eirenical | Dear Yuletide Author, (Reply)

First and foremost, I'd like to offer up a huge "Thank You!!" to you for writing a story for me. I know how difficult it can be to put any part of your creative process into the hands of another individual, so I will do my best to treat that trust with the care and respect it deserves. ^_^

(11/3/18) All done! Sorry that took so long, Author. It’s been a doozy of a month and too many things fell through the cracks and finishing up my letter was one of the balls I dropped. It’s done now, though, so have at! And if you need any clarification on anything, feel free to send another query through the mods. ^_^

AO3: eirenical (chibi1723)
tumblr: eirenical

Rating and kink:

Any rating can fly. Really. Any rating. And for shipfic, my general preferences tend towards slash or femslash and/or polyamory. ^_^

As for kink, if you’d like to write something on the higher end of the rating scale, I'll specify within specific fandoms if there are any particular kinks I might be interested in. (If you'd like to include a kink and you aren't sure I'll be OK with it, please ask the mods to contact me and ask. I'm pretty approachable and I really won't mind being spoiled with something like that. If anything, it will only heighten my gleeful anticipation. ^_^)

General likes and dislikes:

Likes:
I like fluff. I like angst. I like hurt/comfort (emotional or physical) and sickfic. I like found family stories. I like shipfic. I like plotty fic. I like long fic. I like short fic. I like character studies. I like AUs of the "What if?" variety (i.e. what if character A had made a different decision here; what if character B hadn't died). I like explorations of things beyond canon (i.e. continuations of canon, deeper explorations of things only mentioned in passing in canon, expanding on the stories of minor characters, backstories, etc.).

I like a whole lot more than that, but in the interest of not writing a 20,000 word letter, here's the punch line to all of this babbling: what draws me to fandom is the characters and the interactions between them. So, if you keep the story focused on the characters, I'll generally be happy with whatever other plot trappings fall around them. ^_^

DNWs (do not wants):
1) I prefer to keep other kinds of AUs (i.e. coffeehouse AUs, high school AUs, etc.) to my larger fandom explorations. For exchanges, I prefer to stay closer to actual canon.
2) I have a huge fealty/loyalty kink, and discussions of infidelity/cheating/going behind someone's back/etc., make me highly uncomfortable. So, if you could avoid that kind of thing, I'd appreciate it.
3) I have a huge embarrassment/public humiliation squick, so if you could avoid that, I'd be grateful.
4) I’m a veterinarian and an animal lover and any talk of animal abuse or animal death makes me really upset. So, if there are any animals in your stories, I’d appreciate it if none of them were hurt or killed, and that they are all treated with care and respect. Thanks!
5) The following kinks make me very uncomfortable: Age play/infantalism, scat, watersports, a/b/o dynamics/omegaverse. Basically, if I haven't listed it as something I'd like for a particular story, please err on the side of caution and just don't include it. Thanks!

Specific Requests:

You are free to utilize any prompt I toss out there or none of them. If reading what I like about the characters/worlds sparks a fic idea in your head, feel free to ignore the prompts and run with it. ^_^

Also, length of babble in no way indicates my fandom preferences. (i.e., some of these I literally just finished a full re-up of canon before sign-ups so I ended up having a LOT more to say about those canons than some of the others, but it in no way means that I care less about the others. Some are just fresher in my mind.) I promise I’m equally excited about the possibility of all of these requests. ^_^

1. All Seeing Eye - Rob Thurman
Characters: Hector Allgood, Jackson Lee Eye

OK, the first thing I should say about this canon is that I really enjoy the other nominated characters (Abigail "Abby" (All Seeing Eye), Meleah Guerrera), as well, and if you want any of them to make appearances, I’m more than good with that. ^_^ So why request this particular set of characters?

One of the most compelling parts of the book to me is the enemies-to-friends(-to-lovers? ^_~) thing going on between Jackson and Hector. I absolutely love the entire arc of their developing friendship from angry and antagonistic to deep-seated trust and practical co-dependency. Anything that looks at that friendship (or romance, if you want to look at it that way!) through that lens is something I’d really enjoy.

Specific prompts:

I mentioned in my likes that hurt/comfort is one of my favorite tropes? These two are practically made for it if that’s something you’re into writing. ^_^ (I mean… at least half the book is Hector/Jackson hurt/comfort. ;D) So, something where Jackson’s powers get him into trouble (i.e., coming into contact with something someone died on violently) and Hector having to take care of him while he puts himself back together would be right up my alley. ^____^
And again, if you’re slash minded, we know that Jackson and Hector once had a really awkward conversation about why Jackson doesn’t have sex. Do they ever try it? What do they do to try to get around the whole overly enforced intimacy? Do they end up in a relationship where they’re platonically intimate but not having sex? Hell, do they ever even manage to sleep in the same bed, for that matter? Inquiring minds want to know!)
The other thing that I really love about this book is the way it ends. I love that Jackson has started to open himself up to other people. I love that he has a second chance to do right by Tess. I love that he’s built this family for himself out of nothing and completely against the odds. And I would love to see what happens from there. The adventures of Jackson raising Tess, for instance. What’s it like for him and his powers living with another person? What’s it like for someone who didn’t have ANY kind of a healthy childhood to try to raise a child? The punch line is that I’d love to see a little more of Jackson’s happy-ever-after. ^_^
Again, if slash is a thing you’re into, I wouldn’t mind seeing how Hector fits into that future situation, either. ^_^ Because if anything is more likely to be awkwardly adorable than Jackson trying to raise a child, it’s Jackson and Hector trying to raise a child. ;D
I also mentioned that I wouldn’t mind the other nominated characters making an appearance, so here are some thoughts about that – there was NOT enough Abby in the book. Not anywhere near enough. She’s been Jackson’s only family for years—how does SHE fit into the happy ever after? She’s canonically bi/pan-sexual (never explicitly specified which way she identifies, but her dating men and women is mentioned) – if Hector ends up with Jackson, I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing a little Abby/Meleah on the side! ^_^
For that matter, if you are not slash minded, I do enjoy Hector/Meleah, so how do the two of them fit into Jackson’s life post-Tess adoption? Do they have children of their own and do they and Jackson end up leaning on each other to commiserate about parenting problems? (I mean, couldn’t you just see it? “Jackson, the baby’s been crying non-stop for three hours, for the love of all that’s holy, please touch them and tell us what’s wrong, WE BEG YOU.” ;D

Yuleporn prompts:

As mentioned above, Jackson and Hector once had a really awkward conversation about why Jackson doesn’t have sex (he's a very powerful touch-postcognitive; so that much skin on skin contact generally gives him WAY too much information about his partner). So, I wonder... do Hector and Jackson ever try it? What do they do to try to get around the whole overly enforced intimacy of Jackson's gift? ...or not? How does that play out in bed? Do they end up in a relationship where they’re platonically intimate but not having sex?
For that matter... what might they do instead, if Jackson can't stand to be in physical contact during sex? Maybe some toys and voyeurism are involved? Maybe Hector invests in lots of latex gloves so that fingering and/or fisting can be options? All of these are fair game! ;D

2. Coldfire Trilogy - C. S. Friedman
Characters: Gerald Tarrant (Coldfire), Damien Vryce

I'm in the midst of a re-read of this trilogy for the first time in many years and remembering all over again how much I love these two and just couldn't resist requesting them for Yuletide. ^_^ If you were going to explicitly design a set of characters to my personal likes and preferences to throw at each other and watch how they play together… Damien and Gerald would be it. These books were absolutely formative for me in terms of my character preferences and the two of them are a large part of why. ^_^ If you read through my All-Seeing Eye babble above, you’ll already know that the whole enemies-to-friends(-lovers? ;D) thing is a favorite trope. (And if you didn’t, you do now!) I love how these two start out so absolutely deeply antagonistic. I love how due to his nature, Gerald molds himself into the thing that Damien fears most every time they interact. I love how complex Damien’s feelings are in particular—Gerald is not just one of the greatest evils their world has ever known, he’s also the Prophet who literally wrote the book of Damien’s entire faith and worldview. And I love how absolutely fucked in the head Damien gets over that dichotomy. And when he starts to have some hope that the Prophet can be redeemed out of the irredeemable mess that is the Hunter? I GET CHILLS. Especially because Gerald does, more and more as the books go on, mold himself to Damien’s views of him—both bad and good. So, when Damien starts to truly believe that Gerald can be redeemed… I think there’s a part of Gerald that starts to believe it, too, and conform to it whether he wants to or not. So, basically, anything that explores the nature of that complex, evolving relationship between the two of them would thrill me to no end. ^_^

Prompts:

I am always up for hurt/comfort. Always. ^_^ And since Gerald seems to get himself weakened/injured at the drop of a hat throughout the books and Damien ends up having to take care of him/save him from himself (the fire pit in Lema, the voyages by water/through the Canopy, Gerald tapping into the Earth fae right after the quake and scalding himself inside and out, rescuing Gerald from literal Hell, not to mention all the times that Gerald has gone off into existential angst mode and Damien ends up talking him down, ffs, and THE LIST GOES ON), I’d say they’re well suited to that. :D I’d love to see this either while Gerald is still his Hunter-self or after he’s been made human—both would make for a great story!
If you are slash-minded, I ship these two very, very much. I’d love to see how their relationship would evolve if it went in that direction, again, either before or after Gerald gets made human. Is there any existential angst on Damien’s part if it’s while Gerald is still the Hunter? Or maybe this is all part of his plan to redeem the Prophet? Or maybe he figures he’s already damned for what he’s condoned so far, and in for a penny, in for a pound? And what about Gerald’s side of things? Is this just one more aspect to him becoming the evil Damien most fears? Or is it something more?
The Ending. Hmm. I… honestly am not sure I ever made peace with how the books end. It seems to vary by the day. On the one hand, I kind of love the whole idea of Gerald cheating his own fate by literally becoming a different person. On the other hand… I love Gerald as he is, even with everything stacked against him. I also don’t believe for one second that either of them could really walk away from each other after all they’ve been through together. So, I’d love to see what happens after the End. Whether you choose to play with the Gerald-isn’t-Gerald-but-wants-to-stay-with-Damien-somehow thing or the Gerald-somehow-stayed-himself-but-got-his-second-chance-anyway-and-wants-to-stay-with-Damien-somehow thing, I’ll leave up to you.
OK, sorry, this one is going to get long, but I feel the need to quote:

The Hunter turned on him angrily; his eyes were red-rimmed, bloodshot. “Don’t be a fool,” he snapped. “Of course it makes a difference. Not because of gender, but because of power. Raw physicality. What can you know of it—you, who were born with the size and the strength to defend yourself from any physical threat? What can you know of the mind-set of the weak, whose lives are centered around vulnerability? When you hear footsteps behind you in a darkened street, do you fear being kidnapped? Raped? Overcome by the sheer physical strength of your attackers? Or do you feel confident that with firm ground and a reliable weapon in your hands you could hold your own against any reasonable threat? How can you possibly understand what it means to lack that confidence—or what it can drive a human to do, to try to gain it?”

“And you do, I suppose?”

The Hunter glared. “I was the youngest of nine sons, priest. My brothers took after their father, in form and spirit: a hulking, crude beast of a man, who believed that there wasn’t an enemy on Erna he couldn’t bring to his knees if only he swung his fist hard enough. I grew up among them, sole inheritor of our mother’s mien—and I didn’t come into my height until late, or my power. Now, you think about the cruelty of that kind—and of sibling youths, in general—and the brutality of my age, which was at the end of the Dark Ages—and then tell me how much I don’t understand.” He turned away. “I think I understand it very well.”

“They died,” Damien said. “Within five years of your disappearance. All of them.”

“It was the first thing I did, once I had gained the power—and the moral freedom—to work my will upon the world. And those eight murders are among my most pleasurable memories.”

Friedman, C.S.. Black Sun Rising: The Coldfire Trilogy, Book One (pp. 522-523). DAW. Kindle Edition.

Dear holy FUCK, there is so much to unpack there, and I love every single implication in it. Give me more about Gerald’s backstory. Does it ever play into the nightmares he spins for Damien? Give me every gory detail, if you’re so minded. (…this is the part where I confess that dub/noncon is a kink I enjoy, and if you want to play with that in the context of Gerald’s backstory, FEEL FREE.)
On a world-building side of things, I’m also kind of fascinated and horrified by the changing of the very nature of Erna by the Patriarch. On the one hand, I recognize that in order for humanity to thrive on Erna, something like that would have been necessary eventually. OTOH, I’m kind of disgusted by how humanity thought they had the right to alter an entire natural ecosystem just so they could survive in it when they were never meant to be there in the first place (especially when Jenseny (and the adepts themselves) were proof that humans were finally, FINALLY beginning to fully adapt to living on Erna). So, if you want to take that part of the ending in a different direction, I’d love to see what that world looks like—where humanity DOES fully adapt to living on Erna. Alternately, if you choose to keep that part the same (the fae now only workable by altruistic sacrifice), I’d be curious to see how adepts like Gerald were affected by that change. (Though, knowing Gerald, he probably found a way to retain his power in spite of it. ;D) Was it a major loss? Is it like being able to listen to music but knowing you’ll never play it again? How would something like that affect a man like Gerald? And how conflicted would Damien feel over it? Knowing that he gave humanity its best chance to live up to the Church’s dream… and that he’s condemned himself to never again being able to touch the thing he craved most. Maybe Gerald finds a way to give it back to both of them? Who knows? But I’d love to see the aftermath of that. ^_^

3. Dark Visions -- L.J. Smith
Characters: Gabriel Wolfe, Rob Kessler

I am absolutely fascinated by the dynamic between Gabriel and Rob. They're opposites in every way and start out hating each other, yet by the end of the story they're the closest of friends. OH, HEY, LOOK. Yet another enemies-to-friends(-to-lovers? ;D) set. I… really do have a type, don’t I? XD That’s three in a row. ANYWAY. Here’s another thing I love about them: between Rob's altruistic caretaker mentality and Gabriel's surly angst and self-loathing, they're an emotional hurt/comfort lover's dream come true. ^_~ Basically, I'd love any story that explores their relationship at any point along the transformation, pre-canon, canon, or post-canon.

Prompts:

What was their shared past like? What was it like for the two of them as they slowly worked their way towards becoming friends? What is it like for them to learn the ins-and-outs of being in that five-way psychic matrimony, so to speak? Does Rob ever win Gabriel over completely to trusting that their friendship is solid?
…does their relationship ever become more than friendship? (I love Kaitlyn like mad, I really do. And I rooted for her and Gabriel to get together when I read the books… but these days, I ship Rob and Gabriel like mad. So, if you are also slash-minded and want to take it in that direction, I would not object in the slightest. ^_^ You could look at all those above things from the point of view of a budding relationship in addition to a friendship. Who is attracted to who first? Who is the first to admit how they feel? How does that affect the already sordid triangle between Rob, Gabriel and Kaitlyn? Does it end in threesome land (I'd be totally OK if it did, even though I didn't specifically request Kaitlyn.) Does it end amicably with Kaitlyn finding love elsewhere? Or maybe you don't want to deal with any of that plotty/emotional stuff at all and the boys just have really hot, telepathy-ridden sex while trying (and/or failing) to not include everyone else in the web. After all… what's a little accidental voyeurism between webmates, right? ^_~ It's all good. ^_^ My only request is please don't bash Kaitlyn on the way to getting them together if you go that route, because I love her too and the only reason I didn't request her is that she and Gabriel already have several amazing stories and the boys have well… one. Granted, it's an amazing one, but still… one.)
Another thing I would love to see if shipping is not your cuppa is a more in-depth look at Gabriel's telepathy. Considering how much he walls himself off to protect himself, considering how he's become almost phobic about relationships with other people and how he violently rejects overtures of friendship, having telepathy has to be a total nightmare for him. How does that affect his interactions with Rob? Rob is definitely the love-me-hug-me type. He doesn't understand the need to put walls between himself and other people because his entire life is an open book which he invites everyone to read. Does he even try to understand Gabriel's point of view? Does he try to change him or does he respect that Gabriel is a different person than he is and find a way to work with that? (Because the books certainly suggest the former… and that it doesn't go well.)
Another set of tropes I really enjoy is hurt/comfort and sick!fic and Gabriel and Rob make such a perfect set-up for something like that. ^_^ Maybe the web occasionally causes psychic overload for Gabriel? Maybe it's just a plain old stress-induced illness situation and Rob ends up having to take care of Gabriel? Maybe having so many people in his head all the time—both in the web and outside of it once his power gets kicked into overdrive—is just too much and Gabriel’s peace of mind and sanity take a super hard knock or two? Any way you want to play with that works for me. ^_^

4. Ephemera Series - Anne Bishop
Characters: Danyal (Ephemera), Lee (Ephemera)

My history with these books is a really interesting one. On first read-through, the character I hooked into most was Sebastian. On the second read-through, it was Glorianna. Right now, I seem to be falling further and further in love with Danyal and Lee. I am always a sucker for the self-sacrificing types who may angst quietly to themselves but would never even dream of not helping the people who need them. And both of these characters fit into that archetype, though Lee a bit more so than Danyal. More importantly, though, I absolutely love how they manage to get each other past that and form a truly supportive and thriving partnership where both can live fully up to their strengths and potential. And, for the record, I love their canon friendship, but I’d also love to see them romantically shipped, so whichever way you want to go there is fine by me!

Prompts:

When Lee and Danyal first meet, Lee is blind and thought to be insane, and is thus wholly dependent on those around him. This plays out in some vicious and cruel abuse by his keepers, essentially torture under the guise of caretaking. I’ve mentioned I’m a fan of hurt/comfort and sick!fic, yes? We know that Sholeh and Khobrah are the ones who mostly take care of him, but I’d love to see Danyal in there, too.
I’m just honestly fascinated by their dynamic all the way through. Once Lee starts to recover, it isn’t long before Danyal starts leaning on him as though he’s another Shaman. Certainly, Danyal’s instincts are pretty damned good, but that’s still an extreme level of trust in someone who is supposedly mad. It is pointed out to Danyal that he treats Lee like a colleague who is there to rest and heal, rather than like a patient. How did that come about? What was going through Danyal’s mind? How did he finally decide he could trust Lee that much? What tipped the balance?
Lee, by contrast, has been working himself into an early grave most of his life, and now finds himself forced into a life of leisure. He seems to swing back and forth over how much he accepts that. What was it like for him to find himself suddenly forced to take a backseat after years of being crucial in the fight against the Eater of the World? And once he accepted that he had to step back, was Danyal reaching out to him for assistance more of a blessing or a curse? Was he eager to get back into things or did he resent it?
Lee is just so, so bitter at the beginning of the book. He’s given up everything for Glorianna, always, and he’s feeling abandoned, pushed aside. You can still see flashes of it in the beginning of his friendship with Danyal. Do they ever talk that out? Does Lee tell him willingly or is it a forced necessity when Danyal meets Lee’s family? Does that bitterness ever really heal or is it just dormant, waiting to flare up into resentment at a time that isn’t even appropriate for it?
What about after the events in Bridge of Dreams? They have this beautiful new complex and a huge playground for Ephemera to play around in. I just kind of want to know everything about what happens next. ^_^
A kind of case fic, maybe? They’re going to use the playground to help people find the landscapes they belong in. Tell me about someone’s journey and how they help them on the way.
Those quiet moments between them. Oh, man. I loved the little walks they used to take with Lee acting as teacher and guide for Danyal, as Lee slowly coaxed him to accept truths about the world that he hadn’t been ready for. Do those talks continue? I just loved how at peace they both were with each other. How does that evolve?
Both Danyal and Lee were almost starved for friendship by the time they met—Lee because he hadn’t dared befriend anyone and Danyal because, even among other Shaman, he was always different. What was that like to find someone they could finally connect to? Did it ever progress to also include intimacy? Friends with benefits? Lovers? Beloved?
…does Ephemera ever try to play matchmaker for them in its own awkwardly endearing way?
For that matter, I’d love to just see them relaxing into that partnership, learning to work together in this new venture of theirs, growing closer over time +/- falling in love… sex. Really, just anything involving the two of them taking care of each other and supporting and appreciating each other. Really, I’ll take anything I can get for the two of them. ^_^

5. Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)
Characters: Elmont (Jack the Giant Slayer)

I admit, I stumbled across this movie at a time when I was looking for anything I could find with Ewan McGregor in it, but I quickly became a bit obsessed with it, in its own right. It’s exactly the right amount of corny to not take itself too seriously, to still be able to have a little fun with itself, but the characters are so sincere in themselves and with each other, their relationships so real, that it’s hard to remain unmoved by them. And Elmont. Elmont is my favorite of the bunch for that. He’s competence porn incarnate. He’s just so. incredibly. good. at. his. job. He’s calm and cool as hell in a crisis and he’s such a good judge of people and abilities that he’s able to incorporate those people and abilities into whatever plan he’s concocting on the fly. I also love that he’s another character who doesn’t hesitate to take on the darker, expediently necessary deeds to spare the people he cares about having to commit them. I love that he doesn’t ask anything of anyone that he wouldn’t do, himself. I JUST LOVE HIM, OK. ^_^

Prompts: (I… may have way too many of these for this one. OOPS. My imagination ran a bit wild. ^_^)

Elmont is so gentle and so easy-going most of the time. And then there are moments when you’re reminded that he is a very dangerous man—like when he carries through on the decision that, for the good of the kingdom, Roderick has to die. He’s a man capable of doing anything to keep the kingdom and its monarchs safe. His duty is everything to him. What kind of upbringing does he come from that the thought of, essentially, coldblooded assassination doesn’t even slow him down? Do these things ever haunt him (either literally or figuratively)? What else has he done in the name of duty?
What if Elmont hadn’t gotten onto the beanstalk before the army cut it down? What if the other bean had been lost? What if he’d been trapped on the giants’ island alone with the giants, forced to run and hide, constantly keeping one step ahead of them, lest he become dinner or a plaything? What would that do to him? (And, feel free to take that as dark as you want to—torture, noncon, tentacle porn (hey, who knows what else lives up there? There are giants with two heads, after all!), are all fair game. Or if you want to just stay on the psychological trauma aspect, that’s fine with me, too!) Does he ever find a way back to Earth? If so, does he return to Cloister? What kind of shape is he in when he does? (I wouldn’t mind seeing either Brahmwell or Isabelle and Jack helping to put him back together, in that case. ^_^)
What would the land be like if the giants had won? What if humanity became a captive and/or hunted species? Was Elmont captured or did he escape? Who else might still be alive? How about a giant apocalypse scenario, instead of a zombie apocalypse? (Again, feel free to take that one to a really dark place, if you like.)
This is probably one of the few fandoms I wouldn’t mind a bit of AU for. I love that snapshot into the future they show of the Crown in modern day England. I’m also a sucker for reincarnation fic. Maybe Elmont (and some of the others, maybe Brahmwell, Isabelle, and/or Jack?) get reincarnated into the present day and the giants once more become a threat? What do they do? How does that go down? Do they have their memories? Maybe Elmont remembers and the others don’t? There’s some delicious angst potential down that road. ^_~ Or maybe the giants aren’t a threat. How do they meet? Do they have their memories? Honestly, I’d be happy with a meet-cute here, too. ^_^ Because as much as I love my angst, I also really want Elmont to just be able to claim a little happiness for himself. ^_^
As I mentioned above, Elmont is like competence porn incarnate. Any fic of him just being damned good at his job would thrill me to no end. Stories about him being head of the guard, protecting the kingdom, talking tactics and strategy, etc. YES, PLEASE.
Elmont backstory would also be awesome! What was his upbringing like? How did he rise to be the captain of the king’s guard? Did he grow up at the palace or come to it later in life?
In the case of either potential ship, I could see it starting out as Elmont just wanting to do whatever it takes to make the other person happy. He’s very much a product of a vassal mentality, where everything he does is to make is ruler happy and keep them safe. But then, over time, he slowly realizes that he isn’t just a convenience, that Brahmwell, or Isabelle and Jack, want him because he’s HIM, that they see him as an equal, that he is valued. I just want to see Elmont happy. ^_^
I’m also just a complete sucker for hurt/comfort and sick!fic, especially for characters who are the ones usually doing the caregiving/protecting, like Elmont. Maybe he gets injured on duty or maybe he just gets sick and has to let someone take care of him for a change?

OK, I realize that Elmont is the only character I requested, BUT I’m perfectly OK with Brahmwell and/or Isabelle and Jack being included, if you want to go there, because…

Shippy Prompts:

I may be on this little rowboat all by my lonesome, but I do ship Elmont with King Brahmwell. I’m not even sorry. ^_^ What it basically boils down to is that the King and Lionheart trope is one of my favorite tropes. (I tried to find a better link for you, but that’s the only reference I could actually find to the trope? O_o;;;) Anyway, the basic deal with a King and Lionheart trope is that there is a ruler and their vassal/guard/champion/what-have-you, and there is MAD FEALTY AND RESPECT between the two and, while it may be only the vassal showing fealty in public, in reality, it goes both ways, with the vassal able to take liberties in private that they would never dream of taking in public. (…I definitely have a loyalty/fealty kink. ^_^) And Elmont exemplifies that Lionheart character achetype. He has such utter, absolute, unshakable faith in his monarchs – both Brahmwell and Isabelle – but you can see in the beginning that neither of them quite lives up to his mental image of what they could be: Isabelle because she’s too young and too sheltered, and Brahmwell because he’s been so devastated by loss that he’s let fear coax him into making selfish and poor decisions. Then, through the course of the movie, both Isabelle and Brahmwell step up to the plate and grow up a little, until by the end he’s so proud of both of them and so full of love for them that he’s practically glowing with it. And from there, it’s a very short step to shipping, if you choose to go in that direction? ^_^ If not, I’d love to see Elmont’s loyalty discussed in a platonic sense, as well, just king to vassal.
(Also, you’re welcome to check out my tumblr tag for them, if you’re interested -- it’s pretty short, but there’s some fun stuff in there. ^_^)
I… also ship him with Isabelle and Jack, if you choose to go that way. I love the three of them, too. ^_^ Elmont obviously cares a great deal for Isabelle, going above and beyond the call of duty to keep her safe and happy. And he comes to care just as deeply for Jack, both as the man who makes Isabelle happy and in his own right. But that affection he has for the two of them doesn’t extend to coddling either one of them—if they insist they can do something, he accepts it unquestioningly and does whatever he can to support them without interfering. And there’s a bit of King and Lionheart going on between Elmont and Isabelle, too. So, I could very happily see Isabelle and Jack coaxing him into a relationship with the two of them.
Man, ANYTHING Brahmwell x Elmont (shippy) or Brahmwell & Elmont (platonic) would make me happy. Slice of life? PWP? Aftermath of the giant battle? Elmont comforting Brahmwell (either emotionally or physically/sexually) after his wife’s death? Brahmwell realizing that he’s done a really poor job of being king since his wife’s death and deciding it’s damned time he turned it around and started living up to Elmont’s hopes for him as a ruler? (I’m pretty sure I’m on this little rowboat of a ship by myself, so really, anything would be welcome. ^_^)
I would also love to see happy threesome Isabelle/Jack/Elmont. How did it come about? Was it Jack’s idea? Isabelle’s? Was there any pining on Elmont’s part? Was he resigned to the fact that it would never happen (or that it shouldn’t happen)? Or maybe we want to skip all that and just have happy threesome cuddles or sex? Or the three of them raising Isabelle and Jack’s kids? Is this an acknowledged, public, threeway marriage? Or is Elmont a dirty, little secret? I just love their whole dynamic together and the dynamics of each of the pairings in the threesome, so more of all of it would be welcome. ^_^

6. Tir Alainn Trilogy - Anne Bishop
Characters: Morag (Tir Alainn Trilogy), Padrick (Tir Alainn Trilogy), Ashk (Tir Alainn Trilogy)

I love these three. I just really, really do. I love Ashk and Morag’s friendship, how well they understand each other, how, in each other, they’ve finally found someone else who can match their strength, someone who wouldn’t be afraid of them just because of who they are. I love Padrick and Ashk’s relationship, how Padrick not only accepts, but revels, in Ashk’s strength but still looks for opportunities to pamper her and show her a little softness, how he loves the Green Lady and respects and follows the Hunter and everything in between. And I love Padrick and Morag’s friendship, how he treats her to that same blend of tough love and kindness that he does Ashk, how he revels in the fact that he gets to stand by her side and see that she’s taken care of, not just because Ashk would want it, but because, in his own way, he loves her, too. I love how he sees so easily that Morag has been starved for simple things like friendship and affection from all but her sister and is eager to coddle her and take of her but is equally easy with stepping aside and accepting her lead, how he just lets her be who she is, like he does for Ashk. I just love the entire dynamic between these three. ^___________^

Prompts:

FIX IT, OMG, PLEASE FIX IT. I mean, the ending where Morag ends up getting to grow up as Ari’s beloved wiccanfae daughter is great. It really is. But I’d be even happier if they’d found a way to cure her or if she’d never been turned to begin with. So what happens? How does that get fixed? How do they deal with the close call/might-have-been? Is Morag even happy to be saved?
Or maybe we just want to skip the how and go straight to what happens next? I would love some happy threesome fic for these three. I really would. ^_^ Whether that’s an Ashk/Padrick + Morag situation or it’s a full-on Ashk/Morag/Padrick situation, I just want more of the three of them and that dynamic I described above. ^_^ For example:
The war is over and Morag returns to Bretonwood with Ashk and Padrick. Does one of them have to talk the other into wooing Morag or are they already on the same page? How does Morag react? It seems like she, at least, would need some convincing. She’s had too many years of thinking herself a freak and completely undesirable. (I mean, she’s shocked as all get out by Padrick’s appreciation of her beauty on the journey.) Has she ever even been intimate with anyone? Is she afraid she’ll ruin things? Or do they just click into place like they belong together?
If we are in happy threesome territory already (either romantically or platonically), what is that like? Some happy slice-of-life fic for them would be lovely. A Harvest Fair, maybe? Helping Ari celebrate the Solstice? A quiet evening at home tucked in by the fire while it snows outside? (We know that Padrick loves petting shadowhounds and Morag has a brand new shadowhound mix puppy to cuddle, so maybe we have a literal puppy pile by the fire? ;D) Padrick and Ashk trying to introduce Morag to the finer points of human life?
I’d also just love honestly ANYTHING about Ashk and Morag’s friendship. They’ve both been so starved for someone who understands them and doesn’t fear them. Ashk at least has the second in Padrick, and Morag with Morphia, but having someone who understands them is a different thing entirely. I love those moments when they work in such perfect gestalt that neither even needs to speak because they just GET IT. And I love that. I love their friendship. I love that deep level of understanding. I love that recognition in them both, that feeling of “I KNOW you. I get you. Yessssss,” and how as wary as everyone is of each of them alone, the two of them together are just Not To Be Trifled With Ever. I just love them, OK? ^_^ (And I’m OK with this prompt being just the two of them; the only thing I ask is that if you take this down a romantic road that it’s understood that Padrick is included, as well, even if he isn’t explicitly present in the fic.)

Holy cow, as usual, that’s a really long letter. O_O Sorry about that, I just tend to get excited. ^_^ Hopefully you found something at least a little bit helpful in there, somewhere. If you didn’t, however, they really were just thoughts and suggestions. So, if any of the details I provided don't work for you, feel free to toss them out the window and write what's most comfortable for you. If you are happy and excited about what you're writing, I'm sure I will love it. Passion comes across and I do not in any way want to dampen yours. ^_^ Go with your gut. The fact that you're writing something for me is plenty enough to have me thrilled and excited and bouncing for joy. ^_^

Happy writing! ^_^
A grateful recipient