FemslashEx 2015 Letter
Dear Writer
First of all, thank you so much for writing for me! I'm really looking forward to participating in this exchange, and I'm really looking forward to reading what you produce! I'm really easy-going as a recip - basically, so long as you're inspired and passionate about what you're producing, I want to read it! That sort of enthusiasm is infectious! :D
Loves: Non-mundane AUs (eg magical/werewolf/superhero/zombie apocalypse AUs, as opposed to college/highschool/bakery AUs), angst, banter, action, humour, darkfic, action, casefic, missionfic, getting-together fic. While I ranked fantastical AUs over the real to life ones, I do actually love tropey AUs too like coffeeshop ones or bakeries. I also love what-ifs and canon divergence AUs! I love fic that really gets into the character's thoughts and feelings, letting that drive what happens. I also happen to love blood and injury as a part of hurt/comfort or action, or when characters just won't stay down. Themes of memory (false ones, partial ones etc) and differing perspectives are also a big yes.
Dislikes: In terms of writing mechanics, I find I enjoy third person as a perspective over either second or first person perspectives. I've been known to enjoy both of those, but my brain tends to default to third! Use of epithets (like "the shorter woman" or "the blonde" or "the [occupation]") tend to throw me out of fics as well, unfortunately. More on the content side... Pregnancy and kidfic are both topics I'd prefer to not read about. That would be really the only topics I'd rule out!
Original Work
Pairings: Knight/Queen, Knight/Dragon
I was really excited to see the "original work" option in this exchange! If we've matched on either of those pairings, I'm not going to hold you to any time-period. I think either of those pairings would even work in modern times, with updated definitions of what it means to be a "knight", so really, I'd love you to use your imagination and really cut loose!
For the Knight/Queen pairing, I'd adore it if they were both really competent in their own ways - but also with some loyalty kink going on! What sort of feats has the Knight character performed for her Queen's sake, at her Queen's bidding? What sort of relationship did they have? Has the Queen always been a Queen, or were they more equal in positions at some point in the past?
So many questions and ways to address this one, I'm really excited in seeing what you pick!
If you're interested in doing something darker for this pairing, maybe the Knight has done some things she's not proud of for her Queen, and maybe her Queen is not a good person. Maybe things weren't always this way. Conflict and strained loyalty along those lines is absolute crack to me.
Knight/Dragon stood out as something a little different to me, depending on how you want to tackle it. Ideally I'd prefer it if the dragon was a shifter. You could have the Knight/Dragon as an ongoing partnership, which I think could be a fun way to approach it! As above, I adore competency, and I think you could have some excellent banter going on between the two. On the other hand, maybe the Knight and Dragon are oppositional - maybe the Knight is a dragonslayer, and might have had no idea that their girlfriend (or potential love interest) was a dragon?
Maybe the Dragon is only a dragon now because of a curse that can be broken, and until then, the Dragon is pushing the Knight away because they can't be sure how the Knight will react to the news?
Ugh so many things you can do, I am guaranteed to love what you pick!
Elementary
Pairings: Elana March/Jamie Moriarty (Elementary), Jamie Moriarty | Irene Adler/Joan Watson (Elementary)
Elementary is one of my favourite shows going on right now, and I figured it was only right to request something! I've seen all of seasons 1-3, and I'm hanging out for what happens next in season 4!
Elana March/Jamie Moriarty really strikes me because these two are like. The definition of competency, and lacking in all morality when it comes to the world around them. They're about themselves and their goals, unrepentantly so! It's something that I really adore about each of their characters, and seeing them face off...
To be honest, with this pairing, I'd adore mindgames. I want them scouring each other for weakness and openings, I want hatred and passion, with either of them just as like to kill the other as to screw her.
Given how March meets her end in Elementary, you'd probably need to either set a fic before that episode, or make it canon divergent. I'd also be delighted if you decided to go completely AU with this pairing! Maybe they're rival gang leaders, supervillains as well known to help out as they are to foil one another, politicians/diplomats?
With Jamie Moriarty/Joan Watson, I absolutely love the conflict it brings. On Joan's part, how does she reconcile her attraction to someone as vile and morally bankrupt as Jamie? How can she reconcile it with her partnership with Sherlock, when this woman is responsible for bringing someone Joan loves so low? We know Joan loves the thrill of investigation - Jamie's affection is a dangerous thing, and can just as easily ruin as protect. How does this fit with how things stand for Joan, considering the scars left by March's actions?
On Jamie's side, does she find herself compromising in order to get closer to Joan, to understand how she's put together and what makes her tick? Jamie is endlessly fascinating as a character, and really, I could go on!
If you're thinking AU for this exchange, I'd love to see them put in some really outlandish situation! I mentioned zombie apocalypse, right? Seeing these two forced to rely on one another to survive would be absolutely amazing! If zombies aren't your style, an AU in which Joan (through some circumstance) has ended up the surgeon most of Moriarty's men see for patching up. What happens when Moriarty herself needs treating?
Don't feel like I've set limits here. Any sort of AU is fantastic, so please have fun with this pairing!
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Pairing: Miki Sayaka/Sakura Kyouko
Oh man. PMMM is one of my favourite anime for the way it slowly built up the horror, to say nothing of the way it played with themes of destiny, memory, selfishness, expectation, time loops and choice. I adored the unique struggles and quiet demons of the characters, and really, just thinking about the high points of the series just gives me chills.
In terms of what media I've seen, I've watched the anime, and also Rebellion, so please feel free to use content from either of those sources. I'm not as familiar with the PSP game (I've watched a play through of one of Sayaka's routes) or any of the associated manga.
Given the ages of the characters we're dealing with, I'd prefer it if we kept things fairly low rated or have them aged up in an AU.
Sayaka/Kyouko was something that I shipped right off the bat due to the conflict between the two characters - and then the canon happened and I felt as though my heart was continually ripped from my chest. It was amazing. I cried real tears over this pairing and I have absolutely no regrets.
Aside from the fact that they're doomed, but really that's half the charm of the canon.
I really love the themes of lost potential going on here. I also love the duality of Kyouko looking at Sayaka and seeing a reflection of the idealistic parts of herself she's forgotten, just to keep living on. Seeing Sayaka fight gives her hope. When Sayaka looks at Kyouko and begins to think her cynicism is right, she despairs because she can't be anyone other than how she is.
God now my heart hurts for these two again.
Anyway, as for potential prompts, I'd love a canon-verse fic, but given the tight timeframe you've got to contend with, that might be a tough ask. If you come up with anything you can fit into canon, please go with what inspires you!
As for me, I'm thinking that complete AU might be the best way to go.
I think Sayaka/Kyouko would definitely fit a Superhero/Antihero AU! Sayaka is the idealist new hero on the block, and she may have bitten off more than she can chew. Kyouko has seen too much, has failed one too many times, and she'll be damned if she sees Sayaka repeat her mistakes. You could have some fun with identity porn here - Sayaka might have conflict with Kyouko when they're both in costume, but outside, they might actually unwittingly get along - hell, Sayaka might have asked that cute girl from the arcade out for coffee sometime...
Any sort of AU would work for me, though - detective/thief, zombies, coffeeshop, whatever! :D
MCU
Pairings: Jemma Simmons/Skye | Daisy Johnson, Peggy Carter/Dottie Underwood, Peggy Carter/Natasha Romanov
MCU is one of those fandoms I'm a big fan of, but don't often dabble in myself! I'm largely up to date with all the offerings, outside of any comics tie-ins, so if you want to use some material from the latest movies or eps, please feel free!
Jemma Simmons/Skye | Daisy Johnson. Agents of SHIELD is something I've been following from the start, and I've absolutely adored the character development the team has given to Skye/Daisy. I think she's become really complex, a fantastic character to focus the issue of the "Inhuman" plotline and how it then comes to affect the rest of humanity.
In season 1, I shipped Skye/Daisy with Jemma because, hey, cute pairing. The adorkable scientist who is not so sure of her own skin and the hacker who can feign confidence and cool under pressure - an interesting dynamic, and they had some excellent moments in season 1 in which they were able to work together.
Then season 2 happened. Jemma worked undercover for some very bad people and had to do correspondingly awful things to maintain the front. She grew surer of herself, but also more disillusioned with the horrors that could occur, when power was put in the wrong hands. Skye/Daisy grew into an excellent agent under May's watch, a vital part of Coulson's team, but all that goes to hell when she goes through the mist and emerges with powers.
This, ideologically, puts her at odds with Jemma, who sees powered humans as incredibly dangerous, their gifts as something to be cured. Skye, meanwhile, is terrified of how her found family is going to react if they learn of her secret, and Jemma's behaviour when they do somewhat reinforces that fear. She's othered, she's unstable, she's frightened and Jemma's approach is not helping in the slightest.
This fundamental conflict was like crack to me, and I'd love to see their suddenly-more-complicated relationship explored, especially in the context of some post season 2 canon divergence fic, provided Jemma herself hadn't got snatched away. If Jemma was already somewhat in love with Skye/Daisy, how is she dealing with the fact that Skye has changed irrevocably? Is her thing with Fitz a part of this?
Forcing Jemma and Skye/Daisy to confront their conflict and attraction would be completely amazing, author.
(In terms of Skye/Daisy's name, please feel free to use whatever you feel fits the fic best)
Peggy Carter/Dottie Underwood. My love of the Foe-Yay trope really kicks my ass sometimes, and my interest in the Peggy/Dottie dynamic was really predictable like that. As soon as it was shown on Agent Carter, I knew I was sold.
It's obsessive, it's dangerous, it's rife with sexual tension. For Dottie, Peggy is the target, the ideal, and the one that stood in her way. For Peggy, Dottie got away, she fooled Peggy, she caused unspeakable harm to innocents and the ones Peggy loves.
For that reason, it's totally perfect and I'm all ears on whatever story you want to tell.
I love the potential edge of obsession that you could play on in a post-canon scenario. Maybe Peggy can't get Dottie out of her head - a failure, a loose-end, someone who escaped and remains lingering on the horizon like a threat - and resolves to track her down. Maybe Dottie isn't sure what she feels for Peggy, and she forces conflicts between them just to figure it out. Maybe they end up working together against a common enemy and end up kissing against a wall, still high from adrenaline and maybe still getting shot at.
Adrenaline, obsession, and sexual tension. Heck yes.
Peggy Carter/Natasha Romanov. While Agent Carter was airing, I was totally into the idea of these two even interacting, let alone getting shippy with one another! They're both hyper-competent at what they do, and I think they could have an excellent dynamic of fledgling trust surrounded by suspicion, if only they fostered it.
With the current canon birthdate for Natasha, I do struggle to see how it would work between these two. Feel free to ignore the birthdate from Cap 2 in that case and give her the fanon theory that she's a lot older than she looks. Maybe she gets involved as Peggy tracks Dottie down, and they slowly find themselves in a position where they don't entirely trust one another, but the attraction is still very real.
Or you could even go with time-travel for either them! Maybe Natasha finds herself back in a time where SHIELD doesn't exist in the same way. Peggy might be younger but she's still a force to be reckoned with and Natasha remembers how she and Fury gave that second chance.
Anyway, that's about it for all my rambling, so I just wanted to wish you good luck on your assignment! If you have any issues, please feel free to drop me an anon comment here, or send me an email from a sock account to zerratz@gmail.com.
If you're curious, my tumblr is also zerrat.
Thanks in advance!
-Z
First of all, thank you so much for writing for me! I'm really looking forward to participating in this exchange, and I'm really looking forward to reading what you produce! I'm really easy-going as a recip - basically, so long as you're inspired and passionate about what you're producing, I want to read it! That sort of enthusiasm is infectious! :D
Loves: Non-mundane AUs (eg magical/werewolf/superhero/zombie apocalypse AUs, as opposed to college/highschool/bakery AUs), angst, banter, action, humour, darkfic, action, casefic, missionfic, getting-together fic. While I ranked fantastical AUs over the real to life ones, I do actually love tropey AUs too like coffeeshop ones or bakeries. I also love what-ifs and canon divergence AUs! I love fic that really gets into the character's thoughts and feelings, letting that drive what happens. I also happen to love blood and injury as a part of hurt/comfort or action, or when characters just won't stay down. Themes of memory (false ones, partial ones etc) and differing perspectives are also a big yes.
Dislikes: In terms of writing mechanics, I find I enjoy third person as a perspective over either second or first person perspectives. I've been known to enjoy both of those, but my brain tends to default to third! Use of epithets (like "the shorter woman" or "the blonde" or "the [occupation]") tend to throw me out of fics as well, unfortunately. More on the content side... Pregnancy and kidfic are both topics I'd prefer to not read about. That would be really the only topics I'd rule out!
Original Work
Pairings: Knight/Queen, Knight/Dragon
I was really excited to see the "original work" option in this exchange! If we've matched on either of those pairings, I'm not going to hold you to any time-period. I think either of those pairings would even work in modern times, with updated definitions of what it means to be a "knight", so really, I'd love you to use your imagination and really cut loose!
For the Knight/Queen pairing, I'd adore it if they were both really competent in their own ways - but also with some loyalty kink going on! What sort of feats has the Knight character performed for her Queen's sake, at her Queen's bidding? What sort of relationship did they have? Has the Queen always been a Queen, or were they more equal in positions at some point in the past?
So many questions and ways to address this one, I'm really excited in seeing what you pick!
If you're interested in doing something darker for this pairing, maybe the Knight has done some things she's not proud of for her Queen, and maybe her Queen is not a good person. Maybe things weren't always this way. Conflict and strained loyalty along those lines is absolute crack to me.
Knight/Dragon stood out as something a little different to me, depending on how you want to tackle it. Ideally I'd prefer it if the dragon was a shifter. You could have the Knight/Dragon as an ongoing partnership, which I think could be a fun way to approach it! As above, I adore competency, and I think you could have some excellent banter going on between the two. On the other hand, maybe the Knight and Dragon are oppositional - maybe the Knight is a dragonslayer, and might have had no idea that their girlfriend (or potential love interest) was a dragon?
Maybe the Dragon is only a dragon now because of a curse that can be broken, and until then, the Dragon is pushing the Knight away because they can't be sure how the Knight will react to the news?
Ugh so many things you can do, I am guaranteed to love what you pick!
Elementary
Pairings: Elana March/Jamie Moriarty (Elementary), Jamie Moriarty | Irene Adler/Joan Watson (Elementary)
Elementary is one of my favourite shows going on right now, and I figured it was only right to request something! I've seen all of seasons 1-3, and I'm hanging out for what happens next in season 4!
Elana March/Jamie Moriarty really strikes me because these two are like. The definition of competency, and lacking in all morality when it comes to the world around them. They're about themselves and their goals, unrepentantly so! It's something that I really adore about each of their characters, and seeing them face off...
To be honest, with this pairing, I'd adore mindgames. I want them scouring each other for weakness and openings, I want hatred and passion, with either of them just as like to kill the other as to screw her.
Given how March meets her end in Elementary, you'd probably need to either set a fic before that episode, or make it canon divergent. I'd also be delighted if you decided to go completely AU with this pairing! Maybe they're rival gang leaders, supervillains as well known to help out as they are to foil one another, politicians/diplomats?
With Jamie Moriarty/Joan Watson, I absolutely love the conflict it brings. On Joan's part, how does she reconcile her attraction to someone as vile and morally bankrupt as Jamie? How can she reconcile it with her partnership with Sherlock, when this woman is responsible for bringing someone Joan loves so low? We know Joan loves the thrill of investigation - Jamie's affection is a dangerous thing, and can just as easily ruin as protect. How does this fit with how things stand for Joan, considering the scars left by March's actions?
On Jamie's side, does she find herself compromising in order to get closer to Joan, to understand how she's put together and what makes her tick? Jamie is endlessly fascinating as a character, and really, I could go on!
If you're thinking AU for this exchange, I'd love to see them put in some really outlandish situation! I mentioned zombie apocalypse, right? Seeing these two forced to rely on one another to survive would be absolutely amazing! If zombies aren't your style, an AU in which Joan (through some circumstance) has ended up the surgeon most of Moriarty's men see for patching up. What happens when Moriarty herself needs treating?
Don't feel like I've set limits here. Any sort of AU is fantastic, so please have fun with this pairing!
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Pairing: Miki Sayaka/Sakura Kyouko
Oh man. PMMM is one of my favourite anime for the way it slowly built up the horror, to say nothing of the way it played with themes of destiny, memory, selfishness, expectation, time loops and choice. I adored the unique struggles and quiet demons of the characters, and really, just thinking about the high points of the series just gives me chills.
In terms of what media I've seen, I've watched the anime, and also Rebellion, so please feel free to use content from either of those sources. I'm not as familiar with the PSP game (I've watched a play through of one of Sayaka's routes) or any of the associated manga.
Given the ages of the characters we're dealing with, I'd prefer it if we kept things fairly low rated or have them aged up in an AU.
Sayaka/Kyouko was something that I shipped right off the bat due to the conflict between the two characters - and then the canon happened and I felt as though my heart was continually ripped from my chest. It was amazing. I cried real tears over this pairing and I have absolutely no regrets.
Aside from the fact that they're doomed, but really that's half the charm of the canon.
I really love the themes of lost potential going on here. I also love the duality of Kyouko looking at Sayaka and seeing a reflection of the idealistic parts of herself she's forgotten, just to keep living on. Seeing Sayaka fight gives her hope. When Sayaka looks at Kyouko and begins to think her cynicism is right, she despairs because she can't be anyone other than how she is.
God now my heart hurts for these two again.
Anyway, as for potential prompts, I'd love a canon-verse fic, but given the tight timeframe you've got to contend with, that might be a tough ask. If you come up with anything you can fit into canon, please go with what inspires you!
As for me, I'm thinking that complete AU might be the best way to go.
I think Sayaka/Kyouko would definitely fit a Superhero/Antihero AU! Sayaka is the idealist new hero on the block, and she may have bitten off more than she can chew. Kyouko has seen too much, has failed one too many times, and she'll be damned if she sees Sayaka repeat her mistakes. You could have some fun with identity porn here - Sayaka might have conflict with Kyouko when they're both in costume, but outside, they might actually unwittingly get along - hell, Sayaka might have asked that cute girl from the arcade out for coffee sometime...
Any sort of AU would work for me, though - detective/thief, zombies, coffeeshop, whatever! :D
MCU
Pairings: Jemma Simmons/Skye | Daisy Johnson, Peggy Carter/Dottie Underwood, Peggy Carter/Natasha Romanov
MCU is one of those fandoms I'm a big fan of, but don't often dabble in myself! I'm largely up to date with all the offerings, outside of any comics tie-ins, so if you want to use some material from the latest movies or eps, please feel free!
Jemma Simmons/Skye | Daisy Johnson. Agents of SHIELD is something I've been following from the start, and I've absolutely adored the character development the team has given to Skye/Daisy. I think she's become really complex, a fantastic character to focus the issue of the "Inhuman" plotline and how it then comes to affect the rest of humanity.
In season 1, I shipped Skye/Daisy with Jemma because, hey, cute pairing. The adorkable scientist who is not so sure of her own skin and the hacker who can feign confidence and cool under pressure - an interesting dynamic, and they had some excellent moments in season 1 in which they were able to work together.
Then season 2 happened. Jemma worked undercover for some very bad people and had to do correspondingly awful things to maintain the front. She grew surer of herself, but also more disillusioned with the horrors that could occur, when power was put in the wrong hands. Skye/Daisy grew into an excellent agent under May's watch, a vital part of Coulson's team, but all that goes to hell when she goes through the mist and emerges with powers.
This, ideologically, puts her at odds with Jemma, who sees powered humans as incredibly dangerous, their gifts as something to be cured. Skye, meanwhile, is terrified of how her found family is going to react if they learn of her secret, and Jemma's behaviour when they do somewhat reinforces that fear. She's othered, she's unstable, she's frightened and Jemma's approach is not helping in the slightest.
This fundamental conflict was like crack to me, and I'd love to see their suddenly-more-complicated relationship explored, especially in the context of some post season 2 canon divergence fic, provided Jemma herself hadn't got snatched away. If Jemma was already somewhat in love with Skye/Daisy, how is she dealing with the fact that Skye has changed irrevocably? Is her thing with Fitz a part of this?
Forcing Jemma and Skye/Daisy to confront their conflict and attraction would be completely amazing, author.
(In terms of Skye/Daisy's name, please feel free to use whatever you feel fits the fic best)
Peggy Carter/Dottie Underwood. My love of the Foe-Yay trope really kicks my ass sometimes, and my interest in the Peggy/Dottie dynamic was really predictable like that. As soon as it was shown on Agent Carter, I knew I was sold.
It's obsessive, it's dangerous, it's rife with sexual tension. For Dottie, Peggy is the target, the ideal, and the one that stood in her way. For Peggy, Dottie got away, she fooled Peggy, she caused unspeakable harm to innocents and the ones Peggy loves.
For that reason, it's totally perfect and I'm all ears on whatever story you want to tell.
I love the potential edge of obsession that you could play on in a post-canon scenario. Maybe Peggy can't get Dottie out of her head - a failure, a loose-end, someone who escaped and remains lingering on the horizon like a threat - and resolves to track her down. Maybe Dottie isn't sure what she feels for Peggy, and she forces conflicts between them just to figure it out. Maybe they end up working together against a common enemy and end up kissing against a wall, still high from adrenaline and maybe still getting shot at.
Adrenaline, obsession, and sexual tension. Heck yes.
Peggy Carter/Natasha Romanov. While Agent Carter was airing, I was totally into the idea of these two even interacting, let alone getting shippy with one another! They're both hyper-competent at what they do, and I think they could have an excellent dynamic of fledgling trust surrounded by suspicion, if only they fostered it.
With the current canon birthdate for Natasha, I do struggle to see how it would work between these two. Feel free to ignore the birthdate from Cap 2 in that case and give her the fanon theory that she's a lot older than she looks. Maybe she gets involved as Peggy tracks Dottie down, and they slowly find themselves in a position where they don't entirely trust one another, but the attraction is still very real.
Or you could even go with time-travel for either them! Maybe Natasha finds herself back in a time where SHIELD doesn't exist in the same way. Peggy might be younger but she's still a force to be reckoned with and Natasha remembers how she and Fury gave that second chance.
Anyway, that's about it for all my rambling, so I just wanted to wish you good luck on your assignment! If you have any issues, please feel free to drop me an anon comment here, or send me an email from a sock account to zerratz@gmail.com.
If you're curious, my tumblr is also zerrat.
Thanks in advance!
-Z