Mali

-incest
-noncon/dubcon
-underage, unless otherwise stated
-gore, major injury, character death, unless otherwise stated
-infidelity
-halves of the pair feeling like they really just don’t like or care about each other at all (even with more complicated stuff, I like there to be mixed feelings there, and I am admittedly a big soppy romantic)
-the pairing having sexualities that mean they aren't attracted to one another
-unrequested AUs
-unrequested identity headcanons
-unrequested noncanon ships (background canon ships that don't break up the requested pairing are fine!)
-unrequested poly
-unnecessary use of safewords or stoplight symbols
-scat, watersports, vomit (short mentions of someone throwing up not in a kink context are fine), vore, bestiality, choking/breathplay, somnophilia, mommy- or daddykink, 24/7 D/S

-fluff, snapshot moments of what’s going on in their lives, h/c
-romantic tension
-flirting, confident or awkward
-extreme loyalty
-redemption arcs, gray morality, general complexity, lighter takes on villains & villain redemption
-happy or at least hopeful/somewhat upbeat endings
-first times and milestones (sexual or non, doesn’t even have to be overly romantic, stuff like taking a photo for the first time together or and the like is also good!)
-trans headcanons where it’s not A Thing in the fic, no coming out or explanations necessary, no Having To Deal With Bigotry or issuefic or anything, just character(s) happen(s) to be trans (both same gender/pronouns as in canon and different gender/pronouns are fine; interpreting nonhuman characters as being ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ about human gender is always fun)
-rule 63/genderswap in general tbh? especially if it results in f/f, but m/f is also fine and i also do not mind Aunt May being genderswapped to Uncle Mayhew/Matthew/whatever if other genderswaps are going on, have fun
-canon divergent AUs, change one thing about a canon and maybe other things happen differently
-piv in trans smut is fine but alternatives are also loved; prefer for vagina to be called vagina, cunt, or pussy, or to be referred to vaguely, not "hole"; prefer for ass not to be called a vagina; fine with clit being called clit or penis/cock/dick, fine with penis being called penis/cock/dick or clit
-frot, scissoring, intercrural, grinding against ass, basically all that stuff
-handjobs, fingerjobs, oral
-romantic smut, lots of touching, focus on touching/wanting to touch and sensations and body parts, loving descriptions of partner's body (description of both stereotypically attractive and not stereotypically attractive features welcome so long as they're INTO it!), kissing during sex, hand-holding during sex, eye contact during sex, all that stuff!
-clothed sex, partially clothed sex, and clothing kink!
-inexperience, awkward, clumsy but eager and enjoyable sex
-BDSM tones, mild or more formal
-praise kink and instructions/requests/begging flavors of dirty talk
-manhandling, hair pulling, love bites and scratches, rough but not outright painful sex
-orgasm delay (though not total denial), edging
-alternately, multiple orgasms, “forced” orgasms
-xeno genitalia, if you have literally any excuse to go for xeno just go for it
-in general, smut is always welcome!
-art treats always welcome!

Canon-Specific DNWs:
-any species of animal presented as All Evil for real

Canon-Specific Likes:
-two canons just taking place in the same universe and playing around with what that might mean
-slight canon AUs to make crossovers work
-characters time traveling (or just traveling in general)
-characters being out of their depth!
-characters being evenly matched/on equal footing
-always-a-girl AUs for the Ouran cast in particular, where they're still the Host Club but this time are all acting as boys to make the others at their all-girls' school happy; I'm okay with m/f or f/f (genderswapping Hiruma as well) if you go with this!
-if you're interested, I like trans headcanons for Hiruma and/or Kyouya specifically; the other characters I'm not as into the idea, but I'm not opposed either!; anything works, whether trans man, trans woman, or nonbinary, for any of them

Ship: Baron Humbert von Gikkingen (The Cat Returns)/Basil of Baker Street (The Great Mouse Detective)

Thoughts: I've watched The Great Mouse Detective a billion times but haven't read the books in an age, so please base things mostly on the movie, but feel free to use little details from the books that aren't contradicted by the movie if you like! I've watched both The Cat Returns and Whisper of the Heart and also read the one-volume Baron: The Cat Returns manga, so feel free to base Baron and co. off either the movieverse or the mangaverse, incorporate small details from the other canon(s), or just mix-and-match in general.

Okay, this is maybe the stranger of my two crossover ships, but I am super into this and think it could work amazingly. After all, Basil is a talking, bipedal, clothes-wearing mouse detective in Mouse London (which is in real London), and the Baron is a talking, bipedal, clothes-wearing cat doll who's basically a detective himself whose Cat Bureau could pop up anywhere it's needed. Handwave the time period difference and we're golden.

Basil and the Baron are another two who are different in a lot of ways but alike enough that I could see them clicking very easily. Their attitudes and personalities and approaches are different, but they're both incredibly skilled and clever and help solve problems. The Baron has Muta and Toto, and helped out a human girl named Haru; Basil has Dawson and Toby and helped out an even younger mouse girl named Olivia. They also cover very different specialties, so I could see them being able to work off each other really well and benefit a lot from each others' help if they somehow wound up on the same case or in the same perilous situation.

General Prompts:
Some case happens and it's tied up enough in both of their wheelhouses that they both wind up involved and working together! Maybe Basil is investigating something and finds out this weirdass cat who isn't like any other cat he's met is also investigating because it has something to do with the Kingdom of Cats and/or magic. Or maybe the Baron's just out on some case and Toby winds up interfering at a key moment and Basil winds up getting drawn in because he's super fucking curious about this whole situation and knows the area. Or maybe Ratigan is back and making trouble in the Kingdom of Cats somehow... Or maybe Ratigan is still dead but Felicia survived and is much smarter and more talkative than anyone realized she was, and was Ratigan's real right hand woman. Maybe the Baron approaches Basil at his home at Baker Street directly, asking for his assistance; maybe Basil needs help with something and winds up stumbling on the Cat Bureau totally unexpectedly. Or maybe there's no case at all and they wind up meeting at the same diplomatic function for some reason! Maybe they just share a history and already know each other by now. Maybe they meet totally by chance. Maybe it's a masquerade. Maybe there's a fight at some point and Baron gracefully kicks ass. Maybe they have to fly somewhere on Toto; does Basil hate heights or wind up enjoying them? Do they both end up protecting or saving each other from something? What happens when one of them gets furious (not at each other, please)? Do they ever share a drink, or a dance? Does the Baron like listening to Basil's music; does Basil enjoy the Baron's tea? Do they find out they've actually shared an enemy in the past without realizing it, or both helped the same person before by coincidence? Can either of them teach the other a key skill? Are they fascinated and impressed by the others' different methods of deduction and fields of knowledge? Do they even trust each other at first, because I can see Basil especially being very dubious about the Baron initially, especially depending on the case... Smut is also always welcome; they're two different species (even more different than they appear) and I'd love to see that played with. They both have fur, but there are a lot of differences! Feel free to roll with exploration and sensory details and attention to actions and reactions. I also really love enthusiasm and UST before sex! Is blood running hot after some exciting case stuff, or are things more purposeful and planned?

Seasonal & Holiday Prompts:
Atmosphere is great! Scenery, the weather (snow! chill winds!), the things happening around, go nuts on describing what it's like around February (or whenever you decide to set the story tbqh). Any of the above prompts, including the general ones, can be spiced up with seasonal details! Are they in the middle of a political masquerade function and the lights cut out due to snowstorms and then someone's been abducted or killed? Is there some crime spree happening taking advantage of the season, weather, or holiday? Or explore Valentine's day or fluffy romance stuff in general; I'm a huge sap and a fan romantic cliches! Does the Kingdom of Cats have its own romantic holiday around that time of year? Do Baron and Basil kiss in the rain or snow or moonlight or candlelight? Do they go undercover somewhere for a case/investigation and get Mistaken For A Couple because everyone's going in Date Pairs for Valentine's Day?

Ship: Hiruma Youichi (Eyeshield 21)/Ootori Kyouya (Ouran High School Host Club)

Thoughts: This ship strikes me as fascinating and with a ton of potential for fun stuff! Hiruma and Kyouya are incredibly different people, but also alike in a lot of ways that I think could both make them respect one another, be impressed by one another, see the value in one another, and also sometimes grate on each others' nerves like hell. They are both likely to know way too much about each other, and about each others' clubmates/teammates, and I could easily see them being on mostly equal footing.

I'm betting both would have a hard time actually pulling off blackmailing the other (or people close enough to the other to have any of their protection) or really getting one over on the other, with maybe one or two moments on either side where they get the upper hand for a VERY short period before the other manages to get things back under control. This would usually leave them having to approach each other in other ways, either more subtle manipulation (that they're both probably aware of and also aware that they're both aware of) or flat-out making deals with each other for mutual benefit. Which is great because they'd also make a scary good team when and if they did come together, so I could also see them both being savvy enough to seek the other out as a useful contact to get and to uphold.

Basically, with these two I especially like the idea of them being basically evenly matched, and them being drawn to each other specifically because of that. Neither of them actually being able to have the upper hand over the other or really intimidate the other is a key part of why I'm interested in them!

(I would also like to mention that while Hiruma resembles Kyouya waaaay more than he resembles Tamaki, still, Jesus, blond boys who are super passionate about a thing are going to be the death of Kyouya seriously. I am also fine with some minor former or current one-sided Kyouya->Tamaki feelings, and it's cool if Hiruma has some one-sided feelings for someone, I don't really have Feelings Preferences there. Just assume that he and Mamori aren't together, feelings can have happened but whether it's one-sided or a handwavey breakup or just something they decided wouldn't work is fine, I imagine they're still on fine terms.)

General Prompts:
A handwavey crossover AU where they're both going to the same high school, whether that means the Host Club is at Deimon Private Senior High School for some reason, the Devil Bats are Ouran Academy's American football team, or they're going to some weird amalgamation school instead of either. Or maybe the schools are right fucking next to each other, or Deimon's gym is closed for renovations and they're using Ouran's for some reason for a while. Or maybe the schools are just in the same town and they seek each other out when they hear about each other, or they're slightly longer distance allies who make it a point to keep in touch and even see each other occasionally. Or maybe after both their canons Hiruma and Kyouya wind up going to the same university! Maybe they're roommates or maybe they just meet due to shenanigans or again, maybe they hear about each other and one (or both) winds up seeking the other out now that they're in the same sphere. What if Hiruma tries blackmailing or strongarming the club into doing football things and it backfires? What if the Host Club shows up at a Deimon game to cheerlead? What if Kyouya does some subtle flirting with Hiruma in front of the club's clients to make them swoon, because if Hiruma's going to be in the club room he's going to contribute? What happens the first time one tries to blackmail the other and the other flat-out destroys that shit, either Hiruma shooting photographs or Kyouya flat out breaking shit like he did Renge's video camera? How intrigued is one when they first see the other be fucking ruthless or really, really clever? How do they lend each other help on occasion? Do they feed each other information or contacts or more concrete favors such as helicopters or an Emergency Last-Minute Stagecoach? Do Hiruma and any of the Devil Bats ever get caught up in Host Club bullshit and does he really totally mind it? Does he walk into the club and they're in the middle of one of their Theme Days where the room's all done up and they're all in costume? (Sports or gangsters themes might be especially hot for this, but go nuts.) Do the two of them ever share a drink or a dance or a hotel room? Does Kyouya ever make Hiruma's temper snap? Does Hiruma ever make Kyouya's temper snap? Some AU ideas are also welcome for these two! Genderswap AUs are always welcome, for either or both of them! (I find the idea of the Host Club all being girls who still dress as boys and play the exact roles they do in canon to be incredibly hot, tbh.) Or what if the school they go to is some magic school or school for superpowered students or something? What about a battle of the bands situation where the Devil Bats are a rock group and the Host Club is a boyband? Or an AU where the Devil Bats are a super sentai team and the Host Club are magical boys (or girls)? (I'm not necessarily against any other AU ideas, but please ask through the mods first!) Smut is also always welcome and feel free to ignore my underage DNW for this so long as they're both 16+ during any smut; other than the stuff in my general likes, I love enthusiasm, UST before sex, manhandling, sharing a hotel room, sharing a bed in general, just having sex in some out of the way room, casual nudity and partial nudity, costume sex including crossdressing (either or both of them!), still being partly dressed during sex, both of them being kind of "what the fuck" about how into it they are and how good it is...

Seasonal & Holiday Prompts:
Seasonal and holiday stuff would both be great here! There's Valentine's Day, of course, and also White Day, and I would love fic that leans into that cliche. Whether or not there's ulterior motives. Or how does the Host Club do Valentine's Day/White Day? Do they have a special themed event like they sometimes do? This could be an excuse to describe hot outfits! Also, peak snow season in Japan seems to be February, so there could be fun stuff to do with that: Snowball fights that certain people get way too into, sitting together at a kotatsu, going to an onsen, or doing things for one of the festivals! Also feel free to explore fluffy romance cliches in general, I love them! They might come with a bit of a twist given these two, but that just makes it even better!

Canon-Specific DNWs:
-infidelity; either May and Nathan have an open relationship (May was a hippie!) or some AU where they weren't a thing, I just don't want Nathan outright cheating on her
-that weird thing where Adrian was presented as being obsessed with death and taxidermy for a few issues??
-Weird Young Hot Vulture (unless otherwise mentioned)
-later canon added in more family for Adrian but tbh I liked it when all he had was his nephew and then his nephew got shot and died and Adrian basically resigned himself to death for a little while
-Mysterio being presented as evil, bloodthirsty (dramatically acting like it is okay), or crazy
-Mysterio gaslighting Jonah after they get together (Spider-Man is fair game)
-honestly, the cancer storylines onward for both Vulture and Mysterio, including Quentin shooting himself
-suicide attempts or ideation, characters having deadly diseases
-Adrian, Jonah, or Quentin dying; Nathan perma-dying

Canon-Specific Likes:
-Nathan kind of being Adrian's morality pet, and there being complicated but not exactly negative feelings about that on both their parts
-both Jonah and Quentin being sweet under the fronts they put forward
-how some of Quentin's various schemes got the Bugle involved, and therefore Jameson...
-Jameson and Quentin bonding over disliking Spider-Man
-Quentin retiring and actually going into something else
-nicknames! pet names! Adrian calling Nathan "Nate"; Nathan calling Adrian "Ade"; non-canon but I could really enjoy Jonah and Quentin using kinda cheesy endearments for each other like sweet, sweetheart, darling, once they actually become a thing
-if you're interested, I like trans headcanons for any of these characters, but Adrian and Quentin especially; anything works for any of the characters though, whether trans man, trans woman, or nonbinary

Ship: Adrian Toomes/Nathan Lubensky

Thoughts: OKAY SO. Whoo boy lemme explain why I ship these two old men so much, this really needs explaining so this will probably be an unusually long section, sorry. Okay. So we have here: Adrian Toomes, aka the Vulture, and Nathan Lubensky, aka Aunt May's fiancé for a while before his tragic death. A tragic death that was, in fact, caused by the Vulture (though Nathan was already dying, admittedly).

So, during a weird little two issue arc, the Vulture ends up basically becoming a mob boss with the loyal support of his only surviving family (at the time; canon did backtrack on this later), his nephew Malachai Toomes. TL;DR things go very wrong and as Adrian and Malachai are leaving, one of the gangsters who'd been planning on betraying the Vulture from the start tries to shoot him. Malachai jumps in front of the bullet and dies, Adrian goes apeshit and nearly beats the guy who shot him to death, Spider-Man intervenes and eventually defeats Vulture... who mostly-unconscious deliriously murmurs extreme grief about his nephew's death and being all alone.

I type this up solely to explain why the next time we catch a glimpse of Vulture, he's in traction after that fight, and the next time we see him after that, he's in a physical therapy facility and is obviously still in mourning and also very obviously has just given up and is basically waiting to die. He meets Nathan there and they have a discussion (while Nathan is in a hot tub for his own physical therapy); when Nathan asks him if anything is the matter his answer is, verbatim, "Nothing that death won't eventually cure, Nate. I'm an old man... an old, useless man... with no family... no friends." Which Nathan immediately responds to by saying they're friends now and gives him this big inspirational talk about how so long as he's alive he's not useless and the like, calls Adrian "Ade" and basically invites him to play poker sometime. This just completely revitalizes the Vulture, who promptly goes "he's right," tosses aside his cane, and jury-rigs himself a set of wings by using parts of not-fully-assembled physical therapy equipment and flies out of the damn hospital.

Which would be kind of hilarious by itself, but the Vulture starts going on a crime spree... hiding in the same nursing home as Nathan by day and playing poker with him. Peter Parker shows up to pick up his Aunt May and Nathan and winds up finding out Toomes is there, and Spider-Man gets involved, and in the ensuing battle Vulture grabs a hostage and threatens to kill them... then realizes it's Nathan. To which he says, "Eh? N-Nathan? I didn't know that I'd grabbed you! I just reached for the closest warm body. You... gave me my life back. How can I hurt you?" He shoves Nathan's wheelchair at Spider-Man and promptly flies out the window and escapes.

Every time Nathan sees the Vulture in the news after that point, he responds with "That's Ade!" (or, once, "That's old Adrian Toomes!" but he rarely drops the nickname). More than that, in one issue, while he and May are having money trouble, Nathan says "Toomes once asked me to be his partner in crime, remember? Maybe I oughta join up! It'd be one way to get some money...!" -- which I'm not even bringing up for the "maybe I oughta join up" maybe-joke (he does indeed do some iffy things for money later on), but for the fact that Vulture asking him to be his partner in crime never happens on page. Obviously this is a mistake, but ICly I like to think that means they were in touch at least once that we didn't get to see.

Eventually, Nathan was revealed to be dying of heart problems that were just getting worse and worse. Desperate to leave May something, he started doing iffy shit, not just cashing out his life insurance but also getting into some pretty extreme gambling. Including eventually betting all of his money on the death of a man named Raymond Trask; while he didn't know the details of what was going to happen or who all was involved, the Kingpin and his men had hired both the Vulture and a super-mercenary called Chance to kill Trask. Nathan did, however, know when and where it was supposed to happen, at the grand opening of Trask's casino yacht. Spider-Man once again gets involved and saves the day, but Vulture once again goes for a hostage without really realizing who it is and tries to grab Aunt May, who's trying to wheel Nathan away. Nathan grabs onto Vulture, who's startled into letting go of May and flies up with him, and Nathan suffers a heart attack from his fear of falling and lets go. Spider-Man manages to keep him from hitting the ground, but he dies in May's arms soon after as Vulture escapes.

Which would by itself all be pretty iddy and make me ship it, but things go a step further in a three-parter called "Funeral Arrangements" -- the entire plot of which is Vulture trying desperately to get Aunt May's forgiveness for Nathan's death. Vulture's found out he has cancer and is dying and is going around trying to finish up all his unfinished business, which mostly involves killing people... but his two biggest priorities are killing Spider-Man and getting May's forgiveness. He's super bad at it, showing up through her window to apologize, and it does not go well, and then he comes back to try again and ends up apologetically abducting Peter when the police arrive at the house and then trying desperately to convince Peter to get his aunt to understand. But some of his dialogue is what really gets me:

• "I'm responsible for Nathan Lubensky's death -- and I am so -- sorry. When I met Nathan at the hospital... I'd just about given up on life. I was a tired old man with no hope. Could've just laid down and died. But Nathan... he talked t'me... touched something in me that-- Well, I found the strength to go on living. Go on fighting. I counted Nathan as my friend, Mrs. Parker. And a man like me doesn't have very many friends. His death -- it was an accident! I didn't even know it was him till I read about it in the papers. It just about broke my heart!"
• "I... I can't face my end with this eating away at me... tearing me apart!"
• "Last thing in the world I wanna do is bring any more pain to you or your aunt."
• "You are her nephew. And I'd sooner die here and now than do anything else to hurt the people Nathan Lubensky loved."
• "Nathan was my friend! I cared about him! I really cared! Your aunt has to know that I never... never... would've laid a hand on him that day if I'd realized who he was!"
• (Peter's thoughts: "I know what it's like to feel responsible for the death of someone you love...")

Vulture is so clearly a ruthless murderer who doesn't really know how to approach this reasonably at all, but that makes it even more interesting to me that he's so legitimately broken up over Nathan's death; later in the issue he even freaks out thinking that Peter's dead because he genuinely did not want that to happen, solely because of Nathan. (Also, Peter, no one brought up love but you!) I really love that this supervillain who is legitimately Kinda Fucked Up also sincerely cares about and is dedicated to just... this normal, decent man who believed in him and showed him kindness one (1) time when he desperately needed it. (A normal decent man who is, admittedly, willing to bet on the murder of a rich jackass when desperate, which also makes the dynamic of the two more interesting to me.)

General Prompts:
I won't even lie, I desperately want some sort of fix-it fic for these two. Some scenario where Nathan doesn't die, either doesn't get sick or gets saved somehow! Or even one where he gets brought back to life! (Apparently that last part does happen thanks to Ben Reilly/the Jackal, sort of, with cloning, though it's unclear whether that clone survived... the point is that it's possible!!) (Also, if Nathan gets brought back any younger than in canon I am fine with Vulture also getting younger; this is the exception to my Weird Hot Young Vulture DNW because I like them getting time together.)

Once there's a scenario where Nathan survives or is alive again, there are a lot of ways to go with it in a general sense. Maybe Vulture actually retires! (He's nearly done so several times; as fucked up as he can be, I actually found his change of heart in "Wings of Hatred," where he realized he was an unhappy failure and had never wanted his life to turn out like that and gave himself up to the police, really touching, even if it didn't stick.) Maybe Nathan actually does become the Vulture's partner in crime, whether or not he's reluctant about it, whether or not he tempers some of Vulture's worse impulses (maybe that's why he agrees in the first place, maybe not). Or maybe they just in general have to navigate this weird situation where Adrian is a messed up person who also sincerely loves Nathan with a startling intensity and somehow Nathan can't deny that he loves Ade too despite everything.

(If it's a scenario where Vulture doesn't attack May/accidentally attack Nathan and doesn't get Nathan killed, I'm equally alright with May and Nathan being in an open relationship or them just not being a thing anymore for whatever real/never having been a thing, tbh. If Nathan's been brought back to life or cloned, it's probably easiest just to say May's already mourned and moved on. Hell, I'd be happy with an AU where, because May and Nathan were never a thing, Spider-Man never finds out that Vulture was hiding at the nursing home -- or at least finds out later -- and how Nathan might react to finding out that Ade's the Vulture... or, since he didn't seem in shock, maybe he already knew? There's a lot that could be explored in that AU!)

Also, in general, in any of those scenarios, anything from my likes list would be great. H/C, including emotional after resurrection or emotional/physical if one of them gets hurt! Really extreme loyalty in Adrian's case, goddamn. First time, first date, first kiss, first confession of feelings, the first time Adrian asked Nathan to be his partner in crime, Adrian admitting he's the Vulture or Nathan finding it out! "Case fic" where Adrian commits a crime; is Nathan helping, does Adrian come back and pretend he's not the Vulture, does Adrian temper his actions because it occurs to him that Nathan could disapprove/be upset if he hurt/killed someone, does Nathan astonish Adrian by covering for him when Adrian didn't even know he knew he was the Vulture? In fact, despite my already kinda mentioning it, I wanna restate: Adrian telling Nathan he's the Vulture, to Nathan's astonishment; Nathan figuring it out or finding out; Adrian telling Nathan but it turns out Nathan knew all along! Adrian telling Nathan about certain elements of his past, like the betrayal by his partner Bestman or his nephew Malachai's death, either leaving out details (if he's pretending to not be Vulture) or in full? Maybe Vulture makes it clear how incredibly dedicated he is to Nathan, maybe Nathan feels like he has a responsibility to use this to keep Vulture metaphorically leashed, maybe both of them wind up finding that dynamic way kinkier/hotter than either of them expected to (whether it actually turns into sex or just the mood of "uh wow this feels like a D/s thing" and they lean into it without actually admitting it might be that)... Speaking of which, smut in general would be excellent, there'd be a lot of intensity there for sure. Let the old men fuck!! (Or the young men if that's how things are, that's just fine!)

Seasonal & Holiday Prompts:
Okay, I don't really... have as many prompts for this section. I'd still love seasonal stuff, adding in strong wintery details to any fic, or them doing a maybe-awkward but definitely earnest Valentine's thing! (Maybe their first Valentine's after Adrian retires, or after Nathan comes back to life, or Nathan visiting Adrian in prison...) But when it comes to romance, give it to me. I'm sure it'll be complicated, but... I do love these two loving each other despite it all. Does Vulture pick up flowers for Nathan while he's out (even if he's out doing less than legal things)? Does Nathan more confidently woo Adrian (whether or not he knows Adrian's the Vulture)? First kisses, affectionate kisses, unexpectedly eager kisses, a desperate kiss after Nathan's brought back to life, kissing in the rain or snow or by the fire or candlelight or moonlight or while Adrian's in the air (maybe at window-level)? Does bringing Nathan back to life give them a soulbond of some sort? Please go nuts with the romance tropes, I'll love it!

Ship: J. Jonah Jameson/Quentin Beck

Thoughts: Okay, so. I'm mostly familiar with Mysterio for his appearances during the main run of The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) comics through 1990 (including Annual #1 and Annual #4), which is the time period that culminated with the end of the "Return of the Sinister Six" six-issue arc. There are a few other comics of his I've read and enjoyed and would be cool incorporating, specifically his cameo in The Amazing Spider-Man (2014) #1.1, Spider-Man Unlimited (1993) #4 ("The Man Who Would Be Spider-Man!"), Symbiote Spider-Man (2019), and the three-part "Funeral for an Octopus" storyline from 1995, but if you can stick mostly with that time period and main run I would really appreciate it! I'm familiar with but not particularly a fan of his appearances in Daredevil, the Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man comic, and all the cancer stuff onward. Just wanted to let you know what familiarity and preferences I'm working with here!

SO LET'S GET EVEN MORE SPECIFIC HERE. I love how weirdly tied to Jameson and the Bugle a lot of Mysterio's earliest career and attempts at defeating Spider-Man is! First Quentin Beck pretends to be Spider-Man, then once the Bugle turns the city against him, he sends J. Jonah Jameson specifically a note "saying he could get rid of Spider-Man single-handed" to get a meeting with him and gets Jonah totally on his side to the point of being basically heralded as a hero! Then about 2 years later, after Jameson again turns the people of New York against Spider-Man (unprompted this time), Beck contacts Jameson and the Bugle again pretending to be a renowned European psychiatrist named Dr. Ludwig Rinehart, convincing him that Spider-Man is on the verge of going insane and then proceeding to try to gaslight Spider-Man into thinking he's nuts and revealing his secret identity to him. The fact that Quentin Beck keeps going to J. Jonah Jameson and the Bugle, and Jonah keeps eagerly helping despite not knowing the score because he just hates Spider-Man THAT MUCH, combined with the fact that in multiple other storylines Jonah has actually created supervillains in an attempt to bring down Spider-Man (Scorpion; Dr. Smythe), makes me think the two could actually get along -- especially since Mysterio's crimes, according to some issues of canon, just don't have a body count, and at some points (like in the arc where Quentin Beck is in charge of a nursing home) even his attempts to kill Spider-Man are totally illusory.

Speaking of which, part of why I really enjoy these two is how close to the line both of them are. J. Jonah Jameson is deep down a kind man but is also a little bit willing to compromise his newspaper to take down Spider-Man and even, as mentioned, goes so far as to commission and create supervillains to try to take Spider-Man down. Quentin Beck is a supervillain who is also careful not to actually kill anyone (and is crushed the first time someone accidentally dies during one of his crimes) and who has tried to retire multiple points in his career, who seems mostly to be treating supervillainy as a game. They both hate Spider-Man and neither of them is actually that bad a person, but one of them happens to be a supervillain, and I find that kind of great.

General Prompts:
After the Ludwig Rinehart scheme, Spider-Man seems to just kinda peace out and leave Quentin to explain things to Jonah and Flash Thompson; I'm not 100% sure whether or not Quentin actually committed a crime that the police could nail him for in that issue, but either way, after Flash leaves, what kind of conversation might he and Jonah have, and might Jonah help free him? Or if Quentin comes up with another scheme, does he initially try to use Jonah and the Bugle by lying again, or might he actually let Jonah in on his plans since last time he only failed due to Jonah not knowing what was going on and bad timing? Might the two bond over hating Spider-Man and/or wanting to take him down? Could one of the supervillains Jonah created threaten him or Mysterio and the other has to help out? What if Jonah actually became a supervillain; what could prompt him to do that? What if Quentin was actually able to successfully retire, maybe with help and support? Or might the Bugle reach out to Mysterio (and maybe some of the other villains) in an attempt to interview them for one reason or another? Or maybe the two start having coffee while warily just not talking at all about their jobs? Or maybe Quentin gets another mask/disguise and pretends to be someone else and has to reveal who he really is when he and Jonah start getting closer? Do the two of them run into trouble that either of their connections or skills can get them out of? Does Jonah ever visit Mysterio in jail? Do they bond over movies; do they have similar or different tastes, introduce each other to their favorite movies, does Quentin go into detail explaining how various special effects tricks are done or have Opinions about certain movies' use of computer or practical effects?

Smut is also always welcome! Other than cribbing from my general likes, goddamn Mysterio's costume tho. He is ripped and that spandex leaves nothing to the imagination. I mention loving clothed and partially-clothed sex and I also like the element of being still in costume and what that has to do with identity, or purposefully stripping out of costume and what that might mean. Mysterio also creates gasses and serums that do various things, so maybe he can come up with something that raises arousal, drastically lessens the refractory period, makes coming impossible until a "cure" is given, or other such fantastical sex things! (No dubcon for any of this, please.) Maybe Jonah makes it clear he's happy to be seen in public with Quentin and Quentin is super into that the moment they get somewhere private? Adrenaline-fueled sex after danger or crime is also great! I also super love awkward but not outright unpleasant things happening during sex, like if Mysterio accidentally triggered the smoke from his boots before he got them off or some other random (non-dangerous) costume surprise went off, just something they might be able to laugh at.

Seasonal & Holiday Prompts:
I am always a sucker for cliche and tropey Valentine's things, or just romance things in general! And I will admit, I am a suuuuper huge sap for these two somehow. If the two of them bond over movies, maybe they watch some romantic movies together? What might their tastes be? Does Quentin make sure to be out of jail around Valentine's Day, or does Jonah visit him in jail? Or what's their first Valentine's together after Mysterio retires like? Do they attend some party that another supervillain crashes? Do they kiss in the rain or in the snow or in the moonlight or by candlelight or by the fire? Seasonal stuff in general is great too! Is the Mysterio outfit maybe not so great for super cold weather? Do they get snowed in at home, or at the Bugle, or awkwardly snowed in together someplace before they get together? Or do they leave NYC for Valentine's or just for a romantic getaway; does Quentin own, like, a cabin that one of the people from "Dr. Rinehart's" nursing home bequeathed to him? If the power cuts out can Quentin easily fix it or does he have, like, a hundred candles around the place for some trick or another that he never got around to using? Go nuts with winter and/or holiday and/or just general sappy things, I'll love it!

Canon-Specific DNWs:
-none!

Canon-Specific Likes:
-worldbuilding and exploration in general, especially of the different flora and fauna and magic stuff
-villain redemption
-the characters' relationships with Sofia (if she appears)
-characters who don't know magic learning a little magic or using those single-spell wands
-characters working through complicated relationships and realizing they're both Very Fond
-if you're interested, I like trans headcanons for any of these characters, but Cedric and Slickwell especially; for those two I'm intrigued by the idea of either/both being a trans women, but other interpretations welcome; for the other characters anything works!

Ship: Baileywick/Cedric the Sorcerer

Thoughts: These two both work for King Roland at Enchancia's castle, of course, but their circumstances are different in really interesting ways to me! Baileywick seems to have worked for the family for a long, long time, and seems married to his work, never taking a break and being on top of keeping everything running. He's the Castle Steward and is in charge of all the rest of the servants, but he's also a servant himself and completely aware of it, and doesn't at all mind it. Cedric's father worked for the family for a long, long time, and he feels like he's in his father's shadow, and he also seems to be working all the time but isn't happy to be constantly on call, especially for things he thinks are beneath his position, such as babysitting. He's the Royal Sorcerer yet has absolutely no one beneath him to delegate to, and is very aware of his position and does seem to mind it, at least since everyone thinks of him as a failure. There's that, too; Cedric has a cloud hanging over him from his childhood, one that isn't actually his fault, and his nervousness about messing up makes him mess up worse, and people think he's a shit sorcerer and laugh at him or roll their eyes or dismiss him. Baileywick, however, is incredibly smooth and effective at what he does and can seem almost, well, magic with how efficient and helpful he can be, and is one of the most well-respected people at the castle.

One of the things that really interests me with these two is perception. While Baileywick teases Cedric once or twice about being bad at magic, he doesn't seem to dislike the man and likely doesn't realize how personally Cedric takes such cracks, because Cedric does take everything like that exceedingly personally. Baileywick seemed to be being friendly right before Cedric froze him on his way to take over the kingdom, and afterwards he only gave Cedric a few suspicious looks before he proved himself. And Cedric for his part doesn't seem to resent Baileywick, but feels isolated and looked down on enough that he considers Sofia his first and only friend, and doesn't feel that anyone ever supported him. Overall I doubt the two of them thought too much about one another for most of their careers, and had a few misunderstandings when they did exchange words but didn't think too badly of each other overall. So what if they did notice each other a bit more, start talking, start giving one another a hand? Also I'd like to note that I love how both of them are better with children than one might expect (well, Cedric anyway). Baileywick becomes a Buttercup Guide and helps out with the troop on occasion, as well as helping out with the kids around the castle generally, and Cedric is Sofia's teacher as well as occasionally begrudgingly entertaining/babysitting the castle childen in general, as well as his short stint as a substitute teacher at Royal Prep, which he ended up actually enjoying. I also like that by the final episode, Cedric seems incredibly confident in himself, and both steps in to help Baileywick with decorating and Baileywick compliments him in return!

General Prompts:
Various preparations for a thing! How do Baileywick and the other castle servants get things prepared with their efficient and busy work, and how does Cedric get things prepared with magic? Do things go even more smoothly now that everyone's working together? Or maybe they both end up having to watch a group of kids for some reason, or help Sofia out with something! Or maybe something dangerous and exciting happens! Does Baileywick find out about the amulet and all that stuff? Could Baileywick learn how to use a wand -- even if just one of those single-spell wands like at Hexley? After Baileywick's (kinda disastrous) one day off, does the royal family insist that he occasionally take a day for himself, just from time to time, every so often, and how does he spend it? Do they ever do each other favors, like picking something up for the other while they're out? Could they clear up previous misunderstandings and get a better idea of each other? When Cedric was first really trying to prove himself again, did he try helping out Baileywick with things once he'd proven himself to King Roland? If one of them gets sick or hurt, can the other help? H/C in general is just great! After the series end, does Cedric ever end up getting another familiar? Also, where the heck does Cedric eat? I know in castles the servants eat in their own separate place from the royal family and guests, but Cedric seems kinda... in between places; does he always just eat in his tower? Would he start eating with the servants sometimes looking for a little more camaraderie now that he's more accepted? Also also, Cedric can sing and dance, I just wanna throw that idea out there. Those hip swings while he's performing some of his songs... Smut is also always welcome! First times and fumbling but affectionate sex is adorable, or else draw from my general likes; I'd love all of it!

Seasonal & Holiday Prompts:
Seasonal stuff is especially great here! Cedric and Baileywick both helping out the Buttercups with some winter-related badge thing; the castle having to deal with a huge blizzard or some winter-related magic or monster; winter dances, costume parties, etcetera... Does Enchancia have anything resembling Valentine's Day? Do the children celebrate it in school (Baileywick and Cedric could help them out!), or does the castle celebrate it, or do Baileywick and Cedric find themselves looking after Sofia, Amber, and James if Roland and Miranda go on a romantic getaway? Then there's just the general cliche fluffy romance stuff I'm weak for, such as giving a Valentine's gift to someone who might not even know you're into them (or who might only suspect), cuddling by fires, showing interest via food or sweets or hot drinks, dancing together during a romantic dance (maybe one with masks!!), kissing in the rain or the snow or the moonlight or candlelight... Go nuts, I love all this stuff!

Ship: Baileywick/Slickwell

Thoughts: Slickwell is an incredibly minor character and a one-off villain, but I'll admit, this show leaves me wanting allllll the villains being won over and redeemed, and he really intrigued me. What can I say, the boy's got hustle! It's funny to think that his determination to the be the Castle Steward for Enchancia specifically might have been a really strange and messed up compliment to Baileywick: after all, is Rudistan so much worse than Enchancia, does it have so much less reputation (even being its rival!), or is it mostly that Baileywick himself is such a whiz of a Steward that Slickwell was like, ah yes, the Steward of Enchancia, everyone praises the guy in THAT position! Bless your heart, kid. (Also, King Magnus of Rudistan got betrayed and supplanted by Greylock as well! Why does no one want to keep working for this guy!)

I'm really into the age difference in this, how Slickwell is an up-and-comer and honestly has a lot of skill in his own right. It actually honestly seems like, given time for his skills and reputation to solidify, he could have wound up being as respected and praised and depended-on as Baileywick even without having to try to cheat his way into a "promotion." I can also imagine that he made a lot of excuses to himself that he wasn't doing anything that bad, anyway. Baileywick would retire eventually! (Bud, he never even takes a day off.) Retirement isn't a terrible fate, he's just hurrying it along and getting the old guard out a little faster so the new generation can step in! But obviously he doesn't think Baileywick is unskilled at all since he knew he'd have to hex him in order to get him to slip up. Did Slickwell ever just honestly look up to Baileywick before that got kinda twisted? Also, I'm sorry, meeting this Steward and being like oh wow you're brilliant at your job and I admire you so much I want to give you a gift, and then giving him jewelry, feels real real gay, I'm just saying.

Of course, by the end he's found out and fired and kicked out, so it's not like his story didn't end in disgrace. And he vowed revenge but never ended up coming back! So there's a lot to play with there, but like I said, I'm actually intrigued by him not being a total villain; I'd love to see their justifiably rocky relationship start to shift...

General Prompts:
How might they meet again? Does Sofia wind up winning Slickwell over? Does he come to apologize or help make it right? Does he try throwing in his lot with some more powerful villain who's out to cause trouble for Roland or Sofia or someone at the castle, and get in over his head and realize he doesn't actually want to do something that evil? Does he need saved, does Baileywick, does someone else? Is there just a situation where they have to work together, even just with preparing the castle for something? Is he trying to prove himself and start off on the right foot this time (and show off a little), or is he trying to ingratiate himself so that he can get revenge when it's least expected only he winds up actually fond of Baileywick? Also, I'm just gonna mention again that Greylock deposed King Magnus and took over Rudistan, becoming King Greylock; maybe he rehired Slickwell? That could be a fun scenario! (I am fine with both Cedric/Greylock and Baileywick/Slickwell being in the same fic, but don't feel obligated to include both, obviously; see the Cedric/Greylock section of my letter below this for more details!) Smut is also always welcome!

Seasonal & Holiday Prompts:
Seasonal stuff is especially great here! The castle having to deal with a huge blizzard or some winter-related magic or monster could be fun, whether or not Slickwell is partially responsible or just suspected of being so and/or helps fix it! Winter dances, costume parties (maybe masquerades), etcetera would be excellent... Does Enchancia have anything resembling Valentine's Day? Then there's just the general cliche fluffy romance stuff I'm weak for, such as giving a Valentine's gift to someone who might not even know you're into them (or who might only suspect) (and it could be sweet if Slickwell actually gives Baileywick something legit and non-cursed...), cuddling by fires, showing interest via food or sweets or hot drinks, dancing together during a romantic dance (again, masquerades are fun, but just general dances are wonderful!), kissing in the rain or the snow or the moonlight or candlelight... Go nuts, I love all this stuff!

Ship: Cedric the Sorcerer/Greylock the Grand

Thoughts: Greylock is a super minor character, but he and Cedric have a lot of history and his fate leaves a lot of questions, so I'd love to see your take on their relationship! They were obviously classmates at Hexley, and just as obviously Greylock grated on Cedric's nerves even at the time, which is understandable. He's a bit much, and those pranks are not necessarily as welcome as he seems to think they are! But he's exceedingly friendly, if competitive and teasing, and he and Cedric ended up working really well together, and Cedric seemed a little blown away when Greylock outright referred to him as "my friend." Did Cedric have reason to think Greylock outright didn't like him in school? Or were they actually closer during their Hexley Hall days but grew apart? There's not too much known about their past, and I'd love to get some idea of how it informs their present... But I also just like their present interactions!

And then Grimtrix hatched his plot, and Greylock actually got involved, which was a huge surprise! He didn't seem to be grating under King Magnus like Cedric had been under King Roland; was he just a better actor? What problems might he have had with Magnus? Magnus seemed to be complimenting him a lot, usually in the process of comparing Cedric with him to Cedric's detriment, but was that less than enjoyable to work under, or did Greylock have other reasons to want a more powerful position? (I will note that Slickwell apparently wanted to go from Rudistan to Enchancia as well! Why does no one seem to want to work under King Magnus??) Or was it Grimtrix's influence and silver tongue? You could go a lot of ways with this! And Greylock successfully froze Magnus and took over Rudistan, and we never really find out what happened there. Was Greylock arrested after Grimtrix's overall plan failed? Did he have to flee? Or did he actually stay in charge of Rudistan? Is the place a mage-ocracy now? After all, Rudistan was a rival kingdom to Enchancia, and there are worse things than a rival kingdom having a leadership change; is Roland willing to be diplomatic with King Greylock for practical reasons? That situation could be awkward and fun, but then again, so could Greylock's reign having been short and him having to hide or also having to prove himself again just like Cedric did. Maybe Cedric could give him pointers and and they could commisserate? Bet they didn't realize they had this in common! (Well, Cedric didn't realize, anyway.)

General Prompts:
...I got carried away and started prompting above. Well, any of that! What's the situation like after the whole Grimtrix takeover thing? Or before that happened/if that didn't happen, were he and Cedric keeping in touch as new/rekindled friends? Did he and Cedric ever confide anything in each other, either at school or after the episode where they re-met? A story set while they're in school would also be excellent; did they have anything back then, or fool around any, or just friends? Were there good times? Misunderstandings? There's a lot of history from Hexley all the way to post-canon you can play with, and I'd love if you did! (Underage romance and smut is fine if you write something set during their Hexley Hall days, so long as they're both 16 or older during any smut!) And, obviously, there's all the possibilities I mentioned above for stuff after Greylock deposes King Magnus, either in Enchancia or in Rudistan itself! (I am fine with both Cedric/Greylock and Baileywick/Slickwell being in the same fic, but don't feel obligated to include both, obviously; see the above Baileywick/Slickwell section of my letter for more details!)

Seasonal & Holiday Prompts:
Seasonal stuff is especially great here! Does the castle throw any sort of costume dance, maybe a masquerade maybe not, around whatever they have that's equivalent to Valentine's Day (or just a winter dance!)? Maybe both Enchancia and Rudistan could be preparing together, if Greylock is King Greylock, or maybe Greylock is trying to help out around Enchancia or Rudistan with Cedric's help/encouragement to show that he can be trusted again? The castle having to deal with a huge blizzard or some winter-related magic or monster could be fun; maybe Greylock is suspected of being responsible and/or helps fix it! Or stuff set during their school days; what do magical snowball fights at Hexley look like? Do they have winter dances or pranks; did their school celebrate Valentine's Day (or the equivalent)? Then there's just the general cliche fluffy romance stuff I'm weak for, such as giving a Valentine's gift to someone who might not even know you're into them (or who might only suspect), cuddling by fires, showing interest via food or sweets or hot drinks, dancing together during a romantic dance (maybe one with masks!!), kissing in the rain or the snow or the moonlight or candlelight... Go nuts, I love all this stuff!

Canon-Specific DNWs:
-strong focus on "oh this character is CRAZY" stuff; Joker joking about especially himself being crazy is fine
-Joker outright attempting to kill Riddler
-Harley Quinn (vague mentions are fine)

Canon-Specific Likes:
-Firefly finding Ragdoll's bendiness really attractive
-teamwork among villains and the villains enjoying it/preferring it
-villains being surprisingly functional/healthy/happy together!
-Riddler treating his henchmen well & them being loyal
-THAT TIME JOKER WAS A VAMPIRE WAS HOT, feel free to do an AU where that stuck, maybe he goes to Riddler for a cure?
-if you're interested, I like trans headcanons for any of these characters, but Ragdoll and Riddler especially; for Riddler I like trans woman or DMAB nonbinary best, for anyone else anything works

Ship: Edward Nygma/The Joker

Thoughts: "You see people like puzzles, I see them as games. You're a game that I will always win." - We don't see these two interact much, but I feel like this is a quote that could sum up their different outlooks on people and the world.

"Night and the City" was a great episode for them; the three-way rivalry between Joker, Riddler, and Penguin over territory in the city showed how they might approach things if they were really at odds, and later on we got to see them dropping their beef to work together against Batman! "Rumors" also has them (and the rest of the Rogues) all fighting Batman rather than each other, so there's definitely precedent for them being on the same side, if not outright teaming up in so many words.

I always end up wanting more villain team-ups in general, and while I love loyal and friendly team-ups I also really like the dynamic of villains who have a bit of friction but aren't, like, mortal enemies (like Joker and Clayface would be), giving them a sort of push-and-pull relationship that pits them against each other sometimes and on the same side sometimes, providing them with a relationship that can keep both their interests -- maybe especially important for these two, who I feel like might get easily bored with a more normal dynamic.

Also, let's face it, riddles and jokes aren't that different. Some riddles are jokes (puns!), and both involve wordplay and some measure of cleverness. Even if it might take Edward "I tell riddles, not jokes" Nygma a bit to grudgingly admit it.

General Prompts:
Casefic is always fun, especially with these two, who might (just maybe!) be working together or might be butting heads/going after the same prize! Or maybe the two of them initially at odds turns into the two of them working together... Frenemy banter and challenges that turn into flirting are always great. Joker actually engaging the Riddler with (humorous) riddles, and/or the Riddler actually making some (punny/wordplay-heavy) jokes, or them sort of meeting in the middle that way! Maybe one of them goes to visit the other at their hideout, maybe partly to prove they can. What would one or both of them flirting with the other be like? On the job or not, or after a successful job, or simply after a successful evasion (or escape) from the cops... Maybe one of them is in danger and the other helps them get out of it for whatever reason, or they're both in danger and they're forced into a position where they have to trust the other to protect them and patch each other up a bit? H/C is great and always appreciated! Or if they're in prison, what do they do in there together? I am also open to a, uh, slight AU where Joker maybe didn't get cured of being a vampire after that one weird Dracula night; what if Joker goes to Riddler for a cure, maybe? (Things turning sexy welcome. Jokes about vampire romance novels more than welcome.) Outright smut is also always welcome; eager first times (maybe high on adrenaline) are hot, smut where they didn't necessarily see it coming but are more into it than they might have expected is very hot... Otherwise, draw from my general likes; I'd love all of it!

Seasonal & Holiday Prompts:
Valentine's stuff! What is Valentine's Day like in Gotham, how do supervillains celebrate it, or at least these two supervillains, who might seem the weirdest/least inclined to celebrate it? Do they plan on taking advantage of some rich person's Valentine's party, or are they taking the holiday off for whatever reason? Do they plan to spend it together or just end up doing so? Do they go somewhere nice, or stay in? Seasonal stuff is great too; how much does it snow in Gotham, do they enjoy it or hate it, do they stay indoors, does it knock the power out? I am also a huge sucker for romantic sap so feel free to just go all out cliche with that stuff! It will probably be a bit off-kilter given who we're talking about, but... Cuddling by a fire, first dates, having to pretend to be on a date and it turns into feelings, kissing in the rain or snow or by the fire or by moonlight or candlelight (or Joker doing a fucking Spider-Man upside-down cheesy gimmick kiss somehow), watching (and/or talking over or razzing) a romantic movie... Go nuts and I will love it!

Ship: Garfield Lynns/Ragdoll

Thoughts: These two interacted a bit, but minimally. Still, I think there's a lot of potential here!

For one thing, both of them seem to be in the supervillain business primarily for the fun and the money. Firefly is a saboteur-for-hire and Ragdoll is a thief; both seem to greatly enjoy their work and the opportunity to dress up in ridiculous costumes for no good reason. Firefly seems more inclined to want to work for and with people, taking contracts and seeking out partnerships with other supervillains, but Ragdoll is friendly and amiable even with enemies and rivals obviously isn't opposed to working with others.

They didn't interact a ton when they were both on Penguin's little team, but they worked well together and I could easily imagine them seeking each other out again, with or without Killer Croc (the only real problem with Team Penguin was Penguin tbqh). Mostly I really like their personalities, could easily see them working together more, think they could get along in enjoyable ways to read about, and think they'd potentially be hot together!

(Note: Ragdoll doesn't have a canonical real name, so if it comes up feel free to call him Peter Merkel or come up with your own name! I'm easy. If it doesn't come up, I do like him getting called Doll!)

General Prompts:
Casefic is always fun, or stuff that might come before a case! Maybe Firefly and Ragdoll decide to get the band back toether, or at least decide that working together was fun and they at least should do so every so often. Lighthearted playful banter arguing over team names! Ragdoll is bendy and probably light enough that Firefly could fly him somewhere in a backpack, almost certainly. Or maybe something where they bond over chatting about their pasts and what got them into this line of work and become more intrigued by each other! Flirting, whether on the job or not, or after a successful job, or simply after a successful evasion (or escape) from the cops... Seeing each other out of costume for the first time. Maybe one of them is in danger and the other helps them get out of it, or they're both in danger and have to protect each other and patch each other up a bit? H/C is great and always appreciated! Or if they're in prison, what do they do in there together? Outright smut is also always welcome; eager first times (maybe high on adrenaline) are hot, stuff that takes advantage of Ragdoll's flexibility is very hot, as is Firefly being very into that... Otherwise, draw from my general likes; I'd love all of it!

Seasonal & Holiday Prompts:
Valentine's stuff! What is Valentine's Day like in Gotham, how do supervillains celebrate it, or at least these two kinda more minor supervillains? Do they plan on taking advantage of some rich person's Valentine's party or exhibition/exhibit at a museum, or are they taking the holiday off for a nice date? Do they go somewhere nice and does Ragdoll troll a little bit with contortionism tricks? Do they stay in and watch a romantic movie together? Does either of them take advantage of the severely discounted chocolate after Valentine's Day? Seasonal stuff is great too; how much does it snow in Gotham, do they enjoy it, do they stay indoors, does it knock the power out? I am also a huge sucker for romantic sap so feel free to just go all out cliche with that stuff! Cuddling by a fire, first dates, scoping out a potential target and having to pretend to be on a date and it turns into feelings, kissing in the rain or snow or by the fire or by moonlight or candlelight, sappy anniversaries! Go nuts and I will love it.

Canon-Specific DNWs:
-any "this character is crazy!" stuff (Otto was in Ravencroft once when he was pretending to reform but I'm not even sure if he'd get sent back tbh; Electro was in Ravencroft but I legitimately don't think he's "crazy" though I can imagine the electricity might be fucking up his brain chemistry some)
-Electro being referred to as Max Dillon in-fic except by Dr. Kafka or maybe some other Ravencroft inmates (not by Sinister Six, definitely not by ship partner/s)
-body shaming
-characters being ashamed or insecure about their bodies or ages
-backstabbing or mistrust between Chameleon's team or any of the Sinister Six
-either Otto or Peter not caring about May's health or safety; Peter not caring about any of his enemies' lives or safety or dismissing any idea of them being able to change

Canon-Specific Likes:
-Sandman/Rhino is a noncanon background pairing I actually enjoy!
-I also like Vulture/Doc Ock(/Electro) and Mysterio/Tinkerer(/Chameleon) as background pairings even if they aren't the focus of the fic
-generally I like Sinister Six poly even if it's not the focus, actually, if the other Sinister Six are included
-Mysteriobots and Tinkerer's inventions in general being pervertable
-dorky roleplaying with Mysterio and Tinkerer (especially Mysterio)
-Vulture being Doctor Octopus's loyal right hand and bodyguard
-Vulture and Doctor Octopus having been friends for years before the start of the series
-sex while cellmates?
-the characters having fun with the supervillain/criminal team thing
-explorations of identity and masks, especially with Chameleon and JJJ
-JJJ bonding with villains over not liking or trusting Spider-Man is great
-NICKNAMES/PET NAMES, particularly those given by Electro ("Doc," "Vulch"), maybe teasing non-canon ones given by Spidey, I count Chameleon's habit of referring to literally everyone by surname as this tbh, I also count how Otto and Adrian always seem to address each other by thir first names
-inclusion of comics canon nods/details or characters (especially villains) with an SSM twist/feel to them!
-snippets of longer fic!
-specifically snippets of longer slow-burn fic
-I want to make it clear that longer fic is legitimately welcome too but seriously don't feel even slightly obligated, I do not expect that
-if you're interested, I like trans headcanons for any of these characters, but Chameleon and Electro especially; I quite like nonbinary Chameleon and nonbinary or trans girl Electro but ofc neither is necessary; for any other characters anything works!

Ship: Adrian Toomes/Otto Octavius

Thoughts: I am just WAY TOO INVESTED in these ridiculous theatrical supervillains being pre-supervillain friends who are now loyal and in love while trying to take over the world/take murderous revenge!

Okay so while the first episode introduces both characters with Adrian furious at Otto, it makes sense. Given one of the photos on Otto's wall (the only one that isn't a professional occasion of him, like, shaking the hand of his boss), the two of them were good friends for several years before the start of the series. (Also check out the hand in Otto's hair!) Which also explains how Otto was able to talk Adrian into bringing his flight tech to Oscorp. It honestly seems like Adrian was more hurt than anything and that's what made him so angry, and he stops blaming Otto quickly.

And the rest of their dynamic is so far from what one might expect from the first episode that it's insane. The two are reunited as cellmates in prison after Doctor Octopus is arrested, and Adrian helps Otto orchestrate a big jailbreak. They work together in the Sinister Six, with Vulture ceding his desire to take vengeance on Osborn to follow Doctor Octopus's plan to take out Spider-Man first. And they just never work apart again? When Otto is pretending to be reformed in Ravencroft and acting secretly as the Master Planner, Adrian is one of only three people to find out his true identity. When Ock tests out the technology meant to allow him to hack into every single electrical device in the city, he does so by trying to kill Norman Osborn, seemingly for Adrian's sake, and despite that being Vulture's driving motivation being revenge Adrian is totally fine about it not working. When Otto tries to credit him and for doing brilliant work assembling the technology, Adrian immediately demurs the compliment and turns it back around on him: "The brainwork was all yours, Otto." For a grouchy old man, he smiles a lot around Otto, too!

And even after the Master Planner's master plan is defeated and literally every other member of the Sinister Six seems to go their separate ways and do their own things, Vulture just... stays with Doctor Octopus? They show up at a shady auction together; at the Valentine's Day summit meeting between mob bosses Vulture shows up with Doctor Octopus again in full formal attire apparently pulling backup/bodyguard duty. There are also just these cute little touches I love, like how in the first Sinister Six fight when Spider-Man jumps on the Vulture's back you can see the back of Doctor Octopus's head tracking them, and a few moments later Otto is the one to pull Spider-Man off Adrian's back. And when Doctor Octopus puts a tentacle on everyone's shoulders in the Sinister Six ep to ease them back down into their chairs, it looks like his tentacle is on Adrian's back instead of his shoulder. And when Hammerhead shoots at Adrian at the summit and blows him back into the window and knocks him unconscious, Otto's cry of "TREACHERY!" is fuckin pissed and he has just no patience for Tombstone in that fight after.

TL;DR they married, ty for reading my villain shipping Ted Talk.

(No, but a few more notes about them as individuals as well as why I like them ship-wise: Honestly, given that Adrian's driving motivator is pretty much solely revenge against Norman Osborn, yet he sticks close by Otto and seems to be an unswervingly dedicated right hand man, is totally fine when Otto's attempt to help him kill Osborn fails, and is after that one moment in the first Sinister Six episode perfectly willing to put his own goals on the backburner to help Ock with his... I really like all of that, the sort of "I am helping this man take over the world because he wants to and he deserves to get whatever he wants, fuck you" attitude I get from him, heh.

I also love that after his origin episode, Ock seems to have turned down the ruthlessness. The Sinister Six's attacks on Spider-Man resulted in no casualties and no serious injuries of anyone (car crashes apparently do jack shit to anyone in this universe), and even when he has Gwen Stacy kidnapped later he doesn't actually threaten her in any way or have anyone else threaten or hurt her, she just freaks out when she sees Vulture and accidentally gets zapped by Electro. He's more careless with bystanders' lives after becoming Doctor Octopus (though he refuses to attack or let Rhino attack Aunt May and Anna Watson!) but outside of his origin episode he doesn't seem to be actively trying to hurt anyone outside of Spider-Man, which is interesting to me. Also interesting is him being a surprisingly good leader; everyone seems to be loyal to him and happy to follow his plans outside of that one argument at dinner, and he tries to give everyone things that they want: trying to kill Osborn for Adrian, promising to let Rhino be the one to kill Spider-Man and trying to follow through with it, letting Rhino know about the auction to mass-produce his armor he could destroy the plans. He seems to honestly be fond of and care about his team and that's a very neat take on a group of supervillains to me. Expand that to how fond he and Adrian seem of each other and it's just nice to see these villains have a huge soft spot.)

General Prompts:
The two of them meeting again after Doctor Octopus was first arrested and sent to Ryker's! They were cellmates so there's a lot of potential there, imo. Vulture seems to have canonically forgiven Otto by that point, and Otto's changed greatly; I like the idea that Adrian honestly thought higher of Otto than he himself did pre-canon and might be incredibly pleased by Ock's confidence, his awareness of his own genius, his refusal to put up with shit now, and his overall new awareness that he does indeed deserve better. Were there the embers of love pre-canon that fully flourish now that they're both supervillains? A scene where they discuss how their lives have changed could be fun. Did Ock even make it to the police station after being arrested in "Gangland" or did Vulture tear a hole in the cop car roof and retrieve him? Them being an efficient Battle Couple in some kind of fight could be hot! Also, danger and/or H/C (physical or emotional) is always welcome; does Tombstone try to take out the competition, or does Venom hold a grudge Ock's threat to forcibly remove the suit from Peter Parker, even if Ock didn't realize at the time, or does Stanley Carter become Sin-Eater? Also excellent: one of them getting hurt (or someone trying to hurt them) and the other one getting FURIOUS and protecting and/or taking whoever did it down! Smut is also always welcome, and if you want any ideas... Quiet, private moments stolen in the dead of night in their shared cell at Ryker's, getting some moments alone during/after "Shear Strength," "phone sex" over their audio communications, "wow you're hot in that suit" porn either after or right before the Valentine's Day Summit meeting (do they even bother to get undressed or do they actively decide not to?), perverting those metal arms (they are basically tentacles).

Seasonal & Holiday Prompts:
Oh my goodness maybe for this canon especially I am a sucker for cliche and tropey romantic and Valentine's things! Just general seasonal wintery stuff is great, adding in winter details to any of the above is excellent, them (and/or the Sinister Six in general) enjoying the snow is great, them cuddling by a fire is great, but... seriously. Cliche, tropey, fluffy romantic and Valentine's Day things. Ordering a nice dinner in and eating by candlelight in the goddamn "lair"/new hideout because they can't go anywhere public without being noticed! Curling up on the couch in front of the fire or to watch a romantic (or other type of) movie! Kissing! In the snow, in the rain, by the fire, by candlelight, by moonlight, while Vulture is in the fucking air... For these two I am even open to, like, marriage proposals or finding a goddamn baby in a basket and deciding to raise it, I am a fool for them. I'm also into sappy romantic stuff with them falling for each other and not saying it and mutually pining as lab partners at Tri Corp pre-canon, and/or them getting together in prison at Ryker's after Otto gets arrested. And sappy sex, either loving affectionate first time stuff, loving BDSM and loyalty kink, outright body worship... Go nuts with this stuff and I will adore it!

(Also as a note specific to this canon, because the timeline is so clear: During the events of the show, February 14, 2009 is the date of the Valentine's Day Summit meeting between Tombstone and Hammerhead, Silvermane and Silver Sable, and Doctor Octopus and Vulture. It does go poorly but goddamn those hot suits. See what I said above about suit porn; it would be hot as hell, either actual porn or them helping each other dress. Maybe they have plans for after that get a little bit derailed. When Otto is next broken out of jail/Ryker's/Ravencroft, do they make up for lost time? Have a belated romantic Valentine's dinner? Wear the nice suits again and actually have the sex they'd had planned? Hell, maybe it's not that belated at all; see general prompts above... Just, literally anything that plays around with little canon details like this would be fun and cute!)

Ship: Adrian Toomes/Max Dillon/Otto Octavius

Thoughts: SO TAKE THE ABOVE AND ADD ELECTRO.

The thing is, I really love Electro's dynamics with both Ock and Vulture. They're more substantial with "the Doc," of course, with Electro in his own words practically worshipping him. Otto was the only person who wrote to him in Ravencroft, and Electro quickly and fully just dedicated himself to him and fully believes in his abilities, plans, and overall genius. I even like the fact that, when Ock was pretending to have "reverted" to Otto Octavius and cringe from his time as a supervillain, Electro was disgusted and willing to turn his back on him; he's not blindly devoted no matter what Ock does. And he and Adrian are actually two-thirds of Otto's most trusted inner circle, along with Phineas Mason.

I really do like what little we get to see of Electro's dynamic with Vulture, too, though. Electro can be way too impulsive so sometimes they don't work as well together as they'd like -- see in "Reinforcement" when Electro accidentally shocks Vulture and knocks the Christmas tree onto him -- but they worked well together up to that point and were well-coordinated when kidnapping Gwen Stacy in the very next episode. More than that, I'm incredibly charmed that Electro apparently calls Vulture "Vulch" and that Adrian is just 100% fine with that little nickname! It's very cute.

Basically, while it would be easy to posit a V-shaped relationship with Doctor Octopus as the middle point, I am super into all three of them trusting, liking, and being dedicated (and attracted) to each other. It's nice!

General Prompts:
The three of them working together after Otto "is abducted from"/breaks out of Ravencroft! (Feel free to include Tinkerer in scenes as well, obviously. And/or others, but those seem to be Ock's initial "inner circle"!) And/or a post-canon situation where they break Electro out of Ravencroft. Them discussing a cure for Electro or helping him control his powers better (which could also absolutely lead to porn, lbr; being able to touch people safely is a good goal!). Them praticing fighting together so that it's less likely Electro shocks someone accidentally again, or show an actual fight where they work together better as a Battle Trio because they have practiced that sort of thing! H/C is also always great, whether emotional or physical, as is one or two of them getting hurt and the other one or two getting FURIOUS and taking whoever did it down! I'd also love to see how they interact both as a trio and as individual pairs and how their dynamics might shift slightly, that could be really enjoyable. Smut is also always enjoyable, especially affectionate: Threeways are obvious, one watching or (lbr, if Otto) even orchestrating the other two, two showing off for one who's not allowed to touch, "phone sex" over their audio communications, perverting those metal arms (they are basically tentacles), slight electric play if Electro has more control over his powers, clothed sex at least on Electro's part if he doesn't.

Seasonal & Holiday Prompts:
Oh my goodness maybe for this canon especially I am a sucker for cliche and tropey romantic and Valentine's things! Just general seasonal wintery stuff is great, adding in winter details to any of the above is excellent, them (and/or the Sinister Six in general) enjoying the snow is great, them cuddling by a fire is great, but... seriously. Cliche, tropey, fluffy romantic and Valentine's Day things (and does it maybe mean a lot to Electro especially to do normal romantic things?). Ordering a nice dinner in and eating by candlelight in the goddamn "lair"/new hideout because they can't go anywhere public without being noticed! Curling up on the couch in front of the fire or to watch a romantic (or other type of) movie! Kissing! In the snow, in the rain, by the fire, by candlelight, by moonlight, while Vulture is in the fucking air, Electro kissing very carefully with a great deal of control over his powers, or kissing Electro's mask or hand if he can't quite manage mouth kissing yet... For these three I am even open to, like, them finding a goddamn baby in a basket and deciding to raise it as a group (maybe just the three of them, maybe the Sinister Six as a whole but ofc with focus on these three and their relationship), I am a fool for them. Again, I love sappy sex, loving affectionate first time stuff, loving BDSM and loyalty kink, outright body worship... Go nuts with this stuff and I will adore it!

(Again, as a note specific to this canon... Well, see above for the Valentine's Day Summit stuff, and also at that point Electro is back in Ravencroft, unfortunately! Maybe they go out of their way to break him out ASAP to have a belated Valentine's Day together?)

Ship: Chameleon/J. Jonah Jameson

Thoughts: One of the strangest ships of my heart! These two have only vaguely met and never really interacted, but I have some Thoughts.

Firstly, I'm amused that Jonah and Chameleon's primary "interaction" is of Chameleon pretending to be Spider-Man to ruin Spidey's rep, having photos of Spidey robbing places emailed to the Bugle, and then having Jonah vouch for Chameleon being the real Spider-Man when he was robbing the yacht. Jameson really, really wants Spider-Man to be crooked, okay?

Mostly, though, I like a combination of a)the fact that Chameleon often pretends to be different people and they could end up interacting without Jonah even knowing it at first, and b)the idea of nodding to the comics where Jonah occasionally is written as commissioning some to-be supervillain or other to try to take down Spider-Man. Anything from Jameson outright contacting Chameleon (whether he knows it's Chameleon or not) or the Tinkerer in order to commission a fake "superhero" or "supervillain" to unmask Spider-Man/bring him to justice, to Chameleon amused while Jonah complains about the webslinger (and maybe coming up with a solution...) seems very possible.

Also, I am really intrigued by how different their viewpoints are re: masks and the conversations they might be able to have. Jameson hates and doesn't trust masked heroes, stating outright that it's because "what're they hiding, anyway?" Whereas Chameleon is someone who just straight-up doesn't have a normal face of his own and might not even have his own legal identity anymore outside of being Chameleon, depending on how you chose to take the character; he's almost constantly wearing masks, that's just how he goes through life whenever he steps out the door. And as Green Goblin said once, "We all wear masks... But which one is real? The one that hides your face, or the one that is your face?" That's a philosophical debate that's really interesting to me particularly for Chameleon. I dunno, it just seems like it could really add to an already potentially interesting dynamic!

I'm also fascinated by Chameleon in the sense of like... Outside of Chameleon, who is often pretending to be other people, who is he? Does he even have a legal identity outside of Chameleon, or has he erased it? Feel free to use the name Dmitri Smerdyakov for him (though I prefer he not be related to Kraven in this universe), but if you wanted to solely stick with Chameleon for him or give him a fake name like, idk, Leon Smirnov (the most common surname in Russia, basically like giving him the surname Smith) or w/e that he goes by now when necessary that is obviously not his birth name, go nuts.

(Note: For this ship, I'd rather the infidelity DNW be handled by just having Jonah's wife be his ex-wife. Doesn't need to be dwelled on, just ignore the "I'm a married man" line and that he went to the opera with her in "Gangland." That just seems easiest!)

General Prompts:
Identity porn is so good for these two, as is playing with the fact that Chameleon is a criminal but with pretty bloodless crimes and Jonah himself has a solid core of decency, even if he's a bit willing to, uh, handwave some things. Philosophical conversations, whether or not Jonah's fully aware of how philosophical they are or even who he's really talking to! Jonah hiring Chameleon, again whether he knows his real identity or not, to play at being either a superhero or a supervillain to take Spider-Man down (bring him to justice, reveal his identity, whatever!). Chameleon in some disguise visiting Jonah at the Bugle, whether or not Jonah's at all clued into who he really is. Chameleon revealing his identity after they've interacted/known each other/maybe even flirted a bit, or Jonah otherwise learning more about who he is and what he does! Chameleon using one of Tinkerer's superpowered suits and Jonah finding it really hot actually. I could also be super into voice/accent kink for these two, ngl. Smut in general is always welcome, honestly, though I do prefer Jonah to be at least somewhat clued in by the point that they're having sex!

Seasonal & Holiday Prompts:
Just general seasonal wintery stuff is great, adding in winter details to any of the above is excellent, them enjoying the snow or going on walks or enjoying having coffee while it's cold out is great, them cuddling by a fire is great... I am also a sucker for cliche and tropey romantic and Valentine's things! Going to dinner or staying in and sharing a meal, Chameleon bringing Jonah coffee, curling up on the couch in front of the fire or to watch a movie, kissing in the snow, in the rain, by the fire, by candlelight, by moonlight... Do they go out and have to pretend to be dating and it turns into real flirting and fluster and feelings (or just makes the already-there feelings worse)? Is some bigwig in the city throwing a Valentine's Day masquerade costume party and Chameleon is there to stealthily steal shit and winds up having fun flirting with Jonah? (Or maybe they're purposefully meeting up to discuss the aforementioned superhero/villain plan and end up flirting way more than either of them expected, if you wanted to go with that!) Also, just, Chameleon meeting Jonah's son; is John recovering well, can Chameleon be there to support Jonah? Go nuts with any of this romantic stuff and I will adore it!

Ship: May Parker/Otto Octavius & Peter Parker

Thoughts: I admit: I absolutely love May/Otto in the comics, and I also absolutely love the way The Spectacular Spider-Man translated over a lot of comics stuff while making a lot of really clever changes and adjustments as well. It made me really want to see how May/Otto could work, and how Otto & Peter could get along better, when they're all actually fairly different people from their comics counterparts and their relationships are already quite different in SSM!

So, first, I just want to say that I find it potentially really interesting and promising how May and Otto met, despite the unpleasant circumstances! The Sinister Six show up to attack Spider-Man and May (and Anna Watson) are RIGHT THERE, and May gets right between six goddamn supervillains and a superhero that she has no idea is her nephew and yells at them to leave him alone. And while Rhino wants to "plow through 'em!" Ock immediately gestures for Rhino to be quiet, lets Spider-Man get the two women out of the way and into the theater, lets him ask if they're okay and tell them to get out of there, and then yoinks Spider-Man back out (not jostling May or Anna at all) while smiling and very pleasantly agreeing, "Yes, run along, ladies." Then later on at the Daily Bugle it turns out no one was actually seriously injured in the attack, which was so chaotic and in such a public place that I can easily believe that Otto orchestrated an attack with minimal civilian injuries on purpose... but May had a heart attack while trying to escape through the theater and wound up in the hospital. I would love to see how and why they might get back in touch! How would they get past that hurdle? (I have some ideas in the prompts below...)

Then, of course, we have Peter Parker. Peter is so dedicated to his aunt. He loves May so much; he doesn't want her to worry, he certainly doesn't want her to get hurt, he works solely to help her pay the bills and is so crushed when she has her heart attack... and, worse, when the whole Venom Symbiote situation happens simulanteously with that and actually keeps him from being at her side when he feels she most needed him. ("She must have been so scared. And I wasn't here for her. ...Uncle Ben said that with great power comes great responsibility, but shouldn't my first responsibility be to the people who rely on Peter Parker?" and the delivery of those lines just about broke my heart.) He tries to cook disastrously to keep her from overexerting herself! He just so obviously wants all the best for her and wants to do the best he can for her all the damn time.

And his relationship with Otto is... not great but also a little bit complicated! Doctor Octopus is one of his biggest enemies, of course. And Otto's kinda been trying to kill Spider-Man since waking up after his "accident." I find it really interesting that Spider-Man was first introduced to Doc Ock (maybe for the very first time ever) in those moments when he was unconscious as this... ordinary Oscorp scientist who nearly died and had a bunch of rubble fall on him, and then during that initial fight -- right until Ock accidentally chases him to Coney Island the next day -- Spider-Man doesn't actually properly fight Otto. Like, while Otto is lashing out at him and pursuing him, Spider-Man is not lashing back, he's just evading and did that one bit of web-blinding at Tri Corp, like he's still treating Otto as this scientist who's not doing so hot after his accident. In fact, one of Spider-Man's main things in this show is usually minimum force and always trying to keep everyone alive including all the "bad guys"; while he does fight and trade blows with Doctor Octopus later, a notable example of him pulling punches is in "Gangland" when Ock rips up a huge chunk of pavement, flings it at Spider-Man's head, and Spider-Man ducks, webs it out of the air, slings it back around towards Ock, but purposefully slams it into the ground at Ock's feet to make the ground collapse rather than hitting him with it. (I really appreciate little details of choreography like that and Spider-Man not fighting at all during the first Ock scene at Oscorp!)

Spider-Man also doesn't follow it up much, but he's tried to reach out to almost every one of his villains at least once! And recently, with Sandman, it actually worked, which might stick in his mind...

So... We have a supervillain who probably did not mean to cause a heart attack but is definitely trying to kill a superhero, a civilian woman who is disapproving of said supervillain and who loves her nephew very much, a boy who loves his aunt very much and wants to stop said supervillain but definitely doesn't want him badly hurt or dead, seemed to be sympathetic to the scientist he used to be and has something of a habit of trying to reach out to his villains... The aunt doesn't seem to express much opinion about Spider-Man except that she doesn't want the supervillains to attack that young man, and the supervillain doesn't express any opinion about the civilian boy at all and might completely dismiss him even as Spider-Man's photographer. The supervillain and aunt both have no idea that the boy is the superhero. There's a lot here!

General Prompts:
Soooo I didn't just want to shift into prompting above! But I love this whole initial setup and the possible scenarios! How might Otto and May get on better terms? Does May visit Eddie Brock in Ravencroft and run into Otto there, if Otto is once again pretending to be meek ol' Otto Octavius or just otherwise be reforming (and does he think there might be something he can use, there, with her being the aunt of Spider-Man's photographer)? Does Otto find out belatedly about the heart attack somehow and feel bothered enough by it (no one was supposed to be badly injured in that attack and his plan going wrong does not feel good!) that he reaches out and writes her a letter of apology? I would love to see them tentatively keeping in touch at first and then actually legitimately warming up to each other.

Or if you wanted to gloss over those initial parts and write something with May and Otto already closer, maybe a tentative courtship, and how Peter might react! There's a lot to play with there and I'd prefer if it wasn't all pure suspicion on Peter's part; I think there's a potentially interesting dynamic if he can see that a)Otto is legitimately making his aunt happy and b)there's almost no reason for Otto to go to great lengths to fake this and he does actually seem to like her very much himself? Peter being worried but also in the sense of like "please, please, please don't disappoint or hurt or use my aunt" and Otto kind of trying to reassure that he doesn't intend to is a very fun idea to me. And I like the idea of them actually bonding (reluctantly and with amazement on Peter's part!), maybe mostly due to how happy Otto is making May, maybe just spending time with him in totally normal circumstances when he's not acting all Supervillain and finding the other parts of him actually pretty likable, maybe Otto offers to help Peter with his science homework and then is like "oh, you... apparently don't need my help, you're something of a genius" and they actually have an enthusiastic conversation about science!

There are other fun possible ideas, too, like Peter having to juggle his secret identity around Otto sometimes now, trying desperately not to let on that he's Spider-Man! Maybe Otto notices that Peter's being furtive and secretive and starts getting concerned that he's, like, involved in making drugs or illegal betting or something, or gets really cross with Spider-Man as he gets fonder of Peter for (presumably) using the Parker boy for celebrity and putting him in danger. Maybe Spider-Man starts kinda desperately trying to appeal/reach out to Doctor Octopus and talk him out of supervillainy. Maybe Peter tries to appeal to him. When and if Otto finds out, is he hurt? Aghast? Does it change anything? Does Spider-Man redouble his efforts to protect Otto (though he would have anyway), does Doctor Octopus protect Peter at some point from something, do Otto and Spider-Man work together to protect May? Does the truth about Spider-Man's identity come out because May's in danger and for some reason he has to appeal to Otto to go help her and just has to do a leap of faith of trust?

Seriously, though. I just love May/Otto, I love May & Peter, I love Otto & Peter, I love anything for either of them, I love identity shenanigans and how complicated this could all get and how awkward it could be and hoping it actually might all work out.

Seasonal & Holiday Prompts:
This section's going to be super short, because seriously, I just want to say: The Above, But A Lot Of Wintery Details, haha. If you write sections that focus on May and Otto's courtship and relationship, too, leaning into Valentine's Day stuff and/or sappy tropey romantic gestures and moments would also be super welcome! Does Otto bring her flowers? Does she show her love with cooking and insist on sending him home with a pie or a cassarole or something? I would love kisses or love scenes between them, too! I also love the idea of Otto being kinda astonished by how May makes him feel, like... a little more like his old self, only still improved from his meek doormat self, but happy to have these stolen normal moments and just maybe even consider that this might actually be all he needs. From time to time. (As a note: If you do Valentine's stuff, the bulk of the fic taking place during canon might not work, since "Gangland" took place on Valentine's Day; setting it a year after canon in 2010 when Peter is 17 would work better for that!)

Ship: Otto Octavius & Peter Parker

Thoughts: Oh, boy, these two sections are going to be hard, not because I don't love them both but because they have a lot of overlap and also Otto & Peter has a lot of overlap with the above section? Just to restate part of it:

Peter's relationship with Otto is... not great but also a little bit complicated! Doctor Octopus is one of his biggest enemies, of course. And Otto's kinda been trying to kill Spider-Man since waking up after his "accident." I find it really interesting that Spider-Man was first introduced to Doc Ock (maybe for the very first time ever) in those moments when he was unconscious as this... ordinary Oscorp scientist who nearly died and had a bunch of rubble fall on him, and then during that initial fight -- right until Ock accidentally chases him to Coney Island the next day -- Spider-Man doesn't actually properly fight Otto. Like, while Otto is lashing out at him and pursuing him, Spider-Man is not lashing back, he's just evading and did that one bit of web-blinding at Tri Corp, like he's still treating Otto as this scientist who's not doing so hot after his accident. In fact, one of Spider-Man's main things in this show is usually minimum force and always trying to keep everyone alive including all the "bad guys"; while he does fight and trade blows with Doctor Octopus later, a notable example of him pulling punches is in "Gangland" when Ock rips up a huge chunk of pavement, flings it at Spider-Man's head, and Spider-Man ducks, webs it out of the air, slings it back around towards Ock, but purposefully slams it into the ground at Ock's feet to make the ground collapse rather than hitting him with it. (I really appreciate little details of choreography like that and Spider-Man not fighting at all during the first Ock scene at Oscorp!)

Spider-Man also doesn't follow it up much, but he's tried to reach out to almost every one of his villains at least once! And recently, with Sandman, it actually worked, which might stick in his mind...

So we have a supervillain who's definitely trying to kill a superhero and who might have some mild interest in said superhero's photographer but not enough to bother him apparently, and a superhero who wants to stop said supervillain but definitely doesn't want him badly hurt or dead and who seemed initially pretty sympathetic to the scientist he used to be and has something of a habit of trying to reach out to his villains... Peter knows that Doctor Octopus is Otto Octavius, of course, but Otto has no idea that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. There's still quite a bit to work with here, imo.

General Prompts:
One option I'd love to see is how they might get to and navigate a slightly less "immediate pitched combat upon seeing Spider-Man" relationship! What might get Otto to actually stop and listen to Spider-Man for a moment if he tried to make an appeal? Could Spider-Man appeal to his logic, or might it be like certain moments in the comics? In one issue, Spider-Man got deathly ill and Doctor Octopus actually intervened to cure him and save his life (finding out his secret identity in the process). In another issue, a crowded building was on fire/collapsing and Spider-Man actually successfully appealed to Doctor Octopus to help keep the place from falling apart long enough for the civilians to evacuate. In an entire long storyline Otto Octavius winds up in Peter Parker's body and begins pretending to be him and acting as Spider-Man; I'd love to see something like a body-swap story where that's how Otto finds out Peter's identity and both of them have to figure out how to navigate things as each other and work together (maybe even with the Sinister Six!) to switch back, and maybe they come to a better understanding that way? (I will say I enjoy the idea of Otto's reaction to finding out Peter is Spider-Man by being, basically, "holy shit you're sixteen, wtf.")

Do they have wary but heated philosophical discussions at any point, not actually coming to blows, whether Otto knows who Spider-Man is or not? If Spider-Man appeals to Otto that he could do good, might Otto point out the times Spider-Man's overstepped and done as bad as some of the Sinister Six? (Both Vulture and Spider-Man dropped someone from a great height to threaten them into giving them what they wanted, and I dare say Norman Osborn deserved it more than Phineas Mason did.) Might they settle into a wary, uncertain system of keeping an eye and a check on one another in the hopes that that means they won't always immediately be attacking one another?

Or maybe other things! I could go with a lot. Just another couple examples: Maybe Spider-Man's identity is revealed to Ock (and/or other Sinister Six members) because somehow it's either his identity gets revealed or Ock (and/or any of the others) dies, and he's 100% unwilling to let anyone die? Maybe Otto Octavius manages to fake being cured again well enough to get out of Ravencroft, and decides it's worth looking into Spider-Man's photographer after all, and does so by offering to mentor Peter Parker, who agrees solely to keep an eye on Doctor Octopus, and they end up surprising themselves by bonding? (Leading to some of the previous section's ideas like: Maybe Otto offers to help Peter with his science homework and then is like "oh, you... apparently don't need my help, you're something of a genius" and they actually have an enthusiastic conversation about science! ... Peter having to juggle his secret identity around Otto sometimes now, trying desperately not to let on that he's Spider-Man! Maybe Otto notices that Peter's being furtive and secretive and starts getting concerned that he's, like, involved in making drugs or illegal betting or something, or gets really cross with Spider-Man as he gets fonder of Peter for presumably using the Parker boy for celebrity and putting him in danger. Maybe Spider-Man starts kinda desperately trying to appeal/reach out to Doctor Octopus and talk him out of supervillainy. Maybe Peter tries to appeal to him.) Just, anything, there's a lot of neat dynamics you could pull here.

Seasonal & Holiday Prompts:
I don't really have anything for this section, tbh, because there's nothing romance-y here. So... The Above, But A Lot Of Wintery Details, again. But if you really lean into the seasonal wintery stuff it could add a lot of flavor and I would actually enjoy it! If this is taking place shortly post-canon it could as early as March! Setting it a year, or even two, after canon ends is also totally acceptable if you feel like doing it that way! However you like.

Ship: Otto Octavius/Peter Parker

Thoughts: Okay, feel free to read the above Thoughts section(s) for, like, my general thoughts about these two and their canonical relationship; obviously my platonic id for them can be found above. But let me get into the nitty gritty of it a little bit ship-wise.

In most versions of Spider-Man, I really like the idea that these two might actually be able to get along, gel, care about each other and enjoy each other, if circumstances were/had been different. But these two are maybe my favorite versions of both of these characters, and the more I think about their potential platonic dynamics, the more I find myself also interested in them potentially slowly developing into something else.

I don't particularly enjoy underage with this ship, mostly because I can't see them getting to that point within the span of a single year, or even two. I love the idea of a huge slow-burn with them, though I know that that's outside the scope of an exchange with a 300-word minimum, so don't worry, I'm not actually asking for a long slowburn! Just giving you an idea of what I tend to imagine as the time-span of this. Whether any of the above section's ideas happen while Peter is 16 or 17, with Otto and Peter unexpectedly bonding or Doctor Octopus and Spider-Man warily having something like a truce, whether Ock finds out Spider-Man's identity, or if over the span of several years they go from enemies to enemies-who-sometimes-work-together with wary respect to frenemies to occasional actual allies to wary truce to friendly, with their actions and methods shifting and changing over time... Actually, this is slipping into prompts a little. But you get the idea. I feel like a lot of the promise and intrigue of these two as a ship is getting closer and actually caring about each others' well-being, first mostly impersonally (Spider-Man is already there), then in a personal way, then going "...well shit I am actually significantly more emotionally invested in this person than I thought. When did that happen?"

General Prompts:
I already started prompting a bit above, oops! Well, that. Any little snippets from any of that would be great, and from later shippier bits would be even better. Do they both (or one of them) realize their feelings when one saves the other's life, and/or takes a blow for the other, and/or patches the other up, and their emotional response(s) is way more extreme than either might have expected? Do they body swap several years after canon when they're actually a bit closer and become even closer still? (Is that how Ock finally finds out Spider-Man's identity?) Do they start getting more flustered at compliments from each other, especially if those compliments are incredibly rare, mild, and hard-earned? Does Spider-Man (or Peter, if he and Otto know one another at all) more desperately appeal to Ock to stop the supervillainy at some point because he really doesn't want to keep fighting him but can't quite explain that? Do they fight Tombstone or another villain (from the show or a show-verse version of a comics villain) together, does the adrenaline ever get to them (whether it makes one of them blurt something out, or lead to kiss, or more), do any of Spider-Man's jokes ever make Ock laugh or does Ock make a dry joke or pun that actually makes Spider-Man laugh instead? How seamlessly do they start being able to shift between fighting one another and battling side-by-side, and do they ever notice; do they get wistful? Does another villain (preferably not one of the Six or Chameleon) attack a professional or academic function both of them are at and are annoyed to have interrupted? Can one of them unexpectedly be there for the other during a loss or on an unpleasant anniversary or the like? Just leaaaan right into that shit, I will eat it all up.

Seasonal & Holiday Prompts:
So many more for this one, I can't even deny how easy am for this ship. Seasonal stuff! Does a winter storm or a dangerous winter-themed enemy make them work together? Do they get snowed in somewhere/maybe a power outage locks them in together somewhere? Does one of them offer the other a hot drink at some point, casually or awkwardly? Peter's actually really good at ice-skating; does Spider-Man do it for kicks despite Otto not yet knowing who he is, or does Otto watch Peter do it? Does Spider-Man show up in a Spider-Man bobble hat with his own face on it one day pointing at it and going, "Check it out, people are merchandizing me! Without my permission. I dunno, I'm not sure how to feel about that. It's adorable, though, right?" And that's not even getting into the Valentine's Day stuff or especially cliche and tropey romance stuff with them, DAMN. Do they actually do anything for Valentine's? Do they find themselves spending the day together even without planning to before they've shared their feelings (or even admitted to themselves that they have them)? Do they wind up back at the opera house one Valentine's Day by total chance and go "...well this is a coincidence and slightly awkward"? Do either of them get the other flowers, either straightforwardly or somehow trying to pass it off as having any other reason than a romantic gesture? And the general romance stuff, just, go nuts with it, I love it. Unexpected confessions, first kisses (with or without a confession even happening beforehand!), do they kiss in the rain or the snow or the moonlight or candlelight or with Spider-Man doing the upside-down only-mouth-unmasked thing??? Do they ever dance; does it start off as a joke or even a (maybe not super pitched) battle and become... not one? Do they have to huddle for warmth in legitimately they-might-die-otherwise circumstances, maybe even wrapped up in a webbing cocoon to keep heat in, and it's super tense and maaaybe something happens? Or feel free to take any of the shippy ideas listed in the General Prompts section above and just really lean into the shameless romance tropey angles for them! I WILL LOVE ANYTHING.

Ship: Phineas Mason/Quentin Beck

Thoughts: THESE TWO MAKE ME HAPPY. When we're first introduced to them they're the kinda grouchy-seeming professionals working with Chameleon and playing a dumb card-flicking game in "bisexuals can't sit normally" fashion while they wait. They're basically Chameleon's backup in that episode, and you don't get to see fully what they're like until the second season, but I really like the juxtaposition of how they are in this episode as compared to later ones!

Personally, I feel as if neither of them had their supervillain identities at all until somewhere between "Persona" and "Blueprints" when the Master Planner hired them. I also feel that they'd been working together for at least a little while before their introductory episode, though who was the first to work with who, out of the three of them, and for how long, is up to you.

Quentin Beck used to be a special effects technician before leaving for his life of crime, and he's got a very interesting balance between his real self and the Mysterio act that I find really fun! He's a professional and Mysterio is an overly-theatrical fuckin dork, but Beck is also deep down (and not so deep down) a theatrical dork. I can imagine that Beck puts some of the things he wants to be into Mysterio, because that's common for supervillains and superheroes both, but Mysterio is also a role he plays for a specific purpose: misdirection, keeping people focused on him rather than his tricks or the crimes his act is distracting away from! That said, he got hired to be Mysterio for the thefts and then just decided that was fun as hell and absolutely wanted to do from then on, so there's also that element to him. I feel like he's also enjoying getting to be center stage as Mysterio in a way he doesn't get to be on jobs with Chameleon.

Phineas Mason, on the other hand, is an inventor who rolls his eyes at "actors" being theatrical but is absolutely theatrical himself even if he won't admit it. I don't think he's an actor, not in the way that Chameleon and Beck are; he was wayyy in the background in "Persona" in non-speaking roles whenever his presence was necessary out in the field, and he seems to prefer to stay back and provide "technical support" and make things for other people to use. But he obviously has fun leaning into the mad scientist supervillain act at least a little ("allow me to introduce our host and benefactor"; "welcome to your lair, Master Planner"; "all that remains is calibration... and testing") and occasionally amuses himself making dorky jokes ("put even more 'ric' in your 'ochet'"). If he wasn't theatric he wouldn't work so closely with actors. I also imagine he has no criminal record (the arrest at the end of "Persona" didn't seem to stick and one of the cops did say in the first episode that the people Spider-Man apprehends nearly always walk...) and is staying in the background to avoid getting one for as long as possible, because him being able to work within the law is really convenient for them; I have a feeling he legally owned the closed-down barbershop and the prophouse.

Basically, though, I love the dynamic of two characters who are just doing this shit because they enjoy it, who've been working together a while and are developing supervillain personas kind of simultaneously. I have a feeling Tinkerer made most of the robots and tech that Mysterio uses, though Beck himself also contributed the "will-weaking" gas and the mask and makeup for his own android. (Which also means that the reason Beck is just never arrested after "Persona" and it's always a goddamn android is thanks to Phineas, which makes me smile.) Phineas might not even charge him for that stuff! Just in general they're basically married and I love that.

General Prompts:
Casefic is always welcome. What are their earlier crimes like back when they were primarily just working with Chameleon and doing low-level (but very profitable) thefts and impersonations? What are their newer crimes like, now that they're Mysterio and the Tinkerer and have moved into the supervillain end of things? Do they still do the older, more low-key stuff sometimes? I am also ALL HERE FOR firsts. The first time they met, the time they realized they were falling for each other, first dates, first kisses, first time having sex. Even just first meetings are ripe for interpretations; did they work together before Chameleon sought them both out or did they meet through Chameleon? Them playing games together, anything from the stupid "flick cards into a hat" game (I really like the idea that the only rule of that game is "if a card ends up in the hat, however it gets there, it counts") to actual card games to other kinds. How do they interact when they're alone? Phineas pretends to roll his eyes at Beck's theatrical moments but I would bet money he actually enjoys them 99% of the time. Do they have domestic moments when they're not actively committing crimes? One or both of them cooking, working on a joint project, talking film or books, talking about their pasts. I am actually a huge sap for these two so I'd also honestly enjoy marriage-related stuff, whether that's them already actually being married (if you handwave the canon as being set in 2012) or post-canon one of them proposing; I can absolutely imagine them being both practical about it (Phineas Mason making legality work for him/them and reasoning that things like hospital visitations and conjugal visits would be useful to have access to) and also legitimately emotional. Also, danger and/or H/C is always welcome; does Tombstone double-cross Tinkerer and send the Enforcers after them? (Did Tinkerer program in a failsafe that lets him or Mysterio shut down Ricochet and Ox's suits? That'd be smart.) Does Sin-Eater show up and end up threatening one or both of them? (Or does Chameleon run into trouble and these two have to step in to help?) Was Mysterio the one (maybe on one of the lightning machines or the flying dragon robot) to get Tinkerer down from being webbed halfway up that building after "Shear Strength"? Spider-Man kinda tortured/terrorized information out of Tinkerer in that episode; not just rescue but H/C would be incredibly welcome here, psychological or physical or both. Smut is also ALWAYS welcome; see general and fandom-specific likes for ideas... Feel free to make this an OT3 with Chameleon if you'd like, though if they're a V I'd rather Chameleon not be the center point; this isn't necessary at all, of course!

Seasonal & Holiday Prompts:
Oh my goodness maybe for this canon especially I am a sucker for cliche and tropey romantic and Valentine's things! Just general seasonal wintery stuff is great, adding in winter details to any of the above is excellent, them (maybe with Chameleon, and/or the Sinister Six in general) enjoying the snow is great, them cuddling by a fire is great, but... seriously. Cliche, tropey, fluffy romantic and Valentine's Day things. Ordering a nice dinner in and eating by candlelight in one of their hideouts because Quentin can't go anywhere public anymore without being ID'd as Mysterio, or (before Quentin becomes a little too famous) them going out on an actual date, either somewhere super casual or somewhere nice or just out on a walk or something unusual and fun! Curling up on the couch in front of the fire or to watch a romantic (or other type of) movie! (Phineas being happy to listen to Quentin talking about it and explaining the technical effects stuff!) Kissing! In the snow, in the rain, by the fire, by candlelight, by moonlight, Mysterio "kissing" Phineas's hand while wearing his stupid fishbowl helmet, Phineas kissing said fishbowl helmet... For these two I am even open to marriage proposals, no joke, or them already being everything but legally married (with or without Chameleon) and legality not being necessary to them, I am a fool for them. I am also so into early explorations of their relationship and how they first meet, first become attracted to each other, first fall for each other... Go nuts with this stuff and I will adore it!

(Also as a note specific to this canon, because the timeline is so clear: Mysterio is supposedly "in prison" on Valentine's Day during the events of the show -- February 14, 2009 -- but it's a Mysteriobot, not actually him. Does Tinkerer pick up dinner and a movie and go to spend a little quality time with Quentin wherever he's holing up? Anything that plays around with little canon details like that is cute!)