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.
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!
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.
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.
[Writing] and let's be winners by mistake by atlantablack
"Move farther north," Caranthir says to her a month after the attack, gaze steady on her even as his hands continue briskly gutting fish. "There is plenty of land closer to my fortress, and my people can help protect yours if there is another attack."
Haleth looks up from her…
[Writing] Changing Styles by StarSpray
“What did you do to your hair?”
[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] 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] Star of Hope by Fuin
A new star shines in the sky. They claim it brings hope.
[Writing] The Message by Flora-lass
Borondir carries Steward Cirion's urgent request to Eorl the Young, with the help of his horse but at great personal cost.
Epic 80s
Create a fanwork using on of our righteous prompts based on popular culture from the 1980s. Read more ...
Just Say It with a Gift!
Create a fanwork about gift-giving (be it material or immaterial) or the traditions of gift-giving. Read more ...
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.
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.
[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.
Celedriel Week 2026
A Tumblr event week focusing on the relationship between Celeborn and Galadriel.
Esoteric Tolkien Week 2026
A fandom event dedicated to the strange, otherworldly, and inexplicable in Middle-earth and beyond.
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.
Scribbles and Drabbles 2026
Scribbles & Drabbles is a fic and art exchange with a minimum word count of 100 words.
It's a great story!
The initial incident with that.monstrous boar is really dramatic and scary. The medical part feels convincing and speaks to your research. And the OCs are all really good and interesting in their own right, well described.
Elrond and Gil make such a perfect picture of an established couple in Ragged Thorn, but it makes sense that they would not find it easy to get to that stage. I hope they will still get to spend many pleasant hours at that lodge with their Sindarin acquaintances, now they.have taken the plunge, so to speak, in spite of a bit of rather ominous foreboding.
It doesn't feel as if there is anything missing at all, but I am still sorry that there was some world-building you had to cut! I hope it will come in useful somewhere else.
Hi Himring! Thanks so much for such a generous comment. It's especially appreciated here on SWG, where we don't tend to comment like we do on AO3. Very pleased you liked the boar attack scene and noted the research. That always helps establish verisimilitude, and besides, one of the pleasures of writing for me is discovering things I never knew before, which pretty much always happens whenever I delve into something. Here, it was all the medieval and ancient world approaches to wound care (which were often surprisingly sophisticated, but then they had a lot of practice, unfortunately.) I'm also pleased that the relationship Elrond and Gil had in Ragged Thorn seemed to evolve from this. Since I was using Ragged Thorn "canon" that called for a recently developed relationship in S.A. 1600, I had to figure out how that could have come about after hundreds of years of it being platonic. Not sure I succeeded completely, but it was fun trying. I really like your vision of some post-fic time spent happily together in the hunting lodge. I envisioned some of that myself, as it'll be a bit before Gil can ride a horse pain-free. Maybe needs a short story -- assuming I can ever write anything short again. I'm also relieved the story seemed complete, seeing as how I cut nearly an entire chapter in which Gil's counselors, for the sake of the realm, got involved in pushing Gil to do something other than have an affair with Elrond. I still have all that material. *strokes chin* Hmmm. Anyhow, thanks again!
I remember reading this lovely story in the MSV collection when first published. It is still such an atmospheric and sweet look at the two of them, before they manage to declare their feelings. And catch fire. Wonderful characterisations and descriptions. 💜
Thank you so much Wisteria for coming back to this and leaving such a lovely comment. I actually made some changes in the scene where Elrond and Gil-galad declare their feelings for each other, which hopefully reflect a bit more passion than before. <3
....or at least I think I did! I was reading it quite late at night, and loved the story all over again.
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Comments on And With Him Was Elrond
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