New Challenge: Epic 80s
This month's challenge features hundreds of fresh prompts from the bodacious decade of the 1980s.
Founded in 2005, the Silmarillion Writers' Guild exists for discussions of and creative fanworks based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion and related texts. We are a positive-focused and open-minded space that welcomes fans from all over the world and with all levels of experience with Tolkien's works. Whether you are picking up Tolkien's books for the first time or have been a fan for decades, we welcome you to join us!
New Challenge: Epic 80s
This month's challenge features hundreds of fresh prompts from the bodacious decade of the 1980s.
Cultus Dispatches: Communities Do Comment
Comment data from the SWG underscores community as an essential component to a robust commenting culture.
Instadrabbling Sessions for July, August, and September
Instadrabbling continues on the first Saturday of each month on our Discord server.
New Challenge: Scavenger Hunt
In this Matryoshka-with-a-twist, you will solve clues that point you to the challenge prompts.
[Writing] Is it raining with you? by AdmirableMonster
In the last days of Númenor, two very different men meet in Umbar and fall in love.
(Please note that while this work is heavily inspired by Disco Elysium, no knowledge of the game is necessary to read the fic!)
[Writing] Nasyalossë by Lovimmy3365
Erestor lay up against a tree, brown washed to black in the wet of the snow. The black disc of the new moon sailed across the dark sky. Erestor wished it were gone. He had no need to look into dark eyes any longer.
He was dying.
(AKA Erestor unwittingly travels back in time to the…
[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] Eä's Redemption by AaronAzrael
This is my new poetical attempt to add my own interpretation to Tolkien's Cosmology as to Eru's Creation and the Valar's minds and behind-the-scene providence reasons and mechanisms.. I often review Eä as part of our own world, just in another dimension, this is why I have always seriously…
[Writing] Wrensong and Roses by Isilme_among_the_stars
Concerned by his responses to the paraphernalia of healing, Fingon steals Maedhros from his room for an impromptu garden excursion. Maedhros battles with dark thoughts.
[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] Bon(e)fire by Fuin
On the night before the battle, Caranthir and his ally share thoughts about their peoples' traditions:
Burning bones ward off evil.
Epic 80s
Create a fanwork using on of our righteous prompts based on popular culture from the 1980s. Read more ...
Lesson Learned
Create a fanwork that features a character learning something new. Read more ...
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.
Fandom Draws the Line: Fanworks, AI, and Resistance by Dawn Felagund, Grundy
By definition, fanworks fandom does not draw a lot of boundaries, but community archives and events have taken a strong stance against AI-generated fanworks due to ethical considerations and member input.
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.
[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.
Tolkien Gen Week 2026
Tolkien Gen Week will run from July 6-12, 2026 to appreciate all of the incredible characters and relationships within Tolkien’s legendarium that fall under the broad category of “gen.”
Tolkien Disability Pride 2026
This Tumblr event focuses on ALL creative works focusing on disability in Tolkien's universe.
Tolkien Native Language Appreciation Fest 2026
A Tumblr event to celebrate the linguistic diversity of the Tolkien fandom.
Scribbles and Drabbles 2026
Scribbles & Drabbles is a fic and art exchange with a minimum word count of 100 words.
Oh, I liked this a lot! I love to think about the politics of who was placed where on that map of Beleriand and this does it well. I also like to think about the ways in which Maedhros interacted with his brothers. I think it answers the fanon cliché well. The almost forgotten pranks were hilarious and very nicely balanced against the ending where Maedhros reveals what I believe he truly must have felt.
"Of course I'm trying to protect you; you've not even turned one hundred yet! I'd put all my younger brothers in the south were it feasible, but it's not; as it is, I can hardly be faulted for doing what I can to ensure my baby brothers get at least a brief chance to enjoy their young adulthood before the burdens of war descend on us all. Don't be so eager to grow up, Ambarussa; it's a highly over-rated experience."
The beginning of the letter to Fingolfin is a perfect ending also.
I'm glad you liked it, Oshun! It's always fun to watch Maedhros being simultaneously clever and protective, and he really did handle both the tricky situation with his brothers and the political landmines of Beleriand well. And I like the idea that the fanon cliche of the twins as the brothers Weasley arose because once (whn the twins were young), it wasn't a cliche at all; they just never get the chance (before the Nirnaeth, at least) to live down their youthful reputation.
Oh what a wonderful take and I am delighted to see what you did with this challenge. It reads so smoothly - to me - after Devious Council and the energy of the twins (Fëanorian energy doubled) just sparkles of the screen here. I hope those two enjoy growing up a tad more in peace with the youthful silvans :)
... pair of rambunctious young Elves who once filled all the fountains in Grandfather's garden with frogs and salamanders right before his spring festival party, which was made rather… memorable… by their presence, since they kept hopping into people's plates and croaked so loudly the musicians were all but drowned out.
Oh this made me giggle so madly to imagine how the courtiers must have been shocked, or dismayed during this incidents: no music to be heard that also must have meant no political discourse at the tables. Wonderfully written!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the story, Rhapsody. "Devious Council" was on my mind when I was writing this; I know my Maedhros is certainly willing to manipulate his brothers for their own good, and if he can also realize some political gains in the process, that would be all thore more reason to do it. And you'll see more of the twins (or one of them, at least) in my next fic, and learn a bit about what they've been up to down in those woods...
And I love the thought of some prim Vanyar ladies shrieking in horror when frogs suddenly go hopping right into the middle of their plates just as they are ready to take a bite to eat. (I'm probably being unfair to the Vanyar, but I've always imagined them as rather prim and proper, as Elves go.) No Elegant Dining, no Witty Discourse (political or otherwise), no Tasteful Music that evening, only a rather nice fascimile of a primoridal swamp. The twins tell me that even the resulting punishment meted out by their furious grandfather was oh, so worth it!
Copy of my MEFA review:
Ithilwen has managed to turn one of the drier passages in the Silmarillion (which itself reads a bit like a geography lesson) into a moving story. What I like about this story is the way it manages to combine the subject of politics with insight into the relationships between family members. Maedhros's lesson in map-reading is very convincing in itself, showing his insight into political aims, necessary compromises and strategy, while, at the same time, it conceals his ulterior motives with regard to his brothers. If his arguments were any less lucid, they would presumably not serve to convince Amrod and Amras. For Amrod and Amras themselves are clearly not easily satisfied - Ithilwen has certainly met the terms of the Fanon Inverted challenge she set herself by making them much more responsible and strongly motivated than they are usually depicted. Given the eventual outcome of Maedhros's plotting, all this is bitter-sweet. The mutual affection between the three brothers under challenging circumstances is confirmed and, in fact, Maedhros's calculations will more or less work out on both counts, as ensuing events in Beleriand go on to show, especially after the Dagor Bragollach - but, in the end, all this will still not be enough to save Amrod and Amras (or, of course, Maedhros himself).
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