Around the World and Web

Around the World and Web includes announcements and items of interest from beyond the SWG.

Silmarillion Epistolary Week 2025

Silmarillion Epistolary is a challenge dedicated to creating fanworks to tell the story of the Silmarillion in the style of an epistolary novel. It will run April 14th - 20th, 2025, on Tumblr and AO3.

An epistolary novel is where the story is told through letters, diary entries, or other types of documents. One of the most well-known epistolary novels is Dracula, another more modern example would be The Princess Diaries series. These books use different kinds of documents and communications between characters such as letters, telegrams, email, journals, instant messaging, or texting to tell a story in a nontraditional way.

The goal of Silmarillion Epistolary is to encourage fans to take the stories we know and tell them through different kinds of documents.

Rules

Be kind and courteous to others. Disrespect or harassment won't be tolerated.

Entries must be in epistolary format of some kind. There are a lot of possibilities, so be creative!

Prompts are suggestions to help generate ideas, but you're not required to use them.

Tag entries as #silmarillionepistolary or @silmarillionepistolary so that they can be reblogged! If you think your post may have been missed please reach out to let us know!

Please tag NSFW entries so that they can be reblogged here with the appropriate tag.

No AI generated works, we want to see what YOU can create!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!

Prompts

Day 1: Daily Life, Customs, Recipes

Day 2: Exploration, New Lands, Maps

Day 3: Family, Loyalty, Journals

Day 4: Friendship, Alliance, Bookkeeping

Day 5: Love, Creation, Letters

Day 6: Loss, Betrayal, Obituaries

Day 7: Remembrance, New Beginnings, AU

These are suggestions to help generate ideas, but not required. If you don't like the prompts for the day please feel free to create something else!

April Challenge at tolkienshortfanworks

The tolkienshortfanworks challenge for April has been posted to the Dreamwidth community. 

The thematic challenge for this month is: Wood.
This could be in the sense of "forest" or in the sense of the material.
It could also be "wood" as an element in compounds or names.

The formal challenge this time is: linnod.
This is the traditional verse form used by Gilraen in the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen (LOTR Appendix A).
We only have that one canonical example with translation:
Ónen i-Estel Edain, ú-chebin estel anim.
"I gave Hope to the Dúnedain, I have kept no hope for myself."

The name of the form probably means "chant-seven".
Our Sindarin example seems to show two times seven syllables, although there may be other ways to interpret the form.
Imitate the Sindarin original or its English translation in any way you like.
Alternatively, your piece could include someone using a short response in verse in the way Gilraen does, without your imitating the form of the linnod itself.
 

These prompts can be filled separately and freely combined with other challenges and prompts that allow this. New participants welcome.

More detals on the challenges at the linked post and at the Dreamwidth community.

Celedriel Week 2025

Celedriel Week is a Tumblr events for fanworks about Galadriel and Celeborn. It will run April 6-12, 2025, with the following prompts:

April 6 - First Meetings, Impressions, The Heart Stirs. (A Gaze Caught. The Fire Ignites. "Eru save me, I've found my doom.")

April 7 - Dedication, Courtship, The Heart Blooms. (Flowers and Letters. Words of Love. "My heart, my love, my eternity. My soul soars for thee.")

April 8 - Marriage, Vows, The Heart Bound In Love. (An exchange of rings. Families bound. "In joy and suffering, in life persevering, in death enduring, I take thee and thee alone.")

April 9 - Kingdoms, Refuge, The Heart Endures. (Crowns of silver. Realms rise and fall. "Blessed are they who stand before the darkness and do not falter.")

April 10 - Separation, Conflict, The Heart Grieves. (War and loss leave wounds. Paths diverge and change. "I must follow this thread alone, but not forever.")

April 11 - Lothlorien, Children, The Heart Heals. (Wounds become scars. A silver realm. "Let our children bring joy amidst darkness.")

April 12 - The West, Undying Love, The Heart is Eternal. (A test endured and passed. A goodbye, but not a farewell. "In life and eternity, endless bliss under golden trees.")

Tolkien Ekphrasis Week 2025

Ekphrasis: the description or interpretation of a piece of art, usually visual, in a different artistic medium.

Material culture and art add vibrancy to our lives, and it seems that there are so many options in Middle Earth ripe for interpretation! A poem on Nerdanel's statues, a tapestry capturing Nessa's dance, a prose fic describing the impact of seeing Númenor's frescoes, a painting exploring the beautiful quotidian architecture of a Hobbit hole…

This is a Tolkien-fandom-wide event dedicated to the art of ekphrasis in Tolkien's worlds. Its goal is to illuminate the artistic surroundings of the places, people, and stories we love, in as many media as possible. As such, fanworks are welcome to take almost any form: see the FAQ for the full list!

The prompts are multi-part. The first part of the prompt is mandatory, describing the kind of art to be interpreted. The subsequent parts are optional thematic, formal, or visual add-ons that people may choose to incorporate or not.

In short, the timeline is:

  1. Read prompts starting March 17.
  2. Create!
  3. Post tagged work to AO3 before June 9 deadline.
  4. Enjoy daily reveals between June 10 and June 16.
  5. Amnesty day June 17 for late posters.

Inclusion

Tolkien Ekphrasis Week is open to all characters, genres, and ratings, and all Tolkien canons. This includes books, movies both live-action and animated, fan-made films like Born of Hope, TV shows, and game canons such as Lord of the Rings Online. It also includes Tolkien's non-Arda fictional works, such as Roverandom. Crossovers between two or more Tolkien canons are welcome.

Tolkien Ekphrasis Week wants to be as inclusive as possible. As such:

  • All canons and versions of canon are equally welcome and encouraged to participate.
  • Fan creators of all levels of experience should feel more than welcome to join in the fun.
  • All languages are welcomed, and works in languages other than English are actively encouraged.
  • All styles of art and all types of fic are permitted. Apart from following the Art Form content prompt for each day, there are no restrictions on genre, style, rating, or ship. There are two exceptions: first, no character bashing; second, no AI-generated writing or art.

Above all, this event is supposed to get us thinking and feeling about art, which is for everyone. With this in mind, TEW asks participants to be respectful and inclusive at all times. In particular, TEW values its queer and trans participants and participants of color and will moderate as necessary to ensure that this event remains a welcoming space.

Please see the FAQ for all rules and full instructions on how to post and tag.

Calendar

June 9, 2025: Submit all works to the AO3 Collection by this date

June 10-16, 2025: Reveals

March 17, 2026: 2025 AO3 Collection and DW community close to posting.

Housekeeping

The DW site is the primary home of Tolkien Ekphrasis Week: that is where to check first for dates, news, FAQs, links, and prompts!

Prompts will also be posted here on Tumblr. The Tumblr blog will be used for event promotion ahead of the event, answering questions via the ask function, and reblogging your creations, if they are posted and tagged on Tumblr.

This event does not and will not exist on any other form of social media other than Tumblr and DW, though I encourage you to spread the word in your other online communities.

If you have any questions, you can get in touch with the mod, @chestnut_pod, via Tumblr ask or comments on the Dreamwidth community's equivalent post.

Links

Teitho March/April Challenge: Mothers

Exploring the idea of mothers in Tolkien lets us go behind the scenes. We have quite a few mothers directly in the narrative, primarily in the Silmarillion—where we see Miriel, Nerdanel, Morwen, Idril, Aredhel, Luthien, Elwing, and even have mentions of Anaire and Earwen.

In The Lord of the Rings we read of Galadriel being Celebrian’s mother and Arwen’s grandmother. Aragorn’s mother Gilraen, Faramir and Boromir’s mother Finduilas, and Rosie Cotton—Sam’s wife—are all mentioned in the narrative. The Hobbit gives us a memory of Belladonna Took, Bilbo’s mother, and mentions of Thorin’s sister Dis—the mother of Fili and Kili. The stories of any of these characters would make for fascinating fic! Or art!

There are many who remain unmentioned and unnamed—Legolas’s mother, Gimli’s, the mothers of generations of Dunedain, of Gondorians, of the Rohirrim, of the Shire. And consider Ungoliant, mother of Shelob! And mothers among the ranks of orcs.

We are excited to see where this prompt takes you and which character gives you inspiration! Please submit your fic or art by April 30 to teitho.contest@gmail.com

Find more information about Teitho here.

Around the World and Web Archive

Events listed here are no longer active but are listed on the site for historical purposes.

Sapphic Tolkien: Femslash February 2024

Sapphic Tolkien runs Femslash February every year. Responses can be any form of media; the only rule is to make it femslash (term is loose, whatever sapphic/GL/yuri content you want, throw 'em in the ring) and you can do as much or as little as you please. There are no series restrictions but please tag warnings appropriately.

Prompts

 

  1. if only
  2. please be gentle
  3. your life is mine
  4. doomed by the narrative
  5. hands for holding
  6. it still bleeds
  7. come back soon
  8. living dead
  9. in the shadows
  10. love is devotion
  11. alternate timeline
  12. karma
  13. goddess
  14. before you go
  15. haunting
  16. hourglass
  17. weapons
  18. once upon a time
  19. partners-in-crime
  20. chose violence
  21. fantasy
  22. anything for you
  23. copycat
  24. plagued by the horrors
  25. your voice
  26. apocalypse
  27. diamond
  28. made you smile
  29. and then I found you

Fandom Trumps Hate 2024

We blinked, and it's 2024, and our EIGHTH year of running this auction. 2024 has all the same problems as last year but more — but we also have a lot to be hopeful about, and a lot of good projects worth supporting and fighting for.

You can look at this page (also linked in our header) for the list of this year's supported nonprofit organizations. We'll be posting more detailed profiles of each of them in the coming weeks. Below is the full calendar for this year's auction.

February 5th: creator signups open

February 19th: creator signups close

February 29th: browsing period begins

March 5th: bidding opens

March 9th: bidding closes

March 16th: proof of high bid donations due

March 21st: proof of 2nd chance donations due

Back in 2021, as we were pulling together the fifth FTH auction, we joked together behind the scenes about how great it felt that the name of our auction was no longer quite as on-the-nose as it had been in our first few years. But it's 2024, and in all likelihood 45 will be back on the ballot: just one of the many sobering and scary things we're facing down this year.

But for the past seven years, we've had the privilege of watching thousands of fans -- yes, literally thousands -- dedicate their time and money and energy to the twin projects of sending support to some amazing organizations while building and strengthening community ties within fandom. Now, more than ever, that kind of community-building is essential.

We hope you'll join us, and join one another, in sending much-needed financial support to these amazing organizations and in putting more joy and beauty out into the world in the form of fanworks. These are dark times, but when we join together we can make them a little brighter.

(What is Fandom Trumps Hate anyway? Read our FAQ.)

Find a list of Tolkien fandom offerings here!

Signum University Summer 2024 Courses

The Summer 2024 semester begins April 29, and registration opens February 5. Students who register early help the course management team set the preceptor schedules, so mark your calendars for registration day! We are offering the following courses:

  • Tolkien & Tradition: recorded lectures by Dr. Verlyn Flieger; preceptors Dr. Sara Brown & Erin Aust
  • Ursula K. Le Guin: Worldbuilder: recorded lectures by Kris Swank; preceptors Kris Swank and Dr. Sara Brown
  • Chaucer II: The Canterbury Tales: recorded Lectures by Dr. Corey Olsen; preceptors Dr. Liam Daley & Dr. Nelson Goering
  • Introduction to Old English: recorded Lectures by Dr. Michael Drout & Dr. Nelson Goering; preceptors Dr. Paul Peterson & Dr. Nelson Goering

Read more about these courses here, or learn more about enrolling in the Language and Literature program — or how to audit courses — here.

Sapphic Tolkien: Femslash February Podfic Edition 2024

Welcome to the first (hopefully annual) Femslash February podFic Edition 2024! This is a femslash focused podficcing event running all throughout February! (aka an event to convince people to make more femslash podfic)

Frequently asked Questions:

What is this event? A shameless plug to get me, MelancholyMorningstar, more femslash podfic

How do I participate? Make a podfic, not!fic, or filk featuring two (or more) women in a romantic and/or sexual relationship and post it to this collection!

Do genderswapped/trans characters count? Absolutely! Regardless of what canon says any character can be femslashed if you try hard enough

Can I post NSFW/darkfic content? Go for it! As long as you tag appropriately this collection will accept all works featuring f/f (or f/f/f, or f/f/f/f/+) pairings

If you feel like tagging is a fundamentally flawed system of posting fanworks, feel free to create femslash anyway and just not include it in this collection

When does this event run? All of February! This collection will remain unrevealed until the beginning of February (if you somehow manage podfic before then) and then remain open from that point onwards Inspired by @polypodweek this collection won't have a hard deadline, but if it is getting close to February next year you should probably wait for the next collection

Does this event have themes/prompts? Nope For this first year it's going to remain very vague and open, and we'll see how it goes for next year

But I really want a prompt list? Check out the ao3 tag cloud for inspiration! Additional Tag Cloud

I'm not going to have time/energy/motivation to make femslash podfic during February, how can I participate? No stress this is a very low key event, but if you'd like to participate you can: A) make a different medium of femslash work and post it to tumblr under the hashtag #femslashfebruary or the ao3 collection Femslash February (no affiliation) or, B) Find a femslash author and ask them to put up a Blanket Permission statement about their podficcing permissions Femslash fandoms tend to be very light on permission statements about whether people can make podfic without asking first You can even direct them to the Permission Statement Builder by flamingwell @flamingwell to make it super easy

Femslash February Bingo 2024

Three different bingo cards—light prompts, darker prompts, a combined one with all prompts—to celebrate Femslash February with fanworks. All fandoms welcome! This is a Tumblr event.

Rules

- When: all of February

- What: focus of your work should be a wlw / femslash / f/f ship, i.e. a ship with two or more female presenting characters, gender bending welcome

- any fandoms, any characters, any ships, any content (please tag appropriately)

- any fanworks—fics (no minimum or maximum wordcount!), art, poetry, moodboards... go wild! Tag #femslash feb bingo when posting it here on Tumblr so we can reblog

- AI-generated works are NOT allowed

- How: it’s totally chill, just do a single prompt or aim for bingo(s), whatever you want! You can get your bingos with one fic, with multiple fics, whatever you like! Choose one of the bingo cards and mark what prompts you're using.

- Crossposting with other events allowed

- most of all: have fun!

Prompts

Light prompts:

  • Miscommunication
  • Bells
  • Reincarnation
  • Snowed in
  • Heaven
  • Princess / Queen
  • “I’m not going anywhere"
  • Anniversary
  • “Just trust me”
  • Sickfic
  • Secret identity
  • Break up
  • Post-Canon
  • Good intentions
  • Dream
  • “Hit me with your best shot”

Dark prompts:

  • Blood
  • Power imbalance
  • Enemies to lovers
  • “I don’t need you anymore”
  • Knives
  • Damaged
  • “I’d burn down the world for you”
  • Came back wrong
  • Betrayal
  • “I didn’t know who else to go to”
  • Hell
  • Thief
  • Nightmare
  • Unrequited
  • Obsession
  • Dying words

Find graphic versions of the bingo cards on Femslash February's tumblr.

Oxford 50th Commemoration Seminar Podcasts

Recordings from the Tolkien 50th Commemoration seminar series at Oxford University now available as podcasts! From the Fantasy Literature podcast page, which includes the seminar recordings:

Fantasy Literature has emerged as one of the most important genres over the past few decades and now enjoys extraordinary levels of popularity. The impact of Tolkien’s Middle-earth works and the serialisation of George Martin’s ‘Game of Thrones’ books has moved these and their contemporaries into mainstream culture. As the popularity grows so does interest in the roots of fantasy, the main writers and themes, and how to approach these texts.
Oxford is a natural home to fantasy literature with those who worked or studied here having written so many famous and influential texts (e.g. Lewis Carroll (C. L. Dodgson), C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Susan Cooper, Diana Wynne Jones, Alan Garner, and Philip Pullman to name but a few) – leading to the notion of an ‘Oxford School of Fantasy’. These lectures, short talks, and interviews seek to take listeners into these works and these writers and beyond.

Thanks to Himring for the find!

Femslash February 2024

Fem!slash February is the perfect opportunity to bring to life your fave F/F pairing from the Tolkien fandom. 

Yes, this includes OCs and even Fem versions of pairings (for example, Fem! Bagginshield)! Additionally, this is a trans-inclusive space. If you want to write a transfemme character, we welcome it. This can include nonbinary or gender non-conforming characters in sapphic pairings! If you feel that a character is female or femme based on your definition, it counts.  

How to participate: 

We have selected six femslash pairs that some mentioned as their favorite femslash ship! We also included a free space for any other wonderful femslash ships you like. If you only want to do free space fics for this event, no problem!  

Just remember to:

If you want, you can also add (fic or art) your creation to our AO3 Collection!

Also, note that this is not only writing prompts. If you want to draw, moodboard, playlist etc. for the prompts, feel free to!!

We are so looking forward to reading all the queerness.

Prompts

  • Arwen/Éowyn
  • Galadriel/Melian
  • Sigrid/Tauriel
  • Fem!Ecthelion/Dís
  • Lúthien/Thuri
  • Nerdanel/Indis
  • Free Space

International Fanworks Day 2024

Time flies! We’re already celebrating the tenth anniversary of International Fanworks Day (IFD) here at the Organization for Transformative Works.

Every February 15th, on the day when, ten years ago, AO3 celebrated its millionth published fanwork, fandom gathers to celebrate IFD and fanworks in all their forms—fics, art, vids, zines, meta, and more—and their importance in and across fannish communities all over the world.

We would love to hear about your experience in fandom—as a fan, as a creator, as a member of the community. The running theme for this IFD is 10: give us your ten things that mean the most to you about fandom, share with us a highlight about the past ten years you’ve spent in fandom, or, if you’re feeling nostalgic, tell us about ten funny, exciting or noteworthy moments that happened in your fandoms.

We are going to keep an eye out for the stories shared by fans, so tag your posts with #IFD2024 and we’ll signal boost those stories on the OTW News social media accounts.

In a few weeks we’ll be announcing what the OTW is doing to celebrate IFD 2024. But we also want to know what you and your fandom communities will be doing to celebrate the 10th year of this event! Back in December we asked you what your community was planning for this IFD: we’ll collect information and links to those events until January 28. We’ll then promote those events to our readership on both our website and socials along with our own event schedule, so make sure to share your celebrations!

We are really happy to share this milestone with you, and can’t wait to know what you’re doing to celebrate. We look forward to reading about what fandom and fanworks have meant to you!

Barduil Fic Rec February 2024

This February, we're going to celebrate by sharing the love for all the wonderful fics in the Barduil community! Use the Google form below to recommend as many of your favorite fics as you'd like, and we'll share them throughout the month of February -- and generate masterlists of recommended fics to share throughout the year!

If you have any questions, please send us an ask or message one of the mods.

Click here to recommend fics!

Gore Swap 2024

Goreswap is an exchange for stories and art that feature gore as a prominent element. Goreswap will run in 2024 with the following schedule:

Nominations: January 12-19
Sign ups: January 20-27
Assignments out by: January 30 (ideally earlier)
Works Due: Sunday March 10
Reveals: Friday March 22

All deadlines are 11:59 PM EST/EDT. Please note that daylight savings in this timezone begins the day of the deadline and check the counter!

Goreswap Rules
AO3 Collection
Tagset