Letter for the IS exchange

[raiyana]

Hello dear writer/artist!

There is a cornucopia of choice this year for you! (I literally had a spreadsheet with 42 possible prompts from the tag set, yikes)

If you want to speak to me (I think I turned anon comments on here on) I can also be found on tumblr @ joyfullynervouscreator.tumblr.com

To get them out of the way, I’d be appreciative if you avoid the following DNWs:

·         Character bashing. This is my biggie; the complexity of some of these characters is what draws me to them. (I'm A-OK with one character criticising another's actions, or characters arguing or disliking one another, but please no shoehorning of personal dislikes.

·         Perfect Ainur. Well-intentioned but fallible is fine, but I'm not on board with “they can do no wrong."

·         Crack fic

·         2^nd person narrator

·         MPREG

·         Scat/waterworks/emetophilia

·         A/B/O

·         24/7 D/S

·         Incest(parent/child AND sibling/sibling)

·         Some ships: Celebrimbor/Annatar, Legolas/Gimli(romantic only - platonic bros is fine)

General Likes 

Fic: 

·         Character complexity and conflicting motivations

·         Unusual perspectives, original characters (especially female 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 

·         Philosophical musings

·         Exploring the outer edges of the map

Art: 

I am not at all artistic, so honestly, I'm in no position to give steers here, but these are just a few things I get giddy over: 
 

·         Clothing, jewellery and hair, especially close ups of tiny details like stitching, beading, braiding etc.

·         Similarly, intricate detailing on weaponry and armour will make me drool

·         Depictions of the natural world – raindrops beading on leaves, moonlight through a forest canopy, ripples on the surface of a lake...

·         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: 

·         Scenery porn

·         Weather and seasons

·         Dragons! (I adore dragons.)

·         Castles, fortresses and palaces

·         Worldbuilding details – I love acknowledgements of the more mundane/everyday aspects of life in Middle-earth; think trade routes, balancing the books, textile production, agriculture, infrastructure, etc.. You don't have to focus the piece around this (unless you want to!), but little nods are greatly appreciated.

·         Objects and places with special significance – a “sense of history”

·         Pubs and inns; depictions of bonding over a long drinking session

·         Food, drink and celebration – I'm a sucker for depictions of feasts and festivals, but also of curling up with a hot drink.

·         Games, contests and competitions (particularly if something goes awry)

·         Music and musical instruments

·         Battle scenes and/or aftermath

·         Physical imperfections

·         Found families/families of choice

·         AU, especially canon divergence and/or “fix it”

·         Myth, folklore and fairytale

·         Anything Anglo-Saxon influenced or inspired

·         The supernatural and uncanny – ghosts, magic, telepathy...

·         Shapeshifting

·         Fusions of science and magic

Ship Likes 

It's probably worth saying here that I'm open to unrequested ships unless I've specifically stated otherwise elsewhere in the letter – feel free to reach out via the mod if you're not sure. Equally happy with het, slash, fem, ace, poly...if you see it and love it, so will I. 

Many of these could equally apply to friendships or romantic relationships, so I haven't specifically labelled them all. 

·         Developing friendships and budding romances

·         Pre-ship feeling navigation

·         Bedsharing – platonic or otherwise

·         “The little things” - light brushes with fingertips, smiles across a room...

·         Forehead kisses

·         Deep loyalty and devotion

·         Platonic male-female friendship

·         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

·         Occasional hookups/“friends and a bit more”

·         Emotional reunions after long separations

·         Friendship developing into romance

·         Friends or lovers working together in battle

·         Navigating bumps (or major mountains) in the road

·         First times

·         Quiet moments

·         Depictions of happy, long term relationships/growing old together/very old friends looking back on their shared history 

Smut Likes 

No obligation at all here – write or draw whatever you're comfortable with. If you want to stick to gen, that's more than fine; I will love it either way.

·         Bathing; swimming; sex in or near water

·         Hair brushing; hair washing; hair braiding

·         Sex exploring power dynamics and/or deeply informed by characters' history together

·         Comfort sex

·         Post-battle sex (or post-other difficult event)

·         Orgasm delay/denial

·         Body worship

·         Enthusiastic consent

·         Differing experience levels

·         Feathers

·         Ice

·         Chocolate

·         Fruit

·         Wine 

 

IS Requests specifics:

Silm

Characters: Anairë & Eärwen & Nerdanel & Findis & Lalwen, Anairë & Eärwen , Elemmírë & Amarië, Anairë/Fingolfin, Amarië/Finrod, Fëanor/Nerdanel & their children

Tags: Cultural differences among elves, Elves of Middle Earth arriving in Aman, Forgiveness and Redemption, Holidays or Festivals

The ones who were left behind greeting those who return or maybe get reborn? This one has a strong element of female friendship to it in my head, but also a chance to explore the rebuilding of severed relationships if that’s more your thing 😊

 

Characters: Aredhel & Lalwen, Aredhel & Maglor , Curufin/Curufin's wife, Elemmírë/Lalwen, Feanor & Fingolfin & Finarfin & Findis & Lalwen, Fëanor/Nerdanel & their children, Finarfin/Eärwen, Turgon & Finrod & Curufin, Findis & Lalwen, Fingon/Maedhros, Finwë/Míriel & Fëanor, Galadriel & Aredhel & Amras & Amrod, House of Finarfin, Maedhros & Original Character, Mahtan Aulendur, Worldbuiding: Culture and Customs Among the Vanyar

Tags: Art & Literature in First Age, Cultural differences among elves, First Age Aman, Hats of Aman, Festivals in the Years of the Trees, Holidays or Festivals, Telerin Culture and Customs, Trends and fashion, Weaving & needlework  

This is specifically the art request - give me a bit of colour and joy in Aman - perhaps during a festival? show me what those peaceful days looked like :D Bonus points for friendship among cousins, pranking Fëanor, and adorable elf children!

 

 

Characters: Aulë, Yavanna Kementári, Aule & Original Dwarf Character(s), Aulë | Mahal/Yavanna Kementári, Maedhros & Azaghâl, Original First Age Dwarf Character

Tags: Dwarvish Music, Dwarvish Mythology and Religion, Groups learning/studying each others' languages, Inside Belegost, multilingualism, Reception of Same-Sex Relationships, working in forges, Dwarves and gender

Dwarf culture of the First Age or even earlier – I am starved for it! The Union of Maedhros with the help of Azaghal would also be an interesting take – or maybe Curufin’s relationship with the Dwarves, or even later on Celebrimbor in Khazad-dûm. Celebrimbor with fem!Narvi is one of my favourite ships, but you don’t have to let that sway you 😉

The gender tag was from the hobbit movie set, and may be ignored if you don’t fancy it.

 

LotR

Characters: Elladan & Elrohir, Elladan & Elrohir & Dúnedain, Elladan & Elrohir & Elrond, Elladan & Elrohir & Glorfindel, Elrohir & Elladan & Arwen, Elrond & Celebrían, Elrond & Gil-galad, Elrond & Maglor, Elrond/Celebrían, Glorfindel & Witch-King of Angmar, Lindir,

Tags: Romance – Relationship, Celebrían with foresight, Effects of the Three Elven-rings, Elrond being an awesome warrior, The Choice of the Peredhel, The War Against Angmar, we're in need of a healer, Life in Rivendell

The War against Angmar is one of my blind spots, so now I’m requesting it! Anything goes, really, exploring motivations, consequences, ups and downs, life during war, etc. etc.

 

The Hobbit

Tauriel & Thranduil, Tauriel/Original Female Avarin Character(s), Tauriel/Original Female Mirkwood Guard(s), Tauriel (Jackson Movies), Thranduil, Thranduil's Wife, Legolas, Galion

Daily life of the Mirkwood Guard, The Greenwood becoming Mirkwood, The magic of the Elves of Mirkwood, Inside Thranduil's palace

Book or movie canon as you please – I personally work within a fusion of the two, but pick whichever suits you and tell me something about the elusive Elves of Mirkwood!