Dear Fandom5K Writer 2020,
Mar. 28th, 2020 12:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chronicbookwormThanks 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, so this exchange is right up my street!
The prompts below are there to help, not box you in, so please feel free to write something different if none of them grab your imagination or inspiration strikes in a different direction. If I request the shippy version of a relationship, I am also very happy to read the gen version (it sometimes but not always goes the other way as well – feel free to check via the mods if you’re at all unsure). The length of the sections has nothing to do with how much I want the request, only with how many different ideas/questions I have for each. I want to read them all very badly, so I’m sure I’ll love whatever you write!
This got quite long – feel free to just read the parts that are relevant to you.
General likes
DNW
Anne with an E
A Song of Ice and Fire
Chronicles of Narnia
Crossover Fandom
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Leverage
Sense and Sensibility
General likes
• 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
• trauma recovery
• characters with low self-worth being loved and accepted
• characters being shown warmth and kindness when they’re expecting or used to being belittled or abused
• characters uniting forces against a common enemy
• complicated politics and shifting alliances
• complicated relationships (not necessarily romantic)
• secrets (both being kept and being revealed)
• characters working with limited knowledge
• competent characters and 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
DNW
• smut (fade to black or references to sex are fine)
• incest (except canonical incest in ASoIaF/GoT), 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. This DNW does not apply to ASoIaF/GoT)
• 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
• unrequested setting change AUs (for crossovers, changing things so both canons exist in the same universe or having characters from one canon universe dimension travelling to the other canon universe by either hand-wavey or explained means are all fine)
• Fandom-specific DNW for ASoIaF/GoT: Petyr/Sansa
• Fandom-specific DNW for SGA: focus on John/Rodney
• Fandom-specific DNW for Downton Abbey: Jimmy/Thomas
Specific fandom prompts
Anne with an E
Characters/Ships: Cole MacKenzie, Josephine Barry & Cole MacKenzie
Genres: Canon Style Plot, Character Development, Hurt/Comfort, Slice of Life
I would love to read about Cole MacKenzie and how he’s doing with Aunt Josephine. What’s his school like, who are his friends, is there romance on the horizon for him? How do he and Aunt Josephine spend their days? How much contact does he have with his birth family, and what does he tell them? Are they jealous of his good fortune? Is there any bitterness that he abandoned them for his art, that they weren't good enough for him? Do any other characters from Avonlea know about his sexuality, and how do they react?
I really felt for him during the series, and I’m so glad that he got this chance to live a happy life where he doesn’t have to hide all the time. But I’m sure it’s not all happiness, openness and acceptance – what are his trials and tribulations? How much prejudice does he face, and how does he deal with it?
Just, anything about Cole MacKenzie would be absolutely lovely.
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A Song of Ice and Fire
Characters/Ships: Sansa Stark
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, AU - Canon Divergence, Canon Style Plot, Character Development, Fix-it fic, Hurt/Comfort, Interpersonal Drama
Sansa is one of my favourite characters in ASOIAF/GoT – I’d love to see a story that doesn’t gloss over the horrors she’s suffered, but also doesn’t reduce her to them. She’s clever and cunning, and she’s learnt to play the game, but she’s still managed to keep her kindness and compassion, despite everything she’s suffered.
I like stories that deal with politics and playing the game of thrones, especially ones that allow Sansa to demonstrate that she actually knows how to play – ones where she demonstrates her cunning and agency earlier in Kings Landing, and somehow manages to save her family, or stories where she’s older and has come into her own in a position of power, maybe as Queen in the North or maybe even Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
For shipping, I am a multishipper, and would be happy with the ships I’ve requested in the GoT section (Tyrion/Sansa, Theon/Sansa, Loras & Sansa, Sansa/Daenerys, Sansa/Brienne, or Sansa/Gendry), or other ships I particularly like are Jaime/Sansa, Oberyn/Sansa, Oberyn/Ellaria/Sansa, Podrick/Sansa, Sansa/Margaery, Sansa/Willas, and I'm fine with most other ships (except Petyr/Sansa or non-canonical incest): I’m quite easy to convince to like a ship. I’m also more than happy with gen fic!
I’m really not fussed about book or show canon – if I want something for one canon, I’ll be equally happy to see it using the other canon.
GoT/ASoIaF are exceptions to a few of my DNWs. Taking out the fantasy/magic elements, and keeping it as a mediaeval-inspired intrigue setting is fine. References to or depictions of canonical incest are fine for this canon. Canon-typical age gaps are fine for this canon, but I still prefer only fake sex to occur (if any) if any parties in the relationship are below 15.
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Chronicles of Narnia
Characters/Ships: Peter Pevensie, Susan Pevensie, Edmund Pevensie, Lucy Pevensie
Genres: Canon Style Plot, Character Development, Hurt/Comfort, Interpersonal Drama, Slice of Life, Worldbuilding
I’d love something about them settling back into lifer after Narnia, and carrying on with their lives, either from their POV or outsider POV. 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. I would prefer the Last Battle to be disregarded.
Alternatively, a Golden Age fic with the Pevensies dealing with the politics of ruling such a diverse kingdom as Narnia would also be fun to read! How do they balance the demands of their various subjects? How do they deal with those who supported the White Queen? How do they deal with subjects who don’t recognise their authority, or with different Kingdoms in the world (some of this is implied in the various books, but I’d love to see it expanded on)?
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Crossover Fandom
Characters/Ships: Peter Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Susan Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Edmund Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Lucy Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Boromir/Susan Pevensie, James Norrington/Fanny Price, Donna Noble & any Atlantis expedition members, Martha Jones & any Atlantis expedition members
Genres: Action/Adventure, AU - Canon Divergence, Canon Style Plot, Character Development, Fix-it fic, Hurt/Comfort, Interpersonal Drama, Slice of Life, Worldbuilding
Narnia and ASoIaF/GoT
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 and for Narnia.
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.
LotR and Narnia
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?
PotC and Mansfield Park
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? Or maybe Sir Thomas meets Norrington when he's on his business in the Carribean, and he then introduces Norrington to his family back in England?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.
Doctor Who and Stargate Atlantis
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!
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).
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Downton Abbey
Characters/Ships: Thomas Barrow & Tom Branson, Thomas Barrow & Gwen Dawson, Thomas Barrow & William Mason, Thomas Barrow & Anna Smith
Genres: AU - Canon Divergence, Canon Style Plot, Character Development, Fix-it fic, Hurt/Comfort, Interpersonal Drama, Slice of Life
I would really like to see Thomas have more friends and feel more at home at Downton Abbey, like later season Thomas had Baxter and Andy. Given how easily he gave his loyalty to Baxter and Andy, and how ride or die he was for them, it might not take much to wrangle early season Thomas away from O’Brien – probably just acceptance of his sexuality and showing they can be relied on to keep it a secret. Don’t get me wrong – Thomas is a self-serving bastard, and I love that about him, but I also think that part of why he lashes out so much and is his own worst enemy, is his deep-seated insecurity and feeling of being at war with the world. I’d love it if he had better friends who could curb his worst impulses rather than encourage them, and who’d encourage him to turn his scheming and manipulation for good.
If you want to give Thomas a love interest, that is completely fine with me. I mainly want to see him having friends, but love interests are good also :D. It could be William or Branson (this is one instance I’m perfectly happy to see a gen request turned shippy), it could be an OC, it could be Richard Ellis arriving on the scene early, or some other love interest, but please, no Jimmy/Thomas. Feel free to have Thomas pining for Jimmy, but I don’t want it requited, and I particularly don’t want Thomas kissing an unwitting Jimmy – I don’t really mind how you deal with that part of canon: change the circumstances so the possibility never arises, have his friends talk him out of it, keep everything the same but just pretend it never happened, or some other way are all fine with me.
Thomas & Branson
Thomas resents the wealth the Crawleys have, and think they’re no better than him – and he’s absolutely right! Maybe Branson manages to turn Thomas’ resentment into political activity, and they have their own little Socialists Charter at Downton? And recruit Daisy, who develops those leanings later on? How does he react when Branson marries Sybil and becomes a member of the Upstairs?
Or maybe they become friends through Sybil during the war, and Thomas helps them cover up their relationship? Or you could combine this with the request above regarding Gwen, and have a foursome of Gwen, Thomas, Branson and Sybil all trying to get Gwen a better job?
Thomas & Gwen
Both ambitious people who want to improve their situation – Gwen by leaving service, and Thomas by rising to the top of the service career ladder. Maybe they help each other, and cover for each other – Thomas when Gwen goes to interview, and Gwen if he wants to sneak out to meet a special someone? Maybe seeing Gwen’s success makes him realise there is a world outside service, and she helps him find a job, particularly after the war when he’s desperate and Downton Abbey aren’t willing to have him back? Maybe Gwen is a lesbian or female-leaning bisexual, and they beard for each other?
Thomas & William
Maybe William does Thomas a favour very early on in his time at Downton? Maybe having given William his loyalty, instead of bullying him Thomas actually acts as a mentor to him in his early days at Downton Abbey? Maybe they work together to help each other avoid Carson's wrath? Or maybe William survives the war, and they bond over the horrors they have both experienced, and difficulties returning to normal life?
Thomas & Anna
Anna has a sneaky side, as evidenced when she made Thomas and O’Brien think she’d hidden the stolen snuff box in one of their rooms – she’s cunning enough to keep up with Thomas, but also has a good heart and strong morals, so she’d be slightly more able to keep him on the straight and narrow.
How does Thomas and Anna being friends change his relationship with Bates? How does Anna react when the two men she cares about are fighting over the same job? Or does her friendship with Thomas mean she never grows close to Bates?
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Game of Thrones
Characters/Ships: Theon Greyjoy/Sansa stark, Tyrion Lannister/Sansa Stark, Sansa Stark/Daenerys Targaryen, Sansa Stark/Brienne of Tarth, Sansa Stark & Loras Tyrell, Sansa Sark/Gendry Waters
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, AU - Canon Divergence, Canon Style Plot, Character Development, Fix-it fic, Hurt/Comfort, Interpersonal Drama
As I said in the above request for ASOIAF, Sansa is one of my favourite characters in ASOIAF/GoT – I’d love to see a story that doesn’t gloss over the horrors she’s suffered, but also doesn’t reduce her to them. She’s clever and cunning, and she’s learnt to play the game, but she’s still managed to keep her kindness and compassion, despite everything she’s suffered.
I like stories that deal with politics and playing the game of thrones, especially ones that allow Sansa to demonstrate that she actually knows how to play – ones where she demonstrates her cunning and agency earlier in Kings Landing, and somehow manages to save her family, or stories where she’s older and has come into her own in a position of power, maybe as Queen in the North or maybe even Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
I’m really not fussed about book or show canon – if I want something for one canon, I’ll be equally happy to see it using the other canon.
GoT/ASoIaF are exceptions to a few of my DNWs. Taking out the fantasy/magic elements, and keeping it as a mediaeval-inspired intrigue setting is fine. References to or depictions of canonical incest are fine for this canon. Canon-typical age gaps are fine for this canon, but I still prefer only fake sex to occur (if any) if any parties in the relationship are below 15.
Theon/Sansa
So, the Theon/Sansa ship surprised me – I didn’t ship it in the early seasons, but seasons 5-8 convinced me. They’re the only ones who truly know what the other suffered at the hands of Ramsay, and I’d like to see them supporting each other as they reclaim their agency. Perhaps Theon stays with Sansa when they go to Castle Black – how does that change her reunion with Jon? Or maybe they go somewhere else, together, and escape Westeros and the conflicts – Braavos, perhaps? Or maybe love blossoms in the Winter, when Theon’s returned to fight for Winterfell? This ship offers plenty of opportunities to explore themes of loyalty, forgiveness, healing, and moving on.
Tyrion/Sansa
Perhaps they were better friends before their marriage, thus setting better conditions for love to grow out of it? Maybe they work together to become the power couple of King’s Landing? Maybe Tyrion and Sansa escape together after the Purple Wedding? Or maybe they reach an understanding later, when Sansa’s Lady of Winterfell or Queen in the North and Tyrion is Hand, and they’ve both grown and matured. I like that they’re both very clever and know how to play the game despite their relative lack of physical prowess, and I like how they are both kind, honourable people who will use their kindness and honour for their own ends.
Sansa/Daenerys
Sansa and Daenerys have a lot in common – they were both young girls who were used and abused by older and more powerful men, who took power for themselves and discovered their agency, but in different ways. Of course, there are plenty of challenges for the couple to navigate, with Sansa a staunch supporter of Northern independence, and Daenerys holding to her claim on all Seven Kingdoms. How do they navigate that conflict?
What if Jon had sent Sansa to Dragonstone to ask for help against the White Walkers in his name? Or what if Jon hadn’t bent the knee, but had instead brought Dany to Winterfell as an ally, not their Queen? Or maybe they did manage to find common ground between the Lady of Winterfell and the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms – perhaps they might have been able to come to a compromise had they not gotten off to the wrong foot with Daenerys complimenting Sansa’s beauty, but instead praising her competence and her skills?
Sansa/Brienne
A knight and her Lady! Strong bonds of loyalty! Their profound respect for each other, the way they listen to each other! Maybe Brienne manages to save Sansa from King’s Landing and deliver her to Robb and Catelyn and somehow prevent the Red Wedding? Maybe Sansa does go with Brienne when they meet in the Vale – how does that change things with no marriage to Ramsay etc. and they arrive at Castle Black before Jon’s death? Maybe something set after they’ve retaken Winterfell, maybe Sansa’s Queen in the North and Brienne the Lady Commander of her Queensguard?
Sansa & Loras
What if the Tyrells had managed to marry Sansa and Loras? Sansa gets her gallant knight, and Loras gets to save a pretty damsel! They both believe in songs and the ideals of chivalry, which might lead to a strong friendship and companionship, but there is still the barrier that Loras can’t love her the way she’s dreamed of. Would they go to reclaim Winterfell? Would they go to Highgarden for Loras to rule while Mace is in King’s Landing? Or would they stay in King’s Landing – perhaps Sansa might have been able to save Loras at his trial (maybe she would draw attention to the fact that a squire having seen his knight undressed is not in any way incriminating)? Or maybe there wouldn’t have been a trial if they managed to convincingly fake a romantic relationship? I don’t mind if this goes quite bittersweet, given their respective situations, dreams, and hopes, but I do have a fondness for arranged marriages that end not in love, but with deep, enduring friendships (or relationships that straddle the line between romantic and platonic love), so please don’t make it too angsty and depressing.
Sansa/Gendry
This would be a fun pairing, when Gendry’s chip on the shoulder meets Sansa’s romanticism (although she becomes quite jaded fairly quickly as well)! I’d imagine that Sansa would be aware of their different status more than Arya, but after all she’s gone through, a good heart would probably be more important to her than a good title. Maybe he thinks of their status difference as more of an impediment than she does – since we know he is aware of the difference between him and Arya? Perhaps Sansa escapes King’s Landing with Yoren, either together with Arya, or instead of Arya. How does she cope with life on the road? Does Sansa also free Jaqen H’gar, and, if so, what names does she give him? Does Gendry still decide to stay with the Brotherhood instead of going with the Starks, and if so, what happens when he’s sold to Melisandre? Or perhaps Sansa meets Gendry later, when they’re preparing for the onslaught of the White Walkers at Winterfell?
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Leverage
Characters/Ships: Maggie Collins, Jim Sterling
Genres: AU - Canon Divergence, Canon Style Plot, Interpersonal Drama
Maggie
I love Maggie – how quick she is on the uptake, how she can outsmart Nate, but how she generally keeps it under wraps. I love how she’s not jealous of Sophie, but friends with her, and how she genuinely cares for Nate and worries about him even though they’re separated and takes true joy in his moving on.
I would be really interested to see Maggie working with the Leverage team more. Maybe she is their Mastermind approached by Dubenich instead of Nate? She found out that IYS had denied Sam’s treatment and wanted revenge, gathering famous criminals around her? Or maybe Sophie is her way in, since they both move in the fine art circles, and they start with maybe a case like the Two Live Crew Job, helping steal art back for the original owners, and decide to branch out into helping people generally?
Or maybe she works with Parker, Hardison and Eliot after the end of the series when they need an extra person on the con? Maggie is very charming and unassuming, and we’ve seen that she has the makings of a fine grifter – and they all love her and work well with her, so I’m sure they’d be delighted to have her!
Sterling
Or what if Sterling was in Nate’s place? How different would things be? What if Sterling was the one who lost a child and blames IYS? He’s equally clever and ruthless as Nate, if not more so, but he’s also less prone to grandstanding. And his moral compass is slightly askew compared to Nate’s. Would they be more prone to go for vengeance on their marks rather than justice for the victims? Or would their goals be the same, just their methods different? Sneakier? And where is Nate in this? Is he the IYS agent chasing them? Or perhaps they lead Leverage together, like they worked together for IYS?
Another thing that might be fun is a fic set pre-series of Sterling chasing members of the Leverage team? Or him and Nate working together at IYS? We saw a glimpse of how they might have worked together in the Zanzibar Marketplace Job, and it might be fun to explore that further. What did they talk about on the rooftop when they were best friends?
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Sense and Sensibility
Characters/Ships: Colonel Brandon/Elinor Dashwood/Edward Ferrars
Genres: AU - Canon Divergence, Canon Style Plot, Character Development, Established Relationship, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Slice of Life
I’m very fond of sensible people coming to practical solutions! Perhaps a married couple living with a very good “bachelor friend” of theirs would probably be (just) within the bounds of regency propriety. I’d love to see how they came to the arrangement, and how they live. Perhaps Elinor and Brandon enter into a marriage of convenience for her family’s sake – and then Edward enters back into her life and feelings develop in all directions… Or perhaps Edward and Elinor marry after he’s been disinherited and move into the unmarried Brandon’s parsonage as in canon – and then he manages to fall for both his good friends at the same time, and worries that he’s taking advantage of them (meanwhile they’re worrying that they’re taking advantage of him)… Or maybe Edward and Elinor marry before canon starts (maybe he avoids being disinherited, maybe they have to rely on charity from their good friend Brandon), and they console and help Brandon as he’s searching for Eliza Williams, and feelings develop as they mutually support and help one another…
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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, so this exchange is right up my street!
The prompts below are there to help, not box you in, so please feel free to write something different if none of them grab your imagination or inspiration strikes in a different direction. If I request the shippy version of a relationship, I am also very happy to read the gen version (it sometimes but not always goes the other way as well – feel free to check via the mods if you’re at all unsure). The length of the sections has nothing to do with how much I want the request, only with how many different ideas/questions I have for each. I want to read them all very badly, so I’m sure I’ll love whatever you write!
This got quite long – feel free to just read the parts that are relevant to you.
General likes
DNW
Anne with an E
A Song of Ice and Fire
Chronicles of Narnia
Crossover Fandom
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Leverage
Sense and Sensibility
General likes
• 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
• trauma recovery
• characters with low self-worth being loved and accepted
• characters being shown warmth and kindness when they’re expecting or used to being belittled or abused
• characters uniting forces against a common enemy
• complicated politics and shifting alliances
• complicated relationships (not necessarily romantic)
• secrets (both being kept and being revealed)
• characters working with limited knowledge
• competent characters and 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
DNW
• smut (fade to black or references to sex are fine)
• incest (except canonical incest in ASoIaF/GoT), 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. This DNW does not apply to ASoIaF/GoT)
• 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
• unrequested setting change AUs (for crossovers, changing things so both canons exist in the same universe or having characters from one canon universe dimension travelling to the other canon universe by either hand-wavey or explained means are all fine)
• Fandom-specific DNW for ASoIaF/GoT: Petyr/Sansa
• Fandom-specific DNW for SGA: focus on John/Rodney
• Fandom-specific DNW for Downton Abbey: Jimmy/Thomas
Specific fandom prompts
Anne with an E
Characters/Ships: Cole MacKenzie, Josephine Barry & Cole MacKenzie
Genres: Canon Style Plot, Character Development, Hurt/Comfort, Slice of Life
I would love to read about Cole MacKenzie and how he’s doing with Aunt Josephine. What’s his school like, who are his friends, is there romance on the horizon for him? How do he and Aunt Josephine spend their days? How much contact does he have with his birth family, and what does he tell them? Are they jealous of his good fortune? Is there any bitterness that he abandoned them for his art, that they weren't good enough for him? Do any other characters from Avonlea know about his sexuality, and how do they react?
I really felt for him during the series, and I’m so glad that he got this chance to live a happy life where he doesn’t have to hide all the time. But I’m sure it’s not all happiness, openness and acceptance – what are his trials and tribulations? How much prejudice does he face, and how does he deal with it?
Just, anything about Cole MacKenzie would be absolutely lovely.
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A Song of Ice and Fire
Characters/Ships: Sansa Stark
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, AU - Canon Divergence, Canon Style Plot, Character Development, Fix-it fic, Hurt/Comfort, Interpersonal Drama
Sansa is one of my favourite characters in ASOIAF/GoT – I’d love to see a story that doesn’t gloss over the horrors she’s suffered, but also doesn’t reduce her to them. She’s clever and cunning, and she’s learnt to play the game, but she’s still managed to keep her kindness and compassion, despite everything she’s suffered.
I like stories that deal with politics and playing the game of thrones, especially ones that allow Sansa to demonstrate that she actually knows how to play – ones where she demonstrates her cunning and agency earlier in Kings Landing, and somehow manages to save her family, or stories where she’s older and has come into her own in a position of power, maybe as Queen in the North or maybe even Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
For shipping, I am a multishipper, and would be happy with the ships I’ve requested in the GoT section (Tyrion/Sansa, Theon/Sansa, Loras & Sansa, Sansa/Daenerys, Sansa/Brienne, or Sansa/Gendry), or other ships I particularly like are Jaime/Sansa, Oberyn/Sansa, Oberyn/Ellaria/Sansa, Podrick/Sansa, Sansa/Margaery, Sansa/Willas, and I'm fine with most other ships (except Petyr/Sansa or non-canonical incest): I’m quite easy to convince to like a ship. I’m also more than happy with gen fic!
I’m really not fussed about book or show canon – if I want something for one canon, I’ll be equally happy to see it using the other canon.
GoT/ASoIaF are exceptions to a few of my DNWs. Taking out the fantasy/magic elements, and keeping it as a mediaeval-inspired intrigue setting is fine. References to or depictions of canonical incest are fine for this canon. Canon-typical age gaps are fine for this canon, but I still prefer only fake sex to occur (if any) if any parties in the relationship are below 15.
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Chronicles of Narnia
Characters/Ships: Peter Pevensie, Susan Pevensie, Edmund Pevensie, Lucy Pevensie
Genres: Canon Style Plot, Character Development, Hurt/Comfort, Interpersonal Drama, Slice of Life, Worldbuilding
I’d love something about them settling back into lifer after Narnia, and carrying on with their lives, either from their POV or outsider POV. 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. I would prefer the Last Battle to be disregarded.
Alternatively, a Golden Age fic with the Pevensies dealing with the politics of ruling such a diverse kingdom as Narnia would also be fun to read! How do they balance the demands of their various subjects? How do they deal with those who supported the White Queen? How do they deal with subjects who don’t recognise their authority, or with different Kingdoms in the world (some of this is implied in the various books, but I’d love to see it expanded on)?
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Crossover Fandom
Characters/Ships: Peter Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Susan Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Edmund Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Lucy Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Boromir/Susan Pevensie, James Norrington/Fanny Price, Donna Noble & any Atlantis expedition members, Martha Jones & any Atlantis expedition members
Genres: Action/Adventure, AU - Canon Divergence, Canon Style Plot, Character Development, Fix-it fic, Hurt/Comfort, Interpersonal Drama, Slice of Life, Worldbuilding
Narnia and ASoIaF/GoT
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 and for Narnia.
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.
LotR and Narnia
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?
PotC and Mansfield Park
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? Or maybe Sir Thomas meets Norrington when he's on his business in the Carribean, and he then introduces Norrington to his family back in England?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.
Doctor Who and Stargate Atlantis
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!
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).
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Downton Abbey
Characters/Ships: Thomas Barrow & Tom Branson, Thomas Barrow & Gwen Dawson, Thomas Barrow & William Mason, Thomas Barrow & Anna Smith
Genres: AU - Canon Divergence, Canon Style Plot, Character Development, Fix-it fic, Hurt/Comfort, Interpersonal Drama, Slice of Life
I would really like to see Thomas have more friends and feel more at home at Downton Abbey, like later season Thomas had Baxter and Andy. Given how easily he gave his loyalty to Baxter and Andy, and how ride or die he was for them, it might not take much to wrangle early season Thomas away from O’Brien – probably just acceptance of his sexuality and showing they can be relied on to keep it a secret. Don’t get me wrong – Thomas is a self-serving bastard, and I love that about him, but I also think that part of why he lashes out so much and is his own worst enemy, is his deep-seated insecurity and feeling of being at war with the world. I’d love it if he had better friends who could curb his worst impulses rather than encourage them, and who’d encourage him to turn his scheming and manipulation for good.
If you want to give Thomas a love interest, that is completely fine with me. I mainly want to see him having friends, but love interests are good also :D. It could be William or Branson (this is one instance I’m perfectly happy to see a gen request turned shippy), it could be an OC, it could be Richard Ellis arriving on the scene early, or some other love interest, but please, no Jimmy/Thomas. Feel free to have Thomas pining for Jimmy, but I don’t want it requited, and I particularly don’t want Thomas kissing an unwitting Jimmy – I don’t really mind how you deal with that part of canon: change the circumstances so the possibility never arises, have his friends talk him out of it, keep everything the same but just pretend it never happened, or some other way are all fine with me.
Thomas & Branson
Thomas resents the wealth the Crawleys have, and think they’re no better than him – and he’s absolutely right! Maybe Branson manages to turn Thomas’ resentment into political activity, and they have their own little Socialists Charter at Downton? And recruit Daisy, who develops those leanings later on? How does he react when Branson marries Sybil and becomes a member of the Upstairs?
Or maybe they become friends through Sybil during the war, and Thomas helps them cover up their relationship? Or you could combine this with the request above regarding Gwen, and have a foursome of Gwen, Thomas, Branson and Sybil all trying to get Gwen a better job?
Thomas & Gwen
Both ambitious people who want to improve their situation – Gwen by leaving service, and Thomas by rising to the top of the service career ladder. Maybe they help each other, and cover for each other – Thomas when Gwen goes to interview, and Gwen if he wants to sneak out to meet a special someone? Maybe seeing Gwen’s success makes him realise there is a world outside service, and she helps him find a job, particularly after the war when he’s desperate and Downton Abbey aren’t willing to have him back? Maybe Gwen is a lesbian or female-leaning bisexual, and they beard for each other?
Thomas & William
Maybe William does Thomas a favour very early on in his time at Downton? Maybe having given William his loyalty, instead of bullying him Thomas actually acts as a mentor to him in his early days at Downton Abbey? Maybe they work together to help each other avoid Carson's wrath? Or maybe William survives the war, and they bond over the horrors they have both experienced, and difficulties returning to normal life?
Thomas & Anna
Anna has a sneaky side, as evidenced when she made Thomas and O’Brien think she’d hidden the stolen snuff box in one of their rooms – she’s cunning enough to keep up with Thomas, but also has a good heart and strong morals, so she’d be slightly more able to keep him on the straight and narrow.
How does Thomas and Anna being friends change his relationship with Bates? How does Anna react when the two men she cares about are fighting over the same job? Or does her friendship with Thomas mean she never grows close to Bates?
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Game of Thrones
Characters/Ships: Theon Greyjoy/Sansa stark, Tyrion Lannister/Sansa Stark, Sansa Stark/Daenerys Targaryen, Sansa Stark/Brienne of Tarth, Sansa Stark & Loras Tyrell, Sansa Sark/Gendry Waters
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, AU - Canon Divergence, Canon Style Plot, Character Development, Fix-it fic, Hurt/Comfort, Interpersonal Drama
As I said in the above request for ASOIAF, Sansa is one of my favourite characters in ASOIAF/GoT – I’d love to see a story that doesn’t gloss over the horrors she’s suffered, but also doesn’t reduce her to them. She’s clever and cunning, and she’s learnt to play the game, but she’s still managed to keep her kindness and compassion, despite everything she’s suffered.
I like stories that deal with politics and playing the game of thrones, especially ones that allow Sansa to demonstrate that she actually knows how to play – ones where she demonstrates her cunning and agency earlier in Kings Landing, and somehow manages to save her family, or stories where she’s older and has come into her own in a position of power, maybe as Queen in the North or maybe even Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
I’m really not fussed about book or show canon – if I want something for one canon, I’ll be equally happy to see it using the other canon.
GoT/ASoIaF are exceptions to a few of my DNWs. Taking out the fantasy/magic elements, and keeping it as a mediaeval-inspired intrigue setting is fine. References to or depictions of canonical incest are fine for this canon. Canon-typical age gaps are fine for this canon, but I still prefer only fake sex to occur (if any) if any parties in the relationship are below 15.
Theon/Sansa
So, the Theon/Sansa ship surprised me – I didn’t ship it in the early seasons, but seasons 5-8 convinced me. They’re the only ones who truly know what the other suffered at the hands of Ramsay, and I’d like to see them supporting each other as they reclaim their agency. Perhaps Theon stays with Sansa when they go to Castle Black – how does that change her reunion with Jon? Or maybe they go somewhere else, together, and escape Westeros and the conflicts – Braavos, perhaps? Or maybe love blossoms in the Winter, when Theon’s returned to fight for Winterfell? This ship offers plenty of opportunities to explore themes of loyalty, forgiveness, healing, and moving on.
Tyrion/Sansa
Perhaps they were better friends before their marriage, thus setting better conditions for love to grow out of it? Maybe they work together to become the power couple of King’s Landing? Maybe Tyrion and Sansa escape together after the Purple Wedding? Or maybe they reach an understanding later, when Sansa’s Lady of Winterfell or Queen in the North and Tyrion is Hand, and they’ve both grown and matured. I like that they’re both very clever and know how to play the game despite their relative lack of physical prowess, and I like how they are both kind, honourable people who will use their kindness and honour for their own ends.
Sansa/Daenerys
Sansa and Daenerys have a lot in common – they were both young girls who were used and abused by older and more powerful men, who took power for themselves and discovered their agency, but in different ways. Of course, there are plenty of challenges for the couple to navigate, with Sansa a staunch supporter of Northern independence, and Daenerys holding to her claim on all Seven Kingdoms. How do they navigate that conflict?
What if Jon had sent Sansa to Dragonstone to ask for help against the White Walkers in his name? Or what if Jon hadn’t bent the knee, but had instead brought Dany to Winterfell as an ally, not their Queen? Or maybe they did manage to find common ground between the Lady of Winterfell and the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms – perhaps they might have been able to come to a compromise had they not gotten off to the wrong foot with Daenerys complimenting Sansa’s beauty, but instead praising her competence and her skills?
Sansa/Brienne
A knight and her Lady! Strong bonds of loyalty! Their profound respect for each other, the way they listen to each other! Maybe Brienne manages to save Sansa from King’s Landing and deliver her to Robb and Catelyn and somehow prevent the Red Wedding? Maybe Sansa does go with Brienne when they meet in the Vale – how does that change things with no marriage to Ramsay etc. and they arrive at Castle Black before Jon’s death? Maybe something set after they’ve retaken Winterfell, maybe Sansa’s Queen in the North and Brienne the Lady Commander of her Queensguard?
Sansa & Loras
What if the Tyrells had managed to marry Sansa and Loras? Sansa gets her gallant knight, and Loras gets to save a pretty damsel! They both believe in songs and the ideals of chivalry, which might lead to a strong friendship and companionship, but there is still the barrier that Loras can’t love her the way she’s dreamed of. Would they go to reclaim Winterfell? Would they go to Highgarden for Loras to rule while Mace is in King’s Landing? Or would they stay in King’s Landing – perhaps Sansa might have been able to save Loras at his trial (maybe she would draw attention to the fact that a squire having seen his knight undressed is not in any way incriminating)? Or maybe there wouldn’t have been a trial if they managed to convincingly fake a romantic relationship? I don’t mind if this goes quite bittersweet, given their respective situations, dreams, and hopes, but I do have a fondness for arranged marriages that end not in love, but with deep, enduring friendships (or relationships that straddle the line between romantic and platonic love), so please don’t make it too angsty and depressing.
Sansa/Gendry
This would be a fun pairing, when Gendry’s chip on the shoulder meets Sansa’s romanticism (although she becomes quite jaded fairly quickly as well)! I’d imagine that Sansa would be aware of their different status more than Arya, but after all she’s gone through, a good heart would probably be more important to her than a good title. Maybe he thinks of their status difference as more of an impediment than she does – since we know he is aware of the difference between him and Arya? Perhaps Sansa escapes King’s Landing with Yoren, either together with Arya, or instead of Arya. How does she cope with life on the road? Does Sansa also free Jaqen H’gar, and, if so, what names does she give him? Does Gendry still decide to stay with the Brotherhood instead of going with the Starks, and if so, what happens when he’s sold to Melisandre? Or perhaps Sansa meets Gendry later, when they’re preparing for the onslaught of the White Walkers at Winterfell?
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Leverage
Characters/Ships: Maggie Collins, Jim Sterling
Genres: AU - Canon Divergence, Canon Style Plot, Interpersonal Drama
Maggie
I love Maggie – how quick she is on the uptake, how she can outsmart Nate, but how she generally keeps it under wraps. I love how she’s not jealous of Sophie, but friends with her, and how she genuinely cares for Nate and worries about him even though they’re separated and takes true joy in his moving on.
I would be really interested to see Maggie working with the Leverage team more. Maybe she is their Mastermind approached by Dubenich instead of Nate? She found out that IYS had denied Sam’s treatment and wanted revenge, gathering famous criminals around her? Or maybe Sophie is her way in, since they both move in the fine art circles, and they start with maybe a case like the Two Live Crew Job, helping steal art back for the original owners, and decide to branch out into helping people generally?
Or maybe she works with Parker, Hardison and Eliot after the end of the series when they need an extra person on the con? Maggie is very charming and unassuming, and we’ve seen that she has the makings of a fine grifter – and they all love her and work well with her, so I’m sure they’d be delighted to have her!
Sterling
Or what if Sterling was in Nate’s place? How different would things be? What if Sterling was the one who lost a child and blames IYS? He’s equally clever and ruthless as Nate, if not more so, but he’s also less prone to grandstanding. And his moral compass is slightly askew compared to Nate’s. Would they be more prone to go for vengeance on their marks rather than justice for the victims? Or would their goals be the same, just their methods different? Sneakier? And where is Nate in this? Is he the IYS agent chasing them? Or perhaps they lead Leverage together, like they worked together for IYS?
Another thing that might be fun is a fic set pre-series of Sterling chasing members of the Leverage team? Or him and Nate working together at IYS? We saw a glimpse of how they might have worked together in the Zanzibar Marketplace Job, and it might be fun to explore that further. What did they talk about on the rooftop when they were best friends?
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Sense and Sensibility
Characters/Ships: Colonel Brandon/Elinor Dashwood/Edward Ferrars
Genres: AU - Canon Divergence, Canon Style Plot, Character Development, Established Relationship, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Slice of Life
I’m very fond of sensible people coming to practical solutions! Perhaps a married couple living with a very good “bachelor friend” of theirs would probably be (just) within the bounds of regency propriety. I’d love to see how they came to the arrangement, and how they live. Perhaps Elinor and Brandon enter into a marriage of convenience for her family’s sake – and then Edward enters back into her life and feelings develop in all directions… Or perhaps Edward and Elinor marry after he’s been disinherited and move into the unmarried Brandon’s parsonage as in canon – and then he manages to fall for both his good friends at the same time, and worries that he’s taking advantage of them (meanwhile they’re worrying that they’re taking advantage of him)… Or maybe Edward and Elinor marry before canon starts (maybe he avoids being disinherited, maybe they have to rely on charity from their good friend Brandon), and they console and help Brandon as he’s searching for Eliza Williams, and feelings develop as they mutually support and help one another…
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