A Sense of History: Straight Road
The next in a series of articles about ships passing to and from the West, Simon uses "The Fall of Númenor" to attempt to arrive at Tolkien's reading of the exordium to "Beowulf."
Challenges have been a part of the SWG since our group was formed in 2005. Before the archive, there were challenges. Before References or any special projects or B2MeM or any of the myriad things we've done over the last decade-plus, there were challenges. Challenges end and a new challenges is posted on the 15th of the month. (Yes, that means there is one thrilling day each month when there are two active challenges!) Participants—both authors and reviewers—will receive a stamp in their challenge stamp collection for their participation. Deadlines apply only if you want your fanwork to receive a stamp.
Every challenge that has ever been offered by the SWG is available for use by creators of fanworks who are looking for inspiration. Even if the deadline for stamps is passed, you are welcome to use the challenges listed on our site. And comments on past challenge fanworks are always welcome and always receive a reward for that month. Want to join us? Click to read the guidelines below!
The world's largest film industry isn't Hollywood, with its stars and scandals and endless sequels but Bollywood, the film industry that originated in Bombay in the late 19th century, more than a decade before Hollywood got its start. This month's challenge celebrates the lively dances, glittering costumes, towering emotions, and music you can't get out of your head of Bollywood.
Prompts this month come from Bollywood films and will be assigned by a moderator. You can request your prompt on Dreamwidth, Tumblr, the #monthly-challenges channel on our Discord, or by emailing the mods. You can specify whether you'd like a song, film title, trope, or color palette—or you can let us surprise you! (If you choose a song, let us know if you'd like a song with an English translation available.) As always, you can use any aspect of your prompt to inspire your fanwork.
In some cases, we provide an intentionally brief and vague synopsis of a film or definition of a concept so that creators can get started with a prompt without having to do additional research. However, creators are welcome to dig deeper into a prompt if they want to and use what they learn to inspire a fanwork. For example, you might find that the film in your prompt has a clever subplot you will write a story around, the music video for a song has costumes you will include in a drawing, or a concept has aspects not included in our definition that you wish to use to make a playlist. While this is not required, you should feel free to dig as deeply into the prompts if you want and use anything you find!
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Consider what "that" is for your character: the one thing that she or he refuses to do, no matter what. And what happens when she or he ends up having to do it anyway? Challenge opened in . Read more ...
In honor of our 10th birthday, we introduced our Silmfic prompt generator and solicited fanworks made using it. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork that involves worldbuilding or themes related to crime and punishment. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Choose a famous first line to start your own story or inspire a non-written fanwork. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork about or showing the oral tradition. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Pit two characters against each other to see who wins. Characters can fight physically or match their wits or even magic. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Choose a place in Middle-earth that is particularly evocative and create a fanwork where that location itself acts as a character. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork that places a Silmarillion character into a fictional setting from our real-world literature Challenge opened in . Read more ...
The Silmarillion has many moments when a character stands upon a crossroad: He or she will have to make a decision. At such a turning point in your story, create a fanwork about that moment that will define or alter the life of your character. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Emancipation and equality can be found in the Professor's words, and we would like to challenge you to create a fanwork about this process. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Take the dark back streets of one of Arda's cities, explore an unsigned tavern or hovel, and meet the people too insignificant or unsavory to make it into the history books. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
In this AU challenge, fix that moment that you always wanted to see handled differently by offering your beloved character that moment of forgiveness or redemption. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork that addresses the question of life, (im)mortality and reincarnation, or re-embodiment. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork that features a memory from a character's childhood. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork about gift-giving (be it material or immaterial) or the traditions of gift-giving. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork focused on numbers: how they were invented or used by a culture or character. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Storytelling is an interactive art, using words and actions to bring a story to life while encouraging the listener’s imagination. This challenge is all about storytellers in the Silmarillion tapestry. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Send a character as a student to an unfamiliar culture and create a fanwork about his, her, or their experience. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Unleash your imagination by looking at fairy tales of old and mix them with Tolkien's own Mythopoeia or make up your own fairy tales featuring your own characters or such stories told by your characters. Challenge opened in . Read more ...