Dear Rare Ship Swap Author!
First things first - I'm always about the female characters, their goals, their hopes, their dreams, their wants and desires and agency. So I hope this is in line with what you can write, because I love me the female characters and their stories.
Secondly, my preferences tend towards a more practical female/romantic male pairing, but not for "romance" if that makes sense. The traditional roses, dinner dates, jewellery, etc., are not really the thing for any of the women in my requests, although that doesn't rule out gifts, surprises, or nice little things that the guys can do for them.
I don't care which character does the sexual pursuing (getting them into bed), but I like the guy to do the pursuing emotionally - which is to say that he is the one who's more often pushing for acknowledgement of their relationship, while she's content to let it sit wherever (and in some cases *cough*Maria*cough* would actively resist moving it along).
In setting, I like stories where a whole bunch of things are happening, and the relationship is going on in the background, outlined by the interaction between the characters (and any others in their 'verse) but with moments snatched out of the middle of a situation, not a situation around the moments. All four requests I've made list pairings that met through the work they do, so integrating their work with their personal life isn't beyond the realm of possibility and, indeed, is considerably more likely than anything else.
relationship tropes I like
Girl Saves Boy: He's in trouble, she comes to the rescue and either outwits, outfights, or just plain takes out the enemy.
Battle Couples: They're in a tight spot and they take out the baddies together. Love-in-a-foxhole kind of stuff, before they come out all guns blazing.
D/s: Headgames, bedgames - always consensual and careful, but hot, intimate, and revealing - character study through sex - love it!
Learning Boundaries: Different people have different expectations of a relationship: behaviour, standards, time together. I like seeing the negotiation of these boundaries - she doesn't think twice about touching other guys, but he sees it as flirting. They have to learn how far they'll stretch for the other person.
Falling In Love: I love reading fics about characters falling in love. Not necessarily in a romantic sense - in fact, I'd strongly prefer you avoid any flowers, chocolates, dinner dates, or anything that might be considered conventionally "romantic" - but how they come to appreciate each other and get together. Points on a line, the high points (and low) of their interactions - especially the arguments and conflicts they have.
relationship tropes I don't like
silly misunderstandings: Anything that could be cleared up simply by confronting and clarifying the other character. You know - she saw him kissing another woman and goes away and sulks, or he misheard part of a conversation and got butthurt. ARGH. NO.
babyfic: It frustrates me when a baby is used as a reason to get a couple together. I can buy the idea of caring for a child bringing people together (with them falling in love as they work with each other over the child), but I dislike the idea of a child being the symbol of 'perfect love'.
conventional romance: None of the women I've picked are 'conventional'. Avoid conventional romantic tropes: chocolates, flowers, jewellery, etc. Go wild, be different!
female jealousy tropes: I hate hate hate hate hate jealousy tropes for females about their rivals for guys. Not that I don't think women get jealous, just that the tropes are inevitably horrendously done. On the other hand, I like the jealous male trope but only if he's quietly jealous. Buttoned-down angsting is the way to go, but only for the guys.
I'd prefer these characters in their usual 'verse, please, although the last one - Raleigh/Mako/Chuck would be interesting in an AU, so long as Mako is still key/heroine/awesome/the best. ('Fork in the road' AUs are okay in just about any fandom, though: I love seeing those.)
Ultimately, I'm good with 'happy for now' scenarios - in fact, I rather distrust 'happy ever after' endings. A pause on the way through the story is fine - a conflict resolved, a relationship acknowledged, an understanding reached. Fantasy romancing and sweet forevers are not my bag.
Final thing: these are all preferences - things the way I like it best. However, if you have an idea that you think is BRILLIANT and which goes against these ideas, then write it. I'm always interested in new takes on my old faves!
And I hope you have fun and don't stress out writing for me!
( the pairings )
First things first - I'm always about the female characters, their goals, their hopes, their dreams, their wants and desires and agency. So I hope this is in line with what you can write, because I love me the female characters and their stories.
Secondly, my preferences tend towards a more practical female/romantic male pairing, but not for "romance" if that makes sense. The traditional roses, dinner dates, jewellery, etc., are not really the thing for any of the women in my requests, although that doesn't rule out gifts, surprises, or nice little things that the guys can do for them.
I don't care which character does the sexual pursuing (getting them into bed), but I like the guy to do the pursuing emotionally - which is to say that he is the one who's more often pushing for acknowledgement of their relationship, while she's content to let it sit wherever (and in some cases *cough*Maria*cough* would actively resist moving it along).
In setting, I like stories where a whole bunch of things are happening, and the relationship is going on in the background, outlined by the interaction between the characters (and any others in their 'verse) but with moments snatched out of the middle of a situation, not a situation around the moments. All four requests I've made list pairings that met through the work they do, so integrating their work with their personal life isn't beyond the realm of possibility and, indeed, is considerably more likely than anything else.
relationship tropes I like
Girl Saves Boy: He's in trouble, she comes to the rescue and either outwits, outfights, or just plain takes out the enemy.
Battle Couples: They're in a tight spot and they take out the baddies together. Love-in-a-foxhole kind of stuff, before they come out all guns blazing.
D/s: Headgames, bedgames - always consensual and careful, but hot, intimate, and revealing - character study through sex - love it!
Learning Boundaries: Different people have different expectations of a relationship: behaviour, standards, time together. I like seeing the negotiation of these boundaries - she doesn't think twice about touching other guys, but he sees it as flirting. They have to learn how far they'll stretch for the other person.
Falling In Love: I love reading fics about characters falling in love. Not necessarily in a romantic sense - in fact, I'd strongly prefer you avoid any flowers, chocolates, dinner dates, or anything that might be considered conventionally "romantic" - but how they come to appreciate each other and get together. Points on a line, the high points (and low) of their interactions - especially the arguments and conflicts they have.
relationship tropes I don't like
silly misunderstandings: Anything that could be cleared up simply by confronting and clarifying the other character. You know - she saw him kissing another woman and goes away and sulks, or he misheard part of a conversation and got butthurt. ARGH. NO.
babyfic: It frustrates me when a baby is used as a reason to get a couple together. I can buy the idea of caring for a child bringing people together (with them falling in love as they work with each other over the child), but I dislike the idea of a child being the symbol of 'perfect love'.
conventional romance: None of the women I've picked are 'conventional'. Avoid conventional romantic tropes: chocolates, flowers, jewellery, etc. Go wild, be different!
female jealousy tropes: I hate hate hate hate hate jealousy tropes for females about their rivals for guys. Not that I don't think women get jealous, just that the tropes are inevitably horrendously done. On the other hand, I like the jealous male trope but only if he's quietly jealous. Buttoned-down angsting is the way to go, but only for the guys.
I'd prefer these characters in their usual 'verse, please, although the last one - Raleigh/Mako/Chuck would be interesting in an AU, so long as Mako is still key/heroine/awesome/the best. ('Fork in the road' AUs are okay in just about any fandom, though: I love seeing those.)
Ultimately, I'm good with 'happy for now' scenarios - in fact, I rather distrust 'happy ever after' endings. A pause on the way through the story is fine - a conflict resolved, a relationship acknowledged, an understanding reached. Fantasy romancing and sweet forevers are not my bag.
Final thing: these are all preferences - things the way I like it best. However, if you have an idea that you think is BRILLIANT and which goes against these ideas, then write it. I'm always interested in new takes on my old faves!
And I hope you have fun and don't stress out writing for me!
( the pairings )
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