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Pine4Pine Dear Creator Letter
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chacusha on AO3.
General likes and DNWs | General prompts
Bravely Default | Final Fantasy X | Mobius Final Fantasy | Pinocchio
Soul Calibur | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Trials of Mana
So! Pining is, like, my favorite element in fiction, and all the OTPs I latch onto, I think I latch onto precisely because they have pining elements or plenty of pining potential. I was really sad to skip this exchange last year and am really happy to be able to participate this year! I like both happy and unhappy endings, and I like scenarios where one person is pining over someone who is oblivious (or uninterested), as well as scenarios where two people are pining for each other but can't spit it out for Reasons. Whatever will get that sweet emotional mix of pain, exhilaration, trepidation, longing and affection, etc.
Helpful note: I had difficulty narrowing down my requested tags to 20 because there's about 55 tags in the tagset I would be happy to get for ANY pairing. I decided instead to put those 55 tags as "General prompts." What I put in my sign-up are pairing-specific freeforms that describe the general vibe of the requested pairing instead. If you need some more specific ideas/prompts, please check out the "General prompts/freeforms" section below.
Alternis Dim/Edea Lee (Alternis pining)
Feelings eventually requited
Feelings never requited
Alternis is made for pining -- nothing is too over the top for this character. Some examples of Alternis's pining potential: First, Alternis pines for years in canon. You can easily read this as being due to his self-consciousness / self-loathing, and the large class difference between him and Edea. Second, identity issues pining: Edea being in love with an AU version of him, and how that makes the pining even worse. You can easily take this in an AU direction where Alternis and Ringabel are twins, or Alternis and Ringabel are two different personas of one person and there's identity porn potential which is great for pining. Third, Alternis and Edea were raised as kinda-siblings, so the pining for a person who sees/treats you as a brother is also delicious. Loyalty is a big aspect of this relationship too. Altdea manifesto
Some prompts:
Modern AU ideas:
Relevant freeforms: Character A pines for B while swearing loyalty/fealty to B; Character A pining because Character B already rejected them; Character A pining silently so Character B won't feel guilty for not returning their affections; Character B knows A is pining but pretends to be oblivious; Deathbed confession of love; A dies before B can confess their feelings; B time travels back to fix everything; Identity porn: B is only attracted to pining A's alternate identity; A keeps an item of B's clothing; A pines for B who is in love with/dating someone else; Pining after being kissed for a dare; Pining Character Suffers from Touch Starvation; Pining Character Uses Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms to Deal with Their Feelings; pining due to fear of pseudoincest; Pining Impacts Character's Ability to Perform Magic; Pining while in a Friends With Benefits arrangement; Pining while sparring; Pining while stuck in a time loop; Revealed Feelings While Mortally Injured/No Hope but Whoops! They Were Rescued Now It's Awkward; Trapped in Fake Perfect World that includes relationship with object of pining; Trying (and failing) to fall out of love with someone who doesn't love you back
Or pick something from above!
Lulu/Wakka (both pining)
Lulu/Wakka (Wakka pining)
Feelings eventually requited
Feelings never requited
(Note: I don't need the feelings requited in the work itself, but I would like something that doesn't contradict canon i.e. it leaves the door open for requited feelings to develop outside the fic.) So here is some pining potential of Lulu/Wakka: First, my headcanon is that Wakka had feelings for Lulu since he was young, but Chappu made the first move and Chappu and Lulu started dating and were really happy together, so Wakka buried those feelings for their sakes. Second, another of my headcanons is that Lulu and Wakka eventually developed requited feelings for each other but pined for a while because Wakka wouldn't make a move out of respect for his dead brother. Third, another aspect that is interesting here is Lulu's generally deadpan demeanor, which can belie deep feelings / make it hard for Wakka to read her, so could generate pining. Finally, there is just the awkward so-close-yet-so-far aspect of your crush choosing your younger brother over you and then becoming siblings-in-law with your crush for years, even long after the person who created that status in the first place (Chappu) is gone. Chappu is like this ghost in between Lulu and Wakka (quite literally, due to the Farplane). I'm okay with infidelity aspects here if you want to go with that, but that's completely optional.
Some prompts:
Relevant freeforms: Attending Object of Pining’s Wedding to Someone Else; Character A pining because they think a relationship would be inappropriate; Character A pining for someone in love/relationship with A's sibling/twin; Forbidden/Taboo Desires; In denial about their attraction to the character they are pining for; Mutual Pining; A only realizes feelings for B when B starts dating someone else; Other Characters Play Matchmaker; pining after years of friendship; Pining for someone who treats them like a sibling; pining for someone you can't have; Pining Impacts Character's Ability to Perform Magic; Pining while sparring; Respect for A's dead partner keeps A and B from acting on their feelings; Revealed Feelings While Mortally Injured/No Hope but Whoops! They Were Rescued Now It's Awkward
Or pick something from above!
Garland/Sarah Cornelia (Garland pining)
Feelings eventually requited
Feelings never requited
Garland is also made for over-the-top pining. This game doesn't really spell out Garland's deal explicitly, but here are some pining aspects that are hinted at: First, pining for an amnesiac princess: it's implied that Garland was once an earnest, idealistic Wol who saved the world only to have it repeat all over again with Sarah forgetting him -- great for angsty pining. Second, there's also the way that Sarah's love for Wol is somehow scripted/predetermined, so Garland has to watch Sarah play the lovestruck princess with other warriors, which not only activates his jealousy but also reminds Garland that Sarah's love for him in a previous cycle which was the basis for his own feelings was probably not even genuine. Third, jadedness: Garland understands the artificiality of all this which has made him quite bitter and jaded especially toward Sarah, but still his feelings won't go away. So there's great pining potential here where Garland loves Sarah but can't even admit that to himself because logically he knows how stupid that is. Finally, protective/rescuing sentiment: meanwhile, Sarah is slowly breaking under the stress of all the repeated cycles and despair, and Garland can't just idly watch that happen and so tries to rescue her from the cycle, all while she doesn't even remember him or appreciate what he's doing. And there's plenty of loyalty elements here too. This is such iddy goodness for me. In short, I love the angsty pining of this character where his love for Sarah is so strong and motivates so many of his actions but he is too ashamed to even own up to that fact.
I'm okay with Sarah developing feelings for Garland or coming to have a genuine relationship with him or remembering him from a previous cycle, or for it to be one-sided pain the entire way.
Some relevant scenes:
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=2235
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=2815
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=4705
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=4859
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=5074
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=13796
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=14151
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=14662
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=14840
More info for this canon is available in my Yuletide letter.
Some prompts:
Relevant freeforms: Arranged Marriage - object of pining married off to someone else; Character A pines for their former lover; Character A pines over amnesiac Character B; Character A sacrifices themself for Character B whilst pining for them; competing in a tournament for the hand in marriage of your crush; Deathbed confession of love; A has a vision of the future for B and they're not in it; A keeps an item of B's clothing; kidnapping your crush and forcing them into marriage; kidnapping your crush to save them from an unwanted arranged marriage; A pines for B while carrying them; A pines for B who is in love with/dating someone else; Pining Character knows and accepts that their feelings will never be returned (but still pines); Pining Character Treats Crush Cruelly; pining for someone you can't have; Pining while stuck in a time loop
Or pick something from above!
Lampwick/Pinocchio (Lampwick pining)
Lampwick/Pinocchio (Pinocchio pining)
Lampwick/Pinocchio (both pining)
Feelings eventually requited
I'd prefer if Lampwick and Pinocchio are at least teens here (or ambiguous age which could easily be read as teen or older). Some of the pining potential here: One promising aspect for pining here is fairy tale magic and curses that might make it impossible to talk/express feelings. Second, period-typical homophobia could contribute to pining. Third, on Lampwick's side, I see him as someone who isn't very emotionally aware in general and wouldn't know how to deal with latent attraction to his best friend at all. Fourth, on Pinocchio's side, I can see him being sensitive about being an odd sort of human and being unsure if his feelings for Lampwick are normal friend feelings and/or unsure if he's supposed to voice them or not. Generally, Lampwick and Pinocchio have a very close, affectionate friendship, so I can see them pining for years because they don't know if they want to risk changing that.
Some prompts:
Relevant freeforms: AI character confused by their developing romantic feelings; Character A tries to show how they feel but ends up pining when B doesn't get it; Character pines for someone who thinks nothing of undressing casually in front of them; Character(s) cannot express their feelings due to magic and/or curse; Deathbed confession of love; Guilt over enjoying friendly hugs/physical closeness too much; Guilty About Sexual Attraction; Mutual Pining; Pining A thinks about B while having sex with others; Pining A thinks about B while masturbating; Pining after being kissed for a dare; pining after years of friendship; A is confused about whether their pining is romantic/sexual or platonic; A pining because they mistakenly think B is uninterested; Pining character flirts but pretends they're joking; Pining Character Literally Turns Into Pine Tree; Pining Due To Period-Typical Homophobia; Roommates while pining; Sentient Being Pines For Human; Tries to Confess but Keeps Getting Interrupted by Circumstances
Or pick something from above!
Hong Yun-seong/Seong Mi-na (Mi-na pining)
Hong Yun-seong/Seong Mi-na (Yun-seong pining)
Hong Yun-seong/Seong Mi-na (both pining)
Feelings eventually requited
These two have great pining potential! First, Mi-na and Yun-seong's very close, teasing, sibling-like friendship means it would be awkward if either of them developed feelings. Second, arranged marriages hanging over Mi-na's head is a major element of her story, and that can be put to good use in a pining storyline. In particular, (1) there's Hwang as romantic rival, and (2) Han-myeong wanting to marry Mi-na off to someone he wants to inherit the dojang means that Yun-seong can vie for Mi-na's hand without admitting that's what he's doing (by becoming a stronger fighter). Third, age differences especially in a modern AU setting can also make feelings awkward to admit or unwise to act on. Fourth, their martial arts mentor relationship means a lot of potential for physical intimacy and closeness that are platonic but activate pining. Fifth, Mi-na giving White Storm to Yun-seong means he literally carries a token of her with him everywhere. Yunmina manifesto
Some prompts:
Relevant freeforms: Arranged Marriage - pining character married off to someone else; Character B assumes Character A's flirting is a joke; Character pines for someone who thinks nothing of undressing casually in front of them; competing in a tournament for the hand in marriage of your crush; A dies before B can confess their feelings; B time travels back to fix everything; Guilt over enjoying friendly hugs/physical closeness too much; Guilty About Sexual Attraction; Love Confession: One Character Thought The Other Was Dead; Mutual Pining; Pining A thinks about B while masturbating; Pining after being kissed for a dare; A pining because they mistakenly think B is uninterested; Pining character flirts but pretends they're joking; A Pining for B who is in an Arranged Marriage with C; Pining for someone who treats them like a sibling; Pining while in a Friends With Benefits arrangement; Pining while sparring; Revealed Feelings While Mortally Injured/No Hope but Whoops! They Were Rescued Now It's Awkward; Sex Pollen - pining Character A is unaware that newly-seductive Character B is sex-pollened; trying to make object of affection jealous while mutually pining
Or pick something from above!
Odo/Quark (Quark pining)
Odo/Quark (both pining)
Feelings eventually requited
Feelings never requited
Oh god, there's so much pining potential for these two characters. First, one of the many, many great things about Odo and Quark's Foe Yay dynamic is that IF one of them were to develop feelings for the other, he'd be convinced it's hopeless because that other guy HATES his guts. Second, the denial: these two lend themselves to pining that can't be acknowledged because (a) they're emotionally inept and (b) values clash means they're too proud to admit to being attracted to the other. Third, it's never clear what in their relationship is serious and what is a ploy/joke, which can put these characters in a limbo area where they're unsure if their affections are actually reciprocated. Fourth, Quark could easily be interested in Odo but Odo has so many hangups regarding sex and relationships that it would make it hard for Quark to approach him. Fifth, I'm convinced it's canon (in a coded, getting-stuff-past-the-censors sort of way) that Quark was pining for Odo after Odo got together with Kira. It is also more straightforwardly canon that Quark acted as a wingman for Odo to get with Kira so that makes this potentially very ouch with the pining. Sixth, these two are quite comedic, so have a lot of potential for misunderstandings, shenanigans, failed or thwarted confessions, etc. But also, seventh, there's a lot of incompatibility/missed opportunities to these two that lends itself equally well to tragedy and unhappiness as well. Quodo manifesto
Some prompts:
Relevant freeforms: "Platonic" sex tutoring while pining; Character B assumes Character A's flirting is a joke; hiding pining by antagonistic behavior; In denial about their attraction to the character they are pining for; Mutual Pining; Other Characters Play Matchmaker; A pines for B while thinking B hates them; A pines for B who is in love with/dating someone else; Pining A thinks about B while having sex with others; Pining A thinks about B while masturbating; Pining after being kissed for a dare; A pining because they think B is uninterested in romance or relationships; Pining character flirts but pretends they're joking; Psychic link reveals pining is mutual; Revealed Feelings While Mortally Injured/No Hope but Whoops! They Were Rescued Now It's Awkward; Roommates while pining; Tries to Confess but Isn't Believed; Tries to Confess but Keeps Getting Interrupted by Circumstances; trying to make object of affection jealous while mutually pining; Undercover as a Couple While Pining; A burns bridges with B thinking feelings aren't mutual - they are; Character A pining after brief fling years ago while Character B has moved on; A dies before B can confess their feelings; B time travels back to fix everything; A has a vision of the future for B and they're not in it; Pining Character A pays someone to pretend to be Character B; Pining Character Treats Crush Cruelly; Pining Character Uses Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms to Deal with Their Feelings; A plays wingman to help their crush get together with someone else; forced to fuck or die with the object of their affections; A has lots of casual sex to try to get over pining for B; Two Ships Passing; Character A is too proud to recognise they're pining for B
Or pick something from above!
Hawkeye/Riesz (Riesz pining)
Feelings eventually requited
Lots of pining potential here: First, Hawkeye spends a lot of the game with his thoughts on Jessica, and Riesz might not be brave enough to ask him about their relationship, so assumes it's romantic. Second, Hawkeye has the tendency to be a flirt so I can see Riesz being unsure if he's interested in her or if he's just Like That with everyone. (But I would like Hawkeye to actually have feelings for Riesz!) Third, they're on opposite sides of a conflict, so that could easily be played up/milked for its pining potential. Fourth, they have very different lifestyles, stations in life, and responsibilities, so postgame, I can see Riesz wanting to be with Hawkeye but unsure if she can actually make it work.
I only nominated Riesz pining because I kind of thought that Hawkeye would be interested in Riesz but not pining about it. But now that I think about it, Hawkeye might pine because Riesz doesn't seem to be interested in him and he's kinda bummed by that. So feel free to put in Hawkeye pining / mutual pining elements if you want.
Some prompts:
Relevant freeforms: A attributes B's flirting to cultural differences; Character A Pines For Character B Not Realizing It's Requited; Character A thinks B isn't serious about them despite B's heavy flirting and subsequently pines; epistolary pining; Guilt over enjoying friendly hugs/physical closeness too much; Hit With Intense Pining After Being Given Items By Love Interest; Long Distance Pining; Other Characters Play Matchmaker; Pining after being kissed for a dare; A pining because they think B is in a relationship with someone else; A pining because they think B is pining for someone else; Pining for someone on the other side of the war/conflict; A plays wingman to help their crush get together with someone else; Undercover as a Couple While Pining
Or pick something from above!
Bravely Default | Final Fantasy X | Mobius Final Fantasy | Pinocchio
Soul Calibur | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Trials of Mana
General info
So! Pining is, like, my favorite element in fiction, and all the OTPs I latch onto, I think I latch onto precisely because they have pining elements or plenty of pining potential. I was really sad to skip this exchange last year and am really happy to be able to participate this year! I like both happy and unhappy endings, and I like scenarios where one person is pining over someone who is oblivious (or uninterested), as well as scenarios where two people are pining for each other but can't spit it out for Reasons. Whatever will get that sweet emotional mix of pain, exhilaration, trepidation, longing and affection, etc.
Helpful note: I had difficulty narrowing down my requested tags to 20 because there's about 55 tags in the tagset I would be happy to get for ANY pairing. I decided instead to put those 55 tags as "General prompts." What I put in my sign-up are pairing-specific freeforms that describe the general vibe of the requested pairing instead. If you need some more specific ideas/prompts, please check out the "General prompts/freeforms" section below.
DNWs
- Character bashing.
- Pregnancy or kidfic.
General likes
- Friendly sparring between warrior characters.
- AUs of all kinds.
- Contrasts and opposites.
- Psychodrama / characters working out their Issues (maybe with help from another character!).
- Writing style and art style experimentation, if that's your thing.
- All ratings from G to E. Blood/violence/injury is fine. Explicit sex is fine.
- All genres: fluff, crack, darkfic, angst, smut, etc.
- Bodyguard crush.
- Wound treating.
- Sex with feelings -- positive or negative (or conflicted!).
- Awkwardness / awkward tension.
- Genial, warm flirtation.
General prompts/freeforms
- Pining during platonic but tender acts of kindness or closeness: Little moments that feel so intimate and could be an expression of feelings/affection but are also 100% platonic are great for making that pining flare up. It reminds the pining character of the thing they long for so much while simultaneously reminding them it's not theirs. How deliciously painful!
- Relevant freeforms: A being taken care of during illness/injury by B whom they're pining for; Character A pines for B who has fallen asleep on A's shoulder; Character A pines for Character B while borrowing/wearing B's clothes; Character A pines for Character B who is borrowing/wearing A's clothes; A pines for B while carrying them; A pines while loaning B their coat; Pining character feels guilt for being aroused by casual touch; Pining Character is Accidentally Stimulated by Object of Pining; A Pining While Adjusting B's Shirt Collar/Cuffs; A pining while B wraps their arms around A platonically on a horse/motorcycle; Pining while having wounds tended; Pining While Riding Behind Love Interest on a Horse/Motorcycle; Pining while tending someone's wounds; Travelling together while hiding pining
- Forced intimacy/physical proximity: I absolutely love pining character(s) being forced into close spaces with their crush and having a flustered/embarrassed/excited reaction which they kind of have to tamp down so as to not give away they're pining. That's the good stuff. Especially good when the piner is kind of in denial about their feelings, but the unavoidable proximity and their weird reaction to it forces them to confront those feelings.
- Relevant freeforms: Character A pines while pressed up against B in a crowded situation; Character A pines while pressed up against B while hiding/in small space together; forced to fuck or die with the object of their affections; Physical Intimacy While Pining; A pines for B while undercover as a couple; Pining after being kissed for a dare; Pining while huddled together for warmth; Pining while sharing a bath; Pining while sharing a bed; Pining while stranded in the wilderness; Pining while trapped together
- Feelings coming out: These are prompts for getting a pining character to finally spit it out despite their inclination being not to. I love when feelings are revealed, for whatever reason: a character is forced to take an action that gives away the intensity/nature of their feelings, there are magic plot devices that cause the truth to come out, a character says it without realizing their crush is listening, impulsively blurting it out while emotions are running high, etc. Accidental confessions of any kind! I love the aftermath of unintended confessions -- whether it's hella awkward or a world-shaking, wonderful epiphany or horribly tragic. Whatever works for the characters!
- Relevant freeforms: Character A sacrifices themself for Character B whilst pining for them; Character(s) can't hide their pining due to telepathic bond; Life Threatening Situation Prompts Confession of Feelings; Love Confession: One Character Thought The Other Was Dead; Love spell/potion prompts feelings reveal; pining character A finally makes a move after B almost died; Pining character doused with truth serum; Pining character is too sick/hurt to hide their pining any more; Pining Character Throws Themselves Between Crush and Lethal Danger; Pining character's feelings are discovered by a third party; pining revealed by third party; pining revealed through accidental eavesdropping
- Feelings coming out but... ambiguously: You know what is also great? When feelings are revealed but under conditions like altered mental states where it's unclear whether the character meant what they were saying or not. This works for both the piner and the pinee. Piner confesses: if their crush doesn't react, it's unclear if it's because their crush is seriously rejecting them or just throwing out information they don't think is reliable. Pinee confesses: piner doesn't know if their feelings are really requited or not. Either way, it's hell for the piner!
- Relevant freeforms: Drunken Confession of Feelings; Pined-for character reveals feelings to pining character while not quite lucid (hurt/drunk/etc.); Pining character reveals their feelings while not quite lucid (hurt/drunk/etc.)
- Sex pollen: Kind of a subgenre of "forced intimacy" and "feelings coming out but ambiguously," I absolutely love sex pollen and heats! It allows pining character(s) to be given a very visceral reminder of what they want, but with unclear signals about whether their feelings are truly returned. Pining during the act as well as figuring out feelings in the aftermath are great. I like both happy sex pollen and traumatizing sex pollen.
- Relevant freeforms: Object of pining goes into heat around pining character; Sex Pollen - object of pining rejects pining character after the effects of pollen have worn off; Sex pollen while pining
- Preoccupation / thinking about crush while not with crush: Anything where the pining character's thoughts are on their crush even when alone/not in their crush's presence. I love things that demonstrate the level of obsession or single-minded focus the piner has on their love interest, even if it's embarrassing or not something the piner would want people to know about.
- Relevant freeforms: A keeps an item of B's clothing; Pining A thinks about B while masturbating; Pining Character A has paid attention and knows B incredibly well; Pining While Sleeping on Love Interest's Bed
- Long-term pining: The catharsis of finally resolving pining that has gone on for years!
- Relevant freeforms: Long-term pining is finally resolved; Pining has been going on for a long time; Pining while stuck in a time loop
- Hanahaki Disease: I love this trope and would like to see it anywhere it works! In general, I am a fan of any mechanic where pining has physical or medical stakes, which is fun for demonstrating the strength of the pining but also for pushing the character to do something about it or for angsty outcomes. (Another freeform I have requested, "Pining Impacts Character's Ability to Perform Magic" is also relevant here.)
- Misunderstandings: I love misunderstandings, especially in mutually pining cases to add drama and explain why two people who both like each other don't realize this. Dramatic irony in general is also always great where the characters' words can be read multiple ways, and the audience understands the true meaning while the characters don't.
- Relevant freeforms: Conversations with double meanings due to pining; A thinks B doesn't like them back due to conversations with double meanings
- Missed Opportunities: I just love the angst of this -- the characters could have gotten together but they missed their chance; a character passed up a prime opportunity to confess because they chickened out; character A making overtures to character B who hesitates too long and so A moves on; a character misread a situation and only realized their feelings were requited when it was too late; etc.
- Soulmate AU: I just love soulmate AUs, and am happy if they're used for the purposes of pining. Soulmate mechanics (and arranged marriages) can function as a subtype of "forced intimacy," where two characters are thrown together by virtue of being soulmates, but it's unclear if the other person actually wants to be there. Or conversely, not being soulmates with your crush can be the source of pining.
- Relevant freeforms: Soulmate AU - pining for someone they thought wasn't their soulmate but they are; Soulmate AU - soulmates but object of pining still doesn't want them
Bravely Default
Alternis Dim/Edea Lee (Alternis pining)
Feelings eventually requited
Feelings never requited
Alternis is made for pining -- nothing is too over the top for this character. Some examples of Alternis's pining potential: First, Alternis pines for years in canon. You can easily read this as being due to his self-consciousness / self-loathing, and the large class difference between him and Edea. Second, identity issues pining: Edea being in love with an AU version of him, and how that makes the pining even worse. You can easily take this in an AU direction where Alternis and Ringabel are twins, or Alternis and Ringabel are two different personas of one person and there's identity porn potential which is great for pining. Third, Alternis and Edea were raised as kinda-siblings, so the pining for a person who sees/treats you as a brother is also delicious. Loyalty is a big aspect of this relationship too. Altdea manifesto
Some prompts:
- Alternis and Edea have a casual fling or FWB arrangement, which Alternis treasures while PINING and Edea wants to keep it casual.
- Alternis helps Edea find/get together with Ringabel while pining for her the entire time.
- Alternis PINING after having his multiple marriage proposals rebuffed.
- Identity issues dubcon: Edea mistakes Alternis for Ringabel; Alternis goes along with it because he is Just That Desperate/Loyal.
- Airy forces Alternis into a fuck-or-die situation to save Edea's life; he cooperates knowing the entire time that Edea doesn't return his feelings.
- Alternis blurts out feelings while delirious/drunk/drugged/etc.
- AU where Alternis and Edea are in an arranged marriage and Alternis is over the moon while Edea isn't interested.
- Alternis pines for Edea while carrying her/taking care of her/performing a favor for her/etc.
- Anything that plays with the notion of Alternis's darkness powers connected to/responsive to his pining/emotional state.
Modern AU ideas:
- Modern AU Alternis would totally have a motorcycle. Edea riding behind him while he PINES.
- Superhero AU where Alternis pines for Edea but he can only open up to her / have a flirtatious relationship with her under his affected playboy civilian identity (Ringabel).
- Alternis admits his feelings for his adopted sister under an anonymous internet handle in the vein of this.
Relevant freeforms: Character A pines for B while swearing loyalty/fealty to B; Character A pining because Character B already rejected them; Character A pining silently so Character B won't feel guilty for not returning their affections; Character B knows A is pining but pretends to be oblivious; Deathbed confession of love; A dies before B can confess their feelings; B time travels back to fix everything; Identity porn: B is only attracted to pining A's alternate identity; A keeps an item of B's clothing; A pines for B who is in love with/dating someone else; Pining after being kissed for a dare; Pining Character Suffers from Touch Starvation; Pining Character Uses Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms to Deal with Their Feelings; pining due to fear of pseudoincest; Pining Impacts Character's Ability to Perform Magic; Pining while in a Friends With Benefits arrangement; Pining while sparring; Pining while stuck in a time loop; Revealed Feelings While Mortally Injured/No Hope but Whoops! They Were Rescued Now It's Awkward; Trapped in Fake Perfect World that includes relationship with object of pining; Trying (and failing) to fall out of love with someone who doesn't love you back
Or pick something from above!
Final Fantasy X
Lulu/Wakka (both pining)
Lulu/Wakka (Wakka pining)
Feelings eventually requited
Feelings never requited
(Note: I don't need the feelings requited in the work itself, but I would like something that doesn't contradict canon i.e. it leaves the door open for requited feelings to develop outside the fic.) So here is some pining potential of Lulu/Wakka: First, my headcanon is that Wakka had feelings for Lulu since he was young, but Chappu made the first move and Chappu and Lulu started dating and were really happy together, so Wakka buried those feelings for their sakes. Second, another of my headcanons is that Lulu and Wakka eventually developed requited feelings for each other but pined for a while because Wakka wouldn't make a move out of respect for his dead brother. Third, another aspect that is interesting here is Lulu's generally deadpan demeanor, which can belie deep feelings / make it hard for Wakka to read her, so could generate pining. Finally, there is just the awkward so-close-yet-so-far aspect of your crush choosing your younger brother over you and then becoming siblings-in-law with your crush for years, even long after the person who created that status in the first place (Chappu) is gone. Chappu is like this ghost in between Lulu and Wakka (quite literally, due to the Farplane). I'm okay with infidelity aspects here if you want to go with that, but that's completely optional.
Some prompts:
- Chappu confesses exuberantly to Wakka that he asked Lulu out and she said yes!
- Bittersweet moments of Chappu, Lulu, and Wakka having fun on the island as kids.
- Lulu and Wakka having tender moments and chemistry together while Lulu is with Chappu, which they both pretend not to notice/try not to dwell on.
- Wakka's guilt over everything related to Chappu makes him take grieving very seriously. Wakka's overt grieving for Chappu makes Lulu reluctant to make the first move despite the fact she has Suspicions.
- One or both hurting inside whenever the other or someone else says they're "practically brother and sister."
- "Pining Impacts Character's Ability to Perform Magic" -- I was thinking of Lulu here.
- "Other Characters Play Matchmaker" -- Maybe other characters notice something going on between Lulu and Wakka and give them a little push.
Relevant freeforms: Attending Object of Pining’s Wedding to Someone Else; Character A pining because they think a relationship would be inappropriate; Character A pining for someone in love/relationship with A's sibling/twin; Forbidden/Taboo Desires; In denial about their attraction to the character they are pining for; Mutual Pining; A only realizes feelings for B when B starts dating someone else; Other Characters Play Matchmaker; pining after years of friendship; Pining for someone who treats them like a sibling; pining for someone you can't have; Pining Impacts Character's Ability to Perform Magic; Pining while sparring; Respect for A's dead partner keeps A and B from acting on their feelings; Revealed Feelings While Mortally Injured/No Hope but Whoops! They Were Rescued Now It's Awkward
Or pick something from above!
Mobius Final Fantasy
Garland/Sarah Cornelia (Garland pining)
Feelings eventually requited
Feelings never requited
Garland is also made for over-the-top pining. This game doesn't really spell out Garland's deal explicitly, but here are some pining aspects that are hinted at: First, pining for an amnesiac princess: it's implied that Garland was once an earnest, idealistic Wol who saved the world only to have it repeat all over again with Sarah forgetting him -- great for angsty pining. Second, there's also the way that Sarah's love for Wol is somehow scripted/predetermined, so Garland has to watch Sarah play the lovestruck princess with other warriors, which not only activates his jealousy but also reminds Garland that Sarah's love for him in a previous cycle which was the basis for his own feelings was probably not even genuine. Third, jadedness: Garland understands the artificiality of all this which has made him quite bitter and jaded especially toward Sarah, but still his feelings won't go away. So there's great pining potential here where Garland loves Sarah but can't even admit that to himself because logically he knows how stupid that is. Finally, protective/rescuing sentiment: meanwhile, Sarah is slowly breaking under the stress of all the repeated cycles and despair, and Garland can't just idly watch that happen and so tries to rescue her from the cycle, all while she doesn't even remember him or appreciate what he's doing. And there's plenty of loyalty elements here too. This is such iddy goodness for me. In short, I love the angsty pining of this character where his love for Sarah is so strong and motivates so many of his actions but he is too ashamed to even own up to that fact.
I'm okay with Sarah developing feelings for Garland or coming to have a genuine relationship with him or remembering him from a previous cycle, or for it to be one-sided pain the entire way.
Some relevant scenes:
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=2235
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=2815
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=4705
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=4859
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=5074
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=13796
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=14151
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=14662
https://youtu.be/vv69dg0_dUc?t=14840
More info for this canon is available in my Yuletide letter.
Some prompts:
- Garland pining while carrying Sarah/protecting her/travelling intimately with her/etc.
- Garland having to deal with Sarah's scorn/rejection of him.
- Garland having flashbacks to tender moments with Sarah from his original cycle?
- "kidnapping your crush and forcing them into marriage"; "kidnapping your crush to save them from an unwanted arranged marriage" -- A mash-up with FFI Garland?
- "Pining Character Treats Crush Cruelly" -- Because he does...
- Garland hoping that if he just pines strong enough, Sarah might remember him.
- Garland hangs onto Sarah's favor?
Relevant freeforms: Arranged Marriage - object of pining married off to someone else; Character A pines for their former lover; Character A pines over amnesiac Character B; Character A sacrifices themself for Character B whilst pining for them; competing in a tournament for the hand in marriage of your crush; Deathbed confession of love; A has a vision of the future for B and they're not in it; A keeps an item of B's clothing; kidnapping your crush and forcing them into marriage; kidnapping your crush to save them from an unwanted arranged marriage; A pines for B while carrying them; A pines for B who is in love with/dating someone else; Pining Character knows and accepts that their feelings will never be returned (but still pines); Pining Character Treats Crush Cruelly; pining for someone you can't have; Pining while stuck in a time loop
Or pick something from above!
Pinocchio
Lampwick/Pinocchio (Lampwick pining)
Lampwick/Pinocchio (Pinocchio pining)
Lampwick/Pinocchio (both pining)
Feelings eventually requited
I'd prefer if Lampwick and Pinocchio are at least teens here (or ambiguous age which could easily be read as teen or older). Some of the pining potential here: One promising aspect for pining here is fairy tale magic and curses that might make it impossible to talk/express feelings. Second, period-typical homophobia could contribute to pining. Third, on Lampwick's side, I see him as someone who isn't very emotionally aware in general and wouldn't know how to deal with latent attraction to his best friend at all. Fourth, on Pinocchio's side, I can see him being sensitive about being an odd sort of human and being unsure if his feelings for Lampwick are normal friend feelings and/or unsure if he's supposed to voice them or not. Generally, Lampwick and Pinocchio have a very close, affectionate friendship, so I can see them pining for years because they don't know if they want to risk changing that.
Some prompts:
- Having a very close, affectionate friendship and so one/both just assume that e.g. declarations of love are just platonic.
- "AI character confused by their developing romantic feelings" -- I chose this tag because Pinocchio can be seen as a proto-AI type character. Feel free to go full sci-fi AU too.
- "This is just sexual experimentation, right? Oh no, I'm falling for real."
- "Pining Character Literally Turns Into Pine Tree" -- I chose this tag because Pinocchio is presumably made of pine? Maybe a Little Mermaid mashup where a sentient pine tree falls in love with Lampwick and gets to be human for a while and have his feelings returned or be turned back into a (non-sentient?) tree.
- Still-a-donkey!Lampwick pining for human!Pinocchio (who is very wonderful and sweet to him), because Lampwick is unable to tell him who he is or confess his feelings.
- Lampwick sleeping with other people but always thinks about Pinocchio during/afterward.
- Modern AU idea: Pinocchio and Lampwick as roommates.
- I like humorous dynamics where it fits the pairing, and I think humor works well for Lampwick and Pinocchio. So, characters trying to confess but they keep on getting comically interrupted or misunderstood?
Relevant freeforms: AI character confused by their developing romantic feelings; Character A tries to show how they feel but ends up pining when B doesn't get it; Character pines for someone who thinks nothing of undressing casually in front of them; Character(s) cannot express their feelings due to magic and/or curse; Deathbed confession of love; Guilt over enjoying friendly hugs/physical closeness too much; Guilty About Sexual Attraction; Mutual Pining; Pining A thinks about B while having sex with others; Pining A thinks about B while masturbating; Pining after being kissed for a dare; pining after years of friendship; A is confused about whether their pining is romantic/sexual or platonic; A pining because they mistakenly think B is uninterested; Pining character flirts but pretends they're joking; Pining Character Literally Turns Into Pine Tree; Pining Due To Period-Typical Homophobia; Roommates while pining; Sentient Being Pines For Human; Tries to Confess but Keeps Getting Interrupted by Circumstances
Or pick something from above!
Soulcalibur / Soul Calibur
Hong Yun-seong/Seong Mi-na (Mi-na pining)
Hong Yun-seong/Seong Mi-na (Yun-seong pining)
Hong Yun-seong/Seong Mi-na (both pining)
Feelings eventually requited
These two have great pining potential! First, Mi-na and Yun-seong's very close, teasing, sibling-like friendship means it would be awkward if either of them developed feelings. Second, arranged marriages hanging over Mi-na's head is a major element of her story, and that can be put to good use in a pining storyline. In particular, (1) there's Hwang as romantic rival, and (2) Han-myeong wanting to marry Mi-na off to someone he wants to inherit the dojang means that Yun-seong can vie for Mi-na's hand without admitting that's what he's doing (by becoming a stronger fighter). Third, age differences especially in a modern AU setting can also make feelings awkward to admit or unwise to act on. Fourth, their martial arts mentor relationship means a lot of potential for physical intimacy and closeness that are platonic but activate pining. Fifth, Mi-na giving White Storm to Yun-seong means he literally carries a token of her with him everywhere. Yunmina manifesto
Some prompts:
- Yun-seong having a crush on Mi-na since forever but she always treats him like a child.
- One or both assume the other is involved with/in love with someone else (maybe Talim or Hwang) and is/are Sad.
- Han-myeong arranges a marriage between the two of them and they are both Not Happy with it, and both incorrectly assume the other doesn't have romantic feelings.
- Mi-na (or Yun-seong or both) in an arranged marriage to someone else and they both pine as the wedding draws nearer.
- Yun-seong pines for Mi-na while carrying her (/her stuff)/watching her sleep/performing a favor for her/etc.
- Either of them afraid at the embarrassment they'll experience if anyone finds out that they have a crush on the other.
- Masturbating in the other's bed/holding their clothes/etc.
- Near-death experiences leading to feelings coming out.
- Sex pollen or mental states leading to misunderstandings or feelings coming out.
- Teacher/student AU where both are attracted to each other but it is Not Happening.
Relevant freeforms: Arranged Marriage - pining character married off to someone else; Character B assumes Character A's flirting is a joke; Character pines for someone who thinks nothing of undressing casually in front of them; competing in a tournament for the hand in marriage of your crush; A dies before B can confess their feelings; B time travels back to fix everything; Guilt over enjoying friendly hugs/physical closeness too much; Guilty About Sexual Attraction; Love Confession: One Character Thought The Other Was Dead; Mutual Pining; Pining A thinks about B while masturbating; Pining after being kissed for a dare; A pining because they mistakenly think B is uninterested; Pining character flirts but pretends they're joking; A Pining for B who is in an Arranged Marriage with C; Pining for someone who treats them like a sibling; Pining while in a Friends With Benefits arrangement; Pining while sparring; Revealed Feelings While Mortally Injured/No Hope but Whoops! They Were Rescued Now It's Awkward; Sex Pollen - pining Character A is unaware that newly-seductive Character B is sex-pollened; trying to make object of affection jealous while mutually pining
Or pick something from above!
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Odo/Quark (Quark pining)
Odo/Quark (both pining)
Feelings eventually requited
Feelings never requited
Oh god, there's so much pining potential for these two characters. First, one of the many, many great things about Odo and Quark's Foe Yay dynamic is that IF one of them were to develop feelings for the other, he'd be convinced it's hopeless because that other guy HATES his guts. Second, the denial: these two lend themselves to pining that can't be acknowledged because (a) they're emotionally inept and (b) values clash means they're too proud to admit to being attracted to the other. Third, it's never clear what in their relationship is serious and what is a ploy/joke, which can put these characters in a limbo area where they're unsure if their affections are actually reciprocated. Fourth, Quark could easily be interested in Odo but Odo has so many hangups regarding sex and relationships that it would make it hard for Quark to approach him. Fifth, I'm convinced it's canon (in a coded, getting-stuff-past-the-censors sort of way) that Quark was pining for Odo after Odo got together with Kira. It is also more straightforwardly canon that Quark acted as a wingman for Odo to get with Kira so that makes this potentially very ouch with the pining. Sixth, these two are quite comedic, so have a lot of potential for misunderstandings, shenanigans, failed or thwarted confessions, etc. But also, seventh, there's a lot of incompatibility/missed opportunities to these two that lends itself equally well to tragedy and unhappiness as well. Quodo manifesto
Some prompts:
- Either reminiscing about an intimate moment together and feeling embarrassed and/or wondering if it meant as much to the other.
- Quark giving dating/sex lessons to an inexperienced Odo and trying not to let on that he's fallen for real and he's hurting.
- Quark and Odo being forced to huddle/be close together and both of them trying very very hard to convince the other and themselves how much they hate it and definitely are not enjoying it.
- Either of them afraid at the embarrassment they'll experience if anyone finds out that they have a crush on the other.
- Undercover as a married couple and alternating between bickering that could blow their cover and pretend affection that sets the heart racing.
- Overcompensating for attraction with prickly or harsh behavior.
- Feelings coming out when one risks their life to save the other (who is just like "Why did you do that for me?!").
- Quark devastated at finding out about Odo's crush on Kira in "Crossfire" because Quark always assumed Odo was aroace or was showing Quark affection in an unconventional way.
- A mopey Quark lamenting to Vic Fontaine about Odo getting with Kira and maybe getting some love advice.
- In general, Quark strikes me as someone who would deal with unrequited feelings for Odo in an amazingly unhealthy way. Some possibilities: Quark pushes Odo away to avoid being rejected; Quark sleeps with people who vaguely remind him of Odo (or with an Odo hologram); Quark settles for meaningless sex (either with Odo or other people) because he doesn't think he'll get anything better; etc.
- "Psychic link reveals pining is mutual": What if Odo and Quark accidentally linked and YEARS' worth of feelings came out? 😊
Relevant freeforms: "Platonic" sex tutoring while pining; Character B assumes Character A's flirting is a joke; hiding pining by antagonistic behavior; In denial about their attraction to the character they are pining for; Mutual Pining; Other Characters Play Matchmaker; A pines for B while thinking B hates them; A pines for B who is in love with/dating someone else; Pining A thinks about B while having sex with others; Pining A thinks about B while masturbating; Pining after being kissed for a dare; A pining because they think B is uninterested in romance or relationships; Pining character flirts but pretends they're joking; Psychic link reveals pining is mutual; Revealed Feelings While Mortally Injured/No Hope but Whoops! They Were Rescued Now It's Awkward; Roommates while pining; Tries to Confess but Isn't Believed; Tries to Confess but Keeps Getting Interrupted by Circumstances; trying to make object of affection jealous while mutually pining; Undercover as a Couple While Pining; A burns bridges with B thinking feelings aren't mutual - they are; Character A pining after brief fling years ago while Character B has moved on; A dies before B can confess their feelings; B time travels back to fix everything; A has a vision of the future for B and they're not in it; Pining Character A pays someone to pretend to be Character B; Pining Character Treats Crush Cruelly; Pining Character Uses Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms to Deal with Their Feelings; A plays wingman to help their crush get together with someone else; forced to fuck or die with the object of their affections; A has lots of casual sex to try to get over pining for B; Two Ships Passing; Character A is too proud to recognise they're pining for B
Or pick something from above!
Trials of Mana
Hawkeye/Riesz (Riesz pining)
Feelings eventually requited
Lots of pining potential here: First, Hawkeye spends a lot of the game with his thoughts on Jessica, and Riesz might not be brave enough to ask him about their relationship, so assumes it's romantic. Second, Hawkeye has the tendency to be a flirt so I can see Riesz being unsure if he's interested in her or if he's just Like That with everyone. (But I would like Hawkeye to actually have feelings for Riesz!) Third, they're on opposite sides of a conflict, so that could easily be played up/milked for its pining potential. Fourth, they have very different lifestyles, stations in life, and responsibilities, so postgame, I can see Riesz wanting to be with Hawkeye but unsure if she can actually make it work.
I only nominated Riesz pining because I kind of thought that Hawkeye would be interested in Riesz but not pining about it. But now that I think about it, Hawkeye might pine because Riesz doesn't seem to be interested in him and he's kinda bummed by that. So feel free to put in Hawkeye pining / mutual pining elements if you want.
Some prompts:
- Hawkeye having difficulty convincing Riesz he's actually pursuing her because in Riesz's mind, they're just friends, right?
- Riesz trying her best to help Hawkeye and Jessica be together while pining for Hawkeye.
- Riesz and Hawkeye returning to their kingdoms after the end of the game and wishing for something to come up that would be an excuse to see each other.
- Or Riesz wanting to see Hawkeye but feeling tied to her kingdom because Duty (and also a bit of fear).
- Riesz attaching a lot of significance to small flirtatious things that Hawkeye seems to do lightly, and assuming he's not interested in her because he doesn't dwell on them as much as she does/would in his place.
- Other characters get fed up with Riesz and Hawkeye not confessing/getting together and try to give them a push.
- "Undercover as a Couple While Pining": I don't know, maybe they have to pretend to be a couple or they attend an event as "platonic dates" for each other for Reasons, and this activates all the pining.
Relevant freeforms: A attributes B's flirting to cultural differences; Character A Pines For Character B Not Realizing It's Requited; Character A thinks B isn't serious about them despite B's heavy flirting and subsequently pines; epistolary pining; Guilt over enjoying friendly hugs/physical closeness too much; Hit With Intense Pining After Being Given Items By Love Interest; Long Distance Pining; Other Characters Play Matchmaker; Pining after being kissed for a dare; A pining because they think B is in a relationship with someone else; A pining because they think B is pining for someone else; Pining for someone on the other side of the war/conflict; A plays wingman to help their crush get together with someone else; Undercover as a Couple While Pining
Or pick something from above!