This isn't really Quasar, this is her husband, AKA thewayne, from both LJ and DW. I told her about Live Journal's servers now being totally within the boarders of Russia, this was news that she was previously unaware of. And we can see that made all of 91 entries in the last decade, so she's not exactly a lively poster, but at her request I moved her over anyway.
So if you're an LJ user who is also on DW, please let us know and we'd love to add you to our reading pages. Who knows, maybe she'll start posting again. She's still writing, that's for sure.
My philosophy for writing requests is, I try to give a core request and then surround it with a lot of possible approaches to take. This is because my favorite requests I've gotten in the past would list a bunch of possibilities, and I would find one of those fired my imagination. I don't expect you to meet all of those possibilities! The core request matters, but for the details, find an approach that works and run with it.
As for my general tastes (again, not all of these need to be accommodated in one story!): I tend to prefer case/adventure/mystery stories, but if that's too much, you can also satisfy this urge by having a personal/talky/less-plotty story with some kind of adventure going on in the background. I adore hurt/comfort, both physical and emotional, and I'm always a sucker for the trope where character A briefly thinks character B is dead. I'm mostly a slash fan, but I've got nothing against gen or het. The emotional connection between characters is usually more important than the sexual one; I'm always happy to read smut, but I think even a romantic story can be complete without detailed sex. I get wobbly for characters doing stiff-upper-lip as long as I can tell they're holding back genuine feelings. I do prefer happy endings but I can tolerate ambiguous endings as long as they aren't completely miserable. I dislike character-bashing and partner betrayal and deep dark themes without getting some light in eventually. I like AUs in medium-to-big fandoms, but usually in small fandoms I'm looking for something more basic because there's hardly anything out there at all - but you can sell me on an AU if you work at it. Not really a fan of character death unless I already got exposed to it in canon - in that case, you can leave them dead or resurrect them if you like.
Fandom: PC Hodgell's Chronicles of the Kencyrath Title: That Which Preserves Author: Quasar (quasar273) Rating: PG Date written: December 2008 Length: 1100 words Summary: Shortly after meeting the Highlord's sister, Kindrie has a crisis of conscience -- his own, or someone else's?
Notes: A pinch hit written for Cherry Ice in the Yuletide Treasure challenge.
Very belatedly, here's my main entry for Yuletide 2008!
Fandom: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. Title: Night of the Brotherhood of the Very Secret Thing Author: Quasar (quasar273) Rating: PG-13 Pairing: Brisco/Bowler Date written: December 2008 Length: 5400 words Summary: Benefits and hazards and of a classical education.
Notes: Written for Blackbird Song in the Yuletide Treasure challenge.
Yuletide is up, without author names yet, and once again I'm flabbergasted by the level of quality in these stories. By crotchety standards, almost every story is readable, about every other one is good or at least very clever, and about one in four or five makes me jiggle with delight and amazement. Usually I don't do recs because they're so personal it seems kinda like a crapshoot. But this year there were some stories that were just so perfectly to my own tastes that it seems like I have to rec them. There are lots of other very very good stories out there, but if you happen to be a clone of me, make sure you don't miss these ones!
Mir BelledasNancy Springer -- White Hart series The story written for me, not-so-coincidentally a beautiful match to my tastes! I said, "if you can write smut in the author's style, WOW!" and that's what I got. A missing scene with enriching mention of other events throughout the book. Does an amazing job of capturing tone and voices (and language and culture) while going to a place Springer (probably) wouldn't have gone, or at least wouldn't have published.
The Golden OnesSarah Monette -- Melusine series Mildmay and Felix beginning their exile after The Mirador. Perfect writing voices, rich visual/cultural references, gripping storyline, and a touch of m/m smut.
A Light in the DarknessMartha Wells -- The Fall of Ile-Rien Good characterizations, clever mystery plot, great use of the culture. Ilias and Tremaine after the trilogy. Not enough Giliead, but yay for including Nicholas! No smut in this one, just good clean fun.
I just got my assignment for this year, and it's not my very favorite nor the one I thought was most likely, but I'm beginning to get enthused. Gotta bone up on the canon again, that will be SUCH a trial...
Now, for whoever gets to write MY story: usually I try to be non-specific, but in the how-to-write-your-request posts it seemed like more people complained about not enough guidance rather than too much guidance. So I'll try to be specific but give you lots of different options to choose from.
My general preferences: Most of all I like plot (adventure, case, battle, etc). If you don't have time or story room to write a whole plot, you can fool me by writing a vignette that implies plot happening all around it, like a moment in medias res. I like slash but I don't insist on it -- you can satisfy those urges with non-explicit slashiness, or strong friendship, or hurt/comfort. I mostly just want to see the connection between the characters, and if there are het relationships involved I don't want those to be the focus of the story. I usually like to see a style that matches well with canon or with the author's writing style and language, since all my requests this year were bookfic. But if you want to experiment with a different style, go for it -- just make it conscious and deliberate and consistent. I like strong characterization and being able to hear the characters' voices in their dialogue (I know that's tough with bookfic). I like either angst or schmoop in moderation, with a general preference for happy endings. I'm always willing to read explicit smut (and if you can write smut in the author's style, WOW!), but it isn't necessary to make me happy.
As for specific requests: In all of the first three requests I just really like the connection between the characters in canon and want to see more of it. For the Nancy Springer, I'm okay with reading incest but have never been able to write it, so I threw out a request to get someone else to write it for me -- there should be lots of potential for angst there. Same thing with the master/apprentice dynamic for Pamela Dean -- I can't write that but like to read it if you're game to try, or you can fall back on friendship and distract me with pretty language and Shakespeare quotes. With the Martha Wells I'm envisioning a Sherlock Holmes type mystery but it doesn't have to go that way -- maybe first meeting or first kiss or angsty rejection of one-sided crush or something.
The Bujold request is probably the hardest because it's so vague, and it's the only one that isn't character-driven. Here's where I'm coming from: I like the world Bujold built, but as far as the main characters go I'm happy with what we're getting in the canon and don't feel a drive to see more. So I'm looking for something different -- another part of the world or the history, or an expansion of some secondary characters (I generally like the Lakewalkers better than the farmers), or something like that. I have found myself toying with putting people from many of my favorite fandoms into that world and seeing how they would be different, how it might work if ATA gene=groundsense or Sentinel senses=groundsense or something like that. I'm intrigued by how little we know of the past world with the sorcerer-lords and maybe the gods weren't absent at that time, and how did that work? So there are a lot of different approaches you could take with this request, and I'm hoping that one of my suggestions will gel for you. I still have the general preference for something that's centered around a character or a couple, whether original or canon-secondary or transplanted from another fandom. I still have a general preference for m/m slash, but also willing to read m/f or f/f for this request.
I hope that's enough for you to work with! Just don't worry too much -- remember, I love these worlds and characters and will be happy to see anything written about them!
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis Title: Double Rebound Author: Quasar (quasar273) Pairing(s): McKay/Keller/Dex Length: 5800 words Rating: NC-17 Spoilers: up to s4, Trio Warnings: Mild kink, not fully resolved ending
Summary: Jennifer wants Rodney for an experiment.
Author's Notes: I wrote this way back in March 2008 after seeing Trio and the scene where Ronon kinda-flirts with Rodney in Kindred. I didn't want to post because I was trying to write the happy mcshep sequel. I finally admitted that the sequel would be long and angsty and not porny and not what I wanted to write. Then Tracker came out and I decided maybe this could stand as is (this story has no spoilers for Tracker).
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis Title: Any Sufficiently Advanced Technology, Part 3/3 Author: Quasar (quasar273) Pairing(s): McKay/Sheppard Rating: NC-17 Warnings: Violence
Summary: Years ago, John recruited a famous wizard for a project that went bad. Now he's asking for Rodney's help again.
Author's Notes: Written for the Away Team in mcshep_match, to the prompt "Call of Duty." Special thanks to argosy for story advice and beta, and to my beloved spouse for discussing this story with me week after week!
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis Title: Any Sufficiently Advanced Technology, Part 2/3 Author: Quasar (quasar273) Pairing(s): McKay/Sheppard Rating: NC-17 Warnings: Violence
Summary: Years ago, John recruited a famous wizard for a project that went bad. Now he's asking for Rodney's help again.
Author's Notes: Written for the Away Team in mcshep_match, to the prompt "Call of Duty." Special thanks to argosy for story advice and beta, and to my beloved spouse for discussing this story with me week after week!
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis Title: Any Sufficiently Advanced Technology, Part 1/3 Author: Quasar (quasar273) Pairing(s): McKay/Sheppard Rating: NC-17 Warnings: Violence
Summary: Years ago, John recruited a famous wizard for a project that went bad. Now he's asking for Rodney's help again.
Author's Notes: Written for the Away Team in mcshep_match, to the prompt "Call of Duty." Special thanks to argosy for story advice and beta, and to my beloved spouse for discussing this story with me week after week!
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis Title: Opportunity Knocks Author: Quasar (quasar273) Rating: PG Date written: June/July, 2008 Length: ~10000 words Spoilers: Set mid 4th season, sometime after Quarantine and before Kindred
Summary: A disgruntled minion hands Rodney an opportunity in disguise.
Author's notes: Tried to do something short and fluffy and plotless. Maybe I succeeded at fluffy.
I wrote this a while ago but forgot to post here. Note warnings!
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis Title: Not Single Spies, But Battalions Author: Quasar (quasar273) Rating: PG-13 Date written: March/April 2008 Length: ~1000 words
Spoilers: through mid fourth season Warnings:death fic, major character death, not for readers who hate death
Summary: What might have been in a world a few minutes different.
Author's note: Thanks to argosy for swift and insightful beta. Originally written for the sga_flashfic Family Challenge.
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate: SG-1, The Sentinel Title: Crossed Wires Author: Quasar (quasar273 Rating: PG Pairing: none, implied Jack/Daniel Date written: February 2008 Length: 1140 words Summary: Messages waiting in the top of the queue for the next databurst to Earth.
Notes: Another short bit for my Criss-Cross series; takes place after Crossing Paths. Here's a summary of the series, which contains links to the stories (and some story spoilers).
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate: SG-1, The Sentinel Title: Cross Talk Author: Quasar (quasar273 Rating: R Pairing: Jim/Blair, John/Rodney Date written: February 2008 Length: 4300 words Summary: Jim and Blair's perspective on events in the Criss-Cross universe. Notes: Just a bit of self-indulgent fluff for my Criss-Cross series. This one takes place immediately after Cross Country and shortly before Crossing Paths. Here's a summary of the series, which contains links to the stories (and some story spoilers).
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis Title: Vujà Dé Author: Quasar (quasar273) Rating: NC-17 Pairing: John/Rodney Date written: February 2008 Length: ~11,000 words
Spoilers: many eps up to 4x15 Outcast Warnings: borderline underage (15 year old with 16 year old)
Summary: It's bad enough being a teenager and probably gay, but going crazy makes it all worse.
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate: SG-1, The Sentinel Title: Cross Country, part 4 Author: Quasar Rating: borderline R/NC-17 Pairing: John/Rodney, Jim/Blair Date written: December 2006-February 2008 (whew!) Length: ~20,000 words (whole story) Summary: Salvage of equipment, people, and relationships. Notes: This is the fourth story in my Criss-Cross series (thanks to jya_bd_cp_ttgb for the name suggestion!). Read the other stories first, or continue at your peril. You can also read a summary of the series, which does contain some spoilers for the stories.
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate: SG-1, The Sentinel Title: Cross Country, part 3 Author: Quasar Rating: borderline R/NC-17 Pairing: John/Rodney, Jim/Blair Date written: December 2006-February 2008 (whew!) Length: ~20,000 words (whole story) Summary: Salvage of equipment, people, and relationships. Notes: This is the fourth story in my Criss-Cross series (thanks to jya_bd_cp_ttgb for the name suggestion!). Read the other stories first, or continue at your peril. You can also read a summary of the series, which does contain some spoilers for the stories.
At last! It is done, after much moaning and wailing. And after all that, I ended up cutting out some of the scenes that gave me the most trouble -- yet while I was writing them, I really felt I had to crawl to the other side and not skip over them. Anyway, it's done now and I thank everyone for being patient.
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate: SG-1, The Sentinel Title: Cross Country, part 2 Author: Quasar Rating: borderline R/NC-17 Pairing: John/Rodney, Jim/Blair Date written: December 2006-February 2008 (whew!) Length: ~20,000 words (whole story) Summary: Salvage of equipment, people, and relationships. Notes: This is the fourth story in my Criss-Cross series (thanks to jya_bd_cp_ttgb for the name suggestion!). Read the other stories first, or continue at your peril. You can also read a summary of the series, which does contain some spoilers for the stories.
Fandom: C.S. Lewis: The Chronicles of Narnia Title: The Lost Heir Rating: PG-13 Word Count: ~2500 Warnings: interspecies union, possibly underage Summary: The Kings and Queens of Narnia disappeared while on a hunting trip, leaving no behind no heir -- save one.
A/N: Written for Sternel for the Yuletide rare fandom secret Santa project. This was written as a last-minute Yuletide treat on December 24.
Fandom: Martha Wells: The Fall of Ile-Rien Title: The First Time is the Hardest Rating: NC-17 Word Count: ~8400 Warnings: het, non-con, scary stuff Summary: Ilias and Giliead had to do things for the first time, and learn from their mistakes.
A/N: Written for marycrawford for the Yuletide rare fandom secret Santa project. This was a pinch hit I picked up on December 17.
