Worldbuilding Ex 2023
Jan. 24th, 2023 08:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sincereouslyHello, creator!
I'm so excited to see what you come up with for this exchange! Hope you have a great time with it. Prompts are here if you want them, but if you have another idea that's inspiring you I'm happy to see that too.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me through the mods. I'm also sincereously on AO3.
Click any bolded/underlined title with a triangle for more information!
General likes:
Unusual formats, including in-universe documents and maps
Architectural designs, including floorplans and elevations
Clothing and hairstyle designs and in-universe fashion trends
Deep dives into mundane aspects of living in a fictional world
Objects and behaviors with deep symbolic meaning, including complex rituals (also including varying reactions to these symbolic things by the different characters)
Encounters with the supernatural, particularly ghosts and deities
Characters using or attempting to use magic or other supernatural forces
Maybe-magic-maybe-mundane events
Canon divergence
Unreliable narrators
Outsider POV
Dramatic irony
Moments of quiet intimacy during breaks in the action (especially good for missing scenes in between what we see in canon)
Complicated women, and complicated relationships between complicated women
Slowly building intimacy/respect together - slow burn in general
Taking care of injured people
Forced proximity (undercover together, trapped together, accidental/arranged marriage, fake dating, only one bed, etc.)
Elaborate plans that may or may not work out
Improvising new plans as you go along
"That's an extremely bad plan, of course I'm in" type situations and interpersonal dynamics
Getting in way over your head but throwing yourself headfirst into the plan anyway
Repressed characters learning to let go
Struggling against temptation/the Dark Side/inner demons (and giving in)
Mind control/possession (and resisting mind control/possession)
Five + one things structure
General DNWs:
Character bashing
Non-canonical child death
Setting change AUs (ex. coffeeshop, high school, modern AU, etc.)
Time travel AUs
Explicitly stated sexuality labels for characters whose sexuality is not canonically defined
Formalized dom/sub relationships
Ageplay
Raceplay
Omegaverse
Mpreg
Excretory kinks
Rape/noncon (dubcon - sex pollen with both/all characters dosed, sex in arranged marriages, fuck-or-die, etc. - are fine, as are references to canonical rape/noncon)
Underage under 15 and unrequested non-canonical ships with 20+ year age gaps (mentions of canon examples of both are acceptable, but please don't make them the focus of the fic)
Animal abuse
Hopeless endings (endings can be dark, but not without any shred of hope)
For both fic and art, please keep the level of violence at about what it is in canon.
FANDOMS
Requested Characters: Any or No Characters, Original Characters
Requested Tags and Prompts:
- Ratty society in London: How did the Rattus Faber evolve from the normal rats - did they predate London's fall, or did they change with the city? How do Rattus Faber relate to unevolved rats, and to the non-rats of London and beyond? What social customs do they have among their own kind - living arrangements, family structures, industries, religions, mythologies, values? They make weaponry and other miniature objects - what kinds of art and craftsmanship (craftsratship?) do they create and value? Can the rats become members of any of the other factions of London? How did the Rat Market develop, including the Rat for the Weekend ritual that initiates others as temporary honorary rats?
- Rat Seasons and Winds and Moons: How do the rats determine what the Rat Wind and Rat Moon are each week? Are there any superstitions or cultural practices for a given Rat Wind or a Rat Moon? How did the Rat Seasons get their names, and what associations do the seasons have among the rats?
Requested Characters: Any Braavosi Character, Any Red Priest, Any Septa, Bellegere Otherys the Courtesan, Elinor Costayne
Requested Tags and Prompts:
- WB: Courtesans in Braavos: What does day-to-day life look like for a courtesan? How do different courtesans use their influence - for politics, for culture, for love? How do courtesans with a title choose a successor and pass their title on? How often can a new courtesan come to prominence, and what kind of intrigue does she need to do to earn fame in Braavos?
- WB: Braavosi performing arts: Arya's chapters in Braavos give us the names of several plays, including a few based on events in Westeros. What are the plots of some of the plays we don't see? How does the public of Braavos react to the different shows, and how might the different plays influence each other's development? What incidents have happened in the rivalry among the playhouses of Braavos - how do they all compete to bring in their audiences? Phario Forel is positioned as "the bloodiest quill in all of Braavos" - how has his career gone?
- WB: Training of Red Priests: How do the red priests determine which Slaves of R'hllor will become priests in turn? What is an average day like for a red priest training at a temple? How do different priests experience training to see and interpret fire visions, especially as magic begins to return to the world? What kinds of rules and discipline are imposed on red priests in training? What happens to trainee priests who don't make the cut?
- WB: The Faith of the Seven: What kinds of services take place in the sept, and what do they look like? What myths and legends do the Faithful pass on to their followers? How does practice of the Faith and depictions of the gods vary from region to region (I'd imagine there's a lot of syncretization with older myths and legends)? What is life like in the septries and the motherhouses, or among the begging brothers?
- Miscellaneous information: Most of the character categories are self-explanatory, and I'm open to all kinds of characters of all genders and cultures and faiths, whether canonical characters or OCs. For Bellegere: how does the Otherys family prepare and pass on the Black Pearl title, is she a patron of the arts or an artist herself, and what does Bellegere want to do or avoid about her position in society; also, what religion does Bellegere follow, if any, and how does she see her own beliefs within Braavos' cosmopolitan approach to faith? For Elinor: I'd like to see her perspective on the volatile times of Maegor's reign and/or her eventual transition to Mother Elinor, for reasons from sincere devotion to pragmatism and anything in between; I'd also be happy with an AU where she escapes to Braavos or any other city and remakes her life after Maegor.
Requested Characters: Any or No Characters, Original Characters
Requested Tags and Prompts:
- WB: Botanical folklore: Plants in this universe have remarkable qualities, from our-world-typical medical aids and poisons to exaggerated versions of our-world effects to unlocking objects and lifting curses. What kinds of superstitions do people have about what these plants are and what they can do - how did they understand the plants' medicinal and magical properties over the years? Some are mentioned in the book, some aren't; I'm happy to see both explorations of canon superstitions and folklore as well as ones you've invented. Do any of these plants have other common names not noted in the book? How did the plants come by their common names, if not already noted? I am also very happy to see in-universe folklore for original canon-typical plants.
- WB: Botanical science and experimentation:In a world where plants can lift curses and find anything you've lost, how does botanical science develop? What kinds of experiments do people perform on plants - what procedures do they follow, what qualities do they look for in plants, how do they record their information and share their findings? What does scientific classification look like in this world, considering the plants' scientific names? How did people create the recipes for the various elixirs? I am also very happy to see in-universe book entries and experimental notes for original canon-typical plants.
- WB: The Sisterhood of Arduinna: What is the history of the Sisterhood? What qualifications do they have to choose new members? What rituals and practices do they perform (initiations, worship of Arduinna, mythology and folklore, actions to help and preserve the forest, life cycle events and rites of passage)? How do they perceive Arduinna? How do they speak about her among themselves and (if they don't have a closed religion) to people in the wider community, and how do they practice their faith in their daily lives? How do they choose the Arda, and what responsibilities does she have for both the Sisterhood and the wider area?
- WB: The Seeds of Redemption cult: How did the cult originate? Were they around when the Woken Dendrew first arrived, or did they develop afterward in hopes of bringing it back? What information did they pass down about the Woken Dendrew over the centuries - did anything get exaggerated or lost over the years? How big is the cult, and how much influence does it have in the surrounding area? What happens at an average cult meeting, anyway?
- WB: The Woken Dendrew: What is the origin of the Woken Dendrew? Where did it go in the time that it was banished from this world? Does it have any internal motivations beyond killing and following the commands of its master? Are there any other elixirs and spells that can influence it? What stories do people (regular villagers, Sisterhood members, and/or cult members) tell about it, both historically and in the aftermath of the game?
I'm so excited to see what you come up with for this exchange! Hope you have a great time with it. Prompts are here if you want them, but if you have another idea that's inspiring you I'm happy to see that too.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me through the mods. I'm also sincereously on AO3.
Click any bolded/underlined title with a triangle for more information!
General Likes and DNWS
General likes:
Unusual formats, including in-universe documents and maps
Architectural designs, including floorplans and elevations
Clothing and hairstyle designs and in-universe fashion trends
Deep dives into mundane aspects of living in a fictional world
Objects and behaviors with deep symbolic meaning, including complex rituals (also including varying reactions to these symbolic things by the different characters)
Encounters with the supernatural, particularly ghosts and deities
Characters using or attempting to use magic or other supernatural forces
Maybe-magic-maybe-mundane events
Canon divergence
Unreliable narrators
Outsider POV
Dramatic irony
Moments of quiet intimacy during breaks in the action (especially good for missing scenes in between what we see in canon)
Complicated women, and complicated relationships between complicated women
Slowly building intimacy/respect together - slow burn in general
Taking care of injured people
Forced proximity (undercover together, trapped together, accidental/arranged marriage, fake dating, only one bed, etc.)
Elaborate plans that may or may not work out
Improvising new plans as you go along
"That's an extremely bad plan, of course I'm in" type situations and interpersonal dynamics
Getting in way over your head but throwing yourself headfirst into the plan anyway
Repressed characters learning to let go
Struggling against temptation/the Dark Side/inner demons (and giving in)
Mind control/possession (and resisting mind control/possession)
Five + one things structure
General DNWs:
Character bashing
Non-canonical child death
Setting change AUs (ex. coffeeshop, high school, modern AU, etc.)
Time travel AUs
Explicitly stated sexuality labels for characters whose sexuality is not canonically defined
Formalized dom/sub relationships
Ageplay
Raceplay
Omegaverse
Mpreg
Excretory kinks
Rape/noncon (dubcon - sex pollen with both/all characters dosed, sex in arranged marriages, fuck-or-die, etc. - are fine, as are references to canonical rape/noncon)
Underage under 15 and unrequested non-canonical ships with 20+ year age gaps (mentions of canon examples of both are acceptable, but please don't make them the focus of the fic)
Animal abuse
Hopeless endings (endings can be dark, but not without any shred of hope)
For both fic and art, please keep the level of violence at about what it is in canon.
FANDOMS
Fallen London
Requested Characters: Any or No Characters, Original Characters
Requested Tags and Prompts:
- Ratty society in London: How did the Rattus Faber evolve from the normal rats - did they predate London's fall, or did they change with the city? How do Rattus Faber relate to unevolved rats, and to the non-rats of London and beyond? What social customs do they have among their own kind - living arrangements, family structures, industries, religions, mythologies, values? They make weaponry and other miniature objects - what kinds of art and craftsmanship (craftsratship?) do they create and value? Can the rats become members of any of the other factions of London? How did the Rat Market develop, including the Rat for the Weekend ritual that initiates others as temporary honorary rats?
- Rat Seasons and Winds and Moons: How do the rats determine what the Rat Wind and Rat Moon are each week? Are there any superstitions or cultural practices for a given Rat Wind or a Rat Moon? How did the Rat Seasons get their names, and what associations do the seasons have among the rats?
A Song of Ice and Fire
Requested Characters: Any Braavosi Character, Any Red Priest, Any Septa, Bellegere Otherys the Courtesan, Elinor Costayne
Requested Tags and Prompts:
- WB: Courtesans in Braavos: What does day-to-day life look like for a courtesan? How do different courtesans use their influence - for politics, for culture, for love? How do courtesans with a title choose a successor and pass their title on? How often can a new courtesan come to prominence, and what kind of intrigue does she need to do to earn fame in Braavos?
- WB: Braavosi performing arts: Arya's chapters in Braavos give us the names of several plays, including a few based on events in Westeros. What are the plots of some of the plays we don't see? How does the public of Braavos react to the different shows, and how might the different plays influence each other's development? What incidents have happened in the rivalry among the playhouses of Braavos - how do they all compete to bring in their audiences? Phario Forel is positioned as "the bloodiest quill in all of Braavos" - how has his career gone?
- WB: Training of Red Priests: How do the red priests determine which Slaves of R'hllor will become priests in turn? What is an average day like for a red priest training at a temple? How do different priests experience training to see and interpret fire visions, especially as magic begins to return to the world? What kinds of rules and discipline are imposed on red priests in training? What happens to trainee priests who don't make the cut?
- WB: The Faith of the Seven: What kinds of services take place in the sept, and what do they look like? What myths and legends do the Faithful pass on to their followers? How does practice of the Faith and depictions of the gods vary from region to region (I'd imagine there's a lot of syncretization with older myths and legends)? What is life like in the septries and the motherhouses, or among the begging brothers?
- Miscellaneous information: Most of the character categories are self-explanatory, and I'm open to all kinds of characters of all genders and cultures and faiths, whether canonical characters or OCs. For Bellegere: how does the Otherys family prepare and pass on the Black Pearl title, is she a patron of the arts or an artist herself, and what does Bellegere want to do or avoid about her position in society; also, what religion does Bellegere follow, if any, and how does she see her own beliefs within Braavos' cosmopolitan approach to faith? For Elinor: I'd like to see her perspective on the volatile times of Maegor's reign and/or her eventual transition to Mother Elinor, for reasons from sincere devotion to pragmatism and anything in between; I'd also be happy with an AU where she escapes to Braavos or any other city and remakes her life after Maegor.
Strange Horticulture
Requested Characters: Any or No Characters, Original Characters
Requested Tags and Prompts:
- WB: Botanical folklore: Plants in this universe have remarkable qualities, from our-world-typical medical aids and poisons to exaggerated versions of our-world effects to unlocking objects and lifting curses. What kinds of superstitions do people have about what these plants are and what they can do - how did they understand the plants' medicinal and magical properties over the years? Some are mentioned in the book, some aren't; I'm happy to see both explorations of canon superstitions and folklore as well as ones you've invented. Do any of these plants have other common names not noted in the book? How did the plants come by their common names, if not already noted? I am also very happy to see in-universe folklore for original canon-typical plants.
- WB: Botanical science and experimentation:In a world where plants can lift curses and find anything you've lost, how does botanical science develop? What kinds of experiments do people perform on plants - what procedures do they follow, what qualities do they look for in plants, how do they record their information and share their findings? What does scientific classification look like in this world, considering the plants' scientific names? How did people create the recipes for the various elixirs? I am also very happy to see in-universe book entries and experimental notes for original canon-typical plants.
- WB: The Sisterhood of Arduinna: What is the history of the Sisterhood? What qualifications do they have to choose new members? What rituals and practices do they perform (initiations, worship of Arduinna, mythology and folklore, actions to help and preserve the forest, life cycle events and rites of passage)? How do they perceive Arduinna? How do they speak about her among themselves and (if they don't have a closed religion) to people in the wider community, and how do they practice their faith in their daily lives? How do they choose the Arda, and what responsibilities does she have for both the Sisterhood and the wider area?
- WB: The Seeds of Redemption cult: How did the cult originate? Were they around when the Woken Dendrew first arrived, or did they develop afterward in hopes of bringing it back? What information did they pass down about the Woken Dendrew over the centuries - did anything get exaggerated or lost over the years? How big is the cult, and how much influence does it have in the surrounding area? What happens at an average cult meeting, anyway?
- WB: The Woken Dendrew: What is the origin of the Woken Dendrew? Where did it go in the time that it was banished from this world? Does it have any internal motivations beyond killing and following the commands of its master? Are there any other elixirs and spells that can influence it? What stories do people (regular villagers, Sisterhood members, and/or cult members) tell about it, both historically and in the aftermath of the game?