June Challenge: Gates of Summer
Jun. 14th, 2025 09:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Summer is a season of flourishing, when life is at its peak. It is a time of plenty, when the light lingers long and celebrations dot the calendar. As we prepare for our big Mereth Aderthad celebration in just a month's time—an event that celebrates the vibrant life of our group and all of the creators and members who have shaped its history—we turn to the topic of summer. Like summer, we hope the SWG and the creativity and fellowship between its members will be a light that endures for many years to come!
This month, challenge participants will select their own prompts from a collection of prompts related to summer. The collection includes quotes from the texts, canon events, events in Tolkien's life, and quotes from Tolkien's letters. As always, you can mix and match prompts if you want, and we encourage creative interpretations of prompts.
In honor of Pride Month, there is a special stamp available for fanworks that focus on LGBTQIA+ characters.
Thank you to anerea for this month's banner and stamps!
In order to receive a stamp for your fanwork, your response must be posted to the archive on or before 15 July 2025. For complete challenge guidelines, see the Challenges page on our website.
MCU: when i die i’ll sacrifice (more than enough for the afterlife) - podfic by Quietnight
Jun. 15th, 2025 12:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Characters/Pairings: Natasha Romanov/Maria Hill, James 'Bucky' Barnes/Steve Rogers, James 'Bucky' Barnes/Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson, Nick Fury, Phil Coulsen, various MCU characters
Rating: Mature
Length: 04:21:03 (41,322 words)
Content Notes: Graphic depictions of violence, abuse of children by the Red Room, recollection of past pet death
Creator Links: Quietnight on the Audiofic Archive, Quietnight on AO3, notcaycepollard on AO3
Themes: Female relationships, Action/adventure, Families of choice, Time travel, Fix-it
Summary: The fall is longer than Natasha expects.
It’s tears cold on her face, teeth bitten all the way through her lip and the taste of copper in her mouth; she’s falling and falling and then, bracing for impact—she wakes up.
Reccer's Notes: This is one of my favourite podfics by one of my favourite podficcers, and it's a tour de force. It's a long story by notcaycepollard that puts right Natasha's death with the soul stone - instead of dying she's sent back in time to the moment in her Red Room training she most regrets, and from that moment lives her life anew and, with her knowledge of the first time around, is able to fix the worst, most tragic disasters and losses of canon. It starts with Natasha rescuing her sister trainee black widows from the Red Room, plus Bucky the Winter Soldier who's there as well. There's a lovely, slow-burn relationship with Maria Hill in the story, but the key relationships for Natasha are with her sisters, aged from a four-year-old to teenagers when they escape, and the podfic's centre is the found family they create. The fix-it aspects are enormously satisfying and Quietnight's reading is, as ever, nuanced and fluent, beautifully performed - including all the Russian names and words, and a pleasure to listen to. An epic story and a wonderful podfic, stirring and heartwarming, and infinitely better than canon.
Fanwork Links: when i die i’ll sacrifice (more than enough for the afterlife) on the Audiofic Archive, and on AO3
(the fic is the first in a series of three stories)
Just Create - Kaiju Edition
Jun. 14th, 2025 04:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Are there any cool events or challenges happening that you want to hype?
What do you just want to talk about?
What have you been watching or reading?
Chores and other not-fun things count!
Remember to encourage other commenters and we have a discord where we can do work-alongs and chat, linked in the sticky
Star Trek AOS: How to Write Letters Home to Your Sisters by Danahid
Jun. 14th, 2025 09:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Pairings/Characters: Nyota Uhura
Rating: G
Length: 1866 words
Creator Links:
Theme: Female relationships
Summary:
I took the stars from my eyes and then I made a map.
There are rules of diplomacy that you have been trained to follow. There are realities that you have been educated to expect. You are poised and dedicated and intelligent and professional, and there are horrors in the universe that you don’t want your sisters to know. There are false maps to terrible places that you don’t want your sisters to follow. You know that you can’t protect them from everything, but this you can protect them from for a little while longer.
Reccer's Notes: I am partial to stories that explore why people join Starfleet, and this is an excellent example. While the story talks about Uhura's motivations, it also explores her relationship with her younger sisters. She is both inspiration and protector to them, and she's very aware of her role.
This story takes on both the promise and sacrifice of going beyond traditional roles. Yes, Uhura accomplishes so much, but those accomplishments come at a cost, a cost she doesn't want her sisters to know about because she wants them to find their own way.
Danahid's writing is always exact and meticulous and beautiful, and this story is no exception. There's so much in these 1800 words, including a beautiful ending.
Fanwork Links: How to Write Letters Home to Your Sisters
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Varda delle Stelle by Shadow
Jun. 14th, 2025 01:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Cloudyhymn's presentation The Design of Dragons and the Doom of the Dwarves posits dragons as a corruption of Dwarves, both sharing a connection to the earth but on opposing sides, similar to the relationship Tolkien sometimes described between Elves and Orcs. Varda delle Stelle, the SWG's assistant art editor, will be creating two paintings as the featured artist for cloudyhymn's presentation at Mereth Aderthad 2025. Shadow spoke with Varda about her own connections to the earth and concepts in cloudyhymn's presentation, her creative process, and her hopes for her Mereth Aderthad paintings.
You can read Shadow's interview with Varda delle Stelle here.
Naruto: Fest no Jutsu 2025
Jun. 13th, 2025 09:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Prompting Period: Now-June 20
Works due & revealed: September 10
Creators revealed: September 17
An AO3 account is required for participation, and joining the r/NarutoFanfiction Discord server is highly recommended. By joining the server, you can participate in conversations about the event, make suggestions for this and future server events, and contact the moderators directly. For full event rules and for more information on how a fest/prompt meme works, please check the AO3 collection profile. If you don't wish to join the server, but still wish to participate and ask questions about the event, you may e-mail gerardwayissexah@gmail.com as well.
Links:
AO3 Collection Profile (signup and view submitted prompts)
Discord Server Join Link (never expires)
Naruto: NejiTen Month 2025
Jun. 13th, 2025 08:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Schedule: Post works to Tumblr and/or Archive of Our Own (AO3) July 1-July 31st.
Posting: Tag works on Tumblr with #nejitenmonth2025 in the first five tags so the mod can reblog everything. Please tag on AO3 with NejiTen Month 2025 or something similar. The AO3 collection is also an option.
Links:
Tumblr Blog
Full Event Rules
AO3 Collection
SGA: Walk Beside Me by Rachel500
Jun. 13th, 2025 08:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Characters/Pairings: Gen. Teyla Emmagan & Sam Carter, Evan Lorne
Rating: Teen
Length: 8824
Content Notes: canon-typical violence, minor character death
Creator Links: Rachel500 on AO3, ArwenLune on AO3, ArwenLune on Audiofic Archive
Themes: Female relationships, Action/adventure, Friendship, Women being awesome
Summary: When a diplomatic mission is interrupted by the Wraith, Sam and Teyla wrestle their personal demons to work together and find a way back to Atlantis.
Reccer's Notes:
This is set soon after Sam Carter comes to Atlantis to replace Elizabeth, and both she and Teyla initially grapple with her new role. Teyla, unlike John and Rodney, had no prior knowledge of Sam Carter and can't help missing Elizabeth and not fully trusting Carter. Then a mission goes badly wrong and they're thrown together, and have to find a way through their feelings as they deal with the dangerous situation. It's a gripping read with interesting character explorations and a satisfying ending. There's also a podfic version, excellently read by ArwenLune.
Fanwork Links: Walk Beside Me on AO3
And the Podfic, read by ArwenLune
Community Recs Post!
Jun. 12th, 2025 08:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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This works great if you only have one rec and don't want to make a whole post for it, or if you don't have a DW account, or if you're shy. ;)
(But don't forget: you can deffo make posts of your own seven days a week. ;D!)
So what cool fics/fanart/fanvids/fancrafts/podfics/other kinds of fanworks have we discovered this week? Drop it in the comments below. Anon comment is enabled.
BTW, AI fanworks are not eligible for reccing at recthething. If you aware that a fanwork is AI-generated, please do not rec it here.
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Reese by Dawn
Jun. 11th, 2025 09:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Back in March, we spoke with polutropos' about her presentation on the "kidnap fam" trope and its broad appeal in the fandom. Few episodes in the legendarium provoke such fascination and range of interpretations. Reese is the featured author for polutropos' Mereth Aderthad 2025 presentation, "'Kidnap Fam' and the Living Legendarium." Dawn spoke to Reese about her story, which is an epistolary found fiction, and the appeal of alternate universe, mythology and Tolkien and the many fruitful connections they share, the kidnap fam trope—and how the silences in all of these invite storytellers to fill the gaps.
What-ho all
Jun. 11th, 2025 11:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Age group: 40s but rapidly heading towards 50s
Country: UK
Subscription/Access Policy: Public, at time of writing
Fannish Interests: Right now I'm mainly into Djo, Stranger Things (as my icon suggests, I'm having somewhat of a Joe Keery year), The Terror, Severance, and my attention to the MCU has been revived somewhat by Agatha All Along, Thunderbolts and (hopefully!) Fantastic Four.
I enjoy reading golden age detective fiction, fantasy, romance and historical non-fiction. I've written a small number of fics but am trying to get out of a block and write some more.
I've been a long time but mostly lurky presence in fannish spaces since the early 2000s, and can also be found as zan77 on tumblr
I like to post about: Not many posts on my dreamwidth yet but I'm hoping to use it to get back into the habit of longer posting.
About Me/Other Info: Outside of fandom I'm also an amateaur bellydancer and enjoy crochet. As I officially enter Fandom Old territory I've started to yearn for the old Livejournal style interactions of my youth! Hoping to find some like-minded souls to talk to.
2025's Summer of the 69 is now open!
Jun. 9th, 2025 09:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Community:
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Event Description: Summer of the 69 is an event focused on creative works about the sexual position, open to all fandoms and to original works, and to all types of creations. Participation is through two means: A comment meme where users can leave and fill prompts, and themes posted weekly to get creative juices flowing.
The 2025 fest has officially opened! If the above description interests you at all, check out the following links:
Community profile
2025's Theme Calendar
2025's Comment Prompt Meme
2025's First Theme: "First Time 69: Everyone has to start somewhere"
Hello there!
Jun. 9th, 2025 08:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Pronouns: He/Him
Age Group: I'm in my early 30s - please only add me if you're 20 or older!
Country: USA
Subscription/Access Policy: Very general fandom posts are public, whereas things that are access only are probably more along the lines of "mini-essay pondering a bigger subject through the lens of fandom" or a fanwork idea I'm not quite sure about yet, but what to share to a degree.
What I chat about: Fandom and hobbies are probably what I'll most frequently chat about, but I also love getting analytical and waxing philosophical about life - often through looking at fandom things. I find it fun, and my shared reflections tend to be more neutral-to-positive. When it comes to fandom specifics, I love writing fanfic and AUs, and exploring ideas for those, and a character deep-dive is one of my favorite things! I also just like sharing the enthusiasm I have for my favorite things, fandom or otherwise.
I'm looking to connect with people who: Want to talk and share their enthusiasm, too! I'm a chatterbox who really wants to extend his fannish social circle - I'm a househusband who sometimes ends up with a lot of free time and I'd love to spend more of it engaging in fun talk! I'm also looking to connect with people who are open-minded and accepting, and not interested in anti culture or other fandom discourse.
Main Fandoms: Pokemon has been my forever fandom, ever since Pokemania hit the States. I kind of fell off in the GBA/early DS era (Emerald and Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, specifically) but got back into it in a big way since and have never left. I'm mainly into the games, but I have a lot of fondness for the early seasons of the anime, and I've really been enjoying the new Pokemon Horizons series? I'm really behind on it, though. My other main fandoms are Disney Duck canons - a lot of 'em, but I'm especially fond of the 2017 DuckTales reboot, Darkwing Duck, and the various comics - and Fraggle Rock, which I discovered well after its time but I love - and now it has a reboot, too, and I also love that!
Other Fandoms: Delicious in Dungeon, In Stars and Time, Steven Universe, Dimension 20's Fantasy High, The Muppets, Sonic the Hedgehog (games, the movies, and the IDW comics - though I'm super behind on the comics), Zeddy Zi's Ramshackle, Lilo & Stitch, Tangled, Ratatouille, and a lot of other animated movies... Oh! And Phineas and Ferb is back and ngl, I'm kinda losing my mind over that. Such a fun show, I love its themes of creativity
What I create for Fandom: Fanfic! And occasionally icons, but mostly fic. I've really been getting back into it lately.
Other Hobbies: Reading, bracelet weaving, Dungeons & Dragons... I'm starting to get into art and I'm trying to get into cooking as more a hobby than housework. I also love collecting! Currently, I collect bookmarks and merch of Meowth from Pokemon.