Around the World and Web includes announcements and items of interest from beyond the SWG.
Erestober 2026
What is Erestober? Erestober is an annual event running from October 1st - 31st, to encourage any and all fanworks featuring Erestor, chief counsellor of Imladris!
Why is Erestober? Because I saw an event called "Erostober," misread the name, and then got disappointed when I realised it wasn't about Erestor, so, here we are.
How do I participate in Erestober? You simply create fanwork - fic, art, meta, anything you can think of - featuring Erestor and post it during the month! For further information regarding permissible content, see the rules & guidelines below. No sign-up of any kind required.
How do I post my creations? If you want your submission to be shared on this blog, simply post it on tumblr and tag @erestober. There is an Ao3 collection as well where you can post submissions, and if you do not want to post on tumblr or would prefer to remain anonymous, you can post it on a platform of your choice and send an ask with the link to this blog and I will share it!
Do I have to create something every day? No! Create as much or as little as you like.
Will there be prompts? Yes! The prompts for 2026 will be announced sometime in summer.
Do I have to follow the prompts? Not at all! The prompts are meant as inspiration only, and if they don’t inspire you, feel free to do something else. And you do not have to follow the prompts in order, either - swapping or combining prompts is perfectly fine, as is ignoring them altogether.
Can I combine creations for Erestober with other events, such as Inktober? Sure!
Can I post something I've created in the past? Go for it! The more Erestor the merrier.
Can I post unfinished creations? Absolutely! Tolkien had Unfinished Tales, and so can we.
Can I post creations for Erestober after the event is over? Sure! Just keep in mind that I likely won't be checking the blog daily after the month is over, so it might be a while until your submission gets shared - if it hasn't been reblogged after a few weeks, feel free to send a DM or ask to @maglor-my-beloved.
What about dark or NSFW creations? Dark and NSFW content is welcome, as long as it is appropriately tagged. If you do not want to see such content, it is up to you to take the necessary steps to curate your experience - harassment of creators will not be tolerated.
Why have you not reblogged my post? Tumblr's notifications can be unreliable, so if you used the tag #erestober and tagged this blog (@erestober) and your post has not been reblogged after 24h, please send an ask or DM with the link and I will share it!
Rules & Guidelines
- Please be kind and respectful! Hate and bigotry will not be tolerated.
- Be respectful of other people's ideas/headcanons/interpretations - it is up to you to curate your own experience, don't like, don't read.
- NSFW and dark content is welcome, but please use the appropriate warnings & tags and put graphic content under a cut.
- Any form of fanwork is welcome - fics, art, meta, playlists, moodboards, and whatever else you come up with, as long as it features Erestor. AI generated work is not permitted!
- Use the tag #erestober on your event submissions and/or tag this blog (@erestober) directly - I will try to reblog everything, but tumblr is notoriously difficult, so if your post has not been reblogged after 24h, feel free to send an ask or DM with the link!
Feel free to send any further questions, comments or suggestions as an ask to this blog!
Prompts
October 1st-7th
Erestor his kinsman (a man of the same half-elvish folk known as the children of Luthien)
Origins | Relationships | Family
October 8th-14th
Erestor, counsellor of Elrond
Life | Lore | Loyalty
October 15th-21st
The Ring should be destroyed; but we cannot destroy it, save by the perilous journey to the Fire. What strength or cunning have we for that task?’
Wisdom | Cunning | Strength
October 22nd-28th
Then there are two courses,’ said Erestor, ‘and both are without hope. Who will read this riddle for us?’
Hope | Despair | Uncertainty
October 29th-31st
especially since the inclusion of Erestor ‘half-elf’ took the number to eight.
Erestor in the Fellowship
Silm Smut Week 2026
A fandom event celebrating sexually explicit fanworks based on the The Silmarillion and related legends — now in its fourth year!
September 28 to October 4, 2026 (Monday to Sunday)
The aim of Silm Smut Week is to foster a positive, inclusive, and fun culture around the creation and enjoyment of smut, porn, and erotica.
Themes and Prompts (Mobile) | Event Directory
How to Participate
- Create something that narrates, depicts, or considers sexual activity involving the characters of the Silmarillion.
- Post it on Tumblr and/or add it to the AO3 Collection and mention this blog (@silmsmutweek) and tag #silmsmutweek2026.
- We will reblog posts daily.
- If you do not see your post reblogged after 24 hours, please send us an ask or DM mods @polutrope or @ettelene.
- The themes and prompts for each day are just suggestions. You can post anything any day of the week and we will reblog it.
- Late submissions for the event are welcome and we will try to reblog those as well but cannot guarantee that we will.
- Engage with other creators! Enjoy their works!
All genres, tropes, and kinks are welcome, as are all forms of creative of engagement (writing, art, meta, headcanons, playlists, podfics, etc.) with the Silmarillion and the Silmarillion fandom.
2026 Silm Smut Week Prompts
Daily prompts are never obligatory. You may use one, three, all (?!), or none. You may combine prompts from different days. You may ignore them and write whatever you want.
This year, flowers are the theme. Do with these what you will! Dig deep into flower symbolisms, do some image searches and find a vibe, discover flower name etymologies (did you know orchid comes from the ancient Greek for testicle?), or disregard the daily themes altogether.
Prompts/Suggestions are a handful of topics, tropes, kinks, ship and relationship types to consider for that day.
Nouns of the Day can feature in you creation or simply act as inspiration.
Challenges are daily ideas on how to approach a new creation.
Throwbacks are an extra set of daily prompts from past years of Silm Smut Week.
Daily Prompts
Click the links to find each day’s prompt collection.
Day 1: Lily (Mon, Sept 28)
Day 2: Carnation (Tues, Sept 29)
Day 3: Rose (Weds, Sept 30)
Day 4: Violet (Thurs, Oct 1)
Day 5: Orchid (Fri, Oct 2)
Day 6: Rhododendron (Sat, Oct 3)
Day 7: Poppy (Sun, Oct 4)
Not moved to create by this year’s prompts? Take a look at the prompts from 2023, 2024, and 2025!
LotR Week 2026
LOTRWEEK is back for 2026! Mark your calendars for a week-long event on 21st-27th September to share our love and creativity for Lord of the Rings.
LOTRWEEK 2026 prompts:
Day 1 (21st Sep): beginnings | character | but it is not your own shire
Day 2 (22nd Sep): hobbit day | free day
Day 3 (23rd Sep): the past | adventure | don't the great tales never end?
Day 4 (24th Sep): the future | estel | courage is found in unlikely places
Day 5 (25th Sep): journey | heroism | I will take the ring, though I do not know the way
Day 6 (26th Sep): change | fellowship | for not all tears are an evil
Day 7 (27th Sep): endings | healing | sitting by a wall in the sun, laughing at old grief
See the FAQs for more info (and the extended quotes for the prompts if you'd like), and have fun!
Finwëan Ladies Week 2026
This is a week-long event celebrating the ladies of the line of Finwë! There have been events within the Silmarillion fandom focused on the sons of Finwë and their descendents, and to add to the fun this week was established to give his wives, daughters, and other female descendants their own time to shine.
This year, Finwëan Ladies Week will run from September 21-27, 2026!
Any content and creations about the ladies of Finwë’s line are welcome! You can create edits, gifs, fanart, fanfic, fanmixes, and more!
Please tag your posts with #finweanladiesweek in the first 20 tags AND @ mention this blog @finweanladiesweek so they can be easily found. If your submission turns into a long post, please put what you can beneath a “Keep reading” divider. You may also post your creations to our AO3 collection.
Below are some prompts for each day of the week. They are not mandatory, but they are here to inspire you. This page will lead to a detailed explanation for each one.
- DAY ONE: Míriel Þerindë and Indis
- DAY TWO: Findis and Írimë Lalwen
- DAY THREE: Aredhel and Galadriel
- DAY FOUR: Later Generations
- DAY FIVE: Ladies Who Married In
- DAY SIX: Original Characters
- DAY SEVEN: Freeform
This event is being organized by mods Anna @arofili and Elle @elesianne. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to message this blog or reach out to Anna on their main blog. Anna runs on Pacific Standard Time, and Elle runs on Eastern European Summer Time, so we will be active and modding on those schedules, although you are free to post your content at the time most convenient to you!
For further clarification, check out our FAQ and prompts pages! Happy creating!!
Finwean Sibblings Prompt Fest 2026
2026 schedule:
Prompting: September 1st-14th
Publishing of prompt list: September 19th (at latest)
Claiming Begins: September 21st at 18:00 UTC
Works due: November 20th
Posting starts: November 27th
Full Rules & Requirements can be found here: Desktop | Mobile
Tolkien Sapphic September
Tolkien Sapphic September is a month long event focusing on Sapphic relationships and characters in Tolkien and adjacent materials.
This is an ANTI-AI event- ai created, assisted, or concept built pieces are NOT ADMISSABLE.
This includes: canon characters, lotro characters,ocs, imagines, x readers, and self inserts.
This event is FULLY FOCUSED on Sapphics this INCLUDES ALL 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 identities!
Past works, works in progress, and late submissions are WELCOME!💫
Submissions to the blog and reblogs here from the Tolkien Sapphic September tags will begin the 1st of September and go throughout the month.
We have an AO3 collection which is happily accepting submissions
Basic rules:
- No AI
- No incest
- Main ship MUST be sapphic.
- Any sexual works must be 18+
- Appropriately tagged for readers
Prompts
These are totally optional and can be altered and combined!!! Think of this year as a custom tea blend all for you!!!
Tea chart
Pine
Old lady yuri
Snowed in
Winter
Lemon balm
Hate sex
Enemies to lovers
One bed
Strawberry
Devotion
Kink
Lust
Basil
Pining
Childhood friends
One bed
Earl grey
Arranged marriage
Letters
Royalty
Books
Rosemary
Modern au
Meet tragic
Adoration
Instrument/art
Valerian
Tragedy
Good bye
Last kiss
Hope
Berry
Horror
Hunter/hunted
Survival
Dandelion
Forbidden love
Loyalty
Resiliency
Hope
Rose
Toxic (to sweet or not)
Opposites attract
Rivals to lovers
Mint
Pride
Gift
Three kisses
Chamomile
Meet cute
Friends to lovers
Fluff
Ginger
Yearning
Indirect kiss
Confession
Smut with feelings
Catnip
Crossover
Self insert
Indulgence
Around the World and Web Archive
Events listed here are no longer active but are listed on the site for historical purposes.
Alliance of Arda Facebook Group
Alliance of Arda is an inclusive fan community dedicated to sharing our experiences with the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Unlike other Tolkien groups, we encourage conversations on topics including, but not limited to, race, sexuality, gender identity, and disability, and how they affect experiences with Tolkien, as well as questions/discussion regarding the Legendarium at large. Everyone is welcome to join the Alliance, whether you were introduced to Tolkien through his books or the Peter Jackson films. Our community is a place of sharing, learning, and solidarity.
Call for Proposals: Tolkien Society Summer Seminar - Tolkien & Diversity
This summer's Tolkien Society Seminar is online and will consider diversity and Tolkien. Papers may consider, but are not limited to:
- Representation in Tolkien’s works (race, gender, sexuality, disability, class, religion, age etc)
- Tolkien’s approach to colonialism and post-colonialism
- Adaptations of Tolkien’s works
- Diversity and representation in Tolkien academia and readership
- Identity within Tolkien’s works
- Alterity in Tolkien’s works
Proposals are due on 23rd April!
Tolkien Short Fanworks: April Challenge
Here is a thematic prompt and a formal challenge for April.
You can combine the thematic prompt and the formal challenge, but they can be filled entirely independently.
Thematic prompt: Duck or Egg.
You can fill the prompt any way you like!
But here is a bonus prompt for "duck": an image of a very special duck and an associated podcast (link goes to the Ashmolean Museum website).
The formal challenge is to write a quatrain or quatrains.
Usual reminder that although you can fill the thematic prompt any way you like, in order to post the fill to this community or to the related collection on AO3, the fanwork can only have a word count up to 1000 words and must be linked to a Tolkien fandom.
Rec lists and podfics can be posted as fills for thematic prompts, as long as the fanworks concerned meet those conditions.
The next challenge will be posted at the beginning of May, but the prompts don't expire and late fills are always welcome!
Tolkien South Asian Week
This will be a week dedicated to celebrating South Asian peoples, cultures and lives through Tolkien’s Legendarium. I started my Everyone in Middle-Earth is Brown series a year ago to re-interpret Tolkien characters as people like me. This event stemmed from that and aims to diversify and enrich high fantasy, Tolkien’s literary works and fandom.
Everyone’s free to participate. You don’t need to be South Asian or have an in-depth knowledge of South Asian cultures and peoples. This a great opportunity to educate yourself though!
All creation types are welcome – graphics, art, fanfiction, gifs etc as long as they represent a South Asian element(s). That can be a language, a culture, anything. I find the simplest and truest way to focus on South Asians is to use South Asian face casts. Creations should also be Safe for Work so no explicit content will be accepted.
Please tag you contributions with #tolkiensaweek and mention me @arwenindomiel.
Here are the prompts — they are not mandatory but meant to inspire you. Feel free to create outside these themes.
Day 1: Ainur, Beorians, Doriath, Vingilot, Dragons, Origins.
Day 2: Elves, Númenóreans, Gondolin, Silmarils, Balrogs, Loss.
Day 3: Men, Durin’s Folk, Arnor, Aeglos, Great Eagles, Evolution.
Day 4: Dwarves, Silvan Elves, Halls of Mandos, Palantir, Mûmakil, Resilience.
Day 5: Nazgúl, the Noldor, Gondor, Rings of Power, Fellbeasts, Melancholy.
Day 6: Hobbits, The Fellowship, Moria, Arkenstone, Ents, Growth.
Day 7: Freeform, Unnamed women of Middle-Earth, The Shire, Mithril, Horses, Hope.
