DEAR CHOCOLATE BOX WRITER

Hi! Happy New Year, and thanks for loving something I do and matching with me. I hope you enjoy the exchange.

I have a tendency to be wordy, so I'm going to try to keep this brief. If you'd like more detail on anything you're very welcome to check out any of my other Dear Writer letters; unless I say something explicitly contradictory here you can assume it all still applies. (Please don't assume any rank or preference based on existence or number of letters, either. Absence just means I (re)discovered something more recently. Fandoms are listed alphabetically.)

Feel free to work with the spirit rather than the letter of any prompts too – snippets from larger ideas, timestamps, etc. Use anything I suggest to set the mood rather than dictate a plot. Hopefully I've given you somewhere to start.

General Likes:

• found family/families of choice
• friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, enemies to friends to lovers
• characters knowing each other really well
• size/strength difference even when it's only a bit or especially if it's surprising
• first times
• reconciliations after rifts
• breakups followed by makeups
• loyalty
• you and me against the world
• identity porn
• fork in the road AUs

General Dislikes:

• infidelity
• non-con
• major character death
• unasked for kinks
• mundane AUs
• bdsm
• obliviousness/drawn out pining/misunderstandings
• parental incest or any related kink

DC's Legends of Tomorrow

Mick Rory/Len Snart

I'm particularly intrigued by the canonical origin story of Mick and Len's partnership, namely the knife fight in Juvie. I would love a story that looks at that incident, or that starts there and then follows their burgeoning relationship through the early years. Alternatively, I do have a fondness for prison fic (and prison sex, as long as it's occurring between partners/cellmates who are already genuinely interested in each other) so something set a little later when they find themselves in Iron Heights together would be great. Absolutely no third parties or non con, please, though I'm fine with the threat of non con in this situation.

Other than that, what prompted Mick and Len's first break up? Why aren't they together when we first meet them in The Flash? What does it take for them to get back together? Is it easier or harder when they have to reconcile a second time in Legends? How does Mick really feel about the way Len keeps leaving him? How does Len reconcile his commitment to the concept of partners with his changing sense of morality and personal ethics? I'm quietly confident Snart is out there somewhere in the multiverse/timestream just waiting to be found, so any way you want to deal with the current inconvenience is fine.

One thought: the age of consent in New Zealand is 16, so I'd prefer it if Len is at least that old for any explicit encounters.

DCU (Comics)

A quick pre-emptive comment about Bruce and Dick: I ship them, and I enjoy their relationship as father and son, but I absolutely do not cross the streams. Parental (as opposed to fraternal) incest is a hard no for me. Please do not mix and match these two very separate requests.

When I think of Dick as a son I imagine classic continuities where he was very young – maybe eight? – when Bruce took him in. In ship fic I prefer the more modern continuities where he was in his early teens and significantly more independent. Bruce can stay in his early to mid twenties either way, which keeps him an editorially approved mid thirties now after a decade of Batmanning. Yes, I do like to have my cake and eat it too, and I thank comics as a genre for giving me that option.

Bruce Wayne & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Tim Drake & Damian Wayne

Please keep this story strictly gen, though I don't mind angst or violence if/where appropriate.

I love the whole Batfamily, and I love the fact that they are a family. Not a perfect one, and not one where everything runs smoothly, but a family nonetheless, that loves and supports and protects each other. Bruce Wayne loves all his wayward boys, however appalling he might be at showing it, and I firmly believe that the Robins do know, deep down, that he does, despite the misunderstandings and despite his unwillingness/inability to enunciate his feelings in anything less than the direst of circumstances. It's more difficult for some of them than others to see, maybe, and no two of them have an identical relationship with him, or indeed with each other.

That said, he can be an emotional minefield, and he’s not the only one. The boys can be just as bad, if not worse. There’s so much jealousy, rivalry, and jockeying for position alongside the absolute loyalty they show each other out in the field. Some of them actually think of themselves/each other as brothers, some of them are in denial, some are lying to each other, some are lying to themselves. So that’s what I’m looking for here. Fathers, and sons, and brothers. Relationships and partnerships. Don't worry about balancing all five characters equally, if that's getting in the way of the story. I do have a particular fondness for efforts (on anyone's part) to reintegrate Jason into the family, or just to reconcile in small ways. No saccharine "all is forgiven" required, baby steps are fine. Or any other family oriented idea you happen to have.

Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne

I'd very much prefer Dick to be in his early twenties and well into his independent life as Nightwing, please. I have no problem with Bruce angsting, in his Bruce way, about the situation, but please, no suggestion whatsoever that he was secretly lusting after Robin all along. It’s a new thing! And from Dick's perspective, he had a father, and his name was John Grayson. Bruce has been a mentor and a friend and a partner, and now he's a different kind of partner. (In another example of having my cake and eating it too, I'm actually happy for other Robins to have mixed reactions, I just don't want any confusion from Dick.)

I'd really enjoy something set during or after Dick's time as Batman, whether that status shift acts as a catalyst, or whether it was Bruce's "death" that finally brought some sharp realisations, or whatever. Dick's need for independence and Bruce's boundary issues have always been stumbling blocks in their canonical relationship, so anything that touches on that is welcome. Or during/after Dick's time as Grayson, and the changes that must have brought to their partnership. Or anywhere in an unspecified continuity as long as Dick is an adult.

I'm totally here for explicit fic too, if the whim takes you. Superpowered sex is a kink of mine, and the Bats may not be metas but they have superpowers all their own. Strength and flexibility go a long way...

Dick Grayson/Jason Todd

I find Dick and Jason's relationship, or as much of it as we see, fascinating. There was always going to be some kind of issue, whether from Dick's perspective – suddenly no longer an only child – or from Jason's – growing up in the shadow of such a brother – and Jason dying just took that and turned it to eleven.

As adults, there's the whole complicating factor of their differing approach to crime fighting, as well as their different relationships with Bruce. I'm interested in seeing either or both explored. Do they reconcile as brothers first? Or cut out the middle step and build a new relationship independent of the old one? What compromises have to be made?

I do like external reactions, so I'm happy to see the way Bruce or the other Robins would greet such a change, but equally I love the pressure secrecy places on a relationship so I'd enjoy seeing what happens if they try to keep it under wraps. (I don't think Bruce would ultimately be particularly puritanical about it, though I do think he'd be disapproving for a million reasons at first, and worry for Jason, not just for Dick, would be part of that.)

I do enjoy rough sex and fighting leading to fucking, as well as the general athleticicm involved in vigilante sex, rooftop or otherwise...

Oliver Queen & Roy Harper & Connor Hawke

I should probably be clear right off the bat that I’m looking for pre-DCNu/Nu52 characterisation here. I haven’t read the latest run of Green Arrow, and wouldn’t know where to begin with fic set there. That said, I'm not a stickler for the minutiae of continuity here, so I'd be happy to have interesting bits and pieces of all three characters' back stories pulled in from their own individual runs pre-reboot.

I know there wasn’t a huge amount of interaction between all three characters even in the glory days of Green Arrow Vol 3, but I always felt like there should have been. The whole Arrow Clan was in a pretty great space for a while – or maybe that’s just in contrast to the Bats – and it really tickled my found families id. For better or for worse, these guys chose each other, and they had some terrible fights and rifts and upheavals, but I like to think they’d always get back together.

Ollie is a pretty terrible father most of the time – let’s not even touch on his failings as a husband – but it felt like he was trying. I really liked the idea of an Ollie who was older, and just a little wiser, trying to rebuild some bridges, or kickstart some relationships with his sons as adults that hadn’t existed/worked earlier. It’s really hard to be a father to an adult man if you fucked it up when he was a boy, but it’s fertile ground for fic exploration. I don’t really have any specific plot prompts, other than maybe Three Idiots Go on a Road Trip Together and Fail to Talk About Their Feelings (With or Without Bonus Sneaking Around Hotel Rooms), but anything you come up with would be great. Gen only please.

Roy Harper/Connor Hawke

I ship Roy/Connor pretty hard, for all that there’s maybe a dozen fics in existence. Obviously if you don’t like incest pairings then there’s no need to go in that direction. Roy and Connor weren’t raised together, and don’t think of each other as brothers in anything but the most metaphorical sense. Instead, it’d be great to explore the unique and awkward position these guys find themselves in vis a vis Ollie – the ward that he was never really a very good parental figure to, and the son that he abandoned/ignored. Where to, then, when they meet as adults? Bonding after a good cathartic moan about absent fathers, rivalry/scrambling for position, the classic posturing between two heroes on the same turf, or a sense of instant rightness, a missing piece come home? Whatever way you want to take this would be cool.

If you do like incest pairings though, feel free to play that up as much or as little as you like. I can certainly imagine Ollie having something to say about his worldly son debauching his virginal one, and both of them in their own unique and distinctive ways telling him to take a long walk off a short pier. Or would they pre-empt that awkwardness in the first place by trying to keep things very much on the QT?

Dick Grayson/Roy Harper

Another vanishingly rare pairing, so almost anything would be welcome, set in any period or continuity. I'd be equally happy with them as angsty eighteen year olds in the Titans when Dick first left Gotham and Roy was on the outs with Ollie too, or as much more experienced but frankly not much less angsty adults in the Outsiders, or when they were both responsible grownups in the Justice League, or whenever. Commiserating about their guardians who just don't understand them would be pretty hilarious, Dick helping Roy cope with bringing Lian home, or with his addiction issues, or any other more serious ideas would be just as welcome. I'm also so there for all the tongue in cheek references to the Arrows' status as wannabe Bats...

Apollo/Midnighter

I've just recently read the latest run of Midnighter and the current Midnighter and Apollo, and I loved them both, which is such a great welcome home after being largely disappointed in what Stormwatch did to The Authority. I'd really love just about anything set in the new continuity. First meetings, first times, first time back together after the breakup... It's all pretty open to interpretation, and just crying out for fic. Whatever story you want to tell would be very welcome. (Actually... anything set anywhere/anywhen would be great. Feel free to mix and match too if you want to.)

I am absolutely here for some wall breaking superpowered sex too, if you're so inclined.

Fast and the Furious Series

Brian O'Conner/Dominic Toretto
Brian O'Conner/Letty Ortiz/Dominic Toretto/Mia Toretto
Brian O'Conner/Letty Ortiz/Dominic Toretto
Brian O'Conner/Dominic Toretto/Mia Toretto

I love just about everything about this franchise, from the action to the stunts to the humour to the international location work to the diverse casts to the eternal genre hopping. The thing I love by far the most, though, is the characters and the unbreakable bonds between them. I’ve always had a thing for passionate friendships and rifts and reconciliations, but I don’t think I’d ever realised how much I loved found families till I found this series. I've waxed lyrical about it several times in the past, so in the interests of this entry not breaking lj I'll link you to my most recent Ship Swap letter, and if you're so inclined to last year's Smut Swap letter. Everything I say there could just as easily have been written today.

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Will Hunting/Chuckie Sullivan

I was lucky enough to match on this fandom for Yuletide, but I am insatiable now and I need more. Five fics on AO3 is not enough. (There could never be enough.)

I love this film so much, and more than anything I adore Will and Chuckie's relationship. The love and trust and perfect understanding between them just does it for me so well. It's a perfect combination of found family, "you and me against the world" friendships, and loyalty through thick and thin.

I would love pretty much anything, set at any point in their relationship. First time? Yep. Fumbling teenagers? Sure. Reunion post California? Absolutely. Couple years down the road when they're living together and making a go of it? Hell yes.

I went on at considerably more length in my Yuletide letter, so if you'd like to check that out, feel free.

Aside: There is not one single explicit fic for this pairing in existence. That is an outrage. Just saying.

Marvel 616

Julio Richter/Shatterstar

Rictor and Shatterstar’s relationship was always central to both of their characters, and yet at the same time it got pretty short shrift as far as actual plot went. I’d dearly love to see it fleshed out and explored. How much longer can Rictor put up with Shatterstar’s ideas about open relationships? Is that actually what Shatterstar really wanted, or was it all a misunderstanding? Does he even know, finally, what he does want? They’ve broken up several times in the past, are they going to make it this time and stay together? (Spoiler: I hope so.)

With the end of Vol 3, the boys are essentially in comic book limbo, so I’d like to know where to from here? What do they do after Mojoworld? Do they stay there to fight the good fight? Do they go on dimension hopping adventures? Do they come back to Earth and try to settle down? (For a value of settling down that these two crazy kids are capable of achieving, which I somehow imagine involves sudden sword fights through the newly renovated apartment.)

That said, I do love the histrionics and drama of their young days, so if the whim takes you, I'd enjoy fic set in earlier continuities they've shared too. First times, and all those break ups and makeups on the road to the final one.

We’re talking about mutants/extra-dimensional beings/superheroes here, so a bit of wall slamming, furniture breaking, Olympic style stamina and fortitude wouldn’t go astray in any sex scenes...

Takers (2010)

Gordon Cozier/John Rahway

Honesty compels me to agree that this movie is not exactly a cinematic masterpiece, but I love it a lot anyway. The protagonists are handsome and charming and impeccably dressed. They all seem to love each other a lot, and any one of them would risk his life for the rest. There is honour among thieves. They pull off brilliantly planned, flawlessly executed heists. Until the last one. I still shake my fist at the screen when Ghost appears, and demand to know why they trust him. Oh, well. So goes the world.

We know next to nothing about anybody's backstory, with the obvious exception of Gordon's childhood with Naomi in the Caribbean, so there's a totally blank slate to work with there, but I thought the film did a good job of setting up Gordon and John's friendship especially, and they do basically drive off into the sunset together at the end, so I'd love any kind of fic that explores their relationship, whether before, during, or after the film.

Where and when and how did Gordon and John meet? Where did they pick up their unique skill sets? Why are they so loyal to each other? How did they put the gang together? Do the rest of the guys know about their relationship, or is that just one more secret in a life chock full of them? Where do they go after the movie ends? Do they make it to a well-earned retirement on some tropical island, or are they on the run somewhere? I'd love anything along these lines, be it prequel or sequel.

The Man From UNCLE (2015)

Illya Kuryakin/Napoleon Solo

I'm a huge fan of antagonists falling for each other, so Illya and Napoleon's transition from foes to friends to something more works perfectly for me. I'd love to see some of that journey, whether the whole way or just the final step. Equally, I love a tale of comrades in arms who have a whole other relationship going on at the same time, and the way that that impacts their work, and/or the way the dangers thereof impact said relationship.

I'm also super interested in both Illya and Napoleon's backstories. Are they right when they psychobabble each other in that cafe in the park? Was it just a sense of adventure that drove Napoleon to join the army at sixteen? Does Illya have a genuine loyalty to the KGB, or does love of Mother Russia override the pain the state has caused him? How does their friendship, and then their affection for each other, grow?

I'm intrigued by the prospect of what would happen to Illya, in particular, if ties to UNCLE were somehow severed -- he's the one that's going to find himself stranded in hostile territory, unlike Napoleon and Gaby. I'm also dubious that the KGB would really ever allow him to return home after his extended time in the decadent West. Would he ever defect?

I just really love comrades who risk life and limb for each other. I like the stress it places on relationships, but also the way those relationships are intensified by omnipresent danger. I like extreme loyalty, and sticking together through thick and thin. I like the hothouse atmosphere created when you can't share how much you love someone with anybody else.

If you're so inclined, please feel free to check out my Smut Swap letter.

Top Gun (1986)

Tom "Iceman" Kazansky/Pete "Maverick" Mitchell

An absolute wild card, I have no idea what to say about this fandom, other than the fact that I love this film in all its cheesy glory. The eighties were a great time to be alive. ;-p

I'm here for all the classic military tropes from internalised homophobia to keeping things on the absolute d-low. I almost typed DADT, but of course that's still seven years in the future at the point the movie was made! I like Mav and Ice's antagonism, and I like their hard won friendship and loyalty. Anything you come up with would be great.

Thank you so much, and I hope you found something in this epic tome to work with.