New Challenge: Potluck Bingo
Sit down to a delicious selection of prompts served on bingo boards, created by the SWG community.
SWG News
Bingo Cards Wanted for Potluck Bingo
Our November-December challenge will be Potluck Bingo, featuring cards created by you! If you'd like to create cards or prompts for cards, we are taking submissions.
Tolkien Meta Week, December 8-14
We will be hosting a Tolkien Meta Week in December, here on the archive and on our Tumblr, for nonfiction fanworks about Tolkien.
New Challenge: Orctober
Orcs on a quest for freedom seek a place sheltered and safe from the Dark Lord. Fulfill prompts to gather the clues needed to bring them to freedom.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] Collection of Potluck Drabbles by Artano
This is a collection of true drabbles completed for the 'Four Words' drabble bingo card.
[Reference] Mapping Arda, Part III: The Second Age by Varda delle Stelle, Anérea
A series of articles featuring fan-made maps of all the lands of Arda. Part III explores the island of Númenor and mainland Middle-earth during the Second Age.
[Writing] Getting Dirty by Elleth
A collection of NSFW ficlets for the "Keep It Clean" bingo card of the 2024 Potluck Bingo.
[Reference] Doom and Ascent: The Argument of ‘Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics’ by Simon J. Cook
Simon reads 'Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics' to conclude his account of the Anglo-Saxon tower of its allegory.
[Artwork] 2024 Potluck Doodles by silmalope
Assorted prompt fills for the 2024 Potluck bingo boards, to varying degrees of completion! :)
[Artwork] A Collection of Maps Exhibiting the Changing Political Landscape in Beleriand by Artano
Created for the 'Geography/Maps/Places' prompt on the "Tolkien meta" bingo board, this is a collection of maps marked with the various people groups showing how they arrived and moved about Beleriand. This collection focuses specifically on the time from the arrival of the Teleri, Vanyar, and…
[Writing] On the Nature of the Sindar’s Hunting the Petty-dwarves by Artano
This is an analysis on whether the Sindar ate the Petty-dwarves during the years they hunted them, completed for the 'Literary Analysis' prompt on the "Tolkien Meta" bingo card.
Current Challenge
Potluck Bingo
Help yourself to a collection of prompts on bingo boards designed by members and friends of the SWG. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Heroes
Create a fanwork about a hero, whether the typical saves-the-world type or the unlikely, unsung, and accidental, those who have been forgotten or perhaps were never noticed at all, who made their worlds a better place. Read more ...
New in References
Mapping Arda, Part III: The Second Age by Varda delle Stelle, Anérea
A series of articles featuring fan-made maps of all the lands of Arda. Part III explores the island of Númenor and mainland Middle-earth during the Second Age.
Doom and Ascent: The Argument of ‘Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics’ by Simon J. Cook
Simon reads 'Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics' to conclude his account of the Anglo-Saxon tower of its allegory.
Why People Don't Comment: Data and History From the Tolkienfic Fandom by Dawn Walls-Thumma
A reworking of the 2018 article for Long Live Feedback that includes data from the 2020 Tolkien Fanfiction Survey, pointing to a lack of comments as related to skill, confidence, and community connection.
Featured Themed Collection
Part of our Themed Collection series for our newsletter, this collection features fiction, artwork, and essays that transcend the idea of Orcs as the enemy, instead considering their humanity.
Alliterative Verse for Arda by Rhunedhel
Part of our Themed Collection series for our newsletter, this collection features alliterative poems about Middle-earth.
Beyond the Silmarillion
[Artwork] Long-tressed Wingildi by Anérea
"... the long-tressed Wingildi ... spirits of the foam and the surf of ocean."
~ a painted sketch for Scribbles and Drabbles 2024.
[Writing] Partners in Craft by elennalore
Annatar realises that he might like Celebrimbor too much.
[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.
Around the World and Web
Teitho November/December Contest: Healing
The theme for Teitho's November/December contest is healing.
Lord of the Rings Secret Santa 2024
LotR SESA has been ongoing for twenty-one years and is running again this year as a prompt meme hosted on AO3 for all genres of Tolkien-based fanfiction.
Kiliel Week 2024
Kiliel Week is a Tumblr event for fanworks about the Kili/Tauriel pairing.
November challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
The challenge for November has been posted to the tolkienshortfanworks community on Dreamwidth. Thematic prompt: refuge. Formal challenge: include imitation of a sound. As always, these can be filled independently and also freely combined with SWG and other challenges. New participants welcome!
November 2024 Call for Papers and Proposals
Calls for papers and proposals for conferences and publications that are open during the month of November 2024.
Drabbles by Grundy
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To Each His Own
Series of drabbles written for the prompt "Curufin courts his future wife." (For Amy Fortuna, written for Multifandom Drabble Exchange 2017.)
Maitimo sighed as he watched the courtyard gate shut firmly behind Tyelpesilmë.
It was the third time this week the talented young jewelsmith had argued with Curufinwë.
Time for a word with his little brother…
“Curvo, perhaps you should work with someone else if you cannot keep from fighting with her.”
His brother blinked at him from his workbench in apparent surprise.
“We were not fighting,” he said blankly.
“So that was not an argument I just overheard?” Maitimo asked skeptically.
“Of course not,” Curvo snorted disdainfully. “Did you never listen to Kano while he was courting?”
“Courting?” Maitimo spluttered.
Makalaurë howled with laughter when Maitimo brought the matter up with him later.
“Lindë and I never fought,” he managed between guffaws. “I admit we had some fierce debates about chromatic progression – we still do on occasion – but we never argued as you’re saying Curvo and his beloved do.”
Calming down somewhat, he grinned.
“Then again, I also don’t have Curvo’s… interesting… attitude.”
“Thank the Valar for small mercies,” Maitimo replied. “One of him is quite enough. But I still don’t see the attraction of courtship by debate.”
“No,” Makalaurë agreed drily. “You and Finno prefer wrestling, riding, and swordplay.”
“Some men, little brother, stick to what they are good at when trying to impress a girl,” Tyelkormo suggested, trying not to laugh out loud.
Curvo glared at him from the table where he was making a heartfelt but disastrous attempt at flower arrangement.
“I am good,” he said waspishly, “at crafting wearable ornaments. But as Silmë is also a talented smith, I can hardly gift her jewelry.”
“Why not? I thought the two of you enjoyed discussing designs.”
“She can make things just as fine on her own. Besides, half the kingdom wears my creations. She deserves something special.”
Carnistir has never been his favorite brother, but Curufinwë could kiss him for this suggestion.
He wanted to show Tyelpesilme how important she was to him. Moryo had pointed out ‘different’ need not mean ‘something you have never tried before’.
Rather than make something Silmë might find beautiful – a gift any man might give any girl – he’d make something useful. Something that showed he knew the person she was.
She will appreciate the worktable he is building, similar to the one he’d constructed for his brother, but designed with her work needs in mind, far more than any silly flowers.
Ambarussa wore matching looks of unease.
“You’re not going to announce it right away, are you?” Pityo asked hopefully.
“Why would I not?” Curufinwë demanded in aggravation.
What possible reason could his baby brothers have for wanting him to delay telling his parents of his intention to marry?
“You are our next oldest brother,” Telvo explained, as though it should have been obvious. “We were counting on our other brothers marrying before you.”
“You’ll give Atto and Ammë ideas,” Pityo continued. “They will start expecting us to look around for girls to settle down with too!”
“The horror,” Curufinwë muttered.
