Five Figure Fanwork Exchange 2021

[nemainofthewater]

Dearest Author,

Thank you so much for my gift in advance! Please know that I will absolutely adore anything that you gift me and though I am going to provide more likes/dislikes and some general prompts further down, please feel free to combine prompts, or ignore them completely if you get inspired in a different direction! I’m Nemainofthewater on A03 and most other fandom spaces.

Things I like:

-Found family! I really love team-as-family, slice of life type stories where everything may be difficult (or not!) but at least they have each other

-angst: I am awful for this and I enjoy reading angsty things, though I would like some glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel and for it not to be all doom and gloom.

-Adventures: I love case fics or adventure things where the characters work together to solve something. It doesn’t have to be anything important! Problem solving is wonderful at all levels, whether it’s something large like overtaking an empire or small like hunting for the perfect cake. Bonus for characters displaying unexpected knowledge/skills, or just being good at their jobs and their team appreciating that

-some canon divergence AUs or role reversal (although on the whole I am not a fan of college/high school AUs). I really like time travel and time loops as well as ‘for want of a nail’ type stories. Modern day AUs are a little hit or miss for me; sometimes I love them and sometimes it really takes me out of the story? I am not entirely sure why.

-characters who don’t take care of themselves being gently bullied into sleeping/eating/resting, or just generally just looking after themselves. I am a huge fan of the ‘perfect mask much work until I collapse’ type character, especially when there are others around to take care oof them before/when they eventually collapse.

-food or creating things as a love language (platonic or romantic)

-OT3s to solve love triangles

-people appreciating other people’s competencies!

-multimedia! (meta, articles, etc). Outsider POV is also something that I love and if you feel intrigued by adding that and/or any multimedia bits please indulge yourself!

-identity porn

-wingfic, especially wingfic that looks at the practical things associated with wings/the (pseudo)biology/the social implications…

-survival stories? I don’t know how to characterise this. Kind of the ‘trapped on a desert island’ kind of thing where everyone has to work together and bring out their various specialities and intelligence to build a home. The kind of domestic slice of life type thing only with having to literally establish their own settlement type thing

Things I’m not fond of:

-High school/college AUs

-texting fics

-characters watch the show/read the book etc that they come from

-script format for the entire story. If you want to put some in for in-universe reasons (such as they’re acting, it’s transcribing a video) etc that’s fine, but please not for the entire story!

DNWs: PWP, sibling (biological or otherwise) incest, underage, character bashing (out of universe: it doesn’t count if characters don’t like each other in canon, for example), racism, sexism, homophobia, aphobia, transphobia

Below are the fandoms and the characters and/or relationships that I chose alongside some prompts and some reasons why I like the character/relationship; please feel free to mix and match, smush together, or even ignore them altogether if you get inspired! This is my first time taking part in an exchange with such a long minimum word count and I’m hoping that the prompts below will strike a good balance of not too constraining but also good enough to spark some 10,000 word long story ideas!

Above all, please write whatever pleases you and whatever you have fun writing; I promise that I will love whatever I get!

I am very happy to have any other characters that you want to add into the story unless I’ve written out a fandom specific DNW about it.

Nirvana in Fire

Lin Chen & Mei Changsu

Ok, I have no idea what’s going on between these two but whatever it is, I love it. I adore the way that their method of showing care for each other is relentless bullying. Mei Changsu is able to smile and be mischievous when Lin Chen shows up in the show near the end, and that is beautiful.

On the other hand, I am also a huge fan of the angst potential where Lin Chen doesn’t understand why Mei Changsu is so eager to die for his country (because living is harder) and has to deal with being unable to cure his friend. That scene where Lin Chen is eagerly planning a road trip for them and their son as Mei Changsu decides to grimly march off to war? Breaks my heart. I love it. Some ideas I think would be interesting to look at:

-for once, Mei Changsu isn’t the one that needs to be looked after, Lin Chen is. Mei Changsu gets to be on the other side of the ‘friend/patient is being awful and won’t just sit down and heal, but insists on actually straining himself for reasons I feel are Inadequate, but he won’t listen to me’. Mei Changsu hates it. Lin Chen, when he isn’t trying to hide how awful he feels, is smug.

-A pre-canon jianghu adventure! Perhaps both of them need to go undercover but Lin Chen isn’t taking it seriously? Maybe they get kidnapped, forcing the poor kidnapper listen to them bickering instead of being adequately intimidated by said kidnapping? Maybe there is a friendly rivalry between members of the Jiangzuo Alliance and Langya Hall and Mei Changsu and Lin Chen are both vicariously competing (and actually competing) through their subordinates?

- Maybe Lin Chen could be kidnapped as leverage against Mei Changsu, at which point Mei Changsu shrugs and waits fifteen minutes until the kidnappers are begging to give Lin Chen back?

-I am a huge fan of platonic soulmates and I would love for these two to be soulmates and be incredibly annoyed about it. Perhaps misunderstandings could occur in part due to misunderstandings about the nature of soulmates?

Mei Changsu & Jingyan

-Identity porn? All the identity porn! The amount of delicious delight I get the amount of subterfuge going on between these two is…well it’s a lot. I have genuinely shouted at the screen while watching (later episodes especially) for Mei Changsu to just tell him, omg. I do love stories where Jingyan figures out who Mei Changsu is and then proceeds not to tell anyone. Jingyan being competent is something that I love to see.

-Fei Liu needs to be babysat, Jingyan volunteers and then regrets it. Alternately, Mei Changsu intercepts an assassination attempt etc against Jingyan and lends Fei Liu to Jingyan as a bodyguard under the pretence of him needing a babysitter while Mei Changsu goes out and Wrecks the would be assassin and their sponsor

-Jingyan genuinely appreciates Mei Changsu (amoral strategist ™) and Mei Changsu suddenly realises that his plan to keep Jingyan at arm’s length has failed epically. Cue breakdowns over how he’s a stain on Jingyan’s future government etc while Jingyan is just patiently picking out books that he thinks that Mei Changsu would like

-Jingyan meets Mei Changsu pre-canon. Mei Changsu wasn’t expecting this! (for once). All his plans are ruined! Mei Changsu scrambling to salvage things, because I love Mei Changsu but also I love bullying him a lot (he deserves it after everything he puts his friends through).

Mei Changsu/Mu Nihuang/Xiao Jingyan

-Mu Qing decides that he definitely wants his sister to get married to that Su Zhe/Mei Changsu guy and tries to set them up (locks them in cupboards, makes increasingly obvious references, hires some bandits to ‘attack’ them so that Nihuang can show off…). Meanwhile, Mei Changsu, Nihuang, and Jingyan have been in a relationship for a while now and are just chilling.

-I would love polyamory negotiations where they actually all talk with their words about their relationship! Truly the most alternate of universes.

- timetravel! Somehow Jingyan and Nihuang are dropped into the past, somewhere in those twelve years after Meiling but before canon starts. From thereon they are the ones with all of the knowledge whereas Mei Changsu is just left spluttering in confusion as all of his plans are overturned. Alternately all three of them travel back together and, with the benefit of hindsight and also honesty, are very competent together and manage to work together for a better future.

Lin Chen

-I’m sure that Lin Chen has gone through A Lot and has been on many adventures on his quest to find a cure for the Poison of the Bitter Flames. I would love to see him going through various ridiculous trials

-Oops Lin Chen has accidentally Ascended to godhood through no fault of his own (he hadn’t realised that the MacGuffin he was looking for did that). Now he’s on a mission to gain more followers and game the system to stop Mei Changsu from dying

Mei Changsu

I am genuinely happy for this to be gen or romantic, and please feel free to bring in any (or no!) characters you want!

-I would like Mei Changsu to have a nice day with no illness flareups whatsoever

-alternately I would love to for Mei Changsu to have a bad day, but for people to notice and look after him as he grumpily submits to being rolled into a burrito blanket and forced to go back to bed

-Mei Changsu is kidnapped. This goes very poorly… for the kidnappers of course. Bonus if he has been kidnapped for leverage against Jingyan/Lin Chen/Prince Yu (???) and they don’t even know who it is they’ve got.

The Disguiser

Fandom Specific DNWs: Romantic relationships between the members of the Ming family.

Ming Cheng & Ming Jing & Ming Lou & Ming Tai

Ok, but this family. Honestly, I felt very meh about the romances in the show but each and every family scene hit me like a freight train, I love them so much

-maybe Ming Jing DOES find out earlier. I would love to see all the staged fights between all the siblings. Ming Jing looks like she was having fun when she got to take part in them and honestly she deserves to be part of this as well.

-An alternate universe set at some point not around WWII. Ming Tai attends a new university far, far away from his family. When he gets there he realises that Ming Jing has decided to concentrate on the (wherever he ends up going) branch of the Ming Company for however long he’s there, Ming Lou is the new vice chancellor of the University and ah-Cheng is one of his lecturers. It would be hilarious if a fan club for ah-Cheng sprang up just to see the mortification on Ming Tai’s face

-Aunt Gui is the Worst (although I feel sorry for her and what she went through, she also took out her anger on an innocent child). I would love to see Ming Jing, Ming Lou, and Ming Tai realise this and work together to get rid of her because they can see that her being here is negatively affecting ah-Cheng

-all of the Ming family is vastly too self-sacrificial for their own good and I would love to see something that explores all of them trying to fall on their own swords for each other and being thwarted.

-Ming Jing and Ming Lou took in two young children to raise when they themselves were still teenagers. I would love to see a precanon fic exploring this!

Ming Cheng & Ming Lou

-the fact that the two of them trust each other so much is just beautiful. I would love to see more scenes of them working together to convince various organisations that they’re on the outs while smirking at each other from across the room

-alternately I would love to see them use their competencies for something utterly mundane, like arranging for Mint Tai to go to university somewhere or organising Ming Jing’s birthday

-do you know what Ming Lou getting yet another job and ah-Cheng just rolling his eyes in disgust and following would be amazing.

-It would be amazing to see something where for once Ming Lou and ah-Cheng are the ones in trouble and they just have to sit there and wait to be rescued for once.

Ming Lou/Wang Tianfeng

I don’t know whether it’s just me, but I watched the two of them meet onscreen to talk about the ‘death plan’ and I immediately thought that they had this huge vibe of ‘disgruntled exes who had a terrible break up years ago and still aren’t over it’.

-something about Ming Lou and Wang Tianfeng meeting at pre-canon. They seem to have vastly different philosophies in canon and I would love to see an exploration of when they first realised that.

-Ming Lou and Wang Tianfeng arguing properly, just bringing up all the wrongs of the past however many years while ah-Chang and Guo Qiyun are hovering in the background and shooting each other commiserating looks. So, canon basically, but if you get any interests in expanding it further or adding more scenes I would love to see them!

The Myth

Meng Tian & Yi Xiaochuan

-Ok, but someone determinedly wanting someone else to be their little brother? Yes, that is my jam. I love it. Shenanigans as Meng Tian tries to find out Everything about his little brother and bring him home. Heart palpitations as he realises that Yi XIaochuan’s life is just dramatically overcomplicated at all times and for some reason his little brother things that screaming at a tiger is the most sensible course of action when trapped in a gladiatorial fight???

Gao Yao & Xiao Yue

I just love this found family! How much Gao Yao genuinely loves his Qin little sister. Please give me more of this relationship!

-That birthday cake scene was embarrassing and also hilarious. I would love to see more examples of Xiao Yue’s older brother being a dork around her and possibly also introducing her to modern things.

Yi Xiaochuan

-ok, Yi Xiaochuan’s hair grew out incredibly quickly for the amount of time it was meant to have been in-universe. I would love to see things exploring perhaps not just hair but also clothes etc in general. Does Yi Xiaochuan know how to deal with long hair? Did he have to go to one of his elder brothers and shamefacedly request help? What about clothes? When he joins the court he starts having to wear court clothes, are they moree complicated to wear?

-Yi Xiaochuan somehow managed to get electricity (and a phone charger lol) up and running in the Qin empire. I would love to see more of this kind of thing! All of the modern day appliances that he tries to make!

-Yi Xiaochuan throughout history. Perhaps he accidentally creates a village and now there are legends going all around the place and people searching for this legendary immortal…

-we have this magical amulet that only seems to activate at the most plot convenient moments. I would love to see something more to do with the amulet. Is it protective? Can Yi Xiaochuan actually learn how to harness its powers? Maybe it’s sentient?

Gao Yao & Yi Xiaochuan

These two start out as friends and then become bitter enemies, but they are also the only ones who are from the same time. I would love to see stories exploring this more!

-Gao Yao and Yi Xiaochuan meet up slightly earlier than in canon. Cue them trying to figure out how the hell to behave in the Qin Dynasty. Maybe one of them is a huge fan of period dramas and has an idea of how to behave, only to find out that oh no, those period dramas weren’t that well researched and now they’ve mortally insulted everyone

-The two of them are mortal enemies yes, but sometimes they just call a stalemate and hang out because who else is going to commiserate with them about missing pot noodles or the internet?

The Untamed

Though I have asked for the TV show, at this point canon is just a smushed up mess of book, tv show, and donghua episodes all swirled together in my head, so please feel free to draw from whichever source you want to/is better for the story that you want to tell!

Jin Zixuan/Jiang Yanli & Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao

Jin Guangyao is not a good person. He really, really isn’t. But I still love this murder gremlin? He is a bundle of ambition, stress, sleep deprivation, and murder topped with a ridiculous hat. Please feel free to take this one opportunity to ignore my ‘no character-bashing’ DNW here when it comes to Jin Guangshan. He is a terrible father and person and I dislike him immensely

-I would love to see an alternate universe where Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao goes to Lotus Pier instead of Qinghe Nie and become Jiang Yanli’s friend. Now Jin Zixuan has to both a) apologise and convince someone who he’s, frankly, been pretty awful to to marry him while also, b) figure out how he feels about having a brother. I would love to see Jin Zixuan jealous that Jiang Yanli is a better older sibling than he is and also that Meng Yao knows how to talk to Jiang Yanli without becoming a stammering ball of nerves.

-Jiang Yanli wants to save her family, thank you very much, and she knows that the best way to do this is by getting Jin Guangyao on her side and working against his father. Jin Zixuan is undergoing severe disillusionment about how awful his dad is. Jin Guangyao has no idea why his new sister-in-law is being so nice to him but he really likes it please don’t stop.

-Jin Guangshan dies just after the Sunshot Campaign and now Jin Zixuan is thrust into being Sect Leader despite not being ready for it at all. Luckily both his new wife and his new brother are both politically savvy. Jiang Yanli gets to be badass with a smile. Jin Guangyao gets all the power of running a sect but none of the public-facing bullsh*t.

-Jin Zixuan and Jin Guangyao accidentally swap bodies. This could be:

-Pre-canon! Before they know of each other’s existance. Luckily for Jin Zixuan, Yunnping is relatively close to Lotus Pier so he ca at least get some help for this problem…

-Just after Sunshot! The two of them have to work together, Jin Guangyao taking advantage of the situation to better his position at Koi Tower while Jin Zixuan takes advantage of Jin Guangyao’s ability not to stick his foot in his mouth at every opportunity. They both try and fool Jiang Yanli but she figures it out in 0.05 seconds and then helps them both.

Lan Xichen & Lan Sizhui

Sizhui is very much like both his parents, but honestly he reminds me most of Xichen. I would love to see something with the two of them spending time together.

Lan Xichen

-Lan Xichen deserves to go off. And also have a nap. And also not to have to mediate between his sworn brothers/his uncle and his brother/various cultivators

Xiao Xingchen

-I want to know more about Baoshan Sanren’s mountain! What goes on there? What does living on an immortal mountain actually look like?

-I would love to see something where all of Baoshan Sanren’s disciples can do somethings absolutely Strange (glowing? Attractive to small animals, à la Disney princess? No dust touches them despite wearing absolutely normal clothes? Sometimes when they’re not concentrating they just hover in the air without having to use a sword?) and the rest of the world (Song Lan, a-qing, xue Yang, Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji… anyone really) is very ????? about it while Xiao Xingchen just assumes that everyone he meets just has a better control and that’s why they’re not showing it.

A-Qing & Xiao Xingchen & Xue Yang

-this too is found family, and I am just fascinated by this ongoing tragedy.

Lan Sizhui

-Do you know what I think would be hilarious? Lan Sizhui having to impersonate either of his fathers or Lan Xichen for some reason. Maybe he’s in a remote village and there a Dispute ™ that both sides absolutely refuse to resolve without the presence of X so Sizhui is forced to step up to the plate (I can image that Jingyi is here being an instigator…)

Joy of life

Fan Xian & Chen Pingping

-I just think that their interactions are hilarious? I want to see more of Chen Pingping successfully harnessing the chaotic energy that is Fan Xian and using it to destroy his enemies.

-alternately I do love the fics where Fan Xian doesn’t quite grasp how competent Chen Pingping is and

Chen Pingping/The Emperor

-they are two stinky bastard men living their best lives by being mean to the next generation, and I respect that!

-the interactions between liege and lord always interest me. I would love to see more of this!

-what’s an emperor’s role in any drama. To cause problems. I would love to see how many problems the emperor can cause when there’s Chen Pingping by his side

-The Emperor is shameless in his PDA with Chen Pingping. Fan Xian, the Emperor’s son, can’t take the second hand embarrassment any more. The ministers can’t take it any more. An interventions has to happen. For the good of the country. Only… carefully. Because they are still the two scariest people in the empire.

Fan Xian & Fan Ruoruo & Fan Sizhe

Ok but family!!! I love family so much, have I mentioned? Fan Xian feels like both the worst and best older brother to have and I love and hate him in equal measures. Fan Ruoruo is amazing and just wants to hang out with her brothers! Fan Sizhe has so many daddy issues but benefits so much from having two competent (ish) older siblings. He deserves love! They all do!

-Fan Sizhe, Fan Ruoruo, and Fan Xian working together to make Sizhe’s shop a success!

-All of them learning about each other and figuring out how to be siblings.

-Fan Xian’s adventures in trying to reverse engineer modern technology (that his mother hasn’t already reproduced) to become rich and famous etc with his siblings’ ‘help’

-Fan Ruoruo has Suitors. Unfortunately for them they have to get past two overprotective brothers. Chaos ensues.

-The emperor invites Fan Xian for a family meal. Fan Xian brings ALL his family

Guardian

Fandom DNW: Shen Wei/Ye Zun/Zhao Yunlan. I am so sorry. No judgement at all, I just feel a bit weird about this? By all means have them interact with each other, or be as tactile as they/you want, but please no explicit scenes with them all together.

Shen Wei & Ye Zun

-Ye Zun has integrated well into the modern world. Much better than his brother. I would love to see him do something like drag Shen Wei to a cosplay convention with him.

-Shen Wei and Ye Zun getting mistaken for each other and just going with it would be amazing. Ye Zun has a lot of fun with it and Shen Wei just goes along with him because if his brother’s having fun far be it to be the one to rain on that parade. (

Shen Wei

-Shen Wei accidentally learns an annoying new power which means that the weather now reflects his emotions! Does he realise this? Maybe Zhao Yunlan is away (on a conference? A case? A holiday?) leading to literally days of rain in Dragon city before the SID decides that enough is enough and try to cheer him up

-Anything to do with his life at the university! Shen Wei not realising that he’s 99% of the biology department’s recruiting strategy! Conspiracy boards about what Shen Wei actually does when he disappears (the top 2 contenders are that he’s got a secret modelling job or that his boyfriend is part of the mob)

-seriously though, what does Dixing think about this war hero from 10,000 years ago who’s apparently alive again? 10,000 years is such a long time; are there even surviving record from back then? What misconceptions have sprung up? How far would scholars go to just talk to Shen Wei about the extant technologies available in his time?

Ye Zun

-Ye Zu vs the internet, who would win? (no one would win, this sounds like a terrible combination)

-you know what, I would love to see a story where Ye Zun manages to get friends (who possibly don’t know who he is and who aren’t his brother or connected to his brother I any way) because he has had trauma after trauma piled on and then he was stuck in solitary confinement for 10,000 years. Actually, any story where he manages to work through things in a healthy manner would be lovely. Maybe he writes a book? Becomes a film producer?

-Ye Zun publishes the next 50 shades of grey or outlander based on his brother’s romance and despite it becoming extremely popular Shen Wei has no idea. Of the SID, only Da Qing and Lin Jing know and they are being bribed to keep quiet

Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan

-Food as an expression of love!

-They both have a talk about this while ‘self-sacrifice’ thing. Possibly after they have both reincarnated in the future. Instead of dyiing for each other (and the workd) they decide to live for each other instead

Temeraire

Fandom DNW: Temeraire/Laurence as a romantic ship

Napoleon Bonaparte/William Laurence

I like the weird reverence that Napoleon has for Laurence? The way that he’s convinced that by gaining Laurence’s approval he can add legitimacy to his ideals.

William Laurence & Temeraire

-Quiet moments between them both. I love this relationship. Laurence and Temeraire take a moment to just breath.

-Laurence has to choose between his Patriotism and Temeraire, but like, even more. I’m sorry I just really love this trope (despite it also being canon lol)

-somehow, Laurence and Temeraire wake in a universe where Laurence is the dragon and Temeraire a human. Cue a lot of freaking out! Coaching each other into being able to even move. Even more freaking out! (in, of course, a very emotionally repressed way)

-for Political Reasons, instead of Australia, Laurence and Temeraire are shipped off to China in exile. Laurence hates being (technically) a prince while Temeraire is having an amazing time (at first at least).

Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System

I’m in a similar situation with SVSSS as I am with the Untamed, in that Shen Jiu was in fact an awful, abusive teacher to Luo Binghe but definitely didn’t deserve his canon fate. I don’t want to minimise that he acted badly, but also I would love for him to have been supported more (or have, you know, loads of his canon trauma not happen to him). It’s always fascinating to me that he and Yue Qingyuan share a common, destructive trait which is not bothering to explain or defend themselves from any accusations, no matter that it would make everyone’s life a LOT easier.

Shang Qinghua & Shen Jiu

-Shen Jiu needs more friends! I would love to see misunderstanding on Shang Qinghua’s side as he tries to figure out why exactly the scum villain is taking an interest in him. I don’t know why Shen Jiu decided to befriend Shnag Qinghua, but perhaps it’s that he started to talk to him so that he could ignore Yue Qingyuan and Shang Qinghua was so sleep deprived that he accidentally started bitching about people, to Shen Jiu’s delight

-both friends being protective of the other. Shang Qinghua resolves to change Shen Jiu’s fate. Shen Jiu glares at anyone who dumps all the paperwork on Shang Qinghua and gives Mobei Jun a shovel talk

-Shang Qinghua transmigrates without a system and decides that he’s going to prevent OG!LBH from killing them all by stealing Shen Jiu away from the Qiu family. I have no idea about age differences but it could be hilarious as either:

-one tiny feral child trying to rescue another (they switch off on who’s rescuing at any one time)

-One teenager woefully unprepared to be a single father, but determined to do right by Shen Jiu anyway

-Shen Jiu considering stranger dangering this grown adult who’s rescued him from the Qius but deciding that he can take him in a fight and that if anyone Shang Qinghua should be worried about his chances against Shen Jiu. Shang Qinghua agrees with this assessment.

Liu Qingge/Shen Jiu

-I would love for misunderstanding re: backstory to be cleared up and then for Liu Qingge to have to go, ‘damn I have to fix this’ as Shen Jiu just tries to avoid him.

-alternate meeting where instead of Liu Qingge assuming that Shen Jiu is a lazy young master and Shen Jiu seeing Liu Qingge as the epitome of actual spoilt young masters they accidentally bond through, I don’t know, rare beasts. Vitriolic best buds!

-Liu Qingge and Shen Jiu have to fight against a common enemy (the old palace master??) and to their disgust realise that once they have to, they are very complimentary.