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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
Middle-earth Museum
Stroll the halls of an imaginary Middle-earth Museum and choose one (or more!) objects from our prompt list to inspire the creation of a fanwork. 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.
Season of Change
As fall--or spring for those on the Southern Hemisphere--approaches and heralds another change in the season, this challenge is all about the seasons and how Tolkien’s world responds to them. As the writer, you can approach this from many angles. Here are some examples:
- How would an exile from Aman respond to the seasons of Middle-earth? What has changed for him or her?
- There are seasons in our lives -- how would one of the Edain react to this, knowing it does not have immortality?
- With seasons often come celebrations. Write one about (or several) celebrations in Tolkien’s world.
- What season is your favourite and what would inspire your character to tell a story about it?
This challenge opened in .
Fanworks Tagged with Season of Change
Eönwë after the War of Wrath by Ruiniel
Eönwë, Maia and herald of Manwë, after the War of Wrath and after seeing Angband. He has long silver-grey wings, and his appearance is tattered and bloodied, he's exhausted after the long war and what he's seen. His hair is silver-white and long. He wears a knee-length surcoat over his armor. He wields a polearm.
By the Shores of Nevrast by Erurainon
A brief lay of the grief of Arda and the shadow of Morgoth upon a traveler on a lonesome quest which ends in darkness
Fallen through the Cracks by Himring
On the Ice, Lalwen makes a disturbing observation...
A crack solution (pun intended) to the problem of some of Tolkien's missing women. Crossover.
Yávië in Formenos by oshun
When he encounters a new harvest worker, a farmer in Formenos is reminded of the great march under starlight across the east of Middle-earth to the shores of the Great Sea. MPTT Harvest Challenge, October 2012; Prompts: waggon, help, young. Beta: Ignoblebard.
By the Shores of Nevrast by Erurainon
A brief lay of the grief of Arda and the shadow of Morgoth upon a traveler on a lonesome quest which ends in darkness
Lalme, Alalme by Himring
The destruction of Beleriand after the War of Wrath--and an unusual refugee.
Written for the Season of Change challenge. It struck me that there was one piece of writing that perfectly fit this challenge already--and it had been written by Tolkien himself, but was not in the Silmarillion. I mean Treebeard's song in Two Towers, of course. This story is partly a re-write or remix of that song, in prose and from a rather different vantage point. The Ent in this story is Treebeard (or Fangorn) himself, but he didn't think about himself as Treebeard at the time.
This story was originally written for Dawn's (and "Eli"'s) Create for Life project (12-14 November 2010).
Warning for extreme violence to trees, exerted by natural forces.
Kindly nominated for the MEFAs 2011 by Dwimordene. It won Second Place in the category "Other Beings: General" and also a "Smaug's Treasure" award.
