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we_protect_each_other) wrote2016-01-28 02:05 pm
we_protect_each_other) wrote2016-01-28 02:05 pm
Entry tags:
[comm] dear shipswap author:
Dear shipswap Author,
Thank you for writing something for me! This letter is intended to guide you as to some of my likes and dislikes, as well as to provide some prompts for you to consider. If you have a different idea in mind for the pairing we matched on that you want to write, feel free to follow what you're most-passionate about writing. Prompts are just guidelines here to help you! I love surprises, too.
In some cases, I may have chosen more relationships for a fandom due to availability or interest. If a fandom has a shorter prompt section, it is for this reason. I have only requested things that I'm interested in receiving, I promise!
To get the dullest part out of the way, here is my standard list of things I do not want in a fic.
Dislikes: character bashing towards anybody, noncon, prolonged torture scenes, gore, breathplay, bloodplay, nihilism, hopeless endings (but sad is okay)
And now for things I like and enjoy in fic.
Likes: canon-typical violence, missing scenes, UST, emotional ambiguity, found families, developing or established relationships, time travel, bedsharing, loyalty, worldbuilding, epistolary fiction, monster-of-the-week / slice of ordinary life adventures, earned second chances, dealing with consequences, post-canon, "what if" scenarios, earned happy endings, holidays (winter or otherwise), casefic, groundhog day trope, mysteries, healing, somewhat dark fic
Some of the fandoms selected have overlapping canon. Crossovers between those are definitely welcome but not specifically requested. I think people like to cross over The Librarians and Leverage quite a bit, so that is cool if you want to do that, too! Again, just saying I am happy with them, not that I am pressuring you to do them.
For ratings, I am comfortable with anything from G to E, but I would prefer no PWP.
Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Ships requested: (Any)
I love Fate and everything else I have learned about the Nasuverse. I am most-familiar with the ufotable anime adaptations for Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works. However, I'm generally familiar with and working on reading the VN. You can make reference to any Fate/ or Nasuverse work you feel the need to and I'll be happy.
Arturia Pendragon/Emiya Shirou/Heroic Spirit EMIYA/Tohsaka Rin
OR
Arturia Pendragon/Emiya Shirou/Tohsaka Rin | Saber/Emiya Shirou/Tohsaka Rin
For - I think - obvious reasons, I decided to address these two ship options in the same prompt section. If you want to write this, either option will make me happy.
I love their team dynamic, especially when it's apparent that they are not supposed to function as a team, but the intertwined webs they've weaved make it quickly inevitable. Themes of chosen family, especially if they're mixed with how family brings a certain kind of strain with it, would make me very happy for them, whether it be in a slice-of-life situation or something much more dire.
I love it when Servants are presented with modern day things that their granted knowledge hasn't quite taken care of for them. On the other hand, I am really fascinated by the depictions of magic and the world of magecraft they're involved with being something very difficult for humans to withstand. Any interaction of these concepts is really welcome.
I would welcome canon fix-fic that reunites them, missing scenes, or even sad fic that deals with loss.
I love how Archer and Rin complain about each other but are so well-suited to each other. I like to speculate about whether or not Archer has full and total recall or just an almost complete impression that helps him justify his amnesia excuse. I also think the way they start to act like equals so quickly in spite of so much initial resistance and posturing really charming.
Likewise, I love Shirou and Saber's relationship that they develop as Master and Servant. It takes longer for them to adjust, I think, given how much baggage Saber carries around with her. I think that Shirou has a very inflated sense of his own responsibility in this relationship that has to do with a kind of protective sexism that ties into his own ego issues in a way that makes it not actually malicious. In turn, I think Saber's resistance to Shirou's viewing her in such a human light is interesting. I think their common ideals with their struggle of extremely stubborn wills is something that does them both a lot of good.
In spite of how well-suited as Master/Servant I think Rin and Archer are, seeing Rin and Saber interact does make me feel that Rin wasn't entirely wrong in her desire to summon Saber, even if her reasons were wrong. Especially in UBW when Rin acts as Saber's Master, it makes me feel really satisfied because I think they bring out a very conditioned but nonetheless part-of-them side of each other. I think that it's a little like Saber is certainly a king, but in a certain, invented, modern, and slightly affected way, Rin is a queen. I think they are very well-synced and kind of can't help but to respect each other.
I also like to think about how, for Saber, interacting with Rin and Shirou (especially in a poly situation) is a bit like having something that, to her, seems a bit like Guinevere/Lancelot without it ruining everything for her.
For Saber and Archer, it's so sad but I am so enchanted by their imbalance of baggage. Archer has loved Saber genuinely and forever as far as he is concerned. However, I believe that it is canon that in general Archer has come from a life where things were similar to the Fate route but that in the end Saber didn't really find a complete peace with her circumstances. Further, I think that certain aspects of what you get in Rin's UBW dream sequences in the VN could be interpreted to suggest that he and Rin had something later in life after Saber was gone, which would kind of follow from Fate route, I think. However, it's sad for everyone involved. They lost her, and I think that this rings true with Archer in a way as his first failure, but he has never stopped loving her. I think that at some point, Saber might kind of sense that there's a history and baggage there, especially if and when she works out who Archer is, but she obviously is experiencing the Fifth War for the first time, so I find thoughts about how she must try to deal with that really fascinating.
Rin and Shirou contrast a lot on the surface. Rin has been trained to be a proper mage all her life. Shirou was never taught the "correct" way to be a mage. And yet, they both have certain personal things in common. Rin just knows how to protect herself more readily in a way that Shirou outright refuses to. I think that Rin is kind of a hand that Shirou needs to take his and pull him back from various precipices he runs up to because he doesn't realize that he too has personal value to other people in a way that means he should preserve himself. Their little schoolgirl/boy crush on each other before the events of the War start to unfold is adorable, but I am even more interested in how they seem to be such natural allies in spite of the fact that they shouldn't be. Their fathers would roll in their graves.
And finally, as far as how Shirou and Archer might interact in a more prolonged exposure after finding some kind of peace between themselves is the tricky bit if you want to bring Archer along for the ride. So far, I haven't been able to think about them kissing with a straight face, but that doesn't mean I discourage going that route in their complex relationship with each other and Rin and Saber respectively if you want to. I am really interested in them having a sustained, understanding peace, whatever that looks like in your head. Nonetheless, them arguing about trivial things would also fill me with glee.
Gilgamesh/Matou Sakura
One of the most probably-wrong ships I've ever asked for in anything, but since this exchange previously had a requirement for rarity, I decided to go with that spirit and go for it. I will make it clear up front that even though I am very familiar with the general plot of Heaven's Feel, I haven't read it in its entirety yet. I might have by the time posting happens, though. I hope to. So don't worry about spoilers, but also feel free to play fast and loose if you use it as your basis for your story since, from what I understand, an AU would be kind of necessary to make this work anyway...
Let me also be clear that I am not suggesting this could ever be a healthy or normal relationship. I mean, if you want to try to make it one, go for it. However, I am fully aware that any fic about the two of them in a shippy context is likely to be quite dark, and I'm okay with that. I suppose my thinking was that Sakura is, without any doubt, an abuse victim. I think that it's a pretty long shot for an abuse victim to be helped by jumping into a relationship. However, I don't think that stops some abuse victims from doing just that, especially given canon precedent.
Gilgamesh seems to carry with him a natural air of power and authority that some people can just sense, and Sakura is no dummy. Sakura, a lot of the time, seems to be biding her time. I think that it might be interesting if somehow they were to intersect on the basis of her looking to him for a power that is somehow greater than that which holds her in the hellish life she lives. He does seem quite interested in it, and I know that this is not a pretty interest, but he also does not seem to approve of it to my knowledge either. He does not generally seem to find horror and evil for its own sake very entertaining or justifiable, so I think that it might be interesting if certain circumstances might make him have a particular kind of Gilgamesh-compassion toward her. Especially if he had an opportunity to develop a knowledge of and distaste for Shinji, as in UBW, maybe they could bond over breaking Shinji.
Please bear in mind that I don't want prolonged torture scenes, but I really do not object to Shinji death.
Mitsuzuri Ayako/Ryuudou Issei
Now for my not-messed-up-and-wrong obscure Fate ship. When I requested this, I had no idea that Nasu once said something that indicated this was a probable canon eventuality somewhere in the background? Then I read something (which if I were responsible I would link to but I'm not sure where I saw it) and couldn't believe my shipping heart's correct prediction.
I think that this appeals to me more than just on the level that they are the more-mundane close friends of Rin and Shirou who, you know by narrative laws, should get paired off eventually. I like their potential personality chemistry. Characters in the VN especially often seem to observe that Ayako is a very loud, powerful personality that they view as maybe a bit too-masculine to be appealing as a girlfriend, which they worry about. Issei is so timid, on the other hand, and yet he seems to have this very stiff sense of personality dignity that he hates having encroached upon. Rin seems to like to gouge him about this, but I think it's possible that if she got to know him that Ayako could respect this?
Their arguing about club finances in the UBW epilogue of the anime makes me laugh, but I would love to see anything pre- or during a relationship that involved them getting to know each other and bonding. Also some exploration of potential sexual chemistry I think could be both tasteful and funny if you wanted to go there. I would also be interested to see Issei dealing with the existence of magic or some interaction with a spirit or something at the temple and drawing Ayako in for help because she's an available friend or his girlfriend. I am a little fascinated with how "normals" react to extraordinary, unusual circumstances.
Fate/Zero
Ships requested:
Arturia Pendragon/Gilgamesh | Saber/Gilgamesh
I know Saber hates him. I know Gilgamesh's attraction to her is not the most normal or healthy fixation in the world. I am interested both in fics that explore their canon character dynamic in which Gilgamesh is constantly testing Saber's patience, or I would also like any story about their having character development (both of them or it wouldn't work, in my opinion, but it's your story!) that might lead to a shift in this dynamic.
I am interested in their role as foils to each other which I think might be a little bit of a perspective that isn't often-seen. For all their obvious, very-articulated differences, I think that they have certain interesting things in common. When Iskandar asks them if a king must be on his own, they both agree that, yes, a king must. He goes about to prove them wrong. I think they are both deeply unsettled by this, but I think that they both are very stubborn in what they think makes a king. They also are both very self-assured in their positions as kings, at least before Saber starts to doubt herself. They have sort of inverse ratio color schemes too, which is incidental, but neat. Also, Iskandar's kingdom was an expansive endeavor, where for very different reasons both Gilgamesh and Saber have a certain "my kingdom struggles against anything outside it/apart from my plan for it" point of view that is, in my opinion, oddly similar.
I would be interested in any fic that involves them interacting in a prolonged way. Alliance/Master swaps, canon divergent AUs, a different interaction in a different War -- anything you like. I would love to see them actually clashing, comparing, and contrasting their ideals. I would like to see Gilgamesh forced into more extended conversations with her where he can't always play every card perfectly to get under her skin, and I would like to see her in a position where it's hard to ignore him and tell him to leave.
Emiya Kiritsugu/Irisviel von Einzbern
I would love to see anything about the mid-point between when Kiritsugu came to the Einzberns and was married to weak, tabula rasa Irisviel and the War. I would love to see the progression of their early relationship when Irisviel began to have a real grasp on herself as an individual with emotions.
I am a bit creeped out by how quickly they seem to have gone from Irisviel needing to be taught everything to Illya being born, but it is indicated that Irisviel was cognizant of herself as an individual when she even decided she'd like to conceive a child. As odd and weird as that is to me, it is interesting to me. I would like to see anything about Irisviel's perspective on her life or Kiritsugu's understanding of that as it was developing or well before the War began to loom on the immediate horizon.
They just seem to have a mutual bond at the start that Kiritsugu runs headlong to erode so he can just do what he feels he needs to do in the War, and I would like to see basically their starting point for their mutual love and relationship, good and bad.
Emiya Kiritsugu/Hisau Maiya/Irisviel von Einzbern
I would be happy to see this in a fic that is either canon-compliant to a point that involves Irisviel's rather lategame acceptance of Maiya, or I would like to see any interaction that might have happened in the intervening years from the time Irisviel and Kiritsugu got married to the War. I know that Irisviel was aware that Maiya managed Kiritsugu's personal affairs while he was with the Einzberns and that she had known him prior to their marriage. But what if the three of them interacted before the War was upon them?
I would also be interested to see, however messy, how Kiritsugu approached Maiya about his self-torture affair with her. It is horrible, but train-wreck interesting. Then, if that could loop back around to include Irisviel more positively somehow, I would be happy. However, if you do nothing but reference Irisviel as someone who is, in fact, loved and important you could just have Maiya and Kiritsugu in your fic if you go this route.
I would also be happy with a fic where Kiritsugu didn't appear "on stage" but instead was just part of the context of a relationship between Maiya and Irisviel. What if they both somehow survived and he didn't? Or even if he did, if he was away from them or something like that. It's a mess, but I'm just interested in this emotional baggage. I also think that Irisviel is such a brave, strong person for how she comes to view Maiya after confronting her own internal workings so wisely. I would love to see Maiya getting a chance to just be viewed as a person for a little longer, and Irisviel would be so good for that.
Fate/strange fake
Ship requested:
Enkidu/Gilgamesh
I have read everything up through the first battle in Strange Fake, and I will continue to read anything else that I can get my hands on. I realize this request is maybe an obscure one for a small fic exchange. However, I would just love anything about these two interacting. I was so moved in the LN by their parallel reactions to just knowing the other is in the world again. I am also enchanted with how they react to the inevitable forecast of tragedy and loss that comes with their reunion that should never have occurred under these circumstances. I also generally don't think this makes any sense but I am fascinated by how violence between them does not seem to be a relationship-eroding, actually-destructive force. It makes them seem so different and alien from the people around them but perfectly-suited to each other, which I think is a big part of their relationship.
I'm pretty familiar with the original source story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu, and if you are interested in referencing that, it would be really welcome.
I would like a moment of respite for them where they just get to interact, talk, or kiss, or whatever. I could also be happy with your take on the inevitable angst that is coming when they must defeat one or the other, or Enkidu is a Lancer class -- who don't generally have the luck of getting their desired outcome. I'm nervous. But I am just so into how much they love each other, how it seems to transcend this silly little terrifying fake war.
I am also a sucker for unlikely happy ending fics if they can somehow earn a happy ending.
Hamilton - Miranda
Ships requested:
Let me say first, I absolutely love Hamilton as it is presented by Miranda. However, I am not the best-read person about American history except what I was required to read for my compulsory history classes. I've learned a lot, as encouraged by Miranda's work, but most of it is from Wikipedia. Just wanted to let you know that you shouldn't stress about me picking through your work for historical accuracy, but any historical accuracy or reference that you feel like including will delight me.
I am going to visualize these characters by their actors, too, in case that helps you with description. I also prefer the modern vernacular to trying to write actual, pure historical RPF. I assume anyone who signed up for this prefers the same, but if you feel like using more period accurate syntax for some reason, I will also appreciate your work. I don't expect you to write musical lyrics, but if you want to more power to you! You're awesome regardless of how you choose to present these characters that have become so dear to me through this musical. Also, modern AU would be okay, but I would most-like it if it retained some sense of grounding with its source material, like a revolutionary theme or a modern political theme.
Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens
I had no idea about this before I listened to the play and discussed it with my friend, but there seems to be some historical conjecture that perhaps these two had a not simply platonic relationship on some level. I was so excited about learning about another possibly-bisexual historical figure who is really interesting and not vilified. From my understanding, Laurens was married, which is messy and if you want to deal with that, feel free. However, if you want to just write about their relationship when they were directly together without tasking yourself to deal with the complexities of fidelity, that is also okay with me.
I realize it might be difficult to deal with in a tasteful way in a ship fic, but I am just so glad to know that there were really strong-minded abolitionists involved at this point. This is what made me admire Laurens from the start, and anything that respectfully deals with the fact that he did try to do something about the horrible reality of slavery during his short life, I would welcome it. However, I do ask that if it's referenced that slavery not be trivialized. I trust you, though.
The Wikipedia page on Laurens currently quotes this letter from Hamilton to him:
Cold in my professions, warm in my friendships, I wish, my Dear Laurens, it might be in my power, by action rather than words, to convince you that I love you. I shall only tell you that ’till you bade us Adieu, I hardly knew the value you had taught my heart to set upon you....You should not have taken advantage of my sensibility to steal into my affections without my consent. But as you have done it and as we are generally indulgent to those we love, I shall not scruple to pardon the fraud you have committed...
... And I just think that this described-bond is so sweet and sounds very passionate. Anything that kind of ran along this wavelength would be great.
Alexander Hamilton/Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler
Their relationship is both moving and extremely painful to me to listen to as it is presented in the musical. I am moved by how earnestly Eliza tried to help Hamilton throughout their marriage. It absolutely breaks my heart that Hamilton could not slow down enough to see that this relationship he seems to have genuinely pursued prior to their marriage and throughout it to that point was suffering from his ambition and not slowing down enough to avoid neglecting it. Further, I think he was aware of the emotional temptation that he seems to have had with Angelica, and it seems from the timing that perhaps he did not go on vacation with Eliza partly to avoid doing anything to compromise his own emotions when he was strained anyway, only to fall into another pitfall. I think that this sad wedge that came into their relationship is unavoidable in how their dynamic was set up from the start, and yet...
I would be happy with a fic that faithfully dealt with that, or I would also be interested in your take on how this might have been avoided. What might their lives have been like if she had been able to exert enough influence over Alexander to make him slow down and see what he had right in front of him?
I would love any little slice of happy life for them, or any specific scene during their reconciliation, or anything that might be a what-if scenario that might have brought about a stronger relationship that couldn't get so hurt before it was so painful.
Alexander Hamilton/Angelica Schuyler
If you write about this ship, I prefer that it not be an affair behind Eliza's back. I would prefer reading a take on their interaction prior to Alexander's meeting Eliza, or some situation where Eliza is otherwise happy and never becomes involved with Alexander. I do not want Eliza's heart broken anymore.
However, I do love their matching of wits, and one of the first things that made me cry a little in hearing songs from Hamilton was when Angelica was internally reflecting on the fact that she might always regret never having had the follow-through to try be with Alexander herself. Some kind of AU where they ended up together but had to fight through adversity because of it for the reasons Angelica foresaw would be interesting to me.
Aaron Burr/Alexander Hamilton
I would be especially interested in either one-sided affection on Burr's part or eventual reciprocation from Hamilton. This one would be one where I think an AU might be useful in some way, but I'm interested to see whatever you come up with.
I think that the fact that Hamilton keeps ending up in positions Burr desires sort of creating a strangely-directed desire on Burr's part is an interesting idea. However, I also think that their very first meeting is charming and kind of sweet with more of a focus on their similarities than their divisive differences. What about something that happens upon their first meeting that we don't see that defines or changes everything?
This is sort of random, but given the way Burr reacts to Hamilton's death in the end, if you felt like tackling some kind of reincarnation / second chance given the knowledge of what happens scenario, that might be cool.
For the record, "Wait For It" is probably my most-repeated song in the entire play, though I love so many of the others.
The Librarians (TV 2014)
Ships requested:
Cassandra Cillian/Ezekiel Jones
Something I love the most about this pairing is a kind of positive, actually good-people moral ambiguity thing. There's something about the two of them together that has a little bit of that edge like that it could be sexy-dangerous but without a sense that they're anything but really kind, loving people deep down. However, on the flip side of that, I love that it is pointed out that Ezekiel is already the worst person he'll ever be while Cassandra has a lot farther she could fall if things went badly for her. I am also, as ever, interested in both the fact that Cassandra seems to have a magical affinity and a sort of spiritual alignment with death as an entity/existence. Given that, I sort of wonder if Ezekiel could find that he also has an alignment with something that is a bit more complex than lucky rogue.
It would be interesting to see Cassandra slip down into something dark with good intentions and to have Ezekiel either choose her side or draw her out of it. Either way, I would love to see the way they interact with each other on the basis of mutual understanding of each other on a deep level.
I would also like to see something that involved Cassandra helping Ezekiel with his criminal past or present catching up with him. She is so smart and she usually is trying to do her best to be on the side of the angels. It would be fun to see her frustrated with Ezekiel's life choices while also helping him out of a tight spot with her brilliance complimenting his expertise.
Cassandra Cillian/Ezekiel Jones/Jake Stone
I love the Librarians' team, and I love the idea that they are all sort of caught between being destined to die and being destined to meet because they all ran from the hero's call the first time. Their complementary skill-sets and clashing life experiences are precious. I don't think that it was a specifically-mentioned option, but since I don't think it is a breaking of the rules to say it, if you wanted to do alt!timeline versions of each of them together, I would be happy with that, too, where they save either Cassandra or Jake's world (since Ezekiel was, again, lucky and got his fixed).
If you wanted to write about their Peru adventure or the subsequent way they fought and fell apart for a bit there, I would like that. As long as it's angst with an eventual happy ending on the horizon, I would love to see them fighting and struggling in such a way that it develops them as people. Whether the conflict is internal between the three of them or external in the form of a common enemy, I would love to see how conflict makes them realize they really need each other.
If you want to do a casefic, I love creepy things. My favorite case itself was probably And the Heart of Darkness, but I also love the hilarious, weird, and funny situations they end up in. I also enjoyed the situation where they were all operating on a university campus and would like to see a similar situation extended. Have fun if you want to make up a casefic, but I would be just as happy with them exploring the Library or hanging out in the Annex together.
Alternate Eve Baird/Alternate Jake Stone
Primary timeline Eve's reaction to Alt!Jake's kiss is one of my favorite reactions to a kiss ever. On the other hand, I was really moved by the emotion that played out so obviously in Alt!Jake when he saw her and came up and kissed her. I also like how he accepted that she was not his Eve, but that he still very much respected her and his Eve's memory, in spite of Jake often having trouble with letting regret go. Given what he had been through, I imagine that is a very powerful thing.
That said, I would love to see anything that you might think Alt!Jake's relationship like with his Eve, Alt!Eve, his Guardian. Whether it's at a time before things went wrong or at some point after, I would love to see how different their lives might have been, if only for a short time.
Leverage
Ship requested:
Alec Hardison/Eliot Spencer/Parker
I finally finished watching Leverage! It took forever, but I loved it. Its last episode just completely astounded me with how much it hit me like a punch in the stomach, even though I knew that it didn't end that way just from knowing general spoilers about their post-show fates. Nonetheless, I was deeply moved by Nate's story about what happened to them. Because I'm still kind of emotionally reeling from that, I would love to see anything that involved them facing mortality and saving each other from it. High stress, drama, near-death experiences, and coming back home to each other safe and sound in the end -- that sounds wonderful.
However, if you're not in the mood for dark and instead would like light, fluffy, and silly, I would also eat that up, too. I would be so excited to see either the dark or light sides of what their lives are like following the end of the series. However, I would also love any missing scenes or missing cases that might have taken place during the series.
I am also really fond of that little repeated-theme scene where they all part ways and walk away from each other. If you wanted to do a bittersweet thing with them doing that, only to come back home where they belong, I think they could be really touching.
I love all of them being lovely and competent in what they do, and I also love seeing them face their demons and win a few of their battles against them.
Nate/Sophie is welcome, too, as a secondary ship if you want. Sterling can come too, if he wants, as can pretty much of the any other repeat characters.
Thank you for writing something for me! This letter is intended to guide you as to some of my likes and dislikes, as well as to provide some prompts for you to consider. If you have a different idea in mind for the pairing we matched on that you want to write, feel free to follow what you're most-passionate about writing. Prompts are just guidelines here to help you! I love surprises, too.
In some cases, I may have chosen more relationships for a fandom due to availability or interest. If a fandom has a shorter prompt section, it is for this reason. I have only requested things that I'm interested in receiving, I promise!
To get the dullest part out of the way, here is my standard list of things I do not want in a fic.
Dislikes: character bashing towards anybody, noncon, prolonged torture scenes, gore, breathplay, bloodplay, nihilism, hopeless endings (but sad is okay)
And now for things I like and enjoy in fic.
Likes: canon-typical violence, missing scenes, UST, emotional ambiguity, found families, developing or established relationships, time travel, bedsharing, loyalty, worldbuilding, epistolary fiction, monster-of-the-week / slice of ordinary life adventures, earned second chances, dealing with consequences, post-canon, "what if" scenarios, earned happy endings, holidays (winter or otherwise), casefic, groundhog day trope, mysteries, healing, somewhat dark fic
Some of the fandoms selected have overlapping canon. Crossovers between those are definitely welcome but not specifically requested. I think people like to cross over The Librarians and Leverage quite a bit, so that is cool if you want to do that, too! Again, just saying I am happy with them, not that I am pressuring you to do them.
For ratings, I am comfortable with anything from G to E, but I would prefer no PWP.
Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Ships requested: (Any)
- Arturia Pendragon/Emiya Shirou/Heroic Spirit EMIYA/Tohsaka Rin (Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms)
- Arturia Pendragon/Emiya Shirou/Tohsaka Rin | Saber/Emiya Shirou/Tohsaka Rin (Fate/stay night)
- Gilgamesh/Matou Sakura (Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms)
- Mitsuzuri Ayako/Ryuudou Issei (Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms)
I love Fate and everything else I have learned about the Nasuverse. I am most-familiar with the ufotable anime adaptations for Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works. However, I'm generally familiar with and working on reading the VN. You can make reference to any Fate/ or Nasuverse work you feel the need to and I'll be happy.
Arturia Pendragon/Emiya Shirou/Heroic Spirit EMIYA/Tohsaka Rin
OR
Arturia Pendragon/Emiya Shirou/Tohsaka Rin | Saber/Emiya Shirou/Tohsaka Rin
For - I think - obvious reasons, I decided to address these two ship options in the same prompt section. If you want to write this, either option will make me happy.
I love their team dynamic, especially when it's apparent that they are not supposed to function as a team, but the intertwined webs they've weaved make it quickly inevitable. Themes of chosen family, especially if they're mixed with how family brings a certain kind of strain with it, would make me very happy for them, whether it be in a slice-of-life situation or something much more dire.
I love it when Servants are presented with modern day things that their granted knowledge hasn't quite taken care of for them. On the other hand, I am really fascinated by the depictions of magic and the world of magecraft they're involved with being something very difficult for humans to withstand. Any interaction of these concepts is really welcome.
I would welcome canon fix-fic that reunites them, missing scenes, or even sad fic that deals with loss.
I love how Archer and Rin complain about each other but are so well-suited to each other. I like to speculate about whether or not Archer has full and total recall or just an almost complete impression that helps him justify his amnesia excuse. I also think the way they start to act like equals so quickly in spite of so much initial resistance and posturing really charming.
Likewise, I love Shirou and Saber's relationship that they develop as Master and Servant. It takes longer for them to adjust, I think, given how much baggage Saber carries around with her. I think that Shirou has a very inflated sense of his own responsibility in this relationship that has to do with a kind of protective sexism that ties into his own ego issues in a way that makes it not actually malicious. In turn, I think Saber's resistance to Shirou's viewing her in such a human light is interesting. I think their common ideals with their struggle of extremely stubborn wills is something that does them both a lot of good.
In spite of how well-suited as Master/Servant I think Rin and Archer are, seeing Rin and Saber interact does make me feel that Rin wasn't entirely wrong in her desire to summon Saber, even if her reasons were wrong. Especially in UBW when Rin acts as Saber's Master, it makes me feel really satisfied because I think they bring out a very conditioned but nonetheless part-of-them side of each other. I think that it's a little like Saber is certainly a king, but in a certain, invented, modern, and slightly affected way, Rin is a queen. I think they are very well-synced and kind of can't help but to respect each other.
I also like to think about how, for Saber, interacting with Rin and Shirou (especially in a poly situation) is a bit like having something that, to her, seems a bit like Guinevere/Lancelot without it ruining everything for her.
For Saber and Archer, it's so sad but I am so enchanted by their imbalance of baggage. Archer has loved Saber genuinely and forever as far as he is concerned. However, I believe that it is canon that in general Archer has come from a life where things were similar to the Fate route but that in the end Saber didn't really find a complete peace with her circumstances. Further, I think that certain aspects of what you get in Rin's UBW dream sequences in the VN could be interpreted to suggest that he and Rin had something later in life after Saber was gone, which would kind of follow from Fate route, I think. However, it's sad for everyone involved. They lost her, and I think that this rings true with Archer in a way as his first failure, but he has never stopped loving her. I think that at some point, Saber might kind of sense that there's a history and baggage there, especially if and when she works out who Archer is, but she obviously is experiencing the Fifth War for the first time, so I find thoughts about how she must try to deal with that really fascinating.
Rin and Shirou contrast a lot on the surface. Rin has been trained to be a proper mage all her life. Shirou was never taught the "correct" way to be a mage. And yet, they both have certain personal things in common. Rin just knows how to protect herself more readily in a way that Shirou outright refuses to. I think that Rin is kind of a hand that Shirou needs to take his and pull him back from various precipices he runs up to because he doesn't realize that he too has personal value to other people in a way that means he should preserve himself. Their little schoolgirl/boy crush on each other before the events of the War start to unfold is adorable, but I am even more interested in how they seem to be such natural allies in spite of the fact that they shouldn't be. Their fathers would roll in their graves.
And finally, as far as how Shirou and Archer might interact in a more prolonged exposure after finding some kind of peace between themselves is the tricky bit if you want to bring Archer along for the ride. So far, I haven't been able to think about them kissing with a straight face, but that doesn't mean I discourage going that route in their complex relationship with each other and Rin and Saber respectively if you want to. I am really interested in them having a sustained, understanding peace, whatever that looks like in your head. Nonetheless, them arguing about trivial things would also fill me with glee.
Gilgamesh/Matou Sakura
One of the most probably-wrong ships I've ever asked for in anything, but since this exchange previously had a requirement for rarity, I decided to go with that spirit and go for it. I will make it clear up front that even though I am very familiar with the general plot of Heaven's Feel, I haven't read it in its entirety yet. I might have by the time posting happens, though. I hope to. So don't worry about spoilers, but also feel free to play fast and loose if you use it as your basis for your story since, from what I understand, an AU would be kind of necessary to make this work anyway...
Let me also be clear that I am not suggesting this could ever be a healthy or normal relationship. I mean, if you want to try to make it one, go for it. However, I am fully aware that any fic about the two of them in a shippy context is likely to be quite dark, and I'm okay with that. I suppose my thinking was that Sakura is, without any doubt, an abuse victim. I think that it's a pretty long shot for an abuse victim to be helped by jumping into a relationship. However, I don't think that stops some abuse victims from doing just that, especially given canon precedent.
Gilgamesh seems to carry with him a natural air of power and authority that some people can just sense, and Sakura is no dummy. Sakura, a lot of the time, seems to be biding her time. I think that it might be interesting if somehow they were to intersect on the basis of her looking to him for a power that is somehow greater than that which holds her in the hellish life she lives. He does seem quite interested in it, and I know that this is not a pretty interest, but he also does not seem to approve of it to my knowledge either. He does not generally seem to find horror and evil for its own sake very entertaining or justifiable, so I think that it might be interesting if certain circumstances might make him have a particular kind of Gilgamesh-compassion toward her. Especially if he had an opportunity to develop a knowledge of and distaste for Shinji, as in UBW, maybe they could bond over breaking Shinji.
Please bear in mind that I don't want prolonged torture scenes, but I really do not object to Shinji death.
Mitsuzuri Ayako/Ryuudou Issei
Now for my not-messed-up-and-wrong obscure Fate ship. When I requested this, I had no idea that Nasu once said something that indicated this was a probable canon eventuality somewhere in the background? Then I read something (which if I were responsible I would link to but I'm not sure where I saw it) and couldn't believe my shipping heart's correct prediction.
I think that this appeals to me more than just on the level that they are the more-mundane close friends of Rin and Shirou who, you know by narrative laws, should get paired off eventually. I like their potential personality chemistry. Characters in the VN especially often seem to observe that Ayako is a very loud, powerful personality that they view as maybe a bit too-masculine to be appealing as a girlfriend, which they worry about. Issei is so timid, on the other hand, and yet he seems to have this very stiff sense of personality dignity that he hates having encroached upon. Rin seems to like to gouge him about this, but I think it's possible that if she got to know him that Ayako could respect this?
Their arguing about club finances in the UBW epilogue of the anime makes me laugh, but I would love to see anything pre- or during a relationship that involved them getting to know each other and bonding. Also some exploration of potential sexual chemistry I think could be both tasteful and funny if you wanted to go there. I would also be interested to see Issei dealing with the existence of magic or some interaction with a spirit or something at the temple and drawing Ayako in for help because she's an available friend or his girlfriend. I am a little fascinated with how "normals" react to extraordinary, unusual circumstances.
Fate/Zero
Ships requested:
- Arturia Pendragon/Gilgamesh | Saber/Gilgamesh (Fate/Zero)
- Emiya Kiritsugu/Irisviel von Einzbern (Fate/Zero)
- Emiya Kiritsugu/Hisau Maiya/Irisviel von Einzbern (Fate/Zero)
Arturia Pendragon/Gilgamesh | Saber/Gilgamesh
I know Saber hates him. I know Gilgamesh's attraction to her is not the most normal or healthy fixation in the world. I am interested both in fics that explore their canon character dynamic in which Gilgamesh is constantly testing Saber's patience, or I would also like any story about their having character development (both of them or it wouldn't work, in my opinion, but it's your story!) that might lead to a shift in this dynamic.
I am interested in their role as foils to each other which I think might be a little bit of a perspective that isn't often-seen. For all their obvious, very-articulated differences, I think that they have certain interesting things in common. When Iskandar asks them if a king must be on his own, they both agree that, yes, a king must. He goes about to prove them wrong. I think they are both deeply unsettled by this, but I think that they both are very stubborn in what they think makes a king. They also are both very self-assured in their positions as kings, at least before Saber starts to doubt herself. They have sort of inverse ratio color schemes too, which is incidental, but neat. Also, Iskandar's kingdom was an expansive endeavor, where for very different reasons both Gilgamesh and Saber have a certain "my kingdom struggles against anything outside it/apart from my plan for it" point of view that is, in my opinion, oddly similar.
I would be interested in any fic that involves them interacting in a prolonged way. Alliance/Master swaps, canon divergent AUs, a different interaction in a different War -- anything you like. I would love to see them actually clashing, comparing, and contrasting their ideals. I would like to see Gilgamesh forced into more extended conversations with her where he can't always play every card perfectly to get under her skin, and I would like to see her in a position where it's hard to ignore him and tell him to leave.
Emiya Kiritsugu/Irisviel von Einzbern
I would love to see anything about the mid-point between when Kiritsugu came to the Einzberns and was married to weak, tabula rasa Irisviel and the War. I would love to see the progression of their early relationship when Irisviel began to have a real grasp on herself as an individual with emotions.
I am a bit creeped out by how quickly they seem to have gone from Irisviel needing to be taught everything to Illya being born, but it is indicated that Irisviel was cognizant of herself as an individual when she even decided she'd like to conceive a child. As odd and weird as that is to me, it is interesting to me. I would like to see anything about Irisviel's perspective on her life or Kiritsugu's understanding of that as it was developing or well before the War began to loom on the immediate horizon.
They just seem to have a mutual bond at the start that Kiritsugu runs headlong to erode so he can just do what he feels he needs to do in the War, and I would like to see basically their starting point for their mutual love and relationship, good and bad.
Emiya Kiritsugu/Hisau Maiya/Irisviel von Einzbern
I would be happy to see this in a fic that is either canon-compliant to a point that involves Irisviel's rather lategame acceptance of Maiya, or I would like to see any interaction that might have happened in the intervening years from the time Irisviel and Kiritsugu got married to the War. I know that Irisviel was aware that Maiya managed Kiritsugu's personal affairs while he was with the Einzberns and that she had known him prior to their marriage. But what if the three of them interacted before the War was upon them?
I would also be interested to see, however messy, how Kiritsugu approached Maiya about his self-torture affair with her. It is horrible, but train-wreck interesting. Then, if that could loop back around to include Irisviel more positively somehow, I would be happy. However, if you do nothing but reference Irisviel as someone who is, in fact, loved and important you could just have Maiya and Kiritsugu in your fic if you go this route.
I would also be happy with a fic where Kiritsugu didn't appear "on stage" but instead was just part of the context of a relationship between Maiya and Irisviel. What if they both somehow survived and he didn't? Or even if he did, if he was away from them or something like that. It's a mess, but I'm just interested in this emotional baggage. I also think that Irisviel is such a brave, strong person for how she comes to view Maiya after confronting her own internal workings so wisely. I would love to see Maiya getting a chance to just be viewed as a person for a little longer, and Irisviel would be so good for that.
Fate/strange fake
Ship requested:
- Enkidu/Gilgamesh (F/sf)
Enkidu/Gilgamesh
I have read everything up through the first battle in Strange Fake, and I will continue to read anything else that I can get my hands on. I realize this request is maybe an obscure one for a small fic exchange. However, I would just love anything about these two interacting. I was so moved in the LN by their parallel reactions to just knowing the other is in the world again. I am also enchanted with how they react to the inevitable forecast of tragedy and loss that comes with their reunion that should never have occurred under these circumstances. I also generally don't think this makes any sense but I am fascinated by how violence between them does not seem to be a relationship-eroding, actually-destructive force. It makes them seem so different and alien from the people around them but perfectly-suited to each other, which I think is a big part of their relationship.
I'm pretty familiar with the original source story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu, and if you are interested in referencing that, it would be really welcome.
I would like a moment of respite for them where they just get to interact, talk, or kiss, or whatever. I could also be happy with your take on the inevitable angst that is coming when they must defeat one or the other, or Enkidu is a Lancer class -- who don't generally have the luck of getting their desired outcome. I'm nervous. But I am just so into how much they love each other, how it seems to transcend this silly little terrifying fake war.
I am also a sucker for unlikely happy ending fics if they can somehow earn a happy ending.
Hamilton - Miranda
Ships requested:
- Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens (Hamilton)
- Alexander Hamilton/Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler (Hamilton)
- Alexander Hamilton/Angelica Schuyler (Hamilton - Miranda)
- Aaron Burr/Alexander Hamilton (Hamilton - Miranda)
Let me say first, I absolutely love Hamilton as it is presented by Miranda. However, I am not the best-read person about American history except what I was required to read for my compulsory history classes. I've learned a lot, as encouraged by Miranda's work, but most of it is from Wikipedia. Just wanted to let you know that you shouldn't stress about me picking through your work for historical accuracy, but any historical accuracy or reference that you feel like including will delight me.
I am going to visualize these characters by their actors, too, in case that helps you with description. I also prefer the modern vernacular to trying to write actual, pure historical RPF. I assume anyone who signed up for this prefers the same, but if you feel like using more period accurate syntax for some reason, I will also appreciate your work. I don't expect you to write musical lyrics, but if you want to more power to you! You're awesome regardless of how you choose to present these characters that have become so dear to me through this musical. Also, modern AU would be okay, but I would most-like it if it retained some sense of grounding with its source material, like a revolutionary theme or a modern political theme.
Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens
I had no idea about this before I listened to the play and discussed it with my friend, but there seems to be some historical conjecture that perhaps these two had a not simply platonic relationship on some level. I was so excited about learning about another possibly-bisexual historical figure who is really interesting and not vilified. From my understanding, Laurens was married, which is messy and if you want to deal with that, feel free. However, if you want to just write about their relationship when they were directly together without tasking yourself to deal with the complexities of fidelity, that is also okay with me.
I realize it might be difficult to deal with in a tasteful way in a ship fic, but I am just so glad to know that there were really strong-minded abolitionists involved at this point. This is what made me admire Laurens from the start, and anything that respectfully deals with the fact that he did try to do something about the horrible reality of slavery during his short life, I would welcome it. However, I do ask that if it's referenced that slavery not be trivialized. I trust you, though.
The Wikipedia page on Laurens currently quotes this letter from Hamilton to him:
Cold in my professions, warm in my friendships, I wish, my Dear Laurens, it might be in my power, by action rather than words, to convince you that I love you. I shall only tell you that ’till you bade us Adieu, I hardly knew the value you had taught my heart to set upon you....You should not have taken advantage of my sensibility to steal into my affections without my consent. But as you have done it and as we are generally indulgent to those we love, I shall not scruple to pardon the fraud you have committed...
... And I just think that this described-bond is so sweet and sounds very passionate. Anything that kind of ran along this wavelength would be great.
Alexander Hamilton/Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler
Their relationship is both moving and extremely painful to me to listen to as it is presented in the musical. I am moved by how earnestly Eliza tried to help Hamilton throughout their marriage. It absolutely breaks my heart that Hamilton could not slow down enough to see that this relationship he seems to have genuinely pursued prior to their marriage and throughout it to that point was suffering from his ambition and not slowing down enough to avoid neglecting it. Further, I think he was aware of the emotional temptation that he seems to have had with Angelica, and it seems from the timing that perhaps he did not go on vacation with Eliza partly to avoid doing anything to compromise his own emotions when he was strained anyway, only to fall into another pitfall. I think that this sad wedge that came into their relationship is unavoidable in how their dynamic was set up from the start, and yet...
I would be happy with a fic that faithfully dealt with that, or I would also be interested in your take on how this might have been avoided. What might their lives have been like if she had been able to exert enough influence over Alexander to make him slow down and see what he had right in front of him?
I would love any little slice of happy life for them, or any specific scene during their reconciliation, or anything that might be a what-if scenario that might have brought about a stronger relationship that couldn't get so hurt before it was so painful.
Alexander Hamilton/Angelica Schuyler
If you write about this ship, I prefer that it not be an affair behind Eliza's back. I would prefer reading a take on their interaction prior to Alexander's meeting Eliza, or some situation where Eliza is otherwise happy and never becomes involved with Alexander. I do not want Eliza's heart broken anymore.
However, I do love their matching of wits, and one of the first things that made me cry a little in hearing songs from Hamilton was when Angelica was internally reflecting on the fact that she might always regret never having had the follow-through to try be with Alexander herself. Some kind of AU where they ended up together but had to fight through adversity because of it for the reasons Angelica foresaw would be interesting to me.
Aaron Burr/Alexander Hamilton
I would be especially interested in either one-sided affection on Burr's part or eventual reciprocation from Hamilton. This one would be one where I think an AU might be useful in some way, but I'm interested to see whatever you come up with.
I think that the fact that Hamilton keeps ending up in positions Burr desires sort of creating a strangely-directed desire on Burr's part is an interesting idea. However, I also think that their very first meeting is charming and kind of sweet with more of a focus on their similarities than their divisive differences. What about something that happens upon their first meeting that we don't see that defines or changes everything?
This is sort of random, but given the way Burr reacts to Hamilton's death in the end, if you felt like tackling some kind of reincarnation / second chance given the knowledge of what happens scenario, that might be cool.
For the record, "Wait For It" is probably my most-repeated song in the entire play, though I love so many of the others.
The Librarians (TV 2014)
Ships requested:
- Cassandra Cillian/Ezekiel Jones (The Librarians)
- Cassandra Cillian/Ezekiel Jones/Jake Stone (The Librarians)
- Alternate Eve Baird/Alternate Jake Stone (The Librarians)
Cassandra Cillian/Ezekiel Jones
Something I love the most about this pairing is a kind of positive, actually good-people moral ambiguity thing. There's something about the two of them together that has a little bit of that edge like that it could be sexy-dangerous but without a sense that they're anything but really kind, loving people deep down. However, on the flip side of that, I love that it is pointed out that Ezekiel is already the worst person he'll ever be while Cassandra has a lot farther she could fall if things went badly for her. I am also, as ever, interested in both the fact that Cassandra seems to have a magical affinity and a sort of spiritual alignment with death as an entity/existence. Given that, I sort of wonder if Ezekiel could find that he also has an alignment with something that is a bit more complex than lucky rogue.
It would be interesting to see Cassandra slip down into something dark with good intentions and to have Ezekiel either choose her side or draw her out of it. Either way, I would love to see the way they interact with each other on the basis of mutual understanding of each other on a deep level.
I would also like to see something that involved Cassandra helping Ezekiel with his criminal past or present catching up with him. She is so smart and she usually is trying to do her best to be on the side of the angels. It would be fun to see her frustrated with Ezekiel's life choices while also helping him out of a tight spot with her brilliance complimenting his expertise.
Cassandra Cillian/Ezekiel Jones/Jake Stone
I love the Librarians' team, and I love the idea that they are all sort of caught between being destined to die and being destined to meet because they all ran from the hero's call the first time. Their complementary skill-sets and clashing life experiences are precious. I don't think that it was a specifically-mentioned option, but since I don't think it is a breaking of the rules to say it, if you wanted to do alt!timeline versions of each of them together, I would be happy with that, too, where they save either Cassandra or Jake's world (since Ezekiel was, again, lucky and got his fixed).
If you wanted to write about their Peru adventure or the subsequent way they fought and fell apart for a bit there, I would like that. As long as it's angst with an eventual happy ending on the horizon, I would love to see them fighting and struggling in such a way that it develops them as people. Whether the conflict is internal between the three of them or external in the form of a common enemy, I would love to see how conflict makes them realize they really need each other.
If you want to do a casefic, I love creepy things. My favorite case itself was probably And the Heart of Darkness, but I also love the hilarious, weird, and funny situations they end up in. I also enjoyed the situation where they were all operating on a university campus and would like to see a similar situation extended. Have fun if you want to make up a casefic, but I would be just as happy with them exploring the Library or hanging out in the Annex together.
Alternate Eve Baird/Alternate Jake Stone
Primary timeline Eve's reaction to Alt!Jake's kiss is one of my favorite reactions to a kiss ever. On the other hand, I was really moved by the emotion that played out so obviously in Alt!Jake when he saw her and came up and kissed her. I also like how he accepted that she was not his Eve, but that he still very much respected her and his Eve's memory, in spite of Jake often having trouble with letting regret go. Given what he had been through, I imagine that is a very powerful thing.
That said, I would love to see anything that you might think Alt!Jake's relationship like with his Eve, Alt!Eve, his Guardian. Whether it's at a time before things went wrong or at some point after, I would love to see how different their lives might have been, if only for a short time.
Leverage
Ship requested:
- Alec Hardison/Eliot Spencer/Parker (Leverage)
Alec Hardison/Eliot Spencer/Parker
I finally finished watching Leverage! It took forever, but I loved it. Its last episode just completely astounded me with how much it hit me like a punch in the stomach, even though I knew that it didn't end that way just from knowing general spoilers about their post-show fates. Nonetheless, I was deeply moved by Nate's story about what happened to them. Because I'm still kind of emotionally reeling from that, I would love to see anything that involved them facing mortality and saving each other from it. High stress, drama, near-death experiences, and coming back home to each other safe and sound in the end -- that sounds wonderful.
However, if you're not in the mood for dark and instead would like light, fluffy, and silly, I would also eat that up, too. I would be so excited to see either the dark or light sides of what their lives are like following the end of the series. However, I would also love any missing scenes or missing cases that might have taken place during the series.
I am also really fond of that little repeated-theme scene where they all part ways and walk away from each other. If you wanted to do a bittersweet thing with them doing that, only to come back home where they belong, I think they could be really touching.
I love all of them being lovely and competent in what they do, and I also love seeing them face their demons and win a few of their battles against them.
Nate/Sophie is welcome, too, as a secondary ship if you want. Sterling can come too, if he wants, as can pretty much of the any other repeat characters.