Fandom5k Exchange
Dear Author
I’m sorry this letter has taken a few days. Part of the reason is I can’t for the life of me work out dreamwidth formatting, so apologies for weird shifts in font size or things pushed to one side, at this point I’ve just accepted it looks weird but is at least readable!
Thank you for writing for me! I’ve done a small “why I love it” section for each fandom and then some more specific prompts, but don’t feel obliged to use anything here. I love surprises and I’d rather you write something you’re excited about than force yourself with something that doesn’t interest you.
Some fandoms/characters/pairings have more than others, but this doesn’t reflect a preference at all, I like every fandom here equally.
I don’t post anything here except exchange letters, but if you want to poke around a bit I have loads of bookmarks over on AO3 (where I’m hernameinthesky) and I regularly post to my tumblr queenlissa. Tumblr might be particularly helpful if you’re writing for Vampire Academy because I post a lot of VA meta there.
General
I requested these fandoms because I love the worlds and the characters in those worlds, so I much prefer fics that take canon as a starting point. That doesn’t mean you have to stick to the exact same style as canon, but I like fics that explore the world/lore/character histories and dynamics that we already have. I’m not for example interested in fics that make Katniss Everdeen a Capitol citizen from birth or the Dursleys good people who raised Harry well (there’s nothing wrong with these fics, they’re just not my cup of tea).
I’m happy to receive any POV/tense, any length, in-universe documents, letters, excerpts from character’s diaries/sketchbooks/etc., poetry/stories written by characters, any format (non-chronological, shifting POVs, etc.), as well as drabbles and vignettes - whatever’s right for the story.
General likes:
- Character-driven stories, Character studies, Original flavour fic, Backstory/lore/world building, Missing moments/filling in the gaps of canon, Canon events from a secondary character’s perspective, Post-canon fic, Cannon divergent AUs/What if? scenarios
- Hurt/comfort (physical or emotional), Slice-of-life/curtain fic, Coming-of-age, Bittersweet/Hopeful/Realistic fics rather than entirely fluffy or angsty, Developing relationships, Established relationships and how the problems don’t stop just because they got together, Building trust, Found families, Complicated relationships (e.g. bitter exes still in love, old family feuds, “we hate each other but are fighting for the same side so have to work together”), Flirting and banter, Building a home together, Helping each other grow as individuals
- Moving on/acceptance, Redemption and forgiveness, Oaths and promises, Loyalty, Tested loyalty!, Temptation/Internal conflict, Sacrifice, Healing, Difficult histories (either personal or societal), Nature descriptions, Settings having an effect on characters (because it makes things hard for them, is really important to them, is haunted, etc.)
Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery
DNWs: (These differ between fandoms)
A/B/O || Complete AUs unless specifically requested (canon divergence is fine) || Depictions of injury/gore/violence that are more graphic than canon || Graphic sex scenes (fade-to-black or non-graphic are fine, think M rather than E.) || Incest || Non-con or dub-con that isn’t present in canon || Permanent nominated character death (character death that results in character becoming a ghost/angel/etc. is fine) || Any pandemic fic, real or imaginary || Real person fiction || Modern day real life politics || Teacher/student || Terminal illness or injury || Torture || Tragic endings (bittersweet or open endings are fine) || Trans/gender headcanons unless specifically requested || Unhealthy relationships between requested characters (complicated relationships, such as relationships with inbuilt power dynamics, are fine, but I’d like there to be love and respect all round)
Canon-Style Plot - Freeform || Character Development || Established Relationship || Fluff || Humor || Hurt/Comfort || Interpersonal Drama || Slice of Life || Angst || AU - Canon Divergence || Fix-it fic || Getting Together
I really love the atmosphere of AoGG and the focus on ordinary love stories and tragedies and domestic troubles. I’m up for anything from canon-typical scrapes and hijinks, to serious exploration of the politics of the time and how that affects the characters. I particularly enjoy fics that explore the characters in a way that’s a little less… whiter than white. LMM herself had a passionate love affair in her twenties and talked in her diaries about her frustration with having to keep her girl characters as girls, never women. I’d love to see characters struggling with passion and friendships, figuring out what they want out of life, gaining new ambitions and not painlessly giving up on old ones.
Matthew Cuthbert & Marilla Cuthbert
Matthew and Marilla are two of my favourite characters. I love their quiet love for each other and the life they’ve built together. There’s such a deep bond there and I’d love to see more about how it formed. What was their childhood like? How did they feel when it became clear they were going to spend their lives together? Was it ever a discussion, or did they fall into it?
They also have a sadness to them though. Both are so deeply reserved that they’ve missed out on a lot of joy. I’d love to see something from the time before Anne, where they support each other or have a moment of laughter over some silly scrape they find themselves in. Or after Anne, the two of them knowingly working together to help her in some way. The two of them balancing each other out and raising Anne together is beautiful.
Prompts:
- Matthew is having trouble at school due his shyness, Marilla stands up for him
- How Marilla decided to stay with Matthew after losing John Blythe. How Matthew felt about the courtship and it’s subsequent heartbreak.
- Matthew tries to patch things up between Marilla and John (how successfully is up to you)
- Marilla does marry John Blythe. Twenty years later her bachelor brother tells her he’s adopting a girl from an orphan asylum
- Anne gets into a scrape, Matthew and Marilla work together to help her
- A Matthew!lives AU, and what changes. Does Anne go to university immediately then? What’s his relationship with Dora and Davie? I’ve always thought Dora particularly would get on well with Matthew.
Marilla Cuthbert/Rachel Lynde
These two have such a funny but sweet relationship, I’ll love anything you want to do with them. Schoolgirl puppy love, young women whose lives are going in different directions, how their relationship progresses after they’ve moved in together, a canon-divergence AU where they move in together earlier. They could go a little angsty as well given the time period and I’m fine with that, I like realistic historical fiction, but I’d like a mostly happy ending. I’d rather not have Rachel completely unhappy in her marriage though. She can be bi or a gay woman who wanted children or the security of a conventional life of whatever, but please don’t make her miserable or her husband a bad person.
Prompts:
- Marilla and Rachel have an intense, secret affair as young women
- They had a brief affair as young women, but gave into convention and Rachel married. Now Rachel’s husband has died and they decide to give it another shot.
- AU where they decide to go for it as younger women and have to navigate their relationship in secret
- Dora and/or Davie has a problem, they work together to solve it
- Rachel spies something suspicious out the window and won’t rest until she’s solved the mystery. Marilla is pulled along for the ride.
If you’re writing about Anne, I generally prefer fics set after Anne of Avonlea. Anne as an adult is more interesting to me and there’s so much that’s brushed over during her years at Redmond and beyond. Anne’s coming-of-age in Anne of the Island was particularly disappointing to me and I find it the most boring book in the series for that reason. I’d love something that looks a little deeper into her friendships and struggles.
Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
We get hints of the laughter and passion that these two share, so more of that please! I don’t love Anne’s House of Dreams and the sugary gender roles they fall into, that seem to go very much against Anne’s character especially. Where did her ambition go? Anne was the first woman in Avonlea to go to university! It’s also very… chaste. I for one don’t believe that a stork really delivered Anne’s baby. Something that looks into their marriage and progressing relationship, not just the world outside of their cottage would be wonderful. The adjustments they both have to make, the fear they must feel during the second pregnancy, keeping their love alive as they raise their family.
Alternatively if you prefer the early Anne books, it would be really fun to see more of their competitiveness as children or the growing up together that happens in Anne of Avonlea. What are all the dreams and ambitions they talk about? Getting into scrapes together would also be fun!
Prompts:
- Gilbert is stuck in a tree/has errands to run but is being held behind after class because he was too busy staring at Anne Shirley to listen to the teacher/is in some other typical AoGG scrape. Anne lends a hand.
- Pushing the bounds of propriety during courtship (he kissed her on the nape of the neck guys!!)
- They’re on a walk, there’s a storm, they have to shelter in a barn, Anne looks really pretty with raindrops in her hair, it’s just like a romance novel… except Anne didn’t expect it to be this cold, or for there to be a cow present.
- Anne is lonely because Gilbert is working so often
- Gilbert encourages Anne not to give up trying to write a novel
- One of their children get’s into a typical AoGG scrape, Anne and Gilbert work together to help
- Anne’s illness and recovery after Shirley’s birth. Maybe she finds it hard to bond to her new son and Gilbert helps.
Philippa Gordon/Anne Shirley
I love how playful and adoring these two are together, and how their relationship progresses in the books, with Anne not really taking Phil seriously at first and only with time coming to see another side of her. I think Phil being around for one of Anne’s ‘scrapes’ would be hilarious. Does she make it better or worse? Is she the cause of the scrape this time and Anne experiences the novelty of being the one to fix it? Or does Phil rise to the occasion?
They could go a little angsty as well given the time period and I’m fine with that, I like realistic historical fiction, but I’d like at least a hopeful ending please.
Prompts:
- Phil or Anne is jealous when the other starts courting seriously with a man
- There’s a leak in Phil’s room! She’s got to camp with Anne for a few nights! There’s only one bed!
- Studying together, helping each other with their weak subjects
- Anne realises none of the men in real life live up to her books, because she’s not interested in men
- Settling down together, figuring out how to make money (I’m partial to Anne as a writer who doesn’t give up after one failed attempt at a novel)
- Phil decides to court Anne, and the inevitable hilarity that would lead to.
Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
DNWs: (These differ between fandoms)
A/B/O || Complete AUs unless specifically requested (canon divergence is fine) || Depictions of injury/gore/violence that are more graphic than canon || Graphic sex scenes (fade-to-black or non-graphic are fine, think M rather than E.) || Incest || Non-con or dub-con that isn’t present in canon || Permanent nominated character death (character death that results in character becoming a ghost/angel/etc. is fine) || Any pandemic fic, real or imaginary || Real person fiction || Modern day real life politics || Teacher/student || Terminal illness || Torture (non-graphic past torture and the consequences of that are fine) || Trans/gender headcanons unless specifically requested || Snape being under 20 when the relationship begins.
- Action/Adventure || AU - Canon Divergence || Canon-Style Plot || Character Development || Established Relationship || Fix-it fic || Getting Together || Horror || Humor || Hurt/Comfort || Interpersonal Drama || Mystery/Procedural || Slice of Life || Worldbuilding
Aberforth Dumbledore/Severus Snape
This relationship would be so interesting! Aberforth and Snape are both such complex characters with difficult relationships to their pasts (and with Albus Dumbledore), and I’d love to see them reluctantly bond over this. I can see this going so many ways - a casual relationship born of wartime desperation that accidentally become more, a relationship that stays casual romantically but they end up bonding deeply as friends, they’re grouchy, sarcastic friends who slowly become more, or something else entirely. It’s entirely up to you. I’m ok with a less healthy relationship between these two as well. I don’t want them to be disrespectful or abusive to each other, but something where Aberforth is more invested than Snape, who’s still in love with Lily, or something where Aberforth hates Snape a little for killing his brother even on Dumbledore’s orders, but also can’t give him up, that kind of thing is great.
I’m also really interested in the Order and how it looked at it’s best in the first war compared to the second.The brief looks into it we get in the books combines my two favourite things about HP - complicated, heavy character dynamics and the mystery plots. Secret societies going on secret missions, not knowing who to trust, trying to figure out what the other side is doing, the moral quandaries that are the inevitable product of spying, all make me very happy.
Prompts:
- Aberforth and Snape have to work on a mission for the order together
- Snape begins going to Hog’s Head because it’s the only place he won’t be bothered by students or other teachers, and begins to find comfort in the barman there
- Aberforth is the only one who believes Snape has switched sides in the first war
- An affair carrying on through The Deathly Hallows, both of them grieving, both a stone’s throw away from giving up, maybe claiming to have done already, but still fighting
- Speaking of TDH, how much did Snape know about Aberforth’s deal with Neville
- Snape survived DH and has to adjust to life without Dumbledore or the goal of defeating Voldemort.
The Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
DNWs: (These differ between fandoms)
A/B/O || Complete AUs unless specifically requested (canon divergence is fine) || Depictions of injury/gore/violence that are more graphic than canon || Graphic sex scenes (fade-to-black or non-graphic are fine, think M rather than E.) || Incest || Non-con or dub-con that isn’t present in canon || Permanent nominated character death (character death that results in character becoming a ghost/angel/etc. is fine) || Any pandemic fic, real or imaginary || Real person fiction || Modern day real life politics || Teacher/student || Terminal illness || Torture (non-graphic past torture and the consequences of that are fine) || Tragic endings (bittersweet or open endings are fine) || Trans/gender headcanons unless specifically requested || Unhealthy relationships between requested characters (complicated relationships, such as relationships with inbuilt power dynamics, are fine, but I’d like there to be love and respect all round)
Action/Adventure || AU - Canon Divergence || Canon-Style Plot || Character Development || Established Relationship || Fix-it fic || Fluff || Getting Together || Hurt/Comfort || Interpersonal Drama || Slice of Life
Summary
I really love the characters in THG, they all feel incredibly real, which is an achievement when it’s such a bizarre world. I don’t mind some world building/exploring, but I haven’t read the prequel so any references to that will need to be understandable without context. I’m really here for the characters though and how they respond to the world.
Katniss Everdeen
Katniss is one of my favourite ever protagonists. She’s so realistically flawed, so unlike most of the heroines I grew up reading about. I’m happy to read anything about her, whatever you want to write. Fluff, angst, action, pre-books, post-books, canon-divergent AU. Pair her with someone other that Peeta or Gale if you want (I’m very fond of Katniss/Madge), or keep it gen. Katniss’ relationships with her family are really compelling. I’d love to see something about her father, or how her relationship with her mother develops post-book, or how Prim feels about Katniss. Prim seems close to her mother (it’s her bed she was in after a nightmare in the first book), does she see Katniss as a second mother? Someone who protects her but isn’t so great at comfort?
Prompts:
- Katniss hanging out with her father, being taken to the Hob, being taught about plants or hunting. A closer look at their relationship.
- A AU when neither she nor Prim is reaped, what does her life in 12 look like? Does she end up a miner?
- I’ve always wondered what might happen if Katniss and Gale had saved Lavinia and her friend. Do they manage to save them? What happens if they find out about 13 earlier?
- Katniss and Madge hanging out between THG and CF
Peeta Mellark
For obvious reasons Peeta’s past and family don’t get the attention Katniss’ do, but I’ve always wanted to know more. What’s his relationship like with his brothers? His parents? We know his mother hit him at least once, and it doesn’t seem unlikely she did it more often than that, and his father seems pretty quiet and passive, but Peeta seems gregarious and popular. Is it a survival tactic to get people to like him? Is he more introverted than he seems or does he genuinely like meeting new people and making friends? Would he ever have approached Katniss if they hadn’t been reaped? Canon events from Peeta’s POV are also one of my favourite things. What’s his life like between THG and CF? How does he feel during the Victory Tour? Post-books, how does he deal with the loss of his family and the hijacking?
Prompts:
- Pre-books his daily life, baking, school, his friends and family, pining after Katniss
- Prim/Katniss isn’t reaped, Peeta is the only Victor of the 74th Hunger Games
- Neither of them are reaped, does he ever get up the courage to approach Katniss
- A look at Peeta’s relationship with Haymitch between THG and CF. He seems to take care of Haymitch a lot, does Haymitch ever return the favour somehow
- Losing his leg is kind of brushed over in the books, how does Peeta cope with that?
- His daily life post-Mockingjay
Katniss Everdeen/Gale Hawthorne
Katniss/Gale is interesting to me because I think as soon as Katniss was reaped, it was never going to happen regardless of Peeta, but if she hadn’t been reaped it almost certainly would have. Katniss talks about them both having too much fire, but my reading was always that Katniss and Peeta were the similar ones - both willing to put the people they love first at the expense of others, both rarely taking action until pushed to their limit - while Katniss and Gale challenged each other in important ways. Katniss has a tendency to disregard the bigger picture and worry about the people in front of her (usually Prim, or someone else she loves), while Gale has the opposite problem and goes too far because he doesn’t see the people he’s hurting, and they both call each other out on this. The things they went through pushed them to opposite extremes, Katniss unwilling to take almost any action, Gale willing to do anything, so I’d be interested if they’re more able to find a middle ground when they’re less damaged. Maybe they can’t. Maybe Gale simply can’t provide the support Katniss needs, and maybe Katniss has too different an opinion on violence/war for Gale to ever be able to accept it. For Katniss/Gale I don’t need a happy ending with the two of them together (although if you want to do that, go ahead! Convince me!), I’d just really like the possibility of them to be explored.
I’m also up for pure fluff pre-relationship - the transition from suspicious allies to best friends, the moments Gale falls for Katniss, more cute moments from before Katniss was reaped.
Prompts:
- Pre-books, celebrating one or the other of their birthdays, any way they can
- A quiet day hunting or spending an evening together just hanging out
- Katniss isn’t reaped, they both make it to 18, now Gale decides to make a move
- Katniss isn’t reaped and the revolution is set off by someone else/the revolution happens before Katniss is reaped. Katniss and Gale deal with it together
- Gale is reaped instead of Peeta
- Gale is reaped, Katniss isn’t
- Pre-canon, the moments Gale falls for Katniss
Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
The OTP to end all OTPs. Gentle Peeta who becomes utterly ruthless when Katniss is threatened. Reserved, wounded Katniss finally allowing herself to be taken care of. We see a lot of Peeta being Katniss’ dandelion in the spring, but I think in a lot of ways she became his strength. He stood up to his mother for her, he fought the fear he felt when reaped so he could protect her. They support each other and make the other a better person. I’ve read countless post-book healing fics with these two and I would love to read another. Or pre-book, Peeta’s crush on Katniss. Moments from that awkward winter between THG and CF. Moments from during the Victory Tour. After the Victory Tour when their relationship is starting to mend. AU where one or both of them aren’t reaped, or Peeta isn’t taken in CF, or where any of the other pivotal moments in the books are changed. I will love anything Peeta/Katniss.
Prompts:
- Between THG and CF, they run into each other at Haymitch’s or in town
- Peeta isn’t captured in CF, he and Katniss must adjust to District 13 together
- Peeta’s POV, the development of his feelings for Katniss as he really gets to know her
- Post-book I never liked the explanation that Katniss had children for Peeta’s sake nor do I believe Peeta would want children with her if Katniss didn’t, so I’d love a closer look at that decision
- One of them isn’t reaped, the other comes back as the only Victor
- Neither of them are reaped, how do they end up together?
Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
DNWs: (These differ between fandoms)
A/B/O || Complete AUs unless specifically requested (canon divergence is fine) || Graphic sex scenes (fade-to-black or non-graphic are fine, think M rather than E.) || Incest || Non-con or dub-con that isn’t present in canon || Permanent nominated character death (character death that results in character becoming a ghost/angel/etc. is fine) || Any pandemic fic, real or imaginary || Real person fiction || Modern day real life politics || Teacher/student || Terminal illness || Torture || Tragic endings (bittersweet or open endings are fine) || Trans/gender headcanons unless specifically requested || Unhealthy relationships between requested characters (complicated relationships, such as relationships with inbuilt power dynamics, are fine, but I’d like there to be love and respect all round)
AU - Canon Divergence || AU - Modern/Mundane || Canon-Style Plot || Character Development || Fix-it fic || Fluff || Getting Together || Horror || Humor || Hurt/Comfort || Interpersonal Drama || Slice of Life
I love the humour in Northanger Abbey and the way the darker plots lie just under the surface. I’m equally happy if you want to stick to the lightness of the original or if you want to explore the darkness. I’m also happy for AUs for this one. I don’t want a complete setting change into sci-fi or fantasy, but elements added to the original - like ghosts being real - or modern AU would be really fun.
Catherine Morland/Isabella Thorpe
Catherine and Isabella just make a fun couple. They’re both so young and silly. I’d love a rollicking adventure with them - discovering a real ghost, trying to solve a mystery (whether they’re right in their suspicions or not), going on a holiday together and string into scrapes.
Or something more serious. I think because they’re so young they bring out the worst in each other with Isabella taking advantage of Catherine’s naïveté and Catherine being unable to see the truth of Isabella, but if they matured a little I think they could bring out the best. Maybe they meet again when they’re older and wiser. Isabella has to make a decision whether to give up her ambitions of a rich husband, Catherine learns what love is outside of the first nice man she meets.
Prompts:
- Modern ghost hunter/haunted house explorer/paranormal podcaster/paranormal YouTuber!Catherine is a prompt I saw once and has always stuck with me. BFF/girlfriend Isabella doesn’t believe any of it… until one night she accompanies Catherine on one of her hunts
- Catherine suspects one of their Bath acquaintances of something dastardly, Isabella helps her investigate
- Isabella is jealous of Catherine’s new friend Miss Tilney
- Meeting again a few years after canon, both still single, but a little wiser
Original Work
Action/Adventure || Angst || AU - Genre Shift || Character Development || Established Relationship || Fantasy || Fix-it fic || Fluff || Getting Together || Horror || Humor || Hurt/Comfort || Interpersonal Drama || Mystery/Procedural || Slice of Life || Worldbuilding
DNWs: (These differ between fandoms)
A/B/O || Large age gaps (>10 years) in m/f pairings where the man is older || Graphic sex scenes (fade-to-black or non-graphic are fine, think M rather than E.) || Incest || Non-con or dub-con that happens in the story (non-graphic past non-con/dub-con and the consequences of that are fine) || Permanent nominated character death (character death that results in character becoming a ghost/angel/etc. is fine) || Any pandemic fic, real or imaginary || Real person fiction || Modern day real life politics || Teacher/student || Teenager/Adult ships || Terminal illness or injury || Torture || Tragic endings (bittersweet or open endings are fine) || Trans/gender headcanons unless specifically requested || Unhealthy relationships between requested characters (complicated relationships, such as relationships with inbuilt power dynamics, are fine, but I’d like there to be love and respect all round) except for specific pairings clarified in letter
For original works I’m open to pretty much anything. I’ve tried to avoid prompts that only fit one genre, so feel free to go with something other than the typical for these types of pairings. Dashing lady adventurer in medieval times! Vampire/Vampire hunter in the Wild West! Sorceress who hid her heart for safe keeping in the roaring 20s! Combine as much as you like as well - maybe the girl-next-door is the vampire the dashing lady adventurer vampire hunter never expected. Or the gruff loyal guardswoman of an imperious queen meets the lone loyal female knight of a disgraced queen in a tavern.
Dashing lady adventurer/Sensible girl-next-door caught up in her exploits (F/F)
This is just begging for a fun, frenetic adventure! Put them in any time or place you want, it’s the relationship I’m here for. I love stories where couples make each other better and bring out qualities they didn’t even know they had, and this is perfect for that. The sensible girl realising how exciting life is when you take a few risks, the dashing lady realising that slowing down can be a good thing sometimes.
Prompts:
- Literal girl-next-door has some post misdelivered to her house. She really should ignore the peculiar parcel. She really should just drop it off next door and get on with her day. She definitely shouldn’t open it.
- Girl-next-door has a new neighbour, so goes round to introduce herself and deliver a welcome cake, only to be pulled into an adventure.
- They’re neighbours in a hotel/train carriage/boat cabin/etc.
- Dashing lady adventurer needs the skillset of a sensible girl-next-door for something
Plucky teen detective/Her arch-nemesis succumbing to the allure of relentless optimism (F/F)
I’m definitely getting old-fashioned boarding school vibes from this one - or at least the Enid Blyton version of them. Cosy jumpers, hot chocolate, midnight feasts, etc. Why does the teen detective have an arch-nemesis? Is it normal schoolgirl spats, or something more serious? How do they make the transition from that to romance? Is the detective the real deal, actually solving crimes, or is she more like an amateur ghost hunter?
Prompts:
- Arch-nemesis is jealous that plucky detective is more focused on her investigation that there rivalry, so keeps sticking her nose in trying to get her attention
- Arch-nemesis is annoyed plucky detective doesn’t take their rivalry more seriously
- They don’t want to work together on this investigation, but both want answers and it’s just easier to share their findings
- Arch-nemesis finds plucky detective super annoying, but she can’t help but be concerned about plucky detective investigating something potentially dangerous
- If boarding school doesn’t appeal, how do they know each other? Maybe their parents are friends and they’re forced to spend holidays together. A summer mystery would be fun!
Sorceress Who Hid Her Heart for Safekeeping/Female Adventurer She Hires to Find It (OW)
This is such a good prompt! What are consequences of taking out your heart? Why did she do so? Is magic known in this world? Is it feared or neutral or admired? High fantasy is the obvious choice, but magical realism could also be really fun here.
Prompts:
- Female adventurer wants to retire, the sorceress is offering enough money for her to do that, and the rumours probably aren’t true anyway
- Female adventurer is retired, living a peaceful if somewhat lonely life in the countryside, when the sorceress comes knocking at her door with an irresistible offer
- Sorceress is not so fearsome after all, but so scatterbrained she’s forgotten where she hid her own heart
- When hiding her heart, the sorceress also forgot the love she had for the adventurer
Dethroned and Dishonored Queen/Lone Loyal Female Knight
I’ve received some amazing fics for this pairing before, but I’m requesting it again because I never tire of this dynamic. What made the knight so loyal? Just love, or does she honestly think the Queen has been unjustly treated? Does the Queen feel guilty for taking the knight down with her? Is it hard for them to adjust to being on equal terms?
Prompts:
- The Queen is plotting to get her throne back, the knight wants to remain loyal but doesn’t think it’s such a good idea
- Alternatively, the knight is the main schemer, and is surprised at the Queen’s disinterest
- Neither are interested in the Queen regaining her crown and must find a way to live quietly together
- The Queen has been cleared and crowned again, now she has to deal with everyone who betrayed her
Pregnant Victorian Woman/Female Best Friend
I nominated this one after watching Albert Knobbs and being really upset about the ending. I just want two Victorian women to have a happy life together. How it happens - childhood-friends-to-lovers, running away together to protect the pregnant friend and then realising they’re in love, always been in love but friend was forced to marry - doesn’t bother me.
Prompts:
- Pregnant friend isn’t married, female best friend pretends to be a man so she can save her friend from ruin by marrying her
- Pregnant friend either isn’t married or is unhappily married, the two run away together
- They’re living together (as a married couple or as ‘roommates’) and tell people the pregnant friend is widowed, but they worry about what they’re new neighbours will suspect
- The pregnant friend is widowed and left penniless, her best friend steps in to help
Orphaned Princess & Wet Nurse (Original Work)
Found family, particularly unofficial adoptive parents, are a favourite of mine. I really like the dynamic here of the Princess technically being the one with the power, but the wet nurse being the one who helped raise her.
Prompts:
- The royal family was ousted and the wet nurse manages to save the princess by passing her off as her own.
- The above happened years ago, now the princess wants to reclaim her throne
- The princess was orphaned as a young child and will become queen as soon as she comes of age. Everyone wants to train her for this or become her friend so they can manipulate her, her old wet nurse is the only one she trusts
I don’t have any specific prompts for the rest of the OW requests because they’re so vague, I’m just excited to see what you come up with!
Proud Decorated Warrior/Dark Sorceress Tempting Her into a Corruption Arc (F/F)
You can disregard the unhealthy relationship DNW for this one, but I would rather the dark sorceress does have some affection for the warrior and isn’t just trying to hurt her, although she can have ulterior motives as well. Does the warrior know the sorceress is dark? Is she trying to bring her to the right side? Is the sorceress tempting her with arguments or just plain seduction? What does the corruption arc look like?
Female Knight Lost on a Quest/Determined Wife Who Won’t Forget Her (OW)
This is exactly the sort of angsty pining I am Here For. Does the determined wife try and find her? What sort of pressure is she under from family/friends/society to move on?
Imperious Queen/Gruff Loyal Guardswoman
I just love the idea of these two people that everyone is in awe of and slightly afraid of being able to be soft with each other. The tender guardswoman bringing her Queen tea and coaxing her to bed when she’s been up too late checking laws and worrying about trading. The imperious Queen admitting she needs help and seeking her guardswomen’s advice. Maybe it’s a slow shift into lovers that neither of them realises until they’re there. Or maybe they’ve had a casual sexual relationship for years and neither realises the other wants more. The Queen is being pressured by advisors to marry and when the guardswoman demands to know why she won’t, it all comes out!
Vampire Hunter/Vampire (F/F)
I love supernatural that confronts the realities of it and makes it difficult (Vampires have to drink blood, werewolves lose control of themselves once a month, etc.).
This trope is an old favourite I’ll never get tired of. Vampire hunter realising the one they love is the thing they hunt! Vampire hunter having that one vampire who always escapes, only to finally catch them and realise they’ve gotten attached! Vampire hunter having to confront the reality that not all vampires are bad! Definitely bad vampire finding themselves hopelessly in love with a hunter! So many ways to do this pairing and all of them amazing!
Werewolf/Newly-Turned Friend
I love supernatural that confronts the realities of it and makes it difficult (Vampires have to drink blood, werewolves lose control of themselves once a month, etc.). There’s a lot of opportunity to explore that with a new-turned werewolf. Did they know their friend was a werewolf? How are they turned - by their friend? Is it a change they wanted?
Hero Slowly Slipping Into Evil/Loyal Best Friend Who Has a Crisis of Faith (M/M)
Tested loyalty! Temptation! Looking at the person you know best and seeing a stranger! Torn between what’s right and what you can live with! The history! The angst! Does the best friend manage to save the hero?
Twilight
DNWs: (These differ between fandoms)
A/B/O || Complete AUs unless specifically requested (canon divergence is fine) || Depictions of injury/gore/violence that are more graphic than canon || Graphic sex scenes (fade-to-black or non-graphic are fine, think M rather than E.) || Incest || Non-con or dub-con that isn’t present in canon || Permanent nominated character death (character death that results in character becoming a ghost/angel/etc. is fine) || Any pandemic fic, real or imaginary || Real person fiction || Modern day real life politics (the exception here is if you want to include the politics around Native American tribes, but please no issuefic) || Teacher/student || Terminal illness or injury || Torture || Tragic endings (bittersweet or open endings are fine) || Trans/gender headcanons unless specifically requested || Unhealthy relationships between requested characters (complicated relationships, such as relationships with inbuilt power dynamics, are fine, but I’d like there to be love and respect all round)
Action/Adventure || Angst || AU - Canon Divergence || Canon-Style Plot || Character Development || Established Relationship || Fantasy || Fluff || Getting Together || Horror || Humor || Hurt/Comfort || Interpersonal Drama || Slice of Life || Worldbuidling
I heard someone say once that the problem with Twilight is that it’s a book full of fascinating stories and SM chose to tell the most boring one there, and that’s pretty much how I feel about it. I haven’t read the books in years and doubt I ever will again, but the potential there still keeps me in the fandom. There’s so many characters whose stories I want to hear.
Carlisle Cullen
300 years of adventure! Choosing mercy and empathy and kindness every time! It’s hard to pick any one prompt, so don’t worry about discarding these completely and writing about what interests you the most. I’m more interested in canon than any divergent AU for Carlisle because there’s so much we don’t know, and would rather he wasn’t paired with anyone but Esme.
Prompts:
- Something from his human life. Being torn between compassion and the duty he felt to destroy vampires
- The difficulty of becoming used to blood, the moments he almost gave in
- Meeting other vampires and making friends, only to find again and again that nobody agrees with him, that he’s alone in wanting to abstain from human blood
- Meeting the Denali coven and the joy he must have felt
- Something from an outsider’s perspective - one of his human colleagues, one the vampires he meets through the years, one of his family member’s
- His perspective of one of his family member’s changes - I’m particularly interested in his relationship with Edward, Esme, Rosalie and Jasper, but am equally happy if you want to write about him with Alice or Emmett
- His perspective of some part of the books. Getting to know Bella, what he thought of her pregnancy.
Alice Cullen/Bella Swan
In the books Alice kind of steamrolls over Bella’s wishes a lot, so I’d love something that brings them to a more balanced place. They love and adore each other, but have to learn to respect each other too. Or just fluffy fun where they’re already at that place. Fun adventures they have together. Playing with and testing their gifts. I’d rather Alice/Jasper and Bella/Edward were never a thing rather than breaking them up, but if you do decide to break them up please no character bashing.
Prompts:
- AU where Alice has been waiting for Bella her entire existence
- Do they have any of the same problems Bella/Edward did, or is the journey smoother for them (or harder maybe)
- Investigating Alice’s past together
- What is Alice couldn’t see Bella due to her shield? How would she deal with that?
- Bella has a more difficult newborn period than in the books, Alice helps her through
- Attending Paris fashion week or a fashion show together. Why did Bella agree to this again?
- If you want to stick with canon, a New Moon AU where Alice comes back/can’t bear to leave
Vampire Academy
DNWs: (These differ between fandoms)
A/B/O || Complete AUs unless specifically requested (canon divergence is fine) || Depictions of injury/gore/violence that are more graphic than canon || Graphic sex scenes (fade-to-black or non-graphic are fine, think M rather than E.) || Incest || Non-con or dub-con that isn’t present in canon || Permanent nominated character death (character death that results in character becoming a ghost/angel/etc. is fine) || Any pandemic fic, real or imaginary || Real person fiction || Modern day real life politics || Teacher/student (outside of romitri) || Terminal illness or injury || Torture (non-graphic past torture and the consequences of that is fine) || Tragic endings (bittersweet or open endings are fine) || Trans/gender headcanons unless specifically requested || Unhealthy relationships between requested characters (complicated relationships, such as relationships with inbuilt power dynamics, are fine, but I’d like there to be love and respect all round)
Action/Adventure || Angst || AU - Canon Divergence || Canon-Style Plot || Character Development || Established Relationship || Fix-it fic || Fluff || Getting Together || Humor || Hurt/Comfort || Interpersonal Drama || Mystery/Procedural || Slice of Life || Worldbuidling
I’m always surprised the VA fandom isn’t bigger because it has so much potential. The characters and relationships are so rich, but often undeveloped, and there are tons of issues raised and then dropped for the sake of more action. Worldbuilding for VA would be wonderful. There are so many questions with this series and I would love for some to be answered. Politics, the Court moving to America, the other schools, dhampir towns/communes, anything.
Dimitri Belikov
I’m always disappointed by how little we actually know about Dimitri. His personality is well established, but we only get brief glimpses into his past. I’d love to see something from Dimitri’s childhood or adolescence, looking at his relationship with his family. Did his father’s abuse affect their relationships? I always imagine Dimitri must feel of Olena because he saved her in the end, and maybe that’s why he doesn’t talk to his family much. He struggles to confide in them because he doesn’t want them to worry about him. The look at the dynamic he has with his sisters, especially Karolina, in BP is really sweet. And then there’s the his school years, his time with Ivan, the year between Ivan’s death and meeting Rose. So much stuff we don’t know!
Prompts:
- Pre-books, getting into mischief with his sisters
- Was he so serious as a Novice, or did he get into trouble
- His relationship with Ivan, the day-to-day life as a guardian
- How he got the six molnija marks he has at the beginning on VA
- Canon events from his POV
Lissa Dragomir
I think Lissa gets a hard time in fandom. She’s an incredibly kind, caring person who fiercely protects those who need it. Of course she’s not perfect, but none of the characters are. I love her relationship with Rose and think they’re equally at fault for the problems in it, so something that explores that from Lissa’s POV would be interesting. Rose is an incredibly controlling friend, which makes Lissa feel safe at first but encourages some of her worst instincts to not trust herself and depend too much on others, and as she becomes more confident Rose’s constant protection becomes suffocating.
There’s so much to explore in her relationship with her family and with Christian as well. How does she deal with finding out her father had an affair? How does she feel about Jill going forward, especially since she thought she’d lost all her family? How on earth does she cope with suddenly being Queen? She’s eighteen and has only just started learning about politics!
Prompts:
- Pre-canon, Lissa’s relationship with her family
- Lissa/Christian. I think they’re cute but we don’t get much in the books beyond SK, so something post-canon, or even pre-canon Christian crushing on Lissa from afar
- We know Lissa keeps a diary from the short story in the 10th anniversary editions, so an expansion of the From the Journal of Vasilisa Dragomir would be fun
- Lissa and Rose trying to improve their relationship
- Lissa supporting Rose with something, since we get so little of that in the books
- Lissa having to deal with a tricky political situation
Jill Mastrano Dragomir & Christian Ozera & Mia Rinaldi
This is a really fun combination. All three of them were kind of let down in canon, with their stories tapering off. I’d just like something that expands their characters a bit, looking at their families, their ambitions, their struggles, etc.
Prompts:
- Something looking into their project to teach Moroi self-defence
- They go on a mission together to hunt Strigoi
- Mia and/or Jill comforting Christian after finding out Tasha was the one who killed Tatiana
- Mia and Christian helping Jill as she’s adjusting to Court life
- What does Mia so after she graduates and doesn’t have the security Christian and Jill get
Janine Hathaway
Janine’s a really interesting character and the books only scratch the surface. We know she has family in Scotland, so was she raised among them or more like Rose in an Academy? Why did her relationship with them crumble? How she made the decision to give Rose up would be interesting too, and the effect it had on her and her career. I’d like the focus to be on Janine, but it’s fine if you want to write about her relationship with Abe too.
Prompts:
- Janine finding out she’s pregnant, the decisions she had to make before/just after Rose was born
- Janine visiting Rose as a baby or child, or Janine deciding not to visit Rose
- One of the missions she goes on
- Post-canon, what does her life/job look like
Dimitri Belikov/Rose Hathaway
Rose/Dimitri is the exception to my teacher/student DNW because their relationship isn’t written as though this is a normal or healthy dynamic, but something that needs to change before they can be together as equals. I will ask, no non-canon teacher/student relationships please, and that it isn’t what makes the relationship appealing for either Rose or Dimitri.
I would absolutely love some post-canon Romitri. Their relationship has changed so much since they met and they’re finally getting some time to settle in and spend a lot of time together. How do they deal with the judgement they’re bound to get? Do they find it harder than they expected to make their relationship work? What new things do they learn about each other? Rose has never had a serious or sexual relationship before, how does that affect them.
I’m interested in them both as individuals as well, so it’d be nice to get more depth to Dimitri’s relationships with his family and/or Rose with her parents. Neither of them are close to their families, so how do they support each other as they try to build/maintain those relationships? Alternatively a canon divergence AU where they meet some other way would be great - What if Ivan hadn’t died, or Rose and Lissa hadn’t been found until after graduation, or they never ran away at all?
Prompts:
- Post-canon making long distance work while Rose is at university with Lissa
- Missing moments from canon where they bond
- Going on a mission together
- AU where they meet after Rose has graduated and they’re both guardians
Rose Hathaway/Sydney Sage:
I adore Sydney, and think she and Rose would be really good for each other. Rose would encourage Sydney to think for herself and pursue her own ambitions, and Sydney would be a calming influence on Rose. Maybe they meet earlier when Rose and Lissa are on the run and Sydney somehow gets pulled into it, or they keep in contact after Russia, or Rose goes with Jill to Palm Springs. If you want to skip all that and go straight to established relationship, that’s also great! I don’t see Rose being happy if she’s not a guardian (though if you want to convince me, go ahead!), but Sydney isn’t a part of her world, so how do they compromise? Do they live at Court?
Prompts:
- Both Rose and Sydney are both really competent in their own ways, so something where they work together on hunting Strigoi or saving people would be awesome!
- Dimitri isn’t on the run with them in LS AU
- They both have a interest in travel, so I’d love to see them travelling together. Sydney with a neat checklist of things to do and see, Rose convincing her to be impulsive and throw the checklist out the window (or at least put it back in her bag)
- Sydney helping Rose with her studies
- Rose convincing Sydney to go to university like she’s always dreamed