galadriel1010 | RMSE 2022 Letter

Dear creator,

First of all, I’m sorry this is so late. Mea culpa, I bit off a lot more than I could chew there. If you have an idea already, please carry on because I will love anything for these characters. Thank you so much for creating for me this RMSE. I cannot wait to see what you have for me and these lovelies.
RMSE 2022 appears to be ‘gay and besotted in the 1920s, possibly with magic’ year. I’ve picked out the Will Darling adventures by KJ Charles, Magic in Manhattan by Allie Therin (with its spin-off series), David Blaize by EF Benson, and Nightingale’s backstory from the Rivers of London series, along with one crossover despite the fact that I’ve come up with a dozen more since. I am up for crossovers between any and all of these, the madder you better, but I’m also entirely at home to fluff, hurt/comfort, heists and adventures, epistolary, or even outright angst for Wesley/Arthur because they were both idiots but they got better and so it’s fine.
I am really excited to see what you make, and I hope you enjoy this as much as I'm sure I will!

Standard DNWs:
Injuries to feet, extreme cold and hypothermia, death of children and pets.

General likes:
* Unconventional friendships
* Complicated but loving family dynamics
* Love letters to cities
* Technobabble that's good for the soul
* Intelligent characters getting to nerd out together
* Power duos and competent teamwork
* Pastiche, casefic, genre stories, genre fusions
* Weather, descriptions of landscapes, obscure historical details
* Opinions about tea.

Fandoms:
David Blaize - E. F. Benson
Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch
Magic in Manhattan - Allie Therin
Will Darling Adventures
Crossover Fandom

David Blaize - E. F. Benson
Fandom specific DNWS:
N/A

What I like about the fandom:
David Blaize is an absolute joy. I owe whoever recommended me the series a huge amount, although I still disagree with their assessment that it has too much cricket. The characters are just lovely people who have gentle adventures and disagreements, and even when it rains it's just a reason to have a good hot bath. I have read right through to the end of David of Kings, although I've not yet read David and the Blue Door, so anything from during the canon or into their future is right up my street. Frank is wonderful and needs someone to love him, and whilst I'd rather that be David I will accept anyone who accepts and loves him

David Blaize/Frank Maddox (David Blaize - Benson)
What I like about them:
David is just sunshine personified, and Frank needs that. The relationship between them in the books is wonderful, I love the hero worship morphing into real and lasting friendship, and the genuine love between them. I'm so here for David getting a clue, however long that takes, and for them to find happiness together

Hughes/Frank Maddox (David Blaize - Benson)
What I like about them:
Ugh. My poor boys. These two deserve to find happiness and live their truth, and I would love to see them live it together. Even if Hughes isn't much of a cricketer. They both have a lot of baggage to work out. It'd be interesting to see how they framed their experiences within the contemporary theories of Uranian love and the burgeoning understanding of queer sexualities. Not really interested in modern AUs for this, but I could probably be persuaded.

Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch
Fandom specific DNWS:
Nightingale/Peter

What I like about the fandom:
Ben Aaronovitch has somehow taken all of my favourite things - magical realism, excessive levels of detail, murder mysteries, London, architecture and sarcasm - and blended them into a series of books I could reread endlessly. The characters are all so endearing and detailed, the narration is a joy, the theory behind it is both sound and confusing. Could only be improved by the addition of cricket, but that's a very minor omission. You can tell he knows and loves his city

David Mellenby/Thomas Nightingale (Rivers of London)
What I like about them:
I realise that the author has made a decision, but since it's a stupid-ass decision I've decided to ignore it. Fixits for everyone! These two fascinate me, with the way that we're gradually being seeded information about David and his relationship with Nightingale. I'm pretty sure it'll be canonised as romantic one day, but we shall see. For now, we have fanfiction. And if we're going fixit, that's a whole century in my favourite place in the world for them to explore and live and love. The different social circles they've moved in, the social and economic changes they've seen, the endlessly changing skyline

Magic in Manhattan - Allie Therin
Fandom specific DNWS:
N/A

What I like about the fandom:
I just have so many feelings about this series. It's got everything. Historical detail, interesting characters, well-plotted adventures, angst, romance, hurt-comfort. The New York setting is one I'm not that familiar with, and I love that she gets out of the usual corners to explore the local area.

Rory Brodigan/Arthur Kenzie
What I like about them:
I can't decide whether my pull quote for these two is "Tell him to stop. I'm angry with him and he's breaking my heart" or "I'm not over-protective." "You won't let me walk on the outside of the pavement." "There are some really bad drivers around here." I love this series in general, the worldbuilding and the historical details, the diverse and believable cast with strengths and weaknesses that are the flip side of the same coin, but Rory and Arthur have rapidly wormed their way into my heart as my favourite couple. Arthur's protectiveness, Rory's abandonment issues, the class divide, the height difference and size kink, it's all absolute catnip. They work really well together and I love seeing that side of them as much as the adorable fluff and found family vibes. Historical detail always gleefully appreciated, but not necessary.

Wesley Collins (Viscount Fine)/Sebastian de Leon
What I like about them:
Ah, the danger marshmallow and the bastard. They're both so broken in so many complimentary ways. Early days for these two and we don't know where she's going yet, but I am so here for them rescuing each other and trying to pretend they don't care, or angsting at each other, or finally admitting that they're head over heels for each other. Amazing

Arthur Kenzie/Wesley Collins (Viscount Fine)
What I like about them:
Pour out the angst and the hurt comfort for these two. It's fine, they found the right people eventually. This pairing takes us back a bit further to the war, so plenty of opportunities for injuries and grief and anger and everything that got in their way. DNW a fixit for them, because Rory and Sebastian, but a HFN within the space Allie has given us would be lovely. Or just angry sex in a dugout

Will Darling Adventures
Fandom specific DNWS:
N/A

What I like about the fandom:
Casefic set in the 1920s? With spies and class conflict and deep survivor's guilt, and a bookshop? I'm so there.

Will Darling/Kim Secretan (The Will Darling Adventures)
What I like about them:
Class consciousness and "I wondered where your damage was" and books. What more could we want? I love how well these two work together even when they really don't want to. Phoebe and Maisie are more than welcome along for the ride (honestly, would love a lavender marriage for these four), and would adore a casefic with Will breaking noses and Kim taking notes, but also the two of them exploring that period of history, the class divide and the north south divide and all the other divides they have between them that somehow work perfectly.

Crossover Fandom
Fandom specific DNWS:
N/A

What I like about the fandom:
I love all kinds of crossovers and am always open to crossovers I've not prompted between fandoms I've requested. My favourite kind is those where both canons coexist in the same universe, like Vera and Lewis having to work together on a case that touches both universities or the Doctor landing on THEDAS.

David Mellenby (Rivers of London)/Frank Maddox (David Blaize)
What I like about them:

Thomas Nightingale (Rivers of London)/Frank Maddox (David Blaize)
What I like about them:
I would take any crossover with the canons I've nominated, really, but I didn't think of most of them soon enough. The one I did come up with in time was Frank with either Nightingale or David Mellenby, since they're more or less contemporary. Were Frank and David always at Casterbrook with Tom and David, or did Frank get pulled into the Folly's world after finishing at Cambridge? Does he even know that magic exists? All these questions and more. DNW mundane AU, but a fic where magic doesn't come up is absolutely fine if you want to go that way.