AU Exchange 2019
Jul. 1st, 2019 10:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aurillyWell, THIS got embarrassingly long. Yikes. I like to leave a lot of info for those who want it, but please don’t feel boxed in by the prompts. Write whatever you want for these characters, maybe with a general like or two thrown in. As long as you’re having fun, I’m sure I’ll love it! I'm aurilly on AO3 as well.
Here are anchor links to the different sections:
Bucky (MCU)/Edmund (Narnia), Bucky (MCU)/Tirian (Narnia), MCU/Lost Crossover, MCU/Game of Thrones Crossovers, David Blaize Crossovers, Atlantis (BBC), Psmith, MCU/Alias Crossovers
General Note
1) Don't worry about how well your fic fits whichever tag we matched on, if there's 'enough' of the tag. You can also mix and match! Honestly, as long as my & pairings become friends or my / ships unambiguously end up together, I'll be pleased.
2) I'm just as--often more!--interested in watching characters deal with what comes after a prompted premise or tag. Feel free to skip the set-up and start in media res, after they’ve already gotten there or become friends. What I'm most interested in is what happens next--the adventures they share, what they bond about, how they move from friends to more, etc. Basically, stories that end shortly after the introductions make me sad.
Things I Always Love
• Devoted Odd Couples: odd couples; enjoying one another's company; laughing at one another; fond exasperation; loyalty; quietly self-sacrificial gestures; contrasting speech patterns
• 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
• Adventures & Journeys: vacations gone awry; fish out of water; exploring new territory; daring rescues or escapes; espionage; identity porn
• 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
• 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.
• Sexy Times: I don't care who tops or bottoms in m/m (DNW anal in m/f). I have general porn likes HERE; it's for all ships, not just the ones listed there. There's a more egregiously detailed version HERE (but honestly, the other one is enough).
• Forced Proximity or Sex: captured or stranded together; forced to have sex (by the bad guys, for cultural or initiation rites, to cast a spell, as part of undercover roles, etc) where they realize afterwards they’re into each other; arranged marriage or marriage of convenience that leads to feelings (but only for a reason with stakes, like espionage or greencards)
— Crossovers: applying skills/knowledge from one world to another world's problems; contrasting or reconciling differences in how a concept manifests across canons (ex. immortality, magic, realm hopping, 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, long-lost school chums, etc) and starting the story when they reunite in the present
Do Not Wants
— fusions or alternate setting AUs (ex. coffee shop, Hogwarts, modern), unrequested crossovers, goofy crack (but crack played serious is fun)
— non-canon romantic pairings other than the ones specifically requested; poly or threesomes
— fics where none of the main characters ever find out about the others' backgrounds or magic (the reveal doesn't have to happen 'on-screen', but please don't let it end with everyone still thinking everyone else is normal!)
— Things That Upset Me: permanent death of requested characters; the afterlife; bleak endings; 'it was all a dream' endings
— Schmoopiness: plotless fluff; non-canonical pet names or terms of endearment (ex. "baby", "Stevie")
— Sex & Relationship-Related: underage/overage; non-canonical incest; D/s dynamics; soulmates; shovel talks; yentas and matchmakers; pregnancy; adultery; characters written as ace, aro, or demi; gender identity headcanons; dark dynamics within my requested ships
— Writing Things: 1st & 2nd person POV; phonetically spelled dialogue (my brain genuinely struggles to process it)
— Crossover-related: tragically unresolved lifespan incompatibilities or Steve/Peggy in TFA-style endings; crossovers of more than two canons (unless specifically prompted); fourth wall breakage; age differences caused by disparate release/pub dates (please pretend one canon took place later so requested pairings are around the same age; GoT characters should be the ages they were at some point in canon)
MCU Notes (for use in crossovers)
Bucky: Please let Bucky be a fully functional badass with at least a glimmer of a sense of humour. I like stories about him trying to move on and build a new life, not ones where he's brainwashed or pathetic for most of it, or that are all about his agonizing recovery. 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 totally fine, though.
Loki: 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. I like him mischievous, self-serving, haughty, dramatic, vulnerable, stabby… but not actually crazy or evil.
Other Characters: Bucky, Loki, Steve and/or Thor are welcome to come along on the adventure with either requested character, if you want. For the gen crossover requests, I’m cool with background Steve/Bucky, Bucky/Loki, or Thor/Loki. However, if you're writing a Bucky ship request, I don’t want him or Steve to ever have had more than platonic feelings for one another. No characters or canon from the TV shows, please, as I'm not familiar with them.
Narnia Notes (for use in crossovers)
I love everyone's competency, earnestness and courage when it counts, but also their flaws, fears, and sass. I love Golden Age fics, 'Everybody Lives' AUs, and fics that diverge from canon (as wildly as you like!) at any point before the closing chapters of the Last Battle. I love that being redeemed and growing into a wise and just warrior king didn't entirely cure Edmund of being a cranky, sarcastic little shit. Tirian started off as a hot mess of a king, but he’s such a wonderful guy, and quite resourceful and clever when you rouse him out of his decadence.
The end of Narnia, train crash, and afterlife/Aslan's country are my biggest DNWs. Please let it be clear that everyone will get to live out their lives. You don't necessarily need to write a fix-it. It's fine to pretend it just never came up! I love pretty much all the protagonists, so anyone you want is welcome in the background. That said, I'm not super invested in Peter, Susan, or Magician's Nephew characters as a big focus. And I usually ignore the religious allegories.
MCU/Narnia Crossover – Bucky/Edmund
I want them to love each other as much as I love them, and to have adventures, and be competent, and make out (or more!). What aspects of their angsty backgrounds can they pep talk each other through? How can their experiences and skill sets help each other or help solve an issue in either canon? How do they figure out one another's backstories, and what do they think of the other's (they MUST find out!)? How do they fall in love? There's delicious potential for angsty separations and happy ending reunions in this ship, too, if you want. See MCU and Narnia general notes/DNW above.
Edmund being a kid and Bucky being a soldier during WWII is too situationally intrinsic to both characters for my usual "just fudge it" approach. However, time between realms is so untethered and random that I could easily buy something like post-TWS Bucky traveling to the Golden Age. Or maybe at the end of Endgame, Bucky time travels to the 50s/60s when Edmund is grown up again, either as the initial premise of the story or as the happy ending epilogue. Basically, do whatever you need to avoid an age discrepancy ending and I'll roll with it. (It's okay if adult!Bucky temporarily sees/hangs with kid!Edmund at some point, as long as he doesn't touch the kid and endgame is with grown-up Ed).
Edmund in the Future
The story starts when grown up again Edmund returns from going on adventures with the rings. However, because of handwavey reasons, the rings have dropped him off decades after he left… Whoops! How do he and Bucky meet? Does Ed rescue him from Hydra (possibly earlier than in canon?), or is it post-TWS? Out of time together, hurt/comfort, etc. Is Hydra after one or both, or is it more slice of life? Do they use the rings again? Something else?
Bucky In Golden Age Narnia
Someone blows the horn, summoning Bucky to Golden Age Narnia for help with a problem. Or Bucky finds himself there in some other way, I really don't care. Getting together while dealing with giants, espionage, outwitting Calormene spies, implementing educational policies, the Rabadash situation? Something else? Is it a divergence where the Pevensies ruled the Golden Age their whole lives? Or do Bucky and Edmund reunite later back in our world?
Traveling with Rings
Hydra sends the Winter Soldier to the Professor's childhood home to get the rings on the same day that Edmund goes, resulting in them going to other realms instead of Edmund dying. Exploring the Wood, or deserted Charn, or Westeros, or Asgard, or Atlantis (the BBC show… the rings canonically came from Atlantis!) or back to Narnia to help Tirian, or a world you make up? I'd prefer a focus on Edmund (plus Lucy, if you want), not the whole set of Friends.
Canon-Setting Spies
I enjoy the fanon that Edmund grows up and becomes a spy. Does he get partnered with the Asset, is like, "gah, this poor guy" and run away with him? Or do they go on a spy mission while Bucky's in Narnia? Or has Ed been sent to investigate the Winter Soldier myth, resulting in his rescuing Bucky? Or...?
Optional for Any Tag
Do they first meet (or have a middle meeting) that's not the Golden Age before the final getting together? Ex. maybe Bucky gets a healing sleep on Ramandu's island, or Bucky was stuck alone in the Telmarine-age ruins of Cair Paravel, or… As long as there's a happy ending, do whatever you like like in the middle.
MCU/Narnia Crossover – Bucky/Tirian
They would be so competent and delightful and hot together. Fairytale king + Brooklyn street smarts, yum. I really don't care how Bucky and Tirian get here or there. Summoned by Susan's horn is one of the tags (ex. in a canon divergence where he or someone else blew it), but you could also assume it was Bucky that Tirian summoned while he was tied to the tree instead of the Friends. Or something else. Or leave it unexplained. I'm happy to pretend the Friends had nothing to do with The Last Battle (ie., Jill and Eustace never came), so you can assume Tirian's reign lined up with some earlier or later time on Earth (ie. Post-TWS!Bucky/Tirian is an option). Or throw timelines to the wind! See MCU and Narnia general notes/DNW above.
Met In Dreams First
You know how Tirian astrally projected to the Friends of Narnia that one time? Well, what if he's been doing it on the regular, with Bucky? They have always secretly thought they had an imaginary friend (or are going nuts), but one day they meet, either in Narnia or on Earth. Is it because of Tirian's star heritage magic (IDFK), or does Bucky seek him out, somehow getting his hands on the rings? Something else? What happens when they meet?
Ritual Sex to Save the World
Why no one thought of trying this in TLB is beyond me.
Narnians In Our World
What if, instead of astrally projecting, he actually goes! Either during WWII, or to our present-day, or multiple points in time! Tirian was so cutely nerdy about history and hero-worshipping the Friends; what would he make of actually being in our world? Is there something here that could help? Does he rescue Bucky from Hydra, or do they meet after Bucky's already escaped? How do they take care of one another and get together?
Caught In Calormen
Bucky somehow joining Tirian for a pre-TLB jaunt into Calormen? Is he there for espionage, diplomacy and/or undercover partying? How do they get together, and can this adventure result in TLB canon never even happening?
Post-TLB
I love espionage and desperate missions and angsty last stands and people bonding while struggling to survive in nature. I like all the 'nice' people in TLB, so include whoever you want. How does Bucky end up with them, how he can help, and how do he and Tirian fall for one another? Does Tirian know more secret hideouts full of wine? Does Puzzle (the darling!) somehow end up saving the day along with Bucky? The more horrible of an ending for Shift, the better.
MCU/Lost Crossover
Pairing: Bucky & Left Behind in the 70s Ensemble
This will always be my most favorite show. I love the characters, the setting, the action/adventure, the humor, the hugs. I love the theme of characters getting over their baggage via self-help and forced proximity friendships/romances. I love how exuberantly bonkers it was, and how the characters mostly rolled with whatever happened. I adore all seasons, but for crossovers, I'm only interested in later season stuff. DNW fic set in the sideways universe, during characters' pre-island flashbacks, or during the 108 Days (i.e. DNW Bucky as a passenger on Oceanic 815). See top of this letter for MCU notes/DNWs.
Basically, I want Bucky to make friends with any/all of: Juliet, Sawyer, Miles, Jin, Richard, with a focus on whichever one(s) you like best. I love the idea of Bucky joining this bunch of snarky misfit woobies, pep talking or tough loving each other and facilitating self-help after years of ongoing wtf trauma. How do they all find out about one another's backstories and become friends? Gen would be fantastic, but if you want to ship Bucky with Juliet, Miles or Richard, go right ahead (but only one of those ships, please!). Including background Sawyer/Juliet and/or Miles/Richard is welcome if you're not shipping them with Bucky.
Although the afterlife is generally a massive nope for me, Miles's superpower and Smokey's projections are exceptions. Per the general DNW, can you please pretend Lost happened later, alongside the MCU movies, so that everyone is around the age they were in canon, instead of aging post-series Lost characters up? Ex. pretend TWS and the Lost finale happened within a few months of each other, or Endgame and the S4 finale happened at the same time, or whatever other intersection you want.
1974-1977 DHARMA
Bucky as a member of the secret time travelers clique within the DHARMA. Wearing a jumpsuit, sharing a yellow house with someone, getting a Sawyer nickname, maybe he speaks Korean, visiting the lighthouse, mechanic!Juliet repairs his arm, Smokey gives him visions/tests, maybe the island cures him for as long as he's on it... You get the idea. Does his presence lead to canon death situations never even coming up?
Post-Series
You can set the fic entirely post-series, back in the regular world (same list of requested characters, plus Desmond and Penny). Do they take him in while he's on the run post-TWS? Did Bucky know them before (if so, does he even remember? or are they the ones who rescue him from Hydra?)? Or do they meet for the first time post-Lost finale?
Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Maybe a white flash (or some other time travel) sends Bucky to the late 19th century, when only Jacob, Richard and MIB were on the island. Does Bucky get caught up in their weird drama? What does he think of it all? Is he a Candidate? Does MIB try to tempt him? Establishing the first group of Others together? Or Bucky helps Richard bury Jughead in 1954? Did Richard or Jacob try to recruit Bucky in Brooklyn or during the war, and now he meets him/them again on the island? Do Bucky and Richard reunite later, in the present day? (Jacob/Richard welcome even if shipping Bucky/Richard.)
The Constant
This whole concept is sooooo angsty and feelingsful; it should happen to more people! But DNW a replacement or rehash of Desmond's experience. I want to know how the concept would play out for Bucky. When does it happen? The trigger could be following the wrong coordinates again, or a 70s DHARMA experiment gone wrong, or a Hydra experiment at one of the other electromagnetic spots on Earth, or handwave it (I really don't care), or…What year does his consciousness flash back and forth to (please not army training)? Do his mind issues or MCU canon make it even angstier or more difficult to resolve? What/who is his constant and how do they connect? Is it Steve (gen or ship)? Hard mode is Bucky/Loki! Do the Lostaways help him, given that they know about this rigamarole from when it happened to Des? Or, does the story take place back in the regular world, the Constant is someone he met on the island, and confused MCU people have to help him? Constants can also be a non-person—whatever you want!
General
Again, I don't care how Bucky meets everyone or gets to the island. Feel free to start with him already established as part of the group. That said, here are a couple of ideas, in case you're stuck… 1) The Winter Soldier was one of the soldiers on the freighter, the only one to survive (I mean, Lost DOES have a Hydra Island where they brainwash people! and Widmore WAS on that council with Fury!) and a white flash took him to the 70s, too? 2) Hydra sent him to the island in the 70s on a mission, and he falls in with the Lostaways.
MCU/Game of Thrones
Pairings:
• Bucky & Shireen
• Bucky and/or Loki & Tyrion
• Bucky and/or Loki & Team Daenerys
• Bucky and/or Loki & Jaqen
• Bucky and/or Loki & The Tyrells
General MCU/GoT Notes
I desperately want Bucky or Loki (or both!) to go to Westeros/Essos (DNW fic want set in our world), have an adventure there, and make friends with people I like. How can their skills or experiences help GoT characters and vice versa? Fish out of water? And what do the GoT characters make of them and the idea of other worlds? Bucky or Loki riding dragons, Bucky with a sword, Bucky’s arm acting as Valyrian steel, Bucky or Loki not taking shit from assholes, Loki's magic vs the Night King or Lord of Light people, connections between Asgardian and GoT worldbuilding concepts, Bucky or Loki as the actual prince who was promised… Any and all of this would make me scream with joy.
As usual, I don’t care about the realm travel mechanics, so feel free to start with them already there. You don't need to explain how they got there at all! While Melisandre's magic is an option (per the tag), I don't need them to show up at her doorstep or even meet her (though they can!). They might not ever find out what brought them there.
I will always adore a canon divergence—as wild as you like—that branches off whenever. Or set it post-series! I have only seen the TV show, but you can include bits of book canon as long as the MCU guys learn about it with me. MCU DNWs are in the at the top of this letter. My main GoT DNW is any appearance by Ramsay Snow or the Sand Snakes. The afterlife is one of my general DNWs, but zombies and whatever was going on with Jon and Beric don't count as afterlife to me. Canon pairings are fine to include in the background (and Jorah/Daenerys or Tyrion/Sansa would make me smile). I'm fine keeping canon deaths as long as those deaths don't wipe out a majority of the characters with whom Bucky or Loki has made friends. However, Shireen is the exception; if she's in the story, she MUST live!
Bucky & Shireen
I have a weakness for fics where Bucky and a randomly acquired child take care of each other. 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, and help him through his wtf fish out of waterness. He would love how sweet and clever she is, and make her feel less lonely. How do the two of them being alive/there affect other canon plots? Or just slice of life, whatever!
You can write out the fix it for her death, but I would actually be even more excited by something that assumes she somehow got away before the start of the story (or diverges before so that it never even came up) and instead focuses on their subsequent adventures. Is the happy ending that Bucky stays in Westeros, or does he take Shireen back to our world with him at the end?
—Shireen finds a spell in the Castle Black library (or an old Valyrian book on Dragonstone, or whatever) that whisks Bucky to Westeros before the whole burning thing came up. What happens next?
—Bucky rescued her from the pyre—or days before the pyre—and spirited her away. What do they do next? If they’re traveling, are they just trying to lay low and get somewhere ‘safe’, or do they have a mission? Do they team up with other people I like (see requests below)? What happens next?
— Canon divergence where her parents left her at Dragonstone. Bucky shows up there while they're away, and she takes him in. How do she and Bucky mind the island? What do they do once news of her parents' death comes? Is she the new Lady of Storm's End/Dragonstone? What happens if/when Team Daenerys shows up? Is Gendry hanging with them? Does Davos come back? The Night King? Something else?
— Anything you want to write! Seriously.
All the Other MCU/GoT Pairings
Please consider this request "Bucky and/or Loki In Westeros/Essos With At Least One of My Faves". My faves include: all the Mormonts, Margaery, Olenna, Missandei, Tyrion, Gendry, Davos, Shireen, Tormund, the Hound, Jaquen, Brienne, Podrick, Sam, Gilly, Yara, and Daenerys (feel free to keep or ignore her madness, as you like). Anyone else is welcome in the background. This letter is already too long to leave prompts for all pairings and tags, but as long as your fic focuses on people listed above (even better, if Loki or Bucky's presence improves their lot or helps take the "mean" people down a peg), I'll love it.
With Team Daenerys
Can the MCU character's experience in our world help defeat the masters or Lannisters or White Walkers or whatever? Does she take the Iron Throne, or stay in Mereen, or…? Or does Bucky or Loki join her council? Or help defeat the White Walkers in a divergence where they weren't defeated up North? Something else? Bonus points if Missandei helps Bucky or Loki save the day. I could ship Bucky/Dany or Bucky/Missandei (if Greworm can get over it), if you want. Or Loki/Daenerys (literal ice and fire!). Please do not have them harm Dany!
Post-Series King's Landing
I'm sure there's a lot of work to be done rebuilding the kingdom or paying the debts or repairing King's Landing, or… How can Bucky or Loki help? How do they relate to King Bran? Get a role on the small council? Does Brienne knight someone? Something else? Or maybe this is a post-series canon divergence where Dany won. Same questions about how they work together to fix things after years of war.
With the Tyrells
Can Bucky or Loki get them out before the explosion or help them in some other way? What happens next? What does Olenna have to say? Does Margaery now have a bodyguard as strong as the Mountain? Loki and Margaery playing the game together (she's probably better at it)? Do they defeat Cersei or Daenerys or White Walkers? Something else? You can ship Bucky/Margaery, if you want.
In Valyria
What if, instead of going to Westeros, Team Daenerys decided to rebuild Valyria? They either take MCU guy with them, or meet him there. I once heard a book spoiler that Daenerys and Tyrion are immune to greyscale (though I don't know why), and I'm assuming Jorah can't get it again, and that Bucky and Loki are immune. That would make most of them safe to explore (with some yummy protectiveness of Missandei). 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? How do they work together and what do they accomplish?
With Jaquen
Something playing with ideas of assassins, shapeshifting, of being ‘no one’ or a ‘ghost’, of losing/reclaiming your identity, etc. Either a team-up or face-off (pun intended) between Loki and Jaquen? Does the Many-Faced God owe Bucky? Is the God of Lies also the Many-Faced God? Is Loki visiting Braavos to steal artifacts/secrets or to train? Is Bucky or Loki seeking refuge at the temple, or did Jaqen seek him out? Do they have a bittersweet fling, but that's all it can be because being nobody means you can't have lasting relationships (this is a & request that you can write as / if you want)? Or does Jaquen's shapshifting help them work through their feelings for someone else (i.e. Steve or Thor; platonic or gen)? Does the Waif similarly hate them (I loathe her)? Or something else!
David Blaize Crossovers
Pairings:
• Frank/Edmund (Narnia)
• Frank/Bucky (MCU)
• Frank & Psmith/Mike (Wodehouse)
Frank/Edmund (Narnia)
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/lacked opportunity/hasn’t liked anyone enough/other? Or maybe he’s actually quite inexperienced. What draws them to each other and how do they get together?
My biggest asks are a) for Frank to find out about Narnia/Edmund’s secret and b) to pretend the David Blaize books were set later so that they are around the same age (DNW age differences).
— Boarding School or University: Edmund attending Marchester and/or Cambridge, too. Are they both prefects? On a team together? Is Edmund really good at sneaking out/around? Have they always liked one another, or do they start as rivals but end up falling for one another? Wet and full of adrenaline after a sailing race or tennis match?
— Susan's Horn: Frank finds himself in Golden Age Narnia. 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? Did they know each other from before, or do they meet here? Can Frank help Ed and his siblings remember their lives from before?
— Using the Rings: I'm obsessed with Edmund using the rings to go adventuring. 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? Or were they friends before and decide to adventure together? Visiting the Wood Between the Worlds or not-so-dead Charn? Back to Narnia? Westeros/Essos (I only know the TV show), Atlantis (BBC show), or Asgard are other options.
— Other Post-Series: 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)? Finding ancient magic here on earth? Partying with Bacchus, who's an old acquaintance or lover of Ed's? (this prompt doesn't fit any of the tags, but it's one of my usuals, so go for it if you like it)
Frank/Bucky (MCU)
I would like a WWII getting together story. Please pretend the books were set later so that they are around the same age (DNW age differences). 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, and Frank initiates him?
Feel free to pretend Bucky didn’t fall off the train so they can have a happily ever after. Or maybe Frank rescues his brainwashed old flame from Hydra in, like, 1950 (ie. before there’s a major age difference), or Bucky travels back in time with Steve at the end of Endgame 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).
Is Frank 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 the one sort-of exception to my 'no Steve/Bucky in Bucky ship requests' DNW)? If Bucky had been crushing on Steve, I need him to get over it completely 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!
— Met Fighting In WWII (general soldiering edition): 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?
— Met Fighting in WWII (Howling Commandoes edition): 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 bomed out pub… anything!
— Met In Captivity (Azzano edition): 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, when they begin to realize the experiments left permanent changes on them (i.e. superpowers). The more whump the better.
— Canon-Setting Spies: Sent on an espionage + sniper mission together? Or maybe Frank isn’t a soldier, but rather some sort of archaeologist/explorer civilian who is asked to use his knowledge to help the war effort. Maybe Hitler’s after some Ancient Greek occult blah blah and they need to stop him?
Frank & Mike/Psmith (Wodehouse)
**See Psmith notes/DNWs in Psmith section below
I'd love a crossover that facilitates an endgame of Frank/a guy (but not Psmith or Mike, since I’m rabidly OTP-ish about them). Does Frank end up with Adair or Monty Bodkin or David (this option is the only exception to my overarching "get over David" need)? Or some other nice Wodehouse guy (not Jeeves, please)? Or OMC? Or maybe the end is simply that Frank is feeling better and ready to accept love in the future.
Cambridge hijinks facilitating friendship and romance? Teaming up to rag on a professor or defeat a bully? Frank and Mike were obviously teammates on the Cambridge eleven. Or maybe it’s more of a Wodehouse-style plot where they meet while visiting a country estate, or have gotten to know one another at the clubs. Or they're all in WWI together (see WWI prompts in Psmith/Mike section); all three could meet for the first time, or two already knew each other and meet the third during the war.
As long as they get over it so that Psmith/Mike remains endgame (DNW OT3), Frank hooking up or having hooked up with one or both of them could be fun to include. Perhaps when Marchester's team played Eton, Wrykyn or Sedleigh in cricket, or during holidays, or at Cambridge before Psmith/Mike got together, or some other time? How does that backstory affect my actual ship(s) later on, when they are all at Cambridge together? Is there misplaced jealousy or awkwardness that leads to feelings revealed? Something else? Or, they can meet for the first time during the story, with neither Psmith nor Mike having hooked up with Frank. Whatever!
I don’t want matchmaking or yentas, but maybe getting an outsider POV on one character's angst or happiness or whatever inspires someone from the other canon to do something about his own feelings. Ex. Maybe Frank reexamines his stance on 'beastliness' when he finds out that Mike, whom he thinks is great, has a thing with Psmith. Or maybe seeing Frank so miserably repressed makes Mike decide to seize the day with Psmith. (But Frank must stop being miserable by the end, too!) Something else? I will love anything! My only larger Wodehouse DNW is Jeeves/Wooster slash.
Atlantis (BBC)
Pairings: Jason/Medusa
I have shipped this since 2015, and there still exist zero fics about them! *sadface* "Canon friends to non-canon lovers" is usually what I end up shipping, and these two had such an easy-going, high-functioning friendship, and lovely chemistry. I loved the episodes where Medusa helped or saved the trio (or herself!) with non-action-girl smarts, and without it turning into a 'mom' to these 'silly boys' dynamic. I love that Jason is such a hero but also had realistic flaws, and could be really shy, vulnerable and dorky. I want anything that gives them a happy ending! I won't notice if your mythology references are 'off', so don't let that hold you back from writing this fandom (wikipedia is my friend, too!).
This ship had such epic qualities, what with them both being new in town at first, him saving her from the maenads, him knowing her story in advance and wanting to prevent it, the awful destiny linking them, him being one of the few who could look at her after her transformation and live... They also had potential for epic hurt/comfort. What if they had been able to change things, at any point? Or assume she didn't die and start the story later, like, with her on the Argo or in a canon divergent different post-series scenario. Basically, DNW Medusa to die or be permanently stuck as a gorgon.
I adore all the protagonists. Icarus/Pythagoras makes me so very happy, so feel free to include them. Daedalus and Korinna are also lovely. Can you pretend Hercules never had a crush on Medusa, or quickly got over it without anything ever happening between them (they are my NOTP)? While I generally like them fine, for this fic, please pretend Jason's canon ships were never a thing or that everyone got over it before the story started.
Medusa Cured Differently
I'd love for it to be something the protagonists accomplish (or she saves herself), not Pasiphae, and not in a way that leaves her depressed. Happy endings!
Jason Takes the Throne
Canon divergence that assumes Medusa was cured and lived before the story started + Jason took the throne or they didn't have to flee or Pasiphae died for real or whatever you like. What things do the gang have to deal with in their new situation, alongside the romance?
Canon Divergence
Getting together while dealing with a Greek myth of the week not covered by the show? Could be something monstrous like cetea, dracaenae, or something more fun like satyrs or Silenus. Or Pygmalion? Friends with benefits? Undercover as a couple turns real? Averting the unaddressed upcoming tsunami? Something else?
Post-Series Canon Divergence
Anything set during the fleece quest, with Medusa there (probably instead of Ariadne?). How does an adventure on the high seas or on a stop on a mystical island get them together? What are everyone's contributions to the quest? Does Icarus (unnecessarily) continue to try to make up for his betrayal? Do Icarus and Cassandra bond over being new to the gang? Does Pythagoras finally figure out the damn theorem?
'Forced to Fuck' tropes (aka Ritual Sex tag)
It doesn't have to be ritual sex, and it doesn't have to be to save the world. Sex pollen, fuck or die... Sex-oriented sacrificial rites to appease a god? Captured by a sex cult? To cure Medusa? To get something needed for the fleece quest or one of Daedalus's inventions? Ideally (for me, not for the characters), this is their fraught, angsty and awkward first time together, before they've confessed their feelings, and they find out after that they're in love. Or maybe the experience helps at least one of them to realize they are into the other?
Optional Jason Thing
It frustrated me how the show just… stopped acknowledging that he was from a different world (the Oracle established that it was realm travel, NOT time travel)? Did he forget, the way the Pevensies forgot our world while in Narnia? Or does he angstily keep it secret? Does he miss his life at all? Is he secretly stressed out about the tsunami that's supposed to come?!?! If someone figures it out, who and how? Does knowledge from our world help with something?
Psmith - PG Wodehouse
Pairing: Psmith/Mike
I want anything! Just... literally anything in a canon-ish early 20th century setting where they're unquestionably, unambiguously together by the end. I love how they are such an odd couple, but understand one another so well. I love their loyalty and what generous, self-sacrificing heroes they both are, while also being total little shits. You could set it when they're at Sedleigh, the bank, Cambridge, NYC, post-Cambridge, in a wild canon divergence… Whatever! DNW any hint that they will ever be with anyone else in the future; please set it before they met their wives and/or pretend they never did. Inflict as much whump (of any kind, as long as there's no permanent physical damage) as you like, especially on Psmith.
Condition-Ridden Inheritance
Set after one or both of their father's has lost his money, as in canon. Which one has a distant relative die? Or is the inheritance from a non-relative? If so, why? What are the stipulations? Is it something they have to do once they have the money/stuff, or is it a quest they have to undertake in order to claim it? Make it as wacky or angsty or anything as you like! If it leads to angst, do they decide to give up the money? Or does it facilitate them living their best lives (and what does that look like?)? Or does it give them a challenge to overcome together?
Canon Setting Spies
God, they'd be the best/worst spy team. Is it for the war? Or do they open a spy/detective business when their dads lose all their money? What is the job? Is it domestic espionage or are they abroad working for the government? Does it require a moment of pretending to be together (like, the mark is in gay club or something)? Or is it more action-based (I love badass Psmith and Mike fighting together)? Do they get caught? Are there disguises? Anything!
Ritual Sex
Maybe it's part of a club or team initiation? Or part of sexy-terrible whump that happens to Psmith. Ideally (for me, not for the characters), this is their first time together, before they've confessed their feelings. Or maybe the experience helps at least one of them to realize they like the other? I like it to feel angsty and fraught and awkward in the moment (no pre-arranged or totally lucid discussions of consent, please), and they find out only later that they were both into it and want to date.
WWI
The boys meeting at boarding school is usually sacrosanct to me, but something about the army's strict rules, complicated hierarchies to navigate, all-male forced proximity, ragging potential, etc, creates a similar environment—only with even more opportunities for whump, action, and angst. You could also keep them having met at Sedleigh, as in canon, and go on to fight in the war. Either way! Fighting together, espionage missions, winning a key battle through impertinent ragging, unexpected application of cricket talents, writing for The Wipers Times, the REAL story behind the Angels of Mons… Meeting or reuniting during training, in the trenches, as prisoners… Do they have special skills or jobs? 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 going behind enemy lines to rescue Mike… Lots of whump and hurt/comfort welcome.
Like Canon, Except More Gothic
I love this genre (but retaining happy endings and a sense of humour). Weird stuff happening around the archeological ruins near the school/university? Something eerie about their apartment building or neighbor? Mirrors not working how mirrors should? Learning alchemy at school? Or any gothic trope or idea that tickles your imagination! How does this creeptastic or atmospheric adventure get them together and show off how well they work together?
Random Acquisition of Superpowers
I don’t care which of them gets it or how/why it happens, so feel free to skip that or leave it unexplained. It would just be fun to see how they react, in a world where having superpowers is not supposed to be a thing. What kind of angst or hurt or confusion does the power cause? How does the other help him through this weird time? Is it fun and awesome, or awkward and awful? What uses do they find for the power? Do they accidentally hurt each other (hurt/comfort and angst!)? Or do they improve their lot with it? How does this premise help them get together? Any superpower would be great, from traditional ones to something super random and seemingly useless.
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?
Like Canon but With More Slavery
In the same way that fic writers add A/B/O or soulmates to the canon-ish setting, how about slavery? Or, instead of adding slavery to Edwardian England, you could write this as a crossover with Narnia (like, some portal spits them out in the Lone Islands), or a GoT crossover (a portal takes them to Essos). Either way, it's a great excuse for whump, hurt/comfort, and loyalty. Does Psmith secretly take Mike's chores, beatings and/or sex duties to spare him? Or vice versa? Are they forced to watch one another be abused? Forced to put on a show? What breaks them (if anything)? Does the 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, just lots of cricket? How do they escape? Or do they get revenge on their master(s)? Or do they organize a Socialist revolution? Some wholly other direction you want to take this? I'l love anything!! Lots of OCs are (obviously) welcome; if you're doing the crossovers, it's fine if the other canon's characters don't appear, though they can if you want. No body modification, branding, or permanent damage please.
MCU/Alias Crossovers
Pairings:
• Sydney/Bucky
• Sark/Loki
• Sydney/Sark (not officially requested, because I'm out of signup slots, but also an option!)
General MCU/Alias Notes
Alias is what first got me into fandom. I love the Rambaldi stuff, the spy family stuff, the constantly shifting loyalties, the 'forced to work together' tropes. I love the goofy disguises, the role-playing and gadgets and, just, everything from the first 2.5 seasons! I love these four characters so much and would love to see them bounce off each other. They're all such sarcastic badasses. Something that showcases their complementary skill sets, senses of humor, and maybe a little hurt/comfort (they're all such woobies, in their own ways) would make me so happy.
There's a rich seam for Syd/Bucky, with themes of amnesia, brainwashing, forced to work for the enemy, being presumed dead, etc. They're both so well-meaning and so whumped. I think they would be lovely together. I know Sark is a 'bad guy', but he never seemed evil; he was more morally grey, self-serving, coerced and/or self-deluded to think 'this is all I can be'. Similar to how I see Loki, really! They'd be such sexy, delightfully snotty assholes together.
You can also ignore the requested pairings and write about Sydney/Sark getting together during an MCU crossover adventure. Any MCU characters are welcome in this case; Bucky and Loki don't have to appear, but are always welcome. However, if Syd/Sark get together, you could also have Steve/Bucky or Bucky/Loki getting together in the background, if you want! No conflicting pairings, though, like, Syd/Bucky + Bucky/Steve in the same fic. Include as much Jack Bristow and/or Irina Derevko as you like, for any pairing! They're the greatest. And feel free to add in any ridiculous spy tropes—undercover as a couple, fancy parties, etc.
I know Alias aired years ago, but I do not want characters to be much older than they were in S3 and I do not want the epilogue. Please (please!!) pretend Alias took place later so that some point in S1-3 lines up with some point in MCU (ex. S3-TWS or S2-Infinity War, or whatever). I don't remember/like much after late-S3 (I stopped watching but did catch the finale). Something that diverges from Alias canon any time before that would be amazing. It's fine if Sydney starts out angsting about Vaughn as long as she's completely over it and into Bucky or Sark by the end. Nadia seemed lovely from what little I saw of her, but I would prefer she not be in the story (I hated the idea of Irina/Sloane so much).
Canon Divergence
This is the carte blanche "anything!" request. If you have an idea of your own, go for it!
General
I love canon divergences of the two years when Sydney was presumed dead. I love the whole thing about how she A) pretended to let the Covenant brainwash her into being their agent, and B) had amnesia afterwards. Any and all other details beyond those two facts can be changed! Or change even those things! What if she'd been somewhere else or was doing something else entirely, no amnesia or Covenant at all? I also love canon divergences where Sark was not imprisoned during this time, so that they maybe were doing things together. To be clear, I don't need a story set during this time (I'd honestly be happy with anything pre-S4, truly), but if you're stumped, this is always a good option.
Met While Captured Together
— Was the Covenant a branch of Hydra? Was Sydney partnered with the Winter Soldier on missions? Did he have periods of lucidity with her and they fell in love? Does she rescue him, or does he turn to her post-TWS/post-S2, either coincidentally or because of their previous history? Does she remember him, or not? Angsty zig-ziagging amnesia! Wild canon divergence from S3/post-TWS encouraged!
— Loki taken into SHIELD custody after New York, and locked up with Sark post-S2. How do they bond and end up busting out together? What do they do next? Do they go after Rambaldi things that Loki understands better than anyone on Earth? Something else? Do they start out intending to manipulate one another only to grudgingly develop feelings?
Canon Plot Interrupted by Alien Invasion
(Or even just a made up canon-ish plot)
— The Convergence strands Sydney and Sark (or Sydney and Bucky) in another realm where they're forced to team up to survive, and end up falling for one another? Or does wounded Loki get stranded on Earth when the Convergence ends (never getting to impersonate Odin), interrupting whatever Sark was doing that day? Do they make a deal that leads to them working together and falling for one another?
— Syd ends up working with Bucky (who didn't get snapped) and the other Avengers post-Thanos; or Sark somehow ends up being the one to bring Loki back (for his own reasons, of course)
Inheritance
— The Sark parentage/inheritance storyline, except a lot weirder. Like, maybe early S3 lines up with Ragnarok, and after Odin dies, Sark finds out that he's Odin's secret, abandoned lovechild from a human mother (instead of the son of that random Russian guy)? How do Sark, Thor and/or Loki find out and what's their reaction? Is it when the Statesman arrives safely on Earth? Some other time? What's the inheritance? Does Sark get an Infinity Stone? Some other magic that that Loki wants? A quest instead of a gift (thanks, dad!)? He never had a family; how does he deal with suddenly being in this bonkers one? Is Sydney like, "Oh boy, this is going to make Sark's head even bigger!"? DNW Sark to have powers, unless it's just low-level resilience. I don't consider Sark/Loki incest here since they're neither related nor grew up together.
— Or maybe Sark is Rambaldi's son? Was Rambaldi Asgardian? Or was Sark's dad Hydra (Pierce?), and Sark is given the Asset (to whom he is not horrible, please; DNW Sark as a horrible villain). Does this lead to Sydney meeting/loving Bucky or Sark?
— If you're not shipping him with Sydney, I'd be down for Sark as Sydney's surprise little brother, with whom Irina was pregnant when she disappeared (I read that was the original plan for the character, which is part of why the Nadia stuff didn't work for me). Does Irina leave him something? Was she Hydra, too? Or does Irina leave Sydney something that leads her to MCU stuff?
Time travel to fix the past results in unexpectedly getting married
— Did Rambaldi create a time travel device (or maybe use Tony's) that allows Sydney to go back to WWII? Don't care how/why, but make it a mission if you want. How do she and Bucky end up falling for each other and getting married (is it for normal love reasons, or for plot reasons, or…)? Like, did she temporarily team up with the Howlies? How do they reconnect when she gets back? Is he just as confused to see her alive as she is (like, maybe he didn't know she was from the future)? Is she amnesiac back in the present and doesn't remember him/being married? Something else? Does being married result in him getting pardoned (IDK why, but sure)? Something else?
— For Sydney/Sark, I have no idea, but I am always here for marriage of convenience that leads to real feelings! Was this where she (and Sark) ACTUALLY were during her two missing years? Like, they time travel after she's presumed dead, and return two years after they left? Do they accidentally time travel, or does Fury send them on a mission post-Endgame (he's working with the CIA now or something, IDK)?
Here are anchor links to the different sections:
Bucky (MCU)/Edmund (Narnia), Bucky (MCU)/Tirian (Narnia), MCU/Lost Crossover, MCU/Game of Thrones Crossovers, David Blaize Crossovers, Atlantis (BBC), Psmith, MCU/Alias Crossovers
General Note
1) Don't worry about how well your fic fits whichever tag we matched on, if there's 'enough' of the tag. You can also mix and match! Honestly, as long as my & pairings become friends or my / ships unambiguously end up together, I'll be pleased.
2) I'm just as--often more!--interested in watching characters deal with what comes after a prompted premise or tag. Feel free to skip the set-up and start in media res, after they’ve already gotten there or become friends. What I'm most interested in is what happens next--the adventures they share, what they bond about, how they move from friends to more, etc. Basically, stories that end shortly after the introductions make me sad.
Things I Always Love
• Devoted Odd Couples: odd couples; enjoying one another's company; laughing at one another; fond exasperation; loyalty; quietly self-sacrificial gestures; contrasting speech patterns
• 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
• Adventures & Journeys: vacations gone awry; fish out of water; exploring new territory; daring rescues or escapes; espionage; identity porn
• 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
• 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.
• Sexy Times: I don't care who tops or bottoms in m/m (DNW anal in m/f). I have general porn likes HERE; it's for all ships, not just the ones listed there. There's a more egregiously detailed version HERE (but honestly, the other one is enough).
• Forced Proximity or Sex: captured or stranded together; forced to have sex (by the bad guys, for cultural or initiation rites, to cast a spell, as part of undercover roles, etc) where they realize afterwards they’re into each other; arranged marriage or marriage of convenience that leads to feelings (but only for a reason with stakes, like espionage or greencards)
— Crossovers: applying skills/knowledge from one world to another world's problems; contrasting or reconciling differences in how a concept manifests across canons (ex. immortality, magic, realm hopping, 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, long-lost school chums, etc) and starting the story when they reunite in the present
Do Not Wants
— fusions or alternate setting AUs (ex. coffee shop, Hogwarts, modern), unrequested crossovers, goofy crack (but crack played serious is fun)
— non-canon romantic pairings other than the ones specifically requested; poly or threesomes
— fics where none of the main characters ever find out about the others' backgrounds or magic (the reveal doesn't have to happen 'on-screen', but please don't let it end with everyone still thinking everyone else is normal!)
— Things That Upset Me: permanent death of requested characters; the afterlife; bleak endings; 'it was all a dream' endings
— Schmoopiness: plotless fluff; non-canonical pet names or terms of endearment (ex. "baby", "Stevie")
— Sex & Relationship-Related: underage/overage; non-canonical incest; D/s dynamics; soulmates; shovel talks; yentas and matchmakers; pregnancy; adultery; characters written as ace, aro, or demi; gender identity headcanons; dark dynamics within my requested ships
— Writing Things: 1st & 2nd person POV; phonetically spelled dialogue (my brain genuinely struggles to process it)
— Crossover-related: tragically unresolved lifespan incompatibilities or Steve/Peggy in TFA-style endings; crossovers of more than two canons (unless specifically prompted); fourth wall breakage; age differences caused by disparate release/pub dates (please pretend one canon took place later so requested pairings are around the same age; GoT characters should be the ages they were at some point in canon)
MCU Notes (for use in crossovers)
Bucky: Please let Bucky be a fully functional badass with at least a glimmer of a sense of humour. I like stories about him trying to move on and build a new life, not ones where he's brainwashed or pathetic for most of it, or that are all about his agonizing recovery. 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 totally fine, though.
Loki: 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. I like him mischievous, self-serving, haughty, dramatic, vulnerable, stabby… but not actually crazy or evil.
Other Characters: Bucky, Loki, Steve and/or Thor are welcome to come along on the adventure with either requested character, if you want. For the gen crossover requests, I’m cool with background Steve/Bucky, Bucky/Loki, or Thor/Loki. However, if you're writing a Bucky ship request, I don’t want him or Steve to ever have had more than platonic feelings for one another. No characters or canon from the TV shows, please, as I'm not familiar with them.
Narnia Notes (for use in crossovers)
I love everyone's competency, earnestness and courage when it counts, but also their flaws, fears, and sass. I love Golden Age fics, 'Everybody Lives' AUs, and fics that diverge from canon (as wildly as you like!) at any point before the closing chapters of the Last Battle. I love that being redeemed and growing into a wise and just warrior king didn't entirely cure Edmund of being a cranky, sarcastic little shit. Tirian started off as a hot mess of a king, but he’s such a wonderful guy, and quite resourceful and clever when you rouse him out of his decadence.
The end of Narnia, train crash, and afterlife/Aslan's country are my biggest DNWs. Please let it be clear that everyone will get to live out their lives. You don't necessarily need to write a fix-it. It's fine to pretend it just never came up! I love pretty much all the protagonists, so anyone you want is welcome in the background. That said, I'm not super invested in Peter, Susan, or Magician's Nephew characters as a big focus. And I usually ignore the religious allegories.
MCU/Narnia Crossover – Bucky/Edmund
I want them to love each other as much as I love them, and to have adventures, and be competent, and make out (or more!). What aspects of their angsty backgrounds can they pep talk each other through? How can their experiences and skill sets help each other or help solve an issue in either canon? How do they figure out one another's backstories, and what do they think of the other's (they MUST find out!)? How do they fall in love? There's delicious potential for angsty separations and happy ending reunions in this ship, too, if you want. See MCU and Narnia general notes/DNW above.
Edmund being a kid and Bucky being a soldier during WWII is too situationally intrinsic to both characters for my usual "just fudge it" approach. However, time between realms is so untethered and random that I could easily buy something like post-TWS Bucky traveling to the Golden Age. Or maybe at the end of Endgame, Bucky time travels to the 50s/60s when Edmund is grown up again, either as the initial premise of the story or as the happy ending epilogue. Basically, do whatever you need to avoid an age discrepancy ending and I'll roll with it. (It's okay if adult!Bucky temporarily sees/hangs with kid!Edmund at some point, as long as he doesn't touch the kid and endgame is with grown-up Ed).
Edmund in the Future
The story starts when grown up again Edmund returns from going on adventures with the rings. However, because of handwavey reasons, the rings have dropped him off decades after he left… Whoops! How do he and Bucky meet? Does Ed rescue him from Hydra (possibly earlier than in canon?), or is it post-TWS? Out of time together, hurt/comfort, etc. Is Hydra after one or both, or is it more slice of life? Do they use the rings again? Something else?
Bucky In Golden Age Narnia
Someone blows the horn, summoning Bucky to Golden Age Narnia for help with a problem. Or Bucky finds himself there in some other way, I really don't care. Getting together while dealing with giants, espionage, outwitting Calormene spies, implementing educational policies, the Rabadash situation? Something else? Is it a divergence where the Pevensies ruled the Golden Age their whole lives? Or do Bucky and Edmund reunite later back in our world?
Traveling with Rings
Hydra sends the Winter Soldier to the Professor's childhood home to get the rings on the same day that Edmund goes, resulting in them going to other realms instead of Edmund dying. Exploring the Wood, or deserted Charn, or Westeros, or Asgard, or Atlantis (the BBC show… the rings canonically came from Atlantis!) or back to Narnia to help Tirian, or a world you make up? I'd prefer a focus on Edmund (plus Lucy, if you want), not the whole set of Friends.
Canon-Setting Spies
I enjoy the fanon that Edmund grows up and becomes a spy. Does he get partnered with the Asset, is like, "gah, this poor guy" and run away with him? Or do they go on a spy mission while Bucky's in Narnia? Or has Ed been sent to investigate the Winter Soldier myth, resulting in his rescuing Bucky? Or...?
Optional for Any Tag
Do they first meet (or have a middle meeting) that's not the Golden Age before the final getting together? Ex. maybe Bucky gets a healing sleep on Ramandu's island, or Bucky was stuck alone in the Telmarine-age ruins of Cair Paravel, or… As long as there's a happy ending, do whatever you like like in the middle.
MCU/Narnia Crossover – Bucky/Tirian
They would be so competent and delightful and hot together. Fairytale king + Brooklyn street smarts, yum. I really don't care how Bucky and Tirian get here or there. Summoned by Susan's horn is one of the tags (ex. in a canon divergence where he or someone else blew it), but you could also assume it was Bucky that Tirian summoned while he was tied to the tree instead of the Friends. Or something else. Or leave it unexplained. I'm happy to pretend the Friends had nothing to do with The Last Battle (ie., Jill and Eustace never came), so you can assume Tirian's reign lined up with some earlier or later time on Earth (ie. Post-TWS!Bucky/Tirian is an option). Or throw timelines to the wind! See MCU and Narnia general notes/DNW above.
Met In Dreams First
You know how Tirian astrally projected to the Friends of Narnia that one time? Well, what if he's been doing it on the regular, with Bucky? They have always secretly thought they had an imaginary friend (or are going nuts), but one day they meet, either in Narnia or on Earth. Is it because of Tirian's star heritage magic (IDFK), or does Bucky seek him out, somehow getting his hands on the rings? Something else? What happens when they meet?
Ritual Sex to Save the World
Why no one thought of trying this in TLB is beyond me.
Narnians In Our World
What if, instead of astrally projecting, he actually goes! Either during WWII, or to our present-day, or multiple points in time! Tirian was so cutely nerdy about history and hero-worshipping the Friends; what would he make of actually being in our world? Is there something here that could help? Does he rescue Bucky from Hydra, or do they meet after Bucky's already escaped? How do they take care of one another and get together?
Caught In Calormen
Bucky somehow joining Tirian for a pre-TLB jaunt into Calormen? Is he there for espionage, diplomacy and/or undercover partying? How do they get together, and can this adventure result in TLB canon never even happening?
Post-TLB
I love espionage and desperate missions and angsty last stands and people bonding while struggling to survive in nature. I like all the 'nice' people in TLB, so include whoever you want. How does Bucky end up with them, how he can help, and how do he and Tirian fall for one another? Does Tirian know more secret hideouts full of wine? Does Puzzle (the darling!) somehow end up saving the day along with Bucky? The more horrible of an ending for Shift, the better.
MCU/Lost Crossover
Pairing: Bucky & Left Behind in the 70s Ensemble
This will always be my most favorite show. I love the characters, the setting, the action/adventure, the humor, the hugs. I love the theme of characters getting over their baggage via self-help and forced proximity friendships/romances. I love how exuberantly bonkers it was, and how the characters mostly rolled with whatever happened. I adore all seasons, but for crossovers, I'm only interested in later season stuff. DNW fic set in the sideways universe, during characters' pre-island flashbacks, or during the 108 Days (i.e. DNW Bucky as a passenger on Oceanic 815). See top of this letter for MCU notes/DNWs.
Basically, I want Bucky to make friends with any/all of: Juliet, Sawyer, Miles, Jin, Richard, with a focus on whichever one(s) you like best. I love the idea of Bucky joining this bunch of snarky misfit woobies, pep talking or tough loving each other and facilitating self-help after years of ongoing wtf trauma. How do they all find out about one another's backstories and become friends? Gen would be fantastic, but if you want to ship Bucky with Juliet, Miles or Richard, go right ahead (but only one of those ships, please!). Including background Sawyer/Juliet and/or Miles/Richard is welcome if you're not shipping them with Bucky.
Although the afterlife is generally a massive nope for me, Miles's superpower and Smokey's projections are exceptions. Per the general DNW, can you please pretend Lost happened later, alongside the MCU movies, so that everyone is around the age they were in canon, instead of aging post-series Lost characters up? Ex. pretend TWS and the Lost finale happened within a few months of each other, or Endgame and the S4 finale happened at the same time, or whatever other intersection you want.
1974-1977 DHARMA
Bucky as a member of the secret time travelers clique within the DHARMA. Wearing a jumpsuit, sharing a yellow house with someone, getting a Sawyer nickname, maybe he speaks Korean, visiting the lighthouse, mechanic!Juliet repairs his arm, Smokey gives him visions/tests, maybe the island cures him for as long as he's on it... You get the idea. Does his presence lead to canon death situations never even coming up?
Post-Series
You can set the fic entirely post-series, back in the regular world (same list of requested characters, plus Desmond and Penny). Do they take him in while he's on the run post-TWS? Did Bucky know them before (if so, does he even remember? or are they the ones who rescue him from Hydra?)? Or do they meet for the first time post-Lost finale?
Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Maybe a white flash (or some other time travel) sends Bucky to the late 19th century, when only Jacob, Richard and MIB were on the island. Does Bucky get caught up in their weird drama? What does he think of it all? Is he a Candidate? Does MIB try to tempt him? Establishing the first group of Others together? Or Bucky helps Richard bury Jughead in 1954? Did Richard or Jacob try to recruit Bucky in Brooklyn or during the war, and now he meets him/them again on the island? Do Bucky and Richard reunite later, in the present day? (Jacob/Richard welcome even if shipping Bucky/Richard.)
The Constant
This whole concept is sooooo angsty and feelingsful; it should happen to more people! But DNW a replacement or rehash of Desmond's experience. I want to know how the concept would play out for Bucky. When does it happen? The trigger could be following the wrong coordinates again, or a 70s DHARMA experiment gone wrong, or a Hydra experiment at one of the other electromagnetic spots on Earth, or handwave it (I really don't care), or…What year does his consciousness flash back and forth to (please not army training)? Do his mind issues or MCU canon make it even angstier or more difficult to resolve? What/who is his constant and how do they connect? Is it Steve (gen or ship)? Hard mode is Bucky/Loki! Do the Lostaways help him, given that they know about this rigamarole from when it happened to Des? Or, does the story take place back in the regular world, the Constant is someone he met on the island, and confused MCU people have to help him? Constants can also be a non-person—whatever you want!
General
Again, I don't care how Bucky meets everyone or gets to the island. Feel free to start with him already established as part of the group. That said, here are a couple of ideas, in case you're stuck… 1) The Winter Soldier was one of the soldiers on the freighter, the only one to survive (I mean, Lost DOES have a Hydra Island where they brainwash people! and Widmore WAS on that council with Fury!) and a white flash took him to the 70s, too? 2) Hydra sent him to the island in the 70s on a mission, and he falls in with the Lostaways.
MCU/Game of Thrones
Pairings:
• Bucky & Shireen
• Bucky and/or Loki & Tyrion
• Bucky and/or Loki & Team Daenerys
• Bucky and/or Loki & Jaqen
• Bucky and/or Loki & The Tyrells
General MCU/GoT Notes
I desperately want Bucky or Loki (or both!) to go to Westeros/Essos (DNW fic want set in our world), have an adventure there, and make friends with people I like. How can their skills or experiences help GoT characters and vice versa? Fish out of water? And what do the GoT characters make of them and the idea of other worlds? Bucky or Loki riding dragons, Bucky with a sword, Bucky’s arm acting as Valyrian steel, Bucky or Loki not taking shit from assholes, Loki's magic vs the Night King or Lord of Light people, connections between Asgardian and GoT worldbuilding concepts, Bucky or Loki as the actual prince who was promised… Any and all of this would make me scream with joy.
As usual, I don’t care about the realm travel mechanics, so feel free to start with them already there. You don't need to explain how they got there at all! While Melisandre's magic is an option (per the tag), I don't need them to show up at her doorstep or even meet her (though they can!). They might not ever find out what brought them there.
I will always adore a canon divergence—as wild as you like—that branches off whenever. Or set it post-series! I have only seen the TV show, but you can include bits of book canon as long as the MCU guys learn about it with me. MCU DNWs are in the at the top of this letter. My main GoT DNW is any appearance by Ramsay Snow or the Sand Snakes. The afterlife is one of my general DNWs, but zombies and whatever was going on with Jon and Beric don't count as afterlife to me. Canon pairings are fine to include in the background (and Jorah/Daenerys or Tyrion/Sansa would make me smile). I'm fine keeping canon deaths as long as those deaths don't wipe out a majority of the characters with whom Bucky or Loki has made friends. However, Shireen is the exception; if she's in the story, she MUST live!
Bucky & Shireen
I have a weakness for fics where Bucky and a randomly acquired child take care of each other. 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, and help him through his wtf fish out of waterness. He would love how sweet and clever she is, and make her feel less lonely. How do the two of them being alive/there affect other canon plots? Or just slice of life, whatever!
You can write out the fix it for her death, but I would actually be even more excited by something that assumes she somehow got away before the start of the story (or diverges before so that it never even came up) and instead focuses on their subsequent adventures. Is the happy ending that Bucky stays in Westeros, or does he take Shireen back to our world with him at the end?
—Shireen finds a spell in the Castle Black library (or an old Valyrian book on Dragonstone, or whatever) that whisks Bucky to Westeros before the whole burning thing came up. What happens next?
—Bucky rescued her from the pyre—or days before the pyre—and spirited her away. What do they do next? If they’re traveling, are they just trying to lay low and get somewhere ‘safe’, or do they have a mission? Do they team up with other people I like (see requests below)? What happens next?
— Canon divergence where her parents left her at Dragonstone. Bucky shows up there while they're away, and she takes him in. How do she and Bucky mind the island? What do they do once news of her parents' death comes? Is she the new Lady of Storm's End/Dragonstone? What happens if/when Team Daenerys shows up? Is Gendry hanging with them? Does Davos come back? The Night King? Something else?
— Anything you want to write! Seriously.
All the Other MCU/GoT Pairings
Please consider this request "Bucky and/or Loki In Westeros/Essos With At Least One of My Faves". My faves include: all the Mormonts, Margaery, Olenna, Missandei, Tyrion, Gendry, Davos, Shireen, Tormund, the Hound, Jaquen, Brienne, Podrick, Sam, Gilly, Yara, and Daenerys (feel free to keep or ignore her madness, as you like). Anyone else is welcome in the background. This letter is already too long to leave prompts for all pairings and tags, but as long as your fic focuses on people listed above (even better, if Loki or Bucky's presence improves their lot or helps take the "mean" people down a peg), I'll love it.
With Team Daenerys
Can the MCU character's experience in our world help defeat the masters or Lannisters or White Walkers or whatever? Does she take the Iron Throne, or stay in Mereen, or…? Or does Bucky or Loki join her council? Or help defeat the White Walkers in a divergence where they weren't defeated up North? Something else? Bonus points if Missandei helps Bucky or Loki save the day. I could ship Bucky/Dany or Bucky/Missandei (if Greworm can get over it), if you want. Or Loki/Daenerys (literal ice and fire!). Please do not have them harm Dany!
Post-Series King's Landing
I'm sure there's a lot of work to be done rebuilding the kingdom or paying the debts or repairing King's Landing, or… How can Bucky or Loki help? How do they relate to King Bran? Get a role on the small council? Does Brienne knight someone? Something else? Or maybe this is a post-series canon divergence where Dany won. Same questions about how they work together to fix things after years of war.
With the Tyrells
Can Bucky or Loki get them out before the explosion or help them in some other way? What happens next? What does Olenna have to say? Does Margaery now have a bodyguard as strong as the Mountain? Loki and Margaery playing the game together (she's probably better at it)? Do they defeat Cersei or Daenerys or White Walkers? Something else? You can ship Bucky/Margaery, if you want.
In Valyria
What if, instead of going to Westeros, Team Daenerys decided to rebuild Valyria? They either take MCU guy with them, or meet him there. I once heard a book spoiler that Daenerys and Tyrion are immune to greyscale (though I don't know why), and I'm assuming Jorah can't get it again, and that Bucky and Loki are immune. That would make most of them safe to explore (with some yummy protectiveness of Missandei). 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? How do they work together and what do they accomplish?
With Jaquen
Something playing with ideas of assassins, shapeshifting, of being ‘no one’ or a ‘ghost’, of losing/reclaiming your identity, etc. Either a team-up or face-off (pun intended) between Loki and Jaquen? Does the Many-Faced God owe Bucky? Is the God of Lies also the Many-Faced God? Is Loki visiting Braavos to steal artifacts/secrets or to train? Is Bucky or Loki seeking refuge at the temple, or did Jaqen seek him out? Do they have a bittersweet fling, but that's all it can be because being nobody means you can't have lasting relationships (this is a & request that you can write as / if you want)? Or does Jaquen's shapshifting help them work through their feelings for someone else (i.e. Steve or Thor; platonic or gen)? Does the Waif similarly hate them (I loathe her)? Or something else!
David Blaize Crossovers
Pairings:
• Frank/Edmund (Narnia)
• Frank/Bucky (MCU)
• Frank & Psmith/Mike (Wodehouse)
Frank/Edmund (Narnia)
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/lacked opportunity/hasn’t liked anyone enough/other? Or maybe he’s actually quite inexperienced. What draws them to each other and how do they get together?
My biggest asks are a) for Frank to find out about Narnia/Edmund’s secret and b) to pretend the David Blaize books were set later so that they are around the same age (DNW age differences).
— Boarding School or University: Edmund attending Marchester and/or Cambridge, too. Are they both prefects? On a team together? Is Edmund really good at sneaking out/around? Have they always liked one another, or do they start as rivals but end up falling for one another? Wet and full of adrenaline after a sailing race or tennis match?
— Susan's Horn: Frank finds himself in Golden Age Narnia. 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? Did they know each other from before, or do they meet here? Can Frank help Ed and his siblings remember their lives from before?
— Using the Rings: I'm obsessed with Edmund using the rings to go adventuring. 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? Or were they friends before and decide to adventure together? Visiting the Wood Between the Worlds or not-so-dead Charn? Back to Narnia? Westeros/Essos (I only know the TV show), Atlantis (BBC show), or Asgard are other options.
— Other Post-Series: 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)? Finding ancient magic here on earth? Partying with Bacchus, who's an old acquaintance or lover of Ed's? (this prompt doesn't fit any of the tags, but it's one of my usuals, so go for it if you like it)
Frank/Bucky (MCU)
I would like a WWII getting together story. Please pretend the books were set later so that they are around the same age (DNW age differences). 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, and Frank initiates him?
Feel free to pretend Bucky didn’t fall off the train so they can have a happily ever after. Or maybe Frank rescues his brainwashed old flame from Hydra in, like, 1950 (ie. before there’s a major age difference), or Bucky travels back in time with Steve at the end of Endgame 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).
Is Frank 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 the one sort-of exception to my 'no Steve/Bucky in Bucky ship requests' DNW)? If Bucky had been crushing on Steve, I need him to get over it completely 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!
— Met Fighting In WWII (general soldiering edition): 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?
— Met Fighting in WWII (Howling Commandoes edition): 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 bomed out pub… anything!
— Met In Captivity (Azzano edition): 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, when they begin to realize the experiments left permanent changes on them (i.e. superpowers). The more whump the better.
— Canon-Setting Spies: Sent on an espionage + sniper mission together? Or maybe Frank isn’t a soldier, but rather some sort of archaeologist/explorer civilian who is asked to use his knowledge to help the war effort. Maybe Hitler’s after some Ancient Greek occult blah blah and they need to stop him?
Frank & Mike/Psmith (Wodehouse)
**See Psmith notes/DNWs in Psmith section below
I'd love a crossover that facilitates an endgame of Frank/a guy (but not Psmith or Mike, since I’m rabidly OTP-ish about them). Does Frank end up with Adair or Monty Bodkin or David (this option is the only exception to my overarching "get over David" need)? Or some other nice Wodehouse guy (not Jeeves, please)? Or OMC? Or maybe the end is simply that Frank is feeling better and ready to accept love in the future.
Cambridge hijinks facilitating friendship and romance? Teaming up to rag on a professor or defeat a bully? Frank and Mike were obviously teammates on the Cambridge eleven. Or maybe it’s more of a Wodehouse-style plot where they meet while visiting a country estate, or have gotten to know one another at the clubs. Or they're all in WWI together (see WWI prompts in Psmith/Mike section); all three could meet for the first time, or two already knew each other and meet the third during the war.
As long as they get over it so that Psmith/Mike remains endgame (DNW OT3), Frank hooking up or having hooked up with one or both of them could be fun to include. Perhaps when Marchester's team played Eton, Wrykyn or Sedleigh in cricket, or during holidays, or at Cambridge before Psmith/Mike got together, or some other time? How does that backstory affect my actual ship(s) later on, when they are all at Cambridge together? Is there misplaced jealousy or awkwardness that leads to feelings revealed? Something else? Or, they can meet for the first time during the story, with neither Psmith nor Mike having hooked up with Frank. Whatever!
I don’t want matchmaking or yentas, but maybe getting an outsider POV on one character's angst or happiness or whatever inspires someone from the other canon to do something about his own feelings. Ex. Maybe Frank reexamines his stance on 'beastliness' when he finds out that Mike, whom he thinks is great, has a thing with Psmith. Or maybe seeing Frank so miserably repressed makes Mike decide to seize the day with Psmith. (But Frank must stop being miserable by the end, too!) Something else? I will love anything! My only larger Wodehouse DNW is Jeeves/Wooster slash.
Atlantis (BBC)
Pairings: Jason/Medusa
I have shipped this since 2015, and there still exist zero fics about them! *sadface* "Canon friends to non-canon lovers" is usually what I end up shipping, and these two had such an easy-going, high-functioning friendship, and lovely chemistry. I loved the episodes where Medusa helped or saved the trio (or herself!) with non-action-girl smarts, and without it turning into a 'mom' to these 'silly boys' dynamic. I love that Jason is such a hero but also had realistic flaws, and could be really shy, vulnerable and dorky. I want anything that gives them a happy ending! I won't notice if your mythology references are 'off', so don't let that hold you back from writing this fandom (wikipedia is my friend, too!).
This ship had such epic qualities, what with them both being new in town at first, him saving her from the maenads, him knowing her story in advance and wanting to prevent it, the awful destiny linking them, him being one of the few who could look at her after her transformation and live... They also had potential for epic hurt/comfort. What if they had been able to change things, at any point? Or assume she didn't die and start the story later, like, with her on the Argo or in a canon divergent different post-series scenario. Basically, DNW Medusa to die or be permanently stuck as a gorgon.
I adore all the protagonists. Icarus/Pythagoras makes me so very happy, so feel free to include them. Daedalus and Korinna are also lovely. Can you pretend Hercules never had a crush on Medusa, or quickly got over it without anything ever happening between them (they are my NOTP)? While I generally like them fine, for this fic, please pretend Jason's canon ships were never a thing or that everyone got over it before the story started.
Medusa Cured Differently
I'd love for it to be something the protagonists accomplish (or she saves herself), not Pasiphae, and not in a way that leaves her depressed. Happy endings!
Jason Takes the Throne
Canon divergence that assumes Medusa was cured and lived before the story started + Jason took the throne or they didn't have to flee or Pasiphae died for real or whatever you like. What things do the gang have to deal with in their new situation, alongside the romance?
Canon Divergence
Getting together while dealing with a Greek myth of the week not covered by the show? Could be something monstrous like cetea, dracaenae, or something more fun like satyrs or Silenus. Or Pygmalion? Friends with benefits? Undercover as a couple turns real? Averting the unaddressed upcoming tsunami? Something else?
Post-Series Canon Divergence
Anything set during the fleece quest, with Medusa there (probably instead of Ariadne?). How does an adventure on the high seas or on a stop on a mystical island get them together? What are everyone's contributions to the quest? Does Icarus (unnecessarily) continue to try to make up for his betrayal? Do Icarus and Cassandra bond over being new to the gang? Does Pythagoras finally figure out the damn theorem?
'Forced to Fuck' tropes (aka Ritual Sex tag)
It doesn't have to be ritual sex, and it doesn't have to be to save the world. Sex pollen, fuck or die... Sex-oriented sacrificial rites to appease a god? Captured by a sex cult? To cure Medusa? To get something needed for the fleece quest or one of Daedalus's inventions? Ideally (for me, not for the characters), this is their fraught, angsty and awkward first time together, before they've confessed their feelings, and they find out after that they're in love. Or maybe the experience helps at least one of them to realize they are into the other?
Optional Jason Thing
It frustrated me how the show just… stopped acknowledging that he was from a different world (the Oracle established that it was realm travel, NOT time travel)? Did he forget, the way the Pevensies forgot our world while in Narnia? Or does he angstily keep it secret? Does he miss his life at all? Is he secretly stressed out about the tsunami that's supposed to come?!?! If someone figures it out, who and how? Does knowledge from our world help with something?
Psmith - PG Wodehouse
Pairing: Psmith/Mike
I want anything! Just... literally anything in a canon-ish early 20th century setting where they're unquestionably, unambiguously together by the end. I love how they are such an odd couple, but understand one another so well. I love their loyalty and what generous, self-sacrificing heroes they both are, while also being total little shits. You could set it when they're at Sedleigh, the bank, Cambridge, NYC, post-Cambridge, in a wild canon divergence… Whatever! DNW any hint that they will ever be with anyone else in the future; please set it before they met their wives and/or pretend they never did. Inflict as much whump (of any kind, as long as there's no permanent physical damage) as you like, especially on Psmith.
Condition-Ridden Inheritance
Set after one or both of their father's has lost his money, as in canon. Which one has a distant relative die? Or is the inheritance from a non-relative? If so, why? What are the stipulations? Is it something they have to do once they have the money/stuff, or is it a quest they have to undertake in order to claim it? Make it as wacky or angsty or anything as you like! If it leads to angst, do they decide to give up the money? Or does it facilitate them living their best lives (and what does that look like?)? Or does it give them a challenge to overcome together?
Canon Setting Spies
God, they'd be the best/worst spy team. Is it for the war? Or do they open a spy/detective business when their dads lose all their money? What is the job? Is it domestic espionage or are they abroad working for the government? Does it require a moment of pretending to be together (like, the mark is in gay club or something)? Or is it more action-based (I love badass Psmith and Mike fighting together)? Do they get caught? Are there disguises? Anything!
Ritual Sex
Maybe it's part of a club or team initiation? Or part of sexy-terrible whump that happens to Psmith. Ideally (for me, not for the characters), this is their first time together, before they've confessed their feelings. Or maybe the experience helps at least one of them to realize they like the other? I like it to feel angsty and fraught and awkward in the moment (no pre-arranged or totally lucid discussions of consent, please), and they find out only later that they were both into it and want to date.
WWI
The boys meeting at boarding school is usually sacrosanct to me, but something about the army's strict rules, complicated hierarchies to navigate, all-male forced proximity, ragging potential, etc, creates a similar environment—only with even more opportunities for whump, action, and angst. You could also keep them having met at Sedleigh, as in canon, and go on to fight in the war. Either way! Fighting together, espionage missions, winning a key battle through impertinent ragging, unexpected application of cricket talents, writing for The Wipers Times, the REAL story behind the Angels of Mons… Meeting or reuniting during training, in the trenches, as prisoners… Do they have special skills or jobs? 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 going behind enemy lines to rescue Mike… Lots of whump and hurt/comfort welcome.
Like Canon, Except More Gothic
I love this genre (but retaining happy endings and a sense of humour). Weird stuff happening around the archeological ruins near the school/university? Something eerie about their apartment building or neighbor? Mirrors not working how mirrors should? Learning alchemy at school? Or any gothic trope or idea that tickles your imagination! How does this creeptastic or atmospheric adventure get them together and show off how well they work together?
Random Acquisition of Superpowers
I don’t care which of them gets it or how/why it happens, so feel free to skip that or leave it unexplained. It would just be fun to see how they react, in a world where having superpowers is not supposed to be a thing. What kind of angst or hurt or confusion does the power cause? How does the other help him through this weird time? Is it fun and awesome, or awkward and awful? What uses do they find for the power? Do they accidentally hurt each other (hurt/comfort and angst!)? Or do they improve their lot with it? How does this premise help them get together? Any superpower would be great, from traditional ones to something super random and seemingly useless.
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?
Like Canon but With More Slavery
In the same way that fic writers add A/B/O or soulmates to the canon-ish setting, how about slavery? Or, instead of adding slavery to Edwardian England, you could write this as a crossover with Narnia (like, some portal spits them out in the Lone Islands), or a GoT crossover (a portal takes them to Essos). Either way, it's a great excuse for whump, hurt/comfort, and loyalty. Does Psmith secretly take Mike's chores, beatings and/or sex duties to spare him? Or vice versa? Are they forced to watch one another be abused? Forced to put on a show? What breaks them (if anything)? Does the 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, just lots of cricket? How do they escape? Or do they get revenge on their master(s)? Or do they organize a Socialist revolution? Some wholly other direction you want to take this? I'l love anything!! Lots of OCs are (obviously) welcome; if you're doing the crossovers, it's fine if the other canon's characters don't appear, though they can if you want. No body modification, branding, or permanent damage please.
MCU/Alias Crossovers
Pairings:
• Sydney/Bucky
• Sark/Loki
• Sydney/Sark (not officially requested, because I'm out of signup slots, but also an option!)
General MCU/Alias Notes
Alias is what first got me into fandom. I love the Rambaldi stuff, the spy family stuff, the constantly shifting loyalties, the 'forced to work together' tropes. I love the goofy disguises, the role-playing and gadgets and, just, everything from the first 2.5 seasons! I love these four characters so much and would love to see them bounce off each other. They're all such sarcastic badasses. Something that showcases their complementary skill sets, senses of humor, and maybe a little hurt/comfort (they're all such woobies, in their own ways) would make me so happy.
There's a rich seam for Syd/Bucky, with themes of amnesia, brainwashing, forced to work for the enemy, being presumed dead, etc. They're both so well-meaning and so whumped. I think they would be lovely together. I know Sark is a 'bad guy', but he never seemed evil; he was more morally grey, self-serving, coerced and/or self-deluded to think 'this is all I can be'. Similar to how I see Loki, really! They'd be such sexy, delightfully snotty assholes together.
You can also ignore the requested pairings and write about Sydney/Sark getting together during an MCU crossover adventure. Any MCU characters are welcome in this case; Bucky and Loki don't have to appear, but are always welcome. However, if Syd/Sark get together, you could also have Steve/Bucky or Bucky/Loki getting together in the background, if you want! No conflicting pairings, though, like, Syd/Bucky + Bucky/Steve in the same fic. Include as much Jack Bristow and/or Irina Derevko as you like, for any pairing! They're the greatest. And feel free to add in any ridiculous spy tropes—undercover as a couple, fancy parties, etc.
I know Alias aired years ago, but I do not want characters to be much older than they were in S3 and I do not want the epilogue. Please (please!!) pretend Alias took place later so that some point in S1-3 lines up with some point in MCU (ex. S3-TWS or S2-Infinity War, or whatever). I don't remember/like much after late-S3 (I stopped watching but did catch the finale). Something that diverges from Alias canon any time before that would be amazing. It's fine if Sydney starts out angsting about Vaughn as long as she's completely over it and into Bucky or Sark by the end. Nadia seemed lovely from what little I saw of her, but I would prefer she not be in the story (I hated the idea of Irina/Sloane so much).
Canon Divergence
This is the carte blanche "anything!" request. If you have an idea of your own, go for it!
General
I love canon divergences of the two years when Sydney was presumed dead. I love the whole thing about how she A) pretended to let the Covenant brainwash her into being their agent, and B) had amnesia afterwards. Any and all other details beyond those two facts can be changed! Or change even those things! What if she'd been somewhere else or was doing something else entirely, no amnesia or Covenant at all? I also love canon divergences where Sark was not imprisoned during this time, so that they maybe were doing things together. To be clear, I don't need a story set during this time (I'd honestly be happy with anything pre-S4, truly), but if you're stumped, this is always a good option.
Met While Captured Together
— Was the Covenant a branch of Hydra? Was Sydney partnered with the Winter Soldier on missions? Did he have periods of lucidity with her and they fell in love? Does she rescue him, or does he turn to her post-TWS/post-S2, either coincidentally or because of their previous history? Does she remember him, or not? Angsty zig-ziagging amnesia! Wild canon divergence from S3/post-TWS encouraged!
— Loki taken into SHIELD custody after New York, and locked up with Sark post-S2. How do they bond and end up busting out together? What do they do next? Do they go after Rambaldi things that Loki understands better than anyone on Earth? Something else? Do they start out intending to manipulate one another only to grudgingly develop feelings?
Canon Plot Interrupted by Alien Invasion
(Or even just a made up canon-ish plot)
— The Convergence strands Sydney and Sark (or Sydney and Bucky) in another realm where they're forced to team up to survive, and end up falling for one another? Or does wounded Loki get stranded on Earth when the Convergence ends (never getting to impersonate Odin), interrupting whatever Sark was doing that day? Do they make a deal that leads to them working together and falling for one another?
— Syd ends up working with Bucky (who didn't get snapped) and the other Avengers post-Thanos; or Sark somehow ends up being the one to bring Loki back (for his own reasons, of course)
Inheritance
— The Sark parentage/inheritance storyline, except a lot weirder. Like, maybe early S3 lines up with Ragnarok, and after Odin dies, Sark finds out that he's Odin's secret, abandoned lovechild from a human mother (instead of the son of that random Russian guy)? How do Sark, Thor and/or Loki find out and what's their reaction? Is it when the Statesman arrives safely on Earth? Some other time? What's the inheritance? Does Sark get an Infinity Stone? Some other magic that that Loki wants? A quest instead of a gift (thanks, dad!)? He never had a family; how does he deal with suddenly being in this bonkers one? Is Sydney like, "Oh boy, this is going to make Sark's head even bigger!"? DNW Sark to have powers, unless it's just low-level resilience. I don't consider Sark/Loki incest here since they're neither related nor grew up together.
— Or maybe Sark is Rambaldi's son? Was Rambaldi Asgardian? Or was Sark's dad Hydra (Pierce?), and Sark is given the Asset (to whom he is not horrible, please; DNW Sark as a horrible villain). Does this lead to Sydney meeting/loving Bucky or Sark?
— If you're not shipping him with Sydney, I'd be down for Sark as Sydney's surprise little brother, with whom Irina was pregnant when she disappeared (I read that was the original plan for the character, which is part of why the Nadia stuff didn't work for me). Does Irina leave him something? Was she Hydra, too? Or does Irina leave Sydney something that leads her to MCU stuff?
Time travel to fix the past results in unexpectedly getting married
— Did Rambaldi create a time travel device (or maybe use Tony's) that allows Sydney to go back to WWII? Don't care how/why, but make it a mission if you want. How do she and Bucky end up falling for each other and getting married (is it for normal love reasons, or for plot reasons, or…)? Like, did she temporarily team up with the Howlies? How do they reconnect when she gets back? Is he just as confused to see her alive as she is (like, maybe he didn't know she was from the future)? Is she amnesiac back in the present and doesn't remember him/being married? Something else? Does being married result in him getting pardoned (IDK why, but sure)? Something else?
— For Sydney/Sark, I have no idea, but I am always here for marriage of convenience that leads to real feelings! Was this where she (and Sark) ACTUALLY were during her two missing years? Like, they time travel after she's presumed dead, and return two years after they left? Do they accidentally time travel, or does Fury send them on a mission post-Endgame (he's working with the CIA now or something, IDK)?