The Vanishing Hitchhiker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
vanishinghitchhiker) wrote2018-01-01 04:42 pm
vanishinghitchhiker) wrote2018-01-01 04:42 pm
Entry tags:
dear chocolatier: 2018
Dear Chocolatier,
This is my first Chocolate Box and assignment week went a little sideways for me, so pardon the messiness of this letter. I'm just in get-it-done mode so we can both work on our assignments; hopefully it's still inspiring enough. You can check out my AO3 and Tumblr, though I'm not sure how much help either will be (well, the AO3 is helpful for a different reason). There’s also an older Yuletide letter on this journal which is slightly better written and has sections on Nier and Lorana/Thrass, if you like.
I don’t have any particular preference for art, I love it all! Any medium, any palette, any style of linework or shading or coloring or none at all. Like, just look at all this stuff I reblog. Here's some art things I particularly like though, just in case you need ideas?
For some character combos, I've lumped together ship and gen requests—most of my suggested prompts can work as both, so do whichever feels right with what you end up doing! Just leave a little room for "pre-romance, if you squint". It doesn't have to be there, just leave room for it, y'know? I've also lumped together relationships with overlapping prompts, which kind of turns into a jumbled mess in crossovers whoops
Anyway, as far as ships go, I think I have a slight preference for getting-together fics over established pairing ones, but just go with whichever's more interesting. Basically I’m a big fan of people discovering they mean more to each other than they previously thought, whether that’s friends to lovers, it’s just sex to wait no it’s not, or aw I love you guysssss to oh shit I am In Love with you guys.
Also, I’m a sucker for soulmate AUs, especially when things get complicated: people ignore them, they don’t match exactly, they don’t necessarily mean romance, death (Nageki with a countdown timer still going, holy crap). Seeing how these indicators play off of different species would be fun too! ...there's other stuff I also like (devotion kink, for one) but this letter is late already. I like a lot of things, really.
DNWs:
No incest, underage, noncon, food kink/vore/digestion/scat (y’know that whole process).
I like dubcon to be of the haven’t-admitted-their-feelings-yet type. Not a fan of age differences as a kink—you can address it or ignore it, but a character getting off on it either doesn’t interest me or strongly disinterests me, depending on the dynamic.
Anyway, here's my requests. You'll be working with fandoms and characters we both love, so I'm already looking forward to seeing what you create! And I hope you get great fics and/or art too.
Final Fantasy X
I love the contrasts of this setting—how this game gives you a spirited professional athlete as a main character, then works through his resentment for his tactless, emotionally distant father. How Spira is a bright, beautiful world filled with color and wonder, perpetually traumatized and escapist and racist and sacrificing the few to save the many. And I like how even after saving Spira, "happily ever after" still takes work.
Specific DNWs: No homophobia/general bigotry from anyone on Braska or Yuna’s pilgrimages, please. (If Wakka’s racism comes up that’s fine I guess.) No mistaking landmines for a blitzball or making Auron a deadbeat dad. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you don't wanna know.)
Auron/Braska
Because Auron's life didn't suck enough already. I'm into Auron's feelings being unrequited in canon, but since this is fanstuff having Braska return his feelings (or at least an awkward hookup) is fine by me. I imagine that Braska knows on some level, even if Auron never tells him, and is at least kind enough about it in a way that doesn't let on that he knows. (Jecht might tease/goad Auron, though, if he catches on.)
Since the game follows Tidus’ outsider perspective, the game sees only what he sees, including when it comes to relationships between other characters. I want to see how the other person Auron promised someone to protect gets along with him. Surely she had some questions of her own for him, whether about her father, himself, pilgrimages, or life in general...
The little we get to know Braska is so intriguing. He seems like a patient, good-humored, and stubborn man, and never lets any self-doubt show, at least not on sphere. And Yuna, so devoted to being a summoner, but still ready to cast her entire worldview aside in the name of truth. They're just so amazing and a little heartbreaking.
Hatoful Boyfriend
I don't mind remembering the awkwardness of high school romance, but no sex involving the students, please. (You can get a little suggestive; high school students talk like high school students, after all.) For fic, I really like the canon’s slightly off-kilter way of the characters being birds (except, obviously, Hiyoko), just every once in a while doing things you’re not entirely sure birds can do (like hold weapons in their wings). But human (except, obviously (?), Okosan) is great as well if keeping all the bird stuff straight gives you a headache. For art, human or bird are both great!
Also, if you've been left wondering who I do ship Shuu with: probably unrequited for Ryuuji, and maybe a bizarre hateship with Tohri (or at least getting a kick out ignoring Tohri's bizarre hateship).
Fujishiro Nageki & Higure Anghel, Fujishiro Nageki/Higure Anghel
A writer and his beta reader, what could be a closer relationship than that? I love the contrast between these two: the withdrawn bookworm and the frenetic artist who are both kind of off-putting to other people, one through a certain lack of tact and the other through utter crypticness. Also I like ghosts and Filipino characters so I was pretty much doomed to start with.
There's two ways you can go with this: happy everyone's fine AU (like the Holiday Star shrine visit), or... not. You can ship Hiyoko with someone else (other than Shuu) if Nageki's gone, leaving her with fond memories of her first love.
If anyone can make a harem ending work, it’s our big-hearted Hunter-Gatherer Girl! Toss in Azami and Kazuaki if you like, or leave the adults out (Shuu is...kind of incompatible with long-term relationships, come to think of it). Don't forget Okosan!
This game's characters, writing, music, scenery, and gameplay shenanigans won my heart. It's a flawed world of flawed people making flawed decisions of flawed reasons, which is apparently my jam. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's tragic (have you heard Emil singing his own theme song in Automata???).
Emil & Kainé, Fyra & Kainé
Kainé reaching out to other lonely kids while upholding her badass image, aaaaa my heart. (And if you wanna throw in getting along with Yonah, hell yeah.) And Emil and Fyra are just sweet kids who deserve nice things to happen to them for once, pleaseeven if it's a swearing grandma
Nier's entire party had a crush on him, let's be real. The banter between these three is wonderful, and the sacrifices they're all willing to make on each other's behalf. Yes, smut with a book is great, and I am fully prepared for it to be slightly ridiculous. Also I realized I forgot to put it in my signup, but DNW: anyone who isn't from the Aerie being jerks about Kainé being intersex. (They can be jerks if she's, like, standing around dripping demon blood on everything and swearing in front of small children, though. Gosh she's great.)
Lorana Jinzler/Thrass
This is me desperately copy-pasting from my Yuletide letter why did I let someone talk me into a con who has cons in January ANYWAY On Lorana: It's refreshing to read about a Jedi struggling with issues that have nothing to do with the Dark Side (though I admit I have a ton of the EU left to read). Better still, though, is reading about someone whose feelings of inadequacy feel so organic and integral to the character, not just tacked on as a not-really flaw. And on Thrass: Despite Thrass' initial misgivings regarding human contact, he almost instantly takes the word of Lorana, a complete stranger (sure, Jorj vouches for Jedi in general, but Thrawn literally just got Force choked guys, come on). And despite the xenophobic, isolationist mores of the Ascendancy, he chooses to act in the name of compassion for a handful of people of another species, even at an ever increasing cost. Also look there's actually art of Lorana
Artists, I'm afraid you're on your own for Thrass. I do like how a lot of people draw him with wavier and/or longer hair than Thrawn, though.
No Master/Padawan ships; background Thrawn/Jorj (or Thrawn/Gilad or somehow Thrawn/Eli, if you're writing something set later) is fine
Agrias Oaks & Auron, Agrias Oaks & Ignis Scientia & Auron, Ignis Scientia & Auron (FFT, FFX, FFXV)
Whoops devoted knights (more or less) are My Type. Especially when you can ship them with the ones they’re protecting. (Things I can't even write enough to come up with prompts: Ivalice.) If you set this in Brave Exvius, throw Lasswell’s thing for Rain on the misery train. Whoops.
Square Enix has been pretty good to us with Final Fantasy crossovers lately - Dissidia, Theatrhythm, World of. But it seems like so far they've been sticking to their One Cid Limit. What a lost opportunity! Use as many Cids as you want, whether writing or art (don't draw til your arm falls off or anything!). I love me some Ivalice though.
Ricard is good too if you’re familiar with him! I just nominated super late and couldn’t remember half the things I wanted (I have a list for next year, help). There’s also Alexander Highwind Tycoon from V, just saying, but what you do with him and his offspring is up to you. (Why am I obfuscating spoilers for a 25-year-old game. I don’t know, it’s late.)
Hey look it’s two games in which everyone deserves a happier ending. There's a small amount of crossover between FFXV and Nier: Automata (some music in XV, finding the Engine Blade in Automata), so the connection isn't as weird as it seems.
Here’s a list of everything Noct and Nier have in common: fishing, gardening, gathering ingredients, drifting on things that probably shouldn’t be driftable, collecting weapons, doing sidequests even if they’re totally mundane or for some asshole, utterly sacrificing themselves for others. They should just hang out and have some good times for once, maybe?
This is my first Chocolate Box and assignment week went a little sideways for me, so pardon the messiness of this letter. I'm just in get-it-done mode so we can both work on our assignments; hopefully it's still inspiring enough. You can check out my AO3 and Tumblr, though I'm not sure how much help either will be (well, the AO3 is helpful for a different reason). There’s also an older Yuletide letter on this journal which is slightly better written and has sections on Nier and Lorana/Thrass, if you like.
I don’t have any particular preference for art, I love it all! Any medium, any palette, any style of linework or shading or coloring or none at all. Like, just look at all this stuff I reblog. Here's some art things I particularly like though, just in case you need ideas?
- hatching
- thick colored lines and flat colors or cel shading (hard to describe, here's two artists)
- intricate pencil drawings (like for example)
- stained glass look
- art deco, art nouveau
- strong lighting that almost seems to glow (example)
- decoupage/collage aesthetic
- watercolors and markers, both of which I am certain are forms of sorcery
- bright pop graphic look
- monochrome pictures with splashes of exactly one color (I don't know what to call this)
- neutral background, dark shadows, light highlights (1 2)
- things colored with bright facets of color and everything is kind of rainbows? (I super don't know what to call this so examples are hard) (1 2 3 4)
- subtly rainbow-y gradient shading? (1 2)
- prominent use of patterns/textures which I have even less idea what to call so the examples are really disparate (1 2 3 4)
- symbolism (floriography, constellations, what have you)
- just enough of the character or associated props to identify them
- overgrown rubble or machinery
- characters with unfortunate lives resting in a circle (1 2 (artist) 3 (artist) 4 5)
- similarly, characters with unfortunate lives lying in flowers
- humor and other shenanigans
For some character combos, I've lumped together ship and gen requests—most of my suggested prompts can work as both, so do whichever feels right with what you end up doing! Just leave a little room for "pre-romance, if you squint". It doesn't have to be there, just leave room for it, y'know? I've also lumped together relationships with overlapping prompts, which kind of turns into a jumbled mess in crossovers whoops
Anyway, as far as ships go, I think I have a slight preference for getting-together fics over established pairing ones, but just go with whichever's more interesting. Basically I’m a big fan of people discovering they mean more to each other than they previously thought, whether that’s friends to lovers, it’s just sex to wait no it’s not, or aw I love you guysssss to oh shit I am In Love with you guys.
Also, I’m a sucker for soulmate AUs, especially when things get complicated: people ignore them, they don’t match exactly, they don’t necessarily mean romance, death (Nageki with a countdown timer still going, holy crap). Seeing how these indicators play off of different species would be fun too! ...there's other stuff I also like (devotion kink, for one) but this letter is late already. I like a lot of things, really.
DNWs:
No incest, underage, noncon, food kink/vore/digestion/scat (y’know that whole process).
I like dubcon to be of the haven’t-admitted-their-feelings-yet type. Not a fan of age differences as a kink—you can address it or ignore it, but a character getting off on it either doesn’t interest me or strongly disinterests me, depending on the dynamic.
Anyway, here's my requests. You'll be working with fandoms and characters we both love, so I'm already looking forward to seeing what you create! And I hope you get great fics and/or art too.
Final Fantasy X
I love the contrasts of this setting—how this game gives you a spirited professional athlete as a main character, then works through his resentment for his tactless, emotionally distant father. How Spira is a bright, beautiful world filled with color and wonder, perpetually traumatized and escapist and racist and sacrificing the few to save the many. And I like how even after saving Spira, "happily ever after" still takes work.
Specific DNWs: No homophobia/general bigotry from anyone on Braska or Yuna’s pilgrimages, please. (If Wakka’s racism comes up that’s fine I guess.) No mistaking landmines for a blitzball or making Auron a deadbeat dad. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you don't wanna know.)
Auron/Braska
Because Auron's life didn't suck enough already. I'm into Auron's feelings being unrequited in canon, but since this is fanstuff having Braska return his feelings (or at least an awkward hookup) is fine by me. I imagine that Braska knows on some level, even if Auron never tells him, and is at least kind enough about it in a way that doesn't let on that he knows. (Jecht might tease/goad Auron, though, if he catches on.)
- Everyone in Yuna's pilgrimage watching Jecht's spheres and being like "wow dude you were super obviously crushing on him"
- How long have they known each other? What drew Auron to Braska? Did they know each other’s reputations before they met in person, and how did that affect things?
- Jecht trying to set them up and being hilariously obvious about it, whether by finding excuses to leave them alone together or just straight up saying they need to bone. Whether just actually works or just leads to polite embarrassment (Braska) and mortified irritation (Auron) is your call. (Maybe they make out just to shut him up and, uh, forget their objective.)
- Tear my heart out: Auron confesses on their final night together and the best Braska can do is let him down easy. Or pity sex. Or returns his feelings but is gonna save Spira anyway. Awful! :D
- Tear my heart out and stomp on it: Auron offers no-strings sex and Braska realizes too late that Auron is settling for the best he thinks he can get. (Or... not too late???)
Since the game follows Tidus’ outsider perspective, the game sees only what he sees, including when it comes to relationships between other characters. I want to see how the other person Auron promised someone to protect gets along with him. Surely she had some questions of her own for him, whether about her father, himself, pilgrimages, or life in general...
- Auron sent Kimahri to Yuna and ended up taking a ten year detour for Tidus. How did he make this choice? Does he ever regret it? (And then feel guilty about regretting it?) Or apologize, whether to Yuna, Kimahri, or Braska? (Or Tidus?)
- Yuna asking Auron for his assessment of her other guardians. May or may not be an excuse for her to get more deets on that handsome new star player ;)
- Auron reacting to the differences between Braska and Yuna. I mean, kicking Yunalesca's ass is a pretty big one. Braska was a lot more willing to put a good face on things, while Yuna, more timid initially, is more willing to put her foot down. What makes the difference? Yuna being raised further from Yevon's influence, being the daughter of a hero and a heretic, her immaturity?
- Auron sure did open up about himself over the course of Yuna's pilgrimage. Part of that was glimpses of his past, advising his fellow guardians, and Tidus pestering him, but what efforts did Yuna bring to bear?
The little we get to know Braska is so intriguing. He seems like a patient, good-humored, and stubborn man, and never lets any self-doubt show, at least not on sphere. And Yuna, so devoted to being a summoner, but still ready to cast her entire worldview aside in the name of truth. They're just so amazing and a little heartbreaking.
- A priest in Besaid mentioned it took years for them to get a statue of Braska. Was it the case for all the temples, or because Yuna lives there in particular? And what were Yuna's thoughts, finally facing her father's statue? Was it her signal to begin her own pilgrimage?
- How did Braska and Yuna’s final roster of aeons differ? Was she determined to follow in his footsteps, or surpass him? (I like to think Braska’s party couldn’t afford Yojimbo, not after that incident with the shoopuf.)
- For a different perspective, what similarities and differences do the Fayth see in them? How many family members do they see on different pilgrimages, one after another? I like to think Valefor and Yuna have a special bond—does she have fond memories of Braska too? Did he mention his wish to raise Yuna in Besaid to her? Or was he closer with another Aeon?
- Was Yuna always so accepting of a summoner’s role? She mentions mourning her father after he started the Calm, but was she ever angry with him, even privately? Was Braska the first person to ever hear her say “This plan sucks.”?
- Yuna wanted to rerecord her message to Tidus (and just didn't get around to it). How many takes did Braska's sphere for Yuna take? Did he want to spare her his regrets? (Did he leave a sphere for his guardians Auron didn't share, or did Yuna just do one because it was the closest thing she had to a family?)
- Braska's party offers the Gullwings some advice near the end of X-2. Was it just another form of wishful thinking, like the Al Bhed say? Are they surprised by their own ability to contact Yuna? Does Braska get the chance to say anything else, when all is said and done?
Does Jecht totally ruin the moment
Hatoful Boyfriend
I don't mind remembering the awkwardness of high school romance, but no sex involving the students, please. (You can get a little suggestive; high school students talk like high school students, after all.) For fic, I really like the canon’s slightly off-kilter way of the characters being birds (except, obviously, Hiyoko), just every once in a while doing things you’re not entirely sure birds can do (like hold weapons in their wings). But human (except, obviously (?), Okosan) is great as well if keeping all the bird stuff straight gives you a headache. For art, human or bird are both great!
Also, if you've been left wondering who I do ship Shuu with: probably unrequited for Ryuuji, and maybe a bizarre hateship with Tohri (or at least getting a kick out ignoring Tohri's bizarre hateship).
Fujishiro Nageki & Higure Anghel, Fujishiro Nageki/Higure Anghel
A writer and his beta reader, what could be a closer relationship than that? I love the contrast between these two: the withdrawn bookworm and the frenetic artist who are both kind of off-putting to other people, one through a certain lack of tact and the other through utter crypticness. Also I like ghosts and Filipino characters so I was pretty much doomed to start with.
- Anghel gets up the nerve to ask Nageki for help with his Pretty Coore doujin
- People reacting to Anghel having A (Boy)friend You've Never Met But He Totally Exists He's Just In A Different Class. Or whatever opaquely esoteric spin Anghel puts on that theme.
- Weird Anghel Stuff happens to bring Nageki back to life, or at least lets other people see him or lets him leave his haunting area, etc.
- Having to say goodbye, whether due to Anghel graduating or Nageki... "graduating". Maybe someday Anghel becomes a teacher at St. Pigeonation's in his honor, or to get his best editor back. Maybe not necessarily an art teacher... or maybe he's the new badass janitor (in which case you can throw in the shiny Anghel & Yuuya I see in the tagset).
- What if years later, Nageki "confiscates" some manga and discovers Anghel's become a successful artist? What if he sends fanmail? What if Anghel has to get the band back together (or not, but he seems the sort to gather his party before venturing forth) to help Nageki move on?
- So in the Philippines star-shaped lamps are this whole Christmasy thing (behold the parol: GIS, Wikipedia). Maybe Anghel brings one to the library to brighten up the holiday for the Caller of Stars? (And if anyone tries to take it down, book to the face!) This request totally isn't out of season if I finish the letter before Three Kings Day, shh.
it was totally out of season
There's two ways you can go with this: happy everyone's fine AU (like the Holiday Star shrine visit), or... not. You can ship Hiyoko with someone else (other than Shuu) if Nageki's gone, leaving her with fond memories of her first love.
- Hitori fretting over having to explain the birds and bees (...and humans) to Nageki. And also how.
- Nageki and Hiyoko's mission to get Hitori to stop being so overprotective (maybe they can distract him with Kazuaki).
- Post-Holiday Star, Hitori asks Hiyoko about Nageki and wait what? Wait what? Oh, Legumentine's? Try millet.
- Hitori chaperones a school event and notices Hiyoko sneaking off to the library.
- Hiyoko decides it's up to her to take care of Hitori now since Nageki is indisposed or absent!
- Hiyoko runs into Hitori paying his respects at Heartful House (Ryouta still lives near there, right?).
If anyone can make a harem ending work, it’s our big-hearted Hunter-Gatherer Girl! Toss in Azami and Kazuaki if you like, or leave the adults out (Shuu is...kind of incompatible with long-term relationships, come to think of it). Don't forget Okosan!
- Legumentines is here again! Oh my god she has so many boyfriends (and maybe Azami). Oh my god she’s gonna buy them so many beans. OH MY GOD HOW IS SHE GONNA AFFORD ALL THESE BEANS
- As a special treat, everybirdie pitches in to make Hiyoko’s cave into her own personal maid cafe! (Maybe she’s sick or something so they felt like taking care of her?)
- What’s a harem without a beach episode? Wacky hijinks, ensue!
- Reiterating my weakness for soulmate AUs, even when they're not romance, because wow that’s a lot of people to have matching marks/wow there’s a lot of words in this tattoo/etc.
This game's characters, writing, music, scenery, and gameplay shenanigans won my heart. It's a flawed world of flawed people making flawed decisions of flawed reasons, which is apparently my jam. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's tragic (have you heard Emil singing his own theme song in Automata???).
Emil & Kainé, Fyra & Kainé
Kainé reaching out to other lonely kids while upholding her badass image, aaaaa my heart. (And if you wanna throw in getting along with Yonah, hell yeah.) And Emil and Fyra are just sweet kids who deserve nice things to happen to them for once, please
- Bonding with Kainé as they travel together
- Inviting Kainé over for dinner or a sleepover or something!
- Getting Kainé to try on another outfit for fun (frilly knickerbocker type stuff with Emil, spangly Facade robes with Fyra, or whatever you come up with). Probably goes well with the slumber party prompt honestly.
- As does talking about the boys they like.
- Telling each other about their families
- Visiting Kainé in the library during the timeskip
- Kainé giving dating or marriage advice to Fyra (possibly not voluntarily), cross-examining the King, just generally acting as a potential in-law. (If anyone asks Fyra what kind of advice she's getting, I hope they know sign language for "if he gets fresh, kick him in the groin".)
- Teaching impressionable youngsters ALL THE SWEARS g'nite fuckos
- whatever happened to that flower crown trend a while back anyhow
Nier's entire party had a crush on him, let's be real. The banter between these three is wonderful, and the sacrifices they're all willing to make on each other's behalf. Yes, smut with a book is great, and I am fully prepared for it to be slightly ridiculous. Also I realized I forgot to put it in my signup, but DNW: anyone who isn't from the Aerie being jerks about Kainé being intersex. (They can be jerks if she's, like, standing around dripping demon blood on everything and swearing in front of small children, though. Gosh she's great.)
- I think Kainé and Weiss kind of need Nier around to get along (at least at first), so let's see how things are going for them after Ending D. Maybe they have a deeper bond than they can explain, or feel like something's missing in their relationship, or things are falling apart a little. Or maybe they remember Emil as their peacekeeper, with much the same results. Or maybe it's up to Yonah to stuff them into their Get Along Shirt, now. ...Maybe they decide to figure out how to fix things.
- Kainé and Weiss hooking up because neither of them interest Nier would also be fun, especially if they're both bitching about it the whole time.
- Laundry day with Kainé. Or even a nice bath or hot spring or private beach. Probably yelling at Nier for smelling like boar and Weiss for smelling like blood.
- Because voice actors: Nier discovers Weiss and Kainé have the same birthday. Celebration is in order! Up to you whether it's something Emil would come up with.
Lorana Jinzler/Thrass
This is me desperately copy-pasting from my Yuletide letter why did I let someone talk me into a con who has cons in January ANYWAY On Lorana: It's refreshing to read about a Jedi struggling with issues that have nothing to do with the Dark Side (though I admit I have a ton of the EU left to read). Better still, though, is reading about someone whose feelings of inadequacy feel so organic and integral to the character, not just tacked on as a not-really flaw. And on Thrass: Despite Thrass' initial misgivings regarding human contact, he almost instantly takes the word of Lorana, a complete stranger (sure, Jorj vouches for Jedi in general, but Thrawn literally just got Force choked guys, come on). And despite the xenophobic, isolationist mores of the Ascendancy, he chooses to act in the name of compassion for a handful of people of another species, even at an ever increasing cost. Also look there's actually art of Lorana
Artists, I'm afraid you're on your own for Thrass. I do like how a lot of people draw him with wavier and/or longer hair than Thrawn, though.
No Master/Padawan ships; background Thrawn/Jorj (or Thrawn/Gilad or somehow Thrawn/Eli, if you're writing something set later) is fine
- Miraculously living! Working their way through Jedi- and Chiss- related guilt over their burgeoning attraction to each other!
- Something about the contrast between their relationships with their brothers?
- Coming to understand each other's backgrounds. Sure, family's important to Chiss, but the Defense Hierarchy shows they understand setting it aside for professional reasons.
- I love this ship but I've saved it for last and I have five minutes to put something other than "letter???" in my signups why
- Also, I've always wanted fanart of them holding hands.
Agrias Oaks & Auron, Agrias Oaks & Ignis Scientia & Auron, Ignis Scientia & Auron (FFT, FFX, FFXV)
Whoops devoted knights (more or less) are My Type. Especially when you can ship them with the ones they’re protecting. (Things I can't even write enough to come up with prompts: Ivalice.) If you set this in Brave Exvius, throw Lasswell’s thing for Rain on the misery train. Whoops.
- Exploring their differences (Braska wasn’t royalty, Agrias’ eyes are fine, Auron’s death was unambiguous)? The things they had in common? (Like how none of their charges left a spouse behind to mourn them, for various reasons.)
- Auron and Agrias find out about Episode Ignis’ good end and demand to know who he had to butter up to get it.
- Just generally being a support group for each other
Square Enix has been pretty good to us with Final Fantasy crossovers lately - Dissidia, Theatrhythm, World of. But it seems like so far they've been sticking to their One Cid Limit. What a lost opportunity! Use as many Cids as you want, whether writing or art (don't draw til your arm falls off or anything!). I love me some Ivalice though.
- DisCIDia! Maybe not necessarily fighting each other (although there’s a few villain Cids so it could work), but brought together for some greater purpose. Or maybe they’re still competing, but like an airship race or something.
- Proud Dad Cids and/or Uncle Cids and/or Grandpa Cids. Bragging about their family, showing off their proverbial wallet-filled photos to each other, what have you. (Since I've also requested Highwinds, he’s welcome to try and pass off Aranea and Kain as his really cool...something or others. Especially if Fabool gets to brag about Garnet.)
- Triple Triad. Kramer and/or Garlond kicking all the butt at Triple Triad (since they’re from games that have it and all), but who’s this mysterious cloaked figure? Why, it’s Orleandeau, whose kid invented Triple Triad (honest to Ajora) so he has all the rarest cards. Cue all the other Cids going OH SHIT.
- This is another one where I'm paralyzed by the sheer possibilities so absolutely shenanigan your heart out.
Ricard is good too if you’re familiar with him! I just nominated super late and couldn’t remember half the things I wanted (I have a list for next year, help). There’s also Alexander Highwind Tycoon from V, just saying, but what you do with him and his offspring is up to you. (Why am I obfuscating spoilers for a 25-year-old game. I don’t know, it’s late.)
- Being impossibly cool & ludicrously attractive dragoons at people. This is all I need in life.
- Cid gets a “makeover”. A modern setting is no excuse for a lack of dragoon armor; just look at Aranea. Can the others at least talk him into a neat dragon-shaped helmet? Safety (and style) first!
- Speaking of makeovers, how about some kind of Honeybee Inn espionage scenario? Disguise anyone you like (or all of them)—maybe there’s enough supplies for Cid and Kain to femme it up, maybe Aranea pulls off a nice silver-haired prettyboy (the pinnacle of FF attractiveness) or something. ("Not into blonds? This bodes ill for our plans." "Lucky your hair's purple." "This isn't my—" "Step aside, boys.")
- Honestly I can’t come up with many prompts for this because I’m too dazzled by how cool they all are so help me out here
Hey look it’s two games in which everyone deserves a happier ending. There's a small amount of crossover between FFXV and Nier: Automata (some music in XV, finding the Engine Blade in Automata), so the connection isn't as weird as it seems.
Here’s a list of everything Noct and Nier have in common: fishing, gardening, gathering ingredients, drifting on things that probably shouldn’t be driftable, collecting weapons, doing sidequests even if they’re totally mundane or for some asshole, utterly sacrificing themselves for others. They should just hang out and have some good times for once, maybe?
- Nier is a game with a lot of genre switches and game pastiches, and FFXV includes sort of pinball, various spinoffs and DLC, and gratuitous mention of gatcha games, so have some fun with that (maybe they encounter each other through some magical macguffin that amounts to a shiny lootbox). Some of the above list make Noct and Nier the perfect Animal Crossing players and/or characters, just saying. Maybe Noct can help Nier upgrade his party’s tent, and Nier can introduce Noct to the horrors of crosspollination.
- Ignis teaching Yonah to cook.
- Ignis has a lot in common with Nier too, now that I (belatedly) think about it. (The world’s screwed and they focus on helping one person above all else.) Maybe Noctis recognizes that in Nier, or Yonah sees that in Ignis. You can play them off each other too, but I think Noct & Yonah would be more likely to get them talking.
- On the other hand, Ignis is just as likely to remind Nier & Yonah of Weiss.
- Maybe some of Nier’s crew get invited to Noct’s wedding, which is lovely and Not Tragic and reminds them of Fyra’s wedding, which was also lovely and royal and Not Tragic!!!. EVERYONE'S FINE
- I also kind of shipped Ignis/Yonah for a bit but then Episode Ignis knocked me out and when I woke up my pockets were full of Ignoct. I could still go that way, but on the other hand maybe Nier starts to drop hints that Yonah should date a nice young man like Ignis and Emil has to pop up like “he gay dude stop it lol”.
- weapon stories! (which were left out of gestalt but are a drakengard/nier series staple)
- also voice actor references are a thing I am always in favor of