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graycardinalNew exchange, new terminology -- but the Letter is still ever and always the Letter.
And here it is....As always, the first order of business is the heartfelt Thank You. I am definitely a picker of obscure fandoms (in some of these cases, really obscure), and anyone with the knowledge and/or enthusiasm who's willing and able to write in any of these canons deserves all the thanks and virtual cookies I can supply. (Real cookies may also be negotiable in certain circumstances....)
Now, then. You want to know what I like. So:
Pluses for me include strong characterization, well-written dialogue, wit/banter/snark, clever use of canon, well-developed AUs, UST (heavy on both the U and the T), and more. I'm neutral when it comes to matters of gen, slash, and the like -- if the pairing is well-developed, I'll read with an open mind. I'm not into noncon, incest, or adult/child kinks, but have few other outright squicks as long as the relationship is age- and canon-appropriate; OTOH, I mostly don't read fanfic for sexual content -- and in the context of the present set of requests, romance is not necessarily a primary element in many of the requests.
I will note in particular that I am a sucker for the clever and well-executed crossover -- not because I expect one (Optional Details Being Optional, and such things being well beyond the call of either duty or necessity), but because in one or two of these cases, the potential amusement/entertainment value would be particularly high if your writerly imagination should happen to wander in that direction.
In past exchanges, I've mostly requested single characters -- not out of any aversion to pairings, ensembles, etc., but to allow both my writers and the matching engines maximum flexibility. The latter isn't a factor in the present case (kudos to AO3's code monkeys!), but I'll restate that where I have listed several characters for a given fandom, I will be pleased and satisfied with a story focused on whichever particular character on whom we've actually matched. At the same time, neither a single-character request nor a list should be taken to exclude a character or characters you think it's important to include in your story.
On to the fandoms:
Austin & Murry-O'Keefe Families • Madeleine L'Engle
Adam Eddington
Of all Madeleine L'Engle's books, the one I reread most often is probably The Arm of the Starfish -- and I've always thought Adam should have had more adventures than we actually got to see.
While I certainly don't object to seeing Adam in a relationship here, I admit to looking more for action or intrigue or at least something that moves him forward in his professional or academic life. Feel absolutely free to introduce additional canon characters; any of the women in Adam's life (Poly, Vicki, even Caroline Cutter) would be welcome, and I'd dearly love to see more of Canon Tallis if your plot bunnies inspire you in that direction.
Chronicles of Narnia • C. S. Lewis
Digory Kirke
While we only see Digory and Polly visit Narnia once, the Professor in his later years seems to have more knowledge of matters Narnian than that single visit necessarily explains. I'd like to hear more about Digory's life between the events of The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, or perhaps a tale of the Friends of Narnia meeting in England between some of the other books.
If you need inspiration beyond the initial prompt, a couple of thoughts. I have never been wholly certain that Uncle Andrew's green and yellow rings were put totally out of play after that book ended (and if not, then the Wood Between the Worlds may not be out of reach). It would also be welcome to see the Professor exercise some of his academic muscle in a good and useful cause. And while I've focused these comments narrowly on Digory, Polly is certainly most welcome as well (or such other canon characters as may be appropriate).
The Ice Ghosts Mystery • Jane Louise Curry
Mavis "Mab" Bird, Oriole Bird, Peregrine "Perry" Bird, Gabriel Lanz
I hoped for years, even decades, that the author would release another book in what was clearly supposed to be a series, and it never came. This family needs more adventures (and Oriole and Gabriel were clearly meant to cross paths again, at the least); I admit to hoping for at least a hint of casefic with familial snark, but even a chance meeting (and/or a Totally Optional Crossover) would be a joy and a delight.
If you've offered for this, I likely don't need to explain too much about how much pure fun this book is (even though it takes its high-tech intrigue totally seriously). As regards that Totally Optional Crossover, it seems to me that the Bird family might very well have moved in the same circles as L'Engle's Murry-O'Keefes and/or Austins, which could make for some highly amusing interactions, and certain other of my ongoing fandoms-of-interest wouldn't be out of the question either. If all else fails, at the very least we might get a look at subsequent correspondence between Oriole and Gabriel as the former comments on the mischief her younger siblings are undoubtedly getting up to.)
Planet Builders • Robyn Tallis
Daphne de Vries
With as large a cast as there was in Planet Builders, not everyone got as much stage-time as they should have – and of all the underused characters, I’m particularly fond of Daphne, both because of her lively personality and because I’m also a big theater fan. Almost any Daphne story you can imagine would be greeted with enthusiasm.
This has been one of my recurring Yuletide requests for awhile now; while it's still seriously obscure, I'm hoping my odds will improve even a little bit in a YA-specific fandom pool.
If you know the books at all, you likely glommed onto them for the same reasons I did, and have a good idea of what will make me go SQUEE with the greatest and most squeeful volume. Lost cities, clever plans gone amusingly and comic-disastrously (but not too painfully) wrong, gentle romance, swashbuckling space opera -- it's all there, and this is really truly a case where I'm like Oliver Twist, and "please sir, may I have some more" will do very nicely indeed. Feel free to set a story inside/between canon events or after (even long after) the series concludes, as the muse demands. Making use of Daphne's theatrical interests counts as a definite bonus but in no way a requirement.
Note that the other tagged characters in the fandom are also favorites of mine; while you are absolutely not obligated to work them in, you might look their way first as you cast about for plot.
Young Wizards • Diane Duane
Dairine Callahan, Harry Callahan, Carmela Rodriguez, Nelaid ke Seriv
On one hand, I know almost anything involving what's happened to Roshaun is likely to be Jossed when Wizards at Play comes out...but I'd very much like to see some combination of Harry, Dairine, and/or Nelaid dealing with his disappearance. Alternately, Carmela is always a hoot and a half to watch in action -- especially since one gets the distinct impression that she's actually far more level-headed than she wants anyone to realize.
Some quick thoughts on each of these characters individually, given the way this exchange has been matched:
As much as I love Dairine and High Wizardry, she spends an awful lot of that book by herself -- and yet I find that she's most interesting to read about when she's interacting with others. Harry? Has had to deal with a whole lot of weirdness being thrown at him in fairly short order, and has handled it somewhat astonishingly well. It'd be interesting to see who he talks to when he needs grownup moral support. Nelaid...is interesting, because once you get to know him it gets harder to see where Roshaun's particular sort of prickliness comes from. And for all Carmela's fast-and-loose wheeling and dealing, it's fascinating to watch her when she suddenly stops and begins to take something -- person, place, thing -- totally seriously (as when she gets totally drawn into the translation job she does in Wizard of Mars).
And here it is....As always, the first order of business is the heartfelt Thank You. I am definitely a picker of obscure fandoms (in some of these cases, really obscure), and anyone with the knowledge and/or enthusiasm who's willing and able to write in any of these canons deserves all the thanks and virtual cookies I can supply. (Real cookies may also be negotiable in certain circumstances....)
Now, then. You want to know what I like. So:
Pluses for me include strong characterization, well-written dialogue, wit/banter/snark, clever use of canon, well-developed AUs, UST (heavy on both the U and the T), and more. I'm neutral when it comes to matters of gen, slash, and the like -- if the pairing is well-developed, I'll read with an open mind. I'm not into noncon, incest, or adult/child kinks, but have few other outright squicks as long as the relationship is age- and canon-appropriate; OTOH, I mostly don't read fanfic for sexual content -- and in the context of the present set of requests, romance is not necessarily a primary element in many of the requests.
I will note in particular that I am a sucker for the clever and well-executed crossover -- not because I expect one (Optional Details Being Optional, and such things being well beyond the call of either duty or necessity), but because in one or two of these cases, the potential amusement/entertainment value would be particularly high if your writerly imagination should happen to wander in that direction.
In past exchanges, I've mostly requested single characters -- not out of any aversion to pairings, ensembles, etc., but to allow both my writers and the matching engines maximum flexibility. The latter isn't a factor in the present case (kudos to AO3's code monkeys!), but I'll restate that where I have listed several characters for a given fandom, I will be pleased and satisfied with a story focused on whichever particular character on whom we've actually matched. At the same time, neither a single-character request nor a list should be taken to exclude a character or characters you think it's important to include in your story.
On to the fandoms:
Austin & Murry-O'Keefe Families • Madeleine L'Engle
Adam Eddington
Of all Madeleine L'Engle's books, the one I reread most often is probably The Arm of the Starfish -- and I've always thought Adam should have had more adventures than we actually got to see.
While I certainly don't object to seeing Adam in a relationship here, I admit to looking more for action or intrigue or at least something that moves him forward in his professional or academic life. Feel absolutely free to introduce additional canon characters; any of the women in Adam's life (Poly, Vicki, even Caroline Cutter) would be welcome, and I'd dearly love to see more of Canon Tallis if your plot bunnies inspire you in that direction.
Chronicles of Narnia • C. S. Lewis
Digory Kirke
While we only see Digory and Polly visit Narnia once, the Professor in his later years seems to have more knowledge of matters Narnian than that single visit necessarily explains. I'd like to hear more about Digory's life between the events of The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, or perhaps a tale of the Friends of Narnia meeting in England between some of the other books.
If you need inspiration beyond the initial prompt, a couple of thoughts. I have never been wholly certain that Uncle Andrew's green and yellow rings were put totally out of play after that book ended (and if not, then the Wood Between the Worlds may not be out of reach). It would also be welcome to see the Professor exercise some of his academic muscle in a good and useful cause. And while I've focused these comments narrowly on Digory, Polly is certainly most welcome as well (or such other canon characters as may be appropriate).
The Ice Ghosts Mystery • Jane Louise Curry
Mavis "Mab" Bird, Oriole Bird, Peregrine "Perry" Bird, Gabriel Lanz
I hoped for years, even decades, that the author would release another book in what was clearly supposed to be a series, and it never came. This family needs more adventures (and Oriole and Gabriel were clearly meant to cross paths again, at the least); I admit to hoping for at least a hint of casefic with familial snark, but even a chance meeting (and/or a Totally Optional Crossover) would be a joy and a delight.
If you've offered for this, I likely don't need to explain too much about how much pure fun this book is (even though it takes its high-tech intrigue totally seriously). As regards that Totally Optional Crossover, it seems to me that the Bird family might very well have moved in the same circles as L'Engle's Murry-O'Keefes and/or Austins, which could make for some highly amusing interactions, and certain other of my ongoing fandoms-of-interest wouldn't be out of the question either. If all else fails, at the very least we might get a look at subsequent correspondence between Oriole and Gabriel as the former comments on the mischief her younger siblings are undoubtedly getting up to.)
Planet Builders • Robyn Tallis
Daphne de Vries
With as large a cast as there was in Planet Builders, not everyone got as much stage-time as they should have – and of all the underused characters, I’m particularly fond of Daphne, both because of her lively personality and because I’m also a big theater fan. Almost any Daphne story you can imagine would be greeted with enthusiasm.
This has been one of my recurring Yuletide requests for awhile now; while it's still seriously obscure, I'm hoping my odds will improve even a little bit in a YA-specific fandom pool.
If you know the books at all, you likely glommed onto them for the same reasons I did, and have a good idea of what will make me go SQUEE with the greatest and most squeeful volume. Lost cities, clever plans gone amusingly and comic-disastrously (but not too painfully) wrong, gentle romance, swashbuckling space opera -- it's all there, and this is really truly a case where I'm like Oliver Twist, and "please sir, may I have some more" will do very nicely indeed. Feel free to set a story inside/between canon events or after (even long after) the series concludes, as the muse demands. Making use of Daphne's theatrical interests counts as a definite bonus but in no way a requirement.
Note that the other tagged characters in the fandom are also favorites of mine; while you are absolutely not obligated to work them in, you might look their way first as you cast about for plot.
Young Wizards • Diane Duane
Dairine Callahan, Harry Callahan, Carmela Rodriguez, Nelaid ke Seriv
On one hand, I know almost anything involving what's happened to Roshaun is likely to be Jossed when Wizards at Play comes out...but I'd very much like to see some combination of Harry, Dairine, and/or Nelaid dealing with his disappearance. Alternately, Carmela is always a hoot and a half to watch in action -- especially since one gets the distinct impression that she's actually far more level-headed than she wants anyone to realize.
Some quick thoughts on each of these characters individually, given the way this exchange has been matched:
As much as I love Dairine and High Wizardry, she spends an awful lot of that book by herself -- and yet I find that she's most interesting to read about when she's interacting with others. Harry? Has had to deal with a whole lot of weirdness being thrown at him in fairly short order, and has handled it somewhat astonishingly well. It'd be interesting to see who he talks to when he needs grownup moral support. Nelaid...is interesting, because once you get to know him it gets harder to see where Roshaun's particular sort of prickliness comes from. And for all Carmela's fast-and-loose wheeling and dealing, it's fascinating to watch her when she suddenly stops and begins to take something -- person, place, thing -- totally seriously (as when she gets totally drawn into the translation job she does in Wizard of Mars).
Tags:
no subject
Date: July 25th, 2013 03:58 pm (UTC)Signed,
One-Sixth of Robyn Tallis, back in the day.
no subject
Date: July 25th, 2013 04:13 pm (UTC)Curiously enough, I actually ran across an online reference to Cloverdale Press a couple of months back, while following a trail of breadcrumbs vaguely related to the Kindle Worlds launch.
It turns out that the one-time proprietor of A Certain Packager Long Since Absorbed By Alloy has a LinkedIn page. And it turns out that he admits, in the online resume on that page, to have been in charge of Cloverdale before having been in charge of That Certain Packager.
Which is probably not news to any of the sixths of Robyn Tallis, but struck me as mildly surprising in the context of a LinkedIn resume....
no subject
Date: July 25th, 2013 07:31 pm (UTC)(There is a long and bitter rant of the "it would cost us more money in lawyers than we'd make even if we got back all that we were owed" variety attached to that part of the tale, but the Planet Builders series wasn't involved with that one.)
no subject
Date: July 26th, 2013 04:34 am (UTC)And now my mind is trying to wrap itself around the juxtaposition of the phrases "good twin" and "packager" in the same office building with one another....