Around the World and Web includes announcements and items of interest from beyond the SWG.
Feanorian Week 2026
Feanorian Week Reminder (2026)
Hello Silmarillion Fandom! This is your reminder that Feanorian week will be taking place next month. Below are updated prompts (you are still allowed to suggest prompts)! When is it?: March 23rd, 2026—March 29th, 2026
The prompts are as followed:
- Day 1- Maedhros - > Childhood, Kingship, Angband, Coping, The Union, Relations with Different Races
- Day 2-Maglor -> Childhood, Spouse, Music & Songs of Power, Elrond & Elros, Kingship, Maglor’s Gap, Redemption
- Day 3- Celegorm - > Childhood, Hunting, Orome & Huan, Strength & Beauty, Luthien, Nargothrond
- Day 4- Caranthir - > Childhood, Spouse, Betrayal, Lordship, Dwarves & Humans, Marriage, Appearance
- Day 5- Curufin - > Childhood, Spouse, Celebrimbor, Forge Work
- Day 6- Ambarussa - > Childhood, Lordship, Regrets, Twin, Hunting, Nandor
- Day 7- Nerdanel and Feanor-> Mahtan, Finwe & Indis, Marriage, Reunion, Traveling, Creation, Healing
Rules: You are allowed to post anything fanrelated on the days. If the prompts are not to your liking, you can do your own thing. The tracktag is #feanorianweek. Tag your work accordingly! Have fun and be nice to others. Disrespect towards others will not be tolerated.
March Challenge - Tolkien Short Fanworks
Thank you for your engagement with this community during the past month!
Here is the tolkienshortfanworks challenge for March.
It is the 20th anniversary of B2MeM (Back to Middle-earth Month) this year, so I am picking prompts with this (and with this year's event running throughout this month) in mind.
Thematic prompt:
Spring or Autumn.
Below is a selection of relevant (optional) quotation prompts from B2MeM 2014: Seasons of Middle-earth.
You can find more seasonal prompts to revisit on this page:
https://b2mem.livejournal.com/247842.html
1) "The dragon was dead, and the goblins overthrown, and their hearts looked forward after winter to a spring of joy." (The Hobbit, "The Return Journey")
2) "Spring surpassed his wildest hopes. His trees began to sprout and grow, as if time was in a hurry and wished to make one year do for twenty." (Return of the King, "The Grey Havens")
3) "And these trees grew and grew, till the shadow of each was like a green hall, and their red berries in the autumn were a burden, and a beauty and a wonder." (The Two Towers, "Treebeard")
Formal challenge:
Your response should respond to the number 20, as: 20 lines, a multiple of 20 words, 20 sentences or sections, etc.
As usual, these two prompt sets can be filled separately or combined.
Usual reminder that in order to post the fill to this community or to the related collection on AO3 (linked in a sticky post at the top), the fanwork can only have a word count up to 1000 words and must be linked to a Tolkien fandom.
Rec lists and podfics can be posted as fills for thematic prompts, as long as the fanworks concerned meet those conditions.
Also we continue to welcome other pieces unrelated to any challenge, of course, including cross-posts and older stories, as long as they meet the criteria!
Tolkien Fashion Week 2026
Welcome to Tolkien Fashion Week!
✨The week for clothes and jewelry in Tolkien's world✨
RUNNING FROM THE 16TH TO THE 29TH MARCH
This event is held by @tar-thelien
This week is dedicated to honoring the world Tolkien wrote about in his books.
To participate, tag your submission #tolkien fashionweek 2026 and/or #tolkien fashionweek and mention this blog. This event does allow film adaptations, which I will tag as #tolkien fashionweek film adaptation, so while not a must, I would appreciate it if those submitting those would tag it (read reason in How to Join & Allowed Content) I will be sharing late submissions when I see them, so if you don´t finish in time, no need to fear :)
How to Join & Allowed Content
Prompts & Days
Rules & Tag System
Day 1 - Races┃Ainur & Elves & Orcs & Men & Dwarves & Hobbits
Day 2 - Cultures┃Different groups in Races
Day 3 - Classes & Professions┃Working class & Upper class & Uniforms
Day 4 - Seasons & Weather & Climate┃What is worn in different seasons and weather & What effect does climate and flora have
Day 5 - Casual┃Under clothes & Layering & Daily life & Children and adults
Day 6 - Formal┃Holidays & Celebration & Rituals
Day 7 - Import & Export┃What materials are imported and what is exported
Day 8 - Differences & Meetings┃Interactions & Trade
Day 9 - Off the Map┃Lands not named & Immigration/Migration & Nomads
Day 10 - Across the Ages┃Years of the Lamps & Years of the Trees & First Age of the Sun
Day 11 - Across the Ages┃Second Age & Third Age & Fourth Age
Day 12 - Hair & Makeup┃Hairstyles & Makeup trends
Day 13 - Fiber & Jewelry & Material┃How is it made & Who makes it & What is it made out off
Day 14 - AU┃AU designs
Celegorm and Curufin Week 2026
HELLO EVERYONE and welcome to the THIRD(!!!!!) year of Celegorm and Curufin week! Much like Celegorm and Curufin, I do not know when to quit. Our event will take place once again in the third week of March, from the 16th to the 23rd.
Prompts
Mar. 16 - 17th: Celegorm | Reunions
I think he deserves something nice so here is something nice for Celegorm. Or perhaps it can be an utterly miserable reunion— there are many crimes for Celegorm (or Curufin) to answer to, and many relationships that he’s abandoned that may come back to bite him once more. This prompt can utilize both themes, or just one of them. Or even none!
Mar. 18 - 19th: Curufin | Betrayals
Because that is what Curufin does best. This prompt can utilize both themes, or just one of them (or neither if you dare!). What sort of betrayals, both metaphorical and literal, were committed for Curufin (or Celegorm) to get to where they are today?
Mar. 20 - 21st: Himlad era
Celegorm and Curufin’s reign in Himlad is glossed over quite heavily in the Silmarillion. What were they doing in that cool plain? What the fuck was Celegorm during the Aredhel event? How the hell did Curufin meet Eöl? What was the founding of Himlad and the fortress at Aglon like?
Mar. 22 - 23rd: Relationships
Celegorm and Curufin didn’t just hang out with eachother (or maybe they did?). What was their relationship like with their parents, brothers, cousins, uncles? Who were their unnamed friends and enemies, possibly even lovers? Just who were Celegorm’s cruel servants?
Around the World and Web Archive
Events listed here are no longer active but are listed on the site for historical purposes.
Sapphic Tolkien: Femslash February Podfic Edition 2024
Welcome to the first (hopefully annual) Femslash February podFic Edition 2024! This is a femslash focused podficcing event running all throughout February! (aka an event to convince people to make more femslash podfic)
Frequently asked Questions:
What is this event? A shameless plug to get me, MelancholyMorningstar, more femslash podfic
How do I participate? Make a podfic, not!fic, or filk featuring two (or more) women in a romantic and/or sexual relationship and post it to this collection!
Do genderswapped/trans characters count? Absolutely! Regardless of what canon says any character can be femslashed if you try hard enough
Can I post NSFW/darkfic content? Go for it! As long as you tag appropriately this collection will accept all works featuring f/f (or f/f/f, or f/f/f/f/+) pairings
If you feel like tagging is a fundamentally flawed system of posting fanworks, feel free to create femslash anyway and just not include it in this collection
When does this event run? All of February! This collection will remain unrevealed until the beginning of February (if you somehow manage podfic before then) and then remain open from that point onwards Inspired by @polypodweek this collection won't have a hard deadline, but if it is getting close to February next year you should probably wait for the next collection
Does this event have themes/prompts? Nope For this first year it's going to remain very vague and open, and we'll see how it goes for next year
But I really want a prompt list? Check out the ao3 tag cloud for inspiration! Additional Tag Cloud
I'm not going to have time/energy/motivation to make femslash podfic during February, how can I participate? No stress this is a very low key event, but if you'd like to participate you can: A) make a different medium of femslash work and post it to tumblr under the hashtag #femslashfebruary or the ao3 collection Femslash February (no affiliation) or, B) Find a femslash author and ask them to put up a Blanket Permission statement about their podficcing permissions Femslash fandoms tend to be very light on permission statements about whether people can make podfic without asking first You can even direct them to the Permission Statement Builder by flamingwell @flamingwell to make it super easy
Femslash February Bingo 2024
Three different bingo cards—light prompts, darker prompts, a combined one with all prompts—to celebrate Femslash February with fanworks. All fandoms welcome! This is a Tumblr event.
Rules
- When: all of February
- What: focus of your work should be a wlw / femslash / f/f ship, i.e. a ship with two or more female presenting characters, gender bending welcome
- any fandoms, any characters, any ships, any content (please tag appropriately)
- any fanworks—fics (no minimum or maximum wordcount!), art, poetry, moodboards... go wild! Tag #femslash feb bingo when posting it here on Tumblr so we can reblog
- AI-generated works are NOT allowed
- How: it’s totally chill, just do a single prompt or aim for bingo(s), whatever you want! You can get your bingos with one fic, with multiple fics, whatever you like! Choose one of the bingo cards and mark what prompts you're using.
- Crossposting with other events allowed
- most of all: have fun!
Prompts
Light prompts:
- Miscommunication
- Bells
- Reincarnation
- Snowed in
- Heaven
- Princess / Queen
- “I’m not going anywhere"
- Anniversary
- “Just trust me”
- Sickfic
- Secret identity
- Break up
- Post-Canon
- Good intentions
- Dream
- “Hit me with your best shot”
Dark prompts:
- Blood
- Power imbalance
- Enemies to lovers
- “I don’t need you anymore”
- Knives
- Damaged
- “I’d burn down the world for you”
- Came back wrong
- Betrayal
- “I didn’t know who else to go to”
- Hell
- Thief
- Nightmare
- Unrequited
- Obsession
- Dying words
Find graphic versions of the bingo cards on Femslash February's tumblr.
Oxford 50th Commemoration Seminar Podcasts
Recordings from the Tolkien 50th Commemoration seminar series at Oxford University now available as podcasts! From the Fantasy Literature podcast page, which includes the seminar recordings:
Fantasy Literature has emerged as one of the most important genres over the past few decades and now enjoys extraordinary levels of popularity. The impact of Tolkien’s Middle-earth works and the serialisation of George Martin’s ‘Game of Thrones’ books has moved these and their contemporaries into mainstream culture. As the popularity grows so does interest in the roots of fantasy, the main writers and themes, and how to approach these texts.
Oxford is a natural home to fantasy literature with those who worked or studied here having written so many famous and influential texts (e.g. Lewis Carroll (C. L. Dodgson), C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Susan Cooper, Diana Wynne Jones, Alan Garner, and Philip Pullman to name but a few) – leading to the notion of an ‘Oxford School of Fantasy’. These lectures, short talks, and interviews seek to take listeners into these works and these writers and beyond.
Thanks to Himring for the find!
Femslash February 2024
Fem!slash February is the perfect opportunity to bring to life your fave F/F pairing from the Tolkien fandom.
Yes, this includes OCs and even Fem versions of pairings (for example, Fem! Bagginshield)! Additionally, this is a trans-inclusive space. If you want to write a transfemme character, we welcome it. This can include nonbinary or gender non-conforming characters in sapphic pairings! If you feel that a character is female or femme based on your definition, it counts.
How to participate:
We have selected six femslash pairs that some mentioned as their favorite femslash ship! We also included a free space for any other wonderful femslash ships you like. If you only want to do free space fics for this event, no problem!
Just remember to:
- Tag @tolkienpinupcalendar
- Use the tag #tpcfemslashfeb
- And send the link to our smut-mission page
If you want, you can also add (fic or art) your creation to our AO3 Collection!
Also, note that this is not only writing prompts. If you want to draw, moodboard, playlist etc. for the prompts, feel free to!!
We are so looking forward to reading all the queerness.
Prompts
- Arwen/Éowyn
- Galadriel/Melian
- Sigrid/Tauriel
- Fem!Ecthelion/Dís
- Lúthien/Thuri
- Nerdanel/Indis
- Free Space
International Fanworks Day 2024
Time flies! We’re already celebrating the tenth anniversary of International Fanworks Day (IFD) here at the Organization for Transformative Works.
Every February 15th, on the day when, ten years ago, AO3 celebrated its millionth published fanwork, fandom gathers to celebrate IFD and fanworks in all their forms—fics, art, vids, zines, meta, and more—and their importance in and across fannish communities all over the world.
We would love to hear about your experience in fandom—as a fan, as a creator, as a member of the community. The running theme for this IFD is 10: give us your ten things that mean the most to you about fandom, share with us a highlight about the past ten years you’ve spent in fandom, or, if you’re feeling nostalgic, tell us about ten funny, exciting or noteworthy moments that happened in your fandoms.
We are going to keep an eye out for the stories shared by fans, so tag your posts with #IFD2024 and we’ll signal boost those stories on the OTW News social media accounts.
In a few weeks we’ll be announcing what the OTW is doing to celebrate IFD 2024. But we also want to know what you and your fandom communities will be doing to celebrate the 10th year of this event! Back in December we asked you what your community was planning for this IFD: we’ll collect information and links to those events until January 28. We’ll then promote those events to our readership on both our website and socials along with our own event schedule, so make sure to share your celebrations!
We are really happy to share this milestone with you, and can’t wait to know what you’re doing to celebrate. We look forward to reading about what fandom and fanworks have meant to you!
Barduil Fic Rec February 2024
This February, we're going to celebrate by sharing the love for all the wonderful fics in the Barduil community! Use the Google form below to recommend as many of your favorite fics as you'd like, and we'll share them throughout the month of February -- and generate masterlists of recommended fics to share throughout the year!
If you have any questions, please send us an ask or message one of the mods.
Gore Swap 2024
Goreswap is an exchange for stories and art that feature gore as a prominent element. Goreswap will run in 2024 with the following schedule:
Nominations: January 12-19
Sign ups: January 20-27
Assignments out by: January 30 (ideally earlier)
Works Due: Sunday March 10
Reveals: Friday March 22
All deadlines are 11:59 PM EST/EDT. Please note that daylight savings in this timezone begins the day of the deadline and check the counter!
WIP International Fanworks Day Mini Bang 2024
The WIP International Fanworks Day Mini Bang is an informal Mini Bang meant to finish stories between 500 and 7,499 words in time for International Fanworks Day.
Writing Starts- January 1st
Writing Ends- February 14th
Posting Begins- February 15th
Posting Ends- February 22nd
All times are by 8:59pm PST. Convert time zones.
British Library: Twenty-First Century Tolkien with Nick Groom and Dimitra Fimi
J.R.R. Tolkien is a colossal figure in fantasy fiction: his visionary creation Middle-Earth and its inhabitants have captured the imagination of millions of people around the world. Its origins were closely interwoven with his own life experience and deep study of language and literature, but went on to be a cultural phenomenon, with adaptations including Peter Jackson’s blockbuster films of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and more recently the TV series The Rings of Power.
Nick Groom's book Twenty-First-Century; Tolkien What Middle-Earth Means To Us Today is an engaging and radical reinterpretation of the beloved author’s work. He is joined in conversation by Dimitra Fimi, author of Tolkien, Race and Cultural History. They are chaired by Adam Roberts, an award winning novelist, and historian of literature.
The lecture will run on 9 January 2024 at 7:30 PM GMT. You can view the lecture here.
Fellowship of the Fics: January Trope Roulette
We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Now that we're in the new year, get ready to see some new changes to the FOTFICs blog that we're so excited to share. One thing that isn't changing, is our love for monthly events to help promote creativity!
Do you recognize this one from last year?
Welcome to January Trope Roulette!
The goal is very simple - spin the roulette wheel (link below) twice and whatever AU/Trope(s) you get, write something (drabble, one shot, 100k+ novel, etc) featuring the two mashed together (If you get the same one twice, spin again.)
This is to encourage exploration into other tropes/situations that maybe we as writers never considered before, and can work as a great writing exercise to get you going for the day!
Be sure to tag #fotfics so we can see what amazing works you guys come up with!
→ January Trope Roulette Wheel
Bonus: let your followers spin the wheel and send in the fun combinations they get!
