Five Figure Fic Exchange 2020 Letter

Please note this letter is still under construction.

Five Figure Fic Exchange 2020 Letter

AO3 Username: StopTalkingAtMe

Ohhhhh, I’m so thrilled that this exchange is happening, I can’t even say. As always please don’t read too much into some of my requests being longer than others: it comes down to my dubious prompt-writing skills than a preference for any one of the fandoms or ships I’ve requested. :D I’ve requested both comics and fic for all of my fandoms.

Table of Contents

General Likes, Smut Likes, Art Likes and DNWs
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
Blake’s 7
Darkwood
Dishonored
The Dresden Files - TV
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The River
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.
• Whump
• 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)
• Descriptions of scars
• I have absolutely no problem with character death. Even main character death. Feel free to rip my heart out.

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 and Comic 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 diptychs and triptychs, as well as 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
Requested medium: Art and Fic

~~

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

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.

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.
• They set out to get Thaletas’s helmet back.

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… perhaps Stentor thinks he’s in love with protagonist!Kassandra, and is sleeping with Deimos as a way to drown his sorrows, but gradually he 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.

Art Likes/Comic Prompts

I would very definitely be up for a PWP comic for both of these pairings.

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.

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, at least in Sparta). 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.

Blake’s 7

Requested characters/ships: Kerr Avon
Requested medium: Art and Fic

~~

Note on my DNWs: Brief mentions and references to the canonical use of false memories of child abuse are fine here.

Firstly, I’d better come clean. I’ve only just started watching Blake’s 7, BUT I’ve fallen ridiculously head-over-heels in love with the show and its characters, and since the chances are I’m not going to get another chance to request it for a while, I’m going to request it here. Given the long writing period I can all but guarantee that I’ll have finished watching it all by the time of reveals, but my prompts may be lacking since I have no idea what to expect. I’m honestly not entirely sure what I want beyond Avon being a magnificent sexy bastard.

Right from the very first episode, which was so grimly dystopian (the bureaucracy, the people in charge running ‘feasibility studies’ when the possibility being examined is the act of planting false memories of abuse in the minds of children, I mean… fuck. Fuck.) It’s so utterly bleak and awful, but then it’s balanced out by the sheer fun of the sets and the storylines.

It’s a little tricky prompting for this (and apologies if some of my prompts are rendered irrelevant by the way canon goes), but generally speaking I’ll be up for anything that examines the dystopian elements of the world and the Federation, angst, backstory, canon divergent AUs set during, pre- and post-canon, hurt/comfort, whump and torture, trust issues, case fic of the planet-of-the-week sort or the murder mystery sort (write me Avon solving another Closed Circle murder mystery and I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER. Seriously), or Avon’s complicated relationship with basically anybody.

Ship-wise, I’m open to a LOT of potential ships (including background ships). All else being equal, if you're not sure what ship to write for Avon I have a (very) slight preference for het, possibly with Cally or Jenna. The early episode where he tries to tempt Jenna into leaving everyone on the prison planet and flying away with him gave me feelings (especially because she almost does it). Other than that, I’m open to pretty much anything ship-wise, including the involvement of original characters, and also for complicated Blake/Avon, and Vila/Avon. If you have a plot idea for any ship you think fits with my likes, then go for it. For background ships, I’m drawn to Jenna/Cally, Blake/Cally, Travis/Servalan, and Vila/Gan, but anything goes.

So far there isn’t a character I wouldn’t love to see more of, although so far Blake, Jenna, Travis, and Vila are all favourites. Blake’s a fantastic character: so ruthless when he needs to be, and there’s so much potential in his backstory – the torture and the mind-fuckery and the loss of his family – and on top of that how touchy feely he is with just about everybody: putting his arm around Cally, cosying up to Avon when they’re almost knocked over by an explosion…

There’s so much I’d love to see explored, from the world-building beyond the Liberator (the potential of the Mutoids for example), to the crew of the Liberator. Watching the first season, there’s some moments of conflict, yes, but in series one there’s also this sense that they all genuinely do really like each other, (with the possible exception of Avon and Vila). Blake describing Avon as his friend in The Web made my heart grow two sizes. :D The show understandably skipped most of the getting to know each other scenes, but I’d really like to see some of their everyday life on the ship as they start to explore it a bit more, or maybe on the prison ship when they’re being transferred to Cygnus Alpha.

Optional Prompts

• Bad guys win!AU – I’ve so far mostly managed to avoid spoilers, but I have osmosed enough to suspect that an AU where the bad guys win may not be all that far from what actually happens at the end of the series. But a bad ending can always be worse, and sometimes a character’s survival is not always a good thing. Blake is captured and brainwashed not into being a good citizen, but in actively fighting for the Federation. Or he’s working under Travis, who’s able to repeatedly torture him then wipe his memories. And whatever you choose, Avon finds himself pitted against a deeply changed version of Blake.
• They realise they’re trapped in some kind of simulation (something along the lines of the Red Dwarf episode Back to Reality?).
• They find themselves stranded on another ship and unable to return to the Liberator. Meanwhile someone is picking people off one by one.
• For whatever reason, in Episode 3, Blake didn’t manage to get back in touch with them within Jenna’s allotted hour, so, convinced that the others are dead (to varying degrees of ‘convinced’), Jenna and Avon abandon them on Cygnus Alpha and set themselves up as smugglers. I mean, I'd be fine with the two of them leading a life of crime while evading Federation ships and repeatedly accidentally becoming rebels, but perhaps they come into contact with the Prime!Universe crew of the Liberator. If they had fucked off, how would that have affected Blake and the others on Cygnus Alpha?
• Supposedly the Liberator was created by the System, but it seems so completely unlike any of their other technology, so where did it really come from?
• The moment Blake and Avon first met. Angst, or something quieter, exploring some of the background scenes of them all getting to know one another and exploring the Liberator.
• Avon meets up with clone!Blake, who is rather more straightforward when it comes to sex than the real Blake.
• Time loops – Avon is trapped in a time loop where the Liberator keeps being destroyed no matter what he does.
• They have a mission which involves going undercover at a Federation rest centre. Maybe there’s a murder. Or alternatively this is just
• Oh, and if you’re up for writing a weird crossover, I’m currently reading Gideon the Ninth. I have absolutely no idea how that would work: I just know that it would work and that I desperately, desperately want it. I mean… Gideon lusting over Cally and Jenna? Avon taking it upon himself to solve the murders? idek

Art/Comic Likes

I love the look of this series so, so much: the gloriously wonky BBC special effects, and the clothes – oh god, the clothes - so anything like that which can be incorporated will be appreciated, and I am here for pure unadulterated costume porn, especially if Servalan is involved. I also have a huge thing for the way Avon smiles. Oh, and I’m open to PWP for this fandom.

Darkwood

Requested characters/ships: The Stranger
Requested medium: Art and Fic

~~

There's so much to love about this game: the Eastern European setting, the grotesque body horror, the creepy dream sequences, the folk horror aspects of the villagers (and their Sow), the character artwork, and the incredibly creepy imagery. I love the vague hints of mythology and echoes of fairy tales (the Wolfman putting on the Huntsman's clothes in a creepy-as-fuck reverse Red Riding Hood) and I can't help wondering if the Chicken Lady is a reference to Baba Yaga.

For this I'd love more of what's in canon. Creepy dreams, gruesome monsters, body horror, the desperate fight for survival when the generator's about to run out of gas and there's something lurking in the shadows. One thing I really like about the game is the sense that the protagonist is himself a complete monster, so feel free to play with that.

Optional Prompts

• Anything involving the confusion between dreams and reality after the Stranger believes himself to have escaped from the wood.
• Survival horror. The Stranger trying to survive a couple of nights in his barricaded shack, or finding himself stranded out in the woods as night comes in.
• An outsider’s POV of the Stranger. A kid from the village, maybe?
• Anything exploring the setting, the dream sequences, the set pieces like the wedding, the confrontation with the doctor, any of the dream sequences, the Sow. Basically, I’d just love to have some of the game’s vibe captured in fiction.
• The Stranger dreams about the man he used to be.

Art/Comic Likes

Horror, horror, horror. I love the visuals in this game, the creepy-as-fuck monochrome artwork, the copious amounts of body horror, the murder forest setting, and the style of the in-game readables, so I’d be delighted with a comic that incorporates any of those things. There are so many weird and creepy images in this game, like the Sow, the Talking Tree, the nightmares… And one trope in particular that I will never fail to adore: being trapped in confined spaces with monsters.

Dishonored

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

~~

Corvo Attano/Teague Martin

I’m honestly a little baffled that this ship isn’t larger than it is, given all the whump potential of Corvo rescuing Martin from Holger Square. And yeah, okay, maybe it’s because Martin is a treacherous little weasel, but he’s a fascinating treacherous little weasel, and I ship them like burning. It hit me out of nowhere this ship, and I ship them all the harder for how hopeless and bleak and messed up it all is, with the betrayal and Corvo having been marked by the Outsider, not to mention his having just seen his lover murdered right in front of him. I just wish there was more fic for this pairing.

I'm enthralled by the Loyalists and everything that's going on behind the scenes with them while the events of the first game are taking place. But Martin especially: all that delicious angst and guilt as he struggles with his conscience and how he owes Corvo everything but still betrays him. His shady background is hinted at, but never really expanded on, and his true feelings about the Overseers is never quite made clear. Is he really a man of faith, or is it just a convenient route to power?

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. Perhaps Martin'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. Plotty canon-divergent fic is particularly welcome here.

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 and they have to scramble to survive whilst protecting Emily.

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 I ship adult Emily/Teague Martin so freaking hard. It grew out of a prompt for the Corvo/Martin ship, 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 first imagined 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. Meanwhile 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.

That 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. Martin can survive a high chaos run, so there’s every chance he could be imprisoned in Coldridge, and 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 goes back in time and it's him rather than Daud 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/Comic Prompts

I’m open to a PWP comic for both these pairings (with the caveat that my underage DNW applies).

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.

The Dresden Files - TV

Requested ships: Harry Dresden & Bob
Harry Dresden/Bob
Harry Dresden & Bob & Justin Morningway
Requested medium: Art and Fic

~~

I will forever not be disappointed that this series never got a second season. It drew a lot of criticism for not being closer to the books, but I remain convinced that’s not necessarily a bad thing: sometimes it’s better for adaptations to do their own thing. The relatively close version the show did of Storm Front is, uh, evidence of that. As a whole wasn’t perfect, but it was *fun*, and I’m just sad it never had a chance to explore the worldbuilding a bit more. Paul Blackthorne was likeable and perfect as Harry, and honestly, as far as I’m concerned the show was worth it for the changes it made to Bob alone.

I’d love to see some worldbuilding here, of the magic Harry does, or the monsters he faces, or the Wizard’s Council. I’ve only just started reading the books, so if you do bring in plot elements from the books ideally I’d prefer no major spoilers, but I’m really not that fussed. If at any point you’re at all in doubt, then please err on the side of assuming it’s absolutely fine. Casefic would be fantastic, as would loyalty king between Harry and Bob, whether you treat their relationship as shippy or platonic. I loved the way the show picked up the loyalty kink between them towards the end of the series (“I serve Harry now”, and how devastated Harry is when he thinks he’s lost Bob), and I cannot emphasise enough how here I am for that. Same goes for any exploration of Harry’s relationship with his uncle – the flashback when we see what happened to Justin is really interesting because they seem on fairly good term – is that true, or is it not really as amicable as it might first appear? What was it like for Harry going from touring with his dad to living with his uncle and Bob in that vast mansion? And speaking of that house, at one point he tells Murphy he hasn’t sold it because it isn’t safe, so what exactly is he afraid of? And as for Justin, I can’t believe the show was going to end it that way. And what about Harry’s mother?

And then there’s Bob. I love him so much, the somewhat shady past, with his past crimes hinted at, but never in great detail. It’s pretty clear that there’s more to his crimes than just bringing his wife back to the dead, and there’s the question of whether redemption can truly be found when you’re cursed in the way he’s been. Is his loyalty to Harry entirely natural, or has it been induced to some extent by his curse? Harry seems like the sort of guy who’d free Bob if he could – did he ever try, maybe as a boy? If you choose to ship them, then if you go all in on the complications of ghost-human relations (bearing in mind Bob has no physical presence), then I will eat it up with a spoon. I also ship Murphy with Harry, and, after being a little disappointed by the fake-out when Murphy ‘learns’ Harry really is an actual, literal wizard and has the indentured soul of a dead sorcerer serving him, I also kind of sort of ship Murphy/Bob, and would quite like to see them interacting (always here for Bob calling her ‘M’lady’).

Optional Prompts

• The decision to wedge the Storm Front pilot into the series halfway through was certainly a choice. It raised a lot of questions, like: ‘Why is his house and office completely different?’, ‘Since when does TV Harry have a cat?’, and most importantly, ‘WHERE THE FUCK IS BOB?’ So: meta. Maybe the Storm Front episode is set in a different universe, and Harry is trapped there.
• Morningway-Dresden-Hrothbert of Bainbridge family dynamics. How did Harry really get on with his uncle? What sort of things are lurking in that house? Is Bob the only ghost there? How easy was it for him to adapt to the way that world worlds, given his father took such pains to protect him from it?
• Harry discovers a way to free Bob from the curse, but it comes with its own risks, whether that be from Bob himself or an external danger? And jsyk, I’m always here for Lovecraftian monstrosities.
• Winifred turns out to be alive, whether she remembers her old life or not. And maybe Justin didn’t come up with that replica scheme himself – so Harry and Bob have to go up against a younger, crueller, unambiguously evil version of Bob.
• Harry, Bob and a bunch of wizards find themselves trapped in the Morningway Estate, being picked off one by one.

Art/Comic Likes

I’d love to see something darker here, maybe a noir pastiche, or some horror imagery. I loved some of the creepy imagery in the show.

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Requested ships: Lucien Lachance/Vicente Valtieri
The Hero of Kvatch/The Gray Prince
Corvus Umbranox
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

Corvus is one of my favourite characters of all time, with the Thieves’ Guild questline of Oblivion easily one of the highlights of the game. I love the way all the details build towards that final climactic heist, and the reveal of the Gray Fox’s identity and the curse. There is something so exquisitely heartbreaking (but also pretty damn creepy) about the idea of him hanging about the castle, forever excluded from his own life, especially bearing in mind this is all taking place in the middle of the Oblivion Crisis.

I would be over the moon with gen, but should you choose to write shipfic, Corvus/Millona is engraved on my heart, but I also ship Corvus/Millona/Lex in just about every permutation. I’d also be up for Corvus/Lucien Lachance and Corvus/Lucien Lachance/Vicente Valtieri, whether fully consensual or dubiously so.

I would love a take on his backstories, how he met his wife or 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 marriage. 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. Alternatively, I’d also love a canon-style heist, or something examining the way the guild operates or interacts with other guilds such as the Dark Brotherhood.

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.

The Hero of Kvatch/The Gray Prince

The perfect rip-my-heart-out-and-stamp-on-it ship. Oblivion has its limitations, no doubt, but there’s still something so sad about the Gray Prince’s quest to discover the secret about his family, and the resulting way the Arena questline ends. And okay, yeah, vampires, and how creepy Crowhaven is with its sealed-off room and the reveal of Agronak’s parentage and the implications.

Optional Prompts

• An AU where Agronak survives. Perhaps the Hero of Kvatch forfeits the match and somehow persuades him to keep living. Does Agronak set his heart on slaughtering as many vampires as he can? And how does his heritage affect him, if at all?
• Sparring together leads to sex.
• Play with all the vampire stuff. While out together, they’re approached by Ralsa Norvalo and drawn into the Order of the Virtuous Blood questline. What would happen if either character got infected with vampirism? Or both of them, but it turns out Agronak is immune?
• Rather than travelling alone, the Hero of Kvatch persuades Agronak to journey to Crowhaven with him.

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, I'd love to see a happier moment between him and his wife, 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 background. 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.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Requested ships:
Female Dragonborn | Dovahkiin/General Tullius
Male Dragonborn | Dovahkiin/Commander Maro
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)

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.

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.

The River

Requested ships: Emmet Cole
Emmet Cole/Tess Cole/Clark Quietly
Clark Quietly/Tess Cole
Requested medium: Art and Fic

~~

I finally got around to watching this single-series show, only about eight years after it first aired, and it really is the weirdest show. It’s the found-footage story of a mother and son sailing up the Amazon in search of their father and husband Emmet Cole, and making a documentary on the show, and it is completely bizarre from start to finish, with each episode focusing on a different horror trope, from a little ghost girl to zombies. It’s such an oddly contrived concept for a series, and I completely loved it, and am now desperately sad that it didn’t get a second series. I loved all of the characters and would be up for seeing any one of them explored, so consider this a go-ahead to do exactly that rather than the requested characters and ships. I’d particularly like to see Kurt explored, but I’m open to anything, including outsider POV.

Clark was unquestionably one of my favourite characters, and I’d love to see more of his relationships with Tess and/or Emmet. I found the dynamics of their weird little love triangle incredibly appealing, and I am here for that to be explored however you want, whether V-shaped or triad. I would definitely be up for seeing the Clark/Emmet side of it emphasised – the awkward tension in the moment between them after Emmet’s been viewing the footage and thanks Clark for looking after Tess, with Clark claiming to have always been a selfish bastard – god, it’s like catnip. I adored the moment between Clark and Tess in the episode where they all started to lose their sight, too, where he essentially confesses to adoring her and realises that for her there’s only Emmet. Rip my heart out, why don’t you?

I’d love to see something that follows on from the twist in the last episode, a short time afterwards or years in the future. Is there conflict between him and Emmet, or maybe Emmet sees that after everything that happened, he isn’t enough for Tess and that she needs Clark too. Maybe he’ll never be free of the hunger for magic and knows that someday he’ll end up leaving her again.

I’d also love to see more tropey horror here. So if you want, take another horror movie trope, figure out how you can fit it into their journey up the Amazon in the most contrived way (Hey, if it’s good enough for canon...). Explore any one of the horror tropes throughout the series (especially the zombies), or alternatively the one horror trope we didn’t see much of was monster movies: a crossover with Anaconda, perhaps, even if you don’t use anything from that film other than the giant snake.

For the Solo: Emmet request, I’d really like to see something about how he got into magic in the first place. The name of his boat, the Magus, really fascinates me, as does the use of magic throughout the series. How did he get started with the search for magic? What happened to him during the time he was missing?

Optional Prompts

• When did Emmet first learn real magic existed? On one of his journeys or somewhere more urban? And how did it come to consume him?
• One thing I regretted about the last episode was how quickly the Agatha Christie-style mystery of who tried to shoot Emmet was dropped. It’s another trope I love, so I’d love to see an AU of that episode which spins out the mystery for a bit longer, whether the culprit remains the same as in the episode or is different.
• Time loop. A character keeps dying, or has to prevent another character from dying, but keeps failing. I especially love the creepiness of the world breaking down as the time loop progresses. Or moments when it becomes clear that other characters are also trapped in their own loops.
• One thing I really liked about the canon was how it used the documentary footage and incorporated it into the plot, so I’d really like to see something that reflects that or the found-footage style of the show (although I’m not quite sure how you’d go about that in a fic). Maybe something with the creepy feeling of not being able to trust your own eyes, where watched footage differs from what a character remembers happening, and they can’t quite figure out what’s real and what’s not.

Art Likes

I’d love to see some horror imagery here, and maybe for the found footage aspects of the show to be incorporated somehow.

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!