aurilly

Hello, dear writer! I am so psyched for this. Especially for exchanges with really long minimums like this, what I want most is something YOU are having fun writing. So, please don't feel like you need to stick to the specific prompts. I'll also be happy with your own idea, maybe trying to incorporate one or two of the general likes? As long as there's a happy/hopeful ending, I'm sure I'll love it. Thank you! I'm

aurilly on AO3 as well. I'm opted into treating.

Here are anchor links to the different sections:
• The Tourist (TV)
• Narnia
• Lymond Chronicles
• Sinbad (TV)
• Oz (L. Frank Baum)
• Once Upon a Time
• Ted Lasso & Related Crossovers
• MCU
• MCU/Wodehouse
• MCU/Derry Girls Crossover
• MCU/Narnia Crossovers
• Psmith Crossovers
• David Blaize Crossovers
• Doctrine of Labyrinths

General Notes
1) I've requested the same genre tags for all fandoms: Action/Adventure, AU - Canon Divergence, Getting Together, Smut, Canon-Style Plot, Hurt/Comfort, and Slice of Life. That said, I'm not that invested in the genre tags. As long as my & pairings become friends and my / ships unambiguously get together, don't worry about how well your fic fits whichever tag we matched on or whether there's "enough" of the tag.

2) I say it throughout, but just in case I missed one… I’m much less interested in how/why characters fell into a portal or first met than I am in what comes after--when they’re past the immediate ‘wtf’ or introductions stage. The dynamics they forge, the adventures they have, the things they learn, how they get together, stuff like that. So, feel free to start in media res, after they're already friends, or even years later when they're reuniting. Basically, stories that end shortly after the introductions make me sad.

I'm similarly often more interested in watching characters deal with what comes after a prompted premise than I am in the premise itself. So feel free to treat the premise prompts more as backstory than as the main thrust of the story.

Things I Always Love
• Devoted Odd Couples: enjoying one another's company; laughing at one another; fond exasperation; long-lost friends and reunions; friends to lovers (including for characters who never met in canon; I love stories that start after they’re already friends in order to focus on the ‘to lovers’ part)

• Adventures: exploring new territory; dramatic rescues or escapes; finding out about magic; complementary skill sets; badassery; laughing in the face of danger or absurdity; the pen is mightier than the sword (but I also really love swords)

• Sexy Times: This letter is already long, so I left general porn likes/dislikes HERE (they’re for any ship, not just the ones listed there).

• Clothing Porn: suits, leather, armour, uniforms, boots, breeches; admiring how good (or ridiculous) love interest looks in the above; not sure how to get these weird clothes off; neckties and the many uses thereof

• Hurt/Comfort: comforter is hiding their own hurt; bedside vigils; patching up loved one's wounds; fainting; stoic character trying to joke their way through pain; external force/person makes A hurt B; forced to watch loved one endure something awful; helping one another through an awful ordeal; "I thought you were dead!"

• Loyalty & Self-Sacrifice: taking someone else’s blame or punishment; jumping in front of a bullet; sacrificing career, safety, reputation or happiness for loved one (but it turns out okay in the end!); volunteering to be beaten, humiliated, tortured, fucked, etc to spare loved one or to secure some benefit for them; A trying to keep sacrifice secret from B; B finding out anyway

• Not Originally Sexual Bondage: I prefer restraint when it, at least initially, occurs for plot reasons. For example, A ties B to the bed for sexy fun? Not my thing. A ties B to the bed to keep B from hurting himself while possessed? Yes, please! Whether or not it then turns sexy in the story (it certainly can!), it's already sexy to me. Examples... tied or chained up for a ritual or because of imprisonment; stoicism and nobility while bound, stripped, whipped, jeered at, or nonconsensually touched; captives find ways to kiss and touch despite being bound; strong character submits or pretends to be unable to break out of bonds for reasons; noble struggling and writhing

• Crossovers: applying skills/knowledge from one canon to another canon’s problems; characters coming up with logical but incorrect theories about what's going on before discovering the truth; contrasting or reconciling differences in how a concept manifests across canons (ex. immortality, magic, realm hopping, time shenanigans); magic or plot point in one canon has roots in another

• Historical or Fantasy Settings: SWORDS!; also archery and daggers; kneeling; knighting; tournaments; balls; "I don't know how to ride a horse!"; one horse goes lame so we have to share; camping in virgin forests; suddenly shot at by unseen archers; sleeping in haylofts; rowdy taverns; contrasting speech patterns; historical/fantasy characters intrigued by stuff or knowledge brought by realm hoppers

• On a Boat!: ropes and rigging; cabins and hammocks; white linen, big hats and brass telescopes; turning the big wheel; supplies running out; watching the stars from the bird’s nest; beset by storms; false flag operations; walking the plank; sword between the teeth; boarding parties; stranded on deserted islands; sheer terror before or during a sea battle; the only naval officer who knows how to swim; trying to find privacy on the crowded ship; seasickness; slowly winning the respect of the non-officer men; people falling off the ship at night under dramatic circumstances and being presumed dead except they’re not; rampage of rescue; the grumbling cook; bawdy port taverns

Do Not Wants
These are the same as in my signup, but with a little more explanation on some. The category headers and organization don't mean much; I'm just trying to loosely group to reduce scrolling.

• Death & Endings: permanent death of requested characters; the afterlife; bleak endings; as-if-it-never-happened erasure endings (ex. "it was all a dream" or events of fic are permanently mind-wiped away)
• Sex-Related: BDSM; underage/overage sex; A/B/O; any mention of pregnancy or fertility issues (I just assume that none of the sex scenes will result in pregnancy)
• Headcanons: ace, aro, demi or gender identity headcanons
• Ship-Related: shovel talks; yentas and matchmakers; fated love or soulmates; unrequested non-canon romantic ships (however, mentions of backstory relationships with OCs are fine); poly/threesomes; non-canonical adultery or open relationships; conflicting requested ships (ex. A/B and A/C in same fic), unless prompted; non-canonical nicknames (ex. "Stevie", "Lokes")
• Writing-Related: 1st & 2nd person POV (exception for Bertie, Mildmay, Mehitabel, and Gerald Durrell); phonetically spelled dialogue (my brain genuinely struggles to process it)
• Crossover-Related: age differences of more than ~10 years within a ship (based on appearance for immortals); unprompted crossovers of more than two canons at a time; crossovers where the requested characters remain unaware of each others' backgrounds or magic (the reveal/explanation doesn't have to happen 'on-screen', but please don't let it end with, for example, the Derry Girls thinking Bucky is just some normal guy, in a 'ships passing in the night' kind of way)
• Other: fusions; setting change AUs**; goofy crack (but crack taken seriously is fine!); real-life current issues (ex. Covid, world politics)

**A Note on setting change AUs: I welcome invented mechanisms, like portals, to get characters from one world to another. I also welcome the addition of supernatural elements to mundane canons (ex. time loops, someone's mom was a fairy, Stonehenge is magic, etc.). Pretending late 19th/early 20th century canons actually happened at the same time, in order to minimize age differences, is highly encouraged! My DNW for setting change AUs is meant to cover scenarios where the supernatural elements that form a canon's premise are wholly removed, or a requested character's pre-canon backstory beats are wholly unrecognizable, or a canon is moved to a wildly different location or time period (ex. 21st century, space).

The Tourist (TV)
• Helen Chambers/"The Man"

I just watched this a month ago, and am still completely hysterical about them. I loved them from the start, but by the time they were checking into the honeymoon suite, they had rocketed towards one of my all-time forever OTPs. They're so hilarious and adorable together, I might die. I love her purely good heart, but that she also has some attitude when roused, and how resourceful she can be. I loved the line Jamie Dornan walked between demonstrating Elliott's innate decency (his basic instincts and reactions were always kind) while giving glimpses of the violence and ruthlessness that made you understand how he could have done some of the awful things he had. I felt like I knew him so well even though he didn't really know himself.

I'd love anything set post-series about these two (DNW missing scenes or anything set during canon). That said, the kind of post-series story I am LEAST interested in is something set minutes or hours after the last scene. Can we just assume that he puked his guts out thirty seconds after reading the text and was fine? What I would most love to read is something that starts days or weeks or months after that day, to explore what they're doing together once the crises of the last episode are no longer so pressing. I'd also prefer something where his amnesia continues indefinitely so that he has to do actual work to figure out his past. How do they get together?

— There's still so much we don't know about Elliott. How can he and Helen work together to piece more of his life together? Now that we know his name, and now that killers are no longer after him, they can probably start to do this. Do they travel to Ireland to meet what remains of his family (or does no one remain?)? Or has he been living elsewhere for the past few years? Kosta's opening scenes were in Hong Kong; did Elliott live there, too? Or somewhere else? What's it like for Helen and Elliott to explore his apartment and stuff and life? How does this bring them closer together and help them get together?

— Maybe he takes her to St Petersburg, like she always dreamed of (in a world where the war never happened, please)! I mean, he DOES speak Russian for some reason. Do even more romantic tropes happen to get them together (in Russia, or elsewhere, whatever)?

— Or maybe the story starts a few days after the finale. What's going on in Helen's life, and how does Elliott fit in? I mean, she's just had all this professional drama. Has she been promoted to proper detective, which she seemed to want? Or does she want something entirely different now? We never saw the logistical fallout of her telling him to go fuck himself (ex. did she actually announce that the wedding was off? do other people know? did stupid Ethan even get that that was a breakup?). It seemed that she and Ethan were living together. Where is she planning to go now? Somewhere else in the same town, or to a larger city, or even abroad? Is that hard, since Elliott isn't allowed to leave the state for at least a few weeks. For that matter, what is Elliott's plan? Can he access his bank account (I never understood where he was getting money for his adventures)? Are they awkwardly/hilariously staying together somewhere in town? We didn't really get to see Helen and Elliott interacting with other people that Helen knows; what would going to the pub or something together be like? Does the lady who was encouraging Helen to forgive Elliott like him? Bonus points for Elliott and Ethan meeting, and Elliott calmly, non-violently, awesomely (or even just accidentally!) making Ethan feel like the absolute shit he is. Or just showing Ethan that Helen was always a million times too good for him. Fuck that guy.

— Or maybe something new from Elliott's past crops up to give them new adventures! And new things for Elliott to (re)learn he takes joy in!

— Even though he survived the overdose, Elliott is probably still having a hard time dealing with what he's learned about his past. How does Helen help him move on and be his best self (and how does he help HER be her best self)? How do they deal if they uncover something else truly awful in his past? Or do they uncover really lovely (or plain bizarre) facts that help balance?

Narnia
• Emeth/Tirian

Tirian has such human flaws, and he started off as a hot mess of a king (like, why did it take him so long to hear/notice what was going on?), but he’s so noble and brave and driven, and he’s quite resourceful and clever when you rouse him out of his decadence. Emeth should win a prize for the level of admiration and affection he was able to inspire in so few pages. I loved the conflict he faced between his reason, his duty, his devotion, and his desire to prove himself. I think they’re perfect for one another—brave, noble warriors (and all-around lovely guys) who could come to respect and love one another despite their differences.

I would like them to fall in love while living, with actual makeouts (or more!) and have a hopeful ending that assumes the world continues and they don’t die young. I have a weakness for forbidden/secret relationships and 'honour and nobility know no sides' and 'love across enemy lines'. This ship has so much potential for any of these tropes! You could include Emeth/Tirian's first meeting, but you really don’t have to; I’d be super into something that starts later, when they already know each other, in order to focus on pining and getting together instead of insta-love/lust/etc. You could have Jill and Eustace in the story, or make a divergence where they didn’t come during TLB… whatever works!

The end of Narnia, train crash, and afterlife are my biggest DNWs. Please let it be clear that everyone will get to live out their lives. I don't need a fix-it (i.e. a fic focused on how their canon deaths were averted). I prefer to pretend it just never came up! I'm not at all invested in the religious allegory elements.

— What if they had met in Narnia while Emeth was undercover as a merchant, and their love changes the course of the story?

— Canon divergence where Calormen conquered Narnia, but no apocalypse. Tirian as war trophy, slave, or sacrifice to Tash? Tirian being kingly and stoic while tied up and beaten was very, um, interesting to me as a child; as long as there's subsequent comfort from Emeth and a hopeful ending, you can whump him as hard as you like, including with noncon (but only if perpetrated by a third party). What makes Emeth decide to help Tirian? How do they fall in love? Do they run away together? Do they get captured together? Anything!

— Tirian in a time loop in which he, with Emeth's help, goes through some kind of personal growth. It could be something that leads to the apocalypse not happening, or it could be set in a divergence where none of it was an issue, and you make up a time period and problem that he loops through.

— What if, instead of the world ending, Tirian & Co ran away to the mountains and started a resistance to the Calormene occupation, like they talked about doing at one point? I love espionage, desperate missions, angsty last stands, people bonding while struggling to survive in nature, etc. It could be set while they’re still setting it all up. Or you could start it later on, when the resistance has grown strong enough to start making moves. When/why does Emeth end up joining them? Did he defect due to his side’s lack of honor, or because Tirian blows the horn and summons him (from not super far away, lol)? Or something else? How does Emeth fit in? In this divergence, had they met and liked each other before, or are they meeting for the first time now? How do they get together? How do they make strides in the pro-Narnia project? Does Puzzle (the darling!) somehow end up saving the day? Do Emeth and Tirian go on a quest to the magic garden place? Anything!

— Maybe Tirian is given to Emeth as a war prisoner or war trophy (with Emeth as kind and noble jailer, please!), or to someone horrible and Emeth rescues him? Or maybe it’s Narnia that wins the war, and Emeth who ends up as (kind and noble!) Tirian’s prisoner? Angst because crushing on your prisoner might not be honorable? How do they get past that? Or, if you want to go to a more dubcon place… Do Calormene or Narnian traditions require a conquering soldier to fuck his war trophy, or require the Narnian king to fuck one of the conquered soldiers as a symbol of victory? Are they already in love by the time the ritual happens or do they fall for each other afterwards? Lots of hurt/comfort and stoicism, please!

— Optional themes to incorporate into any of the above…. Do the two countries have different views about same-sex romance? It doesn't have to be "Calormen=repressed, Narnia=free love" (though it could); maybe Calormen has a complicated Ancient Greek-style culture, or Narnia's never shaken its Victorian influences, or something about being a country of animals has led to unique ideas about sex... Some other take? Separately, does Tirian’s star heritage give him some sort of magic?

Lymond Chronicles
• Francis/Christian

I yearn for a canon divergence AU about Francis and Christian unambiguously getting together--with actual makeouts, or more!--and being okay after the first book. “The Game of Kings” is far and away my favorite, and the only one I reread (I reread it constantly, though). Francis is so much more insouciant and FUN in it, while still being deliciously anguished and badass. And he and Christian have so much fun together. I love their secret visits and correspondence and music. They conspire so dangerously, but at the same time, she's the only person he seems to relax around. I love how her blindness never stops her from being ridiculously capable. I love the way he understands how she wants to be treated, and quietly helps her get what she wants out of life. I love the way she is largely over his shit and keeps up with his erudite banter. I love their equal amounts of self-sacrificing love for one another. Lots of longing and denial and cleverness and OTT angst would be great. I'm fine pretending the later books never happened, or simply using random bits of them to inspire scenarios that Francis/Christian can get together in.

All that said, I'm going to ask for a bit of hard mode. I've received and read a few fics that are "fix-its", like, focused on the time period where she died and showing how it could have gone differently. And I've loved them!! But that itch is kinda scratched now. What I would like most is something that starts weeks or months after the first book, not focused on or mentioning her 'near-death' episode at all. Maybe she recovered, maybe she never had an accident at all… I don't care. Whatever canon divergence you have to do will work for me. What I want is the life she didn't get to have.

This is one of my most ultimate OTPs, so I need them to be unquestionably endgame and have a happy ending. Instead of bashing or hurting Tom, please pretend their engagement amicably ends/ended, or the pairing never existed at all. As long as he's over it, it’s okay to reference past Francis/Lady Lennox or random women he fucked before Game of Kings. No hints of other Francis pairings, please. Canon ships that don't involve Francis or Christian are fine to include in the background.

— Missions: More reputation-saving quests or diplomatic hijinks? Basically, any kind of canon-typical plot, but with the two of them working together while getting together. Perhaps the Queen Mother sends him/them on a mission to England or France? Undercover as a couple in France or London? Captured and abused by Lady Lennox, or a sultan, or any of the myriad people Francis has probably pissed off, or a rival mercenary gang, or…?

— Undercover as a Couple: I love how such tropes push relationships forward and help them learn new things about each other--both delightful and irritating. I also adore the awkward sexual situations. Feel free to handwave the set-up to get right to the good stuff.

— Just Add Magic: I always love "like canon except magic apparently exists" fics. Maybe Johnnie Bullo's work wasn't a con, or druids, or selkies, or they stumble into Avalon, or find Excalibur, or randomly magical streams, or the fair folk get up to some mischief, or a holy relic turns out to have real power, or there's a haunted castle, or some unexplained something leaves one of them with superpowers. Or you could pretend the books exist within the Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (book version) world; does the Raven King show up? Does the Gentleman kidnap one of them? Something else along those lines? ... IDK. Anything. I'd love to see Francis and Christian dealing with the ensuing adventure while also dealing with their feelings. I'd also love to imagine what Francis might have to say about weirder adventures than he got in canon!

— The books skipped over the first year of Francis's reinstatement into Scottish high society. Tell me more about how that went. What if they'd gotten the formal reintroduction they had wished for? Some other way they reconnected more officially?

— Time Loops: I love individual journeys of self-discovery, as well as self-help adventures in which people learn life lessons, overcome some baggage, figure out priorities, etc. This trope is amazing for all that! I don't really care how/why it starts or stops; feel free to handwave or leave things unexplained. I also don’t care which character is in the loop (or maybe both!). Depending on whether it would be in-character for the character at hand, I enjoy a variety of reactions and loop iterations—from wacky, to “give no fucks”, to suicidal, to darkest timeline, to erroneously thinking it’s over, etc. Or you could focus more on the aftermath, as the character transitions back to normal with the memories of all the other ways it could have gone. This trope gets a little creepy for me when it’s solely focused on making someone fall in love with you, or where character B is treated simply as character A's oblivious reward. However, as long as the loop person has other goals/projects, I'll be ecstatic. Or maybe find a way for the non-loop person to have agency? Or they're in the loop together?

Sinbad (TV)
• Sinbad/Gunnar

I shipped Gunnar/Sinbad from the moment they first made eye contact, and then they proceeded to spend every scene eyefucking. Please make them kiss (or more!)! Some random details that I especially loved: Sinbad's kohl eyeliner; Gunnar's whole muscles + tattoo + sword look; every single time Sinbad starts melodramatically choking to death ~~does he end up with a choking kink?~~; general "on a boat" details (see general likes at the top of this letter)…

I loved their wry banter. I loved their self-sacrificing loyalty and protective instincts. I am weak for Gunnar's self-loathing about his past, as well as for Sinbad's guilt and character growth. They're such a lovely odd couple. Gunnar is so quiet and methodical while Sinbad is so brash and impulsive. I love how they defer to one another even though their approaches to things are so different. I love how thirsty Sinbad always looks whenever he sees Gunnar fight, and all the wistfully fond looks Gunnar gives Sinbad.

— Random Tropes: I will buy anything, no matter how handwaved. For example: undercover tropes (as a couple, as master/slave, as enemies, as…); bad guys made them do it; "fuck or die"; body swap; ritual sex (bonus points if the ritual involves bodypainting one another); captured together (bonus points if there's hurt/comfort and angsty hookups in their cell or whatever); Aladdin's lamp/wishes gone awry; heists gone awry; vacations gone awry…

— Other Curses: Canon divergence where Amma's curse was something completely, wildly different than 'choking to death if too long on land'. I have no idea what; let your imagination run wild! How do the gang (or just Gunnar, IDK) find out about the curse? How could Gunnar hurt/comfort Sinbad? Or, maybe it's only Cook or someone who knows, and the curse creates some kind of angsty, ridiculous impediment to Sinbad being with Gunnar until it's resolved?

— Random Acquisition of Superpowers: Gunnar gets walloped with a superpower. No need to explain how/why he gets it unless you really want to; handwave away! Any superpower would be great, from traditional ones to something super random and seemingly useless. Does he try to keep it secret? If Sinbad finds out, how does he help Gunnar through this weird time? Or does he get greedy and want Gunnar to use it for something he probably shouldn't? Or does Sinbad not find out, resulting in angsty misunderstandings? Is having the power fun and awesome, or awkward and awful? Does Gunnar accidentally hurt someone he cares about (the angst potential!)? Or can he use it to improve the group's lot? Does Gunnar need to quest to get rid of it (sort of like a curse)? How does this premise help them get together?

— Gunnar's Northern Past: Having to face some aspect of his past, and all the angst that brings out. Maybe we find out that the only way he finally got out of the Valsgarde was through some sort of magic or deal that finally catches up with him, and problems ensue? Or maybe they run into some Valsgarde guys he used to know, and they expect him to be the same old Gunnar (was he chattier back then? drunk? other?). Do they make fun of his new weird friends or make lewd jokes about thinking Gunnar's fucking one of them (doesn't have to be Sinbad)? Or something else?

— Cook: Sinbad and Gunnar getting together as a result of an adventure that revolves around Cook and some issue or mystery about him. What was his deal? He refused to leave the ship, didn't seem to have a name, and was so incredibly wise. Was he cursed in some way that prevented him from leaving it? Was there a magical reason why he was the only one of the original crew to survive? How did he gain all of his knowledge about magic? Or maybe it's less about his backstory and more about something that happens in an adventure-of-the-week way. A new (or old) recipe that goes awry?

— Whump: I love when super strong and stoic characters are made to suffer, and Gunnar would be perfect for this. Maybe some sort of magic makes him do bad things, or turns him into a berserker, or he accidentally hurts one of his new friends. Or maybe someone blackmails/coerces him into betraying (or seeming to betray) his friends, or bad people threaten to hurt Sinbad unless Gunnar does a bad thing... Or something else? Either way, followed up by some sweet, sweet comfort from Sinbad (and possibly also the rest of the gang!).

— If I have a criticism of the show, it's that I wanted more of everyone's dynamics with one another, not just with Sinbad. Ex. I loved Anwar&Rina, and wished all combinations of characters had gotten a focus like that. So, something that explores Gunnar's friendship with someone else, leading to Sinbad/Gunnar would be great (but without it being a yenta situation)!

— Time Loops: I love individual journeys of self-discovery, as well as self-help adventures in which people learn life lessons, overcome some baggage, figure out priorities, etc. This trope is amazing for all that! I don't really care how/why it starts or stops; feel free to handwave or leave things unexplained. I also don’t care which character is in the loop (or maybe both!). Depending on whether it would be in-character for the character at hand, I enjoy a variety of reactions and loop iterations—from wacky, to “give no fucks”, to suicidal, to darkest timeline, to erroneously thinking it’s over, etc. This trope gets a little creepy for me when it’s solely focused on making someone fall in love with you, or where character B is treated simply as character A's oblivious reward. However, as long as the loop person has other goals/projects (or if the non-loop person already had feelings), I'll be ecstatic. Or maybe find a way for the non-loop person to have agency? Or they're in the loop together?

Oz - L Frank Baum
• Polychrome/Button-Bright

These darlings! They're both always getting lost! Polly is such an ethereal delight with a quietly regal core, understated power, and great diplomacy. She’s very sweet, but not a pushover. Button-Bright is so unflappable, friendly, and practical, so brave and with such a good heart. I love how they both take life as it comes, with relative good cheer (but are not above crying when things really suck). I like them best when they're more active protagonists. For example, I loved Button-Bright's cleverer, more mature characterization and Polly's assertive take-chargeness in 'Sky Island' and later books; I wasn't as much of a fan of them (Button-Bright especially) in 'Road to Oz' where they were more passive and a bit sillier.

If you write them as pre- or early-teens, please keep it super innocent--hand-holding, first crushes, confused feelings, cute kisses, sweet gestures, huddling for warmth, innocently awkward attempts at comfort... But if you're aging them up to 17+, you can go as hot and heavy as you like. I only know the Baum books, so please keep it to canon from those. There are so many inconsistencies in the books, so don't stress about canon compliance. I'm fond of everyone (except Scraps, sorry), so anyone is welcome to appear in the background. However, bonus points for more rarely written characters such as Trot, Cap'n Bill, Ojo, the Ork, or Tik-Tok, instead of focusing on Ozma or Dorothy (I love them, but they already get so much attention in canon and fic).

Incorporating worldbuilding about literally any place or concept in the books, or culture clashes between life in the sky, Oz, or USA would be amazing, if it fits. You could keep it light and whimsical, go way angstier than the books, tackle canon concepts more seriously, or go all-in on the darkness lurking under the surface (there were some seriously messed-up implications played very casually in these books). I’m not someone who needs pastiche, especially if you’re writing something darker or with more grown-up themes than the source material, so please don’t feel like you have to mimic Baum's style.

Canon Notes: Button-Bright and Polychrome appear together in Road to Oz and Sky Island. Button-Bright also stars in The Scarecrow of Oz, and Polly stars in Tik-Tok of Oz. They have smaller roles in other books, too, but 'Road to Oz' and 'Sky Island', and, to a lesse extentr, 'Scarecrow' and 'Tik-Tok', are all you'd need for this request.

— Does Button-Bright not even realize that what he feels is a crush? Or is it Polly who has been crushing on oblivious Button Bright? Is love between a sky fairy and a dopey American kid frowned upon? Or is everyone happy for them?

— Exploring any place on the map of Fairyland together! Separately, there’s a lot of talk of Polly being a ‘powerful sky fairy’, but we don’t see her doing much; tell me more about her powers!

— I loved Polly's parting promise in 'Sky Island' to always look out for Button-Bright. That's when I decided I shipped it. Tell me about a time when she made good on that promise, and how it led to more than friendship.

— Does Button-Bright visit Polly on the rainbow? Does he get so lost that he ends up there? Or is he running away from something and hops onto the rainbow? Or does Polly actively recruit him for help with a problem in the sky? How can he help (or mess things up further)? I'd love to imagine more about the sky fairies, their sky palaces, the Rain King and his brother the Rainbow, Polly’s relationship with her sisters, and, just generally, Polly’s life as the Rainbow’s reckless, misfit daughter. What does Button-Bright make of it? How do feelings come out?

— Button-Bright gets so lost that he (and somehow Polly) ends up back in our world. What happens next? Is it a short visit, or do they stay long enough to grow up a bit? How does Polly like or adapt to our world? Are there magical issues to deal with? Did Button-Bright's family even know they were gone? Did Polly’s family notice (it makes me a little sad how long it takes her dad to notice she’s gone and come back for her)? How do they work together, have feelings, and get back to fairyland?

— Polly and Button-Bright are the only ones who can save their friends from the latest peril. How do they work together to do it and how does it lead to feelings revealed? Does he accidentally (or knowingly) do something valiant that makes her swoon? Does she do something that makes even oblivious Button-Bright realize how much she cares? Or captured or stranded together; forced proximity, and working together to rescue themselves, leading to feelings.

— I'd love an exploration of the carefree pros and melancholy cons of immortal childhood. Button-Bright stopped aging once he moved to Oz. Does Polly, who's thousands of years old (but appears the same age as where he gets stuck at), help Button-Bright adjust?

— What if something (a spell, a fruit they shouldn't have eaten, it doesn't matter) has left them both temporarily aged up to late teens? What happens next? Suddenly experiencing hormones? Gaining new perspectives? Changes in their dynamics with other characters? Wistfulness if/when they get de-aged again?

— Sometimes trying to make sense of inconsistencies in canon lead to interesting premises. For example, why did Polly not recognize Shaggy Man when they met again in Tik-Tok of Oz? Or dig into any other inconsistency you want!

— We don’t know what was up with Button-Bright between the end of Sky Island and the beginning of Scarecrow of Oz. Was Polly involved? What adventure did they have that led to him being stuck in that popcorn snowdrift in the Land of Mo? Or, think up a canon divergence that results in him leaving Earth but ending up somewhere else instead!

Once Upon a Time
• Jefferson | Mad Hatter/Dr Whale | Victor Frankenstein

A show that’s basically one giant crossover? Yes, please! I fell in love with Jefferson and Whale from their respective first appearances. Separately, the ‘Wood Between the Worlds’ is my favorite magical concept. So, imagine my delight when it turned out that my two faves had a whole ‘realm-hopping bros’ backstory! Everything about them bursts with romantic potential (both little r and capital R aesthetic). I wanted to see so much more of them together--whether it’s more pre-curse adventures, during the curse while Jefferson was the only one who remembered, or season 2 post-curse in Storybrooke when they were all trying to deal with their new dualities/reality. Or a mix! Basically, anything where they unambiguously get together--with actual makeouts, or more!--would be great. Bonus points for holding hands as they jump into the hat, and/or self-indulgent descriptions of their custom leather wardrobes.

I love the mix-and-match characterization possibilities this show gives us, and the opportunities to explore the core qualities from which a character’s multiple personas stem. You’ve got 1) earnest, reclusive, aristocrat scientist Victor; 2) mercenary adventurer-thief Jefferson; 3) snarky horndog (but still a caring doctor) Whale; and 4) desperate, crazed Jefferson. How do these different qualities play off one another and/or coalesce? (I know Grace|Paige was a lot of his motivation, but I didn’t care nearly as much about Papa!Jefferson, so will not care if you ignore or minimize her existence/importance. I’d prefer not to think about whoever her mother was.)

I stopped watching in late S2 (after August ‘died’), but Jefferson never appeared again, and the OUAT wiki suggests that Whale didn't have any significant appearances after that. However, please don’t stress about--or feel like you need to rewatch to remember--the exact line of what canon I know vs what I don’t. If your story includes concepts introduced after I stopped watching, I’ll happily roll with it. Or you can wildly canon diverge from a point even before I stopped watching.

Any other characters or canon ships are fine to include in the background, or you can pretend them away, if you didn’t like them, whatever you want! However, bonus points for Graham (I’ll never be over him or Emma/Graham), Granny, or Ruby (I loved the episode where she and Whale became friends), as well as mentions of past Whale/Mary Margaret (I shipped them, too, and always wished the show had at least done a ‘one night stand → friends’ arc with them).

— The hurt/comfort possibilities for this ship are epic. Jefferson was so tortured during the curse, and Whale was so drunk/suicidal after; helping each other heal would be lovely. Plus, given that Whale is the only person from his world in Storybrooke, Jefferson is the only friend he has from his old life. How do they reconnect and restart their relationship (whether they were lovers before or not) once the curse is broken? Or maybe a canon divergence where, sometime in late s2, they take a hat back to Whale’s world and save Gerhardt?

— Anything about Jefferson yearning for Whale, who doesn’t remember him. Does he try to “meet” or befriend Whale? Does he keep hurting himself as an excuse to go to the hospital? Does Jefferson manage to seduce Whale (or the other way around!), but has a lot of angst about it, either because Whale is different from Victor, or because Jefferson feels like he’s taking advantage of an amnesiac, or because the groundhog day effect of the curse keeps erasing their progress, or…? And then happy ending when the curse breaks. Or, what is this like from Whale’s perspective? (It’s fine if the curse doesn’t work exactly as it did in canon.)

— More pre- or post-curse adventures, working together to acquire artifacts that Jefferson wants to sell, or that will help Victor’s experiments. Differences in approach or fun partnerships between magic and science? Does Jefferson come up with projects for them to do mainly so he has excuses to hang out with Victor? Did Jefferson ever meet Gerhardt or Victor’s awful dad, or incognito attend a fancy ball hosted by the Frankensteins? Does pining Victor always try to get Jefferson to stay longer?

— Crossover Adventures: The room of doors that the hat took you to suggested Narnia and Oz among the options; I never saw what (if anything) the show did with those worlds, but I’d be up for Jefferson/Whale on a crossover adventure with the book versions. Or, they could go to Westeros/Essos (I only know the show), or the Witcher world (I only know the show), or Fillory from the Magicians TV show (just, please not Narnia and Fillory in the same fic, as the fourth wall-ness would break my brain).

— First Meetings: I reject the canon that Rumpelstiltskin was the one who first sent Jefferson to Whale. I always figured they only included that scene because Sebastian Stan was not available. I would love for them to have met and become friends on their own, without any intervention from Rumple, before the con on Regina. How did it happen? Was Jefferson just exploring and found himself in the gothic horror world? Was he stranded there for a bit for some reason? Did Victor take him in? Anything!

— I always wish the show had spent more time playing with the concept of identity and the mental/emotional impact of the curse in the weeks after it was broken. Like, how do they reconcile knowledge that was implanted vs their actual lived reality? For example, David once said he hadn’t ever actually read a certain book, but his curse self ‘remembered’ reading it as a child, so he knows what it's about. What does that feel like? As another example, if every day was the same for 28 years, and he didn't have sex on that 'day', then Snow might be the only person Victor has ever actually slept with, despite Whale's reputation as a womanizer. What’s that like for him? Jefferson had two sets of memories the whole time; how much of what we saw was his curse self manifesting? Was it frightening for him to feel this other personality trying to make space in his consciousness? Some of these concepts might have been addressed in canon (I have no idea), but probably not for these guys, since they were such minor characters.

Ted Lasso & Related Crossovers
• Ted Lasso/Keeley Jones
• Ted Lasso/Eve Moneypenny (Craig Bond)

General Ted Lasso Notes
This heartwarming show was exactly what I needed in the past couple of years. I love what a secret (or not-so-secret) sweetheart everyone is. I adore pretty much everyone, so anyone you like is welcome to feature in the background. That said, I only want Rupert to appear if he’s going to get some come-uppance. You can try to redeem Nate, or not, either way! I don’t know much about UK football clubs, so don’t worry about accuracy there. I mainly want people to kiss (or more!). If you're writing Ted/Moneypenny, feel free to include Roy/Keeley in the background if you want. DNW adultery, so please don’t let anything happen between either of the requested ships until both characters are firmly single.

Ted Lasso/Keeley Jones
Please let them unambiguously get together, with actual make-outs (or more!) and let me assume assume that they are endgame (DNW insinuations that this is just a fling and that she'll back together with Roy or Jamie at the end, for example).

I shipped it from the second episode when they were talking about lions vs pandas; they had an immediate spark. Ted clearly finds her great, and I loved how she was one of the first people who took him seriously. They have similar senses of humor/whimsy, and are both so kind. They’d be great together but also a great odd couple. I love Roy/Keeley, too, and don't want to see Roy in pain, so please assume they never got together, or that they amicably broke up without any hard feelings or awkwardness when she moves on with Ted. (It's fine if Jamie, whom I came around to liking in S2, pines unrequitedly, as long as nothing ugly between him or Ted or Keeley happens.)

How might Ted and Keeley get together? Do they run into each other in their non-team-related lives? Does she introduce him to fun stuff in London? Or maybe the paparazzi pictures DID come out, and they decided, for reasons, to pretend they really were together… only for real feelings to develop? Has she had a little low-key crush, but keeps it to herself until after he’s officially divorced, or when they're both firmly single? Maybe she’s the one he sleeps with in his post-divorce hysteria instead of Sassy Smurf, and it leads to something real? Or, tell me more about her bizarre modeling/acting projects. Does Ted get involved, leading to romance? Or something else? An adventure during an away game leads to forced proximity, adventures, and feelings revealed?

Do they get together in a S1 divergence, after she's broken up with Jaime? Or is it post S2, assuming a Roy/Keeley breakup? Maybe Ted helps her start her new business? Maybe some hurt/comfort about his anxiety? Does she distract him with something wild and whimsical? Or even add something supernatural, like a haunted country inn, or she takes him somewhere on a minibreak to get him out of a funk? Anything!

Ted Lasso/Eve Moneypenny (Craig Bond)
I always want characters I love to love each other, and these two especially would make a great power/odd couple. My biggest asks are 1) unambiguously getting together, with actual, not-just-for-undercover-purposes makeouts (or more!), 2) that it’s not set pre-canon, and 3) that he finds out she’s a spy at some point. Almost any characters or canon ships you like from either canon are welcome in the background (Madeleine and Madeleine/Bond is the only character and ship I’m not wild about).

Her archness and playfulness would contrast so well with his deep earnestness. I’d love to see their senses of humor bump up against one another. Ted has an understatedly steely core that might make a great match for her badassery. They both project confidence and competence, but they sometimes screw up or show vulnerabilities that keep them endearing. They’re so incredibly loyal, but will bend the rules to do the right thing when needed. I haven't gone to the movies in a couple of years, so I haven't seen No Time to Die; however, it's coming to Amazon Prime next week, so I will definitely watch it by the time this exchange reveals. So, I don't have prompts based on it, but feel free to include info from the latest film (I'm certain I'll love whatever Moneypenny, Mallory, Q, and Tanner content is in there).

— What is Ted like when he’s wooing someone? Is he unexpectedly suave, or terribly out of practice? Does Moneypenny introduce him to fun stuff in London? Does she have a little crush, but keeps it to herself until after he’s officially divorced? Maybe she’s the one he sleeps with in his post-divorce hysteria instead of Sassy, and it leads to something real?

— Does something about his role as coach give Ted access to people or information that MI6 needs for a current project, and Eve is assigned to work with him? Is there more to why he specifically was picked to manage the team? Does Q make him some soccer-related gadget?

— Do Eve and Ted team up to take down Rupert, who is even more evil than we know?

— Do they live in the same building, and that’s how he accidentally gets pulled into her spy drama (with bonus cute ‘neighbors fall in love’ trope)?

— Is she a lifelong Richmond fan, and/or does she hang out at Mae’s pub? How does she feel about the job Ted is doing as coach? Does she give him tips? Is it a slow burn as they keep meeting at the pub, and develop feelings? Do weird (read: spy-related) things happen often enough that he wonders what her deal is? What are his hypotheses? How does he find out the truth?

— I am obsessed with the moments when Ted focuses his rage into action or subtle verbal burns. Ex. the dart competition… UNF. Hot. A story where he pulls Eve into one of his plans for quiet take-downs of assholes would be fun! Does she find it as hot as I do?

— Ted’s secret breakdowns get me right in the feels. He’s always looking out for everyone’s pain, and yet hides his own. In what other repressed ways does his hurt manifest? How might Moneypenny figure out that he’s hurting and comfort him, in her own unique character-driven ways? And/or is there some angst on her side that his sunniness is working to help resolve? Are they both clients of Dr Sharon?

MCU
• Bucky/Loki
• Bucky/Thor
• Bucky/Valkyrie
• Bucky/Original Male Wakandan Battle Rhino Trainer

Bucky Barnes Notes (for use in MCU and Crossover requests)
I have loved Bucky since TFA, before I had any idea he wasn't really dead. I love his self-sacrificing loyalty, kindness, badassery, common sense smarts, and wry sense of humor. I love what a stoic woobie he is; he has been bottling up ridiculous amounts of pain and self-loathing since TFA, even as it shows all over his expressive face. I love that he gets exasperated and can be a grumpy little shit.

FAWS was great, but all I’ve ever wanted is fic that explores Bucky beyond the Cap sub-franchise--befriending people other than Steve’s closest friends, having weirder adventures than canon tends to give him, and/or dealing with concerns beyond the usual Cap franchise plots/themes. Hence why I tend to request him with the space/magic or Wakandan parts of the MCU, or crossovers. So, I’d really like something that doesn’t focus on Bucky with Sam, Sharon, Peggy, Zemo, Natasha, or Tony. If you want to include background friendships for Bucky other than Steve, I’d love to imagine someone more unexpected for the role! (Just not Darcy, please.)

I’d love fic that canon diverges from literally any point in his story. I could read a million ways that Bucky finds healing. How do these canon divergent adventures help, and how could he help other characters? Or maybe he found healing in some canon divergent way before the fic started, so that he’s ready for the adventure. Note: I have a pet peeve about fics where Bucky (and Steve) say "ain't" all the time and sound like characters from a 1930s gangster movie. Cursing is fine, though. I really enjoyed “What If?”, so you can use a Bucky from any of those universes, even ones he didn’t explicitly appear in.

Bucky/Valkyrie
My needs here are simple. They’re both so full of pain and regret and hotness and I love them both so much. They should be hot together. I want them riding a Pegasus together. I want them fighting together. I want them drinking together. I want them giving each other tough love and real talk. I want them to be friends who rib each other a lot and also have sex, and maybe develop feelings. Maybe they went to get or return some Stones together. Or maybe he moved to New Asgard at some point. Or maybe they get together at a party after the big Endgame fight, or during the mess of cleanup after that fight. Or maybe they need to go to space together for some reason. Or maybe Bucky was stuck on Sakaar for reasons that I don’t care about, and they met then. Or anything else you think of will be great! Just please make them kiss (or more!). You can include their first meeting, but I also love stories that start later, when they’re already friends/partners, to focus on “to lovers”.

Bucky/Original Male Wakandan Battle Rhino Trainer
I love Bucky’s Wakandan life and wanted so much more of it. I know everyone’s all about Bucky’s goats--and I love the goats, I do!--but I am really really into rhinos. The battle rhinos in Black Panther were among my favorite things in the entire MCU. I would love a story where Bucky dates the trainer, hangs out with rhinos, and continues his healing. I adore all the Wakandan protagonists, so any of them are welcome to appear. DNW: hippos.

How do Bucky and the rhino trainer meet? Did T’Challa or Shuri request that he help out with the rhinos, either because he’s hardy enough for it, or because it would be a good healing project for him (or both)? Or does Bucky develop a crush on the trainer first (like, they met in the market or something, IDK), and he volunteers to help with the rhinos in order to get to know this guy better? Or does Bucky develop a fascination with the rhinos, which leads to him getting to know the trainer? Or is it a thing where a rhino introduced them? Ex., it escaped and ran into Bucky’s farm, and the trainer chased it there? Also, did you know that rhinos and goats can be friends? (There’s a lot of this on YouTube and it’s very cute.) Does an orphaned baby rhino get sent to live on Bucky’s goat farm, and that’s how he gets to know the rhino trainer? How do Bucky and the trainer get together?

What does Bucky learn about Wakanda (history, traditions, rituals) through this whole rhino training thing? Is dealing with the rhinos a new challenge for him? How does the rhino trainer help him? Or, can Bucky help the rhino trainer with something? How is Bucky integrating into Wakanda? Are most Wakandans wary of/confused by Bucky’s presence--and the trainer is one of the first to come around? Or is Bucky already quite popular?

Is the rhino trainer at first intimidated by the fact that Bucky is BFFs with the royal family? Or maybe rhino training is a job only people from the poshest families can do, so Bucky having fancy friends is no big deal to him? Or is rhino training more of a job for ~~hot~~strong rustic types? Is there a test you have to pass? Do Bucky and his boyfriend have to fight in a battle with the rhinos (maybe Bucky DID fight in the battle against Killmonger, but off-screen)? Or maybe Bucky and the trainer fuck up some poachers who sneak into Wakanda. Or maybe bad people come for Bucky, but the trainer and rhinos are like, “Oh HALE no.”

I’m thinking this is set in the universe where Infinity War never happened, allowing Bucky’s Wakandan idyll to continue indefinitely. But you could also imagine that totally different sets of people were snapped/not snapped, leaving Bucky and the trainer alive during those five years (but lots of people Bucky knows are dead), for an angsty “finding love in a time of loss” sort of thing.

Bucky/Loki OR Bucky/Thor
I think Bucky/Loki would be amazing together, an entertainingly snarky, angsty and badass odd couple. They might be able to get each other, and/or tough love each other to a better place. I'd love to see them bond over unexpected complements in their personalities, backstories, or skillsets. I think Bucky/Thor would get along great and be just as fantastic—a deadly odd couple who could help each other get over previous traumas. Their temperaments would make a lovely contrast, and generally, they would be insanely hot together. However, please pick just one ship! The other brother is welcome to play a major role in the fic, but DNW love triangles, threesomes, or yentas.

Anything where they unambiguously get together--with actual makeouts, or more!--will be great. I adore these three at every point in their character journeys, from pre-canon to post-Endgame, so set it whenever you like. My character death DNW applies only to people in the ship you're focusing on; it's fine if Loki is canonically dead in Bucky/Thor fic (but you can also pretend he didn't die!), or you can pretend Thor got snapped in Bucky/Loki fic, or… you get the idea. Or you can use something from upcoming Loki show. However, I find replacing a love interest with an alternate universe version incredibly depressing. Meaning, DNW Bucky to have known the original Loki and then date the 2012 version once OG!Loki is dead. Also DNW incompatible lifespan issues, so please assume the serum makes you immortal like an Asgardian, or that they can find some magic to make Bucky immortal.

You can start with the first meeting, if it makes the most sense for your idea, but, for either of these ships, I would LOVE to read something that starts weeks or months or years after they met, for a 'pre-existing friends or colleagues lurching towards lovers' feel. Something with pining, uncertainty, and/or hurt-comfort. Something where the characters know each other well before they get together and/or sleep together.

— Tropes: undercover as a couple; marriage of convenience; friends with benefits becomes more; captured together, road trip in space… I'm into these tropes for the forced proximity bonding and working together that results; you can handwave the set-up!

— New New Asgard: Traveling the stars, looking for a more permanent planet that the Asgardians can settle? What adventures do they have and how does it get them together? Do they find Loki, who turns out not to be dead?

— Post-TWS: Does Bucky get sent to Asgard to hide from Earth authorities who want to arrest him? How does Thor take care of him and how do they fall in love? Or does he end up meeting Loki, who maybe isn’t in prison in this divergence?

— The Dark World: What if Bucky had been the one to get infected by the Aether instead of Jane? Does Thor still take him to Asgard? What if Bucky had been able to harness the power, instead of being damseled by it? How would the plot play out differently with this change, and how does it help whichever ship get together? Or, what if Loki had been stranded on Earth at the end of the Convergence, and Bucky happened to be in London that day, and takes Loki in while he recovers?

— Post-Endgame: Bucky accompanies Thor (and Loki, who isn’t dead?) into space for a change of pace (especially since Thor is in a similarly self-defining place)? Could be with the Guardians, or Carol drops them off somewhere… I don't care about the set-up. I just want to know what adventures they have, how they help each other heal, and, most importantly, get to making out.

— Endgame: Pretend Bucky didn't get snapped, and has been friends with Thor and/or Loki (who didn’t die). I'd love something that picks up mid-way or at the end of the five years, for a friends to lovers story. What have they been doing together? Did Bucky get kicked out of Wakanda as soon as T'Challa and Shuri were dead, and that's how he ended up with Asgardians? Building up New Asgard in Norway? Missions for Carol? Stranded in space together? What finally pushes them to be more than just friends? Maybe Bucky went on the Aether mission with Thor instead of Rocket, or Bucky/Loki went to get a different stone. How does it go differently? Or perhaps the ship is sent to return the stones instead of Steve. What adventures do they have in this case and how does the experience help them get together?

— Wakanda: Start some time after the Asgardians arrived safely on Earth and settled in Wakanda; no Thanos. How have Bucky and the Asgardians gotten to know each other? Has Bucky shown them the ropes of living here? What new things do they show him? Midnight swims, fun with goat-herding or rhinos, an adventure regarding Wakandan mysteries or Asgardian magic, bounty hunters after Bucky, Heimdall sees something they need to deal with… Anything! How do they fall in love?

— 2012!verse: The Loki who escaped rescued the Winter Soldier earlier than in canon, for some reason. Bucky quickly recovers and they go on adventures together, or move in together, or anything!

— Reunions: Bucky and either/both brother somehow met (and maybe hooked up?) before or during WWII. However, what I'm actually interested in is what happens when they reunite post-TWS. When/how does their reunion happen? What with the brainwashing, amnesia, etc, it could be so angsty or identity porny, or hurt/comfort-y. Yum. Does the love interest find a way to rescue or cure Bucky? Or do they reunite after Bucky has escaped? Is it on Earth or in Asgard? I want the focus on the present day, but you can include the flashbacks as well, or just handwavily mention the backstory in passing.

MCU/Wodehouse Crossover
• Bertie Wooster & Loki & Thor

I love these guys and just think it would be fun for them to hang out! As long as they come to genuinely like one another, I’ll love anything. If you want to write something shippy (i.e. any of the sub-pairings with the third as an &; or even OT3) instead of gen, that would be fine, too. If you want to leave out Loki or Thor and have it just be Bertie with one of the brothers (gen or ship), also fine! My main ask is for Bertie to find out that they are Norse aliens/gods, and not have the story end with him still thinking they're regular guys.

I really want the focus on Bertie+Asgardian(s), and, as a bonus if you want, secondarily on Asgardians+Drones guys or aunts. My favorite parts of these stories are the scenes focused on my beloved Bertie with his pals, or trying on his own to deal with aunts, girls he doesn't want, authority figures, etc (but this time not on his own! this time with Loki and Thor!). So, Jeeves can appear, but I don’t need him to.

I would like something set in the early to mid-20th century, during Wodehouse canon times (DNW Bertie AU'ed into modern times). So, most likely a pre-canon Thor fic. I’m not into fics where Loki spends most of the fic shapeshifted into someone else or in Jotun form. DNW Loki to die, or any hint of Bertie or Jeeves ever having more than platonic feelings for one another. I don't want Jeeves breaking up any ships you might write. If you want to write 1st person Bertie POV, go ahead! However, I'd be equally thrilled to read a different narration/perspective on Bertie and his world (but in 3rd person, please).

— How can Loki and Thor help Bertie in the crisis of the week? Are the aunts or Sir Roderick or the Basset almost too formidable opponents, even for Loki's schemes? Or does his god of chaos-ness help him understand them? What are Loki's and Thor's reactions to Wodehouse characters? Like, are they having trouble deciding if the Wodehouse folks are stupid, or are they so unpredictably zany that Thor and Loki take them for dangerous savants? What are Bertie's reactions/thoughts on the existence of gods and magic and whatnot?

— If writing Thor/Loki, how does Bertie process the incest? Does he not realize they are brothers at first? Or not realize they are lovers? Or does Bertie help them get together? Has one been pining and Bertie almost accidentally sorts them out?

— Loki and/or Thor as Bertie's guest(s) at the Drones Club or at someone's country estate. Do they help Bertie finally get back at Tuppy for dunking him in the pool? Do they want to steal Anatole away to Asgard? Do Bertie's friends or family love his new friend(s), or have misgivings about them for entirely the wrong reasons, or...?

— Loki and Thor and Bertie scheming at Goodwood or at the boat races, or some other ridiculous Wodehouse-style plot you make up. Are their combined plans better than their individual efforts, or doubly disastrous?

— Or maybe Loki and/or Thor are here because of some MCU space-style dilemma (a canon divergence where early 20th century England was where they need to get an Infinity Stone in Endgame)? Or, no time travel, but they came back then to retrieve some other magic thing from a country estate? Or are they here on a similar prank as what sent Loki to be DB Cooper?

— Are Thor and/or Loki country members of the Drones Club? Meaning, they don't have a full membership because they visit only intermittently. But when they do stop by, everyone celebrates, because fun and chaos are about to happen. How did Bertie become their special bestie? What are parties like when they are there?

— Or start it when it's time for Loki and/or Thor to return home. He/they wants to take his friend/lover Bertie with him. Did Bertie know before what/who they are? Or not, and this is how he finds out? What are his reactions to Asgard and the characters there? What are their reactions to him? Did he learn about Norse mythology at school, or were they too focused on Ancient Greece at Eton?

— Random other ideas for getting Loki and/or Thor into the Wodehouse world, in case you’re stuck on the background: Loki falls off the Bifrost and into ~1930s London (just pretend Thor 1 happened back then), onto Bertie's roof or the garden at Brinkley Court or something. Or maybe he (and Thor?) visited Earth back then for fun or a project and got stranded here for awhile? Was Thor banished together to this time period? Thor and Loki banished together? Do Bertie or Aunt Dahlia take him/them in? Anything! (But seriously, I don't care how/why they get there; I’m all for starting later, even after they've met Bertie, or are even returning for their umpteenth visit to their friend, no explanation needed.)

MCU/Derry Girls Crossover
• Bucky & The Gang

This show is the perfect combination of heartwarming, zany, hilarious, and 1990s time capsule. I love that the adults are just as ridiculous as the kids. I would love to see how Bucky and the DG characters could help each other with something. I nominated "The Gang" because that seemed easiest, but I love every single character so much. So, you can focus on any subset of characters you want, and leave out any who don’t fit. Like, it’s fine if you end up focusing on the adults and the kids don’t appear. Or something else, whatever you like. My big Derry Girls DNW is any of the main kids hooking up with Bucky or with each other (with one exception, below). However, it's fine if the kids hook up with random other kids, and it’s fine if Bucky hooks up with any non-married adult. See the MCU section above HERE for general Bucky notes.

My biggest ask is that at least some of the characters find out about Bucky's whole deal (it doesn’t have to happen ‘on-screen’). Feel free to skip over the first meetings and start it when escaped Bucky has already been in town for awhile, or has been in hiding in someone’s house for awhile, or whatever. I would prefer the bulk of the story to be set in the 90s; however, if you want to include a bit of more recent times, you could include an epilogue (I LOVE reunions! also, I wouldn’t say no to Bucky/adult!Orla getting together in an epilogue, as the sole exception to the ‘no Bucky/main kids’ DNW?). Or you could do a Lost-style back and forth so that most of it is in the 90s, but there’s still some present-day action? Whatever you like! Season 3 will come out during the writing period. I'm sure I'll love it, so incorporate anything you want from it (well, unless any of the main kids get together with each other, in which case I'd prefer to ignore that).

— Hydra sent the Winter Soldier to Derry in the 90s for Troubles-related reasons, like, to bomb something or assassinate someone (maybe Clinton? but please don't let Clinton actually get assassinated)? Hijinks or confusion or mishap with Bucky escaping and/or hiding out with DG characters.

— Canon divergence where Bucky escaped before the story started, and is living in hiding in Derry. What do the DG characters make of this mysterious, brooding hottie? How do they figure out his deal (at least a couple MUST find out!)? What has he been up to? Substitute teaching? Fionnula's assistant at the chippie? Sister Michael's judo instructor? Does Hydra come for him, but the DG characters save him (either on purpose or accidentally)? Anything!

— Sister Michael! ♥️ Does she take escaped Bucky in? Does she rescue him with judo or plain old awesomeness? Why? Is she as stern-yet-secretly-fond with/about Bucky as she is with everyone else? What is their dynamic like? If you want them to have a little crushy time (or maybe they straight up fall in love... vow-breaking doesn’t bother me), that’s cool. Or just the greatest BFFs of all time!

— Assume that Granda Joe was one of the Howling Commandos back in WWII. But I don’t actually care about that part. The story starts in the 90s when he recognizes his confusingly not-aged, not-dead war buddy in Derry. What happens next? Does he rescue Bucky from Hydra and/or take him home? Or had Bucky already escaped on his own? What do the others make of all this? Does Erin have a crush? Do Bucky and Orla become unlikely best friends (I love her chill weirdness so much)? Or does Bucky help Gerry finally win Joe’s respect? Something else? If you want, you could backstory ship Bucky/Joe, or even present-tense ship them, as an exception to my lifespan/aging incompatibility DNW (Joe’s still hot!). Or keep them as just old friends!

— The kids DID get to go to Paris, and encounter the Winter Soldier there, and rescue him or something else. Or something about how hanging out with Bucky in Derry leads to them getting the money so they can go on the school trip to Paris?

— James's mom is totally Hydra and her company is totally a bullshit cover. Run with this to a place where that results in James meeting and rescuing the Winter Soldier. What happens next? FWIW, I see James as straight, but with hero worship tendencies.

— Do the kids, despite themselves, or possibly even without knowing what they're doing, defeat Hydra and save the world, twenty years earlier than canon?

MCU/Narnia Crossovers
• BuckyBarnes /Edmund Pevensie
• Bucky Barnes & Author's Choice of Narnia-world Protagonist(s)

General
I love fics that diverge from canon (as wildly as you like!) at any point before the closing chapters of the Last Battle. Time between these realms is already untethered and random, and I welcome as much timey-wimey handwaving as you want (honestly, I'm begging you!). For example, I see no reason why post-TWS Bucky couldn't travel to the Golden Age or Tirian’s reign; no explanation needed. I will take any and every era of Bucky for these ships. See the MCU section above HERE for general Bucky notes.

The end of Narnia, train crash, and afterlife are my biggest DNWs. Please let it be clear that everyone will get to live out their lives. I don't need a fix-it (i.e. a fic focused on how their canon deaths were averted). I prefer to pretend it just never came up! I'm not at all invested in the religious allegory elements.

Bucky/Edmund
I love that being redeemed into a just warrior king didn’t entirely cure Edmund of being a cranky, sarcastic little shit. Grown-up Edmund was so badass and kingly and hot and fun. I want him and Bucky to love each other as much as I love them, and to have adventures, and be competent, and unambiguously get together, with actual makeouts (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? How do they fall in love? There's delicious potential for angsty separations and happy ending reunions in this ship, too, if you want.

Edmund being a kid and Bucky being a soldier during WWII is too situationally intrinsic to both characters' backstories for my usual timeline adjustment approach to work. However, I’d be thrilled to assume time travel to make it work. For example, post-TWS Bucky traveling to the Golden Age or some other point in Narnian history works for me, no explanation needed! 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 hangs out with kid!Edmund at some point, as long as he doesn't touch the kid, and the happy ending is with grown-up Ed).

— WWII: Canon divergence where the Pevensies return from the Golden Age as adults instead of getting de-aged? Does Edmund join the army and meet Bucky on the Front? Does he help/comfort Bucky post-Azzano, when Bucky was maybe realizing something weird had been done to him, and is all angsty and sad? Does Edmund join the Howling Commandos? How do they find out one another's secrets?

— Edmund in the Future: The story starts when grown up again Edmund returns from going on adventures with the rings. However, because of handwavey inter-realm time shenanigans, the rings have dropped him off decades after he left, and now he's stuck in the future… Whoops! Or maybe, in addition to coming back as adults, they also came back fifteen years after they left. Does Ed rescue Bucky from Hydra (possibly earlier than in canon?), or is it post-TWS? Or even post-Endgame? Out of time together, hurt/comfort, etc. Is Hydra after one or both, or is it more slice of life?

— 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 together to other realms instead of Edmund dying. Exploring the Wood, or deserted Charn, or Asgard, or back to Narnia, or GoT's Westeros, or the Witcher (TV) world, or a world you make up?

— 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? What adventures do they have together?

— Bucky In Golden Age Narnia: Maybe someone blows the horn, summoning Bucky? Or the Tesseract or Bifrost takes him there? Or he fell off the train and into Narnia? Or some other way, or leave it unexplained, I don't care. Getting together while dealing with giants, or during some annual tournament in Archenland? Helping Edmund get rid of the remaining werewolves or hags from the Witch’s reign? Sea voyage adventures on the Splendour Hyaline? Or did he arrive in Tashbaan during HHB, and Edmund secretly integrates them into his entourage? Something else? Is it a divergence where the Pevensies ruled for longer? Or do Bucky and Edmund reunite later back in our world?

— Reunions: Does Bucky encounter the Pevensies while they’re still rather young (whether during ‘Prince Caspian’, VoDT, early on during the Golden Age, or during WWII); nothing shippy happens then, but it does when they reunite once Edmund is an adult and Bucky basically hasn’t aged? Or maybe some of the mythical figures that exist in both Narnia and Earth (ex. Bacchus, Father Christmas) help them meet or reunite, either here or there? You can include the flashbacks, or just focus on the reunions!

— Bucky as a Friend of Narnia: Maybe Bucky went to Narnia (or had some Narnia-related experience) during a time when the Pevensies weren’t there. He meets adult Edmund back in our world; how do they figure out their Narnian connection while also falling for one another?

Bucky & Author's Choice of Narnia Protagonist(s)
Honestly, I'd be thrilled with anything about Bucky going to Narnia, and befriending any "nice" character. It can even be an original Narnia character! Whatever you want. Feel free to start with him already there, no need to explain how he got there. Gen friendship would be absolutely wonderful, but if you want to include a ship, I could see Bucky with Lucy, Tirian, Rilian, Emeth, or Jill (as long as everyone is 18+), in addition to Edmund. Or he could have a confused hookup with Lasaraleen. (Note for if you write Golden Age fic: I love the Pevensies as a foursome, but if you’re focusing on just one or two of them, I will admit to being infinitely more interested in Edmund and/or Lucy than in Peter or Susan.) Please note that I really want him going to Narnia; I'm really not interested in something that takes place largely in our world.

— The last three prompts in the Bucky/Edmund section above could be tweaked to work for non-Edmund characters and other Narnian time periods.

— Does someone blow the horn to summon Bucky for aid, at any point in Narnian history? Helping Rilian during those difficult first few weeks after being back? Making friends with Giant Rumblebuffin? Visiting Bism? Or maybe just hanging with Narnian royalty in any time period you choose.

— Does he join Tirian for a pre-TLB jaunt to Calormen, whether for espionage, diplomacy and/or undercover partying? Does this adventure somehow result in the whole Calormene invasion getting nipped in the bud? Or, you know how Tirian astrally projected to the Friends of Narnia that one time? Well, what if he had 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 in Narnia. (What I'm most interested in is what happens when they meet in the flesh, so feel free to background the vision and transport parts.)

— Canon-Divergent Post-TLB: What if, instead of the world ending, Tirian & Co ran away to the mountains and started a resistance to the Calormene occupation, like they talked about doing at one point? I love espionage, desperate missions, angsty last stands and people bonding while struggling to survive in nature, etc. How does Bucky end up with them (maybe he was the one Tirian summoned while he was tied to the tree, or someone blew Susan's horn, or other?), and how can he help? Are there more secret hideouts full of wine? Does Puzzle (the darling!) somehow end up saving the day along with Bucky? Do they go on a quest to the magic garden place? The more horrible of an ending for Shift, the better.

— Or, perhaps the crossover fleshes out a mentioned-in-passing Narnia episode that we never saw. For example, did Bucky help the guy who spirited baby Shasta to Calormen? Was he around when the Duffelpuds got cursed, or did he try one of the spells in the Magician’s book? Was he the one who brought the Knife to Ramandu's island? Did he get sold into Calormene or Lone Islands slavery? Did he help Trumpkin deal with a problem in Narnia while Caspian was at sea? Pre-LWW, did he help win a key battle against the White Witch that kept her from growing even stronger than what we saw? Did he keep score while Corin fought the bear? Was he around to help carve the words that Jill fell into a thousand years later? Was he involved in the unknown story of how Narnia originally won dominion over the Lone Islands? Did he arrive just after the Pevensies disappeared in the Golden Age, and helped sort out the ensuing crisis? Or anything else! The whole Narnian world is your oyster.

Psmith Crossovers
• Mike/Psmith & Edmund (Narnia)
• Mike/Psmith & Corin (Narnia)
• Mike/Psmith & The Durrells (Corfu Trilogy – Gerald Durrell)
• Mike/Psmith & Frank Maddox (David Blaize) - see David Blaize Crossovers section below here

General
I will never get enough of Psmith and Mike having weirder adventures than they got to have in canon, and interacting with new people. Hence all the crossovers. I love what an odd couple they are, and how well they understand one another. I love their loyalty and what generous, self-sacrificing heroes they both are, while also being total little shits. Psmith's dialogue! Mike's pragmatism! I want anything where they unambiguously get together, with actual makeouts--or more! I don’t mind if they’ve had flings with other people in the past, but once they get together, 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.

Ship-wise… There’s so much they feel but don’t say, even with Psmith’s incessant talking; in what other ways can those feelings come out? Who is the forward one here, or do they bumble equally in their own ways? Does either try to hide his nerves/inexperience? Or not? Or maybe one or both is actually experienced? Any take on a romance between them would be fascinating.

Psmith/Mike & The Durrells (Corfu Trilogy – Gerald Durrell)
Please pretend Psmith and Mike were in their early twenties during the 1930s. Did they spend a summer between university years in Corfu? Were they some of Larry's houseguests? Party guests (I love the Durrells' parties!)? Or did they just happen to be vacationing in Corfu and met the family when the story starts? Or did they run away to Corfu when Psmith's dad lost his money? Something else? Think of the combined eccentricity! I love all the family members, plus friends like Theo and Spiro, so feel free to focus on any subset of characters you like; it’s fine if the whole family doesn’t appear. There’s no need to write it from Gerry’s 1st person POV, unless you really want to; I've actually always wanted to read an outsider's (3rd person, please) perspective on the family and their friends (and, I mean, if you really want to do a pastiche, Wodehouse has an equally delightful style!).

Psmith/Mike & Narnia Crossovers
What are their reactions to finding themselves in Narnia? How might they help characters there? What do the Narnians think of them? How does this adventure help them get together (or were they already together?)? DNW train crash, apocalypse, or the afterlife. Please make it clear that everyone will get to live out their lives. My biggest asks are a) for Psmith and/or Mike to find out about Edmund’s secret, if the story is set in our world. I nominated Narnian chararacters individually before I thought of the solution I came up with for Bucky above, where I nominated "Bucky & Author's Choice of Narnian-world Protagonist(s). Please consider this request similarly. You can go with "Psmith/Mike & Author's Choice of Narnian-world Protagonist(s)", even if Edmund and Corin do not appear. How does the adventure help Psmith/Mike get together, or deepen an existing relationship?

— Does Psmith or Mike get erroneously jealous of someone in Narnia (could be anyone), leading to stoic angst before they sort it out?

— Helping Golden Age Edmund remember his previous life? Is this the only time they meet, or do they reconnect at boarding school or Cambridge?

— Corin is like the Narnia version of a public school story character. I think he’d get along splendidly with Psmith and Mike. Does he take them traveling through Archenland? Do they team up to play pranks on his new twin brother? Do Psmith and Mike help him keep score against the bear? Something else? What’s it like for Corin to suddenly not be the crown prince, or to suddenly have a twin who is basically a foreigner, or having grown up with a sweet but sad dad who was mourning his queen and son? How can Psmith and Mike help him work through any of his potential issues?

— All of the prompts in the MCU/Narnia crossover section above HERE work for this request, too. Just swap out Bucky for Psmith and Mike.

David Blaize Crossovers
• Frank/Bucky (MCU)
• Frank/Ethan (Penny Dreadful)
• Frank & Psmith/Mike (Wodehouse)

General David Blaize Notes
While Frank's anguished self-loathing is super compelling, I ultimately want him to get over it (and get over himself, a little). I adore pining, but sometimes, if it goes on for years and years and makes my fave miserable or repressed, I end up just wanting him/her to move on with someone they can actually be with. Even though I do love Frank/David, I reached that point with them by the end of the second book (which depressed me a bit, on Frank's behalf, even as it made me love him even more). So, please let Frank get over his hopeless crush on David and be entirely into a new guy, without bashing David. I want Frank to find happiness and self-acceptance with someone new—unambiguously, with actual kissing, or more! Please set it when Frank is anywhere between 18-30 (ie. canon divergence, or only a few years post-canon), so he doesn't have to wait long to be happier.

Frank is such a fascinating and endearing blend of judgmental, whimsical, bossy, charismatic, and melancholic. I love his cleverness, snark, take-chargeness, and sense of whimsy. The chapter where he devises the plan to catch the cheaters was such fun, as was his love of the macabre. If you want to run with the thing where he cured David with the power of love to a place where Frank literally has some kind of magic (whether he knew it or not at the time), go for it!

Note: while a little cricket talk/play is fun, I don't really understand or enjoy the long, detailed chapters that you find in books of the period (the house match against Dowling in 'Mike and Psmith' being the only exception).

Frank & Psmith/Mike (Wodehouse)
Both of these canons are about the same kinds of people, in the same settings, in the same time period. Of COURSE they knew each other, right?! I would love a story that results in Frank feeling better and ready to accept love in the future (and also Psmith/Mike endgame). If you want to take it a step farther and find someone for Frank to end up with, that would be great, but no pressure. Just not Psmith or Mike, since I’m so rabidly OTP-ish about them. Perhaps Frank ends up with Adair or Monty Bodkin or David (this option is the only exception to my overarching "get over David" request)? Or some other nice Wodehouse guy (not Jeeves, please)? Or OMC?

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 DNWs are Jeeves/Wooster slash and Psmith/Mike endgame with anyone but each other (please set it before they met their wives and/or pretend they never did).

— University: 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. Nights in don’s rooms, talking about life. Anything!

— WWI: Fighting in WWI together; all three could meet for the first time, or maybe two already knew each other and meet the third during the war.

— Backstory Crossover Hookups: 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?

— Reunions: Maybe Frank had some childhood past with either Psmith or Mike (grammar school or neighbors or cousins or something) and they reunite in a Wodehouse-style setting/plot during a country estate visit, or at the London clubs, or at boat race weekend or Goodwood or...

Frank/Bucky (MCU)
I would especially like a WWII getting together story (with actual makeouts—or more!). Please pretend the books were set later so that they are around the same age. They’d make such a great odd couple. 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 more open-minded or experienced with men than Frank? Or has he always denied himself, and Frank initiates him?

General Bucky notes are above here. Feel free to pretend he 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 brings Frank to the future. 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 conflicting ships' 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 (Howling Commandos 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, foreign languages, need for quick thinking, getting information at a party, stranded in a snowy cabin, down time at a bombed out pub, appreciating the beauty of Europe despite the horror of war… anything!

— Met Fighting In WWII (general soldiering edition): Maybe the 107th is camped alongside Frank’s unit before or after 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? Bucky probably also needs some TLC after Azzano, even if Frank wasn't there with him… Does the desperation of war get them over their issues enough to act on their feelings?

— Canon-Setting Spies: Sent on an espionage + sniper mission together? Or maybe Frank isn’t a soldier, but rather some sort of archaeologist-civilian who is asked to use his knowledge to help the war effort. Is the mission to get information, or to prevent the Nazis from getting some Ancient Greek occult blah blah? Does Frank have to go ‘undercover’ as gay (when he already repressedly is)?

— Met In Captivity (Azzano edition): Was Frank also a prisoner in Azzano, possibly also getting experimented on? 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 have sex or confess feelings or watch each other be hurt? Or maybe they only get together after Steve’s rescued them (in a wartime hospital? as members of the Howlies? Other?) when they begin to realize the experiments left permanent changes on them (i.e. superpowers). Are they still traumatized, leading to even more closeness? The more hurt/comfort the better.

— Frank Goes to the Future: For a non-WWII option that I'm equally excited about, perhaps the story starts after Frank has been sucked into the present-day. Maybe some MCU-related cosmic business has brought him here/now, or he fell into a portal, or he is actually magical… It doesn't matter. How do he and Bucky get together? Bonding over both being 'out of time', Frank's reactions to the future, Bucky finding healing by helping Frank adjust… Can Frank's knowledge, skills or perspective help with an MCU-type plot?

Frank/Ethan (Penny Dreadful)
I basically want Frank to hang with the PD gang in London and get involved with their supernatural drama. Does finding out about and dealing with all this demi-monde insanity put 'beastliness' into new perspective for Frank (I mean, Ethan is LITERALLY a beast, so Frank kind of needs to calm his angst)? Does Frank find out about Ethan's werewolfness? If so, how does he react (hopefully some hurt/comfort?)?

Please pretend the David Blaize books took place earlier, so that Frank is around the same age as Victor or Vanessa in the early 1890s (I think Ethan’s a few years older than them?). I really do want Ethan/Frank to be wholly into one another, so please pretend Vanessa/Ethan wasn’t a thing or that he’s moved on (from both Vanessa and Brona) by the time he meets Frank.

I loved this show for Victor, Vanessa, Ethan, Malcolm, Sembene, and Lyle's Scooby Gang teamwork and found family, so a bit of that in the background would be fun, if it fits your idea. I wasn’t very interested in John Clare or Lily’s plots, so would prefer the story not to focus on them (mentions or super brief cameos are fine). DNW Victor to bring anyone else back to life.

Maybe Frank knew one of the gang before the story started. I’ll give some examples for backstory to spark you, but what I’m most interested in is what happens after they’ve incorporated Frank into the group, not a fic that’s all about these backstories or his first meeting with Ethan. Ex. maybe Frank grew up in the same area as the Murray/Ives houses, and was a childhood friend of Vanessa’s? Or perhaps Victor went to Marchester or Cambridge with Frank? Do they reunite by chance, like, at a ball or at a scene of supernatural violence that Frank manages to survive? Or do Victor or Vanessa recruit him for help with their latest monster endeavor? Or maybe Frank works at the museum after his fellowship, and Lyle brings him in as a needed Classics or archaeology expert.

— Maybe everyone stayed in London at the end of S2 and found a new thing to fight. Catching the Ripper? Dealing when Jekyll goes full Hyde? Taking care of Ethan during a full moon? Something else? Whatever it is, how does the adventure help Frank/Ethan get together?

— Do they have to infiltrate a creepy gathering or society event? Does Frank help with post-canon or alternate S3 adventures (either keeping the ending or pretending Vanessa didn't die)? Going undercover as brothers with Ethan while pining? Do Frank or Ethan teach each other some kind of skill, the way Ethan taught Victor how to shoot? Does Vanessa give Frank the kind of pep talks she gives Victor?

— Or run with the thing where Frank cured David with the power of love to a place where Frank is literally magical; how does he realize he's part of the demi-monde and start helping (but DNW Frank to be a werewolf or vampire)?

— Some ritual or magic plot blah blah requires that Frank be relieved of his virginity... Ethan volunteers.

— Leaving London entirely? Do they go on a vampire-hunting mission, just the two of them (or with the whole gang), or heal a haunted house? A trip to Bath or some other society place? Or some kind of stranded together or captured together scenario? Some other project that requires them to combine their talents and knowledge?

— Does Ethan take Frank out on a date, and maybe Frank doesn't initially realize that's what it is, because he'd never think this hunky, seemingly 'normal' American would be like that, only to find out that Ethan has slept with at least one man without angsting about it? Does Frank angstily and unhealthily fuck Dorian before ending up in a more feelings-ful romance with Ethan? Do they bond about how everyone ends up sleeping with Dorian?

Doctrine of Labyrinths
• Mildmay
• Mildmay & Thamuris
• Mildmay/Thamuris
• Mildmay/Mehitabel

General DoL and Mildmay Notes
I loved so much about this series: the characters, the magical concepts, the history and worldbuilding, the nerdy language play… but MILDMAY. I love him so much, it hurts. Basically, I am hoping for a fic that gives me more Mildmay-centric time, whether it’s post-canon or a canon divergence that jumps off at any point in the story. Pretty much the only kinds of fic I wouldn’t be interested in are a) missing scenes, b) canon rehashes from someone else's POV, or c) canon-compliant pre-canon backstory. I want something new! As long as Mildmay has a not-entirely terrible time during the story, with a not-bleak ending, I'll be happy.

I’ll never stop being hysterical about Mildmay’s kind heart, cleverness, resourcefulness, street smarts, sense of humor, crankiness, self-sacrificing loyalty (not just to Felix, but to everyone, gosh, what a fucking hero) and the intense competence porn he delivers. It made me wibble how he thinks no one cares about him (cue the violins), oblivious to the fact that he spends the series building a little army of people (and even monsters!) who owe him their lives and who think he's awesome. His OTT angst and whump and self-loathing and stoic woobiness were utterly delicious, and made the last book and a half where he starts to heal so wonderfully soothing.

I didn’t request tags with Felix simply because the books (and what little fic that exists) are already almost entirely about them. I would love fic that explores other aspects of Mildmay’s existence, too. That said, Felix is fascinating and so is their relationship, so feel free to include him in the background. If you’re writing one of the gen ideas, you can include Mildmay/Felix shipping, if you want. But if you’re shipping Mildmay with one of the optionally requested ships, I do not want Mildmay to ever return Felix’s feelings. Let Felix pine forever (or get over it, as he did in canon)! That said, Felix doesn't have to appear in the story at all, if it doesn’t work for your idea.

Other Notes: 1) It’s fine to discuss the canonical rape and character death, but please don’t add any more rape and death. 2) I’d prefer Mildmay not to be angsting too hard about Ginevra, and would prefer that she not appear. 3) Kay seems truly lovely, but I’m so single-mindedly focused on Mildmay and Felix (and Mehitabel) that, no matter how many times I try, I have trouble focusing on his chapters, and end up skimming. I feel terrible about it! So, you can include him, but I probably won’t get references to his individual plot points.

Mildmay & Thamuris OR Mildmay/Thamuris
I love a tragic (yet powerful) consumptive! How deliciously operatic. It was nice that Felix had a nice friend he got to be nerdy with and didn’t want to sleep with. But a bratty part of me was always annoyed, like, “He was Mildmay’s friend first!” I hated how long it took Felix to even tell Mildmay the guy was still alive. Anyway, I’d love a fic where Mildmay and Thamuris got to remain friends and hang out. As a side note, I loved the whole thing about the kid who took care of Mildmay in the Gardens coming to care about him and becoming Thamuris’s buddy, so something that includes him, too, could be fun.

I could also ship Mildmay/Thamuris, if you want. Does someone literally get fucked sideways until they cry? How would Felix react? Probably badly, at least at first. Or maybe he doesn’t even find out? It would be a nice salve for him not telling Mildmay about Thamuris being alive. Or maybe Felix never finds out, because, honestly, not everything needs to be about him. Please don't let Thamuris ever be attracted to Felix.

Maybe it's a canon divergence where Felix and Mildmay stayed longer in the Gardens of Nephele? Does Thamuris keep trying to do the prophesy thing on Mildmay? Does Mildmay help Thamuris get over his addiction? Yummy hurt-comfort between the two patients? Or maybe Thamuris gets better and ends up in Corambis with Felix and Mildmay? Or maybe it's a hand-wavy thing where Mildmay is able to get into the Khloidanikos long after they leave Thamuris in Nephele (I want Mildmay to get in on his own, not through Felix, just as I want Mildmay and Thamuris to have their own friendship independent of Felix). I loved the worldbuilding of the Khloidanikos, so if you want to imagine and expand on that to give Mildmay and Thamuris cool mind adventures there, that would be fun. What do they talk about, how can they help each other, etc? What if the rubies had really been… something even worse? How could they team up to defeat it?

Mildmay/Mehitabel
Mehitabel was an unexpected delight. She’s fun and pragmatic and resourceful, and, despite her own traumas, kind of refreshingly… healthy? The third book was so deeply depressing that I looked forward to her relatively lighter sections. I loved everything about the life of an actress in this crapsack fantasy world. She’s so different from Felix and Mildmay, and I love how she has different relationships with each of them.

I thought she and Mildmay were really sweet together (and the sex was scorching hot!). I loved how she saw and appreciated all the wonderful things about him that other people overlooked, and how uncomplicatedly interested in him she was. I completely understood why they broke up, and it was for the best for Mildmay’s psyche at that time, but I was still sad about it. I would love to read more about their adventures and romance, either set before they broke up, or a canon divergence where it worked out.

— The Missing Years: Something set in the years between the second and third books. The books skipped over pretty much everything between that cute first fuck and their breakup. I’d love to imagine more of their getting together story! Mildmay has such issues that I’m sure it was a little hesitant. Or, you could canon diverge and write about the skipped years of their relationship in a way that might have hastened his journey towards okayness, resulting in a sense that they might not end up breaking up in the future. I was also interested in how different Lord Stephen and Lord Shannon were in her POV from what Felix thought of them. They were kind of lovely! What about a canon divergence where Mildmay gets to know them better through Mehitabel, who seemed to be friendly with Shannon. Separately, what's it like to be in a relationship while one party is under the obligation d'ame?

— Adventures In Melusine: Maybe there was a theatre emergency that required Mehitabel to ask Mildmay to help out, like acting in a role or something else? How might that have gone? Or an adventure where Team Awesome Lower City Detectives (i.e. Mildmay, Gideon, Rinaldo, and Simon) works another case, and Mehitabel joins them. Or exciting dates they had! Nice things she tries to do for him, that possibly go awry? Or maybe Mildmay accompanied her on a short trip out of Melusine for a play. I loved the monster in the river who was Mildmay's #1 fan. Does he introduce it to his new girlfriend?

— Getting Back Together: I love a getting-back-together story, especially when both parties have done some soul-searching and grown in ways that solve the issues that made them part. I actually only started to care deeply about the pairing after they broke up; the way she kept thinking about Mildmay and missing him, and noticing him, and understanding him… and the way Lord Stephen was jealous of Mildmay because it was obvious to him--and maybe to a lot of people? (though not Mildmay)--how deep her feelings for him truly were... Mmmm. What about a canon divergence where she decided she didn’t want to be with anyone else, and tries harder to give him her real self, and they get back together? Or for some reason, she moves to Corambis and they get back together then?

General Mildmay Prompts (to use on their own, or in combination with any of the pairings)
— Post-Canon Divergence In Corambis: Mildmay and Felix’s healing life in the city was everything to me, and I was heartbroken when they were banished to the lighthouse. I was super into the scene where the nice "dean" of the "community college" type place asked if Mildmay wanted to take classes, or even teach one about Marathat! I would love a canon divergence that pretends Mildmay got to stay in the city so that something could have come of that. (Felix can keep his job in the city, too, or maybe Mildmay left him at the lighthouse for a few months?). How does Mildmay get on with his professors and the other students (or his own students!)? What are his favorite subjects? Anything! Does he get a job in the city so he can stop playing cards?

— Magical Cures: I love Mildmay just the way he is, but it would be fascinating to read a fic where he is cured of at least one of the things that he has morbidly defined himself by for so long. The same lady from the college-type place was suggesting that this could be done. What if he’d gotten his scar fixed? Would he even know who he is anymore? What new decisions does he make? How would he react to the new way people would treat him? How would Felix deal with everyone now seeing Mildmay as gorgeous? And/or, same question, if it's his leg that was healed. Or maybe the healing happens earlier on, like while they were in the Gardens of Nephele, or a wizard in the Mirador was able to fix Mildmay’s scar? How might this change situations earlier in the series? DNW him getting cured only for him to be un-cured at the end.

— Mildmay with Magical Ability: It would be cool to read a fic exploring what might happen if he started showing some latent magical ability. Even just the ability to get into the Khloidanikos and hang out with Thamuris would be lovely. Or something more imaginative that he can suddenly do! How does the talent begin manifesting and how does he realize what’s going on? How does he feel about it? Given that mistrusting hocuses is so core to him, how would he deal with this new development? How might it affect his relationships? Would it break or alter the obligation d'ame (since the recipient has to be non-magic for that)? Something else? Anything!

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The art of flying lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.

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