Space Swap 2023 Letter

[ceruleantactician]

Dear Creator,

Thank you so much for creating for me. I look forward to whatever you come up with! I am CeruleanTactician on AO3 as well. All my prompts are just suggestions. If you have an idea that you think will be great, as long as it respects my DNWs, go for it. If you need any clarifications, please don’t hesitate to send a question through the exchange mods.

I have gifts enabled on my AO3 account and would be happy to receive both fic and art treats.

Table of Contents

DNWs

General Likes

Art Likes

Doctor Who - General prompts

Doctor Who (1963) - Third Doctor & Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, Third Doctor & Jo Grant, Fifth Doctor & Nyssa of Traken, Melanie Bush & Seventh Doctor, Seventh Doctor & Ace McShane

Doctor Who (2005) - Amy Pond & River Song, Missy & Bill Potts, Twelfth Doctor & Missy & Bill Potts

Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio) - Seventh Doctor & Ace McShane & Thomas "Hex" Schofield, Eighth Doctor & or / Charley Pollard, C'rizz & Eighth Doctor & Charley Pollard, Seventh Doctor & Charley Pollard

Doctor Who Crossovers - Eighth Doctor & Ace McShane, Ninth Doctor & Nyssa of Traken, War Doctor & Nyssa of Traken

DNWs

• Age-play/de-aging
• Animal abuse/death
• Bodily waste/bodily fluid mentions (Exception: blood, tears)
• Explicit sex (implied/referenced is fine)
• Incest
• Rape/non-con
• Unrequested sexual/romantic relationships involving canon characters (Exception: any canon relationships)

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General Likes

• 5+1 Things
• Amnesia
• Angst
• Backstory
• Canon divergence AUs
• Casefic/mission fic
• Character/relationship studies
• Complicated but ultimately loving relationships
• Crack taken seriously
• Darkfic
• Dramatic irony
• Dreams and nightmares
• Epistolary and usual formats
• Family
• Fix-its
• Fluff
• Friendship
• Ghosts
• Horror and/or general spookiness
• Happy, hopeful or bittersweet endings
• Humor
• Hurt/comfort
• Loyalty and trust
• Missing scenes
• Mistaken identity
• Outsider POV
• Redemption
• Telepathy
• Tenderness
• Third and second person POVs
• Time travel and time loops
• Undercover
• Whump
• Worldbuilding

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Art Likes

• Character portraits
• Cooking or having/sharing a meal
• Cozy/domestic scenes
• Cute animals, characters interacting with cute animals
• Fairytale-inspired AUs
• Falling asleep on someone’s shoulder
• Fighting side by side
• Flowers and flower symbolism
• Forehead kisses, face touching, kiss on the cheek, kissing someone’s hand, etc.
• Formal wear
• Historical fashion, costumes
• Hugs, hand holding
• Humor
• Hurt/comfort
• In-universe art - wanted poster, photo album, photo in a wallet, etc.
• Nature scenes
• Sharing a bed
• Tarot and tarot inspired
• Undercover

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Doctor Who

Here are some general Doctor Who prompts:

• Canon-typical adventures. Stories that capture the wonder/weirdness of the DW universe.
• Time travel-focused stories, weird time travel stuff, time loops, TARDIS malfunctions, etc.
• Downtime between adventures, lighthearted disagreements, not-so-lighthearted disagreements, banter, enjoying each other’s company on the TARDIS, on a trip.
• Hurt/comfort - I am a sucker for hurt/comfort and you honestly cannot go wrong with it. I am totally fine with hurt!Doctor or hurt!companion or both!
• Fae Time Lords, Eldritch Time Lords/Dr Nyarlathotep.
• Meetings between unexpected Doctors and companions combinations.

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Doctor Who (1963)

Third Doctor & Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart

I love how despite how much Three complains about the Brigadier he obviously has a lot of respect for him. And matter how exasperated the Brig can get, he has a lot of respect for the Doctor and is always willing to help him. I love that despite the genuine differences they have, the mutual trust and friendship that forms between them that lasts far beyond the Third Doctor.

• The Doctor and the Brigadier find themselves separated from the rest of UNIT in potentially hostile territory and have to rely on each other to survive. Perhaps during one of the periods where Three was without a usual companion, like between Liz and Jo or Jo and Sarah. How do they get out of this situation while only being able to rely on each other?
• The Brigadier finds himself accidentally brought along on another trip in the TARDIS some time after the Doctor gets his freedom back in The Three Doctors. He’s not pleased. I imagine that Jo (or Sarah) would try to cheer him up and get him to try to play along and have an adventure, but Alistair isn’t that good at being the typical companion…
• Three flies the TARDIS back to UNIT after another adventure, but, whoops, he’s off by a few years and runs into a very much retired Brigadier from sometime after “Battlefield”. What does Alistair think about seeing “his” Doctor again after all this time?

Third Doctor & Jo Grant

These two! Jo’s relationship with Three is so cute and I love it so much. He is so obviously so very fond of her, and that fondness can smooth over some of his more abrasive tendencies. And I love Jo’s bravery, kindness, and her dedication to the Doctor.

• Jo tries to cheer up the Doctor when he's moping about his exile. Alternatively: the Doctor notices Jo is upset about something and tries to cheer her up.
• Hurt/comfort! One of them gets really hurt and the other is forced both to help them and to deal with the feelings that seeing them hurt brings up.
• At her urging, the Doctor agrees to teach Jo some Venusian aikido. How does it go?
• Three and Jo have to go undercover somewhere to take down a bad guy’s operation.
• Jo meets “her” Doctor again years after she leaves UNIT to get married. What is it like for her to see him again? What is it like for Three to see Jo’s future?

Fifth Doctor & Nyssa of Traken

“Castrovalva” was my first Classic Who story, so Team Five always holds a special place in my heart. I especially love Five’s solo adventures with Nyssa in the Big Finish audios- “Circular Time” especially holds a special place in my heart. Feel free to write during the period they’re traveling alone together in between “Time-Flight” and “Arc of Infinity”, but also feel free to include Tegan, Adric and/or Turlough!

The relationship between Five and Nyssa has always been so interesting. They’re actually both pretty similar people- very knowledgeable and science focused, not always super great with people skills but still very dedicated to helping others. In regards to Nyssa specifically, I love how despite losing everything, she still manages to be principled and compassionate.

• I would love to see anything that talks about Nyssa’s experiences with mourning her family and her planet and the Doctor trying to support her with this enormous loss. Maybe something with Nyssa trying to keep the memory of Traken alive, of dealing with grief of this magnitude or of dealing with cultural differences with her fellow traveling companions.
• Hurt/comfort! One of them gets really hurt and the other is forced both to help them and to deal with the feelings that seeing them hurt brings up.
• The Doctor and Nyssa have to go undercover somewhere to take down a bad guy’s operation.
• Accidental child acquisition. I feel like these two having to temporarily take care of a human or alien child would be amusing.
• The Doctor meets Nyssa again after she stays behind in Terminus.

Melanie Bush & Seventh Doctor

I love both of Seven’s TV companions, but I would love to see Mel get some more appreciation! Mel is so fun and smart and enthusiastic but also aware of the dangers she’s facing while traveling with the Doctor. Her and Seven’s TV stories were fairly light (at least in comparison to Seven and Ace's), so I would love to see something darker for them, maybe a chance for Seven to be more calculating than he usually was in Season 24. (Canon-typical Season 24 light-hearted shenanigans are also good, I am also a card-carrying Season 24 apologist! Yes, even “Time and the Rani”!)

• Something set early on in her time with Seven while Mel is still getting used to the Doctor’s new regeneration. Perhaps they encounter a situation that Seven handles one way, but Mel knows that Sixie would have handled differently. What did Mel think of the Doctor’s new style and personality? How did she balance mourning the person she knew with accepting her friend for who he is now? And did she observe the Doctor slowly growing into his new persona?
• I am totally here for bad things happening to the Doctor and Mel. Write me a whump or hurt/comfort scenario and I will be very happy. Maybe a mission gone wrong? Maybe Seven’s manipulations backfire/lead them into a situation that’s too much for them to handle?
• I would absolutely love a Mel and the Doctor accidental/undercover as married/fake marriage comedy of errors story. Though I want their relationship to stay platonic, I would love a story where the trust and care Mel and the Doctor have for each other and the importance of their friendship is highlighted via the fake dating/marriage trope.
• Mel and the Doctor have to go undercover somewhere to take down a bad guy’s operation.
• The Doctor is unexpectedly reunited with Mel sometime after Season 24, and finds she’s been up to some surprising things after she left in “Dragonfire”…

Seventh Doctor & Ace McShane

Seven and Ace- what’s not to love about them? It’s a complicated and weird relationship but there's also genuinely so much care, loyalty and trust there. I love how Ace has A Lot Of Issues and the Doctor kind of helps her but sometimes also ends up traumatizing her further? I would love a story that also explores some of the issues in their relationship- the trust issues, the manipulations, Ace’s past trauma. A lighter story focused on their friendship would also be great as well.

• Post-”Dragonfire”, a still adjusting Ace learns that she won’t be abandoned at the first convenient moment and that she can trust the Doctor.
• I am totally here for bad things happening to the Doctor and Ace. Maybe a mission gone wrong? Maybe the TARDIS team finds an ancient evil/eldritch being like Fenric or the Gods of Ragnarok, but the evil ends too great for them? Maybe Seven’s manipulations backfire/lead them into a situation that’s too much for them to handle? Or Ace goes too far on a mission and ends up in over her head and the Doctor has to help her out?
• Hurt/comfort! One of them gets really hurt and the other is forced to deal with the feelings that brings up.
• Ace and the Doctor have to go undercover somewhere to take down a bad guy’s operation.
• AU where Ace leaves the Doctor on better terms. Maybe they stay in touch while Ace is at the Academy on Gallifrey, if you find that particular path for Ace interesting.

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Doctor Who (2005)

Amy Pond & River Song

I would love to see something about Amy and River! They never really had a chance to have a traditional mother and daughter relationship, but I love that they were able to have a relationship in their own way.

• River and Amy rebuild their relationship after the truth comes out about Mels/Melody.
• River reflecting on her complicated relationship with her mother.
• River takes Amy on a trip without Rory or the Doctor.
• River does something special for Amy for mother’s day.
• Amy and River find a way to keep in touch after “The Angels Take Manhattan”.

Missy & Bill Potts, Twelfth Doctor & Missy & Bill Potts

Missy was such a great addition to the Series 10 TARDIS team, so I would love to see more of her with Bill and maybe also Twelve! Feel free to include Nardole as well if you’d like.

• It was a shame that Missy only got to participate in one adventure before things fell apart in “World Enough and Time”. More adventures set between “The Eaters of the Light” and “World Enough and Time” would be lovely.
• Bill and Missy become separated from the Doctor on an adventure and Bill has to figure out how much she can trust Missy. All the while Missy is acting like her usual self.
• The Doctor and Missy have a disagreement on a legitimate moral dilemma while on an adventure and Bill, very uncomfortably, finds herself kind of agreeing with Missy’s pragmatic solution.
• A series 10 AU where Bill tries to figure out What’s Going On with why the Doctor keeps a lady locked up in the basement, perhaps leaving the opportunity for Missy to do a little bit of manipulating….
• Missy having complicated feelings about her friendship with Bill while she was the Simm Master during the events of “World Enough and Time”/”The Doctor Falls”. Maybe as Missy she can acknowledge that her friendship with Bill wasn’t all manipulation…

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Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)

Seventh Doctor & Ace McShane & Thomas "Hex" Schofield

This trio has such a great dynamic! I love the relationship between them and how the addition of Hex changes the Ace-Doctor dynamic. Hex starts out as a relatively normal person on the outside of Ace and the Doctor’s weirdness but is also inexorably drawn into it. I love how Ace and Hex tease each other but also obviously care for each other a lot. And I love how much the Doctor cares for Ace and Hex, even if he isn’t always honest with them.

• I am totally here for bad things happening to Ace, Hex and the Doctor. Maybe a mission gone wrong? Maybe the TARDIS team finds an ancient evil/eldritch being like Fenric or the Gods of Ragnarok, but the evil ends too great for them? I would also be very happy to see another encounter with our old friend Nobody No-One. Or maybe Seven’s manipulations backfire/lead them into a situation that’s too much for them to handle?
• For any Hex-focused fic, I would love to see an exploration of how he fits into the Ace-Doctor dynamic. Perhaps Hex feels on the outside of Ace and the Doctor’s already established relationship? But then he gets in trouble and Ace and the Doctor prove how much they care about him.
• I would love to see Ace and Hex working together to help a hurt Doctor. Perhaps the Doctor gets hurt trying to protect Ace and Hex and tries to act confident and pretend to be invulnerable until he can’t anymore? One of the things about the Doctor is that he always seems invulnerable and one step ahead of everyone else… until he’s not. For hurt Ace and/or Hex, I would also love a guilty Doctor trying to protect his companions from further harm after they get hurt. Basically, I would love to see these three in a bad situation but using their skills and their care for each other to make the best of it.
• So, “Protect and Survive” was an incredible story… but I would have loved to see a more direct look at the aftermath of it! I know for story reasons that was impossible, but I would love to see an AU where there could be more of a reckoning for it. Accidentally abandoning your friends to suffer and repeatedly die in your Nuclear Armageddon Time Loop Hell Prison is not cool, Doctor!

Eighth Doctor & or / Charley Pollard

I really love these two! I love how Eight can be anything from sweet and energetic to more dark and moody. And Charley - I love her kindness and her positivity. I also love how much she enjoys adventuring and her and how her and the Doctor's bond remains unbreakable despite everything they go through in canon.

• Their early stuff is just so incredibly sweet. Despite the inherently doomed nature of any Doctor/Companion romance, I found myself really rooting for them in their early audios. Of course things got a lot darker after “Neverland”/”Zagreus”/”Scherzo”, but I would always love to see lighter moments from their earlier adventures. I'm also always up for quieter moments in between adventures on the TARDIS.
• I have noticed that Big Finish is quite big on hurt, but not that big on comfort, so I would love some hurt/comfort with these two. I’m totally fine with hurt!Charley, hurt!Doctor, or even both of them hurt
• I would also love to see Doctor Who take on a gothic romance kind of story. Maybe something with a vampire!Eight AU? (I feel like Charley would totally be into vampire!Eight…) A more silly/cracky take on this would also be great! Also feel free to go with any kind of fantasy/dark fantasy/fairytale AU.
• I would love love love to see an Eight and Charley reunion! Feel free to go in a fluffy direction with this, or an angsty direction. If angsty, I would love to see this combined with an Eight is the War Doctor AU. How would Charley react to seeing her Doctor put into this awful position? How would Eight react to seeing Charley again after all this time, during his darkest hour? Would Charley interact with the Time War in interesting ways, given her time-wimey history as a (former) living paradox?

C’rizz & Eighth Doctor & Charley Pollard

I would love to see more of this trio. I especially love how C’rizz does and doesn’t fit into Charley and the Doctor’s pre-existing dynamic. A fic focusing on C’rizz and Charley’s friendship would also be welcome.

• Charley and the Doctor end up finding out what C’rizz’s whole deal is earlier on. Or maybe C'rizz is able to share a version of what happened in his past, if not the whole truth. Or maybe C’rizz is forced to tell the whole truth and they have to deal with it together.
• C'rizz seems to have the worst luck imaginable in a lot of their adventures. What about an adventure where C'rizz has some good luck- maybe the TARDIS team finds themselves on a planet where camouflaging/reptilian ancestry is the norm or is seen as a good thing? Maybe a trip to Silurian-era Earth?
• I’m always up for quieter moments in between adventures on the TARDIS. I have also noticed that Big Finish is quite big on hurt, but not that big on comfort, so I would love some hurt/comfort with this trio.

Seventh Doctor & Charley Pollard

It might be a bit of a mess, but I think these two would be really interesting together. But it’s still Charley and the Doctor, so I still feel like they’d get along when it really counted.

• I’ve been playing around in my head with the what if a different past Doctor rescued Charley from after “The Girl Who Never Was”, but every time I think of Seven finding Charley, I’m like Wow! That would be a disaster! Eight defines so much of himself on being Not Like his predecessor. I don’t think Seven & Charley would get along nearly as well as Charley & Six, but I do think it would be interesting. I feel like Seven would be a lot less passive about figuring out what was going on with Charley and wouldn’t let her pretty obvious lies go for as long as Six did. Similarly, I feel like Charley would have a very low tolerance for any manipulation- and she’s certainly not afraid to call the Doctor out when she needs to.
• An AU where Charley meets Seven while traveling with Eight and gets some insight into why Eight is the Doctor that he is. I’d also be interested in seeing what Charley thinks of Ace if she makes an appearance.

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Doctor Who Crossovers

Eighth Doctor & Ace McShane

It would probably be at least a bit of a disaster, but I would love to see these two meet! So much of Eight’s character is a reaction to what he sees as he did wrong in his previous incarnation, and how he treated and sometimes used Ace is probably one of his biggest regrets. On Ace’s side, I would love a story where Ace has to deal with this new Doctor after parting ways with Seven under probably not the best terms and dealing with that complicated mixture of grief and resentment and guilt, but also the fact that a part of her is genuinely glad to see him again.

• Ace and Eight meet for the first time and it takes an embarrassingly long amount of time for Ace to accept that this flighty Victorian dressed weirdo is the same person as her Doctor.
• Ace mourning “her” Doctor and the fact that they will never be able to reconcile like Ace thought they would.
• Eight checks up on Ace while she’s at the Time Lord academy on Gallifrey.

Ninth Doctor & Nyssa of Traken

I love the thing where Classic companions encounter Nine and almost immediately they see that something very bad has happened to their friend. And of course Nyssa would understand better than anyone what it’s like to be the last of your kind.

• Nyssa meets the Doctor again and almost immediately realizes that something terrible has happened to him. Would the Doctor be able to admit what happened to Gallifrey when talking to the one person in the universe who could understand what he’s going through?
• I would love it if the fact that post-”Terminus” Nyssa canonically plays a humanitarian role in the Time War on a hospital ship comes up (in the Big Finish audio “A Heart on Both Sides”) but you don’t need to include that if it doesn’t work for your story.

War Doctor & Nyssa of Traken

I would love an angsty encounter between these two during the Time War. The Doctor is obviously in a very bad place during this time, and any encounters with a past companion would be difficult, but especially with one as perceptive and principled as Nyssa. I would love to see the Doctor torn between doing what he believes he has to do and wanting to protect his old friend, but of course Nyssa is going to have her own opinions on the matter.

• Nyssa encounters the Doctor during the Time War, but of course he’s not going by that name anymore. How long does it take her to figure out who this mysterious Time Lord really is (and what bad assumptions does she make in the meantime? It would be very mean for both of them if she mistook him for another renegade Time Lord that she knows…)
• I would love it if the fact that post-”Terminus” Nyssa canonically plays a humanitarian role in the Time War on a hospital ship comes up (in the Big Finish audio “A Heart on Both Sides”) but you don’t need to include that if it doesn’t work for your story.

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