Unsent Letters Exchange 2020

[narya_flame]

Dear Author,

Hi!  Thank you so much for writing for me and for taking the time to check my letter; I love fic in unusual formats, so I'm really excited to read what you come up with.


General Stuff


Since the focus of this exchange is quite specific, I'm not going to go into a massive list of things I love to see in every possible type of fanwork.  Broadly, I like:

• Fic that hurts me, and makes me laugh, and makes me think, and makes me believe in the world it's set in
• Objects and places with special significance – a “sense of history”
• Hauntings (literal and metaphorical)
• The juxtaposition of the everyday with the mythical and magical
• Fusions of science and magic
• Shining a light into places canon doesn't show us, or barely touches on – going off the edge of the map
• Complex character dynamics, conflicting motivations, and multifaceted relationships that don't sit neatly in a box
• Groups of disparate people finding their way to each other, working together, learning to care about each other - even (especially) if it's in strange, complicated ways
• Suggestion and implication, whether this is hints of backstory, references to things happening “offstage”, a figure hiding in the shadows, or a slightly ambiguous ending – I love it when my imagination can get to work filling in the gaps
• Hurt/comfort
• Grief; tragedy; reconciliation; hope 

You're welcome to browse other letters linked under my Dear Creator tag if you'd like more specific ideas, but please don't feel obliged.  All prompts are intended as suggestions only; if you're inspired to do something different then by all means follow your muse - and please don't read anything into the length of prompts, or whether I've requested a certain fandom, character or relationship before.  If it's in my signup then I definitely want it!

(DNWs vary by fandom so I've included them with each request.)


Prompts from the Tag Set


The Father Christmas Letters


Selected Characters: Ilbereth & None; Father Christmas & Original Human Child; Ilbereth & Original Human Child; Karhu & Original Human Child; Original Gnome Character & Original Human Child

Selected Formats: Books and Articles; Journals and Diaries; Letters and Emails; Texts and Social Media

I couldn't sign up for an epistolary exchange without nominating this gorgeous, underappreciated little Tolkien canon.  I love the worldbuilding of The Father Christmas Letter - bears, elves and gnomes!  Goblins riding bats!  Dark scary tunnels with spiky cave art!  The Northern Lights!  - and I'd be happy with anything you'd like to explore.  Grumpy Ilbereth's thoughts about the bears' antics and "kids these days"?  Books of lore and history about previous goblin invasions?  The North Pole gang trying to convince a sceptical child to believe in Father Christmas?  Karhu attempting to keep things up to date by navigating the murky waters of the Worldwide Web?

DNWs for this fandom:

• Smut or shipfic
• Character bashing
• Crack fic (yes, I do accept that some of the central premises of this world are a bit daft, like polar bears writing letters, but I'd prefer the setting to be taken at least somewhat seriously)
• Focus on bodily functions and fluids
• Childbirth/pregnancy, except a passing mention
• AU that significantly alters the characters or worldbuilding, or takes the characters out of their canon setting (a fic with a contemporary setting, exploring how we celebrate Christmas now or how things have changed at the North Pole over time, would be absolutely fine)

The Silmarillion 


Selected Characters: Maglor & Original Character(s)

Selected Formats: Books and Articles; Journals and Diaries; Letters and Emails

I love the potential of Maglor's story to continue beyond the end of the First Age. I don't mind when you want to set the story, and if you'd like to move past canon and into known history, I'm completely OK with that – I love Maglor-in-history fics.  I'm also a sucker for him growing attached to a mortal or group of mortals, reluctantly loving them, knowing that one day he will lose them.  Maybe he could share some knowledge and insights from his earlier life?  (I love to think of him being in Italy during the Renaissance, or in Rome at the height of its power, watching and maybe subtly influencing from the shadows...)

DNWs for this fandom:

• Smut or shipfic (discussion of past relationships is fine)
• Character bashing (characters disagreeing with each others' viewpoints and actions is absolutely OK, but I love the Noldor so please no overarching authorial "serves them right, they should have stayed in Valinor" attitudes)
• Crack fic
• Focus on bodily functions and fluids (I'm OK with blood from injuries, if this comes up for any reason)
• Childbirth/pregnancy, except a passing mention
• AU that significantly alters the characters or worldbuilding, or takes the characters out of their canon setting (Middle-earth is canonically our world; Maglor in known history and modern day Maglor are both fine for this prompt!)
• Perfect, infallible Valar
• Broken, penitent Maglor (I'm absolutely down with grief, PTSD, hurt/comfort, etc., but I prefer to see a Maglor who deals with his trauma and still makes a life for himself)
• Maglor dying

The Lord of the Rings


Selected Characters: Eldarion & Elladan & Elrohir

Selected Formats: Letters and Emails

I like the idea of Aragorn's foster-brothers being close to his son, perhaps continuing to advise Eldarion even after he's taken up his father's crown.  Fourth Age politics and worldbuilding very welcome!

Selected Characters: Glorfindel & Alatar

Selected Formats: Books and Articles; Journals and Diaries; Letters and Emails

I really like the version of events where Glorfindel returns on the same ship as the Blue Wizards.  I wonder whether he kept in touch with them, and what they were busy doing at the edges of the map?  Maybe Glorfindel occasionally had to send them bits of lore and information from Rivendell's archives.  Maybe he even went to meet them in person once or twice...


Selected Characters: Berúthiel/Tarannon Falastur

Selected Formats: Books and Articles; Journals and Diaries; Letters and Emails

I'm intrigued by the Black Númenóreans, and I'd love to get Berúthiel's perspective on this unhappy marriage.  Maybe she writes letters home about her cold and cruel husband?  Or maybe she's every bit the nefarious schemer that canon paints her, hunting through scrolls and spellbooks for supernatural means to take her revenge...

DNWs for this fandom:

• Smut
• Character bashing (characters disagreeing with each others' viewpoints and actions is absolutely OK)
• Crack fic
• Focus on bodily functions and fluids (I'm OK with blood from injuries, if this comes up for any reason)
• Childbirth/pregnancy, except a passing mention
• AU that significantly alters the characters or worldbuilding, or takes the characters out of their canon setting

Crossover - Father Christmas Letters/Silmarillion


Selected Characters: Ilbereth (Father Christmas Letters) & Maglor (Silmarillion)

Selected Formats: Letters and Emails

I love the idea of Maglor keeping in touch with the elves at the North Pole!  Are any of them related to him?  Does he ever go and visit?  How does he come and go?  How do the letters get through - or have the elves of the North Pole adopted more modern means of communication these days?

DNWs for this fandom:

• Smut or shipfic (discussion of past relationships is fine)
• Character bashing (characters disagreeing with each others' viewpoints and actions is absolutely OK, but I love the Noldor so please no overarching authorial "serves them right, they should have stayed in Valinor" attitudes)
• Crack fic (I know the idea of this crossover has an inherently cracky vibe to it, but I'd prefer the premise to be taken at least somewhat seriously)
• Focus on bodily functions and fluids
• Childbirth/pregnancy, except a passing mention
• AU that significantly alters the characters or worldbuilding, or takes the characters out of their canon setting (to the extent that this is feasible for a crossover - Maglor paying a visit to the North Pole is fine, but please no space!AUs, wingfic etc.)
• Perfect, infallible Valar
• Broken, penitent Maglor (I'm absolutely down with grief, PTSD, hurt/comfort, etc., but I prefer to see a Maglor who deals with his trauma and still makes a life for himself)
• Maglor dying

Crossover - Castlevania/Silmarillion


Selected Characters: Hector (Castlevania) & Celebrimbor (Silmarillion)

Selected Formats: Books and Articles; Journals and Diaries; Letters and Emails

The first time I watched Castlevania I devoured it for the story, and for the relationship between the central trio. The second time, paying more attention to the details, I spotted an eight-pointed star on Hector the Forgemaster's clothing, and my crackiest crossover idea in a while was born.

There's plenty of magical technology lying around in Dracula's castle, including a mirror that can transport people halfway across the world; between that and whatever Celebrimbor and the Gwaith-i-Mírdain invented or had access to, there's definitely scope for cross-dimensional communication or travel. Celebrimbor's canonical fate is heartbreaking and Hector is not in a good place as at the end of Season 2, so maybe you could rescue one or both of them?

(Season 3 wasn't available at the time of writing but I know it's due any day now and I will watch it on release, so feel free to use material from it if you like.  Also, the tag  is for a gen relationship but I'm fine with you shipping them if that's a road you're interested in travelling.)

DNWs for this fandom:

• Character bashing (characters disagreeing with each others' viewpoints and actions is absolutely OK, but I love the Noldor so please no overarching authorial "serves them right, they should have stayed in Valinor" attitudes, and please no demonising Hector for his choices during the war)
• Crack fic
• Focus on bodily functions and fluids
• Childbirth/pregnancy, except a passing mention
• Extreme kink
• AU that significantly alters the characters or worldbuilding, or takes the characters out of their canon setting (to the extent that this is feasible for a crossover - Hector somehow travelling to Celebrimbor's world or vice versa is fine, but please no space!AUs, wingfic etc.)
• Perfect, infallible Valar
• Celebrimbor hating or being ashamed of his family and heritage
• Hector or Celebrimbor dying
• Anything which requires detailed knowledge of Castlevania's game canon (I'm afraid I'm only familiar with the Netflix show)