Dear Yuletide Author
Nov. 11th, 2010 09:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
peroxidepirateDear Author,
Thank you, a thousand times, for signing to up write in one my tiny fandoms! I'm so excited about this, and I will love absolutely whatever you choose to write me!
If you want more specifics, however, please read on. First, some general information about my tastes:
Nicki's FriendShip Manifesto: I don't believe in soulmates or True Love. I don't believe in forever. I don't believe in One Right Answer. I believe in possibilities, in likelihoods, in choices. I believe in making the best of the best you can find at any given time. I believe in love, full stop. Love doesn't have to be lasting to be true, nor does it have to be exclusive, nor even romantic. It does have to be honest, and respectful of the person it's directed toward. For most people in many situations, that means monogamous, lasting, romantic love. For me -- for now -- it means sharing my life with my best friend, and building a support network with other friends who I also love, whether I see them every day or once a month or never. What this means in fic is that if there is romance, it will interest me much more if it's taken as a choice the characters make, rather than something Meant to Be (even for Maree and Rupert, who literally are Intended to be together).
Other points of interest: I pick my fandoms based on characters first and foremost. I love plotty fics, but I also love little vignettes, and conversations, and quiet behind the scenes moments. I ship anything, given the tiniest bit of justification. I gravitate toward friendship fics, stories about friends-with-benefits relationships, and threesome fics (no, I don't know why). I'm a fan of action narrative (fight scenes, 'how things work' scenes, romance/sex scenes, whatever) and snappy dialogue. I'm less excited about stream-of-consciousness type narrative, and I don't like poetry.
I'd prefer to avoid: character death, torture, death or torture of animal characters, extremely graphic violence (PG-13 violence is fine), non-con/rape, and anything super dark – Real Life is dark enough, thanks.
One more comment: I just realized that Chloe Cantrell is the only non-white character in any of my requests, and that makes me sad. I take this as a sign that authors in my favorite genre (YA fantasy/adventure) need to think about these things a bit more (Ms. Jones, in most things I worship the very ground you walk on, but in this instance, I'm looking at you), or that my local bookstores need to. Anyway, I would love recs of chromatically-diverse fantasy or adventure fiction! Maybe some of them will show up in my Yuletide sign-up for next year!
And now, you'll have read my requests already, but I'll paste them in anyway, along with a little more.
The Bloody Jack Adventure Series -- L. A. Meyer, Jacky Faber/Chloe Cantrell/Katy Deere/Higgins: Anything from the Mississippi Jack era would make me happy! Bonus points for Jacky getting in trouble and her friends getting her out of it, for a madcap ensemble adventure, for femslash if you're so inclined, or for Higgins/male character UST. Any pairings/ships welcome, or none -- the only thing I don't like is Jacky pining for Jaimy.
Also: future!fic featuring some or all of these characters would be equally lovely.
A College of Magics -- Caroline Stevermer, Faris Nallaneen/Jane Brailsford: I love everything about these books, but especially the friendship between Faris and Jane. I'd like to see how that changes over the years, a look at what's different once Faris becomes the Warden, or just a slice of life during their college years. I am absolutely not set on the canon romances, so feel free to take the characters in another direction if you're so inclined.
Magids series -- Diana Wynne Jones, Maree Mallory/Rupert Venables/Zinka Fearon/Nick Mallory: I adore so much about this series, both the world-building and the characters. I'd like to know how Maree's Magid training progresses, how her romance with Rupert unfolds, and what kind of trouble Nick manages to get in. And I'm positive Maree needs someone like Zinka as an influence/role model.
Also: it might be Intended that Maree and Rupert will get together, but that doesn't require a straight line from point A to point B, does it? Maree/Zinka, or Maree/Zinka/Rupert could be an interesting stop along the way.
Eight Days of Luke -- Diana Wynne Jones, David Allard/Luke: This is another canon where the heart of the story is the relationship between two people -- in this case, David and Luke. I'd like anything that explores or expands upon that, whatever interpretation you choose, during or after the events of the book. Just no Ragnarok or Apoco-fic, please -- I find the end of the world depressing.
Also: I'm kind of fascinated by Sigyn, and I love the way Astrid's character develops over the course of the book.
I think that is all. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart.
♥
Nicki
Thank you, a thousand times, for signing to up write in one my tiny fandoms! I'm so excited about this, and I will love absolutely whatever you choose to write me!
If you want more specifics, however, please read on. First, some general information about my tastes:
Nicki's FriendShip Manifesto: I don't believe in soulmates or True Love. I don't believe in forever. I don't believe in One Right Answer. I believe in possibilities, in likelihoods, in choices. I believe in making the best of the best you can find at any given time. I believe in love, full stop. Love doesn't have to be lasting to be true, nor does it have to be exclusive, nor even romantic. It does have to be honest, and respectful of the person it's directed toward. For most people in many situations, that means monogamous, lasting, romantic love. For me -- for now -- it means sharing my life with my best friend, and building a support network with other friends who I also love, whether I see them every day or once a month or never. What this means in fic is that if there is romance, it will interest me much more if it's taken as a choice the characters make, rather than something Meant to Be (even for Maree and Rupert, who literally are Intended to be together).
Other points of interest: I pick my fandoms based on characters first and foremost. I love plotty fics, but I also love little vignettes, and conversations, and quiet behind the scenes moments. I ship anything, given the tiniest bit of justification. I gravitate toward friendship fics, stories about friends-with-benefits relationships, and threesome fics (no, I don't know why). I'm a fan of action narrative (fight scenes, 'how things work' scenes, romance/sex scenes, whatever) and snappy dialogue. I'm less excited about stream-of-consciousness type narrative, and I don't like poetry.
I'd prefer to avoid: character death, torture, death or torture of animal characters, extremely graphic violence (PG-13 violence is fine), non-con/rape, and anything super dark – Real Life is dark enough, thanks.
One more comment: I just realized that Chloe Cantrell is the only non-white character in any of my requests, and that makes me sad. I take this as a sign that authors in my favorite genre (YA fantasy/adventure) need to think about these things a bit more (Ms. Jones, in most things I worship the very ground you walk on, but in this instance, I'm looking at you), or that my local bookstores need to. Anyway, I would love recs of chromatically-diverse fantasy or adventure fiction! Maybe some of them will show up in my Yuletide sign-up for next year!
And now, you'll have read my requests already, but I'll paste them in anyway, along with a little more.
The Bloody Jack Adventure Series -- L. A. Meyer, Jacky Faber/Chloe Cantrell/Katy Deere/Higgins: Anything from the Mississippi Jack era would make me happy! Bonus points for Jacky getting in trouble and her friends getting her out of it, for a madcap ensemble adventure, for femslash if you're so inclined, or for Higgins/male character UST. Any pairings/ships welcome, or none -- the only thing I don't like is Jacky pining for Jaimy.
Also: future!fic featuring some or all of these characters would be equally lovely.
A College of Magics -- Caroline Stevermer, Faris Nallaneen/Jane Brailsford: I love everything about these books, but especially the friendship between Faris and Jane. I'd like to see how that changes over the years, a look at what's different once Faris becomes the Warden, or just a slice of life during their college years. I am absolutely not set on the canon romances, so feel free to take the characters in another direction if you're so inclined.
Magids series -- Diana Wynne Jones, Maree Mallory/Rupert Venables/Zinka Fearon/Nick Mallory: I adore so much about this series, both the world-building and the characters. I'd like to know how Maree's Magid training progresses, how her romance with Rupert unfolds, and what kind of trouble Nick manages to get in. And I'm positive Maree needs someone like Zinka as an influence/role model.
Also: it might be Intended that Maree and Rupert will get together, but that doesn't require a straight line from point A to point B, does it? Maree/Zinka, or Maree/Zinka/Rupert could be an interesting stop along the way.
Eight Days of Luke -- Diana Wynne Jones, David Allard/Luke: This is another canon where the heart of the story is the relationship between two people -- in this case, David and Luke. I'd like anything that explores or expands upon that, whatever interpretation you choose, during or after the events of the book. Just no Ragnarok or Apoco-fic, please -- I find the end of the world depressing.
Also: I'm kind of fascinated by Sigyn, and I love the way Astrid's character develops over the course of the book.
I think that is all. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart.
♥
Nicki
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-01 04:06 am (UTC)Are you a bell hooks fan? Because you basically just put down into words everything I agree with and believe about relationships. Reading Communion was a rather formative experience for me, and most of my opinion on the bonds between people (whether romantic or otherwise) come from her. I was curious if it was similar for you!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-01 04:21 am (UTC)I will have to track down Communion. I definitely read some bell hooks (back when I was in women's studies classes ~10 years ago), but I have not read that one.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-01 04:24 am (UTC)I can send you my copy of it if you like - it's part of the trilogy she wrote about love, and its place in our society. All About Love was the first, Salvation the second, and Communion the third. They're independent though - no need to read them in any given order.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-01 04:42 am (UTC)