The Silmarillion Writers' Guild

It's time for Ardor in August!

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:18:16 GMT

It's time for Ardor in August!

From the Years of the Trees through the Fourth Age – it’s time once again to make your Tolkien FPS fanfic dreams come true…

Have you always wanted to read a certain pairing or scenario, but couldn’t write it yourself? Have it written for you – specifically and especially for your own sweet self! And share your own fic gift in exchange!

That’s right, it’s time again for the Ardor in August Fic Exchange! brought to you by the same folks who sponsor the renowned Slashy Santa and My Slashy Valentine Fiction Exchanges.

The exchange focuses solely on the Elves, Men, Valar and Maiar of J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium. Maybe it’s Gildor and Glorfindel you love, or perhaps Boromir-on-Theodred strikes your fancy... or maybe Manwë is your main man – from the First Age to the Fourth, from sultry tales of the Silmarillion to romances in the Ring Wars – spread the word, recruit your friends and fellow authors, and have some fun!

Critical Dates:

Sign-up period: May 6 - May 20
Assignments to be distributed no later than May 27
Deadline for first-time participants: July 22, 2012
Deadline for returning participants: July 29, 2012
Archive opens: August 5, 2012

Ardor in August 2012 Rules & FAQ

By popular demand, I will reveal to you the name of your recipient at your request. Some people find it easier to write or to personalize a story if they know the identity of their recipient. Other people find that thought absolutely horrifying! Now, you can have it either way. If, at any time during the writing period, you wish to know the identity of your recipient, you may ask me. Since other writers do not want to be "spoiled," I ask that you please keep this information to yourself!

All stories must be a minimum length of 2,000 words. Stories must be complete and in their entirety.

Submissions must be new and previously unreleased, and written specifically for the assignment you receive.

If you have defaulted on ANY previous Slashy Santa-sponsored exchanges, you will NOT be permitted to participate in this round. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule. This may be a disappointment to some of you, but it is far more disappointing for a hard-working participant who strove to meet the deadline to discover they did not receive a story because their writer dropped out.

Manners are mandatory!! Be kind to your readers, be kind to your writer, be kind to your overworked admin. Just as you are required to turn in a finished, beta'd story, you are required to acknowledge the person who wrote for you in a timely fashion. If you're going to be out of town when the archive opens, consider making an LJ post to that effect, or alerting the moderator if you think it's going to be more than 3 or 4 days before you can get in touch with your writer. Even if you *hate* the story you are given-- and we certainly hope that's not the case!-- common courtesy dictates that you should at least say "Thank you for writing this for me." If you cannot gracefully thank the author who wrote for you, you may be asked to sit out the next round and contemplate the meaning of the word "Courtesy."

Stories shall not be released to the general fandom on any group, list, or website until they are released on this site. After the publication date on this site, feel free to post or archive your work anywhere you would like. NOTE: By request, we have also added a LiveJournal community this year, where authors may self-load their own submissions after the publication date on this site.

Authors are responsible for posting their own stories to the Slashy Santa archive on or before the due date at SlashySanta.com. If you have any questions or difficulties, please email the moderator: slashysanta@gmail.com

PROHIBITIONS / RESTRICTIONS

No fiction involving a minor in a sexual situation, even in flashback, no matter how vaguely alluded to, will be permitted. Period.
No songfics.
No het pairings as anything other than secondary characters or plots.
No bestiality. (Tolkien characters that manifest as cognizant beings such as centaurs, unicorns, wolves, faeries, etc. are acceptable. If in doubt, ask us.)
No RPS (real person slash) will be accepted.
No Mary Sue, Marty Stu, or self-inserts.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Hold on there, what about female characters like Galadriel and Arwen? They were important characters in Tolkien's world! So, you're saying I must ignore them?

A: Not at all. We all know that Aragorn loved and ultimately married Arwen, but he must have been pretty lonely all those years of traveling the wilds of Middle-earth. After a while, Boromir must have started looking pretty good to him. ;)

Q: I just received my assignment and it fits perfectly into part of a series I've been working on. Can I use it anyway?

A: We'd prefer your story to be original and created solely for your recipient, but so long as your submission fits the assignment you received, can be read and understood as a standalone, and it's new and unreleased, then go ahead.

Q: Yikes! I've been working on my story, but there was a family emergency and I don't think I'll make the deadline. What should I do?

A: Let us know! We at Slashy Santa have families too and understand that emergencies sometimes happen. The sooner you tell us, the easier it will be for us to come to a mutually agreeable solution.

Q: Unfortunately, the emergency has turned into something longer term and I won't be able to finish my story after all.

A: Again, please let us know as soon as possible so we can find a replacement to finish your assignment.

Q: I signed up for the previous exchanges, but never turned anything in. Can I still participate?

A: No. It simply isn't fair to those who met their obligations, or to the person who didn't get a story.

Q: Do I need to have my work beta read? I don't have one!

A: While we will not strictly enforce the use of a beta, we strongly encourage it. At the very least, please proof read and run spell- and grammar-check. If you need help finding a beta, let us know and we'll direct you to some beta resources. Remember, you're writing a gift for someone, so make your story as perfect as it can be.

Q: HELP! I received the worst assignment in the world! What were you thinking? I can't write this!

A: It was likely an oversight. Please contact us and we will do what we can to find another assignment that is more to your taste and ability. If you already confirmed you would accept it, we can't make promises, but we'll do the best we can to help.

NOTE: In some rare instances, it may not be possible for a request to be filled to the requestor's exact specifications. This may occur if no author is willing to write the elements in the request (some examples are BDSM, fetish, rape, MPREG, or character death). In this case, the participant will be asked to revise their request so that we'll be able to match it.

~ * ~

So, are you ready to sign up? Good! Click Here!

May 2012 Newsletter Posted

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:17:48 GMT

We're back on schedule for the newsletter after B2MeM, so May's edition has been posted on the website:

http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/news/may2012.php

We have news from within and outside of the SWG, a list of stories posted to the archive in April, a new set of challenges, and a character biography of Vaire the Weaver. (I didn't think there would be much to say about her when I started this one, but I found quite a bit that I found intriguing and surprising!)

Many thanks to my comods Rhapsody and Angelica for their invaluable assistance putting this month's newsletter together.

Enjoy! :)

Archive Bug (TinyMCE) Resolved

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:45:43 GMT

I posted two weeks ago about a bug that suddenly appeared on the archive that seemed to affect Firefox users who were using the rich-text editor. This bug didn't allow you to enter text into some of the fields, including the Story field. (The original bug report can be read here.)

SWG moderators Russandol and Rhapsody have been working hard in the meantime to figure out how to correct this problem. Lo and behold, the latest Firefox upgrade to version 12 seems to have solved the problem!

If this problem affected you, please upgrade to version 12 of Firefox. You can do this by clicking on Help and choosing About Firefox. This will display the version you are currently running, will check for updated versions, and prompt you to run an update, if necessary.

I also checked the archive in Internet Explorer 7 this afternoon and didn't have any problems, nor have problems been reported with Chrome. Please be aware, if you use Internet Explorer 9, that there is a different problem with this browser that requires you to run it in compatibility mode in order for it to work with our archive software. (You can learn more about how to run IE 9 in compatibility mode here.)

At this point, we are considering this issue resolved. If you continue to have any problems with the archive, please report them to me or one of the other site moderators. I can always be reached by leaving a comment on this post or via email at moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org.

Many, many thanks again to Russandol and Rhapsody, who actually had a fix in place and were in the process of scheduling it when Firefox solved the problem for them.

MOD POST: Archive Bug

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:27:02 GMT

ETA: This bug has been resolved. If you continue to experience any problems, please comment here or contact the mods at moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org. Read more about the fix here.

A mysterious bug has crawled out of the woodwork and is causing some problems on the SWG archive. My comods and I are working on getting the problem solved, but since it will involve either (or both!) the software creators and our webhost, it may be a few days before we get it fixed.

Here is the problem: When you open the story form to add a new story/chapter or edit an existing chapter, the form will not allow you to input text into the Story Notes, Chapter Notes, and Story Text fields, if you have the rich-text editor (TinyMCE) turned on.

This problem has been reported in Internet Explorer and Firefox. Chrome appears to be behaving normally.

Until we get the problem corrected, please use one of the following workarounds:

--Use Google Chrome to access the site when you need to add/edit stories.

--Shut off the rich-text editor (TinyMCE). You can do this via the Edit Preferences link on your account screen. Make sure the checkbox for "Use tinyMCE WYSWYG editor" is not checked.

You will need to add your story using HTML if you shut off the rich-text editor.

--Beneath each of the affected fields is the option to shut off the rich-text editor (TinyMCE) for that field alone. Uncheck that box, then tick it again. The field should work normally once you do this.

If you experience any problems aside from those that have been already reported, please let me know. If you have any questions regarding the above workarounds, don't hesitate to ask.

Correction to the April 2012 Newsletter

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 14:08:28 GMT

Hi, all,

Due to a glitch in the RSS feed that we use to compile the story list each month, stories posted to the archive between March 13 and March 24 were inadvertently left off of the list. Clearly, this amounts to quite a few stories! :) Rhapsody has kindly fixed the list for us, and the correct version is now available on our website:

http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/news/april2012.php

All the best,

Dawn

April 2012 Newsletter Posted!

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 01:54:15 GMT

It's late again, thanks to B2MeM and my traveling out of the country, but this month's newsletter is finally done and posted! Hopefully, next month, I can get back on the proper schedule again. :)

http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/news/april2012.php

This month's edition contains a new comic from pandemonium_213: the next installment in Gothmog and Draugluin's adventure with Professor Thu while Melkor is gone on vacation. In addition there is news from within and beyond the SWG, a list of this month's stories, and a new challenge.

I would like to draw attention to an important announcement from Angelica, our Library of Tirion moderator, in this month's newsletter. We are once again running low on stories to add to the Library of Tirion. For those of you not familiar with it, LofT is the section of our archive for stories published prior to the opening of the SWG archive in 2007. We rely on our members to suggest their favorite pre-SWG authors so that we can ensure that this era of fandom history is represented on our site. Please email us with your requests or use the request form on the site. There is more information here:

http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/library-of-tirion.php

Thank you to Pandemonium, Rhapsody, and Angelica for their contributions to this month's newsletter!

March 2012 Newsletter Posted (At Long Last!)

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 02:01:00 GMT

Due to B2MeM being massively successful this year and therefore monopolizing my time in a big way, the newsletter is dreadfully late. I do apologize--but here it is at long last! :)

http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/news/march2012.php

This month's edition contains news from the SWG, from groups beyond our borders, stories added and updated during February, and the current challenges on the site. In honor of Back to Middle-earth Month, Oshun has contributed the first part of what promises to be an informative and insightful biography of Gandalf. This part considers how he appears in LotR and The Hobbit (compared to the very different character we see in The Silmarillion and related works) as well as the archetypal roles he plays. The biography is also illustrated by Pandemonium_213.

Pandë has also contributed another in her series of brilliantly funny Gothmog & Draugluin comics. This month, Melkor prepares to whisk his wife away on a romantic getaway, and Lil Gothmog heads off to Tol-in-Gaurhoth with his babysitter (sorry! observer!), Professor Thû.

Many thanks to Oshun, Pandemonium, Rhapsody, and Angelica, who contributed to this month's newsletter. (And got their stuff in on time! :) Enjoy!

Fic: All Goes Onward and Outward

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:41:35 GMT

Title: All Goes Onward and Outward | Read on AO3
Fandom: The Silmarillion (sort of)
Word count: 4,500
Beta:: Thank you, hhimring, for such a great beta job!
Characters/Pairings: Fingon (Finn), Maedhros (Russell), Maglor (Laurie), Mortimer (Caranthir) , Fingon/Maedhros
Warnings: Trauma, off-screen mentions of torture, doomed relationships, and a wholly expected character death.
Disclaimer: I am really sorry for this, and own nothing of anything.
Note: I thought to myself, what could make this pairing even sadder? Oh, I know, if it was an WWI AU. I’m not sorry. (I am a little sorry.) The quote in the beginning from Walt Whitman.

(all goes onward and outward, nothing collapses)

Collaborative Silm Fanon BINGO Card!

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:04:10 GMT

For those of you who are participating in B2MeM this year but are not members of that community, swing on by b2mem or the B2MeM page on the SWG site; there have been two sizable releases of new BINGO cards this weekend!

With my BINGO card backlog cleared (for the moment, anyway!), I am back to working on my own cards. One I'd like to do is a Silmarillion Fanon card where the goal is to create a piece that thwarts that particular fanon. I *heart* fanon just as much as the next fanperson, but it's also cool to see an author brilliantly turn fanon on its head and smack it around a little bit. So what say you, fellow Silmfolk, to a collaborative BINGO card? What are your favorite fanons, the ones you couldn't live without? Which are the ones you can't stand? Let me know in a comment and I'll put them together into a card!

February 2012 Newsletter Posted!

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:25:48 GMT

No, your eyes do not deceive you--the February 2012 edition of the SWG newsletter is on time this month! And it has lots of new stuff worth a look.

http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/news/february2012.php

Of course, you will find news from within the SWG and beyond our borders. Back to Middle-earth Month (B2MeM) preparations are in full swing, as we have close to three dozen BINGO cards created by participants and many people signed up to play in this year's event. I will be releasing another round of new cards shortly, probably tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Oshun has written another bang-up biography on Rochallor. Wait ... Fingolfin's horse? Yes ... but do not let Rochallor's beastly nature deceive you; yet again, Oshun has gifted us with a well researched and thought-provoking biography, as she looks at Rochallor's canonical role in his master's defiant and impetuous (totally Finwion!) final stand against Melkor. She also points to the significance of horses in heroic literature. Oshun does a consistently fabulous job on these monthly biographies, and Rochallor's joins her impressive list of biographies well worth a look.

For those who have missed the Funnies section, we have excellent news--Pandemonium's clever Gothmog & Draugluin comic is back this month! Professor Thû and his Orcish assistant have just taken over Tol Sirion and need to take stock of the place. Welcome back, G&D crew--you have been missed!

Many thanks to Oshun, Pandemonium, Rhapsody, and Angelica, our newsletter contributors who help keep SWG members informed and entertained!

Art: Eönwë

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:29:15 GMT

For Russandol, based on her wonderful story Chasing Mirages (which everyone should read).

( Eönwë portrait )

B2MeM Updates: Player Page and New BINGO Cards

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:34:00 GMT

If you're interested in frequent B2MeM updates, please join b2mem. (Likewise if you'd like to share your B2MeM projects there!) I will be posting weekly updates here as well, but b2mem is the place to go for the most up-to-date information on the event.

We are off to an awesome start! We have about 20 BINGO cards (not all have been posted) and 23 participants signed up to play. Thank you to everyone who's given this year's B2MeM such an enthusiastic reception and jumped right into making the event one to remember!

Orphaned Cards

If you hear a sad whimpering sound when you visit the card claim page, that is because I have several orphaned cards: Cards that were requested on a form without a name and that, therefore, have no author or artist to call home. :(

If you've requested BINGO cards in order to participate in this year's event, you should have received a confirmation email from me by now. If you have requested a BINGO card and have not heard from me, please get in touch with me as soon as possible! I've received four requests now without names on them. I cannot set up your cards for you if I do not know who you are! :) I realize that, in the excitement of viewing the cards, this field is easily overlooked; I've added a reminder at the bottom of the form, which I hope will help. In the meantime, if you requested cards and never received a confirmation from me, please comment here, email me at DawnFelagund@gmail.com, or resend the card request form.

One player used a LiveJournal email address; that email address has bounced. I've set up your account, but you would not have received a confirmation from me, for obvious reasons. :)

The Player Page

The player page has now been added to our website. As of this posting, everyone who requested cards is listed on this page. Please check and make sure that 1] you're on there (and not one of the players who sent a card request without a name! ;) and 2] that I have assigned the correct cards to you.

During the event, my comods and I will be stamping cards as participants report that they've successfully started a challenge. This is the place to check to see how you (and everyone else!) is doing!

If you want to display your BINGO cards someplace, you're welcome to link to the images; if you need the HTML to do that, just let me know.

New BINGO Cards

Aaaaand, last but certainly not least, we have some new cards to choose from! Many thanks to Dwim, Indy, Himring, Grey Gazania, and Lyra for the fabulous job they did in creating new cards! If you're interested in playing any of the new cards, please use the card request form or comment here with your author name and the cards you want.

Cards Posted Thursday, January 26

Beasts

Economy

Genre

Scientific Achievements

Weapons and Warfare

Cards Posted Wednesday, January 25

Artifacts and Weapons

The AU Card

Botany

Poetic Language

Women of The Silmarillion

Cards Posted Sunday, January 22

First Lines

Four Words

Maglor in History

Poetic Forms

Review a Story

Sons of Feanor

Art: Young Elrond

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:08:45 GMT

Rating: Worksafe

Description: Elrond, while he and Elros were living with Maedhros and Maglor.

( Living as a Fëanorian )

Back to Middle-earth Month (B2MeM) 2012 Event Announced

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:03:49 GMT

Over the past few weeks, my comods on the SWG and MPTT have been working hard to put together this year's Back to Middle-earth Month event, and we are ready to announce the event at last!

2012 is the 75th anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit, the book that introduced the world to Middle-earth and paved the way for The Lord of the Rings and, eventually, the posthumous publication of The Silmarillion, among other books. In honor of this milestone, Bilbo Baggins' uncle Bingo Baggins has decided to do what Hobbits do best: throw a party! And what else to do at such a party than play BINGO?

If you've never played BINGO, it's a straightforward game. Each player holds one or more cards containing 25 numbered squares. When a number on your card is called, you mark off that square. The first player to mark off five squares in a row (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal) wins the game. We will call a new number each day, throughout the month of March.

Of course, we've added an extra twist: Before you can mark off your number, you will have to complete a challenge. Each card will have a theme, and you can claim the cards with themes that intrigue you the most. (For example, of the cards I've created already, themes include poetic forms, the sons of Feanor, and review challenges.) You can claim as many or as few cards as you want.

B2MeM will begin in just over a month, and if it's going to be a fun challenge, then players will need a variety of cards to choose from. And this is where you can help us now. Anyone is invited to design BINGO cards for our game, so we hope many of you will challenge your fellow players by helping us to design cards!

For more information on this year's event and how to get started, please see (and join!) our shiny new b2mem community. Rules and more information for this year's event can be found here.

The SWG and MPTT--the groups hosting this year's event--also have B2MeM pages up on their site, where you can see the cards currently available, choose a participant banner, and learn more about how to get involved:

B2MeM on SWG
B2MeM on MPTT

As always, this is an event for the entire Tolkien fandom, not just members of the hosting groups. If you know other Tolkien fans or groups who might be interested in participating, please do pass the word along--all are welcome!

Art: Míriel

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:24:10 GMT

My first post of the year!

( cut goes to my LJ )

Almost Forgot! January 2012 Newsletter Posted

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:24:05 GMT

I almost forgot to announce that the January newsletter is up on our website:

http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/news/january2012.php

My comods and I have written our annual New Years' letter to keep the group informed of where we hope to go in the next year. We've also included some tips on how to use the archive's Character list to find stories you want to read and ensure your story is being found by eager readers. Around the World and Web has announcements from groups outside of the SWG as well. (Special plug: I am working with some other Tolkien fans on a project to put together a Silmarillion-based podcast, and we are looking for folks who would be interested in participating. There are more details in the newsletter!) You can also find a list of all the stories, poems, and plays updated and finished during the month of December.

Oshun took a well-deserved month off during December, and I wrote the character biography in her stead. I updated my earlier and very perfunctory "emergency" biography of Namo Mandos. He is a character who has invited intriguing and varied interpretations in Silmarillion-based fiction, and my research revealed him to have deep roots not only in Tolkien's legendarium but also in world mythology.

We change challenges every three months, so this is the month for a new challenge for any writers or artists who care to accept it: It's All in the Numbers. This challenge asks participants to ponder how individuals and cultures in Arda utilized numbers. We're also revisiting the "Four Elements" challenge and have a new quote of the month, so if you need to kickstart the muses during the deep of winter (or the unrelenting heat of summer, for those of you in the south!), we encourage you to try one of the month's challenges!

Thanks to rhapsody11 for her help in putting the newsletter together (and for reminding me that I hadn't posted an announcement about it yet! :)

My best wishes for a lovely New Year!

Promotion: Middle-Earth Kink Meme

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 04:16:57 GMT

middleearthkink A Middle-Earth Kink Meme

Middle-Earth Kink, a kink meme for Tolkien's legendarium. This is where you post your prompts and fills, as either anonymous or with your account. Prompts can be for anything in Middle-earth, from Ainulindalë through the Fourth Age.
NOTE: Must be 18 or older

Promotion: My Slashy Valentine 2012

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 19:00:25 GMT

My Slashy Valentine 2012

From the Years of the Trees through the Fourth Age – it’s time once again to make your Tolkien FPS fanfic dreams come true…

Have you always wanted to read a certain pairing or scenario, but couldn’t write it yourself? Have it written for you – specifically and especially for your own sweet self! And share your own fic gift in exchange!

That’s right, it’s time again for the My Slashy Valentine Fic Exchange! brought to you by the same folks who sponsor the renowned Slashy Santa and Ardor in August Fiction Exchanges.

The exchange focuses solely on the Elves, Men, Valar and Maiar of J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium. Maybe it’s Gildor and Glorfindel you love, or perhaps Boromir-on-Theodred strikes your fancy... or maybe Manwë is your main man – from the First Age to the Fourth, from sultry tales of the Silmarillion to romances in the Ring Wars – spread the word, recruit your friends and fellow authors, and have some fun!

Critical Dates:

Sign-up period: December 3 - December 17
Assignments to be distributed no later than December 24
Deadline for first-time participants: February 1, 2012
Deadline for returning participants: February 8, 2012
Archive opens: February 14, 2012

If you're interested in signing up, please head over here @ the Slashy Santa LJ community for the rules and signup link.

December 2011 Newsletter Posted

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 15:30:58 GMT

The December 2011 edition of our newsletter has been posted on our homepage:

http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/news/december2011.php

As usual, we have news from within and beyond the borders of the SWG. Additionally, Oshun has written another fabulous biography, this month on Varda, drawing on everything from ancient myth to modern pop culture to explain why Varda is so important in the books and so appealing as a character, as well as giving a review of what we know of Varda from Tolkien's texts.

This month, we also revisit the "Gift of a Story" challenge and encourage our authors to create something for a friend this month, in honor of the winter holidays and New Year.

Many thanks to our newsletter contributors--Oshun, Rhapsody, and Angelica--for making it happen every month! :)

fic: A Mirror of My Maladies

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 03:27:08 GMT

Title: A Mirror of My Maladies ( Read on AO3.)
Wordcount: ~ 1660
Characters: Fingon, Maedhros.
Warnings: Violence, blatant disregard for canon (for reasons) , muddled demonology. Possible vampirism.
Notes: For ladyelleth, at sharp_teeth, for the prompt: Whatever Fingon freed from Thangorodrim, it only looked like Maedhros.

Summary: He wants only for a sharp knife and a little courage.

( A Mirror of My Maladies )

Back to Middle-earth Month 2012

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 19:14:16 GMT

Yes, it is that time of the year again when we begin to plan the year's B2MeM event!

For those who may not be familiar with it, Back to Middle-earth Month (B2MeM) is an annual tradition observed every March by our group, usually along with lotr_community/Many Paths to Tread. (We don't yet know if they'll be joining us again, but we hope they will! :) This fandom "holiday" originated after the release of the final movie and was intended to keep the Tolkien fandom alive and active during the inevitable downswing after the excitement from the movies began to die off. The SWG was one of the original participants, and we have participated every year since.

We have offered a different challenge each year, ranging from collections of poems and story excerpts to daily writing prompts to games. (Many past B2MeM projects are on our website; details about B2MeM 2011 are here.) Before we begin planning, we like to get feedback from our members and participants about what kind of challenge they'd like to see.

So this is your chance! If you have an idea or if you liked a particular challenge we've done in the past, please let us know, either in a comment to this post or by email to moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org.

Although our mods will be slightly less buried in real-world obligations this year than they were last, we probably will have to keep in mind the amount of labor the project we choose will require. (So something that requires hours of volunteers' time each day, like 2009's Last Battle, probably won't be feasible this year.)

We also tend to choose projects that writers/artists from the wider Tolkien fandom--versus just the Silmarillion fandom--can participate in.

Finally, if you'd be interested in volunteering, or if you run a fandom group or website and your group would be interested in joining us this year, please let us know that as well.

November 2011 Newsletter Posted!

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 02:27:33 GMT

Our November newsletter has been posted on the website!

http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/news/november2011.php

In this month's news, Angelica, our Library of Tirion mod, sends a reminder to send in your requests for stories and authors (pre-2007!) for the Library of Tirion section of our archive. This project aims to archive stories that were published before our archive opened. We're almost out of stories to post and so need some new recommendations! Also, if you use or intend to upgrade to Internet Explorer 9, be sure to check out how to make your browser compatible with the archive.

This month's biography is on Tulkas. Tulkas has a singular purpose in The Silmarillion, but as is often the case, delving into earlier drafts reveals details about him that were scrubbed from the published text.

The newsletter also contains a list of stories added to the archive last month, a fresh set of challenges to tickle your muses, and announcements from groups beyond the SWG. Many thanks, as always, to my comods Rhapsody and Angelica, who do most of the ground work needed to publish the newsletter!

http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/news/november2011.php

Enjoy! :)

LotR SeSa 2011: Signups Closing Monday!

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 06:19:56 GMT

(Posted with the kind permission of the mods.)

As always, lotr_sesa welcomes all pairings/prompts/characters, including those that populate the earlier Ages of Arda...

We have 6 participants so far, and while intimate exchanges are great, we'd love to see more folks involved!

LotR SeSa 2011: Signups Closing Monday!
So, it's that time of the year again: time to sign up for the Lord of the Rings Secret Santa exchange! Slash, het and gen, fic and fanart; you can request it all, so why not join in? (Please note that this is an FPF -- Fictional, not Real Person -- exchange.) The sign-up post is here, and sign-ups will run from now until October 31st.

Important Dates:

Sign-ups: Oct. 17 to Oct. 31
Assignments sent out: Nov. 8
Fic/art due: Dec. 16
Fic/art posted to the community: Dec. 24

Please make your story more than 500 words (1000 is better). For fanart we'd expect you to spend at least a couple of hours on your work. We're looking forward to the exchange, and hope you are too!

lotr_sesa

LotR SeSa 2011 is Open! Come on over and Play!

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:58:15 GMT

(Posted with the kind permission of the mods.)

As always, lotr_sesa welcomes all pairings/prompts/characters, including those that populate the earlier Ages of Arda...

LotR SeSa 2011: Signups Now Open!
So, it's that time of the year again: time to sign up for the Lord of the Rings Secret Santa exchange! Slash, het and gen, fic and fanart; you can request it all, so why not join in? (Please note that this is an FPF -- Fictional, not Real Person -- exchange.) The sign-up post is here, and sign-ups will run from now until October 31st.

Important Dates:

Sign-ups: Oct. 17 to Oct. 31
Assignments sent out: Nov. 8
Fic/art due: Dec. 16
Fic/art posted to the community: Dec. 24

lost fic

moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 23:05:54 GMT

I read a fic somewhere, and i can't remember the name anymore.

it's where mandos released Feanor early from his halls but turned him into a woman as a joke. He was hit on by Ingwion using a book written by Maedhros for swooning women, and then was later mistaken for Luthien by Thingol. oh and I think legolas fell in love with her too. could someone help me find it?

Found
Feariel on fanfction.net