Letter: AU Exchange 2018

[musamihi]

Hello! Thank you for offering to write for one of my pairings/character combos/what have you. Most of the general likes/DNWs in this letter are rehashed from previous fests, pardon my recycling, but the basic gist is: I'll be thrilled to read anything you're excited to write, so if you have an idea that's dying to get out, please, have at it! I've thrown out a few prompts/sketchy ideas for each of my requested relationships and AU's here - if any or all of it sticks, go with it, but, of course, don't feel you have to run with my suggestions.

For AU Exchange 2018, I realize my interpretation of any given AU tag might differ from yours, and if that's the case, please don't feel like you have to work with mine! If my prompt makes you go ... wow, that is not what Space Vineyard AU means, then by all means, write the version you want to write. Some of these AU's are explicitly canon divergence or in-universe AU's, and some are not, but if you want to blur the boundaries there, please go right ahead. For instance, I'll be just as happy with a Western AU fic set in the usual American Old West, or out in the Unknown Regions wrangling as-yet uninhabited space; or if you want Smuggler Poe Dameron to be running rum from the Caribbean instead of spice from Kessel, you know, go wild. Also, none of these are in any particular order aside from "order in which I pasted them from the tagset into this giant mess of a letter."

Also, please feel free at any time to give anyone a pet porg.

First, general stuff: I’m 100% fine with any rating, from general audiences to explicit sexual content, and with any level of canon-typical violence. My personal tastes tend toward the angsty/ambiguously-hopeful side of the spectrum, but if you prefer happy endings and a fluffier tone, I love reading that stuff, too; you just don’t have to be afraid that whatever you write will be too dark for me, because it will not. I love worldbuilding stuff, so if you want to go into wild digressions about Yavin 4 or life in the First Order, have at it. Where I've chosen / relationships, I'm also absolutely just as happy to receive their & versions if you decide you'd rather not write something shippy; where I've chosen & relationships, I'm happy to receive the / version as long as it wouldn't result in incest. In general, feel free to throw in background or side ships as you please - I have no NOTPs, and there aren't any characters I wouldn't be happy to see.

I'd ask that you please avoid the following:

• detailed depictions of child abuse (mentions of or references to past abuse are fine);
  
• A/B/O dynamics;
  
• any soulmate/soulmark/soulbonding tropes;
  
• bad things happening to birds. (I know. I just ... I really love birds.) Obligatory post-TLJ addendum: This includes porgs. I love porgs.

Some things I particularly love include:

• political and ideological dimensions to characters/stories;
  
• banter and arguing (whether good-natured or knock-down-drag-out rows);
  
• characters whose worldviews and personalities perpetually clash even if they love each other to the ends of the earth;
  
• characters whose worldviews and personalities perpetually clash and they can't fucking stand each other but they just can't resist each other, either;
  
• non-standard relationships - I love when what characters have together for whatever reason doesn’t fit comfortably within the terms we normally use to describe romance or friendship or whatever;
  
• hurt/comfort and characters bonding over caring for one another, patching one another up, etc., especially when they might not normally offer to or enjoy doing so (reluctant hurt/comfort full of sniping also very welcome);
  
• atmosphere and description are always fabulous;
  
• characters that are allowed to keep their flaws and edges are my favorites - if you can articulate why X character is an asshole but we still love them, I will dig that so, so hard.

On to the prompts!

Crossover Fandom

Ransolm Casterfo/Poe Dameron: What draws me to this pairing is the potential for head-butting due to their very different upbringings, mannerisms, and approaches to the world; the potential for additional head-butting because I suspect Poe would not be all about Imperial memorabilia, thanks, and some knee-jerk judgements might be made as a result; and their connections with Leia. I'd love it if they clashed at the beginning but developed a fuller understanding of and appreciation for one another as we go along.

• Shara and Kes don't muster out after the Battle of Endor: If his parents had remained with the Rebellion and stuck around to watch the New Republic develop, maybe Poe would have grown up a little closer to the political side of things; is he more a part of Leia's life, a little higher up the chain in the New Republic's Fleet, maybe even working with senators in some capacity? Arguing with Casterfo about policy or history, or resenting Casterfo because he needs a security detail and Poe does not particularly want to chauffer someone around who seems to be an Imperial sympathizer, or so on and so forth. If they have a relationship before Leia's parentage is revealed, what happens after?
  
• Casterfo is saved from being sent off to Riosa: If Leia decides to take matters into her own hands and save Casterfo from his fate, who better to send than Poe? Maybe Poe has mixed feelings about it because of his opinions of Casterfo; maybe Casterfo has mixed feelings about it; maybe they bicker a lot; maybe Poe has to hide him on Yavin 4 for a while; maybe the plan is to rescue Casterfo so he can help the Resistance, and he's not super pleased about that.
  
• Empire Never Fell: Would Riosa still be a labor camp, maybe primed for revolt? Would Casterfo have somehow managed to secure himself some kid of administrative position within the Empire? Maybe Poe's parents didn't muster out so much as go into hiding; maybe he wound up at a flight academy at some point, or relegated to a less prestigious position because of his parents' Rebel history; maybe Poe's the one with the awkward stash of Rebellion memorabilia and everyone thinks he's a subversive weirdo. Poe approaching Casterfo to try to gain his sympathies for a Rebellion, or the two of them working together within in the Imperial machine would be awesome.
  
• Gothic Romance AU: Casterfo's painful past and his grim collection of relics of a bygone evil are pretty Gothic, imo, before you even get to his friend with an old box locked in a safe guarding the secret of her monstrous origins. Enter Poe, the brave, idealistic farmboy, and ... sparks fly? Something Jane Eyre-ish where Poe comes to Casterfo's estate to work would be awesome, whether that's on Earth on in the canon universe.
  
• Political Intrigue AU: I love political plots! Casterfo is clearly a pretty savvy political operative, and I'd love to watch him scheme his way around pretty much anything. Poe seems like he'd be far, far less adept at that sort of work, which is delightful to me. Maybe Casterfo manipulates him into unwittingly assisting his schemes, or maybe Poe is a willing participant. Or maybe Poe is working for a rival politician, and they're working to defeat one another Whether it's set in-universe or on Earth, maybe Poe uses his military position to get access to information / set things in motion that would be otherwise impossible.
  
• travel to a place where every adult must have a same sex partner & can't go around without them: Again, my shameless desire to watch people who dislike each other forced into close proximity rears its head. Maybe Poe is acting as Casterfo's pilot for some reason, and they get stranded here while waiting for an infuriatingly slow repair; or maybe Poe's been dragged along on a diplomatic mission and Casterfo's designated partner falls ill and we all have to hope Poe will try to behave at dinner, this will go well.
  
• Regency AU: Casterfo as the wealthy but eccentric politician who needs a husband for respectability reasons? Poe as the military man who's all starry-eyed about King and Country, who has no interest whatsoever in acknowledging the corrupt realities of government? Maybe they're visiting a mutual friend's estate, and don't hit it off (until they do), or Casterfo's taken a house in London and somehow becomes involved with Poe and the other troublesome people from his regiment (if you wanted to name-drop Karé, Iolo, and the rest, I would not say no).
  
• Regency-Inspired Science Fiction AU: If you'd rather write an in-universe Regency AU, I would also love that! Whether it involves establishing Regency social mores in canon, or just jamming everything full of Regency tropes, I would adore that. Any of the above Regency prompt material in a canon universe would be A+.

Star Wars (Marvel Comics)

Poe Dameron/Terex: I've loved this pairing since I first encountered Terex - he was such a cocky, sarcastic, gleefully immoral bastard, and his growing obsession with catching the cocky, sarcastic, idealistic pilot who kept foiling him hit a lot of my buttons. I love it even more now that we know more about Terex's past and his shifting beliefs, and I love that he and Poe are characters who are really defined by what they believe (even if what Terex claims to believe now is 'nothing, the galaxy can go fuck itself'). Snark, clashing ideals, sexual tension, feelings about the history of the Empire and the future of the galaxy, it's all great.

• Most Dangerous Game AU: Terex has always given off a big-game hunter vibe, to me - maybe it's the mustache. Or the trophies. Or the jodhpurs. Anyway, whether in the canon universe or as some Earth-based AU, I can absolutely see him setting up as the criminal overlord of some island he uses for his nefarious business dealings and also twisted hunting games. Maybe Poe crash lands there, and becomes the object of Terex's obsession unexpectedly; or maybe they already have a long history together, and it's supposed to be Terex's final triumph.
  
• One character writes a tell-all novel: Terex doesn't care who wins or who loses, but he'll enjoy watching the Resistance and the First Order tear each other apart ... and he's happy to help, telling the public all about their respective sins and shortcomings, with a juicy helping of (somewhat dubious) gossip about Poe Dameron, Captain Phasma, Leia Organa, and all the other big-name players! A self-aggrandizing memoir that makes some unverifiable claims about the personal life of the Resistance's handsomest fighter pilot is exactly what the galaxy needs in this trying time.
  
• First Order Poe Dameron: Maybe First Order pilot Poe is tasked with convincing Terex and his valuable intelligence portfolio to come back into the fold; or maybe he works with Terex when Terex is with the Security Bureau. I'd be interested to see how their ideas about the bygone Empire and the Order as its continuation match up or differ, whether Poe's suspicious of him for his criminal activities, or whether Terex's eventual falling out with and defection from the Order cause Poe to question any of his views.
  
• Empire Never Fell: Did Terex work his way up the chain? Is he a higher-ranking officer somewhere, maybe with a little criminal side line? Is he with the ISB, doing intelligence work? Is Poe an Imperial pilot with a Rebel pedigree that makes him suspicious enough to require a continual inquiry into his motivations? Maybe Poe is actually secretly working with a rebellion from within the Empire - or maybe Poe's a freedom fighter or a farmer just trying to survive in an Imperial galaxy, who runs up against Terex either in his official or his sleazier capacity.
  
• Age of Sail AU: Pirates! Navies! Take them out of space, drop them in the ocean. Terex as the leader of a pirate fleet and Poe as the naval officer who's really just trying to do his dam job; Poe as a captive taken for [reasons] who wins the heart of the crew and stages a revolt; Poe as the naval captain who runs afoul of an enemy intelligence officer who's just a real dick; storms, cabin-sharing, getting stranded, faraway locales, all the tropes are good tropes.
  
• travel to a place where every adult must have a same sex partner & can't go around without them: Any mission requiring Poe and Terex to work together is my jam; any mission requiring them to work together and pretend to like it is so much better. Bonus points if one of them has way too much fun watching the other one fume about it.
  
• First Order Wins: When the Resistance is destroyed, does Terex try to go back to them? Or does he save Poe somehow, from whatever fate the First Order has in mind for him, as a last big middle finger to the Order? Given Terex's declaration that he doesn't care who wins, I'd love to see what he does with a galaxy that finally has a winner, and whether that changes his mind.

Star Wars (Sequel Trilogy)

Armitage Hux/Poe Dameron: I love how Hux seems like he's pretty easily needled, and Poe is the kind of cool customer who can get under his skin in a heartbeat - and who also has the potential to get decidedly less cool very, very quickly. They both seem to me like they're ardent true believers, just in very, very different things, and that's a recipe for my favorite fireworks. Also I'm a sucker for the sequel trilogy characters who have to deal with the legacy of the civil war; Hux's father and his expectations and actions are very different than Poe's parents' expectations and actions and the effect they have on him, but ... you know, also kind of similar.

• First Order Poe Dameron: I enjoy the tension of relationships within the chain of command, especially when both parties involve feel genuine duty toward their cause - as I think both Hux and Poe do. Which isn't to say they think of duty in the same way. I can see Poe as the hotshot order-defying pilot who somehow gets away with it because he's just that good (and maybe because Canady really enjoys seeing Hux having to pin a medal on the guy from time to time); or maybe his career has been less than stellar because the Order's not as forgiving of independence as some forces are. Poe and Hux overcoming their differences to agree that Supreme Leader Ren needs to go could be fascinating.
  
• Knight of Ren Poe Dameron: Hux trying to cultivate a source within the Knights of Ren makes a lot of sense, I think, considering his touchy relationship with Kylo - maybe he's just looking for information, or maybe he's working on a more involved scheme to take down the Supreme Leader. It would be really neat to see how Poe's sense of devotion translates to this context, and whether his Dark Side-ness introduces a little more pure ambition into the mix. Maybe Kylo assigns Poe to gain Hux's trust, and the plant totally backfires?
  
• Resistance member Armitage Hux: If Hux never made it off Arkanis after the Empire fell, and had grown up as an orphan like any number of other children of that generation, would he still have wound up military? In politics? What would he think about the First Order when it started to rear its head? Would his lineage pose a problem for him in the world of the New Republic? If he and Poe have to work together to fight the rising First Order threat, would Poe trust him?
  
• Empire Never Fell: Hux's father remains the Commandant of the Academy on Araknis, and Hux grows up to have precisely the sort of career he was always supposed to have. Is Poe a war orphan? Did he attend and Academy and join the fleet? Do his parents' Rebel pedigrees cause problems for him? Is he just a farmer trying to live his life in an Imperial galaxy? Hux finding himself somehow unhappy in or ill-suited to the position he fills would be really interesting to me, because of course this is what he was always meant for; maybe Poe's the one who teases his dissatisfaction out of him.
  
• Smuggler Poe Dameron: This could take place in a similar Empire-never-fell situation - maybe this is how Poe's rebellion manifests, just trying to stick it to the Empire (or the First Order, after they finally defeat the Resistance) any way he can. Sabotaging Hux's supply lines? Doing business on the side with corrupt Imperial/Order officials? Maybe Hux contacts him as part of a plot to take down one of said corrupt officials?
  
• Regency AU: Any and all Regency tropes, please! Poe as the carefree, patriotic military rake, Hux as the serious sort with an overbearing father; a mutually distasteful arranged marriage; Hux as a scheming upstart social climber who no one in society really trusts; maybe Hux is French, the horror; maybe he's a moralizing vicar. Pining and class differences and cravats, thank you.
  
• Regency-Inspired Science Fiction AU: If you'd rather write an in-universe Regency AU, I would also love that! Whether it involves establishing Regency social mores in canon, or just jamming everything full of Regency tropes, I would adore that. Any of the above Regency prompt material in a canon universe would be A+.

Rey/Armitage Hux: Rey has always struck me as having such an intriguing blend of no-nonsene-ness and earnest wonder - she's clearly learned not to take any shit, but she doesn't seem cynical at all. Hux has a similar attitude toward shit-taking, but he's about as wary and as prickly as they come. Plus, their ties to Jakku are interesting fodder for a connection. The Order's propaganda re: the New Republic's neglect of certain systems and their people seem like they might be an interesting point of common ground, maybe. I was really happy with the version of Rey's parentage set out in TLJ, but if you'd rather use something else, go for it.

• Rey and Kylo Ren swap places after the fight in Snoke's chamber: Whatever prompts this decision for Rey, I can see Hux not being too broken up about discovering he's traded Ren for someone, anyone else. I've always been interested in how Snoke fits into the operations of the Order, exactly, so how things go on in his absence would be interesting to see. Does he try to take her prisoner? Work with her? What is she after, and how does he figure in?
  
• Rae Sloane takes Rey from Jakku: (I'm imagining this AU as involving Rey having been born early enough to be present for the Battle of Jakku, but however you'd like to arrange it is great!) Would Rey still be intent upon reuniting with her family, if Sloane had shuttled her off to the Unknown Regions with the rest of the First Order's haul of orphans? What would her position in the Order be? Would she and Hux have any sort of relationship? Given his own relationship with his father, how would he feel about any urge she might have to go back to Jakku? I love Sloane, so if you'd like to include her and her influence on these two, that would be lovely, too.
  
• Rey is raised by the First Order: This probably involves much the same material as the above prompt - maybe without the necessary timeline fudging. If Rey is raised by the First Order at her canonical age, what are her feelings about Hux, who at that point is likely already in a leadership position? Is she part of the brass, too, or has Snoke discovered her?
  
• Rey is Empress and Finn is a Sith Lord: Hux as the ambitious General constantly trying to curry favor with the Empress and being constantly thwarted by the interference of Sith Lord Finn would give me life. Whether he's truly loyal, a Machiavellian ladder-climber, or some combination of both, Hux battling for Rey's ear and attention and maybe finally getting it would be fantastic.
  
• Resistance member Armitage Hux: If Hux never made it off Arkanis after the Empire fell, and had grown up as an orphan like any number of other children of that generation, would he still have wound up military? In politics? What would he think about the First Order when it started to rear its head? Or maybe he fled the First Order at some point during his childhood; in that case, how would he feel about the Resistance stumbling across a Force-sensitive orphan on Jakku? Would it set off any alarm bells?
  
• Force-sensitive Armitage Hux: This could be incorporated with any of the other AU's, really - I'd just be very interested to see how he deals with having these abilities, what he winds up using them for, whether they're part of what his father saw in him or something he's kept hidden; and how that might shift his connection with Rey, and change how they view each other, how they develop trust, or how useful they find one another.
  
• Arranged Marriage AU: I could see Hux's father and the other First Order founders setting up marriages largely for appearances' sake (whether it's to solidify political connections, to satisfy some kind of respectability requirement, or as some kind of callback to the Imperial days). If Hux and Rey are both raised by the Order, maybe they get shoved together; maybe they hate it, maybe they're willing to tolerate it, maybe it goes better than expected. Any other AU setting would be just as wonderful - anything involving two stubborn and independent people being forced into a union.

Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren: I adore villains who scheme against one another, especially if they have moments of truce during which they fight for something greater than their power game - but then go right back to trying to stab one another in the back. I like a snarky, antagonistic relationship between these two, but I also find it really interesting to discover where they overlap, and what they might appreciate/respect about one another, too, something more complex than just "ugh that mad space wizard needs to trip out an airlock." Sniping, one-upsmanship, competence porn ... I love it all.

• Senator Ben Solo: I love stories with a political angle, so a Senator Ben Solo who either never went to train with Luke or abandoned that training in favor of politics is always enjoyable. An AU in which Hux grew up in the New Republic and is also a senator would be amazing - or Hux approaching Ben as a (perhaps undercover) delegate of the First Order, maybe after it's learned that he's Vader's grandson - or Senator Ben falling into the clutches of the First Order on some mission for his mother's Resistance, and running afoul of General Hux.
  
• First Order Wins: How do General Hux and Supreme Leader Kylo Ren go about actually ruling the galaxy> Is it everything they hoped for? Is one of them more satisfied in his role than the other? Do they still have pesky uprisings to put down? Do they have drawn out fights about where to put the capital?
  
• Ben takes after Uncle Lando and becomes the galaxy's greatest gambler: After the First Order realizes Ben Solo is Vader's grandson, I feel like its propaganda wing would be very interested in bringing him onboard, especially if they already know he's not exactly following in his mother's footsteps. Hux having to go to some resort world to try to convince a high roller to come live in spartan quarters aboard a Star Destroyer because it's his destiny would be pretty amazing. Or maybe Hux is a casino resort owner who's pretty sure Ben also inherited Lando's penchant for cheating, or the galaxy's sixty-second best gambler who's going to show everyone, damnit.
  
• The Force is demystified and researched and taught like any other field of science: The TLJ novelization really emphasizes Hux's technological interests and aptitudes, and I'd be fascinated to see how he could work with the Force as a tool if it was considered just another science. Would he have a more professional/respectful relationship with Kylo if he felt like he understood his powers? Would the two of them work together better? How would Kylo's understanding of the Dark side (or whatever it's called now) change?
  
• Empire Never Fell: Hux as the well-connected if note terribly well-liked Imperial officer; Ben as part of a dormant rebellion? Would Ben still have been trained by his uncle? Or perhaps captured and brought to train with his grandfather? Is Hux loyal and satisfied with his career? Or is he unhappy and willing to cut deals with smugglers and rebels to better his position? Do he and Imperial!Ben scheme together? Against each other?
  
• The afterlife has the same setting rules as in The Good Place: Congratulations, you're soulmates! For eternity! Honestly, I just want to see what all of their very least favorite things in life are, and how they respond to being subjected to them for ever and ever and ever. Cameos from The Good Place are totally welcome.
  
• Royalty AU: I could see this as an in-universe AU, given Ben's connections to the royal families of Naboo and Alderaan. Arkanis also has royalty, and presumably Hux, as a bastard, isn't part of it, but - maybe the rules about legitimacy are different there, who knows. Maybe Hux's illegitimacy is a secret, or maybe he's a pretender, or maybe he betrays his Empress by approaching royal!Ben with valuable information - in exchange for a marriage that gives him more power, of course. An Earth-based AU with any of those dynamics would also be amazing!
  
• Regency AU: Hux as the prickly solicitor? The moralizing vicar? The decorated military officer whose parentage makes it difficult for him to marry the son of someone as illustrious as Leia Organa? Ben as the son of an influential family who just wants to be a scholar and/or calligraphy artist now leave him alone? Fox hunting rivals? Im a huge sucker for Regency tropes of all kinds, it's hard to go wrong.
  
• Regency-Inspired Science Fiction AU: If you'd rather write an in-universe Regency AU, I would also love that! Whether it involves establishing Regency social mores in canon, or just jamming everything full of Regency tropes, I would adore that. Any of the above Regency prompt material in a canon universe would be A+.
  
• Monster Transformation: Ben slowly transforming into something else, whether as a result of his growing power or [insert reason here], would be fabulous. I love themes of sacrifice that aren't necessarily noble - what is he willing to give up to have what he wants most? If the transformation ultimately forces them to oppose one another, great; if the monster transformation is enabled by and useful to the non-transforming one, also great.

Poe Dameron/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren: My love of snark and sequel trilogy characters coping with family legacies continues! I don't have any particular headcanon about whether Ben and Poe knew one another when they were young, but I love playing with the similarities and differences between their upbringings, their families, the ways those families shaped who they wanted to be, and ... how that all worked out for them. They both also seem to be able to jump the line between dry/cool and utterly, sparking furious, which is fabulous. Belief and doubt, filial piety and betrayal, very important height differences ... it's a good package.

• Senator Ben Solo: AU: Maybe Ben never went to train with Luke, and is now a senator. Is he incredibly ambitious? Does he hate the spotlight? Does he resent being pushed onto this path instead of allowed to pursue some other career? Poe as a pilot in the New Republic's fleet who hates politics, or writes way too often to his own senator, or disagrees intensely and vocally with Ben's positions on military funding, or ... Myabe in the course of his duties, Poe discovers a threat to Ben. (Maybe it's from the growing First Order - maybe it's something personal - maybe it's a hoax Ben is perpetrating in order to discredit one of his political adversaries, whoops.) Fun ensues?
  
• Knight of Ren Poe Dameron: I'm always fascinated to read what Kylo's relationship might be like with his knights; he's not a Sith Lord, so what's the dynamic? Have he and Poe known each other since childhood training? (Setting Luke's academy on Yavin 4 always works for me.) Are they nihilistic Dark Siders? Do they have some concrete goal? Do their morals and objectives differ? What do their family histories with the rebellion mean to them?
  
• First Order Poe Dameron: I tend to think that a Poe who was raised within the First Order would be as devoted to its key figures as he is to the leaders of the Resistance. Does he hero worship Vader a little? Is he ride or die for Kylo Ren, no matter what anyone else thinks? Is Kylo infuriated by his loose interpretation of orders, or does he find some kinship in it?
  
• Empire Never Fell: Maybe Poe and Ben both have roles within the Imperial regime, having been born into a universe where they had no together choice, or maybe they're both part of a reduced but still active rebellion - or maybe they're on opposite sides. I'd love to see Ben as someone who occupies a lofty position because of his family connections, whether it's related to Vader, or to Naboo, or whatever - and Poe as the pilot/officer who's perhaps a little skeptical of those connections, because hey, he has a rebel pedigree, too. Or Ben as a would-be rebel and Poe as the Imperial official who tries really hard to dissuade him from that life - or vice versa.
  
• Regency AU: Ben's illustrious/royal family translates well to this genre, I think, as does Poe's idealism and bravery and devotion to that family. Poe as the carefree, starry-eyed God and country military type, and Ben (a politician? scholar?) as the very eligible bachelor who would rather do anything than get married; any and all regency tropes, bring them to me. Ben's kind of embarrassing dad is always welcome, as is, of course, his fabulous mother. Pining and misunderstandings and much fretting over reputations. Snarking and soulfulness. I love all of it.
  
• Regency-Inspired Science Fiction AU: If you'd rather write an in-universe Regency AU, I would also love that! Whether it involves establishing Regency social mores in canon, or just jamming everything full of Regency tropes, I would adore that. Any of the above Regency prompt material in a canon universe would be A+.
  
• Identity Porn: I would absolutely love something that takes advantage of Kylo's mask. Maybe he's met Poe before, unmasked, either by chance or as part of some undercover operation; maybe he meets him unmasked after their encounter on the Finalizer, and Poe has no idea who he is.
  
• Gothic Romance AU: Ben's be-caped brooding is pretty on point, for this, as is his fraught family history, especially the way it's tangled up with Poe's parents. Something where they encounter each other as adults and slowly uncover the fact that their connection goes back a generation; something where Poe goes to him seeking answers and gets ~more than he bargained for;~ something incorporating magical phenomena akin to the Force - go as darkly gothic as you like.
  
• Alignment Swap AU: Perhaps Ben never went for training, and has grow up in his mother's political circle (or trained to be a starfighter pilot), and then the Resistance; or maybe he trained with Luke and just never went Dark. First Order Poe Dameron has risen through the ranks to become a member of the brass - or he's Snoke's protege. Or Empress/Supreme Leader Leia Organa and her right-hand man face off against her prodigal son and his scrappy band of freedom fighters.

Leia Organa & Armitage Hux: Two leaders of their respective forces, both of whom have been in some form of those leadership positions basically since childhood, both of whom have a certain fondness for sass - yes please. I always love enemies who have to work together, but these two are particularly well-suited to be entertaining, and their worldviews are so entirely different that you kind of get the feeling they'd just glare at one another in circles for eternity, pretty much. Both their lives have been really powerfully shaped by the Empire, they both absolutely believe in things, and one of them has an extra twenty years or so of life experience and wisdom, which is a fun twist.

• Resistance member Armitage Hux: If Hux never made it off Arkanis after the Empire fell, and had grown up as an orphan like any number of other children of that generation, would he still have wound up military? In politics? What would he think about the First Order when it started to rear its head? Would his lineage pose a problem for him in the world of the New Republic? If he and Leia have to work together to fight the rising First Order threat, would they ever trust each other? If Hux shows up sometime post-TLJ ready to make a deal to help bring down Kylo Ren, how would that look? What happens if they succeed?
  
• Empire Never Fell: Hux's father remains the Commandant of the Academy on Araknis, and Hux grows up to have precisely the sort of career he was always supposed to have. Hux finding himself somehow unhappy in or ill-suited to the position he fills would be really interesting to me, because of course this is what he was always meant for. What is Leia's life like? Is she a fugitive/in exile, constantly looking for Imperial weaknesses to exploit to try again to topple it? Is she living under some kind of house arrest, scheming constantly? How does Hux figure in her plans?
  
• Leia Organa is raised by Darth Vader: An Imperial Leia - whatever position she holds, or relationship to her father she has - is fascinating to me; I'd love to see what Hux's feelings are toward her. Admiration? Hero worship? Is she someone he intends someday to overtake? If the Empire falls, do they spend time in exile together? Does she replace Vader? Try to take the Empire in a new direction?
  
• Life Debts are Serious Business: Either Hux or Leia (maybe inadvertently) saves the other's life - and therefore owes them their life, forever. Ugh. Enemies tied together by fate/arbitrary rules are catnip to me, and watching them come into conflict again and again and have to punt because of a life debt would be amazing.
  
• Going back in time to fix the future: Maybe Kylo as the Supreme Leader is the thing that brings Leia ad Hux together and forces them to agree that something needs to change - whatever it is, when they go back in time, are they secretly trying to work against one another, or do they stick to the script? Do they succeed, or make things 100 times worse? Do they learn a little about one another's pasts? Does it change anything between them?
  
• Political Intrigue AU: Leia and Hux as politicians ruthlessly trying to destroy one another would be my jam, especially if they have to pretend to some paper-thin veneer of civility all the while. This could be set in-universe, or anywhere on Earth. Smear campaigns, corruption, dirty tricks, scandals, and a sprinkling or two of actually caring about policy and the fate of the people would be excellent.
  
• Gothic Horror: The prominent role the past plays for these characters, with dead empires dead planets and dead parents who still wield outsize influence on their lives, is ripe for some Gothic stuff - and Arkanis seems like a great setting, being canonically rainy and miserable. Or maybe it takes place somehow on a ruined Alderaan. Revenge plots and brooding and monsters, real or symbolic, are fabulous.