Yuletide Letter
Dear Yuletide Author,
First of all, thank you so much for taking time from your doubtlessly hectic winter schedule to write something in one of my obscure fandoms. I hope that the haemorrhaging of excitable babble that was my sign-up form isn’t looking too daunting to you! When I’m asked to throw out ideas, I can get a little carried away. But I want to assure you that anything I mention is only a suggestion. You’re the one who has to write this thing and the best stories are always the ones that the author has really enjoyed putting together. I don’t want this to be prescriptive and difficult for you. Hopefully, what I’ve written here and on the form will just provide some inspiration, if you need it. I think some people also find it helpful to know what aspects of a particular fandom their recipient likes, so I’m going to put a little bit of that in here too.
To the Ends of the Earth
Anything about Charles and Edmund's friendship would be lovely. There are so many sweet moments between them in the book, and it would be nice to see a few more - think Charles' gift to Edmund of a fresh rainwater bath, or their reconciliation and declaration of friendship at the end of 'Close Quarters'. :3 Personally, I think that Charles is deeply in unrequited love with Edmund. I'm not so sure that Charles would ever confess and I doubt that Edmund would ever pick up on it. It would be great if you felt like exploring that possibility though. How would it change things between them? It would be nice to have a happy ending, seeing as Charles is given so few of them. But, of course, you'll know what will best suit the story. :3
Edmund and Charles really are my favourite part of To the Ends of the Earth, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love the other characters (the wonderful Miss Granham in particular). I would happily settle for some form of post-book Edmund/Miss Granham if that appeals to you. I know that canon doesn’t make that a likely thing, but I think it’s possible that the two of them could meet again, a few years into the future. It might be a different story when Edmund is a bit older and wiser.
Zenobia Brocklebank (if that is indeed her real name) is another character I find interesting. All that we know about her is biased by Edmund’s viewpoint; it would be great to see her released from that. She isn’t treated very kindly by Edmund but it’s hard to know what she’s really like as a person. All I know is that she really won my sympathy when Edmund ‘seduced’ her during the crossing the line ceremony. However much I love Edmund, it’s impossible to deny that he’s liable to do some terrible things. That was not his finest hour.
If you like AUs, I’ve always thought that To the Ends of the Earth would really lend itself to magical realism. There’s something about Edmund’s relation of the unnaturalness of life on a ship that seems very close to fantasy.
General things I love: Edmund/Charles (friendship or romantic); Edmund/Miss Granham; ships ~ ♥; the Age of Sail setting; the focus on characterisation and the psychology of the ship’s inhabitants; the sense of the ship being a world in miniature, but slightly skewed; Edmund, my lovely, stupid, terrible boy.
Cambridge Spies
The characters I'm most interested in, really, are Guy and Anthony. Not going to lie, I love them the most. Any kind of look at their relationship would be fantastic. I'd very much like fic featuring any of the main four though. I don't mind when the fic takes place but it would be quite nice to have something that's at least partly set after the time of the series - perhaps when Tom Driberg met Guy in Moscow?
I don’t know what to add to this. All I can think of is saying “Guy/Anthony!!! ~ ♥ :D :D :D” repeatedly, which isn’t very helpful. (I have a deep, intellectual interest in this series, honest!) I do love any historical detail that is missing from the series.
General things I love: I love 20th century queer history, I love 20th century espionage and I love Tom Hollander, so Cambridge Spies really is the perfect mixture of everything I adore. Also… Anthony/Guy; Anthony/Guy/Julian Bell; the sympathetic handling of the Cambridge five’s story; the contrast of idealism and reality… Actually, I think this quote from E. M. Forster can sum up just about everything, "If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country."
(PS I love E. M. Forster. :B)
Crooked House
There are so many possibilities for fantastic historical ghost stories with this series, and I'd love to read any you can come up with. :B I'd also really love some Dr. Unthank/Ben, if that inspires you at all. It's a creepy, psychologically abusive kind of relationship already, so I think adding confused romantic feelings just makes it better, right? I'd especially like to see Ben meet Dr. Unthank again, post-series. I think Ben would be harbouring a great deal of resentment, while Dr. Unthank would be happy to be reacquainted with his avid audience/plaything. The power games could be amazing. That's just a suggestion though - I'm sure I'll love anything you come up with!
Oh, British horror. It’s a thing of beauty and wonder. And a ghost story is always appreciated on dark winter nights. To me, the wonderful choice that this series offers a fan-fiction writer is when to set it. But you might not be so in love with period pieces as I am.
Seeing as Dr. Unthank can travel through time, there’s a distinct possibility that he’s tortured a poor, unsuspecting soul like Ben before. And seeing as I love Mark Gatiss when he’s being sinister (and at all other times, but that’s beside the point) that’s an idea that intrigues me greatly. I don’t suppose he devoted his entire career in the dark arts to getting an heir for one family. You could make it into a cross-over if you wanted. (The League of Gentlemen for instance - what if Unthank had a hand in the Chinnery curse? :P)
If you do write Unthank/Ben (and that would be amazing) it would be nice for Ben to get some kind of happy ending. That will probably be a bit difficult, seeing as his life’s been pretty royally destroyed by genre-writing. But the poor chap’s suffered so much, I’d like to think he could get something good back.
General things I love: It combines portmanteau horror, period drama, the grand old tradition of ghost stories for Christmas, and Mark Gatiss. Crooked House could not have fit in any more gloriousness if it tried.
Lucifer Box
Lucifer/Charlie is my favourite pairing; I'm always happy to see it. But seeing as there's so much Lucifer/Charlie out there, I'd equally love something a bit different. A fic about Lucifer's unrequited love for Chris Miracle would be wonderful. Perhaps set when they first met in the 1890s. Or something about Lucifer's family. There are a few things that are mentioned in the books (and of course there's Pandora!) but the Box family remains largely mysterious.
Speaking of Pan, I know that this is a long shot but I've always wanted to read some more about her. If that something could also be femslash... Well, that would be amazing.
I’ve already admitted that asking for anything about Pandora is pretty unlikely to yield anything. I don’t think I’ve seen her as even the most minor character in any fic I’ve read. Let’s face it, there’s a reason for that: she’s a prudish, dislikeable fascist. Even if she wasn’t prudish and dislikeable, she would still be a fascist, which is more than bad enough. I find her interesting though. I’d really like to read some fic about the Box family - was she the odd child who appalled her family, or was that Lucifer? How many times have she and Lucifer fallen out?
When I said I’d like to read some femslash, that’s entirely true. I have to admit, though, that I was thinking of something so specific that I doubt anyone but me will write it. Ever since I saw the new series of Upstairs, Downstairs, I’ve been thinking how perfectly Pandora Box and Lady Persephone ‘Persie’ Towyn would go together. They’re both named after mythological women; they both have awkward relationships with their siblings; and they both run away to Germany in pursuit of the fascist cause. I want them to meet and fall in love. And maybe stop to consider what awful things they’re doing with their lives. (I can both love them and judge them; it’s how I roll.)
(Completely unnecessary but pretty pictures of Lady Persie.)
Do you like crossovers? You might have noticed that I do. :B I like crossovers involving Lucifer a whole lot. There are all kinds of fandoms you can crossover with the Lucifer Box books to great effect - John le Carré’s George Smiley novels (Smiley would have started out when Lucifer was still in his prime!), Cambridge Spies, Christopher and His Kind, Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes… I could go on, but for your sake I won’t. Okay, I might just add that I like it when real historical figures get a mention in the books - usually because it turns out that Lucifer has bedded them. A whole fic like that would be brilliant. Lucifer Box/the Queen Mum, anyone?
General things I love: Adventure, romance and espionage!; Lucifer/Charlie; Lucifer/Chris; Lucifer/Aggie; Lucifer/Kingdom; Lucifer/anyone; terrible puns; Lucifer’s insane casebook; Lucifer’s even more insane record of debauchery; all those times when Lucifer gets sulky for one reason or another; instances of the occult; parodying other spy fiction; historical detail.
Right, you can breathe a sigh of relief, because I think that’s it! All I can say now is that I hope you have a lot of fun writing. :D
First of all, thank you so much for taking time from your doubtlessly hectic winter schedule to write something in one of my obscure fandoms. I hope that the haemorrhaging of excitable babble that was my sign-up form isn’t looking too daunting to you! When I’m asked to throw out ideas, I can get a little carried away. But I want to assure you that anything I mention is only a suggestion. You’re the one who has to write this thing and the best stories are always the ones that the author has really enjoyed putting together. I don’t want this to be prescriptive and difficult for you. Hopefully, what I’ve written here and on the form will just provide some inspiration, if you need it. I think some people also find it helpful to know what aspects of a particular fandom their recipient likes, so I’m going to put a little bit of that in here too.
To the Ends of the Earth
Anything about Charles and Edmund's friendship would be lovely. There are so many sweet moments between them in the book, and it would be nice to see a few more - think Charles' gift to Edmund of a fresh rainwater bath, or their reconciliation and declaration of friendship at the end of 'Close Quarters'. :3 Personally, I think that Charles is deeply in unrequited love with Edmund. I'm not so sure that Charles would ever confess and I doubt that Edmund would ever pick up on it. It would be great if you felt like exploring that possibility though. How would it change things between them? It would be nice to have a happy ending, seeing as Charles is given so few of them. But, of course, you'll know what will best suit the story. :3
Edmund and Charles really are my favourite part of To the Ends of the Earth, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love the other characters (the wonderful Miss Granham in particular). I would happily settle for some form of post-book Edmund/Miss Granham if that appeals to you. I know that canon doesn’t make that a likely thing, but I think it’s possible that the two of them could meet again, a few years into the future. It might be a different story when Edmund is a bit older and wiser.
Zenobia Brocklebank (if that is indeed her real name) is another character I find interesting. All that we know about her is biased by Edmund’s viewpoint; it would be great to see her released from that. She isn’t treated very kindly by Edmund but it’s hard to know what she’s really like as a person. All I know is that she really won my sympathy when Edmund ‘seduced’ her during the crossing the line ceremony. However much I love Edmund, it’s impossible to deny that he’s liable to do some terrible things. That was not his finest hour.
If you like AUs, I’ve always thought that To the Ends of the Earth would really lend itself to magical realism. There’s something about Edmund’s relation of the unnaturalness of life on a ship that seems very close to fantasy.
General things I love: Edmund/Charles (friendship or romantic); Edmund/Miss Granham; ships ~ ♥; the Age of Sail setting; the focus on characterisation and the psychology of the ship’s inhabitants; the sense of the ship being a world in miniature, but slightly skewed; Edmund, my lovely, stupid, terrible boy.
Cambridge Spies
The characters I'm most interested in, really, are Guy and Anthony. Not going to lie, I love them the most. Any kind of look at their relationship would be fantastic. I'd very much like fic featuring any of the main four though. I don't mind when the fic takes place but it would be quite nice to have something that's at least partly set after the time of the series - perhaps when Tom Driberg met Guy in Moscow?
I don’t know what to add to this. All I can think of is saying “Guy/Anthony!!! ~ ♥ :D :D :D” repeatedly, which isn’t very helpful. (I have a deep, intellectual interest in this series, honest!) I do love any historical detail that is missing from the series.
General things I love: I love 20th century queer history, I love 20th century espionage and I love Tom Hollander, so Cambridge Spies really is the perfect mixture of everything I adore. Also… Anthony/Guy; Anthony/Guy/Julian Bell; the sympathetic handling of the Cambridge five’s story; the contrast of idealism and reality… Actually, I think this quote from E. M. Forster can sum up just about everything, "If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country."
(PS I love E. M. Forster. :B)
Crooked House
There are so many possibilities for fantastic historical ghost stories with this series, and I'd love to read any you can come up with. :B I'd also really love some Dr. Unthank/Ben, if that inspires you at all. It's a creepy, psychologically abusive kind of relationship already, so I think adding confused romantic feelings just makes it better, right? I'd especially like to see Ben meet Dr. Unthank again, post-series. I think Ben would be harbouring a great deal of resentment, while Dr. Unthank would be happy to be reacquainted with his avid audience/plaything. The power games could be amazing. That's just a suggestion though - I'm sure I'll love anything you come up with!
Oh, British horror. It’s a thing of beauty and wonder. And a ghost story is always appreciated on dark winter nights. To me, the wonderful choice that this series offers a fan-fiction writer is when to set it. But you might not be so in love with period pieces as I am.
Seeing as Dr. Unthank can travel through time, there’s a distinct possibility that he’s tortured a poor, unsuspecting soul like Ben before. And seeing as I love Mark Gatiss when he’s being sinister (and at all other times, but that’s beside the point) that’s an idea that intrigues me greatly. I don’t suppose he devoted his entire career in the dark arts to getting an heir for one family. You could make it into a cross-over if you wanted. (The League of Gentlemen for instance - what if Unthank had a hand in the Chinnery curse? :P)
If you do write Unthank/Ben (and that would be amazing) it would be nice for Ben to get some kind of happy ending. That will probably be a bit difficult, seeing as his life’s been pretty royally destroyed by genre-writing. But the poor chap’s suffered so much, I’d like to think he could get something good back.
General things I love: It combines portmanteau horror, period drama, the grand old tradition of ghost stories for Christmas, and Mark Gatiss. Crooked House could not have fit in any more gloriousness if it tried.
Lucifer Box
Lucifer/Charlie is my favourite pairing; I'm always happy to see it. But seeing as there's so much Lucifer/Charlie out there, I'd equally love something a bit different. A fic about Lucifer's unrequited love for Chris Miracle would be wonderful. Perhaps set when they first met in the 1890s. Or something about Lucifer's family. There are a few things that are mentioned in the books (and of course there's Pandora!) but the Box family remains largely mysterious.
Speaking of Pan, I know that this is a long shot but I've always wanted to read some more about her. If that something could also be femslash... Well, that would be amazing.
I’ve already admitted that asking for anything about Pandora is pretty unlikely to yield anything. I don’t think I’ve seen her as even the most minor character in any fic I’ve read. Let’s face it, there’s a reason for that: she’s a prudish, dislikeable fascist. Even if she wasn’t prudish and dislikeable, she would still be a fascist, which is more than bad enough. I find her interesting though. I’d really like to read some fic about the Box family - was she the odd child who appalled her family, or was that Lucifer? How many times have she and Lucifer fallen out?
When I said I’d like to read some femslash, that’s entirely true. I have to admit, though, that I was thinking of something so specific that I doubt anyone but me will write it. Ever since I saw the new series of Upstairs, Downstairs, I’ve been thinking how perfectly Pandora Box and Lady Persephone ‘Persie’ Towyn would go together. They’re both named after mythological women; they both have awkward relationships with their siblings; and they both run away to Germany in pursuit of the fascist cause. I want them to meet and fall in love. And maybe stop to consider what awful things they’re doing with their lives. (I can both love them and judge them; it’s how I roll.)
(Completely unnecessary but pretty pictures of Lady Persie.)
Do you like crossovers? You might have noticed that I do. :B I like crossovers involving Lucifer a whole lot. There are all kinds of fandoms you can crossover with the Lucifer Box books to great effect - John le Carré’s George Smiley novels (Smiley would have started out when Lucifer was still in his prime!), Cambridge Spies, Christopher and His Kind, Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes… I could go on, but for your sake I won’t. Okay, I might just add that I like it when real historical figures get a mention in the books - usually because it turns out that Lucifer has bedded them. A whole fic like that would be brilliant. Lucifer Box/the Queen Mum, anyone?
General things I love: Adventure, romance and espionage!; Lucifer/Charlie; Lucifer/Chris; Lucifer/Aggie; Lucifer/Kingdom; Lucifer/anyone; terrible puns; Lucifer’s insane casebook; Lucifer’s even more insane record of debauchery; all those times when Lucifer gets sulky for one reason or another; instances of the occult; parodying other spy fiction; historical detail.
Right, you can breathe a sigh of relief, because I think that’s it! All I can say now is that I hope you have a lot of fun writing. :D