Rare Male Slash Exchange 2025

[gratiaa]

General info/likes/DNWs

Dear Rare Male Slash Exchange Writer,

Thank you for writing for me! I'm so excited to see what you make for any of these much-loved pairings. This letter contains prompts that are entirely optional, so do feel free to ignore everything else I've written here if you have an idea of your own (just minding my few DNWs!). However, if you do want to read my more specific thoughts and a few prompts to follow as closely as you want or just use as jumping-off points for your own ideas, keep reading! Mostly, I hope you'll write something that you enjoy.

My AO3 profile is GratiaAngelorum. I am opting in to treats, including art treats if you're so inclined!

General Likes:
+Age-difference relationships, also power-difference, status-difference, all kinds of differences
+Canon-divergent AUs and/or AUs that add something to the setting without changing the basic setting/context the characters inhabit in canon (e.g. I'm less into total AUs, more into 'a character made one different choice' or 'everything is the same except there are also werewolves' type AUs)
+Casefic or adventure of the week type plots
+Getting together, first times, feelings reveals, making a new relationship public or seeking the approval of friends/families
+Established relationship that has been hidden is revealed, whether on-purpose or accidentally
+Fixit fic that gives happy or hopeful endings to characters who don't get that in canon
+Fluff, happiness, and sweetness especially for characters whose lives are otherwise not so happy
+Hurt/comfort with an emphasis on the comfort rather than the hurt
+Kissing: gentle kisses, rough kisses, languid kisses, desperate kisses, cheek kisses, tongue kisses, hand kisses, ALL kisses
+Loyalty, one-sided or mutual
+Marriage, especially arranged, forced, of convenience, of necessity
+Mpreg, whether common in-universe, rare, or so unheard of that they didn't even know it was possible
+One night stands, only/last chance with someone they've pined for, supposed to be a fling but they can't stop thinking about it
+Outside perspective on a surprising/unexpected/secret relationship reveal
+Pining that turns out to be requited
+Smut, with or without plot
+Stoic/taciturn/grim characters who have given up on love finding themselves unexpectedly head over heels for sunshiney characters despite their reservations
+Time travel or time loop plots
+Touch-starved characters overwhelmed with their reaction to simple, innocuous physical contact
+++My tastes are many and wide-ranging and include so many more things than I've thought of to put here. Basically, if I didn't DNW it, I'm open to receiving it, so if you have an idea that is none of these things, please feel free to go with it!

General DNWs: (exceptions are noted in fandom-specific sections)
-Breakup of requested pairing
-Death of a requested character
-Body fluids other than spit or come involved in sex (outside of sex blood, etc. is fine)
-Harm to non-sapient animals (characters eating meat is fine, but e.g. no hunting scenes please)
-Omegaverse, biological D/s verse, modern AUs for historical canons
-Romance/sex involving characters under 14
-Trans/genderbent characters unless canonical via in-universe or Word of God confirmation

Brides of Chance Creek Series - Cora Seton

Emerson Myers/Augustus Reed
I'm really fond of this series, and especially the crotchety old General and his extraordinarily devoted young Sergeant. So many of my favorite things going on between those two: the age difference, the power-dynamics relationship, the hurt/comfort, the loyalty...!

-Any kind of domestic fluff where Emerson gets to be loved and supported and know that he belongs (and whom he belongs to)! He's such a sad lonely woobie for so much of his book and I adore him finally finding his home at the ranch and with the General.

-AU where Emerson does get married at the end of his book -- but not to Wye! I'd love a rewrite of that weirdly truncated wedding scene that ends differently... does the General stand up to object? Does Wye herself stop the wedding because she knows Emerson doesn't really love her? What do his daughters and the entire town think of the events?

-Backstory for the pair of them would also be amazing! How they met, how Emerson impressed the General enough to become his aide, how they became so intertwined and intimate... I will never be over that casual reveal in this otherwise everyone-is-assumed-het series that everyone at the military base thought Emerson got his job because he was sleeping with the General: how did that rumor start, and what were they doing that made everyone believe it?! I'd love an outsider-perspective on the pair of them. I'm just so curious what everyone else thinks of Emerson's fanatical devotion to his commanding officer.

-I think the canon magic in the series lends itself to intriguing spooky/dark potential and it would be great to see that explored! The General's precognitive dead wife('s ghost) interacting with Emerson? The low-level horror of the hedge maze with the magical standing stone that knows your future and can trap you inside and mess with your mind? The ranch itself as an entity that entices military men inside and never lets them leave to serve its own purposes? The General's daughters as a coven of witches (whether they're good or evil or just amoral)? Something with werewolves?! I'm very up for any take on the witchy magic in this world, whether cute-spooky or creepy or straight-up horror.

-I'd also be up for any kind of dark take on their relationship: a slavery AU, a Darkfuck Generalworld where officers are entitled to abuse and use the soldiers under their command, a world where the General has groomed Emerson (who apparently did become his aide when he was still a teenager!) and their relationship is coercive or unhealthy in whatever way... I love them being in love, but I also love the General being dark/cruel/evil and Emerson getting whumped, so if you're into that, by all means lay it on me! Dubcon/noncon is totally fine here, do whatever you want with them. :D

-I've requested this pairing many times in other exchanges; if you want to see more(!!!) prompts/likes/freeform tags I'd especially enjoy for them, check out all my previous requests here!

Don Estevan's Honor - Eleanor M. Ingram

Estevan de Lucena/Luís de Lucena:
-They love each other so much and always have, and I would love any kind of exploration of backstory for them: their years together on the sea, sleeping under the same cloak while at war, sharing a cabin while at sea, facing down storms and enemies and captivity for each other, trusting each other, adoring each other…! Or their future together, post-canon -- what does their relationship look like after they're both married (or in an alternate future where they marry each other instead)?

-The contrast between ascetic minimalist Luís and colorful maximalist Estevan, and how much Luís indulges his young cousin and how much pleasure it gives him to see him enjoying all his beautiful treasures, makes me really want Luís to be constantly giving Estevan extravagant gifts of jewelry and clothes and whatever! He's a pirate lord, he can get anything for his lover. Any kind of luxury porn and romantic fluff, or just cozy curtainfic with their mundane life together in between pirating and fighting and whatnot, would be amazing.

-Literally just let them fuck on Luís's fur-covered divan from the beginning of the story. Or in the gorgeous gem-like cabin on the ship. Or Estevan's sumptuous blue apartment in the castle. Or under that cloak while on campaign together. Anywhere!

Bernardo d'Allariz/Pedro Mirando
-There is one single moment in the novella when Bernardo and Mirando are apparently alone together in the garden in the middle of the night, and are close enough that Bernardo teases Mirando for his physical reaction to a noise, which basically means they were definitely trysting out there, right? I'd love that story, however it might shake out: is it a one-night-stand, do they have an ongoing relationship, is it a hatesex/slap slap kiss type situation, is Mirando attempting to seduce Bernardo into joining his treasonous cabal (full disclosure, I have written a version of this story but I love the idea so much I'd adore any other takes on it as well)...

-The pair could not be more different: Don Bernardo the flamboyant, swashbuckling cavalier utterly loyal to his lord, Mirando the slippery and calculating schemer very gung-ho on treason -- yet Mirando was also one of Luís's fighters in his time who went with him on his expeditions and fought at his side in his day, and Bernardo has at least enough caution and political sense to see which way the wind is blowing and make himself indispensable to Luís by the end of the novella. I'd love an exploration of the ways they might be more similar than they appear, and perhaps truly understand each other more than anyone else knows, and also maybe they fall in love.

-I feel like this would be a really good pairing for an odd-couple arranged marriage or marriage of convenience plot, especially if they (or mostly Mirando, tbh) intend for it to be purely platonic/chaste but fail very hard at that. Just a thought, do with it as you will!

Bernardo d'Allariz/Original Male Character
-Bernardo just seems like the kind of guy who fucks often and widely, and I'd love to explore the world of the novella through his romances. You could really go anywhere with this and I'd eat it up: a dalliance with another cavalier-pirate? A forbidden affair with a priest? The story of how he got that magnificent saber (and it was sexy)? A good old reliable Eleanor M. abduction romance (and was he the abductor or the abductee)? Five times he fell in love and one time somebody fell in love with him in return, or vice versa? I'm extremely interested in basically anything with this guy, so feel free to go wild with this one! (You could also read this request as Bernardo/Any Male Character, because I would totally eat up, like, his torrid affair with Ruy de la Vega or Padre Jacinto or Floria's dad…)

The Duel - Eleanor M. Ingram

Louis Delmar/Frank Laurence
-Pre-canon, exploring the time when Laurence and Delmar were teammates! I just love the poignant sweetness of a romance long before the tragic end you know is coming, when everything is beautiful and nothing hurts... for now. The pair of them as scrappy young men earning their reputations as drivers, facing crashes and victories and losses and the press and the cheering/booing crowds together, ahhh! Just anything with them being happy and sweet and loving each other long before the events of "The Duel", to break my heart even more :')

-An AU where Laurence survives his crash, and he and Delmar tame or heal the black car together would also be incredible! We know that true love's kiss can break any curse, so maybe it can do that for malevolent motor vehicles? If there's any happy ending possible for these guys I'd be over the moon to see it.

-The horror atmosphere of this story really lends itself to all kinds of darkness: Delmar's grief and self-destructive mastery of the black car after Laurence's death, his final battle on the racetrack while Elsie is dying, and his own death as the consummation of the black car's malignant designs. I'd love anything about racetrack superstitions and ghosts and what's left behind after the triple tragedy. Or maybe a ghost romance??!

-Outside perspective would be amazing for this one, with any other racetrack folk recounting the story as they know it, or how it becomes embellished over time and repetition and turns into racing folklore of its own, or people who knew Laurence and Delmar remembering and honoring them. I love the kind of fics that are documents or social media posts from people in the modern day discovering the 'true story' of events from the past -- I received a lovely one of these for this story and I just hunger for more!

George/Jack Leland
-This pairing just cries out for romantic hurt/comfort! Either immediately after the events of the story, when George is comforting young Jack in the stands after Delmar's crash and Elsie's death, or weeks/months/years later… do they stay in contact? Does it become a long-term relationship? Does Jack keep showing up at the racetrack whenever George is racing there, even as both of their lives move on, and do they end up in bed (or elsewhere) together every time?

-At the end of the story the ingenu Jack is left alone with no one but his aunt as chaperone, and you know what that sounds like to me? That sounds like a boy who needs to be quickly and securely married off for his own good! I am the world's biggest fan of arranged marriage or marriage of convenience/necessity and I just think it would be fun for Jack's ~honor~ to be at stake for whatever reason and for George, reluctantly (or not!), to have to come to his young friend's aid and marry him. Maybe there's an accidental pregnancy in there somewhere, or an unwanted suitor who won't take no for an answer, or any other romance tropes, I love them!

-For a more lighthearted story, I adore Jack's hero-worship of the racecar drivers and George's cheerfully mischievous willingness to show the kid around the track to help Delmar get his girl, and I would love to see more of them together while Delmar and Elsie were romancing each other. When George shows up in the novels he's usually bantering and flirting with cute twinks (Jes Floyd, Corrie Rose) to the point where I fully believe he has a type and that type is young, pretty, and very into cars. So: Jack Leland! They could just have a fun time together before it all goes wrong and I would love that so much.

Duke Guido del'Isoletto - Eleanor M. Ingram

Guido del'Isoletto/Rufino di Valdi
-These guys have such a weird, intense, passionate relationship and I want to see the logical conclusion of any part of it! I'm especially intrigued by the situation at the end of "The Honor of Valdi" which has Rufino, now proven utterly loyal and his liege lord's new favorite courtier, living in a room that has a secret passageway that connects directly to Guido's bedroom, so PLEASE make good use of this.

-Also, more of that knifeplay would be very hot.

-I'm extremely wild about the line "I am snared. Do as you will with me, my lord." and I'd love an exploration of the darker possibilities of their relationship! Whether during Rufino's initial unmasking in "Princess Rosario" or the bedroom trap at the end of "Valdi", Guido the sexy sneaky spidery puppetmaster has captured the brave innocent Rufino in his web of plots and holds his fate in the palm of his aristocratically-slender hand, oh dear, what will he do with him? I'm definitely up for any kind of blackmail, dubcon seduction, pulpily wicked imprisonment and ravishment, Rufino's shame and distress and reluctant submission, and/or Guido enjoying corrupting his young cousin-by-marriage if you want to go that direction.

-For a lighter take (or maybe not!), an AU where Guido isn't married to Gemma but instead, for intricate political reasons, arranges a marriage to the son of his old foe the Prince of Valdi! Just a thought, take that where you will. I would also be extremely into a "My Fair Lady"/"She's All That" type story where Guido makes a bet that he can turn this feral street urchin into a Gentleman!

Guido del'Isoletto/Original Male Character
-As of current writing, only the final two Duke Guido stories are available online from what seems to be a series of six, which means there is so much more Guido out there and, one hopes, at least a few more dangerously passionate young men with grudges for him to outwit, outplay, and outrageously flirt with! I hope to read those other four Eleanor M. stories someday, but in the meantime, I'd love to read a fannish take on what else "the most dangerous noble in Italy" gets up to before or after Rufino! Exploring the wildly melodramatic pulpy-medieval world of the stories through Guido's intrigues and romances sounds like amazing fun. Dalliances with other noblemen, just for fun or as part of his games of political chess; seducing the ingenu sons of rival families; an AU with a different arranged marriage; or maybe there's a ruffian king of thieves or spies or something down in the city who is his equal in intellect and cunning? Man, I don't know, just anything with this guy would be great. (You could also read this request as Guido/Any Male Character, whether in-universe or a crossover! I think the gay cavalier Don Bernardo from "Don Estevan's Honor" has probably made it to Belfiore at some point, just saying…)

The Game and the Candle - Eleanor M. Ingram

John Allard/Adrian Stanief
-John Allard's conflicted loyalties between the Staniefs, part infinity! I love the very complicated relationship among Feodor/John/Adrian and I'd love anything exploring this leg of the loyalty-triangle. "He is mine, you gave him to me" is a magnificent line and I'd love to see it develop on both sides: John, perhaps to his surprise, finding himself giving Adrian the same kind of love and fealty he does to Feodor, Adrian understanding the obligations and responsibilities due to someone who gives that kind of personal loyalty, and the two of them actually falling in love (with Feodor's knowledge and blessing -- after all, Allards have a greater capacity for love than most people and loving his cousin doesn't diminish what they have!)

-Also into the idea of a non-romantic, favorite-with-benefits relationship between them, with John (who is almost twice Adrian's age when they first meet!) being Adrian's first partner and sex tutor, in the time-honored tradition of teenaged rulers and their older favorites. Maybe this is part of why Feodor gave John to him to begin with, whether John knew it at the time or not.

-A darker version of this relationship would also be 100% welcomed and amazing! This willful, petulant teen emperor WILL have anything and anyone he wants, including the love he's so jealous of his new American favorite giving his cousin and not him! I'm very into any kind of scenario where Adrian knowingly or unknowingly manipulates or coerces John into bed because he wants love and his upbringing/family history has messed him up so much that he doesn't know any way to get it. Or a pulpy slavery AU with kneeling and collars and John being put on display as the Emperor's pretty prize would be amazing.

-In the AU version of this story where Adrian's darkest suspicions are true and dark!Feodor really does want to overthrow him all along, John choosing to stand with Adrian, the rightful emperor, against his first love! This would be absolutely heartbreaking and so compelling; whether Adrian prevails and they have to deal with the aftermath together, or Feodor succeeds and loyal, honest John goes with Adrian into political exile, I'd love for the two of them to work through their betrayal and heartbreak together ;___;

Robert Allard/Adrian Stanief
(I love the idea of an AU where Bertie survives and comes to the Empire at the end of the novel with Theo, or however you want to work this one out!)

-Adrian's jealousy over John Allard's love for Feodor makes me think he really needs an American of his own that he can trust wholly belongs to him, and who better than another Allard, who is just as loving, loyal, and 'ornamental' (haha) as his brother but is a little less serious and apparently spicier… like cayenne on a salad, whatever that means. Bertie is also about ten years older than Adrian if I've done my math right, so I'm intrigued by the age gap and how that might change their dynamic compared to his brother's with Feodor -- just anything exploring what this would be like would be fascinating!

-What is Adrian like as emperor? John's impressions of him are all tied up with his complicated push-pull with Feodor and the three years of the game of thrones they played and being at the beck and call of a mercurial teenager; Bertie, looking at him with fresh eyes at the bright beginning of his reign, might see something more in him than the teen tyrant whom John loves/almost hates! It would be fun to explore a different and more positive perspective on him.

-Bertie becoming Adrian's new favorite gentleman-in-waiting, without the protection/complication of also being Feodor's man like his brother, perhaps leaves him open to more political games from other courtiers trying to sway him to one side or the other or use him as a pawn in attacks on the emperor… is he in danger? How well would he handle the complicated politics of the imperial court? Would he perhaps even jump in front of an assassin's blade/bomb/etc. for Adrian like his brother did, and how great would the hurt/comfort be afterwards? :')

-Alternately, I'm always into a darker version of Adrian with him just taking an Allard of his own, regardless of that Allard's feelings on the matter. "I Am the Emperor" and/or "Two Windows" redux? I kind of love the idea of Bertie getting in over his head with dark!Adrian and trying to conceal his mistreatment from the court and especially from his brother… or anything else with a dubcon/noncon bent!

-Or again, in the AU where Adrian's darkest suspicions are true and dark!Feodor really does want to overthrow him all along, I'd love for Adrian to have his own faithful Allard at his side! The idea of Bertie's first day at court being the day Adrian is blindsided by Betrayal!! and him making an impulsive decision to become the teenaged rightful-emperor's most loyal man (and, if he also likes fast cars, maybe impulsively fleeing with him? even maybe John, wracked by guilt and having belated second thoughts, gives them his car and helps them get away before Adrian can be arrested??) is Very Good and really, anywhere this might go would be fun.

Adrian Stanief/Original Male Character
-I just love little messed-up yearning-for-love Adrian and I'd love anything exploring his character, his choices, his future as Emperor, and really any kind of relationship with an original character! Can he even have a normal romantic relationship, given who he is? I love the idea of Feodor/John being his ideal and model for true love, but his trust issues run even deeper than Feodor's so maybe he doesn't think he can have that and must settle for arrangements where he always has the upper hand: a courtesan or kept man he can keep at arm's length, anonymous encounters in disguise in the city, or something where he never has to risk his heart or dignity. Something sad/bittersweet without a happy ending is totally fine here.

-Or, if he does fall in love, someone wildly unsuitable for an Emperor would be a lot of fun, perhaps with added identity porn! What if during his incognito trips among his subjects he comes across a student democratic revolutionary group and joins them and accidentally falls into a relationship with their leader! Or he meets a disreputable thief/rogue in the underbelly of the city who teaches him how to pick locks and fight dirty and also they kiss. Or, I mean, he likes fast cars, what if he has a chance encounter with a sexy racecar guy! :D

-And again, dark!Adrian would also be very fun. Maybe he develops an obsession with some court gentleman or officer who doesn't really want him but can't refuse his attentions, or is oblivious to them and clearly must be taught his lesson about neglecting his Emperor. I'm definitely fine with him being a dubcon/noncon aggressor.

-Giving him an arranged/political marriage would be kind of amazing too, especially if it's one he's forced into by circumstance. How the tables have turned! I bet he could turn it to his advantage regardless, but will he also fall in love?!!

-Still on this idea of dark!Feodor betraying Adrian and usurping the throne (or attempting to)! Adrian in exile, perhaps incognito, is suddenly just a normal person, free of the scrutiny and responsibilities and dangers of his former life, and finally able to figure out who he is as a person away from his family and position and the weight of history and expectation... so what IS he going to do with his life? Could he just, like, go to college? Get a job? Date, have fun, make mistakes, fall in love like a normal 17-year-old? But on the other hand, Adrian is Adrian, with his brilliant mind and dangerous tenacity and hereditary habit of domination and grudge-holding, and perhaps he can never really stop being the Emperor even in exile, so does he go off and seek asylum with a royal cousin in another Ruritanian country and start to plot his return, triumph, and revenge against the cousin who betrayed him?! Maybe he has a loyal and beloved bodyguard who is devoted to him both politically and personally, always at his side as he prepares to overthrow the usurper and take back what's rightfully his? Really, anything would be so fun.

The Twice American - Eleanor M. Ingram

(Apologies for this section being unfinished - I will fill in details for these pairings as soon as possible! But really I think if you are one of the 3 nonnies in the world who have read this book in the 21st century you probably already know what I would love for these guys, so if you want to write for any of these pairings, be free!)

Corey Bruce/David Noel
Corey Bruce/David Noel/Nilo Valdez
Corey Bruce/Gil Granados
Corey Bruce/Gil Granados/David Noel/Nilo Valdez
Corey Bruce/Nilo Valdez
David Noel/Nilo Valdez
Gil Granados/David Noel
Nilo Valdez/Original Male Character