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
Vána by Dawn Felagund
Barely mentioned in the published Silmarillion, Vána originally played a role as an active, assertive woman among the Valar. Her notable associations imply her role in the legendarium should be fuller than her meager mentions in the published Silmarillion suggest.
Vairë the Weaver by Dawn Felagund
Although barely present in the published Silmarillion, Vairë emerges in Tolkien's earlier writings as a remarkably empathetic character and an apt foil to her cold-hearted husband Námo.
Ungoliant by oshun
Ungoliant, the mother of all of Tolkien's hideous and terrifying spiders, appears first in his earliest written work on the legendarium.
Turgon the Wise by oshun
In the early parts of the published Silmarillion, Turgon is overshadowed by the impressive feats of heroism of his elder brother Fingon. Later in the narrative of the First Age, however, it is Turgon of all of the House of Finwë, save perhaps Fëanor, who receives the most page space, due to his role as the king of Gondolin.
Tuor by oshun
Tuor may be less well-known among the larger Tolkien fandom than other Silmarillion characters like Elrond, Galadriel, Sauron, or perhaps even Fëanor or Maglor. His role, however, is to provide a crucial link between the tales of the Elder Days and the culmination of the story of the Elves in Middle-earth and the ascendancy of the age of Men which is recounted in The Lord of the Rings.
Tulkas by Dawn Felagund
Tulkas evolved from Tolkien's early work on the Silmarillion from a playful, youthful character to a character more associated with unapologetic violence.
Thuringwethil by oshun
Thuringwethil is a villain who appears in the tale of Beren and Lúthien. For a relatively obscure character, who appears only briefly and is mentioned but four times by name in The Silmarillion, she is known among readers and perhaps viewed as an intriguing creature or one whom readers love to hate.
Thranduil by Scarlet10
Thranduil, best known as "the Elvenking" in The Hobbit, appears throughout various texts in Tolkien's writings and has been subject to myriad fan interpretations.
Thorondor, Lord of the Eagles by oshun
Thorondor, called the Lord of the Eagles, is the mightiest among the feathered messengers and guardians who served Manwë in Middle-earth.
Thingol by oshun
Elu Thingol is one of the three elves, along with Ingwë and Finwë, chosen by Oromë to go to Valinor and eventually lead his people across the sea. However, he never made it back to Valinor and instead reigned as the Sindarin king on Doriath.
Tar-Vanimeldë by oshun
Tar-Vanimeldë is a character whose story "raises as many questions as it answers." In the few details he offers, Tolkien hints that her throne was usurped by her power-hungry husband.
Tar-Palantir by oshun
Tar-Palantir and his descendants tried to stem the rising rebellion against the Valar and Eldar in Númenor. Though the drowning of that land speaks to their ultimate failure, their legacy perpetuates in the Mortal realms of Middle-earth into the Third Age.
Tar-Meneldur by oshun
Tar-Meneldur, the fifth king of Númenor, was known for his interest in astronomy.
Tar-Aldarion by oshun
Tar-Aldarion, the sixth King of Númenor, is best known for his penchant for sea voyages.
Shelob by Lindariel
The daughter of the monstrous Ungoliant, Shelob is one of the myriad links between the First and Third Ages. This biography considers her origins, appearance, evolution, and uniquely sinister ability to spin darkness.
Sauron by Marta
At first glance Sauron does not appear to have much depth as a character. He works rather well as a villain, but we are rarely given a reason to think of him as more than that. As with many of Tolkien's characters, however, they really come into their own in Tolkien's so-called minor works.
Saeros by Robinka
As one of the very few negatively portrayed Elves in the entire legendarium, Saeros was responsible for the outcome that became another twist in Túrin’s complicated fate and another factor of his impending catastrophe.
Rúmil of Tirion by oshun
Rúmil of Tirion is a Noldorin loremaster of great repute, notable among a people recognized for their creativity, avidity for knowledge, and love of words.
Rochallor by oshun
Rochallor is the great warhorse of Fingolfin High King of the Noldor who carried his master to his final, desperate confrontation with Morgoth.
Rían by Robinka
Having a name does not guarantee having a role in the legendarium, let alone being an important character. Representing that assemblage of characters, our heroine here today is Rían – the wife of Huor and the mother of Tuor.
Radagast the Brown by oshun
One of the Istari or Wizards, Radagast is a blink-or-you-miss-him character with particular connections to animals and nature.
Pengolodh by Dawn Felagund
A biography of Pengolodh, emphasizing what he would have known of the history he wrote about and how that impacts interpreting The Silmarillion for fanfiction.
Oromë by oshun
Among the many evocative and fascinating of Tolkien’s characters, the Vala Oromë uniquely tempts one to note the resemblances between the Professor’s invented mythology and real world myth and legend.
Orodreth by Tarion Anarore
Orodreth is often remembered (or forgotten) for his milder-mannered and soft-spoken nature, though other sources paint a more varied picture.
