Candy Hearts Exchange 2023

[kiraly]

Hello there, dear creator! I’m Kiraly, and I’m so thrilled to have you write or draw for me! I’m sure I’ll love whatever you come up with, so this letter is merely a list of suggestions to give you ideas. I hope you’ll find something to inspire you, but as long as you keep my DNWs in mind, feel free to do as you like! Feel free to check out my previous letters if you like - this one is fairly pared-down compared to my usual. You can also find me on Tumblr: worldsentwined, or check out my AO3: Kiraly

General Likes:

(Normally this is kind of a rambly paragraph, but for this exchange I decided to break it down into a list of tropes. This is not exhaustive, just a few things I really enjoy!)

- Fluff
- Angst (with a happy ending)
- Found family
- Hurt/comfort (mild)
- There Was Only One Bed
- Cuddling for warmth
- Fake/pretend relationship
- Friends to lovers
- Rivals to lovers
- Idiots to lovers
- Mutual pining (as long as it’s resolved!)

Also a note on gender stuff - a lot of these character tags have genders attached to them, and I want to make it clear that I’m totally okay with any of these characters being trans, nonbinary, or otherwise fluid around the concept of gender. Write the funky little queer characters of your dreams!



Dislikes (Do Not Want):

- Major character death
- Graphic violence
- Abusive relationships as the primary focus of the story, or described in detail
- Terminal illness
- Incest
- Sexual violence of any kind
- Explicit sex (allusions to sex or implied sex are fine)
- Dementia or permanent memory loss
- Tragic endings

Now, on to the prompts! Because there is a lot of overlap in what I’m requesting, and because many of these pairings give a lot of information already, I’m going to lump them into groups.

Superheroes, Supervillains

Requests:
- Disillusioned Supervillain's Henchman/Disillusioned Superhero's Sidekick (M/M)
- Male Superhero Who Works in a Coffee Shop/Tired Male Supervillain Customer
- Male Supervillain/Non-Powered Male Liaison for Superhero Team
- Male Supervillain/Tired Male Superhero Who Gives Up
- Retired Male Superhero/Retired Male Supervillain

I am WEAK for stories about people with superpowers, particularly when they fall on opposite sides of the traditional hero/villain divide. I think there’s a lot of room to explore how these roles shape the people who are in them, how they might chafe against those roles or start to question whether they’re really on the right side (or if a “right side” even truly exists). Throw in romantic feelings and/or physical attraction for someone who’s on the “wrong” side, and there’s so much potential for a good story. I also love seeing what these characters are like when they’re not fighting (or committing) crimes, and how the people close to them feel about the whole thing. Plus I love the whole concept of having a public persona as a hero or villain, and having to balance that with more mundane responsibilities (they still have to pay rent, buy groceries, go to work, etc).

There’s also a lot of room for societal commentary in these prompts, if you want to go that route. What makes someone a villain? Who gives legitimacy to the heroes, are they a government entity or operating outside of the law? If the heroes do work with the government, is everything above board or are they being exploited or manipulated? Do the villain’s henchpeople get better healthcare than the hero’s sidekicks do? Do we need a union of superpowered people (or their henchpeople) so there’s someone to step in and take care of the people who take care of the world? What would that look like?

Knights, Adventurers

Requests:
- Chivalrous Male Knight/Male Witch Who Is Feared But Actually Good
- Female Adventurer in Need of a Challenge/Lady Stuck in Tower of Ridiculous Traps
- Oblivious Serious Female Knight/Famous Female Bard with a Longtime Crush

Who doesn’t love a beefy dude or strapping lady with a heart of gold and a sword? The idea of someone with a set, noble purpose encountering someone who doesn’t share their calling (and either respecting or questioning it) can make for such a fun story. There’s a lot to be said for different worldviews colliding and characters slowly learning who someone is beneath their public persona - which is true of both the knight characters and their potential love interests. How does the knight find out that the witch is actually good, and what will he do about it? What will it take for the bard to make her feelings known? When an adventurer attempts a rescue, does the person at the top of the tower actually want to leave? Are the traps really what’s stopping her from leaving?

Royalty

Requests:
- Imperious Lonely Queen/Charming Rogue Who Loves Her From Afar
- Kind Naive King/His Scheming Advisor Who Wanted To Topple Him But Finds He Likes Him (M/M)

Similar to the knight prompt, there’s a lot to be explored when you have a character in a set role that comes with a lot of responsibilities. In the case of royalty, the set role is one the characters didn’t choose, and regardless of their feelings are duty-bound to take on. There’s also an element of loneliness inherent in being a monarch, and a sense of having to put forward a public face that may not reflect their actual feelings. For the love interests - how do they see through to the person beneath? How do they react to that knowledge? How does the charming rogue get through to the lonely queen - not just in a metaphorical sense, but also literally? When the advisor realizes his feelings about the king have changed, what will he do?