Candy Hearts 2024 Letter

[jaclynhyde]

 Dear Candy Heart Sexer,

 

Thank you so much for writing for me! If you're here for treats, I'd be thrilled to get fic or art treats for current or past Candy Hearts/Chocolate Box requests. This letter is under construction!
 

Stuff I love:

• Shipping! I am a ridiculous shipper at heart, so my favorite thing would be ship fic for the pairings I request; I love sexual tension, slow burn, pining, and lots of other stuff. Porn or no porn are both great--it's the ship more than the smut I'm into. I also love characters falling for others that they never would have expected, as is probably obvious from my ships. I love pining and hurt/comfort and cuddling to avoid hypothermia and all those wonderful fanfic tropes. Shippy pre-relationship stuff is also great!
• Identity porn! As defined by Fanlore, it's focusing on people who have secret identities which focus on the consequences of using multiple personas". So Character A is in disguise, interacting with Character B, who may or may not know who Character A really is, and there may be kissing. This has obvious implications for secret identities (bonus points if it's hero/villain), but anywhere you can fit it in I will love it. Relatedly, I'm always up for mask kink and identity reveals. I feel like this is nigh-impossible for any Shade ship but if you manage it, I'd be really impressed!
• Bad guys turning good! I love villains who discover that their worldview is wrong, especially by getting to know one of the good guys. I also love villains who aren't entirely bad, and good guys who can learn from them too.
• Dramatic reunions! I love seeing characters brought back from the dead (or not actually dead, or whatever plot device works) reunited with someone who's been mourning them. I really love if the living person had feelings for the other and regrets never confessing them.
• Lots of story types--adventure, what-ifs, canon continuations, everyone is mysteriously alive somehow, etc. Both happy and bittersweet/sad fics are great, as long as the angst isn't from the pairing's relationship not working out. Scenes or snippets from any of these are also great.
• Your own prompts! I throw out a few specific story prompts for each pairing, but I will be thrilled to read any ideas you have! My prompts tend to lean towards longer stories, but please don't feel like you have to follow them.
• Interactive fiction! (This is more relevant for longer minimum exchanges, but I keep this in just in case.) I like choice, parser, or any combination; my secret wish is dating sims for every canon. Character death, AU, and other pairings are fine for different endings in IF.

DNWs:

• Non-con. Dub-con is great. The non-con line for me is one character forcing another into sex acts; dub-con examples I like are sex pollen, aliens make them do it, fighting turning into sex (even if they're still trying to kill each other), a villain sexually teasing a hero who is trying not to respond but is into it. Verbal consent is not needed. Canon past non-con and repercussions are fine.
• Character bashing, including canon love interests.
• Unrequested current ships or crushes for characters I request.
• Non-canon permanent major character death (except that Jack/Shade prompt).
• AUs of the setting instead of plot (mundane AUs, everyone is ponies, etc.)
• Unrequited love (one or both parties incorrectly thinking it's unrequited is great) & shooting down pairings I requested.
• Outsider POV.
• Non-requested crossovers (e.g. outside of DC universes). References to anything vaguely DC-related is great, especially throwing in comic details for TV fic and vice-versa.

Don't Like but not DNW-level:

• Established relationship fic. This isn't as set in stone as the others, but I love seeing my OTPs get together and/or have UST.

Crossover Fandom

 

Crossover likes: Shade/Jack, Shade/McNider, Shade/Jay, Laszlo/Nadja, Laszlo/Shade/Nadja, Laszlo/everyone, Guillermo/Nandor, / or & for requested pairings

Crossover DNWs: Shade/Hope, heavy embarrassment squick (WWDITS-typical ridiculousness is usually fine, just have Shade take it in stride)

 

Laszlo Cravensworth (WWDITS)/Richard Swift (Stargirl)

Laszlo Cravensworth (WWDITS)/Richard Swift (DC Comics)

 

I don't know whether they'd be bitter rivals, frenemies, best friends, or fuckbuddies, but I need the Shade and Laszlo to know each other. They are both absolutely ridiculous immortals who have abandoned England for America and have banged their way through history. They have almost certainly made old-timey gay porn together. Comic Shade has an adopted vampire daughter. Feel free to use either Shade and refer to any Shade pairings, canon or not (besides Shade/Hope).

 

Prompts:

• Laszlo and Richard Make A Porno. This would be especially hilarious with other Starman/Stargirl supporting characters finding this out and it is awful (and/or kind of hot). Jack finds it in an antique store? Fiddler finds it while he's draining the Shade's bank accounts?
• Shade and Nadja get along famously even if Shade and Laszlo are bitter enemies. Especially if Shade and Laszlo are bitter enemies. They can bond over having reincarnating boyfriends and scheming to get rid of that awful fucking hat!
• Shade and Lazslo discuss fatherhood! I cannot even fathom what a playdate between Young Colin Robinson and La Sangre would be so I need it. Jenny finding there is actually someone more annoying than the Shade: Laszlo and pretty much everyone he knows.
• The Shade having to deal with WWDITS-typical hijinks, especially if he inevitably gets dragged into whatever incredible bullshit is going on.

Richard Swift (DC Comics) & Richard Swift (Stargirl)

 

Quite simply, I want both Shades to meet, get along wonderfully, and annoy everyone they've ever met. I love how much Stargirl Shade and Starman Shade have the same essence, even though the particulars are different, and I'd love to see them compare notes. Whatever multiverse weirdness gets them in one place is great (transported to the other's Earth? They share the same Shadowlands?), and anything from saving the world to having coffee and tea would be delightful.  Bonus points for trash-talking whoever's the most intolerable at the moment (Sylvester Pemberton, Crocks, poor dear sweet dead David Knight), gushing about McNider and Jack and *~Jay Garrick~*, and everyone else's dawning horror at realizing there's two of them now. Also they can bang/threesome/foursome! No specific prompts for this one, just go wild.

 

DC Comics

 

 

Jack Knight/Richard Swift

Jack/Shade likes: Opal City, Shade being in love with Jay Garrick, Shade being horny for superheroes, Smudge, Starman supporting cast, the Shade's painted nails, the Shade's sexy shadow powers
Jack/Shade DNWs: Shade/Hope

 

From the first time the Shade showed up at Jack's place to annoy him, I was hooked. I love these two and how their roles as protectors of Opal grew into a real friendship. I adore how the Shade just decides Jack is going to be his mentee and friend, and that he accomplishes it by dumping his life story onto Jack. The Shade is one of my favorite DC characters, and I love how much he professes to be uncaring and heartless while he very clearly holds his friendships dear. And the way he talks about Jack versus the other Starmen, like he's been waiting for someone who loves Opal like him all his life...and then how he tells Jack "a rose is a rose is a rose" when he leaves the city and doesn't hold it against him. I love their shared love for old things and Opal and being pretentious, and how Jack has no time for the Shade's bullshit (but secretly he does) and how the Shade just throws more bullshit at him in response. My Starman promo post goes on about why I love the canon and ship!

For Jack/Sadie, I prefer it having not worked out or it just didn't happen.  As for Shade, I'd prefer focus on past gay relationships over his het ones; mentions of past het is fine (outside of Shade/Hope, which I'd prefer didn't happen), but I'd like the focus on his relationships with men. If you want to make up any past queer ships or flirtations for him, go wild! 

 

Prompts:

• Jack and Shade stay in touch after Jack leaves for San Francisco through writing letters and Shade occasionally stopping by. Jack and Sadie don't work out, and then the Shade keeps dropping hints that Jack could return to Opal City and still stay retired. It takes a while for Jack to realize that the Shade just likes his company, and even longer to realize how much he likes the Shade's.
• After reading enough of the Shade's journals, Jack starts to suspect he had a Thing for Jay Garrick. Does he ask the Shade about it, and does the Shade admit it? Does Mikaal have to teach Jack what bisexuality is? Does Jack subsequently realize some things about himself?
• The Shade is good with kids and dotes on Teddy and tells him stories of his father and grandfather and, well, Jack isn't made of stone. Extra points for Smudge (who is FINE) also doting and calling him Squire Teddy.
• Jack has to pretend to stop the Shade's villainy for whatever reason (for charity? drawing out some supervillain?) and the Shade is really into that.
• After Jack's death (at the end of a long and happy life), the Shade meets him on Jack's birthday, Talking With David style. The Shade didn't realize how much the loss would affect him, and he can finally tell him some things he never did in life. Or, long after Jack's death, he meets his reincarnation and old feelings/attraction that he never acted on flare up.

Maxwell Lord/J'onn J'onnz

Max/J'onn likes: the rest of Justice League International, JLI-typical ridiculousness, Booster/Beetle, Fire/Ice(/Guy), L-Ron, Jaime Reyes
Max/J'onn DNWs: evil Max (see exception in prompts), dead Ted Kord, JLI never being Max's friend

 

I adore Justice League International, and I love Max's original characterization: a sleazy, sometimes sinister businessman who, in the end, chose to be good. And J'onn was proud of him for that! They worked wonderfully as the reasonable parental figures of this band of jokers (who, deep down, were just as ridiculous as the rest of them). I love their friendship, and how J'onn believes that he can be a good person even with sketchy powers and his questionable morals and a mind-controlling computer. Please no post-Infinite Crisis Max or the retcons that came along with it (like the JLI never really liking him) except if it's explicitly an alternate universe.

 

Prompts:

• Identity porn! Max meets a charming detective and finds himself treating him like an old friend from the beginning. And maybe he's flirting with him a little, it's just a bit of fun. Meanwhile, J'onn, in human disguise for whatever reason, is oddly flattered and it's not like he's flirting back, right?
• Sex pollen Chocos. Just...sex pollen Chocos. Max trying to be a gentleman (maybe) (a little) (not really) while J'onn is extremely interested in stripping Max. Well, it's practically his job as manager of the JLI to take one for the team!
• Max meets J'onn from another universe who seems to think he's a supervillain who killed Ted Kord. Which is ridiculous, obviously, but Max finds himself more unsettled than he's like to admit. How can he save this other Ted and prove to J'onn that he's not that person?
• Any and JLI-typical hijinks. Do Max and J'onn need to get married for tax purposes? Is there only one bed in the hotel because J'onn's Choco rampage destroyed the others? Do they have to hold a sexy carwash for fundraising?

Mister Bones & Beth Chapel

Beth &/ Bones likes: the rest of Infinity Inc. (esp. Northwind, the twins, and Fury), the JSA (esp. McNider and Jay Garrick), Mister Bones rhyming, Hooty

Beth &/ Bones DNWs: Mister Bones being an evil government agent (morally ambiguous fine, just not the trying to kill Chase, overtly sinister Batwoman stuff)

Reading Infinity Inc. after Stargirl was an absolute trip and I did not expect to fall that head-over-heels for Mister Bones. I love his goofiness and his rhyming and his dramatic cape and his desperate need to be loved. And oh my god comics Beth is so good!! I love her smarts and her immediate clocking of McNider's secret identity and her compassion and her snark. And they are so amazing together; I love that she actually likes the most annoying man in the world and how highly he thinks of her and how they trust each other and how they just like spending time with each other. I also ship it like crazy (see below) but I want more of their canon friendship either way!

Bones/Penny is fine but I'd like it either past (post-Infinity Inc.) or not a major focus (during Infinity Inc.). Bones crushing on Sylvester or Lyta is good! I prefer one-sided Rick -> Beth if it's mentioned.

Prompts: 

• Just any moments of them hanging out and appreciating each other! Bones showing off to impress her! I just want to see how she warmed up to him and how they started hanging out all the time!
• I love that Beth knows he's Black when no one else does; what does it mean to him to be able to talk frankly with another Black person when none of his family were Black? Does she have advice for him? (Especially haircare tips because he isn't bald in Infinity Inc. and it's adorable)
• Bones' reaction to Beth's death. I fully subscribe to the idea that that pushed him into the government job and leaving behind his old life because what's the point now that everyone he cared for is gone? Or Bones preventing Beth's death somehow!
• Bones and Beth meeting after her resurrection, because oh my god there is so much angst potential here. Beth being shocked with how much he's changed, Bones still badly wanting her approval, Bones admitting he missed her...

Mister Bones/Beth Chapel

See above but with smooching! I love Bones having a low-key thing for Beth and completely suppressing it because he values her friendship so much, and then all that shit happens and she dies and he's just going to pack all those feelings away. And Beth probably notices and is amused and kind of flattered, and may not realize she's falling for him too for a long time.

• Just Bones having feelings during Infinity Inc. and suppressing it.
• Dancing!!! Bones loves to dance and it is a travesty that he doesn't get to dance with Beth!
• Beth gets to see his face in a less awful situation and oh no, he's hot. He wears makeup sometimes in Manhunter! They can go out on a nice normal evening date friendly outing!
• They can actually touch and Bones really wants to take advantage of it. The makeup that supposedly suppresses his cyanide, power nullification, just being very careful with gloves... Sex pollen would go great here! Just them being able to kiss (and Bones losing his mind cause it's his first kiss) would be great here!
• Identity porn, going along with the makeup/power nullification/etc. Who could this handsome man flirting with Beth be? This would work especially well after her resurrection, where his voice has probably changed over the years. She will still figure it out instantly, but might want to see where this goes...

My Teacher Is an Alien

My Teacher Is an Alien likes: futurefic, older Peter/Broxholm, worldbuilding, all the other characters, Poot

My Teacher Is an Alien issues: requited Broxholm/Peter with Peter under 17, Broxholm as an overt father figure, specific current events/current problems

Broxholm/Peter Thompson
 

I absolutely adore this series; it's one of my childhood favorites and got me into sci-fi as a whole. I love how it goes from a fun kids vs. adults adventure in the first books to an exploration of humanity and how to find our better nature. I love Peter's love of science fiction and his desperation to escape, and how that turns into his willingness to stay behind and do the hard work to teach humanity how to be better. I love Broxholm and his bluntness and his pacifism and his deep caring for the species he watches over. I love the worldbuilding and the really alien aliens and the deep respect for teachers. I just want more of it! I'd prefer not going in-depth into the problems of humanity part of the canon, cause hoo boy I don't want to be hideously depressed. If you write something like the missions in the fourth book, a generic setting would work; feel free to ask through the mods if you're worried about skirting the line. 

 

I also really want what I did not get from the series, which is Peter/Broxholm! I love their relationship; Peter running after the alien invader, begging him to take him with him, was absolutely formative for me. While the books framed Broxholm as a father figure, I love the idea of Peter growing up to realize his attachment to Broxholm is more than just wanting a replacement for his father (especially now that his relationship with his father's much better). And I love the idea that his fascination with aliens is, well, a fascination. I'd like adult Peter if shipping them; a childhood crush on Peter's side is great, but no pursuit or requited interest until he's at least 17. I'd prefer college-age or later. As for the other series characters, pair/multi/don't pair them up however you want! If you're not into shipping for this, just their canon friendship, especially how it changes as Peter grows older, would be lovely.

 

Prompts:

• Peter being an amazing teacher! How does he bring what he's learned back to humanity? I also love the idea of Broxholm staying behind to teach with him; maybe he comes back after Peter's been on his own for a while, when he's really missing the stars and his friends. Does he get Broxholm to loosen up a bit as a teacher? Do their colleagues notice their bond and get the wrong (right) idea?
• Peter is happy to be on Earth to help humanity grow, but he still misses the stars. Broxholm (with or without the others) spirits him away for a Very Important Meeting that turns out to be an excuse for summer vacation. Where do they go? Does Peter have some things on Earth to show him in return? Does Peter realize that a big part of his missing space is missing Broxholm?
• Look, the first book keeps going into how handsome Mr. Smith is, and Broxholm may not be able to use that particular face but I want Peter getting distracted by how handsome his human face is. Which he could just ignore because it's not real, except it's not just his human disguise he's interested in. If you can somehow get fake dating or having to kiss to not get caught out of this (especially since Broxholm almost certainly does not know how to kiss), yes please!
• Peter is surreptitiously very interested in what courtship looks like for Broxholm's species, for reasons he may or may not admit to himself. And with telepathic connections to his human friends (not to mention some pretty clever alien friends), this may not stay secret for long. And if Broxholm finds out, is dating something he's ever considered?

Planescape: Torment

Torment likes: Chaotic good TNO, the whole party (esp. Annah & Dak’kon), Adahn the Imaginary, other incarnations, head skritchies

Torment DNWs: evil current incarnation TNO, giving TNO a name (him saying he's Adahn is great)

Mortimer “Morte” Rictusgrin/The Nameless One (Planescape: Torment)

 

Planescape Torment is my absolute favorite game (tied with Disco Elysium now). The world, the writing, the ways you can change the nature of a man (belief, it’s totally belief); it’s just an absolutely beautiful story of a man figuring out who he was and, more importantly, who he wants to be.

 

Also I think the corpse man and the skull should kiss.

 

I love how Morte immediately sets the mood of the game by perving on zombies, and I love that TNO immediately starts ragging on him and they keep bantering through the whole game. And then he finds out the last line of his tattoo, and what Morte’s torment is, and the most lighthearted relationship in the game turns out to have considerably darker underpinnings. I love that it’s the inverse of TNO’s other relationships, where he’s fixing what his previous incarnations broke; I love that it’s the Mark of Torment and both their betrayals that draws them together, but that they can change the nature of their relationship.

 

Prompts:

• Morte trying very hard not to get attached to this version of TNO—just because he remembers some lives now, just because he's a good incarnation that seems to care about him, just because he reminds him of past incarnations that he liked, a lot, and even the first one that he betrayed…there's not going to be a happy ending for either of them, and there's no use wishing for it. 
• TNO tries to be nicer to Morte when he finds out what some other incarnations did to him; Morte ups the mockery 800% and that's how TNO knows he appreciates it. I'd love them having a rare honest talk, where both of them maybe admit they appreciate each other.
• Through a sensory stone or other means, Morte and TNO find out what really happened when they met in their first lives. (Sex. It was sex.)
• Annah calling out their banter as flirting, and Morte plays up his lascivious act with TNO. TNO certainly isn't going to back down first…and that's how Morte finally gets to first base with a corpse.
• Disco Elysium crossover! TNO and Morte find a portal to Martinaise or vice versa, and Harry and TNO bond over being amnesiacs whose personalities have a lot of possibilities and Morte and Kim bond over handling their weird-ass partners. Harry/Kim is my OTP buuuut TNO/Morte's best parallel is probably Harry/Horrific Necktie so go crazy, bratan!