Dear MFTF Writer 2021
Sep. 10th, 2021 03:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
doranwenI'm so delighted MFTF has returned! It's one of my favorite exchanges because I love tropes so much. I hope you have just as much fun writing for me as I will have reading what you write!
Yes please:
- deep platonic friendship / romantic friendship / nonsexual romance
- found families / teamfic
- apocalyptic / survival fic
- hurt/comfort / characters dealing with trauma / nonsexual physical touch (including cuddling)
- characters being vulnerable / character redemption
- positive treatment of religion
- trust building / friendship
- missing scenes
- canon divergence AU (especially fix-it fic)
- soulmates (as long as requested pairing are soulmates with each other)
- crossovers with fandoms I know (see my fanfic exchange letter tag for that info)
- any trope on this list: https://doranwen.dreamwidth.org/240453.html
DNW:
- modern politics
- COVID-19 or pandemics
- onscreen sex or making out (a light kiss is fine, allusions are fine)
- supernatural/fantasy beings that aren't part of the canon (elves outside of LOTR, vampires, werewolves, gnomes, zombies, etc.)
- AUs other than canon divergence or alt beginnings (i.e. no coffee shop AUs)
- gore / graphic violence (mild/medium violence is OK, just not as graphic as a surgery documentary)
- noncanonical death of canon characters or horror
- dark endings (happy or bittersweet endings only, please!)
- unrequested identity headcanons (gender/sexuality/etc.)
- calling an adult "baby" or "darling" ("sweetheart" works if you need a substitute)
- mpreg, A/B/O, genderswap, ageplay or BDSM of any kind
- anything dealing with the anus or feces
- feeding/inflation or eating disorders (characters eating a meal together is fine)
- crack (nothing deliberately wacky)
- uncensored profanity
- 1st/2nd person
- unprompted relationships between canonical characters
- crossovers with fandoms I don't know
Opt-ins I'm OK with (if they should arise as part of the story you are writing):
- noncon & aftermath (this overrides the onscreen sex DNW)
- underage (please keep them teens at minimum, and observe the no onscreen sex DNW)
- het pregnancy
- characters being parents
- child abuse of any kind (as long as it's not the requested characters doing the abusing)
If writing a romantic friendship, I'd prefer the line be drawn at forehead/cheek kisses and cuddles; please reserve lip kisses for sexual relationships.
If a prompt requires something that's listed as a DNW, please follow the prompt rather than the DNW. :)
Also, if choosing between writing the characters as true to themselves as you can, vs. writing a trope or prompt precisely, I'd prefer you to keep the characters true to themselves.
Crossover Fandom
I have three crossover requests, but I've got the same four tropes I'm happy with for any of them, so I'll go a little into each fandom and then talk about the tropes.
Rookie Blue ensemble (Rookie Blue) & Alphas team (Alphas TV)
You don't need to include all of the characters on both teams, so here's a little breakdown of my favorites:
I love both these shows so much, you have no idea. I love all the characters from Alphas, though Nina, Rachel, and Lee are my favorites. Either season's great with me. I don't really have any solid ships with this one, other than I ship Gary with no one, just can't see that. I see a strong emotional bond between Nina and Rachel but am ambivalent about what all it means. And I've read both Lee/Nina and Lee/Rachel fics and liked them, so you're pretty open here. (I'm not as into Rachel/John but don't mind it as a background ship.)
With Rookie Blue, I love Sam and Andy the best, but I love early seasons Gail as well. For more detail on my shipping with this show (because there is so much shipping), I am totally team McSwarek. I ship Gail with Dov or Luke (not into Gail/Chris, Gail/Nick, or Gail/Holly). You can do what you want with Chris and Traci. I love Noelle and Oliver but am not a fan of Celery. I'm ambivalent about Chloe (I like her but not the whole Wes thing) and don't really care for Juliet or Marlo (who would've been much better if they hadn't used the bipolar thing in the way they did). My favorite seasons with Rookie Blue are S1 and S2, up until where Sam goes undercover.
The only canon connection that might help you with fics is that on Alphas, when Skylar meets up with Lee and Nina at the end of Catch and Release, they're in Toronto - it's clearly marked on the opening screen of the scene. So maybe that helps with them running into the Rookie Blue team? Otherwise, I wish I had more ideas to help you out with how they meet - you'll need some creativity here!
X-Men ensemble (X-Men Original Movieverse) & Rookie Blue ensemble (Rookie Blue)
You don't need to include all of the characters on both teams, so here's a little breakdown of my favorites:
I've seen X1-X3, nothing else. I'm also quite happy about throwing out X3, lol (can't stand that they killed off Scott and Professor X). If I had to pick a favorite character, it would probably be Scott, but I also love Ororo, Rogue, Logan… I ship Scott with Ororo, Rogue, or sometimes Kitty. I ship Logan with Rogue, generally (Logan/Jean is dysfunctional in my opinion). Rogue with Logan or Scott, but not Bobby… Lol, I'm not sure there's a happy way to pair everyone off (I really don't have OTPs here, just preferred ships and ones I can't stand), but that's fine, you can stick with all the pining you like. I headcanon Professor X as asexual/aromantic, and have never shipped him with Erik, but I don't need to see that in a fic; just don't mention him paired with anyone. Please do not include Gambit.
(Repeated from the other crossover request) With Rookie Blue, I love Sam and Andy the best, but I love early seasons Gail as well. For more detail on my shipping with this show (because there is so much shipping), I am totally team McSwarek. I ship Gail with Dov or Luke (not into Gail/Chris, Gail/Nick, or Gail/Holly). You can do what you want with Chris and Traci. I love Noelle and Oliver but am not a fan of Celery. I'm ambivalent about Chloe (I like her but not the whole Wes thing) and don't really care for Juliet or Marlo (who would've been much better if they hadn't used the bipolar thing in the way they did). My favorite seasons with Rookie Blue are S1 and S2, up until where Sam goes undercover.
FBI (TV 2018) team & FBI: Most Wanted (TV 2020) team
It would be nigh impossible to include everyone, and I don't really need that, but I do want to see at least OA and Maggie from FBI, and I want to see at least Clinton or Hana from FBI: Most Wanted (and how do you have Hana without Kenny to tease her?). I like Isobel, Kristen, and Dana, but I'm not as fond of Tiffany. Stuart grew on me over time, and I wouldn't mind seeing Emily return if that fits your story. For FBI: Most Wanted, I like Jess, fell in love with Sarah during the hug in 2x13, and I wish we saw more of Clinton's parents, though I'd rather not read a Tali-centric fic. I'm less interested in Barnes and Ortiz.
For FBI, I can go either platonic or romantic for OA and Maggie, and I ship Stuart/Elise. (I'm not sure if I want to ship Isobel with Jubal or not.) For FBI: Most Wanted, I definitely ship Jess/Sarah and I can be lured into Kenny/Hana though I'm happy with them as the canonical brother-sister type of relationship.
Tropes:
First Meetings: This is the best part of crossovers, in some ways - just seeing how the different groups or people react to each other. The only ones that have canonically had any meetings are the FBI teams because they're in a shared universe - but other than Maggie and Jess meeting, and Isobel occasionally talking with Jess there's not been that much interaction. I'm not so interested in seeing the first meeting between Isobel and Jess, but do OA and Kenny meet up and compare notes on their Army service? Do Clinton and Maggie end up talking at all? I'd love to see that. The other fandoms I requested have never met and I'd love to see any plausible meetup of the two groups!
On the Run - Together: I love the dynamic behind this trope and think this would apply great to these groups. How that happens is up to you.
Superpowers - Sudden Acquisition This doesn't work for the X-Men or Alphas as they already have superpowers, but what if the Rookie Blue team starts getting them and ends up encountering the X-Men or Alphas team as a result? And seeing the FBI/FBI:MW people suddenly get superpowers would be a great read.
Survival - Post-Apocalyptic Fight to Survive: I love post-apocalyptic fics. :D (Wish I had some serious ideas for you on how to write this, but I don't.)
Alphas (TV)
Oh man, Alphas. I got hooked on it and watched all 24 episodes in six days. I fell in love with Rachel from her very first scene, and by the third episode I loved Nina just as much or more. Dr. Rosen grew on me over the course of the show, and I really love his character too! But honestly, there's not a main character in Alphas that I don't like, and that's unusual for me! They're just really great. Plus the show doesn't hesitate to play hardball with government mistrust, character deaths, and intense scenes, and is possibly the best show I've seen in terms of how it balances characters and storylines. The only downside, imho, was the terrible cliffhanger Syfy ended it on! (What's with that, Syfy? It's a lousy way to treat fans! Give us a two-hour movie to wrap things up, at least!)
I liked Nina's relationship with Cam, but I also liked that it ended and moved on, and I'm ambivalent about whether they should get back together, as the S2 finale hinted at. I'm also ambivalent about Rachel's relationship with John. I like the tension the last two episodes brought, with the issue of loyalties. You could see the team slowly fracturing into two groups - Lee, Cam, and Nina on the side of "anything it takes", and Bill and Kat (and John, for that matter) on the side of "follow the rules", and Rachel torn in the middle. (Gary is really an independent in all of this.)
I requested two separate Alphas requests, each with their own tropes, so those follow below:
Lee Rosen & Alphas team
I really love the entire team here, including Rosen, and I'd love to see them all interacting!
Alternate Universe - For Want of a Nail-style Canon Divergence: So, something in canon goes a little differently because of one little thing… what is it and how does it affect the pairing you're writing? I love this kind of thing! My apocalyptic series tackles a version of Parish's plans with that, but I'd love to see anything along the series with this idea, and I'm totally OK with you writing your own version of it - it's one of those things I can never get enough of.
Family Feels - Found Family: Rachel has a family but for parts of the show she's estranged from them somewhat, particularly her mother. Lee's only got his daughter (and set later in S2, not even that), and Nina really doesn't have anyone. Gary has no siblings, and other than Bill's wife (and now foster/adopted baby), he doesn't seem to have much in the way of family, nor does Cameron. I'd love anything exploring the bonds between them as a sort of family they never had or wish theirs was, whether it's father-daughter with Lee & Rachel or Lee & Nina, sisters with Rachel and Nina… (Rachel's sister certainly isn't anywhere as close to her as Nina is.) Gary is like everyone's younger brother, and Bill is like everyone's older brother in some ways (and Cam's kind of in the middle).
On the Run - Together: This is pretty much the latter half of An Unusual Suspect. I'd love to see this with the whole team (or even just two or three of them, if you like, as long as Nina or Rachel are part of that group).
Survival - Natural Disaster: The Alphas team surviving a disaster together would be great! (Well, really, any two of these three - but feel free to include others as you feel like.)
Survival - Post-Apocalyptic Fight to Survive: I've written some fics for this kind of thing, but I'd very much like to see someone else's take on it! There is never too much post-apocalyptic fic, in my opinion.
Rachel Pirzad & Nina Theroux (Alphas)
The relationship between these two changes so much over the course of the show. S1 Nina is very caring despite doing a good job of pretending to be all cool and not revealing much of her past, and I love the scene at the end of Anger Management where she reaches out to Rachel. She's always offering Rachel a ride, listening to her, encouraging her in her difficulties with her parents, etc. And then you have S2, where she pushes Rachel to stay calm in Wake Up Call - and then pushes for an entirely different reason in When Push Comes to Shove. It was painful to see their relationship in Gaslight, and lovely to see Rachel thawing towards Nina as she recognizes Nina's changed (and that Nina is taking responsibility for the results of her pushing). There are some very interesting undercurrents in Need to Know, though - from Nina's "You called them?" to the way Nina says "When Rachel…" to the looks Nina gives Rachel in the elevator and afterwards, and there wasn't time to really deal with that in the few hours that the last two episodes cover. Though I like that when Kat is trying to get a hold of Rachel, Bill says "Nina always knows where she is". I think Nina really cares for Rachel down deep. I'm not entirely sure what Nina's reasoning was for what she pushed Rachel to do in the club in When Push Comes to Shove (was she trying to find the quickest way to hurt Rachel, to force the rejection she was feeling coming anyway? or was there more to it?), but when she's in her right mind, she clearly has a lot of affection for Rachel.
Tropes:
Captivity - Captured Together: I'd love to see these two captured together (or the whole group if you want to go there, as long as the focus is on these two). Lots of h/c potential. :D
Hurt/Comfort - Huddling for Warmth: I'm such a sucker for this trope.
Hurt/Comfort - One character's hands are injured so the other character has to help them: I don't care which one's the injured one, for this either would be excellent.
Intimacy - Nonsexual Physical Intimacy: I adore this, and with these two in particular.
Intimacy - Platonic Cuddling: This would make me just MELT.
Mind Control - Consensual Mind Control: With Nina's ability, this is easy to do in canon. So who does she control, and what are the circumstances? If it's not Rachel, she would be weighing in here due to her experiences with it, so that makes it easy to include both of them with this.
On the Run - Together: This is pretty much the latter half of An Unusual Suspect. I'd love to see this with these two (or the whole team, if you like, as long as the focus is on these two).
Redemption - Trying to make amends for past mistakes: This would fit Nina canonically, with her pushing. I'd love to see either missing scenes that fit in canon or an AU resolution to the rift created by Nina's actions in When Push Comes to Shove; there've been some excellent ones written, but more is always better. :D
Sharing a Bed - For Comfort After a Nightmare: This trope is just <3.
Sharing a Bed - platonic bed sharing: No ideas on why it happens, but I'd love to see it!
Soulmates - Platonic Soulmates: I'd love to see your take on this with these two!
FBI (TV 2018)
I watched this because Missy Peregrym starred in it, but I gradually grew to really like OA as well.
As far as other characters, I particularly love Isobel, Kristen, Stuart, and Elise (and I ship Stuart/Elise for sure), and I enjoy Jubal and Dana as well. (I can see Jubal with Dana, Kristen, or Isobel just fine - or none of them - though I really don't care for Rina and would prefer not to see them together even though that's where canon has gone.) I'm less interested in Tiffany.
Maggie Bell/Omar "OA" Zidan
For the longest time I preferred them as only a platonic ship, but as time has passed I can see them growing close enough to turn the friendship & partnership into something more. If you need help deciding when in their relationship to set a fic using a trope that could happen anytime, I particularly love beginning relationship and pre-relationship fics (where the relationship starting is the resolution). Many of these tropes fit that, though some do not.
I don't have specific thoughts on these tropes, but I would adore reading any of them. :D
Accidental Marriage
Amnesia - Affected person assumes the other character(s) is their significant other
Can't stop thinking about it - other characters assumed they were dating
Fake/Pretend Relationship - Fake Marriage as Part of a Job
Forced Proximity - Sharing body heat
Hurt/Comfort - Huddling For Warmth
Hurt/Comfort - One character helps another deal with PTSD symptoms
Intimacy - Character A falls asleep on B's shoulder
Intimacy - Nonsexual Physical Intimacy
Outsider POV - POV Character Knows Other Characters Are In Love Before They Do
Outsider POV of relationship
Secret Relationship - Marriage Revealed When One Character is Badly Injured
Survival - Natural Disaster
Survival - Post-Apocalyptic Fight to Survive
Telepathy - Mutual Telepathic Bond Between Soulmates
Undercover - Undercover as a Couple
Undercover - Undercover as a Couple and Realise Feelings
Stuart Scola/Elise Taylor
I started to ship these two a little when Stuart was there for Elise when she had the bomb on her. I feel like that could've developed into more, and the more I've learned about Stuart, the more I really like him. One of those quiet guys with depth.
I thought all of these tropes would work so well with these two:
Accidental Marriage
Amnesia - Affected person assumes the other character(s) is their significant other
Forced Proximity - Sharing body heat
Hurt/Comfort - Gunshot Wound
Hurt/Comfort - Huddling For Warmth
Hurt/Comfort - One character helps another deal with PTSD symptoms
Intimacy - Nonsexual Physical Intimacy
Sharing a Bed - For Comfort After a Nightmare
Survival - Post-Apocalyptic Fight to Survive
Maggie Bell & Omar "OA" Zidan
Stuart Scola & Elise Taylor
I could enjoy both of these pairs as just really good friends, and I think the tropes I chose work well with that for either couple.
Captivity - Captured Together
Family Feels - Found Family
Forced Proximity - Sharing body heat
Hurt/Comfort - Huddling For Warmth
Hurt/Comfort - One character helps another deal with PTSD symptoms
Intimacy - Nonsexual Physical Intimacy
Intimacy - Platonic Cuddling
Rescue Missions - Saving From Captivity
Sharing a Bed - platonic bed sharing
Soulmates - Platonic Soulmates
Survival - Post-Apocalyptic Fight to Survive
Telepathy - Accidental permanent telepathic connection is created
FBI: Most Wanted (TV 2020)
I watched this show mainly because it was a spinoff of FBI, which I already enjoyed. It took a bit for me to warm up to the characters, but I grew to love Clinton, Hana, and Kenny, and to a lesser degree, Jess (though I ship him and Sarah so hard after that hug on 2x13 which made me fall in love with her). I'm less interested in Barnes or Ortiz.
Kenny Crosby/Hana Gibson
I had to grin a lot at Kenny and Hana's friendly jibes. Their playful bickering is very enjoyable to watch! I've enjoyed them as the canonical brother-sister relationship, but I can so easily see them as a couple, and thought it would be fun to request these tropes with them.
Forced Proximity - Sharing body heat
Hurt/Comfort - Trauma Recovery
Secret Relationship - Marriage Revealed When One Character is Badly Injured
Sharing a Bed
Survival - Post-Apocalyptic Fight to Survive
Telepathy - Accidental permanent telepathic connection is created
Undercover - Undercover as a Couple
Undercover - Undercover as a Couple and Realise Feelings
Rookie Blue
This show is my biggest "why didn't you watch this sooner????" because the fandom is pretty much dead now, and I missed out on so much… I watched Stick It years ago and loved Missy Peregrym in that, but for some inexplicable reason waited until this summer to watch Rookie Blue. I was hooked from the first couple episodes and watched all 74 in two weeks. :D All the drama, the emotion, the romance, the angst… (And SO MUCH AU POTENTIAL. Seriously. Feel free to AU this all over the place.)
Obviously, I love Sam and Andy so much—I am totally team McSwarek. I ship Gail with Dov or Luke (not into Gail/Chris, Gail/Nick, or Gail/Holly), but there are a few Gail/Luke fics out there and almost no Gail/Dov ones, so give me the Gail/Dov! You can do what you want with Chris and Traci. I love Noelle and Oliver but am not a fan of Celery. I'm ambivalent about Chloe (I like her but not the whole Wes thing) and don't really care for Juliet or Marlo (who would've been much better if they hadn't used the bipolar thing in the way they did). My favorite seasons with Rookie Blue are S1 and S2, up until where Sam goes undercover.
I requested three Rookie Blue requests because there are just too many Sam/Andy tropes to get in one (they are extremely tropeable) and I had to request Gail/Dov as well.
Andy McNally/Sam Swarek
These two were meant for each other from day one, and I think it was obvious to anyone watching the pilot. Of course, the show mangled the process of getting them there, but hey, that's what fic is for, right? And all the tropes are the best here.
Accidental Baby Acquisition: Hee, this would be great. When in canon it happens would change things all over the place.
Accidental Marriage: Oh, this one would be hilarious with Andy/Sam. Not sure how you'd make it realistic in any way, but still, the thought makes me laugh. Preference, of course, would be for them to decide to stay with it in the end. S1/S2 probably best on this, especially with the idea of Andy/Sam while she's engaged to Luke…
Alternate Universe - For Want of a Nail-style Canon Divergence: So one of the episodes goes differently than on the show because of one little thing… for instance, what if Luke never put the house in Andy's name, thereby changing the outcome of 2x03 Bad Moon Rising? Or what if Sam had taken Andy home after 1x07 Hot and Bothered, and they ended up talking or something other than the way the ep actually went? (The events of that ep affected so many of the following eps that it's truly a "nail" when it comes to this trope.) So many possibilities…
Amnesia - Affected person assumes the other character(s) is their significant other: I think it would be hilarious if Sam immediately thought Andy was his girlfriend, but the other way could work too! Mid-S2 would be great for this one, or early S1, even, lol.
Amnesia - All memories are lost: This one could get more angsty if you set it in mid-S2 to S3.
Amnesia - Growing to Love Them Again After Permanent Memory Loss: This would work well around S5 (and feel free to pretend Marlo never got pregnant, if you like). Maybe Sam wakes up and doesn't remember Andy - and he never gets that back. Or maybe Andy gets shot as well at the end of S4 and she's the one who forgets - and Sam has to win her affections with Nick also trying…
Captivity - Captured Together: The different ways these two would react to being held would make a fic really interesting - particularly if the captor hurts one of them but not the other.
Forced Proximity - Sharing body heat: Ah, one of the classics. How can you go wrong with this one? XD
Hurt/Comfort - Carrying injured/sick character: Why did we never get to see Sam carrying an injured Andy in the entire show? This needs fic to remedy that…
Hurt/Comfort - Huddling For Warmth: These two are just perfect for this. So many possibilities and interesting times to set it…
Hurt/Comfort - One character comforts another after a nightmare: Given the trauma Andy's been through, you'd think she'd have a few… Either Sam's in bed beside her, or she seeks him out…
Hurt/Comfort - One character helps another deal with PTSD symptoms: I'd love to see this affecting Andy, and what Sam does about it. Given the trauma she's been through over the years…
Hurt/Comfort - Trauma Recovery: No prompts here, but feel free to go with it. I won't be squicked by whatever you'd write along these lines.
In Denial - Forced To Confront Feelings: Andy needs this through most of S1 and part of S2. Please feel free to smack her upside the head with the realization that she really loves Sam more than Luke. ;)
Misunderstandings - Everyone Thinks They're Together: Pretend Luke never dated her, or set this mid-S2. Given how many characters comment on their attraction to each other…
On the Run - Together: I'd love to see Sam and Andy having to be fugitives together. :D
Outsider POV - POV Character Knows Other Characters Are In Love Before They Do: Oliver or Noelle would be perfect on this, lol, because they know Sam well enough to read him, which Traci can't. (Or Jerry, though I've always suspected Jerry didn't care for Andy all that well and just hid it because he was in love with her best friend.)
Outsider POV - POV Character Talks to Other Character About Their Observations: I'd love to see someone seriously confront Andy about how she feels about Sam, back in S1 to mid-S2.
Pregnancy - Unplanned Pregnancy: I'd love to see this very early on (it would obviously have to be in combination with some canon divergence).
Secret Relationship - forbidden/taboo: I'd love to see these two start a relationship while Sam's still her TO, and figuring out how to hide it from everyone. (Yeah, it's been done before. So?)
Sharing a Bed: This would be awesome to see with these two pre-relationship.
Soulbond - Distance is Painful: I'd love to see this. :D
Soulmates - Soulmates feel each other's emotions: Sam/Andy are just awesome with this idea, and the feelings-sharing would complicate things deliciously. :D
Survival - Natural Disaster: They're in Toronto, so make them have to survive whatever disaster(s) Toronto is prone to - or have them travel and get caught in a blizzard?
Telepathy - Accidental permanent telepathic connection is created: This would be AWESOME - whether they're already in a relationship or not (but probably more interesting before, lol).
Telepathy - Mutual Telepathic Bond Between Soulmates: Of course this would be amazing to read. :D
Time Travel - Permanently Stuck in Body of Past Self: Feel free to send Andy back to her S1 body and have her redo life - and fix a lot of things along the way.
Undercover - Undercover as a Couple: Ooh, this could be hilariously fun…
Undercover - Undercover as a Couple and Realise Feelings: The logical conclusion to being undercover as a couple… :)
Dov Epstein/Gail Peck
Dov is really the perfect person for Gail, as he's got enough snark to stand up to her if he decides to, and he is still genuine enough to really touch her inside.
Accidental Marriage: Gail's reaction to this one, oh man! Not sure how you'd make it realistic in any way, but still, the thought makes me laugh (with a bit of glee). Preference, of course, would be for them to decide to stay with it in the end. S2 probably best on this…
Alternate Universe - For Want of a Nail-style Canon Divergence: The only specific ideas I can come up with is "what if something had not caused the pills to affect Dov so strongly" or "what if Chris had not seen them in the car" because of how it impacts this ship, but I'm sure there are other ideas out there I haven't mentioned!
Defrosting Ice Queen: I've only seen one fic that tackles this with these two (it was excellent, but it's only one!). I'd love to read another one - Gail is vulnerable underneath everything, and I think Dov has the potential to meet her there, if he can get her defenses down…
Fake/Pretend Relationship - Fake Marriage as Part of a Job: Heeeeee, what fun this would be. I'm OK if it's just a relationship and not actual marriage; the trope list last time didn't have the "Fake Marriage" bit in it and there's no equivalent one that's quite right.
Forced Proximity - Sharing body heat: I will never tire of this trope.
Hurt/Comfort - Body and mind shutting down due to emotional overload: Have this affect Gail in S3… and find a way to have Dov be the one to reach her. (Nick can just quietly realize he isn't right for her, lol.)
Hurt/Comfort - Character A has been crying and tries to hide it but B still notices it: I'd love to see Gail be the one crying.
Hurt/Comfort - Huddling For Warmth: I'd love to see this with these two, lol.
Hurt/Comfort - One character comforts another after a nightmare: I can see this with Gail after 3x09.
Hurt/Comfort - One character helps another deal with PTSD symptoms: After Gail was kidnapped, this TOTALLY needed to be dealt with.
Hurt/Comfort - Trauma Recovery: No prompts here, but feel free to go with it. I won't be squicked by whatever you'd write along these lines.
In Denial - Forced To Confront Feelings: I'd love to see Gail having to acknowledge how she really feels.
Sharing a Bed: I would love to see this with these two!
Telepathy - Accidental permanent telepathic connection is created: Oh, I would love to see this with these two!
Time Travel - Permanently Stuck in Body of Past Self: Set this before Chloe comes on the scene, to avoid her entirely, and have Dov go back to mid-S2 when he hadn't wrecked his potential relationship with Gail - and have him decide it's worth it to pursue her.
So many tropes, so little time to write them all! I hope at least a few of these inspire you. :D Happy writing!
Yes please:
- deep platonic friendship / romantic friendship / nonsexual romance
- found families / teamfic
- apocalyptic / survival fic
- hurt/comfort / characters dealing with trauma / nonsexual physical touch (including cuddling)
- characters being vulnerable / character redemption
- positive treatment of religion
- trust building / friendship
- missing scenes
- canon divergence AU (especially fix-it fic)
- soulmates (as long as requested pairing are soulmates with each other)
- crossovers with fandoms I know (see my fanfic exchange letter tag for that info)
- any trope on this list: https://doranwen.dreamwidth.org/240453.html
DNW:
- modern politics
- COVID-19 or pandemics
- onscreen sex or making out (a light kiss is fine, allusions are fine)
- supernatural/fantasy beings that aren't part of the canon (elves outside of LOTR, vampires, werewolves, gnomes, zombies, etc.)
- AUs other than canon divergence or alt beginnings (i.e. no coffee shop AUs)
- gore / graphic violence (mild/medium violence is OK, just not as graphic as a surgery documentary)
- noncanonical death of canon characters or horror
- dark endings (happy or bittersweet endings only, please!)
- unrequested identity headcanons (gender/sexuality/etc.)
- calling an adult "baby" or "darling" ("sweetheart" works if you need a substitute)
- mpreg, A/B/O, genderswap, ageplay or BDSM of any kind
- anything dealing with the anus or feces
- feeding/inflation or eating disorders (characters eating a meal together is fine)
- crack (nothing deliberately wacky)
- uncensored profanity
- 1st/2nd person
- unprompted relationships between canonical characters
- crossovers with fandoms I don't know
Opt-ins I'm OK with (if they should arise as part of the story you are writing):
- noncon & aftermath (this overrides the onscreen sex DNW)
- underage (please keep them teens at minimum, and observe the no onscreen sex DNW)
- het pregnancy
- characters being parents
- child abuse of any kind (as long as it's not the requested characters doing the abusing)
If writing a romantic friendship, I'd prefer the line be drawn at forehead/cheek kisses and cuddles; please reserve lip kisses for sexual relationships.
If a prompt requires something that's listed as a DNW, please follow the prompt rather than the DNW. :)
Also, if choosing between writing the characters as true to themselves as you can, vs. writing a trope or prompt precisely, I'd prefer you to keep the characters true to themselves.
Crossover Fandom
I have three crossover requests, but I've got the same four tropes I'm happy with for any of them, so I'll go a little into each fandom and then talk about the tropes.
Rookie Blue ensemble (Rookie Blue) & Alphas team (Alphas TV)
You don't need to include all of the characters on both teams, so here's a little breakdown of my favorites:
I love both these shows so much, you have no idea. I love all the characters from Alphas, though Nina, Rachel, and Lee are my favorites. Either season's great with me. I don't really have any solid ships with this one, other than I ship Gary with no one, just can't see that. I see a strong emotional bond between Nina and Rachel but am ambivalent about what all it means. And I've read both Lee/Nina and Lee/Rachel fics and liked them, so you're pretty open here. (I'm not as into Rachel/John but don't mind it as a background ship.)
With Rookie Blue, I love Sam and Andy the best, but I love early seasons Gail as well. For more detail on my shipping with this show (because there is so much shipping), I am totally team McSwarek. I ship Gail with Dov or Luke (not into Gail/Chris, Gail/Nick, or Gail/Holly). You can do what you want with Chris and Traci. I love Noelle and Oliver but am not a fan of Celery. I'm ambivalent about Chloe (I like her but not the whole Wes thing) and don't really care for Juliet or Marlo (who would've been much better if they hadn't used the bipolar thing in the way they did). My favorite seasons with Rookie Blue are S1 and S2, up until where Sam goes undercover.
The only canon connection that might help you with fics is that on Alphas, when Skylar meets up with Lee and Nina at the end of Catch and Release, they're in Toronto - it's clearly marked on the opening screen of the scene. So maybe that helps with them running into the Rookie Blue team? Otherwise, I wish I had more ideas to help you out with how they meet - you'll need some creativity here!
X-Men ensemble (X-Men Original Movieverse) & Rookie Blue ensemble (Rookie Blue)
You don't need to include all of the characters on both teams, so here's a little breakdown of my favorites:
I've seen X1-X3, nothing else. I'm also quite happy about throwing out X3, lol (can't stand that they killed off Scott and Professor X). If I had to pick a favorite character, it would probably be Scott, but I also love Ororo, Rogue, Logan… I ship Scott with Ororo, Rogue, or sometimes Kitty. I ship Logan with Rogue, generally (Logan/Jean is dysfunctional in my opinion). Rogue with Logan or Scott, but not Bobby… Lol, I'm not sure there's a happy way to pair everyone off (I really don't have OTPs here, just preferred ships and ones I can't stand), but that's fine, you can stick with all the pining you like. I headcanon Professor X as asexual/aromantic, and have never shipped him with Erik, but I don't need to see that in a fic; just don't mention him paired with anyone. Please do not include Gambit.
(Repeated from the other crossover request) With Rookie Blue, I love Sam and Andy the best, but I love early seasons Gail as well. For more detail on my shipping with this show (because there is so much shipping), I am totally team McSwarek. I ship Gail with Dov or Luke (not into Gail/Chris, Gail/Nick, or Gail/Holly). You can do what you want with Chris and Traci. I love Noelle and Oliver but am not a fan of Celery. I'm ambivalent about Chloe (I like her but not the whole Wes thing) and don't really care for Juliet or Marlo (who would've been much better if they hadn't used the bipolar thing in the way they did). My favorite seasons with Rookie Blue are S1 and S2, up until where Sam goes undercover.
FBI (TV 2018) team & FBI: Most Wanted (TV 2020) team
It would be nigh impossible to include everyone, and I don't really need that, but I do want to see at least OA and Maggie from FBI, and I want to see at least Clinton or Hana from FBI: Most Wanted (and how do you have Hana without Kenny to tease her?). I like Isobel, Kristen, and Dana, but I'm not as fond of Tiffany. Stuart grew on me over time, and I wouldn't mind seeing Emily return if that fits your story. For FBI: Most Wanted, I like Jess, fell in love with Sarah during the hug in 2x13, and I wish we saw more of Clinton's parents, though I'd rather not read a Tali-centric fic. I'm less interested in Barnes and Ortiz.
For FBI, I can go either platonic or romantic for OA and Maggie, and I ship Stuart/Elise. (I'm not sure if I want to ship Isobel with Jubal or not.) For FBI: Most Wanted, I definitely ship Jess/Sarah and I can be lured into Kenny/Hana though I'm happy with them as the canonical brother-sister type of relationship.
Tropes:
First Meetings: This is the best part of crossovers, in some ways - just seeing how the different groups or people react to each other. The only ones that have canonically had any meetings are the FBI teams because they're in a shared universe - but other than Maggie and Jess meeting, and Isobel occasionally talking with Jess there's not been that much interaction. I'm not so interested in seeing the first meeting between Isobel and Jess, but do OA and Kenny meet up and compare notes on their Army service? Do Clinton and Maggie end up talking at all? I'd love to see that. The other fandoms I requested have never met and I'd love to see any plausible meetup of the two groups!
On the Run - Together: I love the dynamic behind this trope and think this would apply great to these groups. How that happens is up to you.
Superpowers - Sudden Acquisition This doesn't work for the X-Men or Alphas as they already have superpowers, but what if the Rookie Blue team starts getting them and ends up encountering the X-Men or Alphas team as a result? And seeing the FBI/FBI:MW people suddenly get superpowers would be a great read.
Survival - Post-Apocalyptic Fight to Survive: I love post-apocalyptic fics. :D (Wish I had some serious ideas for you on how to write this, but I don't.)
Alphas (TV)
Oh man, Alphas. I got hooked on it and watched all 24 episodes in six days. I fell in love with Rachel from her very first scene, and by the third episode I loved Nina just as much or more. Dr. Rosen grew on me over the course of the show, and I really love his character too! But honestly, there's not a main character in Alphas that I don't like, and that's unusual for me! They're just really great. Plus the show doesn't hesitate to play hardball with government mistrust, character deaths, and intense scenes, and is possibly the best show I've seen in terms of how it balances characters and storylines. The only downside, imho, was the terrible cliffhanger Syfy ended it on! (What's with that, Syfy? It's a lousy way to treat fans! Give us a two-hour movie to wrap things up, at least!)
I liked Nina's relationship with Cam, but I also liked that it ended and moved on, and I'm ambivalent about whether they should get back together, as the S2 finale hinted at. I'm also ambivalent about Rachel's relationship with John. I like the tension the last two episodes brought, with the issue of loyalties. You could see the team slowly fracturing into two groups - Lee, Cam, and Nina on the side of "anything it takes", and Bill and Kat (and John, for that matter) on the side of "follow the rules", and Rachel torn in the middle. (Gary is really an independent in all of this.)
I requested two separate Alphas requests, each with their own tropes, so those follow below:
Lee Rosen & Alphas team
I really love the entire team here, including Rosen, and I'd love to see them all interacting!
Alternate Universe - For Want of a Nail-style Canon Divergence: So, something in canon goes a little differently because of one little thing… what is it and how does it affect the pairing you're writing? I love this kind of thing! My apocalyptic series tackles a version of Parish's plans with that, but I'd love to see anything along the series with this idea, and I'm totally OK with you writing your own version of it - it's one of those things I can never get enough of.
Family Feels - Found Family: Rachel has a family but for parts of the show she's estranged from them somewhat, particularly her mother. Lee's only got his daughter (and set later in S2, not even that), and Nina really doesn't have anyone. Gary has no siblings, and other than Bill's wife (and now foster/adopted baby), he doesn't seem to have much in the way of family, nor does Cameron. I'd love anything exploring the bonds between them as a sort of family they never had or wish theirs was, whether it's father-daughter with Lee & Rachel or Lee & Nina, sisters with Rachel and Nina… (Rachel's sister certainly isn't anywhere as close to her as Nina is.) Gary is like everyone's younger brother, and Bill is like everyone's older brother in some ways (and Cam's kind of in the middle).
On the Run - Together: This is pretty much the latter half of An Unusual Suspect. I'd love to see this with the whole team (or even just two or three of them, if you like, as long as Nina or Rachel are part of that group).
Survival - Natural Disaster: The Alphas team surviving a disaster together would be great! (Well, really, any two of these three - but feel free to include others as you feel like.)
Survival - Post-Apocalyptic Fight to Survive: I've written some fics for this kind of thing, but I'd very much like to see someone else's take on it! There is never too much post-apocalyptic fic, in my opinion.
Rachel Pirzad & Nina Theroux (Alphas)
The relationship between these two changes so much over the course of the show. S1 Nina is very caring despite doing a good job of pretending to be all cool and not revealing much of her past, and I love the scene at the end of Anger Management where she reaches out to Rachel. She's always offering Rachel a ride, listening to her, encouraging her in her difficulties with her parents, etc. And then you have S2, where she pushes Rachel to stay calm in Wake Up Call - and then pushes for an entirely different reason in When Push Comes to Shove. It was painful to see their relationship in Gaslight, and lovely to see Rachel thawing towards Nina as she recognizes Nina's changed (and that Nina is taking responsibility for the results of her pushing). There are some very interesting undercurrents in Need to Know, though - from Nina's "You called them?" to the way Nina says "When Rachel…" to the looks Nina gives Rachel in the elevator and afterwards, and there wasn't time to really deal with that in the few hours that the last two episodes cover. Though I like that when Kat is trying to get a hold of Rachel, Bill says "Nina always knows where she is". I think Nina really cares for Rachel down deep. I'm not entirely sure what Nina's reasoning was for what she pushed Rachel to do in the club in When Push Comes to Shove (was she trying to find the quickest way to hurt Rachel, to force the rejection she was feeling coming anyway? or was there more to it?), but when she's in her right mind, she clearly has a lot of affection for Rachel.
Tropes:
Captivity - Captured Together: I'd love to see these two captured together (or the whole group if you want to go there, as long as the focus is on these two). Lots of h/c potential. :D
Hurt/Comfort - Huddling for Warmth: I'm such a sucker for this trope.
Hurt/Comfort - One character's hands are injured so the other character has to help them: I don't care which one's the injured one, for this either would be excellent.
Intimacy - Nonsexual Physical Intimacy: I adore this, and with these two in particular.
Intimacy - Platonic Cuddling: This would make me just MELT.
Mind Control - Consensual Mind Control: With Nina's ability, this is easy to do in canon. So who does she control, and what are the circumstances? If it's not Rachel, she would be weighing in here due to her experiences with it, so that makes it easy to include both of them with this.
On the Run - Together: This is pretty much the latter half of An Unusual Suspect. I'd love to see this with these two (or the whole team, if you like, as long as the focus is on these two).
Redemption - Trying to make amends for past mistakes: This would fit Nina canonically, with her pushing. I'd love to see either missing scenes that fit in canon or an AU resolution to the rift created by Nina's actions in When Push Comes to Shove; there've been some excellent ones written, but more is always better. :D
Sharing a Bed - For Comfort After a Nightmare: This trope is just <3.
Sharing a Bed - platonic bed sharing: No ideas on why it happens, but I'd love to see it!
Soulmates - Platonic Soulmates: I'd love to see your take on this with these two!
FBI (TV 2018)
I watched this because Missy Peregrym starred in it, but I gradually grew to really like OA as well.
As far as other characters, I particularly love Isobel, Kristen, Stuart, and Elise (and I ship Stuart/Elise for sure), and I enjoy Jubal and Dana as well. (I can see Jubal with Dana, Kristen, or Isobel just fine - or none of them - though I really don't care for Rina and would prefer not to see them together even though that's where canon has gone.) I'm less interested in Tiffany.
Maggie Bell/Omar "OA" Zidan
For the longest time I preferred them as only a platonic ship, but as time has passed I can see them growing close enough to turn the friendship & partnership into something more. If you need help deciding when in their relationship to set a fic using a trope that could happen anytime, I particularly love beginning relationship and pre-relationship fics (where the relationship starting is the resolution). Many of these tropes fit that, though some do not.
I don't have specific thoughts on these tropes, but I would adore reading any of them. :D
Accidental Marriage
Amnesia - Affected person assumes the other character(s) is their significant other
Can't stop thinking about it - other characters assumed they were dating
Fake/Pretend Relationship - Fake Marriage as Part of a Job
Forced Proximity - Sharing body heat
Hurt/Comfort - Huddling For Warmth
Hurt/Comfort - One character helps another deal with PTSD symptoms
Intimacy - Character A falls asleep on B's shoulder
Intimacy - Nonsexual Physical Intimacy
Outsider POV - POV Character Knows Other Characters Are In Love Before They Do
Outsider POV of relationship
Secret Relationship - Marriage Revealed When One Character is Badly Injured
Survival - Natural Disaster
Survival - Post-Apocalyptic Fight to Survive
Telepathy - Mutual Telepathic Bond Between Soulmates
Undercover - Undercover as a Couple
Undercover - Undercover as a Couple and Realise Feelings
Stuart Scola/Elise Taylor
I started to ship these two a little when Stuart was there for Elise when she had the bomb on her. I feel like that could've developed into more, and the more I've learned about Stuart, the more I really like him. One of those quiet guys with depth.
I thought all of these tropes would work so well with these two:
Accidental Marriage
Amnesia - Affected person assumes the other character(s) is their significant other
Forced Proximity - Sharing body heat
Hurt/Comfort - Gunshot Wound
Hurt/Comfort - Huddling For Warmth
Hurt/Comfort - One character helps another deal with PTSD symptoms
Intimacy - Nonsexual Physical Intimacy
Sharing a Bed - For Comfort After a Nightmare
Survival - Post-Apocalyptic Fight to Survive
Maggie Bell & Omar "OA" Zidan
Stuart Scola & Elise Taylor
I could enjoy both of these pairs as just really good friends, and I think the tropes I chose work well with that for either couple.
Captivity - Captured Together
Family Feels - Found Family
Forced Proximity - Sharing body heat
Hurt/Comfort - Huddling For Warmth
Hurt/Comfort - One character helps another deal with PTSD symptoms
Intimacy - Nonsexual Physical Intimacy
Intimacy - Platonic Cuddling
Rescue Missions - Saving From Captivity
Sharing a Bed - platonic bed sharing
Soulmates - Platonic Soulmates
Survival - Post-Apocalyptic Fight to Survive
Telepathy - Accidental permanent telepathic connection is created
FBI: Most Wanted (TV 2020)
I watched this show mainly because it was a spinoff of FBI, which I already enjoyed. It took a bit for me to warm up to the characters, but I grew to love Clinton, Hana, and Kenny, and to a lesser degree, Jess (though I ship him and Sarah so hard after that hug on 2x13 which made me fall in love with her). I'm less interested in Barnes or Ortiz.
Kenny Crosby/Hana Gibson
I had to grin a lot at Kenny and Hana's friendly jibes. Their playful bickering is very enjoyable to watch! I've enjoyed them as the canonical brother-sister relationship, but I can so easily see them as a couple, and thought it would be fun to request these tropes with them.
Forced Proximity - Sharing body heat
Hurt/Comfort - Trauma Recovery
Secret Relationship - Marriage Revealed When One Character is Badly Injured
Sharing a Bed
Survival - Post-Apocalyptic Fight to Survive
Telepathy - Accidental permanent telepathic connection is created
Undercover - Undercover as a Couple
Undercover - Undercover as a Couple and Realise Feelings
Rookie Blue
This show is my biggest "why didn't you watch this sooner????" because the fandom is pretty much dead now, and I missed out on so much… I watched Stick It years ago and loved Missy Peregrym in that, but for some inexplicable reason waited until this summer to watch Rookie Blue. I was hooked from the first couple episodes and watched all 74 in two weeks. :D All the drama, the emotion, the romance, the angst… (And SO MUCH AU POTENTIAL. Seriously. Feel free to AU this all over the place.)
Obviously, I love Sam and Andy so much—I am totally team McSwarek. I ship Gail with Dov or Luke (not into Gail/Chris, Gail/Nick, or Gail/Holly), but there are a few Gail/Luke fics out there and almost no Gail/Dov ones, so give me the Gail/Dov! You can do what you want with Chris and Traci. I love Noelle and Oliver but am not a fan of Celery. I'm ambivalent about Chloe (I like her but not the whole Wes thing) and don't really care for Juliet or Marlo (who would've been much better if they hadn't used the bipolar thing in the way they did). My favorite seasons with Rookie Blue are S1 and S2, up until where Sam goes undercover.
I requested three Rookie Blue requests because there are just too many Sam/Andy tropes to get in one (they are extremely tropeable) and I had to request Gail/Dov as well.
Andy McNally/Sam Swarek
These two were meant for each other from day one, and I think it was obvious to anyone watching the pilot. Of course, the show mangled the process of getting them there, but hey, that's what fic is for, right? And all the tropes are the best here.
Accidental Baby Acquisition: Hee, this would be great. When in canon it happens would change things all over the place.
Accidental Marriage: Oh, this one would be hilarious with Andy/Sam. Not sure how you'd make it realistic in any way, but still, the thought makes me laugh. Preference, of course, would be for them to decide to stay with it in the end. S1/S2 probably best on this, especially with the idea of Andy/Sam while she's engaged to Luke…
Alternate Universe - For Want of a Nail-style Canon Divergence: So one of the episodes goes differently than on the show because of one little thing… for instance, what if Luke never put the house in Andy's name, thereby changing the outcome of 2x03 Bad Moon Rising? Or what if Sam had taken Andy home after 1x07 Hot and Bothered, and they ended up talking or something other than the way the ep actually went? (The events of that ep affected so many of the following eps that it's truly a "nail" when it comes to this trope.) So many possibilities…
Amnesia - Affected person assumes the other character(s) is their significant other: I think it would be hilarious if Sam immediately thought Andy was his girlfriend, but the other way could work too! Mid-S2 would be great for this one, or early S1, even, lol.
Amnesia - All memories are lost: This one could get more angsty if you set it in mid-S2 to S3.
Amnesia - Growing to Love Them Again After Permanent Memory Loss: This would work well around S5 (and feel free to pretend Marlo never got pregnant, if you like). Maybe Sam wakes up and doesn't remember Andy - and he never gets that back. Or maybe Andy gets shot as well at the end of S4 and she's the one who forgets - and Sam has to win her affections with Nick also trying…
Captivity - Captured Together: The different ways these two would react to being held would make a fic really interesting - particularly if the captor hurts one of them but not the other.
Forced Proximity - Sharing body heat: Ah, one of the classics. How can you go wrong with this one? XD
Hurt/Comfort - Carrying injured/sick character: Why did we never get to see Sam carrying an injured Andy in the entire show? This needs fic to remedy that…
Hurt/Comfort - Huddling For Warmth: These two are just perfect for this. So many possibilities and interesting times to set it…
Hurt/Comfort - One character comforts another after a nightmare: Given the trauma Andy's been through, you'd think she'd have a few… Either Sam's in bed beside her, or she seeks him out…
Hurt/Comfort - One character helps another deal with PTSD symptoms: I'd love to see this affecting Andy, and what Sam does about it. Given the trauma she's been through over the years…
Hurt/Comfort - Trauma Recovery: No prompts here, but feel free to go with it. I won't be squicked by whatever you'd write along these lines.
In Denial - Forced To Confront Feelings: Andy needs this through most of S1 and part of S2. Please feel free to smack her upside the head with the realization that she really loves Sam more than Luke. ;)
Misunderstandings - Everyone Thinks They're Together: Pretend Luke never dated her, or set this mid-S2. Given how many characters comment on their attraction to each other…
On the Run - Together: I'd love to see Sam and Andy having to be fugitives together. :D
Outsider POV - POV Character Knows Other Characters Are In Love Before They Do: Oliver or Noelle would be perfect on this, lol, because they know Sam well enough to read him, which Traci can't. (Or Jerry, though I've always suspected Jerry didn't care for Andy all that well and just hid it because he was in love with her best friend.)
Outsider POV - POV Character Talks to Other Character About Their Observations: I'd love to see someone seriously confront Andy about how she feels about Sam, back in S1 to mid-S2.
Pregnancy - Unplanned Pregnancy: I'd love to see this very early on (it would obviously have to be in combination with some canon divergence).
Secret Relationship - forbidden/taboo: I'd love to see these two start a relationship while Sam's still her TO, and figuring out how to hide it from everyone. (Yeah, it's been done before. So?)
Sharing a Bed: This would be awesome to see with these two pre-relationship.
Soulbond - Distance is Painful: I'd love to see this. :D
Soulmates - Soulmates feel each other's emotions: Sam/Andy are just awesome with this idea, and the feelings-sharing would complicate things deliciously. :D
Survival - Natural Disaster: They're in Toronto, so make them have to survive whatever disaster(s) Toronto is prone to - or have them travel and get caught in a blizzard?
Telepathy - Accidental permanent telepathic connection is created: This would be AWESOME - whether they're already in a relationship or not (but probably more interesting before, lol).
Telepathy - Mutual Telepathic Bond Between Soulmates: Of course this would be amazing to read. :D
Time Travel - Permanently Stuck in Body of Past Self: Feel free to send Andy back to her S1 body and have her redo life - and fix a lot of things along the way.
Undercover - Undercover as a Couple: Ooh, this could be hilariously fun…
Undercover - Undercover as a Couple and Realise Feelings: The logical conclusion to being undercover as a couple… :)
Dov Epstein/Gail Peck
Dov is really the perfect person for Gail, as he's got enough snark to stand up to her if he decides to, and he is still genuine enough to really touch her inside.
Accidental Marriage: Gail's reaction to this one, oh man! Not sure how you'd make it realistic in any way, but still, the thought makes me laugh (with a bit of glee). Preference, of course, would be for them to decide to stay with it in the end. S2 probably best on this…
Alternate Universe - For Want of a Nail-style Canon Divergence: The only specific ideas I can come up with is "what if something had not caused the pills to affect Dov so strongly" or "what if Chris had not seen them in the car" because of how it impacts this ship, but I'm sure there are other ideas out there I haven't mentioned!
Defrosting Ice Queen: I've only seen one fic that tackles this with these two (it was excellent, but it's only one!). I'd love to read another one - Gail is vulnerable underneath everything, and I think Dov has the potential to meet her there, if he can get her defenses down…
Fake/Pretend Relationship - Fake Marriage as Part of a Job: Heeeeee, what fun this would be. I'm OK if it's just a relationship and not actual marriage; the trope list last time didn't have the "Fake Marriage" bit in it and there's no equivalent one that's quite right.
Forced Proximity - Sharing body heat: I will never tire of this trope.
Hurt/Comfort - Body and mind shutting down due to emotional overload: Have this affect Gail in S3… and find a way to have Dov be the one to reach her. (Nick can just quietly realize he isn't right for her, lol.)
Hurt/Comfort - Character A has been crying and tries to hide it but B still notices it: I'd love to see Gail be the one crying.
Hurt/Comfort - Huddling For Warmth: I'd love to see this with these two, lol.
Hurt/Comfort - One character comforts another after a nightmare: I can see this with Gail after 3x09.
Hurt/Comfort - One character helps another deal with PTSD symptoms: After Gail was kidnapped, this TOTALLY needed to be dealt with.
Hurt/Comfort - Trauma Recovery: No prompts here, but feel free to go with it. I won't be squicked by whatever you'd write along these lines.
In Denial - Forced To Confront Feelings: I'd love to see Gail having to acknowledge how she really feels.
Sharing a Bed: I would love to see this with these two!
Telepathy - Accidental permanent telepathic connection is created: Oh, I would love to see this with these two!
Time Travel - Permanently Stuck in Body of Past Self: Set this before Chloe comes on the scene, to avoid her entirely, and have Dov go back to mid-S2 when he hadn't wrecked his potential relationship with Gail - and have him decide it's worth it to pursue her.
So many tropes, so little time to write them all! I hope at least a few of these inspire you. :D Happy writing!
