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.
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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 Challenge: Epic 80s
This month's challenge features hundreds of fresh prompts from the bodacious decade of the 1980s.
[Writing] Swelling from the Sea by annarobots
Tuor and Elwing’s recreational sailing excursion goes terribly awry when a carnivorous siren casts her gaze upon their vessel. With her song, she enchants the mariners and boards with evil intent. She kills and eats their crewman, she demands Tuor’s hand in marriage, and for dessert…
[Writing] A Song Amidst His Torment by Elrond's Library
Of course it was a trap.
Maitimo has to survive. He must. But what price is too high to pay for survival?
[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] One Flesh, One Soul. Part I by FellFireFan
As beautiful as he is dangerous, Aegnor, an elven prince, stands against the looming shadows of Angband. Brother to Galadriel, he commands the siege with a fierce intensity, a duty that exacts a heavy toll on him. But beneath the iron walls he has built lies a broken soul, haunted by a…
[Reference] "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…
[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.
Building Middle-earth
Receive a prompt of an architectural style or a location on Arda—or both!—to inspire your fanworks. Read more ...
Turgon's Rock Opera
On the anniversary of the publication of "The Silmarillion," we’re reflecting on the importance of music in Arda with prompts that come from rock songs. Read more ...
"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.
[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…
[Artwork] The Mirror of Galadriel by skywardstruck
Smoke rises from the Mirror, where the Lady of Lothlórien awaits to share its visions.
[Writing] Bar-en-Eladar by Gabriel
Out of the shadow, light is born anew.
A Chieftain is dead. And whilst the events surrounding his death are unclear, a son tries to come to terms with his loss.
Silvergifting Week 2026
A week dedicated to Celebrimbor/Mairon | Annatar | Sauron pairing, aka Silvergifting. August 10-16, 2026
Ahaha, fun! I especially liked that part where Maedhros knows exactly when Fingon isn't paying any attention to him. I always love not-so-dark-and-driven First Age Maedhros, since fics seem to like to depict him as either a soulless wreck or someone hardened and deadened past all human emotion post-Thangorodrim. I do like to think of him as very focused on the war in the north - and very observant due to self-delusions being burned away - but surely nobody, even an elf lord, can live totally dark and driven for 400 years.
Thank you! Maedhros doesn't just know exactly that Fingon isn't paying attention to him, but he is also declining to be humoured like a victim you have to be sorry for (or, worse, a soulless wreck!).
I love this! (And am very honored--and surprised!--that it was inspired by "Love by Moonlight." :) Having the wandering mind of a writer, I've been in Fingon's shoes before (though, luckily, my husband does not embarrass me as Maedhros did! ;). The observation that Maedhros's voice sounds so like it did in Valinor is a lovely and poignant detail, as is Fingon's inability to remember exactly what they spoke about. Now you've got my mind turning over the possibilities; it may be that this piece will inspire another from me in turn! :D
I would be so delighted if you wrote anything about a light-hearted conversation that Maitimo and Findekano had in Valinor! I hope you do! I was a great deal moved by Love by Moonlight, especially by your delicate description of Fingon's endurance. However, I couldn't help thinking in an irreverent corner of my mind: Why are you nattering on about allegiance, Maedhros, when you are talking to the person most loyal to you in all of Beleriand (except perhaps Maglor)? Well, you notice this is the summer version, so to speak! (Umm... I didn't want to weigh the piece down too much with notes, in case people thought it was all very slight and silly, but in terms of the series, this is after Maedhros has decided that it’s all right for him to be in love with Fingon, as long as he doesn’t let Fingon know, so playing the same trick on him that he played on him once in Valinor is a bit of a smoke screen, a way of saying: Look, things are back to normal between us, in spite of everything that has happened since! That also might throw some light on why his voice sounds as it does...)
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Comments on Pink Biscuits
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