Yuletide 2016
Dear Yuletide Author,
Hello! Thanks for participating in this annual exchange; it is my favorite thing all year.
Preferences: I have no triggers or squicks, and nothing you include in your story will distress me. Go wild.
General Things I Like: Complicated families, weird friendships, strange romances, and pumpkin-spice lattes.
Past Yuletide Letters:
2007 / 2008 / 2009 / 2012 / 2013 / 2015
My Specific Requests, Although Obviously Optional Details Are Optional:
(I've italicized the portion of each prompt that went into my sign-up; everything else is just me pontificating more generally about what I enjoy about the source material and what led me to request the character(s) I requested. Skim as needed.)
While You Were Sleeping -- Mary Callaghan
I really dig While You Were Sleeping: it's sweet and warm and features a fractious-but-loving family (my favorite kind!). Also, now that the '90s is receding in our rearview mirror, along with the peculiar genre that is the Nineties Romantic Comedy, While You Were Sleeping appears (to me) ever more refreshing in comparison. There are no shopping or makeover montages set to peppy songs. Everybody dresses in jeans and big sloppy sweaters; everybody looks super comfortable in this movie. (Those hats!!) Nobody is an architect or a children's-book illustrator or an art-gallery-worker; our heroine spends her days working for the oh-so-glamorous Chicago Transit Authority, and her suitors include "lawyer," "would-be furniture-maker," and...whatever Joe Jr. does with his days. The Callaghan family has clearly made good (look at that house! look at that son who went to law school!), but Ox still thinks of himself as constantly struggling to provide for the family. Hence Jack's anxiety about leaving the family business and destroying the thing that his father (and maybe his father's father) struggled so hard to create. Hence the family's complicated feelings about Peter: they're obviously proud of him, but they're maybe a little suspicious of him and his absurd girlfriends and his fancy apartment, and perhaps they wonder if he, in turn, is ever embarrassed by them.
These are the things I think about lately, when I watch While You Were Sleeping: class consciousness and intergenerational family dynamics. (I'm super fun at parties!) And this is what brings us to the final Callaghan sibling, henceforth unmentioned: teenage Mary.
Last time I watched While You Were Sleeping, I reached the scene where Jack hesitantly admits to his father that he wants to leave the family business, and his startled father gives his blessing and confesses, hey, it's a golden opportunity to sell the business and be done with it. And I thought: hey, but what about your teenaged daughter Mary? Did *she* ever plan to join the family business? Did she think about the company being named "Callaghan & Daughter?"
So I ask you, Dear Writer: What About Mary? What's going on with her during the events of the movie? She quickly decides that she likes Lucy -- but why? How does she feel about Peter -- was he awful as an older brother, or did he offer her a fraternal refuge from the other Callaghans? She's conspiratorial and chummy with Jack -- but did they ever clash about his taste in music or her preference in pizza toppings or his former girlfriends? Or: what happens to Mary when she grows up and becomes an adult? Does she run away and join the circus or the Navy or a lesbian commune? Does she go to college? (Does she discover 19th-century poetry or 20th-century philosophy and torment the rest of the family with her ~deep thoughts~ during her first Christmas back home?) Does she want to become a lawyer or a furniture-maker -- or join the family business with Ox? (Does Ox maybe decide not to sell the business after all?) Does she stay in Chicago? Does she read the Tribune or the Sun-Times? Are there any other memorable Christmases for Mary? Does she have long heart-to-hearts with her sister-in-law Lucy? Does she ever go to Peter for advice? When does her family start to treat her as a Real Person?
Basically: I would love a story about Mary and her relationship with her family, either before, during, or after the events of the movie.
Twelfth Night -- Feste
Some adaptations of Twelfth Night play up the role of Feste, making him a beloved confidant to Oliva and a integral part of her household. Because I am a sucker for fractious families, I am a big fan of this particular portrayal.
I would love a story about Feste's relationship with the rest of Olivia's household. What does the daily schedule of a peripatetic fool look like? Does he ever need to play nicely with Malvolio? How often does he enrage Maria? Or! What's the story with Feste's introduction to the household? How old was Olivia when she first met him? How did he obtain her father's patronage? Is there some reason that Olivia is so ready to forgive Feste? Did they share an ~important bonding moment~ in Olivia's girlhood that predisposes her to be generous with Feste? Does Feste understand things about Olivia that might be hidden from other people?
The Big Short -- Danny Moses, Porter Collins
The Big Short has a million different characters and storylines; Porter Collins (Hamish Linklater) and Danny Moses (Rafe Spall) pop up as minor characters who work for Mark Baum (Steve Carell). (If you're squinting into the horizon, trying to remember who is who: Porter is the brunet and Danny is the blond, and the third member of their team, with the shaved head, is Vinny.) Danny and Porter crack wise and hang out in the background and act as a receptive audience for Mark's caustic wisdoms. Midway through the movie, Danny and Porter go to Florida and disconsolately wander around an abandoned real-estate development. At the very end of the movie, in a passing moment as they sit on a flight of marble steps, Porter tentatively asks Danny if he wants to go to a new Cuban restaurant. "You and I?" Danny squeaks. Porter flushes and mumbles, "Oh, er, yeah, or other people..." And Danny enthusiastically assents.
Dear Writer: What the fuck? Did Porter just ask Danny out? In the background of all the movie's hectic excitement, has there been a mutual crush blossoming between these two coworkers? (In retrospect: is it significant that the first time we-the-viewer meet Danny and Porter, Porter is asking Danny for a picture of his testicles?) Has Danny been admiring Porter's bluetooth accessories? Has Porter been mesmerized by the top button of Danny's shirts? Oh man oh man oh man.
So at the end of the movie, Porter and Danny go off to a new Cuban restaurant. Is this a date? Is this a date!? I would love a story about this date, or its aftermath. Or: did something happen during their earlier trip to Florida together? Were there hijinks? Did they share a hotel room? Or: has there been any tension at work? Has Porter's acrid ribbing hidden his anxious interest? Has Danny started looking forward to getting to work every morning and looking out over the top of his computer screen at his work-spouse? Do they send each other slightly more texts than their work necessarily requires? Do they try to sit next to each other at meetings?
Or! If you're not interested in shipping them, I would also love a gen-errific story about Porter and Danny at work, maybe shooting the shit with Mark and Vinny, maybe trying to track down Jared, and maybe occasionally consumed with existential dread about their work. Do they agree with Mark's reservations and concerns at the end of the movie? I'm curious about the kinds of pleasures do they take in their jobs -- both in the "big" sense (being high-finance brainiacs) and in the micro sense (what kind of screensaver do they have for their computers? what kind of snacks do they get from the vending machine downstairs?). Do they ever dream of other careers: chef, author of spy-novels, rodeo clown? How do they react to the economic recession? Do they grab a beer together after work? Do they jog together? Do they have a fantasy football league?
I've never read the book, and I know nothing about the real-life people who inspired the book/movie, and there is no need for you to hew close to any kind of biographical truth. (In fact, feel free to steer clear of the script as well; I'm loyal to the theatrical cut of the movie and nothing else.)
Hello! Thanks for participating in this annual exchange; it is my favorite thing all year.
Preferences: I have no triggers or squicks, and nothing you include in your story will distress me. Go wild.
General Things I Like: Complicated families, weird friendships, strange romances, and pumpkin-spice lattes.
Past Yuletide Letters:
2007 / 2008 / 2009 / 2012 / 2013 / 2015
My Specific Requests, Although Obviously Optional Details Are Optional:
(I've italicized the portion of each prompt that went into my sign-up; everything else is just me pontificating more generally about what I enjoy about the source material and what led me to request the character(s) I requested. Skim as needed.)
While You Were Sleeping -- Mary Callaghan
I really dig While You Were Sleeping: it's sweet and warm and features a fractious-but-loving family (my favorite kind!). Also, now that the '90s is receding in our rearview mirror, along with the peculiar genre that is the Nineties Romantic Comedy, While You Were Sleeping appears (to me) ever more refreshing in comparison. There are no shopping or makeover montages set to peppy songs. Everybody dresses in jeans and big sloppy sweaters; everybody looks super comfortable in this movie. (Those hats!!) Nobody is an architect or a children's-book illustrator or an art-gallery-worker; our heroine spends her days working for the oh-so-glamorous Chicago Transit Authority, and her suitors include "lawyer," "would-be furniture-maker," and...whatever Joe Jr. does with his days. The Callaghan family has clearly made good (look at that house! look at that son who went to law school!), but Ox still thinks of himself as constantly struggling to provide for the family. Hence Jack's anxiety about leaving the family business and destroying the thing that his father (and maybe his father's father) struggled so hard to create. Hence the family's complicated feelings about Peter: they're obviously proud of him, but they're maybe a little suspicious of him and his absurd girlfriends and his fancy apartment, and perhaps they wonder if he, in turn, is ever embarrassed by them.
These are the things I think about lately, when I watch While You Were Sleeping: class consciousness and intergenerational family dynamics. (I'm super fun at parties!) And this is what brings us to the final Callaghan sibling, henceforth unmentioned: teenage Mary.
Last time I watched While You Were Sleeping, I reached the scene where Jack hesitantly admits to his father that he wants to leave the family business, and his startled father gives his blessing and confesses, hey, it's a golden opportunity to sell the business and be done with it. And I thought: hey, but what about your teenaged daughter Mary? Did *she* ever plan to join the family business? Did she think about the company being named "Callaghan & Daughter?"
So I ask you, Dear Writer: What About Mary? What's going on with her during the events of the movie? She quickly decides that she likes Lucy -- but why? How does she feel about Peter -- was he awful as an older brother, or did he offer her a fraternal refuge from the other Callaghans? She's conspiratorial and chummy with Jack -- but did they ever clash about his taste in music or her preference in pizza toppings or his former girlfriends? Or: what happens to Mary when she grows up and becomes an adult? Does she run away and join the circus or the Navy or a lesbian commune? Does she go to college? (Does she discover 19th-century poetry or 20th-century philosophy and torment the rest of the family with her ~deep thoughts~ during her first Christmas back home?) Does she want to become a lawyer or a furniture-maker -- or join the family business with Ox? (Does Ox maybe decide not to sell the business after all?) Does she stay in Chicago? Does she read the Tribune or the Sun-Times? Are there any other memorable Christmases for Mary? Does she have long heart-to-hearts with her sister-in-law Lucy? Does she ever go to Peter for advice? When does her family start to treat her as a Real Person?
Basically: I would love a story about Mary and her relationship with her family, either before, during, or after the events of the movie.
Twelfth Night -- Feste
Some adaptations of Twelfth Night play up the role of Feste, making him a beloved confidant to Oliva and a integral part of her household. Because I am a sucker for fractious families, I am a big fan of this particular portrayal.
I would love a story about Feste's relationship with the rest of Olivia's household. What does the daily schedule of a peripatetic fool look like? Does he ever need to play nicely with Malvolio? How often does he enrage Maria? Or! What's the story with Feste's introduction to the household? How old was Olivia when she first met him? How did he obtain her father's patronage? Is there some reason that Olivia is so ready to forgive Feste? Did they share an ~important bonding moment~ in Olivia's girlhood that predisposes her to be generous with Feste? Does Feste understand things about Olivia that might be hidden from other people?
The Big Short -- Danny Moses, Porter Collins
The Big Short has a million different characters and storylines; Porter Collins (Hamish Linklater) and Danny Moses (Rafe Spall) pop up as minor characters who work for Mark Baum (Steve Carell). (If you're squinting into the horizon, trying to remember who is who: Porter is the brunet and Danny is the blond, and the third member of their team, with the shaved head, is Vinny.) Danny and Porter crack wise and hang out in the background and act as a receptive audience for Mark's caustic wisdoms. Midway through the movie, Danny and Porter go to Florida and disconsolately wander around an abandoned real-estate development. At the very end of the movie, in a passing moment as they sit on a flight of marble steps, Porter tentatively asks Danny if he wants to go to a new Cuban restaurant. "You and I?" Danny squeaks. Porter flushes and mumbles, "Oh, er, yeah, or other people..." And Danny enthusiastically assents.
Dear Writer: What the fuck? Did Porter just ask Danny out? In the background of all the movie's hectic excitement, has there been a mutual crush blossoming between these two coworkers? (In retrospect: is it significant that the first time we-the-viewer meet Danny and Porter, Porter is asking Danny for a picture of his testicles?) Has Danny been admiring Porter's bluetooth accessories? Has Porter been mesmerized by the top button of Danny's shirts? Oh man oh man oh man.
So at the end of the movie, Porter and Danny go off to a new Cuban restaurant. Is this a date? Is this a date!? I would love a story about this date, or its aftermath. Or: did something happen during their earlier trip to Florida together? Were there hijinks? Did they share a hotel room? Or: has there been any tension at work? Has Porter's acrid ribbing hidden his anxious interest? Has Danny started looking forward to getting to work every morning and looking out over the top of his computer screen at his work-spouse? Do they send each other slightly more texts than their work necessarily requires? Do they try to sit next to each other at meetings?
Or! If you're not interested in shipping them, I would also love a gen-errific story about Porter and Danny at work, maybe shooting the shit with Mark and Vinny, maybe trying to track down Jared, and maybe occasionally consumed with existential dread about their work. Do they agree with Mark's reservations and concerns at the end of the movie? I'm curious about the kinds of pleasures do they take in their jobs -- both in the "big" sense (being high-finance brainiacs) and in the micro sense (what kind of screensaver do they have for their computers? what kind of snacks do they get from the vending machine downstairs?). Do they ever dream of other careers: chef, author of spy-novels, rodeo clown? How do they react to the economic recession? Do they grab a beer together after work? Do they jog together? Do they have a fantasy football league?
I've never read the book, and I know nothing about the real-life people who inspired the book/movie, and there is no need for you to hew close to any kind of biographical truth. (In fact, feel free to steer clear of the script as well; I'm loyal to the theatrical cut of the movie and nothing else.)