2024 ToT Letter

[schwertlilie_ex]

Hello creator! I'm schwertlilie on AO3, and I'm requesting both art & fic. Thank you for taking the time to check out my letter, I hope it's useful to you.

This letter includes more general-purpose likes than what I listed in my sign-ups, what I like about the fandoms/characters/relationships requested, and optional prompts. I've gone into a bit more detail about my Do Not Wants (DNWs), e.g. defining "kidfic," but I haven't added any extra DNWs compared to my sign-up. If I make any major changes after this letter goes live, I'll list them in a changelog at the end.

I mean my likes and prompts as a jumping-off point, not a checklist. If you have an idea you think I'll like that avoids my DNWs, go for it! With respect to art I've tried to include prompts that can be done in a single image (rather than require a comic, sense of progression, or even dialogue); if you would rather pose a character or do a portrait against a blank background, that's a-okay too.

For FFVII, I'm specifically requesting the Remake/Rebirth characters. If you want to bring in aspects of the Compilation which don't contradict RR canon, go for it, but please keep the characterizations, appearances, and relative ages of the RR versions.

That said, I love all the things I requested, so please don't take my relative word count as preferences. I want to be clear about what I like in VIIRR versus the original & Compilation, which takes space, but I requested FFXIV, Macross, and Okami because I love them too. The same goes for the relationships that overlap between my ship and platonic "&" requests: I like both, and if you want to create 100% platonic gen for those relationships I'd be happy to see it.

I mention a few non-requested ships in places; I mean them as "If you want to include it it's okay," not as any kind of requirement. I requested solo characters because I like them for their own sake.

So! Let's get to me talking about things I like! /joy

---

General Likes:

Broad:

• canon setting: missing scenes, dramatic irony, world building, outsider POV, pre-canon through post-canon
  
• canon AUs: canon divergence, time travel (both mentally & bodily), fix-its, role reversals, timeline what timeline, everybody lives, crack treated seriously, time travel fuck it up differently
  
• non-traditional formats, e.g. fake news articles, academic papers, secure files, press releases
  
• tropes: fluff, hurt/comfort, angst, banter & snark, big damn heroes, power of friendship, but also quiet moments; I'm terrible at writing action scenes so I love reading them instead
  
• unreliable narrators (e.g. character notes [thing] but misunderstands why [thing] is happening), narration matching character POV in close 3rd (e.g. whether a character would recognize twill cloth)

Characters/Platonic:

• competence, confidence, characters doing things they're good at
  
• rivals, narrative foils, red oni &/ blue oni, trust, senpai & kouhai, teamwork
  
• banter, pushing (or provoking) each other to do better, trash talk
  
• "us against the world," emotional claustrophobia, "no one else understands," what fandom calls "codependence"
  
• soft for one person/a few people, kuudere (defrosting ice prince), monster on a leash, emotional constipation
  
• affection-starved and don't quite know how to deal with it when they get it

Horror/Tricks:

• fridge horror/horror through implication, e.g. when character thinks something's normal but the narrative & audience know it's very much not
  
• shady characters being good at their jobs
  
• extrapolating canon and/or worldbuilding to its horrible conclusions/dystopias/downsides, e.g. Shinra's control of the media, older victims of FFXIV tempering who could have been saved
  
• manipulation, brainwashing, stockholm syndrome
  
• eldritch/unknowable beings

Shipping:

• I like the platonic tropes in my ships too!
  
• getting together, established relationships, pining, flirtation, feelings realization, "oh no he's hot," feelings denial, smarm
  
• (enemies to) friends to lovers, friends with benefits, rival ships (i.e. shipping rivals together)
  
• banter & belligerent sexual tension
  
• little intimacies (e.g. waking up together, helping dress, leaning on each other)
  
• consensual incest, especially sibling or cousin

Smut Likes:

If you want to fade to black instead of smut, or drape a blanket over them, that’s totally fine!

• I'm not picky on who's top/bottom, dom/sub; with or without plot
  
• characters getting off on what they're doing
  
• pairs, threesomes/moresomes, masturbation
  
• first times (at all, with this partner, with this kink), kink discovery
  
• oral/anal/vaginal/manual sex, frot, intercrural, sex toys (both meant-for-purpose and improvised), fucking machines, strap-ons, multiple penetration
  
• edging, multiple orgasms, over-sensitivity, forced orgasm, creampie, squirting, cock warming
  
• playful sex, fight sex/combat as foreplay, rough sex, sex chicken (i.e. escalating tension where nobody backs down)
  
• power bottoms, hair-pulling/-petting, strength kink, dirty talk
  
• wrecking characters until they're a sweaty, exhausted mess, possibly with tears in their eyes
  
• dubious consent, under-/non-negotiated kink, sex pollen, heats/ruts/instincts
  
• breeding (not on-screen pregnancy; mentions of breeding resulting in pregnancy fine)
  
• cis men with vaginas and/or hybrid genitals, sex magic, tentacles, mirrors

Power Dynamics:

• D/s, bondage, BDSM AUs, doms doing things because they like it (i.e. not only as service tops)
  
• possessiveness, marking, come marking, collars
  
• begging, praise, chastity/orgasm control
  
• cuffs/leather restraints, manhandling/holding down, honour bondage
  
• subs working to please their doms, doms setting tasks/expectations they know the sub can fulfill, bad doms setting their subs up to fail
  
• when the safeword is just "stop" or "no"
  
• oral as a dominance move, bratting/putting a brat in their place, hand-feeding, condescending or earnest comfort

General Do Not Wants (DNWs):

• on-screen non-con, CNC (consensual non-consenst), rape roleplay (mentions fine; dubcon is great, see below)
  
• descriptions of vomit/scat/piss (mentions fine)
  
• death of requested characters, major character death, suicide/suicidal ideation, self-harm
  
• serious or chronic illness, sickfic (i.e. hurt/comfort centered on being cared for while sick), hanahaki
  
• on-screen sexual activities of characters under 17 (mentions fine)
  
• setting change AUs (e.g. coffee shop, high school)
  
• identity headcanons or swaps (e.g. trans, neurodivergent)
  
• gore, guro, snuff, body horror, infestations, necrophilia, eye trauma (blood is fine)
  • harm to animals (destroying monsters is fine)
• kidfic (i.e. about characters caring for children), pregnancy, ageplay, littles, mental age regression, etc
  • fic set when requested characters were children is fine
• public humiliation, body swaps (e.g. Freaky Friday plots, FFXIV's "Into the Cold")
  
• unhappy endings for requested characters
  
• consenting substance use (e.g. tobacco, pot, ecstasy); drunkenness; (accidental/noncon dosing with e.g. mad science anaesthetic or sex pollen is fine)
  
• ass-to-mouth, ass-to-vagina
  
• infantilization (e.g. trying to force a bedtime on an adult "for their own good")
  
• teacher/student, TA/student, and similar
  
• chat fic

Art-specific Likes & DNWs:

Art Likes:

• digital & traditional; line art, digital 2D, watercolour, copic/alcohol marker, ink, pencil
  
• perspective: straight-/side-on is good, but so is playing with that perspective (e.g. two characters lying down drawn on a diagonal, or a high behind-the-shoulder angle for a blowjob to see both characters' faces)
  
• playing with the fourth wall (e.g. an arm from off-screen putting the viewer in the character's position; a character making eye contact with viewer like we interrupted them; a character going beyond the boundaries of a panel)
  
• characters: little intimacies (e.g. playing with hair, helping dress, waking up, casually being in each other's space), body language, partially clothed/accessorized, clothing swaps
  
• poses: sitting, standing, lying down, on/beside furniture, kabedon, kneeling
  
• portraits, interactions, moments from a prompt, chibis
  
• colour/tone: characters as visual contrast, limited colour palettes (including ones where there's more variation in tone/shade/tint than hue), greyscale, pops of accent colour, muted tones, jewel tones
  
• fake advertisements, pastiches, parodies (though please link original if you do one! I don't know all pieces of art everywhere)
  
• if you want to just draw a character on a plain white background, go for it! This is ToT, not a high-time-expectancy exchange
  
• for NSFW, I rate body language & expressions as more important than extremely detailed genitals; I've seen scorching hot art both with genitals and where nearly everything is covered

Additional Art-specific DNWs:

• chromatic aberration (when colours are distorted around edges/lines, a product of a) light refraction or b) artistic effect; my brain is used to filtering out the constant CA from my glasses specifically, and it doesn't play nicely with outside sources of aberration)
  
• trypophobia triggers (small dark holes, e.g. lotus root)
  
• detailed insects/spiders/snakes
  
• blood bubbling to indicate a lung injury

On Noncon/Dubcon:

(If you're not interested in creating dubcon, here's a pair of AMVs instead: "Gilded" by SuperEltanin (Haikyuu!! S1-3) and "バルキリーがとまらない" by engawa01 (a Macross-series mecha tribute).)

Everyone draws a different line between (fictional) nonconsensual and dubiously consensual content, so I thought it would be useful to talk a little about mine. I'm picky enough about noncon that I'm DNWing it. Mostly it comes down to agency & character enjoyment.

Dubcon I like: sex pollen/dosed with aphrodisiac/heats, transactional, lack of information (identity, motives, etc), talked into it, raised/brainwashed to think it's normal, edging them to make them ask for/allow something they wouldn't normally, partner wants to say yes despite hierarchy (e.g. boss/employee), under-negotiated kink

Dubcon I dislike: total disregard of other's comfort, when at least one partner feels obligated to say yes because of hierarchy, somnophilia

Noncon: flat-out refusals, fight/flight/freeze reflex (i.e. A isn't just startled when B propositions them, they want it to stop but can't find the words), threatened/blackmailed into it, repetitive boundary violation (aggressor does a thing, minimizes their action e.g. "it's no big deal why are you so upset," repeat)

---

Final Fantasy VII Remake/Rebirth:

I've been on the periphery of VII fandom for a long time - watched AC when it came out, tried the OG, read time travel fic - but Remake has gotten me hooked. I haven't played Rebirth yet (#PC problems), but I've watched a large chunk of cutscenes + osmosed a lot, so feel free to spoil it all. If you want to pull in things from the Compilation and/or OG, that can be fun, I just ask you keep the Remake characterizations, ages, and appearances. I also like future fic, if you want to speculate about how things turn out.

I love the worldbuilding and visual design in Remake: Shinra and Midgar feel so big, so omnipresent, but they're pretty young on the scale of things. Just look at the visuals - there are 1940s cars against 2020s glass-backed phones, and the faux sense of age makes the state of the interior & sub-plate infrastructure look reasonable.. until I remember it's only thirty years old. Apparently Rebirth gets more into the world outside the auspices of the Shinra EPC? I'm looking forward to playing and finding out.

Then there's the way the company straddles "economic entity" and "nation state." There are departments and profit, but also black ops and armed forces; the Middle Manager talks like a loyal salaryman/office worker, but the Wutai scare-mongering relies on Midgar's residents having a sense of collective identity.

Speaking of collectives, the game does some fun stuff with collective vs individual responsibility. As a whole entity Shinra does some absolutely fucked up shit - the creation & design of Midgar itself, the pollution problems, the control of the media - and that's before you get into the outright atrocities of e.g. the R&D department or the Sector 7 plate drop. But it's individuals who make those decisions, and individuals who carry them out.. and individuals who push back.

I just think it's neat. :')

Fandom-specific DNWs:

• Any romantic or sexual combination of Angeal/Genesis/Sephiroth/Zack/Cloud; platonic relationships and/or interactions are fine
  
• Cloud/Tifa or Cloud/Aerith, I like them better as friends

On kid characters: mentioning Marlene is fine, but I'm not particularly interested in child NPCs or content about parenting.

Cloud Strife:

Cloud is such a fun ball of contradictions, and not all of them can be blamed on his identity crisis. His growth from "trooper hiding from Tifa" to "strong fighter who trusts his friends & allies" is great.

He tries so, so hard. I like that he does his best to help/do the right thing, the kindness under his stoicism, and that he's willing to give absolutely ridiculous things a shot, but he's also able to push back when he thinks someone has gone too far. And once he decides to do something, he commits: in the Honeybee Inn, my favourite part of the whole scene is the moment in the beginning where he looks at Andrea and decides that screw it, he's going to do this and knock it out of the fucking park.

I think he deserves nice things, though he can suffer for a bit before he gets them. As a treat.

I don't have many Cloud ships - really just Rufus - but I like the variety of his friendships. Go wild with them. :)

On Research & Development and body horror: the kind that leans into "inhumanity" is fun, but graphic injury, surgery, infection, and infestation types of body horror are personal squicks.

Prompts:

• Cloud doing something simply because he wants to, not because he's asked or feels obligated
  
• Does he ever intentionally draw on Zack's memories/persona, before or after he figures himself out? Has he copied/imitated anyone else? If he imitated Sephiroth, how was it different from being puppeted (if at all)?
  
• Cloud's enhancements were experimental; how do they differ from standard SOLDIER? E.g. caloric or nutrition requirements, sensitivities or paradoxical reactions to everyday substances, heartbeat/breathing/blinking patterns. How does he find out? Do they cause any problems?
  
• Mundane uses of his enhancements: carrying boxes for Seventh Heaven, using the extra stamina to drive through the night, etc

Rufus Shinra:

Rufus fascinates me. I didn't care about him one way or the other in the OG or AC, but Remake made me take notice.

He's proud, smart, and manipulative, but he's not infallible and loses his composure when taken by surprise. He's got some long-term plans happening, but he's willing to adapt to changing circumstances. He's also excellent at playing to an audience and has a definite sense of the theatrical (compare the delivery of the Junon inauguration speech to the "Observe Adapt Expand Control" monologue). Even though I wouldn't call Rufus a "good" person, he has a vested interest in the continued existence of the planet and I think he's capable of kindness. Compilation side content put him through a lot, but by Rebirth he hasn't yet had to deal with any of that (and may never, depending on how the third game goes).

I also think he's got some issues with trust & loyalty. He talks about "owning" people and demands that the board prove they're "devoted" to him. There's the open question of who is loyal to the company, the office of the President, his late father, Rufus himself.. or just to their paycheque. (And then there's Glenn's little speech.) No wonder he spends a lot of time in Rebirth alone in the dark with his dog, staring out over Midgar.

I ship Rufus with Cloud (obviously), Reeve, and the four remaining Turks; I think his non-ship relationships are really interesting too, including the mess that's his relationship with his father.

On geostigma & chronic illness: if you want to pull in that part of Compilation, go for it, but I would rather not read anything with a focus on either a) the effects/experience of having geostigma or b) caring for someone with geostigma.

On Darkstar & harm to animals: combat that's not permanent injury, gore, or death is fine. If you want to set something in a RR future where it has died, that's also fine, but I don't want a focus on death or grief. I don't have a strong opinion about its/his/her pronouns, canon is inconsistent even within a single fight.

Prompts:

• The company has a lot of secrets. When Rufus was a kid/teen, what did he see that he wasn't supposed to? It could be anything from confidential reports to R&D- or Turk-related darkness to Sephiroth's shampoo requisition form
  
• Rufus & Darkstar: He takes his dog a lot of places. How does their link work? Is there a separation of "working" and "home" time for Darkstar, or is it constantly in "guard" mode? Or something about training or playtime
  
• Speaking of dogs, how about something to do with Rufus and Stamp the cheerful propaganda pup? Was he ever expected to participate in the marketing, e.g. by providing pull quotes or going to launches? Does one of the in-universe Stamp books feature an RPF Rufus, either helping Stamp or being helped by him? The game isn't very specific about when Stamp was created, so there's a wide time range to play with
  
• Before it was a megacorp, Shinra was a weapons development company. How involved was Rufus in the creation of his guns & coins?
  
• Rufus likely got on that helicopter in Remake before anyone outside the party knew his father was dead. What was he intending to do? Alternately, did he have secret surveillance in his father's office?

Rufus & Cloud (i.e. not a ship):

I like narrative foils, and I think Remake/Rebirth really push that for these two. They're both being toyed with by working against Sephiroth, but one is a smug wannabe chessmaster, while the other is an earnest, hard-working fighter. Rufus is rich & urbane, Cloud is from a nowhere town; Rufus manipulates people, Cloud is straight-foward; Rufus gathers information, Cloud knows less than he thinks (but more about Sephiroth). While Cloud was in a tube losing years of his life, according to the RR Ultimanias Rufus was on an "extended business trip" and isolated from leadership.

They don't like each other at this point, but they're willing to work together - there's a lot of room to explore after the Junon parade.

I also think there's a lot to be explored in the fact that Rufus now owns the company that ruined Cloud's life and is killing the planet: how much is/was Rufus aware of? Now that he's president, how many of the company's actions are his to bear, including the ones that were enacted while he had no say? Compilation made some gestures toward this with the larger Planet-scale issues, but not the very personal costs to Cloud; RR has done neither.

I'm fond of the old fan theory that Rufus & Cloud are related, either as half-siblings or more distantly; feel free to play with that, or ignore it entirely.

Prompts:

• The two of them having to cooperate, whether it's grudgingly while escaping some of Hojo's projects or respectfully on a plan to stop Sephiroth
  
• Did they ever interact pre-RR, even if they didn't realize it? (Rufus incognito in public, Cloud in his trooper helmet, etc)
  
• Rufus has read Cloud's file; what does he know that Cloud doesn't know about himself? Does Rufus ever share that information?
  
• Rufus has tried to bargain with Cloud once already. How would Cloud approach offering a bargain instead? What would he ask for, how would he negotiate, what conditions do they put on it, etc

Rufus/Cloud (ship):

I have never seen something so targeted to my shipping interests as Rufus & Cloud's fight in Remake. Holy shit. Pretty people being dangerous while bantering/trash talking would have had my attention anyway - I'm an inveterate rival shipper - but those English dub line reads? What the hell. And then in Rebirth, Rufus calls Cloud "fascinating" to his face? Has a completely unnecessary boss fight? Compares Cloud unfavorably to his dog???

And Cloud pushes back. Other characters spend a lot of time flirting with Cloud too, but don't get a rise out of Cloud like Rufus does.

Longer term, once they're no longer enemies, I think they would be good for each other. Cloud is direct & blunt, and he isn't impressed by Rufus' money or status. Meanwhile, Rufus already knows the worst things about Cloud's life and doesn't seem bothered. The "problem" is getting them to admit to soft feelings, and where they'd have to compromise to make a functional relationship - I think they both have issues with trust and allowing themselves to be vulnerable/honest, but also Cloud is kind of obtuse when it comes to stuff like noticing half of Midgar is flirting with him.

They'll probably never entirely stop provoking each other, though.

Prompts:

• I like them all along the spectrum from "hatesex and/or Rufus power tripping" to "functional & caring relationship"; lots of potential for consent issues, if that's a thing you're interested in creating for
  
• Cloud watching Rufus be manipulative/possessive/otherwise not a boy scout, and feeling a little bad about how much he's turned on by it
  
• Is there a time Rufus surprised Cloud with how well Rufus knew him, or vice versa? Could be big things like the effect of Rufus' isolation, or little things like food seasoning
  
• Cloud offers himself in exchange for Rufus letting the party members get away, expecting horrible things; Rufus is playing a long game and wants Cloud's loyalty/affection, so he simply takes Cloud to dinner (or some other not-horrible thing)

Tseng & Reno & Rude & Elena: The Turks who stayed

They're all so good at what they do, I love it. Feel free to focus on one or two Turks if you would rather, as long as it ties back to these four as a group/organization.

I think their position in what's nominally an electricity company/"former" weapons manufacturer is fascinating. What's the extent of their job description beyond black ops, and how much of it involves paperwork? What do they get out of the job? What are the lines they won't cross, when/how do those lines change, and how do they work under/with/around their orders? What does it mean to be a "consummate professional"? How do they interact with the rest of the company, given mess that's their org chart? I don't have any definite head canons here, I'd love to see what you think is going on down in the basement of General Affairs.

I like that Remake & Rebirth lets them all be a bit more complex than the OG, without sacrificing their sharp edges. That they work well together goes beyond cutscene dialogue - it's built into the fight mechanics - but they're not interchangeable. There's trust, enough that Rude & Reno could complain about the plate drop openly with each other and (a bit less bluntly) question Tseng without worrying for their lives or jobs.

I also think it's interesting that Tseng, Rude, and Reno (and Rufus) are all about the same age in Remake. There isn't one older person to take charge or mentor the others by default: they're hitting a lot of the same life milestones at roughly the same time.

I ship the four main Turks with each other and Rufus, from pairs to five-way poly, and I also love them as platonic teammates who trust & care about each other. If you want to bring in other Turks (e.g. Cissnei) go for it, though I'd prefer if the focus is on these four.

Tseng:

He has such a wide range of skills, including fighting, coordinating information, and managing his people. He clearly cares about Aerith in some capacity, but he's willing to do things that hurt her. He works for the company but he has his own agendas (see: the way he indirectly questioned Rufus' orders about Aerith); I like that his loyalty isn't unconditional. Still waters, etc.

Elena:

She's tiny and the rookie/kouhai, but she's still a Turk: she can keep up with Rude & Tseng in the field, even if her trash talk could use a bit of work. We haven't seen her have a crisis of conscience yet, just of confidence. That she's trying too hard as a new Turk is a little cringe but entirely understandable, and I look forward to seeing more of her as she settles into the position. She deserves some wins!

Reno:

I like that Remake Reno is dangerous, from the framing of him walking into Aerith's church to how sharp his design is; that open jacket is a very different message from untucked OG/AC Reno. He's got a playful side - Japanese dub Reno says "Nya" like a cat during the church fight - but he buckles down when it's appropriate. He wasn't happy with the plate drop, but it wasn't enough to make him openly refuse orders either.

Rude:

I really enjoy him (trying to) take care of his coworkers, whether that's getting Reno to the rescue helicopter in Remake or bringing Elena a treat (even when she's being a bit much). Not like a "mom friend," but by being a work-partner and senpai. That said, he clearly has his own opinions about things, even if he gets talked over by the people around him; there's lots of room to explore here.

Prompts:

• What counts as "professionalism" in the Turks?
  
• Turks at work, whether that's paperwork, surveillance, intelligence, intimidation, sabotage, assassination, guard duty, or something else entirely
  
• Elena beating up/winning against people who are significantly larger than her
  
• A quiet moment in the office
  
• Speaking of the office, that's a fancy fountain pen Tseng has on his desk in Remake. Is he a stationary snob, or did it come with the desk? Do the other Turks ever use it/try to use it?
  
• Tseng can command Darkstar to stay. How does it get along with the others? Is Tseng the only Turk it will listen to, and how far can they push their commands?
  
• Their suits are all customized. How did they decide, and do they/have they ever changed their design? Are there any special features (stain-resistant or impact-resistant fabric, a sneaky pleat for ease of movement, concealed weapons in the seams or materia in the shoes)?
  
• What binds them to Shinra and/or Rufus? Is it Before Crisis events, or something else?

Final Fantasy XIV (unmarked spoilers through EW patches below; no Dawntrail spoilers)

I love how weird XIV can get, while simultaneously staying earnest & hopeful: dragons are aliens who can traverse the stars, a robot that can't tell fact from fiction tests if shouting attack names increases the damage dealt, and a side quest created lore to justify the "spontaneous flight of traditionally flightless organisms" (i.e. flying mounts). It's silly in places, but I wouldn't call MSQ "crack treated seriously": a lot of the stranger developments had a fair bit of work put into making them fit into canon & lore. This can lead to the power of friendship and some Big Damn Heroes, but it also lends itself to quiet horror.

I'm all caught up on 7.0, no need to worry about spoilers! Feel free to set things in any time period. Unmarked spoilers through Endwalker patches follow, but nothing spoilery about Dawntrail specifically.

Fandom-specific DNWs:

• Sphene or Alexandria (I think everyone has strong opinions about them, so it's safer to just not)
  
• Gaius being a hero (I liked him better before the Werlyt retcons made him less competent, e.g. not being aware of Garlean racism in 5.x despite it being a core tactic of the Ala Mhigan occupation). Gaius being a competent-if-morally-suspect tyrant is fine.
  
• Specific Warrior of Light, whether in personality or appearance; mentions of the WoL existing off-screen are a-okay

Estinien Wyrmblood:

I enjoy Estinien's journey from "revenge-obsessed loner" to "saving the world with friends, even if they sometimes make him want to jump out a window." It seems like he's been having fun travelling the world since SB, and I love that for him! His experiences have obviously affected him but he isn't letting them dictate his future.

I think his relationship with Nidhogg is really interesting, especially his growth from treating Nidhogg as a hated enemy to understanding & compassion without absolving either of them for their actions. He has some dialogue that implies something of Nidhogg has stuck around, but it's vague what exactly that means for him. There are a lot of ways it could go: faint impressions or memories Estinien recognizes aren't his own, a full-on separate existence serving as Estinien's personal peanut gallery, identity bleed between them, and so on and so forth.

Prompts:

• What are the lasting effects of Nidhogg's aether? Extra height in Estinien's jumps, a taste for raw meat, a better ear for dragonsong? Does it affect the way (alive) dragons interact with him?
  
• He's made a lot of social connections, in spite of himself; something where he runs into an acquaintance (or friend) unexpectedly
  
• He isn't afraid to use his skills; maybe some training? What is he good at beyond killing things?

Vrtra:

Ah, Vrtra, youngest of the First Brood. He's a slew of contradictions: youngest of his siblings, older than anything else in Thavnair; he's a massive, powerful wyrm, but enjoys being tiny and among his people; he wants to connect, but doesn't think he'd be accepted as himself; a dragon, but uses human speech instead of dragonspeak even when he's alone with the WoL. And despite everything he's seen, he has remained kind, though he'll fight to protect what's important.

I think the perspective differences he offers are fascinating: the size difference between his dragon body and the Varshahns is, well, big, but there are also differences in how he's treated and interacts with others. There's real potential for some perspective screw, if you want to play with that - there are times he's getting input from & controlling two bodies at once, which have different senses & movements.

Prompts:

• He's been isolated from his kin for a long time, even if he could still hear their songs; how has that affected him? Is he trying to reconnect now?
  
• Something that plays with the mechanics of his simulacra: the perspective/sensory differences, the experience of wearing clothes, being treated as vulnerable/protected, what he can do with hands, etc. Or big vs little Varshahn, or the difference between being honest about himself vs breaking off relationships as a "new" brother every few years. Or perhaps the alchemists getting a bit too enthusiastic about testing the "features" of the new model?
  
• He's stepping out into the wider world of international (and inter-reflection) diplomacy. How's that going? Are there any hiccups with being a dragon in Ishgard, or sending a simulacrum to Limsa Lominsa?

Estinien & Vrtra (i.e. not a ship):

I adore XIV's dragon lore, there are differences in power & perspective which affect everything from their sense of time to their ability to change their physical form during a moult.

I like the contrast between Estinien & Vrtra, either platonic or shippy. In a lot of ways Vrtra is the mortal-est dragon, and Estinien is the dragon-est mortal; I think they'd have a lot to talk about. And they think of each other frequently, like the post-boss text box in Aetherfront where Vrtra wonders if Estinien would like to eat some of the octomammoth.

Prompts:

• Estinien & Dragon Vrtra going for a flight or hunting monsters together
  
• Estinien is around Meghaduta enough to have his own rooms; what do they get up to when he's in town?
  
• Estinien introducing Vrtra to something new to experience on two legs, or Vrtra showing off something unique to Thavnair

Estinien/Vrtra (ship):

It's everything I enjoy about their platonic relationship, but with shippiness like a cherry on top.

If you go the smut route, any combination of small, tall, or noodle Vrtra is great, so long as the narrative remembers he's a giant ancient being using those bodies. I know it's lore that dragons reproduce parthenogenically and there are no indications of sex (for fun or reproduction); this is interesting world-building, but it can get in the way of porn. Feel free to give Vrtra & Estinien cocks, cloacas, tentacle dicks, or other genitals. Or get creative with asymmetrical or non-sexual intimacy!

Prompts:

• Vrtra being a safe harbour for Estinien to land and rest to between journeys, and Vrtra letting him go knowing Estinien will come back
  
• Awkward courting, whether for species difference reasons (which could be reversed by Vrtra's time among mortals or Estinien's experiences hosting Nidhogg), cultural differences, or personal shyness/tsundere-ness/etc
  
• Estinien getting involved with a world leader is kind of A Big Deal; once it comes out, how do people react? Hw do Vrtra & Estinien react to the reactions? Outsider POV or direct interactions could be fun here
  
• There probably aren't many "scripts" for how to manage sex between an elezen and a dragon(/dragon piloting a simulacrum). What works for them, and how did they figure it out? Go xeno with it, or monsterfucking, or the simulacrum/a (or Estinien) no longer quite meeting human standard; sweet, silly, or sexy are all good.

Nero tol Scaeva:

Nero is terrible and I love him for it: hearing he was in the EW role quest capstone was enough to make me level all the roles so I could see more of him.

He's good at his job, whether that's engineering or managing the XIVth legion, but it's not enough for him to be good - he wants to be the best. He was loyal enough to reach "tol"/second-in-command, but he doesn't seem to care much about Garlemald, the Empire, etc outside of a few optional quests. The side story detail that he was a rural kid who fought his way up gives more weight to his complaints about Cid's nepo baby advantages, but he's now an adult, a traitor, and holding onto grudges long past their relevance.

I think his, uh, "balance" of self-interest, wanting acknowledgement, and every now & then doing something heroic is a lot of fun. Given the end of the EW role quests, he's been to the moon and back, and I can't wait to see where he goes from here.

I ship Nero/Cid (and crackship Emet-Selch/Nero in canon divergence), but platonic interactions with the Ironworks, Scions, or assorted NPCs are good too.

Prompts:

• Nero in space! Is he interacting with the Loporrits? Plotting how to go where no man has gone before? Making the Iron Nero suit space-worthy?
  
• What's Nero up to when Cid is busy (e.g. during the Bozja/Zadnor quests)?
  
• He was head of the Frumentarium of the XIVth Legion, i.e. the intelligence division. Is he using any of those skills for the Ironworks, for fun, or just to skulk around the Tower of Babil?
  
• Now that G'raha is back, have they talked at all about the Crystal Tower, the alternate timeline, or Allagan tech? Are there any lingering effects from Nero's adventures in the Void?

Macross 7

I love this franchise. I went from "Mecha + idols sounds silly but fun" to "This is FUCKING AWESOME, o/' who are you going to kiss~ o/'" The pilots are great, there are some absolute banger pieces in every series, and at its core it's hopeful in a way that e.g. a lot of Gundam isn't. Transforming mecha are cool and all, but it's singing & communication that save the day and bring peace.

Macross 7 is an odd duck, the music mechs have faces, and it shows its age, but there's a lot of heart. While Basara's more of a force of nature than a character, I really enjoyed Gamlin's journey from "Who is this civilian interfering with military operations and demanding we listen to his song???" to "I don't dislike it" to actively helping the leads play their music at the enemy.

I also think the way the series deals with the aftermath of the Space War is interesting. Lots of people have settled well into coexistence, but there are still tensions here and there. And I think the way that that's mirrored in the way the series (and Milia in particular) uses "Earthling"/地球人 and "humanity"/人類 is nifty: without losing their own identity, Earth people & Zentradi are both included in "humanity," but enemies are not.

Max/Milia/Gamlin (ship):

I love Max & Milia and their disaster marriage - voted "Most likely to get divorced" in canon for fifty years running, according to Delta, but they're still going. Pretty good for a couple who had their first kiss after Milia tried to kill Max in a knife fight! They care about each other, but they're stubborn and their competing positions leading the military & civilian government really don't help.

I read a comment once about Milia picking Gamlin for the omiai with Mylene based on Milia's own taste in men, and the more I thought about it the more it made sense - Gamlin is also about the same age they were when they got married, an ace pilot, earnest & sometimes awkward, and just as stubborn as they are.

So obviously what Max & Milia need is a pretty young thing to share. Milia was Gamlin's flight school instructor, and keeps in contact; Gamlin's Diamond Flight is under Max's command (except when it's under Milia's); from Gamlin's side it could be anything from hot for teacher to simply growing closer as he interacts with them more through the series. Gamlin also isn't afraid to criticize Milia to her face, even in active combat situations (which is more than a lot of her staff can say), and they make a pretty good team when defending City 7.

Established or getting together are both great, as is any time from the start of Macross 7 onward; the addition of Gamlin to the relationship being casual, friends-with-benefits, or committed are all fine.

Fandom-specific DNW:

• infidelity, I'd like this to be a joint venture on Max & Milia's parts please

Prompts:

• Something with the age and experience gap? Gamlin is younger than most of Max & Milia's children, and he would have grown up post-(De)culture shock with stories about how the SDF-1 crew saved the galaxy
  
• Max sitting back to watch Milia & Gamlin together at first, then using his "Jenius Sense" to absolutely wreck Gamlin
  
• All three of them are ace pilots; do they ever have friendly competitions? Compare notes on new fighters? Do adrenaline junkie stunts?
  
• Gamlin's presence defuses a disagreement between Max & Milia before it turns into an argument: he doesn't have to do anything, just sit there and be noticed. Or maybe he interrupts because he's mildly confused about why some seemingly small thing is making them so annoyed
  
• Macross means music, and all of them sang in the final episode. So, something to do with that: maybe Milia humming "Do You Remember Love" while doing paperwork and the others joining in, Gamlin trying to teach Max how to appreciate Fire Bomber's music, or the three of them reacting to Frontier's music or Walküre's air shows
  
• Look, I'd be happy with 300 words of fluff of the three of them sitting together on a couch off-shift, I started shipping them and played myself.
  
• Art-wise, this is a very 1990s show; feel free to use that style, update it, or pick another style entirely.

Okami

I've loved this game since the first time I played it on the Wii. The blending of myth, ukiyo-e & woodblock art, and gameplay is really lovely. I appreciated Amaterasu's friendship with Issun, and that the game played with the humour of a tiny person ordering around a literal goddess without turning into a constant boke/tsukkomi routine. Waka's gradual reveal as more than a joke character still gets me on replays. If you want to pull other characters in, go for it, but my favourite is definitely the Amaterasu herself.

The game has a lot of fun with treating Amaterasu both as a dog and a woman while maintaining her canine character model, and for a voiceless animal protagonist they sure packed a lot of personality into her animations. They also aren't afraid to make her silly or a punchline, but at the same time there's a real affection for the character that shines through.

Please don't feel limited by the game's art style: I like it a lot, along with the cuter Okamiden art, but I like other interpretations too!

Fandom-specific DNW:

• smut/R-18/E-rated content

Prompts:

• A quiet moment under a cherry tree, alone or with friends
  
• In the spirit of Capcom Vs Marvel, video game crossovers: other Capcom games, Smash Brothers, RPGs, whatever. Perhaps Amaterasu standing in an iconic location or wielding a sword (etc) from a different canon? Crossover characters welcome, but I know I requested her as a solo character, not a crossover ship
  
• The game drew on a ton of Japanese culture & myth, e.g. the nurikabe/Blockhead wall, Tamamo no Mae/the kitsune, and Kaguya-hime/the bamboo cutter's daughter. Even the three weapon types align with the Three Sacred Treasures. So, something that plays on those aspects would be great! It could be something from the game, but doesn't have to be; characters, monsters, or objects are all good options
  
• Wolf!Amaterasu tasting a lemon: does she hate it, or do her divine senses appreciate the taste?

Thanks again for giving this a read, and I look forward to whatever you create!

Changelog: Sept 15: needed to fix some stray copy-pastes from an older doc