A Sense of History: Straight Road
The next in a series of articles about ships passing to and from the West, Simon uses "The Fall of Númenor" to attempt to arrive at Tolkien's reading of the exordium to "Beowulf."
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Fandom Voices: Comments and Feedback
Our Fandom Voices project tackles the fraught questions of feedback: what it is like to leave and receive feedback in the world of Tolkien fanworks.
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New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] Meeting the In-Laws by awwyeah107
Caranthir is nervous about meeting Haleth’s father and brother for the first time. Haleth is sure everything will go well.
[Reference] Straight Road by Simon J. Cook
The Fall of Númenor offers the evidence used to arrive at Tolkien's reading of the exordium to Beowulf.
[Artwork] Morgoth's prisoner by elennalore
Maedhros in Angband
[Reference] Fandom Voices: Comments and Feedback by Dawn Walls-Thumma
Over thirty people contributed their thoughts on the experience of leaving and receiving feedback on fanworks. Emotions run high on all sides, but community and connections emerge as factors that promote feedback while easing its difficulties for readers and viewers.
[Writing] Coincidences of Fate by cílil
Sometimes Eönwë wonders if his life is just like Manwë's romance novels. Sometimes he even thinks the One may be laughing at him from above.
A story told in exactly 4 1/3 drabbles.
[Writing] Tengwar Drabbles by cílil
A collection of Silmarillion-centric drabbles written for the Tengwar Challenge. Short and sweet!
Current Challenge
Bollywood
Prompts this month are films, songs, and tropes from India's dazzling film industry, Bollywood. Read more ...
Random Challenge
April's Fool
Create a fanwork in which a character tricks or plays a prank on another. Read more ...
New in References
Straight Road by Simon J. Cook
The Fall of Númenor offers the evidence used to arrive at Tolkien's reading of the exordium to Beowulf.
Fandom Voices: Comments and Feedback by Dawn Walls-Thumma
Over thirty people contributed their thoughts on the experience of leaving and receiving feedback on fanworks. Emotions run high on all sides, but community and connections emerge as factors that promote feedback while easing its difficulties for readers and viewers.
Fandom Voices: Using Fanon in Fanworks by Dawn Walls-Thumma
Sixteen Tolkien fans contributed their definitions of and experiences with fanon or fan-generated theories about the legendarium.
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
Eönwë Week 2024
Eönwë Week is a Tumblr event for creating fanworks about Eönwë.
Teitho August/September Contest: Do you remember ...?
For the contest theme for August and September, characters will look back to the past.
August challenge at tolkienshortfanworks on Dreamwidth
The August challenge has been posted to the tolkienshortfanworks community on Dreamwidth. The thematic challenge is: magic trees. The formal challenge is: call and response. New participants welcome.
August 2024 Call for Papers and Proposals
Calls for papers and proposals for conferences and publications that are open during the month of August 2024.
Innumerable Stars 2024
Innumerable Stars is a Tolkien fandom gift exchange for all works by Tolkien or associated with Middle-earth.
Star-Crossed by Leithriel
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Memories
Memories are both painful and pleasant.
"Where are you now?" she whispered to the still water she stood in "Why did it have to happen to you?"
She didn't know the answer to either of those two questions, and she wouldn't have one, unless she did that. Doubts plagued her mind. What if it didn't work? Was it worth it to try, only for the attempt to end in failure?
Memories surfaced.....
-x-
It had been an ordinary summer day, and Nellas was gathering flowers, when a strange sound caught her attention. Curiosity got the better of her, and she took a peek. It was a procession of five, led by Beleg, followed by three strangers, with Mablung bringing up the rear.
All three strangers were mortal men. Two of them were bent with age, while the third was a mere child. A child who was forced to mature too quickly. Nellas wasn't sure how she knew this information, but she did. She felt herself drawn to this child, in more ways than one. And so she offered to be his companion, and to teach him some of things he needed to know.
And so they walked through the forests of Menegroth, and she taught him the names and uses of various plants that grew there, and even some of the animals living there. She knew his name by that point. Everyone did. She knew of his ambition to follow his father's footsteps, and of his hatred for the Enemy.
-x-
She held one regret for all this time. That she couldn't see the real implications of the darkness that she knew existed around him at the time.
"Why didn't I save you?" she asked the skies "Why didn't I keep you from leaving? Why didn't I stop you from doing the deed which made you leave?"
Those questions and more swirled around her head. Thoughts of what could have been tormented her with their uncertainty.
Deep down, she knew why. Morgoth's power was too strong, and no one could work against it in the end.
-x-
The more time she spent with him, the more she grew to like him. As he grew, so did the nature of her feelings towards him. And at some point, her feelings turned into love.
