Dear X-shipping writer 2019,

[chronicbookworm]

Thanks for writing me a story! Should you so want, I can be found at both Tumblr and AO3 also as ChronicBookworm, for any stalking purposes.

In general, I like most things! I’m a multishipper, and I read slash, het, femslash, and gen. I also like most genres: fluff, angst, adventure, case fic, humour, get-together, established relationship, character study, slice of life/domestic, you name it – or a mix of them all! I’m very fond of long, plotty fic, but don’t feel pressure: I’ll be just as happy with something short and sweet.  

This got very long – feel free to just read the parts that are relevant to you! I’ve tried to group my pairings by thematic clusters, to make it a bit easier to get an overview, and to break the bigger clusters down into subclusters vaguely by theme. In any fandom, feel free to include other characters than the ones we matched on as well (both local to the universe and cross-universe characters)!

 Things that I particularly enjoy are

·       found families

·       loyalty

·       ride or die friendships

·       co-dependency

·       “us against the world” plots and relationships (whether it’s true or just what the characters imagine)

·       friends to lovers

·       arranged marriages (that can either lead to love or strong friendship)

·       marriages of convenience (that can either lead to love or strong friendship),

·       pining

·       hurt/comfort

·       characters with low self-worth being loved and accepted

·       characters expecting or used to being belittled/bullied/abused being shown warmth and kindness

·       characters uniting forces against a common enemy

·       complicated relationships (not necessarily romantic)

·       characters keeping secrets or secrets being revealed

·       characters working with limited knowledge

·       competent characters

·       characters being recognised for their competence

·       women supporting other women

·       canon divergence

·       outsider POV

·       case fic/mission fic (however that applies to the canon in question)

·       longfic

 

DNWs:

·       smut (fade to black or references to sex are fine)

·       incest, teacher/student, mpreg, a/b/o

·       adultery, infidelity or jealousy (real or imagined)

·       massive age gaps in ships (the rule of “half the older character’s age plus seven” as a limit usually works quite well, although for teenagers a max of 2-year age-gap works better)

·       sex involving characters under 15

·       conflicts between characters entirely due to misunderstandings, miscommunication or a failure to communicate (conflicts due to genuine differences in opinions, wants, and needs are fine and fun!)

·       public embarrassment, humiliation

·       character bashing

·       hopeless endings, grimdark tone

·       modern/mundane AUs of historical/fantasy/sci-fi canons

 

This all being said, am not that picky and will enjoy most things, if none of my prompts below grab your imagination. If I request the “/” version of a relationship, I am also very happy to read the “&” version (it doesn’t necessarily go the other way – feel free to check via the mods if you’re at all unsure).

I’m sure I’ll love whatever you write!

 

Cluster 1: I have a secret life (and maybe you do too)

Hermione Granger/Bruce Banner, Hermione Granger/Steve Rogers, Hermione Granger/Susan Pevensie, Hermione Granger/Peter Pevensie, Hermione Granger/Edmund Pevensie, Hermione Granger & Lucy Pevensie, Natasha Romanov/Eliot Spencer, Eliot Spencer/Buffy Summers, Daniel Jackson/Buffy Summers, Daniel Jackson & Dawn Summers, Jack O'Neill & Buffy Summers & Dawn Summers,

I love stories where characters from one fandom stumble across supernatural/sci-fi elements from another fandom, or slowly piece together clues about the supernatural/sci-fi element in question and either figuring it out or getting it terribly wrong, or characters from a supernatural/sci-fi fandom trying to keep it a secret from characters from another fandom. I love the irony opportunities when the reader knows far more than any character does, and all characters hold different pieces of the puzzle and have to fit them together to find out the truth.

This is quite a large and diverse cluster, so I’ve broken it down into several subclusters:

 Hermione Granger/Bruce Banner, Hermione Granger/Steve Rogers: What I imagine here is Hermione after the war, living as a Muggle, and somehow crossing paths with SHIELD. I’d really like to see her dealing with the fact that she and the other Hogwarts students were essentially child soldiers in a war she can’t speak about to any outsiders, and finding people who can relate (to some extent) among the Avengers.

 Hermione Granger/Susan Pevensie, Hermione Granger/Peter Pevensie, Hermione Granger/Edmund Pevensie, Hermione Granger & Lucy Pevensie: I don’t mind whether it’s set in Narnia, England during/just after WW2, Hogwarts, or wherever Hermione ends up after the Battle for Hogwarts. Maybe a quiet moment recovering after their respective wars, or maybe something tense or action-filled during either war or in Narnia (either during war or peace). I feel there are a lot of parallels between the Pevensies and Hermione. I’d love to see them bond over being too young for the responsibility placed on them, living though a war, feeling out of place both in the magical fantasyland they were invited to and in the mundane world.

 Eliot Spencer/Buffy Summers, Natasha Romanov/Eliot Spencer: Very strong people who don’t back down from a fight! I’d love to see them struggle together with what it is to be a good person, and come to terms with the violence that is their lives, and find comfort with each other. I’d really love to see them respect each other’s abilities and to have relationships built on mutual admiration.

 Daniel Jackson/Buffy Summers, Daniel Jackson & Dawn Summers, Jack O'Neill & Buffy Summers & Dawn Summers: I really like how both canons have supernatural/sci-fi elements to hide from each other. I’d love to see characters from both canons get to show their competence. I have a weakness for secret family type stories (for instance, Buffy and Dawn being Jack’s daughters) – I like seeing the characters interact with each other under new circumstances, being slightly awkward and unsure of each other, different world views clashing, but eventually reaching understanding and acceptance.

Other ideas: maybe Daniel knows Giles from the British Museum, and either one goes to the other for help with something? Maybe SG-1 investigates weird occurrences in Sunnydale or wherever you imagine Buffy ends up after the series ends (feel free to either include or ignore Angel and comics canon – I have no strong feelings either way)? Maybe the Scoobies find evidence of weirdness in Colorado Springs, and thinking it might be another Initiative, go to investigate?

 

 Cluster 2: Pevensies in the MCU

Susan Pevensie & Peggy Carter, Peggy Carter/Susan Pevensie, Susan Pevensie/Daniel Sousa, Edmund Pevensie & the Howling Commandoes, Edmund Pevensie/Daniel Sousa, James "Bucky" Barnes/Edmund Pevensie, Peter Pevensie & the Howling Commandoes, Loki/Edmund Pevensie, Loki & Edmund Pevensie

 I like reading about Pevensies who are somehow Different due to their time in Narnia, for instance unexpectedly mature and competent for their ages, or having skills you wouldn’t normally expect from children or young adults in the mid-20th century, but might expect monarchs from a fantasy medieval kingdom to have. Feel free to include other Pevensies than the one we matched on! I would prefer the Last Battle to be disregarded.

Susan Pevensie & Peggy Carter, Peggy Carter/Susan Pevensie, Susan Pevensie/Daniel Sousa, Edmund Pevensie & the Howling Commandoes, Edmund Pevensie/Daniel Sousa, James "Bucky" Barnes/Edmund Pevensie, Peter Pevensie & the Howling Commandoes: I’d love to see something set during or after the Second World War here. Maybe Peter and/or Edmund are soldiers in the British Army, or members of the Howling Commandoes (may require some fuffing on the timelines, especially regarding Edmund in the war), or maybe Susan and/or her brothers are also agents of the SSR alongside Peggy and Daniel? Or maybe they are civilians who help the SHIELD agents/Howling Commandoes just because it’s the Right Thing To Do, if you keep their canon ages?

Loki/Edmund Pevensie, Loki & Edmund Pevensie: With Edmund and Loki, I would love to see some exploration of the parallels between these two, both younger brothers who felt overshadowed by their older brothers, betrayed their family, and then returned to the fold, as well as the differences between then (them being known as Edmund the Just and Loki the Trickster, to name just one).

 

Cluster 3: Regency fix-its

James Norrington/Fanny Price, Elinor Dashwood/Fanny Price, Anne Elliot/Fredrick Wentworth & Fanny Price, James Norrington/Buffy Summers, James Norrington/Susan Pevensie, James Norrington/Edmund Pevensie

This cluster is all about giving characters that deserve it a better fate! James Norrington gets to live and gets to love someone who returns his feelings, and Fanny Price gets to be appreciated and escape from her family that doesn’t appreciate her – and not marry the cousin who repeatedly ignored her needs and didn’t listen to her.

James Norrington/Buffy Summers: I’d love to see Buffy in the Carribean, being her usual irreverent, strong, kick-ass self. Perhaps she’d initially rub Norrington the wrong way, when he’s a Commodore in the Navy wedded to law and order, but they find common ground when he’s lost everything and becomes a more chaotic figure? Perhaps she saves his life?

James Norrington/Susan Pevensie, James Norrington/Edmund Pevensie: I don’t mind if this is set in Narnia or in the Carribean. Maybe Norrington is somehow transported to the Golden Age of Narnia, and takes service in the Narnian Navy under Just King Edmund or Gentle Queen Susan? Or maybe they meet him in the Lone Islands or somewhere else on their travels? Or maybe he is there on the Dawn Treader under Caspian X when Edmund, Lucy and Eustace arrive? Maybe Susan and/or Edmund (feel free to include Peter and/or Lucy as well) somehow end up in the Carribean during the Age of Piracy? How do they cope? Do they become pirates or stay respectable? They’re used to adapting to new worlds, so they’d probably land on their feet, but it would be interesting to see how they manage. Is Norrington an ally who helps them, or is he more suspicious and someone they have to convince to get on their side?

Elizabeth Bennet/James Norrington: I’d love it if James Norrington got to keep his post in the Navy, and got to meet someone who could appreciate him! If you pair him with Elizabeth Bennet, I’d love plenty of witty banter and amusement at the trappings of society. I think Elizabeth would probably be delighted with his story of ghost crew of the Black Pearl (being as far removed from it as she is), and would help him get over what happened.

James Norrington/Fanny Price: Fanny Price has connections to the Navy, maybe she meets Norrington through her brother? Or maybe they meet by chance in Portsmouth while Norrington is in dock and she’s with her family? Norrington would also be in a position to help William, and unlike Henry Crawford, he’d do it because he’s a good person, without any ulterior motives. I feel like she’d be quietly supportive of him and his trauma, and he would appreciate her inner strength.

Elinor Dashwood/Fanny Price: I strongly believe that Edmund didn’t deserve Fanny, and she should have a better ending! I’d love it if she and Elinor Dashwood set up a household together of two sensible, kind “old spinsters”. Maybe they would have to go up against their families, who’d want to keep them with them, and they’d have to fight for their independence together? Neither of them has a great deal of money, so maybe they have to struggle to remain respectable. I’d love to see them help and support each other through difficult times.

Anne Elliot/Fredrick Wentworth & Fanny Price: Anne knows what it is to be overlooked and taken advantage – I’d love it if she took Fanny under her wing. Perhaps they meet when Fanny’s at her family home in Portsmouth? Or maybe the Elliots know the Bertrams and they are childhood friends? Maybe William is a lieutenant on Frederick’s ship, and that’s how they all meet? However you get them together, I’d love Fanny to be appreciated, and to be offered an escape from the Bertrams and/or from her family in Portsmouth, and given a better life with more opportunities and less abuse!

 

 Cluster 4: Adventures IN SPACE!

Anakin Skywalker/Buffy Summers, Faith Lehane/Luke Skywalker, Faith Lehane/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Inara Serra/Buffy Summers, Anakin Skywalker & River Tam, Inara Serra/Anakin, Skywalker Anakin Skywalker/Kaylee Frye, Kaylee Frye/Rose Tico, Kaylee Frye/Rey, Kaylee Frye/Rey/Rose Tico, Rey & River Tam, Rey/River Tam

There are two space universes in this cluster: Star Wars and Firefly, sometimes crossed with each other, sometimes with other fandoms. Both of these universes have a small, scrappy group of people go up against a much larger, powerful controlling entity (the Empire/First Order/the Alliance) – and I love La Resistance type stories. This cluster is also broken down in subclusters:

Anakin Skywalker/Buffy Summers: I’d prefer a prequels trilogy setting, before he turns Dark. Buffy’s never had much love for authority, so I’d really like it if she questioned the Jedi (although I prefer the Jedi to be portrayed as deeply flawed but fundamentally good, rather than actually evil). She’d probably go ballistic at the Clone army, especially the not having a choice part, since her own arc is so much about grappling with agency and wrestling control for herself.

Faith Lehane/Luke Skywalker, Faith Lehane/Obi-Wan Kenobi: I’d love a “case fic” equivalent, with these people teaming up on a mission: maybe it goes wrong somehow and they have to scramble to save the mission before something terrible happens? Maybe they didn’t initially team up, but discovered each other along the way and now they have to work together? Faith is very irreverent and disdainful of authority, so maybe she'd rub Obi-Wan the wrong way at first? But she's also very competent, so he'd probably get over it pretty quickly.
With Luke, I imagine they'd get on quite well right from the start, and get up to all sorts of shenanigans together!
You could explore how Faith come to be in the Star Wars universe, but I’d also be happy if that’s handwaved.

Inara Serra/Buffy Summers: I’d love to see Buffy in the Firefly universe, perhaps as a member of Mal’s crew? Perhaps as a contact on a planet who works with them? Perhaps as a member of a resistance group? I’d rather there was no shaming about Inara’s job, at least not from Buffy.

Anakin Skywalker & River Tam, Inara Serra/Anakin, Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker/Kaylee Frye, Kaylee Frye/Rose Tico, Kaylee Frye/Rey, Kaylee Frye/Rey/Rose Tico, Rey & River Tam, Rey/River Tam: Crossovers between Firefly and Star Wars! Do the characters end up in one universe & meet he characters local to that universe, or has it always been one universe? Maybe the Alliance is part of the Empire/First Order? This is a crossover that really lends itself to mission fic, since the universes are fairly similar in set-up. For pairings involving Anakin, I’d prefer a prequels trilogy setting, before he turns Dark.

 

Cluster 5: The Vaguely Mediaeval Fantasyland Express

Peter Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Susan Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Edmund Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Lucy Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Steve Rogers/Sansa Stark, Sansa Stark/Buffy Summers, Sansa Stark & Tony Stark, Peter Pevensie/Brienne of Tarth, Susan Pevensie/Brienne of Tarth, Faith Lehane/Brienne of Tarth, Jaime Lannister/Buffy Summers, Aragorn/Buffy Summers, Legolas/Buffy Summers, Boromir/Buffy Summers, Boromir/Susan Pevensie

This cluster is all about characters from other ‘verses ending up either in Westeros, Narnia or in Middle Earth, which are very different, but all in some way inspired by mediaeval Europe with added fantasy elements. For some of these characters, it will be more of a culture shock than others. I’d like to see how the crossover characters adapt, and make a place for themselves in the new world, and how their presence helps make things better for the characters who are native to the world.

Peter Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Edmund Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Susan Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Lucy Pevensie/Sansa Stark: Maybe the Pevensies (one or more) get transported to Westeros and find Sansa in the Eyrie, helping her escape Petyr Baelish’s creepiness? Or the story could be set afterwards, when she’s returned to Winterfell, preparing for the winter and the war against the Others? The Pevensies have experience fighting against a very long winter, after all. Maybe Sansa somehow ends up in Golden Age Narnia, a magical land of summer with good and just rulers where she can heal from her past? Or maybe she ends up in Narnia during their long winter, and has to use the skills she learned from Westeros to survive and help the Pevensies defeat the White Witch? Either book or show canon is fine for ASoIaF/GoT.

Peter is the shining noble knight she always dreamed of, both without and within, in a way that no one in Westeros seems to match: he’s handsome, noble, chivalrous, dependable, and kind. He’s also a very good monarch, and Sansa hasn’t had much experience with those. He might restore her faith in songs, stories, and knights, and she would help him be the best High King he could possibly be.

Sansa and Susan have a lot in common: they’re both noble ladies, used to being coveted for their looks and having their intelligence overlooked. They’re also both good leaders, diplomatic, and practical. Together they would be nigh unstoppable.

Sansa and Edmund also have a lot in common, but differently than Sansa and Susan. They both have experience of being slightly resentful of their circumstances and family, being charmed beguiled by a beautiful but terrible Queen and trusting the wrong person, and suffering vastly disproportionate consequences from it. Both Edmund and Sansa value justice very highly, partly due to what happened to them. They would understand each other in a different way than the other Pevensies would understand Sansa, and might even be able to share some of the darker aspects of their pasts with each other.

Lucy’s incredible warmth and faith, her joy with life, and just pure goodness would be a balm to Sansa’s soul. Lucy, out of all the Pevensies, is probably the most accepting. She might restore Sansa’s faith in humanity, and in herself. They would probably complement each other well – Lucy’s valour and Sansa’s caution, Lucy’s heart and Sansa’s mind.

Susan Pevensie/Brienne of Tarth, Peter Pevensie/Brienne of Tarth: Everything I said about being very open about the method used to get these to the same location for the Sansa-centric prompts above applies here. I’d love to read about their adventures, maybe in Westeros trying to find the Stark sisters to fulfil Brienne’s vow – maybe they even manage to find them (one or both) and get to Winterfell. Maybe they get involved in the politics of Westeros, or maybe they stay out of them and just focus on completing their own tasks and surviving. Or maybe they’re in Narnia playing politics or fighting against threats to Narnia during the Golden Age. Maybe Brienne is a hero summoned by Susan’s horn in an hour of need? How would Brienne react to Talking Animals and the fairy-tale creatures in Narnia? Narnia is a much more friendly and permissive place, so she’d probably fit in much better at Cair Paravel than she did in Westeros.

With Susan, I feel like these two would get on so well! Susan would absolutely respect Brienne as a warrior, and she would be very impressed by Susan’s grace and poise, while still managing to be a very skilled archer. I’d love to read about their adventures, maybe trying to find the Stark sisters to fulfil Brienne’s vow – maybe they even manage to get to Winterfell and find them: Susan with her experience of managing a castle and running a kingdom would probably feel right at home in Winterfell.

With Peter, there are some interesting parallels and contrasts. Both are loyal, moral protectors and knights – however, Peter came to it almost reluctantly, whereas Brienne trained all her life to be a knight. Peter never had to prove himself the way Brienne did – after his first battle against the wolf, he as accepted and hailed, and he’s a King, to boot! Maybe she becomes his bodyguard or a general in his army in Narnia, or maybe he joins her in Westeros, looking for and protecting the Stark sisters. How would she react to another golden hero helping her on her quest – would she think him genuine, or would she be as suspicious of him as she was of Jaime to start, despite that she and Peter would meet under very different circumstances?

Sansa Stark/Buffy Summers, Sansa Stark & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Sansa Stark: Westeros is probably the worst of these worlds to end up in, but the crossover characters (Buffy, Steve, Tony) are all incredibly competent people. I don’t mind when in ASoIaF or GoT they arrive – maybe in Kings Landing, helping her deal with the terrors of the court? Maybe in the Eyrie, helping her get away from Petyr Baelish’s creepiness? Maybe during the Long Winter, fighting against the zombie apocalypse?

Jaime Lannister/Buffy Summers: They’re both very complicated characters, and I’d love to see them together – I feel like Buffy probably has a better idea of who she is and what she wants in the modern world, but Westeros would demand different things of her, and I’d love to see them working through what honour is, and what to do when honour demands one thing and your morals another. Buffy would probably have very little patience with Tywin Lannister, and see him as just another powerful man who wants to control her, but she’d also maybe, like Jaime, be a little out of her depth in the political waters of Kings Landing. Or they just wander round the countryside, helping people and killing bandits, a bit like the Brotherhood without Banners.

Faith Lehane/Brienne of Tarth: Two very strong women, but in different ways and with very different outlooks, drives, and motivations! Faith would challenge Brienne’s notions of what it means to be honourable, and maybe teach her to live for herself as well. As for Faith, if she has to end up in a crapsack world like Westeros, at least she has Brienne who is genuine and honourable in a way she’s not really used to, and who doesn’t know the dark secrets of her past and judges her for them, the way the Scoobies do. I’d love to see the adventures they get up to!

Aragorn/Buffy Summers, Legolas/Buffy Summers, Boromir/Buffy Summers: I’d love to see Buffy in Middle Earth! She’s so very modern, it’s bound to be an adjustment, but she’s also strong, good with weapons, and dedicated to fighting the good fight, so I feel like she’d probably find a place for herself quite quickly. Maybe Buffy arrives before the LoTR trilogy and and makes a place for herself before things kick off – since both Aragorn and Legolas have such long lives, they’ve seen and done plenty before the Council of Elrond. Maybe she’s off doing her own stuff while the None Walkers are heading to Mount Doom, and they reunite in Rohan or on the Fields of Pelennor? Maybe she’s in Mirkwood when the dwarves stomp through, and she and Legolas get involved in that situation?

Boromir/Susan Pevensie: Maybe Susan comes to Gondor before the Ring War, makes a place for herself at Court (she was a Queen of Narnia, after all), helping the people of Gondor keep their morale up, butting heads with Denethor (but politely), and making things better for Boromir and Faramir? Maybe she saves Boromir’s life on the banks of the Anduin and joins him and the others while searching for the hobbits? Maybe Boromir somehow comes to Narnia and is a little bit a fish out of water?

  

Cluster 6: A doctor and a temp go to another galaxy

Aiden Ford & Donna Noble, Donna Noble & Elizabeth Weir, Donna Noble & John Sheppard, Evan Lorne & Donna Noble, Rodney McKay & Donna Noble, Samantha Carter & Donna Noble, Aiden Ford & Martha Jones, Carson Beckett & Martha Jones, Martha Jones & Elizabeth Weir, Martha Jones & Evan Lorne, Martha Jones & Jennifer Keller, Martha Jones & John Sheppard, Samantha Carter & Martha Jones

I saw the Stargate Atlantis crossover tag in the tagset of the AU Exchange, and ever since, I really want to read a story with either Donna (with her memories intact) or Martha as a British or UNIT representative on Atlantis! I’d love to see Donna and/or Martha make a place for themselves in Atlantis, and interact with the other members of the Atlantis expedition. I’d love to see them apply the skills they had before travelling with the Doctor and the skills they picked up during their travels in a new environment. I’d love to see them be appreciated for who they are and what they can do – maybe not at first, maybe it takes some time, but eventually. I’d love to see them deal with and try to move on from the horrors and wonders they experienced during their time in the T.A.R.D.I.S., and I’d love to see them deal with the horrors and wonders of Atlantis and the Pegasus galaxy.

I’d be especially keen on the Atlantis people not knowing that they’ve travelled with the Doctor (maybe they don’t even know who the Doctor is, or maybe they think he’s a myth, or maybe they have access to some of Torchwood or UNIT’s archives about him), and being a little bit suspicious of them at first (why are they here, how are they qualified, where do their loyalties lie), maybe finding out during the course of the story, or maybe it never comes up – maybe Donna and/or Martha manage to prove their competence and loyalties some other way.

I love the world-building of SGA, so anything that builds off that would be great – the idea of a floating/flying city, the way they never seem to have enough resources, the way they can lose contact with Earth at any given moment and are so reliant on the Stargates, the way different societies react differently to the Wraith threat, and the place of the Atlanteans in the Pegasus galaxy, etc, so feel free to explore those aspects!

The characters in the tags are just people I thought it would be extra fun to see Donna and/or Martha interact with – if you have a favourite who’s not in the tags, do feel free to focus on them instead! As I said in the introduction, I’m a multishipper, so any and all ships are welcome (however, I must be probably the one single SGA fan who doesn’t ship John Sheppard/Rodney McKay – if you do ship it, I don’t mind it being included in the background, but I’d prefer it if it wasn’t a focus).