Yuletide 2018
Oct. 8th, 2018 10:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tailcoatDear Yuletide author!
This is the Yuletide 2018 letter for Labocat on AO3 - thank you so much for signing up and offering any of these fandoms; I dearly hope we matched on something you're excited about! Along those lines, I do want to say that if nothing below sparks you, please feel free to use any ideas you already have! I'm really easy to please and all of these fandoms are here because I just want to see more writing in them in general, so anything at all is a gift!
General things! This is just broad-view stuff; I'll note where applicable in specific sections if canons/ships can ignore something.
In general: I’m really happy with anything! And by anything, I really do mean just about anything; it’s hard to find something that I absolutely don’t like hard stop. I'm good with all ratings, as well as with all takes on most tropes, whether it be straight or subversive or somehow finagling it to fit a canon that it really shouldn't.
Some tropes I adore that are relevant (non-comprehensive):
- hurt/comfort and whump
- alternate PoVs of scenes
- pre-canon backstory
- curtainfic/established relationship
- casefic
- fake relationship/arranged marriage/accidentally married/accidental confessions
- found family
- enemies/rivals to lovers (also friends to lovers)
- secret relationships/friendships
- reincarnation/fated/soulbonds
- trapped somewhere together
- loyalty
- magically bonded together (either physically or telepathically)
- redemption or corruption
- road trips
- the 90s anime onsen episode
My DNWs are very few and are unlikely to come up in these canons, but just in case: pregnancy/kids, miscommunication as the central source of plot/tension, non-canonical pronouns, and suicidal thoughts/actions from characters further than canon would go.
Really Optional Details That Are Entirely Optional (okay let’s just call them kinks): If you wanted to go a M/E route, and are comfortable writing any of the following, I really enjoy size difference, blindfolds, orgasm denial, sex pollen, messy/sloppy sex, intercrual, oral, semi-public sex (like in a closet or alley), sensory deprivation, breathplay, toys (especially hidden plugs/vibes), marking/possessiveness, overstimulation, body worship, slow, drawn-out sex that can really tie in with the aforementioned body worship, or awkward first times. I also like a lot of things that generally have to be requested and that most people aren’t comfortable with so they are Extra Optional: dubcon, vore/gore, tentacles and xenophilia, oviposition, come inflation, a/b/o, bloodplay, threesomes/moresomes, double penetration, degradation, non-con body mods, and collars.
Also, past letters are fair game to check if I've requested a fandom before! I've requested a few of these before in different exchanges, and while what I ask for may have shifted, I'm still interested for the same reasons and in for similar prompts.
All of my canons have been put up for the Crueltide and Yuleporn challenges - some canon-specific details are at the bottom of each request, but as always, those are non-restrictive and non-comprehensive, just guidelines!
Fate/Grand Order
Characters: Female Protagonist
Where to consume: The game itself is downloadable on both the Android and App Store in English now, but as the English version of the game is two years behind the Japanese, scattered translations and summaries can be found Chaldeum, Cirnopedia, and on the grand order reddit as well.
I was really torn between requesting Any again or requesting the Protagonist again and ultimately settled on requesting the protag (who I am fine with being named either Ritsuka or Gudako) because what I'd love most to see is conversations or discussions (or even fights) with any of the servants or the support staff about the whole Grand Order and Chaldea shebang and everything they've all been through. I think the protagonist is a really interesting mortal foil in this world of divine and heroic spirits, thrust into the center of it without much preparation. All of the servants have such different backgrounds and motivations, and I think she’s a really interesting sounding board for a lot of the issues they might have with the system or with other servants summoned to Chaldea at the same time or having to visit places they know in situations or times that they don’t. Or even just dealing with the hijinks that always seem to happen in Chaldea! I think she’s also very much a possible source of unease or said hijinks, especially if you take the Riyo characterization to heart. I don't mind what view of the game you take, whether it be the more serious main storyline or the off-the-wall chaos of the events, and along those lines, all similar assumptions about how many servants the protagonist has summoned are welcome.
I am caught up to Lostbelt, so would also welcome discussions of everything that's been going down and the future direction of everything they've uncovered. I would also welcome some heartbreak angst about how the end of the Demon Pillars went down, or just general Chaldea staff day-to-day stuff and discussions. There are so many interesting personalities, and the protagonist really brings them all together and draws them forward, and I love seeing that explored. I'm also quite fine with sticking with just the English timeline and how everything is sort of barreling towards its conclusion. Or even make up your own event! What Christmas event would you want to see?
I also adore the CEs, especially the ones that bring together groups of characters that usually don't interact, or show them in situations either their original canon or Fate canon wouldn't show. Are they AUs? Theme days around Chaldea? Is there a photo studio somewhere, or do they just Rayshift wherever they need to to have a day out in exploration?
Of the tagset, favored servants/conversation partners are: Nero, Mash, Romani, da Vinci, Merlin, Carmilla, Karna, Mordred, and Bedivere. Otherwise, really, anyone is free game, and I'm really not picky at all!
Crueltide coda: As much as it can be a silly canon, Fate also deals with some pretty dark topics, so I'm really open here. Death and violence and torture and grey morals are staples of the canon, and we've literally got an apocalypse as a central point of the game, and between Kiara and BB, we've got vore and eldritch monsters back on the table too, not to mention all the wild noncon body mods, possessions and basically forced breeding discussions Lostbelt has brought us. A lot of the servants weren't good people in life and aren't terribly great people in the game. I would like to ask no torture porn for the sake of torture porn - otherwise please some introspection on how what they're doing reflects on their legend or reason for obtaining the grail.
Yuleporn coda: Laughs in Fate/. Because I only requested the protagonist, most of what'll be here is the mana system and how that ties into supporting such a large...party, as it were. Other than that, please feel free to do just about anything! CEs can tie in, again, or characters' bond lines as such.
Today's Menu for the Emiya Family
Characters: Sakura Matou, Rider
How to consume: Available on Crunchyroll, episodes released the 1st of each month
NICE DAYS OUT AND GOOD FOOD FOR EVERYONE. I cannot even explain how much I adore Sakura and Rider shopping for groceries together, or even things like Rin teaching Sakura to cook, or just the general feel of making food for the people you care about that underlines the whole show. I come from a family where making food, either together or for one another is our love language, so the whole premise of the show with food bringing all these characters together really spoke to me. I also love how each episode is so seasonally appropriate with its recipe choices and seasonal ingredients as well as the choice of framing event for each episode.
In general Fate canon, I do dearly love Rider and Sakura and their relationship and protectiveness/possessiveness and whole arc, but as this show generally pretends no one is actually enemies, please keep any mentions of the actual grail war situations and consequences to a minimum if you feel you have to include them at all.
I'd love to see them cooking together on their own, either Sakura teaching Rider a favorite dish, or Rider teaching Sakura new cuisine, or either of them cooking for the other becuase they're feeling under the weather, hot food on cold days, trying and trying to perfect a new technique, or anything you can think of! I do ship them, so if you want to go a shippy route, please do! Otherwise general interactions are just fine too.
Crueltide coda: While this fandom on its own I would normally exclude from Crueltide, it's impossible to separate entirely from the grail war, and from that angle, a lot of doors get opened. I would ask that if you wanted to write Sakura(/&)Rider for Crueltide, it gets tagged with Stay Night and not Today's Menu. Along Stay Night lines however, crest worms, Sakura's possessiveness and Rider's protectiveness, and the vore that feature in Heaven's Feel could make a "menu" spin really Crueltide-accessible.
Yuleporn coda: I am very much here for foodplay if you'd like to go that route! Or a less Crueltide-esque spin on their possessive/protective nature and Sakura's background.
Charm of Magpies
Characters: Ned Hall, Crispin Tredarloe
How to Consume:Rag and Bone and its prequel A Queer Trade are the most relevant books here, but any other cameos from the Charm of Magpies world are welcome, especially from Jackdaw!
Historical fantasy is such a weakness of mine and I just absolutely fell in love with this spin-off. I love the concept of graphomancy, and I love characters who have a type of magic that falls outside of the standard rules and methods and so have to create their own path, so I was doomed from the start.
I’ll admit, after finishing Rag and Bone, I have been thinking about if Ned and Crispin have to, as part of a case as judiciary, go to Cornwall, with Crispin starting to slipping back into Cornish and childhood habits and alternately more comfortable and more awkward with his magic surrounded by familiar things and trying to prove that he’s succeeded to people who have known him as a child (while having to hide his magic and his job and his boyfriend). Bonus points if at some point along the way they run into Ben and Jonah (because I would put good odds on the part of Cornwall Crispin is from being close to where Ben and Jonah ended up because their lives have already mingled and why not) and they bond over being on slightly the wrong side of the law and finding refuge in Cornwall and in general seeing each other again and realizing how their timelines overlapped.
But that’s my super weirdly specific request! Otherwise I think that Ned and Crispin’s relationship is wonderful and adorable. Nicknames! Each thinking the other is wildly successful and amazing (despite not thinking they themselves are all that)! Ned being grumpy about suddenly being magical! Graphomancy! Being recruited precisely because they’re oddities (which fits so nicely into my love of what a character thinks of as a weakness others see as their strength)! I think it’s really charming that Ned’s talent was one for hearing to begin with when Crispin absolutely lacks it - they complement each other so well and I loved seeing them play off of that to solve problems. I think Ned would still take a lot of time to get used to have more than a flit’s talent, so maybe Crispin helping him deal with it or finding a way to use his hearing in a way that is actually nice and pleasing rather than stressful from all the noise of London. Their first run (or few runs as they fumble through!) as justiciary would be so neat to see as well!
Crueltide coda: Lighter fare here, but absolutely okay with a job going wrong: we've seen practitioners hungry for power summon all sorts of things that would be a nightmare to deal with or to have go wrong. Bodily possession has also already come up and been a concern, so please feel free to play with that! Also it's canon that flits who get a taste for power are highly susceptible to getting addicted to magic and wanting more and we know that Ned's father was an alcoholic, so there's some open doors for addiction or for Crispin to be concerned about it.
Yuleporn coda: INTERCRUAL. that is all. (no, actually I'm here for just about anything - if you can find some way to bring graphomancy into play during, I would love you forever, but also I am always here for more intercrual)
Shades of Magic
Characters: Kell, Holland
How to Consume: Amazon or anywhere you get books!
A note up front! I requested both Kell and Holland, but please feel free to treat it as an or request if you have better ideas for them apart.
Even though I requested characters, I love the worldbuilding potential of this book and would be more than happy to receive something just related to it - there’s so much to be explored in both the magic and the politics the occur from both inter and intra-world dynamics! I love how each character (and each London) has been shaped by their distance from the magic center and what London they occupy and the sort of shifts we get to see when they’re faced with new elements. Each of the Londons has a different relationship with magic due to their distance from the center, but what could have happened if any of the characters were from a different London, or the Londons were in a different order radiating outward? What if Kell and Holland were Antari of other Londons? Have they ever been trapped in a different London during their early days learning their Antari powers? The Antari are a dying breed and Kell was brought quickly to the court - did the royals have people out searching for Antari to bind them to the crown even before they started dying out? Were they in the monasteries instead? Under a guise of "education"? How did the magic system evolve so differently in some of the cities other than London? From what we see in Red London and the cast’s expedition in Gathering, the Antari aren't well understood by any of the other countries, so what happened to cause a split? There's so much to explore!
I do ship Kell and Holland, so I would love anything with the two of them, especially a fix-it where they get to keep their Antari powers or continue living as the opposite sides of Antari coins in different Londons. Any sort of missing scene between them at any point during the books would be welcome, or any time they ran into each other beforehand! Beforehand is especially alluring because I love the idea of all the different ways their interactions could have gone under the power shift from Vortalis to the Danes, and how much was apparent even in just Holland's interactions with Kell. (I also love the loyalty between Holland and Vortalis, so if you want to play with that, please feel free!) I love Holland teaching Kell spells he hadn't known before, and the difference in how they both interact with and treat Osaron. As much as I can get behind the “who you were in the past doesn’t matter, it’s who you are now” mentality, I am still deeply curious as to Kell’s origins and how the magic chooses an Antari and how it could parallel - even from the very beginning, be the polar opposite of - Holland’s magical growth.
I’ll also admit to being really into the bloodplay possibilities of Antari magic - the Danes drinking Holland’s blood in front of Kell was what catapulted me to Twitter to start to recruit friends to read the book. What if Kell had accepted the glass? Or if Athos hadn’t offered him anything else? What if they’d forced Holland to stay and watch while Kell drank it? Does Antari blood have a certain allure/affect on other Antari? The compulsive brand on Holland is also really alluring and I am very okay with him being coerced into doing things he normally wouldn’t do in regards to Kell.
Crueltide coda: As I mentioned, I'm extremely interested in the bloodplay or magical compulsion torture potential in the magic system. The Danes fill an easy noncon/dubcon niche here, but I am equally okay with any other character giving or receiving; Osaron would be good for non-con body takeover, for example.
Yuleporn coda: I half want to just c&p my Crueltide coda back in here, but bloodplay in a nice way, or even just letting Holland have some good memories, either before or while everything goes wrong, or loyalty kink for Holland and Vortalis!
Society of Gentlemen
Characters: Silas Mason, Dominic Frey
How to Consume: Series of books/extras
Mostly I just want more of everything having to do with Silas and Dom. Their book was far and away my favorite in the series and quite possibly my favorite of anything Charles has written, and even not as a couple, my favorite character list is Silas, Dom, and Cyprian, in that order (so boy did I eat up some of the interactions in A Gentleman's Position). I just love their relationship and all the different ways it takes on the "love across a divide" trope. I love their loyalty to and trust in each other, even before they even realize it themselves, and how their deep respect for the other is present in everything they do and say, especially their arguments. I love their love for books, their shared love for books and their continued arguments about books that they both love but have wildly different interpretations on. I love that their arguments and different positions inform and strengthen their relationship, rather than divide.
I love them in bed as much as out of it, I won't deny, especially because of how much the power dynamic flips (and how that flip enhances the new dynamics) but the love never leaves, and while most of my dreams came true with that threesome with Jon after the knighting, Charles then tantalized further with how Will is with words and just. Look. I would honestly love anything smutty from any point in their relationship, but perhaps once things have calmed down. Also we never really got the orgasm denial scene or the handcuffed-to-the-bed scene and I am a simple creature.
Otherwise I really do just love them together and as characters, and especially now that the immediate danger is over and the air is cleared and friendships are reforged, I love the interactions they have with the other Ricardians and crew. Especially with Cyprian, Zoe, Jon, and Will, how both Silas and Dom have interacted with them informally now. But especially Cyprian, with how he plots with both of them. I would absolutely be happy with a full-cast piece with Dom and Silas at the center; even the basic epistolary part of A Private Miscellany had me clutching my chest in glee. The core Ricardians basically know who is with who at this point - do they ever have an actual dinner all together at Arrandene (and how much of a disaster is it)?
For just the two of them, maybe how Silas' new bookshop is going - how did the initial book selection go? Does Dom visit as a customer, now that "formal" introductions have been made and how does that go? We got a hint that they meet on both Wednesdays and Saturdays now???? Silas' legal pamphlets are being circulated and paid attention to - how do they celebrate, either in or out of bed? Who was the first to offer up an opinion on what they'd read recently, and how did those first few discussions go?
Really I just adore everything about these two and their relationships with each other and the other characters, so have them at the center and whatever you do I'll love.
Crueltide coda: I thought long and hard about even including this, but the line "Have to be cruel to be kind" made up my mind for me. This is one where a happy ending or at the very least hopeful is a must, but maybe some of the early sessions were rough on one or both of them, as they're finding their way, or was there ever a time Dominic did have to use "Mason" during a scene? What if Silas had ended up in jail again?
Yuleporn coda: Everything about their dynamic delights me, so it's hard to go wrong!
Venom (2018)
Characters: Eddie, Venom
How to Consume: In theaters currently
HOW DID SONY GIVE US THE BEST ROMCOM OF 2018 AND ALL OF MY ALIEN/MONSTER DREAMS WITH IT. Body sharing! Symbiotes! Cultures not at all matching! Insults as terms of endearment! Deciding at the end of the day that you don't want to destroy the other party after all! That you actually really like them! I cannot even explain how much I enjoyed this movie except that it was ridiculous in all the best ways but still delivered exactly the sort of human/alien content I love best.
I'd love to see something either missing-scene or post canon, any chats between Eddie and Venom and their coming to terms with what's going on and how Earth and/or Eddie don't actually need to be destroyed (which could lead into why Riot needs to be stopped and why it needs to be them, two losers), figuring out what "bad guys" actually mean (maybe with a couple mishaps) post-movie, or even just Eddie introducing Venom to all the different things to eat on Earth that aren't people or tater tots.
My friend is a horrible enabler and has been linking me to all sorts of wonderful doodle pieces where Venom is stealthily out, either as a piece of clothing or accessory and he and Eddie go do all sorts of things, and really I just love the thought of what should be a normal outing with friends or a date or solo trip that suddenly turns into "wait you can't do that" "why not" "you just can't, okay" "why not" "...?".
That said, I absolutely did classify this as a romcom and I absolutely do ship it, and all the different ways Venom can manifest himself are kind of amazing and intriguing and please absolutely do something with that. My DNWs for this canon change, taking out the pregnancy/kids and miscommunication as central plot, because with the revelation that there is an entire comics plotline where they have a kid (which, please play with if you are so inclined!) and all the shenanigans that can come of assuming they're both on the same page when they really aren't is kind of amazing. Venom also has a backseat view to basically everything Eddie's thinking, and I can't really see him keeping quiet if Eddie ever has a stray thought about any of Venom's manifestations being used in a sexual way. Venom has the option of eating Eddie's organs as sustenance, but could he subsist on semen instead? How on earth did they figure that one out?
That said, I do kind of love how on-board Anne got with the whole thing, so please don't feel the need to exclude her! What has Venom learned about her from his time sharing her body? Does he try to "help" Eddie win her back in the bedroom, and does Eddie actually take this advice? How does she react to knowing Venom's not actually gone? I do also very much love how Dan just rolled with it and with Eddie coming back into her life, and even with the whole "this is a symbiote from space, killing you but keeping you alive" thing and mostly had concern for Eddie instead of distaste, if you wanted to go an OT4 route. I AM VERY GOOD WITH ALL THINGS.
Crueltide coda: Oh where do I even start. Body mods, tentacles, co-dependency, possession, possessiveness, gaslighting, eldritch horrors, murders, cannibalism, came back wrong, this movie is so ripe for everything and I am so here for everything. The only thing I would ask is keep any non-con between Venom and Eddie.
Yuleporn coda: Again I half want to c&p my Crueltide coda, but tentacles, xeno, Eddie and Venom figuring out how to navigate sexual thoughts/encounters when you're not alone in your head anymore, oviposition, Eddie discovering kinks he didn't know he had, Venom acting as a hidden vibe/plug - as with most of my other requests, I'm good for just about anything!
This is the Yuletide 2018 letter for Labocat on AO3 - thank you so much for signing up and offering any of these fandoms; I dearly hope we matched on something you're excited about! Along those lines, I do want to say that if nothing below sparks you, please feel free to use any ideas you already have! I'm really easy to please and all of these fandoms are here because I just want to see more writing in them in general, so anything at all is a gift!
General things! This is just broad-view stuff; I'll note where applicable in specific sections if canons/ships can ignore something.
In general: I’m really happy with anything! And by anything, I really do mean just about anything; it’s hard to find something that I absolutely don’t like hard stop. I'm good with all ratings, as well as with all takes on most tropes, whether it be straight or subversive or somehow finagling it to fit a canon that it really shouldn't.
Some tropes I adore that are relevant (non-comprehensive):
- hurt/comfort and whump
- alternate PoVs of scenes
- pre-canon backstory
- curtainfic/established relationship
- casefic
- fake relationship/arranged marriage/accidentally married/accidental confessions
- found family
- enemies/rivals to lovers (also friends to lovers)
- secret relationships/friendships
- reincarnation/fated/soulbonds
- trapped somewhere together
- loyalty
- magically bonded together (either physically or telepathically)
- redemption or corruption
- road trips
- the 90s anime onsen episode
My DNWs are very few and are unlikely to come up in these canons, but just in case: pregnancy/kids, miscommunication as the central source of plot/tension, non-canonical pronouns, and suicidal thoughts/actions from characters further than canon would go.
Really Optional Details That Are Entirely Optional (okay let’s just call them kinks): If you wanted to go a M/E route, and are comfortable writing any of the following, I really enjoy size difference, blindfolds, orgasm denial, sex pollen, messy/sloppy sex, intercrual, oral, semi-public sex (like in a closet or alley), sensory deprivation, breathplay, toys (especially hidden plugs/vibes), marking/possessiveness, overstimulation, body worship, slow, drawn-out sex that can really tie in with the aforementioned body worship, or awkward first times. I also like a lot of things that generally have to be requested and that most people aren’t comfortable with so they are Extra Optional: dubcon, vore/gore, tentacles and xenophilia, oviposition, come inflation, a/b/o, bloodplay, threesomes/moresomes, double penetration, degradation, non-con body mods, and collars.
Also, past letters are fair game to check if I've requested a fandom before! I've requested a few of these before in different exchanges, and while what I ask for may have shifted, I'm still interested for the same reasons and in for similar prompts.
All of my canons have been put up for the Crueltide and Yuleporn challenges - some canon-specific details are at the bottom of each request, but as always, those are non-restrictive and non-comprehensive, just guidelines!
Characters: Female Protagonist
Where to consume: The game itself is downloadable on both the Android and App Store in English now, but as the English version of the game is two years behind the Japanese, scattered translations and summaries can be found Chaldeum, Cirnopedia, and on the grand order reddit as well.
I was really torn between requesting Any again or requesting the Protagonist again and ultimately settled on requesting the protag (who I am fine with being named either Ritsuka or Gudako) because what I'd love most to see is conversations or discussions (or even fights) with any of the servants or the support staff about the whole Grand Order and Chaldea shebang and everything they've all been through. I think the protagonist is a really interesting mortal foil in this world of divine and heroic spirits, thrust into the center of it without much preparation. All of the servants have such different backgrounds and motivations, and I think she’s a really interesting sounding board for a lot of the issues they might have with the system or with other servants summoned to Chaldea at the same time or having to visit places they know in situations or times that they don’t. Or even just dealing with the hijinks that always seem to happen in Chaldea! I think she’s also very much a possible source of unease or said hijinks, especially if you take the Riyo characterization to heart. I don't mind what view of the game you take, whether it be the more serious main storyline or the off-the-wall chaos of the events, and along those lines, all similar assumptions about how many servants the protagonist has summoned are welcome.
I am caught up to Lostbelt, so would also welcome discussions of everything that's been going down and the future direction of everything they've uncovered. I would also welcome some heartbreak angst about how the end of the Demon Pillars went down, or just general Chaldea staff day-to-day stuff and discussions. There are so many interesting personalities, and the protagonist really brings them all together and draws them forward, and I love seeing that explored. I'm also quite fine with sticking with just the English timeline and how everything is sort of barreling towards its conclusion. Or even make up your own event! What Christmas event would you want to see?
I also adore the CEs, especially the ones that bring together groups of characters that usually don't interact, or show them in situations either their original canon or Fate canon wouldn't show. Are they AUs? Theme days around Chaldea? Is there a photo studio somewhere, or do they just Rayshift wherever they need to to have a day out in exploration?
Of the tagset, favored servants/conversation partners are: Nero, Mash, Romani, da Vinci, Merlin, Carmilla, Karna, Mordred, and Bedivere. Otherwise, really, anyone is free game, and I'm really not picky at all!
Crueltide coda: As much as it can be a silly canon, Fate also deals with some pretty dark topics, so I'm really open here. Death and violence and torture and grey morals are staples of the canon, and we've literally got an apocalypse as a central point of the game, and between Kiara and BB, we've got vore and eldritch monsters back on the table too, not to mention all the wild noncon body mods, possessions and basically forced breeding discussions Lostbelt has brought us. A lot of the servants weren't good people in life and aren't terribly great people in the game. I would like to ask no torture porn for the sake of torture porn - otherwise please some introspection on how what they're doing reflects on their legend or reason for obtaining the grail.
Yuleporn coda: Laughs in Fate/. Because I only requested the protagonist, most of what'll be here is the mana system and how that ties into supporting such a large...party, as it were. Other than that, please feel free to do just about anything! CEs can tie in, again, or characters' bond lines as such.
Characters: Sakura Matou, Rider
How to consume: Available on Crunchyroll, episodes released the 1st of each month
NICE DAYS OUT AND GOOD FOOD FOR EVERYONE. I cannot even explain how much I adore Sakura and Rider shopping for groceries together, or even things like Rin teaching Sakura to cook, or just the general feel of making food for the people you care about that underlines the whole show. I come from a family where making food, either together or for one another is our love language, so the whole premise of the show with food bringing all these characters together really spoke to me. I also love how each episode is so seasonally appropriate with its recipe choices and seasonal ingredients as well as the choice of framing event for each episode.
In general Fate canon, I do dearly love Rider and Sakura and their relationship and protectiveness/possessiveness and whole arc, but as this show generally pretends no one is actually enemies, please keep any mentions of the actual grail war situations and consequences to a minimum if you feel you have to include them at all.
I'd love to see them cooking together on their own, either Sakura teaching Rider a favorite dish, or Rider teaching Sakura new cuisine, or either of them cooking for the other becuase they're feeling under the weather, hot food on cold days, trying and trying to perfect a new technique, or anything you can think of! I do ship them, so if you want to go a shippy route, please do! Otherwise general interactions are just fine too.
Crueltide coda: While this fandom on its own I would normally exclude from Crueltide, it's impossible to separate entirely from the grail war, and from that angle, a lot of doors get opened. I would ask that if you wanted to write Sakura(/&)Rider for Crueltide, it gets tagged with Stay Night and not Today's Menu. Along Stay Night lines however, crest worms, Sakura's possessiveness and Rider's protectiveness, and the vore that feature in Heaven's Feel could make a "menu" spin really Crueltide-accessible.
Yuleporn coda: I am very much here for foodplay if you'd like to go that route! Or a less Crueltide-esque spin on their possessive/protective nature and Sakura's background.
Characters: Ned Hall, Crispin Tredarloe
How to Consume:Rag and Bone and its prequel A Queer Trade are the most relevant books here, but any other cameos from the Charm of Magpies world are welcome, especially from Jackdaw!
Historical fantasy is such a weakness of mine and I just absolutely fell in love with this spin-off. I love the concept of graphomancy, and I love characters who have a type of magic that falls outside of the standard rules and methods and so have to create their own path, so I was doomed from the start.
I’ll admit, after finishing Rag and Bone, I have been thinking about if Ned and Crispin have to, as part of a case as judiciary, go to Cornwall, with Crispin starting to slipping back into Cornish and childhood habits and alternately more comfortable and more awkward with his magic surrounded by familiar things and trying to prove that he’s succeeded to people who have known him as a child (while having to hide his magic and his job and his boyfriend). Bonus points if at some point along the way they run into Ben and Jonah (because I would put good odds on the part of Cornwall Crispin is from being close to where Ben and Jonah ended up because their lives have already mingled and why not) and they bond over being on slightly the wrong side of the law and finding refuge in Cornwall and in general seeing each other again and realizing how their timelines overlapped.
But that’s my super weirdly specific request! Otherwise I think that Ned and Crispin’s relationship is wonderful and adorable. Nicknames! Each thinking the other is wildly successful and amazing (despite not thinking they themselves are all that)! Ned being grumpy about suddenly being magical! Graphomancy! Being recruited precisely because they’re oddities (which fits so nicely into my love of what a character thinks of as a weakness others see as their strength)! I think it’s really charming that Ned’s talent was one for hearing to begin with when Crispin absolutely lacks it - they complement each other so well and I loved seeing them play off of that to solve problems. I think Ned would still take a lot of time to get used to have more than a flit’s talent, so maybe Crispin helping him deal with it or finding a way to use his hearing in a way that is actually nice and pleasing rather than stressful from all the noise of London. Their first run (or few runs as they fumble through!) as justiciary would be so neat to see as well!
Crueltide coda: Lighter fare here, but absolutely okay with a job going wrong: we've seen practitioners hungry for power summon all sorts of things that would be a nightmare to deal with or to have go wrong. Bodily possession has also already come up and been a concern, so please feel free to play with that! Also it's canon that flits who get a taste for power are highly susceptible to getting addicted to magic and wanting more and we know that Ned's father was an alcoholic, so there's some open doors for addiction or for Crispin to be concerned about it.
Yuleporn coda: INTERCRUAL. that is all. (no, actually I'm here for just about anything - if you can find some way to bring graphomancy into play during, I would love you forever, but also I am always here for more intercrual)
Characters: Kell, Holland
How to Consume: Amazon or anywhere you get books!
A note up front! I requested both Kell and Holland, but please feel free to treat it as an or request if you have better ideas for them apart.
Even though I requested characters, I love the worldbuilding potential of this book and would be more than happy to receive something just related to it - there’s so much to be explored in both the magic and the politics the occur from both inter and intra-world dynamics! I love how each character (and each London) has been shaped by their distance from the magic center and what London they occupy and the sort of shifts we get to see when they’re faced with new elements. Each of the Londons has a different relationship with magic due to their distance from the center, but what could have happened if any of the characters were from a different London, or the Londons were in a different order radiating outward? What if Kell and Holland were Antari of other Londons? Have they ever been trapped in a different London during their early days learning their Antari powers? The Antari are a dying breed and Kell was brought quickly to the court - did the royals have people out searching for Antari to bind them to the crown even before they started dying out? Were they in the monasteries instead? Under a guise of "education"? How did the magic system evolve so differently in some of the cities other than London? From what we see in Red London and the cast’s expedition in Gathering, the Antari aren't well understood by any of the other countries, so what happened to cause a split? There's so much to explore!
I do ship Kell and Holland, so I would love anything with the two of them, especially a fix-it where they get to keep their Antari powers or continue living as the opposite sides of Antari coins in different Londons. Any sort of missing scene between them at any point during the books would be welcome, or any time they ran into each other beforehand! Beforehand is especially alluring because I love the idea of all the different ways their interactions could have gone under the power shift from Vortalis to the Danes, and how much was apparent even in just Holland's interactions with Kell. (I also love the loyalty between Holland and Vortalis, so if you want to play with that, please feel free!) I love Holland teaching Kell spells he hadn't known before, and the difference in how they both interact with and treat Osaron. As much as I can get behind the “who you were in the past doesn’t matter, it’s who you are now” mentality, I am still deeply curious as to Kell’s origins and how the magic chooses an Antari and how it could parallel - even from the very beginning, be the polar opposite of - Holland’s magical growth.
I’ll also admit to being really into the bloodplay possibilities of Antari magic - the Danes drinking Holland’s blood in front of Kell was what catapulted me to Twitter to start to recruit friends to read the book. What if Kell had accepted the glass? Or if Athos hadn’t offered him anything else? What if they’d forced Holland to stay and watch while Kell drank it? Does Antari blood have a certain allure/affect on other Antari? The compulsive brand on Holland is also really alluring and I am very okay with him being coerced into doing things he normally wouldn’t do in regards to Kell.
Crueltide coda: As I mentioned, I'm extremely interested in the bloodplay or magical compulsion torture potential in the magic system. The Danes fill an easy noncon/dubcon niche here, but I am equally okay with any other character giving or receiving; Osaron would be good for non-con body takeover, for example.
Yuleporn coda: I half want to just c&p my Crueltide coda back in here, but bloodplay in a nice way, or even just letting Holland have some good memories, either before or while everything goes wrong, or loyalty kink for Holland and Vortalis!
Characters: Silas Mason, Dominic Frey
How to Consume: Series of books/extras
Mostly I just want more of everything having to do with Silas and Dom. Their book was far and away my favorite in the series and quite possibly my favorite of anything Charles has written, and even not as a couple, my favorite character list is Silas, Dom, and Cyprian, in that order (so boy did I eat up some of the interactions in A Gentleman's Position). I just love their relationship and all the different ways it takes on the "love across a divide" trope. I love their loyalty to and trust in each other, even before they even realize it themselves, and how their deep respect for the other is present in everything they do and say, especially their arguments. I love their love for books, their shared love for books and their continued arguments about books that they both love but have wildly different interpretations on. I love that their arguments and different positions inform and strengthen their relationship, rather than divide.
I love them in bed as much as out of it, I won't deny, especially because of how much the power dynamic flips (and how that flip enhances the new dynamics) but the love never leaves, and while most of my dreams came true with that threesome with Jon after the knighting, Charles then tantalized further with how Will is with words and just. Look. I would honestly love anything smutty from any point in their relationship, but perhaps once things have calmed down. Also we never really got the orgasm denial scene or the handcuffed-to-the-bed scene and I am a simple creature.
Otherwise I really do just love them together and as characters, and especially now that the immediate danger is over and the air is cleared and friendships are reforged, I love the interactions they have with the other Ricardians and crew. Especially with Cyprian, Zoe, Jon, and Will, how both Silas and Dom have interacted with them informally now. But especially Cyprian, with how he plots with both of them. I would absolutely be happy with a full-cast piece with Dom and Silas at the center; even the basic epistolary part of A Private Miscellany had me clutching my chest in glee. The core Ricardians basically know who is with who at this point - do they ever have an actual dinner all together at Arrandene (and how much of a disaster is it)?
For just the two of them, maybe how Silas' new bookshop is going - how did the initial book selection go? Does Dom visit as a customer, now that "formal" introductions have been made and how does that go? We got a hint that they meet on both Wednesdays and Saturdays now???? Silas' legal pamphlets are being circulated and paid attention to - how do they celebrate, either in or out of bed? Who was the first to offer up an opinion on what they'd read recently, and how did those first few discussions go?
Really I just adore everything about these two and their relationships with each other and the other characters, so have them at the center and whatever you do I'll love.
Crueltide coda: I thought long and hard about even including this, but the line "Have to be cruel to be kind" made up my mind for me. This is one where a happy ending or at the very least hopeful is a must, but maybe some of the early sessions were rough on one or both of them, as they're finding their way, or was there ever a time Dominic did have to use "Mason" during a scene? What if Silas had ended up in jail again?
Yuleporn coda: Everything about their dynamic delights me, so it's hard to go wrong!
Characters: Eddie, Venom
How to Consume: In theaters currently
HOW DID SONY GIVE US THE BEST ROMCOM OF 2018 AND ALL OF MY ALIEN/MONSTER DREAMS WITH IT. Body sharing! Symbiotes! Cultures not at all matching! Insults as terms of endearment! Deciding at the end of the day that you don't want to destroy the other party after all! That you actually really like them! I cannot even explain how much I enjoyed this movie except that it was ridiculous in all the best ways but still delivered exactly the sort of human/alien content I love best.
I'd love to see something either missing-scene or post canon, any chats between Eddie and Venom and their coming to terms with what's going on and how Earth and/or Eddie don't actually need to be destroyed (which could lead into why Riot needs to be stopped and why it needs to be them, two losers), figuring out what "bad guys" actually mean (maybe with a couple mishaps) post-movie, or even just Eddie introducing Venom to all the different things to eat on Earth that aren't people or tater tots.
My friend is a horrible enabler and has been linking me to all sorts of wonderful doodle pieces where Venom is stealthily out, either as a piece of clothing or accessory and he and Eddie go do all sorts of things, and really I just love the thought of what should be a normal outing with friends or a date or solo trip that suddenly turns into "wait you can't do that" "why not" "you just can't, okay" "why not" "...?".
That said, I absolutely did classify this as a romcom and I absolutely do ship it, and all the different ways Venom can manifest himself are kind of amazing and intriguing and please absolutely do something with that. My DNWs for this canon change, taking out the pregnancy/kids and miscommunication as central plot, because with the revelation that there is an entire comics plotline where they have a kid (which, please play with if you are so inclined!) and all the shenanigans that can come of assuming they're both on the same page when they really aren't is kind of amazing. Venom also has a backseat view to basically everything Eddie's thinking, and I can't really see him keeping quiet if Eddie ever has a stray thought about any of Venom's manifestations being used in a sexual way. Venom has the option of eating Eddie's organs as sustenance, but could he subsist on semen instead? How on earth did they figure that one out?
That said, I do kind of love how on-board Anne got with the whole thing, so please don't feel the need to exclude her! What has Venom learned about her from his time sharing her body? Does he try to "help" Eddie win her back in the bedroom, and does Eddie actually take this advice? How does she react to knowing Venom's not actually gone? I do also very much love how Dan just rolled with it and with Eddie coming back into her life, and even with the whole "this is a symbiote from space, killing you but keeping you alive" thing and mostly had concern for Eddie instead of distaste, if you wanted to go an OT4 route. I AM VERY GOOD WITH ALL THINGS.
Crueltide coda: Oh where do I even start. Body mods, tentacles, co-dependency, possession, possessiveness, gaslighting, eldritch horrors, murders, cannibalism, came back wrong, this movie is so ripe for everything and I am so here for everything. The only thing I would ask is keep any non-con between Venom and Eddie.
Yuleporn coda: Again I half want to c&p my Crueltide coda, but tentacles, xeno, Eddie and Venom figuring out how to navigate sexual thoughts/encounters when you're not alone in your head anymore, oviposition, Eddie discovering kinks he didn't know he had, Venom acting as a hidden vibe/plug - as with most of my other requests, I'm good for just about anything!