Book by Its Cover

May 2021 SWG challenge Book by Its Cover banner with a bookshelf in the background

Were you ever told, as a child, not to judge a book by its cover? Well, this month, we're telling you to throw that advice away!

This month's prompts will be book covers: gorgeous, cringey, perplexing, and everything in between. You can use any element of the book cover to create a fanwork.

As the prompts are old book covers, their default form is as an image. Unclaimed book cover prompts can be found below. Detailed descriptions for screen readers are included in the alt text; if you need help accessing text prompts, please contact the mods.

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Prompts

Choose your prompt from the collection below.

View Prompts

an olive-colored book cover with three bare feet topped by a ribbon with the title The Feet

a dark blue book cover with gold ornamentation shows a small circle labeled Sun at the top with a comet approaching it, a smaller circle in the middle labeled Earth, and at the bottom an ocean with two icebergs

a green book cover with gold ornamentation showing a lion in profile, standing on a low wooden platform, with rudimentary organs shown, and the title Practical Taxidermy

two children in red dresses and yellow straw hats are seen from the back holding hands and looking down a row of trees at a sunrise, titled with Wymps

a gray book cover with a spiderweb in the center that includes a spider and captured fly, a border of entwined snakes, and the words at the top There Is Death in the Pot

a dark green book cover of coarse-woven fabric scattered with gold stars

a woman seen from the back in a pink gown and hat sniffs a flower in front of a gate in a hedgerow framed by two topiary trees in pots and two peacocks seen in profile, with the title A Floral Fantasy in an Old English Garden

a maroon leather book cover with the expression 10 x 1 = 10 in the middle inside a rectangle

a brown fabric book cover titled How to Swim, including blue choppy water and a small swimming freestyle in a blue swimsuit

a bright yellow book cover with a woman in profile, looking into a mirror, with heavy dark hair and a floral wrap, titled The Yellow Book

a dark gray book cover with a floral border and Gulliver straddling the Lilliputian army

pale green fabric book cover with a golden sunrise and a winding road and several people walking upon the road, titled Among English Hedgerows

Fanworks Tagged with Book by Its Cover

This is a Writing fanwork

Fishy Business by Grundy

Eärendil has found an odd fish. Elwing knows that just because it looks like a fish doesn't mean it is.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

Artifacts of Ice by Lferion

Fingon's new hröa did not cross the Ice.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

SeaLight by Anérea

Born on the Great Journey, I never knew Cuiviénen, but ever since we departed the shores of Rhûn I have missed the sensation of silky saltwater against my skin.

A Telerin Elf's first experience of the waters of Belegaer, at the end of the Great Journey.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

Summoned to Council by Lindariel

A road trip in six drabbles.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

A Restless Night in Armenelos by Himring

Tar-Palantir, king of Numenor, at some point in the later part of his reign: night thoughts and a dream.

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This is a Writing fanwork

Blossoms Appearing in the Land, Green Figs Forming on the Trees by janeways

The blossoms have appeared in the land / The time of pruning has come / The song of the turtledove / Is heard in our land

The green figs form on the fig tree / The vines in blossom give off fragrance / Arise, my darling / My fair one, come away!

- Song of Songs 2:12-3

Haleth and Caranthir attempt to make love and discover they don't know much about making babies.

My attempt at subverting the bodice-ripper; a triple drabble.

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This is a Writing fanwork

Kingdom of Flowers by daughterofshadows

A short ficlet about Elrond and Celebrían in the gardens of Imladris and their hopes for the future.

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This is a Writing fanwork

The Webs. by hennethgalad

Oropher tries to comfort Thranduil after a nightmare.

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This is a Writing fanwork

Memento Mori by Lferion

What did they mean, these small, precise assemblages?

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This is a Writing fanwork

Beyond the Sunset by elennalore

Arafinwë finds his sister in the battlefield, but not his brother. Will Lalwendë come with him back to Valinor? And what are his nephews up to?

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This is a Writing fanwork

Refracted Light by StarSpray

Celebrimbor gives young Celebrían a gift.

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This is a Writing fanwork

Noise Making by jamcake_muses

Macalaurë cares for Tyelpë, with some interesting results.

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