Founded in 2005, the Silmarillion Writers' Guild exists for discussions of and creative fanworks based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion and related texts. We are a positive-focused and open-minded space that welcomes fans from all over the world and with all levels of experience with Tolkien's works. Whether you are picking up Tolkien's books for the first time or have been a fan for decades, we welcome you to join us!
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.
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.
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…
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…
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 ...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Comments
The Silmarillion Writers' Guild is more than just an archive--we are a community! If you enjoy a fanwork or enjoy a creator's work, please consider letting them know in a comment.
Michiru, this is beautifully written! You capture so well the darkness and despair and bitter heroism of this time; the scenes of the kings abdicating their crowns were just stunningly written. I hope you will continue this; I am looking forward to reading more. :)
Okay, so that's three paragraphs of nonsensical fangirling spazzing I've deleted now. I think I'm slightly more in control. Must try not to frighten the locals away.
I can't say how much your review means to me. Actually, it's better for you if I don't. Three paragraphs of fangirling. You do not want to subject yourself to that. Trust me. There is absolutely no way I could not finish continue this story arc; the poor Noldor are already clamoring for me to fix the mess I plan to the plot demands I make of their lives. The next chapter will be out as soon as Arafinwë stops being a brat and cooperates with me. (Arafinwë would like to point out that it's actually Fëanáro who's been giving me trouble. Arafinwë can get over it because he was the one who decided to try to talk to Fëanáro. Never mind that he actually had to in order to advance the plot. It isn't fair. Can't I write a story about Fëanáro without him actually in it? Tolkien did it with Sauron... No, you're right, it wouldn't work. Oh, well. They will obey me in the end... yes, that does mean you, Mr. Curufinwë Fëanáro.)
Ahem. No, apparently I'm not in control. Thank you so much! Really. Inane rambling aside, I'm truly ecstatic that you enjoyed this. :D
Well, you know I love your stories. This one was good to have read previously and then re-read after a little time as I noticed much more detail - the 'death scene' was well written in that it was actually quite shocking and it was very easy for me to put myself into the characters thoughts.
I have so many questions I want to ask given that the events are unfolding so very differently from cannon but I won't ask as I'm sure all will be revealed in time!
Thank you! That death scene was awful to write- as someone who knew what was going to happen, I kept stalling, and Finarfin was feeling much more nervous than he had any reason to. I had to go back and be Finarfin, not the all-knowing author. It was difficult. (I had to trash all my give-away foreshadowing! I'll have to pay more attention in the future.)
Hopefully all will be revealed- if these Feanorians will cooperate. No, it's not even just the Feanorians; the Finwions are being just as annoying, too.
Blimey! That was horrible to read - um, in a good way, though. The death scene was not cheesy, but shocking - I can see this is story that's going to continue shocking (and intriguing) me. Great writing - very evocative of the dangerous atmosphere that must be pervading Valinor during this story. I'm curious to learn more about how this AU works. For example, you referred to the late Senate leader Manwe - so he's dead? And where does Melkor figure into this? What happened to Indis and Fingolfin? What's going to happen to Fingon, Turgon, Anaire, etc? Will this story make me dislike Feanor even more? (Probably!)
*clears throat* Well... um... spoilers? Indis! There we go; Indis! I can tell you about her. She's... as far as I know... not in Tirion. (But maybe she lied to me about that...)
The next chapter should hopefully answer... let's see... two of your questions? As for the others... one won't be answered until... the sequel? Or even the third book? Hopefully- no, definitely the sequel. I think. And the other is coming up in a few chapters. Maybe chapter three? (chapter four, counting the prologue)
I like Feanor, personally... *except for when he refuses to speak his lines*
I'm glad it was horrible in a good way! You scared me a little with that... but I'm very pleased- two people now have told me that death scene was shocking and not cheesy, which... is a good thing.
Updates............................................................. Does it help to know that I work on the next chapter in my dubious spare time?
Thank you for your review. Erm. (Wow, formal much?) No, really, thank you. :)
Oh wow, this is very intense! I'm looking forward further chapters, I'm really curious to know what happens, especially how Fingolfin's family is taking things. (Not well, I should think.)
Thanks very much! I'm actually struggling with ways to do that-- since I'd set up Finarfin and his family as my POV characters. I think I've found a way to do it, but we'll see...
This is wonderfully written! The intrigue, the darkness of the events... It's very edgy and not at all overdone. And the characterisation feels so natural. I even felt captivated in the scenes with Ingwë and Olwë - two characters who do not usually hold my attention! And Arakáno's death...it took me several long moments to read those paragraphs, because I kept thinking "oh no, oh no...". Brilliant execution of dramatic irony and suspense. Well done all around! I really hope more is to come.
Thank you very much for your kind words! It's always great to hear that someone enjoyed this piece; it was one of my first Silmarillion fanfics. Though other projects are taking top priority right now, I fully intend to return to this story and finish it; there's definitely much more to come.
Oh wow! I'm loving all the political intrigue! I really like the quotes you have interspersed with the story, too; they're a nice frame for what's going on.
I like how everyone seems detached and dazed, to different degrees, and how even Feanaro's sons seem a bit off balance with everything thats going on.
The scenes with Arakano's death and Arafinwe's reaction were really poignant!
Ahh, thank you for your kind words and your review! I'm very glacially continuing to work on this story, and it's nice to have the reminder that some folks out there are still interested in where it's going. Off-balance is a great way to describe the characters in this early part of the action.
Comments
The Silmarillion Writers' Guild is more than just an archive--we are a community! If you enjoy a fanwork or enjoy a creator's work, please consider letting them know in a comment.