New Challenge: Potluck Bingo
Sit down to a delicious selection of prompts served on bingo boards, created by the SWG community.
SWG News
Bingo Cards Wanted for Potluck Bingo
Our November-December challenge will be Potluck Bingo, featuring cards created by you! If you'd like to create cards or prompts for cards, we are taking submissions.
Tolkien Meta Week, December 8-14
We will be hosting a Tolkien Meta Week in December, here on the archive and on our Tumblr, for nonfiction fanworks about Tolkien.
New Challenge: Orctober
Orcs on a quest for freedom seek a place sheltered and safe from the Dark Lord. Fulfill prompts to gather the clues needed to bring them to freedom.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Reference] Mapping Arda, Part III: The Second Age by Anérea, Varda delle Stelle
A series of articles featuring fan-made maps of all the lands of Arda. Part III explores the island of Númenor and mainland Middle-earth during the Second Age.
[Writing] Collection of Potluck Drabbles by Artano
This is a collection of true drabbles completed for the 'Four Words' drabble bingo card.
[Writing] Getting Dirty by Elleth
A collection of NSFW ficlets for the "Keep It Clean" bingo card of the 2024 Potluck Bingo.
[Reference] 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.
[Artwork] 2024 Potluck Doodles by silmalope
Assorted prompt fills for the 2024 Potluck bingo boards, to varying degrees of completion! :)
[Artwork] A Collection of Maps Exhibiting the Changing Political Landscape in Beleriand by Artano
Created for the 'Geography/Maps/Places' prompt on the "Tolkien meta" bingo board, this is a collection of maps marked with the various people groups showing how they arrived and moved about Beleriand. This collection focuses specifically on the time from the arrival of the Teleri, Vanyar, and…
[Writing] On the Nature of the Sindar’s Hunting the Petty-dwarves by Artano
This is an analysis on whether the Sindar ate the Petty-dwarves during the years they hunted them, completed for the 'Literary Analysis' prompt on the "Tolkien Meta" bingo card.
Current Challenge
Potluck Bingo
Help yourself to a collection of prompts on bingo boards designed by members and friends of the SWG. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Plot Thickens
Create a fanwork that depicts characters in the act of plotting something. Read more ...
New in References
Mapping Arda, Part III: The Second Age by Anérea, Varda delle Stelle
A series of articles featuring fan-made maps of all the lands of Arda. Part III explores the island of Númenor and mainland Middle-earth during the Second Age.
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
[Artwork] Long-tressed Wingildi by Anérea
"... the long-tressed Wingildi ... spirits of the foam and the surf of ocean."
~ a painted sketch for Scribbles and Drabbles 2024.
[Writing] Partners in Craft by elennalore
Annatar realises that he might like Celebrimbor too much.
[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.
Around the World and Web
Teitho November/December Contest: Healing
The theme for Teitho's November/December contest is healing.
Lord of the Rings Secret Santa 2024
LotR SESA has been ongoing for twenty-one years and is running again this year as a prompt meme hosted on AO3 for all genres of Tolkien-based fanfiction.
Kiliel Week 2024
Kiliel Week is a Tumblr event for fanworks about the Kili/Tauriel pairing.
November challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
The challenge for November has been posted to the tolkienshortfanworks community on Dreamwidth. Thematic prompt: refuge. Formal challenge: include imitation of a sound. As always, these can be filled independently and also freely combined with SWG and other challenges. New participants welcome!
November 2024 Call for Papers and Proposals
Calls for papers and proposals for conferences and publications that are open during the month of November 2024.
Bollywood
The world's largest film industry isn't Hollywood, with its stars and scandals and endless sequels but Bollywood, the film industry that originated in Bombay in the late 19th century, more than a decade before Hollywood got its start. This month's challenge celebrates the lively dances, glittering costumes, towering emotions, and music you can't get out of your head of Bollywood.
Prompts this month come from Bollywood films and will be assigned by a moderator. You can request your prompt on Dreamwidth, Tumblr, the #monthly-challenges channel on our Discord, or by emailing the mods. You can specify whether you'd like a song, film title, trope, or color palette—or you can let us surprise you! (If you choose a song, let us know if you'd like a song with an English translation available.) Since this challenge has closed, unused prompts can be found below, and you can self-select if you prefer. As always, you can use any aspect of your prompt to inspire your fanwork.
In some cases, we provide an intentionally brief and vague synopsis of a film or definition of a concept so that creators can get started with a prompt without having to do additional research. However, creators are welcome to dig deeper into a prompt if they want to and use what they learn to inspire a fanwork. For example, you might find that the film in your prompt has a clever subplot you will write a story around, the music video for a song has costumes you will include in a drawing, or a concept has aspects not included in our definition that you wish to use to make a playlist. While this is not required, you should feel free to dig as deeply into the prompts if you want and use anything you find!
This challenge opened in .
Prompts
Choose your prompt from the collection below.
- View Prompts
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Songs
"Aayega Aanewala": lyrics (scroll down) | video
"Baharon Phool Barsao": video
"Chhoti Si Aasha": lyrics | video
"Dil Dil Hai Koi Shisha Toh Nahi": video
"It’s Rocking": lyrics | video
"Kehna Hi Kya": lyrics | video
"Main Hoon Na": lyrics | video
"Say Na Say Na": lyrics | video
Film
RRR: two men initially on opposite sides become friends as they fight for freedom
Mother India: a poor woman struggles to survive and raise her sons (full movie, no subtitles)
Mughal-e-Azam (The Great Mughal): a prince falls in love with a court dancer, to his father’s disapproval (full movie, subtitles Hindi only)
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (The Brave-Hearted Will Take the Bride): two characters fall in love while traveling (trailer, subtitles)
Deewaar (The Wall): two brothers find themselves on opposite sides of the law
Lagaan: Once upon a Time in India (Land Tax): a village that can’t afford its taxes must win a bet on a sporting match to save themselves (U.S. trailer)
Pakeezah (The Pure One): a woman sleeping on a train gets a note from an anonymous admirer (full movie, no subtitles)
Bombay: a mixed marriage in tense times
Mr. India (1961): a young man is mistaken for his gangster doppelganger
Mr. India (1987): a musician who can turn invisible inadvertently becomes a superhero after the girl he loves is mistaken for a spy
Jodhaa Akbar: the political marriage of the emperor Akbar and Princess Jodhaa (trailer, subtitles)
Devdas: the main character’s family rejects his marriage to his childhood friend
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Something Happens): multiple love triangles (trailer, no subtitles)
Dil Se… (From the Heart): a character searching for a missed connection gets caught up in far more than he bargained for
Enthiran (The Robot): a scientist tries to control the android he built - and the android falls in love with his girlfriend (trailer, subtitles)
The Lunchbox: a mix-up leads to an unlikely friendship and eventually love (U.S. trailer)
Sir: a maid and her employer fall in love (trailer, subtitles)
Bride & Prejudice: a Bollywood twist on Pride and Prejudice (trailer; full version available on YouTube with ads)
Amar Akbar Anthony: three brothers raised in different faiths reunite (full movie, no subtitles)
Awara (The Vagabond): a lifelong criminal is defended legally by the woman he loves (full movie, subtitles)
Aan (Pride): family drama ensues when the king announces his plan to make his kingdom a democracy (full movie, no subtitles)
Anari (Naive): a character described as "as big an idiot as the world is clever" is cleared of a crime and falls in love (full movie, subtitles)
Tropes
include the original three elements of Indian cinema: drama, pantomime, dance
star-crossed lovers
masala: include scenes that strongly provoke at least two of the nine emotions: love, humor, wonder, courage, calm, anger, sadness, fear, disgust
angry or interfering parents
love triangle
family tragedy
long-lost relative
sacrifice
Mughal empire: extensive empire known for its patronage of the arts
Mahabharata (epic): two groups of cousins vie for power
Ramayana (epic): a lord must sacrifice his own happiness for the sake of his subjects
mehndi: henna skin decoration
elaborate setting
mudra: symbolic hand gestures
a cast of characters from diverse groups
flamboyant costumes
Color Palettes
Hex codes: #9e53a8 #684393 #7a3d42 #bf9fb4 #255e72
Hex codes: #ba158e #a09805 #f6b3bc #0092bb #d62b33
Hex codes: #ff009a #33fffe #ffcc33 #343434 #ff6634
Hex codes: #893d7d #ff6839 #e1468a #0f3a67 #29758c
Fanworks Tagged with Bollywood
Summer Celebration by between_thepages
Amarië and Finrod are dancing together during a celebration of summer.
Dream of the Black Sword by Flora-lass
Beleg comforts Gwindor in Taur-nu-Fuin.
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.
The Noldolantë (Sirion verses) by Tehta
The third kinslaying, as a musical.
Please do not take this too seriously. The writer certainly doesn't.
The Dyer's Vat by Himring
A minor incident during the Fall of Eregion: no, this is not about the Gwaith-i-Mirdain or Celebrimbor, it is about the Dyers' Guild. Not one for the history books, but the Eldar remember...
Unforgotten by daughterofshadows
Carrying the Silmaril for millennia has consequences.
Reflections by AdmirableMonster
A story of three friends in Númenor, one of whom attracts the attention of the High Priest. What does friendship mean in the shadow of the Black Temple?
An exercise in music... And patience by Aprilertuile
Makalaurë was sitting at the harp in his music room. He was holding a dark blindfold in his hands and was looking at it with much scepticism.
Noldolantë by Grundy
Maglor and his wife throughout the Ages.
