Dear Chocolatier

[cousinshelley]

This post on LJ.

I'm Cousin Shelley on AO3 and most fandom spaces. I think I'm easy to please. Please have fun writing the story and that will shine through! 

In no particular order:

Westworld (TV)
Strange Angel (TV)
The Exorcist (TV)
Wellington Paranormal (TV)
The Terror (TV 2018)

General likes: Friendship, found families, loyalty, love whether it's sexual or not, deep emotional connections and devotion, supernatural elements where appropriate, third person POV, humor, people figuring things out together, gray areas and difficult choices, displays of affection and respect, characters sacrificing their own comforts to help others, dub-con in certain fandoms, hurt/comfort, forced proximity, missing scenes and fix-its, first times, happy endings, unrequited love finally realized, fake couple/marriage to real romance, snark and banter.

General DNWs: AU (coffeeshop, school, space, historical canon characters in modern day, A/B/O, etc.); First and second person POV except in epistolary/journal stories that fit the canon; Holiday stories; Unrequested ships; Kidfic and pregnancy; Unrequested identity headcanons; Focus on gender identity or sexuality; Genderswapping; Character death; Cruelty to animals; Original major characters; Crossovers; Crack; Fluff; Surprise serious illness. For instance, referencing the gray gums of lead poisoning or scurvy symptoms in The Terror fandom is fine; Marcus Keane having a stroke is not. Overall, if you stay pretty much within the bounds of the source material canon and in that spirit, it's hard to go wrong. 

Sex-related DNWs: When sex is an option, I'd rather not have unrequested kinks or really anything kinkier than might be found within the canon if they had on-screen or on-page sex. If it wouldn't fit into the spirit of the canon, unless requested, please don't include it. And I know some fandoms contain noncon in canon, but straight-up noncon is a big DNW for me whether it would fit within the canon or not.

 

Westworld
Maeve Millay/Hector Escaton

I ship Maeve/Hector so hard and would absolutely love a sexy, smutty story, but as long as they're both in it and in each other's personal space in some way, I will be happy. They can be kicking ass and taking names shoulder to shoulder, flirting, fighting (as long as they're good by the end), damn near anything.

I love Maeve so much, and the ultimate bad boy Hector will do anything she wants of him, and my god that pushes every button I have. I really, really like Maeve being in charge and making the plans and Hector willing to do and give her anything and everything. And they're both so damn sexy. Put them together and I'm gone. If you're down to write smut, then more of what we saw already. Nape-grabbing, hanging-on-for-dear life need, and lots of Hector unable to resist her. Just the way he looks at her does it for me, and every scene where they came together was so good.

• Any situation where one rescues the other. A patron at the saloon getting aggressive with Maeve who Hector can shoot or beat down, or another bandit with the upper hand against Hector who Maeve can distract by flirting while she plunges a knife into him. Followed hopefully by "thanks, glad that's over" kissing and/or sex, please. 
• Any situation where Hector might end up on his knees in front of her, whether sexy, pre-sexy or even comical. 
• A reimagining of their first time in a different scenario, with or without park and host issues coming in. Maeve can be a madam and Hector can be a bandit, set before she figured out what was going on. Typical saloon flirting (or sexing) shenanigans.
• Maeve, as a madam, gets flirty with a customer, and Hector gets jealous. Can be before they're together or after.
• An idea that appeals to me is some scenario where Hector starts to wonder if Maeve has changed him in any way, and she reveals she had to dial back his still-high desire for her because he was losing focus (or something like that). And then she restores it to the level it was before, and *chimes ring*
• I also really like the idea of non-smut hurt/comfort with these two. Lying in bed holding each other, maybe one tending the non-fatal wounds of the other, or emotional comfort at any point during the canon or after the last finale. 
• Multiple resurrections as different characters (but with similar personalities) who still manage to find each other every time. 

Fandom-specific DNWs: No sad or tragic ending. Keep 'em happy, please. No noncon, even though Westworld's full up of it. And in an exception to my DNW for character death, I'm okay with one or both dying and being resurrected if it serves the story but please don't focus on the gruesomeness or pain of the death, and please end it with them alive, side by side and remembering each other.

Also, really don't worry if writing smut isn't for you. Just have them together doing things with some kind of heat between them, and I'll enjoy it.

 

Strange Angel
Jack Parsons/Ernest Donovan

I think I'm a fandom of one here, sadly. Jack and Ernest have such a screwy but great relationship in such an uneven but interesting show, and frankly their scenes together ended up my favorite thing about it. I think it's only available on CBS All Access, where I watched it while I had the channel for Star Trek: Discovery, maybe it's available through Amazon to stream, no free sources I know of. It has been cancelled, so there are only two seasons, and now that I know of (SPOILER) Ernest's fate in season 2 where they made him go full fanatic, we're going to handwave that away and pretend it didn't happen, so please don't make any references to his death. I'm pissed and firmly in denial. Ernest lives!

I really thought in the first season the relationship between these two might go a little differently. I don't think there's any doubt Ernest wants him with him surreptitiously watching Jack get a blowjob, his reaction when called on it, and of course the awesome scene of him following a Jack look-a-like into a gay bar are more than enough for me to feel like his desire for Jack is super clear. Add in his expressions, the touching...yup.

I'd love anything set in the first season (or early second before the thing that never happened) that gets them together, whether a new scene or changing an old one, whether in the context of Thelema sex magick or a spontaneous encounter while they're alone together. Go full sexytimes or have one of their intimate friendship scenes or even when they're fighting lead to a kiss and some tension and no further, up to you.

I'm just so taken by Ernest's devotion to Jack, and Jack's belief that Ernest has helped him break through to another level. Ernest is so sure that Jack in his life is somehow going to reveal his own true purpose, and getting Jack's dreams to come true is going to help him is so damn endearing and incredibly intense. Each man is so incredibly important to the other, and they make no bones about it. Love that. More of that!

Ernest is so screwed up and lost (and I do have a thing for broken characters). The guy needs about a million hugs and to be needed and any story where Jack fills that emptiness for him, smutty or not, is good for me.

If you want prompts:

• The scene where Jack found Ernest in the desert, Ernest's expression during the second hug, the way he sort of melted and looked so happy, that scene could use expanding. What was he thinking? What did they talk about afterward the hug? What if they kissed afterward? Ernest had to be so happy and feel so close to Jack then, and I'd love to see it. Here's the clip. One of the best moments between them, of many. 
• I love the scene where after they've fought Jack recruits him to help with his rocket project in the desert, even though Ernest is put out with him, and says love is the law no matter what form it takes, and of course Ernest is going to help him. Ernest was so damn pleased to be included and felt so important to Jack then (and he was). Deep dive into it. That's the kind of thing I love.
• The whole love is the law philosophy should have made it so much easier for Ernest to express his feelings to Jack. Why didn't it? Argh. Make it happen!
• Getting Jack to live as his true self is so important to Ernest, but he hides his feelings and who he is despite the fluid sexuality of many who practiced Thelema. And the fact that other people can see through him anyway. Let them both get so exhausted or so relaxed that truth comes out and Ernest has to face his fear of being that vulnerable to someone whose rejection could crush him. (I did DNW focus on sexuality and identity, but in a shippy story where Ernest comes out to Jack as bisexual, that would be perfectly fine. I can't see him saying hey Jack I'm bisexual or anything, but he'd make it clear in that Ernest way of his.)
• Hurt/comfort such as Jack being the one to bail him out and nurse his wounds after the fight and arrest at the gay bar, or Ernest helping Jack through a rocket-related injury. Jack comforting Ernest during one his more lost moments. 
• Them alone in the desert, doing more than talking about Thelema and rockets (or doing just that, in their intense and interesting way). As I've already said, I would love to read a first-time story between them set somewhere during the first season. 
• What if instead of watching secretly when Jack went into the room to get a random blowjob, Ernest followed him? 
• At the lodge, when the ceremony has ended but people break off into couples and groups for sex, the two of them can pair off, maybe reluctantly at first, but whoo boy, I'm not ashamed to admit that them getting into it and being full of feelings and banging away in some kind of religious and sexual euphoria sounds pretty damned delicious. I can see Jack being the more reluctant and Ernest having to seduce him, but as long as Ernest doesn't force himself onto Jack and Jack does want him and comes around quickly, a-ok.

If you don't want to write sex, ship away without it. If you write something that showcases their unique and intimate friendship dynamics, and I'll be excited to read it!

 

Wellington Paranormal
Officer O'Leary & Officer Kyle Minogue
Officer O'Leary & Officer Kyle Minogue & Sergeant Maaka

This show is so much fun. I think it's a wonderful spin-off of What We Do in the Shadows, which is one of my favorite movies.

Any kind of paranormal case or everyday interactions between Minogue and O'Leary, or Minogue, O'Leary and Sergeant Maaka would be great. I love their friendship, and really how O'Leary seems to be the lead and Minogue defers to her a lot. And I love how hell can break free and their reaction is to explain the situation calmly and say "we'd better do something about that, hadn't we?"

Any casefic or just casual conversation about anything driving around in the car or in Maaka's office would work for me. 

If you'd like prompts:

• After exposure to some paranormal creature Minogue starts to grow a tail or horns some other bizarre thing. I can picture him trying to hide it at first and then revealing it, and O'Leary taking it in stride like, "Oh, well, that's not good, is it? No, it's not. Where will you find pants/a hat to fit? Tricky that," in the way they casually and hilariously deal with the most alarming things on the show. How do they solve the problem, or do they?
• They have to use a ouija board or some other device to try to contact someone who's passed on for information about a case? How crazily wrong could that go if they lose track of the letters and decipher the message incorrectly?
• One becomes psychic and drives the other crazy by constantly saying what will happen next, but only mundane things. Girl in the coffee shop's wearing purple today, before they get there, but not that someone naked is going to dash in front of their car, or something worth predicting.
• One gets possessed and the entity has messages show up on their skin or some other way, and they both keep interpreting the meanings wrong, but somehow fix it anyway.
• They release a djinn or some other wish-granting entity and between them (whether the two or three of them) get three wishes. Through a comedy of errors or their special brand of simple goodness and incompetence, their wishes aren't going to be a million dollars, world peace and lifelong love. Does Minogue at least end up with a really good meat pie out of the deal?

Fandom-specific DNW: I'm fully on-board with Lesbian O'Leary so you can do whatever you want in that context--flirting, dating, etc--but please don't make O'Leary being gay a point of comedy, like O'Leary talking about someone she likes and Minogue thinking maybe it's him or that kind of misunderstanding, or Minogue finally getting it and acting surprised or disappointed. 

If you have fun with them, so will I. 

 

The Exorcist
Marcus Keane/Tomas Ortega

I'm still salty this show was cancelled by Fox and not picked up anywhere else.

Ben Daniels broke my heart with Marcus Keane and made him one of my favorite fictional characters anywhere. Alfonso Herrera did such a good job of making Tomas flawed and vulnerable, but also incredibly strong. And they fit so well together, as friends and brothers in arms, and in my view the UST screams out of the TV with these two.

What I'd like most is to maintain that kind of thing that shows their friendship and devotion, and the more hand-clasping, face-cupping and nape-touching you can get in there, whoo boy, the better. And if you want to get them to sex, I think there'd be a desperation to it, with each--Marcus particularly--knowing he's going to regret it later and/or guilt that he didn't resist. I feel like anything from a simple kiss or something more would happen naturally during a moment of comfort or after the adrenalin rush of an exorcism or a life-death situation.

If you'd like prompts:

• Marcus doesn't want to leave Tomas but stays to help him through what will surely be some post-demon PTSD. The hurt/comfort is strong with these two.
• If you want to go a little dark, possessed Tomas taunting Marcus before he manages to banish the demon. The old gray lion and the cub thing kind of does it for me, those references are fine, so the demon!Tomas taunting him about losing his cub, wanting his cub, or about denying himself, whatever. It can hurt, because that's par for the course on this show, as long as the demon's cast out in the end.
• A dream where first-season dark Marcus is whispering things in Tomas' ear would be good, too. Or not-a-dream where a possessed-Marcus does it, and it can lead to some sort of seduction or not.
• Post-show continuation. What's Marcus been doing all this time, and why does he tearfully whisper Tomas' name? Has he dreamt about Tomas since he's been gone? Comforting dreams or dreams of what he wanted with Tomas and feels guilty for wanting? Have him find Tomas (with or without Mouse still around) and help him.
• Just about anything--post-exorcism conversation and comfort (I loved the bar scene at the end of season 1), navigating each other's spaces, a story about something they did together between S1 and S2, investigating the church.
• Tomas convinces Marcus not to leave at the end of S2. How does that conversation go? How many times does one grab the other's arm, neck or face? Go for the record, that's okay. 

Fandom-specific DNWs: Noncon has happened on the show, but I don't want noncon in a gift story. I'd also prefer no PWP. Please, whether possessed or not, nothing like calling each other baby, daddy or anything like that. To me, that feels OOC in the extreme, as would declarations of being in love/attraction or discussion/planning/asking of or for sex. (I realize how picky that sounds, sorry! Hopefully my likes and prompts make it seem less so. If in doubt, know that I don't need there to be sex at all as long as the UST is there, so don't feel like you have to write it if it's not your thing.)

I'd also really prefer if god or religion didn't end up some kind of hero or saving grace, aka don't let a miracle save the day or anything.

If you want to throw another character into some kind of exorcism or adventure, I do love Devon Bennett and his relationship to both of them. So if you'd like to write something where he could be there helping, feel free! (Maybe they save Bennett? I hate that he got integrated.) 

Just toss Marcus and Tomas in a scene together being who they are with each other and whee. :)

 

The Terror
John Bridgens/Harry Peglar

I loved so much about this exceptional and heartbreaking show. The acting was off the chain which made a gripping story even more powerful. I haven't read Dan Simmons' book yet, but it's on my long, long TBR list. Loyal, loving friendships are my jam, and that's extra true if those relationships are between men, and sometimes more so when it goes beyond friendship (bonus points for that being in an era where this couldn't be done openly). "The C, the C, the open C" is one of my favorite episodes of any television show despite what a mess I am after watching it with so much loss and heartache for the remaining characters, and part of that is because it puts such a beautiful yet tragic cap on Bridgens/Peglar. What a love they had. 

We saw so little of these two together, but it's a testament to how great those moments were that they stick so easily in my mind. Every interaction between them was so heavy with love and caring, and when things got dark there was such tenderness between them. Bridgens going to lie down and die at the end, oh my heart. I don't want the focus in my gift story to be on death, but well before that, please. 

More than any specific thing I want, it's the tone and meaning I'm after. The things that get to me are the moments like the hug after carnivale, the way Bridgens carries him alone after he collapse, and the way Peglar's arm goes around his neck and he buries his face in Bridgens' shoulder. Those little details say so much without there being a word or explanation, and that's the stuff I love. 

• When Bridgens is reading the poem from Peglar's journal, we see the sketch of Bridgens' tattoo.  How did it make Bridgens feel to see the sketch? Was that a way for Peglar to get down how much the man meant to him without outright confessions for fear of someone else reading his journal? ETA below
• Was Peglar there when he got the tattoo? When did Peglar first notice it, and what was his reaction? I really like the idea of him being taken with it, fingers brushing across it or a kiss pressed there in a brief stolen moment when they couldn't risk much else. Did he write in his journal about getting a tattoo like that? I really like the idea that he might have considered that, as some sort of secret-from-others sign of their connection. 
• What else did he read in Peglar's journal? Something about him more directly? Another metaphor about something Peglar loved that was clearly him. A moment when Bridgens waxed poetic to him about the open sea or a conversation that led him to feel the poem was about him more than anything. ETA below
• I'm also curious if Bridgens has a journal and what might be written inside it about Peglar, metaphorically or otherwise. 
• I really like the quiet but sweet idea of Bridgens, in the process of teaching Peglar to read, uses love poetry or writings about love when he's having Peglar read aloud to help him sound things out and such. Or firmly in TV show canon, he gives him a book of such writings to say things he doesn't say out loud. 
• I haven't read the book, but I'm aware of that canon, so anything involving that would be welcome. A light moment or moments when Bridgens was teaching him to read or write would be great.
• The hug after the carnivale was so beautiful, the way Peglar was scanning the crowd for Bridgens, and then Bridgens beelines to him and just grabs him desperately. More of that. Any situation where they can hug, handclasp, touch that's imbued with meaning. Or just another look at any of their scenes inside one of their heads. What were one or both thinking while searching for the other? What did Bridgens write or think when Peglar was sent to scout and sent the comedy with him? 

ETA: I realize I asked for a story not focused on death but then gave prompts for moments that occurred after Peglar had died, and that could be confusing. John reading his journal, seeing the tattoo, happened after his death, and don't mind that as long as most of the story is something set before then. For instance, John's feelings on seeing the tattoo sketch that lead to a memory of flashback of Henry discovering the tattoo (or just a story set earlier), or John reading a poem and thinking back to a happier time, is perfectly fine. A story about what John's thinking as Peglar dies or as John lay on the rocks waiting to die would be too much, though. I'm sorry if I was unclear, and hopefully that explains things.  


Fandom-specific DNWs: No death-focused story. I want a moment (or moments) between them before Henry got sick enough to bring it to anyone's attention. And in an exception to the fact that I really don't like first-person fanfic, journal entries and letters are naturally in first, so if you're moved to write an epistolary story (I do like those!), that's fine

 

Thank you so much for writing a story in one of my fandoms. Have fun! I can't wait to read what you come up with.