badass_tiger: Charles Dance as Lord Vetinari (Eli's Sparkle)
Rufus ([personal profile] badass_tiger) wrote2016-01-01 10:58 am
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Letter for Chocolate Box exchange

Hey, thanks so much for looking into writing something for me! This awkwardly long letter is just to help you in case you're stuck for ideas, but please don't feel restricted by anything I've posted here. If you have an idea of your own that you'd like to do, I'd love to see it too!

General likes: Here is a list of kinks and tropes I like to see in fiction, although I'm not sure if it'll be particularly helpful and it's really long anyway. In general, I like fluff, catalysts, introspection into one's feelings (particularly of the stoicer in the pairing, if applicable), and shenanigans that still somehow end up with everything okay.

General dislikes: Angst, particularly heavy angst and other sad tropes (hurt/comfort is okay, otherwise please be nice to my children), anything you have to warn for on ao3, PWPs (sex in a fic that otherwise has plot is fine), crack (a bit of fun is okay, just nothing OTT), m-preg, genderbending.

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Discworld

Rufus Drumknott/Havelock Vetinari

Ah yes, my ship of ships. My OTP. My favourites. I love everything about them so much. I started shipping this because it's Vetinari I love, and I need someone to be there for him and love him in canon. Drumknott is the perfect candidate - they have so much opportunity to get to know each other in canon, and they seem to genuinely like each other too. (Not that I don't love Drumknott too. If it weren't for Vetinari, he would probably be my favourite character because I adore secretaries like him.) Despite his position and despite himself, Vetinari has a sort of kindness or sentimentality in him (Feet of Clay, The Fifth Elephant, etc.), and Drumknott has the most opportunity to see that, and fall in love with him for it too, of course. I'd love to see anything for them at all, whether it be canon-compliant or an AU. One thing in particular I love to see though, is Vetinari's feelings for Drumknott, whether it's after they've been intimate or before, since other fics usually focus on Drumknott's feelings. Another thing I absolutely love is established relationship fluff. We don't have any of this in fandom, and while I admit fics where they get together can be very satisfying, this ship really reminds me why I love fluff so much. As you can probably tell at this point, anything happy will do for me!

One thing I reeeeally don't like is Vimes/Vetinari in any form, including Vetinari/Keel. I do like their working relationship so I don't mind if you painted a platonic friendship between them, but I avoid the ship like the plague, so I'd really prefer for there to not be past Vimes/Vetinari or anything like that. Other than that, Vetinari and Drumknott obviously have a rather delicate relationship, and I really dislike power play fics or fics where Vetinari comes on to Drumknott without giving him the opportunity to reject him. A bit of angst about what their relationship means to each other is okay though.

Prompts: As mentioned above, something about Vetinari's feelings for Drumknott would be really great! Maybe he's just realised he has feelings for Drumknott, and then what does he do about it? Does he tell him out of a desire to be honest? What if they were already sleeping together? Would he want to tell him or would he not want to change anything between them? Or how about a Roundworld AU where they can actually be open about their relationship? Do they celebrate holidays or things like that? I think it'd be really cute if Drumknott decided to spend Christmas with Vetinari only to find out that Vetinari doesn't celebrate Christmas after the fact or something like that!

Lord Downey/Havelock Vetinari

I love schoolboy-era Downey/Vetinari. It's my headcanon that those two had A Thing when they were at the Assassins' Guild. Downey is painted as an idiot teenager in Night Watch, but in present day Ankh-Morpork, he's the Head of the Assassins' Guild. I like the idea that he and Vetinari kind of became friends and Vetinari is the one who taught him about being politically savvy. They'd probably have a rather catty relationship, but subtly so, especially on Vetinari's side.

I really only like them together as teenagers at school though. If they did have A Thing, probably neither of them would want to so much as think about it once they were adults.

Prompts: Maybe some relationship development? In Night Watch, Vetinari was seen as a loner, so Downey would probably be the closest thing he has to a friend. Vetinari doesn't just let Downey's taunts fly over his head, he actually returns the gesture with a prank of his own, and more of that would be glorious. I also have a draft of a fic where they're supposed to find out they want to try having A Thing through correspondence over the holidays, if you want to roll with that.

Roberta Meserole & Havelock Vetinari

I adore Madam, but I guess this isn't saying much because everyone does. She was obviously a great mentor to Vetinari, as seen in Night Watch. I'd really love to know more about their familial relationship, since she's his only living relative and it's implied she was the one who raised him from when he was very young.

Prompts: I'd love to see fic of young Havelock living with his aunt whenever it's the holidays. The idea of him lurking around a brothel trying to listen in on his aunt and her friends talking politics is both hilarious and adorable. Or something where they interact in present-day Ankh-Morpork, like after Vetinari was poisoned in Feet of Clay or imprisoned in The Truth? I imagine Madam must be very proud of where Vetinari's gotten to as an adult, but does she ever worry about all the trouble he's constantly getting into?. Or maybe Vetinari introduces Drumknott to Madam as his sweetheart, or asks for her advice on romantic relationships? I just really want to see more of that little tease we got in Night Watch about what Vetinari's relationship with his only remaining family member is!

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The Chronicles of Chrestomanci

Christopher Chant/Millie

I am so fond of these two. They make such a wonderful pair. I love seeing anything about their relationship, from how they realise their feelings for each other when they're younger to what a powerful magical couple they are by the time of Cat's stories.

The only thing I'm cautious about regarding this ship are AUs, but I'm really okay with anything.

Prompts: I love fics about them as teenagers/young adults with the rest of the Castle's Family observing their relationship as it develops. I know there are a lot of fics about Christopher realising his feelings for Millie and pursuing her, but I can honestly never get enough of them!

Christopher Chant & Gabriel de Witt; Millie & Gabriel de Witt

I love Gabriel so much, and I wish we could have seen more of him. Poor Gabriel doesn't seem to have much of a family, but he seems to be close enough to the staff in the Castle, and I think he must have loved the Castle Family just as much in his own way. In Conrad's Fate, Conrad notes that Christopher isn't really afraid of Gabriel, but he acts really upset when he talks about their rows, so it does seem that Christopher cares for Gabriel too, and not just because he's his guardian.

In that vein, I really want to know more of what his relationship with Christopher and Millie would be like. I'd love a fic where Gabriel objects to Christopher wanting to marry Millie because he thinks he won't take good care of her or some other nonsense. Fic about Gabriel taking care of them, or of when he comes to the decision to invite more of the children who would become the Castle's Family at the time to keep them company, would also be really lovely to see.

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Love Actually

David/Natalie

My favourite couple from Love Actually! I love their dynamic. I really like how it's shown that their personalities play well off of each other. David is the cutest Prime Minister ever and I just adore him, and Natalie does too, of course.

I'd really love to see more fic about them post-movie with Natalie adjusting to life in the spotlight, them becoming Britain's d'aww couple, or even them having awkward family dinners with their respective families, especially if it was with David's family, since I love Karen too. Natalie comes from Daniel's wife's family, and Daniel and Karen are close friends, so I bet Karen would love to know Natalie, even if she wasn't her brother's girlfriend.

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Phandom

Dan Howell/Phil Lester; Dan Howell & Phil Lester

I love these boys so much. I think it's a shame that a very vocal part of the fandom is so rude and obnoxious about their relationship because Dan and Phil are so kind and friendly and they deserve so much better! Anyway, I read fanfiction about them just because I love their relationship so much, I really don't mind if it's shippy or not. They have such a nice dynamic where they really bring out the best in each other, their banter is way too entertaining, and it's obvious that they're extremely close and are very fond of each other.

Theoretically speaking, I like AUs for them, but in practice, I've yet to find one I really like. Something like a soulmate AU (either romantic or platonic) that still takes place in this world (so they still have pretty much the same history and all) is about the most I'd be interested in. I also don't really like angst when it comes to these two. Some hurt/comfort about Dan and existential crises would be alright if you wanted to go there though.

Prompts: I love fics about their close relationship the most, usually in the form of snapshot(s) in their current lives. Fics with shenanigans or them getting together as long as it's mostly really cute would be most appealing to me.

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Ace Attorney

Franziska von Karma/Phoenix Wright

Phoenix and Franziska have one of the most interesting dynamics in the game to me. I like the idea that Franziska began to develop a crush on Phoenix after she met him, particularly as she acts positively friendly to him in TT, and he even thinks of her as cute then. I love that Franziska is really a bit of a tsundere, and I think it'd be interesting to see her running hot and cold in a relationship with Phoenix, or even something like mostly growing out of it but still being tsuntsun about her affection for Phoenix sometimes.

Prompts: I love that one fic about Franziska coming back to Germany after finding out that Phoenix was disbarred and being supportive in her own way. I'd also love to see a fic where they're already close before Phoenix is disbarred (maybe dating, but she'd only be 19-20 to Phoenix's 27 so it's up to you if you think that's squicky. If you think it is, they can start dating a bit after) and she helps him with his disbarment while also getting used to Trucy being part of Phoenix's family. Something about her getting to know Phoenix's inner circle of friends once they start dating (Maya and Pearl, mostly), or meeting Phoenix's new recruits in the AJ/DD era would also be amazing.

Simon Blackquill/Bobby Fulbright

Haha yes, Bobby Fulbright, the reason I both love and despise DD. He quickly became my favourite character, and there I was, playing the game, dreaming of the time Simon and Bobby could rest in each other's loving arms ... only for Bobby to be cruelly ripped away from both me and Simon. I cried, I really did. The only reason I didn't put DD down by the time I realised what was happening was because I really wanted to see Simon get off the hook. But at what price? Anyway, I really want to see fic of them being happy. Either because the Phantom doesn't exist, or he impersonates someone else, or he doesn't kill Bobby after taking his identity, I don't really care. They just need to be happy and together.

My #1 do not want for this ship is obvious Phantomquill. None of it all please, unless it's Simon crushing on Phantom disguised as Bobby, only for him to fall in love with the real Bobby later on, or something like that.

Prompts: Fic I want the most is stuff where they get together after DD. Maybe the real Bobby was kept as a prisoner by the Phantom, and after he is saved, he and Simon help each other get over their respective traumas together because they worked together before the Phantom came along. Or maybe the same scenario, but Bobby and Simon never worked together, and after Bobby is saved, Simon decides to meet him out of curiosity and falls in love with him. Or maybe the Phantom just doesn't exist/impersonates someone else and there's just generic cute relationship development. Like post-DD and the Phantom is caught, Bobby helps Simon to readjust to life outside of prison. As long as they're happy and healthy, I'm happy too.

Apollo Justice & Trucy Wright

Apollo is one of my favourite characters and I love fics about him, period. I like the fact that Apollo started out being exasperated and annoyed by the Wrights' antics and eventually coming around to the fact that they were really nice people who he becomes very fond of. I'd love to see more of Apollo and Trucy's relationship. Even though they don't yet know that they're related, they have a very sweet sibling-like relationship.

I don't mind if you want to paint a relationship between certain characters to make things work, but for Apollo, I only like him paired with Klavier, and for Phoenix, I only like him paired with Franziska or Edgeworth.

I'd really love to see more of how their relationship works in different settings. Apollo as a protective big brother to someone harassing Trucy? Trucy being Apollo's wingwoman, perhaps? I can totally see her inviting someone Apollo fancies to a magic show so that she can set them up. Or maybe you can even tell me what happens when Thalassa tells them about the fact that they're related by blood. How do they deal with it? Does it change anything? I think Apollo would be shocked and Trucy would act casual, even if she would be surprised on the inside, but go where your muse takes you!