firebatvillain | 40K Summer Fest Exchange 2024

Dear 40K Summer Fest Exchange Creator,

Thanks for writing or drawing for me - I’m really excited for this exchange. I enjoyed 40kSFE last year, 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 extra treats in unrequested formats (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.

Requests:

Request 1: Warhammer 40k - Fic OR Art : Jain Zar, Jain Zar & Asurmen

I'm a big fan of Jain Zar, ever since reading Jain Zar: The Storm of Silence. Whether it's during the Fall, as she 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. If you offered this, I'm sure you have some ideas, but here are a few art & fic prompts I have in mind to inspire you.

Art: Jain Zar, with her mask off, having a quiet moment sharpening the Silent Death and the Blade of Destruction. Mood: Pensive.
Art: Jain Zar dressed to impress, with regalia of a Phoenix Lord, holding a cocktail. Mood: Excited. Alternatively, Mood: put-upon, bored.
Art: Jain Zar and Asurmen, masks off, conversing and smiling while seated at a park. Mood: Jovial, comfortable.
Art: Jain Zar and Asurmen testing their blades against each other in a practice spar. Mood: Friendly, competitive.
Art: Jain Zar, in full armor and holding her weapons, confronting facing us and ready for battle. Mood: Tense, angry.

Fic: Jain Zar travels the webway, hunting a treasure that may be crucial to the survival of the Aeldari race.
Fic: Jain Zar and Asurmen meet on the even of an important battle, and debate philosophy, fate, and war.
Fic: Jain Zar encounters a stranded Drukhari (or other) vessel in the webway, and responds to a call for help.
Fic: Jain Zar, perhaps in disguise, attends a Harlequin performance of one of her historic battles.

Request 2: Warhammer 40k - Art : Puretide & Farsight

Puretide's fate is sad, and I'd like to focus on some happy times with him and Farsight! Perhaps some times when they were training together, or Puretide teaching Farsight something, or just Farsight thinking back on him. I am highly sympathetic to these guys. Death to the Ethereal Caste! Here are a few prompts to get you started.

That scene from Blades of Damocles, as Farsight destructively brain-scans Puretide: ‘Do not trust them all, my child,’ whispered Puretide. ‘Do not trust them all.’ - Mood: Angsty
Puretide lecturing gesturing to a blackboard, explaining a military concept to a young Farsight. Mood: Light-hearted
Farsight & Puretide, leaning over a counter or table and reviewing an important military document. Mood: Pensive

Request 3: Warhammer 40k - Fic OR Art : Ynnead & Khaine & Cegorach & Isha

It's the Crew! The Squad! We're up to four Eldar Gods alive, er, sort of alive, and counting! Party time. We all know when Rhana Dandra comes, each Aeldari God is gonna grab one of the Chaos Gods and give them a good what-for, right? Ynnead v Slaanesh, Khaine v Khorne, Cegorach v Tzeentch, Isha v Nurgle, it's on! In the meantime, though, do you think the 4 living-ish Eldar gods ever get together for tea? Or whatever the godly equivalent is now. Now, yes, only one of these guys is alive + free but I'm sure they can work something out. Here are some fic and art prompts to have fun with, though if you offered this I'm sure you have some ideas!

Fic: Ynnead, Khaine, Cegoarch, & Isha get a conference call going for the first time. What kind of shenanigans ensue?
Fic: The Squad is getting together to plan a major ecumenical council to sort out what theology looks like in the quad-theistic system.
Fic: The Crew decide to compete to see who can convince a follower to do the most impressive feat of devotion.
Fic: The Crew get into a discussion about whether or not each of them really counts as a god, due to hiding, being imprisoned, being half-alive, etc.

Art: The four gods sitting around a table having a cute tea party, laughing and joking (or as close to that as Khaine can get, he's kinda a dick and we all know it). Mood: Cutesy and funny.
Art: The four gods looming impressively over a sea of stars. Cegorach is pickpocketing Khaine. Mood: Awe-inspiring, foreboding, with a hint of whimsy.
Art: The four gods each poking at a board game board, moving pieces around. Isha just looks happy to be here. Mood: Pensive, or maybe serious?

Thanks for reading this!

Hopefully this gives you some ideas. I am sure I will like whatever you create. 40k is fun!

Thank you.