The Scavenger Hunt challenge is winding down, but there are still over two days, as of this writing, to get a fanwork in if you want one of Grundy's beautifully crafted creator stamps! This is our annual Matryoshka challenge, which means that there are levels of difficulty to choose from, and the easiest level requires only two prompts ... and if you've been deterred by not having had the chance to solve the clues needed to find prompts, keep reading for a special prompt—then you only need to solve one more! (And the #monthly-challenges channel on our Discord server is your go-to for help and hints if you get stuck! There may even be solved prompts spoilered there ...)

As far as I know, the SWG is the only group that uses this challenge format, which was inspired by the concept of nesting dolls, where each doll (or prompt) is lifted to reveal the next. Traditionally, Matryoshka challenge requires opening subsequent prompts as you create your fanwork, resulting in a fanwork that is shaped by the prompts as it unfolds. This year's challenge, given the scavenger hunt component, does allow participants to collect all prompts first rather than opening them mid-fanwork.

We may be the only group that does these challenges (we do one per year), but the Matryoshka concept originated with Back to Middle-earth Month (B2MeM), where it was developed as a possible format to use for the annual event. After it was passed over a few times, we fished it from the pile of B2MeM rejects to try here, as one of our monthly challenges, and it has hung around since.

So, given that, if you're working on the challenge and need a prompt: add an element to your fanwork involving a comeback.

Remember that we welcome offbeat interpretations for our challenges (and very often craft prompts that can be read multiple ways), and if you can find a loophole, you should absolutely duck through it! So you are not required to interpret that prompt in the context of the history of the Matryoshka format. "Comeback" can mean many things ...

Furthermore, you can collect as many prompts as you want and don't have to use them all! So even if you have a full slate of prompts you're working through, you can discard one and use this one instead if you wish. (Nor does being aware of this prompt obligate you to use it!)

In other challenge-related news, Anna (IdleLeaves) will be hosting another round of instadrabbling on our Discord server over the next three months, on the first Saturday of each month! (Join here if you're not with us already!)

• July 4, 2026 at 6PM/18:00 UTC (find this in my timezone)
• August 1, 2026 at 6PM/18:00 UTC (find this in my timezone)
• September 5, 2026 at 6PM/18:00 UTC (find this in my timezone)

If you're new to instadrabbling, you can find more about (another long-running fandom challenge type not invented by the SWG!) here.

And look for the next challenge early morning European time on the 15th!