Stories of Arda

Archive
Name:	Stories of Arda
Date(s):	2003 - present
Archivist:	Nilmandra
Founder:	Nilmandra
Type:	Gen & Het Fanfiction Archive
Fandom:	The Lord of the Rings and other Tolkien writings
URL:	http://storiesofarda.com/index.asp
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Stories of Arda is a large and active archive for gen and het (up to R-rated) fanfiction inspired by the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, especially The Lord of the Rings.

It was founded by Nilmandra around July 2003 after several LotR authors had had their fic removed from FanFiction.net with no warning. In September 2015, it contained 5270 stories from 461 authors. As of February 2024, it contains 5548 stories, meaning that activity probably slowed down after the release of the The Hobbit trilogy.

Authors must have their work approved by a volunteer committee in order to be granted posting access.

Some fans have criticized Stories of Arda for its policy of allowing het fic but not slash or femslash, which they find arbitrary and homophobic. Criticism has become stronger in recent years as more authors have been expelled from the site with less warning or justification. Many fans were upset when the popular author Surgical Steel had all her stories removed from the site in March, 2008, for graphic medical hurt/comfort and for putting too much focus on her original character, Serindë. On the other hand, some gen fans find the fandom in general to have too much focus on slash and smut, and they like the atmosphere of Stories of Arda where authors are expected to stay closer to Tolkien canon.