Do you think Sybil would have been influenced by Queen Victoria perhaps?

Hi Anon! That’s an interesting question! I confess, I haven’t seen all of S1 of “Victoria” (and S2 hasn’t aired in the US yet).  I think in some ways Victoria would have been an influence on Sybil, certainly in terms of a woman being “in charge” as the the head of state, and a woman who was very strong in her beliefs.  In other ways, Victoria may have been a bit too conservative for Sybil, after all she (Victoria) was much more of a traditionalist in terms of the aristocracy, at least she was later in life.  Victoria would have died when Sybil was very young, but not so young that Sybil wouldn’t have known who she was.  I imagine Sybil would have admired her to a point, but then as she grew older and learned more about politics, and certainly learned more about socialism through Tom’s influence, would have found some of Victoria’s stances a bit “problematic”.

When it comes to England’s queens, I think Elizabeth would have been the big one to influence Sybil :o) It’s always been my headcanon that when it came to love and marriage, Sybil never really had any interest in pursuing romance until Tom.  I think she would have admire Elizabeth as someone who ruled without a man to dictate what she should do. In her younger days, she may have thought “Queen Elizabeth did just fine without a husband, why do I need one?”  This way of thinking, I think, is influenced by the world in which she lives: women marry and then more or less “give up” who they are, because now they are simply the “wife of ____”.  Her views are changed after she meets Tom Branson, with whom she realizes a woman can marry and still be her own individual person…which perhaps reflects some of Victoria as well, now that I think about it. So I suppose in the end, Sybil would have liked and been influenced even more so by the young Victoria, than necessarily by the queen who was on the throne when she was born.

Anyway, thanks for the interesting question!

Aren’t Mr Carson a man of STEAM too?!!? I would Love to see your take on him;)))

Hi Anon!  I mention the “history” and meaning behind the term “STEAMM” in this post (x)

When it comes to Charles Carson, I preferred how his character was written/handled in the earlier seasons of DA (but then I admit I prefer the earlier seasons of DA overall).  So when I write the character of Carson in my stories, I tend to stick to this understanding of his character from those earlier seasons. And when I write about him in a Modern AU context, there’s a bit more freedom to expand on his character because of the period setting, in terms of ideas and attitudes (Carson will always be a “traditionalist”, but maybe not to the point that he expects his wife to cook and clean-up after him all the time) ;oP

I also really enjoy the actor Jim Carter–the first thing I ever saw him in was a Gene Wilder film from the 1980′s called “Haunted Honeymoon”. I highly recommend it, and who knows! Maybe that will inspire some interesting October picsets ;o)

Are there any variations on the ‘STEAMM” acronym? Like one which includes Rose and Atticus? Or John and Anna? Are there any variations for those who ship two of the three couples but ship one of the sisters with someone else?

Hi Anon :o)

the acronym of “STEAMM” was created a few years back by @piperholmes as a collective for the Crawley sisters and (at the time) their fellas (this came about between S3 and S4, when many of us were still in mourning after the deaths of Matthew and Sybil and upset over how Edith and Anthony’s relationship had been handled). The acronym stands for “Sybil x Tom”, “Edith x Anthony”, and “Mary x Matthew”…hence: STEAMM (ta da!) :oP

Now of course, S4-S6 revealed other plots and outcomes for Mary, Edith, and Tom. For example, I LOVE the character of Bertie; in my opinion Edith and Bertie’s romance was the only good thing about S6. Also, I don’t mind the character of Gregson either, and am perfectly happy reading a story where she ends up with any one of these guys (heck, I think you could write a really compelling and good story where Edith and her new editor-lady Laura make a dynamic duo!) So of course it’s fine to “multi-ship” a character with different characters.  However, I would say that the acronym of “STEAMM” is “exclusive” to those specific ships mentioned above.

BUT HEY! Don’t let that stop you from deciding to create your own acronym or abbreviation for other ships if you so wish!  And that goes for the “downstairs ships” too!  Banna and Chelsie and other downstairs couples…the sky’s the limit!  But again, I hope by explaining the “history” behind the creation of STEAMM, it makes sense why STEAMM refers specifically to Sybil/Tom, Edith/Anthony, and Mary/Matthew

And I’m glad people enjoyed the picsets I did create! And I’m deeply touched by the requests I’ve received from some folks to see picsets featuring other characters. I’ll see what I can do!  But please, don’t let this stop you or others from creating your own picsets featuring your favs, or like I said earlier, creating your own special “term” for your fav ships :o)

Thanks for the question!

scathach124:

An All Hallows Eve Tale – Mary and Matthew’s story

Life hasn’t been easy for the Crawleys since Matthew was attacked and transformed by a vampire. Besides having to avoid sunlight and the urge to turn into a bat, he must deal with a thirst for blood that grows harder and harder to control. Being a witch, Mary knows how to create a potion that will serve as a blood substitute, but she knows it might not be enough, especially if he bites a human. The thirst for real human blood is enough to drive Matthew to madness, and his reluctance to drink from a human only strengthens his thirst. Mary’s power to control him can only go so far, and both may have accept that, in order to save his mind, he may have to give in to his monstrous instincts …

scathach124:

An All Hallows Eve Tale – Edith and Anthony’s story

Sir Anthony Strallan died in an accident a year ago, but his spirit has been unable to move on. Bound for eternity to the mortal world, his only solace has been with the witch Edith, who loved him when he was still alive. In his life after death, he’s watched her grow into an accomplished witch and woman, but he yearns to feel her touch again just as he once did. Edith too yearns for his touch and begins to create a spell that will allow him to assume corporeal form for a short time. Although this gives Sir Anthony some comfort, he cannot help but feel the guilt of Edith still loving him when she could find happiness with a living man. But Edith is determine to keep Sir Anthony’s spirit happy through whatever means … but the repeated act of letting a ghost back into the mortal world may have unforeseen and dangerous consequences.

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scathach124:

An All Hallows Eve Tale – Tom and Sybil’s story

Bitten by a werewolf and transformed as a boy, Tom Branson has struggled throughout his life to maintain normalcy. But when his deadly behavior during the full moon nearly results in his cousin’s death, he escapes to England, hiding with the Crawley witches. The young Sybil takes a shine to him and intends to create a potion that will allow him to keep his mind when he transforms. Tom is grateful for her help and the two fall in love, despite the misgivings from both of their families. But their love has a danger to it; for Sybil’s potion is difficult for even her to make, and if she were to fail, then Tom would lose his humanity when he transforms … and if he were to kill her, he’d never regain it.

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