Behind the cut is the seven photos I took and I've added alt-text as much as I can but only underneath because using the alt='' in the image embed code borks somehow and gah!, thumbnail to 600x600 and as always clicky for bigger if you want to do that.
( I could drop all my lines, I could throw my ropes into the water I could change my mind now today looks the same as tomorrow )
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Anérea and Shadow
Jun. 26th, 2025 09:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Anérea and Shadow are the featured artist and featured writer, respectively, for Zhie's Mereth Aderthad 2025 presentation, "How To Make a Star From a Tree: The Science of Telperion and Laurelin." They sat down together to chat about their work on Zhie's presentation and on Mereth Aderthad more broadly, as both are involved as volunteers for the event, and Shadow has also written a story for Maglor's presentation "Gil-galad was an Elven King: Kingship and Personhood in the last High King of the Noldor." They spoke about the appeal of light in Tolkien's world, about achieving freedom from perfectionism and imposter syndrome, and the special role that fanworks and fan communities play in so many of our lives.
- It was great!
- It went well.
- It was pretty good.
- Could be better.
- I didn't get any writing done. (whether life was hectic, taking a break, or writer's block)
- I thought about writing this week.
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Tang Wen Xi by Dawn
Jun. 22nd, 2025 04:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Few episodes within the legendarium inspire the tormented emotions as the third kinslaying and the aftermath between Maedhros, Maglor, Elrond, and Elros. The featured artist for polutropos' Mereth Aderthad 2025 presentation "'Kidnap Fam' and the Living Legendarium," Tang Wen Xi creates artwork, including martial scenes, with a bold, vibrant style that often seems to leap and move within the page. Dawn recently spoke to Tang Wen Xi about his inspirations within the legendarium and how he creates his one-of-a-kind art.
https://www.tumblr.com/fall-for-tolkien/784516339734806528/were-back-for-another-year-come-join-us-for-the
Week 2: 13th to 19th
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Week 3: 20th to 26th
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Week 4: 27th to 2nd
Sign-ups will be open until the end of July.
Level of challenge: 1 chapter, 1000 words, 1 fic finished, whatever you like
Fandom(s) involved: if you know at this point
What you're looking for from the challenge: this could be as vague or specific as you like: someone to be accountable to, someone to remind you to write, someone to bounce ideas off, etc.
What you could offer other participants yourself: ditto!
How people should contact you: DW message, e-mail, IM etc.
Time zone: useful for seeing who might be up for a writing session at a time convenient to you
Copypaste below:
The post for hosting the daily check-in is here and thanks to everyone who helps out with this. If you're interested in helping out and there are still slots available the post remains open until the last week of the month and we generally run our week Sunday to Saturday, I'm happy to chat via PM on DW for anyone who might need it.
If you have ever completed a fic through this challenge we have a collection on AO3 and on SquidgeWorld both collections are open and unmoderated. Should there be an issue with adding a work, let me know and I'll see if there's a fix for it.
Here is the official description:
"Shirley Jackson is rightly celebrated as a master of Gothic storytelling thanks to her most well-known novels such as The Haunting of Hill House (1959) and We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962). In recent years, however, her earlier novel Hangsaman (1951) has received new attention and critical appreciation from fans and scholars alike.
"Far ahead of its time when it was published, Jackson’s deeply personal Hangsaman is many things: a psychological study of a young woman’s coming of age; a haunting Gothic mystery; a pointed critique of gender roles, family dynamics, and higher education; a meditation on trauma and mental illness; and an ancestor of today’s dark academia storytelling. Shirley Jackson drew inspiration from a variety of sources to craft this remarkable campus novel, from folk ballads and the Tarot, myth and ritual, to a real college campus and an unsolved New England cold case of a missing sophomore student.
"In this module, we will unpack this gem of a Gothic story, following freshman Natalie Waite as she searches for her 'essential self' and discussing why Hangsaman feels freshly relevant and important to many readers today."
Here is more information on the Hangsaman module.
To help launch this module, please go here, log in, and put this module on your launchpad short-list. Thanks!

Mereth Aderthad RSVP for Meals Needed No Later Than June 22!
Admin Post: Jun. 18th, 2025 08:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Please use this form to RSVP no later than Sunday, June 22 if you would like to join us!
- Dinner: Saturday, July 19, 6:00 PM at the Farmhouse Tap & Grill in Williston
- Breakfast: Sunday, July 20, 9:00 AM at The Pour House (scroll down to Sunday Brunch Menu)
You are responsible for the cost of your own food and drinks at these gatherings.
We will have additional gatherings that do not require reservations and where virtual attendees can join. The schedule will be posted within the week!
Visit Mereth Aderthad 2025 for more information and to register for the event.
May the odds be ever in our favor!
More information is here.

Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with fish by Shadow
Jun. 18th, 2025 05:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Fish is creating the art for Stella Getreuer-Kostrouch's presentation "Cherished antagonist, despised protagonist - a defence of Elu Thingol" for Mereth Aderthad 2025. Shadow spoke with fish about his creative process, the importance of both tragedy and eucatastrophe to Tolkien's works (and to keeping his fans forever in the fandom), and the appeal of "greyness" in Silmarillion characters like Elu Thingol.