As an archivist, thinking about the right to be forgotten in a specifically archival context, and the idea that not everyone wants their stories or their records to be made available to anyone/for everyone; that often, what a community judges to be the best preservation for their own histories and culture is not what is beneficial to outsiders, especially outside academics.
More specifically, thinking about this in the context of Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit/The Silmarillion/other Legendarium books as “historical” texts. Thinking about maybe the “authors” not writing everything down because they understand the power of stories and how the telling of a thing grants a certain power over it, over how it is known and spread, and positions the teller as a figure of authority over what (and who) is depicted.
We already know that Bilbo is an unreliable narrator, that he changes things and leaves things out. There were a few posts and fics years ago, when the Hobbit movies came out, about Bilbo befriending a young Estel in Rivendell and deliberately leaving that out of his stories at Gandalf/Elrond’s request. What other things might he have left out, perhaps, out of respect for his friends in the Company and their desire to keep their culture and language private and closed?
Pengolodh compiling the Annals of Beleriand from which came the greater part of The Silmarillion - but he was in Gondolin for much of the First Age, and would have had to rely on other sources to give an account of the rest of Beleriand. Who did he talk to? What might they have said and not said, and what might they have requested he include or keep out?
Anyways, the Legendarium as an archive, something actively created and shaped by the different people in and around it, who both added things and left things out unintentionally or by design or on request.
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Rammatra has a human soulmate and he doesn't know and doesn't believe he can have one in the first place and can't figure out why it hurts so much to see them dead when he kills them
I hope you explode. I watched you type these words from the chair across the room from you, as I was begging for my life. Anyways read my omnic soulmate AU lore back in my earlier posts for context on how these works.
Work is below cut, mostly plotdumping, no actual full length fic for now
Set during the null sector, after the king's row uprising.
-You were an Overwatch agent, tasked with taking watch of the null sector’s activities. You knew the leader was a powerful omnic, one not to be reckoned with. You hoped you’d never have the misfortune of fighting him.
-The concept of soulmates has always been fascinating to you, and as the name “Ramattra” and a staff marking appeared on your left upper arm, you couldn’t help but imagine what they’d be like. It filled you with hope of fighting for a better world, where you wouldn’t have to live in fear of the omnic attacks.
-Ramattra has never cared for the concept of soulmates before. Such a human concept, that there was someone to love you regardless of your flaws.
-After it’s been confirmed that omnics can have soulmates, including each other, he recruits one of his close allies to look through his code to find their name. Another omnic that could work by his side would be a valuable ally, an asset to not be lost.
-As his ally, Zera, activated him, they told Ramattra your name. A feeling bloomed in his chest that he could not put a name to match, it felt like his circuits were firing off signals of reward, of victory.
-He decided he had a name to fight for, to make a better future for you and all omnics. Maybe there was purpose to the soulmates after all.
-Your paths cross on the battlefield one day, and as overwatch’s numbers in the field dwindle, you decide to hold your ground. The omnics will not take this city for themselves.
-A large, hulking figure of an omnic appears behind you, arms outreached around your head, and before you can move out of its way, your world bursts into agony, head screaming in pain. The last thing you can see is the soulmark on your left arm, glowing through your battlesuit.
-Ramattra doesn’t know what happened after he attacked you. He felt a sharp pain flood through his systems. If he had a heart, it would be crying out. He falls to his knees. He’s never felt an injury this severe.
-They win the battle, but Ramattra still feels as though he lost. Whether it was the battle, or a piece of himself, he remains unsure. Something in his code feels wrong. It felt agonizing, but there was no source of the pain.
-He goes straight to the medic, who examines both Ramattra, and Ramattra’s code.
-They inform him there has been an error in his code. His soulmate’s name is bright red. As an omnic’s code looks when their soulmate dies, or is broken.
-He grieves, and grieves, until he feels as though he can grieve no more. He didn’t even get to know you, and was stripped of that chance. Were you an omnic that fell in combat? Were you one of his soldiers? A civilian lost in the crossfire perhaps? He needs to know. He needs to honor your death.
-With the unanswered questions eating him alive, he goes to work. He searches all the databases he has access to, until one remains. Overwatch’s lone database that Talon brought in for him.
-He sees your name and face in the registry, and it all falls into place. The mission, the pain he felt, the agony of losing you. You were human, so fragile and easy to break.
-He hated that you were Overwatch, he hated the pain he felt, he hates that he misses someone he didn’t even get to know, he hates how everyone he was supposed to love leaves him.... he hates himself most of all.
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Hi :) first of all i wanted to thank you for what you do, i’ve found so many wonderful fics on your blog and even found fics i read and forgot about, you’re amazing!
And I was wondering if you have any dnf fics that are based on real life events you’d like to suggest.
Have a nice day 😊💕
you're welcome :] and yea this is a perfect chance to fill out my irl incident tags ! i have a chain fic tag with a couple fics. i'll do some am i in love with my best friend quiz ones here and make some diff reclists later
am i in love with my best friend quiz
— overexposed (enjoy) by lastime (teen | comp. | 13k)
on the year anniversary of the first "are you in love with your best friend" quiz, dream and george take another. except this time, it isn't exactly a quiz.
— It's the Middle of June by fayecanwrite (expl. | wip | 50k+)
It was a joke. It was supposed to be. When Dream started to read Heat Waves, when calls extended to muffled moans, when George suggested the podcast--not even Dream knew how wrong it could all go. Though, through flashes of lips through blurry FaceTime calls, Dream finds he can't take it anymore.
— all my future rested on you by twostorms (teen | comp. | 6k)
Dream decides it's a good idea to retake the 'am I in love with my best friend' quiz a few weeks after George gets to Florida, despite the fact that they're already dating.
— a (little / lot) in love by orphan_account (teen | comp. | 14k)
(Dream accidentally realizes he's in love in front of his best friend and eleven thousand people, and tries to ignore the crisis he was currently having. It doesn't work.)
— The Epic Highs and Lows of Being a "Little Bit in Love" with Your Best Friend by graciegirl2001 (gen | comp. | 2k)
Taking the quiz was a dumb idea.
Taking the quiz live in front of thousands of people was an even dumber idea.
Taking the quiz with George in call listening intently is quite possibly one of the most stupid, idiotic, thoughtless ideas Dream has ever had.
— Are You In Love With Your Best Friend? (Yes!) by OBLVN (gen | comp. | 2k)
According to Dream, there's a plethora of different questions an 'Are you in love with your best friend?' quiz should be asking, instead of the ones he had answered live on stream. When he goes on a rant about it to George in a private call afterwards, naming his own examples, they hit a little too close to home to not be a projection of his own feelings, but he only realises when the damage is already done. Is there really any damage, though?
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