Upcoming fic exchanges

[luzula]

I...do not usually post this often. Yay?

I really want to participate in more multi-fannish exchanges this year (I've only done Yuletide in the past). chocolateboxcomm seems like an easy start, since it's only a 400-word minimum. But I'm also intrigued by worldbuildingex, where nominations are open now. Anyone else doing that one? If so, what would you nominate?

Off the top of my head, my ideas are:
- Left Hand of Darkness, where I'd love some mythology or storytelling, and I'd also love to know more about technology on that world. It's supposed to be stable and not disruptive to the environment, how does that work, socially speaking?
- The Dispossessed is always interesting, like early days of Anarres stuff. I already got that for Yuletide once, but why not?
- Earthsea is already nominated, with prompts like Roke, Enlad, Solea, and Dragons. Hmm. *ponders other Earthsea prompts*

Er, maybe I should have non-Le Guin ideas as well...

Comments

[karanguni]

I'm going to try wordbuildingex but haven't figured it out yet!

[espresso_addict]

Glad I'm not the only one. It all seems a bit opaque.

[luzula]

I thought the explanation in the nominations post was fairly easy to follow? Basically, you put worldbuilding stuff in the relationship fields, and also make sure that "Any or no characters" and "Original characters" is nominated in each fandom.

[espresso_addict]

I might just be too cold-ridden to concentrate. The latter point was one I'd initially missed. Additionally, I think one needs to include a worldbuilding theme, not just characters? The mod has talked of rejecting fandoms because of lack of nominated worldbuilding themes.

Also I'm confused about worldbuilding in non-sf&f universes: one fandom's been considered for rejection for being based on an autobiography, but I'm not seeing the distinction between that and any fandom with a contemporary or real historical setting, such as, say, Austen. When I world-build in Austen I do historical research into the real Bath or wherever, as well as creating maps of Pemberley (yes, I am obsessed :)).

[luzula]

Also I'm confused about worldbuilding in non-sf&f universes

Me too. RPF is officially out because the worldbuilding is just real world research. So why aren't fictional books set in the real world also out?

ETA: Wait, maybe it's because you can request things like "character x:s family backstory" or "character y:s dissertation research" and then the author would have to make up stuff.

[espresso_addict]

Indeed, but I can't see how one can stop someone requesting or writing a real-world setting with limited/no imaginative input. The mod would have to patrol requests and reject those that didn't fit the spirit of the exchange.

One problem with this exchange, I think, is that it was conceived as a small worldbuilding-obsessive-only affair, but the first round greatly exceeded expectations, and this round is now getting interest from people sufficiently outside that category that they don't quite get what the mod is aiming for.

[sarren]

I am also a Yuletide person who has just found Chocolate Box and signed up thinking it's a small word limit low pressure exchange, and I've been going through looking at the letters and some of them are wild. :)

[luzula]

Yeah? I did look at all those relationship tags in Original Works and wondered if people were trolling the challenge.

Collection of Insects Wearing A Fake Human Suit/Collection of Spiders Wearing A Fake Human Suit
Wereleopard Bear Blacksmith/Snake Who Was Magically Turned Into A Snake

Seriously??

[sarren]

Ha, really? I have now seen some pretty awesome sounding original prompts (but not that one).

I have, of course, matched with the person who requested the most...challenging fic ideas. (it will be fun. and scary. and fun)

[luzula]

Yeah. I think I matched with the pairing I offered that would take the most work, too.

[espresso_addict]

I was thinking of signing up for the Worldbuilding Exchange. Earthsea was among my target list (though I'm not the existing nominator) and The Dispossessed is also of interest. Off the top of my head, other fandoms I'm pondering nominating include Diana Wynne Jones Dalemark (mainly interested in the prehistory/myth) & Power of Three; Bujold Sharing Knife (particularly the pre-apocalyptic era; like you I got a good story in Yuletide past but am greedy for more); Tolkien Smith of Wootton Major & the Unfinished Tales material on Numenor always fascinates; as well as Narnia (bound to be nominated by someone). I can see I shall have to do some pruning!

[luzula]

Hmm. I like Power of Three; worldbuilding for that would be interesting! And Tolkien, yeah, I've never requested/written in those fandoms but maybe I should try it some time.

[espresso_addict]

I wrote a bit of Tolkien back in the HASA Golden Age & I've written a bookverse The Hobbit piece since, but it's a scary playing field for someone with my non-obsessed level of Tolkien knowledge.

[luzula]

I dunno, I was Tolkien-obsessed when I was younger, so maybe I could do it? I did spend a summer learning Quenya. : )

[espresso_addict]

Go for it!

[isis]

I love Chocolate Box but I don't have time or brain to sign up, so I'm planning on treating only. But I do want to do the Worldbuilding Exchange this year - I loved the fics I read last year from it, though I didn't participate. Fandoms I'm interested in are The Chrysalids (one of my Yuletide requests), Six of Crows, The Witcher, Old Kingdom, maybe Rosemary Sutcliff books, maybe The Bedlam Stacks, maybe Rivers of London...there are a lot of possibilities.

[luzula]

I think I will sign up for both? Ambitious, but neither of them have a penalty for defaulting. Or at least I will nominate for the Worldbuilding Exchange and then see later if there's enough I can offer.

[cahn]

...this post and the discussion in comments have switched me from "Gosh, I'm all burnt out on Yuletide, worldbuildingex isn't even a thing on my radar" to "uhhh I am actually kind of excited about this!" (Fandoms, huh. Magic Flute, umm... Damar? I'm sure I must have others... I guess I have the week to think about it.)

[luzula]

Hee. Well, I'm glad to have inspired you, then. : )

[nonesensed]

Late to the party, but these two exchanges both sound super interesting! Chocolate Box sounds like just big enough for the amount of energy one has after the holidays (and Yuletide), so I'm definitely checking that out next year. As for the World Building exchange, I'm really hungry for some The Goblin Emperor world building. Anything Le Guin is of course also fantastic, but Katherine Addison's world of elves and goblins and industrialized steampunk empires... Maaan, I'm really tempted.

I've been kind of snowed in on Yuletide as the only exchange I partake in (outside of the odd Big Bang here and there), so I'm very glad I read your post about these ones!

[luzula]

There are a fair number of interesting multifandom exchanges other than Yuletide, actually. Other than the ones discussed here, there's Jukebox (fics based on songs), Night on Fic Mountain, Exchange on Fic Corner (children's lit), Femslashex, Trick or Treat Exchange.

I do read and enjoy Goblin Emperor fic, and I can see why you'd want worldbuilding for it!

[nonesensed]

Oooh, more recs, huzzah! Thank you very much :D I'm definitely check out all of them!

I wrote Goblin Emperor fic for Yuletide this year and got a prompt about worldbuilding by my recipient, which started the ball rolling for me. Re-reading the book in preparation for writing the fic also helped. The world is just so rich and has so much implied information that likely never will be explored further "officially", so I'm tempted to dive back in soon :)