Fic In A Box 2026 Letter

Hello!

I go by Brachylagus_fandom over on AO3, and I'm delighted to see what you have in store for me! I've listed some general likes for the medium opt-ins I've requested across fandoms as well as prompts for the fandoms I've requested, but if inspiration takes you in another direction, go for it; I love all of these canons, and I'm sure I'll love what you create for them. Treats are welcome and enabled!

DNWs

smut
gore (canon-typical violence is fine, but please keep injury descriptions minimally graphic)
change of setting AUs (e.g., coffee shop/pirate/high school AU - canon divergence AUs fine, as are AUs that add elements to the canon setting like daemon or soulmate AUs)

Likes

Worldbuilding - how does this world tick, and what happens if you take the implications of some details very seriously?
Canon-divergent AUs and role swaps
AUs that add things to canon, like daemon and soulmate AUs
Characters being competent in their area of expertise
Crack, especially crack treated seriously
Outsider POV, unreliable narrator, contradicting narrators
Big stylistic choices - second-person or other non standard POVs, epistolary, nonlinear storytelling, etc
Mystery/intrigue
Missing scenes, little details of canon, slice of life
Hurt/comfort - I love a good whumping, either physical or emotional (or both! I love physical whump lowering a character's mental barriers, and emotional whump of being forced to watch a loved one get physically whumped), but only if there's some sort of comforting relief/resolution after.

Medium Likes

"Any" tags: I have opted into any length opt-in, any nominated in-universe medium that fit the canon setting, creator's choice of 3 different nominated in-universe mediums that fit the canon setting per work, and combined media - any nominated in-universe media that fit the canon setting.

In addition, for fandoms where I've either written or received a gift, I've requested several recursive tags. I love the way a remix or recursive work can highlight what the second creator found most interesting about the original work and even reinterpret the original fic (is the POV character of the first fic a reliable narrator, or is what's really going on something else entirely?).

The recursive tags I've requested where relevant are: Medium Opt-In: Writing - Recursive Fic of Any of the Recipient's Gifts In This Fandom (with creator's permission), Medium Opt-In: Writing - Recursive Fic of Any of the Recipient's Works In This Fandom, Medium Opt-In: Writing - Remix - Fic Remix of Recipient's Fic, Medium Opt-In: Writing - Sequel To Previous Gift To Recipient By The Same Author, Medium Opt-In: Art - Fanart Cover/Illustration of Recipient's Fic, Medium Opt-In: Art - Medieval Illumination-Style Illustration of a Scene From the Recipient's Fic, Medium Opt-In: Art - Fancomic of Recipient's Fic, Medium Opt-In: Art - Remix - Art Remix of Recipient's Fic, Medium Opt-In: Art - Remix - Art Remix of Recipient's Gift Fic (with author's permission), Medium Opt-In: Typographic Design - Cover Art of Recipient's Fic, Medium Opt-In: Unique Rules - Typeset of a Recipient's Fanfiction

In-Universe Media: I really love in-universe media for worldbuilding works - it's such a good way to incorporate that worldbuilding organically, by what the media (includes and what the media excludes but the audience knows it probably shouldn't), and it's also excellent for character and relationship studies. I love all sorts of in-universe media, especially documents that peer into areas of canon that are more in the background, or that cast a different perspective on the events we see in canon (like a police report for the victims of a Leverage heist, or in-universe Hunger Games ads). I'm interpreting "that fit the canon setting" broadly; I've written out a couple internet/social media relevant prompts for fandoms where the internet plays a bigger role, but I wouldn't be opposed to something like zine-type shenanigans in One Piece, or a Captiol social media in the Hunger Games. I also really do mean "any" for this request! There are so many nifty in-universe media tags in the tagset, and I'm sure whatever edge case you're wondering if that "any" applies to would be wonderful.
Poetry: I love poetry because it can establish very specific moods with very few words. No preference for metered vs free verse; I really like when very structured styles (e.g., villanelle) use that rigidity to full effect but also appreciate how less structured formats allow ideas and language to flow more freely. I'm particularly interested in in-universe poems (e.g., something a character wrote or a song they grew up singing), given my love of in-universe media more generally.
Typographic Design: there's such a glorious array of in-universe tags for this, and I've always found really nice book covers (and calligraphy in general) to be a form of art unto themselves; they're just so pretty while still being functional.
Comics: These can be such a nice blend of art and narrative. I love the way short comics like zines pack so much into a small space, but I also really love longer comics and ones that break the "rules" of the medium to tell a bigger story.
Fanart: I love seeing different styles of art and how other people visualize things! In terms of specific likes, I tend to prefer stylized (e.g., art deco, medieval-style paintings - I have requested medieval illumination-style art specifically as well) over realistic art styles and pieces with a clear sense of ~aesthetic, though I don't have strong preferences for what that aesthetic is; it's kind of like big stylistic choices in prose for me.
Illustrated Fic: A combo of two things I enjoy quite a lot! I love the way that illustrations can help establish a tone of a fic, or really bring a scene to life, and the way the text of a fic can engage with the images that accompany it. In terms of the medieval illumination style tag, I'd also love a fic illustrated in that style, where the images aren't necessarily super relevant but may reflect the wider world of the fic.
ASW panels: I think that the A Softer World format is great for a gut punch, and so many of these comics are so blorbo-coded it's not even funny. I'm totally down for something in the same three-panel style but with your own text as well, or text from one of the ASW spinoffs.
Conspiracy Board: these go hard into my love of Outsider POV, I think, and also my love of lack of frame of reference gags. What can the board-builder determine with the sources they have access to, and what data are they missing? Are the conspiracies right, or did their theory leave what's actually going on several steps back?
Logic grid puzzles/murdles: The logic needed to solve them, the way you get little bits and pieces before everything becomes clear all at once. I think this can be a fun way to do slice of life; A does these things with these parameters, but must remember which is which. For murdle, I love the backstory behind it, and the reaction of the suspect at the end! (I also really love the snarky tone of the descriptions in it, and the sometimes absurd hints like this weapon was made at least partially of animal.)
Maps: I love a good map. They're gorgeous, from the most elaborate piece to the subway layout scribbled on the back of a napkin, and the worldbuilding opportunities they offer - from the most literal "laying out of a world" to maps laying out legend keys to what's not quite right on them - are immense.
List of random facts, list of things [character] is not allowed to do: I saw these in the tagset and was struck with a bunch of nostalgia. These formats are so good for humor and gut-punches, and I'd love to receive them.
Not!fic: Not!fic has a wonderful way of highlighting the biggest/key parts of a potential story and cutting off scope creep.
Worldbuilding essay, meta infographic: I really enjoy seeing how these worlds work, and I think it can be just as interesting to take that from an out-of-universe perspective as a within-universe perspective. The only thing I look for when reading meta and meta-adjacent works is earnestness; I am more than happy to hear about a pedantic nitpicking of legal defenses within Murdle, or the deep ecological meaning of One Piece's oceanography, or a reading that is definitely not intended by canon but produces a fascinating reframing a la Darth Jar Jar, so long as you're invested in it.

One Piece (Anime & Manga)

Red-Leg Zeff & Sanji

I really enjoy the dynamic of these two, where they clearly care very deeply about each other but are completely incapable of saying it. What are some other ways they show their affection, either while Sanji's growing up or after he joins the Strawhats?

How does Sanji's second backstory affect his and Zeff's relationship? Does it completely blindside Zeff, or did he have an inkling that something like it might be coming? (Did he have run ins with Germa before, or maybe Sanji has waaaay too much knowledge of the Sora comics for someone who doesn't read them?) Even if he didn't suspect anything of the sort, were there things that in hindsight made way more sense given Sanji's pre-Rock life?

I'd also love Zeff's POV on getting attached to this random kid he dragged out of a maelstrom that killed his crew and on Sanji growing up more generally.

The Baratie Staff & Sanji

I'd love to see a look at the Baratie's staff dynamics, with Sanji's dual roles as sous chef/co owner and little shit. How has that dynamic shifted as Sanji grew up? What's his relationship with the long-term members like, and how does that differ from the rotating staff like the waiters?

What are the staff's reactions to Sanji's second backstory? Is it something any of them got vibes of ahead of time?

Red-Leg Zeff & Vinsmoke Judge

The confrontation of the dads! What happens when you force these two into the same space, with knowledge of who Sanji is to both of them between them?

Alternately, I'd love for Judge and Zeff to have crossed paths in the past (Zeff used to be a prince of Germa? A sibling or confidant of Sora? Just some annoying pirate?) and how that informs their dynamic and the way they view the other's dynamic with Sanji.

Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante & Trafalgar D. Water Law

The relationship between these two is so twisty and angsty, I love it. I'd love to see more of the early relationship, where Cora's transformed from Law's tormentor to his ally (maybe forcing them to stay with Doflamingo longer in this configuration?), and how that shifts over their time searching for a cure. How does Rosinante deal with Law's worsening illness? How does Law deal with his protector, the man who's burning down hospitals for him, being a Marine?

One of my favorite Doflamingo scenes is the one where he wakes up from his own flashback nightmare with a book about Flevance draped across his face. How does Rosinante feel about the ways his brother identifies with Law? Does he do the same thing.

And, of course… Rosinante lives. I have read like a dozen AUs where Doflamingo captures him instead and ate the angst in every one of them up like a spoon, but I also have to wonder just how many issues they've both repressed that come to a head now that they're stuck on Swallow Island together. (Cora's military role being one, obvi.) Or maybe, just this once, everything is beautiful and nothing hurts and Law gets six consecutive seconds of his life not going to shit.

Koala

There's just so much here. The angst from Fisher Tiger's death, the Nami parallels, Koala's own independent tragic backstory, the potential for spy shenanigans… so much.

When and how did Koala get to the Revolutionary Army? When did she decide to leave Foolshout (and damn, knowing that something is going on but none of the adults telling you, and only learning of Fisher Tiger's death via the news or possibly only via rumor and eavesdropping), and how did she know where to go? I'd also love to see her on missions with the Revs, either alone or with Hack and/or Sabo.

I'd really love to see her interact with the Strawhats again, partially because there's some obvious parallels with Nami going on and by the time she showed up in Dressrosa Nami was heading towards Zou, but also because this would put her into contact with Jinbe again. What do they know about each other's lives since Fisher Tiger's death? How has their dynamic changed now that Koala's an adult with her own, separate allies?

It would also be a lot of fun to see Koala interact with the current (Jinbe's or Aladine's) Sun Pirates, for the same reasons. Maybe she ran across them on a Revolutionary mission, or maybe they sought each other out intentionally, or maybe it's the coincidence of all coincidences.

Hack & Koala & Sabo

We don't get a lot of these characters, but I really enjoyed them in Dressrosa! I'd love to see more of their missions and misadventures with the Revolutionary Army, or how their dynamic works in downtime. How did their dynamic as a team come about, and how has it changed over the years?

How do Koala and Hack feel about Sabo's trip to Mary Geoise, and what he's done (and what's been publicized about what he's done) since?

For a little bit of missed angst (or not! who knows?), I'd love to see them as a team during Luffy's initial run up the Grand Line. What news do they catch of him? Do their paths intersect, in Alabasta or elsewhere?

Nico Robin

I love Robin's prioritization of her archeology over even herself, and how she's always eager for knowledge. I'd love to see her downtime on the Sunny, perhaps working her way through a new book (perhaps critiquing the historicity of it!) or enabling the general air of mischief, or maybe getting a proper archeological dig site on an island where they stop for a while. Or bonding with the Wano set, since the art of poneglyph writing has been preserved there, and likely so have texts that aren't accessible anywhere else!

I'd love to see her bonding more with Ohara's archeologists. How did they first become involved in her life? How has her perspective of them shifted, over the years? (And how has her perspective of Ohara overall changed? After all, her home life was… not good, and the citizens of Ohara were very willing when push came to shove to damn the archeologists and save themselves.)

I'd also love to see more of Robin's years between Ohara and joining Crocodile. Always running, always hunted, never able to trust… so much angst, but also the potential for a reprieve, either via AU (the Revs! Saul! a crew so determined to get the One Piece they're willing to look past everything for her poneglyph skills!) or just a brief journey to a place where Robin isn't known (and where she cannot risk staying), who treat her as just a wayward child.

And then her time with Crocodile! Was the cruel, uncaring, Miss All Sunday persona something she'd donned before that point, in order to make pirate crews think twice about crossing her, or was it something she constructed from scratch to deal with Crocodile and Baroque Works? There's also so fascinating about Robin joining Crocodile (and enabling the coup attempt) with the purpose of gaining knowledge that she very deliberately does not share with him (and with the plan to kill him, at least by the time they get to the tomb); was that planned from the start, or a decision she came to after working with Crocodile?

Her time with the Revs! What info does she gain, and what does she reveal in turn? (What does she learn about Elbaf, or perhaps choose not to learn?) Does she ever meet Sabo, and if so, how did that mess sort itself out? What skills did she learn, and which did she teach?

Jaguar D. Saul & Nico Robin

So in the Ohara flashbacks, I definitely got my heartstrings tugged by these two (Robin, feeling abandoned by all the adults in her life, finding a new friend! Saul enjoying her presence until he realizes where he is and thus what will happen next! The way that he very clearly stuck with Robin, even when she didn't believe she would have anyone ever again!), but this relationship didn't stick out to me as particularly more heart-rending or compelling compared to the rest of those flashbacks. And then Egghead happened, and I've been rotating these two in my mind ever since.

I'd love to see Saul's POV for the years between Ohara and Elbaf. What did he know of Robin's journeys pre-Strawhats? Did he ever try to find her, and if so, what were the problems he faced along the way? (I'd also love an AU where at some point he or the New Giant Pirates did!)

And then Robin's half of this! Of course, there's the joy that someone she thought died for her is alive (and that, in a way, Ohara won - the archeologists stood against the World Government that tried to burn their knowledge, and though only Robin survived their books did), but does she have more complicated feelings about the years she spent alone and on the run? Did she ever get an inkling that Ohara's books might have persisted, or some comment from the Revs about Saul?

Jinbe/Robin

These two have a couple flirty moments in canon (Robin can't refuse a dashing man!), and I'd love to see that expanded upon. How do they get under each other's stoic masks? What history of the world (or fishman legend) does Jinbe know and is willing to share with Robin and vice versa?

It would also be fun to see them cross paths pre-Strawhats! (After all, there is a poneglyph in Fishman Island.) Maybe flirting, or even an (ill-advised?) fling, and now they're working together and need to figure out what they want out of this relationship.

Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace & Sabo

The ASL trio! I love their youthful enthusiasm, and especially the way that Luffy's ride or die for Ace and Sabo well before they're willing to give him the time of day. What does the process from rescuing a Luffy who was tortured rather than give up the treasures of two people who just tried to kill him to becoming Luffy's brothers look like? I'd also love to see more of the trio pre-fire, just having hijinks in the forest and/or the Gray Terminal.

And, of course, all three do set out to sea, albeit not together. Had Sabo not been separated from the other two, how would that process have gone differently? Would Sabo and Ace have ventured out together, or still split up to form their own crews/join the Revs?

I really love what we see of Ace & Sabo's dynamic, and I'd love to see more of it, either explicitly or by Sabo haunting Ace's narrative.

Sabo's survival makes pre-timeskip One Piece a tragedy of missed connections. What do those missed connections look like? How close do his brothers get to finding him? And what happens if one of those missed connections isn't missed?

Monkey D. Luffy & Strawhat Pirates

Luffy is such a ride-or-die person, and I love how the rest of the Strawhats respond to (and, even when they feel they need to walk away, echo) that loyalty. I'd love to see that play out more, in grand rescues or just in small slices of life.

How do outsiders view the Strawhats' relationships? There's some sense that they're less hierarchical than many other crews (Luffy gets overruled on points far more often than we see Law or any of the other captains do, for instance), but in situations where he explicitly invokes his authority the Strawhats will back down (and of course any Strawhat adventure is 99% being pulled along for the ride). Do other pirates think he's a weak captain because of that, or even note the power differential? What about Marines? The Strawhats also seem to stick together more than some other crews (though a lot of this is when the other Supernovas get dragged along, and may be partially an artifact of Oda not wanting to add 20+ characters for an arc); do others pick up on this, and if so what do they make of it?

Monkey D. Luffy & Nami & Roronoa Zoro & Sanji & Usopp

The East Blue five! I love their dynamics so much, and I'd love to see some misadventures between Arlong Park and hitting Loguetown.

What about the dynamics of them vs the later crew members? The East Blue five went through a bunch of shit really quickly and bonded hard, and I'd love to see what the later members of the crew assume about how that came about (or what the early crew just… forgot to tell them). Do they think the crew was together longer pre-Loguetown? Are there incidents they just don't know about until Luffy jokes about Usopp hitting Zoro's frind with a cannon?

Nami

Nami's one of my favorite characters; I love her ruthless streak, but also the way she can be earnest at times.

It would be great to see more of Nami in her backstory. How has Nami tried to earn those 100 million berries prior to meeting Luffy and Zoro? (And, had she been further from her goal at the time, how would she have dealt with that and them simultaneously?)

Her relationship with Cocoyashi is so complicated and isolating. How does everyone (except Nojiko) treating her as if she's a traitor impact her feelings about them? Does she ever regret her deal? What about the good times in between the bad, where it's almost like Arlong never came?

And, relatedly, Nami's relationship with Bellemere. What would her life have been like, had Bellemere lived? Would she still have gone to Arlong, or would that plan have fallen through somehow? How did Nami's relationship with her mother change as she grew up, before and after Bellemere died, and how has the way Nami thinks about her (and thinks Bellemere would have considered her) changed post-Arlong? (Imagine Bellemere getting resurrected somehow, hearing her daughter has joined/been abducted by pirates, and having to deal with that. Especially if no one differentiates between the Strawhats and the Arlong Pirates.)

Nami's talents with the weather are amazing, especially once she tries to weaponize it. I'd love to see the work she (and Usopp!) have put into the Clima Tact over the years, adding new features and trying to perfect it. How does she plan out new moves with it, or optimize her usage of it?

I'd also really love to see Nami acting as the Strawhats' de facto treasurer, especially because the Strawhats (since, as a pirate crew, they're doing remarkably little piracy) don't have a particularly stable income. What are some schemes she's tried to earn some extra berries? (I've always thought that, at least closer to the beginning when the bounties involved were a bit smaller and the Strawhats less notorious, it would've been funny for them to attempt to claim their own bounties and then break out of jail.)

Nami/Nefertari Vivi

These two are so sweet together! I'd love to see more of the early relationship pre-Alabasta (maybe trying to sound each other out just after Whiskey Peak, where Nami's unsure if Vivi's going to get them all killed and Vivi's abruptly had to trust pirates?), or maybe pining over letters after they save the kingdom.

In at least some shots of the ladies' cabin on Merry, there's only one bed. Do with this fact what you will.

WB: Daily Life At The Baratie

How do the logistics of a floating restaurant work? Do they have pre-arranged coordinates where they'll be for guests to meet them? Are they just wandering around and being chased by East Blue's finest foodies?

I'd love to see some slice-of-life at Baratie, following the routines of a "normal" day (which may or may not involve massive brawls with the waitstaff.

How do these routines shift when Sanji leaves? Does the Vinsmokes' hunt for him change the restaurant's rhythms at all (maybe new regular customers, etc)?

WB: Daily Life In The Revolutionary Army (OP)

What does an average day at Baltigo look like?

How often do Revs go out on missions, and how long do they last on average? How does transport for the Revs work given One Piece's navigational constraints? Who picks who goes on what missions, and how? How do people report back with minimal risk of discovery?

WB: Daily Life Of The Strawhat Pirates

What does a day on the Sunny look like between adventures? What did it look like on the Merry?

What chores need to happen to keep the ship running, and who does them? Is there a rota, or do people have a set number of things they always do (eg, Sanji always cooks and Luffy always does dishes, Zoro keeps up the weights/exercise stuff while Nami keeps an eye on their maps and books)?

What do the crew members do when they need some personal space? (...is there even a way to get personal space, given Luffy?)

WB: Grand Line Weather Phenomenons

One piece climatology is bonkers, and I'd love to see how people in One Piece attempt to make sense of it and categorize it. What are some unexpected knock-on effects or causes of weird weather here? What are the techniques of the Weatheria wizards, and how do they differ from Nami's original Clima Tact methods?

How do daylight islands like Enies Lobby affect the surrounding climate?

And, kind of tangential, but what does this weather do to the ecology of the Grand Line? Do the magnetic field disruptions just nerf any migrating species entirely?

WB: Pirate Culture

We see a couple different views of piracy among various captains: piracy as freedom, as ultimate power, as simply a means to an end. How have these views shifted over time?

How is pirate culture passed on, especially with the glut of young, independent crews? Are parts of it region-specific, perhaps growing out of a local thieves' code (or mafia code, in the West Blue)?

What pirate legends are there? Which of them are true, and which are the most commonly repeated? How do these legends impact pirate culture?

Is there a presumed code of conduct amongst crews? How is it enforced?

WB: Any

History/Historiography of One Piece - the lost poneglyph civilization is intriguing, of course, but I'd love to know more about what happened before them, or how Ohara found out about them. What sort of records exist that the World Government hasn't destroyed? How did Ohara compile them? How does the World Government's history (what's recorded, at least) intersect with that of, say, the Sky Islands, and what do the Sky Islands' histories look like?
The Poneglyphs - and speaking of the poneglyph civilization… I'd love to know more about the carving process for these, and what function(s) they served pre-World Government. How did Ohara crack the poneglyph script, and are there any deviations between what they believe it to be and the script as written by Oden?
Seastone - it's everywhere, from high-tech weapons to the substrate of Sky Islands. I'd love to know more about how it works - and the challenges of working with it. What limitations are there to forging it, and in what ways do the Marines' and Wano's methods of working it differ?
Political structure of the World Government - There are more countries part of the WG than seats at the Reverie; how is it decided who goes? How do the WG-wide institutions like the Marines get funded and organized/controlled? How does the WG's bureaucracy work, especially given the transit difficulties and delays in communication involved?

One Piece (Live Action TV 2023)

Monkey D. Luffy/Nami/Roronoa Zoro/Sanji/Usopp

I love them all so much, and I feel like all of their relationships to each other are distinct but cohere so well. They're also all so intense for each other, and I love how touchy the Strawhats (particularly Luffy) can be with each other in the Live Action, and would love to see something where those touches turn into something more. (Especially if the Strawhats don't agree on when those touches turned non-platonic/who started it!)

I'd also love something playing off the first teaser trailer for s2 (the casual unannounced movie night in Nami's bed!) or some sickfic angst whilst nami's recovering.

Nami

My blorbo! I love the way she's harsh to avoid vulnerability, so ruthlessly cunning until she starts to care.

The 100 million berries! How has Nami earned them? What schemes has she pulled off prior to meeting Luffy and Zoro? (And, had she been further from her goal at the time, how would she have dealt with that and them simultaneously?)

Her horror at Orange Town is so visceral, I have to imagine it comes from personal experience and/or nightmares, and I'd love an exploration of the way her time with Arlong informs her reaction here.

Her relationship with Cocoyashi! So extremely and perfectly isolating, since no one knows about her deal in the live action. I'd love to see how that relationship has changed and developed and devolved as Nami got older, the way that Nami going to Arlong herself affects their view of her, the facade she puts up for them (and Arlong) versus what she really feels.

Nami & Any Arlong Pirate

This is such a twisty, messy relationship, especially with Nami willingly joining but kept there by force, a member in good standing by the time of the series but also an outsider. I'd love to see how Nami's relationship to the other Arlong pirates changes over the years, especially if there's some crew turnover in that time so some of the people she's fleecing at poker don't know about how she came to join the crew.

And, obviously, bad times abound, but what about the good times? The times where this was the place Nami didn't quite belong, but felt most accepted?

Nami/Kaya

I found the connection these two had in the show to be really great, and I'd love to see more of it! Maybe Kaya decides to travel with the Strawhats to learn more about medicine across the seas, or maybe Nami's been to this island before and thought about stealing from Kaya's family then.

Nefertari Vivi/Nami

A classic ship for this canon! I'd love to see some mutually unwise crushes while Vivi is still Miss Wednesday, or some bonding in between islands. (Or sickfic whump with the Little Garden disease. Sickfic whump is always a classic.)

And, I mentioned this in the A&M section, but to reiterate: only one bed in the ladies' cabin.

Solo: Nico Robin

Robin! I love her in all adaptations, but OPLA is playing her early-appearance menace really well. I'd love to see more of her time in Baroque Works, and especially her relationships with the other agents, since she seems to be working with them a bit more in the LA. (And, if you want to have her interacting with Miss Wednesday and Mr 9, that would be fantastic as well!)

Nico Robin/Tashigi

One of the adaptation's surprises! I love Robin positioning herself as the truth-teller to Tashigi, and Tashigi getting in over her head and going deeper. I'd love to see a continuation of that relationship as we get closer to Alabasta, maybe with a bit of a corruption arc for Tashigi.

On the sillier side, it could also be nice to see Tashigi dragging Robin back like a cat she found in the rain, especially with how long it takes people to realize Miss All Sunday's true identity.

Red Legged Zeff & Sanji

I'd also love Zeff's POV on getting attached to this random kid he dragged out of a maelstrom that killed his crew and on Sanji growing up more generally. Baby Sanji is such a little shit in the flashback, and I'd love to see that bleed over into Baratie's early days.

WB: Cultural Views Of Piracy Among Pirates (OPLA), WB: Non-Pirates' Understanding/Opinion of Piracy (OPLA), WB: Philosophy of Piracy (OPLA), WB: Public Opinion of Piracy (OPLA)

Luffy's view of piracy differs pretty heavily from that of the rest of the we see (Zeff and Shanks excepted). How normal is his understanding of piracy in general (vs piracy as a crime, with additional crimes generally tacked on top)?

Outside of places preyed upon by crews like Buggy's or Arlong's, what's the general view of piracy, and how does this differ by region? Is it viewed more neutrally in the Grand Line because of increased presence, or perhaps more negatively because the pirates themselves are stronger? How does this apply to the Warlords?

How do pirates specifically understand and justify piracy, and does this vary by area? Are there common ethical codes, or is it very much an "every captain draws his own lines" thing? Do more laidback crews like Shanks' interface with the less savory pirates like Buggy's crew at all, or do they consider crews that use that type of sustained violence as outlaws amongst outlaws?

WB: Public Opinion/Rumors About The Straw Hat Pirates (OPLA)

Outsider POV time! The Strawhats are a very chaos-involved crew, and not one that pays much attention to the public record and setting it straight, and I'd love to see how that rubs off on coverage and perception of them. Does the World Government propaganda machine try to take a different tack with them than with other crews at all? How do what rumors stick and which get dismissed change depending on if it's a place the Strawhats have stayed before, and how do people who actually met Luffy & co start the strangest rumors of all?

WB: Any

There's so much compelling worldbuilding here, and I'd love to see some more of it.

The Warlords! Is Garp calling in Mihawk here something expected, with the Warlords being more mercenaries than privateers, or is this unusual? How did this system come about, and how does it function normally?
I'd also love a deeper look into the military here. How does its bureaucracy work? How much of Morgan's control over Shellstown normal versus an abuse of power? (As a tangent, how did Morgan lose his arm?) How much oversight by Vice Admirals like Garp is expected for an outlying base like this? How does the stringent information control we see with the map translate to other areas of operations?
I'd also love a look into the logistics and recruitment of Baroque Works. Why are we dispatching teams to check on the deceased Mr. 3? Why is Croc recruiting from the East Blue; is he trying to avoid criminals with a record, who might be more likely to recognize Miss All Sunday or him? What about their outreach to Walpol?
The implications of fishmen treatment elsewhere! Especially in the context of Nami's complicated relationship with Arlong's crew.

The 39 Clues - Various Authors

General Thoughts on In-Universe (Social) Media

I think this series is a great place for some outsider perspective, just because Cahill "normal" is so far removed from the rest of the world, and the In-Universe Social Media/Reddit tags would be a great way to do that. (It kinda reminds me of the now-defunct Cahill Web, which, in addition to a bunch of in-universe documents and edit wars on not!Wikipedia, had fake social media pages for the characters. The pages had a lot of pretty normal stuff and comments from non-Cahill friends, but there were also a bunch of references to Cahill activity.)

I'd also love to see how the characters use social media in different ways that reflect their different personalities. I imagine Jonah's stuff would be very curated, since he's a public figure, but maybe he's got a side account or three that are much less so. (And there's always the potential for the "this reminds me of that time I threatened to kill you… looking great!" comments, with this group.)

In terms of Reddit stuff, these characters have enough interpersonal tirefires to burn r/relationships to the ground. I also think a deeply bizarre AITA post with names removed but not any of the weird shit (and/or literal crimes) the characters get up to would be top-notch. ("I spied on and tried to shoot my best friend. AITA?") And the number of weird things someone could describe themself in a r/IAmA thread would be hilarious.

It would also be great to see a seemingly unrelated thread, maybe on r/History, getting derailed via people trying to cover up and/or expose Cahill secrets (again, shades of Cahill Web and the not!wikipedia).

Fiske Cahill & Grace Cahill

These two have such an interesting relationship, in part because we don't really get to see it (since the series started with Grace's death). I'd love to see them as children (or, I guess, child + late teenager/early adult who's in some ways closer to parent than sister). In Storm Warning, Fiske partially convinces Amy of his identity based on how similar his reaction to Beatrice is to Dan's; what was the relationship between Grace, Beatrice, and Fiske like when they were young? Fiske was an artist, and some of his angsty teen poetry or art would be great.

Fiske's decision to fake his death/become the Man in Black would also be a really interesting thing to explore. How involved was Fiske in Cahill business before he faked his death, and how much of the pressure on him was specifically a result of Grace's involvement? What was Fiske and Grace's relationship like immediately before that choice and afterwards? Did they keep in touch as family members or solely as Madrigals? I also think that Fiske's "death" would be a focal point for at least one conspiracy theory, between general true crime fervor (teenage white boy goes missing and has his death reported in one of the most sus ways possible) and Grace's prominence.

Related to the above, it could be great to see Fiske reckoning with Grace's reputation/prominence/legacy before he left, during his time as the Man in Black, or after Grace's death. (Especially since he moves from what looks like being pretty estranged to now caring for two kids who had a close relationship with her - and, given the Clue Hunt and its successors, probably some complicated feelings of their own!)

Hamilton Holt & Madison Holt & Reagan Holt

Sports siblings! The Holt family dynamic manages to simultaneously be pretty supportive and deeply fucked up, and I'd love to see something exploring that. Some of their exploits pre-canon could be fun, as would their efforts to restructure the Tomas branch after Into the Gauntlet. How did the Clue Hunt (and subsequent misadventures) alter their relationship?

I really like how Hamilton and Regan both buck family expectations at different points and different ways. I'd really enjoy fic of the Holts being supportive of Regan's dancing or Hamilton's process of coming out/getting a boyfriend. (The existence of his off-page boyfriend is literally the only part of Doublecross I have osmosed.) Does Madison also end up doing something not Holt-like?

Olivia Cahill & Madeleine Cahill

Their relationship has always intrigued me. I'd love to see some of Madeleine's training or other things Olivia taught her, and both of them grappling with Gideon's legacy (and those of Katherine/Thomas/Luke/Jane). It would also be great to see Olivia's adventures in creating the serum antidote (with young Madeleine tagging on). How did she know what she needed to collect for it? How did she test it?

Amy Cahill

I have an immense amount of affection for bookworms thrust into high-stakes situations, and Amy definitely qualifies. I'd love to see her pre-Clue Hunt, either on a trip to Grace's or just trying to muddle through. How did Grace prepare her for the Hunt (like how she trained Dan's memory)? What happened when Cahill stuff came up?

It would also be great to see Amy growing into her responsibilities post-Clue Hunt. What was the adjustment from "Cahill is my surname and has no other meaning" to leader of the Madrigals like?

What are some of her favorite books, either before or after the Hunt? What are some times things she read about came in handy?

Jonah Wizard

I'd love to see more of Jonah's relationship to his celebrity status (which he seems to feel at least somewhat restrained by in Into the Gauntlet) - how has that changed over the years, as he's gotten older or more famous? How does it shift after what's got to be a pretty traumatic experience during the hunt? How does his role as the son of the Janus branch's head mesh with his career; beyond any networking opportunities the branch would provide, how does that benefit him? What is he expected to do in return?

I'd also love Jonah's relationship with music in general, either stuff he writes (and its development over the years) or music written by others. Are there any songs he's too embarrassed to sing? Particular favorites (or tracks he has surprising fondness for)? What instruments does he play?

I'd also be interested in Jonah's complicated relationship with various members of his family (both parents, Phoenix, etc.). How have those shifted over the years? Is there anything there that he's only coming to terms with as an adult?

Sinead Starling

I think Sinead is a super interesting character; she's a very different person at the start of the hunt vs. in Into the Gauntlet vs. in CvV, but you can draw a decent through line between them. A look at her POV on those shifts would be excellent, particularly her decision to become a Vesper (and the resultant fallout).

Pre-canon, how did she and her brothers get involved in Cahill business? What was her relationship like with them and Alistair, who seems to be an uncle figure to many of the younger Cahills? (Somewhat relatedly, where are her parents? 39 Clues definitely follows the kids' series trope of adults being evil/unwilling to help, incompetent/unable to help, or dead, but I think the Starling adults are the only ones not mentioned at all.) What were their normal lives like?

The time between the explosion and the Starlings' re-entry into the Clue Hunt would be another excellent place to explore. It's a major shift in their lives however you look at it, and I'd love to see how it shook up the triplets' group dynamics and affected Sinead in particular. Did she have guilt over having fewer complications from the explosion? What kind of support did she get, from inside or outside the branch?

I'd also really love to see her and Amy/Dan/Fiske in the period between the first and second series, since she seems to be living at the Cahill mansion by the time of CvV. Was this a deliberate ploy to get closer? A happy accident? What good memories does she have of that time frame?

WB: Differences between Cahill and Mainstream History

As a kid, some of my favorite parts of the series were attempts to incorporate historical figures into the Cahill mythos, and I'd love to see more of that with the historical figure/event of your choice. I'm equally fine with connections mostly used to segue into your fave historical topics (as many of the books did) and serious examinations of how the Cahills being real would have impacted this event.

I'd also really like to see how this would affect non-Cahill (or non-branch-affiliated) people! That could be a fun way to use some outsider POV (as the motivations of the hunt to people outside it are utterly obtuse) and feature historical figures who cannot be easily retconned as Cahills. I also really liked the note in The Medusa Plot where the Janus were trying to marry Caravaggio in; what other "Cahills" came about this way?

It might also be fun as a "truth is stranger than fiction" take on conspiracy theories. (Who shot JFK? Well, an Ekat was trying to kill him from the grassy knoll, but a Lucian gave the Ekat agent lunch poisoning only to have their papers switched to obvious forgeries by a Janus, who was beaten to the site by a Tomas… and then some rando shot him from the book depository.) I could see this being played as the accepted version of events being true and branch actions acting parallel to real-life conspiracy theories, the actions of branch agents inadvertently planting the evidence used by conspiracy theorists, or it really being a Cahill conspiracy (covered up with varying degrees of accuracy). (Also, as a random aside, would some anti-Stratfordianism in a Cahill universe be a result of Shakespeare not being Janus? Especially if Marlowe et. al. were, given Jonah's mention of attempts to marry Caravaggio in.)

For alternate media, art in a period-type style would be very cool. I also remember the "edit wars" on ILikeUselessFacts (CahillWeb's Wikipedia dupe), where members of various branches and people not in the know debated what should and shouldn't be in articles, and that could be nice to replicate.

WB: Branch Social Structure/Politics/Culture/Recruitment

I was a huge fan of all the spy tropes as a kid, and the branches were a huge source of that. If you wanted to use a not-quite-OC, I'd love to see one of the card-only characters used to explore branch structures/culture/recruitment/politics; they have such interesting concepts I'd love to see explored.

Besides "cutthroat and sporadically deadly", what do branch politics look like? How do they differ between the different branches? How do they differ between different bases within a branch?

How do the politics/values of a branch affect its social structure; for example, would Ekats praise researchers unusually highly since they're "the smart branch", whereas social standing in the Tomas heavily hinges upon experience in the field (replete with "and the Madrigals were thiiiiiis close" aggrandizements)? How cohesive is branch culture, given that members are scattered across the world? (Again, is that something that's more on a major-base-by-major-base level?)

How do agents get recruited, in addition to "my parents are agents, so I'll be an agent"? Do branches have people with an eye on local news/police scanners who have a talk with anyone who comes up with something interesting? Do people discover whispers of this organization that can take you anywhere, get you anything, and seek it out? (How do the branches determine if the person is actually a Cahill of the appropriate branch? Cora mentions a test in Emperor's Code, though in context she's lying about the results; there's a test panel in Into the Gauntlet, but I could see that fabricating results, too. If there is a test, how has it evolved over time?)

I'd also love to see how the branches are run on a day-to-day basis, and how agents coordinate across bases. Obviously, the rise of the internet (and before that, telegraphs and other forms of quick communication) have allowed for a greater degree of contact and cohesion, but what gets left to an individual base to do and what gets kicked up the chain? (This would go back to politics as well - maybe you generally forward info on that weird guy dressed in black lurking around to your superior, but he's a dick and so you don't particularly care if the Madrigals get him.) Who pays for the electricity/food/water/supplies on a base? (Member dues, insider trading, the branch owns the local utilities? All sorts of possibilities.) Do agents stay on/near bases adjacent to their work, or seek jobs closer to major bases? (Do agents have outside jobs? Canon skirts this a bit because a lot of them are, like, twelve, but I'd be curious of the answer. Also, relatedly, do agents get paid, and if not, is that why a lot of them are rich and/or teenagers? Do they get fringe benefits from working for the branch?)

WB: Guardian Organization/Social Structure/Culture/Recruitment/History

Honestly, I wish this had gotten explored more in CvV because the idea of a parallel (and predating!) organization dedicated to preserving the world is fascinating. How, when, and why were Guardians formed? How did they get tangled up in Cahill business? (If the Vespers originate from Damien Vesper, what were the Guardians initially formed to protect the world from?)

How was the organization structured? Was it similar to the branches, where there's one leader (or leading council) in charge, or does the title refer more to a loose group of people with similar interests who could rely on each other for help? How were Guardians recruited?

What skills did the Guardians value as a group? What methods did they use to preserve their knowledge/pass it on? How did they encode messages?

What happened to the Guardians, other than Atticus and his immediate ancestors? (Are the Guardians otherwise wiped out, or merely in hiding/disconnected from Atticus' lineage due to a schism or presumed death? If it's the latter, I could maybe see that connecting with the Gomez family stuff in Storm Warning, but I'd love to see Atticus learning about his heritage either way.)

WB: Vesper Organization/Social Structure/Culture/Recruitment/History

Again, an organization I'd love to see some explanation for. We've got some hints at their organizational structure - it's ruled by a council of six (albeit one that has someone who's been a member for about 3 years tops) - but I'd love to see an org chart for this mess, or how the council enacts policy. What is the goal of the Vespers as a whole? What do their missions typically look like?

What is the social structure of the Vespers like? It's suggested (I think in one of the missions) that there are agents after the top six with V# titles, and that these carry some sort of prestige; are Vespers 7-39 (or 50, 100, 666, etc.) also in designated roles, or is it determined in some other way? What is the culture of the Vespers like? IIRC, Dave Speminer's burns were implied to be a deliberate coming of age ritual; is that just for descendants of the man himself or a more widespread thing?

How are Vespers recruited? Sinead's recruitment suggests some seeking out of Cahills at their lowest moment, but between V1 and Arthur Trent, there does seem to be some family recruitment. (What is up with the Trents specifically? Are they a branch of the Speminers, some other long-allied family, or two agents who decided to start a family and raise their kids in it? How involved is Shep?)

How did Damien form the Vespers? What were his initial goals? Is their enmeshment with Cahills a deliberate tactic, a means to get the serum, or largely a result of the scope of Cahill influence? (Did any Cahills know about them ahead of time or clock that there was a split between two groups of Madrigals/agents of enemy branches?)

WB: Any

I love the tech in this series, and would love to see more of it (or similar ideas of your own). How does it work (schematics/explanatory documents welcome)? How were they invented/developed? How have they trickled out into the normal world over time? How do you reserve rights/patent something too secret for anyone outside the branch to know about?

I'd also love to see more of the serum's development process (in particular sourcing the ingredients) or the antidote's development. It would also be great to see some of the previous attempts at recreation/uniting the family.

It would also be great to see some different takes on the Cahill origin story - mythologizing the fire/using it as a motif, alternate versions of how it (or other major events) went down as told by different branches or at different times

Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins

Any Career Tribute & Any Non-Career Tribute

How common is it for a non-Career tribute to be in the Career pack, like Peeta was? What are the general Career (and non-Career tribute, or even citizen) opinions on the idea? How do non-Career tributes regard being in the Career alliance?

Or maybe this particular Career isn't in the pack when they and the non-Career meet up. Did they get kicked out of the pack (maybe for suggesting the non-Career join it!), or maybe have the Careers split at this point? How does that impact the power dynamics at play?

What common ground do Careers and non-Careers have? And how does the fact that a) they need to kill each other and b) one of them has a lot more training on how to do that impact whatever common ground they can cobble together?

Any Career Victor & Any Non-Career Victor

The Career vs non-Career divide is so juicy, and in some ways the victors are on the most even playing field to bring up those contrasts. How does being a victor hit Careers and non-Careers differently? What elements of the aftermath hit the same (and which of those surprise the Career and non-Career)?

How do the Career Victor and the non-Career Victor become connected in the first place? Is this some sort of cross-mentorship scheme? A bizarre "you were friends with and/or killed my tribute, so now we're connected" thing? Just a friendship based on shared interests and a limited social circle?

How does mentorship impact a relationship like this? A Career Victor is more likely to get a victor when mentoring, but a non-Career likely has to mentor more often, and that's before relationships to their districts (positive or negative) come into play.

Any Stylist & Any Mentor

How much feedback do mentors have on the tributes' costumes generally? Is the stylist expected to listen to the mentor's critique, or is any listening treated as a great favor? How do stylists and mentors work together to "package" a tribute?

What are a stylist's duties during the Games themselves? Are they expected to be prepping for victor programming? Are they helping the mentors and escorts run things?

Any Stylist & Any Tribute

What are the dynamics between tributes and their stylists like? Katniss and Cinna are obviously very close, but is that closeness typical? Do stylists expect to provide emotional support to their tributes, or is it viewed as an attachment risk? (And how many get attached anyways?)

What do stylists do during the games? What do the games feel like when you know a tribute but also don't have any ability to help them?

Cinna & Katniss Everdeen

This is such an iconic relationship in the books, and I'd love to see more of it. What were the Games like from Cinna's perspective? How did they keep in touch between the first two books as they plan Katniss' talent?

And, of course, there's always the potential for Cinna to have survived Catching Fire and popping out of the woodwork during Mockingjay - either during the victor breakout, or being uncovered post-war.

Gale Hawthorne & Katniss Everdeen & Peeta Mellark

I love the ideological push and pull between these three, and I'd love to see how that crops up in their interactions. When it comes to the Games stuff, Gale's of course the odd one out, but, when it comes to stuff inside District Twelve (and, of course, outside its fence!), Peeta is. Is there any subject they have in common Katniss doesn't? How do these differences in perspective manifest?

And, of course, a major element of their relationships is the fact the Capitol is sold on the Katniss/Peeta romance and is pursuing that angle relentlessly. I'd love to see something set between the first two books, as Katniss and Gale struggle to find a new equilibrium and also sort out how Peeta fits into their preexisting relationship. Outside of the relationship angle, what are Gale's feelings on Peeta? Does he view their separation pre-Catching Fire as a good thing, or view it as a form of abandonment? What kind of relationship do they have in the stolen moments, when no one is (meant to be) watching?

I'd love to see Peeta and Gale build some rapport, in whatever time frame relative to the books you'd like, and how that impacts their relationships with Katniss?

It would also be great to see how the destruction of District Twelve (and thus so much of any common ground any of the could've had) impacts their relationships. Or what follows, with Peeta's hijacking and then Gale's bombs.

WB: Career District Training Systems

How do training systems differ between the Career districts? (Is there even one singular "system" per district, or are there many smaller, perhaps regional or private groups aiming at doing this training?) How do the "graduates" of those systems view the relative merits/downsides of those differences between their programs?
How are kids selected for each training program? Are there different age ranges in different districts? What do applications look like? What do the training programs look for in applicants?
How is the training done? What elements are involved in it? Is it a residential program, a special day school, or some mix of both? Do the kids need to pay for the training, or is it subsidized in some manner by the District or Capitol?
What's the social life of kids in training like; do they interact with their non-Career friends at all? What happens to kids in Career training who don't volunteer; how do they reintegrate into their District economy?
What is the general perception of the (ex-)Careers among non-Career parts of the Districts? What's the perception on these programs of the trainers themselves; are they proud of their work or perhaps more conflicted?

WB: Gamemaker As A Job

What does one study to become a Gamemaker? How do they apply, and what are alternate careers for those who can't become one?
What's the day-to-day running like? How does promotion work?
Who gets to design the arena, and what sort of Gamemaker politics go into who gets chosen (and who gets to control which areas of the arena)?
How does a theme/biome get chosen; are there any restrictions on what Gamemakers can choose? Are the arenas finalized on the first day of the games, or do the Gamemakers shift the terrain/threats based on audience or tributes' reactions? (E.g., adding additional poisonous plants/venomous mutts if the tributes are suspicious of totally legit plants, or if a tribute's death to poison is particularly popular.)
How long does it take to put an arena together?

WB: Games Sponsorship

How does the sponsorship system work? Who's allowed to sponsor tributes, and what stipulations can they (or the mentors) place on those sponsorships? Are there traditional sponsor blocs for e.g. the Career districts?
Games workers can't bet because of insider knowledge. How do external betting markets factor in and intertwine with sponsorship?
And what's the expectation for tributes/victors (or their mentors) to repay sponsorship? What happens if a sponsor views the response to their gift as insufficiently flashy?

WB: Victors Fandom/Stan Culture Among Capitol Citizens, WB: Victors' Relationship with Their Fans

This is a double-edged sword in many ways, where courting popularity can get your tributes more sponsorships but can also attract attention the victors don't want. How do different victors manage their fanbases? How transactional is it on the victor's end, versus how much of it is just genuine behavior? What are some particularly notable fanbases?
What does Games fandom look like for Capitolites? Are their district fanbases, or maybe ones grouped by mentor? Do people go hard into fandom on the tributes, or focus more on the victors they already have?
What does victor fandom look like the 10 months out of the year where there isn't a games or victory tour? Is there district tourism? People being shipped in for live appearances?
How does the 75th games, with the known victors becoming tributes, impact the Games fandoms and their dynamics?

WB: Victors' Relationships to Each Other (Hunger Games books)

There is so much potential here, given how victors are the only other people to truly grasp what's probably the most traumatic experience of most victors' lives (which everyone else also knows every intimate detail of!). How does that undercurrent impact the dynamics of victor relationships?
What does a negative relationship between two victors look like? What are the root causes of their emnities, and how do they get expressed when Claudius Templesmith really wants you both on his show at the same time?
How do these relationships form across districts? Do the victor relationships map onto the Career/non-Career divide, or is there more variety here?
What are victor relationships like when the Games are starting vs when the Games are done (or, at least, their tributes are dead)?
I'd love an AU where Katniss and Peeta meet with other victors on their tour. How does the reception they get from victors vary by district, and how does that compare with the general reception from the districts?

Crossover Fandom

Daphne Blake & Velma Dinkley & Fred Jones & Norville "Shaggy" Rogers & Scooby Doo (Scooby Doo) in Death Note (Manga)

I saw this while browsing the tagset and was instantly in love. This is such a great genre mishmash, and I'd love to see how this comes together. Is Ryuu somehow in a rubber suit? Are the monsters the Scoobies are looking to uncover real for once (and if so, how do they react when trying to pull off a rubber mask and it's just a face)? Is L still somehow on the case and we have duelling teams of detectives? So many possibilities!

Jessica Fletcher (Murder She Wrote) & Dave Rossi (Criminal Minds)

Jessica is a mystery writer and citizen sleuth; Rossi is a true-crime writer and FBI agent. I'd love to see them interact from either half of that equation. For the writing, do they have arguments over whose (sub-)genre is best? Do they have opinions on each other's work? Are said opinions positive or negative?

For the crime, I'd love to see Jessica stumble into a BAU case (either during Criminal Minds or before it, during Rossi's first tenure at the BAU). Does she help or hurt the investigation? Does Rossi end up wondering if she was the real serial killer after all? It could also be interesting to have Jess on as a consultant when their unsub of the week decides to riff on mystery tropes/her work specifically. I would also be really funny for Jessica to fall under investigation/be an Unsub (or covering for Grady or another of her relatives who is).

Or maybe combine the two! Writer's retreat/conference/dinner by their mutual publisher gets snowed in, lights go out, bodies hit the floor, and now they must work together to solve the case.

Murdle (Video Game)

Inspector Irratino/Deductive Logico

These two are so great. Always firm in the belief that their method of crime-solving is superior (and smug to one-up the other) but also respecting the other as a rival, antagonist, and friend (with benefits). I'd love an exploration of how their relationship has evolved over the years and how they've influenced each other. (E.g., the marot cards - Irratino uses them to divine info, but they're also Logico's suspect/weapon/place cards, but they've got star sign info on them, which seems very much against Logico's nature and thus a result of Irratino's influence.)

And the dates! I love their various dates, and would love to see a new one (or one of those we already know). Do they ever talk about Irratino's tendency to play possum? Do they ever pull a cozy plot and have a body mysteriously appear on stage when they are at that experimental one act?

Deductive Logico

The bushy-eyebrowed catcher of murdlers! I love his dedication to the art of logic puzzles, and it could be fun to see how that's developed over the years. Is the technique a Logico family tradition or something he picked up elsewhere along the way? How has his system been refined over the years? How does he solve cases that don't easily reduce to a grid format?

Given the efficacy of Irratino's method, what drew Logico to rationality in a world where the occult is presumably real? Have there been any cases he solved that other means couldn't have?

Logico is in a secret society, which sporadically passes him messages. How did he join such an organization? Who else is a member?

Inspector Irratino

The man, the mystery, the dramatic himself! I love his sense of the occult, and I'd love to see how he came to it. Is it a genuine gift or merely a shortcut for intuition? Does the Marot work at a crime scene scene?

Of course, there is no way to discuss Irratino without his weekly tendency to drop dead. How did that start? What does he get out of it? How does he fake his death; does he connive with the M.E., is it a very convoluted coincidence, or does only Logico get the message that he's currently dead? Why is Irratino at the rich people's prison in the first place; is he interviewing a prisoner, does he have a deal with someone, or is it something else?

I would also be more than open to a take where Irratino's not faking his death but is getting magically resurrected or is in a time loop (possibly one that can only be broken by confessing to Logico). I think it could be fun to contrast his powerlessness over whatever's keeping him alive and his power over other aspects of the occult. (It could also be fun to see Logico in a loop, as he tries to rationalize this clearly irrational thing.) Was it something he invoked? Does he figure out how to break it, and if so, how does he do so? If he tells Logico, I'd love for Logico to just go "...right" - not necessarily believing him, but believing that it is something Irratino believes in as strongly as anything else, which is good enough for the moment.

Murdlers

I love the game's many merry murdlers (and am including the rest of the submissions for the create a character contest in that)! I'd love to see their backgrounds explored; how did they come into their life of crime? When did they first meet our detective duo?

I'd also really love to see some exploration of the love/hate/childhood friends icosahedron of the murdlers. They must have so much interpersonal drama going on at any one time, lol, and I'd love to see it.

WB: Forensics

"Treat the fun jokey murder game's mechanics very seriously", basically. Many of the clues in this game (even aside from the secret society hints) are difficult/implausible in the real world. How do you get a fingerprint off the waters of the Nile? What kind of forensics tech does this world have? I would love to see the investigatory portion of any given Murdle puzzle; how does Logico come up with the items on his list?

How do some of the weapons work? (For example, the lawyer would logically be a murdler, not the murdle weapon.) What happens when the weapon leaves nothing behind, or leaves behind something other than standard residue?

The usage of star signs particularly interests me. How can you tell the star sign of a suspect from a crime scene? Do moon/rising signs matter, or is this purely based on sun sign? How do non-Western astrologies factor into this? (I would love to see academic-discourse-barely-concealing-bloody-fights on this, ngl.)

WB: Any

Similar to the above tag, I would love to see the complicated boondoggle that arises when the assumptions of a Murdle grid (one weapon and motive per suspect, one suspect per location, and no weapons/motives/locations unoccupied) stop holding true. What happens when the guilty tell the truth and the innocent lie in a two-truths-and-a-lie game?
I'd also love a look at the prison for rich people. How was it established? How does its status as an eternal revolving door work? Why are they not concerned about weekly murders there? (How does Irratino's not-technically dead status affect the legalities of the Sunday arrests? How does the legal system in this world work anyways?)
Is the occult real/respected in this world, or is Irratino simply Logico's equal and opposite weirdo? What kinds of questions can ghosts answer? Is the spirit writing really from the other side, and if not, what is Irratino's alternate source?

The Roottrees are Dead (Video Game)

On In-Universe Media

This game is such a love letter to ye olde internet, and I'd love to see that represented in in-universe works. Render up that Roottree Sisters fansite in all its eye-searing glory! Show us that Anderson farms webring! Give us the usenet threads on the crash and its aftermath!

I'm also curious about how the info on the Roottrees will shift around as the internet becomes more robust. A fic for the aftermath of Roottreemania on the changing internet would be excellent.

And what happens when social media comes to town and the Roottrees become that much more accessible?

Carl Roottree & Any Free Spirit

I love the hints we get about Carl's relationships with his peer group, particularly the interview with Caroline Morden in Roottreemania talking about him before and after he got sent away to school. What other family members have a similar experience with Carl before and after? What did he do to get sent away in the first place?

What do the free spirits think of Carl in general? He's brought a lot of money into the Clanced Trust and a lot more attention to the family, which has its ups and downs. (Though at least the attention he and his daughters bring is more positive than some of the other prominent exploits?) What opinions do they have on ROOT. and his other ventures?

Carl Roottree & Ernie Madsen Jr

And the biggest relationship of Carl's we see traces of is his relationship with Ernie. Ernie trusts Carl's business instincts in a way the rest of the family didn't, with ROOT., and the relationship seems to go both ways; Carl is the one who fights for Ernie's medical care to be covered by the Clanced Trust. How long has their relationship been like this? How did it get this deep?

Player Character & Any Roottree

Does the player character ever do that search into the extended extended family, and what drama is unearthed there? (Lauren mentions that Elias was very strict at cutting off any relative who wasn't his blood descendant; why?)

The player character is heavily involved in the immediate aftermath of Roottreemania, since they're unearthing the alleged illegitimate Roottrees. Who, beyond Clark and Sam, do they encounter, and what comes of it?

And, of course, there's the fact they have Sam's share of the Clanced Trust, and any necessary board meetings are associated with that.

Solo: Samantha Roottree

Sam is such a fascinating glimpse into the Roottree family, being deep inside it socially in a lot of ways but strictly outside when it comes to the financials of the Clanced Trust. What do other family members think of this arrangement, especially the free spirits and down who weren't there for the initial drama of her entry into the family?

SixPieces was written pretty late in her life. What leads her to write it now? Is the idea something she's been toying with for years, or is it purely something that she gets the idea for after Ernie's death? If it's the former, what held her back from writing it earlier? What additional scandals got added to her list of grudges as time went on?

(And, for a no crash AU: she was already planning to release the book before Carl and his family died. What's the situation like when it drops on some random Tuesday?)

And, for a more fluffy option: I'd love to see Sam and her dads growing up! Least dysfunctional branch of the tree.

Samantha Roottree & Any NextGen

There's such a good crop of potential interpersonal drama here, between the initial cliquishness and the revelation that Sam is a Roottree and, once that settles, the fact Sam falls in with the NextGens but absolutely loathes the 5Pieces. I'd love to see how their relationships change over time, and what sticking points there are with them.

In particular, I'd love to see Sam and Lauren together. Lauren seems to have bonded with her hard, as the only other female NextGen other than Gwynn, and I'd love to see the clashes in perspective that relationship brings up.

Solo: Lauren Roottree

Does Lauren ever publish further diaries, or revisit them again after 10 Years Later? I'm curious how her perspective has shifted, particularly with regards to Clark eventually gaining some responsibility and the youngest generation being comparatively less free-spirited than their predecessors. I'm also curious on how her perspective on her parents and their relationship has changed over time.

What's Lauren's relationship with her brothers like, either as children or as they age? What about with more distant relatives, like her great-nieces?

I'd also love to see more of Lauren's fictional works, and any elements that might have been cribbed from real life.

Solo: the Roottrees, Solo: Any Non-Famous Roottree

I love this dramatic family and I'd love to see more of them, particularly in-universe stuff. With the non-notable Roottrees, I'm curious how well they deal with the abrupt plunges into fame that Carl's death and Roottreemania put them through.

WB: Aftermath of Roottreemania, WB: Impact of Roottreemania on Roottree Businesses

Roottreemania as in the media craze, though Roottreemania as in the installment would work for a lot of this, too.

How do different family members cope with the spotlight thrust upon them by Sam's book and then the claims of the different Roottree heirs? Who's initially disbelieving and who was only surprised it took this long? Does it split up pre-existing factions with in the family, or had those already set up in pro/anti-Elias lines for other reasons (like Guy's financials, or Ernie's medical bills)? What happens when the scandal keeps rolling on?

And what happens to the candy and fashion companies during all this? How does Roottreemania impact the Clanced Trust and/or public willingness to spend money on Roottree products? What happens to the farm, temporarily closed as a result of protestors (and, ironically, the part of the business Sam has the greatest stake in)?

WB: Conspiracies About the Roottrees, WB: Rumors/Public Opinion About Roottree Family

I loved the quick digression into conspiracy sites in the game, and I'd love to see more of that. What other strange thoughts have people had about the Roottree family, and has the family ever unintentionally stoked those thoughts before?

How has public opinion of the family changed over time? What was opinion like when Guy was president, and how did Ernie taking over affect it? What about the in-game scandals; have those shifted opinions of the family?

WB: Any

I'd love to see more about the crash itself (though some of that would probably be under the conspiracies section).

Also, how exactly do the logistics of making all your candy from maple syrup work when you've got a market as big as Roottree Candy does?

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