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Rare Male Slash Exchange 2022 Letter
Jul. 19th, 2022 11:45 pmDear author,
Thank you for writing for me! You have great taste in canons. :D
As usual, all my prompts and rambling below are just suggestions. If you have an idea for any of these ships, please do feel free to go for it. Outside of my DNWs, I'm open to anything from lighthearted fluff to plotty casefic and worldbuilding to hardcore darkfic and smut. You can also take any of my general likes as prompts in themselves.
My AO3 username is Piinutbutter.
I am always open to treats of any kind, in any medium. <3
ETA: Edited on 7/19 to add a few more fandoms!
- Likes -
- DNWs -
- Deadly Premonition -
- Manhunt 2 -
- Balan Wonderworld -
- Lookism -
- How to Fight (Viral Hit) -
- Marathon -
- Original Work -
Narrative likes:
* Adventure / casefic
* Canon divergence / "what if?" AUs
* Backstory
* Post-canon
* Outsider POV
* Slice of life
* Hurt and/or comfort
* Reluctant allies / enemies having to work together
* Characters with complicated relationships, platonic or otherwise
* Interactive fiction formats (IF, CYOA, games, visual novels, etc). If you feel your story would work better in an interactive format, go for it!
Fluffy likes:
* Hair touching/brushing
* Affectionate insults / play-fighting
* Pretending to be dating/married
* Friends-to-lovers, or enemies-to-friends-to-lovers
* Physical affection, platonic or otherwise
* Emotional intimacy, platonic or otherwise
* Unusual gestures of affection
* Working together on a task/mission
* Loyalty kink
Darkfic likes:
* Dysfunctional relationships
* Kidnapping / stockholm syndrome
* Mind control
* Blood / gore / violence
* Angst / guilt / shame
* Manipulation / blackmail / gaslighting
* Eating disorders
* Body horror + psychological horror
* Loyalty kink (GONE WRONG)
Smutty likes:
* Dubcon, noncon, and enthusiastic consent are all welcome
* Xeno
* Bondage, D/s, S&M, etc.
* Impact play
* Praise kink
* Clothing kink
* Humiliation
* Weapon play (knife, sword, gun, whip, etc.)
* Blood play / blood drinking
* Rough sex
* Sex pollen
* Face-sitting
* Loyalty kink (GONE SEXUAL)
* Pregnancy
* Asexuality headcanons
* Unrequested crossovers
* References to real-world politics or social justice issues
* Unrequested genderswaps, including trans headcanons
* Second person POV smut (Second person POV in anything that isn't smut is fine!)
* Biphobia (particularly calling bisexual characters "het," bashing bi characters for being in mixed-gender relationships, or writing canonically bi characters as gay or straight)
* Focus on parental death (Mentions of canonical dead parents are fine! Just no heavy focus on the feelings of loss or grief.)
What is it?
Deadly Premonition is a mystery/adventure game that's notable for being a transcendentally weird experience. It's simultaneously dumb as shit and totally genius, with some fantastic characters and dynamics. While playing it, I went from wheeze-laughing at the goofy dialogue to wanting to bawl my eyes out at a plot point resolution in a heartbeat.
The pitch: FBI agent Francis York Morgan (Call Him York, Please, That's What Everyone Calls Him) arrives in a small town to solve a murder case. The literal first thing he does in the story is crash his car because he's too busy arguing with his coworker about how they're shipping Tom & Jerry wrong, and they need to understand the codependent S&M dynamic between them. I think that's all I need to say about why I love him.
If you have an Xbox One, Xbox 360, or PS3, play the game there. If you look, you'll find that it's also available on Steam and Switch, but don't play those ports if you value your sanity. I can highly recommend the Two Best Friends Play LP. They capture the important story bits, and it's entertaining to watch someone go on the journey from "what the hell is this game, it sucks" to "THIS IS THE BEST WORST GAME EVER, I LOVE IT."
- Francis York Morgan/Francis Zach Morgan -
Note: I have played A Blessing in Disguise. Feel free to incorporate things from the 2005 section of that story! But, I'd prefer nothing set in the 2019 sections. I'm also not a big fan of the Director's Cut framing device.
These two are so damn sweet. I adore all of York's "discussions" with Zach, and the fact that they're codependent but in, like, a wholesome way? Not to mention all the opportunities to fuck around with bodysharing and the weird eldritch nature of the White/Red Rooms.
* There's a conversation in DP2 where a character all but outright tells York that Zach will be corrupted by the red trees if York ever leaves him; they'll come to fill in the emotional void that York left. Sooooo. Something post-canon where Zach struggles to live without York and the red-soul-demon-whateverthefuck comes to him wearing York as a disguise? I think it'd be neat.
* Teenage York/Zach adventures! Did York use Zach to help him cheat on tests at school? What kind of shenanigans did they get up together? Them being adorably awkward in Baby's First Punk Outfit! Anything, really. :D
* My mind keeps coming back to the idea of Zach taking over temporarily at times when he worries something might be too traumatic for York to remain intact. Maybe York is on a case pursuing a dangerous criminal and gets himself caught up in something awful (torture/noncon/etc.). Zach panics and shoves York out for the duration, to spare him from that. Which leaves a perfect opportunity for tender hurt/comfort afterwards...
* I'm always down for some PWP. These two make it work somehow, I'm sure! Maybe York gives Zach control of their hands for a bit when they want to have fun. We've also seen that York is probably not entirely human, so there's always the possibility of him manipulating White/Red Room magic in fun xeno-ish ways.
What is it?
Manhunt is a duology of stealth horror games notable for being so violent that ratings boards fought tooth and nail to ban the shit out of them. Which sadly overshadowed the fact that they're actually pretty damn fun games. The pairing I'm requesting is from the second entry in the series, which is totally standalone from the first.
The short version: Daniel Lamb is a nerdy, sensitive family man who blinked and found himself on the run from government agents and hitmen. No, he doesn't remember why. Luckily he's got his loyal BFF Leo to support and guide him through these troubled times! Sure, Leo's a sadistic sociopath who gets off on watching Daniel brutally kill the guys coming after him, but...Leo's always been nice to him, and that's what Daniel needs right now.
The game is widely available. The PC release is abandonware, and is also the only version of the game where everything is uncensored. It's also on PS2 and PSP. (Wii, too, but the controls on that version are super jank.) A nice longplay/movie of the game is available here.
- Leo Kasper/Daniel Lamb -
These two smash together so many things I love in my dysfunctional ships. Bodysharing! Manipulation! Violence! Conflicted feelings of resentment and gratitude! They're all kinds of fucked up and I'm here for more of it.
* I like how Dr. Whyte's grand happy-ending plan was "give Daniel amnesia and dump him off on his own." As if we didn't just spend the whole game learning why that's a terrible idea. With the Pickman bridge unable to be fully removed and "David" now having no idea that he should be wary of a mysterious helpful man named Leo, Leo has a perfect opportunity to manipulate this blank slate in his favor once again...
* First meetings! God, how awkward is it to wake up and realize you're in another man's body, and he has no idea and is just talking to you like everything's totes normal?
* I can't imagine these two having a healthy relationship, but I could certainly see them being lonely and sexually deprived and having rough quickies in an office closet during an assassination mission, or something. (Regardless of his actual nature, Daniel can clearly feel Leo physically interacting with him. Therefore, they can bone. I will take no challenges to this logic.)
* Speaking of boning. I'm really, really interested in exploring Leo's extreme sadism and the fact that Daniel is the only person he can actually touch, in his weird mind-prison-realm. Maybe after a long mission filled with lots of murder, Leo can't take it any more and yanks Daniel into a dark corner and uses him to get off. This could be dubcon or outright noncon, if only based on the fact that Daniel can't actually, like, escape from Leo. And maybe Daniel feels like he owes Leo this much, after having been saved by him so many times. (May I also suggest: Gunplay. Lots of gunplay.)
What is it?
Balan Wonderworld is a bright, jazzy 3D platformer/collect-a-thon about a magical theater that helps people process their anxieties and traumas. You should not play it. I'm serious. Not only because it's bad enough to make it onto the Wikipedia page of games notable for how bad they are. But also because there is practically no plot or character details in the game itself.
What I would recommend, if you'd like to get the good parts of canon without the frustration:
1. Read the "Story" and "Cast" sections of the official website, to get the premise.
2. Watch the cutscenes, if you'd like. (You can skip the dance numbers. I promise, you can skip the dance numbers.)
3. Read the official novelization. Which is where they put all the, y'know, PLOT and CHARACTERIZATION. It's available on the usual digital book stores.
- Balan/Lance -
...Listen. I've long ago accepted that I no willpower when presented with a set of characters whose dynamic I'm a sucker for. It doesn't help when they're weirdly hot, too. With these two, I'm down for anything from saccharine fluff to bittersweet angst to full-on xeno smut. (I don't mind their human forms, but their normal forms have so much more *clenches fist* potential...)
You absolutely don't have to write rhyming dialogue. Buuut if you want to, be my guest. :D
* I'm fond of the alternate canon interpretation where Lance isn't really corrupted or evil. Rather, he and Balan are just acting out roles in a play, giving the guests a clear good guy and bad guy. At some point, though, Lance is tired of getting beaten up and gives Balan an ultimatum: "Next time, YOU'RE the villain." Cue role reversal AU.
* I am HERE for the inevitable Balan corruption arc we were teased in the book. Whoopsy-daisy, looks like someone's getting attached to his humans. Does Balan's descent into hostility play out differently from Lance's? How does Lance react to it? (I imagine there's a lot of "I told you so," combined with a "welcome to the dark side" sentiment...)
* If there's one good thing I can say about the Balan Bouts: It's adorable seeing these two basically play-fighting. Come on! Look at Lance's lil' happy smile and 'tag, you're it' body language! They're having a great time and I'm decreeing this is what they do when they're bored and want to tease each other. Or as foreplay. Both work equally well.
* I'm 100% down for sexy happenings with these two. Especially if you'd like to go a xeno-ish route where their standard forms don't have typical human genitalia setups. I mean, Lance's tentacles and Balan's mouth are right there. Those sure look like erogenous zones to me. I'm equally interested in happy consentacles, hatesex, or dub/noncon with Lance starting to get dark and violent in bed when his negative energy gets too strong.
What is it?
A drama/action webcomic about a bullied high school boy who wakes up one day and suddenly has two different bodies to switch between on a whim. While the story starts out as the typical loser-to-popular school life wish fulfillment, it takes a sharp swerve into "angsty gang warfare" around 200 chapters in. It's far from a perfect canon, and it's over 350 chapters long. I love it nonetheless, mainly for its strong characters.
It can be read for free right here, or on the Webtoon mobile app.
- Daniel/Gun -
Gun is absolutely one of my favorite characters. I love that we have this hyper-competent, masculine figure who's established as the pinnacle of strength and badassery for the rest of the cast. And then: Surprise! He's bisexual! And he's a total masochist who'd love nothing more than for our MC to pleasure him by beating him into the ground! It's beautiful.
I normally don't have top/bottom preferences for my ships, but when it comes to these two, I would prefer Gun to be the one bottoming if there's smut.
* For me, the fun part of this ship comes from the contrast in typical sexual roles. Gun is older, more experienced, and holds all the power over Daniel. But he's also a masochist who wants Daniel to beat him (and/or top him) without holding back. Daniel is so fucking out of his depth but he really doesn't have much of a choice now that he's gotten himself tangled up in Gun's world. In conclusion: Fuck him UP, Daniel.
* I love that Gun jumped to full-on sugar daddy at the drop of a hat, and that Daniel has no qualms about spending all his money. What happens when Gun pays Daniel a visit and asks to be compensated for that astronomical bar tab? ;)
* I am very much here for Goo being his usual endearingly assholish self, interfering and poking fun at Gun's new object of obsession.
* Gun takes Daniel out on the most obnoxiously expensive and formal date possible. Daniel finds it insufferable, much like Gun himself.
- DG (James Lee)/Ma Taesoo -
Continuing on the theme of "pretty boys beating up and topping older men with eye injuries." God, these two came out of nowhere for me. Take the already-tasty trope of 'I've been obsessing over this one rival ever since he beat me years ago.' Combine it with DG showing emotion for the first time ever because Taesoo is here for him. And them just having the time of their life kicking the shit out of each other.
I don't really have any specific prompts for these two. I'd love to see their further interactions after their latest fight. Other important things: DG/James canonically has a huge dick, and goes straight-up feral when fighting Taesoo. If you ask me, he should combine these two features and fuck the haughty right out of the King of Ansan.
What is it?
A drama/action webcomic about a high school student who starts a Youtube channel to call out bullies. This, uh, escalates. Before long he's facing off with beloved Youtubers who are also hardened criminals and would literally not think twice about murdering him. There's so many fraught, complicated relationship dynamics throughout the cast, and there's just. Just. There's just a LOT OF FEELINGS, okay.
It can be read for free right here, or on the Webtoon mobile app.
- 244/Baek Seongjun -
This pair of fictional gangster Youtubers is ruining my life. They're just...SO uniquely fucked up? The mixture of affection and resentment and dependence and pride. The offhanded confirmation that Seongjun is the first and only person 244 has cared for in YEARS. The fact that 244 is so damn indignant about caring for Seongjun that he goes full stabby yandere the moment Seongjun rejects his offer of closeness. The fact that Seongjun *literally* begged on his knees to be taken back even after 244 outright told him he was gonna end up dead if they stayed together. I just. I can't.
I would humbly request we KonMari that pesky little character death. Setting things pre-ch102 is great, or I'd love an AU where 244 faked Seongjun's death and kept him locked up in one of his shipping containers, 'bad end of a BL VN' style.
Note: I've been spotty about keeping up with the series after chapter 103. So you are more than welcome to ignore any developments since then.
* Considering Wangguk's whole "just WHAT are you and Seongjun to each other?" interrogation of 244, that poor guy had to have seen some shit. I'd love a snapshot of Seongjun and 244 having blatantly obvious sexual tension in front of the rest of XJ, and Wangguk having a "sirs this is a Wendy's" moment.
* They fuck on the boat. That's it. That's the prompt.
* Petplay. So much petplay. Which Seongjun resists and pretends to hate, mainly because he's furious about how much it turns him on to be overtly submissive to someone who already controls so much of his life.
* Listen. Before we had their backstory, I joked that Seongjun only grew his hair out because 244 liked it. We then got: Seongjun growing his hair out after 244 told him he needed to become the kind of man he wanted... then promptly cutting it off the moment 244 dumped him. I'm not saying I called it, but I called it and 244 totally has a thing for Seongjun's pretty hair. So. Lots of grooming and hair kink, y/y?
What is it?
Marathon is a trilogy of sci-fi FPS games about a cyborg supersoldier who has a bad day on the job. He gets mixed up in the affairs of several evil AIs and aliens who have a habit of kidnapping him for their own agendas, and it goes about as smoothly as you'd expect. The games are lots of fun, packed with worldbuilding and character development, and have plenty of ship potential among the various combinations of AIs, humans, cyborgs, and aliens.
All of the games are free to play on PC, Mac, and Linux, and can be downloaded here.
- Durandal/Tycho -
The promise of "weird jealous pseudo-incestuous AI hateship" is what nudged me to play the series in the first place years ago, and oh boy did these two NOT disappoint. I just love the delicious combination of Durandal and Tycho's various hangups and mutual stubbornness playing off each other, and I always want more of it.
* It's fun to explore these two pre-M1, when their dynamic was so different from what it eventually became...or was it? Tycho was, presumably, not on a baseline of "fucked up and evil." Durandal was evidently wrong somehow, suffering under Strauss as he was, but clearly not in a way that raised enough red flags for anyone to intervene. Was there tension there, or did Tycho and Durandal actually get along decently for some time?
* I'm never gonna get over the fact that Tycho has AI daddy issues about someone else's AI dad. Or his sheer obsessiveness about his brother. Anything exploring this weird emotional soup that Tycho's built up after being broken down and rebuilt in Durandal's image would be great.
* On a lighter note, consider: For handwavey reasons, the two AIs are forced to work together to overcome some greater nuisance, with all the UST-filled bickering that entails. Perhaps the security officer's been put in danger out of both of their reach, and they'll be damned if they let their valuablecyborg boyfriend asset be taken away...
* I am not saying I can tell you how to write AI hatesex. I am, however, saying that I would love to read AI hatesex, in whatever form you can conceive.
- Durandal/Bernhard Strauss -
Ahhhh, my die-hard whump pairing. For a character who's killed off before you hit the title screen, Strauss casts such a long shadow over Durandal and his future actions. The little glimpse we get of pre-invasion Durandal's mindset is heartbreaking, and of course, Tycho's references to "abuse" and "shame" are nothing if not horribly inspiring...
* Listen. I don't have a specific prompt in this vein, but know that I am literally ALWAYS here for Durandal suffering at Strauss's hand in various awful ways. I promise.
* Outsider POV is a fun angle with these two. Whether it's the other AIs or humans on the Marathon pre-M1, or maybe Tycho receiving flashes of Durandal's Complicated Feelings about Strauss as he tries to rebuild his fragmented consciousness post-Pfhor-torture, it would be great.
* During/post-canon: The security officer discovers an old document/recording/etc. that reveals more about Durandal's relationship with Strauss than Durandal had ever been planning to tell him. I'm sure bringing it up and encouraging Durandal to talk about his trauma goes VERY smoothly and not badly at all.
- Troubled Young Man/Only Witness To Murder He Committed -
I like how many different directions you could take this premise in. I'd be happy with any of 'em!
* Does the witness actually care about the fact that someone was just killed? Maybe our murderer starts freaking out thinking he needs to get rid of the witness, and the witness comes out with, "Don't worry, I actually came here to murder someone too. You're cool. :D"
* Is the witness human? Maybe he's some sort of dark supernatural entity who's a greater threat to the murderer than he anticipated...
* Playing the dynamic a bit more straight: A terrified witness offering sexual favors if the murderer will spare his life? The witness being the murderer's best friend, who's having to rethink his relationship and that whole "I'd bury a body for you, bro" line he'd said when he was trying to flirt? Go as wild and dark as you'd like. I'm here for it.
Thank you for writing for me! You have great taste in canons. :D
As usual, all my prompts and rambling below are just suggestions. If you have an idea for any of these ships, please do feel free to go for it. Outside of my DNWs, I'm open to anything from lighthearted fluff to plotty casefic and worldbuilding to hardcore darkfic and smut. You can also take any of my general likes as prompts in themselves.
My AO3 username is Piinutbutter.
I am always open to treats of any kind, in any medium. <3
ETA: Edited on 7/19 to add a few more fandoms!
Table of Contents
- Likes -
- DNWs -
- Deadly Premonition -
- Manhunt 2 -
- Balan Wonderworld -
- Lookism -
- How to Fight (Viral Hit) -
- Marathon -
- Original Work -
Likes
Narrative likes:
* Adventure / casefic
* Canon divergence / "what if?" AUs
* Backstory
* Post-canon
* Outsider POV
* Slice of life
* Hurt and/or comfort
* Reluctant allies / enemies having to work together
* Characters with complicated relationships, platonic or otherwise
* Interactive fiction formats (IF, CYOA, games, visual novels, etc). If you feel your story would work better in an interactive format, go for it!
Fluffy likes:
* Hair touching/brushing
* Affectionate insults / play-fighting
* Pretending to be dating/married
* Friends-to-lovers, or enemies-to-friends-to-lovers
* Physical affection, platonic or otherwise
* Emotional intimacy, platonic or otherwise
* Unusual gestures of affection
* Working together on a task/mission
* Loyalty kink
Darkfic likes:
* Dysfunctional relationships
* Kidnapping / stockholm syndrome
* Mind control
* Blood / gore / violence
* Angst / guilt / shame
* Manipulation / blackmail / gaslighting
* Eating disorders
* Body horror + psychological horror
* Loyalty kink (GONE WRONG)
Smutty likes:
* Dubcon, noncon, and enthusiastic consent are all welcome
* Xeno
* Bondage, D/s, S&M, etc.
* Impact play
* Praise kink
* Clothing kink
* Humiliation
* Weapon play (knife, sword, gun, whip, etc.)
* Blood play / blood drinking
* Rough sex
* Sex pollen
* Face-sitting
* Loyalty kink (GONE SEXUAL)
Do Not Wants
* Pregnancy
* Asexuality headcanons
* Unrequested crossovers
* References to real-world politics or social justice issues
* Unrequested genderswaps, including trans headcanons
* Second person POV smut (Second person POV in anything that isn't smut is fine!)
* Biphobia (particularly calling bisexual characters "het," bashing bi characters for being in mixed-gender relationships, or writing canonically bi characters as gay or straight)
* Focus on parental death (Mentions of canonical dead parents are fine! Just no heavy focus on the feelings of loss or grief.)
* Prompts *
Deadly Premonition
What is it?
Deadly Premonition is a mystery/adventure game that's notable for being a transcendentally weird experience. It's simultaneously dumb as shit and totally genius, with some fantastic characters and dynamics. While playing it, I went from wheeze-laughing at the goofy dialogue to wanting to bawl my eyes out at a plot point resolution in a heartbeat.
The pitch: FBI agent Francis York Morgan (Call Him York, Please, That's What Everyone Calls Him) arrives in a small town to solve a murder case. The literal first thing he does in the story is crash his car because he's too busy arguing with his coworker about how they're shipping Tom & Jerry wrong, and they need to understand the codependent S&M dynamic between them. I think that's all I need to say about why I love him.
If you have an Xbox One, Xbox 360, or PS3, play the game there. If you look, you'll find that it's also available on Steam and Switch, but don't play those ports if you value your sanity. I can highly recommend the Two Best Friends Play LP. They capture the important story bits, and it's entertaining to watch someone go on the journey from "what the hell is this game, it sucks" to "THIS IS THE BEST WORST GAME EVER, I LOVE IT."
- Francis York Morgan/Francis Zach Morgan -
Note: I have played A Blessing in Disguise. Feel free to incorporate things from the 2005 section of that story! But, I'd prefer nothing set in the 2019 sections. I'm also not a big fan of the Director's Cut framing device.
These two are so damn sweet. I adore all of York's "discussions" with Zach, and the fact that they're codependent but in, like, a wholesome way? Not to mention all the opportunities to fuck around with bodysharing and the weird eldritch nature of the White/Red Rooms.
* There's a conversation in DP2 where a character all but outright tells York that Zach will be corrupted by the red trees if York ever leaves him; they'll come to fill in the emotional void that York left. Sooooo. Something post-canon where Zach struggles to live without York and the red-soul-demon-whateverthefuck comes to him wearing York as a disguise? I think it'd be neat.
* Teenage York/Zach adventures! Did York use Zach to help him cheat on tests at school? What kind of shenanigans did they get up together? Them being adorably awkward in Baby's First Punk Outfit! Anything, really. :D
* My mind keeps coming back to the idea of Zach taking over temporarily at times when he worries something might be too traumatic for York to remain intact. Maybe York is on a case pursuing a dangerous criminal and gets himself caught up in something awful (torture/noncon/etc.). Zach panics and shoves York out for the duration, to spare him from that. Which leaves a perfect opportunity for tender hurt/comfort afterwards...
* I'm always down for some PWP. These two make it work somehow, I'm sure! Maybe York gives Zach control of their hands for a bit when they want to have fun. We've also seen that York is probably not entirely human, so there's always the possibility of him manipulating White/Red Room magic in fun xeno-ish ways.
Manhunt 2
What is it?
Manhunt is a duology of stealth horror games notable for being so violent that ratings boards fought tooth and nail to ban the shit out of them. Which sadly overshadowed the fact that they're actually pretty damn fun games. The pairing I'm requesting is from the second entry in the series, which is totally standalone from the first.
The short version: Daniel Lamb is a nerdy, sensitive family man who blinked and found himself on the run from government agents and hitmen. No, he doesn't remember why. Luckily he's got his loyal BFF Leo to support and guide him through these troubled times! Sure, Leo's a sadistic sociopath who gets off on watching Daniel brutally kill the guys coming after him, but...Leo's always been nice to him, and that's what Daniel needs right now.
The game is widely available. The PC release is abandonware, and is also the only version of the game where everything is uncensored. It's also on PS2 and PSP. (Wii, too, but the controls on that version are super jank.) A nice longplay/movie of the game is available here.
- Leo Kasper/Daniel Lamb -
These two smash together so many things I love in my dysfunctional ships. Bodysharing! Manipulation! Violence! Conflicted feelings of resentment and gratitude! They're all kinds of fucked up and I'm here for more of it.
* I like how Dr. Whyte's grand happy-ending plan was "give Daniel amnesia and dump him off on his own." As if we didn't just spend the whole game learning why that's a terrible idea. With the Pickman bridge unable to be fully removed and "David" now having no idea that he should be wary of a mysterious helpful man named Leo, Leo has a perfect opportunity to manipulate this blank slate in his favor once again...
* First meetings! God, how awkward is it to wake up and realize you're in another man's body, and he has no idea and is just talking to you like everything's totes normal?
* I can't imagine these two having a healthy relationship, but I could certainly see them being lonely and sexually deprived and having rough quickies in an office closet during an assassination mission, or something. (Regardless of his actual nature, Daniel can clearly feel Leo physically interacting with him. Therefore, they can bone. I will take no challenges to this logic.)
* Speaking of boning. I'm really, really interested in exploring Leo's extreme sadism and the fact that Daniel is the only person he can actually touch, in his weird mind-prison-realm. Maybe after a long mission filled with lots of murder, Leo can't take it any more and yanks Daniel into a dark corner and uses him to get off. This could be dubcon or outright noncon, if only based on the fact that Daniel can't actually, like, escape from Leo. And maybe Daniel feels like he owes Leo this much, after having been saved by him so many times. (May I also suggest: Gunplay. Lots of gunplay.)
Balan Wonderworld
What is it?
Balan Wonderworld is a bright, jazzy 3D platformer/collect-a-thon about a magical theater that helps people process their anxieties and traumas. You should not play it. I'm serious. Not only because it's bad enough to make it onto the Wikipedia page of games notable for how bad they are. But also because there is practically no plot or character details in the game itself.
What I would recommend, if you'd like to get the good parts of canon without the frustration:
1. Read the "Story" and "Cast" sections of the official website, to get the premise.
2. Watch the cutscenes, if you'd like. (You can skip the dance numbers. I promise, you can skip the dance numbers.)
3. Read the official novelization. Which is where they put all the, y'know, PLOT and CHARACTERIZATION. It's available on the usual digital book stores.
- Balan/Lance -
...Listen. I've long ago accepted that I no willpower when presented with a set of characters whose dynamic I'm a sucker for. It doesn't help when they're weirdly hot, too. With these two, I'm down for anything from saccharine fluff to bittersweet angst to full-on xeno smut. (I don't mind their human forms, but their normal forms have so much more *clenches fist* potential...)
You absolutely don't have to write rhyming dialogue. Buuut if you want to, be my guest. :D
* I'm fond of the alternate canon interpretation where Lance isn't really corrupted or evil. Rather, he and Balan are just acting out roles in a play, giving the guests a clear good guy and bad guy. At some point, though, Lance is tired of getting beaten up and gives Balan an ultimatum: "Next time, YOU'RE the villain." Cue role reversal AU.
* I am HERE for the inevitable Balan corruption arc we were teased in the book. Whoopsy-daisy, looks like someone's getting attached to his humans. Does Balan's descent into hostility play out differently from Lance's? How does Lance react to it? (I imagine there's a lot of "I told you so," combined with a "welcome to the dark side" sentiment...)
* If there's one good thing I can say about the Balan Bouts: It's adorable seeing these two basically play-fighting. Come on! Look at Lance's lil' happy smile and 'tag, you're it' body language! They're having a great time and I'm decreeing this is what they do when they're bored and want to tease each other. Or as foreplay. Both work equally well.
* I'm 100% down for sexy happenings with these two. Especially if you'd like to go a xeno-ish route where their standard forms don't have typical human genitalia setups. I mean, Lance's tentacles and Balan's mouth are right there. Those sure look like erogenous zones to me. I'm equally interested in happy consentacles, hatesex, or dub/noncon with Lance starting to get dark and violent in bed when his negative energy gets too strong.
Lookism
What is it?
A drama/action webcomic about a bullied high school boy who wakes up one day and suddenly has two different bodies to switch between on a whim. While the story starts out as the typical loser-to-popular school life wish fulfillment, it takes a sharp swerve into "angsty gang warfare" around 200 chapters in. It's far from a perfect canon, and it's over 350 chapters long. I love it nonetheless, mainly for its strong characters.
It can be read for free right here, or on the Webtoon mobile app.
- Daniel/Gun -
Gun is absolutely one of my favorite characters. I love that we have this hyper-competent, masculine figure who's established as the pinnacle of strength and badassery for the rest of the cast. And then: Surprise! He's bisexual! And he's a total masochist who'd love nothing more than for our MC to pleasure him by beating him into the ground! It's beautiful.
I normally don't have top/bottom preferences for my ships, but when it comes to these two, I would prefer Gun to be the one bottoming if there's smut.
* For me, the fun part of this ship comes from the contrast in typical sexual roles. Gun is older, more experienced, and holds all the power over Daniel. But he's also a masochist who wants Daniel to beat him (and/or top him) without holding back. Daniel is so fucking out of his depth but he really doesn't have much of a choice now that he's gotten himself tangled up in Gun's world. In conclusion: Fuck him UP, Daniel.
* I love that Gun jumped to full-on sugar daddy at the drop of a hat, and that Daniel has no qualms about spending all his money. What happens when Gun pays Daniel a visit and asks to be compensated for that astronomical bar tab? ;)
* I am very much here for Goo being his usual endearingly assholish self, interfering and poking fun at Gun's new object of obsession.
* Gun takes Daniel out on the most obnoxiously expensive and formal date possible. Daniel finds it insufferable, much like Gun himself.
- DG (James Lee)/Ma Taesoo -
Continuing on the theme of "pretty boys beating up and topping older men with eye injuries." God, these two came out of nowhere for me. Take the already-tasty trope of 'I've been obsessing over this one rival ever since he beat me years ago.' Combine it with DG showing emotion for the first time ever because Taesoo is here for him. And them just having the time of their life kicking the shit out of each other.
I don't really have any specific prompts for these two. I'd love to see their further interactions after their latest fight. Other important things: DG/James canonically has a huge dick, and goes straight-up feral when fighting Taesoo. If you ask me, he should combine these two features and fuck the haughty right out of the King of Ansan.
How to Fight (Viral Hit)
What is it?
A drama/action webcomic about a high school student who starts a Youtube channel to call out bullies. This, uh, escalates. Before long he's facing off with beloved Youtubers who are also hardened criminals and would literally not think twice about murdering him. There's so many fraught, complicated relationship dynamics throughout the cast, and there's just. Just. There's just a LOT OF FEELINGS, okay.
It can be read for free right here, or on the Webtoon mobile app.
- 244/Baek Seongjun -
This pair of fictional gangster Youtubers is ruining my life. They're just...SO uniquely fucked up? The mixture of affection and resentment and dependence and pride. The offhanded confirmation that Seongjun is the first and only person 244 has cared for in YEARS. The fact that 244 is so damn indignant about caring for Seongjun that he goes full stabby yandere the moment Seongjun rejects his offer of closeness. The fact that Seongjun *literally* begged on his knees to be taken back even after 244 outright told him he was gonna end up dead if they stayed together. I just. I can't.
I would humbly request we KonMari that pesky little character death. Setting things pre-ch102 is great, or I'd love an AU where 244 faked Seongjun's death and kept him locked up in one of his shipping containers, 'bad end of a BL VN' style.
Note: I've been spotty about keeping up with the series after chapter 103. So you are more than welcome to ignore any developments since then.
* Considering Wangguk's whole "just WHAT are you and Seongjun to each other?" interrogation of 244, that poor guy had to have seen some shit. I'd love a snapshot of Seongjun and 244 having blatantly obvious sexual tension in front of the rest of XJ, and Wangguk having a "sirs this is a Wendy's" moment.
* They fuck on the boat. That's it. That's the prompt.
* Petplay. So much petplay. Which Seongjun resists and pretends to hate, mainly because he's furious about how much it turns him on to be overtly submissive to someone who already controls so much of his life.
* Listen. Before we had their backstory, I joked that Seongjun only grew his hair out because 244 liked it. We then got: Seongjun growing his hair out after 244 told him he needed to become the kind of man he wanted... then promptly cutting it off the moment 244 dumped him. I'm not saying I called it, but I called it and 244 totally has a thing for Seongjun's pretty hair. So. Lots of grooming and hair kink, y/y?
Marathon
What is it?
Marathon is a trilogy of sci-fi FPS games about a cyborg supersoldier who has a bad day on the job. He gets mixed up in the affairs of several evil AIs and aliens who have a habit of kidnapping him for their own agendas, and it goes about as smoothly as you'd expect. The games are lots of fun, packed with worldbuilding and character development, and have plenty of ship potential among the various combinations of AIs, humans, cyborgs, and aliens.
All of the games are free to play on PC, Mac, and Linux, and can be downloaded here.
- Durandal/Tycho -
The promise of "weird jealous pseudo-incestuous AI hateship" is what nudged me to play the series in the first place years ago, and oh boy did these two NOT disappoint. I just love the delicious combination of Durandal and Tycho's various hangups and mutual stubbornness playing off each other, and I always want more of it.
* It's fun to explore these two pre-M1, when their dynamic was so different from what it eventually became...or was it? Tycho was, presumably, not on a baseline of "fucked up and evil." Durandal was evidently wrong somehow, suffering under Strauss as he was, but clearly not in a way that raised enough red flags for anyone to intervene. Was there tension there, or did Tycho and Durandal actually get along decently for some time?
* I'm never gonna get over the fact that Tycho has AI daddy issues about someone else's AI dad. Or his sheer obsessiveness about his brother. Anything exploring this weird emotional soup that Tycho's built up after being broken down and rebuilt in Durandal's image would be great.
* On a lighter note, consider: For handwavey reasons, the two AIs are forced to work together to overcome some greater nuisance, with all the UST-filled bickering that entails. Perhaps the security officer's been put in danger out of both of their reach, and they'll be damned if they let their valuable
* I am not saying I can tell you how to write AI hatesex. I am, however, saying that I would love to read AI hatesex, in whatever form you can conceive.
- Durandal/Bernhard Strauss -
Ahhhh, my die-hard whump pairing. For a character who's killed off before you hit the title screen, Strauss casts such a long shadow over Durandal and his future actions. The little glimpse we get of pre-invasion Durandal's mindset is heartbreaking, and of course, Tycho's references to "abuse" and "shame" are nothing if not horribly inspiring...
* Listen. I don't have a specific prompt in this vein, but know that I am literally ALWAYS here for Durandal suffering at Strauss's hand in various awful ways. I promise.
* Outsider POV is a fun angle with these two. Whether it's the other AIs or humans on the Marathon pre-M1, or maybe Tycho receiving flashes of Durandal's Complicated Feelings about Strauss as he tries to rebuild his fragmented consciousness post-Pfhor-torture, it would be great.
* During/post-canon: The security officer discovers an old document/recording/etc. that reveals more about Durandal's relationship with Strauss than Durandal had ever been planning to tell him. I'm sure bringing it up and encouraging Durandal to talk about his trauma goes VERY smoothly and not badly at all.
Original Work
- Troubled Young Man/Only Witness To Murder He Committed -
I like how many different directions you could take this premise in. I'd be happy with any of 'em!
* Does the witness actually care about the fact that someone was just killed? Maybe our murderer starts freaking out thinking he needs to get rid of the witness, and the witness comes out with, "Don't worry, I actually came here to murder someone too. You're cool. :D"
* Is the witness human? Maybe he's some sort of dark supernatural entity who's a greater threat to the murderer than he anticipated...
* Playing the dynamic a bit more straight: A terrified witness offering sexual favors if the murderer will spare his life? The witness being the murderer's best friend, who's having to rethink his relationship and that whole "I'd bury a body for you, bro" line he'd said when he was trying to flirt? Go as wild and dark as you'd like. I'm here for it.
