Press Start Letter 2020

Press Start 2020 Letter

AO3 Username: StopTalkingAtMe

My second time doing Press Start and I am pretty damn excited. As always please don’t read too much into some of my requests being longer than others: I love every one of these games and ships, and would be thrilled with fic for any one of them.

Table of Contents

General Likes, Smut Likes, Art Likes and DNWs
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
Dishonored
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Thief (the original trilogy)

General Likes and DNWs

General Likes

• Character studies and introspection
• Loneliness and isolation
• Atmospheric description, scenery porn, sensory description
• World-building and character development. Backstory
• Horror of all kinds, particularly body horror, folk horror, Lovecraftian horror, and atmospheric ghost stories.
• The Closed Circle trope (the most famous example is And Then There Were None) in both horror and mysteries.
• Case-fic.
• Death fic, mourning, and introspective fics dealing with one character's reaction to another's death. In ships where one character dies in canon, I'm happy for them to not actually appear in the fic
• Endings of all kinds, happy, bleak or bittersweet.
• Canon-divergent AUs, especially post-canon ones where the bad guys win.
• Older characters finding love
• Horror scenarios which involve being trapped in dark, claustrophobic places (especially caves) with monsters (As in The Descent)

Smut Likes

• Consensual sex both gentle and rough
• Fellatio and cunnilingus (especially cunnilingus with fingering)
• Mild bondage and other forms of gentle restraint, holding a person down or restraining their wrists.
• Dubcon, (when requested).
• Realistically imperfect but still pleasurable sex (e.g. taking factors into account such as age, one party feeling shy or vulnerable etc,)
• Ghost sex
• For vampires, bloodplay and biting
• Threesomes (and orgies)
• Sex in grimy, grim, uncomfortable places
• Tentacle sex, entirely consensual or dubiously so
• Monster fucking

General Art Likes

In terms of artwork I'm open to a lot of different things, but ideally I'd love something which captures the atmosphere of canon, whether that be beautiful scenery, or something grim and gritty. If it suits the fandom and ship, I'm not averse to a bit of gore and violence either, and there's a couple where I'd particularly like some elements of horror. I love contrast and lots of rich intricate detail, but I'm also open to simpler art with softer, more muted colours if that's your style. I also quite like the use of stylised borders which incorporate themes and objects from canon, such as clockwork, books, or vines. Artist-wise, I'm particularly fond of art nouveau and the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, but seriously, anything.

DNWs

• A/B/O
• Noncon (Unless requested. Extremely dubious dubcon is also fine if prompted)
• Deliberate underage grooming
• Dubcon involving unaroused characters
• Incest (unless requested)
• Bestiality (monsters don't count here)
• Scat and waterplay
• Formalised D/s dynamics (bondage and other forms of restraint are OK)
• Underage
• Het anal sex
• Breathplay
• Fisting
• Sexualised lactation
• Any variation of the word 'come' in a sexual context spelled as 'cum' (please use 'come', 'came', 'precome' etc)

Assassin’s Creed

Requested ships: Kyra/Thaletas
Deimos!Kassandra/Stentor
Skoura/Maion
Requested medium: Art and Fic

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*Please consider my incest DNW waived for the Deimos!Kassandra/Stentor ship.

This game is so ridiculously huge and gorgeous: I've been playing it for a while, and I'm still overwhelmed by how massive it is and how easy it is to get sidetracked. I'd particularly love to see some scenery porn for this fandom.

Kyra/Thaletas

I started shipping these two right from that first cut-scene with the two of them together. It took all my self-control to avoid the romance-options, because as far as I’m concerned they will never be anything but perfect for each other. :D Self-control and a habit of procrastinating on side quests won out, and by some miracle by the end of my first play-through they were still alive and in love.

There’s a lot I’d love to see for these two, whether you go for something joyous which takes full advantage of the gorgeous scenery and which might very well be unabashedly filthy smut, OR something that wallows in all the potential misery and angst for this pairing. I'm also always here for backstory, and any delving you want to do into Thaletas's arrival on the islands, or Kyra's family background.

I’d prefer that any focus on either character being shipped with the player character be kept to a minimum, perhaps a little flirting.

Optional Prompts

• Hurt/comfort -- Of any kind, but especially one of them or both of them getting captured and tortured by the enemy or Podarkes's men, and tender, careful sex afterwards.
• Sex in captivity, whether 'we're not dead yet' sex or of the dubiously consensual bad guys made them do it variety.
• Time loop -- Kyra has to watch Thaletas dying repeatedly and only sex will break the loop. (Although admittedly I can't help thinking that would be a very short loop)
• Pure PWP. Ideally something happy, fun and playful. That plateau with the gorgeous view, or trying to stay silent in the rebel caves. I also really like the idea of playful sex that's almost a borderline sparring session, with each of them trying to get the other hand, maybe trying to pin down the other one.

Deimos!Kassanda/Stentor

Because apparently nothing gets me shipping something harder than spontaneous antagonistic wrestling in the middle of dinner. <3<3<3 I love the idea of them together so, so much, and how they’re almost imperfect mirrors of each other: they were both raised to be warriors, and both adopted. I am absolutely HERE for any angst-ridden fallout of Deimos adjusting to what she did for the Cult (That tormented ‘I’ve done terrible things’ to her mother towards the end of the game is CATNIP), and maybe finding she has more in common with Stentor than she does with her brother as a result of their upbringings. As always, canon-divergent AUs are welcome. I’m also fine with most background ships for the other characters, but I’m particularly fond of Myrrine/Nikolaos and Alexios/Brasidas. A couple of these prompts are for AUs where Kassandra had a sister rather than a brother, and if you choose that option then feel free to change either the PC’s name or Deimos’s name.

Optional Prompts

• What if their paths crossed before they meet in canon? Does Stentor notice the resemblance, or does Deimos realise he is Nikolaos’s adoptive son, and perhaps see it as an opportunity for revenge, defying/angering the Cult? Perhaps an AU where Kassandra had a sister rather than a brother, and the resemblance between them is so obvious Stentor cannot help but notice the resemblance.
• Speaking of AUs where Kassandra had a sister rather than a brother… a fic where Stentor thinks he’s in love with protagonist!Kassandra, and is sleeping with Deimos as a way to drown his sorrows, but gradually begins to realise she’s much more suited to him.
• Smut – their sparring or wrestling sessions (whether friendly or otherwise) keep leading to sex.
• One of my favourite bits of their interaction in canon was the way the other characters react to the wrestling session. The way Alexios WTFs and Myrrine’s little smile at the end. So something shown through one or more of the other characters’ POVs. Do the other characters realise there’s something between them before they do? Or is Alexios (whom I always played as being extremely slow on the uptake because it was more fun that way) genuinely concerned they might actually murder each other until Myrrine puts him right?
• Anything exploring how they’re adjusting to their lives at the end of the game, with Deimos adjusting to life in Sparta and both of them to their new family.
• Hurt/comfort of any kind, particularly the ‘captured and tortured by the enemy’ type, whether bandits, Athenians, or the Followers of Ares (I particularly love claustrophobic settings and caves
• More smut – sex in captivity, whether it’s of the ‘bad guys made them do it’ or if they’re just seeking comfort in each other.
• Time-loop or some other reality-breaking down weirdness. Play with the meta of the various potential endings and characters who could be alive or dead. Perhaps a time-loop where one or the other keeps dying, or one of them finds themselves in a version of reality where the other didn’t survive.
• Kid-fic. Not for them necessarily, but instead Alexios (or Kassandra if you want to go the two sisters!AU) settles down (as far as he or she ever will), marries, and just generally does what Good Spartans are meant to do. Mainly I’m here for mild angst and for the image of Deimos being the most terrifying auntie ever. (I have no preference as to who the PC is shipped with, btw, although I’m not keen on mpreg – accidental baby acquisition is definitely a possibility though)
• Meta action/adventure. I love stealth games despite being dreadful at them, and I really like the idea of these two being forced to be stealthy despite being two of the least stealthy characters in the game. Take them out of their comfort zone, take away all their weapons, leave them vulnerable, injured and outnumbered, and put them in a position where they have to rely on stealth and throat-slitting rather than confronting their enemies head-on.

Maion/Skoura

Something about the Arena questline grabbed me on my first playthrough, maybe because I was expecting a different twist, and found the trope of who your final opponent in the Arena turns out to be appealing. Something about Skoura’s character hits my id so hard – the sadness and resignation and general air of quietly dignified despair, and it feels like there’s so much potential in the contrast between their characters. These two fascinate me, and I’d love to know more about the two of them, whether backstory or something that examines their relationship during the course of the game’s events. Angst and deathfic are particularly welcome for this request, but I’d also love something that approaches the game’s events from a more stoic point of view.

Optional Prompts

• I’d love to see something exploring their backstory, whether that’s set during the Persian Wars or later on, perhaps from Skoura’s time as an Arena.
• Their last night before the final challenge in the Arena. What happens? Does Maion try to talk Skoura out of it, or does he know there’s no arguing with a Spartan?

Art Likes

Maybe some of that gorgeous scenery? Perhaps a peaceful moment, or alternatively blood and slaughter, or something that contrasts both. For Kyra/Thaletas, perhaps something that incorporates Thaletas's flower petals (the two of them kissing on a bed of petals?), or possibly contrasts them with blood splatters? Or the caves, with heavy use of shadow and light? Or the party at the end of the questline, with them enjoying a moment just before Thaletas is about to drink from his cup? Or them relaxing on a fishing boat on a trip out to retrieve Thaletas's helmet from the sea but get distracted. I wouldn't say no to them just gazing adoringly at each other, tbh: it's that sort of ship for me.

For Deimos!Kassandra/Stentor, an image of them wrestling wouldn't go amiss (is naked wrestling between men and women historically accurate? Let's pretend it is). Or something post-coital, where they're both bruised and battered and look like they've gone to hell and back. Or the two of them as a battle couple, slaughtering their way through a fort full of bandits. Or a moment of hurt-comfort between them after they've been caught and tortured by enemy soldiers.

For Maion/Skoura, again anything that involves the gore and bloodshed of the arena, or which contrasts that with the beauty of the landscape. Maybe a quiet moment between them before Skoura prepares himself to face the PC in the arena. What really appeals to me for these two is that air of dignity and despair, so anything that captures that I'll love.

Dishonored

Requested ships: Corvo Attano/Teague Martin
Emily Kaldwin/Teague Martin (not requested officially)
Requested medium: Art and Fic

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Corvo Attano/Teague Martin

I'm fascinated by the Loyalists and everything that's going on behind the scenes with them while the events of the game are taking place. And Martin especially, with all the whump-potential that comes as a result of his suffering at the hands of the Overseers, and all the delicious angst and guilt as he struggles with his conscience and how he owes Corvo everything but still betrays him.

Perhaps he's still recovering from his injuries, or Corvo's still mourning Jessamine, and trying to bury his grief in sex (whether meaningless or otherwise). Maybe they're trying to keep it quiet for whatever reason, or Martin is still struggling with the decision of whether or not he should turn against Corvo.

I’d be thrilled with anything that captures the awkward place between love/attraction, obligation and betrayal, or which tackles their awkward backstories and complicated emotions. Any level of relationship is welcome, from hateship, to using each other as a distraction, to one-sided pining, to genuine love and affection: mainly I’d be fascinated to see what you come up with for these two.

Optional Prompts

• Post-canon ‘fix-it’ fic, although the actual fix-it part is entirely optional.
• A Bad Guys Win!AU. Corvo fails to stop the Loyalists but isn’t killed. Maybe he’s just injured or imprisoned, and resurfaces years later. Perhaps Martin regrets what happened and has done his best to make amends by serving Emily as best he can, and then he starts to hear rumours about an assassin who sounds very much like Corvo. Does he hole up somewhere or go looking for him?
• (Uh, also writing the above prompt has made me realise that I’d be open to a fic with the above set-up where Emily and Martin stumbled into a love affair once she was old enough, but they're both still hugely fucked up over Corvo (who could be alive or dead). Falling in love with her older protector/advisor was what her mother did, after all, and she thinks of Martin as one of her father's loyal supporters, and meanwhile Martin's basically obsessed with Corvo and Emily is almost a replacement for him.)
• Something set during the events of the first game. Corvo is still mourning Jessamine, Martin is still recovering from his injuries, and the whole situation is ripe for some gloriously angst iddy whump. Could be smut or emotional or physical hurt/comfort.
• The Outsider reaches out to Martin and offers him powers, perhaps the chance to go back and change events.
• Something set during the final mission of the first game: Emily is saved, the Loyalists are defeated, but Martin is still alive and Corvo has some loose ends to tie up.
• A canon-divergent AU where they’re discovered or betrayed and the Hound Pits Pub is overrun with the Lord Regent’s men.

Emily Kaldwin/Teague Martin

I’d prefer that Emily be 18+ when the possibility of a sexual relationship occurs to Martin, although a crush on Emily’s part is fine before them.

I haven't requested this officially due to the awkward combination of the characters' fates and my Underage DNW, which still stands, but if you're up for writing it as an alternative to (or alongside) the Corvo/Martin ship, then know that I ship adult Emily/Teague Martin like burning. It grew out of a prompt for the Corvo/Martin ship -- one of the ones above -- but thinking about it and how it might work got me shipping it as its own separate thing.

I almost always adore older man/younger woman age gap ships, particularly when the power balance isn’t always as clear-cut as it might seem. What I’m imagining for this request is a canon divergent AU where Corvo died failing to stop the Loyalists and Martin finds himself as High Overseer and acting in an advisory role to Emily who remains unaware of the betrayal, while they conduct an affair. She’s still sort of messed up over the events of the first game, and, since Jessamine was probably about 12 when Corvo was appointed as her Royal Protector, she sees an affair with Martin as somehow following in the steps of her mother, and Martin is conflicted about his betrayal of Corvo and guilty as fuck about having an affair with a woman he knew as a child. There’s so much potential for trauma, horribly conflicted loyalty kink, and guilty angst here, especially if you feel like combining the two ships with Martin having formerly been Corvo’s lover.

This really is a much more elaborate head-canon than I usually like to give, but it’s honestly just a suggestion, mainly because it seems the simplest way of getting them together. If you have another idea of how this could work (Outsider shenanigans or time travel or a Came Back Wrong fic – all of which I’d freaking love), then please do run with it. I’m also fine with the ship taking a back-seat to the plot, and with one-sided pining or extremely awkward and badly timed UST.

Optional Prompts

• A canon-divergent AU where the Outsider pays Martin a visit shortly before his death and offers him the Mark. Maybe he’s the one who winds up preventing Delilah from taking over Emily’s body, or Delilah succeeds in that, and years later, he has to restore Emily's spirit to her adult body, only she’s been a disembodied spirit growing up in the Void for all this time, touch-starved and desperate for human contact.
• Martin survives the events of the first game, but is imprisoned for his crimes, only to then become one of Emily’s few allies during the events of the second game (perhaps the Outsider chooses to mark him rather than Emily, and he sees a chance to make amends).
• The headcanon in the general notes about the ship. Maybe rumours start to surface about someone who looks very much like Corvo appearing in Dunwall, or the other surviving Loyalists are being killed off one by one. Or maybe Emily runs into Samuel and learns the truth about what happened to her father.
• Time-travel – as an adult, Emily travels back to the events of the first game. Maybe she takes over Corvo’s place in the missions, or sees a chance to put things right.

Art Prompts

I absolutely love the gritty visuals of Dunwall: the rats, the grimy brickwork, the ruined buildings, the whales, and the eerie distorted imagery of the Void, so I'd be thrilled with anything that captures the look and feel of the world, and in particular, if you can somehow capture moments of beauty (a gorgeous sunset? oilslick rainbows on the river water?) along with the grittiness, then all the better.

For Corvo and Martin, oh god, the look of these two together. *hearteyes* Maybe a quiet moment captured in the pub, Martin still bruised and beaten to shit, but recovering? Or the moment where Corvo frees him? Or something darker, when Corvo confronts him towards the end of the game? Also up for AUs here too: maybe they meet again in the Void, or Martin's somehow come back?

If you'd like to draw something for Emily/Martin (which I haven't requested officially as I was worried my Underage DNW would make it a little too restrictive), then I'd love to see something involving an adult Emily, with or without emphasis on the age-gap. Maybe in an AU where Martin survived and is now High Overseer and one of her advisors. Perhaps a post-coital moment between them, or a quiet flirtatious moment when they think no one's watching. Or Martin awkwardly comforting her at Corvo's memorial.

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Requested ships: Lucien Lachance/Vicente Valtieri
Corvus Umbranox/Millona Umbranox
Corvus Umbranox & Lucien Lachance
Hannibal Traven
Requested medium: Art and Fic

~~

Oblivion is my favourite of the Elder Scrolls games. I love everything about it, its 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. Landscape porn, adventure, and any quiet meta nods to the game's goofy moments would be wonderful.

Lucien Lachance/Vicente Valtieri

Oh man, these two. I love them and their creepy murder cult. <3<3<3 They're both such irredeemably evil monsters - literally, in Vicente's case, since he's a vampire - and yet the game does such a fantastic job getting you to care about them, and making them feel, despite the game’s limitations, like characters with a depth of backstory. I’m fascinated by the question of what the dynamic between them would be, and what form their shared history would take, so I would absolutely love to see that tackled, however you choose to do it.

I would also be up for you combining this ship with the Lucien/Corvus one above, especially for smut with a dubcon edge. And speaking of dubcon – these characters are both completely evil bastards, so consider this a hell yes to that here.

Optional Prompts

• PWP - Give me all the vampire sex, hate fucking, sex in the blood of the people they've just murdered, etc. etc...
• Backstory - show me what happened when Lucien became Speaker. Vicente's been a member of the Dark Brotherhood for two hundred years, so he might have been around to see Lucien when he first joined and moved through the ranks to become the Speaker.
• Did Vicente ever offer to make Lucien a vampire?
• I mentioned hate-fucking but I would also really love to see some sparks of genuine affection between them (just to really dig the knife deeper when, well... y'know).
• Lucien's POV during the Dark Brotherhood questline. Was there ever a moment when he was tempted to warn Vicente? (I mean, obviously the answer is no, because Lucien, but maybe he idly considered it in a quiet moment, while knowing it was never going to happen).
• Time Loop from Vicente's point-of-view, where he realises the Hero of Kvatch keeps killing him, so he escapes and hunts down Lucien in order to warn him that the Hero of Kvatch is a traitor. Awkwardness ensues.

Corvus Umbranox/Millona Umbranox

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. A huge part of what appeals to me about Corvus's character is the enforced loneliness of the situation he's put into, so anything dealing with touch-starvation and isolation, whether during the curse, or in its aftermath, will be like catnip to me.

(I also ship them both with Hieronymus Lex, whether as individual relationships or as a threesome, so if you want to explore that and the complicated loyalties, particularly between Corvus and Lex, then please do.)

Optional 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?
• Something introspective about how the curse affects Corvus or Millona, or both of them.
• After the curse has been broken and the Fox's cowl has been passed on, something happens to the current Gray Fox and Corvus is forced to wear the cowl again.
• Anything exploring the healing process between Corvus and Millona after the curse has been broken and they can start to rebuild their marriage again.
• Lex may have been relocated to Anvil, but he still hasn't given up on his hunt for the Gray Fox, and this time he's absolutely certain who it is.

Corvus Umbranox & Lucien Lachance

The Thieves' Guild and the Dark Brotherhood questlines are unquestionably two of the highlights of the game, and I would love to see something of how the two factions and their leaders interact. Do they have an uneasy alliance, or are they at war? I would be thrilled with a story that explores the relationship between Corvus and Lucien and whether they are allies or enemies. I'd particularly love an exploration of the darker side of the Thieves' Guild, because there's no way everyone who belongs to the guild is entirely down with the 'no killing' Robin Hood ethos (I'm also open to them being shipped if you're up for writing that).

Optional Prompts

• Membership of the Dark Brotherhood seems to provide some degree of immunity to the effects of the cowl. After however many years of no one recognising Corvus or knowing his name, Lucien Lachance does, and an uneasy friendship/relationship starts to develop between the two men.
• Someone is murdering members of the Thieves' Guild. Corvus suspects the work of the Brotherhood.
• Something where Corvus and Lucien have known each other for a long time, since they were boys.
• Lucien and Corvus swap bodies and are forced to keep this information hidden from their respective guilds.
• After Lucien's death, Corvus looks back on their complicated relationship.
• I would be delighted with something as unexpectedly tropey as 'There's only one bed!' especially if the fic doesn't lose sight of how massively dark and fucked up Lucien is as a character
• Something weird is going on in the Anvil lighthouse.

Hannibal Traven

I have a bit of a soft spot for the Mages’ Guild questline, even if it isn’t quite up to the standards of the Thieves’ Guild and Dark Brotherhood quests. I really like the way the quest develops and how the individual quests you have to do for the different guildhalls all build together and feed into the questline once it’s got going. I love the University itself, and how gossipy all the mages are, particularly after there’s been this huge shift in the guild. He just seems like such a fascinating character, and I’d really like to know more about him, and maybe see some exploration of mages’ Guild politics, or his relationships with other characters, such as Carahil, Count Hassildor, or the Hero of Kvatch. He was previously the chapter head of Anvil, which is my favourite city in Oblivion, so I’d particularly love to see something set there. I’m happy to receive gen or shipfic here, and I don’t really have any preference as to who you ship him with, including original characters (although I can’t help but think Caranya or Irlav Jarol would be interesting choices).

Optional Prompts

• Take advantage of all the potential for horror in the questline and write my something dark. Canon-divergent AUs welcome, as always. Perhaps he’s captured by the necromancers, or they send Irlav Jarol’s corpse back to the University as a message.
• If you’re familiar with Skyrim, then perhaps something in which Traven finds himself in the Soul Cairn.
• Traven confronts Mannimarco himself.
• Explore the necromancy situation. All the necromancers in Oblivion are presented as evil, but it was allowed by the guild until relatively recently and iirc isn’t actually illegal in Cyrodiil, so where are all the moderate necromancers? I’d love to see some worldbuilding here: like how does necromancy fit into the world? Are people able to sign away the use of their bodies after their deaths? Is there a group of moderate necromancers trying to set up their own rival guild, which isn’t fundamentally evil? How does it interact with the use of bodies for the study of anatomy, or the conjuration of skeletons?
• Mages’ Guild politicking and the struggle of balancing the guild’s internal ructions with the Oblivion Crisis.
• I’d love to see some interaction with Count Hassildor. How long have they known each other? Was Hassildor once in the guild?

Art Prompts

While I'm always here for scenery porn, and the landscapes in this game are so gorgeous (I particularly adore the look of Anvil), I also love the darker visuals of the game, the sewers and the forts, and the potential for contrast between light and shadow, as well as the horror elements such as the use of blood, the undead, and gore, as well as the look of the Oblivion gates, and how creepy the landscape gets when you're close to one.

Lucien and Vicente are both unambiguously monsters. I love the idea of an image that's entirely monochrome except for the use of a bright red for blood. Or something that incorporates a sunset? Or their first meeting? Dark spooky places, or contrast them with somewhere much lighter and prettier.

Same thing with Lucien & Corvus really: shadowy places and the awkward relationship between two guildleaders. Are they allies? Ememies? Lovers? Do they ever go drinking together? I'm fascinated by them and I'd love to see them interact.

For Corvus and Millona, I'd love to see a happier moment between them, or something sadder. The image of him living out his life as a total stranger unable to anything more than look on from the outside gets me in the heart every time. Perhaps something which focuses on Millona while the Grey Fox can be glimpsed in the backgeound. I really love the imagery involved in the Thieves' Guild questlines too: the Grey Fox, Nocturnal's ravens and the ancestor moths, so I'd be particularly thrilled with anything that incorporates them. Or something more hopeful: the two of them rebuilding their marriage after the end of the questline, or Millona being pregnant or the birth of a child. And bring Lex into it too if you want: Lex being his noble chivalrous self and him and Millona falling in love while Corvus is unable to do anything other than look on. My heart.

For Hannibal Traven, I'd love to see the Imperial City and/or the Arcane University as a backdrop (or alternatively some Ayleid ruins). A moment of peaceful study in the library, or alternatively go all out on the horror and gore of the Mages' Guild questling. Or him studying the Colossal Black Soul Gem, knowing what he's going to have to do. Or his spirit on the Soul Cairn.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Requested ships: Female Dragonborn | Dovahkiin/General Tullius Male Dragonborn | Dovahkiin/Commander Maro Teldryn Sero/Athis
Mercer Frey/Brynjolf
Avrusa Sarethi/Sinderion Requested medium: Art and Fic

~~

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. Please note that I'd also be happy with an alternate start player character who isn't actually the Dragonborn.

Female Dragonborn | Dovahkiin/General Tullius

Me being me, of course General Tullius would turn out to be my favourite character in Skyrim: it's the sarcasm, mainly, along with his ruthless competence and implied conflict over the Thalmor. 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. This seems like a ship suited for introspection and quieter thoughtful moments (and I'd be thrilled with that), but I'd also love to see him taken out of his comfort zone, and being forced to survive away from the safety of Solitude and the Legion. Especially if it involves 'Thank god we're alive sex' by the side of a campfire.

Oh, and 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.

Optional Prompts

• 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.
• Their party is waylaid on the way to Windhelm and they're isolated from the rest of the group or involved in a skirmish with Stormcloaks.

Male Dragonborn | Dovahkiin/Commander Maro

This ship was born out of a longing for a more fleshed-out version of the Destroy the Dark Brotherhood quest. It’s a shame that it didn’t match the main version in terms of complexity, and I would have freaking loved a version which developed the relationship between the Dragonborn and Commander Maro in the same way as the relationships between the various assassins are developed in the version of the quest where you join them. And why couldn’t it have been triggered by the note from one of the random assassination attempts instead of forcing you to murder someone? It was such a missed opportunity.

It’s up to you whether you want to go the Destroy the Dark Brotherhood route and have them as allies, or if you’d rather go much darker, and have the Dragonborn join the Dark Brotherhood, and make it an enemy-ship instead, with all the ensuing attempts at corruption, dubcon, imprisonment, torture, etc. (Or alternatively, completely ignore the Dark Brotherhood, whether you go the PWP route, or something plottier which focuses on something like, like the machinations of the Thalmor).

Optional Prompts

• Maro and the PC fail in their quest to destroy the Dark Brotherhood, and are captured, imprisoned and tortured.
• Devastated by the murder of his son at the hands of the PC, Maro falls into the trap of allowing himself to be gradually corrupted. (Or alternatively, something along similar lines but the person who murdered his son is an NPC, and the PC is concerned for Maro and trying to prevent him from straying down a path he’ll regret.)
• Any kind of casefic. Such as Maro and the PC investigating a murder suspected to be the work of the Dark Brotherhood, or a Thalmor mole in the Penitus Oculatus.
• An all-too-brief moment of peace (I’d love to see some scenery porn for this)

Teldryn Sero/Athis

Ah man, Athis. <3<3<3 He’s such a little shit, and I love him so much. I’m also fascinated by his backstory: there’s a bit where he talks about having crawled out of the ashes of Morrowind, and something about that aspect of having built up his life again from nothing is incredibly appealing to me. I completely headcanon him as an Ashlander (but please ignore that if you see him differently). And then there’s Teldryn Sero, who is unquestionably one of the best followers in the game. These two were made for each other: the contrast between them, the shared history and differences. How would Teldryn Sero feel about the Companions? Or Athis about visiting Solstheim, given what he has to say about Eastmarch and how he avoids it because it’s too close to the border? I’d particularly love to see some focus on loss and the devastation wrought on Morrowind, and how that puts into perspective any differences between them. As Athis puts it, they’re all Ashlanders now.

Bring the Dragonborn into it if you want, or leave them out entirely. And if you want to turn this into a threesome by including the Dragonborn (whether male or female), then please do.

Optional Prompts

• Athis runs into Teldryn Sero in Solstheim.
• Follower Life – what’s it like being stuck following the PC around, and what happens when the PC isn’t there? (Something kind of meta, maybe?)
• Something focused on the Companions, seen from a perspective that isn’t the Dragonborn. Athis is (presumably) unaware of the secret of the Circle. What happens when he finds out?
• I would freaking love to see some dungeon crawling for this. Or cave crawling. And I do have a bit of a thing for the Falmer.
• They’re in Eastmarch, which Athis usually avoids. How to distract him from his painful memories? (Okay, admittedly this is just an excuse for PWP hot springs sex, but if you want to sneak some angst in there I wouldn’t say no...)
• Windhelm is even more of a shithole if you’re a Dunmer, but on the plus side it gives Teldryn Sero the chance to fuck the East Empire Company over while Athis is getting into brawls...

Mercer Frey/Brynjolf

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, but 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, he is a complete and utter amoral bastard, and I am fine with him being written that way.

For the Mercer/Brynjolf ship, I'd love anything: backstory, or something set during the events of canon, or a post-canon fic, whether Mercer is alive or dead, or a canon-divergent fic where Mercer survives, or is somehow brought back.

Optional Prompts

• The Thieves Guild questline from Mercer and Brynjolf's point of view (well, part of it). Bonus points for Falmer-related horror.
• What if Brynjolf cared more about his friendship/relationship with Mercer than Mercer stealing from the guild and Mercer brought him in on it?
• Mercer is a great admirer of the Gray Fox. Is there a reason? And whatever did happen to the Gray Fox's cowl?
• All the grimy, unpleasant little details of lives spent underground, and mostly in the sewers. Especially if you go the sex up against the sewer wall route.
• A Jessica Fletcher type turns up in the Flagon and starts poking around into Gallus's murder, stirring up Mercer's guilt (If it's a thinly veiled Skyrim version of Jessica Fletcher and crack-played-straight, then ALL THE BETTER.).
• After the events of the questline have been concluded, Brynjolf looks back on his memories of Mercer.
• Mercer's been in a dark mood lately and Brynjolf's concerned about him.

Avrusa Sarethi/Sinderion

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. There's a lot of things I'd love to see here, from sweet-yet-tragic backstory here, or an AU where Sinderion wasn't killed in Blackreach (or hasn't been killed *yet*), or something much darker with a Came Back Wrong fic (that's Dunmer herbalists for you, I guess).

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.

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.

Optional 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).

Art Prompts

For this fandom, I'm particularly here for scenery porn, and especially anything that incorporates the outdoors, campfires, and the Northern Lights. If you want to do something with more action, then fantastic, but one thing I really love about Skyrim is how peaceful it can get, so peaceful moments are welcome too for all of these ships.

For the Female Dragonborn/General Tullius ship, I'd particularly love an older Dragonborn here and the two of them meeting as equals, maybe weary and battle-worn after the battle for Windhelm, or camped out on the eve of battle.

For the male Dragonborn/Commander Maro ship, they could be either antagonistic or allies -- I'm good with either. If the former, then perhaps the Dragonborn comforting Maro after the murder of his son, or if the latter, then something that uses the creepy-ass trappings of the Dark Brotherhood to full effect. And in that case, consider torture and dub con welcome.

For Brynjolf & Mercer, I really like the darkness and gloom of the sewers, and I love the way Mercer seems to live an almost entirely underground life, with the exit from his house into the sewers. Show me then in happier times, or the grim depressing grittiness of their life in the sewers. I also adore the look of the Dwemer ruins and the Falmer, so anything that involves them would be particularly welcome.

For Athis and Teldryn Sero, anything incorporating Dunmer culture, or capturing how it feels to be so far from home, whether they're in Whiterun or Windhelm or wherever else it is they've found themselves. I'd love to see Solstheim here, or perhaps together they find their way to whatever's left of Morrowind.

And finally for Sinderion/Avrusa Sarethi, Blackreach Blackreach Blackreach. I LOVE the look of Blackreach so freaking much, the almost pitch blackness contrasted with the shimmering phosphoresence of the mushrooms, the Dwemer ruins, and the vast artificial sun, and the Falmer. But alternatively: Nirnroot.

Thief (original trilogy)

Requested ships: Garrett
Garrett/The Trickster
Garrett/Inspector Drept
Garrett/Viktoria
Requested medium: Art and Fic

~~

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 (where he's misanthropic, angry, and bitter), and the pre-mission voice-overs (where he's confident, collected, and wry).

I'd love to see some world-building: the City is such a fantastic, fascinating setting, and there's so much scope for exploring, with the mix of old technology with the steampunky vibes of the first two games.

Garrett

Ah man, Garrett. <3 I’ve already spoken about him quite a bit above, so there’s no need to rehash that, but he honestly is one of my OTCs of all time, and if there’s ever been a character who I’d love to see getting whumped, it’s him. So consider this reassurance that I would LOVE a fic that focuses on him and him alone, or which focuses on his relationship with the City (which deserves to be a ship in its own right, honestly), his day-to-day life, or his background.

Optional Prompts

• Shalebridge Cradle. Just that, basically, whether it’s set during the game’s events, or perhaps a pre-canon fic where Garrett is younger.
• Anything that follows on from the loss of his eye. I’d be fascinated to see something which looks at his early relationship with Karras before the events of the second game.
• I love the bleakness of the walled-off part of the City, the ruined buildings, the zombies, and in particular the Hammer Haunts. It’s so atmospheric and creepy.
• The Eye fascinates me, the way it speaks to him, how manipulative it is, and just what the implications are of it coming into his possession at the end of the third game.

Garrett/The Trickster

Basically, I would really love a Bad Guys Win AU here, with the Trickster keeping Garrett alive after the end of the first game. Angst, magical vines, monster fucking, torture, and extremely dubious consent: I'm here for it all.

Alternatively, something set during the course of the first game, where Constantine hasn't yet been unmasked as the Trickster. And if you want to combine this ship with either of the others for this fandom then please do.

Optional Prompts

• Garrett, being Garrett, is nothing but pragmatic, and decides that he might as well make the best of a bad situation and seeks to make himself useful to the Trickster. There's always something else to steal.
• Monster fucking, xeno, and sex pollen - The Trickster doses Garrett with sex pollen and hands him over to his monsters while he watches.
• Constantine invites Garrett to his house to give him the tour, especially of the gardens. I'd love to see more of their dynamic, so stick to pre-slash conversation if you want: that mix of hostility and mistrust and greed. Maybe Constantine slips something in Garrett's drink to make him more voluble (or something in the air in the gardens?). Or, if you want to do smut, then that, whether Garrett remembers it all afterwards or not.
• How easy is it to kill a god anyway? What happens if the Trickster comes back? Or if Garrett meets someone who resembles Constantine?

Garrett/Inspector Drept

Oh, the Hammerites. <3<3<3 Garrett's relationship with them is such a complicated one: in every game he veers between being their enemy and their ally, and how he is ultimately a heretic and they'd probably be able to justify killing him for that reason alone if they could catch him. And Drept -- we don't see much of him, but I'd really like to know more: what was he doing during the events of the first game, or during the rise of Father Karras. Had he met Garrett before the events of the third game? I'd just really love to see more of their relationship, complicated as it is, especially in the wake of the events of the third game. Because I desperately want to know what happens next.

Optional Prompts

• Hurt/comfort -- maybe Garrett had met Drept before during the events of the first game when he'd just lost his eye, and look, if there's a character I want to see whumped, it's Garrett.
• Drept meets up with Garrett after the events of the third game. What happens to the Keepers, given the destruction of the glyphs? Does the destruction of the glyphs mean that the sealed-off part of the Old Town won't be sealed off anymore? And what will happen to Garrett now that he has the Eye? I have so many questions.
• The Hammerites have another task that they need Garrett to pull off.
• Whump - Drept is captured and tortured by the Pagans, or during the events of the second game because Karras considers Drept a heretic. Garrett rescues him, whether he does it deliberately or just happens to be in the right place at the right time.
• A Bad Guys Win AU for the events of the first game, with Garrett and Drept as uneasy surviving in a world plunged into darkness.

Garrett/Viktoria

These two fascinate me, particularly their dynamic in the second game as Garrett gradually adapts to working with her, even after everything that happened and everything she did to him in the first game. Oh, and speaking of the first game, that cut-scene where she turns up at his tenement? Yeah, he so very clearly wants to fuck her.

There are two things I have in mind for this ship. Firstly, a Bad Guys Win AU like the Trickster ship above, where they are still, technically, enemies, or something that follows canon more closely, and they've become allies.

Optional Prompts

• For the Bad Guys Win AU, heavily dubcon smut which takes full advantage of vines and Viktoria's ability to grow tree branches for limbs. Does she hate him, or is she starting to show signs of the more sympathetic side we see in The Metal Age? Creepy folk-horror imagery is particularly welcome here.
• For the Bad Guys Win AU, after being tortured, Garrett is seriously injured and close to death. Viktoria tends to his wounds.
• Also Bad Guys Win: Garrett fails but manages to escape and is now trying to hide in the City while Viktoria hunts for him. Maybe he manages to capture and imprison her.
• 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?
• Also during the second game, with no immediate missions, they have a quiet moment to bond in the forest, gradually getting to know one another even though all the old hurts still sting.
• Or a missing scene from the first game. 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.

Art Prompts

I love the imagery from the first two games in particular. Like the box-art for Thief: Gold, the contrast of the dark shadows with the brightly coloured highlights of the stained glass window behind Garrett. The material religion of the Hammerites, the decor in the various mansions Garrett strips bare, the Pagan monsters, the buildings and architecture of the City...

For Garrett, I'd love to see any aspect of his life explored. His time with the Keepers, what he was like as a boy, making his way along the Thieves' Highway, his friendship with Basso or Cutty, or something which highlights his isolation and loneliness. Maybe something incorporating the Downwind Credo ('We chose our profession in defiance of the greed of the monarchy. We will not live for the sake of taxes to fatten the noble's pockets. We choose to live the only life available to those who would truly be free. We are Thieves.'). Or an image of him going undercover in Hammerite robes in the first game.

For Garrett/The Trickster, I'm imagining this as a Trickster Wins! AU, so perhaps the Trickster in his monstrous form? Here for something dark -- Garrett tormented and suffering in the Maw, or alternatively the Trickster as Constantine, perhaps the two of them sharing wine in the gardens of Constantine's house. I love tricksy stuff with reflections, so if you can work the Trickster's true form into the reflections on the water. Or just anything that captures the creepy freakiness of that house and those gardens. If Constantine is human and the house appears... relatively normal, I'd love to see some creepy foreshadowing of what's to come, whether its images of monkeys or images hidden in the wallpaper or the hedges.

For Garrett/Viktoria, anything that incorporates vines and her shapeshifting would be fantastic. I'd be happy with a more antagonistic Trickster Wins!AU or something set during the second game when they're learning how to work with each other. Maybe vines twining through his hair (which I headcanon as being dark and curly if that helps) while they're kissing, or if you want to go for something more antagonistic, maybe she's taking care of Garrett against his will after he's been tortured.

And finally, for Garrett/Drept, damn, do I love all the Hammerite stuff: the hammers and the stained glass, and the idea of Drept falling in love with a heretic. Incorporate something from the Hammer Book of Tenets if you want, or have Garrett going undercover again. Or maybe Drept catching him in the act of stealing from the Hammerites again.

Thanks for reading!