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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] Words of Wisdom by AdmirableMonster
One or more drabbles about Pengolodh and his babysitter Salgant.
[Writing] "Tengwar" ficlets by chrissystriped
Fics written for the "Tengwar" challenge.
[Writing] Tengwar (working title) by cuarthol
For the Tengwar prompt challenge. To be updated as new prompts are completed.
Current up through 'Óre'
[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…
[Writing] Fire in Four Quarters by sallysavestheday
For the Tengwar challenge, four poems in which Beleriand and Middle-Earth are threatened by flames (once from each cardinal direction).
[Writing] Analysis of "Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth" by Rocky41_7
Examining the relationship between Andreth and Finrod as shown in the Athrabeth.
Current Challenge
Tengwar
A daily prompt of a Tengwar letter per day. Read more ...
Random Challenge
End Is the Beginning
Take the ending of a story from "The Silmarillion" and use it as the beginning of a fanwork. Read more ...
New in References
[]
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.
In the House of the Fairbairns by Simon J. Cook
[]The first of some posts on the Elf-tower on the western margin of The Lord of the Rings attempts to frame the relationship between the narrative and the appendices of The Lord of the Rings and an analysis of Frodo's dream-visions.
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.
Caprice and Chance
This month's challenge is a Matryoshka challenge based on the sultry, swoony tropes of that perennial favorite for beach reading, the bodice-ripper romance. Your fanwork does not have to be a romance story, but prompts will be loosely inspired by the plot arcs and tropes of these novels. (Please note that prompts are not romance-specific. Any genre of fanwork can be created based on these prompts.)
Never tried a Matryoshka challenge before? See our FAQ: What is a Matryoshka challenge and how does it work? If you want to request a prompt set, contact the moderators. Make sure to specify of you would like a Beginner (two prompts), Easy (three prompts), Medium (five prompts), or Difficult (seven prompts) set. You may request more than one set.
Credit goes to TVTropes for much of the inspiration and many of the names of the prompts!
This challenge opened in .
Fanworks Tagged with Caprice and Chance
Hewers of wood and drawers of water. by hennethgalad
an unwitting eyewitness struggles with the consequence.
Through a Mirror Darkly by HannaGoldworthy
Year 2510 of the Third Age: Celebrian arrives in Valinor during Sovalle, a new (for her) feast of repentance and reconciliation. And, much to her suprise and discomfort, she's not the only new face hanging around...
Boundaries by Dawn Felagund
Fingon is constantly pushing Maedhros's boundaries, but this time, he has gone too far. Put on mandatory sick leave after an injury, Maedhros decides to spend his three weeks recuperating alone, setting Fingon on a chase across Aman to find and make amends to his lover ... and yes, transgress one more boundary, one more time. Maedhros/Fingon. Written for Oshun, for the occasion of her 100th character biography.
The land of Beeches and Snowdrops by Raiyana
After the sacking of Doriath, the lands once girdled by Melian were abandoned.
Faerbraichon, Lord of House Brethil, went east in search of a new land for his Sindar Elves, a land far removed from the grief caused by the Silmaril Thingol had coveted. With him came his family - those who were left - and those for whom he was Lord.
Running into a Dragon was an unexpected complication.
But for one of his sons, it might turn out to be the source of new love, and for the rest of House Brethil, the meeting between their youngest Prince and a Woodland elleth will eventually lead to the formation of the largest Elven Kingdom in Arda and the establishment of a new home.
The Great Green-Wood.
that which is given by Fernstrike
Tyelperinquar knew Annatar was keeping something from him.
In which goodbyes are said, gifts are given, and promises are made.
Encounters by Independence1776
Maglor encounters two people… and a pack of puppies.
Destined to be together by Himring
In the Third Age, in a small coastal town of Gondor, a young girl has an encounter at a critical time for her.
A wandering Maglor story featuring an animal rescue.
