abluestocking

Semi friends-only. A few fics will remain unlocked, but other posts are now locked. I don't post here much nowadays, but if we're friends on other platforms shoot me a line. :)

If you're just looking for my fic, it's here (for current work). Drop me a comment for the link to my old UK Politics fics.

It’s October! It’s still 90 degrees where I live (because California has nonsense seasons that keep us in swimming pools while the rest of the country has moved on to pumpkin spice lattes and cozy sweaters), but that doesn’t matter. October means fall, and fall means Yuletide! This is my seventh Yuletide, and I’ve loved each and every one of them. :)

So welcome, dear Yuletide writer! Please know that it is incredibly hard to disappoint me. I’m like a kid in a candy store – unless it’s black licorice (i.e., on my squicks list), I pretty much covet anything and everything. I want you to write something you enjoy and love, in one of the fantastic fandoms we share. Does half a prompt inspire you, but you want to mix-and-match it with half of a prompt from another fandom section? Go for it! Do you want to ignore my fandom prompts and take your cue from one of my general likes instead? Fabulous! ♥

[things I love] // [squicks and DNWs]

[Amelia Peabody - Elizabeth Peters] // [Damar Series - Robin McKinley]
[Jewish Scripture & Legend] // [Miss Marple – Agatha Christie]
[Oxford Time Travel Universe - Connie Willis] // [Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers]

( things I love )

( squicks and DNWs )

~

( Amelia Peabody - Elizabeth Peters )

( Damar Series - Robin McKinley )

( Jewish Scripture & Legend )

( Miss Marple - Agatha Christie )

( Oxford Time Travel Universe - Connie Willis )

( Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers )

Hopefully this letter has been helpful! :) If you want more info, feel free to check out my other fandoms for ideas, and/or my past letters (under the exchange letters tag). A lot of my favorite tropes and plotbunnies are panfandom (with variations, of course, for different characters), and can be stolen for other fandoms or used as inspiration.

Thank you again for offering one of my fandoms! ♥ I’ll love whatever you write. :)

It’s Chocolate Box time! I’m excited. I missed Chocolate Box’s inaugural run due to a crazy real-life schedule, so I’m excited to get to participate this year. Especially since the tagset looks absolutely divine (as you’ll be able to see when you see the sheer number of things that I’ve requested!)

So welcome, dear Chocolate Box creator. :) If you’re writing a fic or drawing a sketch for me, please know that it is incredibly hard to disappoint me. I’m like a kid in a candy store – unless it’s black licorice (i.e., on my squicks list), I pretty much covet anything and everything. I want you to create something you enjoy and love, in one of the fantastic fandoms we share. Does half a prompt inspire you, but you want to mix-and-match it with half of a prompt from another fandom section? Go for it! Do you want to ignore my fandom prompts and take your cue from one of my general likes instead? Fabulous! ♥

Because I’m requesting the full ten fandoms, and often several ships within each (I told you the tagset was divine!), this letter is long. I’ve tried to make it easy to browse and read, with links and bullet points and all that jazz. Hopefully I succeeded! :) Also, please don't think that because my letter is long I have my heart set on longfic. I will be totally thrilled by a short snippet! I just like to talk a lot, especially about these awesome canons. ;)

Finally, I'm requesting both art & fic. I'm not very good at art prompts, not being an artist myself, but I've tried! I do love art and will love what you create. ♥

[things I love] // [squicks and DNWs]

[Amelia Peabody] // [Damar] // [Goblin Emperor]
[Howl’s Moving Castle] // [Sense and Sensibility (1995)] // [US Politics RPF]
[West Wing]// [Wimsey]// [Crossovers]// [Original Work]

( things I love )

( squicks and DNWs )

( Amelia Peabody – Elizabeth Peters )

( Damar Series - Robin McKinley )

( The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison )

( Howl's Moving Castle Series )

( Sense and Sensibility (1995) )

( US Politics RPF )

( West Wing )

( Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers )

( Crossovers )

( Original Work )

Hopefully this letter has been helpful! :) If you want more info, feel free to check out my other fandoms for ideas, and/or my past letters (under the exchange letters tag). A lot of my favorite tropes and plotbunnies are panfandom (with variations, of course, for different characters), and can be stolen for other fandoms or used as inspiration.

Thank you again for offering one of my fandoms! ♥ I know I’ll love what you create. Happy New Year!

Hello, lovely fellow Trick or Treat person! I’m really happy that we’ve been matched. You obviously have excellent taste, since you’ve offered one of my fandoms. ;) But seriously, I’m really excited to see what you create. You’re awesome. ♥

Things I love: adventures, falling in love (especially when the characters don’t realise that’s what they’re doing), unreliable narrators, slow build, characters with plans, characters with plans that go wrong, characters in love who have difficulty making the first move (particularly if the person they're pining for is in love with them too and having similar troubles), epistolary fic, teasing, snark, established relationships (particularly the old-marriedness and cosy bits), kissing, thorough kissing, worldbuilding, magic, working through problems, laughter and derailments and affection during sex, cuddling, domesticity, happy endings. (More porn likes, if that’s your thing.)

Dislikes and squicks: gore, scat, torture, bestiality, under-age sex, incest, non-con, hunting, animal death.

TREATS vs TRICKS note: I am a fan of both! Please no body horror, hard horror, or gore in my tricks. But occult, supernatural, scary, thriller, ghosts, vampires, headless swordswomen, werewolves, etc., that's all great! Most of my prompts aren't explicitly 'trick' or 'treat' - for example, "Csethiro teaching Maia something about court life/court people" could easily be an AU in which ghosts haunt the palace once a year/Csethiro is actually a vampire/etc., or it could be "Csethiro teaches Maia how to get some alone time with his fiancée". Feel free to take the prompts in either direction! :)

ART note: I have requested art as well as fic! I am very much not an artist, so I'm not sure how good my prompts will be, but I'll try. And I know I'll love what you create, if you're an artist and you've been assigned to me. :) I do really like art, I'm just hopeless myself.

General note: I have received truly wonderful and exceptional gift-fic over the years (thank you, authors!!). If a fandom, character, or even a specific prompt reappears in my letter, it isn't because I didn't wholeheartedly love my gifts! I am simply insatiable and always desire more. ;)

On to the fandoms and ships!

♥ ♥ ♥

( follow me )

♥ ♥ ♥

~//~

Hopefully this has been helpful! :) If you want more info, do check out my other fandoms for ideas, and/or my past letters (under the "exchange letters" tag). A lot of my beloved tropes and plotbunnies are panfandom (with variations, of course, for the different beloved characters), and can be stolen for other fandoms.

Thank you again for offering one of my favorite fandoms! I know I’ll love your fic or art. Happy creating! ♥ ♥ ♥

Hello, lovely fellow Yuletider! I’m really happy that we’ve been matched. You obviously have excellent taste, since you’ve offered one of my fandoms. ;) But seriously, I’m really excited to see what you write. You’re awesome. ♥

Things I love: adventures, falling in love (especially when the characters don’t realise that’s what they’re doing), unreliable narrators, slow build, characters with plans, characters with plans that go wrong, characters in love who have difficulty making the first move (particularly if the person they're pining for is in love with them too and having similar troubles), epistolary fic, teasing, snark, established relationships (particularly the old-marriedness and cosy bits), kissing, thorough kissing, worldbuilding, magic, working through problems, laughter and derailments and affection during sex, cuddling, domesticity, happy endings. (More porn likes, if that’s your thing.)

Dislikes and squicks: gore, scat, torture, bestiality, under-age sex, incest, non-con. Also, I’m a vegan. This isn’t a big deal usually – feel free to have people eating cheeseburgers in the background or whatever. It’s only a squick for me if the eating of animals is graphic, dwelt on at length, and/or raw.

On to the fandoms and ships!

♥ ♥ ♥

( follow me )

♥ ♥ ♥

~//~

Hopefully this has been helpful! :) If you want more info, do check out my other fandoms for ideas, and/or my past letters (under the "exchange letters" tag). A lot of my beloved tropes and plotbunnies are panfandom (with variations, of course, for the different beloved characters), and can be stolen for other fandoms.

Thank you again for offering one of my favorite fandoms! I know I’ll love your fic. Happy creating! ♥ ♥ ♥

Hello, lovely fellow Rare Ship Swap person! I’m really happy that we’ve been matched. You obviously have excellent taste, since you’ve offered one of my fandoms. ;) But seriously, I’m really excited to see what you create. You’re awesome. ♥

Things I love: adventures, falling in love (especially when the characters don’t realise that’s what they’re doing), unreliable narrators, slow build, characters with plans, characters with plans that go wrong, characters in love who have difficulty making the first move (particularly if the person they're pining for is in love with them too and having similar troubles), epistolary fic, teasing, snark, established relationships (particularly the old-marriedness and cosy bits), kissing, thorough kissing, worldbuilding, magic, working through problems, laughter and derailments and affection during sex, cuddling, domesticity, happy endings. (More porn likes, if that’s your thing.)

Dislikes and squicks: character-bashing (I adore all the characters I’ve nominated), gore, scat, torture, bestiality, under-age sex, incest, non-con. Also, I’m a vegan. This isn’t a big deal usually – feel free to have people eating cheeseburgers in the background or whatever. It’s only a squick for me if the eating of animals is graphic, dwelt on at length, and/or raw.

On to the fandoms and ships!

♥ ♥ ♥

( follow me )

♥ ♥ ♥

~//~

Okay, hopefully I’ve stayed relatively concise, while still giving you enough info and ideas! If you still want more, do check out my other fandoms for ideas that could carry over, and/or my past letters. A lot of my beloved tropes and plotbunnies are panfandom (with variations, of course, for the different beloved characters.)

Thank you again for offering to write one of these fandoms, dear writer! I know I’ll love your fic. Happy writing! ♥ ♥ ♥

Yuletide is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. This year I was only able to go home for three days, so having Yuletide stories to read when I got back was really nice. (I wish it was still undergrad years and I could stay for two weeks!) I haven't finished reading yet, but my recs list was getting pretty long & unwieldy, so here it is for now. (If I have time, there may be a second installment later.)

32 recs in 24 fandoms, plus my 5 gifts (in 3 fandoms).

Contains recs for Anne of Green Gables, Badass Women in History, Benjamin January Mysteries (Barbara Hambly), Cadfael Chronicles, Chris Bucholz Advice Columns (Cracked.com), Cornetto “40-Love” Commercial, Enchanted Forest Chronicles (Patricia Wrede), Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (Fannie Flagg), Game of Thrones RPF, Jeeves & Wooster (Wodehouse), Lord Peter Wimsey (Dorothy Sayers), Lynes and Mathey series (Amy Griswold & Melissa Scott), Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Monstrous Regiment, Oxford Time Travel Universe, Playthings (Gun Safety PSA), The Princess Bride, The Queen's Thief, Rosemary & Thyme, Scandal (TV), Scarborough Fair (song), Sleeping Beauty (1969), Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), Temeraire/Unusual Dragon Hoards, Tennis RPF, and Vienna Teng (Works).

( Yuletide 2014 recs )

Hello, lovely fellow FemslashEx person! I’m really happy that we’ve been matched. You obviously have excellent taste, since you’ve offered one of my ships. ;) But seriously, thank you for writing for me, and I’m really excited to see what you create. You’re awesome. <3

Things I love: adventures, falling in love (especially when the characters don’t realise that’s what they’re doing), unreliable narrators, slow build, characters with plans, characters with plans that go wrong, characters in love who have difficulty making the first move (particularly if the person they're pining for is in love with them too and having similar troubles), teasing, snark, established relationships (particularly the old-marriedness and cosy bits), kissing, thorough kissing, worldbuilding, magic, working through problems, laughter and derailments and affection during sex, cuddling, domesticity, happy endings. (More porn likes, if that’s your thing.)

Dislikes and squicks: character-bashing (I adore all the characters I’ve nominated), gore, scat, torture, bestiality, under-age sex, incest, non-con. Also, I’m a vegan. This isn’t a big deal usually – feel free to have people eating cheeseburgers in the background or whatever. It’s only a squick for me if the eating of animals is graphic, dwelt on at length, and/or raw.

On to the fandoms and ships!

(Final note: I’m trying something slightly different in this letter than in other exchange letters I’ve written, which is to be relatively concise. Feel free to check out earlier letters to get a fuller sense of things/situations/plotbunnies I like, if you’re into that. :) Many of my plotbunnies and general likes could easily carry over into other fandoms.)

( Fandoms/Ships )
~//~

Okay, hopefully I’ve kept to my resolution of being more concise this time, while still giving you enough info and ideas! If you still want more, do check out my other fandoms for ideas (a lot of them probably carry over – like, if you want the President/Chief of Staff, C.J./Nancy, or Dominque/Chloe to investigate a mystery, or conquer a new piece of technology, go for it!) and/or my past letters. A lot of my beloved tropes and plotbunnies are panfandom (with variations, of course, for the different beloved characters.)

Thank you again for offering to write one of these fandoms, dear writer! I know I’ll love your fic. Happy writing! ♥ ♥ ♥

So I've had a whirlwind holiday season! With my little sister's cancer diagnosis, we've spent the last 9 days or so together as a family, first at my mom's for Christmas and then at my dad's for the week after. I haven't spent so long with the kids since I was 16. It's been good, just a bit loud and boisterous, but I haven't had much privacy or time. Thus no recs posts yet, and I've only managed to read and comment on a few Yuletide fics. (Three of those were my terrifically wonderful gifts! Don't worry, you'll hear much more about them in my rec post when it comes. They're awesome.)

But I did write three fics before the Christmas rush, and here they are!

*drumroll*

( follow the cut )

~~

Well, that's it! That's my Yuletide reveal for 2013. Only three fics this year, as opposed to past years where I've had eight or nine, but all three of them were pretty hefty, so I'm quite happy with them. (And I do have at least one NYR still in the works.) Thanks to all the readers, kudosers, and commenters, and a special unworthy thank you to the lovely reccers. <3

P.S. To my LJ friends - we got a late Christmas present today! The oncologists called to reschedule M's appointment (to discuss a chemotherapy schedule) to February. It was supposed to be tomorrow, and we fully expected her to have to start chemo immediately. So she has a month's reprieve, which is a long time when you're 10. May all the days of 2014 be as joyful.

Hello, lovely Yuletide author-to-be! I am beyond excited that we’ve been matched. You’re already most awesome for signing up to Yuletide and for offering at least one of the fandoms of my heart. Everything above that is gravy. I will adore you and whatever you write, don’t worry. <333

You’ll already have my requests, which I’ve copied down below as well. This letter will go into more detail (and periodically swerve into squee, because this is my third year doing Yuletide and it just makes me so blissfully happy). If you already have an idea and want to get writing, go for it! But if you'd like a little more insight into me and my requests, read on. :)

Before getting to the fandoms, a few general notes: I love all kinds of fic – gen, femslash, slash, het, it's all good. Whichever way your muse takes you is fine (although I'd love it if the story had some plot and/or characterisation as well as its porn, if you go in that direction). ♥

Things I love: gen adventures, falling in love (especially when the characters don’t realise that’s what they’re doing), unreliable narrators, slow build, characters with plans, characters with plans that go wrong, characters in love who have difficulty making the first move (particularly if the person they're pining for is in love with them too and having similar troubles), teasing, snark, established relationships (particularly the old-marriedness and cosy bits), kissing, thorough kissing, worldbuilding, magic, working through problems, laughter and derailments and affection during sex, cuddling, domesticity, happy endings. (More porn likes, if that's your thing, at my Yuleporn comment.)

Dislikes and squicks: character-bashing (I adore all the characters I’ve nominated), gore, scat, torture, bestiality, under-age sex, incest, non-con. Also, I’m a vegan. This isn’t a big deal usually – feel free to have people eating cheeseburgers in the background or whatever. It’s only a squick for me if the eating of animals is graphic (e.g., character is hunting and eats their kill raw with bloody relish) and/or dwelt on at great length & detail.

On to the fandoms and requests!

( Yuletide 2013 )
♥ ♥ ♥
~//~

That's all of my fandoms! If you read all of that, I am very impressed indeed. :) Sorry to chatter on so, I just love Yuletide and these fandoms so much. I've had such a wonderful time the last two Yuletides, and I know this year will be just as fantastic. Thank you again for offering to write one of these fandoms, dear writer! I know I will love your fic.

If you want to see the kinds of things I write myself (I know I check out my recipient), here are a couple of my fics from prior Yuletides. :)

No Longer a Friend of Narnia (Wicked Girls (album) - Seanan McGuire, Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis).
Noah's Arkangel (Tanakh). [Warning, this one's really long, haha, but it was my assignment last year so I include it for completeness.]
Springtime in Ihistan (Damar - Robin McKinley).
Wicked Wiles (Fairy Tales and Related Fandoms, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)).
A Novel Solution (Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen).

See you on Christmas! Happy Yuletide writing, and thank you again!

♥♥♥