we_protect_each_other (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
we_protect_each_other) wrote2021-05-20 05:05 am
we_protect_each_other) wrote2021-05-20 05:05 am
Entry tags:
Dear Multifandom Horror Exchange Author:
Dear Author,
Thank you for writing something for me! Of course, optional details are optional, but I will try to give you some guidance about things I really like to spark ideas for you. If you have an idea already based on tags alone, go for it. If you need a little more help, then read on.
I generally divide my letters into a general preferences section which gives you stuff that generally applies to all my prompts and follow it with a prompts section which contains prompts and any notes about specific characters/ships/fandoms. If there seems to be a contradiction between the general preferences and the preferences given for a specific prompt, please assume that I am aware of the tension and that anything in the prompt section overrides the general preferences. Have fun!
By the way, I am![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
Prix.
In general, I do not watch a lot of horror movies, because they often tend to be a bit too pessimistic in their endings. I love a lot of the themes and elements of horror, though, and I am a bit worryingly addicted to true crime media and youtube channels and podcasts about subjects like cults, conspiracy theories, and strange things that may or may not be true. I like uncertainty and how it makes characters adapt, grow, and struggle to survive. In any genre, I am most interested in what the characters go through and how it impacts who they are and their relationships with one another.
Basically, while I would love to receive a master-crafted horror plot with lots of worldbuilding if that is your thing, I will be totally happy with something that's a bit more vague and character-driven and focused if that's easier for you. I care about the people in the tags I picked, and that's why I picked them.
Feel free to have any canonical unrequested characters appear in a supporting capacity either in passing or as an additional character in your story.
Please note that DNWs are not a value judgment on anyone else's preferences.
Also, I have asked for fic, but art treats are welcome.
General/Non-sexual
- extreme torture or gore (canon-typical violence and maybe a bit above OK but no Violent Horror category/splatter gore/torture porn please)
- graphic depictions of extreme bodily injury (unless 'magically' mostly fixed by the end)
- dismemberment
- unrequested AUs except canon divergence
- character or ship bashing
- unrequested ships (references to explicitly canon ships which do not contradict a ship tag OK)
- unrequested permanent character death of any main character
- hopeless ending (bittersweet or ambiguous OK)
- anything from the Medical Horror or Body Horror category except issues with the Uncanny Valley or the experience of physical helplessness unless specifically asked for in a prompt
Sexuality-Related
- permanent injury related to sexual activity (unintentional or markings such as brands, scars, etc.)
- breathplay
- hardcore or lifestyle BDSM / D/s (lighter and spontaneous forays into BDSM or D/s that do not define characters' whole relationships are fine!)
- noncon (dubcon OK and, for this exchange, the threat or memory of noncon is OK if it fits)
- sexual contact with wounds
- spitting as an act of sexual dominance (typical uses of saliva otherwise are whatever)
- semen or anything similar in eyes
- A/B/O
- biologically impossible pregnancies
This is a general list, and there may be some overlap from the Horror Categories.
Gen
- found family
- monster of the week/casefic
- slice of life (especially dealing with canon-appropriate twists on mundane existence or minor inconveniences)
- character study
- canon-typical violence/aftermath (hurt/comfort)
- canon-divergent AUs
- missing scenes
- survival (zombie, wilderness, apocalypse, etc.)
- political intrigue and machinations
- morality exploration
- world-building with character involvement
- redemption/atonement
- forgiveness
- earn your happy ending
- defeating/killing oppressors and abusers
- rebuilding from the ashes
- hurt/comfort
- enemies to friends
- unusual fic format such as mission reports, letters, etc.
Shippy up to T/PG-13
- enemies to lovers
- friends to lovers (especially when it's angsty for a while)
- unresolved sexual tension
- "I had no one else to ____"
- trust and loyalty
- power imbalance (addressing, not addressing, overcoming, confronting, etc.)
- accidental marriage
- arranged/political marriage
- competence affected by relationship (for better or worse)
- compromising mission/duty for love
- choosing love over mission/duty
- us against the world
- awkward flirting
- accidental/impulsive love confession
- non-sexual physical intimacy
- sexually-charged physical intimacy that (for [x] reason) does not reach full realization
NSFW (Sexuality-Related)
For this exchange, I would like for any explicit sexual content to be consenting, whether it is exactly healthy or wise or not. Sexual themes or tension within the horror elements are fine and even welcome, but I would love to have any explicit scenes be sort of an aspect of hurt/comfort or something that the characters choose to do that has some creepy implications or both.
In all sexually explicit fic, I defer to the characters' preferences over my own in terms of kink or specific scenarios as long as it isn't something I have asked not to receive in my DNWs. I like it when sex in stories means something to the characters and/or narratively.
I really like sex pollen, fuck-or-die scenarios, ritualistic sex, or must-consummate-the-arranged-marriage sex as long as there is already the potential spark for mutual attraction between the characters involved. I like it when the aftermath of these tropes is messy or even upsetting for a while but not entirely miserable and traumatizing-forever for the characters.
Please use the Horror Type tags as inspiration as you see fit. In some prompts, I may evoke specific tags or their qualities, but even if I do not then feel free to use elements from any tag I have chosen for a particular fandom/prompt.
Types of Horror: Dark Fantasy; Folk; Gothic; Institutional; Psychological; Science-Fiction; Survival
Daniel Jackson/Jack O'Neill
I am always enthralled by how Daniel became basically the most impactful person in Jack's life in a long time, even when he was on another planet and unreachable. I love the arc of their going from not having understood or liked each other at all in the 'movie era' to embracing for a long time at the beginning of S2. They have an emotional intimacy that they exercise but don't verbally acknowledge a lot, and I would like to see that tested and perhaps grow as a result.
- On a planet, they must participate in some kind of sexual(ized) ritual with or without sex pollen/aphrodisiac. This and its emotional/psychological aftermath.
- Some kind of institutional horror to do with how the US military as an overall organization has very deep issues with the characters as a focus. No DADT fic, please, though. I'm talking more "the SGC is declared a rogue faction" or something like that. Alienation from "home" kinds of feelings. Being criminalized for doing the right thing.
- Canon-divergence where the story deals with hurt/comfort after some grave injury or loss of autonomy. ("Hathor" and Daniel essentially being raped under the force of pheromone drugs comes to mind, but there are a lot of other examples.)
Fandom-specific Request/DNW: For them, please do not actively discount the fact that they have loved women in the past. It doesn't need to come up, though! If you feel bad for 'leaving Sam out,' I genuinely like Sam/Martouf if you need a background ship for her. Also, I really like Sha're as a character, so feel free to keep her as unreachable/gone/dead or you could even have it be a sort of open relationship. I didn't request any for this exchange, but I am always down for poly. Same goes for Sam, too, actually. Just don't be mean to the ladies and their legacies, please.
Daniel Jackson & Teal'c
I read somewhere a long time ago that there was initially a plan to have Daniel be far more on-screen bristly with Teal'c at first but that Michael Shanks and Christopher Judge had such a fast friendship and easy chemistry that they decided against it. As a result, they mostly address the potential issue of blame for Sha're's capture and loss as a personal problem for Teal'c or something that Daniel compartmentalizes fairly well because he rationally sees Teal'c's true intentions. I really love that they are able to be friends, but for the horror element of a story about this, I would perhaps like at least some reference to how this is an underlying pressure point, no matter how much Daniel tries to be accepting and Teal'c is penitent. I don't want a story that just destroys their friendship forever, though.
- They must depend on each other in a survival situation during a time when the potential tension in their relationship over Sha're's fate has been rubbed raw.
- Daniel must help Teal'c save his family. Alternatively, Teal'c manages to help Daniel truly save Sha're (Daniel/Sha're would be welcome in this).
- Institutional horror concerning the military or United States government during which Daniel and Teal'c must worth together and bond in ways that help them to grow as friends and/or people.
Types of Horror: Dark Fantasy; Folk; Gothic
Content Warning: Please note that this is an incestuous ship in case you need to scroll past.
I love the way their relationship is almost mythologized and evokes a kind of eerie but genuinely caring sense of understanding between them. There's a lot of really questionable or eyebrow-raising symbolism or direct text when their relationship is front and center. There is Michelle's comment about how she thinks Effy might be the only person Tony truly cares about before he is faced with the need to face his mental and personal issues. Then, of course, there is the fact that someone tries to force Tony to rape Effy while she is overdosing. Then, in the episode where his anima is personified, she asks if he wants to sleep with his sister. Effy, on the other hand, is very hands-on and caring when Tony is injured. She also has her very flippant attitude about sex and her own body and emotions. I am enthralled by how messed up they are, and I would like to see it explored in the context of this exchange.
- An AU, either closely aligned with canon or not, which involves some element of their having a bond that is a bit supernatural or spooky in nature. Soulmates, reincarnated lovers who committed suicide and were reborn as siblings, any other reincarnation trope. Alternatively, something evoking popular mythology (Greek in particular, I suppose). Dark fairy tale, modern retelling. I am pretty open as far as a setting change AU here if you feel like doing it.
- A story about Tony and Effy 'ending up together' in their adult lives. How they navigate this in the context of the world they live in. Perhaps the horror elements come from the way some part of society reacts when they are found out. Do they have to move around a lot? What if they conceive? (Generally, as I understand it, one generation of same-generational incest wouldn't necessarily be dangerous for a baby, but I am sure that there would be a lot of societal issues with that.)
- If you want to include Skins Fire as canon (I know a lot of people didn't like it), maybe Tony finds out Effy is facing some time in prison and is not having that. Prison escape and being fugitives and questions about the nature of the intensity of their love for each other. Coping with past trauma such as Effy's high school boyfriend literally being murdered.
Types of Horror: Dark Fantasy; Folk; Gothic; Monster; Paranormal; Psychological; Religious
Please note that I am at least as familiar with the characterization in YGOTAS/LittleKuriboh's silly videos like his Marik Let's Plays as the original canon. I really like the original canon, but I also very much enjoy what kind of amounts to YGOTAS characterization and concepts played straight.
Jounouchi Katsuya/Kaiba Seto
I love the fact that they are from totally different sides of the track as teens and future adults. It's easy to forget that Kaiba came from having nothing, too, as an orphan. I am particularly taken with the scene where Jounouci, in Duelist Kingdom, tries to insist that Kaiba is 'better than [something],' in spite of having little to base that belief on. He seems very invested in Kaiba as a rival, both in everything that sucks about him and in some version of who he subconsciously thinks Kaiba must be underneath. I would love to see the cracks in Kaiba's persona and perhaps his mental health leading to the two of them bonding through a trial by fire or through a confrontation between them that doesn't go as either of them planned.
- Kaiba in particular seems to be a skeptic about the paranormal and potentially religious even when he's right in the middle of a big generation-spanning spirit-inhabiting drama. It's interesting that he doesn't have a "Yami" side that I know of even though he is a reincarnation of someone from Ancient Egypt, too. I would love for him to be faced with irrefutable evidence of things that won't let him deny the metaphysical. As for Jounouchi's role in this, I can see him basically being an anchor and voice of reason for Kaiba, whether he meant to be or not. You could include Ancient Egyptian Sex Magic as a plot point, or not.
- Something to do with the abusive authority figures in their pasts and their love for their respective younger siblings leading to an opportunity for them to bond. It could focus primarily on either of their pasts. In particular, I think Jounouchi is really likely to struggle to completely break free of some of that without some kind of catalyst as they move into adulthood.
- Back on the reincarnation thing, maybe Jounouchi and Kaiba both end up in a reliving-Ancient-Egypt scenario whether it be real or virtual or spiritual or whatever. Since Jounouchi, as far as we know, doesn't have an Ancient Egyptian counterpart but Kaiba is a reincarnation, perhaps Kaiba is faced with the reality of actually having some emotions as opposed to letting Jounouchi die.
Yami Bakura/Marik Ishtar
I love the fact that Marik's Yami is basically all his repressed anger and trauma turned into a villain to overcome while, in contrast, Yami Bakura is a fairly complex character being an ordinary thief blended with some kind of Eldritch horror monster. I like the idea of Marik being a very oddly humanizing presence for Bakura while, in contrast, Bakura helps send Marik's evil id packing in spite of the fact that it's an odd thing for an ~evil~ entity to do. While I would love something that explores the dark and vengeful aspects of their personalities, I would also like something that keeps them together or reunites them with Marik is more 'normal.' Them finding that they are still good allies or bedfellows (in any which way) would make me happy.
- Some kind of ritual (possibly violent/blood-letting more than sexual) is required and Bakura intends to use Marik as his 'sacrifice' (not to the point of death, maybe, though if at first he's thinking he'll go there, fine). Then something causes him to have a change of heart? Then you could do Ancient Egyptian Sex Magic or just plain old apologetic aftercare. Anything involving cultic practices, either due to Marik's ancestral cult or something to do with the whole reincarnation business.
- Something centering on Bakura's Zorc-ness and how it causes a problem. How does Marik get involved? What do they do about it? What horrors do they face? Are there other Eldritch creatures who don't like that big purple monster has gone soft because of this human who went soft as well? Do they run away together? Do they save the day or the world in spite of their moral ambiguity? Furthermore, if Marik is a more moral person after being de-Yami-ified, what does it mean that Bakura doesn't just hate him?
- An ironic story about the two of them being tasked to save the world or Japan or Egypt or whatever because somehow Yugi and closer friends have been endangered. I would especially like this if it took place a bit post main-canon. Don't mind if it meshes with sequel material or if it's in the future at all, though. Just anything that really puts them on the spot to work together. Alternatively, they started out trying to do something bad but then change their minds.
Yami Bakura/Marik Ishtar & Bakura Ryou
- Feel free to draw from any of the above but include how this affects Ryou. Perhaps an outsider-perspective on a weird ship-fic which includes a bit of something between Body and Psychological Horror because Ryou does not control his body when Yami Bakura is in the driver's seat. This could have to do with sexual themes or simply the lack of autonomy. I would like it if it was not entirely bleak for anyone, including Ryou, in the end but perhaps the fic could be about Ryou needing to have this addressed.
- Building off the previous prompt once again, perhaps Ryou has come to terms with this weird arrangement and the fact that his ancient, evil-ish alter ego is with this guy he barely knows. In the meantime, he/they try to move on into something of a normal young-adult life, but then Monsters or some other kind of horror ensue. If you wanted to say with the dichotomy of two selves in one body theme, maybe some magic is trying to do something to sever Yami Bakura from Ryou but the three collectively do not want this to happen or need it not to happen.
- Ryou is sick and Yami Bakura needs help to help him. Marik is who he turns to.
Types of Horror: Dark Fantasy; Psychological; Science-Fiction; Survival; Institutional
Okabe/Kurisu is one of my favorite ships of all time. It's just so delicately built up and by the time everything is said and done, the series has really convinced you that it is epic and important. For the sake of this exchange, I would like something which does not preclude the possibility of their Steins Gate worldline getting to be together being possible eventually. Doomed timelines are fine with that in mind!
- We get a lot of a good perspective on how much psychological trauma Okabe has experienced, but I would love to know what post-reaching-'Steins Gate' Kurisu deals with. In the OVA it is briefly addressed in a humorous way that Kurisu struggles with the fact that she has dreams about kissing Okabe and having a much greater emotional intimacy with him than she actually remembers. She wants something with him that she has not had the lived experience and emotional build-up to 'earn' in her own emotional paradigm. I feel like that could be explored more deeply, and it suddenly wouldn't be so funny. They stumble through falling in love and becoming intimate with this baggage in the way, and it makes things messy and have repercussions the have to work through together. Basically, thinking a focus on how even though they're trying their best and love each other very much, there's still a lot of trauma and accidental hurting each other at first.
- A fic set in the Alpha worldline future where Okabe is a world-renowned resistance fighter terrorist and Kurisu is still thought to be a 'villain' in the past-future by Suzuha because she 'works for' SERN. A moment of deep angst and how they still love each other. Did Kurisu go a bit dark side to survive? Or was she doing things she could scarcely live with to try and mitigate the damage? What does Okabe think about it? They're kept apart by so much, but there's still something there. Do they get to see each other for a bit or is it all futile longing and regret? This fic can be miserable because we know they can and will fix it!!!
- If you are at all familiar with Robotics;Notes, you know that even the Steins Gate worldline is not compeltely rid of the Committee of 300 and their evil plans. While I want a hopeful ending if you go there, I would love both of them dealing with the fact tht there is still some kind of evil persuing them. Maybe especially when they're living together in America and don't have all thier friends right on hand to help?
Types of Horror: Dark Fantasy; Folk; Gothic; Institutional; Survival
The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova/Alina Starkov
What can I say? I'm a sucker for Dark/Light, Day/Night symbolism in my ships. I also love Enemies to Lovers (as many times as is necessary). I like redemption a lot, but I also love corruption of conflicted 'good' characters. I would just generally like the ultimate swing to be toward redemption and at least being a lighter shade of morally gray in the end, whether that bit shows up in your story or not. I don't know how bad and irredeemable the Darkling gets in the books, but I believe in Ben Barnes!Darkling, foolish or not.
Specific Vibe Request: You can beat up Alina or Aleksander all you want emotionally (or physically within the parameters of canon-typical violence or my DNWs) but if anyone gets 'broken,' I would much rather it be Aleksander.
- Arranged marriage or necessary sex ritual AU, canon-divergent or an alternative to canon. As mentioned above, I love the sort of tension of the need to consummate an arranged marriage for some reason. I like these things when they address both the tension and the baggage that comes with it.
- They are transported into another dimension, are taken prisoner somehow by a yet-irrelevant culture (perhaps somehow by those witch-hunters the Darkling saved Alina from early on), or something similar, and they must rely on each other for survival. Perhaps this would be especially fun after they are estranged.
- Justify this however you want: I think it would be interesting to see a fic where it's a sort of smaller scale and less epic fic where maybe they are in a small village and there is ~something~ there that is beyond them and the community they are in. Sort of folkloric monster survival something during which they both are compelled to protect each other and any bystanders. Maybe a time-travel fic whether it's in a vision or not? But yeah, anything like that.
Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa
I am extremely torn about whether I ship them or value their apparently non-sexual friendship. These prompts kind of lean into that tension in my own head. I love how stupid Kaz goes over Inej sometimes. I also love sincerely religious characters who aren't basically evil through action or inaction, so Inej is a treat for me. Also, I'm just now learning about stuff that was not explicitly mentioned in the show, so feel free to include Kaz's phobia of touch as part of of the horror element, though they did not explicitly bring this up in the show.
- They start the story believing they are totally platonic BFFs but for some reason they have sexual interaction. It could be as part of a necessary 'cover story,' that is beyond a little invasive. It could be because of magic or drugs. It could be out of desperation in a hurt/comfort situation. The circumstances are fraught, and so is the aftermath of realizing that they cannot emotionally go back and have to go down this treacherous road of there being yet more to lose between them.
- Something where one of them is nearly prostituted to someone else, and the other will be damned if they let that happen (again). Either instead or in addition to: one of them is grievously injured and the other will do anything necessary to get them help.
- They rely on each other to survive something that leaves them isolated and fairly impoverished for a time, out in the middle of nowhere. What happens? Are there monsters or is the community itself somehow strange or monstrous? Maybe they, for some reason, need to act as husband and wife and it gets harder and harder to tell the difference. Jesper and the goat can come, too, if you like.
Mal Oretsev/Alina Starkov
Gotta say that I was not especially impressed with Mal at first, especially because I got into it for the tropes that darklina has going for it, but I'm a multishipper and Mal really won be over. I have heard some things about Mal from (probably biased) accounts of the book, but I really love how at least show!Mal has not demanded a lot or any major explanations from Alina. I love their friendship and think that their friends-to-lovers thing is genuinely touching. I really appreciate that Alina has seemed to learn that she did not need Mal to be whole but that she needed him as a friend, a found family member, and eventually I presume a lover. I would love to see something post-Season 1 canon for them, but I am also good with canon divergent AUs and stuff.
- They are in Fjerda and faced with the kill-all-witches culture, hiding in a city or fleeing from witch hunters. Maybe Alina has to self-handicap to prevent herself from being found out as the Sun Summoner and getting them both in even more trouble. This could be survival horror or institutional horror vibes, either way. How does Mal try to help her? Is he also in trouble?
- One of them is under the influence of something: a poison, something done by a Grisha, some kind of curse, and the other has to save them even though they have become dangerous to them. Angst. I would prefer the angst not focus on disparaging Alina's feelings for Aleksander, though it can make an appearance as a negative thing for her/them.
- If you go this route, I don't want pregnancy itself to be the horrific thing, but: Alina falls pregnant and this is used against her in some way. Or she is desperately trying to protect her unborn child with Mal's help. A story dealing with consequences. Also maybe something about ghosts and the past. This is a weird vaguely-formed idea, but if it speaks to you, go for it.
(Bonus prompt: If you want to do some kind of scary but eventually redeemable Mal/Alina/Aleksander thing, I would be down for that.)
Thank you for writing something for me! Of course, optional details are optional, but I will try to give you some guidance about things I really like to spark ideas for you. If you have an idea already based on tags alone, go for it. If you need a little more help, then read on.
I generally divide my letters into a general preferences section which gives you stuff that generally applies to all my prompts and follow it with a prompts section which contains prompts and any notes about specific characters/ships/fandoms. If there seems to be a contradiction between the general preferences and the preferences given for a specific prompt, please assume that I am aware of the tension and that anything in the prompt section overrides the general preferences. Have fun!
By the way, I am
Preferences
In general, I do not watch a lot of horror movies, because they often tend to be a bit too pessimistic in their endings. I love a lot of the themes and elements of horror, though, and I am a bit worryingly addicted to true crime media and youtube channels and podcasts about subjects like cults, conspiracy theories, and strange things that may or may not be true. I like uncertainty and how it makes characters adapt, grow, and struggle to survive. In any genre, I am most interested in what the characters go through and how it impacts who they are and their relationships with one another.
Basically, while I would love to receive a master-crafted horror plot with lots of worldbuilding if that is your thing, I will be totally happy with something that's a bit more vague and character-driven and focused if that's easier for you. I care about the people in the tags I picked, and that's why I picked them.
Feel free to have any canonical unrequested characters appear in a supporting capacity either in passing or as an additional character in your story.
Please note that DNWs are not a value judgment on anyone else's preferences.
Also, I have asked for fic, but art treats are welcome.
DNWs
General/Non-sexual
- extreme torture or gore (canon-typical violence and maybe a bit above OK but no Violent Horror category/splatter gore/torture porn please)
- graphic depictions of extreme bodily injury (unless 'magically' mostly fixed by the end)
- dismemberment
- unrequested AUs except canon divergence
- character or ship bashing
- unrequested ships (references to explicitly canon ships which do not contradict a ship tag OK)
- unrequested permanent character death of any main character
- hopeless ending (bittersweet or ambiguous OK)
- anything from the Medical Horror or Body Horror category except issues with the Uncanny Valley or the experience of physical helplessness unless specifically asked for in a prompt
Sexuality-Related
- permanent injury related to sexual activity (unintentional or markings such as brands, scars, etc.)
- breathplay
- hardcore or lifestyle BDSM / D/s (lighter and spontaneous forays into BDSM or D/s that do not define characters' whole relationships are fine!)
- noncon (dubcon OK and, for this exchange, the threat or memory of noncon is OK if it fits)
- sexual contact with wounds
- spitting as an act of sexual dominance (typical uses of saliva otherwise are whatever)
- semen or anything similar in eyes
- A/B/O
- biologically impossible pregnancies
Likes
This is a general list, and there may be some overlap from the Horror Categories.
Gen
- found family
- monster of the week/casefic
- slice of life (especially dealing with canon-appropriate twists on mundane existence or minor inconveniences)
- character study
- canon-typical violence/aftermath (hurt/comfort)
- canon-divergent AUs
- missing scenes
- survival (zombie, wilderness, apocalypse, etc.)
- political intrigue and machinations
- morality exploration
- world-building with character involvement
- redemption/atonement
- forgiveness
- earn your happy ending
- defeating/killing oppressors and abusers
- rebuilding from the ashes
- hurt/comfort
- enemies to friends
- unusual fic format such as mission reports, letters, etc.
Shippy up to T/PG-13
- enemies to lovers
- friends to lovers (especially when it's angsty for a while)
- unresolved sexual tension
- "I had no one else to ____"
- trust and loyalty
- power imbalance (addressing, not addressing, overcoming, confronting, etc.)
- accidental marriage
- arranged/political marriage
- competence affected by relationship (for better or worse)
- compromising mission/duty for love
- choosing love over mission/duty
- us against the world
- awkward flirting
- accidental/impulsive love confession
- non-sexual physical intimacy
- sexually-charged physical intimacy that (for [x] reason) does not reach full realization
NSFW (Sexuality-Related)
For this exchange, I would like for any explicit sexual content to be consenting, whether it is exactly healthy or wise or not. Sexual themes or tension within the horror elements are fine and even welcome, but I would love to have any explicit scenes be sort of an aspect of hurt/comfort or something that the characters choose to do that has some creepy implications or both.
In all sexually explicit fic, I defer to the characters' preferences over my own in terms of kink or specific scenarios as long as it isn't something I have asked not to receive in my DNWs. I like it when sex in stories means something to the characters and/or narratively.
I really like sex pollen, fuck-or-die scenarios, ritualistic sex, or must-consummate-the-arranged-marriage sex as long as there is already the potential spark for mutual attraction between the characters involved. I like it when the aftermath of these tropes is messy or even upsetting for a while but not entirely miserable and traumatizing-forever for the characters.
Prompts
Please use the Horror Type tags as inspiration as you see fit. In some prompts, I may evoke specific tags or their qualities, but even if I do not then feel free to use elements from any tag I have chosen for a particular fandom/prompt.
Stargate SG-1
Relationships: Daniel Jackson/Jack O'Neill; Daniel Jackson & Teal'c
Types of Horror: Dark Fantasy; Folk; Gothic; Institutional; Psychological; Science-Fiction; Survival
Daniel Jackson/Jack O'Neill
I am always enthralled by how Daniel became basically the most impactful person in Jack's life in a long time, even when he was on another planet and unreachable. I love the arc of their going from not having understood or liked each other at all in the 'movie era' to embracing for a long time at the beginning of S2. They have an emotional intimacy that they exercise but don't verbally acknowledge a lot, and I would like to see that tested and perhaps grow as a result.
- On a planet, they must participate in some kind of sexual(ized) ritual with or without sex pollen/aphrodisiac. This and its emotional/psychological aftermath.
- Some kind of institutional horror to do with how the US military as an overall organization has very deep issues with the characters as a focus. No DADT fic, please, though. I'm talking more "the SGC is declared a rogue faction" or something like that. Alienation from "home" kinds of feelings. Being criminalized for doing the right thing.
- Canon-divergence where the story deals with hurt/comfort after some grave injury or loss of autonomy. ("Hathor" and Daniel essentially being raped under the force of pheromone drugs comes to mind, but there are a lot of other examples.)
Fandom-specific Request/DNW: For them, please do not actively discount the fact that they have loved women in the past. It doesn't need to come up, though! If you feel bad for 'leaving Sam out,' I genuinely like Sam/Martouf if you need a background ship for her. Also, I really like Sha're as a character, so feel free to keep her as unreachable/gone/dead or you could even have it be a sort of open relationship. I didn't request any for this exchange, but I am always down for poly. Same goes for Sam, too, actually. Just don't be mean to the ladies and their legacies, please.
Daniel Jackson & Teal'c
I read somewhere a long time ago that there was initially a plan to have Daniel be far more on-screen bristly with Teal'c at first but that Michael Shanks and Christopher Judge had such a fast friendship and easy chemistry that they decided against it. As a result, they mostly address the potential issue of blame for Sha're's capture and loss as a personal problem for Teal'c or something that Daniel compartmentalizes fairly well because he rationally sees Teal'c's true intentions. I really love that they are able to be friends, but for the horror element of a story about this, I would perhaps like at least some reference to how this is an underlying pressure point, no matter how much Daniel tries to be accepting and Teal'c is penitent. I don't want a story that just destroys their friendship forever, though.
- They must depend on each other in a survival situation during a time when the potential tension in their relationship over Sha're's fate has been rubbed raw.
- Daniel must help Teal'c save his family. Alternatively, Teal'c manages to help Daniel truly save Sha're (Daniel/Sha're would be welcome in this).
- Institutional horror concerning the military or United States government during which Daniel and Teal'c must worth together and bond in ways that help them to grow as friends and/or people.
Skins (UK)
Relationships: Effy Stonem/Tony Stonem
Types of Horror: Dark Fantasy; Folk; Gothic
Content Warning: Please note that this is an incestuous ship in case you need to scroll past.
I love the way their relationship is almost mythologized and evokes a kind of eerie but genuinely caring sense of understanding between them. There's a lot of really questionable or eyebrow-raising symbolism or direct text when their relationship is front and center. There is Michelle's comment about how she thinks Effy might be the only person Tony truly cares about before he is faced with the need to face his mental and personal issues. Then, of course, there is the fact that someone tries to force Tony to rape Effy while she is overdosing. Then, in the episode where his anima is personified, she asks if he wants to sleep with his sister. Effy, on the other hand, is very hands-on and caring when Tony is injured. She also has her very flippant attitude about sex and her own body and emotions. I am enthralled by how messed up they are, and I would like to see it explored in the context of this exchange.
- An AU, either closely aligned with canon or not, which involves some element of their having a bond that is a bit supernatural or spooky in nature. Soulmates, reincarnated lovers who committed suicide and were reborn as siblings, any other reincarnation trope. Alternatively, something evoking popular mythology (Greek in particular, I suppose). Dark fairy tale, modern retelling. I am pretty open as far as a setting change AU here if you feel like doing it.
- A story about Tony and Effy 'ending up together' in their adult lives. How they navigate this in the context of the world they live in. Perhaps the horror elements come from the way some part of society reacts when they are found out. Do they have to move around a lot? What if they conceive? (Generally, as I understand it, one generation of same-generational incest wouldn't necessarily be dangerous for a baby, but I am sure that there would be a lot of societal issues with that.)
- If you want to include Skins Fire as canon (I know a lot of people didn't like it), maybe Tony finds out Effy is facing some time in prison and is not having that. Prison escape and being fugitives and questions about the nature of the intensity of their love for each other. Coping with past trauma such as Effy's high school boyfriend literally being murdered.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
Relationships: Jounouchi Katsuya/Kaiba Seto; Yami Bakura/Marik Ishtar; Yami Bakura/Marik Ishtar & Bakura Ryou
Types of Horror: Dark Fantasy; Folk; Gothic; Monster; Paranormal; Psychological; Religious
Please note that I am at least as familiar with the characterization in YGOTAS/LittleKuriboh's silly videos like his Marik Let's Plays as the original canon. I really like the original canon, but I also very much enjoy what kind of amounts to YGOTAS characterization and concepts played straight.
Jounouchi Katsuya/Kaiba Seto
I love the fact that they are from totally different sides of the track as teens and future adults. It's easy to forget that Kaiba came from having nothing, too, as an orphan. I am particularly taken with the scene where Jounouci, in Duelist Kingdom, tries to insist that Kaiba is 'better than [something],' in spite of having little to base that belief on. He seems very invested in Kaiba as a rival, both in everything that sucks about him and in some version of who he subconsciously thinks Kaiba must be underneath. I would love to see the cracks in Kaiba's persona and perhaps his mental health leading to the two of them bonding through a trial by fire or through a confrontation between them that doesn't go as either of them planned.
- Kaiba in particular seems to be a skeptic about the paranormal and potentially religious even when he's right in the middle of a big generation-spanning spirit-inhabiting drama. It's interesting that he doesn't have a "Yami" side that I know of even though he is a reincarnation of someone from Ancient Egypt, too. I would love for him to be faced with irrefutable evidence of things that won't let him deny the metaphysical. As for Jounouchi's role in this, I can see him basically being an anchor and voice of reason for Kaiba, whether he meant to be or not. You could include Ancient Egyptian Sex Magic as a plot point, or not.
- Something to do with the abusive authority figures in their pasts and their love for their respective younger siblings leading to an opportunity for them to bond. It could focus primarily on either of their pasts. In particular, I think Jounouchi is really likely to struggle to completely break free of some of that without some kind of catalyst as they move into adulthood.
- Back on the reincarnation thing, maybe Jounouchi and Kaiba both end up in a reliving-Ancient-Egypt scenario whether it be real or virtual or spiritual or whatever. Since Jounouchi, as far as we know, doesn't have an Ancient Egyptian counterpart but Kaiba is a reincarnation, perhaps Kaiba is faced with the reality of actually having some emotions as opposed to letting Jounouchi die.
Yami Bakura/Marik Ishtar
I love the fact that Marik's Yami is basically all his repressed anger and trauma turned into a villain to overcome while, in contrast, Yami Bakura is a fairly complex character being an ordinary thief blended with some kind of Eldritch horror monster. I like the idea of Marik being a very oddly humanizing presence for Bakura while, in contrast, Bakura helps send Marik's evil id packing in spite of the fact that it's an odd thing for an ~evil~ entity to do. While I would love something that explores the dark and vengeful aspects of their personalities, I would also like something that keeps them together or reunites them with Marik is more 'normal.' Them finding that they are still good allies or bedfellows (in any which way) would make me happy.
- Some kind of ritual (possibly violent/blood-letting more than sexual) is required and Bakura intends to use Marik as his 'sacrifice' (not to the point of death, maybe, though if at first he's thinking he'll go there, fine). Then something causes him to have a change of heart? Then you could do Ancient Egyptian Sex Magic or just plain old apologetic aftercare. Anything involving cultic practices, either due to Marik's ancestral cult or something to do with the whole reincarnation business.
- Something centering on Bakura's Zorc-ness and how it causes a problem. How does Marik get involved? What do they do about it? What horrors do they face? Are there other Eldritch creatures who don't like that big purple monster has gone soft because of this human who went soft as well? Do they run away together? Do they save the day or the world in spite of their moral ambiguity? Furthermore, if Marik is a more moral person after being de-Yami-ified, what does it mean that Bakura doesn't just hate him?
- An ironic story about the two of them being tasked to save the world or Japan or Egypt or whatever because somehow Yugi and closer friends have been endangered. I would especially like this if it took place a bit post main-canon. Don't mind if it meshes with sequel material or if it's in the future at all, though. Just anything that really puts them on the spot to work together. Alternatively, they started out trying to do something bad but then change their minds.
Yami Bakura/Marik Ishtar & Bakura Ryou
- Feel free to draw from any of the above but include how this affects Ryou. Perhaps an outsider-perspective on a weird ship-fic which includes a bit of something between Body and Psychological Horror because Ryou does not control his body when Yami Bakura is in the driver's seat. This could have to do with sexual themes or simply the lack of autonomy. I would like it if it was not entirely bleak for anyone, including Ryou, in the end but perhaps the fic could be about Ryou needing to have this addressed.
- Building off the previous prompt once again, perhaps Ryou has come to terms with this weird arrangement and the fact that his ancient, evil-ish alter ego is with this guy he barely knows. In the meantime, he/they try to move on into something of a normal young-adult life, but then Monsters or some other kind of horror ensue. If you wanted to say with the dichotomy of two selves in one body theme, maybe some magic is trying to do something to sever Yami Bakura from Ryou but the three collectively do not want this to happen or need it not to happen.
- Ryou is sick and Yami Bakura needs help to help him. Marik is who he turns to.
Steins;Gate
Relationships: Okabe Rintarou | Hououin Kyouma/Makise Kurisu
Types of Horror: Dark Fantasy; Psychological; Science-Fiction; Survival; Institutional
Okabe/Kurisu is one of my favorite ships of all time. It's just so delicately built up and by the time everything is said and done, the series has really convinced you that it is epic and important. For the sake of this exchange, I would like something which does not preclude the possibility of their Steins Gate worldline getting to be together being possible eventually. Doomed timelines are fine with that in mind!
- We get a lot of a good perspective on how much psychological trauma Okabe has experienced, but I would love to know what post-reaching-'Steins Gate' Kurisu deals with. In the OVA it is briefly addressed in a humorous way that Kurisu struggles with the fact that she has dreams about kissing Okabe and having a much greater emotional intimacy with him than she actually remembers. She wants something with him that she has not had the lived experience and emotional build-up to 'earn' in her own emotional paradigm. I feel like that could be explored more deeply, and it suddenly wouldn't be so funny. They stumble through falling in love and becoming intimate with this baggage in the way, and it makes things messy and have repercussions the have to work through together. Basically, thinking a focus on how even though they're trying their best and love each other very much, there's still a lot of trauma and accidental hurting each other at first.
- A fic set in the Alpha worldline future where Okabe is a world-renowned resistance fighter terrorist and Kurisu is still thought to be a 'villain' in the past-future by Suzuha because she 'works for' SERN. A moment of deep angst and how they still love each other. Did Kurisu go a bit dark side to survive? Or was she doing things she could scarcely live with to try and mitigate the damage? What does Okabe think about it? They're kept apart by so much, but there's still something there. Do they get to see each other for a bit or is it all futile longing and regret? This fic can be miserable because we know they can and will fix it!!!
- If you are at all familiar with Robotics;Notes, you know that even the Steins Gate worldline is not compeltely rid of the Committee of 300 and their evil plans. While I want a hopeful ending if you go there, I would love both of them dealing with the fact tht there is still some kind of evil persuing them. Maybe especially when they're living together in America and don't have all thier friends right on hand to help?
Shadow and Bone (TV)
Relationships: The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova/Alina Starkov; Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa; Mal Oretsev/Alina Starkov
Types of Horror: Dark Fantasy; Folk; Gothic; Institutional; Survival
The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova/Alina Starkov
What can I say? I'm a sucker for Dark/Light, Day/Night symbolism in my ships. I also love Enemies to Lovers (as many times as is necessary). I like redemption a lot, but I also love corruption of conflicted 'good' characters. I would just generally like the ultimate swing to be toward redemption and at least being a lighter shade of morally gray in the end, whether that bit shows up in your story or not. I don't know how bad and irredeemable the Darkling gets in the books, but I believe in Ben Barnes!Darkling, foolish or not.
Specific Vibe Request: You can beat up Alina or Aleksander all you want emotionally (or physically within the parameters of canon-typical violence or my DNWs) but if anyone gets 'broken,' I would much rather it be Aleksander.
- Arranged marriage or necessary sex ritual AU, canon-divergent or an alternative to canon. As mentioned above, I love the sort of tension of the need to consummate an arranged marriage for some reason. I like these things when they address both the tension and the baggage that comes with it.
- They are transported into another dimension, are taken prisoner somehow by a yet-irrelevant culture (perhaps somehow by those witch-hunters the Darkling saved Alina from early on), or something similar, and they must rely on each other for survival. Perhaps this would be especially fun after they are estranged.
- Justify this however you want: I think it would be interesting to see a fic where it's a sort of smaller scale and less epic fic where maybe they are in a small village and there is ~something~ there that is beyond them and the community they are in. Sort of folkloric monster survival something during which they both are compelled to protect each other and any bystanders. Maybe a time-travel fic whether it's in a vision or not? But yeah, anything like that.
Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa
I am extremely torn about whether I ship them or value their apparently non-sexual friendship. These prompts kind of lean into that tension in my own head. I love how stupid Kaz goes over Inej sometimes. I also love sincerely religious characters who aren't basically evil through action or inaction, so Inej is a treat for me. Also, I'm just now learning about stuff that was not explicitly mentioned in the show, so feel free to include Kaz's phobia of touch as part of of the horror element, though they did not explicitly bring this up in the show.
- They start the story believing they are totally platonic BFFs but for some reason they have sexual interaction. It could be as part of a necessary 'cover story,' that is beyond a little invasive. It could be because of magic or drugs. It could be out of desperation in a hurt/comfort situation. The circumstances are fraught, and so is the aftermath of realizing that they cannot emotionally go back and have to go down this treacherous road of there being yet more to lose between them.
- Something where one of them is nearly prostituted to someone else, and the other will be damned if they let that happen (again). Either instead or in addition to: one of them is grievously injured and the other will do anything necessary to get them help.
- They rely on each other to survive something that leaves them isolated and fairly impoverished for a time, out in the middle of nowhere. What happens? Are there monsters or is the community itself somehow strange or monstrous? Maybe they, for some reason, need to act as husband and wife and it gets harder and harder to tell the difference. Jesper and the goat can come, too, if you like.
Mal Oretsev/Alina Starkov
Gotta say that I was not especially impressed with Mal at first, especially because I got into it for the tropes that darklina has going for it, but I'm a multishipper and Mal really won be over. I have heard some things about Mal from (probably biased) accounts of the book, but I really love how at least show!Mal has not demanded a lot or any major explanations from Alina. I love their friendship and think that their friends-to-lovers thing is genuinely touching. I really appreciate that Alina has seemed to learn that she did not need Mal to be whole but that she needed him as a friend, a found family member, and eventually I presume a lover. I would love to see something post-Season 1 canon for them, but I am also good with canon divergent AUs and stuff.
- They are in Fjerda and faced with the kill-all-witches culture, hiding in a city or fleeing from witch hunters. Maybe Alina has to self-handicap to prevent herself from being found out as the Sun Summoner and getting them both in even more trouble. This could be survival horror or institutional horror vibes, either way. How does Mal try to help her? Is he also in trouble?
- One of them is under the influence of something: a poison, something done by a Grisha, some kind of curse, and the other has to save them even though they have become dangerous to them. Angst. I would prefer the angst not focus on disparaging Alina's feelings for Aleksander, though it can make an appearance as a negative thing for her/them.
- If you go this route, I don't want pregnancy itself to be the horrific thing, but: Alina falls pregnant and this is used against her in some way. Or she is desperately trying to protect her unborn child with Mal's help. A story dealing with consequences. Also maybe something about ghosts and the past. This is a weird vaguely-formed idea, but if it speaks to you, go for it.
(Bonus prompt: If you want to do some kind of scary but eventually redeemable Mal/Alina/Aleksander thing, I would be down for that.)