Dear Chocolatier 2020....

Thank you so much for writing for me, and/or presumably sharing fannish love for these fandoms! As ever, my chief request is that you have fun with whatever you create; I've found that honestly leads to the best fics. On the other hand, if you'd like a bit more guidance, feel free to read on:

AO3 Name: betony

General likes: humor/snark, plotty fic, ALL THE AUs, and women being awesome in multiple (not just Strong Female Character, to quote Kate Beaton) ways. I also adore backstory or behind-the-scenes fic, and will always, always love outsider POVs and unreliable narrators. I'm a quick reader, so long fic is totally fine, should the question come up, and I have no particular preferences for POV or tense. 

General dislikes: E-rated sex/violence/gore (M or milder is fine), consent issues, fics that hinge solely on hurt/comfort or angst/hopelessness. 

(Of note, I've reused some of these prompts, often because the authors who wrote using them in the past created such wonderful fics for them that I hope that they were helpful and useful! Also, fandoms are all equally beloved.)

Ancient Greek Religion and Lore
Eros/Psyche
Andromache/Hector

Eros/Psyche

• The versions of this story, both pro- and fan- fic, that I've read include a vampire AU, an ancient Japan AU, and a Regency AU, among others--and I've loved them all. Pretty much any AU, therefore, whether it's another version of those above, or something new (Everyone in fandom! Hogwarts! Soulmates!) is something I will adore to bits. If possible, I would prefer not to receive a straightfoward modern AU (i.e., a coffeeshop or high school AU, without some other twist as noted above)--not because I dislike them by any means, but I've just read so many of them for this fandom recently that I'd love to see something different!
• As I've said before, one of my favorite characteristics about Psyche is her grit. While many adaptations emphasize her love and devotion, understandably, I've always been fascinated by her sheer audacity in the tasks she completes: in my rough mythology timeline, Psyche is actually the first person to make it to the Underworld alive (and regardless of when you see her story taking place, she's certainly the first woman, and the only one to go in not armed with any divine blood whatsoever, given that even Odysseus is distinctly descended from Hermes.) A retelling that gives her more agency and personality would be fantastic.
• Alternatively, Eros/Cupid often gets glossed over in retellings. What, exactly is he thinking? What leads him to fall in love with a mortal to the point of marrying her and defying his mother, as opposed to having the brief liaisons the other gods have? How long was Psyche meant to stay in the dark, literally and figuratively, and why? How is it that his anger cools at last, in time for him to save Psyche; or, many versions have Eros be the source of Psyche's supernatural help during her quests, and if so, why doesn't he help before then?
• Finally, Psyche and Eros' future means that a crossover with other parts of Greek mythology would be very easy to bring about. I've been lucky to receive lovely crossovers with Andromeda and Ariadne, and something more along those lines would be great--or, with any other Greek myths you would like to include!


Andromache/Hector

Hektor/Andromache are definitely my Iliad OTP. This Yuletide I was lucky enough to receive the fic of my heart for them, and so I'll paraphrase my previous request here, in hopes that the prompts below were helpful (but by all means, if you’d like to create something completely different, feel free! I will still adore it!): I love Andromache, and her relationship with Hektor, but also those glimmers of further characterization: her giving tactical advice to Hektor, Hektor's later mention of her as specifically tending to his horses out of love to them, her being the only sister of a houseful of brothers. While I love the way people give a more traditional Andromache so much strength, I'm equally fascinated by the possibility of a horse-mad, military-minded Theban princess that no one in Troy, except possibly Hektor, knows what to do with; or, what if Andromache didn't follow Hektor's advice to leave the war to the men quite as completely as we imagine?. My only particular request with these two is that I'd love to see something pre-canon, rather than the terrible misery that awaits them- heck, I'd love to see light-hearted with them; there's no rule saying Hektor, Tamer of Horses, can't have a sense of humor:) Or, alternatively, consider a wacky AU—Hogwarts? Soulmark? Drift-compatibility? All or more of the above?

 

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell-Susanna Clarke
Arabella Strange/Jonathan Strange

Jonathan is an arrogant, obsessive failboat, particularly when it comes to his relationship with Arabella, but I find them both fascinating despite the bumps in their marriage. One of the images that sticks with me is that of Arabella driving their carriage in TLOGA—despite everything, they seem perfectly happy and unconventional together, and their supportiveness ans spark of banter between each other is something I love in their marriage. We know that Jonathan and Henry were childhood friends, and so Jonathan probably knew Arabella from a young age too, but I confess I'd love to see something about their early courtship--you'll never be able to convince me it was anything but hilarious. Or there is so much that the series glosses over with regards to their life--a missing adventure featuring both during which Arabella saves the day would be amazing! 

The Sherwood Ring
Barbara Grahame/Peaceable Drummond Sherwood
This is such a delightful book, and I adore the interactions between the two! In particular I love Barbara's cleverness and Peaceable's banter, but both have such endearing narrative voices that I am charmed anew with every re-read. I am particularly curious how plain-spoken, patriotic Barbara will fit into Peaceable's aristocratic world, and something exploring that, with continued intrigue and adventures, would be excellent! Or: Peaceable sneaking into the Grahame wedding reception is one of my favorite parts, so a canon divergence where he does get to meet Barbara during those three years? Or, this couple lends itself particularly well to one (or more!) fusions/AUs! I would be delighted to see how these two find each other in other worlds, and how or whether that changes their interactions: does magic make Barbara more crafty? Do dragons make Peaceable even more outrageous and jaded? Etc., etc. (As a note, I love Richard and Eleanor, too, and would be delighted to see them feature as well. I would prefer no incest or adultery, though.)
 

Thank you once again, and I look forward to discovering what you’ve been kind enough to create on Valentine’s Day!