New Challenge: Allusive
Literature and art constantly refer back to each other using allusions, and this month's prompts are inspired by allusions to literature, myth, art, and history.
SWG News
Cultus Dispatches: "The Rings of Power" Is a Ripple (So Far)
Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data for 2025 shows that "The Rings of Power" TV series has not had the same impact on the fandom as the film trilogies did ... so far.
New Challenge: Building Middle-earth
Let global architecture be your inspiration in this challenge, where you will work with a prompts that are architectural styles, locations in Arda, or both.
Cultus Dispatches: Six Demographic Takeaways from the 2025 Tolkien Fanfiction Survey
Ten years of demographic data from the Tolkien Fanfiction Survey show consistencies in who reads and writes fanfiction, as well as a few key demographic shifts.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] House of Finwë by softmoonlightmelody
One drabble per Finwëan. Currently on first and second generations.
[Writing] The Mirror Crack'd by AdmirableMonster
Rescued from a brutal Angband hunt, an ex-thrall with a strange and powerful artifact embedded in his spine is brought to Himring, for it is one of the only places in Beleriand which welcomes such folk. Though he has no memories of his life before, Anniavas slowly becomes accustomed to his new…
[Writing] From That Rubble by StarSpray
Fëanor shrugged, studying the contents of his wine glass. “Something must be done about that house. It will fall down eventually.”
“It does not follow that it must be you that tears it down single-handedly. Are you sure you do not want help?”
“It’s not as though I…
[Writing] A Thousand Winds that Blow by StarSpray
When uneasy dreams bring him back into Beleriand, Daeron finds a pair of twins who have lost their home, and an enemy who has lost himself. The Shadow's reach is growing ever longer, and if they are to survive, they must do it together.
[Writing] Into the West by Grundy
Dawn does not call sailing off into the unknown with a guy they've only known a few days a great plan.
[Writing] Explain This by Elrond's Library
Melkor demands an account of Mairon’s failures.
[Writing] Message in a Bottle by StarSpray
Over the course of his very long life he had found a handful of messages in bottles, but it had been a very long time. So when he found the glass bottle on his little stretch of pebbly beach, he picked it up with the intention of tossing it into his recycling. But it wasn’t, he found, just…
Current Challenge
Random Challenge
Gnome Tome
Spin our random generator to receive a prompt inspired by "The Nature of Middle-earth." Read more ...
New in References
"The Rings of Power" Is a Ripple (So Far) by Dawn Walls-Thumma
The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film trilogies mark perhaps the most influential events in the history of the Tolkien fanfiction fandom. As the Rings of Power show approaches its third season, data from the Tolkien Fanfiction Survey shows that it is not even close to matching the impact of the films ... yet.
Six Demographic Takeaways from the 2025 Tolkien Fanfiction Survey by Dawn Walls-Thumma
Data from the 2025 Tolkien Fanfiction Survey shows demographic changes in participant gender, age, and education and new revelations about neurodiversity.
Communities Do Comment: Expanding the 3C's of Commenting with SWG Data by Dawn Walls-Thumma
Expanding on my 2018 article "Why People Don't Comment," comment data from the SWG underscores community as an essential component to a robust commenting culture.
Featured Themed Collection
Beyond the Silmarillion
[Artwork] A Memento of Faery by Grundy
TRSB26 art 144 - an artifact brought back from Faerie by a Starbearer.
[Writing] Down the Long Years by Isilme_among_the_stars
Bilbo, the strange old hobbit with the wandering feet, senses something special in young Frodo the first time he sees the lad; as they become close, they find in each other a cameraderie not well understood by other hobbits. Five poignant moments between Bilbo and Frodo Baggins over the course…
Around the World and Web
Sindar Week 2026
A Tolkien event week for the Sindar, the Grey-Elves, from the Years of the Trees to the Third Age.
Finwean Sibblings Prompt Fest 2026
A prompt-based fandom event aiming to focus on celebrating Finwë's children: Fëanor, Findis, Fingolfin, Lalwen, & Finarfin - ships, gen relationships, or character-centric
Tolkien Sapphic September
Tolkien Sapphic September is a month long event focusing on Sapphic relationships and characters in Tolkien and adjacent materials.
Gigolas Week 2026
Gigolas Week is a tumblr event focusing on the relationship between Legolas and Gimli
Innumerable Stars 2026
A character-based Tolkien fandom gift exchange is returning for another year of gifting.
New and Updated Fanworks
Include Beyond the Silmarillion Fanworks
Suitable Foster by herenortherenearnorfar
"“Children?” Felagund sounded uncharacteristically distressed."
Bëor strongly discourages his friend from adopting.
| Major Characters: Bëor, Finrod Felagund |
| Major Relationships: Bëor & Finrod |
| Genres: | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 1, 783 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (0) |
Five Golden Rings by herenortherenearnorfar
Barad-dûr has fallen. Celebrimbor does some light metalworking for the sake of sentiment (and maybe something more)
| Major Characters: Celebrimbor |
| Major Relationships: Celebrimbor/Sauron |
| Genres: General | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Creator Chooses Not to Rate | Warnings: Torture, Violence (Mild) |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 5, 824 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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Our Lady of Perpetual Compassion, She of Sorrows and Succor by herenortherenearnorfar
"Few stories were told of Nienna, not because she was not loved, but because she was loved too much. Those elves who dwelled in Valinor knew her sorrows and did not pry at them. Her part in the stories of others was glossed over, her name whispered gently, her tale left unspoken and unrecorded. Such was the respect given to her, for all people might need pity some day.
If an exile from over the sea needed to learn, or a new child asked, they were shared only snippets of thought, memories, echoes of what was told perhaps only once long ago.
These were the things that were not said."
| Major Characters: Nienna |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: General | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 10, 137 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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Lost at Sea by StarSpray
An Avarin elf accidentally gets lost at sea and gets stuck halfway onto the Straight Road. Uinen helps out.
| Major Characters: Original Female Character(s), Avari, Uinen |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: General, Humor | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 436 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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Show your pride by daughterofshadows
In which Celegorm receives a strange message from his brother and talks to Aredhel.
| Major Characters: Aredhel, Celegorm, Maglor |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Family, Ficlet, Humor | Challenges: Back To The Future |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 530 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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Fragment: In the long days of Darkness by losselen
Found in the personal collections of Barahir II, transcribed and translated into Westron from its original High Adûnaic. A fragment of a poem for Ancalimë, from a poetess who loved her.
| Major Characters: Original Character(s), Tar-Ancalimë |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Poetry | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 269 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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Sylvan. by hennethgalad
Maglor writes to Thranduil and Celeborn in their castle in Transylvania, asking for help when an early archaeologist tries to dig up The Shire.
(Thranduil and Celeborn canonically 'meet up' in the middle of Mirkwood after Sauron is defeated.)
| Major Characters: Celeborn, Maglor, Thranduil |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Alternate Universe, General | Challenges: Back To The Future |
| Rating: Creator Chooses Not to Rate | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 983 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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[podfic] Please, let's go home (I love you, they said, I love you) by Chestnut_pod
In Treelight, he and Artanis had walked the beaches of Elendë, the white sand soft beneath bare toes as she splashed in the shallows and demanded he name every sea star. Upon the ragged new shores of this eastern land, they wore stout boots, for they were all torn rock and silt, and the waters colder than the Bay of Eldamar. And Artanis was Galadriel now, and if her name was softer, it was all of her that was.
| Major Characters: Finarfin, Galadriel |
| Major Relationships: Finarfin & Galadriel |
| Genres: Podfic | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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[podfic] The Impatience of Youth by Chestnut_pod
Irissë looked pained. “I’ve bruised myself. On – oh Eru, a bust of Uncle Fëanáro. Talk about a mood killer…”
“This isn’t working,” said Elenwë. “We need to go somewhere else or I’ll have nightmares for the rest of my life about your entire extended family watching us while we – ”
“Agreed,” said Irissë, looking rather ill.
| Major Characters: Aredhel, Elenwë |
| Major Relationships: Aredhel/Elenwë |
| Genres: Podfic | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Adult | Warnings: Sexual Content (Moderate) |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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[podfic] A Promise of Lightning by Chestnut_pod, The Wavesinger
The story of Ilmarë and Thuringwethil, from the beginning to the beginning, again.
| Major Characters: Ilmarë, Thuringwethil |
| Major Relationships: Ilmarë/Thuringwethil |
| Genres: Podfic | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Adult | Warnings: Sexual Content (Moderate), Violence (Mild) |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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[podfic] How far can you carry this? by Chestnut_pod
They make mountains upon the beach from sand and pebbles, because all Eärendil’s memories are of cold and pale walls of stone and walking for ever and ever.
When Elwing thinks of home it is dark forests and damp loam beneath her feet and running and stopping and hiding and running again, like rabbits.
| Major Characters: Eärendil, Elwing |
| Major Relationships: Eärendil & Elwing |
| Genres: Podfic | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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[podfic] all they had to lend by Chestnut_pod
From a few hundred feet up, the swan ships could be seen to hesitate.
| Major Characters: Eärendil, Elwing |
| Major Relationships: Eärendil/Elwing |
| Genres: Podfic | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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Winter Solstice by Narya
Maglor in Avebury, at the turning of the year.
| Major Characters: Maglor |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Fixed-Length Ficlet | Challenges: Back To The Future |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 50 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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Fire Like Ice by Lferion
Fingon would not have anticipated that he would ever find himself thinking of heat the same way he thought of extreme cold, and yet, here he was.
Takes place in a version of Arda with Beleriand Risen on the Aman side of the Straight Road, as in Bunn's Return to Aman and Undying Lands.
| Major Characters: Fingon |
| Major Relationships: Fingon & Maedhros |
| Genres: General | Challenges: Back To The Future, Pride |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 1, 231 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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For All Elvenkind by elennalore
An interstellar spaceship is ready to go. Its all-Elven crew and passengers will become the first explorers and settlers of an exoplanet orbiting the star Vega, or Luinil as the Elves call it. But only Mairon knows that the captain of the starship, Celebrimbor, has a hidden agenda.
| Major Characters: Celebrimbor, Sauron |
| Major Relationships: Celebrimbor/Sauron |
| Genres: Science Fiction | Challenges: Back To The Future |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 1, 400 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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At the end of days, again by Himring
Sometime, somewhere, in the Seventh Age, another distant descendant of Elendil dreams of Numenor.
| Major Characters: Original Character(s) |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Fixed-Length Ficlet | Challenges: Back To The Future |
| Rating: General | Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 100 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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Windows by Keiliss
A long way from Balar, Erestor and Gildor share some bittersweet midwinter memories. Sometimes the window opens a crack and then it closes, allowing just a glimpse of the road less travelled.
| Major Characters: Erestor, Gildor |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Drama | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 3, 961 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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[podfic] Cold Comfort by Chestnut_pod, Elwin Fortuna
Nerdanel, early in the Second Age, ponders the wisdom of her choices.
| Major Characters: Nerdanel, Nienna |
| Major Relationships: Nerdanel/Nienna |
| Genres: Podfic | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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[podfic] Away to the Waters by Chestnut_pod, Elleth
After the Five Armies, Tauriel travels East.
| Major Characters: Other Fictional Character(s) |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Podfic | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings, In-Universe Racism/Ethnocentrism |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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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.
| Major Characters: Tar-Palantir |
| Major Relationships: Inzilbeth & Tar-Palantir |
| Genres: Fixed-Length Ficlet | Challenges: Book by Its Cover |
| Rating: General | Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 254 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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| Major Characters: Inzilbêth, Tar-Palantir |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Family | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: Creator Chooses Not to Warn |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 203 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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[podfic] Tribute for the Queen by Chestnut_pod
In which cats may or may not be a euphemism.
Prompt fic: "Lalwen gives Beruthiel a calico cat, Beruthiel is annoyed because it throws off her color scheme but also Lalwen is a hottie, confusion ensues."
| Major Characters: Berúthiel, Lalwen |
| Major Relationships: Berúthiel/Lalwen |
| Genres: Podfic | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Adult | Warnings: Sexual Content (Moderate) |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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To gather in a flourishing way by Chestnut_pod
It is renowned among both the Teleri and the Noldor, though perhaps for different reasons among each, that Eärwen Swan-Maiden of Alqualondë was married to Arafinwë of the Noldor in a dress broidered with one thousand pearls, and more draped around her neck and woven through her hair like sea spray.
| Major Characters: Anairë, Eärwen |
| Major Relationships: Anairë/Eärwen |
| Genres: Experimental, Femslash, Slash/Femslash | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings, In-Universe Racism/Ethnocentrism |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 2, 281 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
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For the Last Time by chrissystriped
Melkor is a captive of the Valar's army and Mairon sneaks into the camp to find him, when he is caught by Eonwe. Now he has to try to seduce his old friend to still have a chance.
| Major Characters: Eönwë, Melkor, Sauron |
| Major Relationships: Eönwë/Sauron |
| Genres: Hurt/Comfort, Slash | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Adult | Warnings: Sexual Content (Graphic), Torture |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 2, 402 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (0) |
A Deed Justly Renowned by AdmirableMonster
Through snow, through ice, through ash and flame...I will always come for you, Russandol.
Fingon rescues Maedhros from Thangorodrim. It is no easy feat, for he battles not only the creatures and the hostile land, but also himself.
| Major Characters: Fingon, Maedhros |
| Major Relationships: Fingon/Maedhros |
| Genres: Drama, Slash | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: Mature Themes, Violence (Moderate) |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 6, 654 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (2) |
