Trick or Treat 2019 letter
Sep. 11th, 2019 05:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
verecundaDear Trick or Treater,
Hi! Last year was my first time doing ToT, and I had a lot of fun, so I’m looking forward to this year. This letter contains some general likes and dislikes, as well as some potential prompts and a fair amount of waffle about my requested fandoms. If you find any of it inspiring, that’s great, but please don’t feel restricted to what’s here. If you have another idea of your own that you're burning to try, I’d love to see that too!
I can be found on AO3 as![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
Verecunda.
If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, either via the mod or anon message.
All requests are for fic or art, tricks or treats.
Likes:
*Most genres: gen, romance, humour, angst, fluff, darkfic, hurt/comfort, slice-of-life, canon divergence AUs, character exploration, plotty pieces, happy endings, sad endings, ambiguous endings. I’ve got a special fondness for filling in characters’ backstories and “missing scenes” from canon.
*Intelligent, competent characters being intelligent and competent.
*Characters with tough/stoic/snarky exteriors having to confront and/or show their vulnerabilities.
*Pairings and friendships that cross cultural/class/professional lines, and how they navigate the conflicts that arise.
*Odd couples. I love opposites that attract (romantically or platonically): characters who seem so different but who end up complementing each other perfectly.
*Banter! I love witty characters who have a good back-and-forth.
*For shipfic I love both first times and established relationship, pining, quiet intimacy: characters having heart-to-heart talks, kisses on cheeks, foreheads, noses, etc., hand-holding, light touches, face-stroking, hair-stroking, cuddles, resting heads on shoulders or chests, etc.
*Smut is great, but by no means obligatory. I’ll happily read sweet vanilla cuddle!sex, consensual kink, all the way through to hate-sex, Consensual but not Safe or Sane, up to and including dub-con and non-con. (I tend to indicate what sort of sexytiems I’m into for a certain pairing.)
*Spooky likes: all the classic, Gothic images: ruined castles and churches, overgrown cemeteries, full moons and ragged clouds, disembodied footsteps, voices, music, etc., shadowy figures and things only half-seen. I don’t mind jump scares and a bit of gore, but I’m more a fan of slow, creeping, atmospheric chills, the power of suggestion and the Nothing Is Scarier trope. I also have a soft spot for cheesy old B-movie calibre horror. And I love Hallowe’en and all the traditions surrounding it, even right back to the old forerunners like Samhain, etc.
DNW:
*Modern/mundane/coffee-shop AUs for period drama and fantasy fandoms.
*Soulmate AUs.
*A/B/O.
*Issuefic.
*Unrequested trans headcanons.
*Smut/kink specific: watersports, scat, rimming, underage (under 16, as per UK age of consent), mpreg, tentacles.
*I don’t mind non-con/dub-con in a kink context, but don’t want rape/sexual abuse/prostitution as plot devices for tragic character backstory, unless it’s already canon. Even then, I’d prefer not to dwell on it.
Ghosts (TV 2019)
Characters: Alison Cooper, Pat, Robin, Kitty, Jemima
I’m trying to be good here and keep my prompts centred around my requested characters, but it is a bit hard with an ensemble series like this! Just take it as read that I love all the characters and will be happy for you to include whoever else you like.
Hallowe’en at Button House! Just imagine the mayhem! :D How do the ghosts get into the - ahem - spirit of the occasion? I can imagine Pat and Kitty in particular getting right into it. Maybe he teaches her about modern Hallowe’en traditions. She has such a childlike enthusiasm, so the idea of dressing up and playing games to get sweets would be right up her street! Do Alison and Mike get kids from the village trick or treating at their door, hoping they’ll see some real ghosts? Does Robin have some other ancient autumn ritual (autumn equinox? precursor to Samhain?) that he insists on celebrating?
According to tradition, Hallowe’en is the time that spirits walk abroad, so how does that affect places like Button House, which are haunted all the year round? Do the ghosts gain extra powers; are they visible to other people, not just Alison? Is Alison’s own ability to see ghosts affected in some way? Are there other spirits who are only able to haunt the house on this date, perhaps even creepier (or more obnoxious) than the usual crowd?
Apart from seasonal themes, I’d quite happily read anything about any of the characters requested, filling in backstories, theories on how the various ghosts died (where canon hasn’t already told us), etc. It’s a tough one to call, but Robin might just be my favourite character, for his mixture of mischievous humour and heartfelt moments, his funny caveman-speak and genuine intelligence. He’s the oldest of them all and has seen the most changes, so I’d love any and all content about him.
I also find Jemima quite intriguing. She seems to be the creepiest of the ghosts - so much so that she even scares the others! - but what else does she do? Does she have much to do with the other plague ghosts in the cellar, or is she quite isolated? Maybe Alison tries to get the other ghosts to include her. I’d just like to see more of her.
As far as ships go, canon Alison/Mike are adorable, and I can see the potential for so many ships between the ghosts. Pat, in particular, is a bit of a little black dress for me: I can see him going well with pretty much anyone. But I don’t have any particular otps, so I’m quite willing to be surprised!
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
Characters: Luke Sanderson, The Companion
One of my all-time favourite horror novels. I love reading it in the run-up to Hallowe’en. :) Jackson's prose is delicious, the atmosphere is unbeatable, and I love how the personalities and psychologies of the characters are entwined with the overall ghost story. For what it’s worth, I prefer the interpretation that there is something supernatural about Hill House, that it’s an evil entity in its own right, but that its power also affects Eleanor’s mental state and latent psychic ability. So I would certainly prefer something along those lines, rather than just “eh, it’s all in her head.”
I really like Luke. I love how he goes from sceptical ne’er-do-well to really taking Hill House seriously, and I’d like to know more about what’s going on in his head, especially since we only really get to see him through Eleanor’s increasingly warped perspective. Is he really as shallow as she thinks, or is there more going on below the surface? Was he being sincere when he tried to confide in her at the summerhouse?
You could do something during the events of the book, such as filling in his POV on his hunt with the doctor for the phantom dog (or whatever it really was), or his discovery of the writing on the wall, or perhaps an event that Eleanor doesn’t witness. Does the house try to reach out to him in any particular way, given that he’s the future owner? One bit that intrigues me is when Eleanor comes to after the final knocking incident, when the house seems to be collapsing, and she sees Luke sitting in a chair, drinking brandy, with his face bruised and his shirt torn. What happened to him? Did he nearly come a cropper of the thing on the other side of the door?
What about after the events of the book? The last little chapter is told in such a cool, almost detached tone, it leaves so much room for speculation as to how their experiences have affected them. Luke, we’re told, leaves straight away for Paris. Does that mean that he simply shook off his experiences and went back to his dissolute lifestyle, or was he so disturbed by what happened that he had to put as much distance between himself and Hill House as possible? And what happens later down the line, when he inherits the house? How does he deal with people who want to rent it? Does he ever find himself having to return?
I’d also love to know more about Miss Crain’s poor little companion, who inherited Hill House and who suffered so much persecution from both the sister, and from the house itself. There seem to be definite parallels to her case and Eleanor’s, so tell me a ghost story about her own experiences: what she saw or heard in Hill House, coupled with her own unravelling sanity. Is there any truth at all to the suggestions of neglect or trying to cheat her employer? Did she have any sinister experiences before Miss Crain's death? And what about after her own suicide? Does she linger on as a ghost in the house? Does she try to reach out to Eleanor or any of the other characters while they’re there - maybe Luke, since he’s a relative?
FWIW, I also love the 1963 film version The Haunting (the 1999 version... uh... not so much), but I haven't got round to seeing the Netflix series yet.
M.R. James - Works
Characters: Dennistoun, Williams, Professor Parkins, Colonel Wilson, Narrator of “A Warning to the Curious”, Henry Long
M.R. James is one of my absolute favourite horror writers. As a ghost story fan and history nerd, I love the antiquarian themes in his stories, as well as the atmospheric settings and his brand of unsettling terror. He’s a master of making the skin creep through mere suggestion, but there’s also an unsettling physicality to his ghosts which is one of the distinctive features of his work for me.
I really like how The Mezzotint and Canon Alberic’s Scrap-Book take place in the same universe, with Williams first hearing about Dennistoun's supernatural experience, then relating his own to him. I particularly like Williams’ quite cool-headed, methodical approach to his own experiences: when he sees how the mezzotint has changed, he instantly locks it away in a drawer till morning, and writes up a signed testimony of what he’s seen, calls in witnesses, decides he needs to get it photographed, etc. And after the first shock, he seems to develop quite a matter-of-fact curiosity about it: “I rather imagine we’re meant to see the whole thing.” Maybe after the events of the story he develops a sideline in investigating mysterious/haunted objects. Maybe he and Dennistoun even team up to form an inter-university ghostbusting team (especially for weird, skinny, hairy ghosts!). Do they meet other Jamesian protagonists along the way? Imagine a whole society of diffident academic ghost-hunters! This can be either as spooky or as silly as you like. :D
One person they could meet is Professor Parkins from "Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad". I love this story, not just for the spookiness, but also for the humour and characterfulness, and if you’re in the mood to write something lighthearted, this is probably the best one to spring off from. I love how sceptical and oblivious Parkins is to start off with, and I love his banter with the Colonel. The Colonel’s such a fun character, too, and I love how he was able to spring into action at a moment’s notice to save Parkins from the ghost, which suggests he might have been sitting ready, waiting for something supernatural. I hope they stay in touch after their eventful stay at the Globe. Anything that sketches in more of the story would be lovely: something from the Colonel’s POV, perhaps, or showing how he managed to calm Parkins down after they chased the ghost away. If you want to make it shippy, that’s all right by me! They certainly make for an odd couple. What do Parkins’ colleagues make of him when he returns to the university? Does he ever go back to Burnstow?
A Warning to the Curious is one of my favourite James stories, and I often think of it as the bleaker, more tragic counterweight to Whistle. I’ve read that that bleakness is a product of its being written post-WWI, and certainly, even before we reach anything supernatural, we start off with a sense of loss and melancholy for absent friends, as the narrator describes how he hasn’t wanted to go back to Seaburgh since his friend Henry Long died. That short line carries a whole weight of sadness, and you get the sense of the intense closeness of their friendship. It also makes me think of James’ own grief for the untimely death of his friend and illustrator James MacBryde (said to have been the love of his life), and so I wonder at the exact nature of the friendship between the narrator and Long. Perhaps there’s more behind that short line “we used to take a sitting-room and be very happy there” than first meets the eye. If you like, I’d be quite happy to see something exploring their relationship, without anything supernatural at all, a long-standing friendship that deepens into something more during their holidays in that remote, picturesque seaside town.
Or, if you do want to write something spooky, the narrator finishes the story by saying that he hasn’t been back to Seaburgh since those events — but what if he does? Having told his story, perhaps he does go back once more. Do the spirits of Long and Paxton linger there, in a more than metaphorical sense? Or does the guardian spirit of the crown reach out for him? He didn’t touch the crown, true, but he still knows where it's hidden, and where it might be found again...
’Salem’s Lot - Stephen King
Characters: Mark Petrie, Ben Mears, Susan Norton, Jimmy Cody
Mark is one seriously cool kid. We first (properly) meet him owning a bully through quick wits and nimbleness, and his response to a millennia-old vampire murdering his parents is to spit in his face. But for all that, he's still just a kid, and we can see how seriously traumatised he is by the end. I find that duality about him fascinating, that balance between wisdom and courage beyond his years, and his vulnerability and dependance on Ben which is very much suited to his age.
He’s also got that almost mystical side to him: eg. how he pretty much hypnotises himself into a trance-like state allowing him to escape from being tied up, and when he describes to Susan how he dreamt about how the vampires are taking over the town. I wonder, what did he make of the Marsten House when he and his parents first moved to the Lot? He seems to be verging on some honest-to-goodness clairvoyant powers, so it could be interesting to explore how those powers might develop. Do they get stronger as he moves into adolescence? How does he use them, and how does he feel about them?
The relationship that develops between Mark and Ben is definitely the bright, hopeful threat amid all the darkness at the end. No matter what happens, these two at least have each other. I’d love anything that deals with their time on the road, how they try to support each other through the aftermath and try to get on with their lives. What happens to them after they burn the Lot? Where do they go? Do they end up hunting more vampires - or even other supernatural beings, or do they manage to find some peace after that? God knows, they deserve it!
In fact, I find pretty much all the main characters really endearing, and I was absolutely gutted about Susan and Jimmy’s fates in particular. So, if you fancy, I’d quite happily take an AU where one or both of them survive. In that case, I’d love to know what comes next. Do they flee to Mexico along with Ben and Mark? Do they come back with them to purge the Lot? How do they heal from their experiences? Is Susan able to save her family in this AU, or does another vampire succeed in turning her mum?
Or, for a darker AU, what if Ben isn’t able to stake vampire!Susan when they find her at the house? How does that change things? Does she end up as Barlow’s sort of consort; does she make a point of trying to hunt down Ben? Does he finally free her during the finale at the boarding-house, or is she still there when he and Mark return to burn the Lot? One detail that intrigues me about vampire!Susan is that when Mark repels her from his window, he sees an expression of sadness on her face. Does that mean that some part of her former self is still in there, and is (at least on some level) aware of the horror of her fate? So many possibilities to explore there!
As far as ships go, I like canon Ben/Susan. (I know some people find their insta-love a bit hard to swallow, but in a book filled with sudden instantaneous bonds forming between characters, it doesn’t seem too out of place to me, almost as if the characters are being moved together by some external force.) I’m also intrigued by the idea of Ben/Jimmy. I also kind of future-ship Ben/Mark, in that I see them as found family during the timeline of the book, but can definitely see their dynamic shifting as Mark gets older, especially if they continue as close and inseparable as they are by the end. If you want to do something in that direction, I’d prefer for Mark to be at least sixteen (as per my DNWs).
Tam o’ Shanter - Robert Burns
Characters: Tam o’ Shanter, Nannie, Kate, Meg
I love this poem so much. (Link to the full thing, with a handy translation for all of us who don’t speak broad Scots). I love the right Scottishness of it - not just the language, but the preoccupation with witches and the Devil himself - and I love Tam’s whole journey, from the slow ride through the stormy midnight landscape, past various scenes of old murders etc., to the witches’ dance in the ruined kirk, and the wild chase to the bridge. It has spookiness and humour in equal measure, too, so it’s perfect for both tricks or treats!
For something on the lighter side, what about the inevitable scene when Tam finally gets home and has to explain to Kate why he’s back so late, and why the horse is suddenly missing her tail. Kate’s POV would be fun to get! Maybe she actually made a deal with the witches to help her get rid of her no-good boozehound of a husband, and is less than thrilled to see him home. Or what if Kate is actually a good witch, which is why she’s always warning Tam about getting drunk and coming past the old kirkyard late, because she knows what’s really out there? It might also be fun to consider the story from Meg’s point of view: bad enough she has to carry Tam back and forth in all weathers, but getting chased by witches and having her tail pulled off is just too much! Maybe Meg’s a bit magical herself, since she’s able to outgallop the hellish hordes. ;)
I've always found Nannie very interesting. Why is she the only young witch at the dance? Does she come from a family of witches - maybe her mother/grandmother/aunt was also at the gathering? Or did she sell herself over to the Devil for some other reason? In one verse we learn that she was just inducted into the coven that very night, and goes on to have a successful career terrorising the countryside. Feel free to expand on that! She could be an out-and-out villain who loves being evil, or a more morally complex figure. I’d be intrigued to know more about her either way.
I do wonder what’s going to happen after the events of the poem. Tam’s safe - for now - but he’ll surely have to go back over the river and past the kirk to get to Ayr next market day. What if the witches plan to catch him once and for all? What if he crosses paths with Nannie or one of the others in town during the day, while they’re going about pretending to be ordinary women. Maybe he recognised some respected women of the community in the coven!
I’d also be partial to a bit of dark, seductive Nannie/Tam, if the fancy takes you. AU where she catches him after all and claims him as a plaything? Feel free to make it as dirtybadwrong as you like! Or perhaps, despite his escape, Tam becomes obsessed (perhaps magically ensnared?) with the beautiful witch, and can’t keep himself from venturing back to Kirk Alloway to find her again…?
For an art fill, the settings in the poem are so vividly described, you could pretty much take any scene and make something great out of it. I love all the images in the church, eg. the open coffins with the corpses holding lighted candles, the murderer’s bones on the altar, Auld Nick playing the bagpipes - not to mention the satirical details of the lawyers’ tongues black with lies and the rotten priests’ hearts. If you’re wanting to draw something deliciously spooky and macabre, there are so many ideas here!
Hi! Last year was my first time doing ToT, and I had a lot of fun, so I’m looking forward to this year. This letter contains some general likes and dislikes, as well as some potential prompts and a fair amount of waffle about my requested fandoms. If you find any of it inspiring, that’s great, but please don’t feel restricted to what’s here. If you have another idea of your own that you're burning to try, I’d love to see that too!
I can be found on AO3 as
If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, either via the mod or anon message.
All requests are for fic or art, tricks or treats.
Likes:
*Most genres: gen, romance, humour, angst, fluff, darkfic, hurt/comfort, slice-of-life, canon divergence AUs, character exploration, plotty pieces, happy endings, sad endings, ambiguous endings. I’ve got a special fondness for filling in characters’ backstories and “missing scenes” from canon.
*Intelligent, competent characters being intelligent and competent.
*Characters with tough/stoic/snarky exteriors having to confront and/or show their vulnerabilities.
*Pairings and friendships that cross cultural/class/professional lines, and how they navigate the conflicts that arise.
*Odd couples. I love opposites that attract (romantically or platonically): characters who seem so different but who end up complementing each other perfectly.
*Banter! I love witty characters who have a good back-and-forth.
*For shipfic I love both first times and established relationship, pining, quiet intimacy: characters having heart-to-heart talks, kisses on cheeks, foreheads, noses, etc., hand-holding, light touches, face-stroking, hair-stroking, cuddles, resting heads on shoulders or chests, etc.
*Smut is great, but by no means obligatory. I’ll happily read sweet vanilla cuddle!sex, consensual kink, all the way through to hate-sex, Consensual but not Safe or Sane, up to and including dub-con and non-con. (I tend to indicate what sort of sexytiems I’m into for a certain pairing.)
*Spooky likes: all the classic, Gothic images: ruined castles and churches, overgrown cemeteries, full moons and ragged clouds, disembodied footsteps, voices, music, etc., shadowy figures and things only half-seen. I don’t mind jump scares and a bit of gore, but I’m more a fan of slow, creeping, atmospheric chills, the power of suggestion and the Nothing Is Scarier trope. I also have a soft spot for cheesy old B-movie calibre horror. And I love Hallowe’en and all the traditions surrounding it, even right back to the old forerunners like Samhain, etc.
DNW:
*Modern/mundane/coffee-shop AUs for period drama and fantasy fandoms.
*Soulmate AUs.
*A/B/O.
*Issuefic.
*Unrequested trans headcanons.
*Smut/kink specific: watersports, scat, rimming, underage (under 16, as per UK age of consent), mpreg, tentacles.
*I don’t mind non-con/dub-con in a kink context, but don’t want rape/sexual abuse/prostitution as plot devices for tragic character backstory, unless it’s already canon. Even then, I’d prefer not to dwell on it.
Ghosts (TV 2019)
Characters: Alison Cooper, Pat, Robin, Kitty, Jemima
I’m trying to be good here and keep my prompts centred around my requested characters, but it is a bit hard with an ensemble series like this! Just take it as read that I love all the characters and will be happy for you to include whoever else you like.
Hallowe’en at Button House! Just imagine the mayhem! :D How do the ghosts get into the - ahem - spirit of the occasion? I can imagine Pat and Kitty in particular getting right into it. Maybe he teaches her about modern Hallowe’en traditions. She has such a childlike enthusiasm, so the idea of dressing up and playing games to get sweets would be right up her street! Do Alison and Mike get kids from the village trick or treating at their door, hoping they’ll see some real ghosts? Does Robin have some other ancient autumn ritual (autumn equinox? precursor to Samhain?) that he insists on celebrating?
According to tradition, Hallowe’en is the time that spirits walk abroad, so how does that affect places like Button House, which are haunted all the year round? Do the ghosts gain extra powers; are they visible to other people, not just Alison? Is Alison’s own ability to see ghosts affected in some way? Are there other spirits who are only able to haunt the house on this date, perhaps even creepier (or more obnoxious) than the usual crowd?
Apart from seasonal themes, I’d quite happily read anything about any of the characters requested, filling in backstories, theories on how the various ghosts died (where canon hasn’t already told us), etc. It’s a tough one to call, but Robin might just be my favourite character, for his mixture of mischievous humour and heartfelt moments, his funny caveman-speak and genuine intelligence. He’s the oldest of them all and has seen the most changes, so I’d love any and all content about him.
I also find Jemima quite intriguing. She seems to be the creepiest of the ghosts - so much so that she even scares the others! - but what else does she do? Does she have much to do with the other plague ghosts in the cellar, or is she quite isolated? Maybe Alison tries to get the other ghosts to include her. I’d just like to see more of her.
As far as ships go, canon Alison/Mike are adorable, and I can see the potential for so many ships between the ghosts. Pat, in particular, is a bit of a little black dress for me: I can see him going well with pretty much anyone. But I don’t have any particular otps, so I’m quite willing to be surprised!
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
Characters: Luke Sanderson, The Companion
One of my all-time favourite horror novels. I love reading it in the run-up to Hallowe’en. :) Jackson's prose is delicious, the atmosphere is unbeatable, and I love how the personalities and psychologies of the characters are entwined with the overall ghost story. For what it’s worth, I prefer the interpretation that there is something supernatural about Hill House, that it’s an evil entity in its own right, but that its power also affects Eleanor’s mental state and latent psychic ability. So I would certainly prefer something along those lines, rather than just “eh, it’s all in her head.”
I really like Luke. I love how he goes from sceptical ne’er-do-well to really taking Hill House seriously, and I’d like to know more about what’s going on in his head, especially since we only really get to see him through Eleanor’s increasingly warped perspective. Is he really as shallow as she thinks, or is there more going on below the surface? Was he being sincere when he tried to confide in her at the summerhouse?
You could do something during the events of the book, such as filling in his POV on his hunt with the doctor for the phantom dog (or whatever it really was), or his discovery of the writing on the wall, or perhaps an event that Eleanor doesn’t witness. Does the house try to reach out to him in any particular way, given that he’s the future owner? One bit that intrigues me is when Eleanor comes to after the final knocking incident, when the house seems to be collapsing, and she sees Luke sitting in a chair, drinking brandy, with his face bruised and his shirt torn. What happened to him? Did he nearly come a cropper of the thing on the other side of the door?
What about after the events of the book? The last little chapter is told in such a cool, almost detached tone, it leaves so much room for speculation as to how their experiences have affected them. Luke, we’re told, leaves straight away for Paris. Does that mean that he simply shook off his experiences and went back to his dissolute lifestyle, or was he so disturbed by what happened that he had to put as much distance between himself and Hill House as possible? And what happens later down the line, when he inherits the house? How does he deal with people who want to rent it? Does he ever find himself having to return?
I’d also love to know more about Miss Crain’s poor little companion, who inherited Hill House and who suffered so much persecution from both the sister, and from the house itself. There seem to be definite parallels to her case and Eleanor’s, so tell me a ghost story about her own experiences: what she saw or heard in Hill House, coupled with her own unravelling sanity. Is there any truth at all to the suggestions of neglect or trying to cheat her employer? Did she have any sinister experiences before Miss Crain's death? And what about after her own suicide? Does she linger on as a ghost in the house? Does she try to reach out to Eleanor or any of the other characters while they’re there - maybe Luke, since he’s a relative?
FWIW, I also love the 1963 film version The Haunting (the 1999 version... uh... not so much), but I haven't got round to seeing the Netflix series yet.
M.R. James - Works
Characters: Dennistoun, Williams, Professor Parkins, Colonel Wilson, Narrator of “A Warning to the Curious”, Henry Long
M.R. James is one of my absolute favourite horror writers. As a ghost story fan and history nerd, I love the antiquarian themes in his stories, as well as the atmospheric settings and his brand of unsettling terror. He’s a master of making the skin creep through mere suggestion, but there’s also an unsettling physicality to his ghosts which is one of the distinctive features of his work for me.
I really like how The Mezzotint and Canon Alberic’s Scrap-Book take place in the same universe, with Williams first hearing about Dennistoun's supernatural experience, then relating his own to him. I particularly like Williams’ quite cool-headed, methodical approach to his own experiences: when he sees how the mezzotint has changed, he instantly locks it away in a drawer till morning, and writes up a signed testimony of what he’s seen, calls in witnesses, decides he needs to get it photographed, etc. And after the first shock, he seems to develop quite a matter-of-fact curiosity about it: “I rather imagine we’re meant to see the whole thing.” Maybe after the events of the story he develops a sideline in investigating mysterious/haunted objects. Maybe he and Dennistoun even team up to form an inter-university ghostbusting team (especially for weird, skinny, hairy ghosts!). Do they meet other Jamesian protagonists along the way? Imagine a whole society of diffident academic ghost-hunters! This can be either as spooky or as silly as you like. :D
One person they could meet is Professor Parkins from "Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad". I love this story, not just for the spookiness, but also for the humour and characterfulness, and if you’re in the mood to write something lighthearted, this is probably the best one to spring off from. I love how sceptical and oblivious Parkins is to start off with, and I love his banter with the Colonel. The Colonel’s such a fun character, too, and I love how he was able to spring into action at a moment’s notice to save Parkins from the ghost, which suggests he might have been sitting ready, waiting for something supernatural. I hope they stay in touch after their eventful stay at the Globe. Anything that sketches in more of the story would be lovely: something from the Colonel’s POV, perhaps, or showing how he managed to calm Parkins down after they chased the ghost away. If you want to make it shippy, that’s all right by me! They certainly make for an odd couple. What do Parkins’ colleagues make of him when he returns to the university? Does he ever go back to Burnstow?
A Warning to the Curious is one of my favourite James stories, and I often think of it as the bleaker, more tragic counterweight to Whistle. I’ve read that that bleakness is a product of its being written post-WWI, and certainly, even before we reach anything supernatural, we start off with a sense of loss and melancholy for absent friends, as the narrator describes how he hasn’t wanted to go back to Seaburgh since his friend Henry Long died. That short line carries a whole weight of sadness, and you get the sense of the intense closeness of their friendship. It also makes me think of James’ own grief for the untimely death of his friend and illustrator James MacBryde (said to have been the love of his life), and so I wonder at the exact nature of the friendship between the narrator and Long. Perhaps there’s more behind that short line “we used to take a sitting-room and be very happy there” than first meets the eye. If you like, I’d be quite happy to see something exploring their relationship, without anything supernatural at all, a long-standing friendship that deepens into something more during their holidays in that remote, picturesque seaside town.
Or, if you do want to write something spooky, the narrator finishes the story by saying that he hasn’t been back to Seaburgh since those events — but what if he does? Having told his story, perhaps he does go back once more. Do the spirits of Long and Paxton linger there, in a more than metaphorical sense? Or does the guardian spirit of the crown reach out for him? He didn’t touch the crown, true, but he still knows where it's hidden, and where it might be found again...
’Salem’s Lot - Stephen King
Characters: Mark Petrie, Ben Mears, Susan Norton, Jimmy Cody
Mark is one seriously cool kid. We first (properly) meet him owning a bully through quick wits and nimbleness, and his response to a millennia-old vampire murdering his parents is to spit in his face. But for all that, he's still just a kid, and we can see how seriously traumatised he is by the end. I find that duality about him fascinating, that balance between wisdom and courage beyond his years, and his vulnerability and dependance on Ben which is very much suited to his age.
He’s also got that almost mystical side to him: eg. how he pretty much hypnotises himself into a trance-like state allowing him to escape from being tied up, and when he describes to Susan how he dreamt about how the vampires are taking over the town. I wonder, what did he make of the Marsten House when he and his parents first moved to the Lot? He seems to be verging on some honest-to-goodness clairvoyant powers, so it could be interesting to explore how those powers might develop. Do they get stronger as he moves into adolescence? How does he use them, and how does he feel about them?
The relationship that develops between Mark and Ben is definitely the bright, hopeful threat amid all the darkness at the end. No matter what happens, these two at least have each other. I’d love anything that deals with their time on the road, how they try to support each other through the aftermath and try to get on with their lives. What happens to them after they burn the Lot? Where do they go? Do they end up hunting more vampires - or even other supernatural beings, or do they manage to find some peace after that? God knows, they deserve it!
In fact, I find pretty much all the main characters really endearing, and I was absolutely gutted about Susan and Jimmy’s fates in particular. So, if you fancy, I’d quite happily take an AU where one or both of them survive. In that case, I’d love to know what comes next. Do they flee to Mexico along with Ben and Mark? Do they come back with them to purge the Lot? How do they heal from their experiences? Is Susan able to save her family in this AU, or does another vampire succeed in turning her mum?
Or, for a darker AU, what if Ben isn’t able to stake vampire!Susan when they find her at the house? How does that change things? Does she end up as Barlow’s sort of consort; does she make a point of trying to hunt down Ben? Does he finally free her during the finale at the boarding-house, or is she still there when he and Mark return to burn the Lot? One detail that intrigues me about vampire!Susan is that when Mark repels her from his window, he sees an expression of sadness on her face. Does that mean that some part of her former self is still in there, and is (at least on some level) aware of the horror of her fate? So many possibilities to explore there!
As far as ships go, I like canon Ben/Susan. (I know some people find their insta-love a bit hard to swallow, but in a book filled with sudden instantaneous bonds forming between characters, it doesn’t seem too out of place to me, almost as if the characters are being moved together by some external force.) I’m also intrigued by the idea of Ben/Jimmy. I also kind of future-ship Ben/Mark, in that I see them as found family during the timeline of the book, but can definitely see their dynamic shifting as Mark gets older, especially if they continue as close and inseparable as they are by the end. If you want to do something in that direction, I’d prefer for Mark to be at least sixteen (as per my DNWs).
Tam o’ Shanter - Robert Burns
Characters: Tam o’ Shanter, Nannie, Kate, Meg
I love this poem so much. (Link to the full thing, with a handy translation for all of us who don’t speak broad Scots). I love the right Scottishness of it - not just the language, but the preoccupation with witches and the Devil himself - and I love Tam’s whole journey, from the slow ride through the stormy midnight landscape, past various scenes of old murders etc., to the witches’ dance in the ruined kirk, and the wild chase to the bridge. It has spookiness and humour in equal measure, too, so it’s perfect for both tricks or treats!
For something on the lighter side, what about the inevitable scene when Tam finally gets home and has to explain to Kate why he’s back so late, and why the horse is suddenly missing her tail. Kate’s POV would be fun to get! Maybe she actually made a deal with the witches to help her get rid of her no-good boozehound of a husband, and is less than thrilled to see him home. Or what if Kate is actually a good witch, which is why she’s always warning Tam about getting drunk and coming past the old kirkyard late, because she knows what’s really out there? It might also be fun to consider the story from Meg’s point of view: bad enough she has to carry Tam back and forth in all weathers, but getting chased by witches and having her tail pulled off is just too much! Maybe Meg’s a bit magical herself, since she’s able to outgallop the hellish hordes. ;)
I've always found Nannie very interesting. Why is she the only young witch at the dance? Does she come from a family of witches - maybe her mother/grandmother/aunt was also at the gathering? Or did she sell herself over to the Devil for some other reason? In one verse we learn that she was just inducted into the coven that very night, and goes on to have a successful career terrorising the countryside. Feel free to expand on that! She could be an out-and-out villain who loves being evil, or a more morally complex figure. I’d be intrigued to know more about her either way.
I do wonder what’s going to happen after the events of the poem. Tam’s safe - for now - but he’ll surely have to go back over the river and past the kirk to get to Ayr next market day. What if the witches plan to catch him once and for all? What if he crosses paths with Nannie or one of the others in town during the day, while they’re going about pretending to be ordinary women. Maybe he recognised some respected women of the community in the coven!
I’d also be partial to a bit of dark, seductive Nannie/Tam, if the fancy takes you. AU where she catches him after all and claims him as a plaything? Feel free to make it as dirtybadwrong as you like! Or perhaps, despite his escape, Tam becomes obsessed (perhaps magically ensnared?) with the beautiful witch, and can’t keep himself from venturing back to Kirk Alloway to find her again…?
For an art fill, the settings in the poem are so vividly described, you could pretty much take any scene and make something great out of it. I love all the images in the church, eg. the open coffins with the corpses holding lighted candles, the murderer’s bones on the altar, Auld Nick playing the bagpipes - not to mention the satirical details of the lawyers’ tongues black with lies and the rotten priests’ hearts. If you’re wanting to draw something deliciously spooky and macabre, there are so many ideas here!
