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Dear Fic Corner author
Hail fellow children's lit lover! Thank you for writing for me! This letter assumes you want to know more about my preferences -- if you'd rather work just from the assigned characters be assured that I'm fascinated by all of them.
Some generalities: I'm both a 'more of' & a 'more from' canon girl; that is, I'd be equally overjoyed to receive a story that captures the precise tone of canon and one that cleverly turns canon on its head & stomps all over it. I love stylish prose, unusual formats, structural interest, world building, politics, intellectual discussions, science, steampunk, mythological parallels, vividly painted backdrops, friendship, competence, female-centric stories, well-developed original & minor characters, villain PoVs, dollops of plot, casefic, documentfic, plausible sideturn-from-canon AUs, dry, sly & black humour -- and above all stories that surprise me. I'm equally keen on gen, het & slash, though I usually prefer to close the bedroom door.
I don't tend to enjoy heavy-handed angst, hurt/comfort, poly relationships, PWP, kinkfic, Omegaverse, slapstick humour, crackfic, alternate realities especially modern/mundane AUs, pregnancy, kidfic, schmoop & fluff. Darker stories are absolutely fine, but suicide is a potentially triggering subject for me.
My recs might also give you an idea of my tastes; I have a big collection of Earthsea recs & a smaller number for assorted Diana Wynne Jones. I wrote a short note about my feelings towards DWJ's works in general when she died, and if you enjoy archaeology, perusing the Earthsea tag in my other journal will dig up a little discussion in amongst other stuff. I've also written both Earthsea & Dalemark; see my fanfiction masterlist.
I was rather verbose in my prompts; nevertheless there are a few extra hints to be had under the cut.
Dalemark Quartet
Characters: any of Navis, Moril, Mitt, Biffa
This is definitely an any of the 4 selected characters request, in any combination. I find the years DWJ left out of Crown of Dalemark the most intriguing, and would love something set during the Civil War or the subsequent reconstruction early in Amil's reign. A few ideas... How did the relationship between Mitt and Navis work, and how did it change as Mitt matured? To what extent was the course of the war driven by Alk's technological innovations? How did Navis get on with the northern earls? Unnominated favourites include Alk & Kialan, but I love most of the series characters. (About the only popular character I'm NOT interested in is Maewen.) I'm always very open to OCs or minors. Gen, het or slash equally welcome. In slash I ship Moril/Kialan & also Mitt/Moril; in het, I'm interested in Mitt/Biffa & Navis/Eltruda. Please NO Mitt/Maewen!
The Dalemark universe is quite an odd one for me, because I read Cart & Cwidder as a child, but didn't read any of the subsequent novels for more than 30 years. Moril/Kialan & particularly the parallels with Osfameron/the Adon was the thing that most interested me in those decades. Then I read Drowned Ammet and really enjoyed it, liked especially Mitt & Navis a great deal. I found Crown of Dalemark interesting on the whole, but very traumatic. I felt like an ent -- it was as if someone had built Birmingham on top of my favourite National Park while I hadn't been looking. I think it's a very interesting book, but as I wrote, the most interesting period is the bit that DWJ left out.
From my sign up it might seem I dislike Maewen, which isn't the case; it's just that I find the teen romance elements of Mitt/Maewen rather tedious, and that tends to be what a lot of the fandom focuses on.
Earthsea
Character: Thorion
I'm particularly interested in a behind-the-scenes, warts-and-all portrayal of the internal politics of the Roke School during the time when Ged is Archmage or in the immediate aftermath, as seen in 'On the High Marsh' & 'Dragonfly', rather than the rather idealised view of the school given in the earlier books. Some possibilities... 'On the High Marsh' gives us a glimpse of the complex relationships between Ged, Irioth & Thorion, and I'd love further exploration of this time. If 'Thorion was the best of us all---a brave heart, a noble mind,' how did he go so badly astray as in 'Dragonfly'? Thorion's the youngest of the Roke masters, how does this affect his relationships with the other masters? 'Dragonfly' exposes tensions between Roke and the new king, which is another area I'd love explored. Feel free to emphasise other characters if you wish; I particularly love Ged, the Doorkeeper & Azver, and I'm always very open to OCs or minors. Gen or slash equally welcome.
This is a recycled request from one of my older fandoms, and one I've tried over the years to nurture, so any story will be adored to bits! With this prompt, it's the setting that truly intrigues me, so feel completely free to emphasise other characters or create OCs if your muse takes you that way. (In fact, going back to Halkel's time is another option, if you were interested.) I tend to see the school as a little like an Oxbridge college, with petty rivalries becoming quietly deadly in the confined & competitive environment. (Think CP Snow's The Masters if you happen to have read it.)
If you're into m/m slash & feel inclined to have a go, I'd be very much interested, as there's virtually no slash above PG across the entire fandom. In this context, dubious consent, pupil/teacher relationships & similar would work for me. Nothing above hard R, though, please. (There again, I can't stress enough that if you're a gen writer or just don't see the potential, I'll be truly happy to go with wizardly celibacy.)
If canon overwhelms you, or you're here as a pinch-hitter, then The Isolate Tower is as accurate as I could make it, though not entirely complete. There's a list of the Roke masters at various time points, which might be of use.
Power of Three
Character: Hathil
Hathil's a fascinating character, and anything focused on him will please. I love the prologue to the novel and I'd love to see more of him interacting with Adara, either before the main timeframe or afterwards. Perhaps Hathil negotiating the minutinae of living on the Moor with Adara, or her getting to know his five wives? One possibility might be an AU in which Adara runs away to the Dorig after Orban kills Hathil's brother, and perhaps even ends up marrying Hathil. I'm also interested in his relationship with his late brother & his children. I'd love to read world building for this fandom, especially to do with the Old/Middle/New Powers, the mythology in general, or Dorig society (what's up with their gender ratios?). I love most of the characters in this novel but Adara, Gair, Ayna, Hafny are other favourites. I'm always very open to OCs or minors. Gen, het or slash equally welcome.
Diana Wynne Jones was my favourite author as a child, and this is perhaps my very favourite of her novels. As an adult it's increasingly the older generation who interest me most, especially Hathil & Adara. I received a wonderful story focusing on Adara & Gest a few Yuletides ago, which is the only reason I didn't add Adara to the sign up.
Please don't look at the brevity of this blurb & assume this is the least preferred option in any way, it's just that my relation with the other two fandoms is complex while with PoT it's just pure joy. This is such a microfandom even compared with the other two that anything with significant Dorig involvement is sure to please.
Some generalities: I'm both a 'more of' & a 'more from' canon girl; that is, I'd be equally overjoyed to receive a story that captures the precise tone of canon and one that cleverly turns canon on its head & stomps all over it. I love stylish prose, unusual formats, structural interest, world building, politics, intellectual discussions, science, steampunk, mythological parallels, vividly painted backdrops, friendship, competence, female-centric stories, well-developed original & minor characters, villain PoVs, dollops of plot, casefic, documentfic, plausible sideturn-from-canon AUs, dry, sly & black humour -- and above all stories that surprise me. I'm equally keen on gen, het & slash, though I usually prefer to close the bedroom door.
I don't tend to enjoy heavy-handed angst, hurt/comfort, poly relationships, PWP, kinkfic, Omegaverse, slapstick humour, crackfic, alternate realities especially modern/mundane AUs, pregnancy, kidfic, schmoop & fluff. Darker stories are absolutely fine, but suicide is a potentially triggering subject for me.
My recs might also give you an idea of my tastes; I have a big collection of Earthsea recs & a smaller number for assorted Diana Wynne Jones. I wrote a short note about my feelings towards DWJ's works in general when she died, and if you enjoy archaeology, perusing the Earthsea tag in my other journal will dig up a little discussion in amongst other stuff. I've also written both Earthsea & Dalemark; see my fanfiction masterlist.
I was rather verbose in my prompts; nevertheless there are a few extra hints to be had under the cut.
Dalemark Quartet
Characters: any of Navis, Moril, Mitt, Biffa
This is definitely an any of the 4 selected characters request, in any combination. I find the years DWJ left out of Crown of Dalemark the most intriguing, and would love something set during the Civil War or the subsequent reconstruction early in Amil's reign. A few ideas... How did the relationship between Mitt and Navis work, and how did it change as Mitt matured? To what extent was the course of the war driven by Alk's technological innovations? How did Navis get on with the northern earls? Unnominated favourites include Alk & Kialan, but I love most of the series characters. (About the only popular character I'm NOT interested in is Maewen.) I'm always very open to OCs or minors. Gen, het or slash equally welcome. In slash I ship Moril/Kialan & also Mitt/Moril; in het, I'm interested in Mitt/Biffa & Navis/Eltruda. Please NO Mitt/Maewen!
The Dalemark universe is quite an odd one for me, because I read Cart & Cwidder as a child, but didn't read any of the subsequent novels for more than 30 years. Moril/Kialan & particularly the parallels with Osfameron/the Adon was the thing that most interested me in those decades. Then I read Drowned Ammet and really enjoyed it, liked especially Mitt & Navis a great deal. I found Crown of Dalemark interesting on the whole, but very traumatic. I felt like an ent -- it was as if someone had built Birmingham on top of my favourite National Park while I hadn't been looking. I think it's a very interesting book, but as I wrote, the most interesting period is the bit that DWJ left out.
From my sign up it might seem I dislike Maewen, which isn't the case; it's just that I find the teen romance elements of Mitt/Maewen rather tedious, and that tends to be what a lot of the fandom focuses on.
Earthsea
Character: Thorion
I'm particularly interested in a behind-the-scenes, warts-and-all portrayal of the internal politics of the Roke School during the time when Ged is Archmage or in the immediate aftermath, as seen in 'On the High Marsh' & 'Dragonfly', rather than the rather idealised view of the school given in the earlier books. Some possibilities... 'On the High Marsh' gives us a glimpse of the complex relationships between Ged, Irioth & Thorion, and I'd love further exploration of this time. If 'Thorion was the best of us all---a brave heart, a noble mind,' how did he go so badly astray as in 'Dragonfly'? Thorion's the youngest of the Roke masters, how does this affect his relationships with the other masters? 'Dragonfly' exposes tensions between Roke and the new king, which is another area I'd love explored. Feel free to emphasise other characters if you wish; I particularly love Ged, the Doorkeeper & Azver, and I'm always very open to OCs or minors. Gen or slash equally welcome.
This is a recycled request from one of my older fandoms, and one I've tried over the years to nurture, so any story will be adored to bits! With this prompt, it's the setting that truly intrigues me, so feel completely free to emphasise other characters or create OCs if your muse takes you that way. (In fact, going back to Halkel's time is another option, if you were interested.) I tend to see the school as a little like an Oxbridge college, with petty rivalries becoming quietly deadly in the confined & competitive environment. (Think CP Snow's The Masters if you happen to have read it.)
If you're into m/m slash & feel inclined to have a go, I'd be very much interested, as there's virtually no slash above PG across the entire fandom. In this context, dubious consent, pupil/teacher relationships & similar would work for me. Nothing above hard R, though, please. (There again, I can't stress enough that if you're a gen writer or just don't see the potential, I'll be truly happy to go with wizardly celibacy.)
If canon overwhelms you, or you're here as a pinch-hitter, then The Isolate Tower is as accurate as I could make it, though not entirely complete. There's a list of the Roke masters at various time points, which might be of use.
Power of Three
Character: Hathil
Hathil's a fascinating character, and anything focused on him will please. I love the prologue to the novel and I'd love to see more of him interacting with Adara, either before the main timeframe or afterwards. Perhaps Hathil negotiating the minutinae of living on the Moor with Adara, or her getting to know his five wives? One possibility might be an AU in which Adara runs away to the Dorig after Orban kills Hathil's brother, and perhaps even ends up marrying Hathil. I'm also interested in his relationship with his late brother & his children. I'd love to read world building for this fandom, especially to do with the Old/Middle/New Powers, the mythology in general, or Dorig society (what's up with their gender ratios?). I love most of the characters in this novel but Adara, Gair, Ayna, Hafny are other favourites. I'm always very open to OCs or minors. Gen, het or slash equally welcome.
Diana Wynne Jones was my favourite author as a child, and this is perhaps my very favourite of her novels. As an adult it's increasingly the older generation who interest me most, especially Hathil & Adara. I received a wonderful story focusing on Adara & Gest a few Yuletides ago, which is the only reason I didn't add Adara to the sign up.
Please don't look at the brevity of this blurb & assume this is the least preferred option in any way, it's just that my relation with the other two fandoms is complex while with PoT it's just pure joy. This is such a microfandom even compared with the other two that anything with significant Dorig involvement is sure to please.