Congratulations to the Middle-earth Olympic Medalists!

We are excited to announce the recipients of medals for the 2021 Middle-earth Olympics! Below are the medals that were awarded at our closing ceremonies on 22 August 2021.

Did you miss getting to award a medal to a challenge contributor or favorite fanwork? Why not leave a comment or send a message? All fanworks and usernames are linked below. Click on a fanwork to leave a comment or a username to send a message to that person.

Thank you to all participants who awarded medals!

Fanworks

All-Arounder to Kaylee Arafinwiel (awarded by Grundy)
Kaylee was the most adventurous of Olympians, attempting a record nine different prompts for this challenge!

Awesome AU to Silver Trails (awarded by Dawn Felagund)
I love your modern takes on the characters, the little jolts that the modernisms give! Especially, I liked The Purple Feathers, which managed to work in a lot of Olympic-related content into a sweet love story.

Brave New World to Himring, catadromously, and Kaylee Arafinwiel for Bruised Fruit, Bruised Egos (awarded by Dawn Felagund)
One of the cool (or maybe dangerous?) things about being on the mod team that makes the challenges is getting to craft challenges that you yourself would like to try. Relay writing was one such event in this challenge. A writer starts a story and hands it off to a progression of coauthors, all writing in a single sitting, from start to finish. Catadromously, Kaylee, and Himring were willing to give this a try with me and I had so much fun collaborating with them and seeing the different directions they took our shared story.

Breathtaking Stories to Kaylee Arafinwiel (awarded anonymously)
As the title of the medal indicates, I found several of her stories breathtaking, so ...

Brilliant Baby Birds to Kaylee Arafinwiel for Unexpected Nesting (awarded by daughterofshadows)
I adored the concept of Unexpected Nestings and the idea behind it is genius. The fic is super adorable and I just think the characters are all very very cute. Also Elwing/Eärendil/Eonwe is a really fun pairing. I hadn't thought about them together before.

Bringer of Joy to Cate Wolfe for The Song of Skateboard Legolas (awarded anonymously)
For making me smile when I sorely needed it :)

Experimental Archaeology to StarSpray (awarded anonymously)
Experimental archaeology is defined by Oxford Reference as "A branch of archaeological investigation in which carefully controlled experiments are undertaken in order to provide data and insights that aid in the interpretation of the archaeological record." While it is impossible to do ANYTHING approaching that in Tolkien's canon and while that is likely not StarSprays intent at all, her work focusing on underappreciated, sidelined, or minor characters in Tolkien's work remind me of this. StarSpray gives life to characters who were denied it and reimagines a past for them in beautiful ways.

Expert Storyweaver to Lferion for Red Thread and Thorns (awarded anonymously)
For a story about a fascinating original character, that gave me the chills.

Fabulous Worldbuilding to chrissystriped for Feast of the Hunter (awarded anonymously)
Feast of the Hunter develops this really fantastic tradition of opening the hunt with a ceremony and choosing the Leader of the Hunt that just fits the vibe of Thranduil and Eryn Lasgalen so perfectly, it really blew my mind.

From-400m-Sprint-To-Cross-Country Medal to Kaylee Arafinwiel for Unexpected Nesting (awarded by Anérea)
For starting us on a brief cuckoo crackfic before veering off on a wonderfully wacky wild...er, gull chase.

Indispensable Cheerleading to Dawn Felagund (awarded anonymously)
One could wax poetic about the importance of SWG in the Tolkien fandom and its historical relevance, and I certainly could as SWG has become my Tolkien home. However, what I want to focus on is this: Even when facing her own challenges, Dawn always finds time--against all odds--for those who ask things of her. Without Dawn's kind encouragement, I would never have had the confidence to pursue a childhood dream this year (presenting a paper); and, without her calm and kind presence on other platforms, I never would have found SWG in the first place. She makes the SWG what it is.

Instadrabble Ingenuity to StarSpray for Morning Mist and Silver Sun: Olympic Drabbles (awarded by Dawn Felagund)
This collection of ficlets written for our Olympic instadrabble session includes such delightful variety, each beautifully written in so few words. The collection spans the Years of the Trees through the Fourth Age; includes Elves and Hobbits and Peredhil; and in genre, spans the doom-filled to the gently humorous.

Ithildin Medal of Gratitude to All Creators (awarded by Anérea)
This is simply my way of giving thanks for all the energy and dedication you all put into creating these emotion-evokers, laugh-inducers, and thought-provokers.

Literal LOL to Cate Wolfe for The Song of Skateboard Legolas (awarded by Dawn Felagund)
How often do we say LOL but actually LOL? Well I did for this song; I was grinning by the second stanza and did the legit LOL thing with the line about the rollerskates. And somehow I now have a vivid mental image of Legolas skateboarding.

Meta Master to daughterofshadows for An Unexpected Journey: Getting into the Tolkien Fandom (awarded by Dawn Felagund)
Fandom "origin stories" are so much fun and almost a bonding ritual among fans, but daughterofshadows dives deep on this question, looking at the texts and the fandom from an aro perspective. I appreciated your insight in providing what was, to me, a new perspective on the legendarium.

Most Fun Instadrabbling to Himring, catadromously, and Dawn Felagund for Bruised Fruit, Bruised Egos (awarded by Kaylee Arafinwiel)
This was such a fun story to write and I just want to thank my co-authors for letting me join in!

Page Turner to chrissystriped for Vengeance Is Mine (awarded by Dawn Felagund)
From the first line of this short but powerful story, I couldn't stop reading. Christina handles brilliantly the tension in the moment and hints darkly at the past, building this dark little tale to a perfect pitch.

Painter with Words to Idrils Scribe (awarded by Dawn Felagund)
IdrilsScribe writes some of the most resonant imagery I've ever read, without resorting to endless blocks of purple prose. It was a joy to work with you during this challenge on the Finwean Correspondences!

Puppy Love to Aprilertuile for Annual Race and a New Friend (awarded by Dawn Felagund)
You had me with Huan! As the "mom" to three Golden Retrievers, this story made me smile ... and it really isn't even that unbelievable that he had an egg in his fur! I'm pretty sure all mine have at some point too!

A Song Worthy of Bilbo Baggins to Cate Wolfe for The Song of Skateboard Legolas (awarded by daughterofshadows)
The song of skateboard Legolas encapsulates the exact same humorous delightful energy that some of Bilbo Baggins' poems have and I think that's wonderful.

Sports Journalist to hennethgalad for The Teleri Times (awarded anonymously)
This was such a clever and funny take on what the Olympics might have really looked like in the Years of the Trees.

Squeal-Worthy Character Voices to Grundy and Raiyana for Tennis with an Elf and a Dwarf (awarded by daughterofshadows)
The letters in the fic are just really cool, and Carweg's and Harga's voices have this feeling of realness that I just haven't seen often. And the little bits of worldbuilding scattered across the letters just makes this a very enjoyable fic in general!

Tennis Champion to Dialux for Finwean Correspondences on the Topic of the Edain (awarded by Himring)
For getting the House of Finwe Team started on the Tennis challenge and keeping them organized and moving (also for writing the first letter)

Tennis Champion to Grundy and Raiyana for Tennis with an Elf and a Dwarf (awarded anonymously)
For a beautiful interpretation of the tennis prompt, introducing a pair of OCs that are absolutely delightful and a lot of fascinating worldbuilding.

Thought-Provoking to chrissystriped for Vengeance Is Mine (awarded anonymously)
For a story that gave me chills and made me think a lot about a character I'd never thought about all that much before.

Torchbearer to Aprilertuile for Oath Awakened (awarded anonymously)
I believe this was the first posted fanwork for the challenge.

Wordsmith to UnnamedElement for Hands of Fate (awarded by Dawn Felagund)
This story is relatively short for all that is packed into it: a single action told from multiple points of view rife with symbolism and sparse but gorgeous imagery that transported me to the final days of the Feanorian house and the First Age.

Commenting

Champion Commenter to Himring (awarded by Grundy)
Himring is a role model when it comes to leaving commments!

Great Comments to Himring (awarded by daughterofshadows)
They left some comments on my Olympics fills that made me really happy and made my day!

Jack Nicklaus Award to Lingwiloke (awarded by Grundy)
Lingwiloke set the record for the Golf event in this challenge with a record twenty-eight comments written on challenge responses!

Sea-Dragon Medal to Lingwiloke (awarded by Kaylee Arafinwiel)
Thank you Lingwi fren for reviews that keep me thinking and wanting to write more, even if the writing is craziness :D

Very Encouraging and Supportive to wisteria53 (awarded anonymously)
Wisteria53 has commented on a lot of my fanfictions, always in an encouraging and positive manner, and that was very appreciated and encouraging, more so on fanfictions I wasn't too sure about.

Other Involvement

A++ Record Keeper to Grundy (awarded by Lyra)
Grundy manages to keep track of the weekly signal boosts on Discord, as well as keeping a reliable eye on the channels and pinning interesting links. She's quick to approve accounts and add requested new characters or relationships. For the monthly challenges, she makes sure that the challenges are posted across platforms on time, provides prompts and graphics, and awards stamps. In short, she's a fantastic mod!

Amazing Prompts/Story Ideas to Narya (awarded by Nienna)
You always have the most amazing story ideas, whether they are things you write yourself, or things you prompt in an exchange. Earlier this year I saw one prompt that made me so excited I had a burst of inspiration and immediately wrote 1.5K without stopping. That has never happened to me before! I still haven’t posted it because I wasn’t sure how to end it and then TRSB temporarily put everything else to the side, but I definitely will. Even if I don’t end up writing anything at that time, your prompts always make me happy to see and give me thoughts about the Legendarium. And you have so many brilliant fics! And you have such a gorgeous writing style, and are such a kind person, and many other wonderful qualities beside ...

Beach Captain Extraordinaire to Grundy (awarded anonymously)
For motivating us, always being around to deal with silly (and not so silly) questions, and being an awesome mod for the discord in general <3

Conversational Brainstorming to Idrils Scribe (awarded anonymously)
Idril is always willing to share her knowledge and talk through ideas, particularly worldbuilding. She is patient during conversation, and she brings a fresh perspective to every bit of lore. Her enthusiasm for wood-elf culture is refreshing and challenges me to think of things differently while also creating synergistic energy that inspires me. I am grateful for the measured enthusiasm she brings and gives to the community.

Corinthian Pillar to Lyra (awarded by Grundy)
Lyra is the mod who helps keep things up and does it in artistic style.

Creative Champion to Kaylee Arafinwiel (awarded anonymously)
For being the best motivator and enabler of headcanons, interesting ideas and worldbuilding :)

Decathlon Champion to Dawn Felagund (awarded by Himring)
For astounding achievements in multitasking: at least nine different disciplines of modding and writing, while also washing mountains of laundry.

Effervescence to Nienna (awarded anonymously)
Nienna has both intense compassion and true vivacity, and she brings both to her fan presence, both in her writing and fanmixes and in her interactions in fandom. I am forever impressed with her commitment to deep thought on difficult issues, and the determined ways that she challenges herself and faces things head-on. She is kind and welcoming, and a true balm for difficult times.

Endless Enthusiasm to Kaylee Arafinwiel (awarded anonymously)
Kaylee is constantly engaged in discussion and creation of fanwork. Every time I turn around or check the sidebar on SWG, it seems like she has a new fic or drabble up, particularly with this challenge! She explores parts of the legendarium that are sometimes overlooked, which is fun to follow along with. Furthermore, Kaylee is always eager to say kind things on the Server or during team work, and she goes out of her way to make people feel welcome. Thank you, Kaylee!

Endless Source of Diverse Information to Janeways (awarded anonymously)
Janeways brings her life experiences and her professional expertise to enrich the fandom. I can always count on her to have something insightful to say in a situation and to frame things in a way that I had not thought of before. She is also welcoming and consistent as a mod!

Attention to Detail to Ermingarden/Emma (awarded anonymously)
While I do not know Emma well yet, she brings depth and insight to the SWG community. Her writing demonstrates great attention to detail and her use of footnotes in things she has shared in snippets delights me and would make Tolkien proud.

Fandom Anchor to Keiliss (awarded anonymously)
Kei and her other mods for the Slashy Swaps continue a fandom tradition that spans decades. Events like MSV continue to bring in new fans and previously shy fans (...like me!) into the active Silm and Tolkien fold. Without excellent, fair, and patient moderation, events like MSV would be impossible. While Kei does more than just MSV and can be counted on to offer perspectives that make me go "Oh!", her role as a fandom anchor can't be discounted :)

Fandom Anchor to Raiyana (awarded anonymously)
Need I elaborate on the importance of events like TRSB--one of the largest events I have ever ever seen--for the Tolkien fandom? I think not. Raiyana and her other mods handle the event with grace and order and compassion. TRSB actively builds a bridge between writers and artists, which is lovely. Raiyana of course brings more to the fandom than just TRSB, but this is an event that stabilizes fandom and encourages collaboration among members of SWG. TRSB has already gone down in fandom history, and Raiyana and the mods rolls in that cannot be understated--that consistent anchoring is everything.

Fandom Heart and Soul to Himring (awarded by Lyra)
Himring is a tireless commenter who always finds insightful and encouraging words for the (many!) fics she reads. She also manages to keep track of, and signal boost, things happening elsewhere in the fandom, has great patience, gives good advice and is a wonderful friend.

Fandom MVP to Dawn Felagund (awarded anonymously)
For making all of this possible in the first place, for giving us the archive and this community, and being an all around wonderful person <3

Freely Proffered Support to Dialux (awarded anonymously)
Fandom is about more than the texts we love--it is about the people we meet and the lives we touch and overlap with. When I was worried about my brother because of Covid, Dialux was willing to share information from her professional background and experiences to help me understand what was going on. In the middle of this challenge and my anxiety around finishing TRSB, her willingness to explain things to me meant a lot.

Freestyle Dressage to the SWG mods (awarded by Himring)
For the hilarious takes on the Olympic icons and the inventiveness of the prompts.

Gold Medal Mods to the SWG mods (awarded by Kaylee Arafinwiel)
We have the best mods running these challenges!!! I just want to thank all of you for being super fun and helpful and for making the SWG Olympics so great :)

Humility to Grundy (awarded anonymously)
While it goes without saying that Grundy is endlessly knowledgeable and insightful, she is a truly stabilizing force in the SWG. As a mod, she is fair and consistent, and as a member, she always has something typical or insightful to add. Her knowledge of fandom history and the experiences she brings often reminds me of how grand and storied this fandom is, and she reminds me to act with kindness and humility--something not everyone can inspire.

Inestimable Enablers to Grundy and Lyra (awarded by Dawn Felagund)
Grundy, Lyra, and I are the three mods who do nearly all of the work that goes into the challenges. I am very good at coming up with ambitious ideas, and they bring the right balance of enabling this (this challenge, in fact, was supposed to be a simple assigned prompt of quotes about sports from the legendarium and then I happened to it) and keeping things under control. They are both always there to bounce ideas and take on the vast amount of the administrative work, like awarding stamps and finding prompts, and both contribute nearly all of the banners and stamps. (Lyra often creates original art for them!) Without Grundy and Lyra, the challenges would not be nearly as fun or as well organized. I love working with you both, so appreciate all that you do, and think we make a fabulous team!

Knowledge to Himring (awarded anonymously)
Himring always drops into conversations--sometimes out of the blue--like a god riding through Middle-earth, sprinkling quotes and facts from the lore about her as she goes. I always know I can count on her to point me in the right direction.

Outstanding Contributions to the Silmarillion Fan Community to Dawn Felagund (awarded by Lyra)
Founder and guardian of the SWG, indefatigible admin and troubleshooter, fandom researcher sifting through heaps of data... do I need to go on?

Perspective to Independence1776 (awarded anonymously)
Indy always offers perspective couched in fandom history and experience that enriches the culture of our community and changes the way I see things.

Really Fun Boccia Prompts to Keiliss and Independence1776 (awarded by daughterofshadows)
Kei's boccia prompt of a window with the moon shining in was beautiful, and fitted Arwen's bedroom and the story vibe perfectly, and Indy's hot air balloons were a really fun challenge to incorporate!

Reliability to Shadow/daughterofshadows (awarded anonymously)
Shadow always has something kind to say, whether in write-ins or in discussions. They make people feel included. Their writing never fails to make me think of part of the legendarium in a different light.

Team Player to grey_gazania (awarded by Grundy)
Grey_gazania offered wonderful encouragement to teammates on Team Balar!

To Boldly Go to Janeways (awarded by Grundy)
Thank you for your intrepidness in volunteering as our newest mod!

Unsung Fandom Hero to Himring (awarded by Dawn Felagund)
Himring does so much to support the SWG behind the scenes and without ever looking for kudos or credit for it. She writes amazing and prolific comments. (She's the #1 reason we end up needing a 10 Comments stamp most months!) She signal boosts events, contributes to Around the World and Web as our sole scout so far, and is just quietly encouraging of the mods and fellow SWG members. Also, she's a beautiful writer and has an amazing reading voice at our live events! Thank you, Himring, for all that you do!

Woodelven Wonder to UnnamedElement (awarded by Kaylee Arafinwiel)
For being an amazing Team Captain and keeping Team Woodelves together.

Posted on 21 August 2021 (updated 16 October 2021) by Dawn Felagund