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SWG News
New Challenge: Tengwar
Each day for thirty-six days, we feature a randomly chosen letter from the Tengwar as a prompt.
A Sense of History: Crossroads
In the ongoing series on towers in Tolkien's work, a thread runs through "The Lord of the Rings," revealing the divine assistance of Varda in the travails of the Fellowship.
Cultus Dispatches: Canon Deviations, Multifandoms, and Original Content
Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data gives some insight into what connections, if any, exist between fanfiction and original fiction.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] Tengwar (working title) by cuarthol
For the Tengwar prompt challenge. To be updated as new prompts are completed.
Current up through 'Anca'
[Writing] I Stood Aside by Flora-lass
Maedhros' horror at the burning of the ships. Inspired by a painting (see notes).
[Reference] Thálatta! Thálatta! by Simon J. Cook
While he never climbs the stairs of this Elf-tower, in Lothlórien Frodo Baggins descends a flight of steps to look into Galadriel’s Mirror, wherein he first sees the sea. This post examines the view.
[Writing] Words of Wisdom by AdmirableMonster
One or more drabbles about Pengolodh and his babysitter Salgant.
[Writing] Les Mots de Sagesse by AdmirableMonster
Plusieurs petites histoires qui parle de Pengolodh et Salgant pendant des moments differents.
[Writing] "Tengwar" ficlets by chrissystriped
Fics written for the "Tengwar" challenge.
[Writing] Upon Cirith Thoronath by StarSpray
A horrid cacophony of cries erupts ahead of them, as orcs appear—up the cliff on hidden ledges, on the path, with bows and swords. And behind them rises a figure of darkness and flame. The heat rolls down the path over them, bringing the smell of burning flesh and bitter fear with it. Someone…
Current Challenge
Tengwar
A daily prompt of a Tengwar letter per day. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Holiday Feast
A multi-course "feast" of prompts for writing, artwork, reading, commenting, and meta. Read more ...
New in References
Thálatta! Thálatta! by Simon J. Cook
[]While he never climbs the stairs of this Elf-tower, in Lothlórien Frodo Baggins descends a flight of steps to look into Galadriel’s Mirror, wherein he first sees the sea. This post examines the view.
[]
With Gildor Inglorion we finally climb the stairs of Elostirion and look on the view, and what we see appears to reveal a hidden thread in the story of Frodo Baggins. This post reads two annotated translations of two Elvish songs to step through a crossroads in the narrative to arrive at the tower on the margin of the story, wherein is a stone that is a window onto Valinor.
Grief, Grieving, and Permission to Mourn in the "Quenta Silmarillion" by Dawn Walls-Thumma
[]In a book as full of death as the Quenta Silmarillion, grief and mourning are surprisingly absent. The characters who receive grief and mourning—and those who don't—appear to do so due to narrative bias. Grief and mourning (or a lack of them) serve to draw attention toward and away from objectionable actions committed by characters.
Beyond the Silmarillion
[Writing] Waybread (The Waybredlik) by Himring
[]Lembas speaks out.
[Series] Apr 1st Stories by Uvatha the Horseman
[]Once a year on April 1st, a canon character from LOTR or the Silmarillion gets pranked.
[Writing] Crossing Forest River by Dawn Felagund
[]Bilbo recounts, in verse, the attempt of Gandalf, Beorn, and him to cross the Forest River after the Battle of Five Armies. Written for the Hungarian Tolkien Society's 2024 Mailing Competition.
Around the World and Web
Monstrous May 2024
Monstrous May is a Tumblr event where, for each day of the month of May, there is a prompt involving and invoking the monstrous.
Fellowship of the Fics: Modern AU May
During May, Fellowship of the Fics offers modern AU prompt lists for setting, character occupation, and dialogue on Tumblr.
May challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
The May challenge has been posted to the tolkienshortfanworks community on Dreamwidth. Thematic challenge: name; formal challenge: acrostic. As usual, these can be filled independently and freely combined with other prompts such as the SWG challenges. New participants welcome!
May 2024 Calls for Papers
Conferences and publications that have open calls for papers in May 2024.
Angbang Week 2024
All new, unpublished fanworks about the Angbang (Melron) ship are welcome during this Tumblr event, running 6-12 May 2024.
New and Updated Artwork
"And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise." - The Return of the King
Major Characters: No major characters listedMajor Relationships: No major relationships listed
Challenge: No challenge listed
Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed | | |
A wolf, a spider, a bat, a dragon... what do they have in common?
Major Characters: Draugluin, Glaurung, Thuringwethil, UngoliantMajor Relationships: No major relationships listed
Challenge: Bestiary of Arda
Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed | | |
Tar-Míriel, traditional media, A5, 2020.
Major Characters: Tar-MírielMajor Relationships: No major relationships listed
Challenge: No challenge listed
Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed | | |
After living for hundreds, never mind thousands, of years by the sea there's no way that Círdan wasn't a) as brown as a berry, and b) didn't invent surfing.
Major Characters: Círdan, Elves, FalathrimMajor Relationships: No major relationships listed
Challenge: Opposites Attract
Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed | | |
Photograph of a tree in autumn (lightly edited) with two lines of accompanying text.
Originally submitted (without the title) for the Manwe's Mailbag challenge for a postcard prompt.
Major Characters: No major characters listedMajor Relationships: No major relationships listed
Challenge: No challenge listed
Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed | | |
“Under her song the saplings grew and became fair and tall, and came to flower; and thus there awoke in the world the Two Trees of Valinor. Of all things which Yavanna made they have the most renown, and about their fate all the tales of the Elder Days are woven.”
~ The Silmarillion, “Of The Beginning of Days”
Major Characters: No major characters listedMajor Relationships: No major relationships listed
Challenge: No challenge listed
Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed | | |
Tolkenien Mathematics.
Major Characters: J.R.R. TolkienMajor Relationships: No major relationships listed
Challenge: Gnome Tome
Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed | | |
Varda experiments with undoing just a wee bit of history...
Major Characters: VardaMajor Relationships: No major relationships listed
Challenge: Gnome Tome
Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed | | |
After capturing Finrod and his companions, Gorthaur attempts to discover their identities...
Major Characters: Finrod Felagund, SauronMajor Relationships: No major relationships listed
Challenge: Cheesy Corn Chips
Rating: Creator Chooses Not to Rate
Warnings: Violence (Mild) | | |
Art created for the related prompts for the 30-Day Character Study Challenge.
Major Characters: No major characters listedMajor Relationships: Andreth & Finrod, Aegnor/Andreth
Challenge: 30-Day Character Study, Jubilee
Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed | | |
"Then [Varda] began a great labor, greatest of all the works of the Valar since their coming into Arda. She took the silver dews from the vats of Telperion, and therewith she made new stars and brighter against the coming of the Firstborn ... And high in the north as a challenge to Melkor she set the crown of seven mighty stars to swing, Valacirca, the Sickle of the Valar and sign of doom." - The Silmarillion, "Of the Coming of the Elves"
Major Characters: No major characters listedMajor Relationships: No major relationships listed
Challenge: No challenge listed
Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed | | |
Quick & silly sketches from an Instadrabbling/Instadrawbling session...
Major Characters: CaranthirMajor Relationships: No major relationships listed
Challenge: Jubilee, Restoration and Rebuilding
Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed | | |
Beleg and Túrin at Dor-Cúarthol, protecting the land together. Drawn in the style of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
Major Characters: Beleg, TúrinMajor Relationships: Beleg/Túrin
Challenge: No challenge listed
Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed | | |
Two figures under autumn/winter mallorn trees in the golden wood of Lothlórien.
Major Characters: Celeborn, Celebrían, GaladrielMajor Relationships: Celeborn/Galadriel
Challenge: No challenge listed
Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed | | |
My contribution to the Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang artwork in an Ancient Egyptian style
Major Characters: Beren, Lúthien Tinúviel, MelkorThen Beren and Lúthien ... came to the seat of Morgoth in his nethermost hall that was upheld by horror, lit by fire, and filled with weapons of death and torment. There Beren slunk in wolf's form beneath his throne; but Lúthien was stripped of her disguise by the will of Morgoth, and he bent his gaze upon her.
The Silmarillion - JRR Tolkien
Major Relationships: Beren/Luthien
Challenge: No challenge listed
Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed | | |
My second artwork for TRSB 2022. Elrond is secretly visiting Númenor during the reign of Ar-Pharazôn, years after Sauron’s capture, and is captured himself.
Major Characters: Elrond, Sauron, Tar-MírielMajor Relationships: No major relationships listed
Challenge: No challenge listed
Rating: Teens
Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings | | |
Inspired by Surfacing, Into Light by Maggie Honeybite featuring Keiliss' Erestor and Gil-galad from Answers in the Dark, the sequel to Burning Bright: The Road.
- - -
Music: Come Back to Us · Thomas Newman
Major Characters: Erestor, Gil-galadMajor Relationships: Erestor/Gil-galad
Challenge: Restoration and Rebuilding
Rating: Teens
Warnings: No warnings listed | | |
A moodboard showing the path of the survivors of Gondolin.
Major Characters: No major characters listedMajor Relationships: No major relationships listed
Challenge: No challenge listed
Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed | | |
