narya_flame

Hello, dear worldbuilder, and happy 2021, if it isn't too late for that. I'm so excited we're a match; I love this exchange, and I can't wait to see what you come up with.

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. I'm not a canon purist so don't feel bound to adhere to the letter of LaCE, etc. – I believe in an in-world author (or authors) whose own agenda(s) influenced their narrative choices. I'm also a believer in “other minds and hands” being able to re-tell/re-interpret the tales and fill in the gaps in their own way.

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.
Focus on bodily fluids and functions (exception: blood from injuries).
Pregnancy, childbirth or babies.
Unrequested kink (see General Stuff below).

DNWs – Middle-earth 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 fading or 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).
Aredhel/Eöl as romantic and entirely consensual.
Cartoon Villain Maeglin, cackling in wicked glee at Gondolin's fate. (Feel free to have him broken and somewhat unhinged, but I don't buy "he was always evil and the betrayal was inevitable".)
Lengthy theorising about Gil-galad's parentage. If you want to include him then I'm absolutely fine with you writing him as whoever's son you like, or as Finduilas, or any other ideas you have about him, but I don't want a fic entirely about or mainly focused on his origins.
Elrond/Celebrían &/or Aragorn/Arwen &/or Éowyn/Faramir depicted as not really in love, matches of convenience, breaking up, etc.. (Again, fine with poly if you ship one or more of them with someone else.)
Legolas/Gimli
Tom Bombadil = Eru or Maglor
Tauriel shipped with Legolas or Thranduil

General Stuff

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. Please 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 (provided they don't conflict with a DNW), 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. Given the focus on worldbuilding, 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 – please don't include any sexual kinks not listed there.

Below I've added in a list of 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.

For all of these requests, I am equally happy with fic, art or in-world meta. Feel free to take fic prompts and turn them into art if you like, or make fic out of the meta prompts, create illustrated meta, etc.. Swap things around and blur the boundaries wherever you like.

(It isn't an officially listed option but I would also be open to poetry, either by itself or combined with one of the other formats!)

Fic Likes

Complex character dynamics
Conflicting motivations
Adventure and peril
Mysteries and investigations
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
Politics, on any scale
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; academic discussions and debates
Anything to do with languages, linguistics and alphabets
Canon divergence AUs, especially if used to explore some of the worldbuilding prompts below
Unprompted crossovers between requests. If you want to send Tauriel and Legolas off to the Harad, or Glorfindel to the North Pole, please be my guest.

Meta

In-world scholarship
Catalogues
Bestiaries and spellbooks
Contracts and agreements
Laws and proclamations
Instructions and recipes
Etymology
History
Marginalia
Letters
Diary entries
Working papers and project notes
Literary criticism and analysis
“Filling in the gaps” e.g. fragments of documents complete with in-world commentary

Art

Portraits
Group shots
Action shots
Maps! Maps are amazing!
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
Craft and sculpture
Close ups of clothing, jewellery and hair especially close ups of tiny details like stitching, beading, braiding etc.
Intricate detailing on weaponry, armour, buildings, engravings, musical instruments...
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

Any

Castles, fortresses, palaces and grand houses
Cosy cottages (or hobbit holes!)
Villages, towns and cities, especially their unusual defining features, like Esgaroth being constructed on wooden piles in the middle of a lake
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
Forests; rivers; the sea
Food, drink and celebration
Games, contests and competition
Music and musical instruments
Learning a craft or skill
Battle plans, battle scenes and/or aftermath
Loyalty and sacrifice; carrying on against impossible odds
Storytelling, riddles and poetry
Candlelight and starlight
Roaring fires
Fog and mist
Libraries, archives and other knowledge repositories
Myth, folklore and fairy-tale
Witchy, fey and eldritch beings
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
Fic or art inspired by my own fanworks: remixes, based on, set in the same 'verse, using the same plotline, borrowing an OC, etc.

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

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 Hobbit (Jackson Movies)

Selected Characters: Any or No Character; Feren; Fíli; Legolas; Meludir; Tauriel; Thranduil; Original Character

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 I know it isn't supported by anything in the books, but the backstory behind those wounds intrigues me. If you're doing meta, maybe some Healers' research on how best to treat them?

Dwarven Royal Families: 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 a child of his own. 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. For art, maybe a family tree, or a portrait?

Life as a warrior in Mirkwood: How was the army of Mirkwood structured and organised to ensure maximum effectiveness against Orc and arachnid incursions? What were their battle tactics? Did the warriors have to train in more than just physical combat? (They were dealing with the descendants of Ungoliant, after all; I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the spiders deploying scaled-down versions of her power.)

Legolas's Journeys After the Battle of the Five Armies: I'm in the mood for some good old-fashioned movieverse adventure, so please show me what our favourite Prince of Mirkwood got up to between trilogies! Did he find Aragorn? Where did they go and what did they get up to? Maybe he kept notes on the strange flora and fauna he encountered after his travels – or, if you're making art, anything showing him exploring strange and unfamiliar lands would be awesome.

The Hobbit (J. R. R. Tolkien)

Selected Characters: Any or No Character; Bard; Beorn; Elrond; Original Character; Original Character from Dale; Original Character from Lake-town; Original Elf of Rivendell

The Beornings: I love the Beornings! How did they get their shapeshifting abilities and at what age does this power kick in? Are they descended from Bëor the Old? Do Beorning playtimes consist of naughty bear cubs tearing around and getting in their families' way? 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.

Lake-town: Lake-town is fascinating and unique among Tolkien's settings. I would be thrilled with anything exploring its history, customs, culture and politics, or a depiction of its construction, or anything to do with life as a Lake-towner (maybe a bustling market scene?). If your imagination leans dark, then how about something depicting the settlement after its destruction by Smaug? Was it a site of archaeological intrigue for later generations, and did the rotting dragon corpse under the lake have any unusual effects?

Origin and Purpose of the Tra-la-lally Song: this is very specific and somewhat silly, but if you have ideas about where it came from, I'd love to know! Who wrote it? Does it have a serious purpose? What do the inhabitants of Rivendell make of that oh-so-memorable refrain?

Stone Giants: they only get a fleeting mention, 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.

The Riddle Game: This is clearly a very old ritual, so I'd love something about in-world precedents, and how the custom has evolved over time. If you're making art, maybe depictions of a few pairs or groups playing the game through the Ages? (Feel free to draw on elements of LotR and the Silm too, if you wish.)

The Toy-Market of Dale: I'd be thrilled to get something about Dale in its glory days. Slice-of-life would be great here, or in-world art or meta – how about sketches of toy designs, or notes kept by a travelling trader?

Trolls with Multiple Heads: their existence is only implied, but if you're inspired to draw some three-, four- or more-headed trolls, that would be amazing! If you're doing in-world meta, maybe bestiary entries could be fun – or for fic, how about a hunting party from Rivendell encountering something in the Ettinmoors that they've never seen before, and hope never to cross paths with again?

Were-worms: A lot of the Stone Giants and Troll prompts would work here too – bestiary entries and illustrations, lore, explorers' tales, children's rhymes and stories...go wild!

The Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien)

Selected Characters: Any or No Character; Erchirion; Felaróf; Glorfindel; Original Character; Original Elf Character; Scatha; Shadowfax

Building the Argonath: When I saw this, the first thing that sprang to my mind was a documentary I watched years ago, about building the Hoover Dam and the human cost of the project. I love the early Third Age so I'm interested in wherever you'd like to take this – designs, feasibility studies, fic about the how and the why (go mad with OCs here if you like, this period practically begs for them), or art of the pillars under construction.

Cold-drakes and Fire-drakes: This is the “please give me dragon content” request! I'm partial to a female Scatha if that's a road you'd like to travel; if your preference is for the late Third Age, then maybe something about Smaug, or an original dragon (do we know that Smaug was the last one?).

Heirlooms of the House of Eorl: The horse-lords were my first fandom love and I'd be delighted with anything that explores their culture and history. What did Fram's people keep from Scatha's hoard, besides the Horn of the Mark? What else did the Eorlingas hand down and treasure through the Ages?

Elves in the Fourth Age; The Early Fourth Age: There is so much potential here; the Fourth Age is almost a blank canvas! Reuniting the Kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor? Building political ties with nations to the south and east? Elves preparing to leave Middle-earth – or taking the decision to stay?

The Kine of Araw: They were supposedly descended from the cattle of Oromë...is that true? Does he walk among them in the later Ages? If you'd like to write fic about Vorondil the Hunter and the making of the Great Horn of Gondor then that would be fantastic; alternatively I would love artwork of one or more of these awesome beasts.

The Mearas: Another race of beasts with ties to Oromë. An in-world tale about their origins would be fascinating, or a fic about Eorl's taming of Felaróf, or Gandalf's relationship with Shadowfax – or, as with the Kine, just pretty art of them would be wonderful!

The Watcher in the Water: The Watcher's malevolent musings, perhaps eyeing up the tasty treats that roam its shores? Creepy eldritch tentacle art? An origin story/in-world legend? Post-canon exploration? Excerpts from the diary of a Fourth Age monster hunter?

The Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien) – Ghosts and Forests Edition

Selected Characters: Any or No Characters; Original Character(s); Old Man Willow; Goldberry; Tom Bombadil; The Lady of the Blue Brooch; The River-woman; Farmer Maggot

Barrow-wights: I will lap up anything you're inspired to create here; 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 about Tom himself). In-world folk tales, historical records or just a straight up scary story would be great here.

Ghosts and Hauntings: 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. Dark and disturbing is fine, but a cosier take on the supernatural is welcome too. Perhaps ghost baby Lalaith is hanging out in the Old Forest, by the Withywindle? Maybe Farmer Maggot encounters a friendly ghost? Or perhaps a character from a later Age, or even our times, has a mysterious encounter they can't quite explain...

Sentient Trees: I find Old Man Willow fascinating and frightening, 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? Or feel free to leave him unexplained, if you prefer; I'd be just as happy with a cautionary tale, or a vignette about his malevolent musings. Or maybe you could make something about Huorns! What are they - Ents that have become tree-like, trees that have grown like Ents, or something totally different? (If you're doing art, how about a hapless traveller, slowly being surrounded as the tree-creatures close in...?)

The Withywindle's Magic: I LOVE that all the weirdness of the Old Forest stems from the river. Please feel free to go eldritch and scary and uncanny here - the river loves you and wants to drown you slowly, then eat the flesh from your bones...? (I'm kind of fascinated by the idea of The Withywindle (or the River-woman) and Old Man Willow as Goldberry's parents, but maybe the river has her eye on someone else – the Lady with the Blue Brooch, perhaps?)

Tom Bombadil's Songs: They sound silly, but Tom is self-evidently a powerful being. Are the songs incantations? Words of Power? Or are they meaningless nonsense, intended only to distract from Tom's real nature and abilities...?

The Old Forest: Treat this as a catch all for any aspect of the Old Forest you'd like to explore but that isn't covered by the prompts above. I'm here for any weird or spooky shenanigans you're inspired to share! (Idea: why are the boundaries of Tom's land set where they are, when we know from 'The Council of Elrond' that he used to roam further afield...?)

The Silmarillion (J. R. R. Tolkien)

Selected Characters: Any or No Character; Duilin; Egalmoth; Elemmírë; Fëanor; Maeglin; Maglor; Original Noldorin Character

Architecture: If you're into the idea of in-world meta, or artistic meta, then scale drawings, project notes and construction details for any of the great cities or buildings of Valinor and Beleriand would be incredible. If you're making art, then drawings of Menegroth or Gondolin or Nargothrond in all their glory would be fantastic – but equally, I'd love a close up of a smaller detail, like a hidden alcove, or delicate scrolling around an archway. For fic, I'd love to read something about the process of building any of these places; there must have been so many human stories bound up with their construction. Architectural horror would also be amazing, if your muse takes a darker turn – something linked to the “terrible sharpness” of the Valar? Or a depiction of one of the great First Age cities or fortresses crumbling and abandoned, possibly with something malevolent lurking in the shadows...

Construction of Musical Instruments: I had Maglor and/or Elemmírë in mind for this, but involve any characters you wish – or none at all, I'm very happy with meta, or artistic designs for instruments! (I know my selected characters skew Elvish but something about the music and instruments of the Edain could also be fascinating – Tuor's harp, as described in the Book of Lost Tales? – or even the Ainur and their otherworldly songcraft, if you're so inclined.)

Fëanorian Lamps: Pretty art for this, maybe? Or just a bit more exploration of what they were, how they were made, and where/how they were used. I'm sorry that my prompts aren't more specific but I'm game for anything here, so if this was your nomination, have fun!

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, meta 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, take me mining with Maeglin, explain how they fed themselves, explore social mores...anything you like.

Heraldic Devices - Their Development & Uses: The Elven sigils are beautiful and I would love something about how and why any of them were chosen, whether that's fic or meta. Alternatively, feel free to draw me something gorgeous displaying one or more of them, or make sketches showing how they developed over time. If Elves aren't your thing, how about the devices of the Edain, or the Dwarves, or even the Ainur? Did different races use their sigils for different purposes? How did the process of choosing and developing them differ by culture?

Lámatyávë; the Quettúri; Scripts and Runes: I will freely admit that I am no linguistic genius, but I love the idea of sound being so inherently important. I mean, “sound-taste”...what a beautiful concept. An excerpt from a scholarly work about languages or scripts, fic about someone studying with the Quettúri, or examples of scribesmanship would all be very welcome.

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (J. R. R. Tolkien)

Selected Characters: Any or No Characters; Fastitocalon; Fíriel; The Narrator of 'The Sea-bell'; The Oliphaunt; Old Swan of Elvet-isle; Original Character

Elf Ships on the Baranduin: 'The Last Ship' is so poignant. I always wonder why the Elves asked Fíriel to go with them. Has she seen the Elven ships before? Or maybe she's part-Elven, and has to make a choice about where she belongs? 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.

Elvet-isle: Is this another name for Valinor? And if so, who is Old Swan? A Maia, or perhaps a Telerin lord in disguise?

Hobbit Poetry: Fun Narya fact, “The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon” was the first poem I knew by heart. I'd love it if you gave it some backstory – Tilion getting buckwild in Valinor, maybe? As for the Bombadil poems, were these based on tales the Maggot family told to the rest of the Shire? How did Hobbits know about Oliphaunts? What's the inspiration behind the wonderfully creepy Shadow-Bride?

Mewlips and Gorcrows: 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?

Monsters of the Deep: I'm thinking Fastitocalon here. Is it a made-up cautionary tale, or is there really a living island lurking in the seas of Arda, waiting to plunge weary travellers down into the depths?

Middle-earth (J. R. R. Tolkien)

Selected Characters: Any or No Characters (yes, I really do mean any characters, original or not, whether they're in the tag set or not...and I'd be just as thrilled with something character-free that explores the concepts and ideas below. I am also happy with you including movieverse characters and worldbuilding elements here if you like. I'm treating this as the wild card section!)

Balrogs: There must have been more Balrogs than the ones named in the published texts. What were Balrogs like before their Fall? Could they be redeemed? (I like to think so.) Flaming fiery art also very welcome! (And feel free to tackle the million dollar question...do they have wings?)

Trade in Middle-earth: Sam Gamgee talks lovingly of the delights of fish and chips, but where did those potatoes come from? Were they originally imported from Númenor? How about coffee, and sugar? Did Gondorians enjoy orange juice with their breakfast? Who makes the best fortified wine, and who buys it, and how does it get there? I want to know!

Gardens of Middle-earth: I'm thinking Elves, Hobbits or Entwives for this one – art, fic, or meta could all work. Something about the soil Galadriel gave Sam, maybe? Fourth Age Hobbits encountering Entwives on the outskirts of the Shire? Or if you prefer Dwarves, what sorts of things do their gardens grow, and why?

Magical Artefacts; Magical Communications: Seeing stones; telepathy; mirrors; rings; sentient weapons; cloaks and banners...I'm leaving this one wide open; if it's caught your interest then I'm really excited to see what you do with it.

Maps and Those Who Made Them: I really don't mind where you want to focus here – the maps themselves, their makers, or the process of making them. Draw me a map of any region of Arda that strikes your fancy; write me diary entries by a crotchety cartographer; create meta about the tools and techniques of the trade; tell a tale of adventure and peril as characters map an unknown land.

Harad & Khand & Rhûn & Beyond: there's so much potential here, and it's so under-explored in canon. Honestly, I'm interested in anything you'd like to delve into. 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 one of these places 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.

The Natural World: I remember attending an undergraduate tutorial on Tolkien being an early writer of eco-fiction, so this is your chance to explore his concerns about the natural world, if you'd like to do so. The Númenóreans devastating the landscape of the Enedwaith for timber? Saruman's minions felling trees in Fangorn? Or maybe something about one of Tolkien's more sentient settings – Caradhras, perhaps, or the Old Forest, where Old Man Willow lurks? (Plenty of Old Forest prompts in the LOTR section above, if this is something you're keen on!)

The Father Christmas Letters (J. R. R. Tolkien)

Selected Characters: Any or No Characters; Cave-Bear; Father Christmas; Grandfather Yule; Ilbereth; North Polar Bear; The Great Bear; The Green Brother

The Bears and Elves of the North Pole: I wonder how closely linked the Elves of the North Pole are to the Elves of Middle-earth? Maybe some of them even remember the Elder Days, and perhaps they have more affinity with the bears (including the mysterious Great Bear) than the Letters explicitly state. Alternatively, something light-hearted, with Ilbereth getting frustrated by the bears' lack of common sense and penchant for mischief, would be delightful.

The History of Christmas: 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?

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, or the leader of the Wild Hunt (is he Oromë!?). What's his relationship with Father Christmas like? Where is his domain?

The Northern Lights: If you're doing art then I would love a picture of these! If you're writing, then...they're turned on by a tap?!? How does that work? What powers them? Who made them first? Who built that tap – Father Christmas, or someone else?

The North Pole Postal System: How do all those letters make it safely to Father Christmas? What about the replies that he and his helpers send back? How do they keep them all organised? Have there been any upgrades to the system with the advent of computers, mobile phones, etc., or does the North Pole stick strictly to tradition?

Cave Paintings: 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.

Request-specific DNW: Shippy content/smut.