Little Black Dress 2025

[sodomhipped]

Dear creator,

First things first: thank you for creating (or considering creating) for me! I hope you have fun.

I've included some thoughts and prompts for canons, characters, ships, and tropes—but please don’t feel bound to those ideas. Please think of any prompt as a possible starting point and entirely optional. Also, please don’t think that any pairing/character having more bullet points means I want it more than others—I want everything I request! In general, I will enjoy any gift (so long as it doesn’t include things on my Do Not Want list), so please do not stress.

Some other points that might be helpful:

• Art, fic, or podfic? I love them all.
• Happy or unhappy endings? I love both.
• Smut or not? Surprise, surprise—I love both.
• Treats? Yes, please!

Also, I apologize if some parts of the letter are repetitive. I tried to write it so that anyone can jump to a relevant section(s) and get all the necessary information!

Thank you again—and happy creating!
- reclamation @ ao3

navigation

The basics: do not wants ✮ fic likes ✮ art likes ✮ trope likes ✮ smut/kink likes

LBD Characters: Angela Shepard ✮ Big Brother ✮ Daniel Le Domas ✮ Darry Curtis ✮ Fedya Dolokhov ✮ Mark Jennings ✮ Mace McCormick ✮ Oliver Quick

Overview

Do Not Want

Unless I say otherwise in the fandom-specific section, I would prefer not to receive:

• Gender identity headcanons or interpretations (Note for reasoning: I have plenty of gender issues of my own, and it can have a negative effect on me)
• AUs that change the majority of the canon setting (i.e. I’m not interested in a coffee shop or university AU, but I love canon divergent works that keep the same general setting with something changed—even if that something is major)
• Crossovers with other canons
• Very underage characters (younger than 14 years old) in sexual situations or sexualizing youth (e.g. age regression, age play, infantilization, etc) (Note: This does not include emphasizing an existing age gap or difference in experience, which I love)
• Kidfic (e.g. non-canon parenthood or adoption plots, focusing a story on characters as children)
• Pregnancy and related subjects (including childbirth, breeding, oviposition, lactation, milking, etc) [Note: Mentions of canon pregnancies/hope of pregnancy/etc is fine.]
• Omegaverse or A/B/O (including knotting, heats/ruts, etc)
• Body fluids/waste in sexual contexts (i.e. watersports, scat, emeto, etc) (Note: that this DNW is specifically for sexual contexts, mentions of a character urinating or vomiting is fine)
• Bestiality, xeno, alien genitalia, tentacle sex, and monster-fucking
  
• Weight-related kink (i.e. it’s alright if a character gains some weight during the story for plot-related reasons, but I’d rather not linger on it in a sexual context)
• Formal BDSM (i.e. I’d prefer not to receive negotiated 24/7 D/s relationships, but if someone gets tied up in bed, that’s fine)

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Fic Likes

• Length: fic of any size (e.g. anything from a 100-word drabble to an epic)
• POVs: second- and third-person narratives are my favorites
• Rating: anything from gen to explicit
• Tone: everything from angst to fluff, although I tend to like my fluff with a contrast of some sort
• Endings: whatever suits the work—happy, sad, ambiguous, or anything in-between
• Genres: romance, horror, drama, slice-of-life, introspection
• Narrators: unreliable, complicated, conflicted
• Relation to canon: canon compliant and canon divergence

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Art Likes

• Length: art of any size (e.g. anything from a simple sketch to a full illustration to a multi-panel comic)
• Perspective: I like all perspectives, but interesting cropping/foreshortening or unusual perspectives intrigue me
• Rating: anything from gen to explicit
• Tone: everything from angst to fluff
• Religious imagery: especially blasphemous use of catholic imagery (think halos, angel wings, heart pierced with swords, crown of thorns, heart shrouded in thorns, stained glass, etc)
• Literalness/abstraction: I love seeing a character or scene literally portrayed, but I also really enjoy more abstract works (e.g. a character with various symbols, tarot-inspired works, etc)
• Shadows/Lighting: I love stark shadows or lighting (e.g. noir style, heavy shadows on a face, etc)
• In-Universe Media: magazines, posters, etc
• Poses: whatever feels right for the pairing but some poses I enjoy include kneeling, one character being positioned higher than the other, anything that shows closeness/intimacy (touching face/waist/back), kissing (on the mouth but also anywhere else—the hand, neck, between the shoulder blades, etc), threatening/possessiveness (holding the throat or wrists), embracing someone from behind
• Injury: a character tending to the wounds of another, a character sitting and feeling sorry for themselves after injury, etc (Note: I tend to prefer more aesthetic smatterings of blood rather than gore, but I am fine with gore/more serious injury, too)

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Trope Likes

• Getting together: the uncertainty of reciprocation, confessions of love or lust
• Falling apart: last times (sex/kiss/etc), justified break-ups or infidelity (e.g. if the character can/does explain their actions to themselves, I’m all on board)
• Unequal interest or love: any permutation of this, including pining on one or both sides, seemingly unrequited, actually unrequited that never becomes requited, one person being more into the relationship than the other, differing interest in sex/attraction
• Complicated feelings and relationships: complicated/unhealthy/co-dependent relationships, fake relationships/dating, friends/enemies to lovers, someone thinks they’re already dating when they’re not
• Internal struggles: repression, shame that stems from cultural or religious mores, internalized homophobia, trying and failing at any goal, struggling with emotional vulnerability, jealousy, possessiveness, guilt, denial of romantic feelings
• Forced intimacy: having to work towards a common goal even when they don’t want to, sharing small spaces/bed, soulbonds (especially those that take a novel approach), sharing clothing
• The passage of time: reunions after a separation (including a long separation), bitter exes, aging
• Apologies: given by those who are not good at apologizing or admitting they're wrong, misconstrued by those receiving them, genuine apologies that are a little too late
• Other tropes: injury and recovery, disability after injury, deal with the devil, bets/wagers, role reversal

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Smut/Kink Likes

• Terminology: I like straight-forward terms for genitalia but have no preference between common terms (e.g. dick, cock, cunt, pussy, etc), although I strongly prefer “come” to “cum”
• Non-penetrative sex: intercrural, oral sex, fingering, frottage, masturbation
• Penetrative sex: any dynamic unless otherwise stated (i.e. I usually don’t care who tops, but if I happen to have a preference, I’ll specify in the fandom-specific section)
• Sexual proxies & sublimation: fucking someone else because they can't have who they want, fucking a stranger because the stranger looks like someone they want, using a third party as an excuse to be in a sexual situation together, talking about sex in detail instead of doing it, masturbating in the same room
• Romantic & playful sex: teasing, body worship (especially when focused on one part/aspect of the body), servicing/pleasuring their partner, laughing together during sex
• Rough sex: possessiveness, being held down, sex during or after an argument, manhandling, holding by the throat, hair-pulling
• Poor sexual decision-making: unprotected sex, hate sex, choosing to have sex for poor reasons (e.g. “I know this will break my heart later,” or “I don’t even like this person that much but why not,” or any other variation), under-discussed and under-negotiated sex
• Denial of feelings: pretending sex doesn’t mean anything when it does, choosing not to tell someone their feelings for whatever reason, not admitting feelings to themselves
• Complicated or lacking consent: dubcon, [aliens/bad guys/whatever flimsy plot device] makes them do it, agreeing to sex when they know they shouldn’t, noncon
• Vulnerability: kneeling, tenderness, intimacy, offering one's emotions/body in any fashion
• Unsexy sexual situations: underwhelming first time, overstimulation, not everyone is equally satisfied, not being into a sexual act

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Angela Shepard (That Was Then, This Is Now by S.E. Hinton)

Angela gets a raw deal every step of the way in That Was Then, This Is Now—but even so, she is a hell of a character. I love her… verve. She’s beautiful and knows it—and she’s willing to use that beauty like a weapon. I love that she feels things deeply and acts without thinking a plan through. I love that she’s as capable of violence as the rest of her family.

Give me stories where Angela gets to win or has her own agency. Show me her shaking off the husband she doesn’t even like, starting a trend with her new short hair, being violent and catty when someone steps on her toes. Let her steal girls or boys she wants, wrap them around her finger, and then not have any clue how to manage a healthy relationship.

What does this dress go with…
✅ Female Characters
✅ Male Characters
✅ Threesomes with Male or Female Characters

What this dress does not go with… (i.e. Do Not Want Pairings)
❌ M&M Carlson

Character-Specific Prompts (click each name to see more)

Bryon Douglas

They only dated for a few months, but they left their marks on each other. I love that the relationship’s hallmarks are obsession, jealousy, attraction, and discord. How did the relationship look while they were in it? Do they have an ill-advised hookup after Angela gets married? Or maybe they reconnect after Mark is sent to the reformatory?

Mark Jennings

Angela is to blame for Mark’s injury; Mark cuts her hair. Otherwise, their only real connection is Bryon. But I’d like to see situations where they get together. I’d love a conversation that deals with the hair-cutting or their other issues. I’d like either one trying to enact revenge or punishment on the other.

Cathy Carlson

Cathy and Angela are such interesting foils. And Bryon is always comparing them. Their temperaments, goals, looks, etc—everything is different. I want them hanging out without any boys around. Maybe they find something in common after all. Perhaps Angela can help Cathy unclench a little, or Cathy can help Angela get her shit together.

Ponyboy Curtis

Angela drops Bryon like a hot potato for a shot at Ponyboy—and then Ponyboy doesn’t even seem to notice. Give me divergences where they date messily or where he has to reject her directly. Or maybe she manages to lure him away from Cathy in a turnabout.

Charlie

I don’t know why, but this possible pairing tickles my brain even though they never meet in the novel. He’s a cool, stable older guy with a calm head on his shoulders and a reputation (that seems well-earned) as a tough guy. I feel like he could handle Angela’s penchant for drama better than anyone else.

Curly and/or Tim Shepard

This family is so dysfunctional, and incest is easy to imagine as a part of their complex dynamic. They respond so quickly (and so brutally) against Bryon when he and Mark cut her hair. So show me protective, yelling, codependent siblings… Show me Angela who’s a bit too brave because she knows she has Curly and/or Tim right behind her.

Threesome Ideas

Angela + Mark/Bryon, Curly/Tim, Cathy/Bryon, Ponyboy/Cathy.

Character-Specific DNW Clarifications & Exceptions

• Underage Sex: Angela is canonically very young and sexually active. I am fine with anything in line with canon, but would prefer her not to be younger than in canon if the sex is descriptive. References are okay.
• Pregnancy and related subjects: It's hinted that Angela may have had a pregnancy scare. Anything tonally in line with this is fine by me, but I'd prefer any story not to focus on these details overly much.

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Big Brother (Swept Away)

When I first saw Swept Away, I was taken in by the Mate, I’ll admit. (And I do still love him.) But there’s something about Big Brother that got under my skin later. The way he recklessly dives into an adventure, accidentally, because he’s so set on retrieving Little Brother. And the way he holds on to his faith in the face of mockery. And the way he sacrifices himself even when all odds are on the likelihood that his little brother will die anyway. Giving his life and his body for the slimmest chance at saving his brother! It’s so delicious.

I imagine he was comfortable in his life on the farm, so I want to see his discomfort as he struggles with life at sea. He doesn’t fit in with the crew, he doesn’t know the work, he can’t break through to his brother… Alternately, show me before Little Brother runs off and what life on the farm was really like. Was Big Brother a favored son and committed to his work while he didn’t see (or maybe just did not acknowledge) his brother was struggling? Did he have his own rebellious phase and assume Little Brother would grow out of it, like he did?

What does this dress go with…
✅ Male Characters
✅ Original Male Characters

Anyone this dress does not go with… (i.e. Do Not Want Pairings)
❌ None

Character-Specific Prompts (click each name to see more)

Mate

Mate disturbs Big Brother. While Big Brother struggles to get Little Brother to listen, Mate has his ear without trying. Mate can take a moment that was supposed to be about God and turn it into revelry. He wants to touch everything just to make it a little worse. But maybe Big Brother finds that compelling. Or maybe Mate figures out how to manipulate Big Brother, just as he figures everyone else out.

Little Brother

Big Brother loves Little Brother so much that he is literally willing to die for him. Give me the moments between them, big or small—when they get along and see eye to eye as well as when they don’t. Show me intimacies they share and the ways they know each other better than anyone else.

Captain

There’s a great moment between the Captain and Mate where the Captain puts Mate in his place. He’s clearly a man who demands respect and tradition. He also doesn’t seem to have much patience for his stowaway. I’d like to see how Big Brother and Captain might interact, as I think their views of the world aren’t all that far apart, even if neither sees it.

Original Male Characters

Write me trysts that Big Brother has while living on the farm in his youth. Or tell me about how he bonds with one of the crewmen. The world is your oyster. I’d like to see the man finding something to admire in the unyielding Big Brother, even if he didn’t originally expect to.

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Daniel Le Domas (Ready or Not)

Daniel suffers so wonderfully. I love that the first view we get of him is protecting his younger brother, no more than a child himself—and then we see the jaded adult he’s become. He’s coping, but badly. He has no respect for his family, his wife, or himself—but he also doesn’t try to break away like Alex does. But when it comes down to making a final ethical choice, it’s Daniel and not Alex that betrays the family.

I’m very interested in the moments not shown in canon or possible divergences that allow Daniel to live. I want to see his sharp edges and pain, his coping mechanisms (drinking, marrying someone whose values don’t align with his own, etc), and his degrading relationships with pretty much everyone.

What does this dress go with…
✅ Female Characters
✅ Male Characters

Anyone this dress does not go with… (i.e. Do Not Want Pairings)
❌ Tony Le Domas
❌ Becky Le Domas

Character-Specific Prompts (click each name to see more)

Grace

Daniel has some amazing chemistry with Grace. I love that he’s so actively trying to chase her away at the start, but also can’t help giving (sardonic) reassurance. Hell, he’s a lot more honest with her than her fiance/husband! And obviously, he eventually prioritizes her safety over his family’s. Give me scenarios where they’re both traumatized, dealing with Alex’s death (and choices), etc.

Charity Le Domas

What a fraught marriage. Were they more in love when they got married? Or did Daniel marry someone more as a business arrangement—unwilling to put anyone he loved through the possible Hide and Seek trial? Where did they meet? When did they start despising each other? How is their sex life or how has it changed over the marriage?

Alex Le Domas

Daniel and Alex have such a fascinating relationship. Daniel shields Alex when they’re young, taking on additional trauma so Alex doesn’t have to. When Alex drifts away from the family, Daniel is still enmeshed—hating every minute of it, aware he’s not the favored child. In the movie, Alex is clearly crushed by his death (and possibly blames Grace?). I want awkward conversations where Alex isn’t entirely aware of (or perhaps too self-absorbed to see) all the hurt Daniel takes into himself. Moments were they protect and love each other. Bonding through shared trauma.

Emilie Le Domas or Fitch Bradley

This is a little more far afield, but I could imagine Daniel having an inappropriate relationship with Emilie or Fitch in a fit of self-destruction. Emilie is like Daniel—a mess, not the favorite. Perhaps by loving her in a way he shouldn’t, he can try to love himself (and probably fail). Or maybe he can self-harm by letting her shitty husband hit.

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Darrel “Darry” Curtis, Jr. (The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton)

When I was very young and read The Outsiders for the first time, my favorite character was Dallas. However, when I re-read the book as an adult, I found Darry to be so interesting. He’s twenty but dealing with so much: the grief of losing his parents, the disappointment of being forced to abandon his dreams, and trying to navigate how to be both a brother and guardian to his younger brothers. That’s so much. He seems like the kind of guy who seems to be compelled to take care of those around him (like how he leaves the front door unlocked just in case someone needs a place to stay). But there’s a core of resentment and anger in him at where he is in life and having to bear all these responsibilities. Of course, that anger mostly comes out directed at Ponyboy, but it’s shown in other contexts, too (like when he clocks Steve). The fact his driving motivation is the fear of losing someone else he loves, even as he struggles to connect with those very people… delicious.

I’d love Darry before, during, or after canon. What was he like when he was playing football, hanging out with Paul, and planning for college? Is there anyone he can truly be vulnerable with? What does his life look like in a few years?

What does this dress go with…
✅ Male Characters
✅ Original Male Characters

Anyone this dress does not go with… (i.e. Do Not Want Pairings)
❌ Two-Bit Mathews
❌ Johnny Cade

Character-Specific Prompts (click each name to see more)

Sodapop Curtis

Sodapop get to see a side of Darry that no one else does. Soda knows how to take care of Darry, who is so resistant to being cared for. He knows how to crack a joke and get him to laugh; he knows how to massage his pain away; he knows when to put him to sleep just because he needs it. I think they were probably always close and intimate, but the death of the parents escalated that into something inappropriate. Codependency, lack of boundaries, living out of each other’s pocket, parallels with their deceased parents, hiding their relationship from Pony (who maybe is jealous?)—give me anything!

Ponyboy Curtis

Darry and Pony are so similar in some ways (they both enjoy athletics, reading, school)—but they have fundamentally different views on the world that keep them from ever getting close to understanding each other. Darry is pragmatic to a fault; Ponyboy is a dreamer. I have a hard time seeing them connect until Ponyboy gets on his own feet, but I’d love to see how that might change things for them. Maybe if Darry didn’t feel so responsible to make Ponyboy successful, he could ease up on him and they might realize they have more in common than they thought.

Dallas Winston

Admittedly, there’s not a ton to go off in the book for this. Dallas does call Darry when he’s in trouble, which seems to indicate a lot of trust. He also sleeps over at the Curtis house with some frequency. I think this gives a lot of room to exploring what they’re like together. Maybe there’s a core of mutual respect, but also acknowledgement of the fact that they’re both odd ones in the group in some ways. Or maybe their relationship is more contentious, as the musical supposes.

Steve Randle

Steve and Darry don’t get much interaction in the book, and when they do it’s not super pleasant (i.e. the “all brawn, no brain” incident). But Steve is attached at Soda’s hip and sleeps on their couch often. I could see them hooking up to blow off steam or in a situation where they’re both thinking more about Soda.

Paul Holden

I’m more interested in the ways this was probably an unhealthy relationship rather than a healthy one. Darry was trying so hard to make something of himself, I can only imagine he was leaving pieces behind. Did Paul encourage that distance? Did he look down on Darry for his class status, even as he welcomed Darry in?

Randy Adderson or Bob Sheldon

If a relationship with Paul would be unhealthy, anything with Randy or Bob would probably be worse. Give me Darry self-harming by trying to get in with the higher social class even if they’re assholes just to feel like he’s closer to his dreams.

Original Male Characters

It’s Tulsa, Oklahoma in the 1960s, so being gay was not an easy thing. How does Darry find ways to blow of steam? Give me internalized homophobia studies, illicit hookups with randoms, etc.

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Fyodor “Fedya” Ivanovich Dolokhov (War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy)

Dolokhov sucks so much! I love him for his terribleness. Through the way he presents himself alone, he commands attention and respect. He’s manipulative, horrible, prideful—and never second-guesses himself. He’s the kind of guy who will take every hospitality and then take more (like, you know, sleeping with the host’s wife). And yet he mostly gets through everything unscathed. If you don’t count that time he gets shot and calls for his mommy. He also compels those around him not to be their best selves, encouraging degeneracy at any opportunity.

For Dolokhov, I want any time period. His party days, military time, post-canon possibilities…

What does this dress go with…
✅ Female Characters
✅ Male Characters
✅ Threesomes with Male or Female Characters

Anyone this dress does not go with… (i.e. Do Not Want Pairings)
❌ None

Character-Specific Prompts (click each name to see more)

Pyotr “Pierre” Kirillovich Bezukhov

This is such a juicy relationship. I love that they committed unknown degeneracies together while partying (along with Anatole). Then Dolokhov takes advantage of Pierre’s doormat-like generosity, helping himself to money, his home, his wife—all right under his nose. What a friendship. Give me scenarios where Dolokhov is sleeping with Pierre as well as Hélène while staying with them. Or drunken hookups during or after parties. And since Dolokhov is noted to be a clear-headed drinker, is it his idea?

Elena “Hélène” Vasilyevna Kuragina

Obviously, this affair canonically happens in the book, but it’s oblique. I want to know all the details. How did the seduction happen? Who made the first move? Was Anatole ever involved? Did they have to sneak around or was Pierre naive and oblivious at the most obvious signs?

Anatole Vasilyevich Kuragin

Anatole and Dolokhov are birds of a feather. They’re both self-absorbed and uncaring of those around them—and how their actions may harm others. Anatole is better-natured about it, but it amounts to similar ends. Do they have an ongoing situationship? Does Dolokhov pine for Anatole, who is happy to fuck but untouchable emotionally? If Anatole survives the war, do they meet again?

Nikolai “Nikolenka” Ilyich Rostov

Dolokhov goads Nivolai into gambling and ruins him just so he can soothe his own pride. This encounter gives us this amazing line: “Rostov submitted.” It’s all too easy to imagine ways Dolokhov could have seduced Nikolai instead (“Are you afraid of me?”) or extorted sex in addition to the owed money.

Sofia “Sonya” Alexandrovna Rostova

Dolokhov canonically proposes to Sonya. There’s probably a lot of layers to why he does so—social status, attraction, manipulation. Who knows what goes on in his head. I’d like to see ways this goes differently, where he goes about a seduction or courting more carefully.

Threesome Ideas

Dolokhov + Anatole/Pierre, Anatole/Hélène, Hélène/Pierre.

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Mark Jennings (That Was Then, This Is Now by S.E. Hinton)

Mark is handsome, charming, and can get away with anything—until he can’t. I find him to be so fascinating. He seems more social than Bryon, but he lets very few people in to his interior world. (For example, he’ll go chat with the injured kid in the hospital but can’t relate to to his experiences; Bryon didn’t want to talk to him, but feels sorry for him.) I read him as pretty low on empathy, to the point whee his thoughts and actions are possibly disordered. He seems to care about Bryon and himself… and that is it. He even talks about the trauma of his parents murdering each other without emotional weight (only to note that his in-the-moment thought was that he would get to live with Bryon).

I would love situations with Mark before, during, or after canon. I’m familiar with Tex, so feel free to include any information or characters from that story.

What does this dress go with…
✅ Female Characters
✅ Male Characters
✅ Crossovers with Male or Female Characters from Hinton’s Tex (e.g. Tex McCormick, Mace McCormick, Johnny Collins, Bob Collins, Jamie Collins, Pop McCormick, etc)

Anyone this dress does not go with… (i.e. Do Not Want Pairings)
❌ M&M Carlson

Character-Specific Prompts (click each name to see more)

Bryon Douglas

Mark chose Bryon as his one person—but Bryon doesn’t do the same for Mark. This is really the crux of most of their issues. I love that Mark is so openly jealous of Cathy and her unique position in Bryon’s life. I love that he seems to feel like he has to prove his place beside Bryon. And I love that Bryon eventually betrays Mark, souring their relationship forever until the point where Mark shoots Bryon and then ends up dead shortly after. I’d love to see teenage fumblings that mean less to Bryon than Mark, reconciliations, divergent stories where they figure out how to relate to each other more healthily.

Angela Shepard

Angela is to blame for Mark’s injury; Mark cuts her hair. Otherwise, their only real connection is Bryon. But I’d like to see situations where they get together. I’d love a conversation that deals with the hair-cutting or their other issues. I’d like either one trying to enact revenge or punishment on the other.

Cathy Carlson

Mark is so jealous of Cathy. I’d love to see them have to spend time together without Bryon. Maybe Mark makes a move on her and doesn’t even fully understand his own reasons. Maybe it’s about Bryon—punishing or trying to understand him. Or maybe it’s just good old hate sex where Cathy and Mark can work out some of their issues. I’d also love a story in which after the fallout, during a brief period of time where Mark isn’t in reformatory/prison, he meets Cathy by accident and they hook up.

Ponyboy Curtis

Mark clearly likes Ponyboy and hangs out with him. He even teaches him how to hotwire cars. I’d love to see what they’re like without anyone else around. In The Outsiders, Ponyboy really struggles with hoodish behavior, judging Dallas harshly at times—but he’s hanging out with Mark, who’s worse in many ways. Mark lacks the gallant quality that Dallas has, dipping into sociopathic tendencies. Why is this the relationship Pony chooses? Or is it primarily based on aesthetics? They are both noted to be pretty…

Curly and/or Tim Shepard

There’s no likely way this wouldn’t be horrible and toxic. Give me Mark bargaining for Bryon’s safety after the hair-cutting. Or Mark intersecting with Tim and/or Curly after his first stint in reformatory.

Mace McCormick, Tex McCormick, or other Tex Characters

Mace and Tex both notice that Mark is similar to Tex, at least in appearance. Mace even seems afraid that Tex, who is so generous of heart, could become like Mark, who barely seems to have one. I’d love to see any story play on that contrast.

Threesome Ideas

Mark + Angela/Bryon, Curly/Tim, Cathy/Bryon, Ponyboy/Cathy.

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Mason “Mace” McCormick (Tex by S.E. Hinton)

Mace has a lot of stress—and he does not deal with it well as evidenced by having an ulcer at the ripe old age of seventeen. And, you know, the whole kitchen scene where he takes out all his feelings on Tex brutally. Although Mace is the favorite child, he doesn’t receive a lot of benefits from that. He’s left to keep the household afloat for large swathes of the year, including his younger brother. He wants out of this situation so badly that he’s committed everything to getting out—he’ll do anything to make it happen. For a large portion of the book, he’s fully willing to sacrifice Tex, which eats away at him until Tex is shot and he’s forced to reconsider his priorities.

We don’t get to see Mace outside of Tex’s lens of him, but there are some interesting hints: he has girlfriends but won’t sleep with them (as he’s afraid of getting tied down); he’s popular but not well-liked at school; he’s acerbic with almost everyone, but makes an effort to appear mature for certain people (like with Cole Collins); and he is fiercely protective of Tex (refusing to lie to him, threatening/fighting Lem, etc), even though Tex is also gets the brunt of his feelings/resentment (notably, to the point of serious violence).

What does this dress go with…
✅ Female Characters
✅ Male Characters

Anyone this dress does not go with… (i.e. Do Not Want Pairings)
❌ Pop McCormick

Character-Specific Prompts (click each name to see more)

Tex McCormick

The scene where Mark kidnaps Mace and Tex had me screaming. The fact that Tex is more concerned about Mace’s ulcer (and notices when Mace lets his head get slammed rather than risk an arm injury) than the gun really says a lot. And he was so bothered that he told Mace that he hates that he has to correct the conception when he’s on death’s door. I also dig that both Mace and Tex are canonical virgins but have completely opposite approaches to sex. Tex can get a boner while lying in a hospital bed after getting shot; Mace abstains because of his fear of getting tied to their hometown. I have a slight preference for post-canon situations, but I'm open to anything that explores their relationship. I could see Mace having incestuous thoughts for Tex that are unrequited, especially when Tex is older. Or situations where the regular social boundaries are lacking between them at any point in typical Hinton fashion.

Bob Collins

Bob and Mace are close—they hang out together, play basketball together, and their families are very entwined. When Mace beats Tex up, he’s shitty about it with everyone, but he seems to at least try to give a real explanation to Bob. I’d love to see more of their relationship and how it might venture into romantic or sexual tones. They’re also both canonically virgins for different reasons, but maybe they think it doesn’t count if it’s with each other, etc.

Jamie Collins

S.E. Hinton mentioned that she sees Mace and Jamie ending up together—and I can see it. They both have very strong personalities. I think Mace could benefit from having someone call him on his shit. And I could see Jamie liking Mace’s sarcasm while still being actively annoyed by him. They’d be the couple that complains about each other to the point it makes everyone uncomfortable and then go fuck it out.

Cole Collins

Mace has daddy issues and wants Cole’s good opinion. I’d like to see what those factors might lead to. Maybe Cole offers support (financial, logistically, academically) and, even though he doesn’t expect anything in return, Mace feels compelled to earn it.

Mark Jennings

Mace and Tex both notice that Mark is similar to Tex, at least in appearance. Mace even seems afraid that Tex, who is so generous of heart, could become like Mark, who barely seems to have one. I’d love to see any story play on that contrast. Maybe Mace can be drawn to this darker version of Tex.

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Oliver Quick (Saltburn)

Oliver is interesting to me in regard to his complete ego death. Whatever sense of self he has appears to be entirely constructed and tailored to the situation around him. And this state appears to predate meeting Felix, judging from the scene where Felix forces him to visit home. Although Oliver lacks a distinct sense of self, he definitely has desires. But even his most deeply-held desires can be shifted when it services him to do so (such as murdering Felix and transferring his desire for Felix to Saltburn instead).

There’s also the ruthless dedication to winning, his capacity to do anything, and his voyeurism…

What does this dress go with…
✅ Female Characters
✅ Male Characters
✅ Threesomes with Male or Female Characters

Anyone this dress does not go with… (i.e. Do Not Want Pairings)
❌ Michael Gavey
❌ James Catton
❌ Elspeth Catton

Character-Specific Prompts (click each name to see more)

Farleigh Start

Oliver and Farleigh are so interesting together because they’re the only true outsiders in Saltburn. I love how this leads to their contentious relationship and Farleigh eventually being the only survivor in the family of Oliver’s machinations. I think Farleigh has a unique ability to see Oliver for what he is, but Oliver struggles more to understand Farleigh because he’s unpredictable (and becomes frustrated because he feels like he should be smarter than Farleigh). I’d love to see post-canon scenarios where they reunite. Maybe Farleigh is trying to move on but keeps getting sucked back in by Oliver.

Felix Catton

I think no matter how Oliver’s relationship with Felix might have ended, he wouldn’t have ever been satisfied actually having Felix. The voyeurism, pining, jealousy cycle rejects any equality between them. So I could see Felix reciprocating Oliver’s feeling, which then ruins the fantasy for Oliver. Maybe Oliver even turns Felix down in order to feel powerful, but then everyone is miserable. Or maybe Felix offers himself but with so many strings or degradations that Oliver only can hate himself after.

Venetia Catton

I think this relationship is interesting because it feels like it’s shaded by both of them thinking about Felix. I’d love exploring Venetia’s darker thoughts, too. Maybe Oliver gets to know her to try to figure out how to break her all the better, but everything he finds in her head is so much worse than he could come up with.

Duncan

Duncan feels like such a loose end to me. His appearances felt so foreboding—and then he just disappears. I’d love some closure, because it doesn’t feel right that Oliver’s conquest of Saltburn wouldn’t have to deal with Duncan. Maybe Oliver lets himself appear weak or get punished by Duncan to make Duncan feel like he’s not a threat before he tosses him out of Saltburn. Or maybe Duncan can be dominated in a metaphor/extension of Saltburn. Or maybe Duncan, after being fired, can finally unleash his scary side on Oliver.

Threesome Ideas

Oliver + Felix/Venetia (Oliver facilitating the first consummation of pre-existing incest!), Felix/Farleigh, Farleigh/Venetia.

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