Dear Chocolatier - FINISHED AT LAST (and Dear God, Is This Thing Long)

[opalmatrix]

NOTE

First, a million apologies. I was totally not thinking when I requested this many fandoms and characters. I was worrying about the issues with making a match, and forgot that this would mean I'd have to write the equivalent of three or four Chocolate Box ficlets just to explain what I wanted from each fandom! And that's not even getting into my emotional fallout from the current political situation.

If you have already written something, forget you ever saw the addendum under the cut.

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Thank you for creating a sweet treat for me! Please have fun with your project. That's the main thing. But have a pile of preferences as well: they're all optional, of course. Please don't feel intimidated by the wall of words! It's meant to help, and you can ignore what doesn't work for you.

Characters & Prompts

Gangsta

Note that I haven't seen the anime (I prefer written/illustrated to animated for my media input).

Worick Arcangelo: Worick is very much the kind of character I love in manga: the whole underlying self-loathing under the bon vivant exterior; the fact that he has deep affections and loyalties underlying the whole horndog/gigolo schtick; the fact the he is, in reality, deeply angry about the unfairness of life. There's also something weirdlyy sweet about his vulgar and ineffectual hitting on Alex: he's made sure that she knows that she can say no to him. (If you know Saiyuki also, he has some similarities to Gojyo, although he's older and more profoundly cynical, and he makes me think of Badou in DOGS as well.)

Nicolas Brown: At his core he is still the haunted little kid who desperately wanted love and affection. Worick was for many years the only real person in his life and is still the only person who is likely to communicate with him on any but the most superficial level. The fact that Alex is actually trying to communicate with him now as well is a big change in his worldview.

Alex Benedetto: So lost, so vulnerable, and yet so determined to be able to communicate with Nic as well as Worick can. She has a strain of optimism that is all the more striking given her actual situation: she tries to clean up, to cook, to talk to Nic, to be useful and get a handle on what's going on around her.

Things That I'd Like to See

Almost anything between these three or any subset of them, as long as it includes some happiness or contentment. I also have a taste for warped domesticity (and their household definitely qualifies).

Saiyuki

This is my deepest favorite manga (and as far as I'm concerned, the anime does not exist). Also, Gojyo and Hakkai are my OTP, and my preferred mode of sexual interaction for them is 585.

At this point, I can't even say what I like best about each character: I've been writing them frequently for almost a decade, and I identify with both characters: Hakkai's constant obfuscation of his underlying anger by being mannerly and harmless-looking, his constant pursuit of expertise in skills, his passive-aggressive means of getting his way, the way Gojyo is the only person who can predictably make him feel anything; and Gojyo's "wounded at the core" nature, brought on by his relationship with his stepmother, his earthy kindness, his simultaneous vulgarity and chivalry, his persistence and endurance.

Things That I'd Like to See

Anything like one of these:

• I never learned nothing from playing it safe
• Wash me clean / Mend my wounded seams / Cleanse my tarnished dreams
• Yeah, I know I ain't nobody's bargain
• You don't have to prove to me you're beautiful to strangers
• Don't mind if I fall apart / There's more room in a broken heart

Chanur Series - C. J. Cherryh

I am not a "girly girl." I never was. I love Pyanfar because I can identify with her, because the concept doesn't even come up: femininity among Hani means something very different than it does among human beings. I love how she takes on her responsibilities because if not her, who? And how having so much responsibility still hurts her, how she's never intoxicated by the power she wields.

I love Khym's growth, and how much through it all, he still loves Py. The scene where he confesses that he couldn't treat his other wives as well because he was always waiting for her …yeah.

Things That I'd Like to See

Anything like one of these:

• You’ve got nothing you need to hide
• Tomorrow Is a long time away
• Here's the lifeline
• All these years, he never let it go
• I'm just about starving tonight

Alliance-Union - C. J. Cherryh

I love:

Ariane Emory II's protectiveness, her fierceness, her anger at her current youth and hence relatively low level of power, her sorrow at the fact that people don't love her because she's too scary, her appreciation of azi loyalty.

Grant ALX-972's wry humor, flashes of egotism, sensuality, and protectiveness toward, loyalty to, and knowledge of his mate. (I have heard that Word of God, he cosniders himself and Justin to be twp parts of the same organism.)

Justin Warrick's protectiveness of Grant even though he's so often terrified of what's happening around him, his wounded-at-the-core nature, his flashes of insight.

Signy Mallory's cynicism and loyalty, lack of bullshit, and ability to see her way through to doing the right thing form a position of strength.

Joshua Talley's brilliance, woundedness, aura of barely hidden danger, desire to be a normal being, and realization of his own emotional needs.

Things That I'd Like to See

• Ariane Emory II & Grant ALX-972 & Justin Warrick: a moment where they surprise her for once, or hwere they can all actually share a laugh about something. Or any light, happy moment.
• Grant ALX-972/Justin Warrick: sexytimes are great, or a warm (non-sexy) moment in their new apartment (in Regenesis), or Grant needing Justin (because so often, it's the other way around)
• Signy Mallory & Joshua Talley: some moment where they leave the past behind for a moment and are on the same wavelength

Craft Sequence - Max Gladstone

• Temoc Almotil/Mina (Craft Sequence): A warm moment before it all went pear-shaped, or the moment where she welcomes him back at last
• Caleb Altemoc & Mina (Craft Sequence): a childhood moment, or the moment where she comes to accept what he hs become
• Caleb Altemoc & Temoc Almotil: a childhood moment, or somewhere after the main storyline where they have an unexpected moment of rapport
• Tara Abernathy & Kos: he speaks to her of what she's done, and what it means to him
• Kos & Seril: a time or joy in the past, or a moment after their rebirth in which they rediscover what they meant to each other
• Tara Abernathy & Catherine Elle: serving Her, each in their own way
• Tara Abernathy & Seril: "You're not what I really expected"
• Tara Abernathy & Shale: giving friendship a try.

Stand Still Stay Silent

Characters

Tuuri Hotakainen: I like her buoyant optimism and enthusiasm; the fact that despite her sheltered upbringing, she's bold and hungry for new experiences; that she's not a pushover even though she's small and plump and mostly well-mannered. And giant tanks, OMG, what's not to like? (Really: I was the kid who built model airplanes with Dad.

Sigrun Eide: Bold and over the top, yet as she realizes that her troopers are not the gonzo warriors she's used to, she's becoming more vulnerable with regard to their safety. And her recent experiences with being injured and overwhelmed are making her feel more vulnerable on a personal level as well.

Lalli Hotakainen: I don't know if Lalli is neurotypical or not, but he really doesn't like to deal with people he doesn't know unless he has to. I don't want to hear typical teenager internal processes from him, and I have a hard time believing in sudden sexual intimacy involving him. I truly believe that he'd end up literally sleeping with someone way before he actually "slept" with that person in a sexual sense.

Emil Västerström: Vain, self-entered, and learning to be otherwise the hard way. The fact that the other two young men on the expedition simply don't care about most of the things that Emil thinks are marks of status is something he has found had to accept. And Lalli intrigues him, I think, for just that reason: that he's plainly very good at what he does and isn't impressed by Emil at all. Like many SSSS fans, I ship the two of them —but I think many people make things happen between them at much to rapid a pace.

Onni Hotakainen: I can identify with Onni's combination of older sibling protectiveness and emotional vulnerability. Because of this, the reveals of his great powers have been a huge pleasure to me. I also like his interest in and confusion about Reynir, and what to do with him.

Reynir Árnason: I was a little aggravated with his extreme naïveté and helplessness at first, but his slyness in exploring his powers, his reactions to being rebuffed by Onni, and the fact that he settles down to serious experimentation with his powers and consideration of what they can do have made me enjoy the character much more.

Mikkel Madsen: I'm also the big klutz who does all the useful things, sometimes! I think Mikkel is developing a good understanding of what each team member can and can't do, and I like his stoic appreciation of the fact that he is not really great at most of his duties.

Things That I'd Like to See

• Lalli becoming a bit more relaxed with Emil (there are signs of it already, like when he pats Emil on the head), and Emil trying to interpret what exactly this means.
• Hotakainen family togetherness: Onni, Tuuri, and Lalli as they leave their original home and as they live together on the base
• Onni and Reynir interacting in the dreamspace as Onni tries to deal with Reynir's very different powers
• Onni atempting to teach a young Lalli about magecraft: maybe the first time Lalli summons his luonto?
• Lalli trying to get Tuuri to explain what's going on with Reynir and Emil and how they try to interact with Lalli…and of course, Lalli hardly even knows how to ask about a topic like that.
• I love the scene in the town where Tuuri is touristing out over the goods in the shop windows, and Emil seems both amused and bemused by her enthusiasm. I'd love to see a little friendship between them.
• Mikkel and Sigrun are the mama bear and papa bear, whether they like it or not. I'd like to see them interacting in a way that shows some developing mutual respect and comradeship.
• SSSS has a number of little interaction scenes with Lalli and Emil, but few between Lalli and Reynir until Reynir's increasing magecraft skills draw Lalli's attention. Show me some missing little scene between them, or even Reynor just watching Lalli and learning what he is.
• Sigrun's apparent affection for Tuuri (the nicknames and so on) developing into something more. (I do have a squick for people abusing a superior social position, especially for sexual favors, so it would be even more cool for me if Sigrun's revelation of her interest in Tuuri would make her feel vulnerable in a way that she isn't with anyone else.)

Preferences

I Don't Like:

• Sickly-sweet, coy, cutesy romantic stuff (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
• Characters acting out of character, 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.
• Humiliation or betrayal (without a damn good plot reason) of a character by a friend or lover

I Like:

• Strong characterization (including character-appropriate dialog: no earthy, uneducated characters using $50 words)
• Positive emotional payoffs that are well-earned
• Passions that are strong without being mushy/fluffy
• Moments of realization — satori
• Friendships - although I am a romantic person, not every relationship must be romantic (I do like the trope of friends becoming lovers, however)
• Wry and even dark humor in the course of a more serious story
• And I like any of the following "cool bits":
  • hurt-comfort
  • family-of-choice, nakama, or True Companions
  • someone's profile silhouetted against the light
  • opposites attracting
  • senses of smell and touch and memories attached to them
  • being cozy indoors when it's rainy or snowing
  • warm and oversized bathrobes/dressing gowns or sweaters/jerseys
  • kissing the inside of the elbow or the base of the throat
  • brushing long hair or riffling fingers through short hair
  • drops of water or snowflakes clinging to hair and/or skin
  • licking honey or something similar off fingers
  • someone gradually waking and smiling when they realize their beloved is there
  • food descriptions: "food porn"
  • romantic partners who are both competent
  • whispered admissions of love or forgiveness
  • sudden realizations of feelings for another, or another's feelings for the POV character (doesn't have to be romantic: can be friendship, or how much someone needs someone else, or anything of that sort)
  • A motif, like a theme or a memory or an actual visual object, from the canon work that's echoed unexpectedly in the story

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).