Yuletide Letter 2020
I'm so excited to anticipate another Yuletide exchange. This year my requests are all about smart women, check them out!
First off, I'm a fan of fandom and grateful to receive something that you've created in a fandom we both enjoy. Don't worry that I won't like what you've written: I'll love it!
Likes:I particularly like gen-fic, het and femslash. Anything that involves women in some integral way. Boyslash in stories that give women equal time is also great. Smart characters and/or smart-asses are a real weakness. Wordplay and wit are my kryptonite and I enjoy all the crazy allusions or meta references you may want to employ. I'm a sucker for competence porn which includes domestic skills as well as professional work - if you want to write a story about baking cookies, repairing a transmission, or curing a plague, I'll be right there with the characters, soaking it all in.
You don't have to bring on sexy times but feel free to go there. I love plotty and PWP stories equally. If you like to launch AUs or delve into meta, I think they are fabulous options. Humour, angst, action: those are also fantastic.
Dislikes: I'm not keen on gore, horror and dark hurt/comfort, definitely not so much with death, torture or sadism. Please, no zombies or a lot of bodily fluids. There can be dark themes, there can loss as life goes on, but not endless bloodbaths, please? I also don't like character slams and I'm definitely not here for dissing women.
Overall, I'm delighted that you're in love with fandoms and fanworks the way that I am too. Make yourself at home and all that, k?
The Nonesuch - Georgette Heyer
Characters: Ancilla Trent, Waldo Hawkridge
Things to know: Heyer helped to jump-start the whole Regency romance phenomenon and even if her stories have aged a little bit unevenly, I still adore many of them. Heyer had a gift for writing women of immense practicality who also could show great love and care. Ancilla Trent is one of these: twenty-six years and impoverished enough to seek employment as a genteel ladies' companion and governess to provide polish for the beautiful but bull-headed and selfish young Tiffany. I like that Waldo, the nonesuch of the book's title, a gentleman feted by all, sees Ancilla's worth from early on. While cognizant of Tiffany's charms, he is never really susceptible. Nevertheless, there are some misunderstandings, so it still takes time for the match to be made and their happily-ever-after to result.
Some prompts for your consideration: Obviously, you could have a lot of fun with Ancilla and Waldo's happily ever after, beginning with his establishment of the school for orphans at Broom Hall. Maybe we see more of Ancilla's entrance into polite society on the arm of her new husband? This could be a fun opportunity for some interplay with other Heyer characters or anyone else from Regency history or stories - maybe they honeymoon on Lake Geneva and encounter Mary Shelley in the midst of writing Frankenstein?
The Nonesuch takes place soon after Wtaerloo, either in 1816 or 1817. 1816 was the year with no summer thanks to a volcanic eruption half the world away, which ruined crops as well as climate, bringing suffering to so many. Sir Waldo clearly sees his property and power not just as privilege but as responsibility: maybe we can see him shouldering more of this with Ancilla's equally thoughtful guidance?
All Souls Trilogy - Deborah Harkness
Characters: Diana Bishop (All Souls Trilogy)
The books and the characters: A series by Deborah Harkness ithat I've fan-girled from the get-go (there's also a TV adaptation, A Discovery of Witches starring Matthew Goode and Teresa Palmer that's already aired a first season) with historians, rare books, vampires, witches, and more. This is my catnip, people! The premise is that supernatural creatures are among humans, right in plain sight but largely unnoticed, and have been for centuries. There are three different types who see themselves as very separate from the others - witches, vampires, and daemons (creative & genius types). Diana Bishop is doing her best to deny her nature as a witch, until she touches a mysterious manuscript, Ashmole 782, in the Bodleian library. That book and her own magical potential draw the interest of all sorts of creatures including one Oxford professor and vampire, Matthew Clairmont. Their growing bond and romantic relationship anchor the story across time (to the sixteenth century and back to the present-day) amidst a story about fighting prejudice and restoring freedom to all. Other nominated characters this year include three vampires: Matthew, Diana's partner, Philippe, husband to Matthew's maker, Ysabeau, and also adoptive father to Diana, and then Matthew's son, Marcus (whose story was told in Harkness' most recent novel, Time's Convert).
Prompts & ideas: Maybe touch on Diana's relationship with any or all of the Clairmonts? I would love to read more of her relationship in the sixteenth century with Philippe or, perhaps more heartbreakingly, of her comforting him in his final moments. I like that Philippe respects Diana so utterly and quietly holds her memory for centuries. There's so much you could do with Matthew and Diana, from more of how they negotiate their transatlantic academic ways (Diana getting to see Matthew being a bit of a jerk at an scholarly conference or toning down his terrifying-ness to lead a class could be fun!). You may even want to think about how a vampire and witch would try to tackle COVID - ferociously researching the medical and historical elements, perhaps.
I'd love a glimpse of Diana's personal life, whether when she time-walked to the Elizabethan era or something of her modern life. Learning more Bishop family traditions with her aunt? Decoding an artifact of her father's to meet him on another timewalk? You could think about an AU - what if Diana and Matthew had met while he was still human, back in the sixth century? What if they met during his vampire life before the modern era? I'd be happy to see anything of Diana at all, whether it's her youth growing up in Madison, struggling against the witchy ways, or her settling in to her first tenure-track job. Diana and her friends in Elizabethan London, perhaps, like Mary Sidney, that creative, energetic noblewoman? I'm here for it!
Enola Holmes (2020)
Characters: Enola Holmes, Viscount "Tewky" Tewksbury
Giddy, adorable, and oh-so-cute, the adventures of Enola Holmes
on screen are on the whole charming with a cast that clearly enjoyed the experience of inhabiting these characters. A lot of smart questioning of the norms of late Victorian society, from the restrictions on women to questions of race and class privilege. Sherlock is clearly not the smartest Holmes but I like that he's smart enough to support Enola and blow smoke in Mycroft's eyes. Enola's young, preternaturally smart, and brave beyond belief. Tewky is loving, caring, and trusts Enola without reservation.
Some story ideas: I would love to see more of Enola and Tewky in London. Maybe he keeps up his flower shop alter ego? They could be pretty free around the city, and that could be fun. In any case, I'd love to see more of their teaming up, using their smarts to tear down the system. I also like how much Tewky admires Enola's whipsmart ways and is comfortable playing to his own strengths without feeling he has to better her. If you came up with a way in your story to also explain away the film's complete catastrophe of his titles (introducing himself as Viscount and then Marquess? Rank thrown out the window, whyyyyyyy?), I'd be thankful. Maybe he uses the viscount title preferentially for some reason you'll explain or in unconscious denial of his father's passing? Maybe he has some deeper objection to the marquessate?
Ever After (1998)
Characters: Danielle de Barberac, Prince Henry
This movie is a beautifully realized and funny take on Cinderella with a tomboy Danielle, traumatized by her father's untimely death and tormented by her wicked stepmother. Of course, she isn't so much rescued by Prince Henry as rescues him more than once. Plus she does get to rise to the giddy heights
while pursuing a social justice agenda. I love that it's a feminist, funny and thought-provoking fairy-tale.
A few prompts:I'll be happy with any story that deals with Danielle and Henry along with any other of the film characters you love or even other historical figures you want to toss into the mix. They gave us a fun Leonardo da Vinci, who actually did enjoy the patronage of a French king for a while, so why not more of that? Maybe Erasmus hangs out with Danielle's court or Michelangelo gets commissioned to create a lovely marble for the royal collection? Have you ever wondered about that Spanish princess, so relieved to not marry Henry at the end? What if she and Danielle became best buddies as shown through a fun set of letters back and forth, or even a court visit from France to Spain?
Did Danielle ever get to test out more of Leonardo's invention like a boat to ride rough currents (he was fascinated by whirlpools) or an airship/helicopter? How do Henry and Danielle make their mark on France? I like to think that they wouldn't have made the same choices as, say, Catherine de Medici made in the Wars of Religion. Or consider an AU with Danielle as up-and-comer in a law firm or political office where Henry is the heir to power a bit unhappy in his regimented life (and needing a salutary kick-in-the-pants from you-know-who)?
Here's to a happy and creative Yuletide writing season with so much joy in reading ahead! X-posted from Dreamwidth. (
comments there.)
First off, I'm a fan of fandom and grateful to receive something that you've created in a fandom we both enjoy. Don't worry that I won't like what you've written: I'll love it!
Likes:I particularly like gen-fic, het and femslash. Anything that involves women in some integral way. Boyslash in stories that give women equal time is also great. Smart characters and/or smart-asses are a real weakness. Wordplay and wit are my kryptonite and I enjoy all the crazy allusions or meta references you may want to employ. I'm a sucker for competence porn which includes domestic skills as well as professional work - if you want to write a story about baking cookies, repairing a transmission, or curing a plague, I'll be right there with the characters, soaking it all in.
You don't have to bring on sexy times but feel free to go there. I love plotty and PWP stories equally. If you like to launch AUs or delve into meta, I think they are fabulous options. Humour, angst, action: those are also fantastic.
Dislikes: I'm not keen on gore, horror and dark hurt/comfort, definitely not so much with death, torture or sadism. Please, no zombies or a lot of bodily fluids. There can be dark themes, there can loss as life goes on, but not endless bloodbaths, please? I also don't like character slams and I'm definitely not here for dissing women.
Overall, I'm delighted that you're in love with fandoms and fanworks the way that I am too. Make yourself at home and all that, k?
The Nonesuch - Georgette Heyer
Characters: Ancilla Trent, Waldo Hawkridge
Things to know: Heyer helped to jump-start the whole Regency romance phenomenon and even if her stories have aged a little bit unevenly, I still adore many of them. Heyer had a gift for writing women of immense practicality who also could show great love and care. Ancilla Trent is one of these: twenty-six years and impoverished enough to seek employment as a genteel ladies' companion and governess to provide polish for the beautiful but bull-headed and selfish young Tiffany. I like that Waldo, the nonesuch of the book's title, a gentleman feted by all, sees Ancilla's worth from early on. While cognizant of Tiffany's charms, he is never really susceptible. Nevertheless, there are some misunderstandings, so it still takes time for the match to be made and their happily-ever-after to result.
Some prompts for your consideration: Obviously, you could have a lot of fun with Ancilla and Waldo's happily ever after, beginning with his establishment of the school for orphans at Broom Hall. Maybe we see more of Ancilla's entrance into polite society on the arm of her new husband? This could be a fun opportunity for some interplay with other Heyer characters or anyone else from Regency history or stories - maybe they honeymoon on Lake Geneva and encounter Mary Shelley in the midst of writing Frankenstein?
The Nonesuch takes place soon after Wtaerloo, either in 1816 or 1817. 1816 was the year with no summer thanks to a volcanic eruption half the world away, which ruined crops as well as climate, bringing suffering to so many. Sir Waldo clearly sees his property and power not just as privilege but as responsibility: maybe we can see him shouldering more of this with Ancilla's equally thoughtful guidance?
All Souls Trilogy - Deborah Harkness
Characters: Diana Bishop (All Souls Trilogy)
The books and the characters: A series by Deborah Harkness ithat I've fan-girled from the get-go (there's also a TV adaptation, A Discovery of Witches starring Matthew Goode and Teresa Palmer that's already aired a first season) with historians, rare books, vampires, witches, and more. This is my catnip, people! The premise is that supernatural creatures are among humans, right in plain sight but largely unnoticed, and have been for centuries. There are three different types who see themselves as very separate from the others - witches, vampires, and daemons (creative & genius types). Diana Bishop is doing her best to deny her nature as a witch, until she touches a mysterious manuscript, Ashmole 782, in the Bodleian library. That book and her own magical potential draw the interest of all sorts of creatures including one Oxford professor and vampire, Matthew Clairmont. Their growing bond and romantic relationship anchor the story across time (to the sixteenth century and back to the present-day) amidst a story about fighting prejudice and restoring freedom to all. Other nominated characters this year include three vampires: Matthew, Diana's partner, Philippe, husband to Matthew's maker, Ysabeau, and also adoptive father to Diana, and then Matthew's son, Marcus (whose story was told in Harkness' most recent novel, Time's Convert).
Prompts & ideas: Maybe touch on Diana's relationship with any or all of the Clairmonts? I would love to read more of her relationship in the sixteenth century with Philippe or, perhaps more heartbreakingly, of her comforting him in his final moments. I like that Philippe respects Diana so utterly and quietly holds her memory for centuries. There's so much you could do with Matthew and Diana, from more of how they negotiate their transatlantic academic ways (Diana getting to see Matthew being a bit of a jerk at an scholarly conference or toning down his terrifying-ness to lead a class could be fun!). You may even want to think about how a vampire and witch would try to tackle COVID - ferociously researching the medical and historical elements, perhaps.
I'd love a glimpse of Diana's personal life, whether when she time-walked to the Elizabethan era or something of her modern life. Learning more Bishop family traditions with her aunt? Decoding an artifact of her father's to meet him on another timewalk? You could think about an AU - what if Diana and Matthew had met while he was still human, back in the sixth century? What if they met during his vampire life before the modern era? I'd be happy to see anything of Diana at all, whether it's her youth growing up in Madison, struggling against the witchy ways, or her settling in to her first tenure-track job. Diana and her friends in Elizabethan London, perhaps, like Mary Sidney, that creative, energetic noblewoman? I'm here for it!
Enola Holmes (2020)
Characters: Enola Holmes, Viscount "Tewky" Tewksbury
Giddy, adorable, and oh-so-cute, the adventures of Enola Holmes
on screen are on the whole charming with a cast that clearly enjoyed the experience of inhabiting these characters. A lot of smart questioning of the norms of late Victorian society, from the restrictions on women to questions of race and class privilege. Sherlock is clearly not the smartest Holmes but I like that he's smart enough to support Enola and blow smoke in Mycroft's eyes. Enola's young, preternaturally smart, and brave beyond belief. Tewky is loving, caring, and trusts Enola without reservation.
Some story ideas: I would love to see more of Enola and Tewky in London. Maybe he keeps up his flower shop alter ego? They could be pretty free around the city, and that could be fun. In any case, I'd love to see more of their teaming up, using their smarts to tear down the system. I also like how much Tewky admires Enola's whipsmart ways and is comfortable playing to his own strengths without feeling he has to better her. If you came up with a way in your story to also explain away the film's complete catastrophe of his titles (introducing himself as Viscount and then Marquess? Rank thrown out the window, whyyyyyyy?), I'd be thankful. Maybe he uses the viscount title preferentially for some reason you'll explain or in unconscious denial of his father's passing? Maybe he has some deeper objection to the marquessate?
Ever After (1998)
Characters: Danielle de Barberac, Prince Henry
This movie is a beautifully realized and funny take on Cinderella with a tomboy Danielle, traumatized by her father's untimely death and tormented by her wicked stepmother. Of course, she isn't so much rescued by Prince Henry as rescues him more than once. Plus she does get to rise to the giddy heights
while pursuing a social justice agenda. I love that it's a feminist, funny and thought-provoking fairy-tale.
A few prompts:I'll be happy with any story that deals with Danielle and Henry along with any other of the film characters you love or even other historical figures you want to toss into the mix. They gave us a fun Leonardo da Vinci, who actually did enjoy the patronage of a French king for a while, so why not more of that? Maybe Erasmus hangs out with Danielle's court or Michelangelo gets commissioned to create a lovely marble for the royal collection? Have you ever wondered about that Spanish princess, so relieved to not marry Henry at the end? What if she and Danielle became best buddies as shown through a fun set of letters back and forth, or even a court visit from France to Spain?
Did Danielle ever get to test out more of Leonardo's invention like a boat to ride rough currents (he was fascinated by whirlpools) or an airship/helicopter? How do Henry and Danielle make their mark on France? I like to think that they wouldn't have made the same choices as, say, Catherine de Medici made in the Wars of Religion. Or consider an AU with Danielle as up-and-comer in a law firm or political office where Henry is the heir to power a bit unhappy in his regimented life (and needing a salutary kick-in-the-pants from you-know-who)?
Here's to a happy and creative Yuletide writing season with so much joy in reading ahead! X-posted from Dreamwidth. (
comments there.)