cousinshelley | Heart Attack Exchange (Reply)

Dear Mystery Writer,

I'm Cousin Shelley on AO3 and most fandom spaces.

My requests:

Prodigal Son
The Tick
Truth Seekers (Safety fandom)
The Terror

Some of these will have long lists of prompts because I've requested them a lot and kept thinking of new things. Others have fewer because I haven't requested them as much. Please don't think a longer list means I want one more than the others. I love them all! Truth Seekers is new-to-me, but you can see previous prompts for the other three in previous letters here on my journal, if you're interested.

General likes:

Friendship, found families and love whether it's sexual or not
loyalty, deep emotional connections and devotion
supernatural elements where appropriate
third person POV
people figuring things out together
gray areas and difficult choices
casefic and plotty stories (which doesn't mean I don't enjoy short stuff too!)
displays of affection and respect
protectiveness, characters sacrificing their own comforts to help others
hurt/comfort, especially things like one comforting another after a nightmare, tending wounds, caring for them when they're ill or injured, hovering after something traumatic and trying to take their mind off things
missing scenes and fix-its
mutual pining with a happy ending, unrequited love finally realized
humor, snark and banter, laughing and joking with each other
characters who will move heaven and earth, even die, to protect the ones they love, and would rather die than betray them, will do anything for them trust, new and growing or already solid as a rock, with people being able to be secure in their friendships and relationships, confident that people love them and won't hurt them. An untrusting character developing real trust in another.
lots of affectionate physical contact like hand clasping, neck grabbing, hand on the shoulder, elbow bumps, all outside the context of sex (but it's all great in that context too)
happy endings

Smut Likes. I'll be perfectly happy with a story that contains no sex at all, I realize this isn't a smut swap, but here's some relevant info if you'd like to write something explicit:

porn with feelings, emotional sex
possessiveness and a little jealousy
first times
dubcon in some fandoms (I'll note it)
desperate and/or hungry kissing
one or both partners overwhelmed with passion and feelings
manhandling and displays of strength
looking into each other's eyes while having sex and it almost being too much for one/both of them
fake dating/marriage leading to sex as the characters realize their feelings
up against the wall sex
kneeling (especially for oral sex, but to kiss knees or thighs or anything like that, grand)
penetrative sex, oral sex, fingers, frottage, rimming, mutual masturbation or one watching the other
naked and half-naked or one clothed and the other naked, basically any combo of clothed/not clothed
necking, petting, face and neck and body stroking, kissing and/or licking pretty much anywhere
I really like up against the wall, one riding the other, especially if near the end the one on the bottom sits up and bounces the rider a lot more as things get intense, but any positions are fine
thank god you're/we're alive sex
bed-sharing or forced proximity that leads to romantic moments and/or sex
one character being suddenly so overcome with feeling and desire for the other they kiss them and initiate things out of the blue, like they can't wait another second--love those big music swell moments
bent over and fucked from behind
hurt/comfort that leads to romantic things and/or sex
light hair-pulling in the heat of the moment
either partner sucking the other's finger
one or both saying they need the other

I'm also okay with any sex scenes you want to write being written with more generalities and less blow-by-blow anatomical detail. You can focus on the emotions more than the acts, and I will love it!

DNWs/Dislikes

Anything pandemic-related (let's have it not exist please, no mentions, no masks, no distancing, no deaths). Anything political or related to social justice or current events, including names of any RL people or public figures.
AU (setting, A/B/O, genderswapping, etc.) but minor canon divergence to get non-canon couples together or see what happens if they go left instead of right are fine
Unhappy and otherwise bleak endings
First and second person POV. I cannot get into it unless the canon is in first person or it's a fandom where journal entries and epistolary stories makes sense. I like those, so I'll point them out. Otherwise, I don't read them.
Unrequested ships and original major characters
Kidfic and pregnancy including mpreg
Unrequested identity headcanons, a focus on gender identity or sexuality, teach-me-a-lesson fic
Surprise serious illness, character death, as well as cruelty to animals/animal death, infidelity, partner betrayal
Holiday stories, crack/parodies, unrequested crossovers
Please avoid established relationship stories unless it's a pairing that's clearly had sex in canon. If they haven't, I greatly prefer pre-relationship flirting/pining/UST, getting there or first times rather than jumping ahead.

Sex DNWs/Dislikes:

Non-con
Characters calling each other daddy, baby boy/girl, slut, bitch, mommy or most pet names
lots of conversation during sex, though a little bit is fine
"dirty" talk that's supposed to be serious (a little in a joking way is okay). A well-placed "fuck me" is also great, (or fuck him/her in a participant voyeur situation!) but ongoing dirty talk doesn't do it for me.
constant "I love you"s and lots of baby and honey and stuff. I'd rather have subtlety than outright declarations about everything.
Minor/adult, and both characters underage unless they're both 16 or 17 (and I'll point out those exceptions)
sex toys, BDSM, fisting, insertions and things like edging, pain, torture, spitting, choking and hitting (unless it's a playful slap on the ass when they're really having fun or something)
bodily fluids or excretions, except sweat and tears (and blood where I mention it), come play or eating (in oral sex, swallowing is fine and I prefer that to the alternatives, but don't focus on the taste/texture, etc.)

I can't list everything sex-related I don't want, I'm just not a very kinky person by and large, but if you stick to my likes, it'll be a winner.

To clarify on the surprise serious illness, things like referencing canon trauma is fine but someone having a stroke or a life-threatening non-canon disease is a big no. Injuries are different. A character could get shot in something like a hurt/comfort or casefic scenario, things like broken bones, wounds (physical and mental) and even more minor injuries are fine as long as they'll heal.

Please don't feel constrained by my prompts. I offer them as suggestions about what I like a lot, but they're not requirements. Feel free to write a scenario of your own.

Prodigal Son. I love the whole show.

Malcolm Bright & Martin Whitly & Gil Arroyo (Prodigal Son)
Malcolm Bright & Gil Arroyo & Dani Powell & JT Tarmel & Edrisa Tanaka (Prodigal Son)
Malcolm Bright & Gil Arroyo (Prodigal Son)
Malcolm Bright/Vijay Chandasara (Prodigal Son)
Malcolm Bright & Gil Arroyo & Jessica Whitly & Ainsley Whitly (Prodigal Son)
Malcolm Bright & Martin Whitly & Ainsley Whitly & Jessica Whitly (Prodigal Son)

I loveloveloved the very brief interaction we got between Gil and Martin. Martin's outright jealousy over Gil and Gil's pretty possessive fatherly-ness were so great. Man I would love to see Gil, Martin and Malcolm in the same room for a while and watch the sparks fly. Any situation where maybe that has to happen at the institute, or Martin escapes and ends up in the same place as them, would be fantastic. I have a feeling he would want to kill Gil if given the chance but could never do it solely because of what it would do to Malcolm, and his and Malcolm's relationship. Maybe he'd find a way to be the hero, save Gil's life to impress Malcolm. The possibilities are endless and delicious.

Any kind of background stories or future stories with Malcolm and Gil as the mains would be great, too. I love their relationship so, so much. Gil's the father Malcolm needed, and the more you lean into that the happier I'll be. Any kind of life-saving, self-sacrificing, recklessly endangering oneself to protect the other is great, but the quieter moments are great, too. Gil showing up when Malcolm needs him most. Gil refusing to let him work a case because he's worried about him even though he knows he needs the input. Lots of possibilities.

Whitly family dynamics, preferably with the kids as adults with or without some childhood flashbacks, but not solely a childhood story, are fascinating. This show is off the rails, so honestly any scenario no matter how farfetched where Martin gets out and has to pretend to be living at home again for some reason, maybe just to protect them or part of some plan that's been arrange by law enforcement to trap somebody else, would be amazing. Or more prison/institute visits from the whole family, as f*cked up as that can be. You can pick up where Season 1 left off or set it early or far later, I'm easy. Gil being part of the family, before or after, interacting with Jessica, Malcolm and Ainsley would also be great.

Casefic with the whole gang at the precinct (and I am partial to Edrisa and her crush on Malcolm) would be great. I love the way they bounce off each other. From the minute Gil told JT he wouldn't like Malcolm was hooked on that dynamic. Having them react to each other they way they all do on the show to solve a crime would be fantastic. And for all these, feel free to lean hard into Malcolm's nightmares and PTSD. As long as the story has a happy ending or at least not a bleak one, I love that stuff. I'm also a fan of Malcolm/Dani and a HUGE fan of Malcolm/Edrisa, though those aren't nominated. If you prefer to go those directions, that's okay by me!

Malcolm/Vijay--there's so much to explore here. I'm down for just shippy stuff or sex if you want to go there. If you want some potential prompts:

After Vijay drives the car back into the warehouse and helps save the day, what happens? He and Malcolm are both hopped up on adrenalin, maybe they go back to Malcolm's loft to reconnect and talk old times and can leads to sex or not.
They reconnect at any point during or after the episode and talk about darker things, why they drifted apart, how hurt Vijay was at Malcolm's withdrawal, and have some comfort sex to assure each other they still care.
Maybe Malcolm reveals his crush and how he wasn't sure Vijay returned it at the time, and hey, turns out he felt the same.
Hints that one or both (preferably both) have been pining all this time would be most welcomed!
Malcolm/Vijay is sort of an exception to my DNW of pet names. He does call Malcolm "baby boy" in the show, so him calling Malcolm that is a-ok with me, but please not in the middle of sex. Leading up to it, though, particularly during some flirting beforehand, it'd be totally fine. And of course it's fine in general conversation the way it was done on the show.

The Tick. I'm a big fan of Dot/Overkill and have come to love what I see as the sweetness and wholesomeness of Tick/Arthur, and I also love them all being on adventures together, fighting crime and criminals, and Tinfoil Kevin being in the mix, especially if the story is only Tick and Arthur. I think the three of them make a great team!

Arthur Everest & The Tick & Tinfoil Kevin (The Tick 2017)
Arthur Everest & The Tick & Dot Everest & Overkill & Tinfoil Kevin (The Tick 2017)
Dorothy "Dot" Everest/Overkill (The Tick 2017)
Arthur Everest/The Tick (The Tick)

As far as the group tags, I'd love to see an adventure where all of them are working together to bring down some new big bad. You don't absolutely have to include every character. I got optimistic requesting them all, but any combo would do. I would love to see Tinfoil Kevin at least show up at some point and be helpful. And if you want to throw Ms. Lint in there, trying to be a good guy, struggling with that but overcoming her worst urges (usually) please feel free. I also love Dangerboat, so include him if you want. Dangerboat/Arthur is fine, too.

Maybe Arthur's mom or stepdad get kidnapped for some reason and the whole gang pitches in to help rescue them. Maybe they have some kind of gathering or a party on Dangerboat and Dot an Arthur's family are invited. Maybe Tick starts to remember things and they all work together to put the pieces together. He's not a robot, so what exactly is he? What kind of memories does he have? Does his affection for Arthur turn from them being best chums to something more while Arthur's trying to help him regain his memories, or is it something else? Feel free to keep them platonic, too. As far as shipping, I'm not looking for Arthur/Tick smut, but kissing and cuddling and bedsharing are always fantastic. Dot/Overkill can be that or sexytimes, I'm pretty open to whatever you want to do with them.

I'd love to see Overkill trying really hard to have a "normal" relationship with Dot. He asks her on their first official date, let's say. What does that look like and how awkward/uncomfortable is he, though he's trying really hard for a traditional evening? Or maybe he takes her somewhere they can shoot targets or throw knives or something and she thinks they're just training but he thinks it's a date. What does romantic look like for each of them? I think there are a lot of great scenarios that could come out of their vastly different worldviews and Overkill's emotional repression.
I like the idea of Overkill being hesitant to have an actual relationship since he canonically so uncomfortable with being vulnerable, and I would love for him to be vulnerable as things get more intense (and sexual if you want to go there) between them. At a certain point, he can get past that and go all in, and be growly and needy and a bit more aggressive. \o/
A situation where either is hurt and the other comforting them, and things get romantic/sensual and/or sexual.
Him kneeling for any reason, but for giving oral sex or doing anything sexy? YAY
Desperate kissing after defying death and/or saving each other that makes them realize things and leads to more (or not), all good stuff
I also really like the idea of a light touch here. Laughing and having a good time (though maybe mostly Dot, but him feeling the same even if he doesn't show it as much), and their first really romantic or sexual encounter just being a feel-good happy thing, I'm on board with that. I love the idea of Dot drawing him out of his lonewolf cave.
I also really like that he's so strong, but also that Dot is. So manhandling, one just moving the other here and there, very athletic sex, whee.
Maybe Dot takes charge and asks him on an official date, and while he's uncomfortable and a little awkward about it, he obviously wants to be with her, so he agrees.
I really like the idea of one thinking the other has been killed, all the things unsaid and undone and feeling such loss and grief, and the elation on finding them okay being the catalyst for more.
Overkill making his moves after seeing someone else flirting with Dot would be good, too. Pining and jealousy fic as long as feelings are revealed in the end and they're going to be together? I'm good! Dot goes on a date (or he thinks she does) and it makes him absolutely crazy, preferably with an unexpected kiss at some point because he just can't hold back anymore.
Overkill's cyborg hands going haywire would be a great scenario. Either because he keeps grabbing her and hanging on despite not trying to, or because someone's controlling his hands to try to kill her (or him) and he's trying to fight that. Good emotional stuff there. Also his hands going haywire so Dot has help him do things like eat or something would be good. There are so many possibilities!

Truth Seekers (Safety): This is a new fandom for me, so please don't think that a small list of ideas means I love it any less.

Astrid & Helen & Elton John & Gus Roberts & Richard Roberts (Truth Seekers)

This show is on Amazon Prime, 8 episodes in total, so less than 4 hours of viewing time. It's a Simon Pegg and Nick Frost creation, so IMO it's hard to go wrong. Nick plays Gus Roberts, a broadband installer for Smyle (Simon Pegg plays his boss) who's the best in the company. He's also an amateur ghost hunter with a Youtube channel. Elton John gets hired to be his partner, and gets pulled into the ghost hunting. His sister Helen who is agoraphobic and filled with all kinds of anxieties strikes up a beautiful friendship with Gus' dad Richard (played to perfection by Malcom McDowell). And soon enough Gus and Elton help Astrid with a haunting problem and she quickly becomes one of the team. It's a wonderful found family show that goes a lot deeper than you think it's going to with these relationships. I definitely ship Astrid/Elton John (and the show appears to be going there) and I adore Helen's and Richard's surprisingly easy friendship. They're so good for each other! And despite Richard's bitching at Gus all the time, they love each other.

If you want to pick up where the show left off and have Helen really process what Astrid did to their lives, with Elton's and Richard's help, and/or have them all go figure out how to get her back, that would be great. Any missing scenes between Richard and Helen meeting and ending up together under Toynbee's control during the eclipse would be fantastic. Even just a post-canon scene or three before they even go look for Astrid would be okay as long as she's present in their minds and conversation.

Does Gus get to see his lost wife again? Do they have more conversations, and what about? Could the nanobots still present in Helen's and Richard's eyes be instrumental in finding Astrid or bringing her back, or can they be used for some other purpose? Can Richard help Helen overcome some of her fears, especially after the Toynbee thing where she did so great actually going to look for him despite her anxieties (Helen's a damn hero, yo. Give me lots of Helen). Now that they know Elton is a conduit, how do they use that? Can that be used to figure out what the hell their boss actually is? (Or feel free to ignore the whole Smyle conspiracy thing if you want.)

I just want more of these characters doing things together, even if it's just Helen and Richard watching The Chase or streaming Gus' videos and having great conversation about things!

The Terror: I love the friendships that were there before the show and that form during, and I love the canon Peglar/Bridgens with all my heart. I also adore Goodsir and Silna, as friends or more, and have come around to the juggernaut of Crozier/Fitzjames while I've also developed a love for the idea of something more intimate than mere friendship between Blanky and Crozier, though I love them as absolutely platonic friends as much, too.

Thomas Blanky & Captain Francis Crozier (The Terror)
Harry D. S. Goodsir & Lady Silence | Silna (The Terror TV)
John Bridgens/Harry Peglar (The Terror)
Harry D. S. Goodsir/Lady Silence | Silna (The Terror)
Thomas Blanky/Captain Francis Crozier (The Terror)
Captain Francis Crozier/Commander James Fitzjames (The Terror TV)

I'd prefer the story not focus on death but the lives beforehand. You don't have to completely avoid it since it's canon they all die, obviously, but I'd really rather roll in the moments before that as much as possible.

For Henry/John, I'm not looking for anything kinky or even necessarily smut of any kind, but I'm open to it. I love porn with feelings.

I love Bridgens' eye tattoo and that Henry drew it in his journal. Tattoo touching, kissing, fussing over, love that. Was Henry there when he got it? What did it mean to them if anything?
What else did John 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.
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 (I've read the novel now so feel free to incorporate that), 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.
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?

I love Blanky & Crozier. Crozier trusts him so much and is so destroyed when he sees his leg. They have such a history, and I'd love to see moments from that. It can be slashy or just platonic, I'm open. How much advice has Blanky given him about things, like Sophia, Franklin, his drinking, ,anything else about his life? I'd love if Crozier often asked him for advice and got a wise earful or two. Any story about a previous voyage they were on or adventures on dry land, too. Missing scenes where they talked about him losing his leg (and maybe Crozier's guilt about it), how they should have gone left and not right, what their plans are going forward.

Goodsir & or / Silna is another favorite of mine. I like all the what-ifs. Missing scenes or parts of scenes, like what else might have happened when he was breaking down and Silna crawled under the blankets with him (and it doesn't have to be sex, but I'm open to that too). What if she had come back with or without the Tuunbaq and rescued him before he poisoned himself. What if some kind of Netsilik magic could have saved him even after death. (And if you've read the book and know what happened feel free to go full supernatural as the book did for whatever you want to do.) What if he had been able to save her father, and they had stayed on the ship together for a while, how would their relationship have changed?

Crozier/Fitzjames has won me over. I love a slow burn for them, but am just as happy with platonic, loyal, all-encompassing friendship in the tone of the show. I would love conversations, bonding, hell fighting as long as it's resolved well, camaraderie, and especially one saving the other whether it's from the cold, the Tuunbaq or madness in general. I kind of like the idea of the Tuunbaq sensing Crozier is the authority and targeting him an Fitzjames finding ways to protect him. Feel free to throw in any characters in just about any type of story, truly, with the exception of Hickey, probably.

And look, it's cold and lonely on the ice. All the touching and bedsharing and rubbing cold limbs (even platonically, I promise I do not care) to keep each other from freezing is a certified very good thing.

Heart Attack Exchange

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