dark-fic-exchange 2021 letter

[ungefug]

1. General
   
2. Do Write
3. Do Not Write
4. Minor Pet Peeves
5. Prompts 

General

Hey there! Thank you for writing for me. I'll try to explain some of the things I love, but in the end its your writing and I'm happy to read what you come up with! 

I like obscene, grotesque or plain disgusting things described beautifully. Flowers and blood and filth and tears. Think Jean Genet and Yukio Mishima, Bataille, William S. Burroughs’s Naked Lunch, J.G. Ballard’s Crash.

I like the breaking point. I enjoy seeing characters brought to the edge of annihilation. I like tormented saints. I like uptight, by the number, proud characters being tested or undone. I like seeing strong characters lose control over their body, heroic characters torn to shreds by vile men, knights violated by peasants, celibate priests molested, men who hold their nose high being dragged through dirt. I like catharsis, awakenings and trauma.

I like gut-wrenching sadness, feeling blue, nostalgia, regret for things never said or done, feelings of life slipping through the fingers like sand, the downward spiral of time.

For OC: Unless otherwise specified I am ok with M/M, F/F and F/M relationships as well as no sexual relationship at all, however I am not interested in male on female violence, especially not male on female rape. If your story ventures in the field of the erotic I'm just not into women suffering under anyone but other women.

Do Write

I’m okay with everything unpleasant, in particular:

• rape
• torture
• gore
• death
• vomiting
• piss
• unhygienic sex & body fluids

I'm not specifically into some extreme things like scat or bestiality, but I'm not opposed to terrible things that I find personally unarousing happening to people (see General introduction). If I didn't mention something then it's probably not my thing, but it doesn't have to be for me to enjoy reading it.

Some other things that interest me (sexual and nonsexual):

• defiance, arrogance, pride (and that being tested or broken)
• hierarchies, abuse of power, stifling environments, coded language, uniforms
• the implications of small gestures and words
• dialogue
• show, don't tell
• innocence spoiled, the violation of ace/celibate characters
• cheerful sadism, affection mixed with brutality (as mockery or because the perpetrator just thinks the victim is cute)
• exhaustion, loss of control over the body, involuntary reactions, loss of consciousness
• catharticism
• transgression
• people ending up covered in mud or other filth
• kneeling, whipping, practical bondage, blind folds
• manhandling, overpowering, beating victims into submission
• humiliation
• internalized homophobia
• crying, whimpering, trembling
• wound fingering, blood loss, disembowelment, strangulation
• small dicks, limp dicks, lack of arousal
• oral penetration
• intercrural and other non-penetrative sex
• lovingly describing the victim in all their beauty and uglyness
• big, beefy, chubby, hairy, manly men being victimize
• pretentiousness, religious images, the poetic
• period appropriate language
• pastiche
• unusual form, unreliable narrator (for example : 1st person retelling from victim's pov in a letter or diary)

Do Not Write

• ravishing ("Victim initially hates it but begins to enjoy it during the act"), I specifically mean situations of "no, I don't want this" and five minutes later it feels so good and everything is fine
• long term completely dehumanising and will breaking conditioning of victims (months of torture, forced prostitution, prison internment, Stockholm syndrome)*
• titillating underage sex (prepubescent)
• mundane bdsm/kink things (sex toys, diapers, daddy/mommy kink, latex outfits, roleplay, whipping in the bedroom rather than as corporal punishment on deck of the ship)*
• terminal illness* (focus on the slow deterioration and eventual death of a character)
• infantilization
• mpreg
• overt focus on sexism towards women
• trans characters/headcanons
• alpha/beta/omega (and similar dynamics routed in sexism)
• focus on male on female violence

*mentions are ok

Minor Pet Peeves

• excessive m/m fingering as "preparation" (unless as intentional abuse/humiliation)
• overexaggerating the pain of anal penetration (especially when contrasted with worse things such as having one's face bashed in)
• prostate as a magic horny button, the ass clit
• male victim utterly surprised about presence of prostate (unless it makes sense in the setting)
• "his opening"
• "cum"

Prompts

Request #1 (OC)

Barbarian/Legionaire (OW)
Barbarian & Legionaire (OW)

I'd like to see a legionairy as a shiny beacon of civilization and also imperalist invader in the hands of one or more barbarians (Gallic, Germania, whatever you desire or make up). Legionary in enemy territory or sack of Rome, perhaps. Break the haughty, anyone? I'd prefer the Barbarian not to be too much of a caricature of a brute savage in furs (it might be what the legionairy expects though), but contrast is interesting. Minor detail of interest: it wasn't too uncommon for Romans to shave the body smooth.
This could not just be M/M but also F/M (being at the mercy of women would be quite shocking to the legionary I'm sure), if you want to get fantastical F/F is fine.

Islamic Warrior/Crusader (OW)
Islamic Warrior & Crusader (OW)

This is sparked somewhat by the Old Guard (where a crusader and Islamic warrior fall in love) and Kingdom of Heaven (the meeting of King Baldwin and Saladin). I find the setting aesthetically super interesting. Blood on the sand, Arab poetry, fever, the devil in the desert, religious fanatics as political pawns. Any exploration of this setting interests me. For relationships: enemies to lovers, enemies to comrades, enemies to enemies. War, a chance encounter in the desert, a chess match, prisoners.
music for your pleasure: yt playlist

Revolting Peasants/Knight (OW)
Revolting Peasants & Knight (OW)
I have simple needs. Peasants revolt, knights suffer. Rape, torture, humiliation, I don't care. If it's not 100% morally black and white, I'd find it more enjoyable. The oppressed lash out against the oppressing class, but their wrath is indiscriminate.
There is plenty of history to work with.

Pirate/Navy Captain Taken Prisoner (OW)
Pirate & Navy Captain Taken Prisoner (OW)

M/M or F/M preferred, possibly F/M moreso. It can be some toying with the prisoner, a longer relationship developing, two characters with a history or complete strangers. I just want to see an arrogant, proud man in a fancy uniform brought to heel, either brutally or gently.

Navy Captain/First Lieutenant (OW)
Navy Captain & First Lieutenant (OW)
I love military hierachies and especially the strong partnerships in it, like first and second in command. Setting can be whatever, age of piracy, Napoleonic war, explorers. Unrequited love one way or the other, an abusive relationship, sexual or not. Anything playing of both the imbalance of power yet the intimacy of their relationship. They have to deal with a mutiny, their own issues, a gigantic iceberg, losing a war, losing each other? 


Noble/Bodyguard (OW)
Noble & Bodyguard (OW)
This is more of the same as the previous pair. I like the dynamic of a strong bodyguard utterly obedient to someone weaker than them but of higher standing, who they love and adore. Brawn and beauty? Arrogance and humility? Self sacrifice, drama, possibly abuse of power? A wide field.

Knight/Squire (OW)
Yes, you guessed it. It's more of the same power impalance yet intimate relationship! In this case we have a mentor, pupil thing going on. What if the knight died, now that would be very painful, wouldn't it? What if they kissed? I somehow wasn't allowed to nominate the & version of this, but I'm really not too fussed about their relationship being sexual or not. The angle of some blatant, loveless abuse of power toward the squire interests me less here, I'm being very romantic about this.

Queen/Young Ambitious Noble (OW)
Queen & Young Ambitious Noble (OW)

Something along the lines of Elizabeth I and her boytoy Earl of Essex? Doesn't matter to me if he's just dashing and kisses her hand or there is more. His affections can be genuine or driven by ambition or both? I really don't have much of a prompt for this one! I'm super fond of the F/M version of this, but I am also ok with F/F.


 Request #2 (Blood Meridian)

I love the book and would simply love to see more of the interactions between the Kid and the Judge, whichever way you want it. There is a big missing/dubious scene in the end, which one could explore and some other scenes throughout (the night the Judge kills that lone child in the storm, when the Kid hallucinates?). Obviously there is an element of child abuse, but I don't specifically crave that.


 Request #3 (The Terror)

Cornelius Hickey/John Irving (The Terror)
Cornelius Hickey & John Irving (The Terror)
This is a classic. Seducer Hickey, rapist, murderer, manipulator? I am also ok with something fucked up but consensual as long as it's not too OOC. The way I see it, Hickey is some Genet protagonist, saint of the dirt, who is beyond shame and Irving is all shame and masochism and inexplicably drawn to humiliation and the things that frighten him.

William Gibson/Cornelius Hickey (The Terror)
I have a specific request, I want to read about how they ended up together, the courting or cruising. I also find it interesting to wonder, whether Hickey initially just wanted information from Gibson and something else grew out of it out of convenience or coincidence.

Francis Crozier & Edward Little (The Terror)
I'd like to see Little scolded and punished for his weakness and failures. Possibly while Crozier has hit rock bottom on the alcoholism. I arrived at this thought because of this.

John Irving/Other(s) (The Terror)
One thing I'd love to see is a hazing/gang rape thing (maybe driven on by Hickey). Carnival, bondage angel costume, yes please.

 Request #4 (Hannibal)

These ideas are pretty much only canon scenes written out more salaciously.
Regarding Hannibal himself  take those scenes with Hannibal at the mercy of serial killers and psychos, but they actually give it to him dirty. Violent, feral assault, torture, humiliation, you name it.

Alana Bloom & Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal TV)
Alana Bloom/Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal TV
I'm thinking of the time when he's imprisoned. I see her humiliating him rather than violently assaulting him, but maybe she gets helpers for that. Maybe he wrote Margot a nasty postcard or she can't stand his lesbian jokes any longer and gets cross with him. Some random thoughts: stepping on his dick, humiliate him for his arousal, putting a collar on him, make him jerk off, make him finger himself, make him eat fast food.

Francis Dolarhyde & Will Graham (Hannibal TV)
Francis Dolarhyde/Will Graham (Hannibal TV)
For example when Will gets attacked in the motel. Maybe rape as assertion of dominance is enough for Francis, maybe he wants to go all the way with his murder MO. Will might try to cooperate, manipulate him or bargain to save his skin.

Francis Dolarhyde & Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal TV)
Francis Dolarhyde/Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal TV)
The ending of the series is a great setting here if things go differently and Francis has a little more fun with Hannibal. See also above prompt.

Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal TV)
Will Graham & Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal TV)
I can think of a couple convient settings here throughout the seasons. When Will has Hannibal at gun point in his kitchen, when he sees him again in Italy (let's say he doesn't get shot), when he's at Verger's place, when they fight Francis together (he does have a taste for blood now). 
It can be a ruthless, loveless revenge ending in murder or Will does have feelings for Hannibal and asserts his dominance in their relationship.
Also a nice angle: An eye for an eye - you drug me, force feed me an ear and disembowel me, I return the favor.

Dr. Cordell Doemling/Will Graham (Hannibal TV)
He's a creepy fucker. Seeing him fondle Will's face in that deleted scene... He might simply think Will is pretty to play with or he doesn't appreciate being bitten. It could be molestation, edging, fingering as humiliation, just plain old rape, something entirely medical. Maybe Hannibal even happens to watch.

Request #5 (Mindhunter)

Holden Ford/Edmund Kemper (Mindhunter TV)
Holden Ford & Edmund Kemper (Mindhunter TV)
I'm specifically thinking of an exploration of the end of season 1. Ed Kemper takes it just a little further with Holden in the hospital. I see it as orally fixiated (finger fucking his mouth, implied or attempted oral rape). Also: dirty talk (you want this, victim blaming, talking about his crimes in nauseating detail, about his physical attraction to Holden etc.) and inappropiate (clothed) touching.
Extra big bonus for Holden having a panic attack while it happens, becoming completely obedient, crying.
If you can think of a different scene which allows for something else, go ahead.

Holden Ford/Debbie Mitford (Mindhunter TV)
Holden Ford & Debbie Mitford (Mindhunter TV)
I really love how submissive Holden is in this relationship and would love to see more of that sexually or non-sexually. I see it as a subversion of the trope where dealing with criminals makes you think like them and he actually goes off on the opposite end, going the other way with his girlfriend. There could also be an element if "putting hin in his place" when he gets his moments of narcissism, but honestly I'm just so into good submissive boy here.