Press Start letter

[rhovanel]

Dear Press Start creator (dear game master?),

 

*Keanu voice* Gosh, I love video games!

Thank you so much for creating something for me - I am so excited to be participating in this exchange, and I can't wait to see what you come up with. I’m always thrilled to receive anything that someone has made for me, so don’t worry, I’ll be happy with whatever you create. All of my prompts are just possible prompts, and if you have your own idea or plot bunny, you are welcome to chase it. You are also welcome to mix and match prompts - if I've written a prompt for one pairing that you think might work for another, I will probably like it. And cameos from other canon characters (outside of my requests) are always very welcome.

 

My taste is generally broad - I'm happy with any rating, with anything from gen to shipfic and anything from slice-of-life stories to long, plotty adventures. I’ve included a list of general likes below, but you're by no means beholden to them.
 

Warning: all of my requests contain spoilers, proceed at your own caution.

 

General likes:

• stories that play with form and narrative: epistolary, poetry, time loops, etc.
• angst - break my heart, author
• stories about storytelling and the power of narratives 
• found families
• bittersweet endings
• stories about the power of hope and persevering through difficult times 
• character studies
• complex protagonists and antagonists - i.e. both with morally grey, but understandable, motivations
• heists and adventures
• characters who are competent and unapologetic about who they are
• stars, trees, and the sea

Relationship likes:

• mutual pining-happy ending narratives
• stories about falling in love
• enemies (to friends) to lovers
• relationships based in communication - talking, challenging and testing one another, wordy declarations/gestures of love
• talking/flirting/falling in love through dancing
• banter, bickering, and humour
• equal power dynamics between people
• moments of quiet intimacy 
• first kisses
• gift giving
• there’s only one bed
• “holy shit they’re hot in that outfit”
• porn with feelings
• Smut likes: talking during sex, non-penetrative sex, oral sex, desperate sex, arguing that leads to sex, sex in places outside of a bed (although beds are good too!), anything to do with hands and touching (hands in hair, hands pinning wrists/legs, fingering), kissing, body worship, extended foreplay, switching, explicit consent. 

Art likes: Honestly, if you’re drawing me something I will probably backflip out the window, because I have no artistic talent and am constantly in awe of what other people produce. I am fond of non-sexual intimacy between characters, and mundane, slice-of-life moments, and I love bold colours and interesting line work. I like tarot style art, art nouveau, and comics (!!!). And if you'd like to draw me some smut, go right ahead (just tag it so I don't accidentally open it on a bus). 

Fanvids: VIDS. As above, I will fling myself at the sun if someone makes me a vid, but again, I don't really know how to prompt for vids. I like character studies, and I like snappy editing, and I like things that play with form in some way. If you're interested, you can look at my Jukebox letter to get a tiny snapshot into my music taste, but I'd rather you pick a song that speaks to you.

DNWs:

• pairings with a major power imbalance (e.g. student/teacher, etc)
• incest
• underage
• non-con or dub-con
• stories with internalised prejudice as the main theme (homophobia, racism, sexism, transphobia, etc)
• kidfic
• character de-aging (e.g. high school AUs)
• abuse (physical or emotional)
• A/B/O dynamics or mpreg 
• complete AUs unless specifically requested (canon-divergence is fine)
• pregnancy

Anthem; Assassin's Creed; Crossover Fandom; Dishonored; Dragon Age; Mass Effect

Anthem

I went into Anthem out of curiosity and a deep-seated loyalty to Bioware, and I came out with a new group of favourite characters and a broken heart. Yep, I got Biowared by Bioware, I don’t know what I expected.

 

I loved the world, the story, and the people of Anthem, and I would have adored a much longer campaign. Give me more content! I'm particularly interested in the cyphers (hence my requests), and I'd like to see more about who the cyphers are, how they work, and what their relationships with their Freelancers are like.

Matthias Erryl Sumner

MATTHIAS. I loved him from his first appearance - cocky and sure of himself, curious and dedicated - and then I was rewarded three times over, I have never been more blessed. I am fascinated with the idea of his split personality, and I would particularly love something that takes place after the split (although backstory is good too). I am also very taken with the Arcanists themselves - we get such fascinating hints at their politics and society - and something that fleshes that out would be amazing. But in all honesty, just give me conversations between the Matthiases. 

Possible prompts:

• One of the Matthiases goes missing/is kidnapped, and the other two have to work together to get him back.
• Matti makes a comment about "liking a man in uniform", and I would die for a story in which Matti gets himself involved in a romance (possibly even with a male Freelancer) and the others try and offer him hints/help
• The Arcanists want to send for the Matthiases to study them - how do they react? How do they resist?
   

Faye Navine

 

I adored the cyphers and Faye is fascinating here - she's confident and collected and fairly reserved, but with flashes of delightful humour. I really liked the relationship between Faye and the Freelancer - that instant sense of camaraderie and trust, something you only get through a long friendship. I'd love to see more of that history.

 

Possible prompts:

• Any kind of mission - give me action and adventure!
• Something set after the endgame, after Faye has heard (and resisted) the Anthem. Does she keep resisting it? 
• I'd love to see some of her history - how did she become a Cypher? How did she meet the Freelancer? How did they become such good friends?
• Bonus points for anything involving the radio dramas.

 

Female Freelancer and Owen Corley; Female Freelancer/Owen Corley

 

Well, this one hurts. I adored Owen, despite, perhaps, my better judgement - arrogant and insecure and oh so vulnerable. The relationship between the Freelancer and Owen absolutely broke my heart - it feels very much a like a betrayal that goes both ways - and I’d love a story that explores their dynamic in more detail.

 

Possible prompts:

• What happens after the events of the end game? Does the Freelancer seek out Owen, and do they reunite? I NEED ANSWERS. (feel free to angst this up)
• The two of them met when they were younger and shared what sounds like a pretty wild week together. What did they get up to? Why did they connect so strongly?
• I’d love a story about a mission with the two of them working together as a team - some action, some hurt-comfort, some banter - give me a solid, supportive relationship.
• If you want to do something a little more fun, I would love some fake dating with these two. 

Assassin's Creed

I'm requesting my favourite AC game here, which is (and, I suspect, may always be) Syndicate. I love the setting of Victorian London, I love the steampunk elements, the crossovers with history (Darwin! Dickens! Marx!), and the whole aesthetic (the clothes! the technology! the grimy, foggy streets!). But I mainly love it for the protagonists, bisexual disaster twins Jacob and Evie Frye. 

Note: I haven't played the Jack the Ripper DLC and I'm not super familiar with it, so I'd prefer to keep this around the time of the main game. 

Evie Frye/Lucy Thorne

I love these two badass women, who were such great foils for one another in the game. I like the way they have so many of the same characteristics - dedication, fierce intelligence, a strong interest in the Pieces of Eden. While they do kind of explicitly loathe one another in the game, the tension between them is, well, pretty hot, and I think in better circumstances, they might have a strong, if passionately competitive, relationship.

Possible prompts:

• They have to work together to protect a Piece of Eden from a greater threat (or, possibly, just being seized cluelessly by a collector for a private/museum collection). How does this change their relationship?
• Running into one another when they're both undercover at a (masquerade?!) ball
• Any kind of AU scenario in which they're not entirely opposed to one another - Lucy leaves the Templars for some reason, maybe they both meet when they're younger and studying
• Give me some kind of warped version of the flower language courtship 
• If, like me, you liked the "memories" missions with the historical figures, I would DIE for a story involving these two and Ada Lovelace - maybe Ada Lovelace has a piece of Eden and the two are racing against one another to retrieve it?
• I can imagine a time loop scenario with these two - a Piece of Eden throws one of them into a time loop (maybe covering the events of the game). How does this change their relationship?
• Honestly, if you just wanted to give me some hate sex, I would be 100% here for it (as long as it's consensual) 

Jacob Frye/Crawford Starrick; Jacob Frye/Maxwell Roth

Jacob is such a mess - impulsive, reckless, beautifully sarcastic - but I love the fact that everything he does is based in a belief that he's genuinely doing the right thing (even if it always blows up in his face). I am so intrigued by his sexuality, which explains a lot about his character, and I wish it had been made a little more explicit in the game itself.

Jacob Frye/Maxwell Roth

"A chance to have a little fun with the bravest man in London!" Oh my god. I was really fascinated by their strange little relationship, which I read as Jacob's sexual awakening, or one of the first times he let himself be attracted to a man. Roth is absolutely trying to flirt with Jacob, and I'd love something that looks at how Jacob responds to that.

Possible prompts:

• We only get a few brief scenes in the game, but I'd love to see some more of Roth's "outings", anything from from the adventurous (a train job!) to the more intimate (dinner, a night time stroll).
• Because this is Victorian London, after all: after Roth dies, he returns to haunt Jacob (he would absolutely be the most annoying ghost). How does Jacob deal with this? How does this influence his feelings for Roth? This can be anywhere from humour to full angst. 
• Roth decides that Jacob is going to be his champion in the fight clubs as a money-making scheme - some hurt/comfort would be GREAT here

Jacob Frye/Crawford Starrick

These two are such interesting foils for one another - Starrick is so calm and rarely raises his voice; Jacob is so passionate and impulsive. There's an interesting dynamic here in terms of Jacob trying to come to terms with his sexuality, and how Starrick, who is older, more experienced, and, it seems, very sure of himself, might help him.

Possible prompts:

• Jacob spends his evenings tailing Starrick and learns something about who he prefers to take to his bed - how does he react? Does Starrick know that he's watching him (and maybe starts picking up young men with a strange resemblance to Jacob?)
• Starrick dances with Jacob instead of Evie at the ball (whether in a private moment, or whether you just want to make it that no one cares about that sort of thing in this version of Victorian London)
• Starrick starts frequenting Jacob's fight club matches, a silent figure watching in the background, but he's always gone before Jacob can call him out.

Crossover Fandom

Carmen Sandiego (Carmen Sandiego) & Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)

WHO NOMINATED THIS??? Whoever you are, I salute you and I love you, I did not realise that I needed this in my life until now. These two are such strong women, with similar yet divergent goals, and I would adore to see them meet. There are so many possibilities here - friends, enemies, antagonists who actually like one another - and it's up to you what path you want to go down.

Note: I am more familiar with Carmen Sandiego (and I have a real soft spot for the 1996 version) than I am with the Tomb Raider franchise, but you can play in whichever world you please (just be aware that references to Tomb Raider might go over my head).

Possible prompts:

• Every time Lara goes to collect a relic, Carmen seems to have gotten there first, stealing away the relics (and leaving a mocking note/object behind). How does Lara deal with this? Is she frustrated, or intrigued by the game?
• Lara gets recruited by ACME to try and help them track Carmen down - perhaps she absolutely wants to, maybe she decides that Carmen isn't that bad after all.
• The two meet while undercover (I presume Carmen is always undercover), and discover that maybe they have more in common than they thought.
• If you want to branch out into the wider Carmen Sandiego world, I would die for a time travel story in which Lara ends up time travelling with (or perhaps in the wake of) Carmen - for a mission or for pleasure
• (obvs this is a gen pairing but if you want to throw in some slash hints, I will eat them up with a spoon)

Dishonored

I just finished playing through this a couple of weeks ago and I LOVED it, I don't know why it took me so long. I loved the world - the steampunk elements, the politics, the lore (particularly everything to do with The Outsider). I also adored Corvo, who has such a sense of personality even though he never speaks.

Note: I haven't played anything past the first game yet (although I probably will have by the time of reveals), and I prefer Low Chaos Corvo. I am happy with Corvo as mute or as simply taciturn.

Corvo Attano/Samuel Beechworth

I went into the game expecting to lose my mind over Corvosider (which I did), but this was the ship that came out of nowhere and surprised me. I really loved their dynamic - Samuel cares about Corvo in a way that no one else seems to, and he's such a rock at a time when Corvo's whole life is falling apart. I'd love to see anything that explores their relationship.

Possible prompts:

• Some hurt/comfort would be great here - Samuel caring for a hurt Corvo after a mission (particularly when everyone else just wants to throw him back into the fray), or Corvo looking after Samuel (perhaps if something goes awry and he gets injured during their escape).
• Samuel also genuinely cares for Emily, and I'd love something with the three of them - maybe they go to visit Samuel post-game and Corvo slowly falls in love
• I am OBSESSED with the idea of Samuel waiting anxiously on the river for a signal, hoping that Corvo was going to make it back to the Hounds Pit Pub at the end of the game - I'd love to see something from Samuel's POV here
• Samuel makes carvings - what if he carves things for Corvo as a courtship gesture? How long does it take Corvo to realise what's happening?

Dragon Age

I LOVE DRAGON AGE. God, I love Dragon Age - the world, the lore, and above all, the characters. I love the complex worldbuilding, the epic stakes, the tough moral dilemmas (and the grey morality), and how genuine the relationships between the characters are. I'm requesting a few single characters here as well as some pairings.

If the Warden, Hawke, and/or the Inquisitor makes an appearance, I have no preference for race/gender/personality - give them whatever identity you would prefer. 

 

Alistair/Zevran Arainai

 

I always love these two together - Alistair's terrible awkwardness meets Zevran's smooth teasing. I'd love to see an outrageous Zevran, a flustered Alistair, but a genuine connection between the two of them. They both have a lot to offer one another's problems and perspective, and I'd love something that allows them to learn from one another. If you're writing post-DAO, any world state is fine.

 

Possible prompts:

• I would DIE for something set around the time of (or after) Inquisition - give me older, wiser Wardens! How do their paths cross again? How does their experience change their relationship?
• They end up stranded in the field together, and if they’re going to get back to camp in one piece, they’ll have to learn to work together (and share a tent)
• Zevran infiltrating some kind of fancy event which Alistair is attending (either as king or a Grey Warden representative) - hijinks ensue
• Post-DAO: Alistair accidentally hires Zevran for a job OR Zevran accidentally takes on a contract against Alistair
• These two always work well in AUs, so if an AU takes your fancy, I will love it (but no high school AUs, please)

 

Cassandra Pentaghast/Varric Tethras 

 

Oh, I adore the relationship between the two of them, and how it evolves over the course of the games. By the end of Inquisition, there’s such a genuine sense of affection and fondness between the two of them. I’d love anything that explores how much they really care for one another, underneath their banter. I would particularly adore a prickly Cassandra being courted by Varric (maybe it starts as a joke and then Varric realises he’s in way too deep).

 

Possible prompts:

• Fake. Dating. If there was ever a pair that was made for this trope, it’s these two.
• They’re also made for an epistolary romance - Varric’s skill with words meets Cassandra’s careful and hesitant prose.
• Post-inquisition meeting the family/friends - either Cassandra ends up in Kirkwall, or Varric meets up with Cassandra in Nevarra
• It's a classic, but: Varric writing a story with a thinly fictionalised (and romanticised) Cassandra as the heroine - what happens when she finds out?

Dorian Pavus

Oh, Dorian. He is one of the best-written video game characters of all time -  his arc is so satisfying and rewarding and I cry every single time. I love his sense of humour, I love how he is both so sure of himself and so vulnerable, I love how completely, utterly brave he is. I'm requesting him by himself here because I would love a character study of Dorian - and art/vids are particularly welcome here.

Possible prompts:

• Pre-Inquisition: we know a little about what Dorian's life was like before he joins the Inquisition, but I'd love anything that fleshes that out. A first romance? His escape from his father's house? His friendship with Felix? My only specific request is that I don't want any underage sex, please, so if you're writing an early romance, keep it 18+.
• Dorian's perspective during the events of Inquisition would be fascinating. How does he feel about the south - the weather, the traditions, the people? How does his time with the Inquisition change his priorities and his own self-perspective, particularly to do with his sense of self-worth? Anything is fine here - Dorian out in the field grumbling, Dorian at the Winter Palace, etc.
• Post-Inquisition/Post-Trespasser: Oh my god, would I love a post-Inquisition fic for Dorian. How does he go about reforming the Magisterium? How does he respond to the Solas reveal? 
• Anything at all to do with time travel (or a time loop) - I adore In Hushed Whispers and I'm fascinated by the time magic. What happens if Dorian ends up trapped in a time loop? What if he travels back to visit his younger self?

 

Dorian Pavus/Solas

 

Remember that time Varric told Dorian that “just because two people dislike each other doesn't mean they're about to kiss, Sparkler”? Varric, you have never been more wrong about anything in your life.

 

This is my most beloved rare-pair. I LOVE THEM. Their relationship is hostile at first but I think they have so much to offer one another. Solas challenges Dorian ideologically, but Dorian, more than anyone, has the potential to remind Solas of the pleasures of being alive, and the value of this world. I’d love a story in which they realise how they’ve misjudged one another.

 

I will take basically anything with them - enemies to lovers, bickering and sexual tension, established relationship fluff, even Trespasser angst, full on smut - whatever takes your fancy. My only request is that they’re equals in their relationship - no mentor/student-esque dynamics, please. Yes, Solas is basically a god, but I fully believe that Dorian can give him a run for his money - I mean, the man invented time travel AND Skype.

 

Possible prompts:

• They end up stranded in the field together, and if they’re going to get back to camp in one piece, they’ll have to learn to work together 
• Solas once tells Blackwall "You should have seen me when I was younger. Hot-blooded and cocky, always ready to fight." Is this what he sees in Dorian? 
• Of the whole Inquisition, Dorian and Solas were perhaps the most comfortable people at the Winter Palace. Leliana decides to send them out on more undercover missions at balls across Thedas. 
• The Inquisitor asks them to work on devising new (or more efficient) forms of spellcraft, and they spend long nights in the library together on the project. Magic isn’t the only spark that’s in the air. 
• Dorian brings Solas as his date to some magical congress as something of a joke. It doesn't end up being a joke.
• If you look at the infamous early promo image for the game, Dorian and Solas are staring at one another (and you cannot convince me otherwise). In Haven, they’re both in the same courtyard; in Skyhold, they’re together in the library. Why can’t they keep their eyes off one another? Why are they always seeking out one another’s presence? 
• Post-Trespasser. Break my heart, author - and it's entirely up to you if you repair it again.
• FAKE. DATING. Maybe they have to pretend to be a couple when Tevinter comes visiting (to ward off an arranged marriage for Dorian)?
• TIME LOOPS/TIME TRAVEL. So many great possibilities here - Dorian ends up in Ancient Arlathan, Solas goes forward to a time in which he and Dorian are together and he's decided against destroying the world.
• I'm sorry I wrote so many prompts for these two, I am trash for them

Morrigan/Leliana

I love these two individually and I love them even more together. They're absolute equals in their intellect, their cunning, and their determination, but they have very different opinions and ways of seeing the world. I'd love anything with the two of them arguing and debating, and I'm particularly interested in their relationship around the time of Inquisition, when they're both older and wiser.

Possible prompts:

• It's a classic, but: the two meet again for the first time in many years at the Winter Palace (we were ROBBED of that scene, Bioware, honestly) - how do they respond to one another? Bonus points for mutual pining all these years. Extra bonus points for a dance.
• Morrigan takes Leliana into the eluvians, and they get trapped there and have to work out how to return.
• If you want to do something set at the time of Origins, sharing a tent that goes from antagonistic to late night conversations to intimacy is my weakness. 

Mass Effect

I have a very, very special place in my heart for Mass Effect, which is the game that really opened my eyes to what video games could do, in terms of storytelling and characterisation. I'm not sure that I'll ever feel the same about anything as I do about Mass Effect 3, which to me, is perfect. Like with Dragon Age, I love the complex morality, the weighty stakes, and the sense of love and trust and family (found families in space!!!!!). But I also, of course, love the humour.

If you're writing post-ME3, I'd prefer a control or a destroy ending. 

Female Shepard/Aria T'Loak 

*slams fist on table* YES. I love everything about this pairing - I love Aria's confidence and arrogance, and I love her dynamic with both paragon and renegade Shepard.

Possible prompts:

• For a renegade Shepard, I love the idea that the two of them might be casually sleeping together whenever Shepard visits Omega. How do they negotiate this, and what happens if they catch feelings?
• For a paragon Shepard, something post Omega-DLC is my weakness. Aria says "I never thought I'd enjoy having a partner", and maybe paragon Shep never thought she'd enjoy spending time with Aria so much?
• I love the idea of the two of them going undercover on a mission of some description, and seeing another side of one another (whether that's fake dating or not).
• And if you just want to make me some smut for these two, I'll take it. Gladly. 

Female Shepard/Ashley Williams

I will always be mad that I couldn't romance Ashley with my female Shepard. Again, I love the dynamic between these two - mutual respect and trust and camaraderie. I really love ME3 Ashley, and I'd love something that looks at her relationship with Shepard after she's been through the whole hero-worship/betrayal arc.

Possible prompts:

• Quiet intimacy with these two is always great - conversations in the starboard observatory room about family and belief and love
• Any kind of badass battle couple moment - saving one another's lives, etc
• Shepard finding Ashley drunk on the floor is one of my favourite moments of the entire game (and Jennifer Hale is so good in that scene) - but I particularly like it for Shepard's good-natured teasing. I'd love anything else with the same kind of tone.
• Post ME3 Shepard lives: I imagine that if Shepard had lived, she'd be an absolute mess, and I'd love some hurt/comfort in which Ashley has to help get her back on her feet, both literally and metaphorically.
• Post ME3 Shepard doesn't live: if you want to go for the angst, I'd love to see Ashley adjusting to life without Shepard. What does she do next? How does she grieve?  
• TIME LOOPS! Mass Effect is great for time loops with all the bifurcating decisions, and Ashley plays a key role in a lot of them (Virmire, the Citadel in ME3, even Horizon). 

Jack | Subject Zero

Jack was one of the biggest surprises for me in this game - I appreciated her arc in ME2 but I wasn't hugely attached to it, but I absolutely, completely adored her in ME3, and I unashamedly wept. I'd love to see anything that explores ME3 Jack - during the game or after.

Possible prompts:

• Grissom Academy! Just give me Jack with her kids. I am a huge sucker for "making sure the next generation don't suffer like I did" narratives, and I'd love to see how Jack learns to teach, how her students respond to her, and how this helps her work through her own trauma.
• What does Jack do post ME3? Unsurprisingly I have a slightly preference for her students surviving - maybe they go around the galaxy to where the recovery effort requires biotics - but I'm always here for some angst if that's the route you want to go down.
• Jack's perspective during the final ME3 battle would also be really interesting.

Javik/Liara T'Soni

*rubs hands together* Ohohohoho do I love this ship. It's such a great dynamic - mutual dislike and frustration that slowly turns into mutual regard (and maybe even something more). I like how they both challenge one another and push against one another's principles and beliefs, and how at the end, they both end up in a similar position, dealing with the destruction of their own species.

Possible prompts:

• “Your world may have fallen, but as long as even one Asari is left standing, the fight isn’t over.”/ “I guess that goes for Protheans, too.” I'd love to see a moment with them before/after the final battle, something bittersweet and beautiful. 
• Post-ME3: Liara and Javik, picking up the pieces together after the war.
• Javik suggests that he's writing a book with Liara. How did they agree on this? And if you want to go post ME3, I'd love anything to do with the book - arguing over writing it, the publicity tour, etc.
• Drunk Javik during the Citadel DLC party kills me every single time, and if you want to go for humour, something during the party would be a DELIGHT. Hungover Javik the next morning even makes a comment about Liara's eyes (it's canon, CANON)