Yulebuilding 2018: Worldbuilding for Yuletide

[extrapenguin]

Greetings, everyone! Yuletide contains multitudes, and a chunk of those multitudes would really like to request worldbuilding. Thus, here is a sub-challenge post for those of us who love worldbuilding, either on the giving or receiving end.

To participate

• Leave a comment on this fic with a link to your letter if you are interested in receiving worldbuilding. Optionally, add any extra worldbuilding likes, DNWs, and prompts you may have into your comment.
• If you don't have a letter, you can still leave prompts here! Please ensure your comment includes your AO3 username, requested fandoms, and any characters you're requesting.
• When uploading your fic to the archive, tag it with Yulebuilding and Worldbuilding so the rest of us can find it!

It's not necessary to interact with Yulebuilding in any way to give or request worldbuilding for Yuletide, but this post is here to make life easier. Enjoy!

Comments

The City & the City - China Mieville:

[naraht]

I'm very interested in getting worldbuilding for The City & the City - China Mieville:

https://naraht.dreamwidth.org/667842.html

And in a sense I'm always interested in the background texture of the world, even for my real-world-set canons. :)

[extrapenguin]

Letter: https://extrapenguin.dreamwidth.org/105260.html

Worldbuilding likes

• infrastructure, esp sewage systems
• maintenance, repairwork
• inventions
• nitty-gritty details

Fandoms
In addition to the below, please look at my letter; I'm mostly prompting worldbuilding things there as well.

Teemestarin kirja | Memory of Water - Emmi Itäranta (Lian Kaitio)
What's the true situation like, climate-wise, and what is being done to fix that? How do different places get their drinkable water? What would an expedition into the Lost Lands look like? What are the Lost Lands like, and do people live there? What actually happened during the Twilight Centuries?

Uplift Series - David Brin (Creideiki)
What does an Uplift process look like? Are there other Progenitor relics, and has Creideiki found any more of them, before or after the Shallow Cluster? What's it like to think in Trinary all day? What does a Trinary courtship look like?

魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù (Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng)
Wei Wuxian inventing things! How does he come upon the design of the Compass of Evil? How does demonic cultivation work? What were his first experiments thereon? What does education look like in the Jiang sect? What's Baoshan Sanren's mountain home like, and how does it function economically? Do cultivators have cultivator versions of the infrastructure of common folk that function with talismans and arrays? Also, what time period is it set in, beyond "after the Qin dynasty, because they all have swords"?Letter: https://extrapenguin.dreamwidth.org/105260.html

[isis]

I am Isis and my letter is at https://isis.dreamwidth.org/206452.html. I would love worldbuilding for the following fandoms:

The Chrysalids – John Wyndam (Michael, Rachel; in this fandom I am okay with ignoring these requested characters and writing about original characters in a worldbuilding context)
Foundryside – Robert Jackson Bennett (any nominated character)
Jane, Unlimited – Kristin Cashore (Jane, Ivy)

[rachelmanija]

AO3 name: Edonohana

I am primarily requesting worldbuilding for Rocannon's World, and my requests for The Dispossessed, Finisterre - the Nighthorses, and The Leftovers TV (VERY spoilery prompts for the last) involve worldbuilding as a component or option.

I'm not looking for faux-nonfiction for those prompts (like essays or articles), but for stories that explore more of the world or just convey it vividly.

https://rachelmanija.dreamwidth.org/2222036.html

[yhlee]

AO3 name: yhlee (etothey)

Letter:
https://yhlee.dreamwidth.org/2639095.html

I'm interested in worldbuilding for
- Steve Jackson's Sorcery! - Steve Jackson (any)
- Shadowscapes Tarot (Death, Knight of Swords)

I especially enjoy fantasy anthropology/history. Faux nonfiction or metafiction/essays would be welcome.

[quillori]

AO3 name: Quillori

Letter:
https://quillori.dreamwidth.org/2018/10/05/

As far as I'm concerned, all the worldbuilding is welcome all the time. But two of my requests this year particularly lend themselves to worldbuilding, and luckily they are both also very quick to pick up!

Le città invisibili | Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino (Berenice; Euphemia)
I link to the (short) relevant canon in my letter (I also say for worldbuilding responses it's fine to ignore my requested cities, and something written for a different city, or some city not covered in the original text.)

Omar Rayyan - Works (Spanish Mackerel)
This is a painting. I'd love to know more about the world depicted - its culture, its politics, its cities, art, kingdoms, way of life. Alternatively (or as well!) I'd be fascinated to see something dealing with what sort a creature might be part human part octopus.

[marginaliana]

AO3 name: marginaliana

letter

My fandom for worldbuilding is the Voynich Manuscript, which is so inherently mysterious that you could go almost anywhere with it. Is there anything actually there to be decoded? Is it what it seems? You could talk about how it was created, either as an authentic piece or as some sort of forgery.

[donutsweeper]

AO3 username: donutsweeper
Letter: https://donutsweeper.dreamwidth.org/546450.html

I've asked for world building for two short story fandoms:

The Thing In the Walls Wants Your Small Change by Virginia M Mohlere (which can be read here) which, among other things, is a story about a dragon that lives in the walls of an apartment.

To Whatever by Shaenon Garrity (which can be read here) was commissioned for a Lovecraft Month at drabblecast and is about that which exists beyond the walls.

[melody_jade]

I'm interested in worldbuilding for three of my requests!

AO3: Melody_Jade
Letter link: https://melody-jade.dreamwidth.org/8722.html

As Intermitências da Morte | Death with Interruptions - José Saramago
"The following day, no one died." Both this scenario or the one that occurs in the second half of the book fascinate me so much - I'll love more explorations on what living in a world like this is like and how people and organizations react to it, especially if they were personally affected.

Le città invisibili | Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino
I asked for Euphemia, the city where merchants come to trade their memories every solstice and equinox, and will really love to find out more about the memory trade, the people who come here to trade their memories, and/or origin stories of what makes this city so special.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August - Harry August
I'll love to find out more about the Ouroborans (people who relive their lives with their memories intact) as well as the Chronus club (the secret and wealthy society for people like this). I requested Harry and August, but for this particular prompt I'm fine with my writer using other and/or original characters as well.

[moirariordan]

https://moirariordan.dreamwidth.org/26377.html
ao3: jaegermighty

would love worldbuilding for American Gods (TV), requested characters - Mad Sweeney, Laura Moon. Obviously this applies more to Mad Sweeney, but be as creative as you like with Laura, I'm on board. I quite like Gaiman's take on mythology, but one of the coolest things about this canon is the room it gives you to blaze your own path through it, picking and choosing whatever you like.

My other requests are Edge of Tomorrow (Any), and The Rain (2018) (Any), both of which I would welcome worldbuilding-style stories in - American Gods is just set up perfectly for it, but don't take my lead in there as bias towards it!! Would be psyched to receive it for any of my requests this year. Have fun! :)

[chelonie]

https://chelonie.dreamwidth.org/

Ao3: Chelonie

Wayfarers worldbuilding:
What happens to the Factory girls after they turn 12? Where do the girls live when they are too little to be at the Factory? How much do everyday people in the cities know about the slaves on the other side of the world? Is there any movement to end it, even a fringe one? Are there any Factories where there are boys instead of girls? How did they first get the idea to use girls as recycling slaves? Or back further in time, when did the Enhanced first get to this planet and start enhancing themselves, and how did the breach with the rest of humanity/the galaxy happen?

The Laru! I want to know more about them!

How awful did the Martians treat the remaining people on Earth for them to decide to go 'Out. Anywhere else' rather than to Mars? What was it like when the Fleet left Earth? Did anyone stay behind?

Anything else worldbuilding set in this universe!

Imperial Radch:
Everything about life on a Station! There are probably generations of families who have never set their feet on the ground. What is it like for them? How do kids burn off their excess energy? What professions are open to them? Athoek Station was very unhappy before the end of the series. One hopes it will be much happier in the new Ro2S... how does that manifest to the average Station dweller?

Space Opera:
This tiny fandom has 0 fics, so anything is welcome!

Temeraire:
Anything about the dragons! Their lives, their loves, the dragons that have had several captains in the same family line - how do they transition? More about dragon culture in North America - being merchants and explorers. More about dragon culture in China - how they get to grow up a little before choosing a human companion. More about dragon culture anywhere!

The Thing in the Walls Wants Your Small Change - Virginia M. Mohlere
http://lunastationquarterly.com/story/the-thing-in-the-walls-wants-your-small-change/

Prompts: how the dragon feels about different coins, what is inside the walls, are there other spirits or creatures hanging about? Worldbuilding!

To Whatever By Shaenon K. Garrity
https://www.drabblecast.org/2014/08/17/drabblecast-335-whatever/

Prompts: Where does Whatever get the new half and half, what life is like in the city beyond, do other creatures live in both worlds?

[shadaras]

My letter is here, and my Ao3 account is also Shadaras.

The big things I'm into, worldbuilding-wise, are anthropology and culture clashes. I love deep dives into minutia of cultures and how people come from different perspectives and need to learn how to coexist. Also, religion. I love seeing how religion informs worldviews.

I realised after writing my letter that a lot of my requests for Star Trek: Discovery were also worldbuilding prompts, primarily about Vulcan and Michael's life there.

Friends at the Table has a lot of room for worldbuilding too -- most of my worldbuilding requests there are about life in the fleets, where I'm interested in political/religious leadership and the daily lives of those figures.

While I don't have specific prompts about it, I'd be down for Killjoys worldbuilding. Zeph's a scientist, and she built herself up from a fundamentalist agricultural background; learning about the educational system of the Quad would be pretty cool.

In Emelan, I'd be interested in the business side of Daja's work. The way she needs to balance crafting and selling her wares, and what infrastructure she needs to build up to make that work, would be fun to read about.

The Expanse (TV) is hella complicated but, again, I want to know about politics. In this case, Chrisjen and Bobbie lend themselves to me asking about Earth/Mars relations, and also about the military/political sphere. Why do people sign into the military on Mars? How are the military cultures different? Do politics differ? What cultural expectations are different between their planets? How much is the same?

[dizmo]

AO3 Name: dizmo

As is only fitting for a god-sim game, pretty much all my requests for The Universim (Video Game) have some kind of worldbuilding element involved!

https://dizmo.dreamwidth.org/290910.html

[shewhostaples]

AO3 name: elstaplador

I'm interested in worldbuilding for the fictional state of Pontevedro in Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow).

https://el-staplador.dreamwidth.org/499211.html

[calliatra]

AO3 Name: Calliatra

Letter: https://calliatra.dreamwidth.org/3159.html

I'm particularly interested in worldbuilding (either serious or humorous) for Gardenscapes, and have prompts for that in my letter!

[hopefulnebula]

Worldbuilding, you say? I'm in.

AO3 username: HopefulNebula
Letter: http://hopefulnebula.dreamwidth.org/443444.html

Fandoms I think would lend themselves well to worldbuilding:

Black Mirror
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Lock In - John Scalzi
Star Trek: Discovery

[keerawa]

AO3 name: keerawa

Letter: https://keerawa.dreamwidth.org/1587.html

I am always interested in world-building! I like to know how things work, see the gritty under-side of the glitter, and the legends and folk-tales that show us the heart of a culture. Here are a few fandom-specific questions I've been pondering.

The Expanse: So much world-building potential here! Belter culture, with its combination of absolute freedom with its dedication to community above the individual, fascinates me. The airlock as the way to settle any serious disagreement. Belter Creole, with its mix of spoken languages and gestures. Did all these people's ancestors choose to emigrate? Were they deported? Did companies ferry workers out to the Belt and leave them there to make a cheap labor pool, once they they had adapted to low-G and couldn't return to Earth even if they wanted to? Are there families or clans that operate entirely out in the black, flitting from asteroid to asteroid? How did the OPA's manage such a fast transition from loosely-related factions to an organized military? Alternatively, I'd like to know more about the under-class we see glimpses of on Earth, the 'undocumented' that Anna mentions serving with her clinic.

A Taste of Honey - Kai Ashante Wilson: World-building of any and all kinds, including OC's, epistolary fic, sacred art and scripture, an introduction to the standard text on the ethics of psionics, or an Ashean's scientific overview of the breeding experiment that is the Sacred Cousins of Olorum. (One possible explanation for why homosexuality is so violently rejected in their engineered society.)

Binti series - Nnedi Okrafor: I have so many questions! I'm very interested in more of the legends, religion and culture of the Himba people. The Meduse love combat and war - how did they make it out into the galaxy without, first, self-destructing, and later, killing themselves by fighting with every race they found out there? To what extent are they a hive mind, as opposed to individuals? The author gives us tiny glimpses of all these radically different species. Show me more! I'd love a piece exploring how Oozma University serves them all, with their incredibly varied physiological, emotional, psychological and spiritual needs.

Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch: There are two huge gaps I see right now in canon. One is the demi-monde itself. Any world-building revealing more of its existence, side-by-side with the mundane human world, would be wonderful. We also know almost nothing about non-Newtonian magic, as practiced in other cultures around the world. Write it for me, pretty please?

[rosehiptea]

AO3 Name: TeaRoses

Letter: https://rosehiptea.dreamwidth.org/278598.html

I would be interested in world-building for four of my fandoms.

Jordskott - Requested character: Ylva. Anything about the non-human world. Are there any large groups of non-humans left? Are there non-humans in the rest of the world? What are or were non-human societies like (any particular group). As it says in my letter feel free to not write about Ylva as long as you're writing something about the non-human world.

Interviews with Monster Girls - Requested characters: Satou Sakie, Takahashi Tetsuo. How are demis changing society? It looks like there was a time when there was more discrimination against demis than there is in the show - what was that like? Are there demi support groups? (Possibly concentrating on succubi since I requested Sakie.)

Die Perfekte Diktatur - Requested characters: Narrator, Narrator's Friend. What is this dystopia about? What state is the rest of the world in? Is there war going on or just internal terrorism?

Cells at Work! - Requested characters Red Blood Cell AE3803, White Blood Cell U-1146. This world is just weird with all these personified cells. Any exploration of what society is like - they do seem to make friends and to be able to tell each other apart - would be great and I'm wondering what they do in their spare time (if they have any). Please don't feel you have to have any scientific plausibility for this - I know canon likes to do science lessons but there aren't really little people running around in the bloodstream so I'm willing to suspend all my disbelief.

[violsva]

AO3 name: Violsva

Leter: https://violsva.dreamwidth.org/92737.html

Worldbuilding Fandoms: A Brother's Price - Wen Spencer, Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms - Mercedes Lackey

For both of these I am primarily interested in queerness and people at the limits of social/narrative expectations.

[penitence_road]

Letter here. My fandoms are Heartcatch Precure, Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, and The Orphan's Tales, and while the requests are all very character-centric, they also easily lend themselves to worldbuilding, from the unexplored history of magical girls of Heartcatch to the weirdness of Kurosagi as seen from a more monied angle than usual, and the vast possibilities to explore religious rites, the physical workings of the afterlife, or political maneuverings with The Orphan's Tales.

I enjoy epistolary stories, am very willing to read about characters as seen from the outside if the view is lingering enough, and love beyond measure the sorts of zoomed-in examinations of fantasy cultures that build 'day in the life' fics for characters who are definitely not from mundane slice-of-life canons.

[lirin_lirilla]

Ao3 name: lirin
letter: https://lirin-lirilla.dreamwidth.org/23842.html

I'd love to see worldbuilding for Epistory - Typing Chronicles (Video Game)!

I love how this beautiful game blurs the lines between the text of the story and the visuals of the story, and the way the origami world unfolds as the player moves from place to place. I'd love to see a story that played with any of the above, or that simply explored one of the different locations that the player travels to. (My favorite locations were Forgotten Forest, Drowning Halls, & Shattered Isles.) When I'm playing, I usually stick with ice magic unless a different magic is required, but I'd enjoy reading worldbuilding that explores the different types of magic and how the player learns them one by one, and not all at once.

If you like the ending (I know many people don't), I'd also like to see exploration of the connection between the origami world and the real world, and what connections exist between the two.

My requested character is the protagonist, but she does not need to have a major role if you're focusing on worldbuilding.

[aimedatthestars]

Ao3 name: jasminetea
letter: https://aimedatthestars.dreamwidth.org/176565.html

I'm interested in worldbuilding for The Queens of Innis Lear - Tessa Gratton.

The world-building sucked me in, and I'd love to hear more about the astrology, tarot/bone readings, earth magic, etc. How the earth/star magic systems got separated. Will Elia revise the astrology system?

My requested characters are Elia Lear and Ban the Fox.

[deep_dark_waters]

Ao3: Deepdarkwaters

Letter: https://deep-dark-waters.dreamwidth.org/8236.html

Worldbuilding fandoms:

* His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (Requesting Lee Scoresby - what is life like for an aeronaut in that world? What places does he explore before the events of the books?)

* The War of the Worlds - H. G. Wells (How does the Martian society function on their own planet? What changes in Earth society after the invasion?)

* Which Witch - Eva Ibbotson (Particularly interested in Belladonna's healing magic, because it feels so different to all the other witches' powers. What's the background there?)

[swan_tower]

I'm always interested in fic for Elfquest that delves into history or invented tribes. Letter is here!

[alexseanchai]

AlexSeanchai (EllieMurasaki)

Letter ho!

Emelan - Tamora Pierce
Sandrilene fa Toren, Trisana Chandler, Daja Kisubo, Briar Moss

we haven't seen a lot of academic magic; how's it work in contrast to ambient? go in depth about the arts/crafts aspect of any flavor of ambient magic; tell me about the religions, the histories, the economies

[primeideal]

My letter is here

I think all of Blade Runner (2049), The Divine Cities, Pandemic Legacy, and The Shipwreck Arcana would lend themselves well to worldbuilding. (Or if you'd like to build a world where anthropomorphic newspapers have personalities, by all means!)

[babster]

I love this idea! My letter is here: https://babster.dreamwidth.org/2738.html

I am a big fan of worldbuilding in general, but the three fandoms I think it would work most for are:

Dungeon Meshi- There's so much to explore here, with the dungeons and the histories of those dungeons and all the socio-economic-political-culinary-etc changes that result from the dungeons. I'd love to see in-world histories, stories, or documentation, but any worldbuilding would be wonderful.

Inda- The world of Sartorias-Deles is large, and there's so much nuance, but I'd love to see more of it. Anything about the history of it, or an exploration of its magic, would be especially welcome.

Trial and Error- this one's slightly more limited, I guess, but I would love to see more of East Peck's history and resulting traditions.

In-world documents and stories (esp. oral traditions and fairy/folktales) are my favorite things, but if you have an idea you're desperate to explore, I would love to read it.

[moonlight69]

AO3 username: moonlight69
Letter link: https://moonlight69.dreamwidth.org/355050.html

Fandoms I would particularly love worldbuilding for:
Dark Tower - Stephen King
Alain Johns (Dark Tower Books), Cuthbert Allgood (Dark Tower Books), Roland Deschain (Dark Tower Books)
Cook Serve Delicious (Video Games)
Any (see tagset)
Hilda the Plus-Sized Pin-Up - Duane Bryers (Illustration Series)
Hilda (Plus-Sized Pin-Up)

But I'm open to it for any of them!

[luzula]

Here is my Yuletide letter.

I am asking for worldbuilding for two different Ursula K. Le Guin books: The Left Hand of Darkness and Always Coming Home. See the letter for more details! : )

[ceb]

AO3 username: molybdomantic

Letter link: https://ceb.dreamwidth.org/384430.html

Fandoms:
The Dundaxian Codex - Gloryhammer (Albums)
Paranoia (Roleplaying Game)

I would be delighted to receive worldbuilding for either of these fandoms.

[(Anonymous)]

I would really like worldbuilding for Kushiel's Legacy, about the Night Court specifically!

Letter: http://forthegothicheroine.tumblr.com/post/179221783196/dear-yuletide-author

Ninja Sex Party (Band)

[herbertbest]

Letter: https://herbertbest.dreamwidth.org/1152.html

Ideas: I have a few in my letter, but to expand, I'd really love to see how the feudal/ninja system Ninja Brian and Danny came up in works. Or: How the heck did they come together? Where do Brian's super powers come from - just skill, or is it part and parcel for the people who spring from their dojo? How did they figure out space travel? How did they manage to build a base on the moon without dying?

[quicksilver_ink]

https://quicksilver-ink.dreamwidth.org/27886.html

General worldbuilding interests:
- Magic systems
- Language and writing
- Religions and supserstition
- Food! What do people eat, where does it come from?
- Aspects of daily life (especially with magic and lower tech levels)
- Economics
- Attitudes about gender and sexuality


Radiant Historia:
- Mechanics of Flux, souls, and Mana
- Culture, especially looking at religion and religious difference between Granorg, Alistel, Celestia, Forgia, and the likely hodgepodge of human cultures at Cygnus.

Darker than Black:
- Weird gate shit

Suikoden III
- True Runes and different forms of magic
- Karyan culture
- Academia and education

Ikemen Sengoku and Umineko are (somewhat) set in the real world, but I'd be interested in period-accurate details of daily life, medicine, etc for IkeSen, and the economic state and cultural mores of 1980's Japan that are relevant to the cast members

[serenity_ribbon]

Ao3: serenity_ribbon

Letter!

I'm particularly interested in worldbuilding for two of my fandoms.

Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch
I would love to see more of the internal politics of the demi-monde. I would also like to see mythology or folklore that hasn't been in the series yet, especially if it's from Wales, Scotland or Ireland.

The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
I'd really love to see anything outside of Offred's relatively tiny world. How do the other Handmaids live their everyday lives? What's Offred's daughter's life like? What do other countries think of Gilead?

[weakinteraction]

AO3 username: weakinteraction
Letter link: https://weakinteraction.dreamwidth.org/11970.html
Fandoms I'm interested in worldbuilding for: Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, The Culture (books), Q.U.E.E.N. (music video), Jupiter Ascending (and to be honest, some of my prompts for Chess-the-musical, which is the one fandom I've left off this list, are probably worldbuilding adjacent too)

[minnarr]

AO3 username: minnabird
Letter link: https://minnarr.dreamwidth.org/415.html

Fandoms I'm interested in worldbuilding for: Seven Kingdoms Trilogy - Kristin Cashore; Blades in the Dark; Tricksters - Tamora Pierce.

I especially enjoy fantasy politics, history, research and academia, language, and learning more about phenomena little-explored in canon.

[reeby10]

AO3 name: reeby10
Letter: https://reeby10.livejournal.com/129935.html

Fandoms:
- Deep Blue Sea
Carter Blake, Sherman "Preacher" Dudley, Tom Scoggins
- Dinotopia
- The Last Witch Hunter
Chloe, Dolan 36th, Kaulder, Miranda
- River of Teeth
Adelia Reyes, Hero Shackleby, Regina Archambault, Winslow Remington Houndstooth
- Venom
Eddie Brock, Venom Symbiote

Honestly happy with any sort of worldbuilding, but I'd especially love something related to anthropology, history, linguistics, food, cultural variation, or any sort of documents. For a more general view of my worldbuilding interests, plus some prompts for Dinotopia, see my Worldbuilding Exchange letter from this year.