Trick or Treat 2018 (Dear Creator)

General Likes: Tropey shenanigans, taken as seriously or as silly as you like. Protectiveness. Loyalty. Conflict. Hurt/comfort. Messy, complicated relationships where no one person is necessarily "better" than the other. Characters who are normally in control very much not being that. Canon divergence/for want of a nail AUs. Role swaps. Dragons and/or robots. Hair ruffling.

General DNWs: PWP. Non-canonical (permanent) major character death. Torture or mutilation. Issue fic. Mundane AUs (e.g. coffee shop, no powers, etc.). Non-con, even off screen. Unrequested ships.



The Adventure Zone
Duck Newton

Ships: Edmund "Ned" Chicane/Duck Newton
Gen Pair-Ups: Beacon & Duck Newton, Pine Guard trio, Duck Newton & Minerva

Relevant past letter rambling: Ned/Duck shipping thoughts, AU thoughts, and Ned/Duck and/or Beacon & Duck trope thoughts

So I really, really like Duck Newton. Every new fact we find out about him just charms me even more. I love the whole chosen-avoiding-the-call-thing. I love how he reacts (or doesn't) to the weird stuff he encounters. I love him trying to fruitlessly reign in his teammates as they try to steal Mothman's glasses. Every other week, I am left howling with laughter over Duck being such a terrible liar. I love when he handles tense situations poorly. I love every little tidbit about his past. I even love the constant fear I'm in as Justin rolls poorly on another beginning of the arc vision sequence and I have to worry that the Duckman's gonna kick the bucket. I really like Duck Newton and would be thrilled to get fic about him.

Treat Ideas:

• Duck backstory - becoming a forest ranger
• Duck backstory - first acquiring Beacon
• Duck backstory - meeting/getting to know Ned
• Duck backstory - trusting Ned with Beacon
• Duck backstory - protective Minerva
• During a hunt - protective Beacon (getting a new owner would be a hassle, now that he thinks about it)
• During a hunt - protective Ned and/or Aubrey
• Duck accomplishing something during training and feeling proud of himself
• During a hunt - something goes well for Duck and he has a little moment where maybe the hero thing's not so bad
• Duck and Beacon have a surprisingly friendly moment (or, at least, a not wholly antagonistic one)

Trick Ideas:

• Something goes wrong during a hunt
• Duck backstory - being the Chosen One is life-endangering
• Duck backstory - it's difficult to run from being the chosen one
• Duck's tough, not invulnerable - badass in distress
• Spooky, scary monster of the week
• For all the weird stuff he deals with, Duck's in danger from something completely mundane
• Future vision isn't a great superpower when you usually see bad stuff happening to you

xxxHolic
Doumeki Shizuka

Ships: Doumeki Shizuka/Watanuki Kimihiro
Gen Pair-Ups: Doumeki Shizuka & Kunogi Himawari, Doumeki Shizuka & Ichihara Yuuko, Doumeki Shizuka & Kohane Tsuyuri, Doumeki Shizuka & Doumeki Haruka

Relevant past letter rambling: Doumeki/Watanuki trope thoughts

It's probably because he's so competent and takes to the protector role so naturally and is so stoic most of the time, but I really love Doumeki in Badass in Distress scenarios where he's in danger, possibly has been whumped, and could use some help. General, non-distressed Doumeki is also totally fine because I do love the boy.

Treat Ideas

-General, high school-era banter and fluffy interactions
-Tiny Doumeki fic
-Fun AUs! - fairy tale? high fantasy? space opera?
-Doumeki (and co?) struggle through supernaturally weird, but ultimately harmless (if still inconvenient) circumstances

Trick Ideas

-Doumeki runs afoul of a supernatural entity that even he has trouble dealing with
-Or else he runs into some completely mundane trouble
-General creepy, spooky stuff when on a job for Yuuko


Mob Psycho
Reigen Arataka

Ships: Reigen Arataka/Serizawa Katsuya, Dimple/Reigen Arataka, Banshomaru Shinra/Reigen Arataka
Gen Pair-Ups: Kageyama "Mob" Shigeo & Reigen Arataka, Kageyama Ritsu & Reigen Arataka, Hanazawa Teruki & Reigen Arataka, Dimple & Reigen Arataka

Relevant past letter ramblings: Reigen & Mob thoughts, Reigen ship thoughts

I love Reigen a lot. He's an endlessly entertaining character with immensely fascinating flaws and depths. I love his bullheaded perseverance and the way he just commits to selling whatever nonsense comes out of his mouth and his OTT reactions and his difficulty with actual friendships and unique priorities and how he's stunningly oblivious one moment and shockingly perceptive the next. I love how, despite some of the very, very questionable things he does, he does have his own (slightly odd) moral code that he rigidly follows and that at his core he is a good, if strange, guy.


Treat Ideas:

-Reigen with dogs!
-Reigen and Dimple have a moment of (snarky) camaraderie
-One of Reigen's more mundane skills comes in handy on a job
-A haunting is resolved totally peacefully
-Mob bullying Reigen (just a little)
-BAMF protective Mob/Dimple/Serizawa
-Reigen and Shinra bond over their careers
-Reigen bullshitting his way through giving one of the kids some life advice, but it actually works out pretty well
-Reigen going on a job with Ritsu or Teru for some reason


Trick Ideas:

-More encounters with urban legends!
-General Reigen whump
-A case goes sideways
-A haunting gets a little personal
-Possession



Revolutionary Girl Utena

I have a preference for main anime characterization, but when it comes down to it, I am familiar with all current Utena canons including the new manga and the new musical. So, basically, explore whichever facet of canon is of the most immediate interest to you - they all add interesting dimensions to the series. I am also totally a fan of canon-blending.

Himemiya Anthy

Ships: Tenjou Utena/Himemiya Anthy, Arisugawa Juri/Himemiya Anthy, Shinohara Wakaba/Himemiya Anthy, Kiryuu Nanami/Himemiya Anthy
Gen Pair-Ups: Chu-Chu & Himemiya Anthy, Shinohara Wakaba & Himemiya Anthy

Relevant past letter ramblings: Utena/Anthy AU thoughts, Anthy ship and gen thoughts, assorted Anthy thoughts

Anthy is one of my all time favourite characters. She's super fascinating and I feel like I learn something new about her every time I revisit canon. That being said, there is plenty about Anthy and the world of RGU that lends itself to lighter and even humorous concepts, so feel free to go for whatever tone drives your muse!

Treat Ideas:

-Anthy meeting Chu-Chu for the first time
-General ship fluff
-Anthy messing with Nanami
-Anthy messing with anybody really
-Anthy's life post-canon
-Lighter AUs
-Dragon slaying (or, since it's Anthy, maybe she just tames/befriends it)
-Space adventures
-Cooking disasters
-The weird and wacky rules of RGU's universe as influenced by storytelling tropes and/or magic
-Colourful Mad Max-style post-apocalypses
-Superhero AU

Trick Ideas

-Gothic horror
-Anthy backstory stuff (past duels, the creation of Ohtori, etc.)
-Messier ship stuff
-Dark post-apocalypse


Arisugawa Juri

Ships: Arisugawa Juri/Takatsuki Shiori, Arisugawa Juri/Himemiya Anthy, Arisugawa Juri/Kiryuu Nanami
Gen Pair-Ups: Arisugawa Juri & Kiryuu Touga, Arisugawa Juri & Kaoru Miki

Relevant past letter ramblings: Anthy/Juri and Shiori/Juri thoughts

I love Juri and I mostly love her because she's such a mess. Feel free to explore and expose all of her character flaws. She also does draw a lot of genuine sympathy from me, though. I also think she can be quite funny, particularly when given the chance to interact with some of the more outwardly ridiculous characters (like Nanami). Basically, go for any tone you'd like.

Treat Ideas:

-Juri + Nanami interactions can be good for hilarity
-Same deal with Juri + Touga
-Anything playing with the ridiculousness of the characters and the weird world they live in
-Post-canon stuff
-Fun AUs
-Colourful Mad Max-style post-apocalypses

Trick Ideas:

-Darker ship stuff (especially with Shiori or Anthy)
-Duels before Utena's arrival
-Darker AUs
-Gothic horror
-Black rose related stuff
-Dark post-apocalypse



Dragon Age
Isabela

Ships: Female Hawke/Isabela, Isabela/Merrill, Aveline/Isabela, Isabela/Sera
Gen Pair-Ups: Isabela & Varric Tethras, Isabela & Alistair, Iron Bull & Isabela, Isabela & Zevran Arainai

Relevant past letter ramblings: Isabela/Hawke ship thoughts

My love. My darling. I love seeing her grow and develop every time I play DA2. She's my favourite video game romance ever. I love her quick wit, I love how frustrated she gets when she's forced to take something seriously, I love how hard she tries not to care and how deeply she's capable of caring in spite of herself. I love her flexible morality and I love finding the points where her convictions about right and wrong become much more rigid. I love her finesse and her swagger and her stumbling awkwardness when it comes to more emotional matters.

Treat Ideas:

-Pirate ship adventures!
-Bar fights (she wins, naturally)
-Treasure hunting
-Shippy fluff
-Missions presented in a more light-hearted tone
-Jail breaks

Trick Ideas:

-Spooky Fade related stuff, hauntings, demons, curses, etc.
-Post-Inquisition fallout
-Haunted pirate ships!
-Missions gone wrong



Vivienne

Ships: Sera/Vivienne, Morrigan/Vivienne, Cassandra/Vivienne
Gen Pair-Ups: Dorian Pavus & Vivienne, Cole & Vivienne, Solas & Vivienne


Relevant past letter ramblings: Vivienne ship thoughts, more Vivienne ship thoughts

Vivienne is such a fascinating character. The first time I played Inquisition, she actually genuinely managed to get under my skin with some of the dialogue between her and my Inquisitor (who she very much did not like). Then I played an Inquisitor who bonded with her really quickly in the next playthrough and it was amazing how grateful I actually felt for her company. Vivienne carries herself with a lot of power and pride and wields a sharp tongue, but we also get all these little hints about her backstory and some of the insecurities and fears that she still carries. She's ruthless enough to play The Game well, but when she cares about someone, she does so with obvious sincerity and clearly really values the friendships she builds.

Treat Ideas:

-Party banter
-Political intrigue
-Missions presented in a more light-hearted tone
-Jail breaks
-Young!Vivienne learning magic

Trick Ideas:

-Spooky Fade related stuff, hauntings, demons, curses, etc.
-Missions gone wrong


Pretty Deadly
Deathface Ginny or Big Alice

Ships: Big Alice/Deathface Ginny
Gen Pair-Ups: Deathface Ginny & Sissy, Big Alice & Sissy

Relevant past letter ramblings: Alice/Ginny ship thoughts, worldbuilding thoughts

I'm super fascinated by this series and these two characters in particular. For everything we learn about them, I feel like I have a million more questions and a million things still left unanswered. I'd love to know more about them on a general level (their histories, their roles as reapers, the world they live in) and a personal level (motivations, inner thoughts, desires, personal relationships). Violence is welcome, not just as an element, but as a feature when it comes to these two.

Treat Ideas:

-Dynamics on reaper missions
-Missions where things go right
-Quieter, more "human" moments - how do they spend their down time?
-Their dynamics with Sissy
-Being assigned as partners
-Past partners?

Trick Ideas:

-Fight scenes
-Darker reaper related stuff
-Death mythology
-Backstory stuff
-Missions gone wrong

Multifandom Trope Fest (Dear Author)

General Likes: Tropey shenanigans, taken as seriously or as silly as you like. Protectiveness. Loyalty. Conflict. Hurt/comfort. Messy, complicated relationships where no one person is necessarily "better" than the other. Characters who are normally in control very much not being that. Canon divergence/for want of a nail AUs. Role swaps. Dragons and/or robots. Hair ruffling.

General DNWs: Non-femslash porn. Non-canonical (permanent) major character death. Torture or mutilation. Issue fic. Mundane AUs (e.g. coffee shop, no powers, etc.). Non-con, even off screen. Unrequested ships.


The Adventure Zone

Edmund "Ned" Chicane/Duck Newton

Past general ship ramblings: here


Fairy Tale Curses - Can be related to a hunt or not. Maybe tied into Duck's destiny somehow (is he the hero destined to save the cursed Ned or is he the poor, put upon fairy tale protagonist who has been spending his whole life trying to avoid spinning wheels?). Humour is more than welcome, but also feel free to play with the more serious potential consequences of the curse!


Missions Gone Wrong - I'm a total sucker for this. Something going wrong on a hunt and somebody getting hurt is par for the course at this point, but this time it goes really wrong. Duck whump is especially choice.


Opposites Attract - Duck and Ned have so many differences and that's a large part of the appeal for me. I'd definitely be up for some fun ship fic about how they find each other's qualities charming.


Protection - Mutual - Maybe this coincided with Whump or Mission Gone Wrong or Badass In Distress. I would love something where the two of them have to rely on each other and deal with each other being danger.


Shared Dreaming - Only One Dreamer Knows It's Happening - Duck's been dealing with prophetic dreaming thing for a long time, but lately Ned's been featuring in a disproportionate number of them. The thing is, Ned's actually experiencing them too (maybe caused by something in the Cryptonomica?).


Soulmates - Herded by an Angry Goose - I just want to see Duck deal with the goose suddenly showing up (dropping it right into the canon context is choice) and trying to be his wingman (ha!) as he and Ned stumble around their feelings for each other. Go as ridiculous as you want with this concept.


Time Loop/Groundhog Day/Peggy Sue - Totally love time loops, time travel to fix a problem, and any combination thereof. Could be related to a hunt. Could be unexpectedly set off by something in the Cryptonomica. Could overlap with whump (and I'm fine with temporary character death in this context).


Trapped Together (and/or Snowed In) - This fandom's setting and the context of the hunts is very, very good for this. Could overlap with whump.


Whump - Hypothermia - Preference for Duck being whumped. May be related to Mission Gone Wrong and be the consequence of a hunt, but it could also come about from something more mundane.


Badass In Distress - Duck's tough - he's not invulnerable. Is he under threat from the newest foe during a hunt? Has he just taken too much of a battering this time? Is it something to do with his destiny? Or is he under threat from something much more mundane this time (car crash, accident in the forest, sword training accident, go wild)?


Beacon & Duck Newton

Developing Friendships - Duck and Beacon, through circumstances, are forced to really work together and gain a grudging new respect for each other. They can still snark and get annoyed at each other, but like...they're friends now.

De-Powered - Duck loses his Chosen One powers for some reason. Maybe it's a creature on a hunt, maybe he touches something in the Cryptonomica he shouldn't have, maybe it happens for some other reason. Up to you whether it's temporary or permanent. As much as Duck never asked for his destiny and as much as Beacon has longed for a new owner, they both wind up feeling that this is...not so great. Also Kepler is still very dangerous and Duck is no longer Tough.

Missions Gone Wrong - I'm a total sucker for this. Something going wrong on a hunt and somebody getting hurt is par for the course at this point, but this time it goes really wrong. Duck whump is especially choice (especially if Beacon has to take care of business).

Protection - Mutual - Beacon may long for a new owner, but anyone who steps to his current one within reach of his blade is in for it. Duck may think Beacon's annoying, but, like...he's sentient and there are still some lines that you just don't cross. Up to you what threat precisely they need to protect each other from.

Rescue - Character Regrets Being Rescued - Duck is in need of saving. Beacon won't shut up about it in the aftermath.

Shared Dreaming - Only One Dreamer Knows It's Happening - Duck's used to dealing with the prophetic dream thing alone. The only thing is that he's not actually alone - Beacon wouldn't be much of a magic weapon if he wasn't privy to the threats that his owner foresaw himself facing.

Time Loop/Groundhog Day/Peggy Sue - Preference for either Beacon being the only one aware of the loop or Duck and Beacon struggling through the loops together. Temporary character death is totally fine.

Trapped Together - Duck and Beacon have to work together either to escape or to survive until rescue. For better or for worse, this means dealing with each other.

Whump - Hypothermia - Duck's in trouble and Beacon's all but useless.

Badass in Distress - Duck's tough - he's not invulnerable. Is he under threat from the newest foe during a hunt? Has he just taken too much of a battering this time? Is it something to do with his destiny? Or is he under threat from something much more mundane this time (car crash, accident in the forest, sword training accident, go wild)?



DCU (Comics)

Kate Kane/Renee Montoya

Past general ship ramblings: here


Faustian Bargain - Deal with the Devil - Bonus points if it involves Renee's tendency to self-destruct in the name of protecting people she cares about and Kate being absolutely furious.

Hurt/Comfort - Concealing an Injury - Kate and Renee are caught up in a dangerous situation together. One of them is injured and chooses to hide it...then it becomes a problem.

Love/Hate Relationship - I am all about tension and hurt feelings conflicting with a deep protectiveness when it comes to Kate and Renee. Give me all of that inability to stop caring about someone that you don't want in your life anymore.

Lovers to Enemies - Still In Love With The Other - Kate and Renee end up on opposite sides of a conflict. The only problem is that there are still feelings involved and things get...messy.

Physical Fight Leading to Sex - Give me all the emotionally charged scrapping turned to rough sex. Pushing into walls is choice.

Stakeout - Kate and Renee pursuing a case together. Lots of feelings, lots of tension.

Time Loop/Groundhog Day/Peggy Sue - I love time loops and am fully here for one or both of them getting stuck living the same segment of time over and over. Bonus points if events are tied into Renee's self-destructive tendencies and/or their mutual protective tendencies. Temporary character death is fine.

Time Travel - Peggy Sue - Again, temporary character death is fine. I love it when either of these two is desperate to save the other and they both have a tendency to dwell on mistakes.

Trapped Together - Forced close proximity, tension brought on by fighting for survival, lots of emotions.

Protection - Mutual - These two have protective streaks a mile wide and the occasional tendency to let emotion cloud their better judgement. Any scenario where they're desperate to save each other is like catnip to me.

Betrayal - Betraying Someone to Save Them - Such a great trope and totally perfect for the messy relationship these two have. The more tension, the more regret, the more desperation, the better.


xxxHolic

Doumeki Shizuka/Watanuki Kimihiro

Fairy Tale Curses - Bonus points for Doumeki being the one cursed. Really have fun with this one and Watanuki's reactions to what's happening. Humour is more than welcome, but feel free to play with the serious side of the curse's consequences too.

Hurt/Comfort - Concealing an Injury - Bonus points for Doumeki being the one injured.

Loyalty - Test of Loyalty - The boys are put in a scenario where victory against the supernatural entity of the day is dependent on Doumeki proving his loyalty to Watanuki in some way. The tests are grueling. Neither boy is happy about it. Bonus points for comfort after the hurt.

Protection - Character Being Protected Isn't Used to It - I'm a real sucker for Protecting the Protector scenarios with these two. Anything where Doumeki's in trouble and Watanuki has to step in is choice.

Shared Dreaming - Only One Dreamer Knows It's Happening - Bonus points for Watanuki being the one in the know. Extra bonus points for showing how this affects their interactions in the waking world.

Soulmates - Herded by an Angry Goose - Preferably inexplicably taking place within the canon world. I would be delighted to read about their reactions to their feathered escorts.

Time Loop/Groundhog Day/Peggy Sue - Bonus points if Watanuki is the only one aware of the loop/time travel (or if Yuuko is potentially also aware, but cagey about it).

Trapped Together - Something goes wrong during a job for Yuuko and they are stuck in close proximity with a lot of tension and danger and feelings.

Badass in Distress - I love this trope for Doumeki. Please throw danger at him and have Watanuki react.