Around the World and Web

Squidge Restoration of Lost Podfics

The fandom archive Squidge has hosted the Jinjurly audio/podfic archive for a couple of years now, but have only recently taken control of the day-to-day stuff that needs to be done.  Furthermore, a hack of the Jinjurly archive resulted in the loss of many, many podfics. Site moderators have recovered a number of files for the archive.

They are asking the podfic community who may have used Jinjurly if they have replacement files. They also need volunteers to help with the immense task they are undertaking to restore these fanworks.

For now, there is a Google Form for submitting replacement files or new podfics for the archive.

The Squidge Status Dreamwidth has much more information on the project and ways to get involved to help.

Second Age Week, January 17-23

Showing  love and appreciation for the Second Age in all its facets. From proud Númenoreans to deep digging Dwarves, to the last High King of the Noldor, and the Dark Lord of Mordor - this week is dedicated to all of them and more!

A list of non-mandatory prompts below:

Day 1 Elves - Gil-galad, Oropher, Celebrían and many others - Lindon and Belfalas, Imladris and Eregion, Lórinand and Greenwood. What were the elves doing in the Second Age? This day is dedicated to them and their many endeavours.

Day 2 Men - What made Drúedain leave Númenor? What occurred in the East where the Blue Wizards journeyed? What was the situation on Númenor under Ar-Gimilzôr’s rule? On this day of Second Age Week, we explore the race of Men - from proud Númenoreans, through those who would come to be known as Dunlendings, to the Haradrim in the South.

Day 3 Dwarves - From Ered Luin through Khazad Dûm to the Eastern Realms, dwarves played an important role during the Second Age. On this day you can explore their history and culture, events they participated in, prominent characters such as Durin IV. or Narvi and more!

Day 4 Sauron and his minions - Annatar, Zigûr, Tar-Mairon, Gorthaur - in the Second Age, Sauron was at his strongest. With his lies and deceits, he weaved his way into the court of Númenor and the forge of Eregion and began a reign of terror from his fortress in Mordor. This day is dedicated to him and his many followers.

Day 5 Artefacts and Symbols - The Second Age was full of prominent artefacts and symbols - from the Rings of Power to the White Tree of Númenor, their history and fate - there’s plenty to explore!

Day 6 Impactful events - The rise and fall of kingdoms; councils and meetings, battles and wars - during the spam of 3441 of this Age, history books could easily be filled.

Day 7 Freeform - Did we forget about something or is there a prompt you want to revisit? Feel free to use this day for any Second Age related content!

The week will  run on Tumblr during January 2022 - 17th to 23rd - and will be hosted by @iminye​ and @armenelols. ​ 

More details about tags, etc. in the linked post.

Worldbuilding Exchange (Final Year)

This will be the final year of the Worldbuilding Exchange. See their Dreamwidth page for more details on how to sign up, information about this being the last year for the exchange, and relevant links: https://worldbuildingex.dreamwidth.org/

Seasons of Drabbles: Winter Round 2022

Seasons of Drabbles is an exchange for the creation of drabbles and drabble variants. It will run once per season. The current round is for winter 2021-2022.

Schedule:
Nominations open: January 3 (will remain open through signups)
Signups open: January 9
Signups close: January 16 @ 11:59pm Eastern time (Countdown)
Assignments out by: January 19
Assignments due: January 29 @ 11:59pm Eastern time (Countdown)
Collection opens: February 06 @ noon Eastern time (Countdown)
Authors revealed: February 8 @ noon Eastern time


AO3 Collection | Tagset | Nomination guidelines | Mod email: seasonsofdrabbles@gmail.com

Tolkienshortfanworks challenge for January

The tolkienshortfanworks challenge for January has been posted at the Dreamwidth community.

The thematic prompt is "beginnings or fresh start" and the formal  challenge is alliterative verse.

In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien chiefly uses the form to render the poetry of the Rohirrim, but he also composed long narrative poems and shorter descriptive pieces in it.



Tolkien's most famous alliterative lines (based on an Old English model) are probably these:

 

Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?

Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?

New joiners to the community are always welcome. More details at the linked entry.

Call for Papers: Popular Culture Association Conference Tolkien Studies Area Deadline Extended!

The Tolkien Studies Area (TSA) welcomes proposals for individual papers, paper sessions (with four proposals), and roundtables (with five-seven participants) in any area of Tolkien studies. All PCA sessions are scheduled in 1.5-hour slots. Individual presenters should plan for fifteen minutes to present, and roundtable participants should plan for 5-7 minutes each.

We welcome scholars in all period specializations, from any disciplinary perspective, including interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary, and using any critical theory. Tolkien studies includes but is not limited to: the Legendarium, adaptations and transformative works, reader reception and fan studies, source studies, literary studies, critical race studies, cultural studies, tourism studies, medieval and medievalist studies, media and marketing, religious studies.

Academics, independent scholars, and graduate students are invited to submit through the online submission page. At this time, we are not accepting proposals from undergraduate students.

For individual paper proposals, please submit contact information (name, institutional affiliation if an, e-mail addresses, and telephone number), a title and a 300-word proposal that includes information on the topic, theory or method, and relation to relevant scholarship.

Possible Topics

Adaptation Studies

Games, Films, Art, Amazon’s Tolkien

Cultural Studies/Reception Studies/Fan Studies

•           Race & Tolkien
•           Queer Tolkien
•           Gender & Tolkien
•           Class & Tolkien
•           Intersectional Tolkien
•           Tolkien & Religion or Spirituality (Catholic, Buddhist, Neo-Paganism)
•           Tolkien & White Supremacy (then and now)
•           Tolkien’s Fandoms (fanfiction, fan art, fan vids, cosplay, collecting, tourism)
•           Tolkien Fanzines (Marquette or other archives)
•           Tolkien & Contemporary Fantasy (examples: N. K. Jemisin, G. R. R. Martin, Terry Pratchett)

Literary Studies

•           New Tolkien Publications
•           Tolkien & Genre
•           Tolkien & Romanticisms
•           Tolkien & Medievalisms
•           Tolkien & Modernisms
•           Tolkien & Postmodernisms
•           Tolkien & the Sciences

Possible Roundtable Topics:

•           Games, Gaming, Gamers (Online or Tabletop)
•           New Disciplines, Methods, Pedagogies
•           How and Where To Publish
•           The Question of Tolkien and Theory
•           Digital Tolkien (Digital Archives, Corpus Projects)

Fandom Snowflake Challenge

Ever other day, starting on the first and running through the twenty-ninth of January, one of us will post a challenge or idea or prompt. We will also be hosting a friending meme on the thirty-first, to close out the fest.

Participants use your own space to respond to that challenge in whatever way suits you best. If you like, you can drop a comment on the challenge post and link to your response, so that you can share your thoughts with other fans. Please comment, interact, and celebrate each other, as all together we are what make up fandom!

There is no minimum for the number of challenges you have to do. One is a complete acceptable number, as is zero, as is all fifteen. You do not have to do them on the day they're posted, and you can do them in any order you please. You are free to interpret "fandom" as widely or as narrowly as you please, and talk about any kind of fanwork or type of fandom interaction you can think of.

The Fandom Snowflake Challenge can be found on Dreamwidth, Tumblr, Twitter, and Pillowfort.

Screw Yule 2022

Everyone is cordially invited to participate in this year's Screw Yule, a celebration of Elves, Smut, and a New Year's Resolution to toss Laws and Customs right out the window (or, at least, ignore whatever is necessary to appease your muses.)

What is Screw Yule? Screw Yule started in 2005 as the smuttiest writing and art challenge around, and is still going strong in its 17th season. It's a chance to start the year nice with some naughty elves (and friends), with a focus on populating the fandom with rare pair goodness.

R+ ratings encouraged, but lower ratings are still accepted.

January 1st through January 20th.

Pairing prompts, sassy bingo cards, kinky playlist..

Runs on AO3; for rules and FAQs see collection profile.

B2MEM 2022: Mathom Marketplace

Offer Prompts from January 1 to February 15

Create Works from March 1 through April 15.



In the Michel Delving Market, Hobbits (and big folk alike) can offer ‘prompts for sale’ for ‘prompts for trade’. Shoppers (participants) at the Mathom Marketplace earn mathoms when they offer up prompts for sale, which can be ‘spent’ to acquire prompts from others (or their own!)



The number of people who can ‘buy’ a prompt for sale is limitless – let’s say that Petunia Took offers up ‘An adventure on the Buckleberry Ferry’ as a prompt for sale, and both Gertrude Goodbody and Wylde Thyme wanted to ‘purchase’ that prompt. So long as Gertrude and Wylde each have the mathoms to trade for it, they can each claim the prompt.



Gertrude and Wylde could also combine their mathoms, and spend only one together instead of one each to buy the prompt – the catch is, whatever is created needs to be a collaborative effort between them!



How does one ‘earn’ mathoms? By offering prompts! Everyone starts off with a generous donation from Postmaster Proudfoot of mathoms lost in the mail–he wagers he has enough in the unclaimed mathoms room of the post in Michel Delving for everyone participating to start with five (5) mathoms regardless of whether or not they have anything to offer at the market. The more you offer, the more you earn!

 More details, rules, FAQs at the linked Google Doc, which also has the links to the AO3 collections, etc.

My Slashy Valentine sign-ups open

My Slashy Valentine is a hand matched slash fiction exchange focused on the people of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

Sign ups are now OPEN so spread the word, recruit your friends and fellow authors, and get ready for MSV 2022.

Sign-up Period: December 8th to December 22nd

Assignments distributed: by December 29th

Deadline for first time participants: January 31st, 2022

Deadline for veteran participants: February 7th, 2022

Archive opens: February 14th, 2022

Admin posts on Tumblr, Dreamwidth, Livejournal; stories to be posted to AO3.

Link to sign-up form in the linked post, together with rules and FAQ