Dear FemslashEx Author:

Dear FemslashEx Author,

Thank you for viewing my letter and writing something for me! I have picked kind of new-to-me prompts, either in that the fandom is new to me or the prompt itself is something I wouldn't have thought to request very often! That makes me even more intrigued to see what you will come up with. Bearing in mind my DNWs, please view anything else in this letter as just suggestions. If you came in with an idea, I want to see what you're most excited to make!

Lately, I like to divide my letters into two sections: Preferences and Prompts. The first section pertains to all my general feelings on tropes and likes and stuff. The second has a few specific prompts for each tag I have chosen.

This journal is a repository for Dear Author Letters now, and I have a regular DW account at prixmium that I use sometimes. I am Prix on AO3, and if you want to engage in some more consensual stalking, you can look at my carrd!

Preferences

Medium

I have requested fic for all my fandoms. I choose this mostly because I know how to give feedback for written work, and I welcome multimedia gifts or treats of any variety. Not asking for extra work, though! I just want you to feel free to do what you would like in that regard. I do love art and vids, but my main requests are just within my comfort zone.

Ratings

I welcome any rating from G to E. Given that this is a femslash exchange in particular, I want fic that is a bit-more-than-gen at least, but as far as how far you go, it can be anywhere from acceptable for a kids' show to explicit.

DNWs

General/Non-sexual

- graphic torture or gore
- graphic depictions of extreme bodily injury
- unrequested AUs except canon divergence
- character or ship bashing
- unrequested permanent character death of any main character
- hopeless ending

For this exchange: I do not want any canonical (potential) male love interest to be jilted and sad or to be portrayed in a negative light. If you want to shoo him off to another continent and not mention him, that's fine! If you want to allude to him being in some other happy relationship/life circumstance, that's fine, too! Or, if you are into that sort of thing, the characters can be involved in a FFM-poly relationship, and he can make a cameo appearance or be out doing shopping or some canon-appropriate equivalent. Please note that there are a few, specific deviations from this DNW, and they are intentional and the main reason this one is explicitly stated.

Sexuality-Related

- underage explicit fics (referenced in a pg-13 manner fine)
- permanent injury related to sexual activity (unintentional or markings such as brands, scars, etc.)
- breathplay
- hardcore or lifestyle BDSM / D/s (lighter and spontaneous forays into BDSM or D/s that do not define characters' whole relationships are fine!)
- noncon (dubcon ok)
- sexual contact with wounds
- spitting as an act of sexual dominance (typical uses of saliva otherwise are whatever)
- semen or anything similar in eyes
- A/B/O

Likes

Gen

- found family
- monster of the week/casefic
- slice of life (especially dealing with canon-appropriate twists on mundane existence or minor inconveniences)
- character study
- canon-typical violence/aftermath (hurt/comfort)
- canon-divergent AUs
- missing scenes
- survival (zombie, wilderness, apocalypse, etc.)
- political intrigue and machinations
- morality exploration
- world-building with character involvement
- redemption/atonement
- forgiveness
- earn your happy ending
- defeating/killing oppressors and abusers
- rebuilding from the ashes
- hurt/comfort

Shippy up to T/PG-13

- unresolved sexual tension
- "I had no one else to ____"
- trust and loyalty
- power imbalance (addressing, not addressing, overcoming, confronting, etc.)
- accidental marriage
- arranged/political marriage
- competence affected by relationship (for better or worse)
- compromising mission/duty for love
- choosing love over mission/duty
- us against the world
- awkward flirting
- accidental/impulsive love confession
- non-sexual physical intimacy
- sexually-charged physical intimacy that (for [x] reason) does not reach full realization

NSFW

First and foremost, I want something that feels in-character! Apart from my DNWs and anything that you would consider very opt-in, I am pretty open-minded about how characters have sex and any kinks they may have.

Vanilla sex is fine! Kinky sex is fine. Kinks can be straightforward and healthy, or they can be poorly-veiled coping mechanisms. The amount of negotiation and explicit consent can vary depending on who the characters are and where they are in their relationship. It could be their first time, together or at all. It can be established-relationship sex. It can be planned or spontaneous. It can be smooth or awkward or sensual or weird. Let the characters and relationship rather than my personal preferences guide you.

Even if your fic focuses primarily on a sexy scene, I would like a smattering of context. More than anything, I want to feel like it happens between people, not just ad-lib erotica. For my prompts, I may not always explicitly prompt smut, but please know that you can include it for any ship I have requested unless I specifically ask you not to.

Prompts

Dragon Age

Anora Mac Tir/Female Warden

Note: My first Warden is named Rosamunde Cousland, and you can see her here. Feel free to use default appearances/names, your own ideas, or to take a stab at alluding to mine. Whatever makes you feel most comfortable! Here is a profile I wrote about my Warden if it helps you, and you can look at my Dragon Age tumblr: couslandofhighever. All that said, I welcome Wardens from any background!

- If the Warden is a Cousland, I would love a fic where her noble-born status impacts their relationship. We are given the impression that same-sex relationships are not looked down upon in most of Thedas, and I would be interested to see what would happen if Anora took an interest in the Warden as her Queen. Alternatively, I would love a sort of competitive relationship at first that eventually gives way to mutual respect and more. Perhaps the Cousland Warden has seen, first-hand, things going to hell in great part because of Loghain's actions and has a bone to pick before learning to view Anora as separate from those actions. Perhaps Anora thinks the Cousland Warden is politically ambitious because of her lost status, and maybe she is even right. I would love any direction you take with this!

- If the Warden is not a Cousland and therefore not of human nobility, I would love to learn about how Anora and the Warden get to know and understand each other. If the Warden is of the Dwarf Noble origin, I would be interested to see how their competing views of government and societal organization mesh or clash or don't matter at all. If the Warden is either a City Elf or a Dalish Elf, I would be interested to see how her concerns about the welfare of her people may inspire her to behave around Anora and how Anora might address her concerns. If the Warden was a Dwarf Commoner, is she relieved or thinking 'It's-about-time,' that she is viewed as something more than 'casteless'? If she is a mage, how does she petition about that before the Queen? I don't think I'm leaving any of the origins out, but forgive me if I am. Basically, I would just love to see these women talking about things that are not solely attraction or relationship-building but it leading in that direction because of mutual, hard-won respect. Perhaps there is an instant attraction, perhaps there is private tension, but I would love to see whatever you come up with!

- What if Anora was deposed in favor of the Warden putting Alistair on the throne? I mean, the Warden and Alistair are friends, and Anora's father put them both in a really, really terrible position, and we know that if the Warden will not back Anora instead of Alistair that she will turn on them, too. If Alistair is made king, then he decides to lock Anora up until the Blight is over and then decide what to do with her should he survive. Given the way nobles-in-captivity tended to be a bit cushier for even criminals in bygone days, I would infer that Anora is probably not being kept, long-term, in any sort of dank, filthy dungeon. (If you would like a reference for what I'm talking about, refer to the fabled fate of Elizabeth Bathory as compared to her accomplices, though I am not comparing the two in any other way.) So basically this prompt is about what happens when the dust has cleared and Alistair is on the throne? Maybe the Warden is the one to travel to wherever Anora is being kept under lock and key and goes about trying to find a place for her. Maybe they intend to keep her on some old family land as long as she doesn't cause trouble. Perhaps exile is part of the discussion. Or, perhaps, she is eventually brought back into court in some way after a long while of building trust? Either way, I think it could be interesting if the Warden was her liaison and eventual partner through all of this, and they find an unlikely affection for each other.

Note: If you choose to keep Alistair around and do FFM-poly, which is welcome, you could include his birthright, presence, and whatever else as one of their points of contention. Relationship negotiation, etc. But if you do this, I would appreciate if they did not only discuss this, obviously. If not, feel free to defer to my other notes in my DNWs. I really love Alistair, and I want him to be plausibly safe and happy, even if this is achieved by his not being mentioned.



Bethany Hawke/Isabela

- Isabela seems to have chosen to be a pirate after escaping a life in Antiva she was not very happy with. Bethany has been an apostate all her life through no choice of her own. I would be interested in a story that dealt with the comparison and contrasts between them. They are both outlaws in a sense, but one of them views it as a freedom from being tied down while the other sees the constant hiding and evasion of potential, "lawful" capture as bondage. Maybe there is an inversion of these roles, or a direct application of them where they find support and comfort in each other.

- Isabela seems to view Bethany's virginity as a pitiful thing, whether she is being serious or not. She offers to reimburse Hawke for buying Bethany some company at the Blooming Rose. Perhaps Hawke bows out of this (or is preoccupied by a love interest or someone at the brothel) but Isabela is committed to her quest to make sure Bethany experiences the pleasures of sex. If Bethany does not want to go through with it for any reason (sex with strangers, especially for her first time, might be an issue for her?), then for a less-explicit turn, perhaps Bethany runs out and Isabela goes after her, leading to them bonding and so on. Otherwise, perhaps Isabela volunteers and is Bethany's first. In any case, I would like for any sex between them to not be just-sex but to lead to feelings, even if Isabela cannot commit right away.

- Bethany's fate to become either a Circle mage or a Grey Warden and Isabela's reaction to it. I am interested in either outcome. If she becomes a Circle mage, does Isabela want to help her escape? What happens after the Chantry explosion and its aftermath? If Bethany becomes a Grey Warden, she is not very happy about it, but Isabela has come across at least two Grey Wardens before. Perhaps she helps her come to terms with it, as the years go by. I would love any sort of post-canon fic where the two of them have found each other again or stayed together.

Note: Any protective/jealous brother/sister Hawke is welcome.



Isabela/Anora Mac Tir

- If Isabela is in town such that the Warden (and others) could meet her and potentially have an intimate encounter with her, why couldn't this happen for Anora? I have seen some people speculate that Anora is attracted only or primarily to women. If that is true, has she ever had the chance to act upon it, given her marital situation? I would love to see Anora having an apparently one-time experience with Isabela, impulsively (perhaps she is grieving, perhaps she is angry, or perhaps she just wants to have fun), only for it to have later ramifications. What happens and how do they meet again?

- If Anora is deposed, I would love to see Isabela becoming instrumental to her new life. Does Anora become a pirate right alongside her? Do both of them end up in Kirkwall? I am very interested in the idea of Anora rebuilding her life if she is not the Queen of Ferelden anymore. What if they ended up back in Antiva together? I would love to see Anora using her head for politics even in an entirely new walk of life. How does Isabela feel about Anora and her 'loss' of status? Does Isabela think this is temporary or an interesting conquest? Whatever her initial attitude, I prefer a hopeful ending for both.

- I would be interested in an AU or pre-DAO story where Isabela somehow infiltrated the court. I don't think she is a master-spy like Leliana can be, so I think it could either be very dramatic and serious or sort of funny and sitcom-y. If you choose to go this route, we know that Cailan planned to leave Anora, so perhaps Anora knows more about her husband's dalliances than she lets on and engages in some dalliances of her own. This can be a canon-addition or a canon-divergent story, whatever you like.

Note: I don't mind if Cailan meets his canon fate or gets jilted by Anora.



Isabela/Merrill

- Friends-to-Lovers, but it's really messy. Isabela isn't ready to commit, and Merrill does not know what she's doing wrong. Merrill has self-esteem issues with asserting what she wants and needs, and Isabela is hiding behind fun and games and denial. Or anything like that! Perhaps they got drunk one night which led to a confession of feelings that one of them doubts or they slept together/fooled around (and what's the difference between the two?). They ~make love~, but Isabela wants to believe it's only "skin-deep," or Merrill is trying to convince herself that it is, poorly, because she wants to save face. I would like an ending where they are at least tentatively on the same page and content.

- Rom-Com Trope nonsense in Kirkwall where Isabela is trying to hook Merrill up with someone she thinks is suitable for her. She is trying to help her be more attuned to flirtation and "dirty things," while also trying to look out for her. Merrill is taking her lessons very seriously, but she finds that she is a little uncertain about whether she is interested in the selected "target." The more they go down this path, the more they are mutually into each other and don't know what to do about it until finally they do. (If you want to include an explicit scene, Isabela could be giving Merrill 'lessons' during this scheme, but it becomes more than that? But I also welcome the fully T-rated version of this.) If the "target" for hypothetical Merrill romance is a canon-character, I would like that they be oblivious/interested in someone else so that they aren't hurt when Merrill and Isabela realize they want each other instead.

- Merrill and Isabela on an adventure together where Isabela can show off her swashbuckling skills. Perhaps Merrill accidentally gets herself into trouble, and Isabela is the one who saves her from harm. Alternatively, Merrill getting a chance to show that she can be competent and even quite powerful/frightening/cool to Isabela would be wonderful! This could be at any point you want to squeeze it into canon or post-canon, as you like.

Note: The fact that Isabela calls Merrill 'Kitten,' is adorable and kind of sexy. I welcome its use whenever you like.



Morrigan/Female Warden

Note: My first Warden is named Rosamunde Cousland, and you can see her here. Feel free to use default appearances/names, your own ideas, or to take a stab at alluding to mine. Whatever makes you feel most comfortable! Here is a profile I wrote about my Warden if it helps you, and you can look at my Dragon Age tumblr: couslandofhighever. All that said, I welcome Wardens from any background!

- Morrigan expresses her affection for a female Warden by saying that she even feels that she might be 'like a sister' to her. She is troubled by how much she has come to care about the Warden, especially given how what she plans to do with the Dark Ritual might be perceived as a betrayal, perhaps. Does Morrigan believe that she is capable of being open and honest in a relationship? I would love to see a fic where Morrigan is sorting through her feelings and pining and realizing that her affection and longing for the Warden isn't very 'sisterly' at all. Whether it reaches fruition at all or during canon or after, I would be happy with anything introspective about Morrigan learning how to long for friends and to long for a lover.

- If a Female Warden went through the Eluvian with Morrigan to help her when she fled, I would love to have a story about their growing bond/love and what kinds of strange things they experience in the 'other world' where Morrigan went before she ended up in Orlais. I am very interested in the idea that the 'other world' is a sort of bizarre dimension that is strange and unlike Thedas, but you could do anything. Even make it a weird crossover, if you want (you can look at my AO3 works list or carrd for fandoms I'm familiar with if you went that route), as long as it focuses on Morrigan and the Warden and, if he exists, Kieran.

- I would love any kind of "I've-got-your-back," "us-against-the-world," kind of fic about them. Whether it is an AU where the Warden can be present during some of the events of DAI, something set during a DAO world state where they get together and are coming to terms with being in love, or something post-current-canon, I would love that. Is the Warden the Queen of Ferelden? Can Morrigan be her arcane advisor? What world can they help create together? What about when the Warden finds a cure for the Calling? Is the cure a scary adventure unto itself? Even if they are not physically together through the whole story, I would just love a thing about how their bond affects the entire world they live in.

Notes: I like stories where Kieran exists, and if he does, I am interested in the ways in which his having an old god soul makes him different. If Kieran is there, co-parenting is very much loved. I love how Mama Morrigan is just... trying so hard to be her best and overcome the cycle of abuse and weirdness she had with her mother. If you prefer not to write stories with children in them, you can have him not exist, be around, or just be off playing or whatever.

If you want to include Alistair in a FFM cameo/mentioned capacity, I would be happy with that, as I ship any combination of the Warden, Morrigan, and Alistair. This is not necessary, and it's completely fine if he's not mentioned! If he is, though, I would prefer that he be Kieran's father. If he's there, I don't mind if he's King or a Grey Warden still. If you want to have him be just-a-friend who's happy otherwise (with Anora, or someone else) who is Kieran's biological father, that's fine, too.

The Hunger Games

Note: For Hunger Games prompts, I would prefer that any canon-timeline-aligned fics not change the major "guide posts" of canon. That is, I would still like Katniss and Peeta to be declared co-victors of the 74th Hunger Games and for them to end up together in the end if it's at all relevant to your story. However, changing details about timelines or allowing other characters to play larger roles than they did it canon or to survive canon when they did not is completely welcome.

Annie Cresta/Johanna Mason

- Johanna and Finnick were good friends, and Johanna's life was very systematically sabotaged and destroyed by President Snow due to her refusal to capitulate to all his demands. I would love to read a fic where Johanna finds a new life with Annie and her child after the Games and the war. Johanna and Annie both have to deal with the effects of trauma and great loss on their lives, and I would like to see them getting help with that and being a support system for each other. I would also love to see them getting help from their community: other characters, government services in the rebuilt society, or random neighbors. I would love a story where Annie has her own voice more than we got to see in canon. We know that Johanna can speak her mind, but perhaps there are things she can only share with Annie. And I love co-parenting which leads to bonding and more, if that is something you're inclined to write.

- A canon-divergent AU where Johanna and Annie met as Victors and were the two who got into a relationship to begin with. I would like to know how that impacts both their destinies. Did it allow Johanna to play the game with Snow more? Or did she still rebel and lose her friends and family back home? How does it change how Annie deals with her mental health problems, if it does?

- A post-canon fic about how they're doing years later. Are they meeting again for the first time in a long time? What roles have they taken on in their very changed-world? And how do they grow together?

Note: If you want to write a Finnick-lives AU and have it be FFM, as noted, that's fine with me.



Clove/Glimmer

Clove and Glimmer are both from "Career Districts." However, Glimmer is from District 1 where they specialize in making the luxury goods for the Capitol and is portrayed as a beautiful, glamorous blonde. Clove, on the other hand, is from District 2 where they focus on "rock quarrying" but also a lot of Panem's military infrastructure, as I understand it. I am very interested in this difference. They're fairly "minor" characters, and we only get a glimpse of what they're like in the books or especially the movie, but I like the potential. Please bear this observation in mind for each of these fairly basic prompts.

- What if they could not participate in the 74th Hunger Games and met through an entirely different circumstance before its conclusion? Perhaps they are training when Katniss changes everything. How do they interact as they deal with the impending sense that the world is shaking?

- What if they meet during the war which follows Catching Fire?

- What if they fall in love or almost fall in love in canon, even though they're both doomed? I would like some elaboration or introspection on this "real" tragic romance of the 74th Hunger Games.



Clove/Original Female Character

As mentioned above, Clove is from District 2 which is stated to focused on "rock quarrying" but which also makes up a significant portion of Panem's military infrastructure. I am interested in how this sort of fragmented specialization of culture affects her and her relationships.

- If you want to follow canon pretty closely and write something tragic, I would be interested in something that has a sort of "Outsider POV" angle from the perspective of the Original Female Character in question. I would love to read how her anguish of watching Clove strive and lose in the Games is influenced by their shared culture. Was their love known to each other, or was it just in quiet glances and a wish? If you want to carry it on further, how does Clove's legacy impact this character? Who does she become in Clove's memory? It can be dark and sad or it can be inspiring.

- If the Original Female Character is also "a Career" are they very competitive? Or are they quietly protective of each other in an environment in which that is a dangerous feeling? If the Original Female Character was not selected as part of the training program for potential Hunger Games contestants, how do they know each other? What is their bond and communication like?

- If you want to do an AU where Clove survives the Hunger Games, either by not participating or some other interruption to the plot (CF level interruption to the Games or whatever), I would be interested in a fic that builds from her reunion with the Original Female Character. What do they do now? Do they continue to be aligned with everything they have been taught? Or do they sort of "heel-face-turn" in terms of the overall cause which will be the end of the Games and Panem as they know it?

Jolene - Dolly Parton

- The Narrator is in an abusive relationship with "her man." This is a bit Southern Gothic, but we're still on the mundane plane of existence. The Narrator has known no other way of life than her marriage with this man, and she cannot imagine what she would do outside this framework of existence, even if she is miserable. Jolene is a femme fatale, but her intentions are quite different than what the Narrator believes. Jolene becomes the Narrator's rescuer and new love. Think, possibly, "Goodbye Earl" crossover/fusion vibes.

Note: For this prompt, you may ignore my request that canonical male "love interests" being left happy and alive.

Now for an entirely different take. So, there was a popular tumblr post:



And someone did an original folk song inspired by it: https://soundcloud.com/user-699312008/jolene-a-cautionary-tale The artist describes it as "Midwestern Gothic," and I love this concept. While you are under absolutely no obligation to follow this path, my other two prompts are based on some take on these concepts.

- The Narrator is basically a female protagonist Mundane Woman turned Badass because Jolene has come into her life. Perhaps Jolene is an antagonist until she becomes interested in the Narrator's spirit and determination not to fall prey to her. Is it a monster redemption story? Or is it a misunderstanding? Or is Jolene there to save the Narrator along the lines of my first prompt? What is Jolene? Where did she come from? And how will she fit into the Narrator's previously normal life now that she's here?

- The Narrator is some kind of monster-hunter/slayer along the lines of Buffy or Wynonna Earp (though please do not make her actually-one-of-these-characters). Her pleas are more in a sense of good sportsmanship, because she feels ready and prepared to absolutely destroy Jolene. But then something gives her pause. What does she learn about this Eldritch Horror Jolene that not only leads her to spare her life but to fall in love?

Note: In the latter two prompts, the Narrator's "man" could be an abusive person as mentioned in the first prompt who needs to be eliminated and whom the Narrator would be better off without. Alternatively, he could be her "man" in the sense that he is her very close platonic sidekick or best friend. Maybe he is a 'contact' in her world of monster-slaying. Or, if you're inclined to write healthy polyamory, maybe he is her attentive, supportive, normal boyfriend whom Jolene has decided to murder or seduce or eat or whatever because that's what Jolene does, but then in the process of defending him, the Narrator convinces Jolene not to do that. Then the Narrator and her man are safe and happy-ever-after plus one Eldritch Jolene!