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] Wound Care by StarSpray
He’d ventured into the little fishing village in search of food and maybe a dry place to sleep for a night of rain and wind—he hadn’t expected this, to be bullied into a hot meal and a healer’s attention.
[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…
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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…
Building Middle-earth
Receive a prompt of an architectural style or a location on Arda—or both!—to inspire your fanworks. Read more ...
Trinkets and Treasures
Create a fanwork about an object that is magical or otherwise valuable in some way, either canonical or of your own invention. 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.
Innumerable Stars 2026
A character-based Tolkien fandom gift exchange is returning for another year of gifting.
Silvergifting Week 2026
A week dedicated to Celebrimbor/Mairon | Annatar | Sauron pairing, aka Silvergifting. August 10-16, 2026
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Loved poor Namo's irritated discomforture at his "condition" and Manwe's response. "Alluring endowments" indeed. "‘I need you to kill me,’ pronounced the Lord of Mandos darkly."
I especially enjoyed Varda's interest in the proceedings. Good grin material.
Thank you, elfscribe!
I felt a bit sorry for the Lord of Mandos myself, but I thought it was high time he got brought down a peg or two. Too much Doom can be harmful... and I can be ruthless too. *** evil cackle***
Thanks for taking time to review, made my day!
Heh!
Mandos surely had that bit of humbling down coming to him. What is it with him and his dislike of my most beloved Feänor. :D
Wriggling bits. What an image!
I guess Mandos got terribly busy after Feanor got started with the Oath. He was used to just speaking doom and little else, suddenly there are all these dead elves coming back to be judged and all the rest. *** giggles *** Glad you enjoyed the wriggling bits...
I thought I'd leave my MEFA review of this fic here. Cheers!
Russandol not only writes stories of velvet darkness such as Chasing Mirages, but ones that display her wonderful sense of humor as well. I particularly enjoyed this one in which a disgruntled Námo shows up at the gates of Ilmarin to present Manwë with an unusual, er, problem. This story opens in a seemingly serious manner, much like a Monty Python Holy Grail sketch, in which a mysterious cloaked and hooded stranger arrives with a letter of introduction with inexplicably bad penmanship (ooh foreshadowing) from the Lord of Mandos, demanding to see the head dude. The impudence of the petitioner mightily pisses off Manwë, and from there the somber mood of the story begins to degenerate. [The room shook with his wrath, making Varda’s crystal bead lamps tinkle loudly. He was most proud of the humbling effect this trick usually had . . .]
As the story progresses, we discover the, er, source of Námo's trouble and his unorthodox proposal to cure it and begin to cackle along with Manwë. I enjoyed Námo's wrath at his minions and his creative punishments, Manwë's initial prodding of Námo's creation, and his horror at being asked to commit the unthinkable kinslaying, and Námo's whinging pleas. Varda's discovery of the exact nature of Námo's problem, and her subsequent desire to see her husband duplicate it, was entirely hoot-worthy. Plus any story that manages to work the word vië into it gets my vote. Thanks for the grin, Russandol.
This is a wonderful review, thank you, elfscribe! Your support at the MEFAs and outside them means a lot to me. This story was actually a most unexpected spin off from Mirages, a persistent, most annoying plot bunny. I could not think of anything else fanfic-wise until I wrote it to get if off my mind. I hope Námo has forgiven me, I've been dreading his revenge ever since I revealed his secret...
Great idea about copying MEFA reviews, by the way! I should do the same.
Ha ha, I loved reading this! Excellent writing, lovely sick humor, and it was quite impossible not to laugh at poor Námos predicament (likewise, it was impossible to stop imagining what he Manwë saw when he opened his cloak)! But Varda, hm... she has a peculiar taste, doesn't she? Lol!
Yes, Varda freaked me out a bit too, but there you go, the Ainur obviously have a different wiring in their brains. Funnily enough, the idea originated from my musings about Really Serious StuffTM like Elvish re-incarnation, when I was writing my current WIP. It went downhill from there.
Sick humour is a perfect description of Kinslayer, ask Namo and he will corroborate. But sometimes I am sane, I promise.
Thank you for reviewing!
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