#mike and psmith

[dickensianenglishbulldog]

Psmith runs past Mike on the street.

Mike: Psmith? What on Earth? Why are you running?

Psmith: Comrade Jackson! The disruption of my usually stately demeanour may be attributed not to a wish for exercise but to flight!

M: Eh?

Bertie Wooster, Oofy Prosser, Monty Bodkin, Bingo Little, eggs, beans and crumpets (shouting):“Stop him! He’s got the club brain cell!”

[dandiacal]

also i: have now read mike and psmith, psmith in the city, AND leave it to psmith! psmith is flabbergasting and more than a little awful, which maybe makes him more fun. dont YOU want your exquisite morally gray friend to take pity on you drape himself all over your shared fireplace and pay for your college? i also think his fall from fortune in "leave it" forcing him to physically handle fish at the market is a dish he deserved to eat. and the surprise i felt when he held a GUN - !

[fictionadventurer]

It is now time for Relatable Introvert Moments with Ulysses S. Grant.

Here I met for the first time Andrew Johnson, Military Governor of Tennessee. He delivered a speech of welcome. His composure showed that it was by no means his maiden effort. It was long, and I was in torture while he was delivering it, fearing something would be expected from me in response. I was relieved, however, the people assembled having apparently heard enough. At all events they commenced a general hand-shaking, which, although trying where there is so much of it, was a great relief to me in this emergency.

This has been Relatable Introvert Moments with Ulysses S. Grant.

[aceredshirt13]

one thing i love about p. g. wodehouse is that the answer to "didn't wodehouse write a short story where heteronormativity is framed as the villain?" is "which one?"

[incomingalbatross]

I don't know you (yet) but I followed you solely based on the blog name from one of my favorite books ever o7

Looking forward to getting to know you :)

Someone of taste and culture, I see! Welcome!

I don't post very often about Psmith, I must admit, but I'm very fond of him and Mike and I have to thank him for an incredible tagline. ;P

[someitems]

Dear Yuletide Author 2024

Happy Yuletide! I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Do not wants/dislikes: Please no PWPs (with one exception, discussed below), no unhappy endings, and no pet/child death even in the background. If a character is injured or hospitalized, please tag for it even if it's a minor character and even if it spoils the plot.

What I like: Characterization is my favorite part of fic, and all these fandoms have been chosen because I love these people so much. What makes them tick? What do they like about each other? I enjoy reading about both romance and friendship, and the way romance and friendship intertwine. I love it when opposites attract and two characters can't resist each other despite seeming totally unalike. Most of all, what I love is when a writer brings their love for and delight in canon into their work - if you focus on what makes the world and the people in it so special, I know I'll love whatever you write!

My requests:

Mimi wo Sumaseba | Whisper of the Heart (1995)

Tsukishima Shizuku, Amasawa Seiji

One of my favorite movies of all time! I love the sweet, gentle atmosphere of this movie, the way nothing super important happens in the grand scheme of things but it's all so crucial to the characters, the portrayal of what it's like to be an earnest, creative teen burning with ambition. And I love Shizuku and Seiji's relationship and the way they support each other's ambitions, and how their love for each other powers their art. A fic exploring where they go after the events of the movie, both in their relationship and their art, would be wonderful. What's it like for them when Seiji is in Cremona? How do they handle the growing pains of teenage love? What's the next step for Shizuku's creative writing? Feel free to include any of the other characters in the movie, but keep the focus on Shizuku and Seiji. And please don't age them up any older than early 20s - I want them to keep their youthful earnestness!

Persuasion - Jane Austen

Admiral Croft, Sophia Croft

The Admiral and Sophy are among my favorite married couples in all of literature, and I've always wanted more about them. I'd love fic that expands on their story in some way. Maybe you take us back in time to their courtship, their first meeting, or the early days of their marriage. Maybe you hop us forward to some more of their adventures after the events of the novel and the ways their lives intertwine with the other characters. All I ask is that the fic be primarily focused on the two of them and their relationship - while you can include other characters, and of course the events of the novel can come into play and be part of the story, I don't want a fic that just retells Anne and Captain Wentworth's romance from the Crofts' POV.

A Marshmallow World - Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra (1967 Dean Martin Show Performance)

Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra

Watching this drunken, goofy performance of "A Marshmallow World" has become a holiday tradition in my family, and every time, I think, "They had to have hooked up either right before or right after this performance, right?" I'd love fic about that hookup - how it happens, when it happens, what's behind it all. It can be simple and straightforward or full of buried feelings - up to you! This is the exception to my "no PWPs" request, due to the nature of the canon.

Psmith - P.G. Wodehouse

Mike Jackson, Rupert Psmith

I'm a latecomer to the world of Psmith, but I love it with all my heart and soul, and I especially love the relationship between Psmith and "Comrade Jackson". Psmith is such a funny, chaotic whirlwind of a character, and Mike is the perfect foil to him. I'd love a story about their relationship and further shenanigans together, especially one where Mike is in a sticky situation and Psmith helps him get out of it. Up to you whether it's shippy or just about their friendship - I would be happy with either! Anyone from Psmith's world is fair game to include as supporting characters. Please don't set it during their school days, though. I prefer reading about them as adults.

[funnuraba]

Lying in my sickbed, I have assigned myself to craft some official, wieldy and helpful Wodehouse ship names. Also, make sure to mask up in an N95 or better respirator for the ongoing Covid pandemic, and get some sealed safety goggles for the incipient H5N1 pandemic!

Bertie/Jeeves: Beeves

Aunt Dahlia/Uncle Tom: Dom

Aunt Agatha/guy she marries: Worplesgatha

Gussie/Madeline: Gusseline

Gussie/Emerald: Gusserald

Spode/Madeline: RodMad (not Basspode, which is Spode/Sir Watkyn)

Bingo/Rosie: BingBanks

Florence/Stilton: Fl'Orcy

Stilton/Daphne: Cheesehead

Florence/Percy: Florringe

Tuppy/Angela: Don't ship this

Stiffy/Stinker: Stiffstink Pinkbyng

Bingo/Pongo: Bongo, Pingo, Bingpong, possibilities are endless, idk if they ever speak though

Ashe/Joan: Marlentine

Joan/Aline: Only F/F Ship or Jaline igss

Ronnie/Sue: Fishbrown

Hugo/Millicent: Carwood/Threepmody

Tipton/Veronica: Ronton

Wilfred/Monica: Millsop

Gally/Dolly Henderson: Golly

Baxter/Lady Constance: Baxtance, yeah that's right they get a real one because they are #Real

Gally/Uncle Fred: Gallifred

Lord Emsworth/Uncle Fred: IckenEm. scraping the bottom of the Blandings barrel to find something gay

Sir Gregory/Maudie: Parslie

Ukridge/Corky: Stankoran

Psmith/Mike: Mīth

Psmithian polycule: my Covid induced brain damage can't handle this

[gaytobymeres]

cos i have so much uni stuff to do rn i can't risk reading a new book incase it becomes too much of a distraction so maybe its now time to reread one of the mike and psmith stories

[dtolemy]

{ KEDAR WILLIAMS-STIRLING, 19, CIS MALE, HE/HIM } Is that DARIUS PTOLEMY? A SOPHOMORE originally from PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE, they decided to come to Ogden College to study BUSINESS on a ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP. They’re THE HOMEGROWN HERO on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance. 

pinterest | spotify | spotify+ (warning: bubblegum pop and the gummy bear song)

WHO?

full name: darius ezekiel ptolemy

birthday: october 25, 2003

pronouns: he/him

personality: exuberant. galvanizing. insatiable, imprudent, impetuous. insert other sat words he uses incorrectly to sound intelligent, which he is capable of being strictly in the contexts of sports and the pizza prices of every take-out place in a statewide vicinity. where he remains oblivious to his faults, darius thrives, and where he is forced to confront them, darius falters, snaps back with something stolen from the climax of an academy award loser, and goes back to thriving. he’s a personality, a figurehead, a trophy that needs to win itself more trophies. he thinks of getting people to like him, love him, hate him, focus on him, in any way, to be just as important as getting good grades. despite this, he’s anything but a hard partier, and claims designated driver like it’s his eternal duty. no better way to make people fall for you than by being a goody-two-shoes, right?

appearance: darius’s wardrobe is a miscellany of colors, thrown over a toned body with a meticulous dishevelment that takes more time in the morning than his three showers. his stature is asserted to be 6’0 but more accurately 5’10 with the help of high top sneakers, while its presence is mostly felt in him darting about campus with an agility only achievable through years of training and an abject inability to read maps properly.

WHAT?

sports & extracurriculars: tennis, diving & swimming, table tennis

tropes: homegrown hero. if anything’s to thank for his rise to the top and unaccountable social claustrophobia, it’s the prestigious town of portsmouth, new hampshire. | small name, big ego. but also, his success is sort of totally, entirely his doing. even if said success isn't quite that recognized outside of the country. | mr. vice guy. pride, lust, relating to holden caulfield, etc. he didn’t pay much attention in sunday school, honestly. | | attention whore. no point in doing anything if nobody’s around to post a fancam of it. | the nicknamer. because having a coherent contacts list is for losers.

relationship to greer: greer’s recruit.

Maybe it was because he was playing with some of the finest New Hampshire had to offer, or maybe it was because his attention was thoroughly divided between warming up and making the varsity team warm up to him, but Darius put more effort than ever into preparing himself for the life of an Ogden student. Specifically, the life of an Ogden student in Greer’s inner circle. He sought her time with a dogged determination that could only be dampened by explicit refusal, analyzing every letter of her posts (which were probably drafted by a PR team with more experience than a lifetime in the industry could merit, but a man could dream, and dream he did) as well as reading Cosmopolitan magazines behind his textbooks. Thus, freshman year was filled with professional, totally subtle butt-kissing and a whole lot of scampering around campus to spend his old rackets’ insurance on… whatever it was that Greer liked, anyways. He knew he wanted, needed, to become like her other friends, a shiny thing out of reach from anyone below their level, but how?

hobbies: cycling, yoga, taking selfies at inappropriate times

inspirations: randall “pink” floyd (dazed and confused), jeff sadecki (yellowjackets), mike jackson (the psmith novels), emily cooper (emily in paris, i promise i can explain)

WHY?

tl;dr: ambitious, discontent, and brilliant at acting like he’s neither of those, darius was born to the most mind-bogglingly middling family ever to throw their name in the genetic lottery in the most average neighborhood to have ever been built. his father an electrician and amateur pastor, his mother an insurance agent, and his grandmother a dispenser of morally dubious advice from her rocking chair, he took the burden of being an interesting person onto himself at a young age, idolizing the grand slam GOATs of television and desperate to become one of them. he and his coaches molded him into the underdog of his hometown’s dreams, but now that he’s been thrust into a world where people actually go places for vacation and expect better than the best of him, he doubts he can keep up without some elbow grease.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION…

connections: tba! aside from the suggested connections for the skeleton, however:

platonic. sports buddies, role models, study groups, fitness friends, ride or dies with a probable emphasis on dies

antagonistic. rivals on the court, mutual jealousy, academic opposition, bad influences, competitors in popularity

romantic. fleeting flirtationships, unrequited crushes, awkward dating app matches, friends with benefits, enemies with benefits

plot summaries: tba!

thread tracker: tba!

headcanons: 

hates table tennis and sucks at it big time but continues playing under the incorrect pretense that he will improve. either misses the ball entirely or hits it with so much force that whichever surface the poor thing lands on will be permanently scarred.

most active social media is linkedin. he is aware that this is humiliating but mentally maintains that he will be nothing without an internship to one of the many, many insurance companies whose employees he texts night and day.

favorites:

books. adventures of huckleberry finn by mark twain, losers take all by david klass, a separate peace by john knowles, winning ugly by brad gilbert, looking for alaska by john green

movies. fast times at ridgemont high, napoleon dynamite, sunday school musical, big time adolescence, teenage mutant ninja turtles (1990)

music. lecrae, nirvana, daft punk, weathers, sue sylvester’s super bass cover

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

Hi tales

Can you give me a metaphor to describe each of your blorbos?

Hmm, this is tricky! I know I've used metaphors about my blorbos, but for the life of me I can't remember any 😅 So, since I've been reading P. G. Wodehouse lately, I'll quote some of his metaphors (and similes, etc.) to describe some of my OCs instead ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Abi when she finds out about the zombies:

"She came leaping towards me, like Lady Macbeth coming to get first-hand news from the guest-room." — Joy in the Morning

Diarnlan in general:

"... the glimpses I had caught of his face from the corner of the eyes had told me that he was grim and resolute, his supply of the milk of human kindness plainly short by several gallons." — Jeeves in the Offing

Konstantine when he meets Rusudan:

"Mike nodded. A sombre nod. The nod Napoleon might have given if somebody had met him in 1812 and said, 'So, you're back from Moscow, eh?'" — Mike and Psmith

Yo-han at the end of Silver Glass:

"He was rigidly truthful, where the issue concerned only himself. Where it was a case of saving a friend, he was prepared to act in a manner reminiscent of an American expert witness." — Mike and Psmith

Máté in general:

"A melancholy-looking man, he had the appearance of one who has searched for the leak in life's gas-pipe with a lighted candle." — The Man Upstairs and Other Stories

[dandiacal]

im psmithing. i finished leave it to psmith last night (an edition with an enjoyably opinionated foreword and dynamic illustrations) and i read a very lovely fanfiction of mike and psmith and cried

[fictionadventurer]

AU asks, for all eleven of the AUs you mentioned in your tags (including the Blackberry Bushes one because why not!), mix and match for whichever one you like: 2, 5, 9, 10, 11, 13, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24

2. Summarize this au in 5 sentences.

Psmith Star Wars AU: Mike Jackson is a cadet at an Outer Rim Imperial Academy whose dreams of flying an X-Wing for the Empire shatter when he learns of the Empire's atrocities. When his brother defects to the Rebellion, Mike and some of his fellow cadets decide to leave the Academy and join the rebel cause. The boys are nearly captured during their escape attempt, but they're saved by Mike's eccentric roommate, Psmith, who turns out to be a former Jedi youngling who's been hiding from the Empire. After they make their escape, Mike and his fellow cadets have to decide whether they can trust this sly, arrogant boy with these unnatural powers, and they need to find a way to find and help the Rebellion.

5. What is something you kept the same?

Lord Peter Wimsey Telepath AU: I've kept the setting and situations as close to the originals as possible. It's still 1930s England. Harriet's still accused of murdering her lover. Lord Peter's still an aristocrat. The only difference is that various superpowers are a known and accepted part of society, and Peter's ability to literally know Harriet's thoughts adds a whole new and more difficult dimension to the power imbalance between them.

9. Is there a scene you wish you could've included, but couldn't? Why?

Sherlock Holmes Pushing Daisies Crossover AU: I wish I could have figured out what the actual mystery was for the first snippet I wrote for this AU. Unfortunately, my mystery-writing skills don't extend that far.

10. Is there a character you wish you could've included, but couldn't? Why?

Queen's Thief AU of Psmith: It would be really fun to have Queen's Thief versions of Billy Windsor and Bat Jarvis, but I can't think of a great way to fit them into the story that I've outlined--as I've laid it out, Psmith takes Attolia's throne mostly through his cunning and convenient connections.

11. Is there any relationship that's different in this au than in the source material?

Supergirl "Kara raised by the Kents" AU: Since Kara's actually raised by the Kents in this AU, she's got a much deeper and more complicated relationship with them. Her relationship with Martha is rocky, because she sees Martha as competition for her role as Kal's primary caretaker. Taking care of Kal is the only purpose Kara has left in life, and it takes a lot for her to let other people into that relationship.

13. Write a lil snippet set in this verse.

From Powers and Prejudice:

"Lizzie, Jane's on TV!" Lydia shouted. Lizzie rushed into the living room, where her sisters were gathered around the set. Headlines blared BREAKING NEWS beneath live footage of a supervillain attack downtown. The Blur was already on the scene, speeding innocent victims away from danger. The Archer--outside of Pemberley--was even lending a hand. And among them in pink spandex was unmistakably-- "Jane?" Lizzie shouted. "What's she doing there?" Mom was so excited that sparks crackled around her hair. "She did so well the other night that I couldn't let the Blur fight this one alone. It was my duty to send Jane to help." Lizzie was horrified. That had been a skirmish, easily dealt with. This was turning into a battle. One of the criminals had some type of fire manipulation ability, and flames filled most of the screen. To see Jane among that-- "Are you nuts?" Lizzie shouted. "She could die out there!" Lydia rolled her eyes. "What are you so worried about? It's not like she can get hurt." Not externally. Jane's skin was invulnerable, and there was nothing that could overpower her strength. But her respiratory system was as delicate as anyone's, and there was a lot of smoke out there. Jane acquitted herself well, but eventually, Lizzie's fears were realized. Just as the last of the criminals was neutralized, Jane collapsed to the pavement. The Blur, in bright blue, was at her side in an instant. He checked over Jane and gathered her into his arms, a look of panic on his masked face. In less than a second, they disappeared from the scene. While her mother and sisters exclaimed over the scene--did you see the way he looked at her?--Lizzie headed toward the door. Mom asked, "Lizzie, where are you going?" "I don't know if you noticed, but your daughter is injured. I'm going to help her. "She's in the care of one of Netherfield's Defenders! She's perfectly safe." "I'll believe that when I see it." Kitty, fretful, said, "The Blur's so fast. They're miles away by now. Hidden away in his secret headquarters." Lizzie shrugged. "Then I'll find his secret headquarters." Ignoring their protests, she went out the door.

17. What important events have you 'translated' from canon to make sense into this au, if any?

Milo Murphy's Law Star Wars AU: Murphy's Law makes a lot of sense as an out-of-control connection to the Force. And I've turned Diogee into a droid (DO-G) because there don't seem to be many dogs in Star Wars.

18. Is there any theme or motif in this au that isn't in the original work?

Politically-realistic Princess Diaries 2 AU: There's a much stronger exploration of the theme of duty vs. love, because we have multiple characters who have dealt with this conflict. There's also a thread exploring religion, because Mia's priest uncle is a prominent character.

20. Share THREE headcanons! But about different characters.

American Hallmark Royal Romances:

The princess of California was a candidate for an arranged marriage with the crown prince of Maine until a Spunky Commoner came along and stole his heart. She was actually rather hurt by this, until it sparked her own romance story.

The Spunky Commoner met the crown prince of Maine while working on some artistic endeavor for his family. She was rather baffled by this whole royalty thing, until her relationship with the prince provided some cultural background.

Sam, the crown prince of Texas, is a bit ashamed of his nation and especially the over-the-top Texas-ness of his father. He's an excellent code-switcher, and has a bit of trouble straddling the cultural expectations of Texas and the outside world.

21. What makes you most excited about this fic?

Lord Peter Wimsey Star Wars AU: What's there not to get excited about? The Scarlet-Pimpernel-ness of Peter as a double agent within the Empire! The drama of Peter dealing with Force-visions of the future. Force-sensitive Dowager Duchess. Peter having Thrawn as both an art-and-culture buddy and an increasingly-suspicious-of-him nemesis. He's just such a fun character to throw into the structure of this universe.

24. Ramble about something you haven't gotten to talk about yet.

Blackberry Bushes Superhero AU: It says to ramble, so I'll ramble. First off, I feel guilty even claiming this an an AU, since this was really your idea and I just added some stuff to it. But it's such a fun concept and it comes to mind as an AU quite a bit because there are so many fun ways this story warps the typical superhero plots. The Superman character marries a former villain who has good reason to fear him and be suspicious of his fellow heroes. The former supervillain dictatorship is undergoing reform, and it's a legitimate thing, and we get to see the politics of that and see the ruler's children growing up in this system. Delclis' father used to be one of the great heroes, but his memory is tarnished because of the collateral damage his extreme powers caused, and now Declis has to deal with getting the same powers. Antavia's plotline of walking away from the throne become her walking away from her superpowers and inadvertently leading to the creation of her best friend's most dangerous nemeses. They're stories you couldn't come up with under the usual superhero tropes, but combining it with this very different type of story creates new and interesting angles that wouldn't ordinarily come to mind, and that's so fun.

[oaklandoranges]

Why didn't Wodehouse write about what happened with mike/psmith in Cambridge. I can just imagine psmith making the Cambridge University Labour Club kids cry already.

[doyke]

expunge from your mind jeeves and bertie wooster, or psmith and mike. The most profound hidden romance of the wodehouse oeuvre is between wodehouse and the word inexplicable.

[isfjmel-phleg]

Yes! A major difference between Tamett and the other boys is that he lacks insecurity because he's grown up in a stable, loving family whose expectations for him are nowhere near as weighty as those put upon Josiah and Elystan. The fate of nations is not riding on whether he can live up to some unattainable ideal. He's got positive relationships with his sisters too, and Josiah and Elystan don't generally get along well with their siblings and have always existed in an exalted role apart from these siblings rather than as just another member of a sort of team. He doesn't need to be the cleverest, most important, most special person in the room...because he's never been that, and he's okay with that.

He really is a good boy, and he does want to do the right thing, even if he's not always certain what that is. But at the same time, he's often at the point of just not caring enough to try to oppose Elystan. And there's something that appeals to him in Elystan's behavior. He says and does the sorts of things that Tamett might daydream about doing but would never actually dare live out (because he knows better). Watching someone else get away with acting like that is the next best thing.

(I wrote "Tamett and Elystan" while I was taking a break from Wodehouse academics, and I think a lot of that bled over. Tamett and Elystan's dynamic has a few elements that are a bit reminiscent of Mike & Psmith.)

Yes, the initial dialogue is setting up what they're hoping for, as well as how they're choosing to present it to others. The tensions between private and public selves is an ongoing thing here.

Elystan is on some level trying to reassure himself too that he is admired and envied, because right now he's terrified that that isn't the case at all. And if the general public doesn't love him in the main way that he understands love, whom does he have left?

Josiah has been raised in a culture that values beauty and simple pleasures, so that's genuinely important to him. But there's a concept of family warmth and togetherness here that he's trying to project but doesn't actually reflect his family's actual dynamic. It's more like his lingering nostalgic impression of Christmases from when his mother was still alive.

Tamett, of course, has had to learn to hide or downplay anything Noriberian, and he has no one to try to impress with his family's customs.

My experiences with English villages have been limited to a short visit during spring rather than winter, and I can't remember if I was consciously drawing on those impressions, but apparently so? Tamett's has the more evocative description because he's seeing it with the eyes of a foreigner ready to enjoy himself, whereas Josiah will be pleased with nothing Coregean, and Elystan doesn't get to see it at all.

Emenor is one of the most fun characters to write, because so far she has appeared exclusively through letters, which means she gets to spout off freely about whatever she wants and we know exactly what she's thinking.

It's going to be like pulling teeth to get Elystan to be honest! I don't think he's even told Tamett at this point that he has asthma etc. and I'm not sure how much Tamett has guessed.

The dialogue is my favorite to write!

They feel very real to me too, and I'm delighted that they have come to life for you.

Some Fleeting and Disorganized Thoughts on Tamett's viewpoint in The Blackberry Bushes Christmas Chapters

(and I do mean disorganized - not much rhyme or reason to be found here.)

I am going to start by saying that I really love Tamett's viewpoint. Everyman he may be in some senses, but that does not prevent him being a believable character with conflicted motives and a solid background that helps me understand why he behaves the way he does. A lot of it has been stated more interestingly and concisely by the author herself. Much of what I was thinking about saying turned out already to be said in the "director's cut," which I really enjoyed. And I am going to say some things which may well be inaccurate, especially as a reader who has only just finished the available Book 3 materials and started Book 2. But in short, Tamett is good-natured boy from a much healthier family background than almost anyone he spends his time with most of the year. He struggles with confidence and asserting himself, but does not struggle with insecurity the way Josiah and Elystan do. Josiah and Elystan make an inordinate amount of their choices based on fear, resentment, and worries about how they are perceived and what the consequences might be. Tamett, by contrast, seems fairly at ease about who he is, perhaps the product of being rooted in his family's unconditional love and maintaining a strong relationship with them. He resents his situation, but he's not insecure about himself. He's not worried about being seen as weak or childish because he loves his sisters and his parents, or because he enjoys having fun the way ordinary kids do with them. He's not ashamed of his Noriberean-ness - he's proud of it, even though people like his instructor's often pair the fact he's Noriberan with his poor attention at studies, his lack of musical talent, his supposedly inferior way of speaking, etc. He picks up the lingo round him, of course - he talks about "his people" instead of his family because that's just the way everyone talks, and he's a bit circumspect, but it's not out of insecurity. He *does* make a lot of choices that are based on keeping the peace, survival, not crossing a line he can't cross back again, and he's been formed by the fact that he's been suppressed in so many ways basically since attaining the age of reason. And there may be elements here that don't surface because they're not part of Tamett's conscious thought process yet - things he'll realize about himself and his habits when he's older. Tamett does desperately want authentic friendship, and freedom, and to be valued in himself. He's a kind boy who turns a bit of a blind eye to Elystan's lack of kindness, because he likes Elystan and his friendship and it's satisfying to ally against their "mutual burden." But there are things Elystan does that Tamett would never d himself, not because of fear, but because it's not in keeping with his basically good-hearted self. Is he virtuous, or is it conditioning, or is he just too phlegmatic for some of Elystan's antics? Hard to say from moment to moment. But I do think he keeps choosing to be a basically good kid, even if not a particularly good student or a very wise one. (This is turning into a random ramble. Let me anchor myself in the text and use bullet points as they are meant to be used.)

He's definitely become a more interesting letter writer since the affair of the broken violin. He must have absorbed a few points of Emenor's, even if he still hates writing.

I love how Elystan and Josiah's back and forth while Tamett writes between them is both such a good character-establishing dialogue and fills us in a little on the flavour of their regional/familial Christmas traditions. (And Tamett mentions his too, in the letter.) It's an excellent beginning because we need to know what a little of what they're missing if they don't go home. Now of course, what they'll be missing runs deeper than oratorios or motion pictures, but still.

(This isn't fully evident in Tamett's viewpoint, but still going to mention:) Elystan doesn't even want to go back to Rhosemore to spend the hols with the Queen and Delclis, but he still has to outdo Josiah about his awesome Christmases. Although everything he describes is more about prestige and enviability. Yeah well, my moving picture is a lot better than your boring old concert. The press flocks to cover every detail of my Christmas. Everyone's jealous of me.

Josiah's seems a lot more sincere. It's picturesque, but it seems to come from a place of real appreciation. Beautiful music, beautiful trees, beautiful shop windows. It sounds a little rehearsed, like something from a composition, but he really does want to be in that sleigh with his father and the family, taking it all in.

Tamett doesn't feel the need to tell the others about the Goatfriend and Candle Night and the rest - not till it comes up organically in conversation later.

This village passage is very evocative and brought me back to my own trip to England last year. Well-chosen details peppered throughout. Out of the pov's, Tamett's the only one of the three boys who gets what I suppose is the "normal" village experience that the school hopes the boys will get on half-holidays.

Emenor is still a grounding influence for Tamett, calling him out of this supposal that it's ok to take Elystan's change because he'd probably be okay with it, or ought to be. I'm glad we got to hear from her in this passage. I loved the letters from her in the saga of the violin.

The twelve-and-a-half-pounds of sweets is such a visual. It made me laugh.

Oh, Elystan. Affecting elegant indolence because you don't want anyone to know about your health... This kid is such a brat and a little honesty would do him a world of good. I love him. His remarks are so utterly utter, if you take my meaning. He makes me laugh, he breaks my heart by how utterly messed up he is. Some of it's his own bally fault, and some he could never have helped.

You have an incredible skill with dialogue. It's my favourite part. You balance the interior thoughts with what's said aloud super well. And you walk the perfect balance, I think, of evoking the schoolboy talk of the period without confusing the reader or going overindulgent.

I just love these boys. I love them. They're great characters; they feel real.

The Chekhov's guns are also set up really well. All of them small things, but every turn of the story feels satisfying because everything was introduced in advance.

I might say more when I get further in the reread that's happening because I'm reading it to my dad as a good Christmas story. This is already long as it is.

[funnuraba]

I love how, for the entire Blandings series except the first book, Lady Constance remains the stepmother-in-law of Mike from the Psmith series, except she dropped her stepdaughter so thoroughly and completely that it doesn't even matter.