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[opalmatrix]

For now, have some general preferences. I'll be adding specifics about my requested fandoms once I'm out form under some deadlines elsewhere.

Preferences

I Don't Like:

• Characters acting OOC, especially if the purpose is to force them into a relationship (doubly bad if that relationship is romantic or sexual)
• By-the-numbers, every-action-described sex. Note that actual sex is fine ( I love me some sexy stories) — just don't like it when the descriptions turn into a set of exact stage directions.
• Mpreg, rape, forced sex (including sex pollen and fuck-or-die), hatesex. Dubcon is OK, especially the sort when the reluctant partner really wants the other person but is just not quite feeling ready yet or doesn't think se wants it in this particular way but gets off on it anyway.
• Sickly-sweet, coy, cutesy romantic stuff (most romance-focused fiction/shoujo manga leave me cold: anything in the "tee-hee-hee, is he looking at me?" category is definitely out)
• Extensive use of epithets, or epithets that don't match the character POV (no one should think of his or her long-time lover as "the green-eyed man," for example): these will throw me right out of a story
• Humiliation or betrayal (without a damn good plot reason) of a character by a friend or lover

I Like:

• Friendships - although I am a romantic person, not every relationship must be romantic (I do like the trope of friends becoming lovers, however)
• Strong characterization (including character-appropriate dialog: no earthy, uneducated characters using $50 words)
• Wry and even dark humor in the course of a more serious story
• Positive emotional payoffs that are well-earned
• Passions that are strong without being mushy/fluffy
• Moments of realization — satori
• And I like any of the following "cool bits":
  • hurt-comfort
  • senses of smell and touch and memories attached to them
  • impulsive acts of valor (especially on behalf of the weak or an underdog)
  • sudden realization of one's feelings for another
  • someone's profile silhouetted against the light
  • warm and oversized bathrobes/dressing gowns or sweaters/jerseys (especially if the garment belongs to someone else significant to the character who ends up wearing it)
  • opposites attracting
  • romantic partners or friends who are both competent
  • kissing the inside of the elbow or the base of the throat
  • brushing long hair or riffling fingers through short hair
  • finding in a fight that one's ally feels like a protective wall
  • drops of water clinging to hair and/or skin
  • food descriptions: "food porn"
  • whispered admissions of love or forgiveness
  • cabinets or cases full of odd curios
  • the sound of a flute or panpipes or something similar

I'm quite content with both straight and gay relationships. I do tend to ship the canon relationships, unless it's a character who has had no clear relationships shown in the story. I'm not comfortable with sexual relationships shown in children under the age of, say, 14 or so, and even then it's better in context (teens with other teens or in a societal setting where girls expect to marry by 16-18 anyway).