Mereth Aderthad 2025 is just over a month away, and we are introducing as many of our talented presenters, authors, poets, artists, and performers as we can before the event. (If you have missed any of our interview series, you can find it here!) This week, we share interviews with two creators working on different presentations who nonetheless share some key overlaps.

The existence of Tolkien fanworks in the year 2025—especially in the prodigious quantity in which they continue to be produced—is a marvel. The first Tolkien fanworks were document in 1958, almost seventy years ago. And while there have been surges and lulls, new Tolkien fanworks have continued to be produced across the entirety of that time. When asked, fanworks creators tend to cite the complexities of the legendarium—all those unanswered questions—and the sense of untold stories linging just beyond the margins of the page.

As far as unanswered questions and ever-evolving fandom discussions, perhaps no two receive more attention, at least in the Silmarillion fandom, than the questions posed by Gil-galad and the fostering of Elrond and Elros by Maglor and Maedhros—the kidnap fam trope. Reese is the featured author for polutropos' presentation "'Kidnap Fam' and the Living Legendarium." Already an author of a kidnap fam story (which also features the Silm fandom "Crablor" trope!), reese describes the many complexities of Tolkien's world as an inspiration for fanworks about it. She also cites the many interpretations those fanworks advance. Speaking specifically of kidnap fam stories, reese writes, "We're given so little detail in the text, and yet that silence has clearly inspired so many people. There's tragedy and complexity, tenderness and trauma, and I love seeing how different creators fill in the blanks and sheer variety of interpretations, ranging from deeply emotional and tragic to wildly fluffy."

You can read Dawn's interview with reese here.

Kai is the featured artist for Maglor's presentation "Gil-galad was an Elven King: Kingship and Personhood in the last High King of the Noldor." While Gil-galad's uncertain parentage is a long-running joke in the Silmarillion fandom, Maglor seeks to reveal the Gil-galad's character beyond the perennial question of his ancestry, and Kai found this line of inquiry instantly appealing. (He completed his Mereth Aderthad sketch the day he received confirmation of the assignment!) Like reese with the complexity of kidnap fam fanworks, Kai finds appeal in the many ways fans choose to approach the questions surrounding Gil-galad. "What I love most is that there are so many versions of Gil-galad in fanworks and all of them are possible to explain with the lore," he told Shadow. "All we really know is from this song and with the rest we can do what we like."

You can read Shadow's interview with Kai (and see a selection of his art!) here.

Finally, next Saturday, we will hold our final "So You Want to Present at a Tolkien Conference?" session on doing the actual presentation. All are welcome, whether you are on the brink of presenting at Mereth Aderthad (or any one of the number of summer Tolkien events) or just have a glimmer every now and then that maybe someday you might (or are just curious about the topic!) If you'd like an email invite, RSVP to have a reminder emailed to you. Otherwise, this post will include the link to the final session (and has more information on the session, plus links to past sessions).