Worldbuilding Exchange 2019 Letter

[narya_flame]

 Dear Creator,

 Hi! 

I'm so excited we're a match; I love the concept of this exchange, and I can't wait to see what you come up with. Worldbuilding is a huge geeky obsession of mine, so I'm sure I'll love whatever you're inspired to make. 

General Stuff 

Given the focus of this exchange, I'm not going to go into a massive list of things I love to see in shippy or smutty fanworks (although I'm open to receiving it unless there's a fandom-specific DNW in my signup that says otherwise. If you do want inspiration in that direction, I put some ideas in my Innumerable Stars letter last year). 

I'm very monofandom so have basically requested all the flavours of Tolkien that were available in the tag set – within that, I'm very easy to please, and I enjoy all kinds of fanwork content. Basically, if it's not in my DNWs, I will undoubtedly love it! 

If you would like more ideas, here are some general things I love that seem vaguely relevant to this exchange, but as always, if you're inspired to do something different then please ignore all of this and follow your heart; I don't want this to be stressful, life's tricky enough without making fandom hard too. (And feel free to take fic prompts and turn them into art, make fic out of the meta prompts, create illustrated meta, swap things around and blur the boundaries wherever you like.)

 Fic

 

• In-world myths and legends
• Unusual perspectives, minor characters, original 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
• Anything to do with languages, linguistics and alphabets
• Canon divergence AUs, especially if used to explore some of the worldbuilding prompts below

Meta

• In-world scholarship
• Catalogues
• Bestiaries and spellbooks
• Contracts and agreements
• Instructions and recipes
• Etymology
• Marginalia
• Letters, working papers and project notes
• Literary criticism

Art

• Maps! Maps are amazing! (I DM for a group of friends so I am a bit obsessed with maps, whether it's a tiny village or a huge continent. Oh, and floor plans. I love floor plans too.)
• 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

Any

• Objects and places with special significance – a “sense of history”
• Food, drink and celebration
• Games, contests and competition
• Music and musical instruments
• Battle plans, battle scenes and/or aftermath
• Storytelling, riddles and poetry
• Libraries, archives and other knowledge repositories
• Myth, folklore and fairy-tale
• The supernatural and uncanny – ghosts, magic, telepathy...
• Fusions of science and magic

 

Prompts from the Tag Set

 

I've referred to my tagged characters in a few of these prompts, but I'm aware we may not have matched on the character and worldbuilding combinations that I think are the obvious ones, so again, ignore and adapt wherever you like.

 

The Silmarillion

 

Selected Characters: Celebrimbor; Celegorm; Elemmírë; Fingolfin; Oromë; Original Elf character(s); Original follower(s) of Fëanor and/or his sons; Any or No Characters

• Culture and customs of the Vanyar – I've picked Elemmírë out from the tag set but I love original characters, so if you have a Vanyarin OC you want to use then please go for it! I also love Ingwë and Ingwion, and really enjoy outsider POV, so take this wherever you fancy with any characters you like.

• Houseless Elves - I adore ghost stories and spooky art! Some kind of in-world legend or folk tale could be amazing here, or for meta, maybe something about how to appease a hostile spirit or bring them some measure of peace. I imagine that by partway through the First Age there were a number of these hauntings scattered across Beleriand, so any character or group of characters you may want to involve is fine by me.

• Infrastructure and the economy in First Age Beleriand – for some reason I get so geeky about things like this; last time I went in a second hand bookshop, I came out with a battered old volume about medieval accounting. I love acknowledgements of the more mundane/everyday aspects of life in Middle-earth - think trade routes, balancing the books, textile production, agriculture, etc.. How were the various Noldorin realms connected, and who traded with whom? What about trade with other Elvish communitites, and the Dwarves, and eventually with Men? For art and meta, maps of trade routes or records of discoveries of resources could be amazing.

• Noldorin politics and diplomacy – the scene that jumps to mind is Fingolfin receiving the High Kingship from Maedhros, and the reaction of the Fëanorians, but in the hundreds of years that followed there must have been any number of instances where the various factions had to work together, on grand schemes or on more simple, everyday matters. Who might have allied unexpectedly with whom, and over what? Who mediates those heated family discussions? How did they re-establish trust after Losgar (Maedhros's rescue and abdication can't have magically solved everything)?

• The effect of the Oath on Fëanor and his sons – it's worth saying that I love the Fëanorions despite their terrible choices, but I do see them as tragic heroes rather than villains, and watching what the Oath does to them through the course of the First Age must have been heartbreaking for their followers, family and friends. I've pulled out Celegorm specifically because I think his deterioration from the friend of Oromë who attracted Huan's loyalty into scheming (arguably mad) usurper and kidnapper is particularly harrowing. For meta, maybe healers' or philosophers' notes trying to work out whether the Oath could be broken, and if not, whether there was any hope for the Fëanorions? Was the Oath something magically powerful – almost sentient – in and of itself, or could they have chosen to forswear it? (If you'd prefer to create something happier, I do like 'Fëanorions win' AUs.)

• The hunt of Oromë – Oromë is one of my favourite Valar and I was so excited to see this in the tag set. In my head I'm envisioning this to look like the Wild Hunt of legend. Maybe you could write/draw something about him hunting monsters during the Sleep of Yavanna? (One of my ships is Celegorm/Oromë, by the way, if that appeals.)

• The projects and achievements of the Gwaith-i-Mírdain – I am so utterly fascinated by this group of characters. I'd love to see something about the Doors of Moria, or the Rings (see below for more on that), or something completely different that the books don't tell us about – a secret project that never came to fruition? Notes, conceptual diagrams, depiction of the finished piece, the story of those who worked on it...it's all good. I am OK with Celebrimbor/Annatar if that's a road you want to travel, although I prefer their relationship to have a darker, unhealthy dynamic rather than being straight up fluffy romance (Celebrimbor might be oblivious, Annatar may very well be reluctantly in love, but...something to acknowledge this isn't a happily-ever-after). As ever, outsider POV is awesome too; appearances from Narvi and other Second Age Dwarves very welcome!

 

The Lord of the Rings

 

Selected Characters: Elrond; Erestor; Faramir; Galadriel; Gandalf; Glorfindel; Istari; Original Character(s); Original Character from Rohan; Original Female Character; Original Non-binary Character; Any or No Characters
 

• Calendars - I didn't nominate this tag and I'm afraid I don't have any sensible prompts for it, but I'm intrigued! I will leave this one entirely up to my lovely creator.

• Eastern Middle-earth – there's so much potential here, and it's utterly unexplored in canon. Honestly, I'm interested in anything you'd like to delve into here. Cities? Infrastructure? Food and drink? Flora and fauna? What stories do they tell their children? Some kind of travelogue could be fascinating, or someone from the Harad travelling to Western Middle-earth after the Ring War. If you're doing art, I love pictures of clothing and scenery, but please do whatever inspires you.

• Gender and sexuality in Middle-earth - How traditional/fixed were the gender roles of Middle-earth, and how did this differ from society to society?  Elvish warrior women have been part of my headcanon for a long time – or how about the Dwarves? Fem!Narvi is a fairly common interpretation these days; maybe something about Dwarven craftswomen?  I'd also be interested in how different cultures treated same-sex or poly relationships, or individuals who don't fit traditional gender binaries.  

• History and culture of Rohan - The horselords were my first fandom love. Any aspect of their customs or history that interests you is fine by me – Felaróf and Eorl the Young riding to the aid of Gondor; building Meduseld; history about the reign of one of the Kings we don't know much about; celebrations and festivals; games; superstitions.

• Libraries and Archives – another weakness of mine. It's the frustrated academic in me. Gondor might be a good setting for this one (maybe Faramir showing his scholarly side?), or Rivendell – Elrond and Erestor seem like the obvious choices to involve here, although maybe Glorfindel might go looking for books and relics from Gondolin?

• Magic and technology in Galadriel's mirror - We know she's brilliant, and 'The Mirror of Galadriel' has been one of my favourite passages since I was a child. What powers that mirror? (Maybe she learned something from Melian in Doriath, if you're familiar with the Silm and want to go down that route.) If you're up for meta, notes and design iterations could be fascinating – and if you're making art, maybe a depiction of her using it? (A question: could anyone else use it, without her there, or was it intrinsically bound to her and her craft/magic?)

• The nature and power of the Three Elven Rings – I don't mind whether you want to focus on all of the Ringbearers for this, or pick out one in particular. I'm happy, too, for the Rings to be treated as characters in their own right – “whispering” to their bearers and each other, demonstrating a will of their own. Alternatively, feel free to delve into their history and their forging – I love Celebrimbor so feel free to include him, or Gil-galad, or Cirdan.

• The Ring War in Southern and Eastern Middle-earth – Tolkien wrote that the Blue Wizards went into the East. What were they up to there, and what was their effect on the Ring War? If you don't fancy including the Blue Wizards, anything you're inspired to create about either Sauron's rule outside the parts of Middle-earth we don't see in canon, or those who rose up and rebelled against him, would be fascinating.

The Hobbit (book)

 

Selected Characters: Beorn; Carc; Original Character(s) from Lake-town; Original Mirkwood Elves; Any or No Character(s)

 

• History and culture of the Beornings - I love the Beornings! How did they get their shapeshifting abilities and at what age does this power kick in? Do Beorning playtimes consist of naughty bear cubs tearing around and getting in their families' way? What does it look/feel like when they change? We know they speak Westron, but do they have their own language and alphabet too? I imagine them to have an oral storytelling culture, so if you're making art, maybe something with them all sitting out under the stars on a summer night, sharing tales.

• Relations between the Ravens and the Dwarves of Erebor - the ravens of the Lonely Mountain are so interesting. I'd love to know what their culture was like, and the nature of their alliance with the Dwarves. How did it start? Was there a formal bond/agreement to help one another in times of need?

• The construction of Lake-town - Lake-town is fascinating and unique among Tolkien's settings. I love the lowland European feeling of it, and would be delighted by anything you'd like to create here. When and why was it built? Were its founders the survivors of the destruction of Esgaroth? What did it feel like to be building a town near the lair of a covetous, fire-breathing dragon...?

• The magic of the Elves of Mirkwood - I adore the scene in the book with the vanishing lights, so maybe you could draw that, or write something exploring their magical abilities and/or their bond with the forest? Or (this is quite specific) I also really love the scene with the white deer, and the mythic weight behind it (cf. The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, the legends of King Arthur, and any other number of legends and folk tales where a white animal foreshadows an encounter with the land of Faerie). Do the deer have some kind of alliance or bond with the Elves? Or maybe you could play with the Enchanted River, that always creeped me out when I was young...

 

The Hobbit (films)

 

Selected Characters: Fíli; Sigrid; Smaug; Tauriel; Thranduil; Any or No Character(s)

 

• Dwarves and Primogeniture – I picked Fíli from the tag set with this theme in mind. What does it mean to be one of Durin's line, and heir to the throne? (Incidentally, I think it's interesting that the films are very clear that Fíli is the heir and will be King, when film!Thorin is very clearly still of marriageable age and could conceivably produce an heir. Is Fíli only the heir presumptive, or is his status as heir an active decision on Thorin's part?) Canon divergence where Fíli (and/or Thorin and/or Kíli) survives the Battle of the Five Armies very welcome.

• Female Warriors of Mirkwood - I had female Mirkwood warriors in my headcanon long before Tauriel hit our screens, so I was thrilled that PJ included her. (Less delighted with the love triangle, but hey.) I'd be interested to know how common female captains were in the Mirkwood guard – was Tauriel an oddity, or was it fairly ordinary? Happy for Legolas and Thranduil to appear, but I'd prefer romance not to be the focus.

• Nature and origins of the Stone Giants - they only make a fleeting appearance, but it's enough to make me curious. Are they sentient creatures? Do they awaken with the storm, or create it? An origins story would be fascinating here, or art depicting their creation/birth, or perhaps a piece of in-world lore or history about them.

• Powers and properties of dragon fire - I'm partly requesting this because of Thranduil's scene with Thorin, in which he shows the terrible scars on his face for a few moments, and then the glamour is back in place and he's the perfect, unruffled Elven king again. It startled me when I saw the film in the cinema, and know it isn't supported by anything in the books, but the backstory behind those wounds intrigues me. For meta, maybe some Healers' research on how best to treat them?

• Re-founding the Kingdom of Dale – after the destruction of the Battle of the Five Armies, what did the process of rebuilding look like? Did King Bard maintain friendship with the Wood, and with the Dwarves? Bard's daughters were one of my favourite additions to the film; how did Sigrid adapt to her new life as a princess?

 

The Father Christmas Letters

Selected Characters: Cave Bear; the Green Brother; Karhu (North Polar Bear); Father Christmas; Ilbereth; Original Character(s); Any or No Characters

• Cave Art at the North Pole – I love the glimpses of this we get in the book! If you're making art, it would be amazing to see more of it. Or maybe Ilbereth or one of the other Elves goes to study the paintings? (Maybe they try to study them but those naughty, lovable bear cubs get in the way and cause trouble?) I'd love an exploration of what some of the strange creatures depicted are, too.

• Goblin Invasions – Anything with goblin tunnels (including The Hobbit) makes me think of George MacDonald's dark and magical fairy story, The Princess and the Goblin. I'd love to know what the goblins are planning, and whether they're related to the goblins of Middle-earth. Does Father Christmas know more about them than he lets on to the Tolkien children? Are the goblins hoping to reach the “real world” through Father Christmas's realm – and if they are, what for? If you're making art, pictures of their underground realm would be amazing, and for meta, maybe there are some dusty records somewhere at the North Pole of their historic invasions and attacks?

• The Nature of the Green Brother – I can't help wondering if the Green Brother is an “older” version of Father Christmas – the version we see dressed in green robes and crowned with holly, before Clement Clarke Moore clad him in red? Or maybe he's some kind of summer spirit, or Green Man. What's his relationship with Father Christmas like? Where is his domain?

• Relations between the Bears and the Elves; the powers of the Bears and the Elves – like a lot of Tolkien fans, I wonder how similar the Elves of the North Pole are to the Elves of Middle-earth. (Maybe some of them even remember the Elder Days?) If there's any similarity at all between them, perhaps they have more affinity with the bears (including the mysterious Great Bear) than the Letters explicitly state – although something light-hearted, with Ilbereth getting frustrated with the bears' lack of common sense and penchant for mischief, would be delightful.