New Challenge: Crossroads of the Fallen King
Cross "The Silmarillion" with a second text or fandom in this month's crossover challenge.
SWG News
A Sense of History: Thálatta! Thálatta!
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.
Choose a Name for Our New Column!
Our temporarily titled "location bio" will focus on the landscapes and locations of Middle-earth. We need your help naming it!
New Challenge: Tengwar
Each day for thirty-six days, we feature a randomly chosen letter from the Tengwar as a prompt.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] On a night of stars, a bird by Quente
Nimloth and Dior meet, and he is naked.
Alternatively,
Melian travels south to visit her daughter, and meets a familiar looking bird.
Written for the Tengwar prompt, Quessë (feather).
[Writing] Apprentice by Quente
Dior is in Menegroth learning to be his grandfather's heir -- but his grandmother decides to take him as apprentice too.
Written for the Tengwar Challenge, May 15: Súlë (spirit).
[Writing] Tengwar: To The Letter by cuarthol
For the Tengwar prompt challenge.
All 36 prompts plus bonus chapter
[Writing] A blip on the radar by daughterofshadows
Humanity took to the skies. Eärendil and Ilmarë adjust.
[Writing] History abandons us by AdmirableMonster
During his incarceration in Roderick Burgess' basement, Dream receives a strange, ancient visitor.
[Writing] Tengwar Acrostics by Himring
Responses to the Tengwar Challenge in which first letters spell out the name of a tengwa.
1) Early Encounter (Nerdanel, Indis)
2) Numenorean Lullaby (Almarian, Aldarion)
[Writing] Tengwar Drabbles by cílil
A collection of Silmarillion-centric drabbles written for the Tengwar Challenge. Short and sweet!
Current Challenge
Crossroads of the Fallen King
Create a fanwork that crosses with a second text or fandom. Read more ...
Tengwar
A daily prompt of a Tengwar letter per day. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Fanon Inverted
Take a fanon you feel passionately about and turn it on its head, creating a fanwork that goes against the fanon norm. 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
Mythcon 53: Fantasies of the Middle Lands
Mythcon 53 will be held 2-5 August 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with the theme "Fantasies of the Middle Lands."
Teitho May/June Challenge: Joker
For the May/June Teitho challenge, you can pick ANY of our past challenges that stir your imagination and write a story or create art for it.
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!
Sunrise Before I Ever Saw the Sun by Himring
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The Outer Sea
The first conversation between Fingon and Maedhros after Feanor and his sons return from one of their journeys
A second story prompted by the quotation:"Fëanor and his sons abode seldom in one place for long, but travelled far and wide upon the confines of Valinor, going even to the borders of the Dark and the cold shores of the Outer Sea, seeking the unknown".
Rating: General
‘You were gone for a long while, Maitimo.’
‘We went all the way to the Outer Sea this time.’
‘Did you really? How exciting! What was it like?’
‘I knew you would say that, Findekano! It was cold. The beach was made up of very fine sand, bone-white. The sea was black and its tides were fierce. But the sky above it was darker and more violent than that. I walked along the shore and thought: Findekano would find this exciting. But how shall I describe it to him?
‘But did you not yourself find it exciting, Maitimo?’
‘Exciting? Perhaps. It was a good trip, very interesting. I learned a lot. And Father was satisfied… But I haven’t finished my tale yet!’
‘Haven’t you? Go on then!’
‘I was thinking: How shall I describe this to Findekano? And at the same moment, I saw a shell before me in the sand—a large white conch, completely intact, although everything else on the beach seemed to have been ground down to dust, almost. And so I knew this must be for you…’
‘You brought me a shell from the shores of the Outer Sea!’
‘Yes. Here it is.’
‘It is large. And so white—colourless, really…’
‘It comes to you from the lightless depths of Ekkaia.’
‘Thank you, Maitimo. I’m glad you thought of me, out there.’
‘Maybe you can come along next time?’
‘Maybe...’
...and maybe not. You like these trips, Maitimo, because of the way your family works together, journeying, each doing their part, so much more harmoniously than at home in Tirion. I have seen it; it’s almost miraculous. I do believe I’ve never seen Turko so calm, Moryo so amiable, Curvo so helpful as when you all are under way together… But it seems the charm only works for the eight of you, now Nerdanel has left. As for yourself, you may miss me on these trips, think of me—and so maybe Turko misses Irisse, Feanaro misses Finwe… But if any of us should join you, that fine mysterious balance is overset; they cannot keep it up. They tolerate me as best they can, for your sake, but I can see they wish I were away…
Chapter End Notes
I had the Living Land challenge at the back of my mind when I wrote this, so although other stories of mine might fit the terms of the challenge better than this one, I'll claim it as a fill.
