Yuletide 2018
Oct. 5th, 2018 11:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aurillyThanks so much for offering one of these! I love thinking up prompts (which is why my letters are so out of control), but I'm not married to them. You can twist them around, use just a bit of one, or ignore them and go off the general likes instead. As long as you're having fun, I'm sure I'll love it! I'm ![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
aurilly on AO3 as well.
This is a long letter, so here are some anchor links:
Lymond Chronicles, Northanger Abbey, Les Trois Mousquetaires, and Psmith - PG Wodehouse
Things I Love
• General Fic Stuff: I like fic where people talk and do new things (no missing scenes, alternate POV retellings of existing canon episodes, or plotless introspective character studies, please). I love canon divergences, as wild as you like, no explanation for the changes needed. I'm just as--often more!--interested in watching characters navigate what comes after a prompted premise than I am in the premise itself. 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. Basically, stories that end before the characters actually do anything in the premise make me sad.
• Devoted Friends & Family: odd couples; enjoying one another's company; laughing at one another; fond exasperation; loyalty; quietly self-sacrificial gestures; demonstrating affection without using the words "I love you"
• Adventures & Journeys: trains; ships; hotels; vacations gone awry; fish out of water; exploring new territory; captured or stranded together; daring rescues or escapes; espionage
• Competence & Resourcefulness: complementary skill sets; badassery; 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 any of the ships I've requested. I've listed out some general likes in the Yuleporn post HERE. There's also a more egregiously detailed version HERE (but honestly, the Yuleporn one is good enough).
• Friends to Lovers: I like many variations, including, a) friends with benefits or sex before feelings that becomes more; b) fics that start after the first kiss/declaration and focus on how they navigate the relationship transition in the days or weeks that follow, c) adventures that cause people to realize they have more than platonic feelings and decide to make a move.
• Just Add Magic: Magical realism, urban fantasy, or characters encountering mythological, fantasy, or eldritch horror elements in the otherwise canonical universe (happy endings, please!). I'm not crazy about werewolves, vampires or zombies, but other examples include: magical paintings, statues or books; magical or cursed artefacts; "hour inside, year outside" locations; locations that aren't always there; magic as explanation for a canon plot point; wishes unexpectedly granted; magic comes with a price; immortal antagonist; character is descended from a supernatural species; something else!
Do Not Want
• unrequested romantic pairings, unrequested crossovers
• goofy crack, fusions, alternate setting AUs (ex. modern, space, Hogwarts)
• Things That Upset Me: shovel talks; bleak endings; major character death; the afterlife; "it was all a dream" endings; destiny/fate; soulmates; my ship breaks up
• Sappiness: plotless fluff; noncanonical pet names
• Sex & Relationship-Related: yentas and matchmakers; Dom/sub dynamics; pregnancy; adultery; UST that never gets resolved; poly; dark dynamics within my pairings
• characters written as ace, aro or demi; gender identity headcanons
• Writing Things: 1st & 2nd person POV; phonetically written dialogue (my brain genuinely struggles to process it; however, Francis Crawford or Dumas-style foreign language flourishes always delight me, translations neither needed nor desired)
• Crossover-related: never finding out about one another's backgrounds (ex. the reveal doesn’t have to happen ‘on-screen’, but I need Fandom A's characters to find out about Fandom B's supernatural stuff); letting real-life pub dates create age differences (please simply pretend one canon took place a bit later so that requested characters are around the same age)
Lymond Chronicles
Characters: Francis, Christian
What It Is: A book series about a Renaissance Scottish adventurer who is one part James Bond, one part Braveheart, one part Ethan Hunt, and one part the most effusively erudite person who has ever existed on the page. There are six of these incredibly iddy and self-indulgent action-adventure mystery novels, but this can request can be written having only read the first one (“The Game of Kings” by Dorothy Dunnet).
Request:
I yearn for a canon divergence AU about Francis and Christian unambiguously getting together (with actual makeouts, or more!) and being okay after the first book. “The Game of Kings” 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. No hints of other future Francis pairings, please. However, 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!
Prompts:
— 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.
— Something where magic is real. Like Johnnie Bullo's work not being a con, or druids, or selkies, or stumbling into Avalon, or finding Excalibur, or... IDK. Anything. Francis and Christian dealing with the ensuing adventure while also dealing with their feelings.
— The books skipped over the first year of Francis's reinstatement into Scottish high society. Tell me more about how that went. What if they'd gotten the formal reintroduction they had wished for?
— Forced Proximity: I love how such tropes push relationships forward and help them learn new things about each other--both delightful and irritating. I also adore the awkward sexual situations engendered (and resolved, please!). You can handwave the set-up. Perhaps the Queen Mother sends him/them on a mission to England or France? Undercover as a couple in France or London? Captured or stranded together?
—Arranged marriage or marriage of convenience: 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?
— I loved the pseudo-scavenger hunt for the glove that Francis set up for Richard, as well as when Francis wrote to Christian via Agnes. Something involving another puzzle Francis sets up for Christian? Or vice versa? Or that they have to solve together?
— Time Loop/Groundhog Day: 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…
Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
Characters: Henry, Eleanor
What It Is: Jane Austen pokes fun at gothic horror. Free here.
Request:
Henry is my favorite Austen love interest. I love his sarcasm, teasing playfulness, pragmatism, everything. I love how unembarrassed he is about his reading tastes. The fact that he's a teensy bit annoying--so pedantic!--adds to his endearing realness. And Eleanor is wonderful, handling things with grace, intelligence, and a twinkling sense of humour. They have a great us-against-the-world closeness. I love how they respect one another, all their moments of silent understanding, how she is simultaneously amused by and over his shit. Feel free to take anyone and anything around Henry and Eleanor to a creepy, dark, fully gothic place (or a wondrously magical place!). But no matter what, please don't make them or their relationship dark, and please give them a hopeful ending. A fic that showcases their general closeness and how well they work together, and that allows Henry to be arch and fun, would be great.
What I'm hoping for is pre-canon fic and/or a canon divergence where the Tilneys never met Catherine, so the fic can focus on Henry and Eleanor's dynamic and adventures (and/or their relationships with crossover people, if you choose to write one). No missing scenes or post-canon fic, or mention of Catherine at all, please. Much as I really do love her in canon, I want fic about other stuff, too. I’d love for Henry and Eleanor to be around the same age as in canon, or only very slightly younger (definitely both of them over seventeen).
Prompts:
— What if Northanger Abbey really had been a gothic horror or otherwise magical setting? Maybe it's haunted, or their dad or older brother is an evil entity, or there's some other kind of supernatural thing (see General Likes section). When and how do Henry and Eleanor find out about the thing? What happens and what do they do?
— An adventure Henry and Eleanor shared together before canon. During a trip to Paris or a season in London? United front against something their asshole father was aiming for? Dealing with an awful aunt or unwelcome suitor?
— Stealing secret moments of in deliciously gothic spots around the Abbey, or in carriages? Undercover as a couple? Being all playful and teasing yet heartbreaking and stoic?
Crossover Prompts:
I have gen and shippy crossover prompts with Penny Dreadful, Pride & Prejudice, and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell HERE. For P&P crossovers, it's okay if Eleanor doesn't appear (though she is always welcome!).
d’Artagnan Romances
Characters: Raoul (Vicomte de Bragelonne); Armand de Gramont (Comte de Guiche)
What It Is: The nominated fandom is Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers”, but these characters don’t appear until the sequel, “Twenty Years After”. They also appear in the rest of the series). However, you can write this request based just on Twenty Years After. All the novels are free on Gutenberg.
Request:
I love how instantly and easily they took to one another. The loyalty and perfect nobility of these two in 'Twenty Years After' just kills me! I love their odd couple-ness, with Raoul such an innocent and earnest country boy, the most perfect gentleman, but all insecure about his illegitimate/orphan status. Then you have de Guiche, who is more urbane and sophisticated and sexually experienced and from a very posh family. They’re so different, but work together so well! I wanted so much more about their relationship, and less about their ultimately tragic crushes on Louise and Henrietta… I want a canon divergence where they both get over it sooner rather than later—to be endgame with each other!!! It would avert so much awfulness later on. Without bashing Louise or Henrietta, please! I enjoy everyone in this series, so anyone is welcome to appear in the background.
I’d like something set a few years after their first meeting so that Raoul is at least 18. In real life, de Guiche was apparently the MOST handsome and charming, and also an openly bisexual playboy. I’d love something where he gently initiates Raoul and/or Raoul is the first of his liaisons that he's actually fallen in love with. What makes him realize this difference of feeling? What does he do once he figures it out? For Raoul, how does he realize that what he feels for his friend is the real deal (more real than his crush on a little girl)? I’d like them to unambiguously get together, with actual makeouts, or more, please!
All I know about de Guiche is from these books and Wikipedia, so don’t stress about historical accuracy. I will love any ridiculous Dumas-style trope you want to include. Here are a few to get you started: forced to share a bed in quaint country inns, aristocrats in haylofts, lonely country roads, back to back badasses, horse goes lame so we have to share, secret meetings under bridges along the Seine, roaring rampage of rescue, scandalously rowdy or licentious taverns/brothels, battlefield tents, trying to hide wound until dramatic fainting or pool of blood gives it away, tenderly wrapping wounds with ripped pieces of his shirt, OTT self-sacrificing gestures (ex. taking the bullet, taking the blame; ‘take me instead’; ‘I will only slow you down’, dying moment of awesome that he ends up not dying of)…
Prompts:
— Missions Together: What if, between ‘Twenty Years After’ and ‘Ten Years Later’, the Prince sent them on an espionage mission or some other kind of mission, just the two of them (and maybe their lackeys)? To England or Germany or Spain, or to identify conspirators within France, or to rescue a kidnapped heiress, or...? How do they work together and get together?
— Glittering Court or Salon Parties: I’d love for de Guiche to take Raoul to a wild party... maybe even a masked ball? IDK. Corrupt him, just a little bit? How does Raoul like it, or is he overwhelmed/not into it? Making out in candlelit corridors or secret passageways? Getting caught up in court conspiracies or dangers? How do they help each other?
— Just Add Magic: I’d love a Halloween-style spooky adventure (troop stationed in a haunted manor, or there’s something creepy in the fog, etc) or straight up magic added to the otherwise canonical universe (see general likes). Or does immortal Count Cagliostro from Dumas's Marie Antoinette series have Plans for one or both of them? How does facing this adventure together lead to them getting together?
— Stranded Together: Do they get left behind on the battlefield, presumed dead… but they’re not! Or one of them refuses to leave the other behind. Having to make their way back to their regiment, alone in a hostile place… Friends with benefits? Desperation or hurt/comfort that turns a little more passionate?
— Captured Together: Both of them captured by the enemy. I want allllll the whump and hurt/comfort. As long as no one ends up permanently damaged and there’s a happy ending, you can make their captivity as messed up as you like. Are they huddled together in a cell? Or maybe it’s more of a psychological thriller where they are captives but get to have nice clothes and are invited to dinner, but something is… off. How do they work together to escape, or get ransomed, or finish the mission? How does it help them get together?
Psmith - PG Wodehouse
Characters: Psmith, Mike
What It Is: These are (short!) gently humorous novels about two best friends in early 20th century England, from boarding school to beyond. 'Mike & Psmith' and 'Psmith In the City' are both free on Gutenberg. 'Psmith, Journalist' and 'Leave It to Psmith' come after, but they aren't necessary for this request, since Mike barely appears.
Request:
I would like a friends to lovers story! Just... anything where they're unquestionably together by the end (with actual make-outs, or more!). 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. Who is the forward one here, or do they bumble equally in their own ways? Does either try to hide his nerves/inexperience? Or not? Or maybe one or both is actually experienced? Any take on a romance between them would be fascinating.
If you don't ship it, a crossover (see below for options) or an adventure that adds magic or supernatural elements to the otherwise canonical universe would also be good, especially if it digs into their relationship and shows how well they work together. Regardless of whether you write ship or gen, I don't want to read about any other ship as endgame (not even a hint!); so, please set it before they met their wives and/or pretend they never did.
A romance would most likely have to be a secret relationship, per the time period. While a little longing and guilty hesitation are nice (and a touch of quietly understood, low-key forbiddenness does add a certain frisson), I’d prefer to avoid anguished coming outs, internalized homophobia, and serious discussion of social issues. Other kinds of angst are fine, though (ex. pining, hurt/comfort, boarding school bullies, backstory abuse, etc.) as long as it turns out okay by the end and retains a sense of humor. Can they just… get away with their romance without having to discuss at length why they’re being secretive?
Prompts:
— Canon Divergence: What if either or both of their fathers had not gone bankrupt? What if they'd moved to Hollywood after university? What if they'd stayed with the bank? What if the plan for Mike to manage Psmith's estates had happened? What if...? What does a getting-together story look like in this divergence?
— Getting Together: How does it happen? Is it friends with benefits, or does one actually court the other? Does it happen at Sedleigh or when they're at the bank, or at Cambridge? Some other time? What's their first time like?
— Something that explores what they're like in bed. Does Mike think about sex like cricket (or not)? Does Psmith ever shut up (or not)? Seriously, ANYTHING!
— 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.
— One (or both?) in a Groundhog Day loop? No need to explain how it starts or why it ends (handwave away!); I care about the things people learn about themselves and each other, and how they deal with the situation
— Playing with that historical/literary theme of romantic boarding school attachments being a thing guys expect to grow out of. Except Psmith and Mike realize... it isn't happening? Could involve pining, doomed set-ups, erroneously assuming the other is over it, or "it's a far far better thing I do..." angst, or whatever you want, before a happy ending.
— 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…
— Random Acquisition of 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 having superpowers is not supposed to be a thing. 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.
— WWI: 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.
— 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, how do the boys set things right in the end, and how does the experience help them get together?
Crossover Prompts:
— With Narnia: See HERE
— With David Blaize: See HERE. Frank is the David Blaize character I am really invested in.
— With Penny Dreadful or My Family & Other Animals: See HERE
This is a long letter, so here are some anchor links:
Lymond Chronicles, Northanger Abbey, Les Trois Mousquetaires, and Psmith - PG Wodehouse
Things I Love
• General Fic Stuff: I like fic where people talk and do new things (no missing scenes, alternate POV retellings of existing canon episodes, or plotless introspective character studies, please). I love canon divergences, as wild as you like, no explanation for the changes needed. I'm just as--often more!--interested in watching characters navigate what comes after a prompted premise than I am in the premise itself. 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. Basically, stories that end before the characters actually do anything in the premise make me sad.
• Devoted Friends & Family: odd couples; enjoying one another's company; laughing at one another; fond exasperation; loyalty; quietly self-sacrificial gestures; demonstrating affection without using the words "I love you"
• Adventures & Journeys: trains; ships; hotels; vacations gone awry; fish out of water; exploring new territory; captured or stranded together; daring rescues or escapes; espionage
• Competence & Resourcefulness: complementary skill sets; badassery; 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 any of the ships I've requested. I've listed out some general likes in the Yuleporn post HERE. There's also a more egregiously detailed version HERE (but honestly, the Yuleporn one is good enough).
• Friends to Lovers: I like many variations, including, a) friends with benefits or sex before feelings that becomes more; b) fics that start after the first kiss/declaration and focus on how they navigate the relationship transition in the days or weeks that follow, c) adventures that cause people to realize they have more than platonic feelings and decide to make a move.
• Just Add Magic: Magical realism, urban fantasy, or characters encountering mythological, fantasy, or eldritch horror elements in the otherwise canonical universe (happy endings, please!). I'm not crazy about werewolves, vampires or zombies, but other examples include: magical paintings, statues or books; magical or cursed artefacts; "hour inside, year outside" locations; locations that aren't always there; magic as explanation for a canon plot point; wishes unexpectedly granted; magic comes with a price; immortal antagonist; character is descended from a supernatural species; something else!
Do Not Want
• unrequested romantic pairings, unrequested crossovers
• goofy crack, fusions, alternate setting AUs (ex. modern, space, Hogwarts)
• Things That Upset Me: shovel talks; bleak endings; major character death; the afterlife; "it was all a dream" endings; destiny/fate; soulmates; my ship breaks up
• Sappiness: plotless fluff; noncanonical pet names
• Sex & Relationship-Related: yentas and matchmakers; Dom/sub dynamics; pregnancy; adultery; UST that never gets resolved; poly; dark dynamics within my pairings
• characters written as ace, aro or demi; gender identity headcanons
• Writing Things: 1st & 2nd person POV; phonetically written dialogue (my brain genuinely struggles to process it; however, Francis Crawford or Dumas-style foreign language flourishes always delight me, translations neither needed nor desired)
• Crossover-related: never finding out about one another's backgrounds (ex. the reveal doesn’t have to happen ‘on-screen’, but I need Fandom A's characters to find out about Fandom B's supernatural stuff); letting real-life pub dates create age differences (please simply pretend one canon took place a bit later so that requested characters are around the same age)
Lymond Chronicles
Characters: Francis, Christian
What It Is: A book series about a Renaissance Scottish adventurer who is one part James Bond, one part Braveheart, one part Ethan Hunt, and one part the most effusively erudite person who has ever existed on the page. There are six of these incredibly iddy and self-indulgent action-adventure mystery novels, but this can request can be written having only read the first one (“The Game of Kings” by Dorothy Dunnet).
Request:
I yearn for a canon divergence AU about Francis and Christian unambiguously getting together (with actual makeouts, or more!) and being okay after the first book. “The Game of Kings” 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. No hints of other future Francis pairings, please. However, 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!
Prompts:
— 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.
— Something where magic is real. Like Johnnie Bullo's work not being a con, or druids, or selkies, or stumbling into Avalon, or finding Excalibur, or... IDK. Anything. Francis and Christian dealing with the ensuing adventure while also dealing with their feelings.
— The books skipped over the first year of Francis's reinstatement into Scottish high society. Tell me more about how that went. What if they'd gotten the formal reintroduction they had wished for?
— Forced Proximity: I love how such tropes push relationships forward and help them learn new things about each other--both delightful and irritating. I also adore the awkward sexual situations engendered (and resolved, please!). You can handwave the set-up. Perhaps the Queen Mother sends him/them on a mission to England or France? Undercover as a couple in France or London? Captured or stranded together?
—Arranged marriage or marriage of convenience: 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?
— I loved the pseudo-scavenger hunt for the glove that Francis set up for Richard, as well as when Francis wrote to Christian via Agnes. Something involving another puzzle Francis sets up for Christian? Or vice versa? Or that they have to solve together?
— Time Loop/Groundhog Day: 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…
Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
Characters: Henry, Eleanor
What It Is: Jane Austen pokes fun at gothic horror. Free here.
Request:
Henry is my favorite Austen love interest. I love his sarcasm, teasing playfulness, pragmatism, everything. I love how unembarrassed he is about his reading tastes. The fact that he's a teensy bit annoying--so pedantic!--adds to his endearing realness. And Eleanor is wonderful, handling things with grace, intelligence, and a twinkling sense of humour. They have a great us-against-the-world closeness. I love how they respect one another, all their moments of silent understanding, how she is simultaneously amused by and over his shit. Feel free to take anyone and anything around Henry and Eleanor to a creepy, dark, fully gothic place (or a wondrously magical place!). But no matter what, please don't make them or their relationship dark, and please give them a hopeful ending. A fic that showcases their general closeness and how well they work together, and that allows Henry to be arch and fun, would be great.
What I'm hoping for is pre-canon fic and/or a canon divergence where the Tilneys never met Catherine, so the fic can focus on Henry and Eleanor's dynamic and adventures (and/or their relationships with crossover people, if you choose to write one). No missing scenes or post-canon fic, or mention of Catherine at all, please. Much as I really do love her in canon, I want fic about other stuff, too. I’d love for Henry and Eleanor to be around the same age as in canon, or only very slightly younger (definitely both of them over seventeen).
Prompts:
— What if Northanger Abbey really had been a gothic horror or otherwise magical setting? Maybe it's haunted, or their dad or older brother is an evil entity, or there's some other kind of supernatural thing (see General Likes section). When and how do Henry and Eleanor find out about the thing? What happens and what do they do?
— An adventure Henry and Eleanor shared together before canon. During a trip to Paris or a season in London? United front against something their asshole father was aiming for? Dealing with an awful aunt or unwelcome suitor?
— Stealing secret moments of in deliciously gothic spots around the Abbey, or in carriages? Undercover as a couple? Being all playful and teasing yet heartbreaking and stoic?
Crossover Prompts:
I have gen and shippy crossover prompts with Penny Dreadful, Pride & Prejudice, and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell HERE. For P&P crossovers, it's okay if Eleanor doesn't appear (though she is always welcome!).
d’Artagnan Romances
Characters: Raoul (Vicomte de Bragelonne); Armand de Gramont (Comte de Guiche)
What It Is: The nominated fandom is Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers”, but these characters don’t appear until the sequel, “Twenty Years After”. They also appear in the rest of the series). However, you can write this request based just on Twenty Years After. All the novels are free on Gutenberg.
Request:
I love how instantly and easily they took to one another. The loyalty and perfect nobility of these two in 'Twenty Years After' just kills me! I love their odd couple-ness, with Raoul such an innocent and earnest country boy, the most perfect gentleman, but all insecure about his illegitimate/orphan status. Then you have de Guiche, who is more urbane and sophisticated and sexually experienced and from a very posh family. They’re so different, but work together so well! I wanted so much more about their relationship, and less about their ultimately tragic crushes on Louise and Henrietta… I want a canon divergence where they both get over it sooner rather than later—to be endgame with each other!!! It would avert so much awfulness later on. Without bashing Louise or Henrietta, please! I enjoy everyone in this series, so anyone is welcome to appear in the background.
I’d like something set a few years after their first meeting so that Raoul is at least 18. In real life, de Guiche was apparently the MOST handsome and charming, and also an openly bisexual playboy. I’d love something where he gently initiates Raoul and/or Raoul is the first of his liaisons that he's actually fallen in love with. What makes him realize this difference of feeling? What does he do once he figures it out? For Raoul, how does he realize that what he feels for his friend is the real deal (more real than his crush on a little girl)? I’d like them to unambiguously get together, with actual makeouts, or more, please!
All I know about de Guiche is from these books and Wikipedia, so don’t stress about historical accuracy. I will love any ridiculous Dumas-style trope you want to include. Here are a few to get you started: forced to share a bed in quaint country inns, aristocrats in haylofts, lonely country roads, back to back badasses, horse goes lame so we have to share, secret meetings under bridges along the Seine, roaring rampage of rescue, scandalously rowdy or licentious taverns/brothels, battlefield tents, trying to hide wound until dramatic fainting or pool of blood gives it away, tenderly wrapping wounds with ripped pieces of his shirt, OTT self-sacrificing gestures (ex. taking the bullet, taking the blame; ‘take me instead’; ‘I will only slow you down’, dying moment of awesome that he ends up not dying of)…
Prompts:
— Missions Together: What if, between ‘Twenty Years After’ and ‘Ten Years Later’, the Prince sent them on an espionage mission or some other kind of mission, just the two of them (and maybe their lackeys)? To England or Germany or Spain, or to identify conspirators within France, or to rescue a kidnapped heiress, or...? How do they work together and get together?
— Glittering Court or Salon Parties: I’d love for de Guiche to take Raoul to a wild party... maybe even a masked ball? IDK. Corrupt him, just a little bit? How does Raoul like it, or is he overwhelmed/not into it? Making out in candlelit corridors or secret passageways? Getting caught up in court conspiracies or dangers? How do they help each other?
— Just Add Magic: I’d love a Halloween-style spooky adventure (troop stationed in a haunted manor, or there’s something creepy in the fog, etc) or straight up magic added to the otherwise canonical universe (see general likes). Or does immortal Count Cagliostro from Dumas's Marie Antoinette series have Plans for one or both of them? How does facing this adventure together lead to them getting together?
— Stranded Together: Do they get left behind on the battlefield, presumed dead… but they’re not! Or one of them refuses to leave the other behind. Having to make their way back to their regiment, alone in a hostile place… Friends with benefits? Desperation or hurt/comfort that turns a little more passionate?
— Captured Together: Both of them captured by the enemy. I want allllll the whump and hurt/comfort. As long as no one ends up permanently damaged and there’s a happy ending, you can make their captivity as messed up as you like. Are they huddled together in a cell? Or maybe it’s more of a psychological thriller where they are captives but get to have nice clothes and are invited to dinner, but something is… off. How do they work together to escape, or get ransomed, or finish the mission? How does it help them get together?
Psmith - PG Wodehouse
Characters: Psmith, Mike
What It Is: These are (short!) gently humorous novels about two best friends in early 20th century England, from boarding school to beyond. 'Mike & Psmith' and 'Psmith In the City' are both free on Gutenberg. 'Psmith, Journalist' and 'Leave It to Psmith' come after, but they aren't necessary for this request, since Mike barely appears.
Request:
I would like a friends to lovers story! Just... anything where they're unquestionably together by the end (with actual make-outs, or more!). 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. Who is the forward one here, or do they bumble equally in their own ways? Does either try to hide his nerves/inexperience? Or not? Or maybe one or both is actually experienced? Any take on a romance between them would be fascinating.
If you don't ship it, a crossover (see below for options) or an adventure that adds magic or supernatural elements to the otherwise canonical universe would also be good, especially if it digs into their relationship and shows how well they work together. Regardless of whether you write ship or gen, I don't want to read about any other ship as endgame (not even a hint!); so, please set it before they met their wives and/or pretend they never did.
A romance would most likely have to be a secret relationship, per the time period. While a little longing and guilty hesitation are nice (and a touch of quietly understood, low-key forbiddenness does add a certain frisson), I’d prefer to avoid anguished coming outs, internalized homophobia, and serious discussion of social issues. Other kinds of angst are fine, though (ex. pining, hurt/comfort, boarding school bullies, backstory abuse, etc.) as long as it turns out okay by the end and retains a sense of humor. Can they just… get away with their romance without having to discuss at length why they’re being secretive?
Prompts:
— Canon Divergence: What if either or both of their fathers had not gone bankrupt? What if they'd moved to Hollywood after university? What if they'd stayed with the bank? What if the plan for Mike to manage Psmith's estates had happened? What if...? What does a getting-together story look like in this divergence?
— Getting Together: How does it happen? Is it friends with benefits, or does one actually court the other? Does it happen at Sedleigh or when they're at the bank, or at Cambridge? Some other time? What's their first time like?
— Something that explores what they're like in bed. Does Mike think about sex like cricket (or not)? Does Psmith ever shut up (or not)? Seriously, ANYTHING!
— 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.
— One (or both?) in a Groundhog Day loop? No need to explain how it starts or why it ends (handwave away!); I care about the things people learn about themselves and each other, and how they deal with the situation
— Playing with that historical/literary theme of romantic boarding school attachments being a thing guys expect to grow out of. Except Psmith and Mike realize... it isn't happening? Could involve pining, doomed set-ups, erroneously assuming the other is over it, or "it's a far far better thing I do..." angst, or whatever you want, before a happy ending.
— 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…
— Random Acquisition of 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 having superpowers is not supposed to be a thing. 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.
— WWI: 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.
— 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, how do the boys set things right in the end, and how does the experience help them get together?
Crossover Prompts:
— With Narnia: See HERE
— With David Blaize: See HERE. Frank is the David Blaize character I am really invested in.
— With Penny Dreadful or My Family & Other Animals: See HERE