Chocolate Box 2020: Dear Chocolatier
Hello, and thanks for writing for me! I'm so excited about these pairings.
I am ViaLethe on Ao3.
An initial note: some sections are longer than others. This is because I copied them from previous letters written when I had more time, not because I'm more invested in them or want them more! Prompts are suggestions only, feel free to write your own ideas if you've got them.
Likes/Dislikes:
Things I like: Relationships (romantic, platonic, familial, working, inescapable life-bond, whatever sort), het, gen, femslash, bisexuality, adventures, character-driven pieces, wit and humor, bittersweet or melancholy moods, happy endings, ambiguity, loyalty & dedication, co-dependent relationships, found/chosen families, equality in relationships. I'm okay with any rating; smut (explicit or otherwise) is awesome - it may not be specifically prompted for every pairing, but rest assured I would love it for any of them!
-Relationship trope likes: Canadian shack, fake dating/married, arranged marriage, huddling for warmth, soulmates, friends with benefits, sexual tension, pining & repression, Us Against the World, possessiveness/jealousy, sharing a bed, sharing an apartment
-Smut likes: penetrative sex, dubcon (especially alcohol/drug related, heats, sex pollen, gods/aliens/etc made them do it), rough sex, bondage, F/f, M/f, wall sex, impregnation kink (no actual pregnancy unless specifically requested/implied by a prompt, ie ‘sex to get an heir’ please), first time, double penetration, inappropriate use of the force (star wars specific)
Things I DNW: Non-canonical requested-character death, harm to animals, suicide, torture, graphic violence/gore, whump, woobification, second-person pov, a/b/o, scat, mundane AUs (ie high school, coffeeshop), baby/kidfic, pregnancy fic, character bashing, unrequested gender or sexual identity headcanons, racism, racekink, unrequested relationships with requested characters, hand and/or finger trauma & amputation.
Fandoms:
Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
-Aeneas/Cassandra
First, I love pretty much any version of Aeneas; he's one of my favorite mythological characters. I love his whole 'epic quest/destiny' thing, the way he goes from being a minor prince to the sole leader and basically the entire hope of his all-but-vanished people. He might not be the smartest guy in the room, or always make the best decisions, but he never gives up and it's obviously very hard on him to balance his own personal desires with what he's destined to do and what's best for his people. And Cassandra, poor darling Cassandra. I love that she stood up to Apollo, and that she never gave up on trying to make people hear her even though she knew it was hopeless; she knew everything would end in disaster and death and yet she must have had some kind of hope, that she kept giving her prophecies even when it made everyone think she was mad.
They're both doomed, in a way - even though Aeneas survives, he isn't exactly in control of his own life and still has to sacrifice and go on even when he doesn't want to, and of course not only does Cassandra suffer horribly in the end, but she sees it coming all along and can do nothing to stop it. It's definitely a crack pairing, but I love them - for one thing, he's pretty much the only person she can look to and not see a horrible death awaiting him. He's got to be about the only thing that gives her any hope in the time leading up to the war, knowing that Troy will survive in some form through him. As for his part, I feel like the son of a goddess might find it easier than most to look past her surface 'madness' and see the woman below that, even if he couldn't believe her any more than anyone else.
Prompts:
-Pre-war fic, where he's the only one who tries to understand her or befriend her even though he doesn't believe her prophecies.
-Post-war fic where her ghost appears to him, haunting and advising him through his adventures and travels.
-AU where the Trojans win the war and everyone lives! I'd prefer no adultery on Aeneas's part, though.
Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
-Susan Pevensie/Edmund Pevensie
-Susan Pevensie & Edmund Pevensie
I love these two. They're the outsiders, the betrayers, the outcasts, the dark to their siblings' light, and they never meant to be any of that. All Edmund wants (at first) is for someone to treat him as important, and all Susan ever wants is to keep everyone safe. In terms of ruling Narnia, I can easily see Peter and Lucy taking care of the big, obvious issues that would come up, while Ed and Su end up taking care of the details and the messy bits no one really wants to think about.
Why do I love them specifically? They're so similar. Susan is obviously frustrated with Edmund in LLW, as they all are, but when the Witch claims her right to Ed's life as a traitor, Susan is the one who asks Aslan if there isn't anything that can be done against the Deep Magic. She basically asks god to break his own rules, because to her, family is more important. It's hard for me to not see her eventual 'betrayal' of Narnia in the same light - she'd seen what gaining and losing it so many times had put her and her family through, and she simply wasn't willing to do it again. I think if anyone else would understand that, and share her conflicted feelings on the whole matter, it would be Edmund. He is, of course, bound to Aslan in a way the others aren't quite, through sacrifice and rebirth; but he's also The Just. He and Susan just get each other.
Prompts:
-Calormene fic is a favorite of mine - I love that whole interlude with them in The Horse and His Boy. maybe Calormene culture takes a more permissive view of incest, or maybe there's magic/drugs going around that lower inhibitions. Or maybe Susan doesn't want to marry Rabadash partly because she already has a partner in Edmund; I can imagine Susan being conflicted and wanting both to run from a relationship she feels is wrong by marrying far away from temptation, while also not wanting to leave Ed.
-I also love the Spymaster!Edmund trope, so adventures of him and Susan running espionage or diplomatic missions would be great fun!
-On the England side of the wardrobe, the idea that incest may have been more permissible in Narnia than our world is always an excellent source of angst and repressed tension.
-Canon-divergent AUs: Ed survives the train crash, they remain in Narnia and don't chase the stag, they don't escape Tashbaan in time and are under siege.
-Peter Pevensie/Lucy Pevensie
Peter and Lucy are the bright gold in contrast to Su and Ed’s shadows, and I love the way that informs the pairing. Lucy is always so completely certain of herself and what’s right in Narnia, so how could loving Peter be wrong? I like a Peter here who worships his little sister almost as much as he does Aslan, so how could what she wants be wrong? But he still has that twinge of guilt somewhere inside. I also like the idea that they feel safer with each other than with anyone else; they don’t always quite understand Susan and Edmund, but they always understand one another, even when they don’t agree on things.
Prompts:
-Golden Age fic. Narnia needs an heir, and Peter feels it’s his job to provide one. Lucy wants to help.
-Lucy asks Peter to help her get over her first-kiss jitters, since there’s a lack of human suitors in Narnia. Things end up going further than either of them intended.
-Repeating from my Su/Ed section above - angst on the England side of the wardrobe about how different their relationship has to be here than it could be in Narnia. Would Lucy feel betrayed by Aslan or see it as another part of his plan?
A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin (canon note: yes, I watched the show. Yes, I hated the ending. Feel free to ignore it as much as you like and go with pure book-canon only, though I don’t mind if pre-S8 show elements come up either.)
-Arya Stark & Daenerys Targaryen
Arya adores women heroes, as we know from her love of Nymeria, and she’s interested in the dragon skulls in the Red Keep, and (if we count the show) Visenya Targaryen. She’s also deeply invested in the concept of fairness and justice, and is at heart a really caring person. Logically she should be fascinated by Dany, the Dragon Queen, Breaker of Chains. And I think Dany would appreciate Arya’s fiery nature, how they’re both really just young girls trying to make the best of their situations in heavily male spaces. I’d love to see the pair of them interact on a friendly basis and forge a connection.
Prompts:
-A faceless man is hired to kill Dany; Arya betrays the contract once she actually meets Dany.
-Arya hears tales in Braavos of the Dragon Queen and manages to work her way into Dany’s Queensguard.
-They meet in Westeros once Dany finally sails there and Arya helps her navigate the Riverlands and the North and gain new allies (like Gendry, and a wolfpack).
-Jaime Lannister/Sansa Stark
Sansa Stark is my last chance for honor. That says it all, really. No, it doesn't have anything to do with Sansa as a person, but it speaks deeply to a huge part of Jaime's character - his longing for someone to believe in him, for people to trust that he wants to do things for good reasons, for his good intentions to be taken on faith. In short, Jaime's as much of a naive dreamer as any Stark.
Sansa's taken a much quicker and more brutal path to a similar place; she believed in dreams and knights and honor, that everyone was as good as her and her parents, or at least no worse than Arya. Though she's shown otherwise pretty quickly, she still tends to cling to her dreams as a mental shield; Sansa never quite sees the whole of what's actually there, just what she needs to see to remain intact. And she never quite stops longing for someone to protect her, to love her and give her back everything she's lost.
So then, Sansa is Jaime's honor, and Jaime is Sansa's savior. But of course they're far more than just symbols; they're real people, complex and incredibly imperfect and not at all what they would expect from each other, which is where the fun comes in.
Prompts:
-Jaime finds her in the Vale (with or without a dead Littlefinger).
-Sansa, Queen in the North, and Jaime, her loyal guard, because he can't serve whoever ends up on the Iron Throne.
-AU where she's forced to marry him instead of Tyrion.
-They end up living at Casterly Rock with Tyrion after the wars.
-They run off to Essos together to escape the wars.
-Jon Snow/Arya Stark
These two kill me. Even when they're at their lowest points, when they think all the rest of their family is gone, they still think of each other; they still use memories of each other as comfort. Arya constantly thinks about how Jon was always the one who understood her best, and even when she thinks her mother or her other siblings might reject her for the things she's done, she always knows Jon would love her no matter what she's done. And Jon, who guards his honor and does his duty as though his entire world depends on it for the length of five books and through the deaths of most of his family, is finally willing to break his vows in order to save Arya (granted, a false Arya, but he doesn't know that).
I love that in general, they've always had a bond because they were the only two Stark children who physically took after the Stark side of the family. I love that Arya clearly favors Jon, and that Jon supports her desires to be herself by giving her Needle, which basically helps set her entire future course. More than any of the other Stark siblings, they wouldn't be the same without each other.
Prompts:
-I love 'Arya finally makes it up to the Wall' fic. I also love the idea that Jon would be the one thing (aside from maybe Nymeria) that pulls her back from fully becoming a Faceless Man.
-AU where Jon is raised apart from the Starks (whether by a living Lyanna or with Viserys and Dany across the sea, or by a miraculously escaped Elia who raises all of them), but forms an instant bond with his cousin Arya when they meet.
-Ghost finds Nymeria and her pack, which leads to Jon and Arya finding one another through warging.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
-Satine Kryze/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Never have I wished harder for a different ending for a couple than these two. I love how fierce (and hilariously formal) Satine was, but how she’d melt around Obi-Wan from time to time, just a little bit. And Obi-Wan’s rage and guilt when she was killed was chilling to see, even if he managed to control it as a Jedi should. They’re so cute together with their bantering and bickering; it’s so easy to see how great they’d have been together and how easily it could have happened.
Prompts:
-Their time in exile; I want all the awkward, repressed (or not!) young romance and fumblings that might have happened while they were on the run.
-AU where they confessed their feelings and Obi-Wan left the order for her; how does that change Madalore’s politics and their position in the Republic? I imagine they’d be one hell of a power couple.
-Jedi don’t have to be celibate; no reason they can’t hook up whenever Obi-Wan has a chance to visit Mandalore or Satine is on Coruscant. Maybe they manufacture reasons to visit and shenanigans happen when it’s noticed?
-Anakin Skywalker/Ahsoka Tano
I love Ahsoka so much; her determination, her absolute faith in Anakin, her intelligence and ferocity and the way she cares so much about people. She and Anakin are very similar in that way; I think that’s why their bond was so strong and why they annoyed each other so much at times! Their bickering is always great, especially when it’s caused by Ahsoka doing something Anakin ordered her not to do (but that he totally would have done in her position too). I just love their bond. (Feel free to ignore or handwave Anakin’s relationship with Padmé as needed.)
Prompts:
-Ahsoka has a crush on Anakin and it’s really, really obvious to everyone except him.
-Mission fic where they end up trapped together in an inescapable situation and confess their feelings before being rescued (or the aftermath of such a situation).
-AU where Anakin leaves the Jedi order at the same time as Ahsoka, because of her.
-Any kind of lesson - lightsaber combat, use of the force, piloting, droid repair - that turns flirty.
-Anakin gets jealous of Ahsoka’s relationship with someone else (Bariss, Rex, etc) and doesn’t know how to deal with his feelings.
-Padmé Amidala & Ahsoka Tano
These two are such smart, capable, driven women; I love the episodes of them working together and bonding that we got in canon and would love to see more of that. I feel like they’d be naturally drawn together through their individual bonds with Anakin - of course Padmé would be curious about the person Anakin spends the most time with, and Ahsoka is perceptive enough to see that Padmé is more than just a friend to Anakin - but they’re similar enough in their desire to help the people they care about and their take-no-bullshit attitudes that they’d get along even apart from that.
Prompts:
-Padmé brings Ahsoka to Naboo and introduces her to all the places and people she loves.
-Canon-typical dangerous mission bonding
-Ahsoka goes to Padmé for advice on how to handle emotions, because Padmé has to do a lot of that as a politician.
-Ahsoka tells Padmé she knows about Anakin and Padmé’s relationship - and doesn’t necessarily disapprove.
The Mummy Series
-Ardeth Bay/Evy O'Connell/Rick O'Connell
For such a silly canon (in a good, extremely fun way!), it has such awesome characters. I love Rick and Ardeth and their semi-unwilling friendship - the way they go from obvious dislike in the first movie to watching each other's backs and trusting one another with everything is such a fun journey. And then there's Evy, who's basically the best character in the history of ever. She's so smart and funny, and she gets shit done without ever letting anything, alive or undead, get in her way. It's fantastic to watch. And I love how the three of them are dedicated to each other and to their cause of stopping undead evil!
Prompts:
-We know from the second movie that Evy was Nefertiri in a former life; were Rick and Ardeth there too, maybe as her father's guards? I'd love to see what happened with the three of them after Imhotep's murder of the Pharaoh, how that original bond that clearly persists in the 20th century started, or scenes from other lifetimes!
-Further archaeological adventures would be awesome; I like the idea of Ardeth calling up Rick and Evy whenever Westerners threaten to cause archeological mayhem in Egypt, or Rick & Evy getting him to help with undead adventures across the globe.
-Evy and Rick spend some time living with Ardeth's people and getting to know their way of life.
Mortal City - Dar Willams
(Link to the song on Spotify)
-The Boy/The Girl
-The Boy/The Girl & His Brother
He asked, “Why did you move here?”
She said, “For the job; For the job, and I've been so lonely here, so lonely.
There's no one I can talk to, you know I don't even know your brother.”
He smiled and said, “Sometimes at night I walk out by the river.
The city's one big town, the water turns it upside down.
People found this city because they love other people.”
...
He said, “My brother's not a bad guy, he's just quiet.
I wish you liked the city.”
She said, “Maybe I do.”
I love these two and their weird, philosophical date. Their discussion of cities is perfect - her comment that 'you can't see the sky and you can't feel the ground', the way she so clearly feels disconnected and drifting, not knowing anybody and feeling that the city is a dying thing versus his optimism, the way he points out that cities exist basically because people want to be around each other, whatever their motivations. It's both the best and worst of cities laid out right there, and this could really be any city in the world (any city where it snows, at least).
I also love all the realistic details - the guy's quiet brother who introduced them, the spaghetti dinner, her lack of a couch, the way they wrapped themselves up so thickly to stay warm. It adds an adorable, awkward touch to things, which contrasts nicely with the very serious conversation that they get into.
Really is all comes down to that last line - we are not lost in the mortal city. As long as people are able to find each other and remember to be kind to each other, and to have hope, things will be okay. We're all just parts of a whole, but every part has their role to play.
Prompts:
-Tell me about the second date they had and the relationship they developed afterward. It would be interesting to see him take her on a tour of the city, pointing out all his favorite spots, or just sitting and doing some people watching, making up stories for everyone they see walking past.
-They travel to other cities and find differences and similarities between them all.
-They each give the brother their own version of events (and maybe he’s not so quiet once he’s comfortable with someone).
-We see their developing relationship through the brother’s eyes.
The Expanse
As is apparent from my requests, I love Julie. I want to know all about her as a person, what she felt and thought and what her larger goals would have been, and how they'd have changed following the discovery of the protomolecule. I love the whole 'privileged rich girl who turns against that and earnestly tries to make the world a better place' background she has, and I think it would have been fascinating to see how that might have played out with various combinations of the other characters. Really, I love everyone on this show and would have happily nominated them all in combination with her if I had the slots.
-Camina Drummer & Julie Mao
-Camina Drummer/Julie Mao
Drummer is so fabulous, and hard, and uncompromising with anyone, including herself. I would love to see these two interact in any capacity.
Prompts:
-Pre-canon - how would Belter-to-the-core Drummer react to this wannabe rich girl from Earth? I’d love to see her initial hostility and suspicions melted against her will as she realizes Julie is genuine in her love for the Belt and her disgust for Earth.
-Fights that result in makeouts and hatesex.
-AU where Fred Johnson sends Drummer to rescue Julie.
-Drummer knew Julie before she died; post-Eros, Julie’s protomolecule!ghost visits Drummer on the Behemoth.
-Julie Mao & Amos Burton
I’ll never get tired of hearing more about how Amos sees the world; he’s got such a simple but clearly effective mindset. I also adore his protective streak, how he’s decided that’s the thing he’s good at and he’s going to do it with everything he’s got.
Prompts:
-AU where Julie was with Amos and Prax when they were chasing down Jules-Pierre to rescue Mei.
-Honestly I’d just love any conversation between them where they discuss life and motivations and who you can trust - I doubt Julie trusts anyone, while Amos absolutely requires someone to trust.
-Julie Mao & Chrisjen Avasarala
-Chrisjen Avasarala/Julie Mao
Avasarala may be an Earther, but she’s more willing to see other sides and compromise than most; I feel like that would appeal to Julie, especially in the face of her father not caring about anything but amassing his own power and wealth.
Prompts:
-AU where Julie goes back to Earth and tells Avasarala everything she knows to help bring down her father.
-AU where Avasarala was Julie’s mentor before she left Earth - does she talk her out of joining the OPA or make things worse?
-Bobbie Draper/Julie Mao
Bobbie is just the greatest, full stop. I love her snark and how she never holds back.
Prompts:
-AU where Julie meets up with Bobbie's squad and has to try to convince them Mars is being played before the Ganymede disaster.
-AU where Julie lives and Bobbie returns the Razorback to her and they bond over flying.
-I’ll be honest, I just think they’d be really hot together, so anything smutty would be great.
-Jim Holden/Julie Mao
Holden tries so hard, all the time. I like the whole savior complex he’s got going on, setting out to save the whole system because he couldn’t save one ship.
Prompts:
-Julie doesn’t get infected by the protomolecule and is rescued by the Roci crew.
-Something exploring Holden’s need to save people - what if he’d been the one obsessed with rescuing Julie instead of Miller?
-Julie appears to him in S3 instead of Miller and they form a weird protomolecule!ghost relationship.
Crossover Pairings
-Susan Pevensie/Susan Sto-Helit
I think Susan Sto-Helit would understand the frustrations of having your life controlled by a higher power, and Susan Pevensie would understand the weight of duty that comes with the family business. They’d be fantastic together.
Prompts:
-They’re governesses at adjoining houses who meet up at night to discuss and eliminate the frustrations of the day.
-Death takes another holiday, and Susan S-H calls in Susan P for backup. She’s surprisingly good at this whole reaping thing.
-They can see - and touch, and appreciate - all the mostly invisible, magical attributes of each other.
-Susan Pevensie/Maglor
I’ve shipped these two for many, many years - both the last survivors of their families, the ones left behind to cope and live in the ‘real’ world. The shared survivor’s guilt alone is delicious. Who else on earth could possibly understand them?
Prompts:
-She keeps catching glimpses of him - at concerts, on the beach, in museums - and realizes he isn’t human.
-He saves her from drowning in a rough sea and they bond over the feeling that maybe they shouldn’t be alive.
-Susan figures if you sail far enough West, it comes around to East in the end, so she persuades Maglor to sail for Valinor in hopes of finding Aslan’s Country too.
-Edmund Pevensie/Daenerys Targaryen
I like the idea that Edmund would be drawn to an incredibly powerful, slightly terrifying woman - but this time, she’s not evil. And for her part, Dany would appreciate Edmund’s blend of cheeky charm and subtle manipulation.
Prompts:
-Edmund manages to charm her dragons, which instantly charms their mother too.
-Edmund is sent as Narnia’s ambassador to Queen Daenerys; she’s inclined to dismiss him, but he wins her over, possibly with the help of talking animals.
-While in the house of the warlocks in Qarth, Dany stumbles through a door to Narnia and meets Edmund.
-Daenerys Targaryen/Anakin Skywalker
He’s a former slave, she’s a Queen who’s all about freeing slaves and punishing slavers - they’d obviously get along. And they’re the same blend of caring, passionate, and stubborn - though I feel Dany would try to hold Anakin back from being quite so impulsive. They’re both dragons, for sure. (In case it wasn’t obvious, I love them both and want them to be decent people.)
Prompts:
-Westeros AU - Anakin is a famed knight with a glowing sword who comes to serve the Breaker of Chains.
-They ride dragons together (up to you whether these are living animals in the Westeros world or mechanical or alien ones in Star Wars) and probably burn some shit down.
-Jedi AU - Dany and Anakin are two of the most powerful force users currently in the Jedi order, and everyone’s trying to keep them apart. It doesn’t work.
-Susan Pevensie/Obi-Wan Kenobi
They’d just be such a romantic couple! Susan is very similar in a lot of ways to Obi-Wan’s one-time canon love interest Satine Kryze, in that she’s a ruler who prefers diplomacy to fighting - but, crucially, she is willing and able to fight when needed. And Obi-Wan is such a handsome, perfect knight that he’d fit right into the world of Narnia. I think the Jedi tendency to repress feelings would annoy Susan, but she’d also enjoy teasing things out of him.
Prompts:
-Narnia AU - Obi-Wan is assigned to guard the Narnian Queen. They develop feelings despite initially disliking each other.
-One of Susan’s siblings is kidnapped, and she enlists Obi-Wan’s help to rescue them.
-Jedi AU - Jedi masters Susan Pevensie and Obi-Wan Kenobi have a long running friends-with-benefits thing going on.
-Susan Pevensie/Padmé Amidala
These two would be dynamite together - both elegant, gracious, intelligent politicians and diplomats with the will to get things done by a bit of subterfuge if necessary? They’d love each other. And their combined wardrobe would be to die for.
Prompts:
-Padmé pulls off some impulsive, reckless plan despite Susan’s practical objections.
-They get mistaken for sisters and have to roll with it even though it means suppressing their blatantly obvious attraction.
-Narnian-Padmé AU! She comes from Naboo to Narnia on a diplomatic mission and falls hard for the Gentle Queen, who has more edges than she lets on.
I am ViaLethe on Ao3.
An initial note: some sections are longer than others. This is because I copied them from previous letters written when I had more time, not because I'm more invested in them or want them more! Prompts are suggestions only, feel free to write your own ideas if you've got them.
Likes/Dislikes:
Things I like: Relationships (romantic, platonic, familial, working, inescapable life-bond, whatever sort), het, gen, femslash, bisexuality, adventures, character-driven pieces, wit and humor, bittersweet or melancholy moods, happy endings, ambiguity, loyalty & dedication, co-dependent relationships, found/chosen families, equality in relationships. I'm okay with any rating; smut (explicit or otherwise) is awesome - it may not be specifically prompted for every pairing, but rest assured I would love it for any of them!
-Relationship trope likes: Canadian shack, fake dating/married, arranged marriage, huddling for warmth, soulmates, friends with benefits, sexual tension, pining & repression, Us Against the World, possessiveness/jealousy, sharing a bed, sharing an apartment
-Smut likes: penetrative sex, dubcon (especially alcohol/drug related, heats, sex pollen, gods/aliens/etc made them do it), rough sex, bondage, F/f, M/f, wall sex, impregnation kink (no actual pregnancy unless specifically requested/implied by a prompt, ie ‘sex to get an heir’ please), first time, double penetration, inappropriate use of the force (star wars specific)
Things I DNW: Non-canonical requested-character death, harm to animals, suicide, torture, graphic violence/gore, whump, woobification, second-person pov, a/b/o, scat, mundane AUs (ie high school, coffeeshop), baby/kidfic, pregnancy fic, character bashing, unrequested gender or sexual identity headcanons, racism, racekink, unrequested relationships with requested characters, hand and/or finger trauma & amputation.
Fandoms:
Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
-Aeneas/Cassandra
First, I love pretty much any version of Aeneas; he's one of my favorite mythological characters. I love his whole 'epic quest/destiny' thing, the way he goes from being a minor prince to the sole leader and basically the entire hope of his all-but-vanished people. He might not be the smartest guy in the room, or always make the best decisions, but he never gives up and it's obviously very hard on him to balance his own personal desires with what he's destined to do and what's best for his people. And Cassandra, poor darling Cassandra. I love that she stood up to Apollo, and that she never gave up on trying to make people hear her even though she knew it was hopeless; she knew everything would end in disaster and death and yet she must have had some kind of hope, that she kept giving her prophecies even when it made everyone think she was mad.
They're both doomed, in a way - even though Aeneas survives, he isn't exactly in control of his own life and still has to sacrifice and go on even when he doesn't want to, and of course not only does Cassandra suffer horribly in the end, but she sees it coming all along and can do nothing to stop it. It's definitely a crack pairing, but I love them - for one thing, he's pretty much the only person she can look to and not see a horrible death awaiting him. He's got to be about the only thing that gives her any hope in the time leading up to the war, knowing that Troy will survive in some form through him. As for his part, I feel like the son of a goddess might find it easier than most to look past her surface 'madness' and see the woman below that, even if he couldn't believe her any more than anyone else.
Prompts:
-Pre-war fic, where he's the only one who tries to understand her or befriend her even though he doesn't believe her prophecies.
-Post-war fic where her ghost appears to him, haunting and advising him through his adventures and travels.
-AU where the Trojans win the war and everyone lives! I'd prefer no adultery on Aeneas's part, though.
Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
-Susan Pevensie/Edmund Pevensie
-Susan Pevensie & Edmund Pevensie
I love these two. They're the outsiders, the betrayers, the outcasts, the dark to their siblings' light, and they never meant to be any of that. All Edmund wants (at first) is for someone to treat him as important, and all Susan ever wants is to keep everyone safe. In terms of ruling Narnia, I can easily see Peter and Lucy taking care of the big, obvious issues that would come up, while Ed and Su end up taking care of the details and the messy bits no one really wants to think about.
Why do I love them specifically? They're so similar. Susan is obviously frustrated with Edmund in LLW, as they all are, but when the Witch claims her right to Ed's life as a traitor, Susan is the one who asks Aslan if there isn't anything that can be done against the Deep Magic. She basically asks god to break his own rules, because to her, family is more important. It's hard for me to not see her eventual 'betrayal' of Narnia in the same light - she'd seen what gaining and losing it so many times had put her and her family through, and she simply wasn't willing to do it again. I think if anyone else would understand that, and share her conflicted feelings on the whole matter, it would be Edmund. He is, of course, bound to Aslan in a way the others aren't quite, through sacrifice and rebirth; but he's also The Just. He and Susan just get each other.
Prompts:
-Calormene fic is a favorite of mine - I love that whole interlude with them in The Horse and His Boy. maybe Calormene culture takes a more permissive view of incest, or maybe there's magic/drugs going around that lower inhibitions. Or maybe Susan doesn't want to marry Rabadash partly because she already has a partner in Edmund; I can imagine Susan being conflicted and wanting both to run from a relationship she feels is wrong by marrying far away from temptation, while also not wanting to leave Ed.
-I also love the Spymaster!Edmund trope, so adventures of him and Susan running espionage or diplomatic missions would be great fun!
-On the England side of the wardrobe, the idea that incest may have been more permissible in Narnia than our world is always an excellent source of angst and repressed tension.
-Canon-divergent AUs: Ed survives the train crash, they remain in Narnia and don't chase the stag, they don't escape Tashbaan in time and are under siege.
-Peter Pevensie/Lucy Pevensie
Peter and Lucy are the bright gold in contrast to Su and Ed’s shadows, and I love the way that informs the pairing. Lucy is always so completely certain of herself and what’s right in Narnia, so how could loving Peter be wrong? I like a Peter here who worships his little sister almost as much as he does Aslan, so how could what she wants be wrong? But he still has that twinge of guilt somewhere inside. I also like the idea that they feel safer with each other than with anyone else; they don’t always quite understand Susan and Edmund, but they always understand one another, even when they don’t agree on things.
Prompts:
-Golden Age fic. Narnia needs an heir, and Peter feels it’s his job to provide one. Lucy wants to help.
-Lucy asks Peter to help her get over her first-kiss jitters, since there’s a lack of human suitors in Narnia. Things end up going further than either of them intended.
-Repeating from my Su/Ed section above - angst on the England side of the wardrobe about how different their relationship has to be here than it could be in Narnia. Would Lucy feel betrayed by Aslan or see it as another part of his plan?
A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin (canon note: yes, I watched the show. Yes, I hated the ending. Feel free to ignore it as much as you like and go with pure book-canon only, though I don’t mind if pre-S8 show elements come up either.)
-Arya Stark & Daenerys Targaryen
Arya adores women heroes, as we know from her love of Nymeria, and she’s interested in the dragon skulls in the Red Keep, and (if we count the show) Visenya Targaryen. She’s also deeply invested in the concept of fairness and justice, and is at heart a really caring person. Logically she should be fascinated by Dany, the Dragon Queen, Breaker of Chains. And I think Dany would appreciate Arya’s fiery nature, how they’re both really just young girls trying to make the best of their situations in heavily male spaces. I’d love to see the pair of them interact on a friendly basis and forge a connection.
Prompts:
-A faceless man is hired to kill Dany; Arya betrays the contract once she actually meets Dany.
-Arya hears tales in Braavos of the Dragon Queen and manages to work her way into Dany’s Queensguard.
-They meet in Westeros once Dany finally sails there and Arya helps her navigate the Riverlands and the North and gain new allies (like Gendry, and a wolfpack).
-Jaime Lannister/Sansa Stark
Sansa Stark is my last chance for honor. That says it all, really. No, it doesn't have anything to do with Sansa as a person, but it speaks deeply to a huge part of Jaime's character - his longing for someone to believe in him, for people to trust that he wants to do things for good reasons, for his good intentions to be taken on faith. In short, Jaime's as much of a naive dreamer as any Stark.
Sansa's taken a much quicker and more brutal path to a similar place; she believed in dreams and knights and honor, that everyone was as good as her and her parents, or at least no worse than Arya. Though she's shown otherwise pretty quickly, she still tends to cling to her dreams as a mental shield; Sansa never quite sees the whole of what's actually there, just what she needs to see to remain intact. And she never quite stops longing for someone to protect her, to love her and give her back everything she's lost.
So then, Sansa is Jaime's honor, and Jaime is Sansa's savior. But of course they're far more than just symbols; they're real people, complex and incredibly imperfect and not at all what they would expect from each other, which is where the fun comes in.
Prompts:
-Jaime finds her in the Vale (with or without a dead Littlefinger).
-Sansa, Queen in the North, and Jaime, her loyal guard, because he can't serve whoever ends up on the Iron Throne.
-AU where she's forced to marry him instead of Tyrion.
-They end up living at Casterly Rock with Tyrion after the wars.
-They run off to Essos together to escape the wars.
-Jon Snow/Arya Stark
These two kill me. Even when they're at their lowest points, when they think all the rest of their family is gone, they still think of each other; they still use memories of each other as comfort. Arya constantly thinks about how Jon was always the one who understood her best, and even when she thinks her mother or her other siblings might reject her for the things she's done, she always knows Jon would love her no matter what she's done. And Jon, who guards his honor and does his duty as though his entire world depends on it for the length of five books and through the deaths of most of his family, is finally willing to break his vows in order to save Arya (granted, a false Arya, but he doesn't know that).
I love that in general, they've always had a bond because they were the only two Stark children who physically took after the Stark side of the family. I love that Arya clearly favors Jon, and that Jon supports her desires to be herself by giving her Needle, which basically helps set her entire future course. More than any of the other Stark siblings, they wouldn't be the same without each other.
Prompts:
-I love 'Arya finally makes it up to the Wall' fic. I also love the idea that Jon would be the one thing (aside from maybe Nymeria) that pulls her back from fully becoming a Faceless Man.
-AU where Jon is raised apart from the Starks (whether by a living Lyanna or with Viserys and Dany across the sea, or by a miraculously escaped Elia who raises all of them), but forms an instant bond with his cousin Arya when they meet.
-Ghost finds Nymeria and her pack, which leads to Jon and Arya finding one another through warging.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
-Satine Kryze/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Never have I wished harder for a different ending for a couple than these two. I love how fierce (and hilariously formal) Satine was, but how she’d melt around Obi-Wan from time to time, just a little bit. And Obi-Wan’s rage and guilt when she was killed was chilling to see, even if he managed to control it as a Jedi should. They’re so cute together with their bantering and bickering; it’s so easy to see how great they’d have been together and how easily it could have happened.
Prompts:
-Their time in exile; I want all the awkward, repressed (or not!) young romance and fumblings that might have happened while they were on the run.
-AU where they confessed their feelings and Obi-Wan left the order for her; how does that change Madalore’s politics and their position in the Republic? I imagine they’d be one hell of a power couple.
-Jedi don’t have to be celibate; no reason they can’t hook up whenever Obi-Wan has a chance to visit Mandalore or Satine is on Coruscant. Maybe they manufacture reasons to visit and shenanigans happen when it’s noticed?
-Anakin Skywalker/Ahsoka Tano
I love Ahsoka so much; her determination, her absolute faith in Anakin, her intelligence and ferocity and the way she cares so much about people. She and Anakin are very similar in that way; I think that’s why their bond was so strong and why they annoyed each other so much at times! Their bickering is always great, especially when it’s caused by Ahsoka doing something Anakin ordered her not to do (but that he totally would have done in her position too). I just love their bond. (Feel free to ignore or handwave Anakin’s relationship with Padmé as needed.)
Prompts:
-Ahsoka has a crush on Anakin and it’s really, really obvious to everyone except him.
-Mission fic where they end up trapped together in an inescapable situation and confess their feelings before being rescued (or the aftermath of such a situation).
-AU where Anakin leaves the Jedi order at the same time as Ahsoka, because of her.
-Any kind of lesson - lightsaber combat, use of the force, piloting, droid repair - that turns flirty.
-Anakin gets jealous of Ahsoka’s relationship with someone else (Bariss, Rex, etc) and doesn’t know how to deal with his feelings.
-Padmé Amidala & Ahsoka Tano
These two are such smart, capable, driven women; I love the episodes of them working together and bonding that we got in canon and would love to see more of that. I feel like they’d be naturally drawn together through their individual bonds with Anakin - of course Padmé would be curious about the person Anakin spends the most time with, and Ahsoka is perceptive enough to see that Padmé is more than just a friend to Anakin - but they’re similar enough in their desire to help the people they care about and their take-no-bullshit attitudes that they’d get along even apart from that.
Prompts:
-Padmé brings Ahsoka to Naboo and introduces her to all the places and people she loves.
-Canon-typical dangerous mission bonding
-Ahsoka goes to Padmé for advice on how to handle emotions, because Padmé has to do a lot of that as a politician.
-Ahsoka tells Padmé she knows about Anakin and Padmé’s relationship - and doesn’t necessarily disapprove.
The Mummy Series
-Ardeth Bay/Evy O'Connell/Rick O'Connell
For such a silly canon (in a good, extremely fun way!), it has such awesome characters. I love Rick and Ardeth and their semi-unwilling friendship - the way they go from obvious dislike in the first movie to watching each other's backs and trusting one another with everything is such a fun journey. And then there's Evy, who's basically the best character in the history of ever. She's so smart and funny, and she gets shit done without ever letting anything, alive or undead, get in her way. It's fantastic to watch. And I love how the three of them are dedicated to each other and to their cause of stopping undead evil!
Prompts:
-We know from the second movie that Evy was Nefertiri in a former life; were Rick and Ardeth there too, maybe as her father's guards? I'd love to see what happened with the three of them after Imhotep's murder of the Pharaoh, how that original bond that clearly persists in the 20th century started, or scenes from other lifetimes!
-Further archaeological adventures would be awesome; I like the idea of Ardeth calling up Rick and Evy whenever Westerners threaten to cause archeological mayhem in Egypt, or Rick & Evy getting him to help with undead adventures across the globe.
-Evy and Rick spend some time living with Ardeth's people and getting to know their way of life.
Mortal City - Dar Willams
(Link to the song on Spotify)
-The Boy/The Girl
-The Boy/The Girl & His Brother
He asked, “Why did you move here?”
She said, “For the job; For the job, and I've been so lonely here, so lonely.
There's no one I can talk to, you know I don't even know your brother.”
He smiled and said, “Sometimes at night I walk out by the river.
The city's one big town, the water turns it upside down.
People found this city because they love other people.”
...
He said, “My brother's not a bad guy, he's just quiet.
I wish you liked the city.”
She said, “Maybe I do.”
I love these two and their weird, philosophical date. Their discussion of cities is perfect - her comment that 'you can't see the sky and you can't feel the ground', the way she so clearly feels disconnected and drifting, not knowing anybody and feeling that the city is a dying thing versus his optimism, the way he points out that cities exist basically because people want to be around each other, whatever their motivations. It's both the best and worst of cities laid out right there, and this could really be any city in the world (any city where it snows, at least).
I also love all the realistic details - the guy's quiet brother who introduced them, the spaghetti dinner, her lack of a couch, the way they wrapped themselves up so thickly to stay warm. It adds an adorable, awkward touch to things, which contrasts nicely with the very serious conversation that they get into.
Really is all comes down to that last line - we are not lost in the mortal city. As long as people are able to find each other and remember to be kind to each other, and to have hope, things will be okay. We're all just parts of a whole, but every part has their role to play.
Prompts:
-Tell me about the second date they had and the relationship they developed afterward. It would be interesting to see him take her on a tour of the city, pointing out all his favorite spots, or just sitting and doing some people watching, making up stories for everyone they see walking past.
-They travel to other cities and find differences and similarities between them all.
-They each give the brother their own version of events (and maybe he’s not so quiet once he’s comfortable with someone).
-We see their developing relationship through the brother’s eyes.
The Expanse
As is apparent from my requests, I love Julie. I want to know all about her as a person, what she felt and thought and what her larger goals would have been, and how they'd have changed following the discovery of the protomolecule. I love the whole 'privileged rich girl who turns against that and earnestly tries to make the world a better place' background she has, and I think it would have been fascinating to see how that might have played out with various combinations of the other characters. Really, I love everyone on this show and would have happily nominated them all in combination with her if I had the slots.
-Camina Drummer & Julie Mao
-Camina Drummer/Julie Mao
Drummer is so fabulous, and hard, and uncompromising with anyone, including herself. I would love to see these two interact in any capacity.
Prompts:
-Pre-canon - how would Belter-to-the-core Drummer react to this wannabe rich girl from Earth? I’d love to see her initial hostility and suspicions melted against her will as she realizes Julie is genuine in her love for the Belt and her disgust for Earth.
-Fights that result in makeouts and hatesex.
-AU where Fred Johnson sends Drummer to rescue Julie.
-Drummer knew Julie before she died; post-Eros, Julie’s protomolecule!ghost visits Drummer on the Behemoth.
-Julie Mao & Amos Burton
I’ll never get tired of hearing more about how Amos sees the world; he’s got such a simple but clearly effective mindset. I also adore his protective streak, how he’s decided that’s the thing he’s good at and he’s going to do it with everything he’s got.
Prompts:
-AU where Julie was with Amos and Prax when they were chasing down Jules-Pierre to rescue Mei.
-Honestly I’d just love any conversation between them where they discuss life and motivations and who you can trust - I doubt Julie trusts anyone, while Amos absolutely requires someone to trust.
-Julie Mao & Chrisjen Avasarala
-Chrisjen Avasarala/Julie Mao
Avasarala may be an Earther, but she’s more willing to see other sides and compromise than most; I feel like that would appeal to Julie, especially in the face of her father not caring about anything but amassing his own power and wealth.
Prompts:
-AU where Julie goes back to Earth and tells Avasarala everything she knows to help bring down her father.
-AU where Avasarala was Julie’s mentor before she left Earth - does she talk her out of joining the OPA or make things worse?
-Bobbie Draper/Julie Mao
Bobbie is just the greatest, full stop. I love her snark and how she never holds back.
Prompts:
-AU where Julie meets up with Bobbie's squad and has to try to convince them Mars is being played before the Ganymede disaster.
-AU where Julie lives and Bobbie returns the Razorback to her and they bond over flying.
-I’ll be honest, I just think they’d be really hot together, so anything smutty would be great.
-Jim Holden/Julie Mao
Holden tries so hard, all the time. I like the whole savior complex he’s got going on, setting out to save the whole system because he couldn’t save one ship.
Prompts:
-Julie doesn’t get infected by the protomolecule and is rescued by the Roci crew.
-Something exploring Holden’s need to save people - what if he’d been the one obsessed with rescuing Julie instead of Miller?
-Julie appears to him in S3 instead of Miller and they form a weird protomolecule!ghost relationship.
Crossover Pairings
-Susan Pevensie/Susan Sto-Helit
I think Susan Sto-Helit would understand the frustrations of having your life controlled by a higher power, and Susan Pevensie would understand the weight of duty that comes with the family business. They’d be fantastic together.
Prompts:
-They’re governesses at adjoining houses who meet up at night to discuss and eliminate the frustrations of the day.
-Death takes another holiday, and Susan S-H calls in Susan P for backup. She’s surprisingly good at this whole reaping thing.
-They can see - and touch, and appreciate - all the mostly invisible, magical attributes of each other.
-Susan Pevensie/Maglor
I’ve shipped these two for many, many years - both the last survivors of their families, the ones left behind to cope and live in the ‘real’ world. The shared survivor’s guilt alone is delicious. Who else on earth could possibly understand them?
Prompts:
-She keeps catching glimpses of him - at concerts, on the beach, in museums - and realizes he isn’t human.
-He saves her from drowning in a rough sea and they bond over the feeling that maybe they shouldn’t be alive.
-Susan figures if you sail far enough West, it comes around to East in the end, so she persuades Maglor to sail for Valinor in hopes of finding Aslan’s Country too.
-Edmund Pevensie/Daenerys Targaryen
I like the idea that Edmund would be drawn to an incredibly powerful, slightly terrifying woman - but this time, she’s not evil. And for her part, Dany would appreciate Edmund’s blend of cheeky charm and subtle manipulation.
Prompts:
-Edmund manages to charm her dragons, which instantly charms their mother too.
-Edmund is sent as Narnia’s ambassador to Queen Daenerys; she’s inclined to dismiss him, but he wins her over, possibly with the help of talking animals.
-While in the house of the warlocks in Qarth, Dany stumbles through a door to Narnia and meets Edmund.
-Daenerys Targaryen/Anakin Skywalker
He’s a former slave, she’s a Queen who’s all about freeing slaves and punishing slavers - they’d obviously get along. And they’re the same blend of caring, passionate, and stubborn - though I feel Dany would try to hold Anakin back from being quite so impulsive. They’re both dragons, for sure. (In case it wasn’t obvious, I love them both and want them to be decent people.)
Prompts:
-Westeros AU - Anakin is a famed knight with a glowing sword who comes to serve the Breaker of Chains.
-They ride dragons together (up to you whether these are living animals in the Westeros world or mechanical or alien ones in Star Wars) and probably burn some shit down.
-Jedi AU - Dany and Anakin are two of the most powerful force users currently in the Jedi order, and everyone’s trying to keep them apart. It doesn’t work.
-Susan Pevensie/Obi-Wan Kenobi
They’d just be such a romantic couple! Susan is very similar in a lot of ways to Obi-Wan’s one-time canon love interest Satine Kryze, in that she’s a ruler who prefers diplomacy to fighting - but, crucially, she is willing and able to fight when needed. And Obi-Wan is such a handsome, perfect knight that he’d fit right into the world of Narnia. I think the Jedi tendency to repress feelings would annoy Susan, but she’d also enjoy teasing things out of him.
Prompts:
-Narnia AU - Obi-Wan is assigned to guard the Narnian Queen. They develop feelings despite initially disliking each other.
-One of Susan’s siblings is kidnapped, and she enlists Obi-Wan’s help to rescue them.
-Jedi AU - Jedi masters Susan Pevensie and Obi-Wan Kenobi have a long running friends-with-benefits thing going on.
-Susan Pevensie/Padmé Amidala
These two would be dynamite together - both elegant, gracious, intelligent politicians and diplomats with the will to get things done by a bit of subterfuge if necessary? They’d love each other. And their combined wardrobe would be to die for.
Prompts:
-Padmé pulls off some impulsive, reckless plan despite Susan’s practical objections.
-They get mistaken for sisters and have to roll with it even though it means suppressing their blatantly obvious attraction.
-Narnian-Padmé AU! She comes from Naboo to Narnia on a diplomatic mission and falls hard for the Gentle Queen, who has more edges than she lets on.