Candyhearts Exchange Letter

Dear Writer,

Welcome to my letter, I hope this will be useful to you. You will find here a list of my General Likes, what I enjoy when it comes to relationships in fiction. I try to provide prompts, but if they do nothing for you, feel free to ignore them or pick something in my Likes if they inspire you. I had to sign up in quite a hurry this year, so apologies if things in the form were introduced a bit dryly, I want to reiterate these are suggestions and absolutely not demands (optional details are optional) The fandoms I’m requesting are quite different when it comes to moods, so clearly not every like will apply, but it’s a long list and I trust you to go where your (candy)heart leads you!

By the way, I’m Beatrice_Sank on AO3.

 

General likes

Romantic and sexual tension (resolved or unresolved), pinning, slow burn, people falling in love While Trying Not To, things changing gradually so it’s hard to put it into words or name it, friends/enemies to lovers, fake/pretend relationships, angst, accidental proximity, little touches and physical reactions, focusing on characters’ hands, sensual things going on at a slow pace, first kiss/getting together, banter, fix-it, AU of the “what if kind”, backstory, alternative story-telling forms (letters, found manuscripts or records if it works with the fandom, outsider point of view…), found intimacy, intimate body language, found families, the little cruelties of everyday life relationships, queer narratives, conflicting world-views and people having their reasons, sensory notations.

 

Sex scenes likes

Praise, alternate power dynamics, teasing, repressed character letting go, people having fun during sex, sex in semi-public places, voyeurism and mirrors, overstimulation, phone sex, edging, intimacy issues, clothed sex. I’m fine with dubcon, but no non-con, please.

I’m cool with everything from no sex to fade-to-black to allusions to actual descriptions. To be clear, I’m not particularly expecting sex scenes: write one only if you feel like it.

 

DNW: major character death (time loops and resurrection plots are fine + this DNW doesn’t apply to my Kit/Olaf request), non-con (dub-con is fine), sexual interaction involving children under 16, non-canonical children and pregnancy, watersports, unrequested crossovers, AUs that change the setting (A/B/O, soulmates, coffee shops and the likes; canon divergences are fine).

 

 

An Unfortunate Series of Events

Kit/Olaf

 

Ah, the delicious tension between star-crossed lovers who are also extremely morally dubious! Well, it’s especially true of Olaf, of course, but I like how he voluntarily overplays the whole “villain” aspect, when we know Kit probably had something to do with his parents’ death too. I’ve always been curious to see them interact more, in this adult, complex way that seemed so mysterious to the Baudelaire when they witnessed it at the very end of the books.

Please feel free to imitate the books’ style if you want, or to go your own way. I love them hot and tragic, but I’m also curious about their quiet, “heart of the storm”, stolen moments. My personal headcanon is that Kit probably continued to love Olaf in a way despite herself over the years, and that he continued to pine for all this life. I think as adults they would probably both hate and love each other in a way that clearly isn’t sane. But I’m also interested in how they might have interacted as teens, before things got tragic. Were they awkward, already too serious, witty and annoying? Any moment in their relationship is fine, including the very last one if that’s where you want to go (note that my DNW for major character’s death doesn’t apply here).

I’m quite open to heardcanons about VFD, the Schism, their respective crimes and backstory, who’s dead, who’s alive, etc. This canon is an enigma on many aspects, and I don’t mind reading hypothesis (though I would really prefer that you build upon the books’ lore, and not the TV show’s).

 

Prompts:

- The evolution of their relationship through various snippets (if you want a theme it could be the times they chanced upon each other during missions, or the various times they half-heartedly tried to kill each other, quiet moments, or just randoms scenes of your choice, I’ll be equally happy).

- Outsider’s point of view! I’m thinking for no particular reason the Duchess of Winnipeg because I’ve always been very intrigued by her, but use anyone you want!

- 5 times + 1 they lied to each other (or 3+1, 5+1 is already an awful amount of times!)

- Different coded messages they sent each other, or books they used to communicate/flirt (perhaps when they were younger, perhaps later in life when they couldn’t see each other).

- Something exploring the distance between them: forbidden phone calls, letters, taxi rides, etc, when they cannot really touch (but the atmosphere is still charged, or even steamy – note that I’m very open to phone sex, if that’s your thing).

- Also quite interested in something involving jealousy: Olaf being jealous of Dewey or any other suitor Kit might have had, Kit being jealous of Esmé or anyone Olaf is keeping around.

 

 

Harry Potter

Minerva McGonagall/Original Female Character

 

Minerva McGonagall is one of my favourite character ever, and I think she’s at her best when she’s allowed to be witty, dry or/and annoyed, which is something we see often in the books: it’s delightful (“Take a biscuit, Potter”: best line ever). So I guess I’d like to see her meet her match and banter a bit, or being very much annoyed by that new and intriguing Female Character of Your Invention. I’m not very particular about who could capture her heart: I love middle-aged women with a passion, but I’m also fine with an age-gap as long as it doesn’t make the character a former student (that would have been a DNW but I realize I haven’t put it in my sign-up, so you’re technically free on that front, but I would really prefer the person in question not to be a former student).

 

Prompts:

- An inspector from the Minister of Magic is coming to Hogwarts to review all the classes, and she somehow manages to annoy Minerva and makes her nervous at the very same time… Passionate discussions / fights about the art of teaching could lead to more.

- There’s a new teacher this year, and for inexplicable reasons Minerva is very intrigued by her…

- Minerva meets a Muggle while she is undercover for some reason. In that case, perhaps they keep meeting over the years and learn to slowly know each other. Or the Muggle accidentally witnesses magical events, and Minerva has to Make Sure She Doesn’t Talk About it.

- Epistolary fic: perhaps she writes to a fellow researcher she’s never met in person to contest some point made in a Transfiguration paper, or something of the sort, and it leads to a long correspondence. Or perhaps she accidentally gets someone else’s letters and begins to write back because the person seems interesting.

- All seers are scams, for sure. But for some reason, this particular seer Minerva just met is far less annoying than she expected….

 

 

Original Works

Middle-aged Virginal Queen / Her Faithful Guardwoman

 

I’m seeing more of an historical setting for this one, but not necessarily something historically accurate, if that makes sense: fantasy history is really fine too, as well as something more fairy-tale like. What appealed to me in the pairing is the idea of middle-aged women who, potentially, have come to know each other very well over the years. I can see two routes there, and they are quite different. You could go in a direction where the hierarchy is strongly present (in that case I’m very open to something with dom/sub undertones). But for me it also suggests something more quiet and intimate, and I like that mood too. Imagine two people who basically live in a sort of intimacy (because a guard is always near her queen), who perhaps have become friends over the years despite their differences in status. And perhaps it’s a love story and they haven’t realized it because it’s so embedded in their everyday life, or perhaps because they don’t know much about love… Anyway, I’m babbling, but here are some prompts!

 

Prompts:

- Something ordinary, customary leads to a realisation of feelings / a confession / first kiss / love scene (your pick!). Could be a game of chess they play every day, could be a walk the queen always takes, any ritual they have established, etc.

- Accidental proximity: for example the guard is called in the middle of the night and mistakes something for an attack, or the queen is in minor physical danger and the guard intervenes, etc. Obviously, it leads to more, immediately or some time after the fact.

- The queen asks her faithful guardwoman about love and what she knows of it. Awkwardness, allusions, veiled confessions, or perhaps even philosophical discussions ensue.

- The queen’s order have become gradually stranger these last few weeks, and the guardwoman is loosing her mind over it…

 

 

Our Flag Means Death

Stede Bonnet / Edward Teach

I adore these two and I just love thinking about the million different ways they could have gotten together in s1, and how they could go back together in s2. I realise this is a hug fandom and a million things have already been written, so if my prompts seem too tired to you feel free to explore in a whole new direction. But know that I will deeply enjoy your own version of those ideas, no matter how tropy they are!

 

Prompts:

- Stede teaches Ed how to dance like a gentleman, and Ed in turn teaches him how to dance… like a pirate. I’d like to think both styles would imply prolonged and ambiguous contacts, awkwardness perhaps, tension certainly, but you’re free in your interpretation (perhaps the “dancing” is also less innocent, who knows!)

- “Just for fun” (or for the love of theater), one of them suggests they roleplay different clichés of pirate literature: pirate and captive, pirate and mermaid, moral enemies… I’m thinking of a context when they are not together yet, and this could stray off course in various ways. I would like to see them exaggerate their own character traits, or roleplay as women for example: the show does interesting things with gender, and that could be a way to explore that too. Or they could be together already and trying out new things, if you prefer! This could get sexual real quick too, or just stay fun and leas to realisation of feelings or something like that, just do what you want with it.

- Outsiders’ point of view: various members of the crew noticing there is something more between them when they remain oblivious.

- For something a bit darker: after s1, Stede has been made prisoner by Ed’s crew. Ed is still very much behaving like Black Beard and Stede is convinced he’s going to kill him/be violent. And perhaps it was his original intent, but then… it leads to something else (and possibly them getting back together). Give me all the drama, the feels, the hurt/comfort, the slap slap kiss, Ed being actually very scary, you name it.

- Any alternative scenario of how they get together will delight me!

 

 

Persuasion

Anne Elliot/Frederick Wentworth

The ultimate canon for romantic tension! Anyway that’s mostly what I’m here for, but I also love the whole atmosphere of the book and the historical setting. I guess what I’m craving here is just some more tension, and a different kind of resolution possibly, or no resolution at all (just loads and loads of sweet, sweet tension). Admittedly, I’m rather intrigued by the underlying cruelty of the novel: how Anne has to watch Wentworth flirt with someone else, how spiteful Wentworth can be too, implying publicly she’s too old now and has lost her beauty… The intricacy of pride, shame, regrets, love and desire really interests me. So I would love to read something mainly in the spirit of the book, but that goes a little deeper, or even maybe a little darker with those two and the tension between them. Period-typical attitudes are very welcome, but if you want to make them more daring or expressive than in the novel, be my guest too.

 

Prompts:

- Wentworth is made to describe his ideal woman when Anne is present. Time for some indirect communication! But is it flirty, emotional, wistful, cruel, all of the above?

- Anne watches Wentworth being close to another woman (feel free to use who you want among the existing characters or to invent your own, of course) and imagines herself in her place. It could be a misunderstanding, or Wentworth could actually be flirting, is very much aware he’s being watched, and is using it consciously (bonus points if it’s both cruel and sexy).

- Jealousy as the motivation for a confession: perhaps things go further with Mr Elliott, perhaps it’s Anne who finally snaps and confesses out of desperation (I realize it would be shocking for the time period, but I still like the idea of the heroine confessing instead of the man, and she could use discreet means to do so, I suppose), perhaps there is another misunderstanding between them.

- Anne and Wentworth find themselves staying at the Crofts’ at the same time. They keep trying (and failing) to avoid each other, awkwardness probably ensues, and perhaps Sophia is discreetly playing matchmaker? I don’t know, I just like the idea of them being there, do what you want with it!

- If those are too specific, know that I’ll be very, very happy with any sort of happy resolution that differs from the book’s (as in: they get together, but in a different way) or with a good old first kiss scenario.

 

 

Succession

Roman Roy/Gerri Kellman

 

Ah, these two… I’m really fascinated by this ship, and what the show did with them. And I’ll admit I’m of two minds when it comes to them. On the one hand, my heart craves for some more feelings, something more tangible being revealed in the midst of their complex games, the idea that eventually it could lead to (unwanted?) emotions. But on the other hand, they are both very selfish and it’s also clear they’re using the other in multiple ways. Roman never questions what Gerri actually gets out of their arrangement, which is something that deeply interests me. The power dynamic is so complex: who really has the upper hand? Is it harassment (on Roman’s part), is it a way to exploit someone’s else traumas to one’s advantage (on Gerri’s), is it indirect therapy (for Roman, or for both), a way to take revenge (Gerri, who works in a misogynistic environment), something else? I’m interested in both directions: the perhaps more romantic one (although it could still be quite unhealthy) and the darker one (where it’s sex and power and moral ambiguities and layers of traumas and frustrations and they both stand for someone or something else and they sort of know it). Feel free to mix them however you want. In terms of characters, a lot of fics for this pairing focus on Roman, and I love that, but I admit I’m also very intrigued by what Gerri might want, what she might think of him, of all this,

If you want to write smut for this but are unsure how far you can go, I have bookmarked a ton of E-rated Gerri/Roman stories that will probably help you see what I’m comfortable with, but on the whole I’m pretty open to everything that fits into their dom/sub dynamic.

 

Prompts:

- Though I know this all began with Gerry buttoning Roman's shirt, they almost never touch after that (and we get why, but I think that's still a complicated 'why'). So: 5 times + 1 they touched accidentally, or something of the sort that explores why touch is difficult between them, all the things it could mean.
-Their obviously under-negotiated kink blows up in their face at some point during one of their 'session'. Perhaps it's Roman who goes from excited to plain hurt by the insults. Perhaps something goes wrong with Gerri (actually I think this is also really worth exploring: what in her position in what they have going on could end up being too much for her too). If exploring that interests you, be my guest, I'm interested in all the directions this could go. Is this the way to deeper feelings being expressed, a waning sign to quit, an occasion to talk and negotiate, etc?
- Gerry betrays some sort of reaction (as opposed to: acting cold and impervious) during one of their 'sessions', or perhaps even out of their sessions in an inappropriate setting, at work or in any other social context. Could be purely sexual, could be emotional, perhaps a mix of both. What does it lead to, what does Roman make of it? What does *Gerri* make of it?
- For something broader, give me their first kiss: is it messy, twisted, unhealthy, complicated, or surprisingly sane? I'm really open to various takes here (hey I'm even open to variations on that theme, because parallel universes something something, or just because Roman (or Gerri?) likes to fantasize about this and try out different scenarios.