Trick or Treat 2023 letter
Sep. 12th, 2023 08:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
verecundaDear Trick or Treater,
Woo, it’s that time of year again! I love Hallowe’en, and this exchange has become one of my favourite ways to mark the spooky season. 👻
This letter contains a rundown of my general likes and DNWs, as well as some potential prompts for each of my requests. If you find something here to inspire you, that’s great - but at the same time, please don’t feel restricted to what’s here, either. I’m always interested in other people’s interpretations of my faves, and if you have ideas of your own, I’d love to see them 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 via the mod.
All requests are for fic or art, tricks or treats.
Likes
Art likes
Smut likes
DNWs
Beowulf
- Beowulf, Unferth, Grendel, Grendel's Mother, Dragon, Last of the Ancient Race Who Hid the Hoard
British Folklore & Mythology
- Kelpie
- Selkie
The Flight of the Heron - D. K. Broster
- Ship: Ewen Cameron/Keith Windham
The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
- Witch-king of Angmar, Khamûl, Nazgûl, Eärnur, Lady of the Blue Brooch, Last Prince of Cardolan, Original Character from the Legacy Kingdoms of Arnor, Barrow-wights
Likes
• Fic and art of any all ratings.
• Most genres: humour, angst, fluff, darkfic, hurt/comfort, slice-of-life, character pieces, plotty pieces. I like happy endings as well as a good tragedy, or even a bittersweet ending. One of the things I love most about Tolkien is that there is so much loss and decline, yet always hope and wonder and beauty, no matter how remote or fleeting it may seem.
• I’ve got a special fondness for things that fill in characters’ backstories, “missing scenes” from canon, and alternate POVs on canon events. Outsider POVs on requested ships are always, always fun!
• I love canon compliant fic, but I also love canon divergence AUs. What if X had happened instead of Y? What if characters A and B met sooner or later than they did in canon? I love exploring the possibilities!
• Worldbuilding detail. I always want to know more about the worlds these characters inhabit.
• Intelligent 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: characters who seem so different but who end up complementing each other perfectly. (This can be either romantic or platonic.)
• Banter! I love witty characters who have a good back-and-forth.
• Gen and ship fic are equally good. I love my otps, but I know how it is. Sometimes you love the characters and their relationship, but just don’t catch the shippy vibe. In that case, there’s no pressure: I’ll be just as happy with a gen take on their dynamic.
• When it comes to ships, I love both first times and established relationships. I’m also weak for all those moments of quiet intimacy: 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. Pure G-rated fluff or even just a few sensual details sketched in are equally fine by me.
• Pining!! I live for good old-fashioned, hopeless pining, especially if it’s mutual and all parties are in silent agonies, equally convinced it can never be. UST and unrequited love also hurt so good.
• Apart from my requested characters, I'm quite happy with other canon characters and pairings making an appearance.
• Spooky likes: all the classic Gothic settings: 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.
Art likes
I know virtually nothing about art, so I find it harder to come up with prompts on this side. Suffice it to say, anything in your own style will be wonderful! I’ve included some specific art prompts, but here's a brief list of some very general art likes.
• Straightforward portraits of my requested characters/ships, or an illustration of one of the scenarios I’ve prompted. Illustrations of key scenes from canon would also be very welcome!
• Most of my fandoms are in historical and fantasy settings, so I love details of costume and material culture.
• I love bold colours as well as black and white, contrasting shades, mingling of light and shadow, cell shading.
• If it helps, here are some artists I particularly love: Van Gogh, Matisse, Caravaggio, Ivan Aivazovsky, John Atkinson Grimshaw, Arthur Rackham, Alan Lee, Beatrix Potter.
• Homages to/spoofs of famous paintings.
• Characters drawn in distinctive styles: art nouveau, Disney, etc.
• Effects of different light sources, especially firelight and candlelight; sunsets and sunrises; moonlight and starlight; light on water;
• I love water in general: rivers and pools, waterfalls, fountains, oceans. I love ripples, currents, spray, etc.
• I love this time of year, so if you want to do something seasonal, I love vivid autumnal colours and long sunsets, and the visual effects of mist and frost.
• For spooky art, I love all the classic Hallowe’en aesthetics - pumpkins and bats and black cats, etc. - as well as ghosts and other things half-hidden in shadow, jagged trees, full moons peeking out behind ragged clouds.
Smutty likes
• Penetrative sex.
• Non-penetrative sex, especially frottage and intercrural.
• Oral.
• Handjobs/fingering/etc.
• Clothed or partially-clothed sex.
• Body worship.
• One character unable to see the other (whether facing away, blindfolded, etc.) and having to rely on their other senses.
• Voyeurism/exhibitionism.
• Mutual masturbation.
• Restraints, bondage.
• Breast/nipple play.
• Riding, whether the rider is setting the pace or just - ahem - along for the ride.
• Sweet, slow, romantic cuddle-sex.
• Equally: rough, desperate, oh-god-must-have-you-now fucking.
• Older/more experienced characters guiding their younger/less experienced partners.
• Power dynamics explored, reflected, or even dismantled through sex. Whether it’s a character in a generally subordinate position who takes charge in the bedroom, or whether one half of the ship holds all the cards, up to and including dub-con/non-con scenarios. I’m also entirely weak for the trope where the character who seems to have the most power in the relationship being so totally loopy for the other that they’ll give them anything they want.
• For dub-con/non-con especially, the “iron fist in a velvet glove” sort of force, subtle - even psychological - force over physical.
• I have no preferences when it comes to who tops or bottoms in my ships, and very often enjoy seeing characters who usually get put on the bottom get to be on top for a change. So if you’d like to switch things up a bit, be my guest!
DNWs
• First or second person POV (unless that's the POV of the original canon).
• Modern/mundane/coffee-shop AUs.
• Soulmate/soulmark/soulbond AUs. (For Tolkien fandoms, that includes the concept of Dwarves having a One.)
• A/B/O.
• Unrequested non-canon ships. (Appearances by/references to canon pairings are fine.)
• Unrequested gender/sexuality headcanons.
• Watersports.
• Scat.
• Rimming.
• Mpreg.
• Tentacles.
• Most of my fandoms have historical/fantasy settings, with mores very different to ours, so I’m fine with references to characters being married or having sex in their early teens, but would prefer no explicit sexual content involving any characters under 16. Fade to black is fine, though.
• I don’t mind dub-con/non-con in a kink context, but I 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.
Beowulf
Characters: Beowulf, Unferth, Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, Dragon, Last Member of the Ancient Race Who Hid the Hoard
I’ve developed a minor obsession with this poem ever since reading the Heaney and Tolkien translations, as well as the Sutcliff retelling, earlier this year. And there are some wonderful supernatural and horror elements, which makes it perfect for this exchange! I love, love, love myths and stories about haunted waterways and ancient barrows, so I would certainly love anything that delved into those settings, as well as the mingling of Christianity and paganism in the poem’s narrative. There’s also that gloomy Old English preoccupation with lost ages and the transience of human life, etc.
If you want to focus on Grendel and/or his mother, what about something exploring their ancestry as descendants of Cain? Was Grendel’s father another monster, or a human? Or maybe they’re ancient spirits, maybe even forgotten gods of the mere? I’d be interested in any sort of take on them, whether they’re pure villains, sympathetic, or somewhere in between. Tolkien theorised that Heorot might have been built on a sacred site, which maybe makes it a focus for warfare between the human kingdoms, but what if that has something to do with Grendel’s rise in the story? Maybe it’s the classic story of unwitting humans disturbing a sacred site and bringing down the wrath of the resident beastie.
The barrow and the dragon’s hoard are also brilliant parts of the story, and I’m fascinated by the backstory behind it: the whole mood of despair and loss that accompanies the tale of how the last of the ancient race deposited the treasure. Why did they curse the gold? Where did the dragon come from? Did the stolen cup have any particular significance, or did it just object to the theft in principle? What’s the significance of the standard among the hoard?
For the human characters, I’d love any kind of character exploration. I really like Beowulf, just because he’s so straightforwardly good, but there are hints that things weren’t always great for him. There’s the line about how the other men of Hygelac’s court used to scorn him (perhaps related to his father’s tumultuous past?), and it sounds like he had to work hard to prove himself. Anything exploring the human being behind the superhero would be great.
I love Unferth and all his baggage: that tension between him being obviously a high-ranking member of the court, and a known kinslayer. Tolkien likens him to Sir Kay in Arthurian mythology: an asshole, but an intrinsic part of the setting, so that could be a good angle to explore. Also the fact that he killed his brothers presents an intriguing thematic link with Grendel, who is descended from Cain, the first fratricide. Something interesting to explore there, maybe? I also like his reconciliation with Beowulf - does this turn into a lifelong friendship? Hrunting is also an interesting sword, which clearly has a history. What is Unferth’s relationship to it?
I’d enjoy any gen relationships between any of the characters. As far as ships go, Beowulf/Unferth and Beowulf/Breca both have potential.
Art prompts: the poem is so vivid and visceral, and would lend itself so well to any kind of art you want to make. I’d particularly love to see your take on the settings of the mere and the underwater realm, or the barrow and the dragon’s lair, as well as your vision of the characters. You could really go wild on the monster designs! Plus there’s all those wonderful descriptions of the warriors’ gear and treasure.
British Folklore & Mythology
Character: Kelpie
I love water-monsters of all kinds, and kelpies are high among my favourites. I’d be equally open to a good old-fashioned horror story featuring the kelpie as a wholly malevolent entity, or something that reimagines the traditional stories and looks for its sympathetic side. Whatever spin you want to put on it!
(For what it’s worth, you’ll see some sources claim that the kelpie is distinct from the each uisge - the water horse - one living in rivers while the other dwells in lochs, but I’m not pedantic on the terminology. It’s a horse-looking thing that lives in the water - use whatever term you like!)
I love pretty much all the classic stories, whether it’s luring in its victims in the form of a beautiful horse or a beautiful human, as well as the stories where a human is able to capture a kelpie with its magical bridle and uses it as a beast of burden in the building of a new castle, or church. Sometimes (as in the case of the Laird o’ Morphie) the kelpie lays a curse on its captor after it’s freed from this enforced labour. Use as many of the classic tropes as you like! Equally, if you fancy, feel free to mix in elements from the lore of other water-monsters, like the Orcadian nuckelavee, or Nessie and co. And not just Scotland - I love learning about new myths and legends, if you know of any water beastie lore from elsewhere in the world that you think would go well, feel free to bring it into the mix!
I’d love something exploring the origins of kelpies. Are they faerie creatures, or something else? One theory is that the stories might have arisen as corruptions of older pagan beliefs. Certainly in Scotland, as in Britain and the rest of Europe, there’s evidence that the prehistoric people venerated both horses and watery places, like pools and rivers and marshes. You also get legends of notable early Christian worthies (especially St. Columba) banishing demons from lochs or purifying poisoned springs, in what appear to be less-than-subtle allegories for the triumph of Christianity over the older religion. Is a kelpie, then, what you get when an ancient deity of the loch grows wrathful at having been forgotten? Or are they originally humans under some sort of curse?
It could also be interesting to explore the kelpie’s relationship to its environment. Where does it lair up - in an underwater cave, or somewhere else? What is its true form? Or is the water a sort of conduit that allows it to pass between our world and its own? Do they devour their victims at once, or do they keep them prisoner for some time beforehand? Would it be possible, then, for someone captured by a kelpie to escape?
I like the thought of a kelpie as a straight-up monster, but since allurement is also a big part of the myth, especially in human form, I’d also be up for a bit of monsterfucking. A story about a kelpie seducing a human is always fun, whatever sort of ending it has.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to do treats instead of tricks, I’m fond of humorous or sympathetic takes on monsters. The misadventures of the world’s worst kelpie? A kelpie who’s a well-known local cryptid who draws a lot of tourists to the area, and who just wants to get away from the camera for a bit? Or a love story between a human and a kelpie who really isn’t as bad as the stories make out?
One of my favourite kelpie stories is from Loch Cill Chriosd on the Isle of Skye. This one is said to have taken the form of a handsome young man in order to seduce the local maidens, only one day it seized upon a priest, mistaking his cassock for a dress! This particular story strikes me as having all sorts of possibilities! Was this case of mistaken identity an accident, or an “accident”? Equally, the story of a priest and a kelpie falling in love could be hilarious — or it could be a prime cue for something deliciously dark, angsty, and guilt-laden!
Art prompts: I’d love to see your take on what a kelpie looks like, whether that’s in horse form or human form, or something in between, whether frightening or alluring or both at the same time. Maybe an illustration of one of the classic stories? I love scenery porn, so some hint of the ancient landscape it inhabits: the loch, the mountains, the ruins and standing stones, etc. There’s plenty of boggy ground in Scotland, too, so maybe a kelpie as a swamp monster?
Any setting is great, whether in historical or modern times. M/f, m/m, or f/f pairings are all equally welcome.
Character: Selkie
Selkies are one of my absolute favourite mythological creatures, probably because seals are one of my favourite animals. Those big soulful eyes - no wonder people imagined there was something human about them, and wove poignant stories around them!
There are so many different selkie stories, and they come in so many moods, that there are endless opportunities, whether you want to do a trick or a treat. There’s the most common story, about the human fisherman who claims a selkie as a wife after taking her skin, and you can never have enough retellings of that. What are the ramifications of such an act? In most of the stories the man is simply left forever bereft when his wife eventually escapes back to the sea, but what if there were direr consequences in store — a curse, perhaps, for transgressing against a mythical being? Or what about a version where the fisherman isn’t a dick and does give the selkie’s skin back when she asks? What sort of bond might develop between them from that action? Perhaps the selkie is intrigued by this unexpected act of kindness from a human, and returns to find out more about him?
Alternatively, in some versions the selkie woman already has a selkie husband before she was taken by the fisherman. Tell me the story of the selkie lovers separated by an act of human selfishness! Are they ever able to meet while the captive selkie is trapped on land? How does the free selkie feel about the human mate and/or children? Do they ever try to help them on land while in their own human form?
Male selkies tend to be a bit more aggressive and sinister than their female counterparts, prone to seducing mortal women and spiriting them away. Maybe you have one who does this out of revenge for a selkie-woman of his own family being captured by a mortal man? As with kelpies, sinister seduction or genuine love stories both work for me! If you want to do something riffing on stories such as the ballad of Sule Skerry, that’d be fab!
I’d love any sort of worldbuilding you want to give me. Tell me more about the world of the selkies. Is the sea their natural habitat, or is it merely the conduit between our world and theirs? Are there any special customs or taboos around selkie skins — is it forbidden to touch another selkie’s pelt, à la His Dark Materials? Do selkies have any behaviour patterns in common with real seals? How do they get along with other mythological sea creatures, like mermaids?
You know those various pinnipeds that become local “characters” and get in the news, like Nelson the Cornish seal, or more recently Wally the walrus? What if they’re really selkies who’ve developed a taste for celebrity? Give me their publicity-seeking shenanigans!
Art prompts: Your vision of a selkie, whether in seal form or human. Are human!selkies as chubby as their seal forms? :D I’d adore any cute, fluffy selkie art. Equally, I’d love something that portrays a selkie as something more powerful and elemental, a being linked to the sea and the storms. Seascapes and storm effects are always superb!
Any setting is great, whether it’s historical or modern. When it comes to selkies, I tend to prefer m/f stories, but honestly, I’m really easy, so if you want to do m/m or f/f, that’s entirely up to you!
The Flight of the Heron - D. K. Broster
Relationship: Ewen Cameron/Keith Windham
I’ve recently finished reading The Gleam in the North and found myself in Heron Hell all over again. Please save me. X’D
I just love Keith and Ewen so much. I mean… just… *gestures at the whole book* I’m so weak for anything about love across cultures, and enemies finding their way across the divide to become friends - or more! Plus, Keith’s absolutely unbridled thirst when describing Ewen never ceases to amaze and delight, as does Ewen's unending gallantry and protectiveness. I’d love absolutely anything more you could give me about their story. Any missing scenes, perhaps? Maybe they have a chance to talk and learn a bit about each other during the days of Keith’s captivity. I love the heartbreaking tragedy of the whole story, so feel free to lean into that and twist my heartstrings, but equally, I’d welcome any fix-it AUs where Keith lives - however you want to bring that about! In fact, any kind of canon divergence AU would be great. What if Keith didn’t manage to escape at Fassefern? Or if one of them was taken prisoner during the Edinburgh episode? If you’ve also read GITN, what would happen if Keith was around for the events of that book?
I love seeing ships through outsider POVs, and this seems like such a great pairing for it. Canon does give us a Live Major Guthrie Reaction, but what about a more sympathetic observer? Aveling, maybe, or Aunt Magret? There are probably others. Hell, even Lachlan’s POV would be class!
Since this is Trick or Treat, any sort of supernatural/fantastical elements would be fab. Canon already gives us Angus and his second sight, and I’d love to see any other Scottish folkloric elements come into play. Water-horses, selkies, green ladies? Loch Morar, not far from where Keith dies, is said to be home to a monster… Maybe to save the life of the other, one of them makes an ill-advised deal with the sidhe? Or an AU where Keith gets lost in the Highland mists and is caught by Actual Fairy Prince!Ewen? (Let’s face it, he’s not far off being that already!) Or a ghost story, perhaps: maybe Keith’s spirit is bound to his signet ring, and thus to Ewen as long as he has it.
As long as it involves these two being gorgeous together, I’ll love it. Especially if it allows Keith to be loved and cherished as he deserves. <3
Art prompts: Uniform porn! Philabegs! The scenery porn of the book translated into art. A scene of them by the side of Loch na n-Iolaire? Any canon scene, or AU of them being reunited.
The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Characters: The Witch-king of Angmar, Khamûl, Nazgûl, Lady of the Blue Brooch, Last Prince of Cardolan, Original Arnor Character, Barrow-wights
In short, all the spooky LOTR prompts! Tolkien has such a deft, atmospheric touch with terror and haunted locations, and the insidious, corroding quality of evil that winds through his work is so palpable, it makes the scary bits some of the most vivid in the whole story. Then there’s the fact that so many figures are shrouded in mystery - we don’t know who the Witch-king really is (was?), we never quite see the Barrow-wight, we never learn what lies beyond that door in the Paths of the Dead - which only increases their fascination and makes me long to know more about them all. So here’s your cue to delve into the spooky side of Middle-earth!
“Fog on the Barrow-downs” is one of my absolute favourite chapters in the whole story. The atmosphere, the mystery, the peril lurking in the mist… brilliant. The Downs are one of my favourite locations, and the scraps of lore we get about them are fascinating. (Also, I’m just a sucker for standing stones and chambered cairns, etc. in general.) The Barrow-wight is spectacularly creepy, especially its singing, and I want to know more about it and its fellows.
The Downs are also closely linked to the history of the successor kingdoms of Arnor and their wars with Angmar, which I find fascinating. I’d love any story you wanted to tell me about the Dúnedain of old. Who was the lady who owned the blue brooch? Wife, lover, or relative of the last prince of Cardolan, who was buried in the Great Barrow? What was their story? Or maybe the Red Book had it wrong, and the lady herself was the last ruler of Cardolan? Or, if you prefer, you could show me some of the story through the eyes of an OC. The fall of Amon Sûl? Arvedui in Forodwaith? Or maybe one of the Men of Rhudaur who defected to Angmar’s side?
Speaking of Angmar, the Witch-king The Witch-king is an endlessly mysterious figure, and there’s so much room to fill in his backstory. Who is he? Is he one of the three Númenórean lords who were ensnared by Sauron, or was he from somewhere else entirely? Was he always evil, or was he originally quite a noble figure — and if so, what induced him to accept the ring? How did he fall under Sauron’s sway?
I also have a soft spot for Khamûl, since he’s a bit of an outlier in that he’s the only known Easterling among the ranks of the Nine, and the only one whose name we actually know. What’s his story? Does he still remember his own origins enough to feel kinship with the Easterlings recruited by Sauron in the Third Age?
In general, I find the Nazgûl fascinating, and brilliantly creepy. Who are they all? What is wraith-life like? When did they realise just what the cost of their bargain was, and what were their reactions — horror, or did they feel the cost was worth it for the power they gained? Are they capable of any personal bonds? What is their link to Sauron like? Are they mindlessly beholden to their master, or do they still retain enough individualism to have opinions of their own, whether they’re fanatically loyal to Sauron, or if there’s some part of them that understands the horror of their existence?
The story of Eärnur is also brilliantly creepy, simply because his fate remains unknown. What did happen to him when he went to Minas Morgul? Did he just get slaughtered, or did he suffer some fate worse than death? Is he still there, perhaps in some wraithlike state himself?
I’ve been thinking gen, but if you’re wanting to write something shippy, I like: Lady of the Blue Brooch/Last Prince, Witch-king/Khamûl, Witch-king/Sauron, Sauron/Witch-king/Khamûl. Though any Nazgûl/human pairing from my nominated characters could be darkly delicious… ;)
Art prompts: Any canon scene featuring these characters. The Barrow-downs in the fog. What does Carn Dûm look like? The Witch-king and/or Khamûl in full Nazgûl glory, or in wraith form, perhaps as Frodo sees them at Weathertop? What did they look like in life? I’d love to see your vision of what a barrow-wight actually looks like, especially if it’s still wearing all the gold and jewels it’s hoarded. A misty scene of the wight in the fog, perhaps as it seizes Frodo, or just generally stalking the downs?
Woo, it’s that time of year again! I love Hallowe’en, and this exchange has become one of my favourite ways to mark the spooky season. 👻
This letter contains a rundown of my general likes and DNWs, as well as some potential prompts for each of my requests. If you find something here to inspire you, that’s great - but at the same time, please don’t feel restricted to what’s here, either. I’m always interested in other people’s interpretations of my faves, and if you have ideas of your own, I’d love to see them too.
I can be found on AO3 as
If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via the mod.
All requests are for fic or art, tricks or treats.
Likes
Art likes
Smut likes
DNWs
Beowulf
- Beowulf, Unferth, Grendel, Grendel's Mother, Dragon, Last of the Ancient Race Who Hid the Hoard
British Folklore & Mythology
- Kelpie
- Selkie
The Flight of the Heron - D. K. Broster
- Ship: Ewen Cameron/Keith Windham
The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
- Witch-king of Angmar, Khamûl, Nazgûl, Eärnur, Lady of the Blue Brooch, Last Prince of Cardolan, Original Character from the Legacy Kingdoms of Arnor, Barrow-wights
Likes
• Fic and art of any all ratings.
• Most genres: humour, angst, fluff, darkfic, hurt/comfort, slice-of-life, character pieces, plotty pieces. I like happy endings as well as a good tragedy, or even a bittersweet ending. One of the things I love most about Tolkien is that there is so much loss and decline, yet always hope and wonder and beauty, no matter how remote or fleeting it may seem.
• I’ve got a special fondness for things that fill in characters’ backstories, “missing scenes” from canon, and alternate POVs on canon events. Outsider POVs on requested ships are always, always fun!
• I love canon compliant fic, but I also love canon divergence AUs. What if X had happened instead of Y? What if characters A and B met sooner or later than they did in canon? I love exploring the possibilities!
• Worldbuilding detail. I always want to know more about the worlds these characters inhabit.
• Intelligent 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: characters who seem so different but who end up complementing each other perfectly. (This can be either romantic or platonic.)
• Banter! I love witty characters who have a good back-and-forth.
• Gen and ship fic are equally good. I love my otps, but I know how it is. Sometimes you love the characters and their relationship, but just don’t catch the shippy vibe. In that case, there’s no pressure: I’ll be just as happy with a gen take on their dynamic.
• When it comes to ships, I love both first times and established relationships. I’m also weak for all those moments of quiet intimacy: 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. Pure G-rated fluff or even just a few sensual details sketched in are equally fine by me.
• Pining!! I live for good old-fashioned, hopeless pining, especially if it’s mutual and all parties are in silent agonies, equally convinced it can never be. UST and unrequited love also hurt so good.
• Apart from my requested characters, I'm quite happy with other canon characters and pairings making an appearance.
• Spooky likes: all the classic Gothic settings: 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.
Art likes
I know virtually nothing about art, so I find it harder to come up with prompts on this side. Suffice it to say, anything in your own style will be wonderful! I’ve included some specific art prompts, but here's a brief list of some very general art likes.
• Straightforward portraits of my requested characters/ships, or an illustration of one of the scenarios I’ve prompted. Illustrations of key scenes from canon would also be very welcome!
• Most of my fandoms are in historical and fantasy settings, so I love details of costume and material culture.
• I love bold colours as well as black and white, contrasting shades, mingling of light and shadow, cell shading.
• If it helps, here are some artists I particularly love: Van Gogh, Matisse, Caravaggio, Ivan Aivazovsky, John Atkinson Grimshaw, Arthur Rackham, Alan Lee, Beatrix Potter.
• Homages to/spoofs of famous paintings.
• Characters drawn in distinctive styles: art nouveau, Disney, etc.
• Effects of different light sources, especially firelight and candlelight; sunsets and sunrises; moonlight and starlight; light on water;
• I love water in general: rivers and pools, waterfalls, fountains, oceans. I love ripples, currents, spray, etc.
• I love this time of year, so if you want to do something seasonal, I love vivid autumnal colours and long sunsets, and the visual effects of mist and frost.
• For spooky art, I love all the classic Hallowe’en aesthetics - pumpkins and bats and black cats, etc. - as well as ghosts and other things half-hidden in shadow, jagged trees, full moons peeking out behind ragged clouds.
Smutty likes
• Penetrative sex.
• Non-penetrative sex, especially frottage and intercrural.
• Oral.
• Handjobs/fingering/etc.
• Clothed or partially-clothed sex.
• Body worship.
• One character unable to see the other (whether facing away, blindfolded, etc.) and having to rely on their other senses.
• Voyeurism/exhibitionism.
• Mutual masturbation.
• Restraints, bondage.
• Breast/nipple play.
• Riding, whether the rider is setting the pace or just - ahem - along for the ride.
• Sweet, slow, romantic cuddle-sex.
• Equally: rough, desperate, oh-god-must-have-you-now fucking.
• Older/more experienced characters guiding their younger/less experienced partners.
• Power dynamics explored, reflected, or even dismantled through sex. Whether it’s a character in a generally subordinate position who takes charge in the bedroom, or whether one half of the ship holds all the cards, up to and including dub-con/non-con scenarios. I’m also entirely weak for the trope where the character who seems to have the most power in the relationship being so totally loopy for the other that they’ll give them anything they want.
• For dub-con/non-con especially, the “iron fist in a velvet glove” sort of force, subtle - even psychological - force over physical.
• I have no preferences when it comes to who tops or bottoms in my ships, and very often enjoy seeing characters who usually get put on the bottom get to be on top for a change. So if you’d like to switch things up a bit, be my guest!
DNWs
• First or second person POV (unless that's the POV of the original canon).
• Modern/mundane/coffee-shop AUs.
• Soulmate/soulmark/soulbond AUs. (For Tolkien fandoms, that includes the concept of Dwarves having a One.)
• A/B/O.
• Unrequested non-canon ships. (Appearances by/references to canon pairings are fine.)
• Unrequested gender/sexuality headcanons.
• Watersports.
• Scat.
• Rimming.
• Mpreg.
• Tentacles.
• Most of my fandoms have historical/fantasy settings, with mores very different to ours, so I’m fine with references to characters being married or having sex in their early teens, but would prefer no explicit sexual content involving any characters under 16. Fade to black is fine, though.
• I don’t mind dub-con/non-con in a kink context, but I 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.
Beowulf
Characters: Beowulf, Unferth, Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, Dragon, Last Member of the Ancient Race Who Hid the Hoard
I’ve developed a minor obsession with this poem ever since reading the Heaney and Tolkien translations, as well as the Sutcliff retelling, earlier this year. And there are some wonderful supernatural and horror elements, which makes it perfect for this exchange! I love, love, love myths and stories about haunted waterways and ancient barrows, so I would certainly love anything that delved into those settings, as well as the mingling of Christianity and paganism in the poem’s narrative. There’s also that gloomy Old English preoccupation with lost ages and the transience of human life, etc.
If you want to focus on Grendel and/or his mother, what about something exploring their ancestry as descendants of Cain? Was Grendel’s father another monster, or a human? Or maybe they’re ancient spirits, maybe even forgotten gods of the mere? I’d be interested in any sort of take on them, whether they’re pure villains, sympathetic, or somewhere in between. Tolkien theorised that Heorot might have been built on a sacred site, which maybe makes it a focus for warfare between the human kingdoms, but what if that has something to do with Grendel’s rise in the story? Maybe it’s the classic story of unwitting humans disturbing a sacred site and bringing down the wrath of the resident beastie.
The barrow and the dragon’s hoard are also brilliant parts of the story, and I’m fascinated by the backstory behind it: the whole mood of despair and loss that accompanies the tale of how the last of the ancient race deposited the treasure. Why did they curse the gold? Where did the dragon come from? Did the stolen cup have any particular significance, or did it just object to the theft in principle? What’s the significance of the standard among the hoard?
For the human characters, I’d love any kind of character exploration. I really like Beowulf, just because he’s so straightforwardly good, but there are hints that things weren’t always great for him. There’s the line about how the other men of Hygelac’s court used to scorn him (perhaps related to his father’s tumultuous past?), and it sounds like he had to work hard to prove himself. Anything exploring the human being behind the superhero would be great.
I love Unferth and all his baggage: that tension between him being obviously a high-ranking member of the court, and a known kinslayer. Tolkien likens him to Sir Kay in Arthurian mythology: an asshole, but an intrinsic part of the setting, so that could be a good angle to explore. Also the fact that he killed his brothers presents an intriguing thematic link with Grendel, who is descended from Cain, the first fratricide. Something interesting to explore there, maybe? I also like his reconciliation with Beowulf - does this turn into a lifelong friendship? Hrunting is also an interesting sword, which clearly has a history. What is Unferth’s relationship to it?
I’d enjoy any gen relationships between any of the characters. As far as ships go, Beowulf/Unferth and Beowulf/Breca both have potential.
Art prompts: the poem is so vivid and visceral, and would lend itself so well to any kind of art you want to make. I’d particularly love to see your take on the settings of the mere and the underwater realm, or the barrow and the dragon’s lair, as well as your vision of the characters. You could really go wild on the monster designs! Plus there’s all those wonderful descriptions of the warriors’ gear and treasure.
British Folklore & Mythology
Character: Kelpie
I love water-monsters of all kinds, and kelpies are high among my favourites. I’d be equally open to a good old-fashioned horror story featuring the kelpie as a wholly malevolent entity, or something that reimagines the traditional stories and looks for its sympathetic side. Whatever spin you want to put on it!
(For what it’s worth, you’ll see some sources claim that the kelpie is distinct from the each uisge - the water horse - one living in rivers while the other dwells in lochs, but I’m not pedantic on the terminology. It’s a horse-looking thing that lives in the water - use whatever term you like!)
I love pretty much all the classic stories, whether it’s luring in its victims in the form of a beautiful horse or a beautiful human, as well as the stories where a human is able to capture a kelpie with its magical bridle and uses it as a beast of burden in the building of a new castle, or church. Sometimes (as in the case of the Laird o’ Morphie) the kelpie lays a curse on its captor after it’s freed from this enforced labour. Use as many of the classic tropes as you like! Equally, if you fancy, feel free to mix in elements from the lore of other water-monsters, like the Orcadian nuckelavee, or Nessie and co. And not just Scotland - I love learning about new myths and legends, if you know of any water beastie lore from elsewhere in the world that you think would go well, feel free to bring it into the mix!
I’d love something exploring the origins of kelpies. Are they faerie creatures, or something else? One theory is that the stories might have arisen as corruptions of older pagan beliefs. Certainly in Scotland, as in Britain and the rest of Europe, there’s evidence that the prehistoric people venerated both horses and watery places, like pools and rivers and marshes. You also get legends of notable early Christian worthies (especially St. Columba) banishing demons from lochs or purifying poisoned springs, in what appear to be less-than-subtle allegories for the triumph of Christianity over the older religion. Is a kelpie, then, what you get when an ancient deity of the loch grows wrathful at having been forgotten? Or are they originally humans under some sort of curse?
It could also be interesting to explore the kelpie’s relationship to its environment. Where does it lair up - in an underwater cave, or somewhere else? What is its true form? Or is the water a sort of conduit that allows it to pass between our world and its own? Do they devour their victims at once, or do they keep them prisoner for some time beforehand? Would it be possible, then, for someone captured by a kelpie to escape?
I like the thought of a kelpie as a straight-up monster, but since allurement is also a big part of the myth, especially in human form, I’d also be up for a bit of monsterfucking. A story about a kelpie seducing a human is always fun, whatever sort of ending it has.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to do treats instead of tricks, I’m fond of humorous or sympathetic takes on monsters. The misadventures of the world’s worst kelpie? A kelpie who’s a well-known local cryptid who draws a lot of tourists to the area, and who just wants to get away from the camera for a bit? Or a love story between a human and a kelpie who really isn’t as bad as the stories make out?
One of my favourite kelpie stories is from Loch Cill Chriosd on the Isle of Skye. This one is said to have taken the form of a handsome young man in order to seduce the local maidens, only one day it seized upon a priest, mistaking his cassock for a dress! This particular story strikes me as having all sorts of possibilities! Was this case of mistaken identity an accident, or an “accident”? Equally, the story of a priest and a kelpie falling in love could be hilarious — or it could be a prime cue for something deliciously dark, angsty, and guilt-laden!
Art prompts: I’d love to see your take on what a kelpie looks like, whether that’s in horse form or human form, or something in between, whether frightening or alluring or both at the same time. Maybe an illustration of one of the classic stories? I love scenery porn, so some hint of the ancient landscape it inhabits: the loch, the mountains, the ruins and standing stones, etc. There’s plenty of boggy ground in Scotland, too, so maybe a kelpie as a swamp monster?
Any setting is great, whether in historical or modern times. M/f, m/m, or f/f pairings are all equally welcome.
Character: Selkie
Selkies are one of my absolute favourite mythological creatures, probably because seals are one of my favourite animals. Those big soulful eyes - no wonder people imagined there was something human about them, and wove poignant stories around them!
There are so many different selkie stories, and they come in so many moods, that there are endless opportunities, whether you want to do a trick or a treat. There’s the most common story, about the human fisherman who claims a selkie as a wife after taking her skin, and you can never have enough retellings of that. What are the ramifications of such an act? In most of the stories the man is simply left forever bereft when his wife eventually escapes back to the sea, but what if there were direr consequences in store — a curse, perhaps, for transgressing against a mythical being? Or what about a version where the fisherman isn’t a dick and does give the selkie’s skin back when she asks? What sort of bond might develop between them from that action? Perhaps the selkie is intrigued by this unexpected act of kindness from a human, and returns to find out more about him?
Alternatively, in some versions the selkie woman already has a selkie husband before she was taken by the fisherman. Tell me the story of the selkie lovers separated by an act of human selfishness! Are they ever able to meet while the captive selkie is trapped on land? How does the free selkie feel about the human mate and/or children? Do they ever try to help them on land while in their own human form?
Male selkies tend to be a bit more aggressive and sinister than their female counterparts, prone to seducing mortal women and spiriting them away. Maybe you have one who does this out of revenge for a selkie-woman of his own family being captured by a mortal man? As with kelpies, sinister seduction or genuine love stories both work for me! If you want to do something riffing on stories such as the ballad of Sule Skerry, that’d be fab!
I’d love any sort of worldbuilding you want to give me. Tell me more about the world of the selkies. Is the sea their natural habitat, or is it merely the conduit between our world and theirs? Are there any special customs or taboos around selkie skins — is it forbidden to touch another selkie’s pelt, à la His Dark Materials? Do selkies have any behaviour patterns in common with real seals? How do they get along with other mythological sea creatures, like mermaids?
You know those various pinnipeds that become local “characters” and get in the news, like Nelson the Cornish seal, or more recently Wally the walrus? What if they’re really selkies who’ve developed a taste for celebrity? Give me their publicity-seeking shenanigans!
Art prompts: Your vision of a selkie, whether in seal form or human. Are human!selkies as chubby as their seal forms? :D I’d adore any cute, fluffy selkie art. Equally, I’d love something that portrays a selkie as something more powerful and elemental, a being linked to the sea and the storms. Seascapes and storm effects are always superb!
Any setting is great, whether it’s historical or modern. When it comes to selkies, I tend to prefer m/f stories, but honestly, I’m really easy, so if you want to do m/m or f/f, that’s entirely up to you!
The Flight of the Heron - D. K. Broster
Relationship: Ewen Cameron/Keith Windham
I’ve recently finished reading The Gleam in the North and found myself in Heron Hell all over again. Please save me. X’D
I just love Keith and Ewen so much. I mean… just… *gestures at the whole book* I’m so weak for anything about love across cultures, and enemies finding their way across the divide to become friends - or more! Plus, Keith’s absolutely unbridled thirst when describing Ewen never ceases to amaze and delight, as does Ewen's unending gallantry and protectiveness. I’d love absolutely anything more you could give me about their story. Any missing scenes, perhaps? Maybe they have a chance to talk and learn a bit about each other during the days of Keith’s captivity. I love the heartbreaking tragedy of the whole story, so feel free to lean into that and twist my heartstrings, but equally, I’d welcome any fix-it AUs where Keith lives - however you want to bring that about! In fact, any kind of canon divergence AU would be great. What if Keith didn’t manage to escape at Fassefern? Or if one of them was taken prisoner during the Edinburgh episode? If you’ve also read GITN, what would happen if Keith was around for the events of that book?
I love seeing ships through outsider POVs, and this seems like such a great pairing for it. Canon does give us a Live Major Guthrie Reaction, but what about a more sympathetic observer? Aveling, maybe, or Aunt Magret? There are probably others. Hell, even Lachlan’s POV would be class!
Since this is Trick or Treat, any sort of supernatural/fantastical elements would be fab. Canon already gives us Angus and his second sight, and I’d love to see any other Scottish folkloric elements come into play. Water-horses, selkies, green ladies? Loch Morar, not far from where Keith dies, is said to be home to a monster… Maybe to save the life of the other, one of them makes an ill-advised deal with the sidhe? Or an AU where Keith gets lost in the Highland mists and is caught by Actual Fairy Prince!Ewen? (Let’s face it, he’s not far off being that already!) Or a ghost story, perhaps: maybe Keith’s spirit is bound to his signet ring, and thus to Ewen as long as he has it.
As long as it involves these two being gorgeous together, I’ll love it. Especially if it allows Keith to be loved and cherished as he deserves. <3
Art prompts: Uniform porn! Philabegs! The scenery porn of the book translated into art. A scene of them by the side of Loch na n-Iolaire? Any canon scene, or AU of them being reunited.
The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Characters: The Witch-king of Angmar, Khamûl, Nazgûl, Lady of the Blue Brooch, Last Prince of Cardolan, Original Arnor Character, Barrow-wights
In short, all the spooky LOTR prompts! Tolkien has such a deft, atmospheric touch with terror and haunted locations, and the insidious, corroding quality of evil that winds through his work is so palpable, it makes the scary bits some of the most vivid in the whole story. Then there’s the fact that so many figures are shrouded in mystery - we don’t know who the Witch-king really is (was?), we never quite see the Barrow-wight, we never learn what lies beyond that door in the Paths of the Dead - which only increases their fascination and makes me long to know more about them all. So here’s your cue to delve into the spooky side of Middle-earth!
“Fog on the Barrow-downs” is one of my absolute favourite chapters in the whole story. The atmosphere, the mystery, the peril lurking in the mist… brilliant. The Downs are one of my favourite locations, and the scraps of lore we get about them are fascinating. (Also, I’m just a sucker for standing stones and chambered cairns, etc. in general.) The Barrow-wight is spectacularly creepy, especially its singing, and I want to know more about it and its fellows.
The Downs are also closely linked to the history of the successor kingdoms of Arnor and their wars with Angmar, which I find fascinating. I’d love any story you wanted to tell me about the Dúnedain of old. Who was the lady who owned the blue brooch? Wife, lover, or relative of the last prince of Cardolan, who was buried in the Great Barrow? What was their story? Or maybe the Red Book had it wrong, and the lady herself was the last ruler of Cardolan? Or, if you prefer, you could show me some of the story through the eyes of an OC. The fall of Amon Sûl? Arvedui in Forodwaith? Or maybe one of the Men of Rhudaur who defected to Angmar’s side?
Speaking of Angmar, the Witch-king The Witch-king is an endlessly mysterious figure, and there’s so much room to fill in his backstory. Who is he? Is he one of the three Númenórean lords who were ensnared by Sauron, or was he from somewhere else entirely? Was he always evil, or was he originally quite a noble figure — and if so, what induced him to accept the ring? How did he fall under Sauron’s sway?
I also have a soft spot for Khamûl, since he’s a bit of an outlier in that he’s the only known Easterling among the ranks of the Nine, and the only one whose name we actually know. What’s his story? Does he still remember his own origins enough to feel kinship with the Easterlings recruited by Sauron in the Third Age?
In general, I find the Nazgûl fascinating, and brilliantly creepy. Who are they all? What is wraith-life like? When did they realise just what the cost of their bargain was, and what were their reactions — horror, or did they feel the cost was worth it for the power they gained? Are they capable of any personal bonds? What is their link to Sauron like? Are they mindlessly beholden to their master, or do they still retain enough individualism to have opinions of their own, whether they’re fanatically loyal to Sauron, or if there’s some part of them that understands the horror of their existence?
The story of Eärnur is also brilliantly creepy, simply because his fate remains unknown. What did happen to him when he went to Minas Morgul? Did he just get slaughtered, or did he suffer some fate worse than death? Is he still there, perhaps in some wraithlike state himself?
I’ve been thinking gen, but if you’re wanting to write something shippy, I like: Lady of the Blue Brooch/Last Prince, Witch-king/Khamûl, Witch-king/Sauron, Sauron/Witch-king/Khamûl. Though any Nazgûl/human pairing from my nominated characters could be darkly delicious… ;)
Art prompts: Any canon scene featuring these characters. The Barrow-downs in the fog. What does Carn Dûm look like? The Witch-king and/or Khamûl in full Nazgûl glory, or in wraith form, perhaps as Frodo sees them at Weathertop? What did they look like in life? I’d love to see your vision of what a barrow-wight actually looks like, especially if it’s still wearing all the gold and jewels it’s hoarded. A misty scene of the wight in the fog, perhaps as it seizes Frodo, or just generally stalking the downs?
no subject
Date: 2023-09-30 06:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-11-09 04:10 pm (UTC)Hope you don't mind if I follow you back!
no subject
Date: 2023-11-09 04:13 pm (UTC)Heh, I know what that feels like! : D
And welcome!