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Leaf & Lore: A Tolkien Writing Month

Start a story, work on a WIP, finish a fic, dabble in drabbles, pen a poem, type a tale, or otherwise wrestle with words. Set your own goal: Leaf & Lore is all up to you. 

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Welcome! Brought to you by @idleleaves and @independence1776, Leaf & Lore: A Tolkien Writing Month is a Tolkien-centric writing challenge that starts on the 1st of November and ends on the 30th.

Any and all parts of the Legendarium are welcome, from The Hobbit, LotR, and The Silmarillion to The History of Middle-earth series to film and TV adaptations of Tolkien's works.

Leaf & Lore is choose-your-own-goal - you can go with a traditional fic word count goal (from the easily achievable to the truly challenging) or you can participate in another way. Maybe you'd like to set a goal of editing a long fic instead, or complete a set amount of chapters, or even write meta? Goals can be changed or updated at any time, too. And if you're more of a reader than a writer, come join in as a beta or a cheerleader!

The Discord server will have both scheduled and impromptu write-ins, weekly low-pressure check-ins, plus channels for Tolkien chat, fic chat, snippets and sharing, and of course an off-topic channel as well. You can ask for a beta or a cheerleader at any time, too! 

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2025 SCHEDULE:

• Oct 17 - Discord server opens! Time to sign up and declare your goals! There will be a sign-up form posted on the 17th so you can be e-mailed the invite link to the Discord server.
• Check-Ins - Nov 08, 15, 22, and 29.
• Official Write-In Sessions - Nov 02, 16, and 30 at 16:00 UTC and 20:00 UTC each time.
• Dec 13 - Server closes! See you next year!

FAQ

Quick FAQ time!

1. What can I write? Whatever you want - fic, poetry, or meta are just some of the options! We will not attempt to place restrictions on subject matter within your work and we do not allow policing of content. If you choose to share, on our Discord server, a snippet containing material commonly regarded as being sensitive and/or triggering, please use spoiler bars. What warnings you use (if any) if/when you post on AO3, SWG, Tumblr, etc. are up to you.

2. Is there a minimum or maximum goal? Nope! If writing a 100-word drabble is a challenge for you, go with it! If you want to treat this as a full-blown NaNo and aim for 50k, go for it. If you want to edit three chapters or finish a draft of a languishing WIP, then that's your goal. This is a self-challenge, so what that looks like will be different for everyone.

3. Can I change my project or goal? Absolutely. We're here to encourage, not to shame. If you want or need to change something at any point during the month, please do.

4. Can I drop out? Yes! We all have things happen in the course of our lives that make participating in fandom difficult or impossible. There is not and never will be a penalty for dropping out.

5. What are the check-ins like? Very low-pressure - just how are you all doing, anyone struggling, anyone doing well, anyone want to talk about how things are going, anyone need a beta or cheerleader?

Curufinrod Week 2025

Curufinrod Week is a Tumblr and AO3 event that welcomes fan creations centering on any iteration of the realtionship between Curufin and Finrod through the ages. Curufinrod Week will run for the first time this year from October 13th - 19th!

To Participate

• Create fanfiction, fanart, headcanons, close readings and musings, moodboards, photography, rec lists or anything else that inspires you!
• Curufin and Finrod should be somewhat the centre of your creation, although their relationship does not have to be romantic, and additional characters are welcome!
• Mention the blog @curufinrodweek in your post and include the hashtag #curufinrodweek2025 in the first 10 tags.
• If you would like, add your work to the AO3 collection (tba).
• Take inspiration from the nonmandatory daily prompts (tba).

Rules & Requirements

• There are no minimum or maximum requirements; anything goes!
• Late submissions, submissions not following any prompts (or combining them, interpreting them loosely, etc.) are all welcome!
• There are no content restrictions or rules on tagging beyond what AO3 requires of you. If you post to tumblr and your fill is Mature or Explicit, and/or falls under one of AO3's major warnings, please provide tagging on your post, though.
• That said, please refrain from using genAI.
• This fest operates firmly under the premises of ‘don’t like; don’t read,’ ‘ship and let ship’ and ‘your kink is not my kink but that’s okay’ (if you’re unfamiliar with these concepts, see this post). We will not tolerate any shaming, harassment, or attempts to police content.
• Please be a respectful and encouraging community member! This means:
  • Do not repost content by other creators without their explicit permission. Please re-blog instead to support their work.
  • Please do not engage in any sort of unfair use of other people’s creations.
  • Respect other people’s headcanons and interpretations, even if you don’t share them.
  • Content and creators espousing any form of negativity, bigotry, aggression or discrimination against others will not be tolerated.

Disrespecting these rules will lead to being blocked from the event.

Prompts

• Day 1: October 13th Pre-Darkening/Valinor | Amnesia | Forests, Springs, and Lakes
• Day 2: October 14th The Darkening & the Doom  | Time Travel/Time Loop | Nightsky & Varda's Creations
• Day 3: October 15th Himlad & Ossiriand | Hurt/Comfort | Forges & Crafts
• Day 4: October 16th Nargothrond & Sirion  | Arranged Marriage/Fake Dating | Winter & Ice
• Day 5: October 17th Oaths & Promises | Angst & Tragedy | The Nauglamir/Gifts & Jewellery
• Day 6: October 18th The Halls of Mandos/Re-embodiment | Enemies to Lovers & Lovers to Enemies | Feasts & Celebrations
• Day 7: October 19th Laws and Customs Among the Eldar | Porn without Plot/Porn with Plot | Sex and Kinks of all Kinds

Oxford/Bloomsbury Fantasy Summer School

The University of Oxford has produced a series of YouTube videos for their Fantasy Summer School

October Challenge at tolkienshortfanworks

Here is the tolkienshortfanworks challenge for October.

Thematic prompt: 

Below is an alphabetic list of plants said to grown in Ithilien. Pick at least one plant name to include in your fanwork. The fanwork can be set in Ithilien, but does not need to be.

Anemone, ash-tree, asphodel; bay, briars; cedar, celandine, clematis, cypress; eglantine; fir; ilex, iris; juniper; lebethron, lily; marjoram, myrtles; oak, olive tree; parsley, primerole; rose; sage, saxifrage, stonecrop; tamarisk, terebinth, thyme; water-lily, wood hyacinth.

[Helpful hint, if you are interested in combining this prompt with the SWG's Jumble Sale challenge: this list has a couple of additional plant names that are not included in the bingo card I compiled on the same subject for SWG.]

Formal challenge:

Your fanwork should include one or more set of in-universe instructions; for instance, instructions for tasks in botany, agriculture, cookery, medicine, etc.
These could be written or traditional oral instructions.

As usual, these two prompt sets can be filled separately or combined.

Usual reminder that in order to post the fill to this community or to the related collection on AO3 (linked in a sticky post at the top), 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.

Also we continue to welcome other pieces unrelated to any challenge, of course, including cross-posts and older stories, as long as they meet the criteria!

Tolkien Latin American and Caribbean Week 2025

A week dedicated to celebrate Latin American and Caribbean cultures, peoples and traditions through Tolkien's Legendarium. It will start on October 6th (Monday) at 00:00, Brasilia time. The event will end on October 12th, but feel free to post after the week is over. I'll still check tags, mentions and submissions for a while.

Everyone is free to participate, you don't have to be latino or caribbean nor have deep knowledge about Latin America/Caribbean to participate on this event. All creations are welcome - arts, graphics, gifs, fanfics, etc. - as long as they represent a Latin American/Caribbean element(s). It can be languages, cultures, traditions, anything from Latin America/Caribbean. Creations should be Safe for Work, no explicit content will be accepted to make this week accessible to everyone.

Please don't forget to tag your contributions with #tolkienlatam&caribbeanweek and mention me @tolkienlatamandcaribbeanweek.

Here are the prompts! Remember they are not mandatory, but they can inspire you. Feel free to create outside these themes.

↬ Day One: The Song of Creation | Years of the Trees | The Flight of the Ñoldor

↬ Day two: First Age | The Sun and the Moon | Hidden Realms

↬ Day three: Mortal and Immortal | Hope Carried on a Star | Fate Rewritten

↬ Day four: Second Age | Lord of Gifts | Last Alliance

↬ Day five: Númenor | Nimloth | Waters Took All

↬ Day six: Third Age | Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost | The Return of the King

↬ Day seven: Freeform | OCs | AU

Last, but not least, don't forget to check the pinned post with rules, FAQ, other notes, etc.

Erestober 2025

What is Erestober? Erestober is an event running from October 1st - 31st 2025, 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.

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!

Prompts

October 1st - 7th

Beside Glorfindel there were several other counsellors of Elrond’s household, of whom Erestor was the chief.

Origins | Lore | Life

Epistolary | Bookbinding | Meta

Roasted Chestnuts | Rainy Afternoons | Corn Mazes

October 8th - 14th

“Then,” said Erestor, “there are but two courses, as Glorfindel already has declared; to hide the Ring for ever; or to unmake it. But both are beyond our power. Who will read this riddle for us?”

Riddles | Decisions | Uncertainty

Drabbles | Moodboards | Costume Design

Falling Leaves | Equinox | Fairy Tales

October 15th - 21st

First rode Elrohir and Elladan with a banner of silver, and then came Glorfindel and Erestor and all the household of Rivendell.

Relationships | Family | Loyalty

Filking | Photography | Fiber Arts

Harvest Festivals | Kite Flying | Candy

October 22nd - 28th

“Thus we return once more to the destroying of the Ring,” said Erestor, “and yet we come no nearer. What strength have we for the finding of the Fire in which it was made? That is the path of despair. Of folly I would say, if the long wisdom of Elrond did not forbid me.”

Hope and despair | Wisdom | Experience

Poetry | Calligraphy | Sculpture

First Frost | Fog | Wind

October 29th - 31st

“But within those bounds nothing seems to dismay him,” said Erestor.

Alternate Universe | Crack | Beyond Canon

Playlists | Comments | Rec Lists

Ghosts | Pumpkins | Cobwebs

Barduil October 2025

31 prompts with a variety of vibes for this month-long event celebrating the relationship between Thranduil and Bard the Bowman. You can write, draw, make a moodboard, make a playlist, or perform an interpretive dance to one, some, many, or all of the prompts - just be sure to tag @bi-widower-dads so one of the mods can share it on the blog! Please feel free to drop an ask or message @scary-grace if you have any questions. For more information visit bi-widower-dads on Tumblr.

Prompts

• New Moon
• Woodsmoke
• Cobwebs
• Apples
• Masquerade
• Silence
• Fallen Leaves
• Bonfire
• Shadows
• Rites
• Candlelight
• Pumpkin
• Monsters
• Cold Nights
• Crescent Moon
• Clouds
• Spices
• First Frost
• Half Moon
• Costumes
• Folktales
• Dried Flowers
• Eyes
• Caramel
• Gibbous Moon
• Possession
• Stars
• Mist
• Spirits
• Full Moon
• The Veil Lifts

Silm Smut Week 2025

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. Silm Smut Week will run from September 29 to October 5, 2025 on Tumblr and AO3.

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 #silmsmutweek2025.
• 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: porn without plot, porn with plot; fluff, humour, angst, dark; slash, het, femslash, poly, solo; canon-compliant, alternate universe; reader insert, incest, etc. And, of course, every imaginable kink. 

All forms of creative engagement with the Silmarillion and the Silmarillion fandom are welcome: writing, visual art, meta/analysis, headcanons, playlists, music, video, podfics, cosplay, etc.

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, daily themes are taken from the seasons in the Reckoning of Rivendell. Take these as you will. A setting? A vibe? A symbol? Imagery?

Prompts/Suggestions are a handful of topics, tropes, kinks, ship and relationship types to consider for that day.

Objects of the Day can be used in you creation or simply as inspiration!

Inspirations of the Day are quotes and photos to feed to your muse. This year all quotes are taken from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien! Who knew the Professor could produce such smutspiration!? Oh, wait...

Click the links to find each day's prompt collection.

Day 1: Spring (Mon, Sept 29)

Day 2: Summer (Tues, Sept 30)

Day 3: Autumn (Weds, Oct 1)

Day 4: Fading (Thurs, Oct 2)

Day 5: Winter (Fri, Oct 3)

Day 6: Stirring (Sat, Oct 4)

Day 7: Dark (Sun, Oct 5)

Not moved to create by this year's prompts? Take a look at the prompts from 2023 and 2024!

LOTR Week 2025

LOTRWEEK is a week-long event to celebrate The Lord of the Rings here on Tumblr and AO3. This year, it’s taking place on 22nd-28th September 2025.

Guidelines

Tolkien of Colour Week 2025

Tolkien of Colour Week is a Tumblr event for fanworks about characters of color in the legendarium.

I ask that participants do not use AI art generators. Other than this, all submissions are welcome. Tag @tolkienofcolourweek and #tocw2025 on your posts. Prompts below are optional.

Prompts