v8roadworrier

Hi! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!! This is my first Yuletide so I have tried to do everything correctly, and I apologize if I messed up! My AO3 is Owlship and my tumblr is v8roadworrier, feel free to snoop around :)


First up, I got kinda wordy in this letter, so I just want to remind you that Optional Details Are Optional! Seriously, as long as you don't plow through a DNW, even if you ignore every single trope I listed as a "like", I'll be more than happy with whatever fic you write for me. I'm providing prompts for the people who like more specific ideas to get inspiration from, not because I'm trying to box you into only writing me x thing.

General Likes-

I am primarily a shipper so I've included my main ship for each fandom, but have no fear because I do like gen fic as well!

My favorite shipping trope is pining, the more excruciatingly drawn-out the better.

My favorite non-ship trope is crack treated seriously! I love seeing worldbuilding for weird things, like "hanahaki disease" or a 'verse where everyone is colorblind until they meet their soulmate, or just characters reacting to bizarre happenstances- getting bit by a werewolf in a previously non-werewolf piece of media, etc- with 100% seriousness.

I strictly-canon fics, I like AU's, I like fluff, I like smut, I like action, I like introspection, I like h/c, I like slice-of-life, I like pretty much every genre of fic except for "everything is awful forever" levels of angst.
I have a special affinity for AU's so I'm sorry but most of my prompts are AU in one way or another,,,,,,,, The good news is you can ignore my prompts in whole or in part! Yay! ODAO and tbh I've just written the first ideas that came to mind, which tend to be AU's because I find them easier to blurt out.

Some favorite tropes: Pining, Soulmates, Fake Dating, Arranged Marriage, Bodyswap, Animal Transformation, They Live In A Tiny House And Take Naps Dammit, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics and Deconstructions, Whump, Wingfic, Emotional Obliviousness but also Men Doing Their Own Emotional Labor, Dragonrider AU's (Pern or otherwise), IN SPAAAAACE, Getting Together/First Time fics, did I mention Pining, Tropes Played Straight but also Tropes Deconstructed, Adopting A Pet Together, Didn't Know They Were Dating/Married, Fics that are Overly Specific because you the author have Personal Experience with it, Competency, Characters Having Unexpected Skills

(Thinking about writing PWP? Yuleporn comment with likes & prompts here!)

I Do Not Want-

-Unhappy endings (bittersweet is okay, "realistic" is okay, happy-for-now is okay, ambiguous/open endings are okay, angst that gets better is okay. What I don't want is "actually they hate each other now" or "the world is rotten & everything is awful always" type endings)

-The characters that I requested dying

-Rape/non-con (dub-con, sex pollen, in heat, x made them do it, drunk!sex, etc are fine if everyone is at least somewhat okay with things)

-Scat/watersports/vomit/gore (non-graphic mentions, like a character being sick, are okay)

-Ageplay/Infantilism
-Gender/sexuality insults as kink
-Race Fetish or Racism kink
-Recreational Drug Use (Alcohol is okay)
-Smoking/Vaping

-Mundane AU if not specifically requested (ie, keep the magic & monsters in the fic if you AU it)

-Fics focused on a ship that isn't requested (including unrequested poly)
The Eagle DNW: No modern AU's at all, please.
-Don't erase/heal Marcus' leg injury completely (it does not have to play a major role, but don't have him run marathons etc)
The Shape of Water DNW: I don't want the Creature (Asset) to be called "the Asset" by Elisa, pls (but what she does call him is up to you)
-Don't erase/"fix"/heal Elisa's muteness

The Eagle | The Eagle of the Ninth (2011) - Marcus Flavius Aquila & Esca MacCunoval
I ship Marcus/Esca, will also read Marcus/Esca/Cottia, and am fine with them being platonic as well

NB: I signed up for movieverse, but I don't really have a preference for book vs movie and will happily read fics that blend the two (especially if it includes Cub ❤ )

The first prompt that comes to mind is for an A/B/O AU. I would love to see how that sort of biology would affect things! I imagine Marcus would be an alpha or beta, or pretend to be one, in order to serve as a centurion- but maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Rome thinks omegas are the perfect soldiers, or maybe he never became a soldier in this AU at all! I bet the Britons look at A/B/O differently, does that cause Esca to clash with Marcus? Or maybe you just want to write some filthy, plotless smut! In which case, I'm perfectly okay with all the usual A/B/O tropes as well as mpreg.

What if Esca had decided not to go back to Rome after retrieving the eagle? How does Marcus explain Esca's absence? Does Esca try and make a new life with another tribe? Maybe Marcus hands over the eagle and then goes back over the wall looking for Esca. Or maybe Esca goes back south to the empire eventually. If you decide to marry one of the boys to Cottia or an OC, pls don't throw her in a ditch if they reunite; poly and/or messy feelings are perfectly okay with me in this one. This idea doesn't have to serve up a happy ending, so long as it's not total angst where they actively hate each other or someone is contemplating suicide

One of the things I really like about this fandom is the setting, so any sort of fic would be excellent that explores not necessarily the political & military stuff of the era (not my area of interest tbh), but the social aspects, the religions, the rhythm of life when you have to farm for yourself vs being rich enough to hunt only for leisure, the uncomfortable reality of owning/being a slave, the excitement of finally getting a rare cheese imported, the occasional language/culture mishap, etc. Maybe Esca tries to participate in some Roman traditions, or get Marcus involved in his traditions/religion which Esca may or may not remember in full himself.

*Consent as we know it didn't really exist in Rome at the time. Especially when one person was a slave. So if you feel it's important for the fic, you have my permission to discuss sex that in our modern world we'd call rape (ie, Esca as a slave can't consent, Marcus sleeping with a slave who can't say no, soldiers being horrible, etc). I don't want graphic retellings, I don't want the entire fic to be focused on rape or rape aftermath/recovery, and I don't want either Marcus or Esca to be intentionally raping anyone. But you don't have to pretend it never happened if you don't want to.

Gargoyles - Elisa Maza & Goliath
I ship Elisa/Goliath, am okay with them being platonic, and if it comes up I prefer Goliath/Demona to be a former relationship only

How about a fic that explores the cultural differences between humans and gargoyles. Are there any rituals/trials Elisa has to go through to make her place in the clan official? Do gargoyles act differently when they're with only their clan versus around humans? Does Goliath ever have to remind the trio that humans don't heal overday and they should be careful roughhousing? Maybe they decide to have a "traditional" meal that's half Scottish classics, half the gargoyles trolling Elisa with weird foods- or maybe there really are dishes that are common to gargoyles and not humans. Gargoyle-specific holidays? Elisa trying to introduce them to modern fashion?

Daemon fic! What if human had daemons but gargoyles don't. Or gargoyles have daemons and humans don't. Or gargoyles are daemons. Or both species have daemons, and how that shaped earlier humans' acceptance of gargoyles. Maybe going to Avalon made Elisa able to see daemons when everyone else can't. Maybe Puck casts a spell and gives people daemons for the first time. I just love daemon AU's, and would enjoy seeing the characters interacting with the trope.

I'm also interested in a historical AU- pick your favorite time period, including the future (do gargoyles still turn to stone if they're in a spaceship?), and go nuts. Maybe it's the 1800's and Elisa is the new sheriff in the Wild West, maybe the Castle Wyvern curse never happened and it's still Scotland in the 900's, maybe it's Pride and Prejudice and Gargoyles (admittedly a Gothic might be more fitting), etc. If you feel like you can plunk Elisa into your chosen time period without whitewashing her that is fantastic, if you can't, then I'm happy with Goliath (and Clan) gen!

And finally: outsider POV! I love it. Pick any character you want other than Goliath & Elisa, or make up an OC, or use an inanimate object, whatever. I just want to see Elisa and Goliath (and any other clan members you want) from someone else's POV, during any time period of the show (or post-canon). Maybe it's a rookie cop partnered with Elisa for the night who had the good sense to look up, maybe it's someone who already knows about gargoyles like Maggie, maybe it's another major player like Xanatos. The catch here is that I don't really want a fic about whichever character you picked for POV- I would like the focus of the fic to be on Elisa & Goliath (& Clan).

Howl Series - Diana Wynne Jones - Sophie Hatter & Howl Pendragon
I ship Sophie/Howl, would prefer them not to be platonic but pre-relationship is fine

(An important tidbit is I have not read the sequels, just the first book (and movie). I don't mind spoilers, but probably don't rely too heavily on info from the sequels)

How about just a slice of life post-canon fic, preferably right after Sophie & Howl admitted their feelings and are realizing that they have no clue how to actually like, be in a romantic relationship together. Maybe the first time they sleep together- not necessarily have sex, but actually share a bed. Or someone in town saying hello to Sophie and asking after Howl as well, and she realizes that she's part of a couple in people's minds now. Possibly Micheal proposes a double date now that he's with Sophie's sister and awkwardness ensues

Sophie has magic and I desperately want to see her learn to use it. Does she just keep going on as she's started, does she go find a teacher, does Howl try to teach her? (if Howl teaches her, pls no condescension on his part) What becomes her favorite trick, what spell constantly eludes her, does she keep talking to things for her magic to work or does she come up with another method?

Speaking of magic, I'd love a silly fic where there's some magic mishap and Sophie and/or Howl has to deal with the consequences. Maybe Howl is out and Micheal messes up a spell, and it's up to Sophie to fix things before Howl gets home and can flip out. Maybe Howl and Calcifer try to do something to surprise Sophie, but makes a mistake/gets interrupted/etc and has to fix things before she gets home and flips out. Maybe one or both touches a random Cursed Artifact and becomes a cat for a week, or bodyswap, etc. Just- there's magic! The hijinks potential is basically unlimited!

I didn't request Calcifer as a character but I do love him, so if you offered "Any" hoping to write him go ahead! I'd enjoy seeing how he and Howl came to their agreement, the early days of working together, when things started falling apart between them... I'd also enjoy reading about what happens after the book! Again, haven't read the sequels, so feel free to go nuts with your particular headcanons, I won't know the difference. :) Or maybe just a fireside chat he and Sophie had during the book.

The Shape of Water - Elisa Esposito & The Creature (Asset)
I ship Elisa/the Creature but am okay with them being platonic

I would really love to see an AU where the Creature is female! And is recognized as such by everyone, not a case of humans misinterpreting her sex/gender. Preferably this is still a romance, but doesn't need to be if that's not your jam. I would prefer that female!Creature not get raped/molested "for science" while at the lab, but am willing to have it implied if you feel it's important to the overall fic because sadly it does seem likely. It's up to you whether fem!Creature has boobs or not ;b

Soulmate AU please, ideally where there's some visible sign of a soulmate match (not dependent on verbal/written communication, ie no names or "first words", unless you're going to explore the ramifications of such a system with these non-verbal (& illiterate in the Creature's case) characters)- like a matching tattoo/marking, or you glow when you touch your soulmate, or you share dreams, or bodyswap when you meet, etc. I want to see Elisa reacting to having a non-human soulmate and then I want to see how everyone else reacts to her having a non-human soulmate (or just the people she tells/who figure it out). Could also be really fun/interesting to do this from the Creature's pov, since I assume his species have different norms than us humans.

For a non-AU prompt how about a scene of Elisa & the Creature interacting at the lab in more detail than the movie showed- what was the first time she played music for him? What foods did Elisa give him that he ended up loving or hating? How much vocab was she able to teach him?- or any other sort of "missing scene" from the movie- give them an extra day at her apartment, or tell me how the car trip to the docks went, etc

Post-canon, I prefer to believe Elisa lived- so show me her new life! :) I especially would love worldbuilding with at least a smidge of realism, but just fluff or smut or whatever catches your fancy is also good. Where will she & the Creature live- together, or separate? Does he have family to reunite with, or is he the only one? Does his magic healing mojo change anything about her or does she stay completely human? Does she have to get used to an all-raw-fish diet? How tricky is it having sex in open water? Feel free to explore any aspect that interests you!