Candy Hearts Exchange Letter 2026

[rynling]

Dear Candy Hearts Writer,

Thank you so much for volunteering to write a story for me! I’m the sort of nerd who’s interested in lore and worldbuilding, but I have a major soft spot for stories that focus on friendship and romance. I also enjoy relationships in which the characters don’t particularly like each other but have an interesting dynamic together. Situationships? Why not!

I admire and appreciate stories of all lengths. If you’re here to write a short vignette, that would make me very happy. But longer stories are welcome too, of course! Whatever you create, I’m excited to see what you do with these characters and their relationships.

I am totally okay with:


- friendship
- hateship
- romance
- smut
- comedy
- tragedy

~ as well as ~

- queer sexuality
- canon deviation
- original characters
- personal headcanons
- plot-thin comfort food
- worldbuilding and speculation

~ as well as ~

- scripts
- visual art
- experimental formats

I’d prefer not to see:


- Character bashing
That being said, I love nuanced portrayals of difficult, complicated, and villainous characters.

- Young children in sexual situations
I’m (respectfully) not interested in whether a character is a minor; I’m just talking about little kids here. I trust your judgment, and please know that I always approach stories in good faith!

- Anything bad happening to Torrent
If you write for Elden Ring, please be gentle to the best and goodest boy.

Fandom-Specific Interests

Breath of the Wild + Tears of the Kingdom


One of the ways I maintained my sanity during 2025 was by watching old nature documentaries while replaying Breath of the Wild as a wildlife photography simulator.

Something I’d love to read about is Link having positive interactions with the various animals and monsters of Hyrule. It would be wonderful if Link feeds, grooms, and/or pets these creatures, but it’s equally wonderful if he follows real-life best practices regarding wildlife and observes respectfully from a distance.

Any interpretation of Link’s personality is okay. Any gender of Link is okay. Any headcanons regarding Link are okay. Any Link from a fandom AU is okay too. Any additional characters and romantic pairings are 100% okay. If you want to write a romantic story between Link and another character while adding some wildlife interaction as a treat to me, that’s very okay!

Link doesn’t have to be a pacifist or a vegetarian, especially with so much danger + so much tasty food in Hyrule. As long as Link isn’t actively harming any of the creatures or monsters in the “pairing,” it’s all good.

I also requested Demon King Ganondorf & his Demon Horse from Tears of the Kingdom. If this is more to your taste, I’d love to see some bonding time between this horrible monster man and his majestic (half dinosaur? half plant??) steed. Evil horses deserve love too!!

Echoes of Wisdom


A weird hobby of mine is imagining the private lives of the adult characters in games with child protagonists. Echoes of Wisdom has grown on me, so much so that I’ve occasionally indulged in speculation regarding what the adults go through that the kids never see.

For Dradd/Kushara, I feel like these two have a history. Right? Right??

For Seera/Facette, I wonder if Seera knew that Facette was replaced by an Echo. Either way, did Facette’s plight cause Seera to come to any realizations about her beautiful and fashionably dressed second-in-command?

Meanwhile, for Dohna and Zelda, I think they could become great friends. Or perhaps something more, as they grow up together.

Please feel free to set your story at any point before, during, or after the game. Also, crossovers are totally fine! Feel free to connect this game to the broader Legend of Zelda timeline(s) or introduce characters from other games if you like.

Hollow Knight: Silksong


I adore every character and every possible interaction in Silksong. No matter what you’d like to write for these characters, I promise I will eat it like ice cream. Perhaps, given the nature of this game, you would prefer the ice cream to be made of pain. And that’s fantastic!

It’s okay to play fast and loose with the game’s background lore, and please feel free to set your story in Hallownest (or elsewhere in this weird little world). I’m always happy to see Hollow Knight characters and OCs.

If you want to portray the characters as human or semi-human, I imagine that would be interesting. I haven’t yet read any nonhuman bug sex in this fandom, but I suppose I’m not against it. There’s always a first time for everything. Shaw!!

Elden Ring


I’ve spent the past four years becoming an expert on Elden Ring lore, and my ultimate conclusion is that canon doesn’t matter. Let’s put these characters in some situations!

I’m interested in every flavor of possible character interaction in Elden Ring, from sweet and wholesome to horrifically cruel. If the characters in your pairing help each other find comfort in a decaying world, that’s fantastic. If they make each other exquisitely miserable, that’s good too!

I’m happy to see all classes and genders and personalities of the Chosen Tarnished. If you want to give the Tarnished a name, that’s great.

If you know nothing about Elden Ring lore, but you saw some interesting fan art of the characters and want to write about these fucked-up little dudes and dudettes based on nothing more than vibes, I would love that.

Canonically, no one in the Lands Between is having sex. However! If you want to change the “&” in any pairing into a more explicit “/” that would be delightful. At this point, nothing I’ve seen in the Elden Ring fandom can shock me, so please feel free to write whatever sort of “dead dove do not eat” erotica you like. I support you! Follow your Grace, friend.

Thank you again for volunteering your time and talent. I know you’ll create something marvelous, and I’m sending lots of encouragement and sweet candy energy your way.