Trick or Treat 2016
Hello, I’m polkad0tting (polkadot on AO3). Welcome to my little sports-crazy world! (I am generally pretty sports-crazy anyway, and it’s an Olympics year, so I’m super sports-crazy right now.) You’re already my new favorite person for volunteering to write one of my fandoms. Please don’t be worried about writing for me - I’m very easy to please. :)
I have lots of old letters from many different exchanges, so if you’d like more insight and/or ideas about what I enjoy (particularly in sports-fic), please do feel free to poke through them. I generally talk a LOT, because I am a chatty person and have lots of feelings, haha.
All of my requests are for a) treats and b) fic. This isn't because I don't like tricks or art! I adore art, but I'm unfortunately shit at writing art prompts, so it doesn't feel fair to inflict myself on an artist. If any of my fic prompts inspire you to create art, though, I promise to love it forever! :) And re tricks - there it's more that I only like a subset of tricks (supernatural, as opposed to horror, dark, & gory), so again, it didn't feel fair to box my writer in like that.
Like list:
I think the most basic like I have is “affection”. That can take both platonic and romantic forms. If you write me a story about people who have genuine affection for each other, I’ll love it no matter what the plot is. Platonic friendships full of laughter, falling-in-love, comfortable established relationships - I love it all. Banter and bromance and bro-romances are all my jams.
• Basic: SPORTS, friends-to-lovers, falling in love, comfortable established relationships filled with affection and in-jokes, couples kicking butt together and saving the team (and then picking up the drycleaning on the way home), people knowing each other really well, banter, emotional support, plans, plans that don’t go according to plan, working together and using different strengths, coming-out stories, five-times fics, sports (did I mention sports?!)
• In romance: Snark, banter, fond teasing, zaniness, affection laced with humor, snuggling in bed, having sex on sports equipment.
• In porn: Kissing, exploring a partner’s body, unexpected erogenous zones, talking during sex, sex that doesn’t go quite right but they run with it and make it awesome anyway, incoherent noises, morning sex, well-developed biceps and shoulders, fingering that's enjoyed for itself, wall-sex, multiple orgasms, laughter.
Squick list
• Basic: Infidelity, bullying, cruel jokes, noncon, dubcon, incest (see note), bestiality, underage, character death, graphic descriptions of character injury, Ryan Lochte.
• In romance: Gaslighting, characters who are in love but don’t seem to really like each other very much, A/B/O.
• In porn: Pain being inflicted as a kink, bad dirty talk (if not joked about by the participants), someone not caring about their partner's comfort and pleasure.
• Note re incest: I do occasionally have an incest ship, in this case Renaud/Valentin. I do however have a few severe squicks involving some common incest dynamics, so if you’re interested in writing Renaud/Valentin (yay!!!), please check out this post for more info.
Two final general notes:
1) Infidelity is in my squick list. In cases where a character has a RL partner, I would prefer for this exchange that we pretend that the RL relationship never existed, or ended amicably some time before. (If writing a shippy fic, that is. If it’s gen, RL partner can exist but please only be mentioned in passing.)
2) Some of these athletes come from countries where homosexuality is either not accepted, or where it would at least be difficult to be a gay athlete (and particularly in a team context). In real life, if they were gay they would almost surely stay closeted. I’m okay with either a) this same dynamic in fic (staying closeted, worrying about being accepted by teammates, even internalized homophobia), as long as the story itself has a happy ending, or b) non-realism on the small scale (they’re secure & happy in their sexuality, all their friends & teammates accept them, it’s not an issue at all, etc.) No public coming-out fics for athletes from homophobic countries, though - it would give me anxiety to think about Nikita coming out and being attacked by Putin, for instance.
My requests:
* Pole Vault RPF (Renaud Lavillenie, Valentin Lavillenie, Sandi Morris)
* Men’s Gymnastics RPF (Kenzo Shirai, Kohei Uchimura, Nikita Nagornyy, Oleg Verniaiev)
* Women’s Gymnastics RPF (Oksana Chusovitina)
* French Olympians RPF (Kévin Mayer, Renaud Lavillenie, Samir Aït Saïd)
* Olympic Running RPF (Andre De Grasse, Usain Bolt, Wayde van Niekerk)
* Swimming RPF (Chad Guy Bertrand le Clos, Katie Ledecky, Nathan Adrian, Simone Manuel)
Pole Vault RPF
Characters: Renaud Lavillenie, Valentin Lavillenie, Sandi Morris
I love pole vault a ridiculous amount. To learn more about these characters (and my feelings about them), check out my pole vault fandom primer!
I’ve asked for these three specific characters because I would like my story to include at least one of them. But I love all the nominated characters, and am more than fine with a story that includes additional ones (or for that matter any additional vaulters I talk about in the primer). I would be equally enthused by a story with a loud colorful cast (say, a day in the life of a pole-vaulting competition) and by a quiet character study of, say, Valentin.
Pole vault is a fandom in which I very happily multi-ship. Most of my ships do involve either Renaud or Valentin (including Renaud/Valentin, although do see my intro notes for that). I’d love to read a story in which any of these ships were involved either as a primary, secondary, or passing-mention: Renaud/Valentin, Renaud/Sam, Renaud/Thiago, Renaud/Raphael, Renaud/Bubka, Valentin/Sam, Valentin/Thiago, Valentin/Raphael, Sandi/Renaud, Sandi/Valentin, Sandi/Eliza, Sandi/Ekaterini, Sandi/Yarisley, Ekaterini/Yarisley.
General things I will enjoy in this fandom include:
* the rhythms of the pole-vault tour and pole-vault competitions (particularly the Diamond Race tour, the Olympics, and Worlds, but also smaller-stakes competitions, including street vaulting (which seems really cool)). Competitions can go on for hours. What’s happening in the meantime?
* work hard, party hard. (especially Valentin)
* the push-pull between in-competition competitiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* the mutual-support society most vaulters seem to have going on (including getting the crowd to clap for their opponents - Sam and Sandi especially known for this)
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* strength and athleticism in bed as a major turn-on (pole vaulters’ bodies are so amazing!)
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, goofing-off, etc.
* a pair having to figure out what it means that they keep falling into bed together.
* competition bets - not monetary, but forfeits (gen) or sex bets (shippy)
* coming-out fic (privately or publicly)
* first-time fic
* established-relationship fic (what’s it like to be in a relationship with a competitor?)
* five-times fic
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic)
Some specific prompts:
Renaud
gen
What keeps him motivated? What was it like during the couple of years where he was chasing Bubka’s record - and what was it like when he broke it? How did he recover from Rio? How do all his bromances with other pole-vaulters and other French athletes (notably Mayer & Lemaitre) differ from each other (what makes different ones special)? Tell me more about the pole-vault in his back garden, because that cracks me up. What’s it like nearing 30 and having Shawnacy and Thiago emerge to chase him? What’s it like to know that you’re simultaneously one of your brother’s best friends and yet one of his sporting idols? Finally, as stated above I am a total sucker for happily-ever-after fic, so Renaud finally winning an outdoor Worlds this year (or the Tokyo Olympics!) would be fantastic.
shippy
How did it start? One-night stand? Feelings that grew out of a bromance? Banter that went somewhere unexpected? What is he like in bed? Does he ever use the pole-vault pit in his back garden for ~shenanigans? What about strip-vaulting, where you have to lose an article of clothing every time you knock the bar down (and it’s not like they’re wearing a ton of clothes to start with)? Tell me about behind-the-scenes at the nude advert with Kevin. ;) Or how about outside POV, where outside-POV-er gradually realizes that Renaud/X aren’t just a bromance, but something more? (Note: not for Renaud/Valentin pls.) What about that time where he broke the world record and then immediately injured himself trying to break it again (hurt/comfort wooo!) And how about somebody (either established-relationship or first-time) comforting him after Rio?
Valentin
gen
What’s it like being the younger brother of the best pole-vaulter in the world? Is he angsty about it, or philosophical (he did train with Renaud for years, so he can’t have been TOO broken up about it)? Gen emotional hurt/comfort with Renaud after Moscow 2013. :’( What are his friendships in the pole vaulting community like? Now that he’s struck out on his own and no longer trains with Renaud, how is life outside his brother’s shadow? (Or can he ever escape?) Emotional hurt/comfort from Renaud or another pole vaulter after he juuuuust fails to make the Rio team. :’( Happily-ever-after fic in which he has the meet of his life and unexpectedly wins a Worlds or Olympics medal!
shippy
Most of Renaud’s shippy prompts would also work for Valentin. In addition, I love the idea of combining Valentin-shippy with Valentin&Renaud-gen - so for example, a Valentin/Thiago falling-in-love fic that includes Valentin & Renaud friendship and Renaud & Thiago competitiveness.
Sandi
gen
What has her tumultuous year been like? (Including breaking her wrist 7 weeks before Olympic Trials, winning Olympic silver, becoming only the third woman ever to jump 5m.) Tell me about her Olympics experience! Who are her friends on tour and what are those relationships like? What’s it been like transitioning from college competition to the pro life? Dreams-come-true fic where she breaks the world record!
shippy
Many of Renaud’s prompts still work (though not the one about his back-garden pole-vault, that would just be weird, unless you’re writing Sandi/Renaud or Sandi/Valentin). How did Sandi’s relationship with X start? What’s it like being in a relationship with another pole-vaulter? Did she kiss Ekaterini or Eliza after the medal ceremony? What’s it like having sex high on fizzy medalist-joy? Little competitions in training played for forfeits, whatever those might be (pushups, stripping, sex-forfeits, you name it).
~//~
Men’s Gymnastics RPF
Characters: Kohei Uchimura, Oleg Verniaiev, Kenzo Shirai, Nikita Nagornyy
Gymnastics! *happy sigh*
This Olympics was very satisfying to me, given that I’m a big fan of the Japanese team and Oleg Verniaiev. So much good gymnastics, and wonderful storylines as well! The joy of the Japanese team when they won gold. The battle between Kohei and Oleg, which came right down to the wire. Fabian winning high bar. Oleg winning parallel bars! The Russian team screaming and crying and being so frickin’ happy to get silver in the team competition. Just - everything. <3
I’ve asked for these four specific characters because I would like my story to include at least one of them. But I love all the nominated characters, and am more than fine with a story that includes additional ones (or for that matter anyone on the Japanese, Ukrainian, or Russian teams, as well as Danell Leyva, Marian Dragulescu, or, well, pretty much anyone). I would be equally enthused by a story with a loud colorful cast (say, a day in the life of a gymnastics competition) and by a quiet character study of, say, Kenzo.
Gymnastics is another fandom in which I very happily multi-ship. Most of my ships do involve either Kohei or Oleg (or both). I’d love to read a story in which any of these ships were involved either as a primary, secondary, or passing-mention: Kohei/Oleg, Kohei/any other member of the Japanese team, Oleg/any other member of the Ukrainian team, Oleg/Danell, Oleg/David Belyvaskiy, Oleg/Nikita, Oleg/any member of the Japanese team, Kenzo/any other member of the Japanese team, Kenzo/Oleg, Nikita/DavidB, Fabian/Epke. Actually, for secondary ships or passing mentions you can pretty much ship anybody with anybody, lol - I’m definitely open to being persuaded.
General things I will enjoy in this fandom include:
* the rhythms of gymnastics training and competitions
* the push-pull between in-competition competitiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* the mutual-support society gymnasts seem to have going on (I love the fist-bumps as someone comes off an apparatus and passes the next gymnast, and all the hugs)
* having friends from all across the globe - and the problems that creates when there’s international tensions (like all the online abuse Oleg got when he dared to take a happy friendly selfie with Nikita)
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* strength and athleticism in bed as a major turn-on (gymnasts’ bodies, nggh)
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, showing-off, goofing-off, etc.
* a pair having to figure out what it means that they keep falling into bed together.
* competition bets - not monetary, but forfeits (gen) or sex bets (shippy)
* challenging each other to develop new skills and tricks
* coming-out fic (privately or publicly)
* first-time fic
* established-relationship fic (what’s it like to be in a relationship with a competitor?)
* five-times fic
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic)
Some specific prompts:
Kohei
Tell me about the trials of being a superstar. :P What’s it like to be so adored? What’s it like to be leading his team (again)? How satisfying was it to win Worlds team gold in Glasgow, and then back it up with Olympics team gold in Rio? Did Kohei think he’d lost all-around to Oleg, and how did he feel when he stuck his dismount on high bar (and then won!) How did Oleg standing up for Kohei in press re the scoring make Kohei feel? Does Kohei enjoy making people swoon just by taking his shirt off? Does he feel weary when he thinks about doing gymnastics for another four years so he can compete in Tokyo? Is he happy to hand over the all-around mantle to Kenzo and Ryohei? And ship-wise, well, I will enjoy anything with Kohei in one of my ships. All ratings, all plots, as long as there’s a happy ending. Falling in love, first time, established relationship, sex on a vaulting horse - you name it, I want it.
I’d also enjoy Kohei as the outside-POV for someone else’s story - perhaps a Kenzo/Ryohei or Kenzo/Oleg one? Kohei always seems dryly amused to me, and I think it’d be pretty fun to watch him observing the development of a relationship between his friends.
And like in pole vault, dreams-come-true fic is something I will always enjoy. Team Japan wins Tokyo! And perhaps Kohei wins high bar? Even though he is Ancient? (Or he is an awesome cheerleader while Kenzo and Ryohei win everything, because those gifs of him being a cheerleader for Kenzo in Rio are so adorable.)
Oleg
Oleg’s not even 23 yet, and yet already he’s a two-time Olympic veteran and one of the leaders of his team. I’d love to see the balance between maturity and athletic prowess on the one hand, and silly goofing-off playfulness on the other. (The latter being heavily in view on his Instagram and Snapchat.)
What was it like to come so close to dethroning Kohei? (Both in the good way - so nearly the best in the world! - and in the bad way - if only!) What was the Olympics experience like in general? How awesome was winning the parallel bars gold? How did he celebrate? Did he have help celebrating? ;) Does he enjoy all the new attention and fans, or does it make him a little shy? What does a competition day look like for him? What’s with his obsession with collecting tshirts from all the different countries? (Seriously, he’s always running around in a Team China/Japan/USA/Belgium/Cuba/Germany/etc. tshirt.) And how does he collect the tshirts? ;) [Seriously, I ship Oleg with pretty much everybody, so if he’s collecting them through ~shenanigans, that is highly relevant to my interests.]
If you want to go more angsty, what is it like trying to be a world-competitive gymnast and compete with the likes of Kohei when Ukraine is so abysmally lacking in funding and support? Is Oleg ever tempted to jump ship like Kuksenkov and Stepko? And if you’re going shippy, what’s it like to be a gay athlete in a homophobic country (particularly if you’re shipping him with another athlete from a homophobic country, like David or Nikita)? [Happy - or at least not unhappy - ending please, though.]
Gen, ship, and porn are all more than welcome here; all ratings. All ratings, all plots, as long as there’s a happy ending. Falling in love, first time, established relationship, sex on a vaulting horse - you name it, I want it.
Kenzo
What’s it like being the kid superstar-in-training on a team like the Japanese team? (Kenzo was the only newbie on the team, with everyone else returning from 2012.) He’s surrounded by teammates who have known him since he was knee-high; how does he gain their respect? I love how much of a sweetheart he is, like when he took all those pictures so he could make his teammates each an individualized photo album capturing their Rio experiences together. I also love how confident and natural he is about his athletic ability; athletes being quietly self-assured about their awesomeness is something I will always enjoy.
Although he is always portrayed as the kid on the team, he’s 20 now. This next quad is going to be a big one for him, especially leading in to Tokyo. (I love how he stayed up all night for the bid announcement - bless.) Just how many elements will he be able to get named after himself? Does he feel ready to take over all-around from Kohei? How will he try to embrace his growing superstarness with Kohei’s established fame? If you ship them, how does he get Kohei to see him as more than a kid, but as an adult and a romantic partner? (This would also be a point for Kenzo/Ryohei.) I’d love to see the balance between maturity and athletic prowess on the one hand, and his wide-eyed sweetness and huge grins on the other.
Ship-wise, I will enjoy anything with Kenzo. All ratings, all plots, as long as there’s a happy ending. Falling in love, first time, established relationship, sex on a vaulting horse - you name it, I want it.
Nikita
Another super-enthusiastic young gymnast. <3 Seriously, if you shipped him and Kenzo the fic might literally bounce. :D I loved his Youtube videos from Rio. And his Instagram is never-ending fun. (The trick dive into the inner-tube!)
What’s the story of the Russian team in Rio? I was worried they’d be heartbroken when Japan overtook them at the end of the team competition, but instead they were so, so, so overjoyed to win silver that it was just too adorable. What’s Nikita’s role on the team? Is he a team morale-booster like Kenzo? (David always looks so sad/serious; how does Nikita cheer him up?) Like Oleg, he seems like a big fraternizer across country lines (especially with Oleg, lol). Who does he bromance and what are their adventures like? What does a competition look like from Nikita’s perspective (not just the actual competition, but training, after-hours fraternization, etc.)? Does he have Big Plans for the next quad?
Ship-wise, I will enjoy anything with Nikita. All ratings, all plots, as long as there’s a happy ending. Falling in love, first time, established relationship, sex on a vaulting horse - you name it, I want it. My biggest ships for Nikita are Nikita/Oleg, Nikita/David, and Nikita/Kenzo, but if you have an alternative ship, I’m happy to read it too! (Only exception: while he and RL girlfriend Daria Spiridonova from the Russian women’s team are super-cute, I’m not comfortable reading fic about canon couples. This goes for Igor Radivilov and Angelina Kysla/Radivilova (not sure if she changed her name) too.)
Two final notes:
1) I’m very anti-Putin. I’d prefer to have Russian characters share my views (and just be staying quiet about it out of political necessity) or at least be conflicted, or for their views on him not to be mentioned. DNW pro-Putin feelings from any POV or sympathetic characters. (Most especially from Nikita or David.)
2) Please don’t have Nikita teased or made fun of for his acne.
~//~
Women’s Gymnastics RPF
Characters: Oksana Chusovitina
More gymnastics! :D
Although there are many wonderful characters in women’s gymnastics and I love everybody in the tagset, for this exchange I’ve decided to just ask for Oksana.
Oksana’s longevity in the sport is beautiful and legendary. What is it like to come to competitions year after year, when everyone you used to know has long since retired and your new competitors are the age of your son? What is it like to literally have the political lines of your country be redrawn around you, to represent the USSR, the Unified Team, Germany and Uzbekistan, all in one career? What is it like to go to seven Olympics, and then begin training for an eighth?
What does gymnastics mean to her? What friendships has she had over the years? Has she ever had a relationship with another gymnast (preferably female)? What does a gymnastics competition look like to her? How does she celebrate making the vault final in Rio? What is it like knowing that she still does a more dangerous vault than 95% of her competitors will even try? How does she feel knowing that she’s a role model and legend to the entire gymnastics community, both the women and the men? Does she feel a special kinship with Marian Dragulescu, even though he’s comparatively a spring chicken (six years younger, and ‘only’ a four-time Olympian to her seven times)?
Many of the general prompts in the men’s gymnastics section would also work for Oksana. I just really love her and would love to read a story about her.
~//~
French Olympians RPF
Characters: Kévin Mayer, Renaud Lavillenie, Samir Aït Saïd
Out of these three guys, Kevin & Renaud kind of go together (but I’m not forgetting this is “or” matching, and if you only offered one that’s totally fine!), and Samir is kind of doing his own thing. (Although if you were inspired to write a hot porny threesome where they party together and end up in bed, I would definitely enjoy that too, not saying nay! Just mind Samir’s leg if you set it post-accident.)
For Renaud, see his section in Pole Vault. :) Given the focus of “French Olympians RPF” on the Olympics, a story about his experiences in Rio (whether that be pre-competition, during competition, or recovering from competition) would be particularly great! If you do mention the booing and abuse, though, please be gentle. I’m not saying he was blameless (see my fandom primer for more on that) but getting booed to tears on the medal podium hurt. :( Emotional hurt/comfort, otoh, would work well. (Or pre-competition, when nothing had happened yet and he was cheerful and excited, would avoid the issue entirely.)
I both ship and friend-ship Renaud with pretty much all of his fellow French Olympians, and Kevin is definitely included in both of those categories. They are super, super cute together; to take only one example, Renaud calls Kevin “mon petit” and Kevin calls Renaud “gros”. And the underwear commercial, when they were both horsing around gloriously naked! Aaaaaah. But seriously, although I do ship them, I’m also totaaaaally good with them being massive bros and having gen adventures. I love that although they’re in different events, they do sometimes compete together! Renaud’s done a decathlon, and Kevin occasionally does a pole vault competition (for example, this week’s Decanation, in which Kevin did pole vault along with Renaud and Stanley Joseph. So much fun! And France won, for the first time since 2007!! All the giddy celebrations, made even better by the fact that the season’s now over so everybody can get drunk and happy and vacation-y). The gif of Kevin and Renaud snuggled up together during a competition and Kevin blowing kisses to the camera and cracking Renaud up is still one of my favorites. (For pictorial and video evidence of all of the above, see my pole vault fandom primer.)
For Kevin, I’d love to read decathlon fic. It’s so exhausting, and takes so much out of you. What is his relationship with Ashton like? What was it like to win silver in Rio? What are his relationships/friendships/ships with other French Olympians like? How does he celebrate? What about rampant wish-fulfillment “both he and Renaud win gold in Tokyo” fic? How does he deal with being so frickin’ beautiful?
Finally, for Samir, omg, that accident was so scary. I’m so glad he’s okay. I’d love to read a fic in which he gets some emotional and/or physical comfort after getting out of the hospital (please no description of the actual accident, though, as I am incredibly squeamish and nearly threw up watching it happen live). The comforter could be either another gymnast (maybe Toba, who also was hurt? but anybody really) or another French Olympian. Or you could take it into the future and have him back and kicking ass at a future Worlds or in Tokyo!
~//~
Olympic Running RPF
Characters: Andre De Grasse, Usain Bolt, Wayde van Niekerk
So I confess that my ships in this fandom are Andre/Usain, Wayde/Usain, and Andre/Usain/Wayde. But I also know that you might only have offered one of these guys, so if you’re not comfortable writing one of those ships (or don’t ship them), don’t worry, I’m also fine with gen bromances and gen in general. (Sports gen is totally something I adore!)
If you’re not a shipper, some of the things I enjoy in sports fandoms are:
* the rhythms of training and competitions
* the Olympics!! And all the plots that come with the Olympics. (including fraternization in the Olympic Village, but also things like the nerves that come with competing for your country, the amazing feeling of getting a medal for your country and seeing your flag be raised, making friends standing in line for free McDonald’s, awkward conversations with doping control officers because they came to test you right after you peed and now you’re stuck with them for hours, flirting & making friends across language barriers, watching other sports, trying out other sports & sucking at them, etc. etc. etc.)
* the push-pull between in-competition competiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* the mutual-support society many athletes seem to have going on (fist-bumps, congratulations, hugs, etc.)
* having friends from all across the globe
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, showing-off, goofing-off, etc.
* forfeit bets made on competitions (either one’s own or those of others) or in training
* challenging each other to develop new skills and tricks
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic)
And if you do ship some combination of the guys (or are intrigued and thinking about it), here is why I like them:
Usain is such a legend, and I loved the dynamic between Andre and Wayde’s wide-eyed respect and hero-worship of him, and his own affectionate respect in return. It was big-brotherly and fond without being patronizing; he sincerely seemed happy for Andre (while continuing to beat his ass to the finish line, of course), and he was thrilled for Wayde’s WR (loved the way he interrupted Wayde’s interview to congratulate him, leaving Wayde all starry-eyed and speechless after his departure).
So yes, I’d love a fic that looked at how that mutual respect turned into something more. ;) After all, aren’t Olympic Villages known for their fraternization? ;) Anything that gets either or both of the younger guys in bed with Usain (or against a wall/in a shower/etc.) is excellent.
(One specific prompt: if you go with “both”, I think it’d be really hot to have Andre and Wayde be competitive about it, because they obviously have competitive personalities. And Usain can sit back and reap the benefits, lol.)
~//~
Swimming RPF
Characters: Chad le Clos, Katie Ledecky, Nathan Adrian, Simone Manuel
I ship all combinations of these swimmers, haha. So if you feel like writing shipfic, go to town! For Chad I also ship him with Michael Phelps, but for everybody else I’d prefer only ships from this subset. (And please, please, please - no Ryan Lochte.)
Things I will enjoy in this fandom include:
* the rhythms of swimming competitions (what’s going on in the ready room, the warmup pool, the locker rooms?)
* work hard, party hard (but only in the Village and with each other, pls no Lochtian shenanigans)
* the Olympics!! And all the plots that come with the Olympics. (including fraternization in the Olympic Village, but also things like the nerves that come with competing for your country, the amazing feeling of getting a medal for your country and seeing your flag be raised, making friends standing in line for free McDonald’s, awkward conversations with doping control officers because they came to test you right after you peed and now you’re stuck with them for hours, flirting & making friends across language barriers, watching other sports, trying out other sports & sucking at them, etc. etc. etc.)
* the push-pull between in-competition competitiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* swimmers supporting each other
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* strength and athleticism in bed as a major turn-on (swimmers’ shoulders, omg)
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, goofing-off, etc.
* a pair having to figure out what it means that they keep falling into bed together.
* competition bets - not monetary, but forfeits (gen) or sex bets (shippy)
* coming-out fic (privately or publicly)
* first-time fic
* established-relationship fic (what’s it like to be in a relationship with a competitor?)
* five-times fic
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic)
Ship-wise, if you’re interested in writing Nathan + either Katie or Simone, I think it’d be fun if it was Katie/Simone who put the moves on him. (He said something in an interview about having a secret wish to be swept off his feet for a change!) Since he’s a few years older than them, I’d love to see the “gain respect in the pool” dynamic. Maybe Katie/Simone says “if I win gold, I’m claiming a kiss” (or something like that, I am not suave)? And then events eventuate. ;)
Katie/Simone is an awesome ship that I really would love to see. Stanford girls kicking mega ass! They were Rio roommates too. So there is Much Space for fic.
Meanwhile Chad is an insufferable hilarious dude. I love him/Michael, with all that happened in the pool and out, and would definitely be interested in Olympics-fic about that. I also think Chad/Nathan would be an interesting pairing (and really hot).
~//~
Whew, that’s all the fandoms! “Or” matching is always hard to write letters for - sorry that mine’s such a behemoth. Hopefully something in here has given you an idea! Remember, you’re awesome. :) Thanks again!!
I have lots of old letters from many different exchanges, so if you’d like more insight and/or ideas about what I enjoy (particularly in sports-fic), please do feel free to poke through them. I generally talk a LOT, because I am a chatty person and have lots of feelings, haha.
All of my requests are for a) treats and b) fic. This isn't because I don't like tricks or art! I adore art, but I'm unfortunately shit at writing art prompts, so it doesn't feel fair to inflict myself on an artist. If any of my fic prompts inspire you to create art, though, I promise to love it forever! :) And re tricks - there it's more that I only like a subset of tricks (supernatural, as opposed to horror, dark, & gory), so again, it didn't feel fair to box my writer in like that.
Like list:
I think the most basic like I have is “affection”. That can take both platonic and romantic forms. If you write me a story about people who have genuine affection for each other, I’ll love it no matter what the plot is. Platonic friendships full of laughter, falling-in-love, comfortable established relationships - I love it all. Banter and bromance and bro-romances are all my jams.
• Basic: SPORTS, friends-to-lovers, falling in love, comfortable established relationships filled with affection and in-jokes, couples kicking butt together and saving the team (and then picking up the drycleaning on the way home), people knowing each other really well, banter, emotional support, plans, plans that don’t go according to plan, working together and using different strengths, coming-out stories, five-times fics, sports (did I mention sports?!)
• In romance: Snark, banter, fond teasing, zaniness, affection laced with humor, snuggling in bed, having sex on sports equipment.
• In porn: Kissing, exploring a partner’s body, unexpected erogenous zones, talking during sex, sex that doesn’t go quite right but they run with it and make it awesome anyway, incoherent noises, morning sex, well-developed biceps and shoulders, fingering that's enjoyed for itself, wall-sex, multiple orgasms, laughter.
Squick list
• Basic: Infidelity, bullying, cruel jokes, noncon, dubcon, incest (see note), bestiality, underage, character death, graphic descriptions of character injury, Ryan Lochte.
• In romance: Gaslighting, characters who are in love but don’t seem to really like each other very much, A/B/O.
• In porn: Pain being inflicted as a kink, bad dirty talk (if not joked about by the participants), someone not caring about their partner's comfort and pleasure.
• Note re incest: I do occasionally have an incest ship, in this case Renaud/Valentin. I do however have a few severe squicks involving some common incest dynamics, so if you’re interested in writing Renaud/Valentin (yay!!!), please check out this post for more info.
Two final general notes:
1) Infidelity is in my squick list. In cases where a character has a RL partner, I would prefer for this exchange that we pretend that the RL relationship never existed, or ended amicably some time before. (If writing a shippy fic, that is. If it’s gen, RL partner can exist but please only be mentioned in passing.)
2) Some of these athletes come from countries where homosexuality is either not accepted, or where it would at least be difficult to be a gay athlete (and particularly in a team context). In real life, if they were gay they would almost surely stay closeted. I’m okay with either a) this same dynamic in fic (staying closeted, worrying about being accepted by teammates, even internalized homophobia), as long as the story itself has a happy ending, or b) non-realism on the small scale (they’re secure & happy in their sexuality, all their friends & teammates accept them, it’s not an issue at all, etc.) No public coming-out fics for athletes from homophobic countries, though - it would give me anxiety to think about Nikita coming out and being attacked by Putin, for instance.
My requests:
* Pole Vault RPF (Renaud Lavillenie, Valentin Lavillenie, Sandi Morris)
* Men’s Gymnastics RPF (Kenzo Shirai, Kohei Uchimura, Nikita Nagornyy, Oleg Verniaiev)
* Women’s Gymnastics RPF (Oksana Chusovitina)
* French Olympians RPF (Kévin Mayer, Renaud Lavillenie, Samir Aït Saïd)
* Olympic Running RPF (Andre De Grasse, Usain Bolt, Wayde van Niekerk)
* Swimming RPF (Chad Guy Bertrand le Clos, Katie Ledecky, Nathan Adrian, Simone Manuel)
Pole Vault RPF
Characters: Renaud Lavillenie, Valentin Lavillenie, Sandi Morris
I love pole vault a ridiculous amount. To learn more about these characters (and my feelings about them), check out my pole vault fandom primer!
I’ve asked for these three specific characters because I would like my story to include at least one of them. But I love all the nominated characters, and am more than fine with a story that includes additional ones (or for that matter any additional vaulters I talk about in the primer). I would be equally enthused by a story with a loud colorful cast (say, a day in the life of a pole-vaulting competition) and by a quiet character study of, say, Valentin.
Pole vault is a fandom in which I very happily multi-ship. Most of my ships do involve either Renaud or Valentin (including Renaud/Valentin, although do see my intro notes for that). I’d love to read a story in which any of these ships were involved either as a primary, secondary, or passing-mention: Renaud/Valentin, Renaud/Sam, Renaud/Thiago, Renaud/Raphael, Renaud/Bubka, Valentin/Sam, Valentin/Thiago, Valentin/Raphael, Sandi/Renaud, Sandi/Valentin, Sandi/Eliza, Sandi/Ekaterini, Sandi/Yarisley, Ekaterini/Yarisley.
General things I will enjoy in this fandom include:
* the rhythms of the pole-vault tour and pole-vault competitions (particularly the Diamond Race tour, the Olympics, and Worlds, but also smaller-stakes competitions, including street vaulting (which seems really cool)). Competitions can go on for hours. What’s happening in the meantime?
* work hard, party hard. (especially Valentin)
* the push-pull between in-competition competitiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* the mutual-support society most vaulters seem to have going on (including getting the crowd to clap for their opponents - Sam and Sandi especially known for this)
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* strength and athleticism in bed as a major turn-on (pole vaulters’ bodies are so amazing!)
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, goofing-off, etc.
* a pair having to figure out what it means that they keep falling into bed together.
* competition bets - not monetary, but forfeits (gen) or sex bets (shippy)
* coming-out fic (privately or publicly)
* first-time fic
* established-relationship fic (what’s it like to be in a relationship with a competitor?)
* five-times fic
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic)
Some specific prompts:
Renaud
gen
What keeps him motivated? What was it like during the couple of years where he was chasing Bubka’s record - and what was it like when he broke it? How did he recover from Rio? How do all his bromances with other pole-vaulters and other French athletes (notably Mayer & Lemaitre) differ from each other (what makes different ones special)? Tell me more about the pole-vault in his back garden, because that cracks me up. What’s it like nearing 30 and having Shawnacy and Thiago emerge to chase him? What’s it like to know that you’re simultaneously one of your brother’s best friends and yet one of his sporting idols? Finally, as stated above I am a total sucker for happily-ever-after fic, so Renaud finally winning an outdoor Worlds this year (or the Tokyo Olympics!) would be fantastic.
shippy
How did it start? One-night stand? Feelings that grew out of a bromance? Banter that went somewhere unexpected? What is he like in bed? Does he ever use the pole-vault pit in his back garden for ~shenanigans? What about strip-vaulting, where you have to lose an article of clothing every time you knock the bar down (and it’s not like they’re wearing a ton of clothes to start with)? Tell me about behind-the-scenes at the nude advert with Kevin. ;) Or how about outside POV, where outside-POV-er gradually realizes that Renaud/X aren’t just a bromance, but something more? (Note: not for Renaud/Valentin pls.) What about that time where he broke the world record and then immediately injured himself trying to break it again (hurt/comfort wooo!) And how about somebody (either established-relationship or first-time) comforting him after Rio?
Valentin
gen
What’s it like being the younger brother of the best pole-vaulter in the world? Is he angsty about it, or philosophical (he did train with Renaud for years, so he can’t have been TOO broken up about it)? Gen emotional hurt/comfort with Renaud after Moscow 2013. :’( What are his friendships in the pole vaulting community like? Now that he’s struck out on his own and no longer trains with Renaud, how is life outside his brother’s shadow? (Or can he ever escape?) Emotional hurt/comfort from Renaud or another pole vaulter after he juuuuust fails to make the Rio team. :’( Happily-ever-after fic in which he has the meet of his life and unexpectedly wins a Worlds or Olympics medal!
shippy
Most of Renaud’s shippy prompts would also work for Valentin. In addition, I love the idea of combining Valentin-shippy with Valentin&Renaud-gen - so for example, a Valentin/Thiago falling-in-love fic that includes Valentin & Renaud friendship and Renaud & Thiago competitiveness.
Sandi
gen
What has her tumultuous year been like? (Including breaking her wrist 7 weeks before Olympic Trials, winning Olympic silver, becoming only the third woman ever to jump 5m.) Tell me about her Olympics experience! Who are her friends on tour and what are those relationships like? What’s it been like transitioning from college competition to the pro life? Dreams-come-true fic where she breaks the world record!
shippy
Many of Renaud’s prompts still work (though not the one about his back-garden pole-vault, that would just be weird, unless you’re writing Sandi/Renaud or Sandi/Valentin). How did Sandi’s relationship with X start? What’s it like being in a relationship with another pole-vaulter? Did she kiss Ekaterini or Eliza after the medal ceremony? What’s it like having sex high on fizzy medalist-joy? Little competitions in training played for forfeits, whatever those might be (pushups, stripping, sex-forfeits, you name it).
~//~
Men’s Gymnastics RPF
Characters: Kohei Uchimura, Oleg Verniaiev, Kenzo Shirai, Nikita Nagornyy
Gymnastics! *happy sigh*
This Olympics was very satisfying to me, given that I’m a big fan of the Japanese team and Oleg Verniaiev. So much good gymnastics, and wonderful storylines as well! The joy of the Japanese team when they won gold. The battle between Kohei and Oleg, which came right down to the wire. Fabian winning high bar. Oleg winning parallel bars! The Russian team screaming and crying and being so frickin’ happy to get silver in the team competition. Just - everything. <3
I’ve asked for these four specific characters because I would like my story to include at least one of them. But I love all the nominated characters, and am more than fine with a story that includes additional ones (or for that matter anyone on the Japanese, Ukrainian, or Russian teams, as well as Danell Leyva, Marian Dragulescu, or, well, pretty much anyone). I would be equally enthused by a story with a loud colorful cast (say, a day in the life of a gymnastics competition) and by a quiet character study of, say, Kenzo.
Gymnastics is another fandom in which I very happily multi-ship. Most of my ships do involve either Kohei or Oleg (or both). I’d love to read a story in which any of these ships were involved either as a primary, secondary, or passing-mention: Kohei/Oleg, Kohei/any other member of the Japanese team, Oleg/any other member of the Ukrainian team, Oleg/Danell, Oleg/David Belyvaskiy, Oleg/Nikita, Oleg/any member of the Japanese team, Kenzo/any other member of the Japanese team, Kenzo/Oleg, Nikita/DavidB, Fabian/Epke. Actually, for secondary ships or passing mentions you can pretty much ship anybody with anybody, lol - I’m definitely open to being persuaded.
General things I will enjoy in this fandom include:
* the rhythms of gymnastics training and competitions
* the push-pull between in-competition competitiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* the mutual-support society gymnasts seem to have going on (I love the fist-bumps as someone comes off an apparatus and passes the next gymnast, and all the hugs)
* having friends from all across the globe - and the problems that creates when there’s international tensions (like all the online abuse Oleg got when he dared to take a happy friendly selfie with Nikita)
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* strength and athleticism in bed as a major turn-on (gymnasts’ bodies, nggh)
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, showing-off, goofing-off, etc.
* a pair having to figure out what it means that they keep falling into bed together.
* competition bets - not monetary, but forfeits (gen) or sex bets (shippy)
* challenging each other to develop new skills and tricks
* coming-out fic (privately or publicly)
* first-time fic
* established-relationship fic (what’s it like to be in a relationship with a competitor?)
* five-times fic
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic)
Some specific prompts:
Kohei
Tell me about the trials of being a superstar. :P What’s it like to be so adored? What’s it like to be leading his team (again)? How satisfying was it to win Worlds team gold in Glasgow, and then back it up with Olympics team gold in Rio? Did Kohei think he’d lost all-around to Oleg, and how did he feel when he stuck his dismount on high bar (and then won!) How did Oleg standing up for Kohei in press re the scoring make Kohei feel? Does Kohei enjoy making people swoon just by taking his shirt off? Does he feel weary when he thinks about doing gymnastics for another four years so he can compete in Tokyo? Is he happy to hand over the all-around mantle to Kenzo and Ryohei? And ship-wise, well, I will enjoy anything with Kohei in one of my ships. All ratings, all plots, as long as there’s a happy ending. Falling in love, first time, established relationship, sex on a vaulting horse - you name it, I want it.
I’d also enjoy Kohei as the outside-POV for someone else’s story - perhaps a Kenzo/Ryohei or Kenzo/Oleg one? Kohei always seems dryly amused to me, and I think it’d be pretty fun to watch him observing the development of a relationship between his friends.
And like in pole vault, dreams-come-true fic is something I will always enjoy. Team Japan wins Tokyo! And perhaps Kohei wins high bar? Even though he is Ancient? (Or he is an awesome cheerleader while Kenzo and Ryohei win everything, because those gifs of him being a cheerleader for Kenzo in Rio are so adorable.)
Oleg
Oleg’s not even 23 yet, and yet already he’s a two-time Olympic veteran and one of the leaders of his team. I’d love to see the balance between maturity and athletic prowess on the one hand, and silly goofing-off playfulness on the other. (The latter being heavily in view on his Instagram and Snapchat.)
What was it like to come so close to dethroning Kohei? (Both in the good way - so nearly the best in the world! - and in the bad way - if only!) What was the Olympics experience like in general? How awesome was winning the parallel bars gold? How did he celebrate? Did he have help celebrating? ;) Does he enjoy all the new attention and fans, or does it make him a little shy? What does a competition day look like for him? What’s with his obsession with collecting tshirts from all the different countries? (Seriously, he’s always running around in a Team China/Japan/USA/Belgium/Cuba/Germany/etc. tshirt.) And how does he collect the tshirts? ;) [Seriously, I ship Oleg with pretty much everybody, so if he’s collecting them through ~shenanigans, that is highly relevant to my interests.]
If you want to go more angsty, what is it like trying to be a world-competitive gymnast and compete with the likes of Kohei when Ukraine is so abysmally lacking in funding and support? Is Oleg ever tempted to jump ship like Kuksenkov and Stepko? And if you’re going shippy, what’s it like to be a gay athlete in a homophobic country (particularly if you’re shipping him with another athlete from a homophobic country, like David or Nikita)? [Happy - or at least not unhappy - ending please, though.]
Gen, ship, and porn are all more than welcome here; all ratings. All ratings, all plots, as long as there’s a happy ending. Falling in love, first time, established relationship, sex on a vaulting horse - you name it, I want it.
Kenzo
What’s it like being the kid superstar-in-training on a team like the Japanese team? (Kenzo was the only newbie on the team, with everyone else returning from 2012.) He’s surrounded by teammates who have known him since he was knee-high; how does he gain their respect? I love how much of a sweetheart he is, like when he took all those pictures so he could make his teammates each an individualized photo album capturing their Rio experiences together. I also love how confident and natural he is about his athletic ability; athletes being quietly self-assured about their awesomeness is something I will always enjoy.
Although he is always portrayed as the kid on the team, he’s 20 now. This next quad is going to be a big one for him, especially leading in to Tokyo. (I love how he stayed up all night for the bid announcement - bless.) Just how many elements will he be able to get named after himself? Does he feel ready to take over all-around from Kohei? How will he try to embrace his growing superstarness with Kohei’s established fame? If you ship them, how does he get Kohei to see him as more than a kid, but as an adult and a romantic partner? (This would also be a point for Kenzo/Ryohei.) I’d love to see the balance between maturity and athletic prowess on the one hand, and his wide-eyed sweetness and huge grins on the other.
Ship-wise, I will enjoy anything with Kenzo. All ratings, all plots, as long as there’s a happy ending. Falling in love, first time, established relationship, sex on a vaulting horse - you name it, I want it.
Nikita
Another super-enthusiastic young gymnast. <3 Seriously, if you shipped him and Kenzo the fic might literally bounce. :D I loved his Youtube videos from Rio. And his Instagram is never-ending fun. (The trick dive into the inner-tube!)
What’s the story of the Russian team in Rio? I was worried they’d be heartbroken when Japan overtook them at the end of the team competition, but instead they were so, so, so overjoyed to win silver that it was just too adorable. What’s Nikita’s role on the team? Is he a team morale-booster like Kenzo? (David always looks so sad/serious; how does Nikita cheer him up?) Like Oleg, he seems like a big fraternizer across country lines (especially with Oleg, lol). Who does he bromance and what are their adventures like? What does a competition look like from Nikita’s perspective (not just the actual competition, but training, after-hours fraternization, etc.)? Does he have Big Plans for the next quad?
Ship-wise, I will enjoy anything with Nikita. All ratings, all plots, as long as there’s a happy ending. Falling in love, first time, established relationship, sex on a vaulting horse - you name it, I want it. My biggest ships for Nikita are Nikita/Oleg, Nikita/David, and Nikita/Kenzo, but if you have an alternative ship, I’m happy to read it too! (Only exception: while he and RL girlfriend Daria Spiridonova from the Russian women’s team are super-cute, I’m not comfortable reading fic about canon couples. This goes for Igor Radivilov and Angelina Kysla/Radivilova (not sure if she changed her name) too.)
Two final notes:
1) I’m very anti-Putin. I’d prefer to have Russian characters share my views (and just be staying quiet about it out of political necessity) or at least be conflicted, or for their views on him not to be mentioned. DNW pro-Putin feelings from any POV or sympathetic characters. (Most especially from Nikita or David.)
2) Please don’t have Nikita teased or made fun of for his acne.
~//~
Women’s Gymnastics RPF
Characters: Oksana Chusovitina
More gymnastics! :D
Although there are many wonderful characters in women’s gymnastics and I love everybody in the tagset, for this exchange I’ve decided to just ask for Oksana.
Oksana’s longevity in the sport is beautiful and legendary. What is it like to come to competitions year after year, when everyone you used to know has long since retired and your new competitors are the age of your son? What is it like to literally have the political lines of your country be redrawn around you, to represent the USSR, the Unified Team, Germany and Uzbekistan, all in one career? What is it like to go to seven Olympics, and then begin training for an eighth?
What does gymnastics mean to her? What friendships has she had over the years? Has she ever had a relationship with another gymnast (preferably female)? What does a gymnastics competition look like to her? How does she celebrate making the vault final in Rio? What is it like knowing that she still does a more dangerous vault than 95% of her competitors will even try? How does she feel knowing that she’s a role model and legend to the entire gymnastics community, both the women and the men? Does she feel a special kinship with Marian Dragulescu, even though he’s comparatively a spring chicken (six years younger, and ‘only’ a four-time Olympian to her seven times)?
Many of the general prompts in the men’s gymnastics section would also work for Oksana. I just really love her and would love to read a story about her.
~//~
French Olympians RPF
Characters: Kévin Mayer, Renaud Lavillenie, Samir Aït Saïd
Out of these three guys, Kevin & Renaud kind of go together (but I’m not forgetting this is “or” matching, and if you only offered one that’s totally fine!), and Samir is kind of doing his own thing. (Although if you were inspired to write a hot porny threesome where they party together and end up in bed, I would definitely enjoy that too, not saying nay! Just mind Samir’s leg if you set it post-accident.)
For Renaud, see his section in Pole Vault. :) Given the focus of “French Olympians RPF” on the Olympics, a story about his experiences in Rio (whether that be pre-competition, during competition, or recovering from competition) would be particularly great! If you do mention the booing and abuse, though, please be gentle. I’m not saying he was blameless (see my fandom primer for more on that) but getting booed to tears on the medal podium hurt. :( Emotional hurt/comfort, otoh, would work well. (Or pre-competition, when nothing had happened yet and he was cheerful and excited, would avoid the issue entirely.)
I both ship and friend-ship Renaud with pretty much all of his fellow French Olympians, and Kevin is definitely included in both of those categories. They are super, super cute together; to take only one example, Renaud calls Kevin “mon petit” and Kevin calls Renaud “gros”. And the underwear commercial, when they were both horsing around gloriously naked! Aaaaaah. But seriously, although I do ship them, I’m also totaaaaally good with them being massive bros and having gen adventures. I love that although they’re in different events, they do sometimes compete together! Renaud’s done a decathlon, and Kevin occasionally does a pole vault competition (for example, this week’s Decanation, in which Kevin did pole vault along with Renaud and Stanley Joseph. So much fun! And France won, for the first time since 2007!! All the giddy celebrations, made even better by the fact that the season’s now over so everybody can get drunk and happy and vacation-y). The gif of Kevin and Renaud snuggled up together during a competition and Kevin blowing kisses to the camera and cracking Renaud up is still one of my favorites. (For pictorial and video evidence of all of the above, see my pole vault fandom primer.)
For Kevin, I’d love to read decathlon fic. It’s so exhausting, and takes so much out of you. What is his relationship with Ashton like? What was it like to win silver in Rio? What are his relationships/friendships/ships with other French Olympians like? How does he celebrate? What about rampant wish-fulfillment “both he and Renaud win gold in Tokyo” fic? How does he deal with being so frickin’ beautiful?
Finally, for Samir, omg, that accident was so scary. I’m so glad he’s okay. I’d love to read a fic in which he gets some emotional and/or physical comfort after getting out of the hospital (please no description of the actual accident, though, as I am incredibly squeamish and nearly threw up watching it happen live). The comforter could be either another gymnast (maybe Toba, who also was hurt? but anybody really) or another French Olympian. Or you could take it into the future and have him back and kicking ass at a future Worlds or in Tokyo!
~//~
Olympic Running RPF
Characters: Andre De Grasse, Usain Bolt, Wayde van Niekerk
So I confess that my ships in this fandom are Andre/Usain, Wayde/Usain, and Andre/Usain/Wayde. But I also know that you might only have offered one of these guys, so if you’re not comfortable writing one of those ships (or don’t ship them), don’t worry, I’m also fine with gen bromances and gen in general. (Sports gen is totally something I adore!)
If you’re not a shipper, some of the things I enjoy in sports fandoms are:
* the rhythms of training and competitions
* the Olympics!! And all the plots that come with the Olympics. (including fraternization in the Olympic Village, but also things like the nerves that come with competing for your country, the amazing feeling of getting a medal for your country and seeing your flag be raised, making friends standing in line for free McDonald’s, awkward conversations with doping control officers because they came to test you right after you peed and now you’re stuck with them for hours, flirting & making friends across language barriers, watching other sports, trying out other sports & sucking at them, etc. etc. etc.)
* the push-pull between in-competition competiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* the mutual-support society many athletes seem to have going on (fist-bumps, congratulations, hugs, etc.)
* having friends from all across the globe
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, showing-off, goofing-off, etc.
* forfeit bets made on competitions (either one’s own or those of others) or in training
* challenging each other to develop new skills and tricks
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic)
And if you do ship some combination of the guys (or are intrigued and thinking about it), here is why I like them:
Usain is such a legend, and I loved the dynamic between Andre and Wayde’s wide-eyed respect and hero-worship of him, and his own affectionate respect in return. It was big-brotherly and fond without being patronizing; he sincerely seemed happy for Andre (while continuing to beat his ass to the finish line, of course), and he was thrilled for Wayde’s WR (loved the way he interrupted Wayde’s interview to congratulate him, leaving Wayde all starry-eyed and speechless after his departure).
So yes, I’d love a fic that looked at how that mutual respect turned into something more. ;) After all, aren’t Olympic Villages known for their fraternization? ;) Anything that gets either or both of the younger guys in bed with Usain (or against a wall/in a shower/etc.) is excellent.
(One specific prompt: if you go with “both”, I think it’d be really hot to have Andre and Wayde be competitive about it, because they obviously have competitive personalities. And Usain can sit back and reap the benefits, lol.)
~//~
Swimming RPF
Characters: Chad le Clos, Katie Ledecky, Nathan Adrian, Simone Manuel
I ship all combinations of these swimmers, haha. So if you feel like writing shipfic, go to town! For Chad I also ship him with Michael Phelps, but for everybody else I’d prefer only ships from this subset. (And please, please, please - no Ryan Lochte.)
Things I will enjoy in this fandom include:
* the rhythms of swimming competitions (what’s going on in the ready room, the warmup pool, the locker rooms?)
* work hard, party hard (but only in the Village and with each other, pls no Lochtian shenanigans)
* the Olympics!! And all the plots that come with the Olympics. (including fraternization in the Olympic Village, but also things like the nerves that come with competing for your country, the amazing feeling of getting a medal for your country and seeing your flag be raised, making friends standing in line for free McDonald’s, awkward conversations with doping control officers because they came to test you right after you peed and now you’re stuck with them for hours, flirting & making friends across language barriers, watching other sports, trying out other sports & sucking at them, etc. etc. etc.)
* the push-pull between in-competition competitiveness and out-of-competition closeness
* swimmers supporting each other
* how casual friendships deepen over time, and change as people change
* strength and athleticism in bed as a major turn-on (swimmers’ shoulders, omg)
* pranks, shenanigans, tricks, goofing-off, etc.
* a pair having to figure out what it means that they keep falling into bed together.
* competition bets - not monetary, but forfeits (gen) or sex bets (shippy)
* coming-out fic (privately or publicly)
* first-time fic
* established-relationship fic (what’s it like to be in a relationship with a competitor?)
* five-times fic
* happily-ever-after fic (in every sports fandom, I am a sucker for “what if X’s every sporting dream came true?” fic)
Ship-wise, if you’re interested in writing Nathan + either Katie or Simone, I think it’d be fun if it was Katie/Simone who put the moves on him. (He said something in an interview about having a secret wish to be swept off his feet for a change!) Since he’s a few years older than them, I’d love to see the “gain respect in the pool” dynamic. Maybe Katie/Simone says “if I win gold, I’m claiming a kiss” (or something like that, I am not suave)? And then events eventuate. ;)
Katie/Simone is an awesome ship that I really would love to see. Stanford girls kicking mega ass! They were Rio roommates too. So there is Much Space for fic.
Meanwhile Chad is an insufferable hilarious dude. I love him/Michael, with all that happened in the pool and out, and would definitely be interested in Olympics-fic about that. I also think Chad/Nathan would be an interesting pairing (and really hot).
~//~
Whew, that’s all the fandoms! “Or” matching is always hard to write letters for - sorry that mine’s such a behemoth. Hopefully something in here has given you an idea! Remember, you’re awesome. :) Thanks again!!