Everywoman '24 Dear Author letter

[brightknightie]

Dear Everywoman Author:

Hi! Thank you for sharing these fandoms and loving their female characters! I’m sure that whatever you most want to celebrate and explore in these characters and their worlds will make a lovely story. If you’d like more story thoughts from me, read on.


Across all fandoms, in the proverbial nutshell:

• Want: I love good guys (gender-neutral "guys") being good (especially when it's hard), the power of friendship, self sacrifice, striving, plot-rich adventures, character-rich downtime interludes between adventures, tragedies, triumphs, religious faith appropriate to the character, awareness of canon (AUs are most lovely when they consciously ping canon), history, mystery, and story-size underlying metaphors for real life. I love gen and do usually prefer it, but canon relationships are entirely welcome, and thoughtfully developed non-canon relationships can be very nice, too. (And: Third-person past-tense narrative, please, unless you have a specific artistic reason to do otherwise.)


• Do not want: I'd very much prefer not to receive a story that is pro-evil; explicitly brutal, gory, or sexual; uses concepts like mpreg*, omegaverse, etc.; or has bigotry that goes unquestioned/unpunished, including anti-religion (my own religion or anyone else's, obviously). And: Please no second-person, present-tense, or future-tense narrative, unless you have a specific artistic purpose for it?


• "Solo" character nominations: Where I've requested individual characters, rather than groups, this doesn't mean that I necessarily want you to write a literally solo story of "character versus nature," or "character versus technology," or the like (though of course you may if you want to!). Rather, I'd like that requested character(s) to be the lead and focus of the story, and for you to select or create all necessary other appropriate characters to accompany, support, or oppose the requested character(s) in whatever way leads to the best story that you most want to tell. Where I've requested several characters in one fandom, feel free to create your own "group" out of them.

* Mpreg is, of course, canon in The Journey to the West in the Kingdom of Women. It therefore gets a very special, very JttW, limited exception, if you'd like to deploy it per canon to make your story all it should be. I do enjoy the Kingdom of Women very much! I'd rather mpreg not be a focus of the story, though.


Fandom by fandom:



D&DC: Dungeons & Dragons (the ‘80s cartoon)


I love all the usual adventures and would love to share more of them. I’m intrigued by the possibilities of stories of our gang grown up, whether in the Realm or back here, and also by stories that reveal more than the faint clues we have about their lives back home, before or after the Realm. I enjoy stories of them in the midst of growing up, and every kind of quest for or journey home from the Realm or back to the Realm. Any romances should please appropriately suit their ages and eras, whether 1980s teenagers or 2020s adults.

(I'm reading the presently-ongoing Dungeons and Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures comics. While I'm enjoying them, I feel that they've now strayed a little too far away from the show and into today's Forgotten Realms. Maybe that's the job Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast gave the comics creators! It's not fanfic's job.)

All the nominated characters are intriguing, delightful, and welcome in their own ways! Please pick whichever you want to explore or celebrate (truly!). Here are just a few possible scenarios for just a few of them:


• Diana: Perhaps a story where Diana is temporarily injured and she has to deal with her deep fears of her body betraying her while still winning through the adventure of the week? Or maybe Hank is unavailable in some way and Diana has to lead and has to exercise authority in unfamiliar ways for everyone's good? Or how does Diana process being, weirdly, nearly the only Black person in the Realm in that era -- maybe the kids could finally get somewhere in the Realm that doesn't look like Old Europe and Diana's not the one who visually stands out? What about her feelings about the fur bikini outfit that Dungeon Master gave her, or about her javelin compared to the others' weapons of power? Or you could always revisit her feelings about Kosar and what happened to him? Or her relationship with her astronomer dad? (If you like to write m/f, I can see possible developments toward either Eric/Diana, as they are the snarky ones with confidence/arrogance issues, or Hank/Diana, as they are the forward-leaning leaders, as well as the canonical Kosar/Diana.)


• Sheila: Who is Sheila when she's not the big sister or the little mother -- does she really yet know herself? when and how will she grow into herself? Or perhaps a story tackling the relationship or tension between her thief/rogue invisibility and her fear of being alone? Maybe a between-the-adventures interlude with Sheila being very brave in her own way, and one of the others truly appreciating it? Or, my recently new pet theory (inspired by the comics, actually), what if Sheila skipped a grade back at kindergarten, which is why she's canonically younger than the others, and she is actually The Smart One, and the others don't realize, because she's always downplayed it under being The Worrier? Or some Sheila and Bobby sibling struggles and bonding? (If you like to write m/f, I can see possibilities for eventually developing either Eric/Sheila or Lawrence/Sheila, in addition to canonical Hank/Sheila.)


• Martha: If Martha and/or her parents were once Dungeon Master's pupils, what was her, or were her parents', Weapons of Power from the Dragon's Graveyard, and what happened to those weapons? Is it somehow possible that Martha was born in the Realm, though her parents were from Earth? How does a party of DM's pupils come to an end when it's not getting home... death, giving up? Perhaps a tale of Martha relating -- or refusing to relate -- her backstory to our gang, trying and perhaps failing to send them a message? Maybe an interlude in the future where we see she's moved on from her one canon appearance stronger and happier and more satisfied with her life than we found her?


• Kareena: Kareena was originally intended to be a new, ongoing villain to harass our gang and rival Venger, but of course network notes toned that down to nothing, redeeming her by the end of the episode, and then promptly canceled the series, anyway. I'd be as curious to meet the originally intended villainous Kareena upsetting Venger's plans as our kids heroically scramble to oppose both (or flashback before she met Sheila), as to get to have an adventure or interlude with the redeemed Kareena learning to be good, by trial and error, through the power of her new friendships. Did Kareena, like Venger, somehow sell herself to the Nameless One for power, and if so, what will that mean now that she has turned to the light? (If you like to write f/f, I'm up to see Sheila/Kareena develop, but only if (a) Sheila is grown-up and Kareena no longer has so much power, so that it's not a disturbing imbalance, and (b) Kareena has learned, or is learning, to be good.)


• Aeysha: What is up with that doll? Seriously, what did the doll mean to Aeysha and her father, and what did giving it to Sheila mean to Ayesha at the end of the episode? What would it mean to Aeysha if she learned that Sheila tucked it into Presto's bag of holding and forgot about it... or that Sheila re-gifted it to a child the gang meets who really needs it much more than Sheila does? Also, what memories of our gang stay with Ayesha, and what does her father tell her, and do they all cross paths again? (If you like to write m/f, I'm up for eventual Hank/Ayesha. I see Hank's dignity and selflessness as fitting into her world and perhaps reminding her of her father as she sees him, and Rahmoud being happy to entrust his kingdom to his daughter and such a son-in-law someday.)




BSG78: Battlestar Galactica (the original)


In my imagination, since childhood, this canon always feels like it must actually be several seasons long, and I’ve just somehow coincidentally missed many episodes that absolutely must exist. (I literally didn't learn until the first Sci-Fi Channel marathon of the show that this was mistaken.) When I was little, Serina was my uncontested favorite; as an adult, I've grown to treasure Cassiopeia's complexities most of all, and to appreciate the struggles of Sheba and Athena. All the requested characters are loved and welcomed in their own ways! Here are just a few possible scenarios for just a few of them:


• Cassiopeia: Maybe something with Cassiopeia as a medtech treating civilians, or mentoring new medtechs? Perhaps she and Starbuck on a date, but she's the one who gets urgently called in to work, not him, because her job is super important, too? Perhaps, delicately, Cassiopeia helping Athena get the counseling that I believe Athena sorely needs, as part of exploring what the heck the fleet is doing (or failing to do) about metal health care for an entire populace with PTSD, perhaps somehow drawing on Cassiopeia's training as a socialator, even, to kick them into gear on this? Perhaps Cassiopeia representing the non-Caprican population of the fleet to the Capricans running Galactica, and reminding them that human culture is a lot more than just their one colony? (If you like to write m/f, I do ship Starbuck/Cassiopeia, in all their complexity.)


• Serina: Maybe her involvement in setting up the fleet civilian communications network before she died? Maybe the reactions of the volunteers staffing that network -- maybe Rigel and Orion? somehow also even Aurora? -- to the news of her becoming a pilot, or the news of her death? She was, after all, a celebrity and a hero to many, not only to her nearest and dearest. Or perhaps Serina and Boxey? (If you like to write m/f, I do ship Apollo/Serina.)


• Sheba: Speaking of what the fleet is doing or failing to do about mental health, can we maybe get Sheba some kind of counseling after the incidents with Iblis getting in her head? Medical, philosophical, religious, something? Or, completely different, perhaps a flashback of life as Cain's daughter? (If you like to write m/f, I can see Apollo/Sheba eventually, though not immediately.)




JttW: Journey to the West (Monkey King)


I discovered Journey to the West via the rollicking, animatic retelling by Red of "Overly Sarcastic Productions" on YouTube (check it out! so fun!). Since then, I've watched a complete (every chapter) retelling for small children, read Julia Lovell's 2021 abridged translation, and am now a bit more than halfway through the 2012 revised edition of the unabridged, academic translation by Anthony C. Yu. I follow several JttW podcasts and of course the Journey to the West Research site. I've also read and adored the present-day JttW sequel "Genie Lo" YA novels by F.C. Yee (more, please!) and enjoyed Monkey Around by Jadie Jang. (And I watched American-born Chinese on Disney+. YMMV.) Whether you're here for the profound allegories, the snarky hilarity, or both, I'm with you. (Not as much the poetry, though, to be frank?)

To be clear: I'm up for JttW AUs or canon-compliance or anywhere between, as suits you!

Just a few possible scenarios:


• Guanyin: How about another incident in which Guanyin is not immediately at her very best (like when her pet goldfish went rogue)? Or another time in which Wukong challenges what seems -- to him -- to be cruel from her (like the migraine headband) and she explains that he (and we) don't see what she sees and know what she knows? Or more about her relationships with her attendants and disciples, like the Dragon Girl and Red Boy as well as Moksha? Or does she ever ask herself how in all the universe she got stuck looking out for Wukong (I mean, she knows the answer, of course, but Wukong tries even her patience)?


• White Bone Demon: Everyone wants to eat Tripitaka (well, a couple want to have sex with him, which is fully as upsetting to the clearly canonically asexual character), but few get as close as the White Bone Demon! What if she manages to return and try again, either by escaping her afterlife punishment or by rigging her next incarnation or another method?


• Princess Iron Fan: Perhaps some AUing, in which Sandy (somehow usually our most compassionate and insightful pilgrim) convinces Monkey that they should openly ally with her to achieve their ends, instead of deceiving and fighting her? Or maybe something about being Red Boy's mother, before or after he goes to serve Guanyin? (Maybe Gyanyin could let her visit or correspond with her son, under some rule or circumstance...?) Or put the Bull Demon King in his place by our modern standards, good golly; he does not remotely deserve her.




Pokemon GO


Niantic has really lost the thread of their storytelling! They used to have little narratives for each event, and backstories for their NPCs released through their social media accounts. But all of that has vanished into a black hole, as far as Niantic is concerned. (Happily, fans recorded it all on Bulbapedia.) I would enjoy re-engaging with the story of GO, the story its NPCs deserve, where they have motivations and hopes and dreams, especially Candela.

My head-canon is that Candela is from Unova, though of course that's just something I made up. Obviously, we know that she has a fiery temper that she's learned to keep under control, that her focus as a Pokemon researcher is on battling, and that she highly values training in a natural, healthy, power-of-friendship way, not the nasty, toxic, Team GO Rocket way. What about a story where she decides to stop battling Team GO Rocket piecemeal and instead defeat them en masse once and for all? Or something about what the coming of PvP meant for her, as the PvP specialist among the team leaders, after so long in this Earth region without proper battling (and we still don't have a regional League, we backward barbarians in this world)? Or what it's like being here in our world, coming from the Pokemon world? Or of course what Community Day is like on the NPC's side, with all those spare Pokemon being sent to the professor to be tagged and healed and re-released into the wild? (NOT to be ground up for candy. That is clearly a scurrilous lie spread by Team GO Rocket. Or maybe they do that?) Or... how does Candela relate to the new NPCs who have arrived since Niantic stopped telling stories, Rhi and Mattias?

(About me, for context: I'm level 50, Team Valor. I'm more a PvP player than any other gameplay point-salad choice; I actually won one local Silph Cup tournament (and lost many more). I have spent waaaaay more time in this game than I can justify. I know a good pile of the main-series games lore, though I'm just a lore fan rather than a player. The only anime arcs that I've watched end-to-end are Kanto/Johto and Unova.)



Puss in Boots: The Last Wish


This is one of the most tightly executed movies I've ever seen. It's marvelous! Chef's kiss! I had not seen the original Puss in Boots. I barely remembered the Shrek movies. But this! I heard the buzz, and it was so true. Show me more! A side adventure? An interlude between adventures? Kitty thinking she's rescuing Perrito from something and then getting emotionally rescued herself? Kitty being testy and true with her ridiculous, manic, egomaniac, true love, Puss? Mama Bear loving both of her kids through their struggles growing up into themselves? Mama Bear knowing Goldy better than Goldy knows herself, all along? Kitty learning from Mama Bear's experience as a more mature person, and as a wife and mother? Kitty pulling a heist and Perrito and/or Puss getting ridiculously in the way?

My Kitty headcanon is that her declawing metaphorically represents a disability and/or inflicted trauma, and she takes it, uses it, and never lets anything hold her back an inch, while also never downplaying it for others. Puss and his anxiety have much to learn from her, if only by example. And I think this makes them better for each other, now that they are each a little more grown-up, not only Puss's manic ego, but Kitty's trust issues.



Highlander


I love the underlying fairy tale of the cursed blessing, the doom and endurance, the surviving those you love and worlds you knew, and how it's a metaphor for real life. I most enjoy the first two seasons. I also love the historical content and parallels between past and present. All the requested characters are delightful and welcome! Here are just a few possible scenarios:


• Tessa: Maybe a story with a villain to be overcome with Tessa able to be instrumental in the defeat in the ordinary world, not needing swords? Maybe a story about how she regarded Michelle when she and Duncan were friends with Michelle's parents? Maybe a story where Tessa internally deals with her jealousy and Duncan internally deals with his “she was your woman”-style nonsense and they both laugh at themselves and grow closer? (I do ship Duncan/Tessa. They are one of my very, very few OTPs.)


• Anne: Maybe when and what (if anything) does Anne learn about Richie's death and Duncan's consequent breakdown? Or perhaps a between-adventures interlude of Anne in Duncan's life while her daughter is growing up, with them both still caring very much, though their romantic love is long laid to rest?


• Grace: I'm always fascinated by Grace going through her immortal life swordless, presumably mostly if not wholly for ethical reasons, as it conflicts with her calling as a doctor and healer. It's easy to look down on her as relying on "protectors" at times of her life we've seen, but I think of the courage it takes her to stand and confront a strange immortal, or even to flee, with nothing but her wits and her convictions. That was not a common way of looking at life when she must have made that decision, if it has ever or anywhere been common.






Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur


This energetic, delightful, family cartoon has a fantastic sense of its storytelling borders, always returning to its primary focus on Lunella's neighborhood and home, even after a cosmic jaunt with the Beyonder or cross-country trip with Mimi. I appreciate the sitcom-caper format, in which [almost] everything gets resolved and a lesson learned within the episode, but also, with the modern permission for continuity, has characters, motivations, and pitfalls build up over time.

I would be very interested in a story exploring things about Lunella's mother and/or grandmother's perspectives, maybe things that haven't yet really come to focused attention in the show, like her grandparents' relationship (brilliant scientist / skate king, unlikely pairing?), or her mother's family or background. Or just some downtime between adventures, or what it's like being an adult in Lunella's life, whether before or after knowing she's Moon Girl?




In the unlikely event you'd like even more, try my "likes & dislikes" tag here on DW. It has my past "Dear Author" letters for assorted exchanges, including all past EveryWoman events, plus a few chatty posts about things I like and dislike in fanfic. Or you might try my standing likes & dislikes post. I last updated it in '21, but not much has changed!

Thank you so much!