AU Exchange 2020
Jul. 11th, 2020 08:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lastwingedthingDear author, I'm so excited you're writing something for me!
Likes
I am generally pretty flexible with the things I like. Character-driven stories are awesome, plot-driven stories are awesome, explicit porn is awesome, angst and bleakness are awesome, happy endings are awesome, humor is awesome! Etc.
Canon divergence AUs are one of my all time favourite things, so to have a whole exchange about AUs is extremely exciting! I just love seeing fics that explore the ramifications of a change - whether that's fix-it fic, a character study that looks at how a character might change under different circumstances from what they experienced in canon, or one of those "for want of a nail AUs" that explores how one little change might have enormous ripples affecting the entire canon plot and characters.
Don't feel as if you have to go all out - I love small slice-of-life fics that show you just a glimpse of a different universe just as much as I love the massive, shake-up-every-canon-event style changes. Basically, even if it doesn't match any of my other requested tags, pretty much any canon divergence AU is going to thrill me, so go wild!
Other favourite things:
-Time travel shenanigans, particularly characters going back in time to change their own past (I always love a good Peggy Sue!)
-Politics, history and worldbuilding
-Road trips (or spaceship trips, actual ship trips, etc)
-Stoic women with repressed feelings
-Female antiheroes or villains with complex motivations
-Enemies forced to work together by circumstance
-Unexpected and unconventional happy endings
-Bittersweet endings
-Tragedies that are more-or-less inevitable given the nature of the individuals involved
-People living in less-than-ideal or even actively hostile situations who manage to carve out some kind of happiness despite that.
Porn likes include rough/frantic sex, emphasising nonhuman strengths/capabilities/anatomy for nonhuman or superpowered characters, dirty talk, mild D/s, and bondage/restraints.
I am generally okay with violence, noncon, character death, etc - provided that it is warned for up front - though I would prefer that stories do not focus solely on trauma/horror/violence, and if these do come up as part of the story, I am more interested in the lead up and the aftermath than in dragging out the details of the act itself.
If you want to write shipfic and need to work your way around a canon relationship (or just like writing it), I do enjoy poly! Also, I would be happy to see any of the gen relationships I requested as pairing/romance fic instead, and conversely I would be happy to see any of the ships I requested as gen relationships. (Just don't have the characters go on about how they could never imagine themselves in a relationship with each other, or pair one of the characters off with someone else in an unrequested pairing, or anything else a bit dickish like that.) Some of the romantic pairings I've requested are a bit unusual, and if you're struggling to get them together, I'd honestly rather read a gen fic about the requested characters than one where the romance is slapped on hastily at the end. Just go with whatever you'd most enjoy writing!
General DNWs:
-Modern/mundane and genre-shift AUs - basically anything that takes the requested characters/pairings out of their canon setting
-Soulmates and soulmark universes
-Lengthy descriptions of violence/horror/noncon/major character death (as noted above)
-Noncon between requested characters (dubcon of the "don't want to want it, but I do" variety is fine)
-Non-canon character death of requested characters (and if a requested character's canon character death is averted, please don't then kill them off in a different way!)
-M/f D/s
-Unrequested kinks
-Unrequested, non-canon incest (except for ASOIAF/GOT – however even in ASOIAF/GOT I don’t want parent/child incest)
-Explicit underage (I'm fine with teenagers having sex with each other, and with mention of teenagers getting married to adults in ASOIAF/GOT, I just don't want explicit adult/child sex)
-Unrequested gender or sexuality headcanons for requested canon characters.
Fandom-specific DNWs:
-Geralt/Jaskier, or Jaskier as a major character
-Yennefer finding a cure for her infertility and having a biological child
-Ned/Ashara, or romantic Rhaegar/Lyanna (mentioning it happened is fine, but I wouldn't enjoy a romance between them)
-Tyrion Lannister
-Missandei-focused stories that end in or foreshadow her death (unless you are writing a story where she comes back!).
As for the fandoms, pairings and AUs, I requested:
The Silmarillion
Nerdanel (Silmarillion - JRRT)
Group: Fëanor/Nerdanel (Silmarillion - JRRT)
Group: Annatar/Celebrimbor (Silmarillion - JRRT)
Group: Beleg Cúthalion/Túrin Turambar (Silmarillion - JRRT)
Group: Finduilas Faelivrin/Gwindor/Túrin Turambar (Silmarillion - JRRT)
Group: Finduilas Faelivrin/Niënor Níniel (Silmarillion - JRRT)
Group: Niënor Níniel/Túrin Turambar (Silmarillion - JRRT)
Tolkien: Feanor lives and allies with Fingolfin against Morgoth
Tolkien: Nerdanel goes to Middle-Earth with Feanor and their sons
Tolkien: Turin goes back to Menegroth when Beleg asks
Tolkien: Turin is the one to get amnesia and Nienor looks after him
ALL: Canon Divergence AU
All: Character deals with a canonical difficult situation better than in canon
ALL: Character and enemy must work together to save the world
ALL: Main character goes back in time to the body of their younger self and changes what happened
ALL: Multiple Characters Travel Back in Time
All: Time Travel Fix-It
All: Role-reversal AU
I think the summary version of what I am looking for here is "Character deals with a canonical difficult situation better than in canon," which given that most of my requests deal with Feanor or Turin Turambar... would not be particularly difficult, lol.
Nerdanel and Nerdanel/Feanor
I've read the Silmarillion several times, but not the Unfinished Tales or HoME, so my recent discovery that Nerdanel's role was originally much bigger until Christopher Tolkien CUT IT BACK made me very cross. I love her so much and find her so fascinating - an artist and sculptor, a match to the mightiest of the Elves who wasn't even particularly pretty, mother to seven children (a deliberate, slightly terrifying choice!), stubborn and strong willed enough to stand up not only to Feanor but also to their sons, and then to lose them all... And I find the romance between her and Feanor really interesting, too, and would be fascinated to see how it worked - obviously it didn't end well, but they seemed to love each other deeply at one point. (SEVEN! SONS!)
I would absolutely LOVE to see the AU where Nerdanel decided to go to Middle-Earth after all - obviously it is a huge part of her character that she stayed true to the laws of the Valar and stood up to Feanor's persuasion, but maybe she would change her mind if she felt that she could genuinely sway at least some of the Noldor into doing less harm (or received a message from the Valar, or time travelled back into the body of her younger self, or...) The changes resulting from this would be so fascinating - could having her in the vanguard with Feanor be enough of a change to stop the Kinslaying? Could she have helped her sons (or even Feanor himself) to find a way to break Feanor's oath? Would this also be a "Feanor lives and allies with Fingolfin against Morgoth" AU?
If you wanted to go the time travel route, an AU where both she AND Feanor time-travelled back into the bodies of their younger selves could be a lot of fun, too. I wouldn't put it past Feanor to invent time travel! Or maybe it would be a bit of weirdness from the One?
For this request I'm happy with gen, Nerdanel/Feanor, or any other non-canon Nerdanel pairings you'd like to explore.
Annatar/Celebrimbor
I can't help myself, I love the delicious tragedy of Celebrimbor's seduction and ruin in canon, but I'm also slightly obsessed by the idea that Annatar might have been tempted, at some point, to become exactly what he was pretending to be, and stay in Eregion with Celebrimbor. Given Tolkien's religious belief, theologically speaking it MUST have been possible in canon for Annatar/Sauron to repent and make different choices, right up until the end - so what if he did change his mind?
I would LOVE to see the canon divergence that could make this possible! Would it just be a matter of one tiny, seemingly-inconsequential event going slightly differently and snowballing into Annatar making larger choices that are different? Or Celebrimbor finding out the truth about Annatar earlier, or differently, and reacting in a different way?
Time travel AUs and/or enemies forced to work together by circumstance might also be a lot of fun! Would Sauron, just disembodied by the loss of the Ring and waking up in the body of Annatar, really want to do it all again exactly the same way? Is there anyone who might scare Annatar enough that he might tell Celebrimbor the truth about himself and want to work with him anyway - maybe the Numenorians, if you wanted to WILDLY juggle timelines? Or maybe even Morgoth himself, if Sauron decides that actually, no, he likes being his own master, thanks all the same?
Soulmates are usually not my thing at all, but if you wanted to riff off Tolkien's monogomy fetish and have Celebrimbor angsting about the fact that, now he's slept with Annatar/Sauron once, he's bound to him for life... I wouldn't complain about that.
Turin Turambar and Nienor Niniel pairings
Turin is SO TERRIBLE and yet I have a sneaking affection for him despite myself - probably because so many people who are so much better than him seem invested in him and his happiness (and got their lives destroyed by him instead). And also because they all came so close to finding happiness, and yet inevitably Turin fucked it up somehow, every time. Team #everyone else deserved better!
I'd be happy with pretty much any canon divergence AU here, so long as it was at least slightly happier than canon. Differently fucked up is okay, too!
Of the AUs I requested, I'm fascinated by the wider implications of Turin deciding to go back to Menegroth with Beleg. Thingol's death and Doriath's destruction wouldn't be able to happen quite the same way without Hurin bringing the Nauglamir from sacked Nargothrond - so how would things change if both of those kingdoms lasted longer, or fell in different ways? But on the other hand, if you just wanted to write Turin and Beleg happily fucking in Doriath and/or hanging out with Morwen and Nienor, I'd be pretty thrilled by that too.
Similarly, an AU where fewer people listened to Turin (or Beleg lived and told Turin to shut up) and he got to live happily in Nargothrond with Gwindor and Finduilas would be pretty delightful. Or an AU where the sack didn't go quite so disastrously, and he was able to flee Nargothrond with them, and live happily-ish in the wild? I find this love triangle really interesting - particularly since Turin didn't even really seem to realise he was IN a love triangle, and always seemed more interested in Gwindor than Finduilas - and if you wanted to go deep exploring its messiness, I would be into that too.
I really love the tragedy of Turin and Nienor - it's pretty typical of Turin that the only time he fell in love with a woman, it was his own damn sister - and I'd love any kind of canon divergence that changed the circumstances a little, while staying true to how fucked up they are. Maybe an AU where Turin and Nienor were married much longer and had several kids before finding out the truth; would they still have both killed themselves, or would they have tried to find a way to live with it? Or maybe an AU where they met as adults, knowing they were siblings, and still fell in love?
Meanwhile, I've been fairly obsessed by the idea of a Turin-Nienor role reversal for a while and I would LOVE to see Turin as the one who loses his memories, and Nienor as the one who rescues him. OR a role reversal where Finduilas is the one to rescue an amnesiac Nienor - or, hey, what if Nienor is the mysterious stranger who shows up in Doriath, and Finduilas falls in love with her instead? Or Finduilas and Gwindor rescue an amnesiac Turin? GO WILD.
I've requested several different Turin and Nienor pairings, but honestly, feel free to go anywhere with them - I'd be happy with any possible pairing/moresome combo of Turin/Beleg/Gwindor/Finduilas/Nienor. Throw in Brandir too, if you want! Turin/Nienor/Brandir could be a lot of fun.
The Witcher
Group: Yennefer of Vengerberg/Tissaia de Vries (Witcher TV)
Group: Yennefer of Vengerberg/Fringilla Vigo (Witcher TV)
Group: Marilka & Renfri (Witcher TV)
Marilka (Witcher TV)
Renfri (Witcher TV)
Witcher: Yennefer goes back with Tissaia to Aretuza when she asks
Witcher: Yennefer goes to Nilfgaard and Fringilla goes to Aedirn
Witcher: Renfri lives
Witcher: Renfri survives
Witcher: Renfri convinces Marilka to help her instead of Geralt
ALL: Canon Divergence AU
All: Character deals with a canonical difficult situation better than in canon
ALL: Enemies forced to work together
ALL: Main character goes back in time to the body of their younger self and changes what happened
ALL: Multiple Characters Travel Back in Time
All: Time Travel Fix-It
Yennefer pairings
I love Yennefer so, so much. She is flawed and damaged and has been trying for so long to become better, to make something meaningful of her life despite having no real idea what that might look like. I picked two of my favourite Yennefer pairings, but honestly any Yennefer story would be great.
That being said I love how complex and painful her relationship with Tissaia is - Tissaia was absolutely emotionally abusive when Yennefer was her student, and neither of them can get past that (and maybe nor should they?) but at the same time they are both desperate for the other's approval and love, and I find it absolutely compelling. There are so many points at which things might have gone differently for them - I suggested an AU where Yennefer goes back to Aretuza when Tissaia asks, after leaving Aedirn, but honestly any canon divergence point would be great, right back to "what if Tissaia was kinder when Yennefer was her student". Or a time travel AU! Maybe a repentant Tissaia who treats Yennefer differently, given the chance to do it all again? Or a Yennefer who wakes up in the body of her pre-Aretuza self ready to burn the whole fucking world down, and a Tissaia who is intrigued and drawn to her despite herself?
I also love Fringilla, I really wish we saw more of her transformation from the kind, slightly awkward student in Aretuza to the ice-cold true believer of Sodden Hill, and I love her rivalry with Yennefer. I'd love to see more of them together - "enemies forced to work together" is one of my all-time favourite tropes, I love it, and any way to change canon to make that happen would be delightful. Or maybe an AU where Yennefer went to Nilfgaard instead of or as well as Fringilla? An AU where Fringilla travels back in time, realising that she can only win for Nilfgaard with Yennefer's help, and tries to bring her to Nilfgaard as an ally? (How well that works is up to you).
Renfri and Marilka
The worst thing about the Witcher is that it introduced two of my favourite characters, Renfri and Marilka, in episode 1 - and promptly wrote them both out. I would be so thrilled by anything more you could give me, for either of them alone or both together as gen or femslash - literally ANYTHING would be a delight! They're both such interesting blends of ruthless pragmatism and real caring, clearly shaped by the misogyny of their lives but trying to rise above it - I just loved them both so much.
I am absolutely fascinated by the idea that Renfri could have sought Marilka's help instead of Geralt's - Marilka is far more ruthless and pragmatic than Geralt, I think, and I can see Renfri using Marilka's own self-interest to convince her to switch sides. I'd love to see that story, and I'd love to see them afterwards too, walking away together to find a new post-revenge life and adventures outside Blaviken.
But I'd also love a straight-up Renfri lives story, whether or not she also manages to get her revenge on Stregobor. Just - Renfri, getting a chance to survive and make something different of her life, finding out what else there is to life after revenge (whether or not she actually manages to kill Stregobor). Or a Marilka story where she manages to escape Blaviken as she clearly wants to, maybe travelling with Geralt or maybe someone quite different – feel free to bring in any other character from the show for her to have adventures with (except Jaskier, as per my DNW).
I'm fine with Renfri/Geralt and happy if you include it - or just have Geralt hanging out and going on adventures with Renfri and/or Marilka, if you want to write an AU that way - as long as the focus remains on Renfri and/or Marilka. I'd also be thrilled to have other characters show up (eg Yennefer, Fringilla, Triss, Tissaia, Calathe, etc - even Duny and/or Pavetta could be interesting! I am aware of Duny's other identity and would be very happy to receive a story exploring that.)
A Song of Ice and Fire
Group: Cersei Lannister/Jaime Lannister/Ned Stark (ASOIAF)
Group: Cersei Lannister/Ned Stark (ASoIaF)
Group: Elia Martell/Lyanna Stark (ASOIAF)
Group: Ashara Dayne/Lyanna Stark (ASOIAF)
Group: Elia Martell & Ned Stark (ASOIAF)
Group: Elia Martell/Ned Stark (ASOIAF)
Group: Oberyn Martell/Ned Stark (ASOIAF)
Group: Oberyn Martell/Catelyn Stark (ASOIAF)
Group: Robb Stark/Rhaenys Targaryen (ASOIAF)
Rhaenys Targaryen (Daughter of Elia) (ASOIAF)
ASOIAF: Elia & Lyanna & their children all survived
ASOIAF: Ned got to King's Landing first
ASOIAF: King Ned
ASOIAF: No Tully/Stark and Tully/Arryn double wedding; everyone involved married different people
ASOIAF: Robert killed at Trident but his side still wins
ALL: Canon Divergence AU
All: Arranged Marriage AU
All: Arranged marriage to resolve enmity/rivalry actually works leading to understanding/feelings
All: Forced marriage to resolve enmity/rivalry actually works leading to understanding/feelings
All: character marries a different person
All: canon character death didn't happen AU
ALL: Canon Character Death Evaded
If I could summarise these pairing/AU requests, it would be REBELLION ERA AU! I'm really fascinated by that period, and how seemingly small decisions made during that time had such massive consequences down the line. I'd be thrilled by either a canon divergence story set during/immediately after the Rebellion, or by something set in the "present day" of the books showing the implications of a canon divergence during the Rebellion - in a Rhaenys-focused AU where Ned got to Elia and her kids first, for example.
A big theme of the tags I've requested is "fewer dead women" - I've specifically requested Elia, Lyanna, Ashara and Rhaenys, but I'd love to see Rhaella survive instead, or as well. I'd love to see what would have happened if Ned got to King's Landing in time to prevent the murder of Elia and her children, or if Lyanna and/or Rhaella survived childbirth, or if things went slightly better for Ashara and she didn't kill herself. All of these AUs would have some pretty interesting ramifications, both politically and in terms of the impact on other surviving characters, and I'd love to see any of them explored!
I'm also loving the "different set of characters get married" AUs! We know what might happen if Ned and Catelyn end up in an arranged marriage (good), or Robert and Cersei (not... good...), but it would be so much fun to see what happened if some of the participants in the Rebellion-era arranged marriages got swapped around! Go wild with this, I'd love to see even crack ships taken seriously, even if it's not necessarily a pairing I requested (except that, as per my DNW, I don't want Ned/Ashara or romantic Rhaegar/Lyanna, please). Also, even if you're writing an arranged marriage, don't feel like the married het couple have to be the main romantic relationship! If you'd prefer, feel free to write the actual romance as happening illicitly on the sidelines of an arranged marriage.
Ned/Cersei and Ned/Cersei/Jaime
Last year I had a lot of fun writing a Ned/Jaime/Cersei canon divergence AU, and I've realised that Ned Stark/his complete opposite in morals and values is delightful and I would love to see more of it! Ned reluctantly finding common ground with the Lannister twins he loathes so much would be so compelling regardless of how it happened, there are actually a lot of possibilities and all of them would be enormous fun.
"What if Ned married Cersei instead of Catelyn" would be fascinating, whether as part of a King Ned AU where Robert died at the Trident and Ned took the throne to stop Tywin from taking it, or as a riff off canon where the Rebellion era marriages happened differently. I would be equally interested in an AU where Jaime was around and having an affair with Cersei - I would be fascinated to see the circumstances where Ned would join in - or where Jaime was elsewhere, and it was just Ned and Cersei alone. I would be really interested to see if their marriage would go better - or maybe worse - than Cersei's canon marriage!
This is the one pairing where I'd also be interested in an AU where the divergence happened in the present day of the books, rather than the Rebellion era. Seeing how on earth canon era Ned might end up with Cersei, or Cersei and Jaime, would also be absolutely fascinating!
Lyanna/Elia and Lyanna/Ashara
Dead ladies surviving edition! There's quite a bit of "Lyanna and Elia fall in love with each other as Rhaegar's wives or widows" in Targaryens-win AUs, and I am always partial to those; it would be really interesting to see them growing past their initial wariness towards each other (I cannot see Elia greeting her husband's mistress with open arms, at least at first) and ending up as allies, friends and something more. But an AU where they both end up surviving after Robert wins would also be really interesting! I imagine Lyanna would still be avoiding marriage with Robert (unless she'd be willing to do it for the sake of peace?) and both of them would be desperate to protect their children; I can see them ending up as reluctant allies to start with, maybe turning into something more.
Lyanna/Ashara is more out there, but again: dead ladies surviving! Plus, of all the Starks Ashara could be shipped with (personally I believe her canon relationship was with Brandon and there was nothing between her and Ned), Lyanna is definitely my favourite. If Lyanna lived and Ned brought her and Jon to Starfall, I can see Ashara helping them given that she’s a Targaryen loyalist (particularly if Elia and/or Arthur also survived in this AU and Ashara had less reason for suicidal despair) and again, I can see that turning into something more. Maybe Ashara raises Jon in Starfall as her own bastard son with Ned or Brandon, with Lyanna, because no one would expect Lyanna to be sheltered in Dorne? Or maybe they go on the run into Essos together?
Elia/Ned and Elia & Ned
There's two main ways I can see this AU happening (but if you come up with something else please go for it!) - one is the probably-happier-than-canon AU in which Elia marries Ned instead of Rhaegar (maybe in an AU where Elia's mother is more protective of her frail daughter, she went looking for a younger son who could be brought back to Dorne so Elia could stay with her family?) There would be a culture clash, but I think that Ned and Elia are both fundamentally decent people who would probably end up happy together. Though not necessarily in love with each other - if you wanted to play around with Dornish open-mindedness and write about Oberyn seducing his sister's uptight husband, I would be delighted!
The other AU that fascinates me would be the Rebellion AU where Ned gets to King's Landing in time to save Elia and the kids - this would have pretty huge ramifications that I would love to see explored. Would Ned's attempts to protect Elia and the kids lead to a breach with Robert, as per canon or worse? Would Ned and/or Elia attempt to hide the kids? ("Hello Catelyn, these are my... three... bastard children, definitely all mine, ignore the fact that one looks Dornish and one looks like a Targaryen.")
And would Aegon's survival impact Robert's claim to the throne? Would noble honourable Ned decide that Aegon was the rightful king, and it was his duty to ally with Elia and the Dornish to put Aegon on the throne and protect him, maybe as his Regent? (If this was an AU where Ned wasn't already married to Catelyn, would he marry Elia at this point - maybe even take the throne as King instead of Regent, with the understanding that Aegon would inherit since Elia wouldn't be able to give him any children? Alternatively, if he did marry Catelyn, I would LOVE to see her and Elia in King's Landing as Regent's wife and Dowager Queen, whether that was friendship, reluctant allies or, why not, an illicit affair.) Basically any interaction between Ned and Elia riffing off her survival would be wonderful!
Oberyn/Catelyn, Oberyn/Ned
I feel like my requested pairings are getting increasingly cracky as I go along, but on the other hand, I feel like a) Oberyn would attempt to seduce almost anyone given the chance and b) seeing him attempt to seduce people as uptight and moral as Catelyn or Ned (or Catelyn AND Ned, go big or go home!) would be hilarious and fun. I reckon Oberyn could do it, in the right AU!
Alternatively, an AU where Oberyn and Catelyn ended up actually married would be really interesting. Maybe in an AU where Petyr managed to rape ("ruin", ugh) Catelyn, and the only people of her rank who wouldn't care were Dornish? I feel like this relationship would either end terribly or fantastically - I can't see Oberyn ever choosing monogamy, and Catelyn would not accept that easily, nor would she find it easy to accept his daughters, but in an AU where her life did not run as smoothly or kindly as she’d expected, maybe she’d develop a more open mind? I would love to see the circumstances where Catelyn WOULD accept her husband’s bastard child!
And if Ned saved Elia's life, I can see Oberyn wanting to repay him in some dramatic, over-the-top way - maybe he'd follow Ned around until he had the chance to repay his debt by saving Ned's life, or something similar - regardless of whether Ned actually wanted the company of a flamboyant, dramatic Dornishman! Oberyn following Ned back to Winterfell looking for a chance to be useful would be pretty fun, actually - particularly if Ned was gritting his teeth trying to ignore his attraction, and they eventually fell in bed together. Alternatively, if Lyanna had lived, I can see Ned throwing everything away to protect her – so what about Ned, Lyanna, Elia, Oberyn, and the three Targ kids running away to Essos together on the world's wackiest roadtrip?
Rhaenys and Robb/Rhaenys
Somehow Rhaenys's death is one of the saddest of the whole Rebellion, for me. Even though she was really young, her personality shows up so strongly (she named her kitten Balerion! she tried to hide under her father's bed when she was scared!) and the way she died is so sad and horrible. I would love so much to see the girl and woman she would have grown into, had she lived.
I honestly would love any Rhaenys story, from a Targaryens win AU, to Rhaenys growing up a hostage in the Red Keep, to Rhaenys growing up in hiding/disguise (maybe as one of Oberyn's daughters?) to Rhaenys on the run in Essos with any number of relatives, or alone. I would be equally happy with a Rhaenys-tries-for-the-throne-herself AU, a Rhaenys-supports-her-relative's-bid-for-the-throne AU, or a Rhaenys-doesn't-give-a-shit-and-just-wants-to-be-happy AU. If it was widely known she survived, maybe Jon Arryn would have tried to betroth her to Robert's eldest son (as per the resolution of the actual Wars of the Roses) - how would it feel to grow up betrothed to Joffrey? Would Oberyn end up poisoning him for her, like Olenna did for Margaery?
I requested Robb/Rhaenys as the idea is delightful and I like the idea of Robb surviving longer than canon, too. An arranged marriage AU would be lots of fun, but so would Rhaenys undercover as one of Oberyn's bastards, and Robb wanting to marry her anyway. But feel free to write any Rhaenys pairing - for some ideas, I don't ship her with either of her brothers, but I could be convinced by Rhaenys/Daenerys! Or Rhaenys/Sansa, in an AU where Sansa grew up hearing romantic stories of the last Targaryen princess? Gen would also be lovely!
Game of Thrones
Missandei & Daenerys Targaryen
Missandei/Grey Worm
Daenerys Targaryen & Missandei & Grey Worm
GoT: Daenerys chooses to try and rebuild Valyria instead of going to Westeros
GoT: Daenerys stays in Meereen
GoT: Missandei as Daenerys's Hand
GoT: Daenerys arrives in Westeros while Robb Stark is warring with the Lannisters
GoT: Sansa went to Dragonstone to meet Daenerys instead of Jon
ALL: Canon Divergence AU
All: Character deals with a canonical difficult situation better than in canon
ALL: Different Side Wins
ALL: Main character goes back in time to the body of their younger self and changes what happened
ALL: Multiple Characters Travel Back in Time
All: Time Travel Fix-It
It’s been a year, but I’m still cross about season 8. Canon divergence AUs all round, please!
I would be absolutely thrilled by a story covering any possible grouping of these characters, with any possible shippy or gen relationship combination. Grey Worm and Missandei's romance was so sweet and heartbreaking - and I loved Grey Worm and Dany’s loyalty to each other - and I'm a sucker for "I'd burn down the world for you" relationships, particularly when, as with Dany and Missandei, they're literally true.
Grey Worm and Missandei are two of my favourite characters in the whole show - and Dany, well she was flawed from the beginning, but I was rooting for her all along and the way her story ended really disappointed me, not only for its own sake but for what it meant for the cause Missandei had died for and Grey Worm had sacrificed so much for. I hated the cruelty of Missandei’s death (and how it basically served to motivate other characters), and the stupidity of Grey Worm’s ending, conveniently writing himself out of the story to be killed by murderous butterflies. I’d actually be okay with a story where Dany still died, as long as Grey Worm and Missandei got better endings together!
I’ve requested several different GOT-specific AUs, but they basically all boil down to “character deals with a canonical difficult situation better than in canon” – any canon divergence AU along those lines would make me very happy!
I’d be perfectly happy for Dany and co to give up on Westeros completely and make a permanent home for themselves somewhere in Essos; that always seemed like it would be a really fitting end for Dany, and better aligned to Missandei and Grey Worm’s hopes and goals than helping to restore a hereditary monarchy in a kingdom they didn’t care about. Similarly, there are so many ways that Dany’s abortive conquest of Westeros in season 7 could have gone better, but most of them boil down to “not listening to Tyrion or Jon Snow”, lol. Missandei as Dany’s Hand would avert that nicely! As would having Sansa sent to Dragonstone as the North’s emissary, instead of Jon, which would have made vastly more sense than sending the North's actual king. Sansa is ruthless and doesn’t care about Dany in the slightest, but I can see her pragmatically deciding that Dany was a better option than Cersei and helping her take the throne quickly so she’d be able to use the resources of a united Westeros to help the North. And if you wanted to go full divergence, playing around with the timelines so that Dany showed up with fully grown dragons during the Stark-Lannister war in season 2-3 would be so interesting, I’d love to see how that would play out!
Meanwhile, I think a good old 'time travel back into the body of your younger self to fix things' could work for any of the three main characters I requested, Missandei or Daenerys from the point of their deaths, or Grey Worm some time after Jon's trial. I really, really love time travel fix its! But particularly when the time travelling character isn't perfect and doesn't know everything - where they still make mistakes, or where their attempts to fix some things lead to new and different mistakes. Also, stories where it turns out that more than one character travelled back in time are also fantastic - I would also adore a story where Grey Worm and Missandei or Daenerys and Missandei, or all three of them, travelled back in time! Though I would prefer that if more than one character travels back in time, Missandei is one of them.
Avatar: the Last Airbender
Group: Azula/Katara (AtLA)
Group: Katara/Mai (AtLA)
Group: Katara/Mai/Zuko (AtLA)
ATLA: Azula was exiled instead of Zuko
ATLA: Mai comes with Zuko and joins the Gaang after saving his life at Boiling Rock
ALL: Canon Divergence AU
All: Arranged Marriage AU
All: Arranged marriage to resolve enmity/rivalry actually works leading to understanding/feelings
All: Forced marriage to resolve enmity/rivalry actually works leading to understanding/feelings
All: Arranged marriage to bring peace between two countries/species on the verge of a war
ALL: Character and enemy must work together to save the world
ALL: Enemies forced to work together
ALL: Different Side Wins
Azula/Katara
This is one of my all-time favourite ATLA pairings. I love the epic contrasts between them - fire versus ice, manipulation and control versus hope and passion, healer versus killer - but I also love how they sometimes parallel - very powerful and dedicated in their bending, almost prodigies, both of them the little sisters in their families coming to terms with patriarchy and gender roles (albeit in different ways).
I really, really love the idea of a role reversal between Azula and Zuko, so that she is the one who gets the chance to learn and grow away from the toxic influence of her father. Maybe, instead of showing compassion/"weakness" like Zuko, her father decides that she's too smart and ambitious, and thus too much of a threat? I feel like Azula's journey in this AU wouldn't be an exact parallel to Zuko's, but there's so many different directions it could take, and so many lovely possibilities for Katara and Azula to move from enemies to allies/friends to lovers along the way.
Arranged marriage is another favourite - it would take a left turn in canon somewhere to make this possible, but I really love the idea. Sending Katara to the Fire Nation for the sake of peace is a classic, and I always love it - but I'd also love to see Azula sent to the Southern Icefield for the sake of a marriage alliance (or maybe as a wacky consequence of her defeat in the Agni Kai?) Seeing her adjust to the massive, massive differences in lifestyle and expectations between a Chieftain's daughter and a Fire Nation princess would come as a huge shock to her, I think, and I'd love to see how she dealt with it.
As much as I love the fluffy kids show, there's a lot of background darkness in the show, and it's always fascinating to see that brought to the surface. AUs where the Fire Nation won can be so interesting - maybe Aang and Ozai destroyed each other, and Zuko can't hold onto the throne without the Avatar's support, so Azula ends up in charge instead? With Katara as her prisoner, trying to persuade Azula into a better way of ruling - or else trying to destabilise Azula into losing her grip on power and giving the Fire Nation's enemies a better chance? Or maybe an AU where Ozai did survive and Azula's trying to handle her own marginalisation and dismissal, with Katara as her prisoner/reluctant ally?
Or potentially a Different Side Wins AU where the Southern Water Tribe fell to the Fire Nation much earlier, and Katara was raised in the Fire Nation and ended up serving Azula, either willingly or unwillingly, as another one of Azula's dangerous ladies? This would be fascinating regardless of whether Azula worked for the Fire Nation as per canon or whether Katara's influence would be enough to change her mind!
Katara/Mai and Katara/Zuko/Mai
I love Katara and Mai, and I really wish they'd had the chance to interact more in canon - I think they have more in common than it seems, and I could see them becoming friends given half a chance. On the surface level, they both have no patience with stupid or unpleasant people and share a common interest in looking nice and staying clean; they are extremely skilled and willing to use violence, but only when necessary. Katara is an eternal optimist and Mai is the show's biggest cynic, but oddly I think they both come from a similar idealistic place; Katara's life has taught her that you can fix things if you try hard enough, whereas Mai has been stuck in an amoral society with no real escape, and has chosen to reject everything rather than go along with an ideology she doesn't really believe in (even helping Azula is something she does to reduce her own boredom, I never get the sense that she really believes in Fire Nation propaganda). I think they could balance each other out very well, and it would be a lot of fun to see.
I also ship Katara/Zuko and Mai/Zuko, but I enjoy the threesome even more; it’s so unlikely, but it would be fun! I love a good political drama - which is what a relationship between a Fire Lord, an aristocratic Fire Nation lady, and the Southern Water Tribe bender who has been running around with the Avatar for years would be - and I also love complicated poly relationship drama, which is also what this threesome would be! I’d love to see Katara sticking around in the Fire Nation to help them rebuild and maybe make sure they made restitution to the Southern Water Tribe, and slowly falling into a relationship with Mai and Zuko, in an AU where she didn’t end up staying with/getting together with Aang as per the final scene of the show.
But also, “Mai joins the Gaang after Boiling Rock” is an AU that has fascinated me for YEARS and I would love to see it! I would love to see her interactions with all the main characters, and how she and Zuko get back together (or fail to) - possibly with added drama, if she assumed that Zuko and Katara were dating as per the Ember Island Players. And I’d really like to see her and Katara getting to know each other, and ending up as something more than friends.
Alternatively, a lot of the AUs I suggested for Azula/Katara would also work for Katara/Mai(/Zuko); if Azula was banished instead of Zuko, would Mai and Ty Lee follow her (giving Katara the chance to become friends with or date Mai instead?) An arranged marriage AU would be fun, in any direction – Mai sent to the Southern Water Tribe, Katara sent to the Fire Nation to marry Mai, Katara sent to the Fire Nation to marry Zuko (who was in love with Mai)…
Or a Different Side Wins AU could be fascinating, too. Maybe Katara, Zuko and Mai end up imprisoned together in an AU where Ozai wins, and end up escaping and going on the run together? Or an AU where Katara is kidnapped and brought to the Fire Nation as a young child, ends up as one of Azula’s dangerous ladies, and ends up breaking away from her with Mai (and potentially Zuko) to join the Avatar?
Thank you so much for writing for me!
Likes
I am generally pretty flexible with the things I like. Character-driven stories are awesome, plot-driven stories are awesome, explicit porn is awesome, angst and bleakness are awesome, happy endings are awesome, humor is awesome! Etc.
Canon divergence AUs are one of my all time favourite things, so to have a whole exchange about AUs is extremely exciting! I just love seeing fics that explore the ramifications of a change - whether that's fix-it fic, a character study that looks at how a character might change under different circumstances from what they experienced in canon, or one of those "for want of a nail AUs" that explores how one little change might have enormous ripples affecting the entire canon plot and characters.
Don't feel as if you have to go all out - I love small slice-of-life fics that show you just a glimpse of a different universe just as much as I love the massive, shake-up-every-canon-event style changes. Basically, even if it doesn't match any of my other requested tags, pretty much any canon divergence AU is going to thrill me, so go wild!
Other favourite things:
-Time travel shenanigans, particularly characters going back in time to change their own past (I always love a good Peggy Sue!)
-Politics, history and worldbuilding
-Road trips (or spaceship trips, actual ship trips, etc)
-Stoic women with repressed feelings
-Female antiheroes or villains with complex motivations
-Enemies forced to work together by circumstance
-Unexpected and unconventional happy endings
-Bittersweet endings
-Tragedies that are more-or-less inevitable given the nature of the individuals involved
-People living in less-than-ideal or even actively hostile situations who manage to carve out some kind of happiness despite that.
Porn likes include rough/frantic sex, emphasising nonhuman strengths/capabilities/anatomy for nonhuman or superpowered characters, dirty talk, mild D/s, and bondage/restraints.
I am generally okay with violence, noncon, character death, etc - provided that it is warned for up front - though I would prefer that stories do not focus solely on trauma/horror/violence, and if these do come up as part of the story, I am more interested in the lead up and the aftermath than in dragging out the details of the act itself.
If you want to write shipfic and need to work your way around a canon relationship (or just like writing it), I do enjoy poly! Also, I would be happy to see any of the gen relationships I requested as pairing/romance fic instead, and conversely I would be happy to see any of the ships I requested as gen relationships. (Just don't have the characters go on about how they could never imagine themselves in a relationship with each other, or pair one of the characters off with someone else in an unrequested pairing, or anything else a bit dickish like that.) Some of the romantic pairings I've requested are a bit unusual, and if you're struggling to get them together, I'd honestly rather read a gen fic about the requested characters than one where the romance is slapped on hastily at the end. Just go with whatever you'd most enjoy writing!
General DNWs:
-Modern/mundane and genre-shift AUs - basically anything that takes the requested characters/pairings out of their canon setting
-Soulmates and soulmark universes
-Lengthy descriptions of violence/horror/noncon/major character death (as noted above)
-Noncon between requested characters (dubcon of the "don't want to want it, but I do" variety is fine)
-Non-canon character death of requested characters (and if a requested character's canon character death is averted, please don't then kill them off in a different way!)
-M/f D/s
-Unrequested kinks
-Unrequested, non-canon incest (except for ASOIAF/GOT – however even in ASOIAF/GOT I don’t want parent/child incest)
-Explicit underage (I'm fine with teenagers having sex with each other, and with mention of teenagers getting married to adults in ASOIAF/GOT, I just don't want explicit adult/child sex)
-Unrequested gender or sexuality headcanons for requested canon characters.
Fandom-specific DNWs:
-Geralt/Jaskier, or Jaskier as a major character
-Yennefer finding a cure for her infertility and having a biological child
-Ned/Ashara, or romantic Rhaegar/Lyanna (mentioning it happened is fine, but I wouldn't enjoy a romance between them)
-Tyrion Lannister
-Missandei-focused stories that end in or foreshadow her death (unless you are writing a story where she comes back!).
As for the fandoms, pairings and AUs, I requested:
The Silmarillion
Nerdanel (Silmarillion - JRRT)
Group: Fëanor/Nerdanel (Silmarillion - JRRT)
Group: Annatar/Celebrimbor (Silmarillion - JRRT)
Group: Beleg Cúthalion/Túrin Turambar (Silmarillion - JRRT)
Group: Finduilas Faelivrin/Gwindor/Túrin Turambar (Silmarillion - JRRT)
Group: Finduilas Faelivrin/Niënor Níniel (Silmarillion - JRRT)
Group: Niënor Níniel/Túrin Turambar (Silmarillion - JRRT)
Tolkien: Feanor lives and allies with Fingolfin against Morgoth
Tolkien: Nerdanel goes to Middle-Earth with Feanor and their sons
Tolkien: Turin goes back to Menegroth when Beleg asks
Tolkien: Turin is the one to get amnesia and Nienor looks after him
ALL: Canon Divergence AU
All: Character deals with a canonical difficult situation better than in canon
ALL: Character and enemy must work together to save the world
ALL: Main character goes back in time to the body of their younger self and changes what happened
ALL: Multiple Characters Travel Back in Time
All: Time Travel Fix-It
All: Role-reversal AU
I think the summary version of what I am looking for here is "Character deals with a canonical difficult situation better than in canon," which given that most of my requests deal with Feanor or Turin Turambar... would not be particularly difficult, lol.
Nerdanel and Nerdanel/Feanor
I've read the Silmarillion several times, but not the Unfinished Tales or HoME, so my recent discovery that Nerdanel's role was originally much bigger until Christopher Tolkien CUT IT BACK made me very cross. I love her so much and find her so fascinating - an artist and sculptor, a match to the mightiest of the Elves who wasn't even particularly pretty, mother to seven children (a deliberate, slightly terrifying choice!), stubborn and strong willed enough to stand up not only to Feanor but also to their sons, and then to lose them all... And I find the romance between her and Feanor really interesting, too, and would be fascinated to see how it worked - obviously it didn't end well, but they seemed to love each other deeply at one point. (SEVEN! SONS!)
I would absolutely LOVE to see the AU where Nerdanel decided to go to Middle-Earth after all - obviously it is a huge part of her character that she stayed true to the laws of the Valar and stood up to Feanor's persuasion, but maybe she would change her mind if she felt that she could genuinely sway at least some of the Noldor into doing less harm (or received a message from the Valar, or time travelled back into the body of her younger self, or...) The changes resulting from this would be so fascinating - could having her in the vanguard with Feanor be enough of a change to stop the Kinslaying? Could she have helped her sons (or even Feanor himself) to find a way to break Feanor's oath? Would this also be a "Feanor lives and allies with Fingolfin against Morgoth" AU?
If you wanted to go the time travel route, an AU where both she AND Feanor time-travelled back into the bodies of their younger selves could be a lot of fun, too. I wouldn't put it past Feanor to invent time travel! Or maybe it would be a bit of weirdness from the One?
For this request I'm happy with gen, Nerdanel/Feanor, or any other non-canon Nerdanel pairings you'd like to explore.
Annatar/Celebrimbor
I can't help myself, I love the delicious tragedy of Celebrimbor's seduction and ruin in canon, but I'm also slightly obsessed by the idea that Annatar might have been tempted, at some point, to become exactly what he was pretending to be, and stay in Eregion with Celebrimbor. Given Tolkien's religious belief, theologically speaking it MUST have been possible in canon for Annatar/Sauron to repent and make different choices, right up until the end - so what if he did change his mind?
I would LOVE to see the canon divergence that could make this possible! Would it just be a matter of one tiny, seemingly-inconsequential event going slightly differently and snowballing into Annatar making larger choices that are different? Or Celebrimbor finding out the truth about Annatar earlier, or differently, and reacting in a different way?
Time travel AUs and/or enemies forced to work together by circumstance might also be a lot of fun! Would Sauron, just disembodied by the loss of the Ring and waking up in the body of Annatar, really want to do it all again exactly the same way? Is there anyone who might scare Annatar enough that he might tell Celebrimbor the truth about himself and want to work with him anyway - maybe the Numenorians, if you wanted to WILDLY juggle timelines? Or maybe even Morgoth himself, if Sauron decides that actually, no, he likes being his own master, thanks all the same?
Soulmates are usually not my thing at all, but if you wanted to riff off Tolkien's monogomy fetish and have Celebrimbor angsting about the fact that, now he's slept with Annatar/Sauron once, he's bound to him for life... I wouldn't complain about that.
Turin Turambar and Nienor Niniel pairings
Turin is SO TERRIBLE and yet I have a sneaking affection for him despite myself - probably because so many people who are so much better than him seem invested in him and his happiness (and got their lives destroyed by him instead). And also because they all came so close to finding happiness, and yet inevitably Turin fucked it up somehow, every time. Team #everyone else deserved better!
I'd be happy with pretty much any canon divergence AU here, so long as it was at least slightly happier than canon. Differently fucked up is okay, too!
Of the AUs I requested, I'm fascinated by the wider implications of Turin deciding to go back to Menegroth with Beleg. Thingol's death and Doriath's destruction wouldn't be able to happen quite the same way without Hurin bringing the Nauglamir from sacked Nargothrond - so how would things change if both of those kingdoms lasted longer, or fell in different ways? But on the other hand, if you just wanted to write Turin and Beleg happily fucking in Doriath and/or hanging out with Morwen and Nienor, I'd be pretty thrilled by that too.
Similarly, an AU where fewer people listened to Turin (or Beleg lived and told Turin to shut up) and he got to live happily in Nargothrond with Gwindor and Finduilas would be pretty delightful. Or an AU where the sack didn't go quite so disastrously, and he was able to flee Nargothrond with them, and live happily-ish in the wild? I find this love triangle really interesting - particularly since Turin didn't even really seem to realise he was IN a love triangle, and always seemed more interested in Gwindor than Finduilas - and if you wanted to go deep exploring its messiness, I would be into that too.
I really love the tragedy of Turin and Nienor - it's pretty typical of Turin that the only time he fell in love with a woman, it was his own damn sister - and I'd love any kind of canon divergence that changed the circumstances a little, while staying true to how fucked up they are. Maybe an AU where Turin and Nienor were married much longer and had several kids before finding out the truth; would they still have both killed themselves, or would they have tried to find a way to live with it? Or maybe an AU where they met as adults, knowing they were siblings, and still fell in love?
Meanwhile, I've been fairly obsessed by the idea of a Turin-Nienor role reversal for a while and I would LOVE to see Turin as the one who loses his memories, and Nienor as the one who rescues him. OR a role reversal where Finduilas is the one to rescue an amnesiac Nienor - or, hey, what if Nienor is the mysterious stranger who shows up in Doriath, and Finduilas falls in love with her instead? Or Finduilas and Gwindor rescue an amnesiac Turin? GO WILD.
I've requested several different Turin and Nienor pairings, but honestly, feel free to go anywhere with them - I'd be happy with any possible pairing/moresome combo of Turin/Beleg/Gwindor/Finduilas/Nienor. Throw in Brandir too, if you want! Turin/Nienor/Brandir could be a lot of fun.
The Witcher
Group: Yennefer of Vengerberg/Tissaia de Vries (Witcher TV)
Group: Yennefer of Vengerberg/Fringilla Vigo (Witcher TV)
Group: Marilka & Renfri (Witcher TV)
Marilka (Witcher TV)
Renfri (Witcher TV)
Witcher: Yennefer goes back with Tissaia to Aretuza when she asks
Witcher: Yennefer goes to Nilfgaard and Fringilla goes to Aedirn
Witcher: Renfri lives
Witcher: Renfri survives
Witcher: Renfri convinces Marilka to help her instead of Geralt
ALL: Canon Divergence AU
All: Character deals with a canonical difficult situation better than in canon
ALL: Enemies forced to work together
ALL: Main character goes back in time to the body of their younger self and changes what happened
ALL: Multiple Characters Travel Back in Time
All: Time Travel Fix-It
Yennefer pairings
I love Yennefer so, so much. She is flawed and damaged and has been trying for so long to become better, to make something meaningful of her life despite having no real idea what that might look like. I picked two of my favourite Yennefer pairings, but honestly any Yennefer story would be great.
That being said I love how complex and painful her relationship with Tissaia is - Tissaia was absolutely emotionally abusive when Yennefer was her student, and neither of them can get past that (and maybe nor should they?) but at the same time they are both desperate for the other's approval and love, and I find it absolutely compelling. There are so many points at which things might have gone differently for them - I suggested an AU where Yennefer goes back to Aretuza when Tissaia asks, after leaving Aedirn, but honestly any canon divergence point would be great, right back to "what if Tissaia was kinder when Yennefer was her student". Or a time travel AU! Maybe a repentant Tissaia who treats Yennefer differently, given the chance to do it all again? Or a Yennefer who wakes up in the body of her pre-Aretuza self ready to burn the whole fucking world down, and a Tissaia who is intrigued and drawn to her despite herself?
I also love Fringilla, I really wish we saw more of her transformation from the kind, slightly awkward student in Aretuza to the ice-cold true believer of Sodden Hill, and I love her rivalry with Yennefer. I'd love to see more of them together - "enemies forced to work together" is one of my all-time favourite tropes, I love it, and any way to change canon to make that happen would be delightful. Or maybe an AU where Yennefer went to Nilfgaard instead of or as well as Fringilla? An AU where Fringilla travels back in time, realising that she can only win for Nilfgaard with Yennefer's help, and tries to bring her to Nilfgaard as an ally? (How well that works is up to you).
Renfri and Marilka
The worst thing about the Witcher is that it introduced two of my favourite characters, Renfri and Marilka, in episode 1 - and promptly wrote them both out. I would be so thrilled by anything more you could give me, for either of them alone or both together as gen or femslash - literally ANYTHING would be a delight! They're both such interesting blends of ruthless pragmatism and real caring, clearly shaped by the misogyny of their lives but trying to rise above it - I just loved them both so much.
I am absolutely fascinated by the idea that Renfri could have sought Marilka's help instead of Geralt's - Marilka is far more ruthless and pragmatic than Geralt, I think, and I can see Renfri using Marilka's own self-interest to convince her to switch sides. I'd love to see that story, and I'd love to see them afterwards too, walking away together to find a new post-revenge life and adventures outside Blaviken.
But I'd also love a straight-up Renfri lives story, whether or not she also manages to get her revenge on Stregobor. Just - Renfri, getting a chance to survive and make something different of her life, finding out what else there is to life after revenge (whether or not she actually manages to kill Stregobor). Or a Marilka story where she manages to escape Blaviken as she clearly wants to, maybe travelling with Geralt or maybe someone quite different – feel free to bring in any other character from the show for her to have adventures with (except Jaskier, as per my DNW).
I'm fine with Renfri/Geralt and happy if you include it - or just have Geralt hanging out and going on adventures with Renfri and/or Marilka, if you want to write an AU that way - as long as the focus remains on Renfri and/or Marilka. I'd also be thrilled to have other characters show up (eg Yennefer, Fringilla, Triss, Tissaia, Calathe, etc - even Duny and/or Pavetta could be interesting! I am aware of Duny's other identity and would be very happy to receive a story exploring that.)
A Song of Ice and Fire
Group: Cersei Lannister/Jaime Lannister/Ned Stark (ASOIAF)
Group: Cersei Lannister/Ned Stark (ASoIaF)
Group: Elia Martell/Lyanna Stark (ASOIAF)
Group: Ashara Dayne/Lyanna Stark (ASOIAF)
Group: Elia Martell & Ned Stark (ASOIAF)
Group: Elia Martell/Ned Stark (ASOIAF)
Group: Oberyn Martell/Ned Stark (ASOIAF)
Group: Oberyn Martell/Catelyn Stark (ASOIAF)
Group: Robb Stark/Rhaenys Targaryen (ASOIAF)
Rhaenys Targaryen (Daughter of Elia) (ASOIAF)
ASOIAF: Elia & Lyanna & their children all survived
ASOIAF: Ned got to King's Landing first
ASOIAF: King Ned
ASOIAF: No Tully/Stark and Tully/Arryn double wedding; everyone involved married different people
ASOIAF: Robert killed at Trident but his side still wins
ALL: Canon Divergence AU
All: Arranged Marriage AU
All: Arranged marriage to resolve enmity/rivalry actually works leading to understanding/feelings
All: Forced marriage to resolve enmity/rivalry actually works leading to understanding/feelings
All: character marries a different person
All: canon character death didn't happen AU
ALL: Canon Character Death Evaded
If I could summarise these pairing/AU requests, it would be REBELLION ERA AU! I'm really fascinated by that period, and how seemingly small decisions made during that time had such massive consequences down the line. I'd be thrilled by either a canon divergence story set during/immediately after the Rebellion, or by something set in the "present day" of the books showing the implications of a canon divergence during the Rebellion - in a Rhaenys-focused AU where Ned got to Elia and her kids first, for example.
A big theme of the tags I've requested is "fewer dead women" - I've specifically requested Elia, Lyanna, Ashara and Rhaenys, but I'd love to see Rhaella survive instead, or as well. I'd love to see what would have happened if Ned got to King's Landing in time to prevent the murder of Elia and her children, or if Lyanna and/or Rhaella survived childbirth, or if things went slightly better for Ashara and she didn't kill herself. All of these AUs would have some pretty interesting ramifications, both politically and in terms of the impact on other surviving characters, and I'd love to see any of them explored!
I'm also loving the "different set of characters get married" AUs! We know what might happen if Ned and Catelyn end up in an arranged marriage (good), or Robert and Cersei (not... good...), but it would be so much fun to see what happened if some of the participants in the Rebellion-era arranged marriages got swapped around! Go wild with this, I'd love to see even crack ships taken seriously, even if it's not necessarily a pairing I requested (except that, as per my DNW, I don't want Ned/Ashara or romantic Rhaegar/Lyanna, please). Also, even if you're writing an arranged marriage, don't feel like the married het couple have to be the main romantic relationship! If you'd prefer, feel free to write the actual romance as happening illicitly on the sidelines of an arranged marriage.
Ned/Cersei and Ned/Cersei/Jaime
Last year I had a lot of fun writing a Ned/Jaime/Cersei canon divergence AU, and I've realised that Ned Stark/his complete opposite in morals and values is delightful and I would love to see more of it! Ned reluctantly finding common ground with the Lannister twins he loathes so much would be so compelling regardless of how it happened, there are actually a lot of possibilities and all of them would be enormous fun.
"What if Ned married Cersei instead of Catelyn" would be fascinating, whether as part of a King Ned AU where Robert died at the Trident and Ned took the throne to stop Tywin from taking it, or as a riff off canon where the Rebellion era marriages happened differently. I would be equally interested in an AU where Jaime was around and having an affair with Cersei - I would be fascinated to see the circumstances where Ned would join in - or where Jaime was elsewhere, and it was just Ned and Cersei alone. I would be really interested to see if their marriage would go better - or maybe worse - than Cersei's canon marriage!
This is the one pairing where I'd also be interested in an AU where the divergence happened in the present day of the books, rather than the Rebellion era. Seeing how on earth canon era Ned might end up with Cersei, or Cersei and Jaime, would also be absolutely fascinating!
Lyanna/Elia and Lyanna/Ashara
Dead ladies surviving edition! There's quite a bit of "Lyanna and Elia fall in love with each other as Rhaegar's wives or widows" in Targaryens-win AUs, and I am always partial to those; it would be really interesting to see them growing past their initial wariness towards each other (I cannot see Elia greeting her husband's mistress with open arms, at least at first) and ending up as allies, friends and something more. But an AU where they both end up surviving after Robert wins would also be really interesting! I imagine Lyanna would still be avoiding marriage with Robert (unless she'd be willing to do it for the sake of peace?) and both of them would be desperate to protect their children; I can see them ending up as reluctant allies to start with, maybe turning into something more.
Lyanna/Ashara is more out there, but again: dead ladies surviving! Plus, of all the Starks Ashara could be shipped with (personally I believe her canon relationship was with Brandon and there was nothing between her and Ned), Lyanna is definitely my favourite. If Lyanna lived and Ned brought her and Jon to Starfall, I can see Ashara helping them given that she’s a Targaryen loyalist (particularly if Elia and/or Arthur also survived in this AU and Ashara had less reason for suicidal despair) and again, I can see that turning into something more. Maybe Ashara raises Jon in Starfall as her own bastard son with Ned or Brandon, with Lyanna, because no one would expect Lyanna to be sheltered in Dorne? Or maybe they go on the run into Essos together?
Elia/Ned and Elia & Ned
There's two main ways I can see this AU happening (but if you come up with something else please go for it!) - one is the probably-happier-than-canon AU in which Elia marries Ned instead of Rhaegar (maybe in an AU where Elia's mother is more protective of her frail daughter, she went looking for a younger son who could be brought back to Dorne so Elia could stay with her family?) There would be a culture clash, but I think that Ned and Elia are both fundamentally decent people who would probably end up happy together. Though not necessarily in love with each other - if you wanted to play around with Dornish open-mindedness and write about Oberyn seducing his sister's uptight husband, I would be delighted!
The other AU that fascinates me would be the Rebellion AU where Ned gets to King's Landing in time to save Elia and the kids - this would have pretty huge ramifications that I would love to see explored. Would Ned's attempts to protect Elia and the kids lead to a breach with Robert, as per canon or worse? Would Ned and/or Elia attempt to hide the kids? ("Hello Catelyn, these are my... three... bastard children, definitely all mine, ignore the fact that one looks Dornish and one looks like a Targaryen.")
And would Aegon's survival impact Robert's claim to the throne? Would noble honourable Ned decide that Aegon was the rightful king, and it was his duty to ally with Elia and the Dornish to put Aegon on the throne and protect him, maybe as his Regent? (If this was an AU where Ned wasn't already married to Catelyn, would he marry Elia at this point - maybe even take the throne as King instead of Regent, with the understanding that Aegon would inherit since Elia wouldn't be able to give him any children? Alternatively, if he did marry Catelyn, I would LOVE to see her and Elia in King's Landing as Regent's wife and Dowager Queen, whether that was friendship, reluctant allies or, why not, an illicit affair.) Basically any interaction between Ned and Elia riffing off her survival would be wonderful!
Oberyn/Catelyn, Oberyn/Ned
I feel like my requested pairings are getting increasingly cracky as I go along, but on the other hand, I feel like a) Oberyn would attempt to seduce almost anyone given the chance and b) seeing him attempt to seduce people as uptight and moral as Catelyn or Ned (or Catelyn AND Ned, go big or go home!) would be hilarious and fun. I reckon Oberyn could do it, in the right AU!
Alternatively, an AU where Oberyn and Catelyn ended up actually married would be really interesting. Maybe in an AU where Petyr managed to rape ("ruin", ugh) Catelyn, and the only people of her rank who wouldn't care were Dornish? I feel like this relationship would either end terribly or fantastically - I can't see Oberyn ever choosing monogamy, and Catelyn would not accept that easily, nor would she find it easy to accept his daughters, but in an AU where her life did not run as smoothly or kindly as she’d expected, maybe she’d develop a more open mind? I would love to see the circumstances where Catelyn WOULD accept her husband’s bastard child!
And if Ned saved Elia's life, I can see Oberyn wanting to repay him in some dramatic, over-the-top way - maybe he'd follow Ned around until he had the chance to repay his debt by saving Ned's life, or something similar - regardless of whether Ned actually wanted the company of a flamboyant, dramatic Dornishman! Oberyn following Ned back to Winterfell looking for a chance to be useful would be pretty fun, actually - particularly if Ned was gritting his teeth trying to ignore his attraction, and they eventually fell in bed together. Alternatively, if Lyanna had lived, I can see Ned throwing everything away to protect her – so what about Ned, Lyanna, Elia, Oberyn, and the three Targ kids running away to Essos together on the world's wackiest roadtrip?
Rhaenys and Robb/Rhaenys
Somehow Rhaenys's death is one of the saddest of the whole Rebellion, for me. Even though she was really young, her personality shows up so strongly (she named her kitten Balerion! she tried to hide under her father's bed when she was scared!) and the way she died is so sad and horrible. I would love so much to see the girl and woman she would have grown into, had she lived.
I honestly would love any Rhaenys story, from a Targaryens win AU, to Rhaenys growing up a hostage in the Red Keep, to Rhaenys growing up in hiding/disguise (maybe as one of Oberyn's daughters?) to Rhaenys on the run in Essos with any number of relatives, or alone. I would be equally happy with a Rhaenys-tries-for-the-throne-herself AU, a Rhaenys-supports-her-relative's-bid-for-the-throne AU, or a Rhaenys-doesn't-give-a-shit-and-just-wants-to-be-happy AU. If it was widely known she survived, maybe Jon Arryn would have tried to betroth her to Robert's eldest son (as per the resolution of the actual Wars of the Roses) - how would it feel to grow up betrothed to Joffrey? Would Oberyn end up poisoning him for her, like Olenna did for Margaery?
I requested Robb/Rhaenys as the idea is delightful and I like the idea of Robb surviving longer than canon, too. An arranged marriage AU would be lots of fun, but so would Rhaenys undercover as one of Oberyn's bastards, and Robb wanting to marry her anyway. But feel free to write any Rhaenys pairing - for some ideas, I don't ship her with either of her brothers, but I could be convinced by Rhaenys/Daenerys! Or Rhaenys/Sansa, in an AU where Sansa grew up hearing romantic stories of the last Targaryen princess? Gen would also be lovely!
Game of Thrones
Missandei & Daenerys Targaryen
Missandei/Grey Worm
Daenerys Targaryen & Missandei & Grey Worm
GoT: Daenerys chooses to try and rebuild Valyria instead of going to Westeros
GoT: Daenerys stays in Meereen
GoT: Missandei as Daenerys's Hand
GoT: Daenerys arrives in Westeros while Robb Stark is warring with the Lannisters
GoT: Sansa went to Dragonstone to meet Daenerys instead of Jon
ALL: Canon Divergence AU
All: Character deals with a canonical difficult situation better than in canon
ALL: Different Side Wins
ALL: Main character goes back in time to the body of their younger self and changes what happened
ALL: Multiple Characters Travel Back in Time
All: Time Travel Fix-It
It’s been a year, but I’m still cross about season 8. Canon divergence AUs all round, please!
I would be absolutely thrilled by a story covering any possible grouping of these characters, with any possible shippy or gen relationship combination. Grey Worm and Missandei's romance was so sweet and heartbreaking - and I loved Grey Worm and Dany’s loyalty to each other - and I'm a sucker for "I'd burn down the world for you" relationships, particularly when, as with Dany and Missandei, they're literally true.
Grey Worm and Missandei are two of my favourite characters in the whole show - and Dany, well she was flawed from the beginning, but I was rooting for her all along and the way her story ended really disappointed me, not only for its own sake but for what it meant for the cause Missandei had died for and Grey Worm had sacrificed so much for. I hated the cruelty of Missandei’s death (and how it basically served to motivate other characters), and the stupidity of Grey Worm’s ending, conveniently writing himself out of the story to be killed by murderous butterflies. I’d actually be okay with a story where Dany still died, as long as Grey Worm and Missandei got better endings together!
I’ve requested several different GOT-specific AUs, but they basically all boil down to “character deals with a canonical difficult situation better than in canon” – any canon divergence AU along those lines would make me very happy!
I’d be perfectly happy for Dany and co to give up on Westeros completely and make a permanent home for themselves somewhere in Essos; that always seemed like it would be a really fitting end for Dany, and better aligned to Missandei and Grey Worm’s hopes and goals than helping to restore a hereditary monarchy in a kingdom they didn’t care about. Similarly, there are so many ways that Dany’s abortive conquest of Westeros in season 7 could have gone better, but most of them boil down to “not listening to Tyrion or Jon Snow”, lol. Missandei as Dany’s Hand would avert that nicely! As would having Sansa sent to Dragonstone as the North’s emissary, instead of Jon, which would have made vastly more sense than sending the North's actual king. Sansa is ruthless and doesn’t care about Dany in the slightest, but I can see her pragmatically deciding that Dany was a better option than Cersei and helping her take the throne quickly so she’d be able to use the resources of a united Westeros to help the North. And if you wanted to go full divergence, playing around with the timelines so that Dany showed up with fully grown dragons during the Stark-Lannister war in season 2-3 would be so interesting, I’d love to see how that would play out!
Meanwhile, I think a good old 'time travel back into the body of your younger self to fix things' could work for any of the three main characters I requested, Missandei or Daenerys from the point of their deaths, or Grey Worm some time after Jon's trial. I really, really love time travel fix its! But particularly when the time travelling character isn't perfect and doesn't know everything - where they still make mistakes, or where their attempts to fix some things lead to new and different mistakes. Also, stories where it turns out that more than one character travelled back in time are also fantastic - I would also adore a story where Grey Worm and Missandei or Daenerys and Missandei, or all three of them, travelled back in time! Though I would prefer that if more than one character travels back in time, Missandei is one of them.
Avatar: the Last Airbender
Group: Azula/Katara (AtLA)
Group: Katara/Mai (AtLA)
Group: Katara/Mai/Zuko (AtLA)
ATLA: Azula was exiled instead of Zuko
ATLA: Mai comes with Zuko and joins the Gaang after saving his life at Boiling Rock
ALL: Canon Divergence AU
All: Arranged Marriage AU
All: Arranged marriage to resolve enmity/rivalry actually works leading to understanding/feelings
All: Forced marriage to resolve enmity/rivalry actually works leading to understanding/feelings
All: Arranged marriage to bring peace between two countries/species on the verge of a war
ALL: Character and enemy must work together to save the world
ALL: Enemies forced to work together
ALL: Different Side Wins
Azula/Katara
This is one of my all-time favourite ATLA pairings. I love the epic contrasts between them - fire versus ice, manipulation and control versus hope and passion, healer versus killer - but I also love how they sometimes parallel - very powerful and dedicated in their bending, almost prodigies, both of them the little sisters in their families coming to terms with patriarchy and gender roles (albeit in different ways).
I really, really love the idea of a role reversal between Azula and Zuko, so that she is the one who gets the chance to learn and grow away from the toxic influence of her father. Maybe, instead of showing compassion/"weakness" like Zuko, her father decides that she's too smart and ambitious, and thus too much of a threat? I feel like Azula's journey in this AU wouldn't be an exact parallel to Zuko's, but there's so many different directions it could take, and so many lovely possibilities for Katara and Azula to move from enemies to allies/friends to lovers along the way.
Arranged marriage is another favourite - it would take a left turn in canon somewhere to make this possible, but I really love the idea. Sending Katara to the Fire Nation for the sake of peace is a classic, and I always love it - but I'd also love to see Azula sent to the Southern Icefield for the sake of a marriage alliance (or maybe as a wacky consequence of her defeat in the Agni Kai?) Seeing her adjust to the massive, massive differences in lifestyle and expectations between a Chieftain's daughter and a Fire Nation princess would come as a huge shock to her, I think, and I'd love to see how she dealt with it.
As much as I love the fluffy kids show, there's a lot of background darkness in the show, and it's always fascinating to see that brought to the surface. AUs where the Fire Nation won can be so interesting - maybe Aang and Ozai destroyed each other, and Zuko can't hold onto the throne without the Avatar's support, so Azula ends up in charge instead? With Katara as her prisoner, trying to persuade Azula into a better way of ruling - or else trying to destabilise Azula into losing her grip on power and giving the Fire Nation's enemies a better chance? Or maybe an AU where Ozai did survive and Azula's trying to handle her own marginalisation and dismissal, with Katara as her prisoner/reluctant ally?
Or potentially a Different Side Wins AU where the Southern Water Tribe fell to the Fire Nation much earlier, and Katara was raised in the Fire Nation and ended up serving Azula, either willingly or unwillingly, as another one of Azula's dangerous ladies? This would be fascinating regardless of whether Azula worked for the Fire Nation as per canon or whether Katara's influence would be enough to change her mind!
Katara/Mai and Katara/Zuko/Mai
I love Katara and Mai, and I really wish they'd had the chance to interact more in canon - I think they have more in common than it seems, and I could see them becoming friends given half a chance. On the surface level, they both have no patience with stupid or unpleasant people and share a common interest in looking nice and staying clean; they are extremely skilled and willing to use violence, but only when necessary. Katara is an eternal optimist and Mai is the show's biggest cynic, but oddly I think they both come from a similar idealistic place; Katara's life has taught her that you can fix things if you try hard enough, whereas Mai has been stuck in an amoral society with no real escape, and has chosen to reject everything rather than go along with an ideology she doesn't really believe in (even helping Azula is something she does to reduce her own boredom, I never get the sense that she really believes in Fire Nation propaganda). I think they could balance each other out very well, and it would be a lot of fun to see.
I also ship Katara/Zuko and Mai/Zuko, but I enjoy the threesome even more; it’s so unlikely, but it would be fun! I love a good political drama - which is what a relationship between a Fire Lord, an aristocratic Fire Nation lady, and the Southern Water Tribe bender who has been running around with the Avatar for years would be - and I also love complicated poly relationship drama, which is also what this threesome would be! I’d love to see Katara sticking around in the Fire Nation to help them rebuild and maybe make sure they made restitution to the Southern Water Tribe, and slowly falling into a relationship with Mai and Zuko, in an AU where she didn’t end up staying with/getting together with Aang as per the final scene of the show.
But also, “Mai joins the Gaang after Boiling Rock” is an AU that has fascinated me for YEARS and I would love to see it! I would love to see her interactions with all the main characters, and how she and Zuko get back together (or fail to) - possibly with added drama, if she assumed that Zuko and Katara were dating as per the Ember Island Players. And I’d really like to see her and Katara getting to know each other, and ending up as something more than friends.
Alternatively, a lot of the AUs I suggested for Azula/Katara would also work for Katara/Mai(/Zuko); if Azula was banished instead of Zuko, would Mai and Ty Lee follow her (giving Katara the chance to become friends with or date Mai instead?) An arranged marriage AU would be fun, in any direction – Mai sent to the Southern Water Tribe, Katara sent to the Fire Nation to marry Mai, Katara sent to the Fire Nation to marry Zuko (who was in love with Mai)…
Or a Different Side Wins AU could be fascinating, too. Maybe Katara, Zuko and Mai end up imprisoned together in an AU where Ozai wins, and end up escaping and going on the run together? Or an AU where Katara is kidnapped and brought to the Fire Nation as a young child, ends up as one of Azula’s dangerous ladies, and ends up breaking away from her with Mai (and potentially Zuko) to join the Avatar?
Thank you so much for writing for me!
