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SWG News
New Challenge: Tengwar
Each day for thirty-six days, we feature a randomly chosen letter from the Tengwar as a prompt.
A Sense of History: Crossroads
In the ongoing series on towers in Tolkien's work, a thread runs through "The Lord of the Rings," revealing the divine assistance of Varda in the travails of the Fellowship.
Cultus Dispatches: Canon Deviations, Multifandoms, and Original Content
Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data gives some insight into what connections, if any, exist between fanfiction and original fiction.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] Tengwar (working title) by cuarthol
For the Tengwar prompt challenge. To be updated as new prompts are completed.
Current up through 'Anca'
[Writing] I Stood Aside by Flora-lass
Maedhros' horror at the burning of the ships. Inspired by a painting (see notes).
[Reference] Thálatta! Thálatta! by Simon J. Cook
While he never climbs the stairs of this Elf-tower, in Lothlórien Frodo Baggins descends a flight of steps to look into Galadriel’s Mirror, wherein he first sees the sea. This post examines the view.
[Writing] Words of Wisdom by AdmirableMonster
One or more drabbles about Pengolodh and his babysitter Salgant.
[Writing] Les Mots de Sagesse by AdmirableMonster
Plusieurs petites histoires qui parle de Pengolodh et Salgant pendant des moments differents.
[Writing] "Tengwar" ficlets by chrissystriped
Fics written for the "Tengwar" challenge.
[Writing] Upon Cirith Thoronath by StarSpray
A horrid cacophony of cries erupts ahead of them, as orcs appear—up the cliff on hidden ledges, on the path, with bows and swords. And behind them rises a figure of darkness and flame. The heat rolls down the path over them, bringing the smell of burning flesh and bitter fear with it. Someone…
Current Challenge
Tengwar
A daily prompt of a Tengwar letter per day. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Solve a Problem
Create a fanwork that solves a canon problem using your own favorite (or most frustrating!) canon problem to solve or by choosing one of the member-submitted canon problems. Read more ...
New in References
Thálatta! Thálatta! by Simon J. Cook
[]While he never climbs the stairs of this Elf-tower, in Lothlórien Frodo Baggins descends a flight of steps to look into Galadriel’s Mirror, wherein he first sees the sea. This post examines the view.
[]
With Gildor Inglorion we finally climb the stairs of Elostirion and look on the view, and what we see appears to reveal a hidden thread in the story of Frodo Baggins. This post reads two annotated translations of two Elvish songs to step through a crossroads in the narrative to arrive at the tower on the margin of the story, wherein is a stone that is a window onto Valinor.
Grief, Grieving, and Permission to Mourn in the "Quenta Silmarillion" by Dawn Walls-Thumma
[]In a book as full of death as the Quenta Silmarillion, grief and mourning are surprisingly absent. The characters who receive grief and mourning—and those who don't—appear to do so due to narrative bias. Grief and mourning (or a lack of them) serve to draw attention toward and away from objectionable actions committed by characters.
Beyond the Silmarillion
[Writing] Waybread (The Waybredlik) by Himring
[]Lembas speaks out.
[Series] Apr 1st Stories by Uvatha the Horseman
[]Once a year on April 1st, a canon character from LOTR or the Silmarillion gets pranked.
[Writing] Crossing Forest River by Dawn Felagund
[]Bilbo recounts, in verse, the attempt of Gandalf, Beorn, and him to cross the Forest River after the Battle of Five Armies. Written for the Hungarian Tolkien Society's 2024 Mailing Competition.
Around the World and Web
Monstrous May 2024
Monstrous May is a Tumblr event where, for each day of the month of May, there is a prompt involving and invoking the monstrous.
Fellowship of the Fics: Modern AU May
During May, Fellowship of the Fics offers modern AU prompt lists for setting, character occupation, and dialogue on Tumblr.
May challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
The May challenge has been posted to the tolkienshortfanworks community on Dreamwidth. Thematic challenge: name; formal challenge: acrostic. As usual, these can be filled independently and freely combined with other prompts such as the SWG challenges. New participants welcome!
May 2024 Calls for Papers
Conferences and publications that have open calls for papers in May 2024.
Angbang Week 2024
All new, unpublished fanworks about the Angbang (Melron) ship are welcome during this Tumblr event, running 6-12 May 2024.
Fanworks Tagged with Poly
It comes in Threes by cílil
Three triple drabbles written for the It comes in Threes challenge, featuring various Ainur.
Come Together, Broken Things, and Grow by UnicornsInSpace
Idril and Meleth (my OC) welcome Finduilas, Niënor, and other refugees into Havens after the Fall of Doriath, hoping they can start anew there. Finduilas's daughter is distraught about the situation. Also, how did Finduilas and Niënor make it to the Havens after the Fall of Doriath?
What nourishes me, destroys me by yletylyf
Celebrimbor and Annatar are ready to eject Galadriel from their city. But they get distracted, and Galadriel takes advantage.
A Weird and Wonderful Fruit by Rocky41_7
Haleth was told to stay out of the woods of Doriath. Haleth decided not to listen. Haleth finds herself in strange positions in the darkness of the woods...
Initiation by chrissystriped
Fingon is out for an adventure and asks Maedhros for an introduction to a certain club. Soon he finds himself participating in an orgy, the plaything of others, and enjoying every moment of it.
A Chance Enchantment by polutropos
Maglor is curious about the land bordering the Girdle of Melian. Lúthien and Daeron happen to be having a nice time nearby. Some nightingales help make things happen.
A New Life in an Old Home by chrissystriped
Maedhros is one of the last of his family to return to life, welcomed joyfully by his brothers.
Now that Fingolfin has his wife back, is he still going to welcome him in his bed -- and should Maedhros even ask?
A Night of Pleasures by chrissystriped
Thuringwethil comes home from a hunt brimming with desire. Luckily Melkor is more than happy to indulge her and invites her and his two other favourite followers to his rooms.
Same Shade of Gold by Maggie Honeybite
Turgon loves Elenwë. Finrod loves Turgon. Elenwë is pushed to the brink by the strain of the Helcaraxë. There are strange things done in the land of no sun by the Elves with hair of gold… A love story with a ghostly twist.
SWG Vintage Challenge by Lferion
25 chapters assembled into five stories. Each chapter fills four prompts, one from each of the four cards in the SWG May 2022 Vintage Bingo Challenge, for a total of 100 prompts filled.
The five stories are not all in the same continuity/universe -- for one thing, Ilverien and Red Crow cannot coexist, though there are elements they have in common -- but all of them can be read as part of an overall set of ideas.
Go On As Three by Elwin Fortuna
Beren falls down a ravine and breaks his leg, but that's just the start of his good fortune.
Concealed Art by SkyEventide
Maglor is a model for erotic art: a voyeuristic threesome with a wedded pair ensues, with the blasphemy of sex against the Laws of marriage and not without some humour.
The Divine Hour by jamcake_muses
An unseasonably large snowstorm causes Gil-galad to fret about their upcoming March to Mordor.
The Joining of Two Families by chrissystriped
Shai is the first orc to be reborn and Sharû is overjoyed to have his mother back. When Shai hears that her husband can't be reborn because both she and Arasiel, his wife from when he was an elf, are alive, she is not prepared to accept that. Shai and Arasiel team up to get their husband back, coming closer to each other in the process.
The last gift of Oromë by SkyEventide
Celegorm, who was friend of Oromë, who often visited the Vala's house and learnt the language of all birds and beasts - but hunted them also. This is a story of the noontide of Valinor, of a hunting party and of the deities of bow and arrow, loyalty yet untarnished, gifts and wisdom, and what it means to understand and talk to the things you kill. Sometimes Snow White and the Huntsman are the same person.
Like a Dream Come True by chrissystriped
Fëanáro looked at the Vala whose silver hair had a slight lavender hue in the light of Telperion. He was wearing a necklace of silver birds – nightingales. Fëanáro smiled, he’d made that for him. The fire of his anger at the decision the Valar had made in regard to his mother and father still simmered in his breast, but he’d learned a lot of smithcraft from Mahtan Aulendil and even Aulë himself, and Irmo had always been a friend to him.
A story of Feanor's and Irmo's relationship before and after his death. Also a story of how even the Valar have to rethink their rulings sometimes.
That Attraction Between Us by chrissystriped
Laiglas stared at him, his mouth hanging open. “I beg your pardon?”, he stammered and blushed when some things shot through his head, he sometimes dreamed of. Melkor and Mo in one bed with him... But: “Mablung... I’m sorry, but... you are my friend, I love you, but I don’t think of you like that.” Mablung laughed cheerfully. “You don’t have to be sorry for that, I feel the same about you. But I still think the four of us could have fun.”
Melkor and Mablung have a proposal for their friends.
The Sky, the Sea, the Birds Between by herenortherenearnorfar
"Hail Earendel, brightest of angels
Sent over Middle-earth to men."
Eönwë plays messenger as Elwing and Eärendil begin to adjust to their new lives as a lighthouse keeper and a star respectively.
The Nightingale Sang by ArtificialEnt
Luthien runs into a strange and batlike creature on her way to rescue Beren.
