Dear Rule 63 Creator! (2020)

[violia]

Hi there, I am violia at the AO3 and violia_ on Twitter! Thank you for writing for me! I am so excited to read your story, and I hope you have a great exchange experience!
This letter is intended to outline my general likes and dislikes, as well as provide potential prompts or inspiration for you. These are just obviously just suggestions; please feel free to pick and choose from them, or if you’d prefer to just read my DNWs and the tags we matched on and write from those, go for it!
If there’s only one thing you want to know about me, please let it be this: at the end of the day, I will love any fic if it is driven by strong and carefully considered characterisations and relationships.
Feel free to mix/combine any of my likes, prompts or freeforms. I'm also fine if you want to include any other canonical characters and relationships on the side - just as long as the ship is the main focus of the fic.
Also, just letting you know - pretty much all of my prompts here present my genderswapped characters as cisgendered women. However, if you'd like to write any of these characters as trans or non-binary, I would be totally open to that.
Finally, you may notice that I can write more prompts for some pairings and fandoms than others; please don't read into this as me preferring one over the other. I can just write more about some fandoms than others!

General likes
Style & Genre: Happy endings!, snappy dialogue, worldbuilding, romance, adventure, magical realism, urban fantasy, outsider POV, getting together/developing relationship, established relationship, post-canon fics, casefic, social media fusion fics, epistolary fics.
Tropes: mutual pining and yearning, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, enemies to friends to lovers, opposites attract, fake dating/pretend relationship, arranged marriage, marriage of convenience, curtain fic, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort, mpreg, genderswap, characters forced to cooperate, forced proximity, fix-its, first-time stories, bedsharing, huddling/cuddling for warmth, 5 + 1 fics, slow-burns, identity porn, angst with a happy ending, touch-starved characters being fulfilled and loved.
AUs: I am a big fan of AUs! I love canon-divergence AUs and fix-its! I love reading modern AUs where the author has clearly put a lot of thought into how characters and relationships would transpose into this alternate world! Including, but certainly not limited to: animal shelter AU, archaeology/ancient history AU, college/university AU, academia AU, blind date AU, bookstore/library AU, coffee shop AU, delivery driver AU, fairy tale fusions, holiday AU, mafia AU, single parent AU, soulmates AU, spy AU, veterinarian AU, vigilante/superhero AU. Feel free to surprise me with any other canon or modern AU you want, if you love it and you think it works really well with the characters! I also enjoy reading film fusions. And finally, I LOVE SCI-FI AU!!!! It is niche but I am a sci-fi queen and I love reading about it!!!
Miscellaneous: power couples, emotional vulnerability, unconventional gestures of affection, partnerships, found family, friendships, cuddling and snuggling, tenderness, complicated relationships, codependency, moral complexity, domesticity, physical intimacy, emotional intimacy, non-sexual intimacy, characters who know each other really well (or get to know each other really well) and show it without meaning to or really trying to; competence kink, loyalty kink, trust kink, possessiveness, protectiveness, admiration (physical and/or intellectual); KISSING, wow, I love kissing.

Things I like but with caveats:
A/B/O which doesn’t reproduce/embody/enforce problematic or severely imbalanced gender constructions and expectations (so usually I like to read A/B/O that is subversive in some way, or where it’s not a big deal in society and people aren’t extremely privileged/disadvantaged due to their second gender, because Human Rights.) I enjoy reading A/B/O for the sexy stuff - self-lubrication, knots, rough sex, marathon sex, breeding kink, wet & messy, the inevitable dubcon aspects that come from altered mental states (heat/rut), etc. - these are all kinks I enjoy reading. But also if you want to write some fantastic story that comments on or subverts traditional ideas of gender and sexuality then GO FOR IT! I will love it.
Kidfic: I really enjoy kidfic but I will find myself unable to get into the story if the child is characterised in/behaves in ways that are not age- or developmentally-appropriate.
Misunderstandings: I love reading fics with misunderstandings (for example, but not limited to: fake dating fics, arranged marriage fics, marriage of convenience fics, etc.) But please make the misunderstandings realistic; it’s difficult to read fics which make the characters act overly dumb/ignorant/oblivious/unintuitive.

Smut likes
Here is a whole bunch of kinky shit I enjoy reading, as long as all the characters are enjoying it (even if they may be pretending not to, as a part of roleplay/power dynamics play). I'm totally fine with dubcon: from no explicit consent, to like, "character A started out not liking it but they are enjoying it by the end", and everything in between. Just no noncon please.
General smut likes: kissing and making out, LUBE, dirty talk, penetrative sex, non-penetrative sex, switching, rough sex, tender sex, morning sex, first time sex, office sex, wall sex, nightclub sex, phone sex, sexting, clothed/semi-clothed/naked sex, angry sex, crying during sex, hickeys, voyeurism, exhibitionism, semi-public sex, public sex (including sex for an audience/where others are watching), creampie, sexual roleplay, praise kink, body worship, size kink (cock/breasts), lingerie, crossdressing, begging, sex pollen, sexual fantasies, masturbation, mutual masturbation, multiple orgasms, light bondage, somnophilia.
I'm fine with any terms for genitals - anatomical, flowery, slang, potentially offensive names - all are fine.
F/F specific smut likes: fingering, cunnilingus, face-sitting, clothed and unclothed thigh humping, dildos/vibrators/strap-ons, menstrual sex. I also enjoy reading smut where lube is used, even if the women are already wet... I don't mind things getting a bit wet and messy.

DNWs
Character death; animal and child abuse/death; characters with terminal illnesses; amnesia; unhappy endings; zombies; horror; cannibalism; extreme/non-canon-typical violence; de-ageing; underage; high school AU; student/teacher relationships, and any circumstances/relationships/power dynamics where a main character is taking unfair or malicious advantage of another; rape/noncon; infidelity; age play; impact play; first and second person POV; unrequested ships (background pairings are fine); unrequested identity headcanons; hardcore BDSM, especially sadism and BDSM lifestyle; scat; watersports; vomit; extreme humiliation; body horror; vore; bestiality; animal play; tentacle porn; strict top/bottom roles; no lube during sex; the spelling “cum” and “cumming” (I much prefer “come” and “coming”).

Request 1: The Untamed - Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian
Things I like about this fandom/pairing: I’m really, really in love with these two. I love how they really, totally understand each other. I love how much they love each other, how they would do anything for one another, how much they respect and adore the other. And I LOVE THEM AS WOMEN. Femslash Wangxian is so good to read. A lot of the fics out there are modern AU, which is understandable and which I love, but if you want to write a canon-compliant or canon-divergence fic, that’s totally fine with me too! If you’ve read the original novel, feel free to use as much or as little knowledge, characterisations or storylines from there as you’d like.

Prompts:

• Ok so canon-compliant femslash fic: always a 63!wangxian? How would their story differ if they were women? Or you could skip straight to a post-canon story where there is lots of loving each other and tenderness because they are Together Again and training juniors and spending time with their son… I LOVE THEM. Case fic? Curtain fic? Fem!Wangxian feeling comfortable in their relationship and having some PDA? MARRIAGE FIC?!
• Canon-compliant temporarily a 63!wangxian: the classic “curse gave us a vagina/boobs!” Oh this could be so much fun. How do they each react? How do they get rid of the curse? Do they need to go on a little journey to figure out how to get rid of it? Is the only way to get rid of the curse through ~orgasm~?
• Modern AU femslash wangxian: if a modern AU is calling to you then please go wild with however you head canon these two. Modern AU set in China - what are their jobs/how do they know each other/Eeee! I know there are a lot of modern AUs where wangxian are part of the Chinese diaspora in the USA, and I enjoy reading those too. (I would enjoy reading a fic even more if wangxian were Chinese-Australian or living in Australia; but I’m aware this is more niche.)
• I realise these prompts aren’t very specific but it’s because I’m literally open to reading ANY femslash Wangxian. I don’t really mind about the specifics; as I said at the start of the letter, I just really enjoy reading stories where there’s been some thought and effort put into the structure, setting, relationships etc. so please feel free to write whatever is calling to you!
• You don’t have to write smut if you don’t want to, but I do enjoy smut a lot and I would enjoy reading about these women being just as kinky as their male versions are! (In the novel, at least.) I really, really do love that in the novel they have canonical breeding kinks, rape roleplay kinks, dirty talk kinks… and like so many other kinks lol. I’m really down to read about these two ladies having sex so whatever you’d like to write/whatever you find hot, I’m ready to read!!

Fandom-specific DNWs: this is very small and niche, but there’s a headcanon going around English-speaking fandom lately that Lan Wangji is bad at words and bad at expressing emotions. It’s a headcanon I really don’t vibe with and I personally don’t believe the show demonstrates this at all. Lan Wangji is very eloquent without being verbose. He may not speak a lot, but that means when he does speak, he has the full attention of everyone, because they know he’s put thought into what he going to say. So yeah. If you could be mindful of this, that would be great!

Request 2: The Untamed RPF - Wang Yibo/Xiao Zhan
Things I like about this fandom/pairing: I was skeptical about the shippers who believe that these two actually are in/did have a relationship, but now that I’ve looked up the evidence for myself… yep, I’m convinced. REGARDLESS, however, any RPF is fiction of course, and I really enjoy reading FICTIONAL (lol) stories about these two! Femslash for these two is pretty niche but there are a couple of really fantastic fics out there that I’ve enjoyed a lot and I’d love to read more. What I love about these two is how much mutual respect and understanding there is between them. They have such an interesting dynamic. Technically Xiao Zhan is Wang Yibo’s senior, because he is six years older, but Wang Yibo is more experienced in the c-ent industry and debuted earlier than Xiao Zhan. I really love how these dynamics sort of level out their relationship - even if they often enjoy joking about and playing with these dynamics!

Prompts:

• Always a 63!: “canon-compliant”. Their lives are exactly the same except they’re women. Do you think that changes anything? You could write a getting together fic and just have it so that they’re women instead. Or if you want to explore the implications of them being incredibly famous actresses in China, go for it.
• Temporarily a 63! “Canon compliant” - oh there’s so much potential for fun here. For ~some reason~, they both suddenly have a vagina and breasts. Are they apart or together when this happens? Do they tell the other? And realise that they’re both in the same predicament and they come together to talk about it? And do… other things about it? hehe.
• Always a 63! Modern AU: literally just go nuts. I will love any sort of AU you have for them. Have on of them be famous and the other not. Xiao Zhan - photographer, artist, graphic designer?? Yibo - motorcycle racer? Or they could have totally different professions that I haven’t written here?? College AU??? Oh my gosh I’m literally so open to anything, I just want to read about these two as women and falling in love and maybe having really hot sex. UM.

Fandom-specific DNWs: There are some people in this fandom who are very, very set in who they believe bottoms or tops in this pairing, and this is usually because they are turning top/bottom into personality traits and conflating this with dom/sub. I personally do not vibe with this at all. I think there’s a far lesser chance of this happening in femslash, but I just wanted to give you a heads up. I am a big fan of switching and exploring different power dynamics, but it personally squicks me out when people think that bedroom dynamics are personality traits that apply outside of the bedroom too (hence why one of my DNWs is dom/sub lifestyle).

Request 3: Merlin (TV) - Gwaine/Merlin
Things I like about this fandom/pairing: I used to be a Merthur shipper for the longest time but recently I’ve really been getting into Gwaine/Merlin!! What I really, really love about these two is that they have instant chemistry the moment they meet on the show. I love that Gwaine is so chaotic yet has deeply instilled morals of loyalty and fairness. I love that Merlin is awkward and sweet and brave and clever and doesn’t take shit from anyone (although I do think he lets Arthur take him for granted too much). For all that Gwaine jokes and sleeps around, he (she in our case) is incredibly loyal and devoted to Merlin, especially when they get together. Gwaine gets Merlin in a way few others do - I think even Gwaine understands Merlin better than Arthur does, especially when Arthur is oblivious to Merlin’s magic.

Prompts:

• Fic where they meet as they do in the show except they’re women. The sexual tension. My god. Merlin’s entire inner monologue while the fight is happening: “oh my god WHO is that? Oh my god gotta fight but omg she is so STRONG and PRETTY and - oh my god did she look at me???? She did. Oh my god she’s talking to me. Her hair. Her arms. Her - everything oh my god I need to stop looking at her before I get bashed on the head!” In my eyes Merlin is a disaster lesbian and Gwaine is a confident bisexual; I’m happy for you to change these up though, they’re not set in stone.
• Fic where they have an alternate meeting, and we get a MORGAUSE MOMENT - when Merlin is watching Gwaine fight in armour, and when she removes her helmet, we have the majestic hair-toss moment, sun shining down on her, Merlin starstruck by this knight's beauty. PLEASE.
• Gwaine finds out about Merlin’s magic! I can only really imagine that Gwaine reacts positively in this situation. But how does this happen? How does Merlin react? How does Gwaine actually find out - by accident or on purpose? Does she suspect beforehand or is she blindsided?
• Adventure fic! They need to go out and do… something! Some sort of adventure (or not even that big of a deal - maybe a short trip, a diplomatic mission, an excuse to get them out of the castle). I reckon they work so well together especially when hunting, fighting, etc. because they understand each other very well. They make a great team.
• Change the ending of the TV show/canon-divergence/future fic. How do Gwaine and Merlin get together and stay together? Do they get married? Do they just live together? What sort of life do they create together?
• Modern AUs are, of course, totally fine! Preferably set in the UK! I don’t really have anything in mind about their professions or anything, so feel free to go with what you think works for them if they were to be living in the 21st century!
• If you want to write smut then like… I would love to receive some smut. My general smut likes listed above are very comprehensive. For these two I’d love to read first times… first kiss, first orgasms together, exploring each others’ bodies. Or, on the opposite end of the spectrum: established relationship, fucking each other’s brains out because they know each other so well, they can be a bit rough and a bit athletic if they want to. Ooooooh. Also I kinda low-key love castle sex. Like semi-public or even public sex where they are almost caught, where they have to muffle their moans, hide behind doors and curtains and in little alcoves. (If you wanted to go even more kinky, you can have them be caught/watched if you wanted.)
• I really love magic and I’d love it if you wanted to explore Merlin’s magic a bit or just include it in some way, big or small, in your story.

Fandom-specific DNWs: Please don’t have Merlin be in unrequited love with Arthur. I’m fine if you want to have Merlin feeling torn between her duty/destiny to Arthur and her love for Gwaine, but I would prefer to not have Merlin pining after Arthur for the entire story.
P.S. As I mentioned, I’ve recently become obsessed with Gwaine/Merlin and fem!Gwaine/Merlin, and with the help of my friend who has tumbled into this obsession with me, we have found some references pics for F!Gwaine and F!Merlin which we love. You may find them helpful or you may not; no worries either way. F!Merlin / F!Gwaine