Candy Hearts 2026 Letter
Jan. 1st, 2026 01:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gooigi Hello and happy new year! Thanks for considering creating something for me. Treats are always welcome and appreciated. Although I only request fic for my main gift, I would be thrilled to receive art as a treat.
I try and note whenever I alter a DNW for a specific pairing/fandom, but if any prompts of mine seem to step over a DNW: assume that the prompt will override the DNW. I'd also be happy to clarify if you want more details via a mod.
Also: I end up rambling a lot for some of these fandoms. Optional Details Are Optional, and I don't expect you to treat any of this like required reading or homework. If my specific prompts and thoughts are helpful to you, that's awesome. If not, that's completely fine - my DNWs will cover anything super important to me. So go wild and have fun!
General Likes
in-universe documents • canon divergence/for want a nail • taking something weird about canon that is accepted and not commented on in-universe and interrogating it • happy and hopeful endings (bumpy roads getting there are welcome!) • 5 +1 / fics that use variations on a theme • character studies • slice of life and domestic fics • casefic • fix-it fics • cruise ships • getting together • established relationships
General DNW
explicit sexual content • bleak/hopeless endings • incest • rape • on-page abuse, self-harm, or suicide • cheating or breakup between requested ships • major character death • gore • bodily fluids • unrequested non-canon ships • unrequested poly • age regression • omegaverse • setting change AUs • anything related to Harry Potter • major focus on animals (if a character canonically has a pet/works on a farm/etc, it'd be fine for the animals to be mentioned as long as they are unimportant to the plot) • age gap relationships involving a minor (a 16/18 or a 32/50 pairing would be fine, but a 16/32 pairing would not be.)
You and Me on Repeat
Requested Relationship: Alicia Ochoa/Chris O'Brien
Fandom-specific DNW adjustments: Suicide and self-harm DNW loosened for time-loop stuff. Discussing how their reckless behavior in the time loop might impact them, both within the loop and outside of it = OK. Suicide is completely off the table post-loop, non-graphic self-harm is allowed post-loop as long as the behavior is addressed by the end of the fic. • using she/her pronouns for the third Ochoa child in a fic set 2+ years post-canon
A fandom promo I made for this comic can be found here!
Alicia and Chris's history gives them a lot of texture, and I think they're a fun take on the nerd x jock dynamic. Because Chris is a Jock, but he doesn't entirely conceptualize himself as one - swim team isn't exactly the same social level as the football team, he's going to study physics in university, etc. And Alicia was the total studious Nerd for most of her highschool life - and she used her time in the time loop to eschew that stereotype, and her interests lean more towards the D&D side of nerdery then the academic side. I just think they're neat!
The structure of this GN lends itself very nicely to "missing scene" fics, since there are a lot of loops we never saw/only got a recap of. I'd love to dive deeper into any of them! There image I used for the header here is from the back of the hardcover, and is presumably showing us loops we didn't see, Any one of those could be a jumping off point for a fabulous story. I'd also love to see your unique concept for a missing loop!
I'd also be very interested in the lives of these characters post-canon. How do they adjust now that they're out of the loop? I'd love to see how the two of them grow and develop.
Elementary
Requested relationships: Sherlock Holmes/Joan Watson, Sherlock Holmes & Morland Holmes, Morland Holmes & Clyde
Fandom-specific DNW adjustments: Explicit sexual content is amended to note that canon-typical horny jokes/references to sex are fine • major focus on animals amended to major focus on non-Clyde animals
Note 1: As of writing these prompts, I haven't completed Season 7. My friend and I watch about 4 episodes a week, so we'll definitely be done by the time gifts are due. Just putting this in case one of my prompts is in obvious contradiction of some S7 revelation.
Note 2: I think Elementary would be a drastically worse show if Sherlock/Joan was canon. I think it was a great writing decision to keep them platonic and defy the expectation that any male/female friendship has to be romantic. At the same time, I want different things from a canon then I want from fanfic, y'know? I'm a bisexual woman who fully understands heteronormativity and I also want them to make out sloppy style. I contain multitudes.
For any of these relationships, I would adore a canon-divergent AU where we stick with the ending of Season 6. I'm enjoying Season 7 fine, but the ending of S6 was just so strong to me. I'd love more antics of them in London.
If you are staying with canon... I wonder who is taking care of Clyde in Season 7? The logical answer is Kitty or somebody that they're paying. The really funny answer, in my opinion, is Morland Holmes. I think he's realized that's the closest he's going to get to a grandkid.
Speaking on grandkids... I'm pretty sure I've heard that Joan ends up adopting a baby by the end of canon, although I could be wrong about that. If you want to keep her canon kid, I am fine with that, but it is deeply important to me that this child is never considered to be a "Holmes". I do not believe Sherlock has any interest in continuing the legacy of the Holmes family. But a Watson? I could see him deciding to help raise a Watson. (I could also see him never quite becoming a father figure in the child's life. He's still deeply important to the kid and, after they're more grown up, starts dating their mom. But he's just not their dad. It's not a teenage angst thing and it's not an insult: it's just a fact of their relationship.)
I think the dysfunctional relationship between Morland and Sherlock is very fun. Morland does love his son! The love is there! But Christ Alive, this love is not going to save anybody.
The Adventure Zone
Requested relationships: Barry Bluejeans & Marlena Bluejeans, Barry Bluejeans/Lup
Fandom-specific DNW adjustments: Major character death is given an exemption for canon-typical temporary death • setting change AU DNW removed • explicit sexual content is amended to note that canon-typical horny jokes/references to sex are fine
A few thoughts about Barry Bluejeans in general, since he's relevant to both requests:
Here as far as I can remember, everything went have been told about Barry Bluejeans childhood:
The details are pretty sparse. I'm going to share some possibilities of my own, but I'll emphasize my ODAO policy again here. I wouldn't be requesting a canon ghost like Marlena if I wasn't prepared for some big swings! Just as long as Barry loves his mom, we're gonna be all good.
I assume that Marlena was in her 40s when she had Barry, considering that having gray hair when she was born is one of two pieces of info we have about her. Maybe even 50s, since we're in a fantasy setting. I think this impacted how she parented Barry and how their family was perceived. Maybe she tried to go to mommy-and-me groups, and could never quite click because all of the other moms were so much younger then her. Maybe people always assumed she was Barry's grandmother. I don't think she'd be bullied or anything so extreme, but there could be a sense of social isolation that came from this.
(Or maybe she just went gray at a really young age. Maybe from the stress of her job?)
Also: she became a single mom pretty early into Barry's life! I think that would be a tough adjustment for anybody.
Any way you slice it, I don't think Marlena is ever going to fit into the stereotypical mold of what a mom should look like. I think Barry would wind up pretty defensive over this, partially contributing to how reclusive he is. Why should he bother with people? They just judge his Mama, who is the most wonderful woman to ever live, so clearly they don't know anything.
One backstory possibility I like is that Marlena and Gregor were academics themselves, and ended passing that along to Barry. Barry as the kind of kid who can ask what his mom is doing for work and actually care about the answer. He'd ask her to read him dense textbooks instead of a bedtime story. I think they'd cherish this shared interest of theirs - but Marlena might wonder if she forced Barry into this life, instead of allowing him other possibilities.
I also like the backstory idea that the Bluejeans grew up in a pretty rural community. I think Marlena would love her life on the farm, but also realize that it simply isn't something that suits Barry. Tying back into my IPRE-affiliated academy idea: I think sending him to a boarding school would be one of the hardest choices she'd ever make. She already lost her husband, and now she's sending away her son far too soon. But if you love them you have to let them go, don't you?
As for Barry/Lup: I have been obsessed with this ship for nearly a decade. I would love them in any universe. I removed the setting change AU DNW for this fandom, so you can put them in any universe you would like.
Their age gap isn't super important to how I understand the ship, but I've always imagined that Barry is 42 during TSC (his canonical age range is between 38-47, since he's "in his 50s" after the 12 voidfished years) and Lup is like, Elf 26 (the closest thing she has to a canonical age is "over 65", since Taako had a flashback to being a child at 65 years old in Episode 7). If you're putting them in an AU where they meet as children, you'll need to adjust the age gap to fit within my age gap DNW.
I have a huge soft spot for Lup having long hair, so I'd love it if you incorporated that into your depiction of her! I also like when she has freckles.
These two invented slow burn, but like, I don't think they did it by being oblivious about their feelings. Maybe for a couple of years! But I see their long pining period as something very calculated. They are going to be stuck together for the foreseeable future, and it is very easy to foresee this future going on forever. They have to work well together, because it is up to them to save the world. I think it makes sense that they'd want to be careful about this! It would majorly fuck things up if this relationship ended poorly.
But logically knowing that doesn't make the feelings any easier. Because they both desire each other so badly! They're usually in close proximity studying the light together. And after a certain point, I think they both KNOW that the other person likes them back. But that makes it even more dangerous. An unrequited crush would be awkward for a couple of years, but they'd get over it. An actual relationship, one that they actually tried, failing? That is nuclear.
I like that their love is so great and goth that it saves the world through the power of lich marriage. I like that their respective crushes are both sparked by kindness (Lup comforting Barry when he cried, Barry helping the robot that kept electrocuting him). I like that they're nerd4nerd. I like that the world saving love story of TAZ is between a fat middle aged man and a transgender woman. I just like them so damn much.
Crossover Fandom (A3! x Uma Musume)
Requested relationships: Masumi Usui (A3!)/Mayano Top Gun (Uma Musume)
Fandom-specific DNW adjustments: Age gap relationships involving minors given a note: (The topic can be discussed. Masumi and Mayano's canon crushes can be brought up. An adult can also discuss a past of being groomed with them, as long as the groomer is a noncanon OC). • unrequested noncanon ships given an amendment (Chikage/Itaru, Sakuya/Tenma, Izumi/Sakyo, any combination of Tsuzuru/Misumi/Kazunari/Mizuno, any combination of Nice Nature/Mejiro McQueen/Tokai Teio, any combination of Symboli Rudolf/Air Groove/Maruzensky, and Daiwa Scarlet/Vodka are all okay as background ships.)
Mayano Top Gun x Masumi Usui started off as a bit of a joke for me, since both of the characters make me feel a similar way, which is uncomfortable and annoyed. They both have some stuff I really like about them (Masumi’s bluntness + dysfunctional family, Mayano being a multitalented genius and her airplane motifs), but their narrative is overwhelmingly dominated by them trying to push unwanted affections onto the adults in their lives. But the more I considered it, the more I became invested in the idea.
It’s grumpy boy x sunshine girl, but also the girl is a horse who can stomp you to death with her hooves. I think it’d be interesting to see them in an age-appropriate romance - both of them have these preconceived notions about what romance will be like, and it’d be fun to see that challenged.
Reasons why these two might meet:
A lot of my thoughts have been about the challenges that would come from this relationship, but to be clear: I would also love a totally fluffy fic for these two! Just as long as the fic isn’t pretending that they got to the point of fluff with absolutely no problems/that they were instantly a perfect match and automatically began a healthy relationship.
Crossover Fandom (Elementary & The Hundred Line)
Requested relationships: Morland Holmes (Elementary) & Sirei (The Hundred Line)
Fandom-specific DNW adjustments: Setting change AU DNW removed
Look. I don't have a long thesis for these two. I just think it'd be really funny to make these two Morally Bad Dads Who Still Love Their Son interact. I have no idea how they would interact. I just think we should do it. For science.
I removed the setting change AU DNW for these two because I don't think it's possible to make these two meet by blending their worlds/claiming that actually isekai was always a possibility within the lore. Maybe Sirei is a human researcher from Japan that Morland meets during a high class business dinner. Maybe Morland is a bigwig on the artificial satellite. Or, y'know, maybe you as the author do have some vision on how to make them meet in a blending or isekai way. Whatever you'd like!
Crossover Fandom (Dimension 20 & Various)
Requested relationships: Kipperlilly Copperkettle (Dimension 20) & Kent Parson (Check Please), Kipperlilly Copperkettle (Dimension 20) & Liza Thatcher (Exit/Corners), Kipperlilly Copperkettle (Dimension 20) & Will Solace (Percy Jackson), Kipperlilly Copperkettle (Dimension 20) & Chikage Utsuki (A3!), Kipperlilly Copperkettle (Dimension 20) & Nice Nature (Uma Musume), Kipperlilly Copperkettle (Dimension 20) & Kipperlily Copperkettle (Brennan Lee Mulligan)
Fandom-specific DNW adjustments: Character-bashing Kipperlilly Copperkettle (focusing on her negative traits = OK) • Incorrectly naming Kipperlilly Copperkettle as a joke • age gap DNW given an exemption that I am opting in to the interpretation of Porter Cliffbreaker as sexually grooming Kipperlilly Copperkettle, as long as the overall narrative does not blame Kipperlilly for being groomed/say she "asked for it". Kipperlilly holding these views as an unreliable narrator is acceptable.
I haven't removed the setting change AU DNW here, because I would like a story where either KLCK is isekai'd into the world of the crossover or vice versa. I have a preference for the former but I'm perfectly fine with the latter.
The logistics of this isekai / how KLCK ends up in the presence of these crossover characters isn't super important to me. I'm not going to DNW it or anything - if the fic of your heart is a detailed look at how KLCK adjusts to the modern world, I'll happily read that. But I'll be equally happy to read a fic which is just characters having a conversation and an authors note that one of them got isekai'd.
I could (and am actually in the middle of) write a whole manifesto about the character of Kipperlilly Copperkettle and my many thoughts on her. But that's beyond the scope of this exchange. So I'll explain why I like her and my reasons behind her unique DNWs, then we'll get onto character dynamics.
I love her because of her flaws. I also love her because she is teenage girl who correctly identified a problem of her world, reacted in a deeply maladjusted and unhealthy manner, attempted to seek help, was failed by mental healthcare professionals, and was then taken advantage of by an evil adult. I think that in a world where she wasn't recruited to a world-destroying scheme by a teacher and where she did receive proper therapy, she would still be annoying as fuck and abrasive and unlikeable and stubborn and ruthless!
I am perfectly fine with a fic that focuses on her negative traits, because I think she has plenty of them and I think they make her fun. I don't want a fic that ignores the existence of her positive traits/the extenuating circumstances. That is the difference between "taking an eye to her flaws" and "character bashing" for me.
I'm DNWing incorrectly naming of Kipperlilly Copperkettle as a joke because, canonically, halflings are a colonized model minority (episode 5 and episode 9 of Freshman Year). Kipperlilly Copperkettle's name strongly follows the naming scheme of halflings in the official species guide / we can also parallel it with Penny Luckstone, another halfling with a word + word lastname. I don't think it was intentional, but I do think that the in-universe implications of making fun of her distinctly halfling name are troubling. It's fine if a fic discusses that this happened to her, but I don't want the audience to be laughing at her for having a lolsorandom name.
As for my opt-in interpretation of Porter as sexually grooming (in addition to his priming-for-murder grooming) Kipperlilly: she is a character who is continually compared to Tracy Flick. She spends her time around an adult man who we see talk to teenagers about his "angry orgasms". She is sent to hell because, even though a teacher did a bad thing to her (implanted a rage star), it was different because "she asked for it". (FHJY episode 20). Again, I don't think this was intentional, but I do think there is a vein to be explored there if you'd be interested in that.
I think that KLCK wouldn't call it grooming. I think she is a deeply unreliable narrator, especially on this topic. I think she'd say that she was just being a good assistant to a world domination scheme. Her future God was complaining about how all this rage is making him horny, and she had a solution. It wasn't a romance thing, it was a practical thing. It was her idea. And even if it wasn't her idea... well, she asked for it, didn't she?
Onto our character match-ups!
Kent Parson (Check Please): ... Huh. Well, shit. Okay. Egg on my face for wanting something.
They're both controversial blonds who dominated fandom discourse. They're both extremely motivated and devoted to their craft. They both have grievances which stem from valid places, but don't act upon them in the most healthy way.
I do have an idea about why these two would even interact. KLCK gets isekai'd into Las Vegas, and through a series of comedic misunderstandings, the media is convinced that she's his secret child. She'd pass for a pre-teen due to her halfling height, and her ears are covered up by how she's wearing her hair or something.
I think the official story that they'd end up running with is that this is Lilly Parson, a long lost Parson cousin that has temporarily ended up in his care.
If you want to play it sweet and sentimental, I think that being thrust into the media spotlight would help Kipperlilly work through her complex about “main characters” + she would learn that Kent was also a prickly blond teenager who went through some shit and managed to emerge as a normal adult, and maybe there's hope for her.
If you want to play it comedic, maybe Kipperlilly is obsessed with the media attention and is absolutely milking it.
Liza Thatcher (Exit/Corners): My best friend got me to play this game because Liza reminded them of Kipperlilly, and I've never been able to shake the association. Not a lot of prompts this time - I just like abrasive teenage girls and think it'd be fun to place them in the same room!
Will Solace (Percy Jackson): In my opinion, the key to understanding Will Solace as a character is to acknowledge that he wasn't really a character for a huge chunk of the series. He was just a blond little plot device. He was a piece of cardboard. He appears in Book 5 to provide healing for Annabeth (he is not allowed to react to his big brother dying like, a few minutes prior), he appears in Book 6 to exposit about camp and help our main characters adjust, and he appears in Book 10 to be a thinly sketched love interest. It is only through the power of being a son of the POV character that he is allowed to be a Real Boy, and then graduate to being a co-protagonist.
I am not going to claim this was an intentional writing choice by Rick Riordan, because I don't think it was. But this plot device aspect of him kind of fascinates me? I see him as somebody who always puts other people ahead of himself. I think being put in charge of the healthcare of an entire camp when you're a teenager probably does some crazy stuff to your sense of self and your priorities. I think he's happy to be the chill golden retriever boyfriend, the reliable friend, the trustworthy healer. I don't think he wants to be the main character of his own life. He's in his element when he is here to support.
So I think this is a fun contrast to Kipperlilly, whose rage stems from how she is Not a main character. She desperately wants to be in that starring role – and if that is going to be denied to her, then she will settle for being a villain. Anything to make herself important.
Also: I think the idea of Will having some resentment towards Percy that he keeps bottled up and unexamined to be really funny. I think KLCK could sense a fellow hater and might try and egg him on. And he doesn’t want to! He's a good boy! It doesn't matter that Percy was Nico's first crush, because Will is his last crush. It doesn't matter that Percy contributed to the death of his older brother and then immediately used Will as a healer, because… he just doesn't think about it.
Chikage Utsuki (A3!): Kipperlilly cares so much about how she is perceived, but is ultimately pretty bad at controlling her self image. Chikage, on the other hand, is actually competent enough to successfully misdirect people away from his issues. He also got saved by the power of found family, which would probably piss KLCK off.
Chikage knows what it means to try and atone for some serious crimes. Does KLCK think such a thing is possible for her? Does she even want to atone? I dunno!
Nice Nature (Uma Musume) : Nice Nature is also a teenage girl who people incorrectly name (her comic shows that she isn't happy about being called Nice Natie) and who has a complex about being a supporting character. But the thing is that she's literally normal about it . And KLCK isn't.
Kipperlily Copperkettle (Brennan Lee Mulligan): Kipperlilly (two L's) was named and based off of an old PC of Brennan Lee Mulligan, Kipperlily (one L) Copperkettle. As far as I'm aware, the only footprint of this PC is this interview by Nate Stevenson, this art by him (which is where I got the one L), and an adventuring party where Brennan describes the old PC as Tracy Flick-Esque.
If Kipperlilly learned that there is an alternate universe version of herself who actually WAS the main character, I think she would become the joker. I think this would be funny and would love to see fic about it.
I try and note whenever I alter a DNW for a specific pairing/fandom, but if any prompts of mine seem to step over a DNW: assume that the prompt will override the DNW. I'd also be happy to clarify if you want more details via a mod.
Also: I end up rambling a lot for some of these fandoms. Optional Details Are Optional, and I don't expect you to treat any of this like required reading or homework. If my specific prompts and thoughts are helpful to you, that's awesome. If not, that's completely fine - my DNWs will cover anything super important to me. So go wild and have fun!
General Likes
in-universe documents • canon divergence/for want a nail • taking something weird about canon that is accepted and not commented on in-universe and interrogating it • happy and hopeful endings (bumpy roads getting there are welcome!) • 5 +1 / fics that use variations on a theme • character studies • slice of life and domestic fics • casefic • fix-it fics • cruise ships • getting together • established relationships
General DNW
explicit sexual content • bleak/hopeless endings • incest • rape • on-page abuse, self-harm, or suicide • cheating or breakup between requested ships • major character death • gore • bodily fluids • unrequested non-canon ships • unrequested poly • age regression • omegaverse • setting change AUs • anything related to Harry Potter • major focus on animals (if a character canonically has a pet/works on a farm/etc, it'd be fine for the animals to be mentioned as long as they are unimportant to the plot) • age gap relationships involving a minor (a 16/18 or a 32/50 pairing would be fine, but a 16/32 pairing would not be.)
You and Me on Repeat
Requested Relationship: Alicia Ochoa/Chris O'Brien
Fandom-specific DNW adjustments: Suicide and self-harm DNW loosened for time-loop stuff. Discussing how their reckless behavior in the time loop might impact them, both within the loop and outside of it = OK. Suicide is completely off the table post-loop, non-graphic self-harm is allowed post-loop as long as the behavior is addressed by the end of the fic. • using she/her pronouns for the third Ochoa child in a fic set 2+ years post-canon
A fandom promo I made for this comic can be found here!
Alicia and Chris's history gives them a lot of texture, and I think they're a fun take on the nerd x jock dynamic. Because Chris is a Jock, but he doesn't entirely conceptualize himself as one - swim team isn't exactly the same social level as the football team, he's going to study physics in university, etc. And Alicia was the total studious Nerd for most of her highschool life - and she used her time in the time loop to eschew that stereotype, and her interests lean more towards the D&D side of nerdery then the academic side. I just think they're neat!
The structure of this GN lends itself very nicely to "missing scene" fics, since there are a lot of loops we never saw/only got a recap of. I'd love to dive deeper into any of them! There image I used for the header here is from the back of the hardcover, and is presumably showing us loops we didn't see, Any one of those could be a jumping off point for a fabulous story. I'd also love to see your unique concept for a missing loop!
I'd also be very interested in the lives of these characters post-canon. How do they adjust now that they're out of the loop? I'd love to see how the two of them grow and develop.
Elementary
Requested relationships: Sherlock Holmes/Joan Watson, Sherlock Holmes & Morland Holmes, Morland Holmes & Clyde
Fandom-specific DNW adjustments: Explicit sexual content is amended to note that canon-typical horny jokes/references to sex are fine • major focus on animals amended to major focus on non-Clyde animals
Note 1: As of writing these prompts, I haven't completed Season 7. My friend and I watch about 4 episodes a week, so we'll definitely be done by the time gifts are due. Just putting this in case one of my prompts is in obvious contradiction of some S7 revelation.
Note 2: I think Elementary would be a drastically worse show if Sherlock/Joan was canon. I think it was a great writing decision to keep them platonic and defy the expectation that any male/female friendship has to be romantic. At the same time, I want different things from a canon then I want from fanfic, y'know? I'm a bisexual woman who fully understands heteronormativity and I also want them to make out sloppy style. I contain multitudes.
For any of these relationships, I would adore a canon-divergent AU where we stick with the ending of Season 6. I'm enjoying Season 7 fine, but the ending of S6 was just so strong to me. I'd love more antics of them in London.
If you are staying with canon... I wonder who is taking care of Clyde in Season 7? The logical answer is Kitty or somebody that they're paying. The really funny answer, in my opinion, is Morland Holmes. I think he's realized that's the closest he's going to get to a grandkid.
Speaking on grandkids... I'm pretty sure I've heard that Joan ends up adopting a baby by the end of canon, although I could be wrong about that. If you want to keep her canon kid, I am fine with that, but it is deeply important to me that this child is never considered to be a "Holmes". I do not believe Sherlock has any interest in continuing the legacy of the Holmes family. But a Watson? I could see him deciding to help raise a Watson. (I could also see him never quite becoming a father figure in the child's life. He's still deeply important to the kid and, after they're more grown up, starts dating their mom. But he's just not their dad. It's not a teenage angst thing and it's not an insult: it's just a fact of their relationship.)
I think the dysfunctional relationship between Morland and Sherlock is very fun. Morland does love his son! The love is there! But Christ Alive, this love is not going to save anybody.
The Adventure Zone
Requested relationships: Barry Bluejeans & Marlena Bluejeans, Barry Bluejeans/Lup
Fandom-specific DNW adjustments: Major character death is given an exemption for canon-typical temporary death • setting change AU DNW removed • explicit sexual content is amended to note that canon-typical horny jokes/references to sex are fine
A few thoughts about Barry Bluejeans in general, since he's relevant to both requests:
- I am agnostic on the Barry Bluejeans vs Sildar Hallwinter debate. His legal name being Sildar does open the door for this incredibly stupid joke fan theory I once made, but also his legal last name being Bluejeans is really funny. There is comedy merit to both options, so pick whatever works best for your fic.
- I don't have a consistent headcanon on if he knew magic prior to the IPRE or if it was something he learned on the mission. If he learned it on the mission, it opens up some cute scenarios for Lup teaching him how to use magic + explains why he's a Fighter when Voidfished. I tend to lean towards that explanation, but I can see why some people think he always knew magic. Maybe he studied at some IPRE-affiliated academy as a kid, and that's why the voidfish removed the knowledge? I dunno! Feel free to come up with whatever backstory works for you.
- I have a fondness for the headcanon that Barry struggled with alcoholism prior to the Stolen Century. If you'd like to incorporate that into your fic, I'm opting in to that.
Here as far as I can remember, everything went have been told about Barry Bluejeans childhood:
Your father Gregor died when you were too young to know him. Your mother, Marlena, had soft gray hair when you were born, and was the most wonderful woman who ever lived. (Episode 58: Lunar Interlude V - Reunion Tour).
You’ve spent your whole life locked in libraries and studies, learning about the world around you without ever entering it. You’re filled with jealousy of those who do. Your past sins are sloth and envy. (Episode 65: The Stolen Century - Chapter 6).
You’ve spent your whole life locked in libraries and studies, learning about the world around you without ever entering it. You’re filled with jealousy of those who do. Your past sins are sloth and envy. (Episode 65: The Stolen Century - Chapter 6).
The details are pretty sparse. I'm going to share some possibilities of my own, but I'll emphasize my ODAO policy again here. I wouldn't be requesting a canon ghost like Marlena if I wasn't prepared for some big swings! Just as long as Barry loves his mom, we're gonna be all good.
I assume that Marlena was in her 40s when she had Barry, considering that having gray hair when she was born is one of two pieces of info we have about her. Maybe even 50s, since we're in a fantasy setting. I think this impacted how she parented Barry and how their family was perceived. Maybe she tried to go to mommy-and-me groups, and could never quite click because all of the other moms were so much younger then her. Maybe people always assumed she was Barry's grandmother. I don't think she'd be bullied or anything so extreme, but there could be a sense of social isolation that came from this.
(Or maybe she just went gray at a really young age. Maybe from the stress of her job?)
Also: she became a single mom pretty early into Barry's life! I think that would be a tough adjustment for anybody.
Any way you slice it, I don't think Marlena is ever going to fit into the stereotypical mold of what a mom should look like. I think Barry would wind up pretty defensive over this, partially contributing to how reclusive he is. Why should he bother with people? They just judge his Mama, who is the most wonderful woman to ever live, so clearly they don't know anything.
I also like the backstory idea that the Bluejeans grew up in a pretty rural community. I think Marlena would love her life on the farm, but also realize that it simply isn't something that suits Barry. Tying back into my IPRE-affiliated academy idea: I think sending him to a boarding school would be one of the hardest choices she'd ever make. She already lost her husband, and now she's sending away her son far too soon. But if you love them you have to let them go, don't you?
As for Barry/Lup: I have been obsessed with this ship for nearly a decade. I would love them in any universe. I removed the setting change AU DNW for this fandom, so you can put them in any universe you would like.
Their age gap isn't super important to how I understand the ship, but I've always imagined that Barry is 42 during TSC (his canonical age range is between 38-47, since he's "in his 50s" after the 12 voidfished years) and Lup is like, Elf 26 (the closest thing she has to a canonical age is "over 65", since Taako had a flashback to being a child at 65 years old in Episode 7). If you're putting them in an AU where they meet as children, you'll need to adjust the age gap to fit within my age gap DNW.
I have a huge soft spot for Lup having long hair, so I'd love it if you incorporated that into your depiction of her! I also like when she has freckles.
These two invented slow burn, but like, I don't think they did it by being oblivious about their feelings. Maybe for a couple of years! But I see their long pining period as something very calculated. They are going to be stuck together for the foreseeable future, and it is very easy to foresee this future going on forever. They have to work well together, because it is up to them to save the world. I think it makes sense that they'd want to be careful about this! It would majorly fuck things up if this relationship ended poorly.
But logically knowing that doesn't make the feelings any easier. Because they both desire each other so badly! They're usually in close proximity studying the light together. And after a certain point, I think they both KNOW that the other person likes them back. But that makes it even more dangerous. An unrequited crush would be awkward for a couple of years, but they'd get over it. An actual relationship, one that they actually tried, failing? That is nuclear.
I like that their love is so great and goth that it saves the world through the power of lich marriage. I like that their respective crushes are both sparked by kindness (Lup comforting Barry when he cried, Barry helping the robot that kept electrocuting him). I like that they're nerd4nerd. I like that the world saving love story of TAZ is between a fat middle aged man and a transgender woman. I just like them so damn much.
Crossover Fandom (A3! x Uma Musume)
Requested relationships: Masumi Usui (A3!)/Mayano Top Gun (Uma Musume)
Fandom-specific DNW adjustments: Age gap relationships involving minors given a note: (The topic can be discussed. Masumi and Mayano's canon crushes can be brought up. An adult can also discuss a past of being groomed with them, as long as the groomer is a noncanon OC). • unrequested noncanon ships given an amendment (Chikage/Itaru, Sakuya/Tenma, Izumi/Sakyo, any combination of Tsuzuru/Misumi/Kazunari/Mizuno, any combination of Nice Nature/Mejiro McQueen/Tokai Teio, any combination of Symboli Rudolf/Air Groove/Maruzensky, and Daiwa Scarlet/Vodka are all okay as background ships.)
Mayano Top Gun x Masumi Usui started off as a bit of a joke for me, since both of the characters make me feel a similar way, which is uncomfortable and annoyed. They both have some stuff I really like about them (Masumi’s bluntness + dysfunctional family, Mayano being a multitalented genius and her airplane motifs), but their narrative is overwhelmingly dominated by them trying to push unwanted affections onto the adults in their lives. But the more I considered it, the more I became invested in the idea.
It’s grumpy boy x sunshine girl, but also the girl is a horse who can stomp you to death with her hooves. I think it’d be interesting to see them in an age-appropriate romance - both of them have these preconceived notions about what romance will be like, and it’d be fun to see that challenged.
Reasons why these two might meet:
- Mankai is doing a play based around Umamusume’s, and the company takes a trip to Tracen in order to do some interviews/study.
- Mankai is expanding into doing some more musicals/dancing/idol stuff, and end up in the same classes as some Umamusume.
- Or, a variation on the above - it’s specifically something that Masumi is spearheading, given his canon interest in musical production.
- A member of the Mankai extended family is an Umamusume at Tracen, and they meet through that connection. I think the funniest options for this would be Sakyo’s stepsister or one of the Minagi siblings. (I know that, canonically, they are all boys. But if we’re changing the species of one of the siblings, I feel like changing the gender is the least of our worries.)
- Feel free to change the setting as much as you need to make Tracen and Mankai co-exist.
- One option is to make Masumi already over his Deal with Izumi, meaning that he's gotten over it offscreen. don't need Masumi to look into the camera and tell us “it was bad that I engaged in obsessive and stalker behavior”, but I would like an understanding that he's made amends for his past actions.
- If you're going this route, I would love to see Masumi absolutely terrified to have these new feelings for Mayano! Last time he had a crush, he became a completely different person. Even if he can logically realize these feelings are different/more appropriate, I think he'd have some valid reasons to worry about slipping into past behavior.
- If you're writing a Masumi who heads into this fic with a crush on Izumi, then again: I'd like him to come out of the fic with an appropriate amount of regret. I don't want it to be a very special episode or anything, but he's going to have to deal with some stuff if he's trying to enter a new relationship. And if he’s going straight from a crush on Izumi into a crush on Mayano, then I feel like he wouldn’t have much time to unlearn his bad habits.
- I feel like Mayano's feelings for her trainer are a lot more fleeting - she's more concerned about the praise/being seen as an adult, less than the actual person. I think she'd be able to shift her affections much easier.
- Still, if you feel otherwise, I’d totally be down to see her have conflicted feelings about this new crush! Like Masumi - I don’t need the fic to become a lecture about why it would be bad for an adult to date a child, but I’d appreciate Mayano having some Thoughts about her past affections.
A lot of my thoughts have been about the challenges that would come from this relationship, but to be clear: I would also love a totally fluffy fic for these two! Just as long as the fic isn’t pretending that they got to the point of fluff with absolutely no problems/that they were instantly a perfect match and automatically began a healthy relationship.
Crossover Fandom (Elementary & The Hundred Line)
Requested relationships: Morland Holmes (Elementary) & Sirei (The Hundred Line)
Fandom-specific DNW adjustments: Setting change AU DNW removed
Look. I don't have a long thesis for these two. I just think it'd be really funny to make these two Morally Bad Dads Who Still Love Their Son interact. I have no idea how they would interact. I just think we should do it. For science.
I removed the setting change AU DNW for these two because I don't think it's possible to make these two meet by blending their worlds/claiming that actually isekai was always a possibility within the lore. Maybe Sirei is a human researcher from Japan that Morland meets during a high class business dinner. Maybe Morland is a bigwig on the artificial satellite. Or, y'know, maybe you as the author do have some vision on how to make them meet in a blending or isekai way. Whatever you'd like!
Crossover Fandom (Dimension 20 & Various)
Requested relationships: Kipperlilly Copperkettle (Dimension 20) & Kent Parson (Check Please), Kipperlilly Copperkettle (Dimension 20) & Liza Thatcher (Exit/Corners), Kipperlilly Copperkettle (Dimension 20) & Will Solace (Percy Jackson), Kipperlilly Copperkettle (Dimension 20) & Chikage Utsuki (A3!), Kipperlilly Copperkettle (Dimension 20) & Nice Nature (Uma Musume), Kipperlilly Copperkettle (Dimension 20) & Kipperlily Copperkettle (Brennan Lee Mulligan)
Fandom-specific DNW adjustments: Character-bashing Kipperlilly Copperkettle (focusing on her negative traits = OK) • Incorrectly naming Kipperlilly Copperkettle as a joke • age gap DNW given an exemption that I am opting in to the interpretation of Porter Cliffbreaker as sexually grooming Kipperlilly Copperkettle, as long as the overall narrative does not blame Kipperlilly for being groomed/say she "asked for it". Kipperlilly holding these views as an unreliable narrator is acceptable.
I haven't removed the setting change AU DNW here, because I would like a story where either KLCK is isekai'd into the world of the crossover or vice versa. I have a preference for the former but I'm perfectly fine with the latter.
The logistics of this isekai / how KLCK ends up in the presence of these crossover characters isn't super important to me. I'm not going to DNW it or anything - if the fic of your heart is a detailed look at how KLCK adjusts to the modern world, I'll happily read that. But I'll be equally happy to read a fic which is just characters having a conversation and an authors note that one of them got isekai'd.
I could (and am actually in the middle of) write a whole manifesto about the character of Kipperlilly Copperkettle and my many thoughts on her. But that's beyond the scope of this exchange. So I'll explain why I like her and my reasons behind her unique DNWs, then we'll get onto character dynamics.
I love her because of her flaws. I also love her because she is teenage girl who correctly identified a problem of her world, reacted in a deeply maladjusted and unhealthy manner, attempted to seek help, was failed by mental healthcare professionals, and was then taken advantage of by an evil adult. I think that in a world where she wasn't recruited to a world-destroying scheme by a teacher and where she did receive proper therapy, she would still be annoying as fuck and abrasive and unlikeable and stubborn and ruthless!
I am perfectly fine with a fic that focuses on her negative traits, because I think she has plenty of them and I think they make her fun. I don't want a fic that ignores the existence of her positive traits/the extenuating circumstances. That is the difference between "taking an eye to her flaws" and "character bashing" for me.
I'm DNWing incorrectly naming of Kipperlilly Copperkettle as a joke because, canonically, halflings are a colonized model minority (episode 5 and episode 9 of Freshman Year). Kipperlilly Copperkettle's name strongly follows the naming scheme of halflings in the official species guide / we can also parallel it with Penny Luckstone, another halfling with a word + word lastname. I don't think it was intentional, but I do think that the in-universe implications of making fun of her distinctly halfling name are troubling. It's fine if a fic discusses that this happened to her, but I don't want the audience to be laughing at her for having a lolsorandom name.
As for my opt-in interpretation of Porter as sexually grooming (in addition to his priming-for-murder grooming) Kipperlilly: she is a character who is continually compared to Tracy Flick. She spends her time around an adult man who we see talk to teenagers about his "angry orgasms". She is sent to hell because, even though a teacher did a bad thing to her (implanted a rage star), it was different because "she asked for it". (FHJY episode 20). Again, I don't think this was intentional, but I do think there is a vein to be explored there if you'd be interested in that.
I think that KLCK wouldn't call it grooming. I think she is a deeply unreliable narrator, especially on this topic. I think she'd say that she was just being a good assistant to a world domination scheme. Her future God was complaining about how all this rage is making him horny, and she had a solution. It wasn't a romance thing, it was a practical thing. It was her idea. And even if it wasn't her idea... well, she asked for it, didn't she?
Onto our character match-ups!
Kent Parson (Check Please): ... Huh. Well, shit. Okay. Egg on my face for wanting something.
They're both controversial blonds who dominated fandom discourse. They're both extremely motivated and devoted to their craft. They both have grievances which stem from valid places, but don't act upon them in the most healthy way.
I do have an idea about why these two would even interact. KLCK gets isekai'd into Las Vegas, and through a series of comedic misunderstandings, the media is convinced that she's his secret child. She'd pass for a pre-teen due to her halfling height, and her ears are covered up by how she's wearing her hair or something.
I think the official story that they'd end up running with is that this is Lilly Parson, a long lost Parson cousin that has temporarily ended up in his care.
If you want to play it sweet and sentimental, I think that being thrust into the media spotlight would help Kipperlilly work through her complex about “main characters” + she would learn that Kent was also a prickly blond teenager who went through some shit and managed to emerge as a normal adult, and maybe there's hope for her.
If you want to play it comedic, maybe Kipperlilly is obsessed with the media attention and is absolutely milking it.
Liza Thatcher (Exit/Corners): My best friend got me to play this game because Liza reminded them of Kipperlilly, and I've never been able to shake the association. Not a lot of prompts this time - I just like abrasive teenage girls and think it'd be fun to place them in the same room!
Will Solace (Percy Jackson): In my opinion, the key to understanding Will Solace as a character is to acknowledge that he wasn't really a character for a huge chunk of the series. He was just a blond little plot device. He was a piece of cardboard. He appears in Book 5 to provide healing for Annabeth (he is not allowed to react to his big brother dying like, a few minutes prior), he appears in Book 6 to exposit about camp and help our main characters adjust, and he appears in Book 10 to be a thinly sketched love interest. It is only through the power of being a son of the POV character that he is allowed to be a Real Boy, and then graduate to being a co-protagonist.
I am not going to claim this was an intentional writing choice by Rick Riordan, because I don't think it was. But this plot device aspect of him kind of fascinates me? I see him as somebody who always puts other people ahead of himself. I think being put in charge of the healthcare of an entire camp when you're a teenager probably does some crazy stuff to your sense of self and your priorities. I think he's happy to be the chill golden retriever boyfriend, the reliable friend, the trustworthy healer. I don't think he wants to be the main character of his own life. He's in his element when he is here to support.
So I think this is a fun contrast to Kipperlilly, whose rage stems from how she is Not a main character. She desperately wants to be in that starring role – and if that is going to be denied to her, then she will settle for being a villain. Anything to make herself important.
Also: I think the idea of Will having some resentment towards Percy that he keeps bottled up and unexamined to be really funny. I think KLCK could sense a fellow hater and might try and egg him on. And he doesn’t want to! He's a good boy! It doesn't matter that Percy was Nico's first crush, because Will is his last crush. It doesn't matter that Percy contributed to the death of his older brother and then immediately used Will as a healer, because… he just doesn't think about it.
Chikage Utsuki (A3!): Kipperlilly cares so much about how she is perceived, but is ultimately pretty bad at controlling her self image. Chikage, on the other hand, is actually competent enough to successfully misdirect people away from his issues. He also got saved by the power of found family, which would probably piss KLCK off.
Chikage knows what it means to try and atone for some serious crimes. Does KLCK think such a thing is possible for her? Does she even want to atone? I dunno!
Nice Nature (Uma Musume) : Nice Nature is also a teenage girl who people incorrectly name (her comic shows that she isn't happy about being called Nice Natie) and who has a complex about being a supporting character. But the thing is that she's literally normal about it . And KLCK isn't.
Kipperlily Copperkettle (Brennan Lee Mulligan): Kipperlilly (two L's) was named and based off of an old PC of Brennan Lee Mulligan, Kipperlily (one L) Copperkettle. As far as I'm aware, the only footprint of this PC is this interview by Nate Stevenson, this art by him (which is where I got the one L), and an adventuring party where Brennan describes the old PC as Tracy Flick-Esque.
If Kipperlilly learned that there is an alternate universe version of herself who actually WAS the main character, I think she would become the joker. I think this would be funny and would love to see fic about it.
