Dear Yuletide Writer
Dear Yuletide writer,
Edited on 21st October to fix HTML, apparently I can't use LJ-cut rights after more than 10 years on LJ. Now all my fandoms show. Last ight I had all these great ideas about what edits I should make to this letter, but now I can't remember any of them... Could be they werne't so great, of course. I did add a little bit to the end of the Tanz der Vampire part.
I tried to make this a shorter letter than usual because my brain isn't much good for anything, but I think it still ended up being really long, because when my brain isn't much good I don't know where to stop. Sorry about that. I hope it all helps you, but if anything I write makes you feel constrained or makes my expectations sound unreasonable or seems to go totally against your understanding of canon, ignore it. I want to read your story, not the one I would write. I'm just trying to include some things that can give you an idea of what interests me about these characters and stories, if that sort of thing helps you. But if any of this doesn't help you, ignore it. If you've signed up to write any of these fandoms and characters, you've really got a great taste, and I'm sure I'll enjoy reading what you come up with. But here are a few more specific pointers.
First, general:
- please no graphic violence, and this is really an important one for me. I'm very bad at dealing with reading about violence, and nowadays I'm especially bad at it because I've got a job where I'm have to read a bit too much about such things, so I really don't want it for my free time. Canon level of violence is fine, but please don't describe it really graphically.
- no rape/non-con
- nothing very bad happening to animals or small children
But while those things are a no, a lot of things are a yes, so do whatever you like. I like gen, I like het, I like slash and femmeslash, I like stories without sex and stories with sex, I like friendship stories and character development and family stories and adventures and dreams and almost whatever else… I've sometimes included some example story ideas in my prompts, but they're just if you need them - you can also write something completely different.
Now for the fandom-specific things, where I explain a little more about what I like about the fandom and why I've requested this thing and what I meant with it. My brain was pretty non-existent when I wrote my prompts, so I'm going to try to make sure I'm not leaving you with anything vastly stupid without explaining it better.
For musical fandoms I'm including which actors I like, but that's only so if you want to know that, you can look at them, get an idea of what I like about these characters and maybe get some inspiration. You're absolutely not required to write with any of these actors in mind or even have the faintest idea of who they are or what they do with the part. If you don't want to know, just skip those parts. If I happened to list an actor you hate, just assume I've got a different interpretation of his/her performance than you do, and continue to write the character however you feel best. The same if you happen to know from somewhere I dislike an actor you like.
1. Fandom: Tanz der Vampire (Steinman/Kunze)
Characters: Alfred, Krolock
Details: Alfred is my favourite character, and though his encounters with Krolock are brief in the musical, they fascinate me. I at least get the feeling that Krolock is trying to appeal to the emotional side of Alfred that Alfred is exploring, but also to the hidden dark side Alfred doesn't feel comfortable exploring though it somehow attracts him, too. And Alfred, though afraid of Krolock and the vampires, can also grow to understand them a bit… I'd like to see a more extended meeting between Alfred and Krolock than we get in the musical, exploring a bit more what these two characters want and what they can talk about with each other. It could be some alternate version of the events of the musical where they have more interaction, it could be after Alfred has been turned into a vampire and tries to understand what has happened and what the undead life is like, or it could happen in some alternate universe where Alfred doesn't change into a vampire at the end of the musical… Or whatever you come up with! Just please don't portray Alfred as stupid and let him be a three-dimensional character. It can be gen or slash or whatever. I do request that there'd be no Alfred/Herbert, though, as that's not my kind of pairing, though their canon type interaction is fine. Please no non-con or graphic violence (vampire bites are OK if the story goes that way).
In three past Yuletides I've asked for Alfred stories and gotten them, but I've never yet gotten a story that explores the relationship between Alfred and Krolock, and I'd love to read one. For this one, it is good to keep in mind that Alfred is my favourite character and I really watch the musical for him, so even if he's not your favourite character and you don't find him as interesting as I do, you might want to make sure he's got a sizable part in this story. I see Tanz as a story where Krolock brings about the change in the human characters' lives, but the humans are the ones who really change, and especially Alfred. How much he develops depends on what the actor does with the part, because he doesn't have any "this is how I'm changing now" type of demonstrative solos, which is why I'm mentioning some of my favourite actors, but that doesn't mean you can't write with some other actor (or no particular one) in mind.
I've written a ton of how I see about Alfred in past Yuletide letters, so if you want you can always check them out (they're almost the only public thing here and have been tagged), but here are just a brief important pointers. As I said in my Yuletide letter, I don't want Alfred to be stupid, as some viewers and actors seem to think he is. I think he's got a story of his own going on and it's about growing up, getting in touch with your feelings and getting to know the dark side of the world and even himself, though he also resists it all. I love Alfred, among other reasons, because he keeps on trying and hoping and being idealistic in a world that doesn't believe in idealism, and because he holds onto goodness even when darkness attracts him, because he's got a delicious sensual awakening going on while only partly aware of it, because he has such a fascinating dream as Carpe noctem, because he is sweet and naïve and vulnerable in a world where he's expected to be anything but that, because he's so incredibly human, because he's funny through being human, because he grows up during the story but remains himself rather than turning into some standard macho hero.
My favourite Alfreds that I've seen live are Michael Heller, Tibor Héger and Ádám Pásztor - they each do something very unique with the character and develop him in interesting ways. Some others that I like include Niels Jacobs, Gernot Romic, Sebastian Smulders, László Sánta, Dennis Jankowiak and Aris Sas. And because for Alfred and Krolock's interaction it may be relevant, my favourite White Vampires are Gernot Romic and Yves Adang. There's some nice video material available on both of them.
As for Krolock, I'm the most fascinated by him when I can see some of the humanity still in him, when he isn't just the big dark seductive vampire lord but has some frustration, anger and pain about what happens, still without losing the power and impressiveness. My personal favourite Krolocks that I've seen live have been Gábor Bot and Florian Soyka, and I have a feeling I'd have liked Drew Sarich if I'd have seen him live. Ideally, I'm the happiest in theatre when I get the feeling that the Alfred and the Krolock could have really interesting discussions if given more time and better circumstances to talk in, and might really be able to understand each other a bit, at least after Alfred's vampire transformation. The most amazing first act finales I've seen live have been Florian Soyka/Michael Heller and Géza Egyházi/Tibor Héger, but I bet there are other amazing ones I've just sadly missed. Michael was so full of fascination and fear, on the other hand wanting to follow Krolock and maybe even wanting to be bitten despite himself, but also really afraid of it all... And Florian was just incredibly intense and wasting no effort to impress him.
2. Fandom: Elisabeth - Kunze/Levay
Characters: Rudolf, Elisabeth, Franz Joseph
Details: One of the things that fascinate me both about the musical and about the historical people are the family dynamics between these three, and I would love to see a story involving that. The way Rudolf rebels against his father and looks for his mother who distances herself from both, the difficult relationship between Franz-Joseph and Elisabeth and their inability to see what is going on with Rudolf… It's all so sad, so human and happens all too often, and I'd love to see a story exploring their relationships to each other more. I feel sympathy towards them all and I hope the story will show some, too. Feel free to either base it fully on the musical or also use the history if you’re interested in that. You can use other things about the musical as you like, including Death, but I'd prefer it to be centred on these three characters, and it's fine if it doesn't involve Death at all.
The family relationships in this musical - so messed up and painful, so damn true to the way human beings often are with each other. Same for these people and the rest of the family in history. It's very beautiful and poignant and sad. And while I think Death is a fascinating character and an interesting way of telling Elisabeth's story, I would love to read a story that focused rather on these three people and their relationships. If one character speaks significantly less to you than the others, that's okay if you focus more on the other two. But Rudolf is my favourite character so hopefully he'll have a decent-sized part in the story. You can have the story take place in whatever part of the chronology starting from when Rudolf first gets interested - that is, I want him to be more than a baby, but otherwise he can be a child, a teenager, an adult, close to suicide or in the earlier and more hopeful years.
I'm absolutely not production-specific, though the European productions are really my thing much more than Takarazuka, so if you've only seen Takarazuka, you might try to check out some scenes from European productions for comparison - the Takarazuka version has more focus on Death, so some things about these characters don't come out the same way, I think. I've seen the musical on stage in Finland and in Budapest, but I've also watched almost all the other productions on video, and there are things I like about each version and I don't have one definite favourite version. The same for actors, though my favourite Elisabeth is Nikolett Füredi, but that doesn't help you unless you've seen her live, because there's very little on her online. It would take an essay to explain what I think about Elisabeth and how I view her, but let's say I find her a very interesting woman who is both strongly flawed and still sympathetic. I understand her desire for freedom and independence and her being hurt by the court etiquette, yet it's frightening how isolated from other people it makes her and how she ends up not being there for people who need her. My favourite Rudolf is Jesper Tydén, and I generally prefer Rudolfs who can show that he's quite an intelligent person who has serious reasons to be upset and frustrated, and isn't just Death's puppet although he is vulnerable and Death can use that vulnerability and frustration. As for Franz-Joseph, I just like any actor who shows him as three-dimensional and can bring sympathy for him even though he can sometimes be frustratingly block-headed in following duty at the expense of understanding what he, his wife and son need… But like the two others, he is also fundamentally alone and I feel sorry for him.
3. Fandom: Disney Princesses
Characters: Belle, Rapunzel
Details: Belle and Rapunzel are my two favourite princesses, and I’d love to read a story that shows the two of them meeting and doing something together. Maybe one of them runs into the story of the other, or it can happen before or after their canonical stories take place. It can be a friendship story, another fairytale adventure, a coming-of-age story for them both, it can also be femmeslash if you like. I just hope Belle and Rapunzel are going to like each other and somehow each get something from the other. Their respective princes can either be included or not be included, whichever works for you, but please don't bash them.
I'm not sure what else to say at this point… I love Belle because she's bookish, dreamy, wants to see the world and experience exciting things in life, and won't be satisfied with what's supposed to be her normal lot in life, and won't allow anyone to bully her and her bright, dreamy spirit into submission. I love it because she still is able to make a sacrifice, and because she has enough spirit to first be angry at the Beast, but also enough heart to give him a chance and start seeing him as more than a Beast… And because the gift of her dreams is a library, naturally! I love Rapunzel because she's girlish, sensitive and dreamy and at the same time has enough willpower and desire for freedom to escape from her tower even if it means she needs to go along with a criminal who seems none too fond of seeing her, and because she keeps on holding to her dreams and seeing beauty and delightful things everywhere and is able to get a bunch of robbers to reveal their true dreams in a great cheerful song…
I'm happy with anything you do with this, as long as we've got them two meeting and doing something together! If you need something specific to start with, you could try a scenario where Belle ends up in Rapunzel's tower instead of Flynn, and see what happens. While I like both Flynn/Eugene and the Beast, I'm totally fine if this princess story ends up being without princes - but if they're there, that's also fine.
4. Fandom: Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
Characters: Dora Keith
Details: Though I love these books, I always felt Dora got treated a bit unfairly both by the narrator and by other characters, seeing her as nothing but so perfectly good that she’s boring, and having no real personality. It feels unfair because people always are three-dimensional and more than just surface, and it feels like Dora isn't given a chance to be such. I would love to see a story that shows a bit more to Dora: shows that a good girl can actually still be an interesting person, and that she has her own emotions, thoughts, her own pains and fears and sorrows.
You can do whatever you want with this, but here are some things you might explore, if you're looking for a starting point: How is she able to be so perfectly behaved when nobody has brought her up to be so - is that really an innate characteristic or some kind of a psychological reaction to the conditions she grew up in? How does she feel about being constantly in the shadow of Davy who, let’s be honest, can treat her quite harshly? Does she wish that Anne and Marilla paid her more attention and could see behind her outer shell and see that she’s also a person? Do they at some point fail to see what she really needs because the more colourful Davy takes up their attention? Does she every once in a while do something that's not so perfectly behaved? Does Dora end up saving the day on some surprising occasion? Just please give me a Dora who is a allowed to be a person and three-dimensional, and who isn’t considered boring just because she’s a good girl and less attention-demanding than her brother.
I actually said the main things I wanted in my prompt, so not so much else to say here. Just that I generally love Montgomery because her books are full of life, because she's so good at describing people as they are, neither completely good nor completely bad but infinitely interesting, and filling everything with delightful details of life. And because seeing people as they are doesn't mean some dark dreary modern realism but there's always hope and light in her stories. Especially since she normally is so good at describing people and quite fair in seeing some good in almost everone, I'm particularly put off by the treatment of Dora where she's left completely two-dimensional, where the narrator doesn't seem to believe that she can be anything but that "perfectly behaved boring girl" - it just seems an unfair way to treat a child like her, without ever asking what is really going on with her… Surely she's got her own story, so I want to know a bit more!
I don't mind if the story I get takes a bit different on some things, since I'm anyway asking for a different viewpoint than canon has, in showing Dora as more of a person. If you need to show more failings in Anne and Marilla than canon does, or show Davy's treatment of his sister as harsher than the canon allows it is, that's fine, as long as none of them are quite turned into villains and the hopeful tone of the original isn't completely lost.
Edited on 21st October to fix HTML, apparently I can't use LJ-cut rights after more than 10 years on LJ. Now all my fandoms show. Last ight I had all these great ideas about what edits I should make to this letter, but now I can't remember any of them... Could be they werne't so great, of course. I did add a little bit to the end of the Tanz der Vampire part.
I tried to make this a shorter letter than usual because my brain isn't much good for anything, but I think it still ended up being really long, because when my brain isn't much good I don't know where to stop. Sorry about that. I hope it all helps you, but if anything I write makes you feel constrained or makes my expectations sound unreasonable or seems to go totally against your understanding of canon, ignore it. I want to read your story, not the one I would write. I'm just trying to include some things that can give you an idea of what interests me about these characters and stories, if that sort of thing helps you. But if any of this doesn't help you, ignore it. If you've signed up to write any of these fandoms and characters, you've really got a great taste, and I'm sure I'll enjoy reading what you come up with. But here are a few more specific pointers.
First, general:
- please no graphic violence, and this is really an important one for me. I'm very bad at dealing with reading about violence, and nowadays I'm especially bad at it because I've got a job where I'm have to read a bit too much about such things, so I really don't want it for my free time. Canon level of violence is fine, but please don't describe it really graphically.
- no rape/non-con
- nothing very bad happening to animals or small children
But while those things are a no, a lot of things are a yes, so do whatever you like. I like gen, I like het, I like slash and femmeslash, I like stories without sex and stories with sex, I like friendship stories and character development and family stories and adventures and dreams and almost whatever else… I've sometimes included some example story ideas in my prompts, but they're just if you need them - you can also write something completely different.
Now for the fandom-specific things, where I explain a little more about what I like about the fandom and why I've requested this thing and what I meant with it. My brain was pretty non-existent when I wrote my prompts, so I'm going to try to make sure I'm not leaving you with anything vastly stupid without explaining it better.
For musical fandoms I'm including which actors I like, but that's only so if you want to know that, you can look at them, get an idea of what I like about these characters and maybe get some inspiration. You're absolutely not required to write with any of these actors in mind or even have the faintest idea of who they are or what they do with the part. If you don't want to know, just skip those parts. If I happened to list an actor you hate, just assume I've got a different interpretation of his/her performance than you do, and continue to write the character however you feel best. The same if you happen to know from somewhere I dislike an actor you like.
1. Fandom: Tanz der Vampire (Steinman/Kunze)
Characters: Alfred, Krolock
Details: Alfred is my favourite character, and though his encounters with Krolock are brief in the musical, they fascinate me. I at least get the feeling that Krolock is trying to appeal to the emotional side of Alfred that Alfred is exploring, but also to the hidden dark side Alfred doesn't feel comfortable exploring though it somehow attracts him, too. And Alfred, though afraid of Krolock and the vampires, can also grow to understand them a bit… I'd like to see a more extended meeting between Alfred and Krolock than we get in the musical, exploring a bit more what these two characters want and what they can talk about with each other. It could be some alternate version of the events of the musical where they have more interaction, it could be after Alfred has been turned into a vampire and tries to understand what has happened and what the undead life is like, or it could happen in some alternate universe where Alfred doesn't change into a vampire at the end of the musical… Or whatever you come up with! Just please don't portray Alfred as stupid and let him be a three-dimensional character. It can be gen or slash or whatever. I do request that there'd be no Alfred/Herbert, though, as that's not my kind of pairing, though their canon type interaction is fine. Please no non-con or graphic violence (vampire bites are OK if the story goes that way).
In three past Yuletides I've asked for Alfred stories and gotten them, but I've never yet gotten a story that explores the relationship between Alfred and Krolock, and I'd love to read one. For this one, it is good to keep in mind that Alfred is my favourite character and I really watch the musical for him, so even if he's not your favourite character and you don't find him as interesting as I do, you might want to make sure he's got a sizable part in this story. I see Tanz as a story where Krolock brings about the change in the human characters' lives, but the humans are the ones who really change, and especially Alfred. How much he develops depends on what the actor does with the part, because he doesn't have any "this is how I'm changing now" type of demonstrative solos, which is why I'm mentioning some of my favourite actors, but that doesn't mean you can't write with some other actor (or no particular one) in mind.
I've written a ton of how I see about Alfred in past Yuletide letters, so if you want you can always check them out (they're almost the only public thing here and have been tagged), but here are just a brief important pointers. As I said in my Yuletide letter, I don't want Alfred to be stupid, as some viewers and actors seem to think he is. I think he's got a story of his own going on and it's about growing up, getting in touch with your feelings and getting to know the dark side of the world and even himself, though he also resists it all. I love Alfred, among other reasons, because he keeps on trying and hoping and being idealistic in a world that doesn't believe in idealism, and because he holds onto goodness even when darkness attracts him, because he's got a delicious sensual awakening going on while only partly aware of it, because he has such a fascinating dream as Carpe noctem, because he is sweet and naïve and vulnerable in a world where he's expected to be anything but that, because he's so incredibly human, because he's funny through being human, because he grows up during the story but remains himself rather than turning into some standard macho hero.
My favourite Alfreds that I've seen live are Michael Heller, Tibor Héger and Ádám Pásztor - they each do something very unique with the character and develop him in interesting ways. Some others that I like include Niels Jacobs, Gernot Romic, Sebastian Smulders, László Sánta, Dennis Jankowiak and Aris Sas. And because for Alfred and Krolock's interaction it may be relevant, my favourite White Vampires are Gernot Romic and Yves Adang. There's some nice video material available on both of them.
As for Krolock, I'm the most fascinated by him when I can see some of the humanity still in him, when he isn't just the big dark seductive vampire lord but has some frustration, anger and pain about what happens, still without losing the power and impressiveness. My personal favourite Krolocks that I've seen live have been Gábor Bot and Florian Soyka, and I have a feeling I'd have liked Drew Sarich if I'd have seen him live. Ideally, I'm the happiest in theatre when I get the feeling that the Alfred and the Krolock could have really interesting discussions if given more time and better circumstances to talk in, and might really be able to understand each other a bit, at least after Alfred's vampire transformation. The most amazing first act finales I've seen live have been Florian Soyka/Michael Heller and Géza Egyházi/Tibor Héger, but I bet there are other amazing ones I've just sadly missed. Michael was so full of fascination and fear, on the other hand wanting to follow Krolock and maybe even wanting to be bitten despite himself, but also really afraid of it all... And Florian was just incredibly intense and wasting no effort to impress him.
2. Fandom: Elisabeth - Kunze/Levay
Characters: Rudolf, Elisabeth, Franz Joseph
Details: One of the things that fascinate me both about the musical and about the historical people are the family dynamics between these three, and I would love to see a story involving that. The way Rudolf rebels against his father and looks for his mother who distances herself from both, the difficult relationship between Franz-Joseph and Elisabeth and their inability to see what is going on with Rudolf… It's all so sad, so human and happens all too often, and I'd love to see a story exploring their relationships to each other more. I feel sympathy towards them all and I hope the story will show some, too. Feel free to either base it fully on the musical or also use the history if you’re interested in that. You can use other things about the musical as you like, including Death, but I'd prefer it to be centred on these three characters, and it's fine if it doesn't involve Death at all.
The family relationships in this musical - so messed up and painful, so damn true to the way human beings often are with each other. Same for these people and the rest of the family in history. It's very beautiful and poignant and sad. And while I think Death is a fascinating character and an interesting way of telling Elisabeth's story, I would love to read a story that focused rather on these three people and their relationships. If one character speaks significantly less to you than the others, that's okay if you focus more on the other two. But Rudolf is my favourite character so hopefully he'll have a decent-sized part in the story. You can have the story take place in whatever part of the chronology starting from when Rudolf first gets interested - that is, I want him to be more than a baby, but otherwise he can be a child, a teenager, an adult, close to suicide or in the earlier and more hopeful years.
I'm absolutely not production-specific, though the European productions are really my thing much more than Takarazuka, so if you've only seen Takarazuka, you might try to check out some scenes from European productions for comparison - the Takarazuka version has more focus on Death, so some things about these characters don't come out the same way, I think. I've seen the musical on stage in Finland and in Budapest, but I've also watched almost all the other productions on video, and there are things I like about each version and I don't have one definite favourite version. The same for actors, though my favourite Elisabeth is Nikolett Füredi, but that doesn't help you unless you've seen her live, because there's very little on her online. It would take an essay to explain what I think about Elisabeth and how I view her, but let's say I find her a very interesting woman who is both strongly flawed and still sympathetic. I understand her desire for freedom and independence and her being hurt by the court etiquette, yet it's frightening how isolated from other people it makes her and how she ends up not being there for people who need her. My favourite Rudolf is Jesper Tydén, and I generally prefer Rudolfs who can show that he's quite an intelligent person who has serious reasons to be upset and frustrated, and isn't just Death's puppet although he is vulnerable and Death can use that vulnerability and frustration. As for Franz-Joseph, I just like any actor who shows him as three-dimensional and can bring sympathy for him even though he can sometimes be frustratingly block-headed in following duty at the expense of understanding what he, his wife and son need… But like the two others, he is also fundamentally alone and I feel sorry for him.
3. Fandom: Disney Princesses
Characters: Belle, Rapunzel
Details: Belle and Rapunzel are my two favourite princesses, and I’d love to read a story that shows the two of them meeting and doing something together. Maybe one of them runs into the story of the other, or it can happen before or after their canonical stories take place. It can be a friendship story, another fairytale adventure, a coming-of-age story for them both, it can also be femmeslash if you like. I just hope Belle and Rapunzel are going to like each other and somehow each get something from the other. Their respective princes can either be included or not be included, whichever works for you, but please don't bash them.
I'm not sure what else to say at this point… I love Belle because she's bookish, dreamy, wants to see the world and experience exciting things in life, and won't be satisfied with what's supposed to be her normal lot in life, and won't allow anyone to bully her and her bright, dreamy spirit into submission. I love it because she still is able to make a sacrifice, and because she has enough spirit to first be angry at the Beast, but also enough heart to give him a chance and start seeing him as more than a Beast… And because the gift of her dreams is a library, naturally! I love Rapunzel because she's girlish, sensitive and dreamy and at the same time has enough willpower and desire for freedom to escape from her tower even if it means she needs to go along with a criminal who seems none too fond of seeing her, and because she keeps on holding to her dreams and seeing beauty and delightful things everywhere and is able to get a bunch of robbers to reveal their true dreams in a great cheerful song…
I'm happy with anything you do with this, as long as we've got them two meeting and doing something together! If you need something specific to start with, you could try a scenario where Belle ends up in Rapunzel's tower instead of Flynn, and see what happens. While I like both Flynn/Eugene and the Beast, I'm totally fine if this princess story ends up being without princes - but if they're there, that's also fine.
4. Fandom: Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
Characters: Dora Keith
Details: Though I love these books, I always felt Dora got treated a bit unfairly both by the narrator and by other characters, seeing her as nothing but so perfectly good that she’s boring, and having no real personality. It feels unfair because people always are three-dimensional and more than just surface, and it feels like Dora isn't given a chance to be such. I would love to see a story that shows a bit more to Dora: shows that a good girl can actually still be an interesting person, and that she has her own emotions, thoughts, her own pains and fears and sorrows.
You can do whatever you want with this, but here are some things you might explore, if you're looking for a starting point: How is she able to be so perfectly behaved when nobody has brought her up to be so - is that really an innate characteristic or some kind of a psychological reaction to the conditions she grew up in? How does she feel about being constantly in the shadow of Davy who, let’s be honest, can treat her quite harshly? Does she wish that Anne and Marilla paid her more attention and could see behind her outer shell and see that she’s also a person? Do they at some point fail to see what she really needs because the more colourful Davy takes up their attention? Does she every once in a while do something that's not so perfectly behaved? Does Dora end up saving the day on some surprising occasion? Just please give me a Dora who is a allowed to be a person and three-dimensional, and who isn’t considered boring just because she’s a good girl and less attention-demanding than her brother.
I actually said the main things I wanted in my prompt, so not so much else to say here. Just that I generally love Montgomery because her books are full of life, because she's so good at describing people as they are, neither completely good nor completely bad but infinitely interesting, and filling everything with delightful details of life. And because seeing people as they are doesn't mean some dark dreary modern realism but there's always hope and light in her stories. Especially since she normally is so good at describing people and quite fair in seeing some good in almost everone, I'm particularly put off by the treatment of Dora where she's left completely two-dimensional, where the narrator doesn't seem to believe that she can be anything but that "perfectly behaved boring girl" - it just seems an unfair way to treat a child like her, without ever asking what is really going on with her… Surely she's got her own story, so I want to know a bit more!
I don't mind if the story I get takes a bit different on some things, since I'm anyway asking for a different viewpoint than canon has, in showing Dora as more of a person. If you need to show more failings in Anne and Marilla than canon does, or show Davy's treatment of his sister as harsher than the canon allows it is, that's fine, as long as none of them are quite turned into villains and the hopeful tone of the original isn't completely lost.