The Intricate Web of Story - Innumerable Stars 2020

[narya_flame]

"I had a mind to make a body of more or less connected legend, ranging from the large and cosmogonic, to the level of romantic fairy-story – the larger founded on the lesser in contact with the earth, the lesser drawing splendour from the vast backcloths..."

- J. R. R. Tolkien, 'Letters'

 

Hi, I'm Narya, and I got so excited about this exchange that I've pulled over 250 tags out of the tag set. Whoops.

I'm so happy you're making a gift for me and I can't wait to read/see whatever you're inspired to create. I am very easy to please; I like lots of canons and characters (hence the ridiculous number of tags) and I enjoy all types of fanwork – brief character studies; quiet conversations; what-ifs; plotty adventures; horror; romance; smut; portraits; comics; moodboards...I'm happy with anything. I'd be equally thrilled to get something about any of the tags and characters I've selected so please don't read anything into the length of the prompts, or whether I've requested the characters or fandoms for previous exchanges.

This is a lengthy letter, so if you need a TL;DR version – pick a canon, pick a character or group, pick a worldbuilding tag, avoid the DNWs (they're in my sign-up, but repeated below for reference), and go have fun.


The Longer Version

Tolkien is the fandom of my heart – I dabble in others, but this is the one I always return to. I love the “feel” of his work, the interwoven nature of it all (even the texts that aren't set in ME), the depth, the blend of styles and tones, the sense of there being so much more hiding just out of sight.

That said, I'm not a canon purist so don't feel bound to adhere to the letter of LaCE etc.; I'm very much a believer in an in-world narrator who had a specific agenda influencing their narrative choices. I'm also a believer in “other minds and hands” being able to re-tell/interpret the tales and fill in the gaps in their own way. One of the greatest delights to me as a fan is stumbling across interpretations of characters and plots and motifs that I'd never considered; I have my headcanons, but in an exchange I am always keen to know how other creators see the stories I love. You are welcome to write or draw the occupants of Middle-earth (and beyond!) in any way that you wish. Diverse skin tones; disabilities; different body types; trans, intersex and genderqueer headcanons - go for it.

I am also open to unrequested relationships of all kinds, so if you have a precious rare pair/OT3+ that you never get to write and it's compatible with one of my requests, please include it if you wish.

There are, though, a handful things I would prefer not to receive...

DNWs - General

• Crack. I know some of these canons have silly, light-hearted parts, like The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and The Father Christmas Letters, but I'd like them to be taken seriously on their own terms, if that makes sense – humour is fine, but I'd prefer not to read about, say, Elves being turned into plastic action figures. (Unless Artaxerxes is on the loose and in a particularly foul mood.)
• Focus on bodily fluids (exception: blood from injuries)
• Focus on pregnancy or childbirth
• Unrequested kink
• Unrequested AU that significantly changes the canon setting, e.g. A/B/O, mermaid AU (canon divergence is fine, as is post-canon exploration - I don't consider Elves/Ainur in history or canon artefacts turning up in charity shops to be AU)

DNWs – Tolkien-specific
 

• Terrible horrible no-good very bad Noldor who deserved all the dreadful things that happened to them AND WORSE.
• Saint-like, infallible Ainur who knew best all along. 
• Maedhros and Fingon as a purely gen relationship (though pre-ship feelings or post-rebirth finding-their-way-again are both great, and so are poly ships if you happen to ship one or both of them with someone else!).
• Maglor dying (this includes being in the Halls of Mandos or reborn in Valinor).
• Maglor mad and grieving for all eternity.
• Maglor penitent and begging for forgiveness (regretting blood spilled, yes; mourning those lost, absolutely; broken by shame and throwing himself at the feet of the Valar, no thank you).
• Elrond/Celebrían and/or Éowyn/Faramir depicted as not really in love, matches of convenience, breaking up, etc.. 
• Legolas/Gimli. 

I am a bit iffy on Eöl and Námo.  I don't like them as they are written in canon; an appearance from either or both of them is not a DNW, but I generally prefer darker interpretations of them, or at the very least ambiguous/complicated depictions. 

OK, with those out of the way, let's move on to things I do like and would be very happy to see!
 

General Likes

Fic:
 

• Complex character dynamics
• Conflicting motivations
• Quiet, thoughtful moments
• Character studies; vignettes
• Politics, on any scale
• Adventure and peril
• Mysteries/casefic
• Found families/families of choice
• Wry humour; finding something to smile over when times are bleak
• Grief and tragedy
• Hope, redemption and reconciliation
• Mercy/pity 
• 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, choose your own adventure, etc.
• Fixed length, experimental and restrictive formats, e.g. drabble sequences, lipograms, word erasure, one sentence fiction, etc.
• In-world meta – scholarship, catalogues, bestiaries and spellbooks, marginalia, letters, working papers and project notes
• Philosophical musings; academic debates and discussions
• Anything to do with languages, linguistics and alphabets
• Canon divergence
• Twist endings/a sting in the tail (sting in the tale...?)

Art:

 

• Maps! Maps are amazing! (Tricky for this exchange since it is character focused, but if you can make it work, brilliant.)
• Similarly, floor plans, architectural drawings, designs for a toy or a new invention or clothing...all of these and anything similar are great.
• Calligraphy/illumination
• Portraits
• Clothing, jewellery and hair
• Close ups of tiny details like stitching, beading, engraving, etc.
• Focus on a part of the body that isn't the face, e.g. a character's fingertips lightly brushing their lover's ear
• Art as character study, or illustrating the dynamics of a relationship
• Comic panels; sets of linked drawings that tell a story
• Depictions of the natural world; tiny characters in vast landscapes
• Facial expressions conveying more than one emotion at once
• Unusual perspectives – through a window, over a gate, down a tunnel, from a distance...
• Limited colour palette; jewel tones; monochrome
• Beams of light; strangely shaped shadows
• Basically anything that plays with colour, light, shadow, space and movement
• Abstract art
• Craft and sculpture

I haven't given loads of art specific prompts as I'm very bad at thinking of them, but visual depictions of any of the prompts are very welcome!

Either:
 

 

• Scenery porn
• Weather and seasons
• Animals, either wild or companion
• Dragons! (I adore dragons.)
• Castles, fortresses, palaces and grand houses
• Worldbuilding details – I love acknowledgements of the more mundane/everyday aspects of life in Middle-earth; think trade routes, balancing the books, textile production, agriculture, infrastructure, etc.. You don't have to focus the piece around this (unless you want to!), but little nods are greatly appreciated
• Objects and places with special significance – a “sense of history”
• Setting as character - feel free to take this literally, I love sentient nature and architectural horror
• Ghosts, hauntings (literal and metaphorical) and liminal places
• The supernatural and the uncanny
• Food, drink and celebration
• Pubs and inns; depictions of bonding over a long drinking session
• Music and musical instruments
• Learning a craft
• Battle scenes and/or aftermath
• Storytelling, riddles and poetry
• Myth, folklore and fairytale
• Fey and eldritch beings
• Candlelight
• Roaring fires
• Fog and mist
• Libraries, archives and other knowledge repositories
• 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
• Suggestion and implication, whether this is hints of backstory, 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
• Combining requested characters and ships; unprompted crossovers between requested canons (and some unrequested ones – I am very fond of Roverandom, The Fall of Arthur, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, and Farmer Giles of Ham, I just didn't have space for them all in my sign-up).  Basically, if you want to place Thuringwethil in Third Age Arnor or transport Glorfindel to the North Pole, be my guest.
• For Middle-earth Elf-based prompts – wingfic, or art where the characters have wings or can otherwise fly.  Don't ask me why, it's just something I've had a hankering for lately!
• Fic or art inspired by my own fanworks: remixes, based on, set in the same 'verse, using the same plotline, borrowing an OC, etc.

Relationship Likes

 

• Developing friendships and budding romances
• Banter and teasing
• Bedsharing; huddling for warmth
• “The little things” - light brushes with fingertips, smiles across a room...
• Forehead kisses
• Fierce loyalty and devotion, to the point of one character doing something incredibly stupid to help or save somebody they love
• Hurt/comfort 
• Situational relationships – enemies having to work together, or people who wouldn't normally be drawn to each other forming a bond through circumstance
• Emotional reunions after long separations
• Friendship developing into romance
• Enemies/rivals to lovers/friends
• Tempestuous, complex or unhealthy relationships (see section on darker stuff); passionate encounters between individuals who would be terrible together long term, but can't resist each other in the here and now
• Ambiguous relationships – if I've requested a ship it doesn't have to be “endgame”, or even particularly romantic.  Everything from “just for fun” to  “this kind of works for now because we're both/all lonely” to “I don't know whether I love you or I hate you but I definitely want to have sex with you” is fine.  (Exceptions: Maedhros/Fingon, Elrond/Celebrían and Faramir/Éowyn, who I just want to be happy together.)
• Grey relationships that don't sit neatly in a box
• Quiet moments between people who care about each other, especially during or after huge events shaking their world

 

Smut Likes

 

• Breath play
• Blood play
• Knifeplay
• Biting and scratching
• Helplessness
• Bathing
• Swimming
• Sex in or near water
• Hair brushing/washing/braiding
• Sex exploring power dynamics and/or deeply informed by characters' history together
• Porn as character study
• Neck kissing
• Nipple play
• “Thank god you're alive” sex; sex after serious injury
• Gags; blindfolds; light bondage
• Aftercare
• Sensation play
• Piercings
• Differing experience levels
• Enthusiastic consent
• Comfort sex; sex between friends who are just having fun
• Banter in bed
• Reading erotic literature together
• Orgasm delay/denial
• Pillow talk
• Drinking wine in bed together

 

Darker Likes

 

• Hurt without comfort, including terminal illness or fatal injury
• Mental illness, including depression and suicidal thoughts
• Substance abuse
• Character death.  Most of these canons are somewhere on the scale from sad to tragic; death, loss and grief make them all the more powerful, so I'm happy for it to be explored (although please don't kill Maglor, who I firmly believe is still wandering around somewhere).
• Canon divergence that initially seems like it will fix things but then makes everything worse.
• Torture
• Psychological manipulation and abuse
• Unhealthy relationships/relationships with troubling dynamics, including obsession, jealousy and co-dependency
• Dubious consent 
• Horror!  Most forms of horror, to be honest.  I'm rarely bothered by gore and I like being scared.
• Possession
• Dark magic and curses
• Corruption and decay
• Body horror.  Especially pretty body horror, like flowers growing out of bodies, or being consumed from the inside by starlight.
• Body modification
• Sentient nature
• Abandoned places; ruins; haunted houses/objects
• Resurrection and necromancy
• Seances
• Ritual and sacrifice
• Dreams bleeding into reality
• Memory loss, or memories being fake/unreliable
• Malevolent ghosts and hauntings
• Being trapped in a small dark space, possibly with something terrifying lurking nearby

 

Characters I'm Always Happy To See

 

(This is not me sneaking in additional requests and it's definitely not to say that I want these more than any of my other selected characters – some of them aren't even in my sign-up – but if they turn up uninvited or happen to go for a walk into a canon they don't strictly belong in, I can guarantee I will be delighted.)

 

• Maglor
• Glorfindel
• Celegorm
• Finrod
• Celebrimbor
• Fëanor
• Nerdanel
• Míriel
• Indis
• Goldberry
• Guinever
• Lalaith (especially ghost baby Lalaith)
• Gilmith
• Melian
• Mairon
• Olórin
• Bilbo
• Original Rohirrim
• Roverandom
• Artaxerxes
• Psamathos
• The Corrigan 
• The Shadow-Bride
• The Watcher in the Water
• The River-woman
• Huorns
• Houseless Elves
• Thuringwethil
• Ungoliant
• Uin
• JRRT himself
• The Inklings
• The TCBS

 

Relationships I Like

 

Again, not extra requests, but I am always happy to see them, and if they happen to be relevant in your fic and they do get a mention, I will be very happy.  

 

• Anairë/Eärwen
• Anairë/Eärwen/Finarfin
• Fëanor/Nerdanel
• Fëanor/Fingolfin
• Finwë/Ingwë
• Elemmakil/Voronwë
• Galadriel/Melian
• Maedhros/Fingon
• Míriel/Vairë
• Míriel/Indis
• Míriel/Indis/Finwë
• Míriel/Indis/Finwë/OC (I like the idea of a fourth, who was left behind when the others went on the Great Journey – I blame Spiced_Wine for this headcanon!)
• Elrond/Celebrían
• Éowyn/Faramir
• Ilmarë/Thuringwethil
• Varda/Ungoliant

 

• Amarië & Nerdanel & Finduilas (or any combination of the three of them)
• Aredhel & Egalmoth
• Caranthir & Argon
• Celebrimbor & Celebrían 
• Celegorm & Finrod (I also ship this!)
• Finrod & Edrahil (I ship this too!)
• Ingwion & Finarfin 
• Maglor & Elemmírë
• Maglor & Olórin
• Mairon & Olórin

Fandoms and Prompts

 

I've based most of my suggested prompts on the optional worldbuilding tags, purely because I have picked so many character and group tags that if I try to prompt for each of those individually, then I'll be here for a very long time. If you have a different idea for the character(s) we've matched on then by all means go with that, and unconventional/unexpected combinations of characters and worldbuilding tags are very welcome – mostly I just want you to enjoy creating, so please just do whatever inspires you.

 

The Book of Lost Tales

 

 

Characters and groups:

 

• Ælfwine
• Fankil
• Fluithuin
• Gilfanon of Tavrobel
• Group: Makar & Meássë 
• Group: Melko/Fluithuin
• Maidros (Grandfather of Fëanor) 
• The Man in the Moon 
• Miaulë 
• Nan the Giant 
• Narthseg 
• Nielíqui 
• Nornorë 
• Nuin 
• The Sleeper in the Tower of Pearl 
• Telimektar 
• Tevildo 
• Thû 

 

Worldbuilding tags:

 

• Dark Magic 
• Fëanor's Family Tree 
• Ogres & Ogresses & Giants & Trolls 
• Real World Fairy Tales and Tolkien's Mythology 
• The Enchanted Isles 
• The House of the Hundred Chimneys 
• The Power of Names 
• The Straight Road 
• Viking Raids 
• What happened to the Ainur who aren't in the published Silm? 

There's some brilliantly barmy stuff in the Book of Lost Tales; it's like The Silmarillion on LSD, and I would love to see it explored a bit more.  If you're a fan of the villains, then how about the wicked enchantments of Thû, or the schemes of Fankil, or the machinations of Tevildo and his castle of evil cats?  (Something about that magical collar could be interesting...)  

 

Or maybe you could explore how and why Fëanor's family tree is so different in this version of events; in-world meta to explain apparent discrepancies could be a lot of fun, or just take it at face value, if you prefer.  (If you want to play the “what's in a name?” game, different versions of the legendarium give us multiple etymologies for Maedhros, so maybe that's something you could poke at.)

 

To me BoLT has much more of a common “feel” with fairy tales collected by Grimm, Perrault et al than most of the published Silm does, and I would love to see something that teases out those parallels and themes.   (The giant cats and dogs always remind me of The Tinder Box – and if we matched on The Sleeper in the Tower of Pearl, then how about a Tolkien-based take on Sleeping Beauty?)  Giants and trolls survive into later versions of the mythos, but what about the ogres and ogresses we meet, like Fluithuin – or, for that matter, what about Telimektar, Makar, Meássë, and other “god-figures” that didn't make it into the published Silmarillion?  Did something sinister happen that removed them from the picture?  History is written by the victors, after all...

 

I really love the framing narrative of Ælfwine's journey (and Anglo-Saxon Stuff in general), so anything about that would be incredible – or, if you're into lush descriptive prose or you're making art, something depicting one of the amazing locations in more detail would be very much appreciated.  Bonus points for an appearance from The Man in the Moon, Tolkien's favourite party animal!
 

The Silmarillion

 

Characters and Groups:

 

• Celegorm 
• Eru Ilúvatar 
• Group: Eärwen/Anairë 
• Group: Eilinel/Lúthien 
• Group: Elves of Cuiviénen
• Group: Green Elves of Ossiriand 
• Group: Ilmarë/Thuringwethil 
• Group: Maeglin/Finduilas 
• Group: Melian & Ungoliant 
• Group: Nessa/Vána/Yavanna/Estë/Melian 
• Group: OFC/OFC 
• Group: Original Character/Original Character 
• Group: Original Character & Original Character 
• Group: Voronwë/Elemmakil 
• Ingwion 
• Maglor 
• Original Character(s) from the Guild of Venturers 
• Original Noldorin Character 
• Pengolodh 
• Thuringwethil 

 

Worldbuilding Tags:

 

• Cuiviénen
• Elves Through History 
• Gondolin 
• Historical Bias 
• Making Cheese 
• Retelling and Reimagining the Creation Myth 
• Surgery in First Age Beleriand 
• Survival at Sea 
• Vampires and Skin-Changers 
• Wraiths/Ghosts/Houseless Spirits 

 

"In Cuiviénen sweet ran the waters under unclouded stars..." - that line pierces my heart every time.  I'd love something about the times before the Great Journey, whether that's a fic about the Awakening, a look at early Elvish craft, something about language development, a depiction of a hunt, a romance...or an Elf in Valinor looking back, remembering, longing for home.  Darker stuff is great too, if your muse bends that way – captured Elves taken to Utumno, perhaps, or a hunter or explorer slain in the forests, too afraid to heed the call of Mandos, tethering themselves to Middle-earth forever.  

 

Cuiviénen is ideal for in-world meta, too – perhaps characters from a later age or even modern times discovering some long-lost relics, or an ancient Elf telling a young scholar what they used to believe about the Creation.  (Maybe their beliefs were right; maybe the Valar didn't tell them the truth.)  I'm always up for new ideas about the creation myth, whether that's stories about the time before the Music, musings on the nature of Eru, or different takes on the origin stories of the various races of Middle-earth.  What tales do the Green Elves of Ossiriand tell about themselves and their history?  What do the Ainur remember that didn't make it into the published text?

 

Another Silm location that has always held my heart is Gondolin. I'm conflicted on the morals of the hidden Noldorin settlements, so something exploring that tension would be fascinating, but equally, I would love to see the Hidden City brought to life in lavish detail, either in art or fic.  Dwell on the architecture and culture, focus on one of the Twelve Houses, show me something about the day-to-day running of the kingdom, explore social mores...anything you like.  If you're up for a bit of shippy goodness, Voronwë/Elemmakil are a precious rare pair of mine and I would love anything about them – or, if we've matched on Pengolodh, this could be an ideal chance to explore how the biases of an in-universe narrator affected the presentation of events in the narrative.

 

If historical bias is your thing but you're not too fussed about Gondolin or Pengolodh, it could work for almost any of the characters and groups I've pulled out, and for any set of events you want to explore.  The aftermath of the kinslaying at Alqualondë?  (Could be an opportunity for a beautifully complicated and emotional take on Anairë/Eärwen.)  The deeds and morality of the Fëanorions?  (Celegorm's character, in particular, changes an awful lot between the various drafts).  The death of Thuringwethil?  (Perhaps she wasn't always as evil as canon suggests – or perhaps Lúthien is a darker character than Tolkien would like us to think.)  The Vanyarin perspective on the War of Wrath?  Beliefs held by the Noldor about the Avari, and vice versa?

 

The sheer sweep of the Silm gives fan creators so much to play with in terms of everyday details, whether that's food and textile production and supply (making cheese!  Go on, someone go for it...), trade routes, craft, building, whatever strikes your fancy.  (I included those OC tags for maximum creator freedom.)  Given later shows of Elvish healing magic I'm particularly interested in medicine and surgery – maybe Celegorm needs patching up after a battle or hunting trip; maybe at some point the Noldor need botanical advice from a nearby tribe of Avari; maybe Ingwion is trying to assess how best to care for wounded troops during the War of Wrath, when perhaps they wouldn't have access to everything they'd have been able to lay their hands on in Valinor.

 

Maybe you want to look beyond the First Age.  Elves in history or the modern day will always make me very happy – Maglor is the classic one here, but other characters or OCs are very welcome instead or as well!  Or if the Second Age is where your heart lies, I'd love something about the Guild of Venturers.  A swashbuckling adventure? Battling a storm? A quieter moment on board? Seeing Middle-earth for the first time?  Being stalked by a menace from the deeps? 

 

Speaking of creepy things – skin-changers, vampires and ghosts, oh my!  The Silmarillion holds so much potential for horror and darkfic, and I adore creepy stories and spooky art!  For the hauntings tag I'm thinking ghost!Eilinel/Lúthien, but some kind of in-world legend or folk tale could be amazing here too, or in-world meta about how to appease a hostile spirit or bring them some measure of peace.  Dark and disturbing is fine; perhaps a character is haunted by a vengeful spirit from their past, and eventually meets a grisly fate.  A cosier take on the supernatural would be great too if that's what you'd prefer – maybe Nargothrond or Himring has a friendly ghost? Or perhaps a character from a later Age, or even our times, has a mysterious encounter they can't quite explain...

 

As for vampires and skin-changers – well.  I have a weakness for Thuringwethil (especially shipped with Ilmarë, and especially especially if the two of them would quite like to consume each other) but equally I have headcanons that Melian was not in human form when she met Thingol, and in early drafts Lúthien used her own magic to disguise herself rather than wearing Thuringwethil's cloak/skin.  Alternatively, how about that  Nessa/Vána/Yavanna/Estë/Melian ship (Yavanna sometimes took tree-form, if you want to go down the sex-with-a-plant route...)  – or even some OC skin-changers, that could be a lot of fun too!

The Lord of the Rings

 

Characters and Groups:
 

• Arahael
• Eorl the Young
• Glorfindel
• Group: Amrothos & Erchirion
• Group: Angamaitë & Sangahyando
• Group: Original Character & Original Character
• Group: Original Character/Original Character
• Group: The Enedwaith
• Group: The Éothéod
• Group: The Lossoth
• Group: The Middle Men of Eriador
• Group: The Northmen of Rhovanion
• Lothíriel
• Original Character from Arthedain
• Original Character from Cardolan
• Original Character from Rhudaur
• Original character from Rohan
• Original Character from Umbar
• Original Pirate Character
• Ornendil

 

Worldbuilding Tags:

 

• Arnor and its Successor Kingdoms
• Changing Names of Geographic Areas/Features Over Time
• Deforestation and Colonisation
• Dol Amroth
• Heirlooms of the House of Eorl
• Indigenous Mannish Cultures of Middle-earth
• The Early Days of the Dúnedain
• The Great Plague
• The War with Angmar
• Treason and Plot - Political Coups and Machinations in the Third Age

 

I think most of these tags lend themselves to stuff from the Appendices, and/or the histories that form the “backcloths” to the great events at the end of the Third Age, but there's plenty of scope to look at the Ring War or the Fourth Age if that's what interests you!

One of the things I adore about The Lord of the Rings is that delicate balance between hope for the future and the fading of what went before. I would love something with OCs exploring one of the ruins scattered across the landscape (Tharbad, Amon Sûl, Annúminas...) or unpicking the history of a particular area or feature – for example, how many Shirefolk have any inkling of Tol Himling's past...?

I'm also consistently fascinated by how complicated and messy the backstory to the Ring Wars is. Take the Númenóreans devastating the landscape of the Enedwaith for timber, and the fate of the people who had lived in the area for thousands of years. The Unfinished Tales gives us a throwaway reference to “fairly numerous but barbarous fisher-folk” still wandering the coast of Enedwaith in the late Third Age...what stories do they tell about their past, and what does their culture look like at that point in time?

To be honest, anything about one of the many Mannish cultures that don't get a detailed exploration in the text would be brilliant – pick your favourite group, rustle up a couple of OCs and explore whatever interests you. Societal structures, craft, trade, sailing, legends, traditions, festivals, finance, courtship...take your pick.  I have long had a soft spot for the Éothéod and their descendants, the Rohirrim, but there's so much that you could do with the Lossoth, or with the Northmen, or with any of the Middle Men, or the Men of Harad, Khand, Rhûn and beyond (those OC tags were aimed squarely at anyone wanting a blank slate to play with).

It might be too topical for some but I would also love to read about the Great Plague; it coincided with the Shadow gathering in Mirkwood! Did Sauron or one of his lackeys create it? Was it the land's reaction to his return, or was it simply a dreadful coincidence? In-world meta could be interesting here - a healer's notes, or a traveller's diary entries, showing how the Plague affected different lands and peoples.

Or maybe you could explore the impact the Plague had on Cardolan; I am fascinated by the legacy kingdoms of Arnor, and I love original characters. If you want to examine the events leading up to the war with Angmar then I'm interested in the political relations between the kingdoms - what kinds of conflict arose before Angmar, and how did their lack of unity lead to the Witch-king being able to gain a foothold in the North? Alternatively, explorations of the assaults, battles and sieges during the Angmar wars themselves would be fascinating.

I picked Glorfindel out of the tag set because I was thinking about his fateful prophecy (“Not by the hand of man will he fall...”), but I'd also love to see him in Rivendell, perhaps watching future Chieftains of the Dúnedain grow up – or remaining behind into the Fourth Age, being a friend and confidante to Arwen and Estel and the twins.

If you want to look at the Ring War or the Fourth Age from a different perspective, how about those Umbar and Dol Amroth tags? If it's Dol Amroth you're interested in then I'm fond of Imrahil's children; what did his younger sons get up to after the War of the Ring? Maybe they went as emissaries to the East or the South, or perhaps served in the house of the new King, or with the Prince of Ithilien. Equally, I'd love something about Lothíriel, whether that's her childhood, her perspective on the Ring War, or her marriage to Éomer.  

Umbar could also be brilliant for some late Third Age/early Fourth Age worldbuilding – or you could take a look at either location earlier in the Third Age. Are the Princes of Dol Amroth really descended from Elves? What's the untold story of Angamaitë and Sangahyando? (No villain really thinks they're the villain, after all.) Also, I'm just saying, the pirate OC tag could be amazing with either of these locations.

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
 

 

Characters and Groups:

 

• Badger-brock 
• Dragon (Hoard) 
• Fastitocalon 
• Group: Barrow-wights 
• Group: Fisher Blue & Otter-lad
• Group: Goldberry/Daughter of Farmer Maggot
• Group: Gorcrows
• Group: Mee & Shee
• Group: Mee/Shee 
• Group: The Mewlips 
• Group: The Otter-folk
• The Man In the Moon 
• Narrator of The Sea-Bell 
• Old Dwarf (Hoard) 
• Old King (Hoard) 
• Old Man Willow 
• Old Swan from Elvet-isle 
• The Ostler's Tipsy Cat 
• The Shadow-Bride 
• Young Warrior (Hoard) 

 

Worldbuilding Tags:

 

• Elf-ships on the Baranduin 
• Elvet-isle
• Is The Sea-Bell Really Frodo's Dreme? 
• Legend and Story-telling 
• Mewlip Dwellings
• Motivations of Barrow-wights 
• Nature Magic
• Poems As Cautionary Tales 
• Powers and Properties of Shadows and Reflections 
• The Old Hoard in a Dark Rock

 

I love how these fairy-tale poems have such a dark side!  Mewlips and Gorcrows...yikes. Perhaps a tale of an innocent wanderer stumbling into their clutches, or art of their horrible dwellings? Or a scary nursery story or rhyme, told to frighten little Hobbit children into behaving themselves? 

 

The Shadow-Bride is another wonderfully creepy creation.  I am super intriued by the glimpse we do get of her, but there's so much more you could do. Tolkien scholars have pointed out the poem's parallels with the myth of Persephone, so maybe that's something you could explore?

 

I remember being petrified by the Barrow-wights the first time I read The Lord of the Rings, and I still get the shivers when I find myself near old tombs or standing stones at twilight with the mist creeping in. Tom clearly has power over the wights, which makes me wonder why one of them went sneaking into his house; perhaps they have a grudge against him from the old days, which of course begs questions about who they were and where they came from (and indeed what Tom is!). In-world folk tales, historical records or just a straight up scary story or piece of art would be great here.

 

Old Man Willow is another fascinating and frightening figure, and can't help wondering about his origins. What kind of power does Tom Bombadil have over him? What made him decide to start luring and devouring stray wandering Hobbits? What other powers lurk in the Old Forest, and how do the Shire-folk keep them at bay?

 

As for Tom himself, and Goldberry, they definitely have a dark side – or at least I don't think they follow quite the same moral code as most of our Middle-earth protagonists, and I would love to see that explored. How did they come to the forest, and what is the nature of their power over the land around them? Who is the River-woman? And are there other spirits of land and river, either in Tom and Goldberry's domain or elsewhere, that Tolkien didn't tell us about?  Do they regularly hold parties with Farmer Maggot and his family?  What does that relationship look like?

 

Another relationship I'm curious about is Mee and Shee.  You could go dark here, with Shee wanting to climb out of the reflection-world and possess/inhabit Mee.  Or you could go down the sweet, fairy-story route – a Narcissus tale with a happy ending?

 

There are plenty of wistful, melancholy moments to be had as well...how about something based on 'The Last Ship'? I always wonder why the Elves asked Fíriel to go with them. Maybe she'd seen the Elven ships before? Art of the ships (and of course of Fíriel and the Elves), fic about their comings and goings, or in-world documents about their travels all very welcome.  Or what about 'The Sea-Bell'?  If it isn't Frodo's dreme, then whose is it?  Maglor's?

 

Another possible connection back to the great legends of the First Age is Old Swan – where and what is Elvet-isle?  Or The Man in the Moon poems – is he Tilion!?  Or – how about something with the old hoard in the dark rock, and/or one of its guardians/keepers?

 

In a more light-hearted vein, I'd love something about the chatty critters Tom encounters on his adventures.  Or, returning to probably the most famous poem in this collection...this isn't really related to any of the worldbuilding tags, but if you're doing art, I would love you forever if you drew the ostler's tipsy cat playing his five-string fiddle.  

Sellic Spell

 

Characters and Groups:

 

• Beewolf
• Grinder 
• Grinder's Dam
• The Queen of the Golden Hall
• Original Character 
• Original Giant 
• Unfriend

 

Worldbuilding Tags:

 

• Beewolf's Ancestry
• Dreams and Drowsiness 
• Fate 
• Nixes
• Ogre Blood
• Ogre Magic
• Smithcraft 
• The Golden Hall 
• The Lair Under The Lake
• The Sword Forged By Giants

 

I love Tolkien's strange, folk-tale treatment of Beowulf.  I nominated these tags because there are so many things in the text that, for me, ask more questions than they answer.  Who and what is Beewolf, and why is he so strong?  What's up with the strange sleep-need that afflicts anyone who tries to guard the way into the Golden Hall, and why can Beewolf resist it?  (Extrapolating from Tolkien's fay women in other canons – is it something to do with the Queen?)  What about Grinder and his dam – what's their story?  Or how about the sword that Beewolf brings back from the lair, that is later reforged for him – how did it get under the lake?  (Verging into crossover territory here, but was there maybe some assistance from a certain water-dwelling Arthurian lady...?)  Was it really made by giants, and if it wasn't, then who did forge it?

 

Feel free to pull on Beowulf as well, if you're so inclined.

The Story of Kullervo

 

Characters and Groups:

 

• Group: Kullervo/Wanona 
• Group: The Blue-Robed Lady of the Forest/Wanona
• Kullervo 
• Musti
• The Blue-Robed Lady of the Forest 
• Untamo 
• Wanona 

 

Worldbuilding Tags:

 

• Armies of Bears and Wolves
• Curses & Fate & Prophecy
• Ghosts and Spirits
• Musical Enchantments
• The Great Knife Sikki
• Runes and Carvings
• Swans and their Broods
• The Men of Magic
• The Halls of Untola

 

“Hapless Kullervo” makes Túrin Turambar look like a good luck charm.  I only recently read this early foray of Tolkien's into legend-writing, and there's some seriously strange stuff going on...an eagle steals a baby cygnet from a mother swan and flies off with it, and somehow that cygnet grows up to become Kalervo, Kullervo's father!?!  

 

There are plenty of more familiar notes too – a mysterious fay woman in a forest, sentient talking weapons, a loyal magical dog, a wicked sorcerer, tragic destinies, unwitting incest, and power in music.  I don't mind what you want to play with here; I promise I'll be delighted with any of it.

The Father Christmas Letters

 

Characters and Groups:

 

• Cave Bear
• Father Christmas
• Grandfather Yule 
• The Great Bear
• The Great Seal 
• The Green Brother 
• Group: Cave Bear & The North Polar Bear
• Group: Father Christmas & Grandfather Yule
• Group: Father Christmas & the Green Brother
• Group: Father Christmas & Ilbereth 
• Group: Ilbereth & Paksu & Valkotukka
• Group: Ilbereth & The North Polar Bear
• Group: Paksu & Valkotukka 
• Group: The Great Bear & the Great Seal
• Ilbereth 
• The North Polar Bear 
• Original Child Character 
• Original Elf 
• Original Gnome 
• Original Snow Person 

 

Worldbuilding Tags:

 

• Delivering Presents
• Father Christmas's Workshop
• Goblin Steeds
• The Flow of Time on Christmas Eve
• The History of Christmas
• The History of the Elves 
• The Nature of the Green Brother
• The North Pole Postal System
• The Northern Lights
• The Origins of Father Christmas

 

I am so fond of The Father Christmas Letters and this is yet another fandom where I have basically requested All The Everything!  The worldbuilding here is gorgeous, and with the air cooling I am already starting to get into the festive spirit, so anything about gift giving or the making of gifts would be perfect – who is in charge of Father Christmas's workshop?  Do they still make everything by hand, or have they modernised?  Who looks after all those letters?  (Epistolary format could be a lot of fun here!)  Maybe most importantly of all, how do they get around everybody on Christmas Eve!?

 

If you want to go deeper and/or darker, I love the glimpses of lore and history that we get in this canon.  What about the bats and weird sausage-dog things that the goblins ride on?  Maybe you could explore what those are, or make art of them.  And the Elves...Ilbereth uses Tengwar at one point, if memory serves, so are they Middle-earth Elves of a later Age?  Or maybe you could write or draw the Gnomes (are they Noldor?!) or even explore the nature of Father Christmas himself, and the history of Christmas and its realm.  What did the land at the North Pole look like before Christmas as we know it?  Was it once a darker, scarier place?  Who is Grandfather Yule, and what does he do these days?

 

On a similar note, 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?

 

If you're doing art, then the Northern Lights + any selected group or character would make me extremely happy.

Smith of Wootton Major

 

Characters and Groups:
 

• Alf Prentice
• Ella
• The Faery Queen
• Group: Attendants of the Faery Queen
• Group: Faery Queen & Nan
• Group: Faery Queen/Original Attendants
• Group: Nell/The Faery Queen
• Group: Nell/The Faery Queen/Original Female Attendants
• Group: Rob Rider/Rose Sangster
• Group: Rob Rider & Ella
• Group: Smith/Nell
• Group: The Faery Queen/The Faery King
• Nan
• Nell
• Original Character
• Rob Rider
• Rose Sangster

 

Worldbuilding Tags:
 

• Becoming Acquainted with Faery
• Elven Mariners
• Faery Song
• Memories of Faery
• Sentient Nature and Weather
• The Borders of Faery
• The Dark Marches
• The Feast of Good Children
• The Living Flower and its Casket
• Wootton Minor

 

Smith of Wootton Major is so beautiful. I love its melancholy atmosphere, the sense of constantly searching for something, the longing that pervades it. I'm afraid I don't have any specific prompts here beyond what I've pulled out of the tag set, so if this is what we've matched on then I'm sorry, but hopefully the worldbuilding tags and my general likes will give you enough to go on.

(Actually, this is a non-Tolkien connection, but I wonder whether Neil Gaiman has read it...it reminds me very much of Stardust.)

Tolkien (2019)

 

Characters and Groups:

 

• Christopher Wiseman
• Edith Bratt
• Father Francis Morgan
• Geoffrey Bache Smith
• Group: Christopher Wiseman & Edith Bratt
• Group: Edith Bratt/J. R. R. Tolkien
• Group: J. R. R. Tolkien & Christopher Wiseman
• Group: J. R. R. Tolkien & Father Francis Morgan
• Group: J. R. R. Tolkien & Geoffrey Bache Smith
• Group: J. R. R. Tolkien & Joseph Wright
• Group: J. R. R. Tolkien & Robert Gilson
• Group: Mabel Tolkien & J. R. R. Tolkien
• Group: Mabel Tolkien & J. R. R. Tolkien & Hilary Tolkien
• Group: The TCBS
• Joseph Wright
• J.R.R. Tolkien
• Mabel Tolkien
• Mrs. Faulkner
• Ruth Smith

 

Worldbuilding Tags:

 

• Dreaming the Legendarium
• Early 20th Century Birmingham
• King Edward's School
• Linguistics and Philology
• Oxford University
• Sound and Meaning
• The Comfort of Ancient Things
• Tolkien's Childhood in South Africa
• Tolkien's Catholic Faith
• Writing and Publishing Poetry

 

On the one hand I understand why the Tolkien estate made it very clear they did not endorse this biopic – but on the other hand, I adored it. I loved the gorgeous gothic splendour of King Edward's, the grime of Birmingham and how sharply that contrasted with Sarehole, the way flashes and snatches of things that would later be woven into the Middle-earth tales came to Tolkien on the edge of sleep, or half-drunk, or feverish in the trenches. I cried at the scene with Tolkien sitting in the tea-shop with Mrs. Smith after her son's death, persuading her to publish her son's poems.

Anything you're inspired to explore here would be wonderful – Mabel's influence on her sons; Tolkien's close friendships with the TCBS; his romance with Edith; being mentored by Professor Wright; the aftermath of WW1, and how Tolkien coped with having survived – and if you're familiar with, for example, Carpenter's biography or Garth's exploration of Tolkien and WW1, then feel free to draw on those too.

Crossovers 

 

Characters and Groups:

 

• Curufinwë Atarinkë (Silm) As Attila | Atli (LSG)
• Group: Beewolf (Sellic Spell) & the Beornings (Hobbit Book)
• Group: Bilbo Baggins (LOTR Books) & J. R. R. Tolkien (Tolkien 2019) & Maglor (Silm)
• Group: Fastitocalon (ATB) & Aldarion & OC(s) from the Guild of Venturers (Silm)
• Group: Goldberry (LOTR Books)/Daughter of Itroun (LAI)
• Group: Goldberry (LOTR Books)/Guinever (Arthur)
• Group: Goldberry (LOTR Books)/Itroun (LAI)
• Group: Loki (LSG) & Thû (BoLT)
• Group: Maglor (Silm) & Barliman Butterbur (LOTR Books)
• Group: Maglor (Silm) & J. R. R. Tolkien (Tolkien 2019)
• Group: Maglor (Silm) & J. R. R. Tolkien (Tolkien 2019) & Joseph Wright (Tolkien 2019)
• Group: Maglor (Silm) & Firiel (ATB)
• Group: Musti (Kullervo) & Huan (Silm)
• Group: Niënor (Silm)/Wanona (Kullervo)
• Group: Original Knight of the Round Table (Fall of Arthur) & Original Noldorin Elf (Silm)
• Group: Original Lossoth Character (LOTR Books) & the Great Seal (TFCL)
• Group: Original Oxford Archaeologist character (Tolkien 2019) & Nerdanel (Silm)
• Group: The River-woman (LOTR Books) & Grinder's Dam (Sellic Spell)
• Group: Ungoliant (Silm) & the Corrigan (LAI)
• Tilion (Silm) as The Man in the Moon (ATB)

 

Worldbuilding Tags:

 

• Afterlives 
• Elves in History 
• Gramarye 
• History and Memory 
• Inns & Pubs & Taverns 
• Oxford 
• Portals and Passageways 
• Seeing Stones 
• Storytelling 
• Water Magic 

 

There is a reason I got so giddy with the prompts this year (aside from the tag set being absolutely incredible).  I've been thinking a lot lately about the motifs and patterns woven through Tolkien's body of work – how they evolved over time, their roots in his own life, and how they speak to his goal to create that “body of more or less connected legend” that he was aiming for, his own “intricate web of story.” For this section I've tried to pick characters and groups that have the potential to tease out some of those connections if that's something you're inclined to explore – but some of them are just so much fun and I couldn't resist.  The Lossoth and the Great Seal!  Beewolf meeting Beornings!  Fastitocalon and the Guild of Venturers!  A Beleriand Noldo in King Arthur's Court!  So much to play with – honestly, you can't disappoint me.

 

I've mostly used the worldbuilding tags to supply ideas about how characters from different canons could end up interacting.  There are places in Tolkien's non-fiction writing (e.g. On Fairy Stories) where he talks about Elves, and Elf-Human encounters, like he has personal experience – and who better to tell him the tales of the Elder Days than someone who lived through it all?  I'm up for anything...moral debates; Tolkien's Catholic viewpoint clashing with a much more ancient and extensive frame of reference; learning languages; or just having a drink together in the Eagle and Child. (I love the potential of pubs and inns as gathering places, as catalysts for plot - meeting strangers; overhearing wicked plans; seeing something one shouldn't - as places of rest and recuperation, and as crossroads, and gateways to adventure.)

 

Speaking of canon characters in history, I love Nerdanel, and as she's an artist and sculptor, it would be amazing to see her exploring beautiful Oxford.  Maybe she finds a portal, or perhaps she's gone looking for her wandering son?  And if she's been in Valinor for all those years, she might need a local guide – enter OC archaeologist.

 

The afterlives tag...that could work well for Curufin as Attila, or Wanona and Niënor encountering one another, or even for Musti and Huan.  Seeing stones could cause all manner of havoc; I imagine there are plenty of beings out there in the multiverse who have the power to use one, and who you wouldn't necessarily want to encounter, even from a world a long way away.  Water magic could work for Goldberry, or for the River-woman and Grinder's Dam, and perhaps gramarye for Ungoliant and the Corrigan (who “span dark spells of spider-craft”...)

 

And as for Tilion...you're not telling me he didn't attend some wild parties in his days with Oromë, so if he is the Man in the Moon of the infamous poem recited in Bree, was he just carrying on with  tradition?  

 

***

 

And we're done!  I hope this letter's given you a few ideas; I can't wait to see what you come up with <3