Dear Yuletide Writer
Oct. 23rd, 2015 12:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redleaderficHello Yuletide writer! Thank you so much for offering one of my fandoms! Some of these sections will be longer than others, but please don’t take that as any kind of preference. Warriors of Virtue and 0083 are old favorites while NXT and LU are new(ish, anyway) loves and I would be delighted with fic for any of them.
Likes: Hurt/Comfort, (LOVE h/c!) UST finally spilling over, first time/get together fics, unspoken feelings that stay unspoken but are blindingly obvious anyway, bedside vigils/general watching over someone, angst and uncertainty leading into happy endings. If we matched on NXT, bring on the tattoo kink. For NXT and Lucha Underground, kayfabe fics please. For both NXT and LU I really like the supernatural elements being explicitly supernatural – bring on the demon possessions and weird cults and actual dragons, please. Any rating.
Dislikes/DNW: No death fic (unless it’s undone by magic, time travel, etc. Death in a Groundhog’s Day scenario where it’s undone when the day resets? Awesome. Just no for real death that sticks.) Please no non-con, A/B/O or really negotiated D/s (informal D/s or light bondage, like fun with handcuffs or getting tied up with your own clothes is great, just not 24/7 lifestyle stuff or petplay or things like that. Sex pollen-type scenarios are also cool as long as it doesn’t go to dark, non-con places.)
NXT
Requested Character: Corey Graves
Corey was my favorite in NXT back when I first started watching and not a single part of that changed when he had to switch to announcing. NXT is the only wrestling show where I regularly rewind to catch commentary I missing and 99% of the time that’s because Corey’s said something that has me on the floor. He’s a professional grouch who thinks if you’re not cheating you’re not trying, to the point that he came thisclose to dropping an F-bomb on his first broadcast because he was outraged Sami Zayn refused to hit someone with a title belt. Corey’s been so honest about how hard it was to give up his dream when he was so close to achievingit and he’s done so much with his second chance (it floors me he’s only been commentary for a year.) I want nothing but good things for him. (But y’know. With some bumps along the way.)
Prompts (for gen or ship fics):
1. Road disasters! Corey’s on the road constantly; between Culture Shock and the Raw pre-shows and NXT he’s on planes or driving around all the time. Eventually his rental’s going to break down or his flight gets cancelled or he’s booked in something out of Hotel Impossible or he’s accidentally taken the wrong exit and wound up in Silent Hill. (As you do.) I love the absurd things that wrestlers have to deal with on the road and none of that has changed just because he’s not actually wrestling any more. For shippier fics, well, someone has to come get him when he’s stranded on the side of the turnpike/put him up when the flight gets cancelled/fight off demons in Silent Hill because seriously, Corey should not be risking shots to the head. (He does know someone with numerous seasonal residences, after all!)
2. Deals with the Devil. Someone/something (Finn, Bray, some other mysterious force, there’s more of them in wrestling than you would expect) gives Corey what he tells himself he’s gotten over: the chance to be healthy and back in the ring. And maybe he takes a good look at his life and realizes he’s happy the way it is. Or he says yes and it turns into a monkey’s paw wish where the ripple effect is something he can’t live with and desperately needs to reverse.
3. Someone is gaslighting/sabotaging him: voiceovers he knows he’s done go missing, there are things in his notes he doesn’t remember writing, he misses flights because remembers booking the ticket for another time, his food/drinks get spiked so he acts moody or angry, etc. Someone wants him to think the concussions are catching up with him (or convince HHH the concussions are catching up with him, which is almost worse from Corey’s POV.) Someone wants his spot bad and he (and whoever’s with him in this) has to figure it out, fast. (I got gaslighting as a bingo card prompt and but could not make it work. Maybe you can do better! And if whoever helps him during all this can just deck the villain when it comes out, that would be awesome.)
4. Performance Center fic! Stories about Corey adjusting to the new job, set during the early days when he was still bitter and scared he’d get released any day or now when things are a little more secure and he’s chasing down annoyed wrestlers for interviews and still getting nervous before shows. Slice of life about his ridiculous job (and it doesn’t have to be an average day! The champion is demon possessed and let’s face it, Baron is totally a werewolf. All it takes is finding some weird thing one of the Wyatts left behind in a locker to really disrupt your day.)
As a side note, I have a pure, flames on the side of my face loathing for Alex Riley, so if you want to make him the villain of the story by him being thoughtlessly cruel or just otherwise a pain in the ass feel free. All perfectly in character.:)
Ships:
I ship Corey with the world. These are my six favorite ships, but I’d be happy with anyone in the tag set.
Baron Corbin: Corey canonically knows Baron better than anyone! The other announcers always go to Corey for insight into Baron’s head and when they had the battle royal for the #1 contender Baron was Corey’s pick! They take ridiculous selfies at Slipknot concerts! (This happened.) Double the tattoo kink! They’re both assholes who like each other despite that and I’m always such a sucker for that dynamic. I am very fond of secret werewolf!Baron but that’s not necessary; fic where Baron is worried and looking out for Corey during the dark days after he knew he wouldn’t be cleared again (especially if Baron wouldn’t admit under torture that’s what he’s doing,) or more current set stories where Corey is helping Baron with promos or picking him up after a disappointing loss or just the two of them sneaking around would be joy.
Tyler Breeze: Corey’s crush on Tyler can be seen from SPACE. He’s canonically gotten upset at Enzo for wearing leopard print because that’s Tyler’s thing somehow and regularly berates his announce partners when he thinks they’ve been straying off the topic of Tyler’s inescapable beauty. Renee Young outright said Corey was the president of Tyler’s fanclub! And yet visually they’re such opposites. What DOES Tyler think of the Filth Parade’s fallen leader? Maybe his phone isn’t always set to selfie mode when Corey’s around? At house shows does Tyler feel antsy that Corey’s not at ringside watching but doesn’t quite understand what that means? And there’s TONS of potential for drama now that Tyler’s gotten his call up: an attack of uncharacteristic nerves when he gets the news that has him haunting the voiceover room while Corey’s trying to work, hurt feelings if Tyler keeps it secret, Tyler realizing that reviewing his matches isn’t anywhere near as much fun when one of the announce team isn’t completely in love with him, etc. I especially like when Corey is determined to pine for whatever reason (worried that hooking up with the talent will look bad and threaten his job, just doesn’t think Tyler’s into him, however you want to explain him being content to admire from afar) and Tyler just does not know what to do with that. He’s the King of Cuteville! People throw themselves at him all the time! The hell is this guy’s problem, anyway?! Or he doesn’t even notice because hey, everyone's in love with him, right? Until someone (Summer, Sasha, whomever) goes, “Wait, you DIDN’T REALIZE? Oh, honey.”
And then it eats at him until he has to do something about it. :D
I also really like the idea of Tyler's modeling past coming up - maybe Corey is supposed to do a Culture Shock at Fashion Week and begs Tyler for help because he realizes he's in totally over his head. Is it weird for Tyler to have his past and present collide that way? What is it like for Corey to see Tyler in what used to be his element? Did Tyler leave what was clearly a ridiculously successful career (those seasonal residences don't pay for themselves) simply because he got bored with it all, or were there bigger reasons he may not want to be reminded of? How much fashion industry gossip can someone absorb in one weekend? :)
Finn Balor: Corey’s canonically admitted to being fascinated by Finn. I like stories where the demon is an real thing Finn struggles with, something he has to fight to keep from consuming him (it’s not like with Bray and Kane running around on the main roster he doesn’t have plenty of evidence of what he might be if the demon ever wins.) I love the contrast of Finn who has to hide so much of himself with Corey, who’s comfortable in his skin in a way Finn never can be, someone who tattooed his identity right on his skin and dares anyone to have a problem with it. I like a Finn who admires and is drawn to that, especially if the demon is also drawn to that (and probably would like Finn to wear his identity on his skin the same way.) For this pairing I like Finn to be the one quietly pining, at least to begin with – he’s dangerous to get close to but when circumstances push them together anyway Finn has to figure out how to deal with it. Finn’s surrounded by darkness and being around someone like Corey who’s fought through his own darkness and won must be comforting – Corey’s proof it’s possible to even win that fight. And from Corey’s POV even aside from mystery of what Finn is and what’s his deal, Finn being a newcomer to NXT means he never knew Corey as an active wrestler and wasn’t around to watch him deal with that transition. That whole shadow is missing with Finn and that would have to be one hell of a relief.
Bayley: This is pure opposites attract, Bayley comes out covered in streamers and is a friend to all children whereas Corey tattooed a skull on his throat and glowers when wrestlers display too much sportsmanship. They would be SO MUCH fun. Corey’s an ass but he’s also smart and funny and loves the business as much as she does; he has so much respect for her in the ring (even if he thinks she should cheat more, although maybe in his heart he kind of hopes she never ACTUALLY resorts to it.) Bayley is great at hugs and there have been plenty of times when Corey could really, really use one although he would never admit it. And Bayley’s earned to the right to an ill-advised bad boy fling, especially if her friends give her some good natured hell over it. (Because they would.)
Becky Lynch: Put on the title match Becky fought against Sasha Banks and you hear Corey’s opinion of Becky do a 180. (It’s my favorite announcing job from him to date.) Hearing him be totally won over by her and her completely win his respect was the best (even if he still thinks the steampunk thing is totally goofy – respecting her now doesn’t mean he’s not going to take shots during commentary, after all.) There was a prompt on the kink meme for them I LOVED and stalked but it never got filled:
Corey and Becky go out of their way to publicly feud with each other - Corey sniping at her during commentary and on twitter, Becky wearing/saying/doing things she knows will antagonize him into sniping during commentary/on twitter - until the UST boils over and they start hooking up in closets or under desks and would not admit to it under torture.
Bonus if they're possessive about how much they hate each other, like Corey getting outraged if anyone else badmouths Becky or someone puts their hands on Corey and Becky lays out whoever it is, because messing with each other is only for them.
THAT. Antagonistic hatesex but not really. Maybe she misses her pigtails being pulled a little bit now that she’s up on the main show.
Charlotte: I’ll be honest, I started shipping them purely because Corey outright said Charlotte was his favorite. He usually goes so hard for the heels it was a wonderful surprise (not that Charlotte’s above a little heeling – she is a Flair, after all,) especially in a match with Emma who you would expect to be the one he roots for. It was so cute, especially since he just said it and immediately shut up about it like he did not want to go into it. I’d love Charlotte to be flattered and decide to she wanted an up close look at his tattoos.:) (Becky could come too! Being on the main show has probably made them miss having someone competent call their matches! I’ve joked before that it’s only a matter of time before the women’s division smuggles Corey to ringside in a box and after a few weeks Tyler will probably be willing to help.)
But again, those are just my favorites, I ship Corey with the wold. Hook him up with anyone in the tag set; he hates Enzo and Cass with the power of a thousand exploding suns and thinks the Vaudevillains are hipster weirdoes but if you can make it work, awesome. Maybe he and Emma bond over disappointments, or Asuka looks at him and decides THAT, I want to try some of that, or Alexa wants to add some spice to her harem during a roadtrip or hey, he WAS shipping Bull and Tyler pretty hard, what was the deal with that? Anyone and everyone, go nuts. (Except Riley! Never Riley. Though if his jerkitude is the impetus to Corey and whoever getting together, all for that!)
Lucha Underground
Requested Characters: Son of Havoc, Ivelisse Velez, Angelico
These three were the highlight of the pretty much perfect Lucha Underground season, three outsiders to the lucha libre world who get forced to be a team and discover how great they really are together. I OT3 them pretty hard but I’m totally fine with fic where the bond is just platonic Trios team flavored bonding (though I am soft on Ivelisse/Havoc whether or not Angelico gets involved, since they clearly have that history.) I loved how even when they "hated" each other they all had each other’s backs when the chips were down. If h/c is happening I prefer Angelico being the one whumped on – Ivelisse already spends so much of the season in a cast and with Angelico being the outsider (and frankly, a huge jerk at the beginning!) I like them all bonding over him. And this is a guy who jumps from ridiculous heights on a regular basis, that’s going to catch up with him.
I am 100% on board with Actual Angel!Angelico, BTW, especially if it comes with bonus wing!kink. It wouldn’t even be close to the weirdest thing happening in the Lucha Underground universe.
Prompts:
1) Post finale-fic where Angelico gets himself in trouble so Havoc and Ivelisse have to roadtrip out to help him. Could be supernatural trouble (running into Vampiro and Pentagon, being hounded by Catrina, walking into some handwavy Aztec curse from Dario) or more mundane issues like getting in over his head in a hostile indy promotion, wiping out on the road and getting stranded, finally making that really bad jump that lands him in the hospital so Havoc and Ivelisse discover they’re his emergency contact, etc. Anything that brings them all back together and forces them to admit they never should have split up in the first place.
2) Fic set either during their Trios title reign or during a potential future reign where they’re dealing with Dario trying to destroy them. (Feel free to pretend S1 was longer to fit in another feud!)
3) Post Trios win celebrations! Post-rough match h/c! Anything that has them together and leaning on each other, especially if they would never want to admit that’s what they’re doing.
Crossovers: If you want to crossover NXT and LU, go for it, I would LOVE that. Maybe Havoc and Baron used to ride together and Havoc calls on him to help out with whatever’s going on with Angelico (Ivelisse would HATE Baron so much.) Angel!Angelico crosses paths with demon!Finn and it goes poorly for both, sending out ripples that draw everyone else in. Vampiro and Pentagon decide to haunt Full Sail awhile – maybe Vampiro’s looking for a new apprentice and Corey gets targeted (Vampiro would certainly see potential and may make an offer that’s hard to refuse) or Corey catches blowback when Pentagon goes after someone he’s close to. Go nuts!
Warriors of Virtue
Requested Characters: Komodo, Grillo
I have pure deep love for this goofy movie, although I think like most people above the age of 10 when they first see it I'm more in love with the world-building and the villains and the gorgeous sets. As far as that goes I would especially be interested in a story exploring the concept that intentionally taking another's life does identifiable damage to the soul, and what that means for the villains of the story.
I LOVE Loyal Lieutenants. Love them, and the way Grillo and Komodo are written it's like that part of the movie was designed especially for me. There's really no other word to describe how he treats Komodo other than devotion - more than anything I'd like a story that really gets into his head. The movie outright says he was childhood friends with the Roos, clearly a valued friend at that, and now he's seconding a lunatic sorcerer who's strip mining the life force of the planet in a bid for eternal life. How does that happen? When did he decide to hitch his star to Komodo? How did he handle what had to be his leader's slow slide into madness? The rest of Komodo's people are mooks or idiot sycophants - why does Grillo stick around? (Komodo's pretty and all, but come on.)
And Komodo himself - it's clear he wasn't always the madman we meet in the movie, and he clearly values Grillo as much as he can. How did this all start? And after the movie, when he's sane again how can he deal with everything he'd done?
Prompts:
1) Post-movie fic where Komodo tries to start fresh and figure out what's changed now that he's sane and doesn't remember his whole stint as a crazed despot - Grillo wondering whether Komodo even still needs a second now that he's functional again, for example, or Komodo slowly finding out what he'd been up to and wondering how Grillo can even look at him. I'd especially like it if Komodo's memories start coming back and Grillo helps him through it. Or Komodo goes on a quest to make amends and Grillo faithfully accompanies him.
2) We find out in the movie that Grillo used to be one of the good guys, an ally to the Roos - what the hell happened? How did he wind up in Komodo's army in the first place?
3) Fic set during/pre-movie where something happens to Komodo - an assassin slips through the guard, he's poisoned, his magic backfires, something - and Grillo has to do something ridiculous (and probably evil) to save him. I'd especially like the Roos having to figure out how to fight someone who's committing evil acts for love, something they should be protecting.
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
Requested Characters: Kou Uraki, Anavel Gato, Nina Purpleton
0083 is set three years after the One Year War; all you need to know is that Earth's space colonies united under the flag of Zeon and went to war for independence --- and lost, partially because they were lea\d by crazy people and partially because the Earth Federation had an experimental new type of mobile suit called a Gundam, technology Zeon couldn't touch.
0083 picks up with a small group of Zeon loyalists, chiefly (for our purposes) Anavel Gato, an ace pilot. They come up with a plan to sneak onto a Federation base and steal one of the experimental new Gundams being tested there, one equipped with a nuclear warhead. The plan goes off without a hitch --- well almost; rookie Federation pilot Kou Uraki blunders onto the theft, steals the second Gundam and heads off in pursuit. Helping Kou is Nina Purpleton , the designer of the new Gundams who's in deeper than she's telling: the reason Gato was able to know about the experimental Gundams was she'd had a relationship with him on Luna while he was hiding from Federation authorities after the War.
I love this series. It was my introduction to the Gundam franchise and is still my favorite installment, a fantastic standalone that balances the relationships with the politics and doesn't require you to deal with Amaro Ray's whining or Char's nonsense, much as I love both those characters. I especially like how the dynamic between Kou and Gato develops over the series; in their first fight Gato actually gives Kou advice because he's so woeful but towards the end they respect each other as soldiers and equals. Then throw in Nina, in love with both these idiots; the scene where her history with Gato comes out is terrifically intense. I also OT3 these three pretty hard, especially fic set somehow post-series, but any fic about them would be great.
Prompts:
1) Kou and Nina find out that Gato didn't die at the end of Operation Stardust. Whatever way they find out is fine with me, whether Gato shows up at their door having escaped from Feddie custody, they get a tip that the Federation's had him all this time and they have to bust him out, etc, etc, especially if the decision to help him brings them under serious fire from the Earth Federation.
2) An AU were things turn out differently – Kou and Gato get marooned somewhere, forcing them to bond and miss the final combat, Gato gets captured instead of killed in the final fight (which may or may not prevent the colony drop but causes a big mess either way,) the connection between Gato and Nina comes out earlier and everyone has to deal with it, etc.
Have a happy Yuletide!
Likes: Hurt/Comfort, (LOVE h/c!) UST finally spilling over, first time/get together fics, unspoken feelings that stay unspoken but are blindingly obvious anyway, bedside vigils/general watching over someone, angst and uncertainty leading into happy endings. If we matched on NXT, bring on the tattoo kink. For NXT and Lucha Underground, kayfabe fics please. For both NXT and LU I really like the supernatural elements being explicitly supernatural – bring on the demon possessions and weird cults and actual dragons, please. Any rating.
Dislikes/DNW: No death fic (unless it’s undone by magic, time travel, etc. Death in a Groundhog’s Day scenario where it’s undone when the day resets? Awesome. Just no for real death that sticks.) Please no non-con, A/B/O or really negotiated D/s (informal D/s or light bondage, like fun with handcuffs or getting tied up with your own clothes is great, just not 24/7 lifestyle stuff or petplay or things like that. Sex pollen-type scenarios are also cool as long as it doesn’t go to dark, non-con places.)
NXT
Requested Character: Corey Graves
Corey was my favorite in NXT back when I first started watching and not a single part of that changed when he had to switch to announcing. NXT is the only wrestling show where I regularly rewind to catch commentary I missing and 99% of the time that’s because Corey’s said something that has me on the floor. He’s a professional grouch who thinks if you’re not cheating you’re not trying, to the point that he came thisclose to dropping an F-bomb on his first broadcast because he was outraged Sami Zayn refused to hit someone with a title belt. Corey’s been so honest about how hard it was to give up his dream when he was so close to achievingit and he’s done so much with his second chance (it floors me he’s only been commentary for a year.) I want nothing but good things for him. (But y’know. With some bumps along the way.)
Prompts (for gen or ship fics):
1. Road disasters! Corey’s on the road constantly; between Culture Shock and the Raw pre-shows and NXT he’s on planes or driving around all the time. Eventually his rental’s going to break down or his flight gets cancelled or he’s booked in something out of Hotel Impossible or he’s accidentally taken the wrong exit and wound up in Silent Hill. (As you do.) I love the absurd things that wrestlers have to deal with on the road and none of that has changed just because he’s not actually wrestling any more. For shippier fics, well, someone has to come get him when he’s stranded on the side of the turnpike/put him up when the flight gets cancelled/fight off demons in Silent Hill because seriously, Corey should not be risking shots to the head. (He does know someone with numerous seasonal residences, after all!)
2. Deals with the Devil. Someone/something (Finn, Bray, some other mysterious force, there’s more of them in wrestling than you would expect) gives Corey what he tells himself he’s gotten over: the chance to be healthy and back in the ring. And maybe he takes a good look at his life and realizes he’s happy the way it is. Or he says yes and it turns into a monkey’s paw wish where the ripple effect is something he can’t live with and desperately needs to reverse.
3. Someone is gaslighting/sabotaging him: voiceovers he knows he’s done go missing, there are things in his notes he doesn’t remember writing, he misses flights because remembers booking the ticket for another time, his food/drinks get spiked so he acts moody or angry, etc. Someone wants him to think the concussions are catching up with him (or convince HHH the concussions are catching up with him, which is almost worse from Corey’s POV.) Someone wants his spot bad and he (and whoever’s with him in this) has to figure it out, fast. (I got gaslighting as a bingo card prompt and but could not make it work. Maybe you can do better! And if whoever helps him during all this can just deck the villain when it comes out, that would be awesome.)
4. Performance Center fic! Stories about Corey adjusting to the new job, set during the early days when he was still bitter and scared he’d get released any day or now when things are a little more secure and he’s chasing down annoyed wrestlers for interviews and still getting nervous before shows. Slice of life about his ridiculous job (and it doesn’t have to be an average day! The champion is demon possessed and let’s face it, Baron is totally a werewolf. All it takes is finding some weird thing one of the Wyatts left behind in a locker to really disrupt your day.)
As a side note, I have a pure, flames on the side of my face loathing for Alex Riley, so if you want to make him the villain of the story by him being thoughtlessly cruel or just otherwise a pain in the ass feel free. All perfectly in character.:)
Ships:
I ship Corey with the world. These are my six favorite ships, but I’d be happy with anyone in the tag set.
Baron Corbin: Corey canonically knows Baron better than anyone! The other announcers always go to Corey for insight into Baron’s head and when they had the battle royal for the #1 contender Baron was Corey’s pick! They take ridiculous selfies at Slipknot concerts! (This happened.) Double the tattoo kink! They’re both assholes who like each other despite that and I’m always such a sucker for that dynamic. I am very fond of secret werewolf!Baron but that’s not necessary; fic where Baron is worried and looking out for Corey during the dark days after he knew he wouldn’t be cleared again (especially if Baron wouldn’t admit under torture that’s what he’s doing,) or more current set stories where Corey is helping Baron with promos or picking him up after a disappointing loss or just the two of them sneaking around would be joy.
Tyler Breeze: Corey’s crush on Tyler can be seen from SPACE. He’s canonically gotten upset at Enzo for wearing leopard print because that’s Tyler’s thing somehow and regularly berates his announce partners when he thinks they’ve been straying off the topic of Tyler’s inescapable beauty. Renee Young outright said Corey was the president of Tyler’s fanclub! And yet visually they’re such opposites. What DOES Tyler think of the Filth Parade’s fallen leader? Maybe his phone isn’t always set to selfie mode when Corey’s around? At house shows does Tyler feel antsy that Corey’s not at ringside watching but doesn’t quite understand what that means? And there’s TONS of potential for drama now that Tyler’s gotten his call up: an attack of uncharacteristic nerves when he gets the news that has him haunting the voiceover room while Corey’s trying to work, hurt feelings if Tyler keeps it secret, Tyler realizing that reviewing his matches isn’t anywhere near as much fun when one of the announce team isn’t completely in love with him, etc. I especially like when Corey is determined to pine for whatever reason (worried that hooking up with the talent will look bad and threaten his job, just doesn’t think Tyler’s into him, however you want to explain him being content to admire from afar) and Tyler just does not know what to do with that. He’s the King of Cuteville! People throw themselves at him all the time! The hell is this guy’s problem, anyway?! Or he doesn’t even notice because hey, everyone's in love with him, right? Until someone (Summer, Sasha, whomever) goes, “Wait, you DIDN’T REALIZE? Oh, honey.”
And then it eats at him until he has to do something about it. :D
I also really like the idea of Tyler's modeling past coming up - maybe Corey is supposed to do a Culture Shock at Fashion Week and begs Tyler for help because he realizes he's in totally over his head. Is it weird for Tyler to have his past and present collide that way? What is it like for Corey to see Tyler in what used to be his element? Did Tyler leave what was clearly a ridiculously successful career (those seasonal residences don't pay for themselves) simply because he got bored with it all, or were there bigger reasons he may not want to be reminded of? How much fashion industry gossip can someone absorb in one weekend? :)
Finn Balor: Corey’s canonically admitted to being fascinated by Finn. I like stories where the demon is an real thing Finn struggles with, something he has to fight to keep from consuming him (it’s not like with Bray and Kane running around on the main roster he doesn’t have plenty of evidence of what he might be if the demon ever wins.) I love the contrast of Finn who has to hide so much of himself with Corey, who’s comfortable in his skin in a way Finn never can be, someone who tattooed his identity right on his skin and dares anyone to have a problem with it. I like a Finn who admires and is drawn to that, especially if the demon is also drawn to that (and probably would like Finn to wear his identity on his skin the same way.) For this pairing I like Finn to be the one quietly pining, at least to begin with – he’s dangerous to get close to but when circumstances push them together anyway Finn has to figure out how to deal with it. Finn’s surrounded by darkness and being around someone like Corey who’s fought through his own darkness and won must be comforting – Corey’s proof it’s possible to even win that fight. And from Corey’s POV even aside from mystery of what Finn is and what’s his deal, Finn being a newcomer to NXT means he never knew Corey as an active wrestler and wasn’t around to watch him deal with that transition. That whole shadow is missing with Finn and that would have to be one hell of a relief.
Bayley: This is pure opposites attract, Bayley comes out covered in streamers and is a friend to all children whereas Corey tattooed a skull on his throat and glowers when wrestlers display too much sportsmanship. They would be SO MUCH fun. Corey’s an ass but he’s also smart and funny and loves the business as much as she does; he has so much respect for her in the ring (even if he thinks she should cheat more, although maybe in his heart he kind of hopes she never ACTUALLY resorts to it.) Bayley is great at hugs and there have been plenty of times when Corey could really, really use one although he would never admit it. And Bayley’s earned to the right to an ill-advised bad boy fling, especially if her friends give her some good natured hell over it. (Because they would.)
Becky Lynch: Put on the title match Becky fought against Sasha Banks and you hear Corey’s opinion of Becky do a 180. (It’s my favorite announcing job from him to date.) Hearing him be totally won over by her and her completely win his respect was the best (even if he still thinks the steampunk thing is totally goofy – respecting her now doesn’t mean he’s not going to take shots during commentary, after all.) There was a prompt on the kink meme for them I LOVED and stalked but it never got filled:
Bonus if they're possessive about how much they hate each other, like Corey getting outraged if anyone else badmouths Becky or someone puts their hands on Corey and Becky lays out whoever it is, because messing with each other is only for them.
THAT. Antagonistic hatesex but not really. Maybe she misses her pigtails being pulled a little bit now that she’s up on the main show.
Charlotte: I’ll be honest, I started shipping them purely because Corey outright said Charlotte was his favorite. He usually goes so hard for the heels it was a wonderful surprise (not that Charlotte’s above a little heeling – she is a Flair, after all,) especially in a match with Emma who you would expect to be the one he roots for. It was so cute, especially since he just said it and immediately shut up about it like he did not want to go into it. I’d love Charlotte to be flattered and decide to she wanted an up close look at his tattoos.:) (Becky could come too! Being on the main show has probably made them miss having someone competent call their matches! I’ve joked before that it’s only a matter of time before the women’s division smuggles Corey to ringside in a box and after a few weeks Tyler will probably be willing to help.)
But again, those are just my favorites, I ship Corey with the wold. Hook him up with anyone in the tag set; he hates Enzo and Cass with the power of a thousand exploding suns and thinks the Vaudevillains are hipster weirdoes but if you can make it work, awesome. Maybe he and Emma bond over disappointments, or Asuka looks at him and decides THAT, I want to try some of that, or Alexa wants to add some spice to her harem during a roadtrip or hey, he WAS shipping Bull and Tyler pretty hard, what was the deal with that? Anyone and everyone, go nuts. (Except Riley! Never Riley. Though if his jerkitude is the impetus to Corey and whoever getting together, all for that!)
Lucha Underground
Requested Characters: Son of Havoc, Ivelisse Velez, Angelico
These three were the highlight of the pretty much perfect Lucha Underground season, three outsiders to the lucha libre world who get forced to be a team and discover how great they really are together. I OT3 them pretty hard but I’m totally fine with fic where the bond is just platonic Trios team flavored bonding (though I am soft on Ivelisse/Havoc whether or not Angelico gets involved, since they clearly have that history.) I loved how even when they "hated" each other they all had each other’s backs when the chips were down. If h/c is happening I prefer Angelico being the one whumped on – Ivelisse already spends so much of the season in a cast and with Angelico being the outsider (and frankly, a huge jerk at the beginning!) I like them all bonding over him. And this is a guy who jumps from ridiculous heights on a regular basis, that’s going to catch up with him.
I am 100% on board with Actual Angel!Angelico, BTW, especially if it comes with bonus wing!kink. It wouldn’t even be close to the weirdest thing happening in the Lucha Underground universe.
Prompts:
1) Post finale-fic where Angelico gets himself in trouble so Havoc and Ivelisse have to roadtrip out to help him. Could be supernatural trouble (running into Vampiro and Pentagon, being hounded by Catrina, walking into some handwavy Aztec curse from Dario) or more mundane issues like getting in over his head in a hostile indy promotion, wiping out on the road and getting stranded, finally making that really bad jump that lands him in the hospital so Havoc and Ivelisse discover they’re his emergency contact, etc. Anything that brings them all back together and forces them to admit they never should have split up in the first place.
2) Fic set either during their Trios title reign or during a potential future reign where they’re dealing with Dario trying to destroy them. (Feel free to pretend S1 was longer to fit in another feud!)
3) Post Trios win celebrations! Post-rough match h/c! Anything that has them together and leaning on each other, especially if they would never want to admit that’s what they’re doing.
Crossovers: If you want to crossover NXT and LU, go for it, I would LOVE that. Maybe Havoc and Baron used to ride together and Havoc calls on him to help out with whatever’s going on with Angelico (Ivelisse would HATE Baron so much.) Angel!Angelico crosses paths with demon!Finn and it goes poorly for both, sending out ripples that draw everyone else in. Vampiro and Pentagon decide to haunt Full Sail awhile – maybe Vampiro’s looking for a new apprentice and Corey gets targeted (Vampiro would certainly see potential and may make an offer that’s hard to refuse) or Corey catches blowback when Pentagon goes after someone he’s close to. Go nuts!
Warriors of Virtue
Requested Characters: Komodo, Grillo
I have pure deep love for this goofy movie, although I think like most people above the age of 10 when they first see it I'm more in love with the world-building and the villains and the gorgeous sets. As far as that goes I would especially be interested in a story exploring the concept that intentionally taking another's life does identifiable damage to the soul, and what that means for the villains of the story.
I LOVE Loyal Lieutenants. Love them, and the way Grillo and Komodo are written it's like that part of the movie was designed especially for me. There's really no other word to describe how he treats Komodo other than devotion - more than anything I'd like a story that really gets into his head. The movie outright says he was childhood friends with the Roos, clearly a valued friend at that, and now he's seconding a lunatic sorcerer who's strip mining the life force of the planet in a bid for eternal life. How does that happen? When did he decide to hitch his star to Komodo? How did he handle what had to be his leader's slow slide into madness? The rest of Komodo's people are mooks or idiot sycophants - why does Grillo stick around? (Komodo's pretty and all, but come on.)
And Komodo himself - it's clear he wasn't always the madman we meet in the movie, and he clearly values Grillo as much as he can. How did this all start? And after the movie, when he's sane again how can he deal with everything he'd done?
Prompts:
1) Post-movie fic where Komodo tries to start fresh and figure out what's changed now that he's sane and doesn't remember his whole stint as a crazed despot - Grillo wondering whether Komodo even still needs a second now that he's functional again, for example, or Komodo slowly finding out what he'd been up to and wondering how Grillo can even look at him. I'd especially like it if Komodo's memories start coming back and Grillo helps him through it. Or Komodo goes on a quest to make amends and Grillo faithfully accompanies him.
2) We find out in the movie that Grillo used to be one of the good guys, an ally to the Roos - what the hell happened? How did he wind up in Komodo's army in the first place?
3) Fic set during/pre-movie where something happens to Komodo - an assassin slips through the guard, he's poisoned, his magic backfires, something - and Grillo has to do something ridiculous (and probably evil) to save him. I'd especially like the Roos having to figure out how to fight someone who's committing evil acts for love, something they should be protecting.
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
Requested Characters: Kou Uraki, Anavel Gato, Nina Purpleton
0083 is set three years after the One Year War; all you need to know is that Earth's space colonies united under the flag of Zeon and went to war for independence --- and lost, partially because they were lea\d by crazy people and partially because the Earth Federation had an experimental new type of mobile suit called a Gundam, technology Zeon couldn't touch.
0083 picks up with a small group of Zeon loyalists, chiefly (for our purposes) Anavel Gato, an ace pilot. They come up with a plan to sneak onto a Federation base and steal one of the experimental new Gundams being tested there, one equipped with a nuclear warhead. The plan goes off without a hitch --- well almost; rookie Federation pilot Kou Uraki blunders onto the theft, steals the second Gundam and heads off in pursuit. Helping Kou is Nina Purpleton , the designer of the new Gundams who's in deeper than she's telling: the reason Gato was able to know about the experimental Gundams was she'd had a relationship with him on Luna while he was hiding from Federation authorities after the War.
I love this series. It was my introduction to the Gundam franchise and is still my favorite installment, a fantastic standalone that balances the relationships with the politics and doesn't require you to deal with Amaro Ray's whining or Char's nonsense, much as I love both those characters. I especially like how the dynamic between Kou and Gato develops over the series; in their first fight Gato actually gives Kou advice because he's so woeful but towards the end they respect each other as soldiers and equals. Then throw in Nina, in love with both these idiots; the scene where her history with Gato comes out is terrifically intense. I also OT3 these three pretty hard, especially fic set somehow post-series, but any fic about them would be great.
Prompts:
1) Kou and Nina find out that Gato didn't die at the end of Operation Stardust. Whatever way they find out is fine with me, whether Gato shows up at their door having escaped from Feddie custody, they get a tip that the Federation's had him all this time and they have to bust him out, etc, etc, especially if the decision to help him brings them under serious fire from the Earth Federation.
2) An AU were things turn out differently – Kou and Gato get marooned somewhere, forcing them to bond and miss the final combat, Gato gets captured instead of killed in the final fight (which may or may not prevent the colony drop but causes a big mess either way,) the connection between Gato and Nina comes out earlier and everyone has to deal with it, etc.
Have a happy Yuletide!
