“It’s tradition” (horror)

[Brandnewbuddy]

Young man or woman finds it’s time to participate in a morally dubious tradition.

My first thought was that it would be a family tradition but I think it would be more interesting having it be a town tradition.

Doesn’t necessarily have to be a contemporary story, could be set in the past as well.

When our lead comes of age they’re pretty excited as there’s a tradition they’ve never been able to find out much about. They then get a crash course from their parents: in a couple months they and the other just 18 young men will sneak into the neighboring town and kidnap their women.

Our lead is horrified by this but their father and even their mom is adamant that they participate and even hit them when they keep objecting.

The night of the raid, our lead and the other guys get as close as they can by vehicle and then go in by foot. They soon find that the town isn’t just going to hand their women over and have set traps as well as have the surprisingly burly men patrol and even beat the shit out of any young men they catch.

Our lead succeeds and finds a gorgeous woman who is surprisingly happy to see him and even stays quiet when he hoists her over his shoulder, he manages to make it back to his town where everyone is happy to see him and throws a big party for him and the other guy who succeeded.

The other boys get returned in the morning, beaten and bloody but no permanent injuries while the fathers of the captured women bring huge sacks of gold to the boys as well as for the town, and kiss their daughters goodbye.

Our lead is shocked but his new “wife” is gorgeous if a little odd, and she can’t keep her hands off of him. Soon his only thoughts are about making love to her. During one of the few nights that his wife takes a long rest, he goes for a walk and sees the other woman in a mourning dress: turns out her husband died that morning. She’s not sad though as she keeps smiling at the wriggling sack she’s cradling in her arm that is shrieking…”her little ones” as she calls it.

Lead returns home to find his wife ready to make love again while she also rubs her belly and he swears he can hear shrieks coming from inside her. What has he actually gotten himself into

Essentially I wanted a take on an Innsmouth like location where a town gets riches in exchange for helping create inhuman spawn.

For a female lead, I thought it would be interesting if she actually tries to save her friend from the neighboring town by kidnapping her, herself, only to find that she unwittingly did something that the neighboring town has been waiting for for a long time. As her friend joins her in bed, she whispers how they can now make a “VERY special child” together.

 

[LupusDei]

There was an African tribe where you didn't have a "real" official name, until you captured one, by killing the previous owner from a neighbor tribe.

Even here, in north Europe we have a glorious prehistoric past where riding neighbors was a sporting event held annually. If the ethnic (Latvian) marriage traditions are unpacked, then the most violent tread at face value would be something like this:

1) the Groom with friends travel far and wide spying for the right girls for them.

2) a prospective Bride is identified, and her initial agreement covertly obtained. (There's a whole set of traditions regarding that, including exchange of meaningful presents. Like, she may give him self-made mittens, in certain contexts that's sexually suggestive.)

3) the family is formally approached, a deal is sought with the father, for the right price, but Bride's mother vetoes it not liking something about the guy, so Groom has to leave with nothing.

4) the Groom doesn't just give up, he stages a raid and the Bride is kidnapped.

5) Bride's brothers chase the raiders, but Groom manage to reach his house with the Bride.

6) Groom's house is besieged by the Bride's brothers and/or Father. Friends and relatives of both parties arrive as respective reinforcements.

7) to avoid massive bloodshed a new round of negotiations is managed, a satisfactory deal is found by a moderator, and the future wedding is announced.

8) Then Bride (with Groom, or authorized representative) travel to Bride's Father's house again to finalize the deal officially and return with Bride's dowry, now accompanied by her parents (or their authorized representatives).

9) the Wedding is being drunk at Groom's house (yes, that's how we say it, in direct translation, one drinks a wedding).

10) right out from the middle of the festivities, a competitor kidnap the Bride and attempt to run with her

11) just to be chased down by a joint party of Groom's and Bride's men, and the Bride is returned to the Groom (who's apparently not part of said chase party himself, although I suppose could be).

12) the wedding is finalized (by the ritual tying of the newlyweds with the long Great Word Belt, and Bride change her Flower Crown to a wife's hat).

(Festivities continue trough the next day that include joke trials for the newlyweds by with their compatibility and various aspects of the couple's future life are judged by the remaining guests, and sometimes longer as the guests gradually leave.)