Tolkien Meta Week Starts December 8!
Join us December 8-14, here and on Tumblr, as we share our thoughts, musings, rants, and headcanons about all aspects of Tolkien's world.
SWG News
We are currently accepting proposals to present your meta, research, and scholarship! Learn more about presenting your meta, research, and scholarship here.
Artists Needed to Create 2025 Challenge Stamps
We are soliciting help from artists who want to help create the stamps we award to challenge participants.
Tolkien Fanartics: Mapping Arda - The Second Age
In the third part of the Mapping Arda series, Anérea and Varda delle Stelle present a selection of fan-created maps of the lands of the Second Age.
New Challenge: Potluck Bingo
Sit down to a delicious selection of prompts served on bingo boards, created by the SWG community.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] Kiss the ground / then turn from it by Elleth
After the attack on the Havens of Sirion, a figure from Maedhros' past comes face-to-face with him one last time.
[Writing] Mercy, Love by Elleth
Maedhros' rescue from Thangorodrim left him deeply scarred. But how did it impact Fingon as his rescuer? A drabble sequence from Thangorodrim to the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.
[Artwork] Aredhel at Eithel Ivrin by Anérea
Painting of Aredhel at the Pools of Ivrin
[Writing] Many Journeys by Elleth
A gathering place for ficlets of varying length written in response to prompts, prods and as gift ficlets.
New (added December 2024):
Instadrabbling fics from the SWG server event on February 17, which I never uploaded here, as well as a couple of shorter ficlets…
[Writing] Silhouettes of Doom by Ecthelion
"At least we have learned that the sons of Fëanor can die too."
[Writing] Merry Midwinter by Aprilertuile
Snippets of life of a midwinter in Fëanáro and Nerdanel's household in Valinor, during the Age of the Trees.
Prompts will be as follow, taken from the Midwinter Bingo card (board by AdmirableMonster) :
Family ; Carols and Singing ; Death and rebirth ; Candles ; Sledding
…
[Writing] A Winters Tale by Glorified
Elrond on a winters night
Current Challenge
Festival of Lights Fest
This is a fun and low-key event meant to encourage works about or inspired by Hanukkah, running this year in conjunction with the Potluck Bingo challenge. Read more ...
Potluck Bingo
Help yourself to a collection of prompts on bingo boards designed by members and friends of the SWG. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Crossroads of the Fallen King
Create a fanwork that crosses with a second text or fandom. Read more ...
New in References
Libraries at the Edge of Middle-earth: Fanworks, Archives, and Communities as Heritage by Dawn Walls-Thumma
Tolkien fanfiction archives both preserve the "libraries of Middle-earth" in the form of keeping Tolkien's original words alive and promote conversations around heritage as community and fan identity that keeps those central texts relevant to diverse fans in a rapidly changing world.
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
[Multimedia] Entwined {text + podfic} by Anérea
First Age 116: in the foothills of the Orocani Mountains, west of Hildórien and far, far east of Beleriand.
Woman meets Maia in four perfect drabbles.
[Writing] Homage to the Song of Durin by Flora-lass
Legolas is inspired by Gimli's song - and by Gimli himself.
[Writing] Partners in Craft by elennalore
Annatar realises that he might like Celebrimbor too much.
Around the World and Web
My Slashy Valentine 2025
Sign-ups are open for My Slashy Valentine, a hand-matched slash fiction exchange focused on the people of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
Thorin's Spring Forge 2025
Sign-ups are open for Thorin's Spring Forge, a minibang-style event where writers and artists come together to create fanworks centred on Thorin Oakenshield.
Tolkien Pinup Calendar: Dead Dove December
Tolkien Pinup Calendar is hosting a December event for non-con smut fanworks.
Tolkien Pinup Calendar: 8 Nights of Smut
Tolkien Pinup Calendar and Hanukkah Bingo are teaming up for eight nights of naughty prompts.
Festival of Lights Fest 2024
This is a fun and low-key event meant to encourage works about or inspired by Hanukkah, running this year in conjunction with the Potluck Bingo challenge.
Vintage
Back in the day… It’s not just fashion that changes with the times, literary and artistic trends do also. But it’s nice to take a stroll along memory lane from time to time, and so we present Vintage.
This month's challenge will offer bingo cards with vintage literary, artistic, and fandom concepts as prompts. You may pick your card(s), and use one prompt, complete rows or lines on the cards, or fill an entire card. If you choose multiple prompts, you can incorporate them into one or multiple fanworks.
Below, you will find cards as well as text-only prompts. Remember that if you need assistance in putting together rows using the text prompts, you can contact the mods and we're happy to help.
This challenge opened in .
Prompts
Choose your prompt from the collection below.
- View Prompts
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Vintage Literature Text Prompts
B1: Tale within a tale
B2: Marriage Plot
B3: Sins of our fathers
B4: Epistolary
B5: ScientifictionI1: It was a dark and stormy night…
I2: Ghost Story
I3: Flashback
I4: Literary Fairy Tale
I5: Serialized StoriesN1: Parody
N2: Whodunnit
N3: Free Space
N4: Sketch Comedy
N5: Dream within a dreamG1: Boarding School Story
G2: 6-word story
G3: Comedy of Manners
G4: Masked Vigilante
G5: Urban FantasyO1: Radio Play
O2: Lost at sea
O3: Happily Ever After
O4: Magic Realism
O5: Fable
Vintage Art Text Prompts
B1: Medieval Color Palette
B2: Pop Art
B3: Screen Painting
B4: Engraving/Etching
B5: Macaroni ArtI1: Embroidery/ Tapestry
I2: Psychedelia
I3: Art Deco
I4: 50s color palette
I5: MosaicN1: Pointillism
N2: '70s/'80s Color Palette
N3: Free Space
N4: Quilling
N5: Illumination!G1: Newspaper Comic Strip
G2: Black figure pottery
G3: Arthur Rackham style
G4: Stained glass
G5: MonochromeO1: Dadaism
O2: Walk like an Egyptian
O3: Victorian Color Palette
O4: Silhouette portrait
O5: Woodcut
Vintage Poetry Text Prompts
B1: Alliterative Verse
B2: Villanelle
B3: Satirical Poem
B4: Dizain
B5: AlexandrineI1: Acrostic
I2: Ghazal
I3: Renga
I4: Broadside Ballad
I5: Verse EpicN1: Aubade
N2: Narrative Poem
N3: Free Space
N4: Bredlik
N5: Sea shantyG1: Sestina
G2: Limerick
G3: Elegy
G4: Tanka
G5: RondeauO1: Filk
O2: Ode
O3: Epigram
O4: Sonnet
O5: Dadaist Poetry
Vintage Fanworks Text Prompts
B1: Apocafic
B2: Everybody lives
B3: Together, they fight crime!
B4: 10th Walker
B5: Rule 34I1: Wingfic
I2: Lemon
I3: Wangst
I4: Character Falls into the modern world
I5: Magical Healing ElvesN1: Five Things/ Five Times
N2: Hobbitpile
N3: Free Space
N4: Spoof
N5: SongficG1: Tolkienian Prose
G2: Curtainfic
G3: Legomance
G4: Rule 63
G5: Fake DatingO1: Girl Falls into Middle-earth
O2: Anklebiters
O3: What if Character X had taken the Ring ...?
O4: Filk
O5: Smarm
Fanworks Tagged with Vintage
Noldolantë by cuarthol
Filk of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah'
A musical/poetic exploration of the Fall of the Noldor - 'Noldolantë' - from the discord sewn by Melkor to Fëanor's death.
But Not Always Sweet by Grundy
A collection of short responses, both drabbles and ficlets, to the prompts for the Vintage challenge.
SWG Vintage Challenge by Lferion
25 chapters assembled into five stories. Each chapter fills four prompts, one from each of the four cards in the SWG May 2022 Vintage Bingo Challenge, for a total of 100 prompts filled.
The five stories are not all in the same continuity/universe -- for one thing, Ilverien and Red Crow cannot coexist, though there are elements they have in common -- but all of them can be read as part of an overall set of ideas.
Free Press by Lferion
Four colleagues work together on increasingly complex challenges in storytelling.
Red Crow by Lferion
Glimpses of life in Aman, after the events of arriviste's void junk and Idrils_Scribe's Wings of White and Silver-grey.
Candles and Confidences by grey_gazania
Elrond and Gil-galad play a game and discuss some painful truths about their families.
Letters to the West by daughterofshadows
Erferil writes letters to someone who once was very dear to her.
And even if Amrûn cannot reply, the letters still comfort her.
Water Music by grey_gazania
Elrond, newly arrived to Balar, has a brief conversation with Gil-galad that makes him reassess his situation.
Three Bredlik Poems by Himring
Three bredlik poems featuring an unnamed orc, Melian and Tilion.
Full of Gorgeous Life by StarSpray
Three of Nerdanel's sons come home: a trio of double-drabbles.
Too Late, Cried the Gulls by grey_gazania
“Too late the ships of Círdan and Gil-galad the High King came hasting to the aid of the Elves of Sirion; and Elwing was gone, and her sons.” - The Silmarillion
Five Letters Caranthir Sent His Wife (And One Letter He Didn't) by grey_gazania
When Fëanor is exiled to Formenos, his seven sons accompany him, but Caranthir's wife stays behind in Tirion. A selection of their correspondence.
Written for the Vintage challenge prompts "epistolary" and "five things".
The Kids Are All Right Outtakes by grey_gazania
Scenes that didn't make it into "The Kids Are All Right", whether because I couldn't make them fit or because they were from the wrong POV.
Clad Much in Grey by Lindariel
Alatáriel accepts a mission on behalf of her family and encounters the mystery at the heart of a secret.
The Kids Are All Right by grey_gazania
As the survivors from Nargothrond come to Balar and the Fell Winter sets in, the girl who will become Gil-galad struggles alongside her friends to find a ray of hope in a darkness that seems unending.
Shadow's Instadrabbles by daughterofshadows
The home of my insta-drabbling pieces!
(and the odd drabble of undetermined origin)
