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
[Writing] No Time Have I by Flora-lass
A Silmarillion acrostic.
[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.
[Writing] Cosmological Poems of Arda by AaronAzrael
I would like to share my revelations of Tolkien's Universe in the form of narrative and emotional poems.
[Writing] Eä's Redemption by AaronAzrael
This is my new poetical attempt to add my own interpretation to Tolkien's Cosmology as to Eru's Creation and the Valar's minds and behind-the-scene providence reasons and mechanisms.. I often review Eä as part of our own world, just in another dimension, this is why I have always seriously…
[Artwork] Map of Valinor by Aprilertuile
My newly drawn map of Aman, as complete as I could make it.
Current Challenge
Bollywood
Prompts this month are films, songs, and tropes from India's dazzling film industry, Bollywood. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Holiday Party
No matter if you're in the Northern or Southern hemisphere, it's a time of year to think about holidays. Whether you're bundling up in blankets or slipping a swimsuit into your suitcase, we invite you to an SWG holiday party! 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.
Elrond Week 2024
Elrond Week is a fandom event dedicated to Elrond Peredhel that will run from July 10th to July 16th on Tumblr.
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.
And Elves Are Yet Singing by Narya
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Chapter 1
“Will you go with them?”
Glorfindel lifted his head. Light from the flames shone in his golden hair, bright against the clean, dark air of late autumn that shifted and breathed at the mouth of the cave. “No.” He gave a humourless smile. “Elrond does not deem it wise. He intends to send one of the emissaries from Mirkwood – Thranduil's son, Legolas.”
“His youngest?” Maglor arched an eyebrow. “And to whom will Elrond assign the task of telling Thranduil?”
“I do not think he will, or at least, not until they are on their way.”
“By which point, Thranduil's objections would be meaningless.” Maglor took a deep drink of wine. Almost unwillingly, his mouth curled. “Cunning. I would not have thought it of Elrond.”
“I cannot imagine where he learned it.”
Maglor shot his cousin a sharp look and passed him the wineskin. Outside the wind hissed, snatching smoke and sparks from their stone haven. The fire's seeking teeth found a pocket of sap in a log, and the blaze popped and sqeaked, the scent of singed verdure drifting upwards from the flames. “And the Hobbit, Frodo Baggins? How does he fare?”
“He grows stronger.” Glorfindel's face softened. “Such tenacity...I would not have believed it.”
“Oh, I would.” Maglor thought of the quiet times he had spent in the Shire, the gentle rhythm of the days there, the steady strength in that green earth – and of Frodo's uncle, Bilbo, staunch in the face of the bloodbath by the Lonely Mountain. “There is more to Hobbits than meets the eye.”
This time Glorfindel's smile was genuine. “So Mithrandir says.”
“Does he?” Maglor slanted a curious glance across the flames. “I assume you know the truth of him.”
“What do you take me for? I returned on the same ship as Alatar and Pallando; of course I know what he is. At least,” he amended, “insofar as any of us can.”
Maglor nodded in acknowledgement. Another gust of wind pulled the red flames low.
“Will you go with them?” Glorfindel asked suddenly, rain-grey eyes curious.
“No.” Maglor snorted. “Fëanor's last surviving son, walking into Mordor? We might as well ask Sauron to the Valley for tea and have done with it.”
Glorfindel chuckled, drank, and handed back the wineskin.
“I might make an effective distraction,” Maglor allowed. “But no; I believe Elrond is right. The best hope of the Quest lies in secrecy and stealth.”
The night air stirred, tasting of frozen stone and damp bark. “Then where will you go?”
“Here. There.” A careless shrug. “What does it matter?”
“Makalaurë.” There was a hint of reproach in the mellow voice, and Maglor hid a smile as he remembered Laurëfindë in Valinor, gently keeping a gaggle of young cousins and siblings in order at family gatherings, chiding and distracting by turns. “You cannot walk away from this; the power in your voice alone -”
“Would attract attention of the wrong kind, and would not even find favour among all on our side.” He turned his head away. “There are others in Imladris besides Elrond who remember Sirion – and Doriath. They have not forgiven me and nor would I ask it of them.” Hot red liquid smeared on armour; the screams as they ran from the fey terrors the Oath had unleashed... “They have little reason to love those of my blood.”
Glorfindel exhaled. “I am sorry.”
“You?” Maglor blinked away his memories and looked back, astonished by the grief and tenderness in his cousin's eyes. “Ai, my dear, do not concern yourself with me; you have nothing to be sorry for, nothing at all.”
Glorfindel's gaze returned to the fire, a thoughtful line across his brow.
“Besides,” Maglor added, a little mischief curling through his voice, “I could not spend more than a few nights in Imladris without being driven out of my senses by that ridiculous song.”
His kinsman raised his eyes, and a slow, wicked smile spread across the serene features. “Tra-la-la-lally, here down in the valley...”
Maglor glared. “That was not an invitation and well you know it.”
“To fly would be folly,
To stay would be jolly.
Tra-lil-lil-lil-lolly - ”
“For the love of Eru, close your mouth or I will do it for you!”
Glorfindel laughed, and for a moment a keen edge of fresh earth and new life seemed to burst through the faded scent of the dying year. “Now there is the Makalaurë I remember, snarling at us all for distracting him from some precious composition, or for teasing him over a romantic conquest gone awry.” He pressed his lips together, his face the picture of solemnity, and began to hum the infectious melody instead – and then ducked and laughed as his cousin flung kindling at him. “I closed my mouth,” he pointed out unnecessarily.
Maglor growled, and gave him an affectionate shove.
“Stop, stop; I yield.” Glorfindel raised his hands, grinning. “Anyway, I hope you know that there are rumours you wrote that song.”
“Rumours you started, I have no doubt.”
A shake of the beautiful head. “As a matter of fact I believe it was Gildor. I think he and Elrond hope that one day you'll find the sound of it so offensve that you will come striding down into Imladris and scold them all into silence.”
Guilt twisted in Maglor's stomach, cold and sickness together. More than once he had seen the Wandering Companies on the road near the Woody End and melted into the shadows, unwilling to be found. “You will be scolded if you are not back before the weather turns.” There was ice on the breath of the wind, and snow not far behind.
Glorfindel grimaced. “You're right, of course.” He stood, clipped the wineskin to his belt, and hesitated for a moment before pulling Maglor into his arms.
“Cousin...” Maglor stroked the tumbling waves of yellow hair, soft and wild like living silk, and pressed his brow against his kinsman's. He breathed in, locking the scent of celandine and clear river-water away in his memory, another treasure to be taken out and smiled over when his road through the wilderness grew dark.
“I will see you soon.” Glorfindel gripped his shoulders and shook him slightly.
“Yes,” Maglor lied.
It was with aching regret that he watched his cousin ride away. For a long time he stood at the mouth of the cave, listening to Asfaloth's bells chime through the frost-rimmed night. Tomorrow he would move on; he was well enough now, and his task would not keep forever. But it had been a pleasant interlude. He hoped he would meet with Glorfindel again, before his cousin sailed.
Distant on the wind, he heard his cousin's voice, a thread of gold through November's soft, deep greys.
“Though sword shall be rusted,
And throne and crown perish
With strength that Men trusted,
And wealth that they cherish,
Oh, tra-la-la-lally
Here down in the valley, ha! Ha!”
Maglor smiled and raised his hand in farewell.
Chapter End Notes
Many thanks to my fellow Faerie Slashy Advent writers (Ziggy, Gabriel, NelyafinweFeanorion, Naledi and Cheekybeak) for letting me use some shared headcanons about the Tra-la-lally song.
