HM Sloop Hotspur

First off, please accept our apologies for missing out June prompts -- June is a bit jam-packed for both colebaltblue and myself, and it was late in the month by the time we realised we'd forgotten! Kudos to tgarnsl for self-prompting anyway: please go read Fair Seas, featuring Bush and Hornblower having a lovely day together after the trials of Flying Colours.

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Each month, we'll post a trio of prompts -- a theme, a quote, and a trope -- for you to use as a jumping-off point in whatever medium pleases you. Anything goes, fiction or meta, from drabbles through dissertation chapters. Fic, art, photo-essays, vids, and more are welcome!

For June, the theme is Birthdays. Because yesterday was Horatio Hornblower's birthday, after all, and we see no reason not to celebrate all month. Of course, whatever you choose to do with the theme doesn't have to center on Horatio's birthday: you could center on another character's birthday, or write historical meta about Georgian birthday traditions, or do something about someone's literal day of birth. Possibilities abound!

The quote is from Mr Midshipman Hornblower, "The Penalty of Failure":

The day of his birthday, when he looked at himself at the vast age of eighteen, was the worst of all.

The trope is Gift-Giving. Gifts given on whatever occasion you choose, or for no occasion at all!

Mix and match the prompts, or use just one! Then come back and share what you made, here or in a new post.

And if you're looking for more prompts, historium is issuing Bingo Cards for all historical fandoms! If you choose to get one for Hornblower purposes, let us know how it goes -- we'd love to see what you make!

Each month, we'll post a trio of prompts -- a theme, a quote, and a trope -- for you to use as a jumping-off point in whatever medium pleases you. Anything goes, fiction or meta, from drabbles through dissertation chapters on textual analysis. Fic, art, photo-essays, vids, and more are welcome.

• For April, the theme is Comfort. Physical comfort? Emotional comfort? Hurt/Comfort? Southern Comfort? You tell us.
  
  
• The quote is from Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies:

  He had not had his breakfast coffee yet; otherwise he would have put 'good' in front of 'morning'.

  
  
  
• And the trope is Curtain Fic -- whether that's domestic life ashore or the gunroom purloining ship's stores to make faux-chintz curtains for their captain's cabin (or something else!) is entirely in your hands.
  

Mix and match the prompts, or use just one! Then come back and share what you made! You may leave your creations as a comment on this post, or jump them up to a new post in the comm, whichever you're most comfortable with.

Each month, we'll post a trio of prompts -- a theme, a quote, and a trope -- for you to use as a jumping-off point in whatever medium pleases you. Anything goes, fiction or meta, from drabbles through dissertation chapters on textual analysis. Fic, art, photo-essays, vids, and more are welcome.

• For March, the theme is Love. Is that love of a person or love of one's honour? Is it agape, eros, phillia, or storge? You decide.
  
  
• The quote is from the 1952-53 CBS radio show, The Adventures of Horatio Hornblower:

  A meeting which, as things turned out, had lifelong consequence for both of us.

  
  
  
• The trope is Master Actor -- the ability to convincingly play a role. Examples include Hornblower playing the adoring husband to Maria (Hornblower and the Hotspur) and Kitty Cobham playing the Duchess of Wharfedale ("The Duchess and the Devil").

Mix and match the prompts, or use just one! Discuss in the comments, or come back and share what you made!