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!
Character of the Month: Eönwë This month's biography focuses on Eönwë, who started with a variety of identities but settled into the role of Manwë's herald, exemplifying the values of strong leadership and justice.
New Challenge: Stars Create a fanwork using star-themed prompts presented in a bingo board format.
Cultus Dispatches: Trends in Fandom Entry Year The films inspired a lot of fanfiction, yes, but exactly how fanfiction authors interacted with them predicts who remains in the fandom for long durations.
“Yes,” snaps Maitimo , though in truth he is not so sure. His bladder is ridiculously full, swollen and aching, jostling around uncomfortably with every step he takes. It takes a concerted effort of will not to squirm around awkwardly or grab…
But Aredhel knew better than her mother; she was stronger, she was more willful, she was enlightened. She would not make the same mistakes Anairë had made. She would find a way to do it all differently.
***
Re-embodied in Aman, Aredhel struggles to come to terms with all that has…
Across the history of the "Silmarillion," Eönwë's role settles on a character who leads without taking upon himself the power to mete out justice and who acts with equanimity across some of the most harrowing conflicts in the early legendarium.
“Do you know what grows on the shores of the southern isles? A trading-merchant might bring many strange specimens to our lands, like nothing I have ever seen. In recent days, I have tasted a ripe fruit with firm flesh that parted beneath my tongue in a burst of liquid sweetness. So…
Current Challenge
Stars
Construct a fanwork using star-themed prompts in a bingo card format. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Manwë's Mailbag
This challenge has two parts—making postcards which will be used as prompts, and using postcard prompts to create a fanwork—and will run slightly longer than usual. Read more ...
Across the history of the "Silmarillion," Eönwë's role settles on a character who leads without taking upon himself the power to mete out justice and who acts with equanimity across some of the most harrowing conflicts in the early legendarium.
Across three surveys and ten years, the Tolkien Fanfiction Survey has document when authors began writing. These data reveal trends in how film promotions, the films themselves, the books, and other historical contexts have influenced not only who writes but how long they stay.
There are few details in the texts about Marach, but he is noteworthy for his allegiances and his descendants, who would become pivotal to the history of Middle-earth and the eventual defeat of Morgoth and Sauron.
Thirteen years before the War of the Ring, an orcling — more intelligent and more curious than most — is born in Mordor. His curiosity will lead him to both incredible discoveries and perilous situations, all of which will shape him into a leader unlike any Mordor has ever known. But to become…
Erestor finds himself thrust into adventure when Elrond requests his company escorting Arwen to Minas Tirith after the War of the Ring is won. All too aware of the chronic illness that has bound his friend to Rivendell for the past several centuries, Glorfindel has some concerns. Erestor, aware…
Around the World and Web
Oritober 2026
A gen and safe for work event celebrating Middle Earth's favorite dwarf scribe!
Erestober 2026
An event running throughout October, to show appreciation for Erestor!
Silm Smut Week 2026
Silm Smut Week is a Tumblr event celebrating sexually explicit fanworks.
The Silmarillion Writers' Guild is more than just an archive--we are a community! If you enjoy a fanwork or enjoy a creator's work, please consider letting them know in a comment.
Oh! I love the point of view in this one. Interesting to ponder the shift from captive to something more.
Favorite lines:
"A pursuit suitable for a lady of Numenor," he had written on the note he'd included with needle, thread and material.
She'd laughed. The only stitches she knew were the careful lines of rivets binding sheets of armor, whether on man, beast or machine.
So she is careful to devote her full attention to each problem, aware that proof of the trust she does not possess earns her hours outside her rooms and additional freedoms. Pharazon may not trust her. He may never trust her. But she may yet prove herself to be indispensable.
Good stuff. Hope that you will be inspired to give us a little more.
There is this Thing in fandom, where you click on something out of curiosity just before bed and find the fic you didn't know you were looking for. This is -- I don't have the right words, but god I can see him and the settings, and I can see and feel her. I even hear her voice.
I know this is never a comfortable request/demand, but honestyly I would love to read more. Like maybe a novel? Anyhow, thank you for sharing.
Hi! I've been trying to respond to both of these lovely comments, but it's been a very long time and I must be forgotting something I need to do for it to work. Thank you both for reading and commenting. I do hope there's more of these two playing games with the universe.
Thank you. They're terrific fun to write. I think Pharazon isn't a fool by any stretch, but he must've felt very isolated and afraid, afraid enough to turn to someone he can't find trustworthy.
It is possible his vision was a warning. I would say that she is very comfortable with night (and day) terrors. At this point, she lives in nightmares. But I would also say that she is an extraordinarily unreliable narrator and confidant.
Author's Response:
It is possible his vision was a warning. I would say that she is very comfortable with night (and day) terrors. At this point, she lives in nightmares. But I would also say that she is an extraordinarily unreliable narrator and confidant.
“But she came to save him, and I was bested by a lovestuck girl and a hound.”
She settled back into her chair and frowned, and then she moved her castle forward. “That still smarts, and I cannot say I agreed with her decisions.”
I do love this. Almost she is laughing at herself, though it will never not bother her. I read the chapter on DW but it was late and I wanted to come back and read it a second time. The look at life, destiny, predestiny, free choice... nice. That two-sided duel, on the board and in the way they felt out each other's soft points with words, built so well. I kept waiting for one of them to get careless - no, I was waiting for her to get careless, say one word too many, but she counts her words, doesn't she? And the dream made me shiver because - well, we know.
She is most definitely laughing at herself but she isn't about to let that defeat go, even if it would be wise to do so.
Yes, almost everything she says is very intentional; her one tender area, that ill-fated relationship (partnership/friendship/haven't yet found the correct term) with Celebrimbor, might be the one place she might slip, but it seems to be that she might have learned that displays of vulnerability can be very tactical. Show the limp, exaggerate it even and your opponent might underestimate your strength and resolve. Pharazôn could very well be susceptible to a display of humanity, after all.
Comments on A Game of Chess
The Silmarillion Writers' Guild is more than just an archive--we are a community! If you enjoy a fanwork or enjoy a creator's work, please consider letting them know in a comment.