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trickortreatex letter
Sep. 16th, 2018 09:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deep_dark_watersHello! I'm Deepdarkwaters on Ao3 and Tumblr and ambrotypes on Twitter for any recip-stalking needs.
This letter is ridiculously long for a 300-word exchange, but they're all prompts I use over and over for various signups so they've become a bit wordy over the years. Short version: I'm easy to please and happy to be completely surprised, as long as you don't include the couple of DNWs mentioned below. If you've got something in mind already then do it your way! These are just suggestions - I will honestly love anything about these people.
General fic loves: (probably not applicable to every fandom requested or a such a short minimum wordcount, but just so you've got an overview of some of the things I generally enjoy reading in whatever combination) worldbuilding/exploration of the canon world; dialogue; description; competence; petty arguments; unreliable narrators; misunderstandings; found families; really old comfy friendships; really old comfy friendships that accidentally/unexpectedly become more; clumsy inappropriate humour; backstories; melancholy; loonngg dragged out UST that feels like it'll never end and then ENDS GLORIOUSLY; awkward imperfect sex where everyone's still having the best time ever; intense physical fight scenes; huge scale destruction; ridiculous things played completely straight for comedy purposes; kissing; when dick-in-hole sex isn't always the end goal or the only type considered 'real' sex; anything to do with playing/stroking/pulling/grooming/washing/whatever someone's hair.
Please no: noncon, physical torture, hanging of any kind (choking/breathplay is fine - it's the rope and drop thing I have the trouble with), and hair cutting. There are a few fandom-specific DNWs below.
All of these are for fic, and The War of the Worlds is for art as well:
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Lee Scoresby
Lee is my all time favourite book character. I don't even have any real prompts, I just want more and more and more of him. (I've requested only him but that doesn't mean I don't want other characters as well, just that I don't want a fic without him - include anybody else you like.)
This bit with his ghost in the land of the dead from The Amber Spyglass:
"When you see that old bear, you tell him Lee went out fighting. And when the battle's over, there'll be all the time in the world to drift along the wind and find the atoms that used to be Hester, and my mother in the sagelands, and my sweethearts - all my sweethearts... Lyra, child, you rest when this is done, you hear? Life is good, and death is over..."
Aesthetically he's 109% crafted to my requirements (that tall moustachey Texan cowboy sort of look), but this is everything else I love about his character condensed into one paragraph: he's this fierce honourable fighter and braver than anyone, but also a bit sentimental and romantic. He lives exuberantly, seems to love easily, and remembers "all" his sweethearts even after he's dead. If you can get any of that mood into a story, it would be amazing.
Potential ideas:
* His relationship with one or some or many of his sweethearts - was there a favourite? Who were they? What happened to them?
* Tell me more about his adventures or explorations before the events of the main trilogy - where did he go, what did he do, who was he with?
* I love LOVE fight scenes if that's something you feel like writing.
* I love his friendship with Iorek Byrnison. I love the fond bickering and devoted love between Lee and Hester. I love his paternal sort of relationship with Lyra - what if things were different and he and Hester didn't die, and they got to stay in Lyra's life?
Basically anything goes, I just want to read about the fictional love of my whole life in whatever situation you feel like exploring, whether it's just Lee and Hester alone or with other characters of your choice. I'm leaning more towards Treat than Trick just because I've sobbed enough over this pretend person and can't take much more, but if you feel like upsetting me then go for it! DNW Lee/Lyra or Lee/Will, but pair him with any other canon character(s) or OCs, or gen is totally welcome as well.
General DNWs for all fandoms: noncon, physical torture, hanging, hair cutting.
Kingsman
Eggsy Unwin, Harry Hart, Merlin, Roxy Morton, Agent Whiskey, Agent Tequila
Trick: How about Kingsman/Statesman taking on X Files or Torchwood or Supernatural type cases instead of their usual stuff? Whiskey fighting aliens with his lasso the way Harry took down the people in the church. Eggsy and Tequila loading their guns with salt and facing down a bunch of angry ghosts. Roxy on a mission in the Carpathian mountains armed with only a bag of stakes and a large mallet. Or Merlin trying to run all their horrifying missions while Sadako is crawling out of his monitors.
Treat: I'm not fussy about ships, I will greedily consume everything, so go with any combination you prefer whether they're nominated or not if you want to write romance/smut. I love silly spy gadgets, the sillier the better (machine gun suitcase and knives hidden in clipboards, wtf). Fake relationship as a cover is the end of me every time. Also extravagant fight scenes, and I'm 1000000% in favour of anything focused on dressing/undressing, clothes as gifts, sharing clothes, makeover/pampering Pretty Woman type scenes, or lovely quality clothes getting completely wrecked by being ripped off or stained. Same goes for weapons kink (if you wanna write some ridiculous filth about sucking off a gun or whatever then yes send it this way please and thank you), and general competence kink. Someone watching someone else with swoony starry eyes as they do something really well without even seeming to try - fighting, language mastery, anything. (Bottom Harry is always my preference for pairings involving him but I'm really not fussy - just mentioning it because it's still reasonably rare so if that's your thing as well then this is an excellent match :D No preference for anyone else.)
General DNWs for all fandoms: noncon, physical torture, hanging, hair cutting. Specific DNWs for this fandom: dead requested characters (non-requested characters and OCs can die as much as you want), and please don't bash Tilde or Michelle.
Matilda - Roald Dahl
Agatha Trunchbull, Jennifer Honey, Matilda
Trick: I've always kind of liked the idea of a much darker story for these characters. I mean it's pretty dark anyway, but if you want to push it further I don't have many limits here at all except please no really graphic extensive physical torture. Re-imagine it as a creepy horror story, either leaning towards the supernatural (is Matilda possessed? a witch into some kind of dark magic? does she get Miss Honey involved? is Miss Honey a witch/demon worshipper/whatever using Matilda as a vessel for revenge?) or the slasher (psychopath Matilda goes all out murder on the Trunchbull, and/or her parents if you prefer). Or go with her not being possessed or evil, but her powers become more and more tempting as she gets stronger and she just can't resist pushing her punishments that little bit over the edge of ok.
Treat: I don't only want dark shit for them, I'd be just as over the moon with something lovely about Matilda and Miss Honey and how happy they are once their horrible families are out of the picture. I always adored Miss Honey's tiny beautiful cottage, so any kind of domestic happy family moment would be great. Maybe with magic if you want? Matilda's powers stay, but they're only used for fun now.
Possible crossover if you're into the idea: Matilda & or / Hermione Granger. I can't get over the idea of a sort of AU where they're childhood friends who meet in the big kids' section of the library and later both discover they can move things with their minds, but I've never been able to figure out what happens next so I request it occasionally in exchanges in case anyone else can run with it. Does Matilda end up going to Hogwarts with Hermione in this world? Or does Hogwarts not exist and Hermione's powers come from the same place as Matilda's, with their incredible intelligence not being pushed hard enough? Either way, how are their adventures changed by having a friend so similar to them to help out? Or what happens if Hermione's powers are witch magic so she gets to go to Hogwarts, but Matilda's are some kind of scientific telekinesis so she's left in muggle school? What changes between them? When Matilda's given harder work to do and loses her powers while Hermione works and works with her powers just getting stronger, does that cause tension in their relationship, or is Matilda happy to be a fifteen year old with a PhD and a magical (girl)friend?
General DNWs for all fandoms: noncon, physical torture, hanging, hair cutting. Specific DNW for this fandom: romantic or sexual relationships between any of these three characters (pairing them with OCs or other canon characters is fine).
The War of the Worlds - H. G. Wells
Martians, Narrator
My all time favourite book. It's terrifying. I don't think there's ever been an adaptation into any other medium that's done it justice, because everyone seems obsessed with updating it when actually the thing that gives it such incredible clout in the first place is its idyllic countryside setting and seeing all the chaos and devastation in contrast with the prim Victorian way of life shown before everything kicks off. It's not the same having modern soldiers with belts full of grenades like every other action film ever. VICTORIAN SCI FI. Why isn't everybody all over this? How do you run for your life when you're wearing a corset and can't breathe and have never seen any Spielberg films? When you're sitting there crushed under a stampede of strangers in your top hat and watch chain you probably die too quickly to wonder whether imperial Britain being invaded and wrecked by strangers from far away is a sort of poetic justice.
The only characters I nominated are the Narrator and the Martians, but feel free to write about any of the others if you like (the Elphinstowes, the narrator's brother, the Curate?), or about OCs or characters from other stories if you prefer. I don't have any solid prompts in mind, but anything about how the world goes on after the attacks would be especially awesome - does the Martian war fuck us up for good? Or does it bring about a huge change in people's feelings about colonisation etc? In the book we only hear about England, but what's happening in the rest of the world during the attack? Are they even aware there's something truly awful going on? Do the Martians ever come back, stronger?
Or - and I'm not sure exactly how this would work but maybe you've got an idea - maybe you could tell something from the Martians' point of view? I've always kind of been interested in how the Martians might interact and behave on their own planet, but my brain isn't letting me pin anything down. I have no idea what kind of form a Mars-set story would take so this is really open - if you've got any thoughts at all I would LOVE to see what you come up with, because I can't quite fit my mind around it but there's so much potential for exploring that world and people. They're clearly a technologically advanced society to have been able to reach Earth and then devastate everything they touched. What's home like for them? Why did they want Earth? Do the ones left on Mars have plans to try again after the first invasion fails? Anything!
I never know what to say for art prompts, but possibly useful in addition to everything above: I have something bordering on a kink for mass destruction aesthetics in fiction, which fits this story SO WELL. Anything along the lines of wrecked cities, smashed buildings, collapsed Martian tripods lying in rubble, bodies floating in the Thames, etc, would be amazing.
General DNWs for all fandoms: noncon, physical torture, hanging, hair cutting. Specific DNW for this fandom: please don't "fix" the wobbly science with modern knowledge. Old sci-fi is so fascinating to me because yes they're some great stories but also because they're so firmly of their time, they're like glorious little time capsules of every stage of recent scientific discovery and imagination. I'd love to see something in keeping with Wells' era of more limited knowledge but limitless possibility.
This letter is ridiculously long for a 300-word exchange, but they're all prompts I use over and over for various signups so they've become a bit wordy over the years. Short version: I'm easy to please and happy to be completely surprised, as long as you don't include the couple of DNWs mentioned below. If you've got something in mind already then do it your way! These are just suggestions - I will honestly love anything about these people.
General fic loves: (probably not applicable to every fandom requested or a such a short minimum wordcount, but just so you've got an overview of some of the things I generally enjoy reading in whatever combination) worldbuilding/exploration of the canon world; dialogue; description; competence; petty arguments; unreliable narrators; misunderstandings; found families; really old comfy friendships; really old comfy friendships that accidentally/unexpectedly become more; clumsy inappropriate humour; backstories; melancholy; loonngg dragged out UST that feels like it'll never end and then ENDS GLORIOUSLY; awkward imperfect sex where everyone's still having the best time ever; intense physical fight scenes; huge scale destruction; ridiculous things played completely straight for comedy purposes; kissing; when dick-in-hole sex isn't always the end goal or the only type considered 'real' sex; anything to do with playing/stroking/pulling/grooming/washing/whatever someone's hair.
Please no: noncon, physical torture, hanging of any kind (choking/breathplay is fine - it's the rope and drop thing I have the trouble with), and hair cutting. There are a few fandom-specific DNWs below.
All of these are for fic, and The War of the Worlds is for art as well:
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Lee Scoresby
Lee is my all time favourite book character. I don't even have any real prompts, I just want more and more and more of him. (I've requested only him but that doesn't mean I don't want other characters as well, just that I don't want a fic without him - include anybody else you like.)
This bit with his ghost in the land of the dead from The Amber Spyglass:
"When you see that old bear, you tell him Lee went out fighting. And when the battle's over, there'll be all the time in the world to drift along the wind and find the atoms that used to be Hester, and my mother in the sagelands, and my sweethearts - all my sweethearts... Lyra, child, you rest when this is done, you hear? Life is good, and death is over..."
Aesthetically he's 109% crafted to my requirements (that tall moustachey Texan cowboy sort of look), but this is everything else I love about his character condensed into one paragraph: he's this fierce honourable fighter and braver than anyone, but also a bit sentimental and romantic. He lives exuberantly, seems to love easily, and remembers "all" his sweethearts even after he's dead. If you can get any of that mood into a story, it would be amazing.
Potential ideas:
* His relationship with one or some or many of his sweethearts - was there a favourite? Who were they? What happened to them?
* Tell me more about his adventures or explorations before the events of the main trilogy - where did he go, what did he do, who was he with?
* I love LOVE fight scenes if that's something you feel like writing.
* I love his friendship with Iorek Byrnison. I love the fond bickering and devoted love between Lee and Hester. I love his paternal sort of relationship with Lyra - what if things were different and he and Hester didn't die, and they got to stay in Lyra's life?
Basically anything goes, I just want to read about the fictional love of my whole life in whatever situation you feel like exploring, whether it's just Lee and Hester alone or with other characters of your choice. I'm leaning more towards Treat than Trick just because I've sobbed enough over this pretend person and can't take much more, but if you feel like upsetting me then go for it! DNW Lee/Lyra or Lee/Will, but pair him with any other canon character(s) or OCs, or gen is totally welcome as well.
General DNWs for all fandoms: noncon, physical torture, hanging, hair cutting.
Kingsman
Eggsy Unwin, Harry Hart, Merlin, Roxy Morton, Agent Whiskey, Agent Tequila
Trick: How about Kingsman/Statesman taking on X Files or Torchwood or Supernatural type cases instead of their usual stuff? Whiskey fighting aliens with his lasso the way Harry took down the people in the church. Eggsy and Tequila loading their guns with salt and facing down a bunch of angry ghosts. Roxy on a mission in the Carpathian mountains armed with only a bag of stakes and a large mallet. Or Merlin trying to run all their horrifying missions while Sadako is crawling out of his monitors.
Treat: I'm not fussy about ships, I will greedily consume everything, so go with any combination you prefer whether they're nominated or not if you want to write romance/smut. I love silly spy gadgets, the sillier the better (machine gun suitcase and knives hidden in clipboards, wtf). Fake relationship as a cover is the end of me every time. Also extravagant fight scenes, and I'm 1000000% in favour of anything focused on dressing/undressing, clothes as gifts, sharing clothes, makeover/pampering Pretty Woman type scenes, or lovely quality clothes getting completely wrecked by being ripped off or stained. Same goes for weapons kink (if you wanna write some ridiculous filth about sucking off a gun or whatever then yes send it this way please and thank you), and general competence kink. Someone watching someone else with swoony starry eyes as they do something really well without even seeming to try - fighting, language mastery, anything. (Bottom Harry is always my preference for pairings involving him but I'm really not fussy - just mentioning it because it's still reasonably rare so if that's your thing as well then this is an excellent match :D No preference for anyone else.)
General DNWs for all fandoms: noncon, physical torture, hanging, hair cutting. Specific DNWs for this fandom: dead requested characters (non-requested characters and OCs can die as much as you want), and please don't bash Tilde or Michelle.
Matilda - Roald Dahl
Agatha Trunchbull, Jennifer Honey, Matilda
Trick: I've always kind of liked the idea of a much darker story for these characters. I mean it's pretty dark anyway, but if you want to push it further I don't have many limits here at all except please no really graphic extensive physical torture. Re-imagine it as a creepy horror story, either leaning towards the supernatural (is Matilda possessed? a witch into some kind of dark magic? does she get Miss Honey involved? is Miss Honey a witch/demon worshipper/whatever using Matilda as a vessel for revenge?) or the slasher (psychopath Matilda goes all out murder on the Trunchbull, and/or her parents if you prefer). Or go with her not being possessed or evil, but her powers become more and more tempting as she gets stronger and she just can't resist pushing her punishments that little bit over the edge of ok.
Treat: I don't only want dark shit for them, I'd be just as over the moon with something lovely about Matilda and Miss Honey and how happy they are once their horrible families are out of the picture. I always adored Miss Honey's tiny beautiful cottage, so any kind of domestic happy family moment would be great. Maybe with magic if you want? Matilda's powers stay, but they're only used for fun now.
Possible crossover if you're into the idea: Matilda & or / Hermione Granger. I can't get over the idea of a sort of AU where they're childhood friends who meet in the big kids' section of the library and later both discover they can move things with their minds, but I've never been able to figure out what happens next so I request it occasionally in exchanges in case anyone else can run with it. Does Matilda end up going to Hogwarts with Hermione in this world? Or does Hogwarts not exist and Hermione's powers come from the same place as Matilda's, with their incredible intelligence not being pushed hard enough? Either way, how are their adventures changed by having a friend so similar to them to help out? Or what happens if Hermione's powers are witch magic so she gets to go to Hogwarts, but Matilda's are some kind of scientific telekinesis so she's left in muggle school? What changes between them? When Matilda's given harder work to do and loses her powers while Hermione works and works with her powers just getting stronger, does that cause tension in their relationship, or is Matilda happy to be a fifteen year old with a PhD and a magical (girl)friend?
General DNWs for all fandoms: noncon, physical torture, hanging, hair cutting. Specific DNW for this fandom: romantic or sexual relationships between any of these three characters (pairing them with OCs or other canon characters is fine).
The War of the Worlds - H. G. Wells
Martians, Narrator
My all time favourite book. It's terrifying. I don't think there's ever been an adaptation into any other medium that's done it justice, because everyone seems obsessed with updating it when actually the thing that gives it such incredible clout in the first place is its idyllic countryside setting and seeing all the chaos and devastation in contrast with the prim Victorian way of life shown before everything kicks off. It's not the same having modern soldiers with belts full of grenades like every other action film ever. VICTORIAN SCI FI. Why isn't everybody all over this? How do you run for your life when you're wearing a corset and can't breathe and have never seen any Spielberg films? When you're sitting there crushed under a stampede of strangers in your top hat and watch chain you probably die too quickly to wonder whether imperial Britain being invaded and wrecked by strangers from far away is a sort of poetic justice.
The only characters I nominated are the Narrator and the Martians, but feel free to write about any of the others if you like (the Elphinstowes, the narrator's brother, the Curate?), or about OCs or characters from other stories if you prefer. I don't have any solid prompts in mind, but anything about how the world goes on after the attacks would be especially awesome - does the Martian war fuck us up for good? Or does it bring about a huge change in people's feelings about colonisation etc? In the book we only hear about England, but what's happening in the rest of the world during the attack? Are they even aware there's something truly awful going on? Do the Martians ever come back, stronger?
Or - and I'm not sure exactly how this would work but maybe you've got an idea - maybe you could tell something from the Martians' point of view? I've always kind of been interested in how the Martians might interact and behave on their own planet, but my brain isn't letting me pin anything down. I have no idea what kind of form a Mars-set story would take so this is really open - if you've got any thoughts at all I would LOVE to see what you come up with, because I can't quite fit my mind around it but there's so much potential for exploring that world and people. They're clearly a technologically advanced society to have been able to reach Earth and then devastate everything they touched. What's home like for them? Why did they want Earth? Do the ones left on Mars have plans to try again after the first invasion fails? Anything!
I never know what to say for art prompts, but possibly useful in addition to everything above: I have something bordering on a kink for mass destruction aesthetics in fiction, which fits this story SO WELL. Anything along the lines of wrecked cities, smashed buildings, collapsed Martian tripods lying in rubble, bodies floating in the Thames, etc, would be amazing.
General DNWs for all fandoms: noncon, physical torture, hanging, hair cutting. Specific DNW for this fandom: please don't "fix" the wobbly science with modern knowledge. Old sci-fi is so fascinating to me because yes they're some great stories but also because they're so firmly of their time, they're like glorious little time capsules of every stage of recent scientific discovery and imagination. I'd love to see something in keeping with Wells' era of more limited knowledge but limitless possibility.
