HetSwap Letter 2019

AO3 Username: StopTalkingAtMe

Hi, and welcome to my letter for the 2019 HetSwap Exchange. I'd be thrilled to receive any of the fandoms/ships listed here, and all of the suggestions and prompts are optional.

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Z Nation
Thief (Original Video Game Series)
Black Summer (TV)

  

General Likes:

- Character studies and introspection
- World-building and expanding and extrapolating on both the world and the lives of the characters
- Horror of all kinds, from quietly understated ghost stories to fucked-up gore.
- The Closed Circle trope (the most famous example is And Then There Were None) in both horrors and mysteries, particularly if they're set on an isolated island, in a manor house or on a cruise ship. Characters being picked off one by one in various unpleasant and imaginative ways? YES PLEASE.
- Case-fic. Give me more of what's in canon, and I'll be happy
- Mysteries
- Anything spooky, angsty, grim, gritty. I'm not so keen on anything too fluffy or slice-of-life.
- I have absolutely no problem with major character death. Feel free to rip my heart out.
- Smut of all ratings.
- Both happy and sad endings are welcome. although if I do have a preference, it's probably for bittersweet endings over purely happy endings.
- Canon-divergent AUs, and non-mundane AUs
- Post-apocalyptic scenarios
- Zombies
- Violence and gore
- Came back wrong and body horror
- Prequels and post-canon fics
- Angst
- Epistolary elements or non-linear story-telling.
- Sensory details
- Well-written OC characters.

Smut likes:

- Consensual sex both gentle and rough
- Threesomes (especially M/M/F)
- Fellatio and cunnilingus (especially cunnilingus with fingering)
- Mild bondage and other forms of gentle restraint, holding a person down or restraining their wrists.
- Dubcon, although this probably isn't going to be relevant to most of my requests.
- Realistic sex and sensory details.
- Awkward and very definitely not perfect sex.

DNWs:

- A/B/O
- Explicit violent rape
- Incest
- Bestiality
- Scat and waterplay
- BDSM
- Explicit underage sex (15 or below)
- Het anal sex
- Choking as a sexual act
- Torture porn (scenes of torture are fine, and you can get pretty explicit; I'd just prefer torture not be the entire focus of the fic)


Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

TAG: Fanfiction

Oblivion is my favourite of the Elder Scrolls games. I love everything about it, its occasional goofy quirks, the scenery and landscape, the quests, and how virtually every quest in the game usually has a little twist or something special about it. Oh, and the questlines, and in particular the Thieves' Guild questline. I love the Thieves' Guild as it's presented in Oblivion, as an outwardly noble group of rogues who steal from the rich, protect the poor and frown on killing... but who also have a bit of an edge.

In-game, the Gray Fox waives the ban on killing once you get far enough in the quest, and there's an element of ruthlessness to that which I really like, plus it hints at how desperately he wants to be free from the curse.

Corvus/Millona is engraved on my heart. I would love a take on their backstories, how they met, how Corvus became the Fox, or how he survived day to day as a nameless ghost who was essentially spying on his wife. Alternatively, something from after the curse was broken, exploring how they went about rebuilding their relationship.

And for my Lex/Corvus/Millona ship. I love the idea of Corvus manipulating events so that Lex is sent to Anvil to protect his wife, only for Millona and Lex to have an affair, whether they fall in love or Millona simply seeks solace in another man.

Fandom Prompts:

- Anything that explores day to day life in the thieves' guild, whether it takes place before Corvus becomes the Gray Fox, during his tenure, or after the curse has been broken. How does he balance that life with his relationship with Millona?
- After the curse has been broken and the Fox's cowl has been passed on,

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

TAG: Fanfiction

I love the Elder Scrolls games: that feeling when you start playing and know that a ridiculous amount of time is going to be sucked up by the game for the foreseeable future. I love the depth of the lore and the history, and I should mention that I'm also a huge Oblivion fan, so I will particularly appreciate any references to events in that game (or its occasional goofy quirks, although Skyrim has plenty of goofy quirks of its own :D).

Screwing with canon events, timelines and quests is all welcome. I especially like it when events don't unfold as in game, and when, while in-game events may take place, it's not necessarily the Dragonborn at the heart of them. Canon-divergent AUs are especially welcome here.

General Tullius/Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn

Oh, General Tullius. <3<3<3 I don't even know where this odd little crush of mine has come from, but I want more, damn it.

For this pairing, what appeals to me is the dynamic of two older characters with plenty of history and experience, and who just might be starting to get a bit too old for this shit. Having said that, a younger Dragonborn offers up a lot of interesting possibilities too. I'd also like something that explores General Tullius's competency and pits him against a similarly competent Dragonborn who is either very much like him (also an aging veteran of the Great War), or very different (such as a member of the Dark Brotherhood).

I'm also completely down for him being paired with an alternate start player character who isn't actually the Dragonborn.Oh, and this is honestly just a suggestion, but if you happen to be looking for a first name for him, my head-canon preference happens to be 'Reman', but PLEASE ignore this if you prefer something else or choose not to give him a first name at all.

Some adventure would be *amazing* here, but this seems like a ship suited for introspection and quieter thoughtful moments.

Prompts:

- The Dragonborn and Tullius reminisce about the Great War.
- A Dragonborn who's a little more involved with the Thalmor than General Tullius would like -- a Thalmor double agent, perhaps?
- The eve of the battle for Windhelm (or Solitude -- who says the winning side has to be the one the player character picks?), and they both might die tomorrow
- There's an awkward moment at the Thalmor embassy party
- Anything delving into the lore and history of Solitude or any of the quests revolving around the city, like the Potema questline or the Sheogorath quest.
- The Dragonborn comes seeking revenge for what happened in Helgen
- The Dragonborn isn't really the Dragonborn but a con-artist who gets caught up in the civil war.

Sinderion/Avrusa Sarethi

Another where-the-hell-did-that-come-from-ship, and one which is hampered by the awkward fact that one half of it happens to be dead at the start of the game. I suppose I should add an extra DNW for necrophilia, although I personally wouldn't apply that to sentient zombies who have enough intelligence to consent (So, um, DNW non-consensual necrophilia, I guess?).

Erm…

I suppose I should explain that I'm probably looking either for sweet-yet-tragic backstory here, or for an AU where Sinderion wasn't killed in Blackreach (or hasn't been killed yet), but, hey, if you really want to go the zombie route, then God forbid that I stop you. That's Dunmer herbalists for you.

There's just something so lovely and incredibly sweet about the backstory of these two particular characters, about the way Sinderion trundles through life searching for samples of Nirnroot, and how ultimately his work provides Avrusa with a way out of a life of backbreaking toil. There's also a ton of opportunities for tragic backstory with both of them -- the Great War, Red Mountain -- and still somehow they find each other, only for Sinderion to bugger off to Blackreach with the cheerfully idiotic notion that the creatures there won't bother him.

As I mentioned in my general likes, I have no problems with major character death, so whether he's dead at the beginning and Avrusa is in mourning and looking back on his life, or if you choose to kill him (or her. Or both of them) during the course of the fic, all of that is absolutely fine.

I'd also be happy with a pining situation (one-sided or mutual), where they never have a relationship.

At one point Avrusa states that she was 'very young' when they first met when she was sent to study in Skingrad. I would prefer that she not be too young, i.e. make her at least 18 or 19 or the Dunmer equivalent. There's probably going to be an age-gap, and that's fine, but I'd prefer that the power dynamics aren't too skewed.

Prompts:

- A time-loop fic where Avrusa has a chance to set things right and start anew.
- Something introspective told from Avrusa's sister's perspective about the two of them, whether they have a relationship or if the attraction remains unresolved.
- Avrusa goes with Sinderion to Blackreach. One of my favourite horror films is The Descent, and so the Falmer really appeal to me for their general creepy-fuckery and potential for horror.
- Rather than something sweet and heartfelt, something darker and fucked up. Sinderion comes back wrong. I would prefer that he retains something of himself, though, even if he does come back with a bit of a darker streak. Something fucked-up, but with a tragic streak, and if you somehow manage to make this fucked-up fic also sweet and heartfelt, then all the better..
- An epistolary fic where they continue to write letters to each other while they are apart.
- An expansion of Sinderion's journal, and Avrusa's thoughts and internal conflict as she reads it and looks back on her relationship with him (or the missed possibilities for a relationship with him).

Mercer Frey/Gallus Desidenius/Karliah

In the interests of full disclosure, I am completely team Mercer. It stems pretty much entirely from the differences between the Oblivion Thieves Guild and the Skyrim one, Mercer's interest in the Gray Fox, and an innate distrust of Nocturnal. Because seriously, who the fuck wants to spend the rest of eternity in the Twilight Sepulcher? Probably not Mercer.

For this, I'd love backstory, something that fills in what really happened twenty-five years ago, such as a take on what drove Mercer to murder Gallus and betray the Guild, or alternatively a fic about the Guild in happier times. Perhaps the three of them pull off a heist together when they were all still friends, but with some underlying tensions which foreshadow what is to come.

As much as he appeals to me, and as much as the Thieves guild questline leaves me wishing there was a choice to betray Karliah and break the oath to Nocturnal, is a complete and utter amoral bastard, and I am fine with him being written that way.

We get virtually no backstory for him, so I would be thrilled to receive a story exploring that, even if the other two characters take a back seat. I leave the details of the ship and its dynamics entirely up to you. I'm also fine with the relationship/s taking a back seat, or being entirely in the past.

I'm absolutely fine with Major Character Death and mourning.

Prompts:

- The Thieves Guild questline from Mercer's point of view (well, part of it). Bonus points for Falmer-related horror.
- Mercer meets with Gallus's ghost in the Sepulcher. Angsty-talk or smut -- how does sex with a ghost work anyway?
- Mercer is a great admirer of the Gray Fox. Is there a reason? And whatever did happen to the Gray Fox's cowl?
- I might have mentioned my like for M/M/F threesomes, in the smut likes section? It's not often I explicitly suggest PWP, but... well, that.
- A Jessica Fletcher type turns up in the Flagon and starts poking around into Gallus's murder, stirring up Mercer's guilt o (If it's a thinly veiled Skyrim version of Jessica Fletcher and crack-played-straight, then ALL THE BETTER. I would also accept the Riften Guards' version of Columbo).

Z Nation

TAG: Fanfiction

First a disclaimer: I haven't seen all of series 5 yet. I've got hold of it, and have started watching, and I'll almost certainly have finished it in time for reveals. I'll update the letter when assignments go out to clarify where I am in series 5. I have also seen Black Summer, so if you want to work in some references to that, then please do.

This is easily my favourite zombie-apocalypse series. I love it so much, how it doesn't take itself too seriously, but has, despite a shaky budget, still managed to create characters who you can't help but love. Smut, angst, horror, darkfic, love stories: all are welcome here.

Charles Garnett/Roberta Warren

Season 4 finally convinced me on Murphy/Warren, but then I went back to rewatch season 1, and fell in love with Garnett all over again. It breaks my heart that he only got six episodes. Seeing the way Warren changes over the course of the series, particularly in season 3, makes it all the more poignant. In the first season, they've just come out of a relatively civilised community, and things haven't quite gone to hell yet. There's just so much chemistry in the way Warren and Garnett interact -- the way they look at each other -- and they have so much history.

I loved the way the show contrasted how gentle and rational Garnett is with how brutal and violent he gets when he has to kill zombies, and the way they fight alongside each other. And I love him as a character, the quiet mentions of his family and how he dealt with their deaths. And the show handled their relationship really well, with the moment of closure in Warren's home town when she says goodbye to her husband. And the moment in Resurrection Z when they're in the cafeteria and trying to claim that they're not a couple, and everyone else is like, Yeah, right. And the episode where Warren mourns him which manages to break my heart all over again with the shots of Garnett looking at her in the car and kjdfhvjkdfih. <3<3<3

For this, I'd love anything horror or action related. Zombies, any of the typical zombie-apocalypse scenarios, with the usual Z Nation weirdness and/or humour mixed in.

I have no problem with major character death or extended angst and mourning.

Prompts:

- Any kind of case-fic or zombie related action-adventure/horror.
- That Closed Circle trope I mentioned? Basically 'And Then There Were None' with zombies. Which they sort of did already, but I wouldn't say no to more
- Backstory exploring Garnett and Warren's shared history at Camp Blue Sky.
- A fix-it AU where Garnett survives.
- Somehow Garnett is resurrected. Either body horror, where he comes back wrong. Or how he copes when he sees how Warren has had to harden herself. Or, y'know, both.
- Warren gets caught in a time-loop during Resurrection Z and has the chance to make things right. Or it's Garnett who's caught in the loop. (one thing I loved about that episode was the community going to hell, especially the moment when they're stuck in a narrow corridor and zombies are piling up behind them -- that panic and chaos: more please).
- An AU where the apocalypse isn't zombies. Or it's a dystopia of some kind.
- A historical AU where the zombie outbreak happens in the wild west. I adore the western trappings of some of the show's episodes, so I can see this working perfectly.
 

Murphy/Roberta Warren
 

It took me a while to come round to shipping Murphy and Warren, but season 4 completely sealed me on it. Murphy is such a fantastic character, the amount of character change he gets over the course of the seasons that I've watched, from the cringing snarky coward in the first series, to the batshit saviour of mankind in the third series, to an ally again in series 4. And all the way through he's a complete and utter bastard and still I can't help loving him. Give me any version of Murphy from any of the first four seasons and I'll be happy. I retrospectively ship them all with Warren, although the dynamics will change hugely depending on when it's set.

Prompts:

- Any of the more generic prompts from my Garnett/Warren request (zombie-case-fic! 'And Then There Were None' with zombies! Alternative apocalypse or dystopia-AU! Zombies in the wild west historical AU!) would also work for this ship.
- A '5 times' fic exploring the way their dynamic has changed over the course of the seasons
- I really liked the way the early season had an inventive zombie of the week thing going on, so anything along those lines
- Something kind of dubconny set during the events of season 3.
- A creepy dystopian fic set in Zona where Warren's memories keep resetting. As far as she knows, she's married to Murphy, but gradually realises that something's wrong. Some dubious consent issues here, but naturally Murphy only agreed to it in order to protect her.
- Warren falls pregnant with another hybrid-zombie baby like Lucy

Charles Garnett/Roberta Warren/Alvin Murphy

I'm afraid this request is a bit shorter due to me running out of prompt ideas, but it's really a combination of the two ships above, with added potential angst -- Warren really did love Garnett, and Garnett only ever saw the early cowardly version of Murphy (although I'm not sure the batshit brain-eating King of the Zombies Murphy was much better, tbh), so I can see a hell of a lot of conflict there if Garnett comes back and finds Warren in a relationship with him.

I envisioned this as a v-shaped triangle, with both men shipped with Warren, but if you want to also ship Garnett and Murphy then I'm all for that too. I sort of see that as being a darker fic with some dubconny zombie mind-control stuff going on, and I struggle a little picturing how a totally consensual relationship between Garnett and Murphy would happen, but if you think you can make it work, then I would freaking love to see it.

Dark-fics especially welcome here.

Prompts:

- Any of the generic prompts from above
- Murphy brings Garnett back during the events of season 3
- Murphy eats Garnett's brain (okay, this one will probably be a bit messed up)
- A fix-it AU where Garnett did survive, but was separated from the rest of the group. They're reunited later on after Murphy and Warren have hooked up.

Thief (video game original series)

TAG: Fanfiction

Every now and then a game gets hold of you and you can't put it down. I love this series. I love everything about it: the gameplay, the lore, the level design, the characters, and the setting. I love the set-up, the competing factions of the Hammerites and the Pagans, the folk-horror imagery, and the steam-punky vibes. Oh, and Garrett. He's sort of a bastard, tries to be a misanthrope, but then there are those moments when his compassion shine through, like the Trail of Blood mission in the second game which was so sad and unexpected.

In the first two games it's interesting to see the difference in his character between the cut-scenes when he's interacting with others (misanthropic, angry, bitter), and the pre-mission voice-overs (confident, collected, dark humour). I'm fascinated by his backstory, what led him to be the way he is, what really happened while he was with the Keepers, why he left, and what happened after he left.

Prequels, sequels and fics set during canon are all welcome. I'd particularly love anything exploring Garrett as a young man, especially his time with the Keepers, or just after leaving them.

Garrett/Viktoria (Thief Original Series)

That cut-scene where she turns up at his tenement? The moment when he draws his knife, but relents when he finds out it's her? Yeah, he so very clearly wants to fuck her, and maybe that leads him to let down his guard and trust them when he really shouldn't.

Prompts:

- The Trickster wins AU. Kind of dubconny and kinky with Viktoria's ability to grow tree branches for limbs, or something where she's more sympathetic, regretting her part in aiding the Trickster, or where she simply regrets the way they betrayed him. Creepy folk-horror imagery is particularly welcome here.
- A fic set during the course of the second game when they're gradually getting used to working with one another, and still don't quite trust each other. Does Viktoria try to make amends?
- How did they first meet? What happened after he left Constantine's home? The drink Constantine gives him seems so significant (and it's so creepy), but it never seems to play much of a role in the story. Is it an aphrodisiac of some kind?
- Sometime after the events of the second game, Viktoria -- or someone who looks very much like her -- returns. Whether she's still a nymph or is human, that's up to you.
 

Garrett/Original Female Character (Thief Original Series)

There are a lot of ways you can go with this. A fellow thief, maybe a rival from one of the guilds, looking to steal something back from him. A Keeper. A Pagan. A fence. A necromancer.

Prompts:

- Any kind of heist fic is always welcome.
- I love the setting of the City, and I'd love to see your take on balancing the different versions of the City. The third game is very different from the first two: how do you reconcile those differences?
- A fellow thief (ex-lover?) tricks him when they're going after a particular priceless artefact (guarded by Kurshok? Zombies?), and they repeatedly turn the tables on each other.
- A post-canon fic where one of the ex-Keepers now turned loose in the world comes to him for help.

Black Summer (TV)  

TAG: Fanfiction

I loved this series, a spin-off prequel to Z Nation, despite them sharing very little in common and feeling like they're set in very different universes. I love the fast pace, the feeling of desperate people struggling to survive, and although the characters aren't given much space for development, they're still compelling.

Rose/Julius James (Spears)

I particularly like this pairing, and how despite being so different, they've come to work well together, and Rose sides with Julius despite learning he might be a criminal. It completely makes sense; they've had each others backs since they met.

Thank-god-we're-alive sex, or oh-crap-we're-going-to-die sex, or maybe they just have a quiet moment (finally) and have a chance to learn a little more about each other, depending on what they're comfortable sharing. Any action or horror would be fantastic, but I'd be equally happy with something quieter and more contemplative.

I also was a tiny bit disappointed with the lack of crossover with Z Nation, to the point where I didn't really see the point in making it a spin-off rather than a separate show. So any references to Z Nation are welcome, or if you feel like lightening the tone, making it less serious.

Prompts:

- PWP along the lines of the Thank-god-we're-alive sex, or oh-crap-we're-going-to-die sex mentioned above. Possibly they find themselves trapped and separated from the group.
- A post-canon fic after the ambiguous ending. What was really waiting for them at the stadium? My personal head canon is that Rose was delirious and hallucinating (but if you choose to take a different tack, please do). When she realises the truth, Julius is there for her.
- After the incident with the soldiers, Rose is aware that Julius has been lying to her, but says nothing. Eventually Julius cracks.
- A fic which is less realistic than Black Summer, and takes a slightly more cracky approach, reminiscent of Z Nation. Perhaps Zona turn up.