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
Arda Underground
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. 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
Angrim by oshun
As the father of the tragic Gorlim, Angrim embodies both the nobility and the tragedy of the early houses of the Edain.
Ancalagon the Black by oshun
Ancalagon is the "darkest and most powerful weapon of Morgoth" and this biography explores what we know of this greatest of dragons, Tolkien's fascination with dragons, and the story's role in providing rare eucatastrophe in The Silmarillion.
Anárion Son of Elendil by oshun
Anárion is one of the characters that acts as a direct link between the histories of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings. This biography considers his role in Tolkien's larger themes, his place in the legendarium, and thorny fannish questions about his status related to Isildur.
Anairë by oshun
Anairë, the wife of Fingolfin, is named only in the auxillary texts to The Silmarillion, yet this character offers fruitful possibilities for exploration.
Amrod and Amras by Dawn Felagund
Although Amrod and Amras appeared early in Tolkien's work on the legendarium, their characters unwent significant shifts as he worked on the Silmarillion materials of which they were part.
Amrod and Amras (Seven in '07) by Dawn Felagund
In a brief biography written for the Seven in '07 event, Amrod and Amras are assigned roles that changed and evolved over the course of Tolkien's work on the legendarium.
Amdir by oshun
King of Lórien in the Second Age, Amdír invites questions of how the Light, Dark, and Grey Elves interacted in the early history of Middle-earth.
Amárië of the Vanyar by oshun
Who was this briefly mentioned woman, the beloved of Finrod Felagund? Much of what we know about Amárië must be inferred from the texts.
Ailinel by oshun
In honor of Legendarium Ladies April, this biography looks at the life of a woman who existed at the heart of the politics during Aldarion's reign in Númenor and yet remains voiceless. What do we know of Ailinel's character and what of the vast questions that remain?
Aerin by Himring
Like many women of The Silmarillion, Aerin receives little attention in The Silmarillion but plays a much-expanded role in other posthumously published texts. Aerin simultaneously fulfills the role of a victim and as an example of female agency.
Aegnor by oshun
Like so many Silmarillion characters, Aegnor has a complex and sometimes contradictory textual history. A fiery warrior and romantic with a heart of gold that could belong only to a son of Finarfin, Aegnor is one of The Silmarillion's many fascinating minor characters.
Rise Again From Ashes by Independence1776
After spending millennia wandering Middle-earth, Maglor returns to Valinor, where he attempts to adjust to both his Valar-imposed restrictions and living once more with the Eldar.
| Major Characters: Original Character(s), Celebrían, Eärendil, Elrond, Glorfindel, Maglor, Valar |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Drama, General | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: Expletive Language, Sexual Content (Mild) |
| Chapters: 27 | Word Count: 61, 027 |
| Posted on 29 May 2010 | Updated on 19 March 2021 |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (102) |
Silmarillion Time Travel by Leithriel
Time travel stories set in Silmarillion.
13th birthday insta-drabbles! by RaisingCaiin
insta-drabbles written in response to prompts on SWG Discord!
Alternative Perspective Character Studies by elvntari
Self-explanatory. And exploration of characters through telling the story through their eyes.
The Silmarillion : The Flight of the Noldor by R A Sharkey
The Simarillion: Flight of the Noldor is a dramatic retalling in script form of the events detailed in the Silmarillion and the Unfinished Tales. (Part One of Six) These scripts were written ten years ago after i read the earliest works of JRR Tolkien and became enamoured with them. Like most of you out there, I believe them to be the most powerful stories with the most memorable characters in all of Tolkien\'s world.
At the same time, I had seen the flawed but compelling films by Peter Jackson. Having been a fan of his since the Bad Taste days, I was excited but also concerned when he was announced as the director for the films, knowing of his penchant for slapstick comedy in his horror films. As I feared, there was as much to hate as there was to love about the movies. What I did love is the way they were put together, the music, the attention to detail, the action and the cinematogrophy. Lovingly crafted.
These scripts were meant to reflect the atmosphere and presentation of those fims but with greater respect for the source material, which is much more dark and tragic. I really wrote these to help learn my craft. They have sat in cyberspace for a decade. I welcome comments but I am not working on these other than to polish them for this site. I am working on my own original material so I do not have the time for anything other than correcting major mistakes in continuity if any are discovered.
Thanks to all, and I hope you enjoy!
Regards,
R A Sharkey
not love, but worship. by esquitor
he inspires in others what he feels within himself.
admiration. respect. love. worship. (for melkor.)
fear. regret. despair. (for the valar.)
betrayal. (his own.)
a collection of writings on mairon, and how he becomes what he will become.
(a fancy way of saying how i explore headcanon for the gazillion years of mairon\'s life until the end of the world)
Songs of Stone and Mountain by pandemonium_213
I have alluded to the deep friendship between Dísa, a noble Dwarf-woman of the House of Narvi, and Mélamírë, the Second Age elven-smith of Ost-in-Edhil, in previous stories of the Pandë!verse, e.g., Chapter 28 of The Elendilmir and Chapter 4 of The Writhen Pool. I figured I\'d gather their stories in one place as a series.
So. OFCs. Pandë!verse. Those should be ample warnings.
Songs of Stone and Mountain by pandemonium_213
I have alluded to the deep friendship between Dísa, a noble Dwarf-woman of the House of Narvi, and Mélamírë, the Second Age elven-smith of Ost-in-Edhil, in previous stories of the Pandë!verse, e.g., Chapter 28 of The Elendilmir and Chapter 4 of The Writhen Pool. I figured I\'d gather their stories in one place as a series.
So. OFCs. Pandë!verse. Those should be ample warnings.
The Oath of Fëanor - Multilingual version by Calendille, Angelica, Lyra, bluehair, firstamazon
The Oath of Fëanor, translated by the international cast of the SWG! Vocal versions to be added!
| Major Characters: Fëanor, Sons of Fëanor |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Poetry | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 6 | Word Count: 764 |
| Posted on 27 April 2020 | Updated on 15 March 2021 |
| This fanwork is a work in progress. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (0) |
Fair Things Yet to Be by Lindariel
Alatáriel undertakes to learn an art long forbidden by her family.
| Major Characters: Daeron, Galadriel, Melian |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: General | Challenges: Times of Bliss |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 2, 460 |
| Posted on 13 March 2021 | Updated on 13 March 2021 |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (2) |
Questionable Wisdom by Grundy
The Long Peace nearly came to a premature end when Finrod found Men.
| Major Characters: Caranthir, Finrod Felagund |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: | Challenges: Times of Bliss |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 227 |
| Posted on 9 March 2021 | Updated on 9 March 2021 |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (6) |
Answers from Old Sources: What Does That Name Mean? by darthfingon
An investigation of the meaning of some of Tolkien's more elusive Elvish names.
Lámatyávë: If you have no idea what that word means, read this article by darthfingon
Why the "sound taste" of a name is often more important than the meaning when naming original characters.
All About Accents! by darthfingon
What do all those accents and symbols in Tolkien's languages mean? This column explains what they mean and how to pronounce them.
