Dear Crossworks Author

I use the same name everywhere so I am beatrice_otter on AO3.

Lovely author, here is my theory about letters: how much detail people want in a letter is HIGHLY variable. Some people (such as myself) prefer if their recip gives LOTS of guidance on their wishes. Some prefer as little as possible so they can be free as a bird. Most are somewhere in between. So! Here's everything including the kitchen sink if you find it helpful, but feel free to ignore it if it is not helpful. I would rather get a story you were happy with than "well, she said she liked x, so I guess I have to do x even though Idon't like x and/or am just not inspired that way." I'm fairly easy to please; I've been doing ficathons for over a decade and am very rarely disappointed with my gifts.

The most important thing for me in a fic is that the characters are well-written and recognizably themselves. Even when I don't like a character, I don't go in for character-bashing. If nothing else, if the rest of this letter is too much or my kinks just don't fit yours, just concentrate on writing a story with everyone in character and good spelling and grammar and I will almost certainly love what you come up with.

I have an embarrassment squick, which makes humor kind of hit-or-miss sometimes. The kind of humor where someone does something embarrassing and the audience is laughing at them makes me uncomfortable. On the other hand, the kind of humor where the audience is laughing with the characters I really enjoy.

Please no incest or darkfic. I define "darkfic" as stuff where there's a lot of suffering and no hope even at the end and all the characters are terrible. Angst with a happy ending is fine, I enjoy it, but there's gotta be a payoff. Even an ambiguous ending is fine! But there has to be some note of grace or redemption or hope somewhere, it can't just be "people are awful and the world sucks, the end."

( General Likes and Dislikes )

The Goblin Emperor Series - Katherine Addison, Kate and Cecelia - Caroline Stevermer & Patricia Wrede, Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, Persuasion - Jane Austen, Mansfield Park - Jane Austen, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke, Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen, Temeraire - Naomi Novik, The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

( Historical fiction/historical fantasy )

Miss Marple - Agatha Christie, Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers, Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Captain America (Movies), Clue (1985), Indiana Jones Series, Poirot - Agatha Christie, Young Wizards - Diane Duane, The Old Guard (Movie 2020), The Muppet Show

( WWII Detectives And SF/F )

The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Doctor Who (2005), Star Wars Legends: Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn, Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold, Battlestar Galactica (2003), Young Wizards - Diane Duane, The Muppet Show

( AI and wormholes and war, oh my! )

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Wars Legends: Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn, Doctor Who (1963), The Muppet Show

( Hope In Space )

Battlestar Galactica (2003), Babylon 5 (TV 1993), Doctor Who (2005), Young Wizards - Diane Duane

( Who are you? What do you want? And why are you here? )

Young Wizards - Diane Duane, Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch, The Addams Family (Movies - Sonnenfeld), Captain Marvel (2019), Pacific Rim (Movies), Pitch (TV 2016), Sense8 (TV), The Old Guard (Movie 2020), The Muppet Show

( Worldbuilding and/or Characters Reflecting )