Dear Worldbuilder Letter 2024

[fiona15351]

Dear Worldbuilder,

I have had a blast with this exchange for the past two years and am looking forward to participating again. While I have prompts for all the worlds I have requested, I would really just love to know other people's thoughts on these universes. I hope you will find my prompts helpful to spark ideas but I am more than happy to see whatever you are inspired to write!

Also, treats are more than welcome and much appreciated!!

Below are some general likes and DNWs, then my fandom-specific prompts and DNWs. 

Likes:
- Character Dynamics

• Healthy communication + relationships (sexual/romantic/otherwise)
• Non-sexual intimacy
• Found family
• Supportive siblings
• Resilience and breaking-points of friendship, broken/faded friendships being rekindled/repaired
• Mentor and student where the mentor has a lot to learn from the student as well
• Relationships where the participants are on opposite sides (politically/militarily/feuding families, etc.)
• Aggressively competent characters solving hard problems (by planning ahead or thinking on their feet)

- Story Formats

• Case Fic
• Political Thriller
• Spin-offs (Focus on minor characters, prequels/sequels with novel characters)
• In-Universe Legends/Media
• Epistolary
• Frame narratives
• Worldbuilding focus

DNWs:

• Bestiality / Explicit sex involving non-anthropoids
• Rape / Non-con
  • Dub-con, especially involving magical manipulation, is accepted
  • Rape/Non-con portrayed by consenting adults in the context of acting/role-play, is also accepted
• Hurt No-Comfort

Chalion - Lois McMaster Bujold

Characters: Any or No Characters, Original Characters, Penric kin Jurald, Desdemona, Rede Licata, Dubro, Maska
Formats: Fanfiction, In-Universe Meta

Worldbuilding:

Inheriting a Demon with its First Human Imprint: 

As mentioned, I love student-mentor relationships and I would love to see more of Penric, Rede, and Dubro, and the dynamics between them. What is it like for Rede to have a man he knew well in his head? How does it affect his relationship with Maska as he learns to be a sorcerer? How does it affect him and those around him while processing the loss of Dubro?

It would also be super interested to see this from Maska's pov. What is it like to go from the instincts and understanding of a dog (+ weasel + quail) to those combined with Dubro's personality and understanding.

I am equally happy for this to be explored with original characters: a prospective sorcerer and the temple sorcerer they are inheriting their demon from, etc., or through a piece of in-universe meta, such as a guide to new sorcerers upon inheriting their demon — perhaps written by Penric himself?

Sharks That Have Demons:

What is it like for a demon that has inhabited a human mind to be forced back into one very differently shaped? We get a hint of this in Masquerade in Lodi and possibly more in Demon Daughter (though I have not yet read the latter), but I would be very interested to see it with a demon that is able to work with the shark. How is other animal intelligence different from rather than lesser than human intelligence? How can a demon who has perhaps experienced many animal forms use that experience in this situation?

Uses for Sorcerers in Courts of Law:

It seems that the Bastard and the Father are perhaps the most opposed of the Five from the perspective of one being associated with chaos, the other with law and order. But Desdemona and presumably other demons have senses which seem as though they would be useful in the courtroom. Are there sorcerers who devote themselves to both the Bastard and the Father, as sorcerer-healers devote themselves to both the Bastard and the Mother? How do other dedicates of the Father respond to sorcerers? I would be delighted with a story or in-universe court documents focusing on Penric and Desdemona or on original characters!

Women in the Son's Order:

In a world with very defined gender-roles, I'm curious about women who dedicate themselves to the Son, either within the social norms (are there any sanctioned positions that allow for this?) or by challenging or subverting them.

Fandom-specific DNWs: I haven't had a chance to read Demon Daughter yet, so no spoilers please!!, Anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments expressed by POV characters

Lavender Jack
Link to Read: https://www.webtoons.com/en/super-hero/lavender-jack/list?title_no=1410

Characters: Any or No Characters, Original Characters, Sir Mimley Bastrop | Lavender Jack, Theresa Ferrier, Ochre, Gio Sakakibara, Dame Agatha Sampat
Formats: Any

Worldbuilding: The Founding and Traditions of Gallery, The Platinum Wars, The Inclement Investment Company, Lavender Jack's Tech, Sir Mimley's School Days, Madame Ferrier's Previous Cases 

Heavy emphasis on "Any Characters" here. I just finished a reread and loved it just as much, or more, the second time. I don't have prompts more specific than my worldbuilding tags, and I'm completely happy for those to be interpreted very loosely if you have some other aspect of the world you want to focus on. I would be just overjoyed to see pretty much anything in this world!

Fandom-specific DNWs: None for this fandom!

The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells

Characters: Any or No Characters, Original Characters 
Formats: Any

Worldbuilding: 

Reception and Fan Theories for Media:

Space-reddit threads, blogs, critical reviews, friends arguing in person or over text, go wild!  Who watches?  Who is involved in this discourse? Who is represented?  What's controversial?  What do people want to see more or less of? 

Advertising and Merchandise for Media: 

Limited-edition lunchboxes?  Action figures? Funko pops? Posters? Collaborations with other properties? Again, go wild!  I think this especially lends itself to art, but I'd be equally interested in a fic about a pitch meeting for one of these products, or a kid getting their dream toy.  In somewhere as profit-focused as the Corporate Rim, one must imagine that merchandizing is a huge part of media production.  Are there terrible rip-offs?  Battles over intellectual property? 

Behind the Scenes of Sanctuary Moon and Similar Media, Actual Episodes of Sanctuary Moon and Similar Media: 

Again, I think these especially lend themselves to art and in-universe meta (sets, character profiles, script-excerpts or summaries, etc.), but I'd also be interested in a fic giving insight into the cast and crew of these properties!  Are ComfortUnits ever employed as actors?  What is the social status of people involved in entertainment? How is celebrity treated in the Corporate Rim and outside it?

Political Agendas in Media in the Corporate Rim vs Outside It:

I am most interested in this in combination with the other worldbuilding tags.  In general, I would be interested in any combination of these tags that you are interested in taking on!

Fandom-specific DNWs: I recognize that non-con or at least dub-con is implicit in the nature of constructs and conscripted workers employed in the Corporate Rim.  I'm fine with some exploration of this, I'm just not interested in a super dark or graphic story. Thanks!

Scholomance - Naomi Novik

Characters: Any or No Characters, Original Characters, Sir Alfred Cooper Browning, Liesel Mueller, the Scholomance
Format: Any

Worldbuilding:

Magicians and the World Wars: 

Magicians are portrayed as fairly insulated/separated from the wider politics of non-magical culture, but I'm curious how they were affected nonetheless. What did enclave politics look like throughout the early 20th century? Was magic used to dodge drafts? We know that new entrances were added to London Enclave to avoid the shelling; how did other enclaves adapt to the hazards of war? What new magical innovations appeared throughout this time? What were politics like in the early days inside the Scholomance? How did the older students' understanding of world politics affect alliances? How was news brought in by freshmen reacted to? Definitely not expecting all of these questions to be explored, just providing jumping-off points!

Enclave Alternatives:

The Sharma family seems to do alright, even after their enclave is destroyed, although they still need to send their children to the Scholomance. What are similar arrangements like around the world: wizard groups voluntarily living outside enclaves?  I would also love to see art of the Sharma family's home.  The descriptions in the books are beautiful. 

Layout and Operation of Golden Stone Enclaves:

For fic, what did the original occupants experience, or what is it like adapting to a Golden Stone enclave when you've lived in a larger one based on malia? For art, would love to see a map or drawing of a Golden Stone enclave. 

Magical Children of Families Without Magic, Pre Destruction of the Scholomance:

We barely see this explored in the books, but I would love to see the story of a student who comes into the Scholomance not knowing anything about magic and manages to survive (or at least survive longer than anyone expects).  I this would be before Orion and El's time, but it's up to you! For in-universe meta, maybe the notes such a student would leave in their new-student handbook?

Construction of the Scholomance: 

I will be happy with anything here! The details in the books are tantalizing and I just want more! 

Liesel's Organizational Efforts Post Enclave War: 

I think this would lend itself so well to epistolary fic, but I'm definitely not married to that if you have another idea!  Basically, Liesel's ruthless competence is attractive and I would like to see more please!  How does she keep El's secret, while simultaneously preparing for the inevitability of someone figuring it out? Who does she bring in to their team and what is the vetting process like?  

Fandom-specific DNWs: None for this fandom!

Once again, thank you so much for writing for me!