Heart Attack 2021
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izayoi_no_mikoto
Hello, Heart Attack author, and thank you for writing for me!
This letter has been cannibalized from previous exchange letters; feel free to take a gander at those if you want more insight into the sorts of things I like (the masterlist is here, organized by exchange and fandom).
SHIPPING AND RELATIONSHIPS
First off: I LOVE gen. I would be 110% happy to receive gen. I've requested my ships, but if, for whatever reason, shipfic is not working for you, please rest assured that I would be equally pleased to receive gen of those same characters.
That said, while I don't need my ships to be together, I'd rather not see them shipped with anyone else (either instead of or in addition to each other). I tend to OTP pretty hard, and unless stated otherwise, I'm not interested in seeing unrequested ships involving requested characters. In other words, if I request A/B, I'd rather not receive any A/C, A→C, or A/B/C, etc. (Canon backstory relationships are fine to include, though! I'm also much more amenable to background ships involving non-requested characters, so feel free to ask about that via the mods.)
Also on the subject of "my ships do not have to be or get together": My ships do not have to be straightforward romance. For example, I LOVE one-sided relationships--unrequited pining is my jam! I also really like relationships that muddy the waters and toe the line between romantic and platonic. I love vague ambiguous relationships, so if you agonize over whether to tag it A/B or A&B, or if you wonder, "uh, is this too gen-ish?" no worries, that is excellent, I eat that stuff up with a spoon.
Lastly, I'm not much interested in sexual content. I have zero problems with sexual content being referenced or discussed, but I usually skip over smut, and even when it's not explicit, I typically hold to a less-is-more policy. Fade to black? Yes, that's good, very good. Stops at kissing? Great! Just some hand-holding? Yessss excellent. Nothing but gazing meaningfully at each other from across the room? Hold me, I'm going weak at the knees.
As far as character relationships are concerned, I love super-intense relationships and all related topics and tropes. Show me just how dedicated to and invested in each other these people are--be the relationship romantic or platonic, healthy or otherwise--and I will be there with bells on. I particularly like:
For all of these AUs, please feel free to play it straight, add a new twist, or subvert it however you'd like--I love it all!
If you have reason to think, "I bet you'd enjoy this type of AU!" then feel free to ask via the mods. I make no guarantees, but I'm certainly open to considering things!
OPT-INS
I wholeheartedly welcome the following:
SAFETY FANDOM INFO
I have requested a couple of manga fandoms that qualify as safeties. They are:
All Hallow's Even by Suzukake Shuuji: one volume, available in English on Amazon.com (99 cents or free with Kindle Unlimited). Or can be read for free in Japanese here. Ignore the claims that it's yaoi, I kind of question that it's even BL at all.
Shirogane no Ou by Aoto Takane: three volumes (consisting of Shirogane no Ou and Shirogane no Ou -Fenrir Craft-). This has not been licensed in English, but scanlations are available.
FANDOMS
Prompts are just possible jumping-off points. If you've got another idea, absolutely go with it!
I've written different amounts for different fandoms and relationships, but please do not think that if I've written more, it must mean I want it more. If I've listed it here, it's because I really want to see it!
Generally speaking, I consume my media in Japanese and I neither know nor care how things are romanized and/or translated into English. I encourage you to use whatever versions you want.
All Hallow's Even [SAFETY]
Tsuge Tadao/Kodama Yuuji
These two combine so many things I love. Instant connection the first time they meet? Check. Only one of them remembers theirgrand love story previous life together? Check. "You are my berserk button"? Check. Eye trauma as a sign of love and self-sacrifice? Check. Building a relationship out of tragedy? Check. Actually, even a small, simple touch of a hand is SO MEANINGFUL? Check.
I was absolutely charmed by Tsuge--he's this weather-worn, soft-spoken, blandly pleasant middle-aged man, but he can MESS YOU UP. And Yuuji is a total failboat of a vampire--why drink blood when he can eat fresh-baked bread instead! I love their relationship and their interactions, everything from Yuuji's silly jealous streak to Tsuge's gentle teasing to their backstory that's basically just I WILL DO ALL THE THINGS FOR YOU. I can't get over how Tsuge's mild-mannered smile just drops when Yuuji is in trouble, or how Yuuji would rather leave someone behind than be left behind but he's willing to be left behind as many times as it takes as long as Tsuge eventually comes back to him ;-;
Some prompts:
··Tsuge doesn't have his memories of the past, so he has to fall in love from scratch each time, and Yuuji can only wait and hope
··...or are there incarnations where Tsuge doesn't fall in love again? ;-;
··the reason Yuuji basically goes into hibernation when his partner isn't there is because he tried it the first time and living without him was unbearable
··all the bittersweet yearning as Tsuge is in quarantine for a month... or years... or the rest of his life
··someone who only sees Yuuji's minor jealous streak at the cafe might think it's one-sided, but that's because they haven't seen Tsuge when Yuuji is actually in danger
··their first case together for the Unusual Phenomena Division!
There's a blink-and-you-miss-it reference to Tsuge being a widower; that's fine to mention if you want. If you want to go into previous incarnations, feel free to do whatever you want with their names. Satonaka-kun is of course welcome, as are all other characters.
Boku no Hero Academia
Midoriya Izuku/Tokoyami Fumikage
I love the possibilities of this ship so much. Tokoyami's occasionally melodramatic emo darkness speaks deeply to my teenage self. I like that he's serious and taciturn but still caring, and I love the whole "noble darkness" thing he has going on, even when (especially when?) it sometimes goes overboard into silliness. His relationship with Dark Shadow fascinates me--how does Tokoyami deal with something that simultaneously is part of him and yet also has its own distinct sentience, something that is fiercely loyal to him but also terribly dangerous to him? As for Izuku, his stubbornness can spill over into pigheadedness at times, but his determination to do good is so genuine and all-encompassing that I can't help but be fond of him even when he's being ridiculous. The two of them approach it in different ways, but they're both incredibly determined to be great heroes. Tokoyami's noble (if melodramatic) darkness against Izuku's "let me shine a beacon of hope" light makes for a great combo. That said, they've got a lot in common, too--genuinely caring, lots of potential, but forced to wrestle with very powerful, dangerous quirks--and that provides a lot of room for mutual respect and understanding.
Some prompts:
··time travel shenanigans! I love all variations on a time loop quirk or a Peggy Sue quirk.
··Izuku and Tokoyami slow burn over their three years at UA
··all the ways in which Izuku thinks Dark Shadow is fascinating
··working together on a case as pro heroes (underground hero Tsukuyomi!)
··Dark Shadow likes to visit Izuku's balcony at night in the dorms
··Tokoyami texts from Kyushu sometimes when he feels kind of lonely
I'm not caught up on the manga yet (I feel like I'll never be caught up on the manga x.x), so please no manga spoilers! Feel free to include other characters (I'm also particularly fond of All Might, Todoroki, Aizawa, and Hawks). Please don't forget about Dark Shadow!
Hanakisou
Kuroto/Hanashiro
Kurotaka/Shirofukurou
any and all possible permutations of Kuroto & Hanashiro & Kurotaka & Shirofukurou & The Researcher
Okay, yes, I love the sad, beautiful winter and the awful crapsack of a world with its cruel worldbuilding and the lovely soundtrack and the plethora of tragic endings etc., but my heart belongs to these characters and all their fraught, tenuous, heartfelt, heartbreaking relationships. Kuroto has so much goodness and gentleness and desire to protect a world that has never cared one whit for him. Hanashiro is in some ways so young and so lost, and yet he's also ruthless when it comes to protecting what he cares about and accomplishing what he's set his mind to (I wonder who he learned that from?). Kurotaka is so much mask and shield, playing at flippancy and casually teasing when in reality there's a storm underneath. Shirofukurou's single-mindedness is misguided and damaging and distancing at best, and yet it comes, I think, from a place that is half desire to do what is right and half fear.
And, of course, these damaged characters have relationships that are, uh, complicated. Hanashiro and Kuroto caring deeply about each other but trapped by their roles, forced by circumstance to hurt each other and themselves and those around them. Kurotaka raising Kuroto to look unflinchingly at a world that will kill him. Hanashiro and the love/hate he bears for Shirofukurou, who raised him with such care and such cruelty. Kurotaka and Shirofukurou being counterparts separated by a huge gulf, ostensibly the same in so many ways but vastly different in origin and purpose and outlook and mindset and character. There are just so many conflicting priorities, so many ways of understanding and viewing the world and their place in it, so many ways of caring that can't always be understood or aren't always accepted. No wonder so many things fall apart in so many ways. And yet, all the same, they do care. They do.
Some prompts:
··any and all post-bad end sorrow/guilt/pining/anger/etc. on anyone's part.
··pre-canon, Hanashiro and Kuroto spending time together like "let's just pretend this is normal and it isn't going to blow up in our faces someday, yep, no problem here"
··even when they both live, that's still a lot of trauma to work through and adjusting to the new world to do; a.k.a. "we got our happy ending, now what"
··Kurotaka vs. Shirofukurou: Round Three, or Twenty, or One Hundred
··time loop! Hanashiro loops because it's better than losing Kuroto. The birds go to war via time loops. All the time loops.
··where it goes (or doesn't go) from "hey there, beautiful, nice to meet you"; or, Kurotaka's life is divided into Before Shirofukurou and After Shirofukurou
··what if Kuroto had decided to go to war against the Savior?
I have both played the game and read the manga, so feel free to use either one. For the game, I'm happy with any route, including bad ends. Or feel free to diverge from canon into new endings, if that's your bag! All other characters also welcome.
Hikaru no Go
Shindou Hikaru/Touya Akira
Hikaru no Go is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of sports/gaming animanga. I'm so impressed by the character growth we see over the course of the series, for both Hikaru and Akira. Hikaru starts as such a brat, and okay, in some ways he still is kind of a punk, but he learns such dedication and determination and appreciation through Sai, through Go, and through his rivalry with Akira. And Akira, too, learns so much through their rivalry--dedication and determination, yes, but also connection, and vulnerability, and, I think, how to make Go meaningful on his own terms. I love how their rivalry develops from intrigue to fixation to something akin to friendship. Their push-pull of trying to prove themselves worthy as each other's rival, the hot-headed intensity as they chase desperately after each other, and the connection and understanding they develop for each other--there's a reason that Sai thought they'd basically been made for each other.
Some prompts:
··Go as a method of communicationand also of love confessions
··does Hikaru ever tell Akira about Sai?
··what they do on May 5th one, five, ten, twenty years down the line
··what is it like juggling being both romantic partners and Go professionals and rivals?
··views of their relationship from the outside (Sai, parental units, fellow Go pros, the Go world at large?)
··their first time meeting in a title match
··realizing, "Oh, all these intense Go rivalry feelings are not just Go rivalry feelings"
··finding the Hand of God in each other
I've both read the manga and watched the anime, so feel free to go to Hokuto Cup etc. if you'd like. I also love Sai and his enormous impact on Hikaru's (and Akira's) life, so I'd love anything you want to do with him!
Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID-
Konoe/Asato
Konoe/Rai
Lamento is one of my favorite VNs. It's the type of save-the-world fantasy plot I grew up on, with really creative, sometimes unsettling worldbuilding, a colorful cast of characters (with love interests I universally like!), and a soundtrack to die for. And Konoe is so great, you guys. He develops from a scared, desperate country boy fleeing for his life to a brave, forthright cat who faces down enormous threats and basically helps save the world. He's definitely young and ignorant of the wider world, and he's vulnerable in some ways, but he has a steely determination, he won't take BS or break, and I love his dry streak.
Asato is a supremely awkward but genuinely good-hearted guy, with a naïveté that's simultaneously kind of charming and kind of sad, and I love how fond and protective he is of Konoe. I like how both of them are too sheltered and too alone and kind of lost in the world but find their footing together. I am always happy to see Asato's puppy-dog loyalty and Konoe's fond exasperation.
Rai is no-nonsense and confident and harsh and kind of seriously damaged, and I like how his icy personality doesn't stop him from having a core of pure fire; his moments of gentleness hit all the harder because he rarely allows it of himself. I like how his brusqueness can be a sign of (and a cover for) fondness and how Konoe can hold his own in the relationship; Rai is an intimidating figure, but Konoe isn't intimidated, and I think Rai respects that.
Some prompts:
··Konoe returns to see (what's left of) Karou; or, maybe Karou is coming back to life?
··Konoe honing his abilities as a Sanga, with some help from his Touga
··both Rai or Asato are dangerous and could definitely hurt Konoe, cue angst about I AM SO DANGEROUS (Konoe: "give me some credit here")
··people who don't know them think Rai acting gruff and aloof means he doesn't really care about Konoe, DANGEROUS MISTAKE TO MAKE
··Rai spends a lot of time trying to convince himself that Konoe is just a valuable Sanga, that's all, there's no other reason he cares so much nope
··remember that time that Rai let Konoe clutch his tail? more of that plz
··Asato's flowers are actually hanahaki flowers
··Asato and Konoe return to Kira; has Kira changed at all?
··Kaltz watches Asato/Konoe from afar
While I ship both Konoe/Asato and Konoe/Rai, I like them separately--I'd rather not see a love triangle or Konoe/Asato/Rai. I have both played the game and read the manga, so feel free to use either one. Feel free to include other characters as well (I'm particularly fond of the Shaman Cat, Kaltz, and Shui).
Shirogane no Ou
King Quatredina/Right-Eye
any combination of King Quatredina & Right-Eye & Lord Shirogane Fenrir
I love the main trio so, so much. I love King's crass, arrogant exterior and his equally crass, arrogant but intensely caring interior (buried deep down), and how he doesn't act like a king "should" but still takes his position seriously in his own way. I love how Right-Eye started out being kind of brusque and not particularly polite to King, but the moment he becomes Right-Eye he's 150% gung-ho loyal and dedicated. I cannot get enough of their relationship--how they constantly try to protect each other from other people and also from themselves, how they'll do basically anything for each other, how they are unwavering and unyielding in their loyalty to each other, and also how utterly fail they are at communication. I abso-freaking-lutely adore Shirogane, too. I love his ability to be snarky or silly one moment and dead serious the next, and how he's willing to knock King down a peg and how he so very obviously has a soft spot for Right-Eye. I also like the contrast between "immensely destructive weapon capabilities, sole prerogative over who sits on the throne, holds all the real power in the country" and "a floppy wolf pelt who could be stolen away by a pelt-snatcher at any given point in time." I love all three of them so, so much.
Some prompts:
··someone gets abducted, someone else mounts a roaring rampage of rescue
··I will take a zillion versions of "Zoe returns and reclaims his crown, now what," literally a zillion
··Shirogane's origin story, or monarchs he's chosen in the past
··King arguing with his aides and advisorsabout Right-Eye
··political shenanigans--a spy in the palace, a brewing coup, Zephil declares war?
··how did Right-Eye get from Zephil to Quatredina in the first place?
··aaaaall the loyalty kink, literally all of it
··Right-Eye's identity is leaked; how do he and King handle the new upswell in suspicion?
··Shirogane and King trying to keep Right-Eye out of trouble; Shirogane and Right-Eye trying to keep King out of trouble; why does Shirogane have to deal with these idiots?!
Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Shishido Ryou/Ootori Choutarou
Yagyuu Hiroshi/Niou Masaharu
Atobe Keigo/Sanada Gen'ichirou
Tenipuri was one of my first fandoms, and I still have an enormous fondness for it. The Silver Pair just stole my heart. I love Shishido's brashness and stubbornness and dedication and determination, and I love Choutarou's gentleness and politeness and how it hides an incredible power and a spine of steel. And mostly I love them together--Choutarou's loyalty, and Shishido having a soft spot for him that's so big it can be seen from space, and how much they pour into tennis and to each other in order to forge one of the greatest doubles pairs in the incredibly competitive world of Japanese middle school tennis.
The Platinum Pair appeals to my wicked side!petenshi daa I like the contrasts between Yagyuu's apparent stuck-up personality, proper demeanor and polite language and Niou's lackadaisical, laid-back insolence, but I am all here for Yagyuu being just as sharp and clever and wicked on the inside as Niou is on the outside. I'm not all about "the Switch defines their life," but I do love what the Switch shows about their relationship--the incredible amount of understanding they have for each other, their willingness to wield their Rikkai ruthlessness in the psychological realm, their mutual dedication and determination, and how similar they despite being so different in other ways.
As for the Tango Pair, I'm sorry, I know it's anime filler and whatnot, but you cannot tell me that two people share tango soul music and expect me not to ship it. They're very different in a lot of ways--Atobe flashy where Sanada is staid, Atobe eloquent and self-aggrandizing where Sanada is taciturn and prone to prove his superiority by action--but they're also very similar in some ways--proud, determined, confident, ruthless, but also caring about those they let into their inner circle. Both of these guys are very difficult people to be around, and I think they would absolutely get on each other's nerves, but I also think they get each other in a way that not many people do. Talk about a power couple.
Some prompts:
··ALL THE TENNIS--a regular middle school tennis practice, or working out over the weekend just the two of them, or when they've gone pro, or just casual rallies after they've retired, or--
··playing singles will never feel quite right again
··it's only when they finally arrive at Life After Tennis that they realize just how important they are to each other
··hanahaki on the tennis court, SURPRISE
··they drifted apart after school, because middle school tennis teammates aren't forever, but then they meet again at a school reunion and....
··angst about the future, SHISHIDO'S GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL, THEY'LL NEVER PLAY TOGETHER AGAIN, THIS IS THE END, or Shishido wants to go pro and Choutarou doesn't, is this where their paths diverge, ANGST
··how did Shishido and Choutarou even start training together? And whose idea was the whole doubles thing, anyway?
··the Switch was supposed to be a fun one-off trick, why can't he stop thinking about it
··some people think that Yagyuu is a well-mannered young man and a good role model and Niou will listen to him, ahahahahahaha; or, some people are terrified that Niou is a bad influence who will corrupt good boy Yagyuu, ahahahahahaha
··if you want to go with actual soul music means they're soulmates, I am all here for that
··okay, if Sanada/Atobe actually became a thing, both of their teams would absolutely flip
··every time Atobe and Sanada meet on the pro circuit, it becomes A Thing
··or maybe start playing doubles together for real, this is ridiculous, we all know their tennis and how they play, there's no way this can work, how are they making this work
I haven't kept up with Shin Tenipuri, but I'm not particularly fussed about spoilers. I can do the original series in manga, anime, or musical form. Feel free to include whatever other characters you'd like, including those on other teams: my favorite teams are (predictably) Seigaku, Hyoutei, and Rikkai; on Hyoutei, I'm also fond of Hiyoshi; on Rikkai, I'm also fond of the rest of the Troika and Akaya.
Togainu no Chi
Akira/Keisuke
Oh, man, this ship. They are the backbone of Togainu no Chi to me--Keisuke's decision to follow Akira to Toshima sets into motion so many pieces of the story and influences Akira's decisions, for good and for bad. Akira is my favorite character in the game--I love his stoicism, his determination, and also his ignorance/obliviousness about human relations and interactions. He holds himself aloof from others--not out of any ill will, per se, but he is not the most people-savvy person and he doesn't really know how to connect or interact or understand, and I like that about him, even when it does eventually become a proximate cause to the rupturing of his relationship with Keisuke. And Keisuke is a very close second favorite--his all-encompassing pining for Akira is delicious, and his devotion (obsession) and his inferiority complex (self-loathing) hurt in all the right ways. I love the arc of their relationship, from unequal to falling apart to destructive to (in some ends) rebuilt with greater understanding. Their friendship was genuine, but it was also extremely flawed, with failures to communicate and lies of omission and a lack of understanding and an unhealthy avoidance of conflict, and I think it was inevitable that they would splinter in some way. The messiness is part of the appeal, and I like it both when they work things out (with difficulties) and when it ends in tragedy.
Some prompts:
··once upon a time, Keisuke told himself that being Akira's friend was enough (spoiler: he was wrong)
··Keisuke detoxes after a bad ending and realizes oh no what have I done
··Keisuke dies, and too late Akira understands and has to somehow come to terms with everything (optional realization that he was in love, too)
··what was life at the orphanage like?
··they both get out alive, but that's just the beginning and even though they love each other things are such a mess (and is love alone even enough?)
··or, yes, love is enough to make it work, but that doesn't stop the PTSD and the ghosts and the memories
··Keisuke time loops trying to save Akira, but there's only one way to do it (a.k.a. the True Ending)
··one-sided soulmates. last words soulmarks. soulmates mean one is destined to kill the other. all the tragic soulmates plz
··uh, if you want to go Motomi/Akira where Akira has conflicted feelings and tries to make sense of everything that happened with Keisuke and Motomi is like "I once loved someone else, too," consider that an exception to my "no unrequested ships" DNW
Feel free to go for whatever endings you want (with references to other ships excluded). Discussion of/reference to sexual content is just fine, but please nothing explicit on the page. I'm not particularly interested in Vischio characters, although I don't mind them as background. I have no preferences for how to romanize Line/Rein/whatever.
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Bruno/Fudou Yuusei
I'm a sucker for characters who are instantly great friends, so I was charmed by Bruno and Yuusei's relationship from the very beginning. I love that Yuusei and the gang basically take Bruno in and accept him as one of their own, and that Bruno slides into Team 5D's so seamlessly. I love that even after the Antimony reveal, Yuusei refuses to believe that their friendship was a lie; I love that his faith was rewarded in Bruno's final moments. And that tragic ending hurts soooo good. On that note, I love the tragedy of their relationship, so I'm not particularly interested in fix-it fic where Bruno survives (unless you can turn it angsty or tragic in another way!).
Some prompts:
··Yuusei only realizes too late his own feelings; or, Yuusei isn't sure of his own feelings, but being denied the possibility of ever finding out where it might have gone is painful in its own right
··that thing where you know your soulmate will die; or, only realizing after he died that he was your soulmate (I just want angsty last words soulmarks, plz)
··Bruno's POV, eventually knowing how it will all end but still falling in love despite himself
··what if Bruno falls in love and then remembers, now suddenly everything he feels about Yuusei has this whole other dimension aaaahhhhh
··is it weird that Yuusei fell in love so quickly? it's weird, isn't it
··all of Team 5D's mourn Bruno, but Yuusei's mourning is something else, and that's when they realize--
··traveling back in time to save each other, but it never works; or, traveling back in time to make things right or at least better, and canon is the successful timeline
Feel free to include other characters as you'd like (I'm particularly fond of Jack and Carly), but please keep Crow to small doses. I don't mind him appearing along with the rest of Team 5D's, but please don't make him the focus or main POV character of the fic.
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Yuuki Juudai/Johan Andersen
Juudai is quite possibly my favorite shounen protagonist of all time. I love his optimistic, genki, hot-blooded gung-ho attitude at the beginning of the series; I love his descent into darkness; I love how he claws his way out of the darkness and fights to come to terms with what he's done, and I love how, by the end of the series, he's matured and become jaded and lost some of his blind idealism, but is ultimately still a good person who still believes in goodness and who tries to do good. I also adore Johan, for a lot of the same reasons that I love Juudai--he's positive, bright, brave, determined and true. He throws himself in whole-heartedly and without reservation. And I love their relationship most of all. They believe in each other, they understand each other, they go above and beyond for each other--the sacrifices they're willing to make for each other, the absolute trust they have in each other--they're kindred spirits, like they were meant to find each other.
Some prompts:
··their first reunion post-canon, accompanied by an emotional wave of oh no I'm so in love
··or, the gradual slide from friendship to more
··duels are a completely valid method of communication and also of expressing love
··Juudai's relationship with Yubel is something completely different, but that doesn't stop Johan from feeling like he's second-best
··Johan wants to be the one Juudai comes home to; or, Juudai wants Johan to be the one he can come home to; or both, both is good
··are we not going to have a conversation about how Yubel basically accused them of being in love? (answer: no, because it's unrequited and what's the point)
··long-distance relationships (are lonely? are easier when you have confidence in your feelings for each other?)
··they drift apart over time, even though they meant so much to each other back then ;-; (and then maybe drift back together <3)
··Johan understands why Juudai needs to roam the world, but that doesn't mean he likes it
··if we could just go back in time and avoid all the alternate dimension/Haou/Yubel stuff, that would be great (spoiler: it doesn't quite work according to plan)
··is there anything they would not do for each other? The next crisis proves: no, no there is not
Feel free to include whatever other characters you'd like (especially Winged Kuriboh and the Gem Beasts!). I would rather see Yubel acknowledged than ignored. I watched the anime in the original Japanese, and so I'd prefer to see fic about Juudai and Johan, not Jaden and Jesse.
Hello, Heart Attack author, and thank you for writing for me!
This letter has been cannibalized from previous exchange letters; feel free to take a gander at those if you want more insight into the sorts of things I like (the masterlist is here, organized by exchange and fandom).
The structure of this letter is as follows:
··Shipping and relationships
··General likes
··A note on AUs
··DNWs
··Opt-ins
··Safety fandom info
··Fandoms
······All Hallow's Even [SAFETY]
······Boku no Hero Academia
······Hanakisou
······Hikaru no Go
······Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID-
······Shirogane no Ou [SAFETY]
······Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
······Togainu no Chi
······Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
······Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
I hope you'll use this letter in the spirit it is intended: I don't want to be pushy or demanding, I just hope to give you some idea of the sorts of things I like and hopefully spark some inspiration. If it doesn't work for you, remember that optional details are optional. The prompts are ideas, not demands! Please feel free to take what works for you, discard the rest, and write something that you have fun with. The best gift is one that the author enjoyed writing!
I hope you have a good exchange, and again, thanks for writing for me!
SHIPPING AND RELATIONSHIPS
First off: I LOVE gen. I would be 110% happy to receive gen. I've requested my ships, but if, for whatever reason, shipfic is not working for you, please rest assured that I would be equally pleased to receive gen of those same characters.
That said, while I don't need my ships to be together, I'd rather not see them shipped with anyone else (either instead of or in addition to each other). I tend to OTP pretty hard, and unless stated otherwise, I'm not interested in seeing unrequested ships involving requested characters. In other words, if I request A/B, I'd rather not receive any A/C, A→C, or A/B/C, etc. (Canon backstory relationships are fine to include, though! I'm also much more amenable to background ships involving non-requested characters, so feel free to ask about that via the mods.)
Also on the subject of "my ships do not have to be or get together": My ships do not have to be straightforward romance. For example, I LOVE one-sided relationships--unrequited pining is my jam! I also really like relationships that muddy the waters and toe the line between romantic and platonic. I love vague ambiguous relationships, so if you agonize over whether to tag it A/B or A&B, or if you wonder, "uh, is this too gen-ish?" no worries, that is excellent, I eat that stuff up with a spoon.
Lastly, I'm not much interested in sexual content. I have zero problems with sexual content being referenced or discussed, but I usually skip over smut, and even when it's not explicit, I typically hold to a less-is-more policy. Fade to black? Yes, that's good, very good. Stops at kissing? Great! Just some hand-holding? Yessss excellent. Nothing but gazing meaningfully at each other from across the room? Hold me, I'm going weak at the knees.
As far as character relationships are concerned, I love super-intense relationships and all related topics and tropes. Show me just how dedicated to and invested in each other these people are--be the relationship romantic or platonic, healthy or otherwise--and I will be there with bells on. I particularly like:
- loyalty above and beyond the call of duty
- us against the world
- I would know you anywhere
- you are my most important person
- I would do terrible things for you
- I'll face any scandal for you
- I'm so in love with you I might be slightly crazy
- little things causing big feelings
- pining (mutual or unrequited), the more intense the better; Sehnsucht; that sense of wanting
- angst
- understated/low-key signs of affection
- non-sexual physical intimacy (hugging, holding hands, bumping foreheads, leaning on each other, etc.)
- sudden realization of feelings (one's own or someone else's)
- reunions/coming home (to someone)
- self-sacrifice (for someone else or for a greater cause)
- between the scenes/missing scenes
- outsider POV
- a somber, dark, or bittersweet touch
- wordplay
- things understood only in retrospect
- motifs, bookends, and other "theme" structures (5+1 times, etc.)
A NOTE ON AUS
I generally prefer fics to be more or less canon-compliant (be it set pre-, during, or post-canon). However, I do very much like the following types of AUs/fusions for all fandoms:
- canon divergence/for want of a nail
- time loops and Peggy Sue
- Loveless AUs
- daemon/His Dark Materials AUs
- hanahaki
- soulmates (including--but certainly not limited to--soulmarks, red string of fate, etc.)
For all of these AUs, please feel free to play it straight, add a new twist, or subvert it however you'd like--I love it all!
If you have reason to think, "I bet you'd enjoy this type of AU!" then feel free to ask via the mods. I make no guarantees, but I'm certainly open to considering things!
DNWs
I would rather not see any of the following:
- AUs/crossovers/fusions, including mundane, genderswap, ageswap, etc., EXCEPT those mentioned above
- explicit sexual content
- unrequested ships involving requested characters, including infidelity, threesomes/moresomes, and open or poly relationships
- anything involving pregnancy, childbirth, or non-canon young children
- non-canonical nicknames or pet names/terms of endearment
- first-person POV (epistolary is OK!)
- crackfic
OPT-INS
I wholeheartedly welcome the following:
- Character death
- Bad/tragic/downer endings
- Horror
- Violence/gore
- References to/discussion of sexual content and canon prior relationships
- A requested character not actually appearing in the fic (they can be out of the room/missing/dead/whatever, as long as they're still important to the story in some way)
- Second-person POV
- Epistolary (broadly defined, any type of in-universe document--letters, emails, newspaper articles, social media, etc.)
- Interactive fiction
SAFETY FANDOM INFO
I have requested a couple of manga fandoms that qualify as safeties. They are:
All Hallow's Even by Suzukake Shuuji: one volume, available in English on Amazon.com (99 cents or free with Kindle Unlimited). Or can be read for free in Japanese here. Ignore the claims that it's yaoi, I kind of question that it's even BL at all.
Shirogane no Ou by Aoto Takane: three volumes (consisting of Shirogane no Ou and Shirogane no Ou -Fenrir Craft-). This has not been licensed in English, but scanlations are available.
FANDOMS
Prompts are just possible jumping-off points. If you've got another idea, absolutely go with it!
I've written different amounts for different fandoms and relationships, but please do not think that if I've written more, it must mean I want it more. If I've listed it here, it's because I really want to see it!
Generally speaking, I consume my media in Japanese and I neither know nor care how things are romanized and/or translated into English. I encourage you to use whatever versions you want.
All Hallow's Even [SAFETY]
Tsuge Tadao/Kodama Yuuji
These two combine so many things I love. Instant connection the first time they meet? Check. Only one of them remembers their
I was absolutely charmed by Tsuge--he's this weather-worn, soft-spoken, blandly pleasant middle-aged man, but he can MESS YOU UP. And Yuuji is a total failboat of a vampire--why drink blood when he can eat fresh-baked bread instead! I love their relationship and their interactions, everything from Yuuji's silly jealous streak to Tsuge's gentle teasing to their backstory that's basically just I WILL DO ALL THE THINGS FOR YOU. I can't get over how Tsuge's mild-mannered smile just drops when Yuuji is in trouble, or how Yuuji would rather leave someone behind than be left behind but he's willing to be left behind as many times as it takes as long as Tsuge eventually comes back to him ;-;
Some prompts:
··Tsuge doesn't have his memories of the past, so he has to fall in love from scratch each time, and Yuuji can only wait and hope
··...or are there incarnations where Tsuge doesn't fall in love again? ;-;
··the reason Yuuji basically goes into hibernation when his partner isn't there is because he tried it the first time and living without him was unbearable
··all the bittersweet yearning as Tsuge is in quarantine for a month... or years... or the rest of his life
··someone who only sees Yuuji's minor jealous streak at the cafe might think it's one-sided, but that's because they haven't seen Tsuge when Yuuji is actually in danger
··their first case together for the Unusual Phenomena Division!
There's a blink-and-you-miss-it reference to Tsuge being a widower; that's fine to mention if you want. If you want to go into previous incarnations, feel free to do whatever you want with their names. Satonaka-kun is of course welcome, as are all other characters.
Boku no Hero Academia
Midoriya Izuku/Tokoyami Fumikage
I love the possibilities of this ship so much. Tokoyami's occasionally melodramatic emo darkness speaks deeply to my teenage self. I like that he's serious and taciturn but still caring, and I love the whole "noble darkness" thing he has going on, even when (especially when?) it sometimes goes overboard into silliness. His relationship with Dark Shadow fascinates me--how does Tokoyami deal with something that simultaneously is part of him and yet also has its own distinct sentience, something that is fiercely loyal to him but also terribly dangerous to him? As for Izuku, his stubbornness can spill over into pigheadedness at times, but his determination to do good is so genuine and all-encompassing that I can't help but be fond of him even when he's being ridiculous. The two of them approach it in different ways, but they're both incredibly determined to be great heroes. Tokoyami's noble (if melodramatic) darkness against Izuku's "let me shine a beacon of hope" light makes for a great combo. That said, they've got a lot in common, too--genuinely caring, lots of potential, but forced to wrestle with very powerful, dangerous quirks--and that provides a lot of room for mutual respect and understanding.
Some prompts:
··time travel shenanigans! I love all variations on a time loop quirk or a Peggy Sue quirk.
··Izuku and Tokoyami slow burn over their three years at UA
··all the ways in which Izuku thinks Dark Shadow is fascinating
··working together on a case as pro heroes (underground hero Tsukuyomi!)
··Dark Shadow likes to visit Izuku's balcony at night in the dorms
··Tokoyami texts from Kyushu sometimes when he feels kind of lonely
I'm not caught up on the manga yet (I feel like I'll never be caught up on the manga x.x), so please no manga spoilers! Feel free to include other characters (I'm also particularly fond of All Might, Todoroki, Aizawa, and Hawks). Please don't forget about Dark Shadow!
Hanakisou
Kuroto/Hanashiro
Kurotaka/Shirofukurou
any and all possible permutations of Kuroto & Hanashiro & Kurotaka & Shirofukurou & The Researcher
Okay, yes, I love the sad, beautiful winter and the awful crapsack of a world with its cruel worldbuilding and the lovely soundtrack and the plethora of tragic endings etc., but my heart belongs to these characters and all their fraught, tenuous, heartfelt, heartbreaking relationships. Kuroto has so much goodness and gentleness and desire to protect a world that has never cared one whit for him. Hanashiro is in some ways so young and so lost, and yet he's also ruthless when it comes to protecting what he cares about and accomplishing what he's set his mind to (I wonder who he learned that from?). Kurotaka is so much mask and shield, playing at flippancy and casually teasing when in reality there's a storm underneath. Shirofukurou's single-mindedness is misguided and damaging and distancing at best, and yet it comes, I think, from a place that is half desire to do what is right and half fear.
And, of course, these damaged characters have relationships that are, uh, complicated. Hanashiro and Kuroto caring deeply about each other but trapped by their roles, forced by circumstance to hurt each other and themselves and those around them. Kurotaka raising Kuroto to look unflinchingly at a world that will kill him. Hanashiro and the love/hate he bears for Shirofukurou, who raised him with such care and such cruelty. Kurotaka and Shirofukurou being counterparts separated by a huge gulf, ostensibly the same in so many ways but vastly different in origin and purpose and outlook and mindset and character. There are just so many conflicting priorities, so many ways of understanding and viewing the world and their place in it, so many ways of caring that can't always be understood or aren't always accepted. No wonder so many things fall apart in so many ways. And yet, all the same, they do care. They do.
Some prompts:
··any and all post-bad end sorrow/guilt/pining/anger/etc. on anyone's part.
··pre-canon, Hanashiro and Kuroto spending time together like "let's just pretend this is normal and it isn't going to blow up in our faces someday, yep, no problem here"
··even when they both live, that's still a lot of trauma to work through and adjusting to the new world to do; a.k.a. "we got our happy ending, now what"
··Kurotaka vs. Shirofukurou: Round Three, or Twenty, or One Hundred
··time loop! Hanashiro loops because it's better than losing Kuroto. The birds go to war via time loops. All the time loops.
··where it goes (or doesn't go) from "hey there, beautiful, nice to meet you"; or, Kurotaka's life is divided into Before Shirofukurou and After Shirofukurou
··what if Kuroto had decided to go to war against the Savior?
I have both played the game and read the manga, so feel free to use either one. For the game, I'm happy with any route, including bad ends. Or feel free to diverge from canon into new endings, if that's your bag! All other characters also welcome.
Hikaru no Go
Shindou Hikaru/Touya Akira
Hikaru no Go is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of sports/gaming animanga. I'm so impressed by the character growth we see over the course of the series, for both Hikaru and Akira. Hikaru starts as such a brat, and okay, in some ways he still is kind of a punk, but he learns such dedication and determination and appreciation through Sai, through Go, and through his rivalry with Akira. And Akira, too, learns so much through their rivalry--dedication and determination, yes, but also connection, and vulnerability, and, I think, how to make Go meaningful on his own terms. I love how their rivalry develops from intrigue to fixation to something akin to friendship. Their push-pull of trying to prove themselves worthy as each other's rival, the hot-headed intensity as they chase desperately after each other, and the connection and understanding they develop for each other--there's a reason that Sai thought they'd basically been made for each other.
Some prompts:
··Go as a method of communication
··does Hikaru ever tell Akira about Sai?
··what they do on May 5th one, five, ten, twenty years down the line
··what is it like juggling being both romantic partners and Go professionals and rivals?
··views of their relationship from the outside (Sai, parental units, fellow Go pros, the Go world at large?)
··their first time meeting in a title match
··realizing, "Oh, all these intense Go rivalry feelings are not just Go rivalry feelings"
··finding the Hand of God in each other
I've both read the manga and watched the anime, so feel free to go to Hokuto Cup etc. if you'd like. I also love Sai and his enormous impact on Hikaru's (and Akira's) life, so I'd love anything you want to do with him!
Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID-
Konoe/Asato
Konoe/Rai
Lamento is one of my favorite VNs. It's the type of save-the-world fantasy plot I grew up on, with really creative, sometimes unsettling worldbuilding, a colorful cast of characters (with love interests I universally like!), and a soundtrack to die for. And Konoe is so great, you guys. He develops from a scared, desperate country boy fleeing for his life to a brave, forthright cat who faces down enormous threats and basically helps save the world. He's definitely young and ignorant of the wider world, and he's vulnerable in some ways, but he has a steely determination, he won't take BS or break, and I love his dry streak.
Asato is a supremely awkward but genuinely good-hearted guy, with a naïveté that's simultaneously kind of charming and kind of sad, and I love how fond and protective he is of Konoe. I like how both of them are too sheltered and too alone and kind of lost in the world but find their footing together. I am always happy to see Asato's puppy-dog loyalty and Konoe's fond exasperation.
Rai is no-nonsense and confident and harsh and kind of seriously damaged, and I like how his icy personality doesn't stop him from having a core of pure fire; his moments of gentleness hit all the harder because he rarely allows it of himself. I like how his brusqueness can be a sign of (and a cover for) fondness and how Konoe can hold his own in the relationship; Rai is an intimidating figure, but Konoe isn't intimidated, and I think Rai respects that.
Some prompts:
··Konoe returns to see (what's left of) Karou; or, maybe Karou is coming back to life?
··Konoe honing his abilities as a Sanga, with some help from his Touga
··both Rai or Asato are dangerous and could definitely hurt Konoe, cue angst about I AM SO DANGEROUS (Konoe: "give me some credit here")
··people who don't know them think Rai acting gruff and aloof means he doesn't really care about Konoe, DANGEROUS MISTAKE TO MAKE
··Rai spends a lot of time trying to convince himself that Konoe is just a valuable Sanga, that's all, there's no other reason he cares so much nope
··remember that time that Rai let Konoe clutch his tail? more of that plz
··Asato's flowers are actually hanahaki flowers
··Asato and Konoe return to Kira; has Kira changed at all?
··Kaltz watches Asato/Konoe from afar
While I ship both Konoe/Asato and Konoe/Rai, I like them separately--I'd rather not see a love triangle or Konoe/Asato/Rai. I have both played the game and read the manga, so feel free to use either one. Feel free to include other characters as well (I'm particularly fond of the Shaman Cat, Kaltz, and Shui).
Shirogane no Ou
King Quatredina/Right-Eye
any combination of King Quatredina & Right-Eye & Lord Shirogane Fenrir
I love the main trio so, so much. I love King's crass, arrogant exterior and his equally crass, arrogant but intensely caring interior (buried deep down), and how he doesn't act like a king "should" but still takes his position seriously in his own way. I love how Right-Eye started out being kind of brusque and not particularly polite to King, but the moment he becomes Right-Eye he's 150% gung-ho loyal and dedicated. I cannot get enough of their relationship--how they constantly try to protect each other from other people and also from themselves, how they'll do basically anything for each other, how they are unwavering and unyielding in their loyalty to each other, and also how utterly fail they are at communication. I abso-freaking-lutely adore Shirogane, too. I love his ability to be snarky or silly one moment and dead serious the next, and how he's willing to knock King down a peg and how he so very obviously has a soft spot for Right-Eye. I also like the contrast between "immensely destructive weapon capabilities, sole prerogative over who sits on the throne, holds all the real power in the country" and "a floppy wolf pelt who could be stolen away by a pelt-snatcher at any given point in time." I love all three of them so, so much.
Some prompts:
··someone gets abducted, someone else mounts a roaring rampage of rescue
··I will take a zillion versions of "Zoe returns and reclaims his crown, now what," literally a zillion
··Shirogane's origin story, or monarchs he's chosen in the past
··King arguing with his aides and advisors
··political shenanigans--a spy in the palace, a brewing coup, Zephil declares war?
··how did Right-Eye get from Zephil to Quatredina in the first place?
··aaaaall the loyalty kink, literally all of it
··Right-Eye's identity is leaked; how do he and King handle the new upswell in suspicion?
··Shirogane and King trying to keep Right-Eye out of trouble; Shirogane and Right-Eye trying to keep King out of trouble; why does Shirogane have to deal with these idiots?!
Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Shishido Ryou/Ootori Choutarou
Yagyuu Hiroshi/Niou Masaharu
Atobe Keigo/Sanada Gen'ichirou
Tenipuri was one of my first fandoms, and I still have an enormous fondness for it. The Silver Pair just stole my heart. I love Shishido's brashness and stubbornness and dedication and determination, and I love Choutarou's gentleness and politeness and how it hides an incredible power and a spine of steel. And mostly I love them together--Choutarou's loyalty, and Shishido having a soft spot for him that's so big it can be seen from space, and how much they pour into tennis and to each other in order to forge one of the greatest doubles pairs in the incredibly competitive world of Japanese middle school tennis.
The Platinum Pair appeals to my wicked side!
As for the Tango Pair, I'm sorry, I know it's anime filler and whatnot, but you cannot tell me that two people share tango soul music and expect me not to ship it. They're very different in a lot of ways--Atobe flashy where Sanada is staid, Atobe eloquent and self-aggrandizing where Sanada is taciturn and prone to prove his superiority by action--but they're also very similar in some ways--proud, determined, confident, ruthless, but also caring about those they let into their inner circle. Both of these guys are very difficult people to be around, and I think they would absolutely get on each other's nerves, but I also think they get each other in a way that not many people do. Talk about a power couple.
Some prompts:
··ALL THE TENNIS--a regular middle school tennis practice, or working out over the weekend just the two of them, or when they've gone pro, or just casual rallies after they've retired, or--
··playing singles will never feel quite right again
··it's only when they finally arrive at Life After Tennis that they realize just how important they are to each other
··hanahaki on the tennis court, SURPRISE
··they drifted apart after school, because middle school tennis teammates aren't forever, but then they meet again at a school reunion and....
··angst about the future, SHISHIDO'S GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL, THEY'LL NEVER PLAY TOGETHER AGAIN, THIS IS THE END, or Shishido wants to go pro and Choutarou doesn't, is this where their paths diverge, ANGST
··how did Shishido and Choutarou even start training together? And whose idea was the whole doubles thing, anyway?
··the Switch was supposed to be a fun one-off trick, why can't he stop thinking about it
··some people think that Yagyuu is a well-mannered young man and a good role model and Niou will listen to him, ahahahahahaha; or, some people are terrified that Niou is a bad influence who will corrupt good boy Yagyuu, ahahahahahaha
··if you want to go with actual soul music means they're soulmates, I am all here for that
··okay, if Sanada/Atobe actually became a thing, both of their teams would absolutely flip
··every time Atobe and Sanada meet on the pro circuit, it becomes A Thing
··or maybe start playing doubles together for real, this is ridiculous, we all know their tennis and how they play, there's no way this can work, how are they making this work
I haven't kept up with Shin Tenipuri, but I'm not particularly fussed about spoilers. I can do the original series in manga, anime, or musical form. Feel free to include whatever other characters you'd like, including those on other teams: my favorite teams are (predictably) Seigaku, Hyoutei, and Rikkai; on Hyoutei, I'm also fond of Hiyoshi; on Rikkai, I'm also fond of the rest of the Troika and Akaya.
Togainu no Chi
Akira/Keisuke
Oh, man, this ship. They are the backbone of Togainu no Chi to me--Keisuke's decision to follow Akira to Toshima sets into motion so many pieces of the story and influences Akira's decisions, for good and for bad. Akira is my favorite character in the game--I love his stoicism, his determination, and also his ignorance/obliviousness about human relations and interactions. He holds himself aloof from others--not out of any ill will, per se, but he is not the most people-savvy person and he doesn't really know how to connect or interact or understand, and I like that about him, even when it does eventually become a proximate cause to the rupturing of his relationship with Keisuke. And Keisuke is a very close second favorite--his all-encompassing pining for Akira is delicious, and his devotion (obsession) and his inferiority complex (self-loathing) hurt in all the right ways. I love the arc of their relationship, from unequal to falling apart to destructive to (in some ends) rebuilt with greater understanding. Their friendship was genuine, but it was also extremely flawed, with failures to communicate and lies of omission and a lack of understanding and an unhealthy avoidance of conflict, and I think it was inevitable that they would splinter in some way. The messiness is part of the appeal, and I like it both when they work things out (with difficulties) and when it ends in tragedy.
Some prompts:
··once upon a time, Keisuke told himself that being Akira's friend was enough (spoiler: he was wrong)
··Keisuke detoxes after a bad ending and realizes oh no what have I done
··Keisuke dies, and too late Akira understands and has to somehow come to terms with everything (optional realization that he was in love, too)
··what was life at the orphanage like?
··they both get out alive, but that's just the beginning and even though they love each other things are such a mess (and is love alone even enough?)
··or, yes, love is enough to make it work, but that doesn't stop the PTSD and the ghosts and the memories
··Keisuke time loops trying to save Akira, but there's only one way to do it (a.k.a. the True Ending)
··one-sided soulmates. last words soulmarks. soulmates mean one is destined to kill the other. all the tragic soulmates plz
··uh, if you want to go Motomi/Akira where Akira has conflicted feelings and tries to make sense of everything that happened with Keisuke and Motomi is like "I once loved someone else, too," consider that an exception to my "no unrequested ships" DNW
Feel free to go for whatever endings you want (with references to other ships excluded). Discussion of/reference to sexual content is just fine, but please nothing explicit on the page. I'm not particularly interested in Vischio characters, although I don't mind them as background. I have no preferences for how to romanize Line/Rein/whatever.
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Bruno/Fudou Yuusei
I'm a sucker for characters who are instantly great friends, so I was charmed by Bruno and Yuusei's relationship from the very beginning. I love that Yuusei and the gang basically take Bruno in and accept him as one of their own, and that Bruno slides into Team 5D's so seamlessly. I love that even after the Antimony reveal, Yuusei refuses to believe that their friendship was a lie; I love that his faith was rewarded in Bruno's final moments. And that tragic ending hurts soooo good. On that note, I love the tragedy of their relationship, so I'm not particularly interested in fix-it fic where Bruno survives (unless you can turn it angsty or tragic in another way!).
Some prompts:
··Yuusei only realizes too late his own feelings; or, Yuusei isn't sure of his own feelings, but being denied the possibility of ever finding out where it might have gone is painful in its own right
··that thing where you know your soulmate will die; or, only realizing after he died that he was your soulmate (I just want angsty last words soulmarks, plz)
··Bruno's POV, eventually knowing how it will all end but still falling in love despite himself
··what if Bruno falls in love and then remembers, now suddenly everything he feels about Yuusei has this whole other dimension aaaahhhhh
··is it weird that Yuusei fell in love so quickly? it's weird, isn't it
··all of Team 5D's mourn Bruno, but Yuusei's mourning is something else, and that's when they realize--
··traveling back in time to save each other, but it never works; or, traveling back in time to make things right or at least better, and canon is the successful timeline
Feel free to include other characters as you'd like (I'm particularly fond of Jack and Carly), but please keep Crow to small doses. I don't mind him appearing along with the rest of Team 5D's, but please don't make him the focus or main POV character of the fic.
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Yuuki Juudai/Johan Andersen
Juudai is quite possibly my favorite shounen protagonist of all time. I love his optimistic, genki, hot-blooded gung-ho attitude at the beginning of the series; I love his descent into darkness; I love how he claws his way out of the darkness and fights to come to terms with what he's done, and I love how, by the end of the series, he's matured and become jaded and lost some of his blind idealism, but is ultimately still a good person who still believes in goodness and who tries to do good. I also adore Johan, for a lot of the same reasons that I love Juudai--he's positive, bright, brave, determined and true. He throws himself in whole-heartedly and without reservation. And I love their relationship most of all. They believe in each other, they understand each other, they go above and beyond for each other--the sacrifices they're willing to make for each other, the absolute trust they have in each other--they're kindred spirits, like they were meant to find each other.
Some prompts:
··their first reunion post-canon, accompanied by an emotional wave of oh no I'm so in love
··or, the gradual slide from friendship to more
··duels are a completely valid method of communication and also of expressing love
··Juudai's relationship with Yubel is something completely different, but that doesn't stop Johan from feeling like he's second-best
··Johan wants to be the one Juudai comes home to; or, Juudai wants Johan to be the one he can come home to; or both, both is good
··are we not going to have a conversation about how Yubel basically accused them of being in love? (answer: no, because it's unrequited and what's the point)
··long-distance relationships (are lonely? are easier when you have confidence in your feelings for each other?)
··they drift apart over time, even though they meant so much to each other back then ;-; (and then maybe drift back together <3)
··Johan understands why Juudai needs to roam the world, but that doesn't mean he likes it
··if we could just go back in time and avoid all the alternate dimension/Haou/Yubel stuff, that would be great (spoiler: it doesn't quite work according to plan)
··is there anything they would not do for each other? The next crisis proves: no, no there is not
Feel free to include whatever other characters you'd like (especially Winged Kuriboh and the Gem Beasts!). I would rather see Yubel acknowledged than ignored. I watched the anime in the original Japanese, and so I'd prefer to see fic about Juudai and Johan, not Jaden and Jesse.
