Dear X-shipping writer,

[chronicbookworm]

Thanks for writing me a story! In general, I like most things. I am a multishipper, and I read slash, het, femslash, and gen. I also like all genres: fluff, angst, adventure, case fic, humour, get-together, established relationship, character study, slice of life/domestic, you name it! I prefer my angst to have a ray of hope and not be too grimdark.

This got very long – feel free to just read the parts that are relevant to you! I’ve tried to group my requests by thematic clusters, to make it a bit easier to get an overview, and to break the bigger clusters down into subclusters of similar pairings. 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)!

Tropes that I particularly enjoy are found families, hurt/comfort, POV outsider, canon divergence, characters with low self-worth being loved and accepted, complicated relationships (not necessarily romantic), characters keeping secrets or secrets being revealed, uniting forces against a common enemy, time travel (both time-travel fix-its and travel to unfamiliar times for the character), competent characters, characters being recognised for their competence, women being awesome, women supporting other women, and 5+1.

 

I don’t really enjoy PWP – in fact, I prefer any sex scenes to be of the fade to black variety, or referred to, rather than described, if included at all. I also don’t like incest, teacher/student, mpreg or a/b/o, even as romantic tropes. I don’t like to read about infidelity or about protagonists deliberately doing things they know will hurt other protagonists, characters being falsely accused of something they didn’t do, jealousy/love triangles, or conflicts due to misunderstandings that would take less than a minute to clear up if characters would just talk to each other (conflict from other sources is fine and fun!). I dislike character bashing: unless the character is a villain in canon, please either write them sympathetically, or leave them out. I would also prefer settings either similar to canon, or interesting in different ways – I’m less keen on modern/mundane AUs.

 

This all being said, am not that picky and will enjoy most things, if none of my prompts below grab your imagination. 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/Clint Barton, Hermione Granger/Steve Rogers, Hermione Granger/Susan Pevensie, Hermione Granger/Peter Pevensie, Eames/Harry Potter, Bruce Banner/Luna Lovegood, Buffy Summers/Thor, Natasha Romanov/Eliot Spencer, Rosa Diaz/Natasha Romanov, Susan Pevensie & Peggy Carter, Susan Pevensie/Bucky Barnes, Edmund Pevensie & Loki, Minerva McGonagall/Granny Weatherwax, Minerva McGonagall/Phryne Fisher

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:

Susan Pevensie & Peggy Carter, Susan Pevensie/Bucky Barnes: I’d love to see something set during the Second World War here, and feel free to include other Pevensies. Maybe Peter is a soldier in the British Army, or a member of the Howling Commandoes and Susan is also an agent of the SSR alongside Peggy? Or maybe they are civilians who help the SHIELD agents just because it’s the Right Thing To Do, if they’re slightly younger? 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.

 

Edmund Pevensie & 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).

 

Hermione Granger/Bruce Banner, Hermione Granger/Clint Barton, 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.

 

Harry Potter/Eames: Similarly, I would like to see Harry after the war. I don’t necessarily see him abandoning the wizarding world (but maybe he did!). I’d love to see something between these two in London. They would play quite well off each other – I imagine plenty of snark and dry with between them.

 

Bruce Banner/Luna Lovegood: Luna has such an interesting way of looking at things, and Bruce is very scientific in his manner, but they’re both very intelligent, and Luna I think would be delighted with the Hulk just as much as with Banner. I see him bemused and charmed by her – and she’d find him intriguing and amusing. I would imagine

 

Hermione Granger/Susan Pevensie, Hermione Granger/Peter Pevensie: I don’t mind how you get these together – either in Narnia, or in England with time-travel shenanigans. 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.

 

Buffy Summers/Thor, Natasha Romanov/Eliot Spencer, Rosa Diaz/Natasha Romanov: 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.

 

Minerva McGonagall/Granny Weatherwax, Minerva McGonagall/Phryne Fisher: McGonagall is amazing. I feel like she and Granny Weatherwax have many interesting similarities, in terms of a no-nonsense attitude, self-certainty, and caring for those under their charge. I’d love something exploring the parallels between them. Since they’re both older, I’d love it if they had a long history together. Alternatively, they could be younger and meeting for the first time. Whether or not it’s set in Discworld or the Harry Potter world is up to you. With Phryne Fisher, I’d love to see a McGonagall and Phryne solving crimes together! Phryne is so easy-going and adventurous, and I think McGonagall would play a very good “straight man” (being neither of those things in actuality) to Phryne’s outrageousness. If Granny Weatherwax and Minerva McGonagall is a study in similarities, Phryne Fisher and Minerva McGonagall is a study in contrasts – but they might each bring out new sides to each other. I don’t mind if they’re young and spry, or if they’re old friends with a whole lot of history together. I also don’t mind whether it’s set in 1920s Australia or 1990s Britain – the choice is yours.

 

 

 

Cluster 2: Regency fix-it cluster

Elizabeth Bennet/James Norrington, James Norrington/Fanny Price, Elinor Dashwood/Fanny Price

 

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: Speaking of Fanny, I strongly believe that Edmund didn’t deserve her, 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.

 

Cluster 3: Adventures in SPACE!

Hermione/Rey, Anakin/Buffy, Buffy & River Tam, Inara/Buffy, Inara/Anakin, Anakin/Kaylee, Jyn Erso/Rose Tico, Kaylee Frye/Rose Tico, Cassian Andor/Rose Tico, Mal Reynolds/Han Solo, Cassian Andor/Paige Tico, Jyn Erso & Nat Romanov, Leia Organa/Nat Romanov, Cassian Andor/Luke Skywalker, Bucky & Jyn,

 

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, Jyn Erso & Natasha Romanov, Leia Organa & Natasha Romanov, Jyn Erso & Bucky Barnes, Hermione/Rey: This subcluster is people ending up in the Star Wars universe, at various time points. For Buffy/Anakin, 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. For the others (Natasha Romanov, Bucky Barnes, Hermione Granger), 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? You could explore how the characters come to be in the Star Wars universe, but I’d also be happy if that’s handwaved, or maybe they’ve always been there?

 

Buffy Summers & River Tam, 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 be very interested in exploring the parallels between Buffy & River, perhaps Buffy acts as a mentor to River. Perhaps the Alliance were trying to recreate Slayers of old legend? If paired with Inara, I’d rather there was no shaming about her job, at least not from Buffy.

 

Inara Serra/Anakin, Skywalker Anakin Skywalker/Kaylee Frye, Kaylee Frye/Rose Tico, Mal Reynolds/Han Solo: 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, as described above. For pairings involving Anakin, I’d prefer a prequels trilogy setting, before he turns Dark. I’d also be interested in parallels between Rose and Kaylee, or between Han and Mal.

 

Jyn Erso/Rose Tico, Cassian Andor/Rose Tico, Cassian Andor/Paige Tico, Cassian Andor/Luke Skywalker: Crossovers between Rogue One and different eras of the Sar Wars universe! Maybe involving time travel – the sequel trilogy characters know what happened to the Rogue One mission and what happened during the Rebellion – maybe they can fix things? Alternatively, maybe they’ve always lived in the same era and don’t know more than any one else, but still get involved in the Rebellion/Resistance together (for Cassian/Luke, this would be the default – all that’s needed is for Cassian to survive Scarif, and you’re good to go).

 

Cluster 5: Westeros is a terrible place to go on holiday, and so is Middle Earth

Edmund Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Susan Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Steve Rogers/Sansa Stark, Sansa Stark/Thor, Susan Pevensie/Brienne of Tarth, Jaime Lannister/Buffy Summers, Aragorn/Buffy Summers, Legolas/Buffy Summers, Boromir/Susan Pevensie

This cluster is all about characters from other ‘verses ending up either in Westeros or in Middle Earth, both places that can be very dangerous and unwelcoming (Middle Earth less so in some places, e.g. Rivendell or the Shire, but outside of that, it’s pretty bad)! However, all the characters (Edmund Pevensie, Susan Pevensie, Steve Rogers, Thor, and Buffy) are all incredibly competent people, and some of them have experience adapting to new and unfamiliar worlds (the Pevensies even with experience of adapting to fantasylands – and if you look beyond the much lighter tone of the Narnia books, they too have some pretty dark stuff in them) – I’d love to see how they get on; maybe they can even improve things and fix some of the terrible things that happen in canon?

 

Edmund Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Susan Pevensie/Sansa Stark, Steve Rogers/Sansa Stark, Sansa Stark/Thor: Sansa is one of my favourite characters in ASOIAF – 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 compassion, despite everything she’s suffered. I don’t mind if the story is set in King’s Landing, giving her a partner who is on her side and can help her get through the horrors she faced there, maybe someone who can help her escape without an ulterior motive? Maybe someone in the Eyrie, helping her escape Petyr Baelish’s creepiness? Or the story could be set afterwards, when she’s returned to Winterfell (at least in the show continuity), preparing for the Winter and the war against the Others?

 

Susan Pevensie/Brienne of Tarth: 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 fine marksman. I’d love to read about their adventures, trying to find the Stark sisters for Brienne – 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. Maybe they get involved in the politics of Westeros, maybe they stay out of them and just focus on finishing their own tasks and surviving – it’s up to you!

 

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.

 

Aragorn/Buffy Summers, Legolas/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. I don’t mind a Tenth Walker kind of fic, but what I’d really like is Buffy arriving before the LoTR trilogy, and making 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: For this, I don’t mind if it’s set in Gondor before the Ring War, with Susan making 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, or if she’s in a place to save Boromir’s life and join him and the others while searching for the hobbits. Again, I don’t mind a Tenth Walker fic, but I’d really like to see some different takes on a crossover!