Yuletide Letter 2010
(Please don't mind that I've backdated this entry; I generally keep my fandom stuff locked and filtered but this was too long to fit in a comment at yuletide's DYW post.)
Dear Yuletide Author--
First of all, thank you so much in advance for catering to my bizarre fandom whims! I am absolutely certain that I will love whatever you write for me.
You can find a large percentage of my obscure-fandom fic here on AO3, and in the following communities on LJ (along with fic I read and love): dw_historical, thisengland, the_phrensies, femgenficathon, and ides_of_april. It's not directly relevant to Yuletide, but I've also got a selection of Harry Potter fic archived here.
My letter from Yuletide 2009
My letter from Yuletide 2008
A few general things before I get into specific requests.
- Don't worry about imitating Shakespearean or Marlovian verse. Really. You don't need to. In fact, I tend to find verse pastiche a bit distracting at the end of the day. What I'm interested in is characterisation, complexity, and people acting believably in context.
- Obviously, these are Renaissance plays and therefore will have problematic elements, particularly as concern women and race. I love reading stories about women in these plays, and would love you forever if you were able to reconcile both their positions in the play's universe and my feminist leanings. And I know that Othello in particular draws on uncomfortably racist language and attitudes, but it's still a brilliant play and, I think, very relevant.
- I love AUs! If you'd like to stick Edward II in the Regency era with knee breeches and quizzing-glasses, or in some other universe, more power to you (and, hell, my dream Othello fic is an AU anyway). These playwrights' own attitudes toward chronology are very wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey anyway, so feel free to adapt as needed.
- I am happy with gen, het, or slash (M/M and F/F both). Whatever best fits the story you want to tell.
Things I love: Complicated, nuanced relationships; siblings and friends bothering one another; clever characters being clever; clever characters being idiots (in-character idiots, of course); longing; UST; emphasizin ur wimminz (see icon); Gothic undertones; classical allusions/references; musical references; historical references; Grand Epic Moments; genfic with just a bit of romance; snark; period detail (I am an absolute sucker for it); moral ambiguity; unreliable narrators; gut-punch endings.
Things I do not love so much: PWP, explicit kink (unless it's required by the plot), dubious or coerced consent (unless it's genuinely in-character, i.e. Iago or Richard III); characters behaving unrealistically for the time period (whether canon or AU); invisible wimminz; using magic to explain things away (I'm looking at you, Philippa Gregory); using romance to explain things away; gratuitous violence.
Specific Prompts:
1. Shakespeare - Othello. My absolute dream would be an AU set in India at the height of the British Raj, where Othello is Indian (doesn't need to be a general, but some functional equivalent thereof--maybe a high-level bureaucrat or a doctor?) and Desdemona is the daughter of a high-ranking official under Queen Victoria; an AU that's all about whispers and rumours and repression and smiling while being a villain. But I would really be happy with any fic, so long as it does not dismiss Desdemona or Othello.
I want fic where Othello's power and presence are abundantly clear, where Desdemona is the strong-yet-painfully-fallible woman she is in canon. For my thoughts on Othello, actually, see here, here, and here. Yes, I know everyone behaves idiotically, but what makes Othello one of my favourite plays is how horribly plausible the entire scenario is.
2. Shakespeare - Henry VI plays. What I would especially love is fic about Eleanor Cobham. We see her at the end of her career in 2HVI, but how were things before? Why does she hate Margaret so much? Is it just that she wants to be queen, or is there more to it? Extra super bonus points for any references to Jacqueline of Hainault, Gloucester's first wife who doesn't appear in any of the plays.
Eleanor gets no love, as far as I can see. Feel free to bring in non-Shakespearean sources as well, if you'd like (A Mirror for Magistrates, Michael Drayton, historical sources, what have you). And I do mean it about extra super bonus points if you include Jacqueline, who should have been in the play but clearly would have been far too much of a digression (and probably would have taken over with sheer badassery). I totally ship Eleanor/Humphrey, but he is also a cad, so please do not hesitate to make him one.
3. Christopher Marlowe - Edward II. I would absolutely love something about Prince Edward. He's present for most of the events in the play, although it's unclear how old he is at any given point -- I'd love a fic that tackled his relationships with both of his parents, what he really thinks of his father, and how he transforms into the boy we see in the final scenes.
This is not at all set in stone, as per the selection of 'Any' character. If you'd rather write fic about Edward II and Gaveston, or about Isabella, or anyone else, I would be thrilled to read it. I'm just perpetually curious about Prince Edward since he's such an interesting blank slate.
4. 14th Century CE RPF I am aware that this is the silliest request ever, but I want fic where Chaucer hangs out with Boccaccio (and any other famous writers you'd like to throw in, i.e. Petrarch, Froissart). Especially if Boccaccio is old and grouchy and totally doesn't appreciate Chaucer's jokes. Irreverent treatment of literature encouraged.
Just like it says on the tin. It's been theorized that Chaucer could have met Boccaccio at two particular points in his career -- first, in the late 1360s, when Lionel of Antwerp married Violante Visconti (apparently Froissart and Boccaccio were both at that wedding); and when Chaucer visited Italy in the early 1370s. Boccaccio seems to have lost his sense of humour in his old age (De casibus vivorum illustrium isn't exactly a barrel of laughs), so poor Chaucer would probably end up very disappointed. Or possibly Boccaccio choosing to write serious texts because he knows they'll sell; once Chaucer figures it out, they spend the rest of the wedding making inappropriate jokes. This is an invitation for crackfic, shameless referencing, Chaucer jokes, Boccaccio jokes, jokes about Plantagenets, etc.
Dear Yuletide Author--
First of all, thank you so much in advance for catering to my bizarre fandom whims! I am absolutely certain that I will love whatever you write for me.
You can find a large percentage of my obscure-fandom fic here on AO3, and in the following communities on LJ (along with fic I read and love): dw_historical, thisengland, the_phrensies, femgenficathon, and ides_of_april. It's not directly relevant to Yuletide, but I've also got a selection of Harry Potter fic archived here.
My letter from Yuletide 2009
My letter from Yuletide 2008
A few general things before I get into specific requests.
- Don't worry about imitating Shakespearean or Marlovian verse. Really. You don't need to. In fact, I tend to find verse pastiche a bit distracting at the end of the day. What I'm interested in is characterisation, complexity, and people acting believably in context.
- Obviously, these are Renaissance plays and therefore will have problematic elements, particularly as concern women and race. I love reading stories about women in these plays, and would love you forever if you were able to reconcile both their positions in the play's universe and my feminist leanings. And I know that Othello in particular draws on uncomfortably racist language and attitudes, but it's still a brilliant play and, I think, very relevant.
- I love AUs! If you'd like to stick Edward II in the Regency era with knee breeches and quizzing-glasses, or in some other universe, more power to you (and, hell, my dream Othello fic is an AU anyway). These playwrights' own attitudes toward chronology are very wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey anyway, so feel free to adapt as needed.
- I am happy with gen, het, or slash (M/M and F/F both). Whatever best fits the story you want to tell.
Things I love: Complicated, nuanced relationships; siblings and friends bothering one another; clever characters being clever; clever characters being idiots (in-character idiots, of course); longing; UST; emphasizin ur wimminz (see icon); Gothic undertones; classical allusions/references; musical references; historical references; Grand Epic Moments; genfic with just a bit of romance; snark; period detail (I am an absolute sucker for it); moral ambiguity; unreliable narrators; gut-punch endings.
Things I do not love so much: PWP, explicit kink (unless it's required by the plot), dubious or coerced consent (unless it's genuinely in-character, i.e. Iago or Richard III); characters behaving unrealistically for the time period (whether canon or AU); invisible wimminz; using magic to explain things away (I'm looking at you, Philippa Gregory); using romance to explain things away; gratuitous violence.
Specific Prompts:
1. Shakespeare - Othello. My absolute dream would be an AU set in India at the height of the British Raj, where Othello is Indian (doesn't need to be a general, but some functional equivalent thereof--maybe a high-level bureaucrat or a doctor?) and Desdemona is the daughter of a high-ranking official under Queen Victoria; an AU that's all about whispers and rumours and repression and smiling while being a villain. But I would really be happy with any fic, so long as it does not dismiss Desdemona or Othello.
I want fic where Othello's power and presence are abundantly clear, where Desdemona is the strong-yet-painfully-fallible woman she is in canon. For my thoughts on Othello, actually, see here, here, and here. Yes, I know everyone behaves idiotically, but what makes Othello one of my favourite plays is how horribly plausible the entire scenario is.
2. Shakespeare - Henry VI plays. What I would especially love is fic about Eleanor Cobham. We see her at the end of her career in 2HVI, but how were things before? Why does she hate Margaret so much? Is it just that she wants to be queen, or is there more to it? Extra super bonus points for any references to Jacqueline of Hainault, Gloucester's first wife who doesn't appear in any of the plays.
Eleanor gets no love, as far as I can see. Feel free to bring in non-Shakespearean sources as well, if you'd like (A Mirror for Magistrates, Michael Drayton, historical sources, what have you). And I do mean it about extra super bonus points if you include Jacqueline, who should have been in the play but clearly would have been far too much of a digression (and probably would have taken over with sheer badassery). I totally ship Eleanor/Humphrey, but he is also a cad, so please do not hesitate to make him one.
3. Christopher Marlowe - Edward II. I would absolutely love something about Prince Edward. He's present for most of the events in the play, although it's unclear how old he is at any given point -- I'd love a fic that tackled his relationships with both of his parents, what he really thinks of his father, and how he transforms into the boy we see in the final scenes.
This is not at all set in stone, as per the selection of 'Any' character. If you'd rather write fic about Edward II and Gaveston, or about Isabella, or anyone else, I would be thrilled to read it. I'm just perpetually curious about Prince Edward since he's such an interesting blank slate.
4. 14th Century CE RPF I am aware that this is the silliest request ever, but I want fic where Chaucer hangs out with Boccaccio (and any other famous writers you'd like to throw in, i.e. Petrarch, Froissart). Especially if Boccaccio is old and grouchy and totally doesn't appreciate Chaucer's jokes. Irreverent treatment of literature encouraged.
Just like it says on the tin. It's been theorized that Chaucer could have met Boccaccio at two particular points in his career -- first, in the late 1360s, when Lionel of Antwerp married Violante Visconti (apparently Froissart and Boccaccio were both at that wedding); and when Chaucer visited Italy in the early 1370s. Boccaccio seems to have lost his sense of humour in his old age (De casibus vivorum illustrium isn't exactly a barrel of laughs), so poor Chaucer would probably end up very disappointed. Or possibly Boccaccio choosing to write serious texts because he knows they'll sell; once Chaucer figures it out, they spend the rest of the wedding making inappropriate jokes. This is an invitation for crackfic, shameless referencing, Chaucer jokes, Boccaccio jokes, jokes about Plantagenets, etc.