sphe draws

Hi Bruins exchange writer!

I'm really pumped about the exchange, and will love anything you make! I don't really have hard yes or no's, but here are some thoughts on things I generally like (that said, definitely feel free to follow your inspiration and go outside of these bullet points!):

Hockey being a team sport, I love team dynamics and all the built-in family-style drama. Banter and gossip and pranks and stupid arguments and all the RL intricate rituals that we appreciate so much.

Poly relationships, because of all the potential nuance and complexity. Undercurrents of jealousy, who holds more power in what domain, subtle competition, all that good stuff. WAG vs teammate, current liney vs past liney, whatever!

Tropes that play off all the weird RL hockey rules including things that trend a bit dark, such as fucking for chemistry, arranged relationships, winners room, etc.

If you want to go explicit, I’m all for it - I’m pretty flexible on the specifics but particularly appreciate if the sex or kink reflects and reinforces the relationship/character dynamics.

I've internalized strong platonic attachment as romantic even when not explicitly "romantic" with sexuality included. Moirallegiance should be a thing and bromances count. So, you're very welcome to go down that route too.

Trope inversion or subversion. Show that trope who’s boss (it’s you!) Especially for things like A/B/O or D/s AUs, where the trope often involves kind of stereotyped sex roles. (I appreciate the non-inverted trope too but I do enjoy novelty.)

I don't want to be too prescriptive about things to avoid. If something's interesting, even if it's on this list, you can probably talk me into liking it, lol. But here are some vague guidelines on dislikes:

Plots that revolve around a straightforward lack of or mis-communication. May I suggest: people who try to communicate while their own understanding of the problem continues to evolve, people who discuss symptoms without addressing underlying truths, people who know what the problem is but can’t agree on the solution, people who disagree on what the problem is… and so on.

AUs are awesome, but I prefer if they reflect certain core hockey fandom elements like group/team dynamics, competition, rivalries, it’s a business vs personal attachments, the sort of essential sportsiness of it all.

Hanahaki disease: I don't like this one trope, it’s just not for me.

I don’t mind quite a lot of fluffiness or deep angst or any one tone, but prefer if there’s some other element mixed in. It’s like adding salt to your dessert, it makes the flavor more profound.

As for specific pairing prompts - I'm sorry these are rather vague/bare, but my spoons are thin on the ground at the moment.

Marcheron:

Rule 63 - one or both of them?? I've been idly kicking around a thought bubble about a rule 63 knight AU where they're both pretending to be men, Monstrous Regiment-style...

OR a knight AU but they're actually both workers at King Richard's Faire and it's that tumblr post about the king/lionheart dynamic except as like target employees. You know?

Arranged marriage/marriage of convenience - marrieds being forced to be married. yes

Daemons....???

Swaymark:

I mean, not to be a huge downer, but I am ready for trade angst feelings: breaking up and making up, proxy fucking, new teammate jealousy, the ways you try to get by with that phone-mediated long distance relationship and the ways it falls apart... I'm ready for Dark Swaymark I guess 😂

I have a galaxy brain vision that they’ll be reunited after Ully refuses to sign long term with the Sens and goes UFA, so maybe a separation/reunion AU…

Maybe also a rule 63 thing? How would that dynamic be different with fem!Sway (heck, maybe it's just as bromancey and deeply romantically platonic as in RL)

Swayko

Ahhh ok I put this down but I don't really have any good ideas for it, I'm sorry. And now Lauks is traded anywayyyyy boo. Would be thrilled to just. have them being cute together.

Looks like it’s a Pandora Sphinx moth caterpillar in its fifth instar. They look much cuter both before and after this exact stage:

Photos from here and here