New Challenge: Bollywood
This month's challenge offers songs, films, and tropes from Bollywood, the world's largest film industry based out of India, as prompts for fanworks.
SWG News
Cultus Dispatches: Fandom Chocolate … or Authors Love Comments
Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data provides insight into how comments benefit authors and which authors are most impacted by a lack of comments, with a digression on authors' perspectives one-click feedback like kudos.
A Sense of History: Passing Ships
As Tolkien's characters in various texts gaze out to the sea, what do they see? What is brought by the ships coming out of the West?
Beta-Reader List Now Available
The beta-reader list and profiles have been moved into our new system and are available again.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Series] The Light and the Sea (Steampunk Númenor) by AdmirableMonster
Largely focused on Númenor, its fall, and the aftermath, as seen from the perspective of two Mannish scientists, bit players in some ways, but who nonetheless cast their shadows across the history of Middle Earth.
[Writing] Reflections by AdmirableMonster
A story of three friends in Númenor, one of whom attracts the attention of the High Priest. What does friendship mean in the shadow of the Black Temple?
[Writing] No Time Have I by Flora-lass
A Silmarillion acrostic.
[Writing] An exercise in music... And patience by Aprilertuile
Makalaurë was sitting at the harp in his music room. He was holding a dark blindfold in his hands and was looking at it with much scepticism.
[Writing] I called it Fate that I should fail by AdmirableMonster
Nimruzimir, a natural philosopher recently out of his apprenticeship, hardly considers himself very important to anyone, least of all his colleagues. When his strange, prophetic fits bring him to the attention of the High Priest, however, he may find that his existence is less superfluous than…
[Writing] All of you by chrissystriped
Elrond and Celebrían celebrate their anniversary with their family.
[Writing] Lament for the Singer by daughterofshadows
A short thing about Maglor, death and grieving.
Current Challenge
Bollywood
Prompts this month are films, songs, and tropes from India's dazzling film industry, Bollywood. Read more ...
Random Challenge
B2MeM 2011
Back to Middle-earth Month 2011 featured a daily postcard from a different location in Middle-earth with a creative prompt inspired by that location. Read more ...
New in References
Fandom Chocolate … or Authors Love Comments by Dawn Walls-Thumma
[]Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data shows that authors view comments as driving their motivation to create fanfiction. However, perception of comments by authors is part of a larger shift in fandom around how and how often fans interact with each other.
Passing Ships by Simon J. Cook
[]The arrival and departure of ships across the Great Sea carries mythic significance for the peoples of Middle-earth. The image of ships crossing out of and back into a mysterious West appears as well in Beowulf and is alluded to in Tolkien's tower analogy in his lecture "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics," where the tower allows those who climb it to observe the passage of the ships.
Fanfiction and the Serious Business of Writer's Craft by Dawn Walls-Thumma
[]Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data shows that while most authors self-identify as taking their craft seriously, a growing subset of authors may be pushing that norm.
Beyond the Silmarillion
[Writing] Staging a Battle by StarSpray
[]He and Diamond were visiting, though Pippin had been disappearing every afternoon, and taking Frodo and Elanor and most other lads and lasses in the neighborhood with him—though why they couldn’t use Pippin’s own pony, Sam couldn’t imagine.
[Writing] From whose bourn no traveller returns by losselen
[]So gathered they were to Bree, what lieutenants who could be spared, from their scattered watches west and east, for their chieftain had returned from his long sojourn in lands godless and mountains strange.
Aragorn returns from the South to tells his tales. Halbarad listens.
[Writing] Sand Sorcery by StarSpray
[]It is well known that Psamathos does not leave his cove. He does not like to get his feet wet, and prefers to spend his days dozing under the sun.
Around the World and Web
Fellowship of the Fics: Summer Stories 2024
Fellowship of the Fics offers four weeks of summer-themed prompts during the month of July.
July challenge at tolkienshortfanworks posted
The tolkienshortfanworks challenge for July has been posted to the Dreamwidth community. The thematic challenge is: original character or unnamed canon character; the formal challenge: fixed length of multiple of 50 words. New participants welcome.
July 2024 Call for Papers and Proposals
Conferences and publications that have open calls for papers and proposals in July 2024.
Teitho June/July Challenge: Mentor
The June/July prompt for the Teitho challenge is "mentor" and invites fanworks about this relationship in Tolkien's works.
Scribbles & Drabbles 2024
A chill Tolkien event, where artists make art, and authors write little stories in response. Begins in June and ends in November.
New and Updated Fanworks
Include Beyond the Silmarillion Fanworks
From Tirion to the West-Gate by Kaylee Arafinwiel
Write about something wrong that turns out to be right. (for day 3 of Nancy Stohlman's November 2021 challenge)
'The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there.' -L.P. Hartley, 'The Go-Between'
Lalwen Finwiel reflects on market-days throughout her life, and how the more things change, the more they stay the same. Or do they?
| Major Characters: Galadriel, Lalwen |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 453 |
| Posted on 8 November 2021 | Updated on 8 November 2021 |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is a work in progress. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (0) |
Beren and the Cats by Kaylee Arafinwiel
So November 2's prompt from Nancy Stohlman was "Write about a man who has at least three cats." I can think of several of my Elves who I headcanon as having cats, but while 'man' could just mean 'male', I took it to mean Man, and weirdly the first one that came into my head as possibly having many cats was...Beren. I don't have any reason for this, except that Huan loves him so it would be funny for him to also be a cat person
| Major Characters: Beren |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: Character Death |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 333 |
| Posted on 8 November 2021 | Updated on 8 November 2021 |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is a work in progress. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (0) |
Beyond The Doors of Night by Kaylee Arafinwiel
So Nancy Stohlman's first prompt for November was "Write a story that takes place in darkness"... Don't know that it gets much darker than the Void. Post-LOTR, let's see how Morgoth, Sauron, and Saruman are doing...
| Major Characters: Melkor, Saruman, Sauron |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Humor | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 211 |
| Posted on 8 November 2021 | Updated on 8 November 2021 |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is a work in progress. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (0) |
The Roads Not taken by Idrils Scribe
A collection of outtakes and deleted scenes written for the Under Strange Stars series. Are you wondering how Elrohir's long journey came to be, or which alternative universes didn't make the cut? Want to read more about the characters? Take a look over here, at what might have been ...
| Major Characters: Elrohir |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Family | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 5 | Word Count: 7, 523 |
| Posted on 21 October 2019 | Updated on 7 November 2021 |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is a work in progress. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (2) |
Unsummoned and unlooked for by chrissystriped
Rog has heard about the Union of Maedhros and confronts Turgon about not telling them.
| Major Characters: Rog, Turgon |
| Major Relationships: Rog & Turgon |
| Genres: General | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 787 |
| Posted on 31 July 2021 | Updated on 3 November 2021 |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (0) |
Pinching Time by Anérea
Varda experiments with undoing just a wee bit of history...
| Major Characters: Valar, Varda |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: General | Challenges: Gnome Tome |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 32 |
| Posted on 1 November 2021 | Updated on 3 November 2021 |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (14) |
Constellation of the North by heget
Loosely all the fics featuring or staring Fingolfin, Gil-galad, or Gil-galad's mother, Meril. Geographical focus on Hithlum and northeastern Beleriand. Also will be the Hadorian counterpart to the Bëorian collection.
| Major Characters: Fingolfin, Fingon, Gil-galad, Hador, House of Hador, Meril, Morwë, Noldor, Sindar |
| Major Relationships: Fingon/Unnamed Canon Character |
| Genres: General | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Warnings: No warnings apply | |
| Posted on 2 November 2021 | Updated on 3 November 2021 |
| This fanwork is a work in progress. |
| View Fanwork | Comments (0) |
Meril and Mornacu by heget
The Lady of the Mithrim and the spokesperson of the Tatyar Avari in the early days after the Mereth Aderthad.
| Major Characters: Original Character(s), Meril |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: General | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 977 |
| Posted on 3 November 2021 | Updated on 3 November 2021 |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (2) |
Seaside Sojourn by StarSpray
The summer before her marriage, Belladonna goes in search of the Sea, and meets an elf.
| Major Characters: Maglor |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Fluff, General | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 3, 223 |
| Posted on 2 November 2021 | Updated on 2 November 2021 |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (0) |
The Hound of Morwë by heget
The story of the leader of the Tatyar Avari in Beleriand and a reunion on the battlefield.
| Major Characters: Original Character(s), Avari, Morwë, Orcs |
| Major Relationships: Original Character/Original Character |
| Genres: General, Horror | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: Violence (Mild) |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 1, 293 |
| Posted on 2 November 2021 | Updated on 2 November 2021 |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (0) |
Maudits silmarils, livre 1 by Dilly
A Gondolin, Turgon déprime... Une parodie crack du Silmarillion façon Kaamelott et Sacré Graal. Livre terminé !
| Major Characters: Original Character(s), Ecthelion of the Fountain, Egalmoth, Elenwë, Elves, Enerdhil, Fingolfin, Fingon, Glorfindel, Idril, Maedhros, Maglor, Meleth (Elf), Men, Noldor, Orodreth, Penlod, Rog, Salgant, Sindar, Sons of Fëanor, Turgon |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Het, Humor, Slash/Femslash | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 52 | Word Count: 99, 448 |
| Posted on 4 December 2013 | Updated on 2 November 2021 |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (7) |
Maudits silmarils - Series by Dilly
Le Silmarillion version crack.
| Major Characters: No major characters listed |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Humor | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Warnings: No warnings apply | |
| Posted on 7 March 2021 | Updated on 2 November 2021 |
| This fanwork is a work in progress. |
| View Fanwork | Comments (0) |
Bloody Silmarils - Series by Dilly
In Gondolin, Turgon is depressed...
| Major Characters: Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s), Aredhel, Caranthir, Celegorm, Curufin, Daeron, Ecthelion of the Fountain, Egalmoth, Elemmakil, Elenwë, Elu Thingol, Elves, Enerdhil, Erestor, Fëanor, Fingolfin, Fingon, Galadriel, Huan, Idril, Lúthien Tinúviel, Maedhros, Maglor, Meleth (Elf), Men, Meril, Nerdanel, Noldor, Orodreth, Penlod, Rog, Saeros, Salgant, Sindar, Sons of Fëanor, Teleri, Tevildo, Thorondor, Turgon, Vanyar, Voronwë |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Adventure, Drama, General, Het, Humor, Romance, Slash/Femslash | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Warnings: No warnings apply | |
| Posted on 7 March 2021 | Updated on 2 November 2021 |
| This fanwork is a work in progress. |
| View Fanwork | Comments (0) |
Radiance by elennalore
What if Varda was the fallen Vala instead of Melkor?
| Major Characters: Manwë, Melkor, Sauron, Varda |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Alternate Universe, Ficlet | Challenges: Gnome Tome |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 669 |
| Posted on 1 November 2021 | Updated on 1 November 2021 |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (10) |
Tangled Up In Time by Anérea
Tolkien. Mathematics.
| Major Characters: J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Humor | Challenges: Gnome Tome |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 11 |
| Posted on 31 October 2021 | Updated on 1 November 2021 |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (6) |
A Beautiful Poison by Idrils Scribe
The Great Plague sweeps Middle-earth, devastating Gondor. As his kingdom crumbles around him, dying King Telemnar summons the best healer in Middle-earth to his stricken son's mansion. The disease is dreadful, but Elrond soon finds that an even greater danger threatens the Crown Prince.
An Edgar Allan Poe-inspired spooky season special. I'll post a chapter a day until Halloween.
| Major Characters: Elrond |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Horror | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Adult | Warnings: Creator Chooses Not to Warn |
| Chapters: 5 | Word Count: 6, 970 |
| Posted on 27 October 2021 | Updated on 31 October 2021 |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (4) |
And we met love along the way by daughterofshadows
Celebrían & Elrond at the beginning of their journey.
It is not love yet, but there are roots for it to grow, and perhaps in time, it will be.
| Major Characters: Celebrían, Elrond |
| Major Relationships: Celebrían & Elrond, Celebrían/Elrond |
| Genres: Ficlet, Fluff, General | Challenges: Gnome Tome |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 569 |
| Posted on 24 October 2021 | Updated on 31 October 2021 |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (10) |
The Binds of Death have been Unwound by chrissystriped
The wolf that kills Finrod has not always been a wolf.
| Major Characters: Original Male Character(s), Finrod Felagund |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: General, Horror | Challenges: Gnome Tome |
| Rating: Adult | Warnings: Character Death, Violence (Graphic) |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 1, 535 |
| Posted on 25 October 2021 | Updated on 31 October 2021 |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (12) |
"A Different Kind of Flame" and "Fire and Terror" by Himring
A craftswoman weaves Feanorian flames, but Morgoth's flames prove deadlier.
She is haunted by flame, at first, even after her death.
| Major Characters: Original Female Character(s) |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Fixed-Length Ficlet | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings |
| Chapters: 2 | Word Count: 200 |
| Posted on 30 October 2021 | Updated on 30 October 2021 |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (0) |
Letters by chrissystriped
Nolofinwe and Maedhros write each other letters while they live on opposite ends of Beleriand.
| Major Characters: Fingolfin, Maedhros |
| Major Relationships: Fingolfin/Maedhros |
| Genres: Erotica, Hurt/Comfort, Slash | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Adult | Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings, Sexual Content (Graphic) |
| Chapters: 8 | Word Count: 4, 438 |
| Posted on 30 October 2021 | Updated on 30 October 2021 |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (0) |
| Major Characters: No major characters listed |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Fixed-Length Ficlet, Poetry | Challenges: Gnome Tome |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 104 |
| Posted on 28 October 2021 | Updated on 28 October 2021 |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (5) |
Arithmetic Progression at Cuivienen by Himring
In Cuivienen, ancestral home of the elves, Imin, ancestor-founder of the Vanyar (originally called Minyar), makes a slightly tactless comment.
| Major Characters: Imin, Iminyë |
| Major Relationships: Imin/Iminyë |
| Genres: Crackfic | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 144 |
| Posted on 22 October 2021 | Updated on 22 October 2021 |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (2) |
A Farewell by Himring
Morwen departs for Dor-lomin, with Rian and some other refugees of the House of Beor, while Emeldir and others remain in Brethil.
| Major Characters: Emeldir, Morwen |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Fixed-Length Ficlet | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 101 |
| Posted on 22 October 2021 | Updated on 22 October 2021 |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (2) |
Attercop by Himring
Beren in Nan Dungortheb.
And an in-universe explanation for a statement about spiders in The Hobbit.
| Major Characters: Beren |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Ficlet | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 120 |
| Posted on 22 October 2021 | Updated on 22 October 2021 |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (2) |
Burning in the House: Éowyn's Outcry and the Death of Aerin by Himring
In an attempt to allow widely separated parts of the Legendarium to throw light on each other, Aerin's final acts are compared to the imagery in which Éowyn's expresses her concerns in The Lord of the Rings. The relevant passages share the motif of the burning house. The handling of this motif suggests authorial sympathy with Éowyn's plight.
