Candy Hearts Letter 2024

[firebatvillain]

Dear Candy Hearts Exchange Creator,

Thanks for writing or drawing for me - I’m really excited for this exchange. Candy Hearts is one of my favorite exchanges, and I'm glad it's back for another year, hehe! I hope you’re excited as well! I’m FireBatVillain on Ao3 and Tumblr.

Aside from my DNWs, I hope you consider the prompts and likes in this letter as you work, and that they inspire you to make something you enjoy creating and that tickles my fancy! These prompts are meant to inspire, not restrain/restrict, so feel free to go beyond these prompts and create what you like!

In addition to this letter, I also maintain a longer, general letter about likes and dislikes if that's useful for you: https://firebatvillain.dreamwidth.org/5012.html

I am open to treats in unrequested format (fic/art/podfic etc).

Things I like in writing:

Happy stories, bittersweet stories, and stories that end with a spark of hope even if they are angry or sad. I like good communication, wordplay, honor, pointless heroism or love even if it won’t succeed. Probably one of my favorite ideas in fiction is the idea of heroism in the face of hopelessness, and love even if things seem sad.

A little mini scene or interaction, an ending or a beginning, that could be a canon-compliant off-screen scene or interaction - sounds fun! I also like AUs and alternate imaginings.

I like explicit content and smut. I am okay with darkfic. I do not mind any of the archive warnings aside from what's listed in my DNWs.

Things I like in art:

Characters hugging, cute animal companions, manifestations of magic or the supernatural, characters looking fierce holding a weapon, item, or tool. Characters floating against abstract backgrounds with aquatic or space-ey feels. I'm happy with all art media, from digital to watercolor to mixed media to others.

In terms of mood: I like moods that are cozy, happy, fierce, or exciting, but I don't like moods in art that are dismaying, horrifying, or depressing.

In terms of how to depict the characters, feel free to diverge from straightforward direct physical depiction / canonical elements if you'd like! I'm comfortable with and enjoy all levels of explicitness/maturity in fics and art.

Anyway - on to the important DNWs and prompts!

Things I don’t like / DNWs:

In fic, my DNWs are authorial monarchist apologia, vivid descriptions of needles, pregnancy, and extreme underage.

In art, my DNWs are authorial monarchist apologia, depictions of needles breaking skin, pregnancy, and extreme underage.

Regarding the monarchism thing: I’m okay with characters in a feudal or monarchist setting, and even protags who are monarchs, and even these characters triumphing as monarchs as long as the story itself isn’t apologia for monarchism. Characters who like monarchism, who think of themselves as good kings, who want to restore the throne, etc - all good by me. Rider in Fate/Zero, or Moriarty in A Study in Emerald, etc are excellent characters and enjoy works about them. I just would prefer not to read a work where the final moral of the story is that democracy is bad and we should all be ruled by a single person with absolute unchecked power, as presented by the author.

Requested Fandoms:

Request 1: Baldur's Gate 3 - Fic or Art - The Dark Urge/Enver Gortash

I love these two! Durgetash is my OTP. Or, my new OTP at least. Rotating them in my mind constantly.... they're so evil, so awful, so depraved, so willing to destroy anything, except, maybe, each other? Gortash is collected, he's brilliant, he has an evil plan and will betray everyone and tyrannically crush everyone, except for The Dark Urge, in whom he sees an equal. But he's so awful! He's not like "oh, I'm secretly a good guy for you" or anything. He's just bad and ready to be bad with Durge. And The Dark Urge! That letter, before he lost his memory. "Forgive me, Father..." forgive him... for loving Gortash back! Even though he wants to turn the world into a slaughterhouse, with Gortash, things are different! Woudl he defy his father, a god, for Gortash? Would he descend into the revelry of killing to hide his feelings? Oh yes, anything is possible. As for depictions of Durge, I've often enjoyed fanart and fics in which he is the "semi-canonical" White Dragonborn, but whatever custom Durge you imagine is also fine (I know he is often a Drow in fics and playthroughs).

Here's a few prompts if you're looking for something to inspire you.

Art Prompts:

• Gortash holding The Dark Urge's chin with his semi-gauntleted hand, pulling his face in close, faces in profile. Mood: Intense.
• Close up of Gortash and The Dark Urge's hands held in each other's hands, and in the background, the city burns. Mood: dark
• The Dark Urge holding a knife to Gortash's throat, leaning over him and smiling seductively. Maybe dripping blood? Mood: Sexy
• The couple leaning together in a moment of relaxation, framed by a heart of evil-looking flame or some other magical effect. Mood: Cute. But also maybe evil?
• The Dark Urge and Gortash talking to each other. Speech bubble from Gortash with a tadpole or a gear or something serious, thought bubble from Durge with a knife or something violent. Mood: Silly.

Fic Prompts:

• The Dark Urge and Enver Gortash do a heist together. They're HEIST buddies. Something focused on the POV of one of them as they begin to realize they love the other and have to change their plans to betray/murder the other. And then they FUCK.
• At the culmination of their plan, when they have all the power and everything has succeeded, Durge and Gortash have to reckon with their love for each other. Maybe they fuck?
• Post-canon, Gortash is alive, and The Dark Urge is getting his memories back, and realizes his love.
• Pre-canon, the Dark Urge and Enver Gortash team up to deal with betrayal from one of their allies - Ketheric? Orin?
• Pre-canon, they meet for the first time, or maybe they are young kids on the streets, rogues in the underworld coming into their abilities?

Request 2: Warhammer 40k - Art : Asurmen/Jain Zar

Omg, where do I start with these two. I'm a big fan of Jain Zar and her interactions with Asurmen, ever since reading Jain Zar: The Storm of Silence. They found each other in the wake of the Fall, and built a new future for the Aeldari together. And through many lives, they've fought by each other's side (when not alone) since. They're fated to be together, maybe, in life or in death, in this life or the next! Whether it's during the Fall, as the two of them and the remnants of the Aeldari civilization strive to create a new, better way, or during current times, as crises befall Aeldari and the Phoenix lords live again and again to fight for the future, or meet their doom in the Rhana Dandra, these two have their fates intertwined. Will they meet next on the battlefield, or of it? If you offered this, I'm sure you have some ideas, but here are a few art prompts I have in mind to inspire you. In terms of appearance, I have a preference for the old-school style of Jain Zar with the black/gray/white coloring with red accents, rather than the current one with red hair.

Art Prompts:

• Jain Zar and Asurmen, masks off, conversing and smiling while seated at a park in a craftworld, holding hands or being affectionate with each other. Mood: Cheerful, cute
• Jain Zar and Asurmen testing their blades against each other in a practice spar. Mood: Friendly, competitive.
• Jain Zar and Asurmen reading books while sunbathing on the beach (or under a parasol) It's vacation time!. Mood: Relaxed
• Jain Zar and Asurmen in combat armor, back to back, as darkness, shadows, or threatening shapes swirls around them. Mood: Tense
• Jain Zar with her banshee mask off, looking concerned, with Asurmen hugging her from behind. Mood: Pensive, comforting.

Request 3: 聖剣伝説３ | Seiken Densetsu 3 | Trials of Mana (Video Game) - Fic - Hawkeye/Riesz

This ship is just full of sparks and chemistry, and I love the way Hawkeye and Riesz' personality play off of each other. Hawkeye is of course naturally flirtatious, whereas Riesz grew up living a courtly life and doesn't know much of the ways of the world. She can of course handle herself on the battlefield (and is the stronger in terms of raw strength between the two of them), but her life experience has been sheltered. On top of that, it seems at first like there's no way they can be together! A thief from Navarre, a princess of Rolante... how could be possible? Surely... no, it can't be! I love pining-related tropes in this ship, as well as their relationship being inhibited by circumstance, whether it's a matter of social station, or needing to save the world together first.

Fic Prompts:

• Post-canon, Hawkeye and Riesz pine for each other from their respective countries, until another threat to the world causes the team to come together again.
• During a fight against one of their various tough foes, Hawkeye gets injured and comes down with a fever. Then, Riesz tends to his wounds while he recovers.
• Post-canon, Rolante and Navarre arrange a political marriage, and it's Hawkeye and Riesz, who both secretly have feelings for each other, and don't know about the other.
• While out on their adventures, the rest of the party (6-member party AU anyone?) does some shenanigans to make Hawkeye and Riesz get together, since it's obvious they're crushing on each other. 
• Post-canon, Hawkeye and Riesz cross paths at some kind of formal event, like a ball or a treaty signing or someone else's wedding, and sparks fly as they pine for each other and maybe realize their hearts' desires.

–

Thanks for reading this!

Hopefully this gives you some ideas. I am sure I will like whatever you create.

Thank you.