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.
The Singer's Girl by Lady MSM
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Chapter 8
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Chapter 8
In case any of you were wondering, no, traveling to Tirion when it’s pitch black outside is not fun. Particularly when you’ve never ridden a horse in your life and aren’t used to having your legs stretched like that. And the ride to Tirion from Elk Lake was nearly a day long, if you went fast. But it wasn’t like I had a choice, now did I? No, I didn’t. I’d made a commitment here.
Good Lords, what had I been thinking?
But no, I wasn’t going to complain. I didn’t have any right to complain. After all, how many of my family members had died recently?
Maglor valiantly tried to keep me entertained, but I could tell his heart wasn’t in it. Poor dear. I wondered if he’d ever get back to being his usual cheerful self. I wondered if anything would ever get back to being its usual anything.
The Tirion city gates were locked tight when we arrived, and it took us a full ten minutes of banging on them and yelling to finally get someone to let us in. The gatekeeper eyed us suspiciously as we entered—especially me.
“Who’s the lady?” he asked sharply.
Maglor put his arm around me defensively. “My fiancé.”
I wanted to ask when he’d decided that, but figured it probably wasn’t a good time. The gatekeeper nodded and allowed us through. We were in the city.
Eru Almighty, it was quiet.
I’d lived in the city for about ten minutes when I’d first arrived in Valinor and even I knew that in general cities were ridiculously loud and crowded. That day, while there were a few people on the streets, they didn’t talk and barely looked up. It was kind of disturbing.
As if he was reading my mind, Caranthir remarked, “I’ve never seen Tirion this quiet before. Not even at night.”
“Try not to think about it,” said Maedhros grimly.
“Well done, Maedhros,” said Amras. “You do know now we won’t be able to think of anything else?”
Right enough, the silence was all we could focus on as we slowly rode to the north side of the city. The buildings got steadily more opulent as we rode on, and Maglor pointed out a particularly grand, dark mansion.
“That’s our house,” he whispered. “We’re going there to see Mom before we meet up with Dad. Dad told us to meet him at the Grand Hall—that’s where all the big decisions get made. I think he’s up to something.”
That didn’t sound good. I couldn’t imagine what would happen when Maglor’s father was up to something.
We were greeted at the door by a sturdy, freckled woman with Maedhros’ red hair and Maglor’s features—Nerdanel, I assumed. She broke into a relieved smile when she saw us.
“Ah, boys, yer all right,” she said, ushering us in. “Sure, I was hopin’ that nothing much had happened to ye, after what happened to yer granddad and all…not to mention what happened with the Trees…”
“Speaking of that, Mom, what did happen to the trees?” asked Maedhros. “We haven’t heard any of the details yet.”
“First of all, we need to get something straight,” said Nerdanel firmly. “Is this girl Andril?”
“Yes,” said Maglor. “It is indeed.”
“Nice to meet you, dear. Welcome to the family. All right, boys, sit down and I’ll explain everything.” We all complied, and she launched into her explanation. “Apparently our boy Melkor went off and hired some giant spider named Ungoliant…”
“Excuse me,” interrupted Caranthir. “Did you just say a giant spider?”
“I did, and don’t interrupt. He hired this spider-lady to help him destroy the Two Trees and therefore get rid of all our light. So the two of ‘em destroyed the Trees, and then went up North and did all the things there that ye all know about.”
“Makes sense,” said Celegorm, who was apparently not as shocked as the rest of us that an evil ex-Vala and some kind of giant spider had effectively destroyed our homeland. “But what’s the matter with Dad? What’s this plan of his he told us about?”
Nerdanel sighed. “Sure and I don’t know exactly. All I can tell ye is that the Valar tried to convince yer father to give them the Silmarils in order to restore the Trees. And ye know how yer father is…that didn’t go well.” She looked at us gravely. “I’d advise ye to find him as quick as ye can and figure out what he’s up to. I have a feelin’ that it’s not good.”
When we reached the Grand Hall, which was a gigantic building at the very northest end of the city, and tied up our horses and went inside, I discovered why we hadn’t seen anyone in Tirion’s streets.
It was because just about every damn person in Tirion was in that building. That place was packed so tight that I was worried I’d break bones if I went in. I also realized that as a group, city people might not smell great.
“Come on,” said Maedhros. “Dad wanted him to meet us up front.” He deftly led us through the crowds to the speaking platform at the front of the room, where Feanor was waiting for us.
“Good,” he said in a hard voice. “You’re here. And so is she,” he added, glancing at me.
“Dad,” said Maedhros cautiously. “What’s going on here? What are you doing?”
“You’ll see,” said Feanor, still in that frightening tone. “There are some changes that need to be made in this country. Big changes. The Valar have pushed our people around long enough, and it’s high time the Noldor took a stand.”
And he stepped up onto the platform.
It’s a bit too painful to go into what happened next, if you don’t mind.
“You’ve got to be joking,” I said. We’d all come back to the house after the big debacle (except Feanor—he was off making plans for their departure the next day and whatnot).
I was furious.
“You’ve got to be joking,” I repeated.
“I’m not joking, Andril,” said Maglor heavily. “I have to go.”
“You don’t have to go,” I argued. “This is ridiculous!”
“The second part I agree with. The first part…not so much. I actually do have to go. I swore an oath.”
“An idiotic oath!” I yelled. I rather wanted to cry, but I wasn’t going to give that rat bastard the satisfaction. “I can’t believe you went along with them like this! I knew your dad and brothers were lunatics, sure, but I thought you were better! I thought you had at least half a brain!”
“Do you think I wanted this?” roared Maglor—yes, roared, and I’m not joking about that. “Do you think I’m just like my dad? This isn’t about the Silmarils for me, Andril. This is about my family. They need me.”
“Did it ever occur to you that maybe I need you too?” I shouted back.
Maglor shook his head. “Andril, we both know that when it comes down to it, you don’t need me. You’ve got a job and a home and friends. You’ve got a life that’s actually halfway normal. And furthermore, you have a lot of people depending on you. You’ve got to stay just like I’ve got to leave.” He shook his head. “I never should have pressured you to come down here. I didn’t know that this was going to happen…”
“No,” I said, more softly this time. “I’m glad I came. I’m glad I was here for you.” I blinked rapidly a few times. “You won’t think less of me if I take this opportunity to bawl, will you?”
He just shook his head.
I sat down and tried to bawl, but I was still in shock and couldn’t really get any tears out. So I just sat there, with my head in my hands and my shoulders shaking, in complete and utter silence.
After a while, Maglor spoke up. “Er, Andril, sorry to interrupt, but there’s something I’d like to get straight before I leave.”
I looked up. “What is it?”
“You may recall that when we arrived in Tirion I told that guy that you were my fiancé.”
“I think I remember that, yes.”
“Well…” Maglor took a deep breath. “Andril, if I survive this mess and somehow make it back in one piece, will you marry me?”
No, I thought, no! Why the hell was he asking me if I would marry him now? He was leaving the next day, for Varda’s sake! There was no way I was going to get engaged to him, not after he’d been such an idiot and sworn away his entire future. How stupid did he think I was, to get engaged to a boy I’d probably never see again? No, no, no!
“Yes!” I blurted out.
