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
Promises Made/Promises Broken
Create a fanwork focusing on a promise. 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
Forging Arda by MisbehavingMaiar
Sometime in the winter of 2012 when I was home for the holidays, I picked up the Silmarillion again and fell down the rabbit hole. I ended up having a very vivid dream about the origins of Sauron/Mairon the Maiar, and his time spent in the service of Aulë the Smith. The first six pages were completed over the course of 2013; my goal was to preserve some of that original dream-material into a comic, but I also wanted to explore some of the empty margins in the history of these characters, simply because there was a lot about Middle Earth theology that frustrated me a great deal; and I felt like the motivations of a lot of the \'dark\' characters were not explored in the books to my satisfaction.
I realize now that \"Re-exploring\" the dark side of Tolkien\'s mythos is a fairly common pursuit of Silm fans, and Sauron and Melkor have both been re-imagined, justified, explained, deconstructed, and reconstructed by many more capable brains than mine long before I ever cracked open the first pages.
But it\'s too late for me now-- the dark lords have firmly rooted themselves in my brain and demand that I keep exploring their motivations and their relationships, and I\'ve become addicted to drawing their stupid faces (and other parts).
That said: here are the much-edited first six pages of my first Silmarillion-related project, that first got my foot in the door of the fandom.
Emotions by MisbehavingMaiar
A series of drabbles based on prompts for a meme on my Silmarillion blog.
The first drafts were posted in 2013, and I\'ve polished and fluffed them up a bit since then, because I have chronic editing syndrome.
Poetry by MisbehavingMaiar
I try not to inflict my poetry on strangers but sometimes it gets off the leash anyway.
Might Arising by Aerlinniel
A collection of Silmarillion events focusing on Melkor and from his perspective.
Flawless by Ilye
How does one bear scars?
That all depends on who you are and how you earned them. Through an ever-growing number of standalones, the Flawless universe explores the relationships of Fingon and Maedhros, Gil-galad and Glorfindel, and Elrond and Celebrian in the context of the events in the Silmarillion.
For consistency\'s sake, the narrative uses Sindarin names. Please see individual stories for warnings and ratings, but you\'ll be pretty safe if you assume an overall R-rating and plenty of slash.
Note: Flawless originally started off, some years ago, as a story of Glorfindel\'s rebirth in Lindon in mid-Second Age. It\'s now in the process of serious revision, so please suspend all disbelief if you ever read it in its first life and treat it as an entirely new being.
Tales of the Years of the Sun by Fadesintothewest
A series of stories exploring the exploits of the House of Fingolfin during the first years of the Years of the Sun.
The book of lost things by Dilly
Drabbles and ficlets compilation, english and french.
Recueil de courts textes sur le Silmarillion. Beren/Luthien, Maedhros/Fingon, fils de Fëanor, Sauron, etc.
Classés dans l\'ordre chronologique.
Flotsam and Jetsam by mistrali
Assorted drabbles and ficlets.
Sleeping Amber through Darkened Doorways by Urloth
The AU I am writing, primarily surrounding Celegorm and Finrod/ Tyelkormo and Findarato, starting with a tentative truce between the pair and carryig on past their deaths into the life of Gildor Inglorion, the bastard son in body of Finrod and in spirit of Celegorm.
This is otherwise known to me and my friends as that AU where I am completely awful to Celegorm.
Baubles, trinkets and short scribbles by Rhapsody
Celegorm and the world around him: How did he interact with it? What did he learn and what would he regret? This ficlet series will offer short vignettes that explores the world according to Celegorm.
This is a collection of (unedited) ficlets, written for Back To Middle-earth Month 2011. They have nice stamps and passports, I caved. Did I mention unedited?
Sons Of Justice by Gwenniel
The Sons of Feanor do only what they themselves deem right. They swore an Oath. A promise no one should make. For that they were forced into exile, for that they were both hated and feared.
A take on events in the lives of the sons of Fëanor, wordcounts vary from 5,000 to 20,000 and each told from a different son\'s perspective. Focuses on subjects such as loyalty, friendship and justice.
Completed POVs: Curufin, Caranthir, Maedhros, Amras.
Listed in order of Beleriand history, not writing-order.
The Line of Kings by Michiru
A series encompassing my attempt to bring Angrod and his family to life, from Valinor to the War of Wrath.
Legends of the Stars by Kimberleighe
A collection of Sindarin stories about the stars and myths before the rising of the Moon.
RAFA \'verse by Independence1776
The RAFA \'verse is a series set around \"Rise Again From Ashes,\" a tale in which Maglor returns to Valinor in the Seventh Age. The series is complete and listed in suggested reading order, though the other stories chronologically take place before RAFA. Not all are in the main Maglor-and-Elrond-centric storyline.
Please pay attention to the warnings and ratings; they vary by story.
The Secret Chronicles of the Ainur by Russandol
All of my stories about the Valar and the Maiar. Most of them derived from Chasing Mirages.
Ratings and warning for individual stories vary, please check.
Laws and Customs Revisited by Lyra
A collection of short, more or less irreverent stories dealing with the information offered by the Laws and Customs among the Eldar, their implications and interpretations in fandom.
Will be updated irregularly - as inspiration strikes.
Stories of the Sindar by oshun
I write mainly about the Noldor. And even writing about them, write mainly about the Feanorians and those who love them. This is my collection of stories featuring the Sindar and those who love them.
Dark Prince ~ The Darkness Has Its Own Light by Spiced Wine
Vanimórë, son of Sauron, was born in the shadows of Tol-in-Gaurhoth. A plaything, a slave, a warrior, he was bound to his father\'s mind, and tempered as a weapon of the Dark over thousands of years.
They forged better than they knew.
Trained in the pits of Angband, Vanimórë could command armies, kill without conscience, and he could hate those he served. But he would not break for them. The blood of the Eldar ran strong in him. His path was inextricably linked to some of the most famed and tragic of the Elves, and lead to a destiny he could never have imagined.
The Darkness –
– has its own Light.
The Library of Tirion by Angelica
As the Silmarillion Writers\' Guild turned five and reached its 1000th story, we thought it was a good time to look back on the authors who were active before our Archive opened in 2007. So we asked our members to suggest names of writers they had enjoyed reading in order to try to contact them. In this series you will find a collection of stories selected by these authors as their favourite or most representative productions.
We sincerely hope you enjoy rediscovering these wonderful authors. Do review their stories! They are willing to receive new opinions and different points of view!
Special thanks to Ithilwen, whose help to launch this project was invaluable.
Ratings and warning will vary: please check each story.
If you\'d like to suggest an author for inclusion in the Library of Tirion project, please see our Library of Tirion page.
Theatrical Muse by downtide
This is a series of drabbles and short fics, each one complete in itself, that were written during my Maedhros-muse's time in Theatrical Muse on LJ, between 2004 and 2005.
One Week in Himring by Himring
These stories are linked because together they form an account of a week Fingon spent in Himring a couple of years after the Dagor Bragollach. The days were taken up with a sequence of council sessions, but Maedhros and Fingon also spent the nights together, lovers in the full sense of the word for the first time.
Between them, these stories also outline the whole relationship from its beginning until Maedhros and Fingon meet again in Valinor. However, some episodes are described in much more detail in other stories of the series.
For warnings, etc. see the individual stories.
ETA: I stopped adding stories to this subseries at one point for technical reasons and never resumed. So some of the later stories in the overarching series would actually fit into this particular arc, but haven\'t been added.
On the Edge of Ruin by MithLuin
The childhood of Elros and Elrond leading up to the end of the First Age.
Or, the Silmarillion retold.
Angwëverse by WendWriter
Angwë the Builder is the brother of Sauron, and was a servant of Aulë until his love for his mountain, Celebdil, consumed him to the point where he was willing to do anything to regain control of it. He joined forces with Melkor (Morgoth) and became a Balrog, with the promise of having his mountain restored to him.
Angwë's diligence and lateral thinking make him an ideal servant. He can turn his hands to anything - to the despair of Morgoth's enemies - but with his heart set on driving the Dwarves out of the Dwarrowdelf and keeping Celebdil to himself, he's hard to manage, sometimes.
My Melkor speaks an archaic form of English to make himself seem remote and godlike. The rest of the characters use a more modern form because I find it easier to express myself thus.
Angwë's story is a tragedy - as the Balrog of Moria, he's doomed from the start, but it's his dream of getting his mountain back that draws people to him and makes them root for him. This fanon collides with that of Artíre the Watcher, who loves to observe drama and conflict, and they share the same fate when the Fellowship comes to Moria in the end. But until then, I have millennia to have fun with them!
The Poetic Silmarillion by Dawn Felagund
\"The Poetic Silmarillion\" is an ongoing attempt to \"collect\" poems and songs that might have been spoken and sung by various characters and cultures in Middle-earth.
Torchbearer by Aiwen
Stories about Finrod Felagund and sometimes other members of House Finarfin.
