Dear Chocolatier Letter 2020
Jan. 5th, 2020 09:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
narya_flameHi and happy 2020!
I'm very excited that you're going to be making a gift for me. If you've browsed my AO3 profile you'll have seen that I'm mainly active in the Tolkien fandom, BUT I lurk in a number of other fandoms and I enjoy all sorts of fic and art; please don't read anything into the length of the prompts, or whether I've requested or written a certain fandom or relationship before.
I tried to theme my requests at least vaguely, but this has still ended up as a bit of a grab bag. If there's a unifying thread, it's complications – unexpected connections, love affairs between mortals and immortals, friendships between members of different cultures or even across opposing sides of a conflict, war and politics changing and fracturing relationships, sentient objects and locations whispering in the ears of their owners and inhabitants...
Most of my prompts are fic-related as I am not at all artistic, but if we've matched on art, then honestly, I will love anything with any of the character combinations I've requested. If we've matched on fic, then please don't feel bound to the ideas here – they're suggestions only.
GENERAL LIKES
Fic
- Complex character dynamics
- Conflicting motivations
- Found families/families of choice
- Grief and tragedy
- Hope, redemption and reconciliation
- In-world myths and legends
- Unusual perspectives, minor characters, original characters and textual ghosts
- Unreliable narrators and quirky narrative structures – for example, epistolary, fragmented narratives, stories told through found documents, framing devices, stories told out of chronological order
- In-world meta – scholarship, catalogues, bestiaries and spellbooks, marginalia, letters, working papers and project notes
- Philosophical musings
- Anything to do with languages, linguistics and alphabets
- Twist endings/a sting in the tail (sting in the tale...?)
Art
- Maps! Maps are amazing! (Tricky for this exchange since it is character focused, but if you can make it work, brilliant.)
- Clothing, jewellery and hair
- Close ups of tiny details like stitching, beading, engraving, etc.
- Depictions of the natural world
- Facial expressions conveying more than one emotion at once
- Unusual perspectives – through a window, over a gate, down a tunnel, from a distance...
- Anything that plays with colour, light, shadow, space and movement
Either
- Worldbuilding details
- Objects and places with special significance – a “sense of history”
- Ghosts, literal and metaphorical
- Food, drink and celebration
- Battle scenes and/or aftermath
- Storytelling, riddles and poetry
- Candlelight
- Roaring fires
- Libraries, archives and other knowledge repositories
- Fusions of science and magic
- Shining a light into places canon doesn't show us, or barely touches on – going off the edge of the map
- Suggestion and implication, whether this is hints of backstory, a figure hiding in the shadows, or a slightly ambiguous ending – I love it when my imagination can get to work filling in the gaps
RELATIONSHIP LIKES
Many of these could equally apply to friendships, romantic relationships or something in between, so I haven't specifically labelled them all.
- Developing friendships and budding romances
- Banter and teasing
- Bedsharing; huddling for warmth
- “The little things” - light brushes with fingertips, smiles across a room...
- Forehead kisses
- Fierce loyalty and devotion, to the point of one character doing something incredibly stupid to help or save somebody they love
- Hurt/comfort (feel free to go heavy on the hurt, e.g. slow recovery from a serious illness or injury)
- Situational relationships – enemies having to work together, or people who wouldn't normally be drawn to each other forming a bond through circumstance
- Emotional reunions after long separations
- Friendship developing into romance
- Enemies/rivals to lovers/friends
- Tempestuous, complex or unhealthy relationships (see section on darker stuff); passionate encounters between individuals who would be terrible together long term, but can't resist each other in the here and now
- Quiet moments between people who care about each other, especially during or after huge events shaking their world
SMUT LIKES
No obligation at all here – write or draw whatever you're comfortable with.
- Breath play
- Blood play
- Knifeplay
- Biting and scratching
- Helplessness
- Bathing
- Hair brushing/washing/braiding
- Sex exploring power dynamics and/or deeply informed by characters' history together
- Neck kissing
- “Thank god you're alive” sex; sex after serious injury
- Gags; blindfolds; light bondage
- Aftercare
- Sensation play
- Piercings
- Differing experience levels
- Enthusiastic consent
- Reading erotic literature together
- Orgasm delay/denial
DARKER STUFF
If your muse takes you down a more disturbing path, I'm fine with that. I do appreciate stories and artwork that deal with more difficult themes, although as with the smutty stuff, there's no expectation to go here if you don't want to.
- Hurt without comfort, including terminal illness or fatal injury
- Mental illness, including depression and suicidal thoughts
- Substance abuse
- Death and grief
- Torture
- Psychological manipulation and abuse
- Unhealthy relationships/relationships with troubling dynamics, including obsession, jealousy and co-dependency
- Possession
- Dark magic and curses
- Corruption and decay
- Sentient nature
- Resurrection and necromancy
- Being trapped in a small dark space, possibly with something terrifying lurking nearby
- Ghost and horror stories
DNWs
- Character bashing
- Crack fic
- Explicitly described rape
- Focus on scat, vomit or bodily fluids (blood from injuries is OK)
- Childbirth or pregnancy
- A/B/O
- Heavy/lifestyle BDSM
(This should go without saying, but for the record, it's not that I don't think these things should exist. I do in fact enjoy fic about some of these things, but I'm choosy about the how and the wherefore, so it's easier for exchanges if I just opt out of them.)
REQUESTS
The Hobbit
I love the fairy-tale feel of The Hobbit and it's one of the few books that can take me straight back to my childhood, but I'm also interested in how it links in to Tolkien's wider mythology. Feel free to pull from other texts in the legendarium or stick purely to what's in the book, but no movieverse, please; I do like the films, I just don't tend to mix the two.
Belladonna Took & Original Elf Character. What kinds of trouble might the adventurous Ms Took have got herself into, to make Gandalf remember her so fondly – and who might she have met along the way?
Original Woodsman Character & Original Mirkwood Elf. Two cultures living side by side under the shadows of a haunted forest...what happens when their paths cross, and how might it come about?
Original Raven Character & Original Dwarf Character. The ravens of the Lonely Mountain are so interesting. I'd love to know what their culture was like, and the nature of their alliance with the Dwarves. How did it start? Was there a formal bond/agreement to help one another in times of need?
Took Ancestor/Took Fairy Wife. Who was the mysterious fairy who married into the Took line? I'm inclined to think they weren't an Elf, although one of the Avari might fit; I tend to think some kind of nature spirit, perhaps similar to Goldberry. I'd be interested in any take on this mysterious figure, from a traditional fairy-tale to something eldritch and weird.
Thranduil & Mirkwood; Thranduil & White Deer of Mirkwood. I'm fascinated by the idea of a bond between the Elven king and his forest. Is Thranduil's power tied to Mirkwood itself? Maybe you could play with the Enchanted River, that always spooked me when I was a kid. I also really love the scene in the book with the white deer, and the mythic weight behind it (cf. The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, the legends of King Arthur, and any other number of legends and folk tales where a white animal foreshadows an encounter with the land of Faerie). Do the deer have some kind of alliance or bond with the Elves, similar to the one between the Ravens and the Dwarves?
The Lord of the Rings
The sense of myth and history in the trilogy is phenomenal; reading it for the first time, it felt to me like something that had always existed, not a story that someone dreamt up. I adored the sense of sorrow and hope that were woven together through the text, Tolkien's love of the natural world, the folly and tragedy of the Second Age, the threat of Mordor creeping into the cosy, homely Shire, the promise of magic and adventure, and the inevitable grief and loss of war.
Angamaitë & Sangahyando. I'm fascinated by the pre-Hobbit events of the Third Age that are outlined in the appendices, and I love alternate viewpoints to canon events – no villain really thinks they're the villain, after all. What was the relationship like between these two kinsmen, leaders of the Corsairs of Umbar, who successfully ravaged Pelargir and assassinated King Minardil? What motivated them? What and whom did they care about?
Fram & Scatha. A seriously underappreciated Tolkien dragon! What was their encounter like? Was there a kind of grudging rapport there? (I'd quite like to see a female Scatha if that's a road you're interested in travelling.)
Glorfindel & Eärnur. “Not by the hand of man will he fall...” I'd love a glimpse inside either Glorfindel or Eärnur's head when the famous prophecy about the Witch-king is made, or a moment between the two of them after battle, debating whether it was right or wrong to let Angmar flee.
Goldberry/Lady of the Blue Brooch. Creepy eldritch Goldberry is a weakness of mine – and who was the mysterious woman whose brooch Tom brought back from the Barrow-downs? Did she become a wight, or even one of the Nine?
Narya & Nenya & Vilya. Those rings are sentient, and if they don't communicate with each other in some way then I'm a block-headed Bracegirdle from Hardbottle. What do they say to each other, and their bearers? What does their power feel like? How do they combine and work together?
Old Man Willow/the Withywindle. Have I mentioned I have a thing about sentient nature? I find Old Man Willow fascinating and frightening, and can't help wondering about his origins. What kind of power does Tom Bombadil have over him? What made him decide to start luring and devouring stray wandering Hobbits? And what about the Withywindle? Does it/she have anything to do with Goldberry's mother, the River-woman?
Original Fallohide Character & Houseless Elf. I love the idea of an adventurous but somewhat naïve Fallohide Hobbit encountering the wandering spirit of an Elf slain in the First Age. I don't mind whether the spirit is malevolent, sad, or friendly and a bit lost; I love anything with ghosts, so you can't really go wrong here.
Original Wainrider Character & Original Éothéod Character. There's something about forbidden friendships that gets me every time. How did this one start? A soldier taking pity on a wounded enemy? Something like the fabled WW1 Christmas Day truce? Up to you!
The Silmarillion
The tragedy, heroism and sheer epic scale of the First Age still take my breath away every time I re-read the Silm, almost eighteen years after I first picked it up. I am pro-Noldor and most of my ficcish efforts revolve around Finwë's descendants, but I am also fascinated by some of the Ainur Atani. I love that the canon material paints such a huge, sweeping picture, leaving lots of space for fannish imaginations to go wild.
Aegnor/Andreth. Their first meeting, their final parting, or anything in between.
Annatar/Celebrimbor. I like the idea that Annatar genuinely respected Celebrimbor's abilities, though I do prefer their relationship with an undercurrent of darkness too. I'd love a glimpse of them working together, or discussing some point of language or lore or technological possibility.
Caranthir/Haleth. Grumpy heroic warriors teaming up to defend their people, and falling for each other while they're at it? Yes please! (Bonus points if Haleth is the first person outside immediate family that Caranthir opens up to about the Kinslayings and his Oath.)
Eönwë/Sauron. Ooh, whoever nominated this, I love you. The potential here is vast and I don't want to set too many constraints, though as with Annatar/Celebrimbor above, I'd prefer a Sauron who cares about Eönwë. He might value other things more, or choose to ignore his feelings, but I'd like to see some genuine admiration or affection, even if it's now long past.
Finrod & Edrahil. I can't get enough of Nargothrond's golden king and his loyal captain. I will lap up anything that stars or features these two.
Gwindor/Finduilas. They break my heart. I don't have any strong preferences here – a quiet moment between them before things went wrong? Difficult conversations after Gwindor returns from Angband? Reunion in Valinor?
Haleth/Lalwen. I'm intrigued! How does this happen? Tough-as-nails warrior women uniting and finding comfort in one another? A night of passion and fascination on the eve of battle? I'd never thought of this ship before but I'm here for it now.
Hiril/OFC. Hiril is a somewhat neglected member of Haleth's house. We know almost nothing about her, so go crazy. Was she a warrior? What did she think of her legendary great-great-aunt? What was her eventual fate? I'm really interested in the culture and customs of the Haladin too, so feel free to get into some worldbuilding details if you'd like to.
Ilmarë/Thuringwethil. Opposing forces of light and dark...was Thuringwethil always evil, or is there more to her than meets the eye? (Alternatively, I could see Thuringwethil wanting to devour Ilmarë...and yes, if you're feeling brave, that is a vore prompt.)
Luthién/Thuringwethil. I've seen a number of takes on this ship and am always up for another one. Is Luthién more drawn to the darkness than canon lets on? How does this fit with her wearing Thuringwethil's skin? Scary is good here.
Maedhros/Fingon/Finrod. A post-battle debrief, a reunion after a long separation, or just a night of fun...it's all good. Preferably no pity-puddle Maedhros, although I'm fine with his cousins helping him work through some of his issues, or...ah...distracting him if he's getting too broody.
Maglor & Houseless Elf; Original Noldor Character & Houseless Elf. I love ghost stories, so feel free to frighten me under the covers with a scary story or spooky artwork. Dark and disturbing is fine here; perhaps Maglor or the Noldorin OC is haunted by a vengeful spirit from their past. A cosier take on the supernatural is fine too if that's what you'd prefer – maybe Nargothrond or Himring has a friendly ghost?
Original Character from the Guild of Venturers/Original Character from the Guild of Venturers. Avast! (Ahem.) I'd love some high-seas shenanigans featuring one of my favourite groups of Second Age characters. A swashbuckling adventure? Being stalked by a menace from the deeps? Battling a storm? A quieter moment on board? Seeing Middle-earth for the first time? I'm here for whatever you decide to create. Feel free to have Gil-Galad and Aldarion appear too, but I'd prefer the focus to stay on the OCs.
The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun
Corrigan & Original Character; Children of Aotrou and Itroun & Corrigan; Aotrou & Corrigan. I absolutely adore this poem. (If you haven't read it I thoroughly recommend it; it doesn't take long to read through.) The Breton setting! The creepy Corrigan! Curses! Bargains! Magic! There's so much you could do with this, and I'd be thrilled to get something really dark here – maybe an exploration of blood magic, and/or the Corrigan's terrible binding curse that Aotrou succumbs to.
Alternatively, how about a bit of post-canon exploration? I can't help thinking that Aotrou and Itroun's twin children might one day go looking for revenge on the wicked fairy whose tricks and wiles caused their parents' deaths. Flipped POV is always fascinating, too. Perhaps the Corrigan isn't so wicked as all that. Maybe she has a story of her own to tell...
Rogue One
Star Wars is another love that has stayed with me from childhood. For me the appeal is in the vast, fascinating universe that could be home to any kind of story you can possibly imagine – which is why I fell so hard for Rogue One on its release. Suddenly Star Wars films weren't all about the Skywalkers. Don't get me wrong, I love Luke and Leia, but Rogue One was basically a very expensive and engaging exercise in producing gapfiller fanfic, and that got my inner geek extremely excited.
I have not consumed every piece of Star Wars media ever produced. I am familiar with all of the Saga and Anthology films, The Clone Wars animated film and series, The Mandalorian, the 2003 Knights of the Old Republic video game, the Thrawn trilogy and the Hand of Thrawn duology. I'm fine with references to events depicted in other games or series, as long as they aren't too spoiler-y and detailed knowledge of them isn't required to understand the art or fic you create.
(Fandom specific DNW – please don't change the devastating ending of Rogue One. This is one fandom where I'd prefer the canon tragedy to stay intact.)
Cassian Andor & K-2SO. I love the banter between these two, so maybe a moment of dark humour on some seemingly impossible mission – especially if Cassian at some point gives an answer that K-2 finds vague and unconvincing.
Chirrut Îmwe/Baze Malbus. Give me the love story that Disney didn't dare to.
Jyn Erso & Saw Gerrera. What were Jyn's formative experiences, being raised and mentored by this rebel extremist? Explorations of her complex feelings towards him are welcome, as are depictions of gentler, more tender moments between them.
Dragonriders of Pern
Brekke & Wirenth; Original Character & hatchling fire lizards; Mirrim & Path. I read these books as a teenager and fell in love with the bonds between the human and draconic characters, as well as being fascinated by Weyr life. I'm not so keen on McCaffrey's politics of gender and sexuality, so I'd prefer it if you didn't focus there. Aside from that, anything you would like to make here is good by me, though I would particularly enjoy a “fix-it” so that Brekke finds or never loses Wirenth, something about Mirrim finding her place as the first female in the Ninth Pass to Impress a green dragon, or something worldbuild-y in which an OC Impresses fire lizards.
The Stand
Nadine Cross & Lucy Swann; Nadine Cross/Randall Flagg. Poor, tragic Nadine. She's actually one of my favourite Stephen King characters, constantly fighting against a force she can't control. I picked both of these tags because I don't mind which side of her you want to explore – the nurturer who adopts a child after the end of the world as we know it and settles into a strange co-parenting arrangement, her dark bond with Flagg as his chosen bride, or the delicate tension between her destiny and her desire. (The Nadine/Flagg tag is an exception to my non-con DNW.)
Mesopotamian Mythology
Inanna/Ninshubur; Gilgamesh/Enkidu. Oddly enough I started reading Mesopotamian mythology because one of my characters for a different fic was about to embark on a postgraduate degree in Cuneiform Studies – and then I got interested in the stories in their own right. I don't have any specific prompts, I'm afraid, but I was so excited to see this fandom in the tag set; rest assured that I will love whatever you're inspired to create.
Crossovers
Betsy Butterbur (Hobbit Movies) & Maglor (Silmarillion). Having said I don't mix Tolkien bookverse and movieverse, what do I go and do but request a crossover between the two? Oh well. I love the potential of pubs and inns as gathering places, as catalysts for plot (meeting strangers; overhearing wicked plans; seeing something one shouldn't...), as places of rest and recuperation – crossroads, and gateways to adventure. How many D&D campaigns, after all, begin with the adventuring party gathered in a tavern drinking ale? How many adventures in Middle-earth began the exact same way? Did Betsy ever go on an adventure of her own? She's not named in the films, and her appearance is blink-and-you'll-miss-it, but I appreciated PJ putting her in and I bet she's seen some interesting things in her time. Who might she encounter, running The Prancing Pony for all those years? It's not a huge stretch to imagine Maglor dropping in once in a while, entertaining the crowd and exchanging news...
Celegorm (Silmarillion) & Raven of Erebor (The Hobbit – book). Did Celegorm know (or even breed or train) the Ravens' ancestors?
Guinever (Fall of Arthur - Tolkien) & the Corrigan (Lay of Aotrou and Itroun). Tolkien's take on Guinever is pretty dark, and I can easily see her consorting with the Corrigan from The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, for purposes fair or foul.
Hector (Castlevania – Netflix) & Celebrimbor (Silmarillion). The first time I watched Castlevania I just devoured it for the story, and for the relationship between the central trio. The second time, I spotted an eight-pointed star on Hector the Forgemaster's clothing, and my crackiest crossover idea in a while was born. There's plenty of magical technology lying around in Dracula's castle, including a mirror that can transport people halfway across the world; between that and whatever Celebrimbor and the Gwaith-i-Mírdain invented or had access to, there's definitely scope for cross-dimensional communication or travel. Celebrimbor's canonical fate is heartbreaking and Hector is not in a good place as at the end of Season 2, so maybe you could rescue one or both of them?
Joan Clayton (Penny Dreadful – TV series) & The Corrigan (Lay of Aotrou and Itroun). The Cut-Wife of Ballantrae Moor is another female character I can see having dealings with the Corrigan. Was the Corrigan a Daywalker who became a Nightcomer? Or are things a little more grey and complicated than that?
Maglor (Silmarillion) & JRR Tolkien (Literary RPF). For me this is the logical endpoint of the Maglor-in-history trope. There are some wonderful takes out there and I'd be happy with anything that inspires you. Linguistic discussions? A philosophical debate? Or just a quiet pint together in an Oxford pub?
Original Works
Woman/Spirit of a City; Woman/Spirit of a Book. Books and cities are practically alive even without the help of magic or spirits. When I spotted this pair of beauties in the tag set my mind flew straight to Cornelia Funke and Neil Gaiman; if you nominated these ships hoping to write for them, then please go wild – I'm fascinated by the concept and you can't really go wrong.
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