Bucky & Shireen
• Bucky & Sam/Gilly
• Loki & Tyrion
• Bucky & Tyrion
• Loki & Team Wight Hunters
• Bucky & Team Wight Hunters
Tropes: Dimension Travel – summoned to another world by a magical artifact; Earth Characters Stranded In Another Canon’s World; Fish out of Water – character from our world marvels at other world’s stuff
*Note: I’m counting Loki as an ‘Earth’ character, since he’s from ‘our world’
General MCU/GoT Stuff
So, I really don't care at all about the tags. All that matters is that I want Bucky or Loki to go to Westeros/Essos (I don't want it set in our world), have an adventure there, and make friends with people I like. How can their presence, skills or experiences help GoT characters, situations, or storylines, and how can the adventure there help Bucky or Loki to gain some healing, learn some life lessons or be happier? What do the GoT characters make of MCU character(s) and the idea of other worlds? What’s Bucky’s reaction to being in a new world? Do the dragons love Bucky? Bucky’s arm functioning as Valyrian steel? Can Loki’s ice or shapeshifting magic effect something useful or awesome? Ties between Thor and GoT worldbuilding concepts? Does this adventure force Loki to deal with his heritage issues enough to use his ice magic?
I have only seen the TV show, not read the books; however, you can include bits of book canon as long as MCU characters learn about it along with me. MCU DNWs are in the Bucky/Loki section above. GoT DNWs are Ramsay Snow and Jon/Danaerys. While the afterlife is one of my general DNWs, the stuff with Jon and Beric doesn’t bother me (they just feel fully alive!); neither do mindless zombies. I DNWed death of requested characters, but if you need to keep Thoros’s death for plot reasons, I’ll understand. However, Shireen must live!
You can include Steve in a Bucky story, or Thor in a Loki story, if you want; the adventure could lead to Steve/Bucky, Thor/Loki, or they remain platonic. Or, maybe Bucky and Loki (ship or gen) are together on the adventure—for any tag, not just the Tyrion or Wight Hunter ones! Or it can be Bucky or Loki alone on the adventure, as requested in the tags. As usual, I don’t care how MCU characters get to the GoT world. You also don’t need to think of a way to return them home (though you can if you want). I mean, maybe moving here permanently would solve their ‘on the lam’ problems?
Team “Up North to Kidnap a Wight”
I love everyone in this
Bucky with Sam and Gilly
I bet Sam would be so nerdily excited at Bucky’s mysterious appearance and the whole idea that there are other worlds. And generally, I think they would all like each other. Sam said his childhood dream was to be a wizard; was he messing around with old books in the Castle Black or Citadel library, and ended up accidentally reciting a spell that summons Bucky to Westeros? Is he erroneously pouty at first, thinking Gilly’s head has been turned by this handsome, magical badass, but really Bucky&Gilly are just sweet BFFs? How does Bucky help them, either in a divergence where they stayed in Oldtown, or on whatever project they were headed for at the end of S7? Or set it before they went to Oldtown? Does Bucky offer to use his badassery to help Sam impress people who would laugh at him, or help his self-confidence? Can Sam help Bucky’s triggers the way he helped Jorah’s illness? What do the people around Sam and Gilly (archmaesters, Night’s Watch guys, random travelers) think of Bucky, or do Sam and Gilly keep him hidden? Does Gilly somehow save the day?
Bucky & Shireen
I have a weakness for fics where Bucky finds healing while taking care of children, and also finds himself being taken care of. And Shireen is my FAVORITE child. She would be so nerdily excited about Bucky being from another world, like an angsty knight from her favorite fairy tale. I want them to become devoted to one another. You can write out the fix it, but I would be even more excited by something that assumes a canon divergence for her death and instead focuses on their subsequent adventures. Did Shireen find a spell in the Castle Black library (or an old Valyrian book on Dragonstone) that whisked him to her realm before the whole burning thing came up? Or did Bucky rescue her from the pyre—or the night before the pyre—and spirit her away before the story started? They would have the best Westerosi roadtrip! If they’re traveling, where are they headed, and what is their goal? Are they just trying to lay low and get somewhere ‘safe’, or do they have a mission? Or are they looking for a way back to Bucky’s world? Do they team up with other nice people? Or, maybe it’s a canon divergence where her parents left her at Dragonstone and Bucky shows up there? Is she queen once news of her parents' death comes? What happens when Team Danaerys shows up? Do Shireen and Bucky get to ride dragons?
With Tyrion
Tyrion could meet Loki or Bucky when he was hanging out with Podrick and Bronn, or later when he’s with Danaerys. Or in some other canon divergent time? I think Tyrion and Loki have a lot to bond over, being the always plotting, silver-tongued, “lesser” sons to the golden warriors. Their banter would be amazing! What do they team up to do, or is it a friendly battle of wits? Or, for Bucky, does Tyrion take this mysterious, silver-armed stranger on as his new bodyguard, or recommend him as Danaerys’s new bodyguard? Is he fussed that he can’t get Bucky drunk? Or does Dornish wine work on him? Does he make it a project to get Bucky or Loki to open up to him and be friends? Does he think of a clever use for Loki or Bucky’s skills or otherworldliness? Does he introduce Bucky or Loki to any of the other Lannisters? And generally, I want to hear what Tyrion has to say about the otherworldly visitor(s)!
With Team Danaerys
I love the whole ensemble—Missandei, Jorah, Varys, Danaerys, Tyrion, Greyworm, Daario (and maybe even Ser Barristan is still around!). So a story that’s more about Bucky or Loki’s growing friendship with the whole gang or with one of the members other than Tyrion would be just as good as a Tyrion-focused story! Which one of the group convinces Danaerys to let this stranger into her inner circle? What responsibilities do they give him? How do they discover his abilities? What does he think of Team Danaerys’s objectives? Can experience gained in our world help defeat the slavers or Lannisters or whatever? As a side note, I ship Jorah/Danaerys (maybe Daario has been left behind, as in canon?); if you want to include that in the background, yay, but don’t worry if not. Bonus points if Missandei helps save the day (I love her), especially with Bucky.
Off to Valyria!
What if, instead of going to Westeros, Team Danaerys decides to rebuild Valyria, and either takes the MCU character(s) with them, or meets him/them there. How do they work together and what do they accomplish? Valyria was described so wondrously in the show and DVD extras; I long to explore and know more. I once heard a book spoiler that Danaerys and Tyrion are immune to greyscale (though I don't know why). Are MCU characters also immune? Does Jorah’s cured state now make him immune? That would make almost everyone immune and able to explore. Did the Doom stem from some MCU-related event or can MCUish stuff help fix things? What magic (if any) do they find in Valyria? Can it help back in our world?