grundyscribbling: white stars on a light blue background (stars)

Assignments are out! Check your inbox or your AO3 dash.

We hope you're as excited as we are - you have once again wowed us with the tagset, and there are some fabulous prompts. Go forth and create!

Anyone who has a placeholder Dear Creator letter - please make sure it is finished and available by Thursday, sooner if you can manage it. (The first thing most creators do is look at that letter - if you don’t have it done now, get it done ASAP!)

Minimum requirement is 500 words (authors) or a nice sketch on clean, unlined paper or the equivalent in your medium (artists).

If it looks like you will be unable to complete your assignment for some reason, please default as soon as you are sure and let the mods know! This allows us as much time as possible to arrange a pinch hit. There is no penalty for defaulting before the due date.

Any pinch hits will be posted here as soon as we know about them.

Treats - meaning extra gifts - are always welcome, and anyone can create them, signed up or not. If you see a prompt you love and would like to create something for it, go for it! (Treats are not subject to the minimum requirements and have no deadline.) If you think you might like to treat, you can find all the requests in the Requests Summary, and the collection is here.


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grundyscribbling: white stars on a light blue background (stars)
The mods are doing some cleanup on the tagset, and we have a couple questions.
  • If you nominated Lady of the Blue Brooch, please let us know what fandom it was intended for? The association was lost. We think it's meant for LotR books.
  • If you nominated "Worldbuilding: Gandalf enlists Lobelia on the Quest instead of Gandalf" in the Hobbit book fandom please clarify to the mods what you intended? (We think it's meant to be "Gandalf enlists Lobelia on the Quest instead of Bilbo" but maybe we're not thinking far enough outside the original timeline?)
  • If you nominated the following under the Crossovers fandom, please clarify what you intended - these groups can be nominated under LotR books OR Silmarillion without requiring a crossover: Group: Arwen & Celebrimbor; Group: Celebrian & Celebrimbor; Group: Celebrimbor/Sauron (Crossover Fandom).
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grundyscribbling: white stars on a light blue background (stars)

There are two phases of the exchange before matching happens and assignments go out. The first phase is nominations, the second is sign-ups. Nominations are how we assemble the tagset for the exchange - in other words, the options people can request or offer when they sign up.


Nominations


Whether you're firmly planning on participating, not sure if you'll sign up, or just lurking but hoping to see particular elements in fanworks in the collection, you are invited to nominate.

The only requirement to nominate is that you have an AO3 account. (If you do not have an AO3 account and would like to create one so you can participate, let the mods know if you need an invite code.)


  • You may nominate up to 20 fandoms, with a maximum of 10 character tags and 10 worldbuilding tags per fandom.
  • When nominating, please copy and paste the fandom names from the list below. We use several fandoms that are not canonical in the AO3 sense, and AO3 is very precise about tags. (Extra spaces and en-dash vs em-dash have been issues in past rounds.)
  • Do not accept suggestions from AO3 about fandom names - use the names and abbreviations given in the list at the end of this post.
  • Check the tagset before nominating to be sure your character or group has not already been nominated! AO3 will not allow exact duplicates, but it also will not warn you if you are repeating an existing nomination in a slightly different form. We do our best to approve tags quickly, so the tag list will generally be up to date.
  • There are two types of tags you can nominate, Character and Worldbuilding. Please read the explanations below before nominating to ensure your nominations are accepted!

 

Character Nominations )
Fandoms )
Example Character Nominations )
Worldbuilding Nominations )
Previous Tagsets )
Fandoms List )
grundyscribbling: white stars on a light blue background (stars)
Calling all fans of our "small" fandoms! Many people are aware of Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and Rings of Power. But there are many more fandoms in Innumerable Stars, and we have a special place in our hearts for the small fandoms.

Last round's promotion of the "small" fandoms was a success. We not only had more nominations for those fandoms, we also had more fanworks for them! So we are planning to do another round of promo posts this year - ideally fresh ones, not just recycling last year’s posts.

We're looking for volunteers willing to write a promo post for one or more of the fandoms on our small fandoms list - meaning any fandom with less than 100 works posted to AO3. We'd also be very excited if anyone wants to promo the fandoms newly added this round - unlike the others, they don't have any posts from previous rounds to fall back on if there are no volunteers.

The promo posts will be posted on Tumblr and Dreamwidth to get people looking at the fandoms in advance of nominations. Your post should answer the following in your own words:
  • Summary - what is this fandom about?
  • Why should I check out this canon?
  • Where can I get this? (The mods are able to assist somewhat with this.)
  • What fanworks exist already? (We have links to the tags on AO3, but people who are into the fandom can probably add a bit more - you probably know better than we do if there is more to be found and where.)
  • Optional: provide an image (The image must be either your own work, or a stock photo/other image that allows posting - no copyrighted images, please.)

Note: If you would like to suggest a fandom to be added to Innumerable Stars, now is the time! We are open to adding fandoms based on material written by Tolkien or media adaptations thereof. (Musicals, operas, movies.) We do not add new fandoms once nominations open.

Our small fandoms list is below. Bolded fandoms are new this year - we really need promo posts for these fandoms! The links in most cases go to the works for the fandom on AO3; in a few cases, they go to the work itself. Please note the numbers were accurate at the time the list was compiled, but it's possible more works may post before nominations begin.

Fandoms List )
grundyscribbling: white stars on a light blue background (stars)
Welcome to Innumerable Stars!

This is our tenth year. We're trying something a bit different this year - we'll do a single brief explainer post, then do separate posts about Nominations and Sign-Ups. (We're trying to make it simple to find the information you need, and easy for people new to the event to get the gist.)

What is Innumerable Stars?
Innumerable Stars is a low-pressure, low-key Tolkien fanworks exchange. The event is run on AO3, so you will need an AO3 account to participate. [personal profile] grundyscribbling  and [personal profile] elwinfortuna  are the event moderators. If you want more of a flavor of the event, see the About & Links post.

What are the key dates?
Nominations Open: Sunday, 03 August 2025, 8:00 PM UTC
Nominations Close: Sunday, 17 August 2025, 8:00 PM UTC
Sign-ups Open: Sunday, 17 August 2025, 11:59 PM UTC
Sign-ups Close: Sunday, 31 August 2025, 8:00 PM UTC
Assignments Due: Sunday, 05 October 2025, 8:00 PM UTC

Our full 2025 schedule is posted here, and in the unlikely event of any changes, that is where updates will be made.

How does Innumerable Stars work?
There are three phases of the event - Nominations, Sign-Ups, and Assignments.

In Nominations, we create the tagset for the exchange by submitting characters, pairings, and worldbuilding elements participants are interested in seeing. The only requirement to participate at this stage is a valid AO3 account. No sign-up is required, and you are not committed to do anything more. There will be a post no later than one week before Nominations open explaining Nominations in full.

In Sign-Ups, participants commit to creating a fanwork, and submit their requests (the things they would like to receive) and offers (things they are willing to create for.) There will be a post no later than one week before Sign-Ups open explaining Sign-ups in full. This post will also cover expectations regarding assignments so that everyone signing up has all information before making requests or offers.

The mods then match the requests and offers, and send out the Assignments. An assignment includes ALL the requests from the participant you are matched with, but you are only required to create for one of them - it is up to you which one. The period to create the fanwork for your assignment is 5 weeks. (The participant you are assigned to create for will not necessarily be creating for you.)

There is a short period after the assignment due date for the mods to ensure all fanworks have been received, and then the collection opens and squeeing commences.

What are the requirements?
  • Fanworks for Innumerable Stars must be a minimum of 500 words or a nice sketch on clean, unlined paper. (Note that we welcome various artistic mediums, so artists, please translate 'nice sketch on clean, unlined paper' to your medium.)
  • Participants must abide by any Do Not Wants listed in their assignment.
  • Participants will create for one of the requests listed in their assignment; it is their choice which one to create for.
  • Participants will comment on the fanwork created for them after the collection opens. If they feel they cannot leave any positive comment, they will bring the issue to the mods.
  • Participants will be respectful of others. This is a welcoming, inclusive event.
  • Fanworks must be the creator's own work, without any use of generative AI, such as MidJourney or ChatGPT.
Why do you post the rules and other key information on Dreamwidth?
Better editorial control - if we need to update a post, we know there aren't versions in circulation that aren't up to date.

Is there a way to get in touch with the mods other than here or Tumblr?
Yes, you can email us, innumerablestars.exchange at Gmail dot com.
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grundyscribbling: white stars on a light blue background (stars)
Promo post volunteers - here is how we will handle posting:

1. If you have a DW account, you should be able to post directly to the community here. Contact Grundy to schedule the date you will post your promo(s) - we want to have one post a day so people aren't overwhelmed. After you post here, Elwin or I will copy the post over to the IS Tumblr, crediting you. If you have a different username on Tumblr, please let us know so we credit appropriately! Or if you prefer, you can submit your promo post to the mods and we will handle all posting with credit.

2. If you do NOT have a DW account, send your promo post to the mods. (You can message us on here, on Discord, or email innumerablestars[dot]exchange[at]gmail.com.) We will handle all posting. Make sure to let us know how you prefer to be credited both here and Tumblr.

3. We will put together a master post listing all promo posts at the conclusion of promo posting. This will be available before nominations close so anyone who wants to can check out new fandoms with time to nominate for them.
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grundyscribbling: white stars on a light blue background (stars)
Calling all fans of our 'small' fandoms! We're passionate about increasing the fanworks available in all Tolkien fandoms. Many people are aware of Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and Rings of Power. But there are many more fandoms in Innumerable Stars, and we have a special place in our hearts for the small fandoms.

Last round we tried promoting some of those small fandoms. The promo posts helped spark interest - two of the three ended up with fanworks in the collection, and our only regret when we looked back at the close of the event was that we hadn't done the promo posts sooner.

This year we're hoping to have promo posts for all the fandoms in the list below - some of them don't have a fanwork on AO3. Yet! Others are in single digits, or don't have a tag of their own. (Yet!) We would love to increase those numbers.

We would like to start the promo posts July 14 and do one a day so all will be available before the close of nominations. By getting the word out earlier this round, people (whether they end up signing up or not) will have time to check out fandoms new to them and nominate for them. Since nominations are how we build the tagset, getting people to nominate is half the battle!

We're looking for folks enthusiastic about their chosen fandom(s) willing to write a brief intro to the fandom that will be posted here and on Tumblr. The promo posts should answer the following in your own words:
  • Summary: what is this fandom about?
  • Why should I check out this canon?
  • Where can I get this? (The mods are able to assist somewhat with this.)
  • What fanworks exist already? (We have links below to the tags on AO3, but people who are into the fandom can probably add a bit more.

The fandoms list )
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elwinfortuna: (above the clouds)
Innumerable Stars will return in 2020 for a fifth year of Tolkienish exchange goodness.

The exchange will start and finish a little later this year, and this will give me some time to make minor updates to the rules. The vast majority of participants in this exchange are wonderful, but there's always an unfortunate exception eventually.

I am also looking for someone who can help out with the tag wrangling at nomination stage. If you have run an exchange or dealt with tags before, that would be ideal but it is not required. Please get in touch if you would like to volunteer, by PM on Discord or here, or in a comment below.

2020 schedule is:
Nominations Open: Monday, 17 August 2020, 12:00 PM UTC
Nominations Close: Sunday, 30 August 2020, 8:00 PM UTC
Sign-ups Open: Sunday, 30 August 2020, 11:59 PM UTC
Sign-ups Close: Sunday, 13 September 2020, 8:00 PM UTC
Assignments Out: Monday, 14 September 2020, 8:00 PM UTC
Assignments Due: Sunday, 18 October 2020, 8:00 PM UTC
Works Revealed: Sunday, 25 October 2020, 8:00 PM UTC
Authors Revealed: Sunday, 1 November 2020, 8:00 PM UTC
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elwinfortuna: Gandalf in front of the Doors of Durin. (Gandalf Doors of Durin)
If you've not yet signed up, or not finished your signup, now is the time to get it done.

We have fifteen birds in five fir trees so far but we'd like a few more! :D

Signups close at 8pm UK time on Sunday, August 25th.
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elwinfortuna: (at rainbow's end a pot of gold)
Hear ye, hear ye, throughout all the land! Let it be known and proclaimed that the day has come when signups shall be opened!

Go ye forth to the signup form and sign up!

Due to an AO3 bug, the tagset may not fully copy across to the signup form. Please just copy and paste from the tagset itself and it should work.

You may select up to 20 worldbuilding tags; they are optional, for information for your writer/artist about the sort of thing you might like to receive.

You may also choose to fill in the details field, or write a letter, which you can link to on the form. It's generally considered a good idea to give your creator some prompts for what you'd like to see and also some idea of anything you particularly wish not to see. Please be aware that your writer/artist is not required to follow your prompts, but they should avoid giving you anything you've asked not to receive.

Signups close on the 25th of August, 8pm British Summer Time (7pm UTC), so please have your signup finalised by then.
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elwinfortuna: Rainbow Fëanorian star, surrounded by text: "through sorrow to find joy." (Default)
It's that time, folks! Nominations are now over, and I will embark on a quick clean-up of the tagset before I open signups.

You can help! Please tell me in the comments below if you see duplicates or wandering tags in places they shouldn't be.

Sad because you forgot to nominate a character you've suddenly now remembered? I'm happy to add a few more characters/groups/worldbuilding ideas to the tagset if you let me know before signups commence. Just comment below!
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elwinfortuna: A picture of rainbow socks (rainbow socks)
This is the 2019 version of the Rules and FAQ. Not much has changed, but I've clarified a few things, and added two fandoms.

Rules:

- Fic needs to be a minimum of 500 words.
- Fanart needs to be at least a nice sketch on unlined paper.
- The gift needs to meet the request with regards to at least one character or group of characters the requester has asked for.
- Treats are highly encouraged!
- Please comment on your gift(s).

-----

FAQ

What fandoms are eligible to nominate characters in?

Born of Hope (2009)
The Fall of Arthur - J. R. R. Tolkien
Farmer Giles of Ham - J.R.R. Tolkien
The Father Christmas Letters - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Hunt for Gollum (2009)
Leaf by Niggle - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings (Movies)
The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings Online
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Video Game)
Mr. Bliss - J. R. R. Tolkien
Roverandom - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Smith of Wootton Major - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Story of Kullervo - J. R. R. Tolkien
Tolkien (2019 Movie)
The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun - J. R. R. Tolkien

If you would like a crossover between any of these fandoms, you have the option to pick 'Crossover Fandom.'

How do I nominate?

You can nominate up to 20 characters or groups of characters per fandom, and up to 20 worldbuilding tags.

Go to the nomination form, then enter your first fandom (from the list above), and below, enter the character. In the character field you can enter any of the below types of characters or groups of characters, for example:

Group: Fëanor/Nerdanel & Maedhros
Group: Fëanor & Maedhros
Group: The Istari (if you nominate all members of a group by the group name, please be sure it is made up of named characters only -- don't nominate 'The Noldor' or 'Residents of Doriath').
Original Avari Character
Fëanor

If you are nominating the same character or group of characters in different fandoms, i.e., Group: Elrond & Maglor in both LOTR and Silmarillion, please differentiate them by putting an abbreviation for the fandom after the name, as in Group: Elrond & Maglor (Silm) and Group: Elrond & Maglor (LOTR books). AO3 will not let you nominate characters under two different fandoms if you have not differentiated them.

You do not need to abide by the piped tags. Nominations will be approved in the clearest, easiest to read format, so just nominate the name the character is most commonly known by.

Once you have filled in all the characters or groups of characters that you want to nominate, you also have the option to nominate worldbuilding tags, under the relationships field.

Enter any worldbuilding tag you'd like to see, for example:

Trade in First Age Beleriand
Avarin Culture
Laws and Customs of the Eldar

See the Worldbuilding exchange tag set for more examples of worldbuilding tags.

Can I nominate original characters?

Absolutely!

You can nominate them like this:

Original Character (LOTR)
Original Female Character (Hobbit)
Original Hobbit Farmer
Original Noldorin Character
Group: Original Noldorin Blacksmith/Original Sindarin Blacksmith
Group: Original Elf Character & Original Dwarf Character

How do offers and requests work for this exchange?

Once nominations are complete, when you go to the signup form, you will be able to pick the fandom you want your characters/character groups to come from, then the characters themselves.

You will also be able to choose up to 20 worldbuilding tags. These are optional and will not be matched on.

You'll be able to have a minimum of 3 requests and a maximum of 10. You can request the same fandom more than once, however, you must request different characters or groups. 

For requests, you can also fill in a URL to a letter elsewhere, or add optional details, including any prompts.

For offers, just, again, add the fandom you want and then the characters. Make sure to choose if you are offering fic or art or both.

Again, you can offer the same fandom more than once, but with different characters. You must make a minimum of 4 offers.

The matching will be done on an OR basis, meaning that if you are assigned to someone, you need only write about one character or character group for your assignment, not all of them.

Can I fill a request with art?

Yes! Art is welcome and you can request or offer it at signup.

Do I have to write a letter/fill in request details?

No, but if you do not, your author will not know what you would prefer to receive about the characters or groups you've chosen and will have to write or draw based only on what you've picked. If you have particular preferences or prompts, please be sure you've given your writer/artist some indication of what you like.

Your writer/artist should do their best to fulfil your request as stated in optional details or your letter, particularly as regards to avoiding your Do Not Wants (DNWs), but the only parts they have to fulfil are that they have to write/draw about the characters in the fandom(s) you've chosen. Writing a fic that is clearly based on the movies when book fic only has been requested (or vice versa) or writing a category of fic that wasn't requested (writing a friendship fic (&) when a romantic fic (/)was requested, for instance), is against the rules.

Writing a letter or adding request details is strongly encouraged.

Anything else?

Please feel free to ask any questions you might have! 
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elwinfortuna: Spock, saying "One does not simply walk into Mordor." (walk into mordor)
Hey everyone, it's getting on toward that time for another round of Innumerable Stars!

The 2018 schedule, adjusted slightly from last year's, will be:

Nominations Open: Sunday, 5 August 2018, 8:00 PM UTC
Nominations Close: Sunday, 19 August 2018, 8:00 PM UTC
Sign-ups Open: Sunday, 19 August 2018, 11:59 PM UTC
Sign-ups Close: Sunday, 26 August 2018, 8:00 PM UTC
Assignments Out: Monday, 27 August 2018, 8:00 PM UTC
Assignments Due: Sunday, 30 September 2018, 8:00 PM UTC
Works Revealed: Sunday, 7 October 2018, 8:00 PM UTC
Authors Revealed: Sunday, 14 October 2018, 8:00 PM UTC

I've shortened the writing period down from six weeks to a month. With a 500-word minimum, everyone should be able to write this amount in that time.

The exchange will run pretty much the same as it did last year, with people able to nominate characters and relationships. The list of fandoms will be the same as well.
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innumerable_stars: rainbow stars with mountains underneath (Default)
Innumerable Stars: a Tolkien fanworks exchange

October 2025

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