opalmatrix | Dear Sutcliffer Swapper

This is my default "likes and dislikes." My record lately on adding more than that has not been good, I'm afraid.

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, a/k/a Ikea Erotica (link goes to TVTropes, you have been warned). 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.
Rape, forced sex (including fuck-or-die ... sex pollen, my other pet dislike for this, if not very Sutcliff), 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
- someone's profile silhouetted against the light
- warm and oversized bathrobes/dressing gowns or sweaters/jerseys
- licking honey or something similar off fingers
- sudden realization of one's feelings for another
- family-of-choice, nakama, or True Companions
- cynics with secretly soft hearts
- impulsive acts of valor (especially on behalf of the weak or an underdog)
- the little spots of light that sift through a thick canopy of trees onto the ground beneath
- water running over pebbles or stones
- senses of smell and touch and memories attached to them
- food descriptions: "food porn"
- an autumn leaf or item of clothing as the only bit of color in a bleak landscape
- an open-air market or seaside boardwalk or other place filled with joyful bustle and the smell of good things to eat
- a study or library as a refuge against the outside world

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).