Dear Yulegoat (or other ruminant),

 Firstly can I apologise for not getting this letter up until after
assignments!

 I don't use my LJ any more, but feel free to look at 
senji.livejournal.com if you want :-).  I now have a new blog at 
circle.thy.me.uk , but I haven't posted anything for ages, there are
only a few posts there and none of them are fandom related...

 In general I'm big on interesting genfic.  Plot preferred over 'ship,
but I'm not averse to shipfic, or even a good PWP.  Het, Slash,
Femslash, Groupsex, BDSM, sex-with-aliens, sex-with-chthonic-entities,
and horrible Polytangles all fine, but not required. 

 Likewise I'm not adverse to something that's not a traditional story
-- if your fannish inclinations lead you to Interactive Fiction or a
CYOA story, or whatever, then feel free!

OK, requests:

Alliance-Union - C. J. Cherryh
Character: Sam Whitely

  I was going to start this off by saying that Sam Whitely is in some
 ways the token "normal" person in Reseune, but I got barely halfway
 through that sentence before deciding that he isn't.  It's only because
 we're seeing him in a context full of Political Psych that he doesn't
 look like a genius.  He almost certainly doesn't think he is.  But
 he's the only one who can make Ari II relax, his architectural skills
 are sufficiently respectable that he managed to persuade people other
 than Ari to let him build Alpha Wing, and he appears to have an
 absolute eye for design.

  Whilst he's a minor character I think we see quite a bit of his
 personality and skills.  He's in many ways another outsider in Ari's
 coterie, and in the Reseune Lab environment.  What I'd like is something
 that either puts a spotlight on Sam, or that uses Sam to be a spotlight
 on the rest of the books.

  Sam has a canonical pairing, but there's lots of room for before,
 after, as-well, affairs, or many other kinds of things, if you want.


Requite Universe - Ankaret Wells
Characters: Tzenni, Ligeia

  Requite is very much a book (well two) about a geek, Tzenni Boccamera; 
 albeit a geek who isn't a stranger to direct action and weapon-play.  In
 some ways it's a coming-of-age story, although a very different one to
 the traditional farmboy-makes-good style of fantasy.  On the flip side
 of the request we have her sister, Ligeia, whom we might describe as the
 martial one (or whom Tzenni would probably call the _responsible_ one).
 They are sisters, they've grown up together, and the text actually does
 a good job of demonstrating how this has influenced the way they view
 each other (often with blinkers).  

  I think there are broadly two ways to go with this request -- before 
 and after.  After is fairly simple, the text leaves it in no uncertain
 terms that Ligeia is unhappy with Tzenni's choices, and that she's 
 unlikely to let things lie.  Before is slightly more subtle; The Maker's 
 Mask starts in-media-res and only quite oblique references are made
 to the sisters' relationships growing up.

  Oh, and don't be worried that I've left Catha out because I hate her, 
 I'm just more interested in the Tzenni/Ligeia dynamic at the moment.


The Falconer Trilogy - Elizabeth May
Characters: Aileana, Kiaran

  I encountered Elizabeth May on twitter; and based on her twitter
 presence felt that I'd buy her books.  And I must say they really
 haven't disappointed; and I could barely put them down to work or
 sleep.  And I assume that if you're reading this with the intent of
 fulfilling this request theny you've probably had a similar
 experience.

  The particular thought that made me nominate thest two was that
 Kiaran and Aileana are totally unsuited to settling down as a Good
 and Proper Gentleman and His Lady; and I can't imagine the world
 they're living in remaining "normal" for them.  A scene, vignette,
 story, or whatever exploring this would be lovely.

  But really anything with these two in would be great; maybe tales
 from Aileana's apprenticeship from before the books start or just
 some solid PWP.


Right, so you've read all that and you don't like what I've written
for the fandom we've been matched for?

 Option 1)  Optional Details are OPTIONAL.  I'm not going to cry,
           stress, drama, or flounce if you complete ignore what I've
           written above.
 Option 2)  Pick another fandom!  Requite is two books, The Falconer
           is a trilogy.  My Cherryh request relies on two books - 
           Cyteen and Regenesis (but they're both quite fat).

Finally, if you come to #yuletide IRC for a beta I'm usually online
there and I may be hippoing.  My nick will generally be some variant
on 'Senji'.

Senji.