syrena_of_the_lake

Thank you in advance, mystery writer. Whatever direction you take, I will be delighted to read your story -- and I hope you have fun writing it! 

Things I like:

• Witty banter and humor
• Competent, complex, multi-dimensional characters
• Friendship, found family, friends-to-lovers, slow burn
• Plot, adventures, space duels, intrigue, mysteries and spy stories
• Nature, especially lakes, woods, mountain, prairies, and the night sky
• Shipping preferences: m/f, f/f or gen
• I prefer happy endings to tragedy, but I also have a soft spot for ambiguity and bittersweet. Eerie and eldritch is fun too, but I am not big on straight-up horror.  
• A strong sense of place. The differences between places, the little things that set someplace apart or bind people together even across languages and cultures... Whether you want to delve into worldbuilding or just give me a glimpse, I'll love it.
• Talking animals and mythological creatures, especially those with little screen time. Wolves and crows are particular favorites, but I’d love any creatures (real or mythological) you want to use to populate your story! Kangaroo-verse? Go for it!
• Sirens. See also: my username. (The Lorelei, Greek bird-women, mermaid-like, feral or sensual — any mythology or interpretation you like!)
• AUs that hold true to both the spirit and setting of the original — canon compliant or divergent “what ifs” are wonderful, and I hold a special place in my heart for Everyone Lives, Nobody Dies (or Everyone Lives, Nobody Leaves). I’m not usually a fan of mundane coffeeshop-style AUs, unless set in modern!Narnia, a.k.a. Museumverse. 
• Rthverse and other stories with gloriously diverse characters, rich full lives in both Narnia and Spare Oom, filled with faith and hope but not dogma, intellectually enriching, and all the tapestry of creation in both worlds.
• World War II spy stories
• Crossovers and fusions: I love them! I enjoy having all my favorite characters get together and explore new worlds and dynamics, with or without the conceit of magic rings and the Wood between Worlds. 

Things I don't like:

• Noncon, incest, gore

You may notice I deleted my standard "character bashing" item compared to last year, because of one of my prompts. A nuance there: while I do take issue with the traditional "lipstick and nylons" variation on the problem of Susan, I love seeing other perspectives. So I will put it this way: if the story is set in *canon Narnia,* I'd prefer to avoid character bashing (e.g. depictions of Susan as a shallow woman fallen away from the grace of Narnia, or Aslan as a cruel, manipulative god). If your story is AU, though, or told from an outside or unreliable perspective, all bets are off! (E.g., Narnian mythos through Jadis' eyes - maybe she tells the true history and the one we know is mere propaganda, or maybe her version is wildly distorted, either is great! Maybe modern Narnians debate whether Susan – or all Four – were the faithless monarch(s) who abandoned them - that would be a great story too.) 

Basically, wherever the story takes you, I'll be very happy to go along for the ride! Thank you again ~

Happy Yule and thank you, mystery writer! Please know I will be thrilled to read your story, and I'm excited to see what direction you take :-)

Things I like:

• Witty banter
• Competent, complex, multi-dimensional characters
• Friendship, found family, friends-to-lovers, slow burn
• Plot, adventures, space duels, intrigue, mysteries, secret codes and spy stories
• Thoughtful, complex, introspective, issues that aren’t black-and-white
• Humor, whether subtle or snarky or slapstick
• Gentle, compassionate storytelling
• Nature, especially animals, lakes, woods, mountain, prairies, and the night sky
• Shipping preferences: m/f, f/f or gen
• Drama, humor, adventure, intrigue, espionage, suspense, mystery, thriller... so many genres! I also like explorations of grief and healing, though in general I can only take so much angst. I do prefer happy endings to tragedy, but I also have a soft spot for ambiguity and bittersweet.
• A strong sense of place. The differences between places, the little things that set someplace apart or bind people together even across languages and cultures... Whether you want to delve into worldbuilding or just give me a glimpse, I'll love it.
• Language, linguistics, things lost in translation, the power of words
• I do enjoy AUs that hold true to both the spirit and setting of the original — canon compliant or divergent “what ifs” are wonderful, and I hold a special place in my heart for Everyone Lives, Nobody Dies. I’m not usually a fan of mundane coffeeshop-style AUs.
• Crossovers and fusions: I love them! I enjoy having all my favorite characters get together and explore new worlds and dynamics, with or without the conceit of magic. My favorite/most familiar fandoms are Narnia, Harry Potter, LOTR & Hobbit, anything Star Wars, Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Forever (tv series), and anything Star Trek (especially Voyager). If you have your heart set on another crossover, go for it! 

 

Things I don't like:

• Noncon, dubcon, incest, underage, abuse, gore, torture
• Character bashing; completely helpless, clueless, cruel or dark characterization of canon main characters
• Real-world, present-day politics. (Politics of other times, places and worlds — great! Bring on all the worldbuilding. But please no in-your-face corollaries with current events. I’ve had enough of the news right now.)
• Darkfic, unmitigated tragedy or excessive angst. If your story is sad, I'd request at least a ray of sunshine amid the clouds.

I look forward to seeing where the story takes you, and thank you again! If you have questions, feel free to send me an anonymous note. Happy writing :-)

Coming soon! 

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Thank you in advance, mystery writer. I included a few prompts in each request for inspiration only; please don't feel bound to them if you have other ideas. Please know I will be thrilled to read your story, and I'm excited to see what direction you take :-)

Things I like:

• Witty banter
• Competent, complex, multi-dimensional characters
• Friendship, found family, friends-to-lovers, slow burn
• Plot, adventures, space duels, intrigue, mysteries and spy stories
• Thoughtful, complex, introspective, issues that aren’t black-and-white
• Humor, whether subtle or snarky or slapstick
• Gentle, compassionate storytelling
• Nature, especially lakes, woods, mountain, prairies, and the night sky
• I prefer het and usually ship canon pairings; gen is also great.
• Drama, humor, adventure, intrigue, espionage, suspense, mystery, thriller... so many genres! I also like explorations of grief and healing, though in general I can only take so much angst. I do prefer happy endings to tragedy, but I also have a soft spot for ambiguity and bittersweet.
• A strong sense of place. The differences between places, the little things that set someplace apart or bind people together even across languages and cultures... Whether you want to delve into worldbuilding or just give me a glimpse, I'll love it.
• Talking animals and mythological creatures, especially those with little screen time. Wolves and crows are particular favorites, but I’d love any horses, gryphons, small woodland creatures, chickadees, birds of prey or oddball fauna you want to populate your story! Narnian platypus? Kangaroo-verse? Go for it!
• Sirens. See also: my username. (The Lorelei, Greek bird-women, mermaid-like, feral or sensual — any mythology or interpretation you like!)
• Language, linguistics, things lost in translation, the power of words
• I do enjoy AUs that hold true to both the spirit and setting of the original — canon compliant or divergent “what ifs” are wonderful, and I hold a special place in my heart for Everyone Lives, Nobody Dies (or Everyone Lives, Nobody Leaves). I’m not usually a fan of mundane coffeeshop-style AUs.
• Rthverse and other stories with gloriously diverse characters, rich full lives in both Narnia and Spare Oom, filled with faith and hope but not dogma, intellectually enriching, and all the tapestry of creation in both worlds.
• World War II spy stories
• Crossovers and fusions: I love them! I enjoy having all my favorite characters get together and explore new worlds and dynamics, with or without the conceit of magic rings and the Wood between Worlds. This year’s tagset is particularly replete with fandom fusion possibilities!

 

Things I don't like:

• Noncon, dubcon, incest, underage, abuse, gore, torture
• Character bashing; completely helpless, clueless, cruel or dark characterization of Aslan, Pevensies or other Friends of Narnia (More nuanced critique is all well and good!) – with the obvious exception of my Dark AU prompt where I've asked for Jadis' POV
• Real-world, present-day politics. (Politics of other times, places and worlds — great! But please no in-your-face corollaries with current events. I’ve had enough of the news right now.)
• Darkfic, unmitigated tragedy or excessive angst. If your story is sad, I'd request at least a ray of sunshine amid the clouds. (Again, with the exception of my Jadis Dark AU request.) 

 

Plot bunny fodder for specific prompts:

1. Tell me a behind-the-scenes story of minor characters (canon or OC). I’d love to see a talking animal, naiad or dryad playing a big role, if one that goes unnoticed. I have no particular ideas for plot — it could be an expanded moment from canon or something during the Golden Age. But I’d love to see an under-appreciated small animal shine, or see the effort that went into a big canon event, everyday small dramas set among big events, and animals or creatures we don’t see much in canon.  I love spies and espionage, artists and artisans, and a strong sense of place and tie to the land or water. Have fun worldbuilding! Canon or original characters welcome! (I only listed OFC and OMC but NB also welcome - I just ran out of tag room.)
   • Show me some nonhuman Narnian artists or artisans. Is there a renaissance of Narnian literature during the Golden Age, or an influx of foreign scholars come to study Narnian oral histories? What do Narnian royal portraits look like, and are they only painted by beings with proper hands, or are there elephant-trunk rock paintings or squirrel-tail-brush impressionist paintings? What nonhuman artforms are new to the Pevensies? Do birds make artwork out of twig-sculptures and feathers, or help dwarves make new pigments using colors only birds can see? Do small animals make ephemeral snow-print murals? Do flying horses trample patterns in the dirt or fields that can only be seen from the air? Can a member of one species apprentice to another to learn an art they aren’t traditionally suited for? Or show me Merfolk weavings, Dwarves’ intricate metalworking, or any kind of crafting or artistry unique to Narnia. 
   • During the Witch’s winter, an old skunk codger is getting senile, all their neighbors have different ways of dealing with the smelly results. I can imagine many different ways that Narnians might act as caregivers (some with better results than others). Also, frostbite on one’s nose becomes a mixed blessing, and couldn’t Aslan have waited to melt things until the skunk’s family had moved to the fringes of the wood
   • Gryphon culture: are they predators or scavengers? What is a gryphon aerie like? If you like movie-verse, what was the gryphons’ reaction to the Pevensie’s idea of using aerial bombing against the Witch? How did that strategy session play out? 
   • Show me the POV of one of Edmund’s rescuers during LWW or one of the sailors or Narnian retinue during the escape from Tashbaan. Did the Narnians argue among themselves about their rulers’ wisdom? Did one of the bizarre-to-Edmund creatures give him some parental advice he’d been craving? Did one of the sailors infiltrate the Calormene court to bring rumors and intel back to Sallowpad?

2. Police procedural AU (with credit to @queenlucythevaliant for the idea): trope-y fun. Bree & Hwin buddy-cop flick where no one seems to notice or care that they are horses, or a beleaguered policeman trying to figure out WTF happened in London the day Jadis was in town, or Polly and Digory playing multi-dimensional detectives. Have fun with it!

   • Bree & Hwin: any scenario you want, the tropier the better! Road trip bickering and whickering on a diplomatic mission until even Cor and Aravis can’t stand it? NCIS (Narnian/Calormene Investigative Service) procedural with an Undercover PI (Pony Investigator)? American Old West? Explorers or archaeologists? Canon-compliant or wild AU or anything in between. Queenlucythevaliant’s original prompt that inspired my request: “Bree and Hwin as mismatched partners in a buddy cop movie. Bree is overconfident and Hwin is over-cautious. Hwin does lots of tedious police work without complaint and then gets irritated when Bree just charges in guns blazing (bc we all know Bree likes his action scenes). Bree is a suave, James Bond-type undercover while Hwin is more unassuming and can blend in anywhere. They are both still talking horses. This is a non-issue.” 

   • Police procedural set during Magician’s Nephew the day Jadis was in London. A  policeman tries to solve an increasingly inexplicable series of crimes and may or may not get coshed on the head for his troubles. They could either be a bumbling Clouseau type (“Now then, what’s all this?”) or a shrewd detective, but their competence has no bearing on the results, because magic defies the laws of physics and the laws of England alike. (A note: please keep this lighthearted — I’m not looking for real-world allegory or political commentary on the police as an institution. I just want someone trailing around London after Jadis going WTF?) @queenlucythevaliant: “A police procedural set during/after The Magician’s Nephew where some poor, beleaguered detective tries to figure out what was going on the day Jadis was in London. He interviews the Ketterleys’ housemaid at some point. He never actually gets any answers.” 

   • Digory and Polly become partners in (detecting) crime, either unraveling magical mysteries around England or hopping into other pools in the Wood between Worlds. Either way, let there be sleuthing and otherworldly, inexplicable happenings. Maybe Digory learns to describe the most magical of events in impenetrable, mundane terms to satisfy the press or police or curious passers-by. Maybe Polly builds a network of confidential informants or clandestine magic-users. Maybe they even make use of Uncle Andrew’s dodgy friends?

3. Modern!Narnia AU: Have fun with your modern work woes in a Narnian setting. Give me all the intra-office correspondence, OSHA violation notices, conference call hijinks, remote work miscommunications, and corporate jargon in modern Narnia.

   • Is your coworker an absentminded squirrel always rushing around and forgetting everything? Do you have increasingly over-polite email exchanges with your diplomatic counterpart because you refuse to take the blame for a misunderstanding that wasn’t your fault, and you’ll make the other party understand if you have to send a whole murder of ravens to recite your rebuttal in chorus? Do the buzzards constantly spout buzzwords? Does your raccoon boss always chase the latest shiny objects but never finish anything? Does the one office-being with opposable thumbs always get stuck with secretarial work? Do the carnivores leave bones in the communal compost, against all company regulations? Does the IT department spend all its time troubleshooting starspells and correcting misinterpretations of centaur horoscopes? Does working retail make you want to leap over the counter and bite the head off the next person to ask a stupid question? 

   • Bonus for anything involving Customer Service Wolf! https://customerservicewolf. 

   • Inspired by @rheaswriting: Do you ever think about how “do not cite the deep magic to me witch. I was there when it was written” is basically the fantasy equivalent of “I have personally explained the process to you Deborah”: https://twitter.com/rheaswriting/status/1412806411478835207?s=20

      

4. Show me a mythology that Jadis has built for her followers (or even herself) — or a dark AU — where Aslan is the all-devouring Lion and Jadis is valiantly holding him at bay. In her version, Jadis tries to freeze and preserve (in stone or ice) what would otherwise be consumed by the blistering jaws of summer. If you want to combine this with the Susan & Jadis idea, more power t

    

   • As Aslan once said to Jill: "I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms," said the Lion. It didn't say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it.”

   • And as Edmund once thought: ““Because,” he said to himself, “all these people who say nasty things about her are her enemies and probably half of it isn't true. She was jolly nice to me, anyway, much nicer than they are. I expect she is the rightful Queen really. Anyway, she'll be better than that awful Aslan!” 

5. Crossovers are still my jam. I love all these worlds and will be delighted to see how you mash any two (or more?) of them together! These ships all seem so natural: themes of justice, bravery and healing, warriors who fight for peace and for their people… I’d love to see any or all of it. 

    

   • Lord of the Rings: I love the idea of Healer-Rulers LucyAragorn and warriors PeterEowyn who seek peaceful lives, building and growing things. (For that matter — Eowyn & Susan could have an interesting dynamic, the different ways the fight the gilded cage the world has prescribed for them. Or Lucy & Eowyn simply being the awesome, badass warrior women they are.)
     Star Wars: If you’ve always hankered for Narnians in space or Jedi in Narnia, I’ll be there with bells on! In addition to Susan/Obi-Wan, which Rthstewart made me ship wholeheartedly, feel free to bring in anyone you like from the Original, Sequel or Prequel trilogies; EU Legends - Thrawn (by Timothy Zahn); EU Legends - X-wing series (Stackpole and Allston); Rogue One; or Rebels. Or replace them with any characters from the Chronicles of Narnia and see what changes!
     Game of Thrones: One big caveat is that I haven’t read the books and have only seen seasons 1-6. I haven’t been completely able to avoid spoilers, though, so I have a very vague idea of what happens to Dany. But I would love to see Danaerys and Edmund together. How do they influence each other’s deeply held ideals of justice? How would one’s presence affect the course of events? How would Edmund’s experience with dragons affect Eustace’s arc? I would also be more than happy to see Peter/Brienne. How do they navigate the monarch/knight/lover dynamic? What is it like going on campaign with them? 

      

Feel free to take or leave any of these ideas. I look forward to seeing where the story takes you, and thank you again!

Fireworks are keeping me awake
this last night of the longest year,
shared misery bursting into shared joy.
Transitory. Fleeting. A flare
of light and echo of noise.
(Is that what these memories will be, someday?)

I picked up a pen to write this poem
and it had run dry.
This is true, although it could also be a metaphor
for my mental and emotional state
(which would also be true).
My hand cramps, unaccustomed to this work.
The ink is starting to flow
but who knows how long it will last.

I opened the nearest notebook to write in.
It holds other memories of older miseries and joys
no less all-consuming, no less fleeting.
It also holds a collection of leaves and feathers,
nature’s whispers jumbled between pages and poems:
paper-thin rose petals scatter among my worries,
a goldfinch feather adorns my dreams and mourning,
maple leaves still hold a ghost of color
alongside rambling descriptions
of the woods they came from.
Faded, wrinkled, crumbling and still full enough of life
to stir when I turn the page.

Someday, I will find this poem again,
the one marked with leaves and dry ink.
The rest of the context will either come rushing back
like autumn wind through the brittle trees,
or — like the bleached colors,
no longer maple-fire or aspen-gold —
the words will rustle vaguely in my memories,
and I will squint to make out the date
and wonder what I was going on about at such length
and whose woods these were,
with their castaway colors pressed between my poems.



Happy new year, everyone. May it treat us all better than the last.

Dear mystery author,

First and foremost, thank you! Please know I will be thrilled to receive your story. I'm excited to see what direction you've taken on whichever prompt and pairing strike your fancy. I included a few ideas in each of my requests, but please don't feel bound to them if inspiration takes you elsewhere. I’ll be thrilled to get a story in one of my little-known but well-loved corners of the Star Wars galaxy!

Things I like:

• Witty banter
  
• Competent, complex, multi-dimensional characters
  
• Friendship, found family, friends-to-lovers, slow burn
  
• Plot, adventures, space duels, intrigue, mysteries and spy stories
  
• Thoughtful, complex, introspective, issues that aren’t black-and-white
  
• Humor, whether subtle or snarky or slapstick
  
• Gentle, compassionate storytelling
  
• Witty banter. Seriously, I love it so much.
  
• I generally prefer m/f or gen, unless listed otherwise for a specific pairing
  
• Drama, humor, adventure, intrigue, espionage, suspense, mystery, thriller... so many genres! I also like explorations of grief and healing, though in general I can only take so much angst. I do prefer happy endings to tragedy, but I also have a soft spot for ambiguity and bittersweet.
  
• A strong sense of place. The differences between places, the little things that set someplace apart or bind people together even across languages and cultures... Whether you want to delve into worldbuilding or just give me a glimpse, I'll love it.
  
• Language, linguistics, things lost in translation, the power of words
  I do enjoy AUs that hold true to both the spirit and setting of the original — canon compliant or divergent “what ifs” are wonderful, and I hold a special place in my heart for Everyone Lives, Nobody Dies type AUs. But I’m not a fan of mundane coffeeshop-style AUs.
  
• Spy stories

Things I don't like:

• Noncon, dubcon, incest, underage, abuse, gore, torture
  
• PWP, explicit sex, explicit violence, frequent use of R-rated language
  
• m/m isn't my cup of tea, I'm afraid. I prefer m/f, f/f or gen..
  
• Character bashing; completely helpless, clueless, cruel or dark characterization of canon “good guys”. (More nuanced critique is all well and good!)
  
• Real-world, present-day politics. (Politics of other times, places and worlds — great! But please no in-your-face corollaries with current events. I’ve had enough of the news right now.)
  
• Darkfic, unmitigated tragedy or excessive angst. If your story is sad, I'd request at least a ray of sunshine amid the clouds!
  
  Specific prompts coming soon!

Dear mystery author,

First and foremost, thank you! Please know I will be thrilled to receive your story. I'm excited to see what direction you've taken on whichever prompt strikes your fancy. I included a few ideas in each of my requests, but please don't feel bound to them if inspiration takes you elsewhere.

Things I like:

• Witty banter
  
• Competent, complex, multi-dimensional characters
  
• Friendship, found family, friends-to-lovers, slow burn
  
• Plot, adventures, space duels, intrigue, mysteries and spy stories
  
• Thoughtful, complex, introspective, issues that aren’t black-and-white
  
• Humor, whether subtle or snarky or slapstick
  
• Gentle, compassionate storytelling
  
• Nature, especially lakes, woods, mountain, prairies, and the night sky
  
• Witty banter. Seriously, I love it so much.
  
• I prefer het and usually ship canon pairings; gen is also great.
  
• Drama, humor, adventure, intrigue, espionage, suspense, mystery, thriller... so many genres! I also like explorations of grief and healing, though in general I can only take so much angst. I do prefer happy endings to tragedy, but I also have a soft spot for ambiguity and bittersweet.
  
• A strong sense of place. The differences between places, the little things that set someplace apart or bind people together even across languages and cultures... Whether you want to delve into worldbuilding or just give me a glimpse, I'll love it.
  
• Talking animals and mythological creatures, especially those with little screen time. Wolves and crows are particular favorites, but I’d love any horses, gryphons, cougars, small woodland creatures, chickadees, birds of prey or oddball fauna you want to populate your story! Narnian platypus? Kangaroo-verse? Go for it!
  
• Sirens. See also: my username. (The Lorelei, Greek bird-women, mermaid-like, feral or sensual — any mythology or interpretation you like!)
  
• Language, linguistics, things lost in translation, the power of words
  
• I do enjoy AUs that hold true to both the spirit and setting of the original — canon compliant or divergent “what ifs” are wonderful, and I hold a special place in my heart for Everyone Lives, Nobody Dies (or Everyone Lives, Nobody Leaves). I’m not usually a fan of mundane coffeeshop-style AUs.
  
• Rthverse and other stories with gloriously diverse characters, rich full lives in both Narnia and Spare Oom, filled with faith and hope but not dogma, intellectually enriching, and all the tapestry of creation in both worlds.
  
• World War II spy stories
  
• Crossovers and fusions: I love them! I enjoy having all my favorite characters get together and explore new worlds and dynamics, with or without the conceit of magic rings and the Wood between Worlds. This year’s tagset is particularly replete with fandom fusion possibilities!
  

Things I don't like:

• Noncon, dubcon, incest, underage, abuse, gore, torture
  
• PWP, explicit sex, explicit violence, frequent use of R-rated language
  
• Slash isn't my cup of tea, I'm afraid. I prefer het or gen.
  
• Character bashing; completely helpless, clueless, cruel or dark characterization of Aslan, Pevensies or other Friends of Narnia. (More nuanced critique is all well and good!)
  
• Real-world, present-day politics. (Politics of other times, places and worlds — great! But please no in-your-face corollaries with current events. I’ve had enough of the news right now.)
  
• Darkfic, unmitigated tragedy or excessive angst. If your story is sad, I'd request at least a ray of sunshine amid the clouds.
  

Crossover ideas
If you feel like a crossover, I’m definitely on board!

• Lord of the Rings: I love the idea of Healer-Rulers Lucy and Aragorn (platonically or romantically). I don’t know that it made the tagset, but Peter/Eowyn would also make my heart happy! For that matter — Eowyn & Susan could have an interesting dynamic, the different ways the fight the gilded cage the world has prescribed for them. Or Lucy & Eowyn simply being the awesome, badass warrior women they are.
  
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Like I said in one of my prompts, I now hopelessly ship Jack Sparrow with Susan. I wrote thousands of words about it and I want more of these two on the high seas.
  
• Star Wars (okay, so maybe this is a less intuitive leap, but it’s my first deep fandom love, and if you’ve always hankered for Narnians in space or Jedi in Narnia, I’ll be there with bells on!): Bring in anyone you like from the Original, Sequel or Prequel trilogies; EU Legends - Thrawn (by Timothy Zahn); EU Legends - X-wing series (Stackpole and Allston); Rogue One; or Rebels. Or, replace them with someone from the Chronicles of Narnia and see what changes.
  

Whew!

Again, this is truly meant for your information, and I hope you find it helpful. I look forward to seeing where the story takes you, and thank you again!

Jumping on the bandwagon via Petra, because my migraine-brain loved lists.


Slow burn OR love at first sight: Some of my favorite ships had decade-long slow burns. I prefer friends first; live at first sight usually doesn’t do it for me.

Fake dating OR secret dating: Fake dating, I suppose — especially if part of a slow burn! I really like the fake dating while undercover sub-trope.

Enemies to lovers OR best friends to lovers: Best friends to lovers is my jam! It’s what I want out of real life, and for all of my OTPs.

Oh no there's only one bed OR long distance with correspondence: Only one bed! (gasp) Whatever will they do? Cue cozy (if inadvertent) snuggles, which are also my jam.

Fantasy au OR modern au: Fantasy AU, hands down. I want magic, not modernity. I have enough trouble with IT in my daily life, lol.

Smut OR fluff: Fluff!

Mutual pining OR domestic bliss: Ooh, tough one. I usually like my pining resolved into bliss by the end of the fic... if pressed, I’d go with pining, because I love a well-done sense of longing (and saudade in general).

Alternate universe OR future fic: I love all kinds of AUs, whether mildly canon divergent far afield crossovers (like the Harry Potter and Star Trek Voyager series I can’t stop writing in the 3-sentence ficathon).

One shot OR multi-chapter: Both? Both is good! Depends on my mood and attention span (as both reader and writer).

Kid fic OR road trip fic: Road trip fic. I love stories with a strong sense of place, especially in nature.

Reincarnation OR character death: Um, can I say neither? What I really prefer is bringing dead characters back to life in some way (avoiding their death via time travel is a particular favorite), but as they were, not reincarnated.

Arranged marriage OR accidental marriage: Not a big fan of either, usually, but I guess arranged — at least that’s done with intention of some kind.

Time travel OR isolated together: I am a sucker for time travel any time (HAR), but I do love a good “trapped in a cabin during a snowstorm” fic. Must be the Midwesterner in me.

Neighbors OR roommates: Neighbors, because I’m an introvert and like my space, but I also like not being alone all the time, so neighbors with a growing sense of intimacy, spending more and more time at each other’s homes...

Sci-fi au OR magic au: I can’t decide, so we’re back to a resounding BOTH! (Hence why I keep writing crossovers between the two.)

Bodyswap OR genderbend: Genderbend I suppose. Not normally a huge fan of either, but I have read some spectacularly well done fics of both.

Angst OR crack: Crack. I’d much rather laugh than cry; I’ve had enough angst to last me a while. Fire up the Improbability Drive!

Apocalyptic OR mundane: Mundane — I’d much rather read about the little details (and joys!) of life than everything ending in a fiery trainwreck. (What was that, CS Lewis? What “Last Battle” do you speak of? Everyone lived and nobody died and Narnia continues happily to this day, thank you very much.)

I reread one of my early fanfics yesterday. Harry Potter, year 6. Objectively, it was... not good. I knew that would be the case going in (it was high school, after all), but it still made me cringe and shake my head and wonder what I was thinking. BUT. I was also surprised to see the early seeds of something... not bad. Even early indications of what I think are my strengths now. Anyway, my point is that unfinished, unposted fic wasn’t an exercise in futility — it was a labor of love and a creative exploration and a stepping stone.

And occasionally unintentionally hilarious.

1. “Just one damn minute, Admiral” Spock-style swearing with mild colorful metaphors sprinkled awkwardly throughout the dialogue. Clearly, I didn’t have much practice using them at all. I counted four “hells,” five “damns,” one “dammit” and one (gasp) “shit.”
2. Mysterious Figures(tm) and Mythological Allusions as a substitute for plot points.
3. So. Much. Description.
4. A couple lines of banter that actually... are pretty good. I might steal them.
5. Did I actually guess a couple minor plot points of the next book? Siriously?
6. An entire syllabus for a new course in Spellcrafting. Actually, the premise is quite solid, and the details are interesting, and it even raises a bludgeoning ethical question or five. (But really, Syrena? The whole syllabus?)
7. Embedded author’s notes to an audience I didn’t even have, with ^_^ emojis and promises of cookies for picking up on silly literary allusions and awkward attempts to initiate conversation with readers who never existed. (A/N: Don’t hate me for the cliffhanger, I don’t know what happens next either!)
8. When I couldn’t decide between two synonyms, I used them both.
9. On a related note, I used the word “eldritch” a lot.
10. I switched points of view constantly. Reading this is like watching a tennis tournament — now we’re in Harry’s head, now Ron’s, now Hermione’s, now the Mysterious Figure(tm), now the Possible-Love-Interest-OC (don’t hate me! ^_^)...

I just went back even farther in my personal Wayback Machine, and hoo-boy. (Did I mention I actually used the phrase “hoo-boy”?) I spent much of middle school in a galaxy far, far away.... Here’s the highlights:

1. I crash-landed Borsk Fey’lya, gave him amnesia, a love interest and a Tragic Backstory(tm), and redeemed his character. Oh, and it’s a songfic.
2. I wrote an entire fic about playing sabaac. It’s as exciting as it sounds.
3. I loved name-dropping droids, shipyards, and specific tech. All those Essential Guides on my bookshelf had to be put to good use, right?
4. I also loved naming new planets, ship models, species and characters. Okay, so nothing much has changed there. (But did I really name a throwaway politician Bolin Kowell? Yes, yes I did. Good grief.)
5. LARGE, BOLD, ALL CAPS, TYPEWRITER FONT for screen-based communications. This is the future, people!
6. Ooh, a fleet of mysterious, hostile aliens! That never happens in the EU...
7. I had a clear desire to write pranks, but just as clearly couldn’t think of any good ones. Oddly, just writing Wes Janson into the story didn’t conjure clever ideas.
8. Wow, I had... a lot of little subplots. They all sound alike, too. I think they all began life as separate stories, and I decided to lump them all together. With unnecessary flashbacks.
9. I resurrected or reunited characters with willful abandon! If I missed them in canon, then I was bringing them back, logic be “dammed.” Okay, I’m still on board with that part.
10. I used to write character profiles and outlines. They are filled with gems like “bitter, but for no good reason” or “member of a species with huge craniums,” and “secret mission to a planet” or “what is the conflict?” Very thorough stuff.

Aaand that’s the end of our detour down Memory Lane. Now, back to the multiple exchanges I should be working on!

I should be sleeping so I’ll just leave this here:

The Fandom Growth Exchange is live with many fabulous stories in small fandoms (or about little-known characters in large fandoms), ranging from The Expanse and Arrival to Roman Holiday, and Tolkien’s Letters from Father Christmas.

I received TWO beautiful, heart-filled gifts that each put a gigantic smile on my face. I’ll have more to say later, but for now please signal boost the whole collection!

The lovely gifts I received, both so well written and with pitch-perfect character voices:

Inalienable Girl in a Big Wide World: Arrival (2016)
Hannah-centric family fic, delightful wordplay and such a warm, happy family story!

Another Sidewalk Café: Roman Holiday
Joe and Ann meet again, and get their happy ending (and a kitchen).

Go read! Give authors well-deserved love! (Or sleep first, then read, like I should be doing.)