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avani008 · 4 years

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Dear Yuletide Author 2020!

Here are some things I think are rad: snark. friendships. sneaky twisty endings. stories with bite. characters with personalities. stories that make their writers happy. mythology. humor. stories that dig into and expand on the canon, whether that’s backstory or minor characters or worldbuilding. brown paper packages tied up with string.

Stuff I’m not so keen on: rape, incest, mentions of RL pandemics/quarantines? more into het and femslash than slash.

(Fandoms: Devil’s Cub, Jodhaa-Akbar, Mystic Pop-Up Bar)

Fandom 1: Devil’s Cub

Characters Requested: Mary Challoner, Dominic Alastair

Where to Find Source Material: your local library or bookstore!

Problematic as this book is, I read it at an impressionable age, and so can’t help but have a reluctant soft spot Mary/Dominic—but mostly Mary Challoner and the wit and sparkle of Heyer’s prose. Not to mention Mary’s snark and competence, and Dominic’s grouchiness paired with his utter adoration of Mary, or everything about the utter farce that leads up to the climax in Dijon, or—like pretty much every reader of this book ever— that one scene where Mary shoots him. I have been lucky enough to get an amazing fic for this fandom for several years, but greedily I want more--and my amazing writer was kind enough to encourage me to prompt again, especially for that last racebending prompt. Consider:

* Dominic and Mary meeting the first few times, Sophia included with Mary (I’m sure) crankily falling for him while Dominic remains oblivious (or does he?)!

*A tropey AU (or multiple in one fic), whether social media/fandom-based, daemon AU, or any other fusions you enjoy!

* Finally, this is completely optional, but I’ve had this prompt rattling around my brain since I created this graphic—I would love a racebent version of Mary and Vidal, whether that means they’re Indian immigrants who’ve settled in Victorian Britain, or transplanted into the intrigues of the Mughal court, or whether involvement in the Quit India movement, or lack thereof, is an additional tension in their relationship!

Fandom 2: Jodhaa-Akbar

Characters Requested: Hamida Banu Begum, Maham Anga

Where to find source: Netflix

First off, I adore the movie’s themes of adaptation and acceptance, as well as the way it strategically incorporates Mughal history! I also love the slow burn between Jodhaa and Jalal, and their cautious, ever-changing interactions with one another. That said, my prompts, oddly enough, aren’t about either of them! Instead, they’re about Jalal’s two moms, pre-canon.

*To start with, I love Hamida and if you want to focus in on her early life and leave Maham Anga out, you are welcome to! All you need to know if the juicy details can be found link text“>on Wikipedia and for all the following prompts, you are welcome to only extrapolate from movie canon about Hamida’s past! I hasten to add, if research isn’t your thing, you certainly shouldn’t feel obliged to do it! But assuming we at least assume that given her silence regarding her husband, it’s clear Hamida wasn’t too keen on Humayan for a variety of reasons, but what might have Hindal been like in this universe? Her biting wit as recorded towards her suitor never fails to amuse me, and other examples of it towards others would be grand. Jalal and/or Jodhaa interacting with or discovering Hamida’s past could be interesting too!

*Incorporating some of the other prominent women of this time might also be interesting if you choose; there’s Gulbadan, female historian for her brother; Bega Begum, Humayan’s formidable chief wife; Sham and Mihr-angez, female life partners who seem very likely to be an early Mughal example of a Boston marriage (more details and suggestions can be found at this link here)

*That said, I also love the period after Humayan’s death—Hamida and Maham Anga are, between the two of them, trying their best to keep this child Emperor alive and against all odds, prevail. Their relationship has broken down by canon, but what was it like in the past? Did they trust each other more? Less? I imagine they had to cooperate and compromise; how did Maham Anga managing the household while Hamida saw to external affairs affect matters between them?

Shipping-wise, I’m fine with Hamida paired with Hindal or Maham Anga or any other pairing you want to explore—I’m also okay with a canon-divergence or alternate history version of events, in case you want Maham Anga or Hindal to live longer than established, or for Hamida’s life to take different turns than those we know!

Fandom 3: Mystic Pop-Up Bar

Characters: Weol-joo, Gwibanjang | Yi Hon

Where to Find Source: Netflix

This was a delightful canon to find during a stressful time, and the honest sweetness of the main leads always brought a smile to my face. SPOILER warning from now on, just to explain what I enjoyed the most about canon--

--but I really adored Weol-jo and the Crown Prince’s romance above all else. 500 years of pining, secret identities/identity porn, and bonus bickering friends turned lovers the second time around made for everything I wanted, especially with a fantasy twist. The story was always Weol-joo’s, in all her prickly glory, and Gwi was--in his own words--only there to help her. I also really, really loved that despite their shared sense of humor, Weol-joo and Gwi are both extraordinarily competent and good at their jobs, and canon goes out of its way to emphasize that. Yes, they might bicker about nonsense --and my reading of the situation is that most of this is being intentionally facetious, both to be underestimated and because it appeals to their shared sense of humor. So some prompts, to be combined as you wish:

* More about how Yi Hon and Weol-joo met and fell in love! If I understood the prologue correctly, they both entered Yi Hon’s dreamworld to put down multiple angry ghosts, with a vendetta against the royal family, and I’d love to see how this played into the start of their romance. For one, their feelings--shallow as they initially seem--were strong enough to last half a millenium, and so must have been born in adventure and magic; for another, as demure as young Weol-joo was, I refuse to believe her usual snark didn’t show its head as she got to know the Crown Prince.

* Chief Gwi’s first eleven months as Weol-joo’s manager, complete with silent pining and unknowing painful jabs on the part of an oblivious Weol-joo, and how exactly Gwi manages to break through Weol-joo’s shell so effectively by the time we meet them. (Potentially the answer to that might be an impetuous, desperate hookup Weol-joo at least is going to pretend never happened.)There is such potential for adventures and plotfic we missed, and I’d love to see that too!

* Finally, if you want to write post-canon casefic, what about another grudge that the family settles (along with getting accustomed to be an actual family)--potentially something where the reincarnation of Won-hyung’s sister (she was jilted by her childhood friend and orphaned by the same man on her wedding day; and we saw everyone else who was affected by the tragedy leading into Weol-joo’s death, except her) appears, either for revenge or to have closure; or--and this could play into the previous prompt too!--any ghost/grudge-holder who forces the trio to explore either his parents’ past lives or a canon-divergence AU where Weol-joo and the Crown Prince never died, and Kang-bae was born to them, either as a royal prince, or as their child in hiding? (Of note, if you go with this one, I love Weo-rin to bits, and I’d love to see her get to discover her boyfriend’s big secret at last!)

I hope at least some of these help, Mystery Author! Thank you in advance and have a wonderful Yuletide yourself:D

#yuletide #dear yuletide letter #devil’s cub #jodhaa akbar #mystic pop up bar #hamida #maham anga

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herawell · 6 years

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Fic Ask Meme

Tagged for the fic ask meme by @darknesshadows!

What is your total word count on AO3?

110,914 although I have a bunch of Tumblr fic for my Indian fandoms that I keep meaning to transfer to AO3 as well, so that would bump it up another 5K or so.

How often do you write?

It depends… this time last year I was in a writing frenzy and wrote 40K words in five months. Then I had a host of RL issues and didn’t write anything for six months. Since the beginning of this year, I’ve been writing fairly consistently, though my fandom tastes have changed markedly.

Do you have a routine for writing?

Whenever the mood strikes me, honestly. I tend to outline extensively, to the extent of writing the whole fic in bullet points. I like to do all my revising while the fic is still in the outline stages, then do the actual drafting, and then maybe a once-over or two before posting.

What are your favorite tropes/pairing?

Tropes- Female-female friendships, whether sisterly or just friends. Mutual pining, hurt/comfort.

Pairing- Jodhaa/Jalal for Jodhaa Akbar, Henry Vii/Elizabeth of York, Mary I & Elizabeth I.

Do you have a favorite fic of yours?

Hands, for its prose (especially the first drabble) and its drabble structure.

Your fic with the most kudos?

Bigger Picture, not surprising considering it’s Anne Boleyn-centric and based off of ReganX’s most popular work, Edge of a Golden World.

Anything you don’t like about your writing?

I use semicolons, colons, and dashes a LOT, which might not bother some people but can lead to too-long sentences. My work tends to stick to canon compliant genfic/missing scenes, and most of my AU work has been inspired by someone else’s fic. My dialogue can also be a little stilted at times, or altogether eschewed in favor of inner monologue/paraphrasing.

Now something you do like?

I’m pretty good at exploring female-female relationships, which IMO is pretty unexplored territory in fic. I also get my characterization and historical accuracy (when applicable) right, and my prose is always on point.

Tagging @mihrsuri, @lostspook2, @avani008, @mayavanavihariniharini, and @ekdesichokari. If you write fic primarily on Tumblr, you can just estimate your word count/ “kudos”!

#askbox #fic ask meme

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newstfionline · 6 years

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Indian ruling-party member offers bounty for beheading of Bollywood’s biggest female star

By Vidhi Doshi, Washington Post, November 20, 2017

The release of a highly anticipated Bollywood blockbuster has been delayed after a politician from India’s governing party offered a bounty of $1.5 million for the heads of the movie’s star and director amid outcry that the film distorted Hindu legend.

The movie “Padmavati”--depicting the life of legendary 14th-century queen Padmini--sparked the latest in a string of flash points from right-wing groups that perceive more clout under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has courted Hindu nationalists as part of his political base.

Often Hindu outrage is stoked by little more than rumors, including deadly riots and vigilante violence over false claims that Muslims were killing cows sacred to Hindu culture. But this time with the film, the reason for the outrage is even more puzzling.

Members of the Rajput Karni Sena, a group associated with the warrior Rajput caste, claim it misrepresents history by depicting a love affair between the queen and a Muslim invader. The group is further upset that the queen’s midriff is exposed in a song sequence. They have called for a nationwide strike and backed the death threats against star Deepika Padukone and the film’s director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

But Bhansali insists that the plot has no such love scene. And the movie trailer pays ample homage to Rajput bravery and their role in resisting Muslim armies.

The death threats--against one of India’s most popular actresses and a prominent filmmaker--brought quick backlash. They were sharply denounced by leaders of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, and the home minister in the southern Karnataka state, Ramalinga Reddy, ordered protection for Padukone and her family.

Also at stake are the boundaries for the world’s most prolific film industry, in which some directors have increasingly tried to push back against decades of film censorship for political reasons.

Chief ministers of a number of states demanded that controversial scenes be removed before the film is screened. The movie’s producers have indefinitely delayed the film’s release.

The news agency ANI reported that Surajpal Amu, a state-level media coordinator of the BJP, told a rally Sunday: “We will reward the ones beheading [Padukone and Bhansali] with Rs 10 crore, and also take care of their family’s needs.” A crore signifies 10 million rupees.

Amu repeated the statement to the Indian Express. Video from the rally also showed Amu saying, “There’s no need to discuss making cuts to the film. We won’t allow it to play in theaters at all.”

An official from the BJP condemned Amu and said the party was considering taking legal action against him.

“It’s absolutely appalling. What have we gotten ourselves into? And where have we reached as a nation?” said the actress Padukone, who plays the leading role of Queen Padmavati and who recently appeared in “XXX: Return of Xander Cage” alongside Vin Diesel.

A member of the Rajput Karni Sena group, Mahipal Singh Makrana, responded in a self-made video, saying, “Rajputs never raise a hand on women, but if need be, we will do to Deepika what Lakshman did to Surpanakha,” referring to a Hindu epic in which a man cuts off a woman’s nose. The group has also vandalized cinemas, burned posters and threatened to break the legs of actor Ranveer Singh, who plays villainous Muslim invader Alauddin Khilji.

The violent reaction to the film’s release further suggests a groundswell of conservatism in Modi’s India. Bollywood films in the 2000s were known for breaking taboos, as they increasingly began to show on-screen kissing, live-in relationships between unmarried couples and interreligious romances, most famously in the 2008 historical drama “Jodhaa Akbar.”

Some members of Modi’s party have made efforts to minimize Muslims’ role in Indian culture and history. Recently, members of the governing party misleadingly said that the Taj Mahal was built on the site of an old Hindu temple and that it “did not represent Indian culture.” The Taj Mahal was built by the Muslim Mughal king Shah Jahan.

Although members of right-wing groups have been briefly arrested for making threats in the past, the government rarely pursues legal action against them.

#India #Bollywood #Padmavati #Deepika Padukone

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