#Hidden Paths

[nobeerreviews]

There are so many cities in every single city.

-- David Mitchell

(Cluj, Romania)

[take-the-hidden-paths]

Hidden Paths 2025 - Prompts (Set 1)

Thematic Prompt: Journeys

Character Based Prompt: Guides

Setting Based Prompt: The Borders of the Numinous

Text Prompt: “If I give you a hint and tell you it's a hint, it will be information.”― Diana Wynne Jones, Howl’s Moving Castle

Visual Prompt:

[Image ID: Oil painting of bare trees and broken tree stumps, covered with snow, under a dark night sky. /.End ID]

Audio Prompt: ‘39, by Queen

Wildcard Prompt: I suppose this is arguably kind of an audio prompt, but there is a visual component too, so…here it is, as a wildcard.  Tolkien interviewed by the BBC in 1962. 

[darkfictionjude]

Jude there is a route to spend more time with Sally?! How do I get it. Tell me please!!!!!!!

You’d have to go back to episode 2. Not engage with lorcan and then it gives you that option in episode 3.

[auntieblues]

“Still round the corner there may wait A new road or a secret gate And though I oft have passed them by A day will come at last when I Shall take the hidden paths that run West of the Moon, East of the Sun.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien

original auntieblues

[fogaminghub]

https://www.fogaminghub.com/post/accompany-palamena-to-the-cape-a-quest-for-redemption-in-visions-of-mana

✨ Accompany Palamena to the cape in Visions of Mana! 🌊 Join Val and the Alms on a heartfelt quest as they navigate the challenges of Chapter 4: "Back with a Vengeance." Unlock the power of the Salamando Candle and dive into a story filled with emotion and adventure. 

🌟 Check out our blog for detailed objectives and tips! 

[hhimring]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Leaf by Niggle - J. R. R. Tolkien, TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s), The Porter (Tolkien) Additional Tags: Implied/Referenced Character Death, Inspired by Art, Inspired by Music, Friendship, Homesickness, References to Depression Summary:

Not everyone needs a train trip to Niggle's Parish in their afterlife. How about some other trees by a rather famous painter instead?

Written for @take-the-hidden-paths

[lenamerr]

[bloodbroox]

asajj is currently rescuing force users through the hidden path along with quinlan, in this essay i will-[GUNSHOT]

[botanyshitposts]

confirming the Ethiopian wolf pollination hypothesis seems so straightforward in theory, like just erecting anti-wolf barriers around some of the hot poker plants and seeing if those get pollinated at the same rate as the other ones, but also I feel like it could be some lab’s 6 year long project that ends up in Nature and answers more questions about wolf dessert time than I could ever think to ask. and also it would give more beautiful photos of wolves between 3 seconds and 1 hour into passionate nectar indulgence. so hopefully with the media attention they’re getting they can do that

[fafameow]

sdvn but with different and very smol forms

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

In the world of heavy metals, love is denser than hate!

[take-the-hidden-paths]

Hidden Paths 2025: Advance Prompts

Hello, small canon fans!

Your mod apparently has a memory like a sieve...however, with apologies for the lateness, I am delighted to share our set of advance prompts for the 2025 event (below the cut). Use these in any way that strikes your fancy!

What is Hidden Paths?

Hidden Paths is an event dedicated to the celebration of smaller Tolkien canons. For the purposes of this event, we define "smaller canons" as any Tolkien canon or text (including academic works and translations) that is not explicitly set in Middle-earth and is not based on The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, or The Silmarillion and closely related histories.

Your friendly mod (Narya) will post prompts to tempt your muses - one set a few months in advance of the 'official' event dates, then two more sets during the event itself.

If you like the prompts, then use any or all of them to create and share a fanwork based on one or more small Tolkien canons. If they don't speak to you, please feel free to do your own thing – the prompts are there to spark creativity, not impede it!

Rules, FAQs and useful links can be found here.

We welcome fanworks based on past prompts - these can all be found here.

Our AO3 collection is here.

Thematic Prompt: Feasts and Festivals

Character Based Prompt: Elf-shot

Setting Based Prompt: Thundersnow

Text Prompt: “Even a traitor may mend. I have known one that did." – C. S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy

Visual Prompt:

[Image ID: The Hermann Hendrich painting, 'Will-o'-the-wisp and Snake.'  The painting shows a dark swamp at night. A glowing blue-green will-o'-the-wisp floats above still water. Below, a coiled snake partly rests in the water, its shiny scales reflecting the light. Dense trees and roots surround the scene, with faint mist in the background. /.End ID]

Audio Prompt: The Light Beneath the Eyelids - Toshio Masuda

Wildcard Prompt: I have a theory that Tolkien would have loved tabletop RPGs, so here, have a list of magical trinkets from Dungeons and Dragons.  Use dice or a random number generator to select one (or more!) to inspire/include in your fanwork.  Some are quite specific to the world(s) of Dungeons and Dragons, so ignore/adapt/re-roll as you see fit – although non-Tolkien canons are permitted as crossovers, so if you’re inspired to make a D&D crossover, please be my guest!

[neomel]

Hi sorry I need to do some more Pokemon posting bc this is the funniest shit. the cute-looking Pokèmon TCG series is making "TM10" part of its branding. Like, TM10 from the games - its the TM for the move Hidden Power, thats cute! Its reflecting the main character discovering herself in the same way the move works in the game, what a cute little detail!

Except uh. Just one problem.

Game Freak in all their brilliance removed Hidden Power from the franchise four years ago in Generation 8* and its still not able to be used in Scarlet and Violet. Its not just that you cant teach it to Pokèmon anymore, you straight up cannot use the attack even if you trade in Pokèmon from older games who know it. Its like a banned technique.

So then that begs the question – if the TCG show is gonna be referencing TM10 this much, but TM10 *isn't* Hidden Power anymore, surely that means TM10 is another similarly inspiring attack - Stored Power, or Calm Mind, or Smart Strike?

Well, depending on if its Gen 8 or 9, I hope the kids will have fun Discovering Their Own Magical Leaf and/or Discovering Their Own Ice Fang. Truly inspiring words. love how well managed this franchise is

[orofeaiel]

Secret path to an incredible campsite

[zeewipark]

Secret passage 🧚🏻‍♀️ © Jee Won Park (ig: zeewipark)

[mentaldying]

01.01.2025 | 12 PM