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#and imagine if Fëanor meets Frodo
warrioreowynofrohan · 9 months
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11, 13, 53 and 72 for the fic writer asks!
Yay! Thank you for asking! <3
11. Link your three favorite fics right now
1) all my war is done by arriviste
I still adore this one. Post-canon Fingon, dealing (or conspicuously not dealing) with the loss of Maedhros, his own guilt, and the return of his adult son (it’s complicated) Gil-galad, whom four thousand years of rule in Midfle-earth have left with a lot of opinions on how things should be managed.
It’s funny in parts, heartbreaking in others, and absolutely gorgeous.
The Sea of Ekkaia was beautiful, in its own way, but that way that was like no other place in Arda, in either Aman or Middle Earth.
It was a dark-blue that was almost black, even in the late afternoon, and the shore was less sand than gravel, a strange inconsistent rubble of rock and broken sea-shells that had been dashed to pieces by the constant fury of the waves. Staring out to sea, one did not see the far-away horizon the way one did on the gentler coast of Belegaer: there was no gentle faraway blue haze through which one might, perhaps, on a clear day, imagine that Middle Earth could be glimpsed, or at least the Straight Path.
No: instead along the horizon there was a seam of silver light, and then a great blackness, where the Sea of Ekkaia met the Uttermost West that was not quite the Doors of Night, but was certainly the end of Aman itself. If you stood on the shore watching, the seam would ripple with a pulse of light, sometimes green and sometimes white.
It was so far from anywhere the Eldar of Valinor lived. While they clustered around the Belegaer like moths to flame, this shore seemed instead to repel them. Was it the sight of the world’s end itself? It might be; yet Fingon thought there was more to why this wilderness was so little visited, this howling black sea lashing itself against a grey shore. It was beautiful, but not in the way Elves liked things to be beautiful: it was too raw, too unfinished, too savage.
It was too close to where Mandos kept his Halls, which were not only a thing of spirit but also matter, at least in the way that things in Aman were both. Too close to where Nienna’s tower looked out into the Void and where she wept, and wept, and wept. It was too close to death and to rebirth, to judgment and to pity.
Devastated by the discovery that the poem that gives the fic its name also contains the line I love another, and thus I hate myself. Because yes, that’s basically the fic.
Some miles further, Fingon said, “Did you ever meet him in Beleriand? After I died. I always wondered.”
“No,” Gil-galad said.
It didn’t seem like he was going to speak again, and Fingon had begun to assimilate that knowledge, that pain – that Maedhros had never seen him, had only ever known him through Fingon’s own eyes – when he added,
“But I saw what he did. Have you ever seen a whole city ruined, and known the ruiners to be Elves? It wasn’t even a city, poor Sirion! It was a refuge, a place for the desperate, as far to the West as they could get, as close to the safety of the Sea. They had so very little. No great stone palaces, no towers, no spires. Little enough fresh food. They were able to grow so little, and they lived on fish, and sea-weed, and what parties of brave hunting parties would bring back; and hope. They lived on hope, and they thought Elwing wore it around her throat, but the Valar didn’t come for them: Maedhros Fëanorion and his brothers did instead, and they burned and killed and ravaged. I’d say they salted the earth, but it was salt already. To fall on any innocent Elven city would be a horror: on poor Sirion it was the greatest cruelty I ever saw, and entirely pointless."
They said nothing more.
If you like it, you’ll almost certainly like the sequel, above the wind.
2) and what happened after by @thearrogantemu
One of the very first Tolkien fanfics I read, and still one of the best, particularly the conversations between Fëanor and Frodo in the second chapter, and Sam and Maglor in the third.
He looked closely at his hands, which were strong and graceful, well-shaped and unscarred. He ran his thumb up the side of his fingers and across the arch of the palm. “This, now, this is not quite right. No, they are too clean, far too clean. They say that the body draws its shape from the spirit but perhaps they overstated the case.”
“What do you mean?”
A shadow passed over his face, and all at once Frodo saw the immense age in his ageless features, as if each year of the circling centuries had landed like a blow. Heat rose against his mind again, searing and heedless and terrible. He tasted acrid choking ash in his throat, heard the wailing of distant voices, and all around him was salt and smoke and the flat metallic tang of blood.
Far to the east in Alqualondë by the sea, the sea-folk faltered at their nets as the shadow of ancient grief crossed their hearts, and in white-walled Tirion, the scepter fell as the High King of the Noldor suddenly stiffened in his seat, and then leaped up and ran to a window. He gazed westward, scanning the horizon beyond the Calacirya for he knew not what, pierced by a nameless hope.
But Frodo reached out in return and clasped both of Fëanor’s hands, and they did not burn, but were only flesh and blood, as his own. The heat faded, and Fëanor held out his hand before him; it was still empty and unmarked.
“No, too clean altogether,” he said lightly. “A hand shows what its work has been: calluses, inkstains, scrapes and nicks, little silver scars.”
If you like it, you will also like the sequel, The Very Wine of Blessedness, and probably others in the same series (‘The Splintered Light’) as well. When All Other Light Go Out (Findis) and Beyond the Western Sea (Finrod and Curufin) are two other of my favourites.
3) I love many of @clothonono’s fics, so the only way I know to answer this is to name the one I most frequently want to reread now. Which is….uh. Rochdeilin. I usually go for genfic so I’m little embarrassed.
It’s d/s russingon vulnerability kink. And it’s wonderful. I’m a fan of Maedhros being a sub, and I rarely see it done well.
If you want funny Russingon instead/as well, Fourteen Hours is hilarious and brilliant. On a different but also humorous note, Better A Holy Discord is basically the Valar MST3King the events of The Silmarillion, and along with the humour has so much insight that it’s basically my mission statement on the meaning of the book and who the Valar are.
13. what’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?
I don’t deliberately follow a lot, but one - from CS Lewis, though I expect he’s not the only one to have said it - is that you know if something’s working by whether it sounds good when read aloud. I don’t often read my fic aloud deliberately, but I can tell when something seems to have the right beats and cadence, and it’s good for telling when a passage can stand or if it needs work.
53. How do you spend your time when it comes to fanfiction? Are you primarily a fic reader, writer, or a perfect 50/50 split of both?
I don’t do a lot of either - I’m pretty picky, about both my own work and others’ - but I definutely read much more than I write. I’ve only got a small number of fics, most of them short, and I don’t write on anything like a consistent basis. Part of that is due to the answer to the previous question - writing prose that doesn’t sound right is like nails on a chalkboard to me. I have never been able to discipline myself to “just get something down on paper” unless at least some of the words are already taking shape in my head.
72. What order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?
I start with my favourite scenes / the ones are clearest in my head, and an outline of everything else. The outline varies in detail; so e parts will be very detailed, others will just be [x needs to happen here]. Then fill in the bits of the outline in pieces based on what I have the most idea about. But I’m very much a plotter - I can’t write something unless I have sone idea of the main things happening, how they hold together, and the central point/themes.
This was very fun, thanks again!
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elennafeanorian · 4 years
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I bring meta for the @tolkiencrackweek !
So I was thinking about how hobbits spend their time; it's canon that they like to do activities that don't require a great effort or that basically consist in eating. Except some essential workers like farmers.
However, in a society with such a lack of technical advances how do they get time to do such things. Something had to made their life easier. And how do hobbits live so well in a medieval landscape inside their Hobbit hole?
They invented home appliances. They had mixers, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, microwaves...
How did they find them? They don't know, what's most curious about the hobbits is that they take things for granted and don't wonder where they came from or what else to do with them. So they have that technology, they use it every day but they don't remember who made them or who found it bet my money it was a Took and they don't care. They could apply that technology to build nuclear weapons, and they don't care. They are happy with what they have because thanks to it they can have six meals a day and life a peaceful life in the Shire while the rest of Middle Earth are living stressful, medieval and dirty lifes
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In Defense of Celeborn
It seems that often Celeborn isn't taken seriously among fans – both because of his overall unimpressive portrayal in the movies and because of how Galadriel corrects him repeatetly in the book when the fellowship comes to Lothlórien. That has even led to questions about whether or not Celeborn was truly the right man for Galadriel.
I would argue that he is, and that Celeborn and Galdriel both benefit from this relationship and grow because of it. Of course this is only a head canon, because there's not enough written about Celeborn or Celeborn's and Galadriel's relationship to be sure of anything. So I would like to explain why I think that there is more to Celeborn as a character, especially in relation to Galadriel who seems to overshadow him more often than not.
The Noldo and the Sinda
Galadriel has quite a fascinating background, as all of Finarfin's children have: counted among the Noldor, she nevertheless has strong connections to the Teleri through her Telerin mother. As a result we can see in Galadriel both the pride that the Calaquendi carry with them and also the disdain for Fëanor and his sons.
Celeborn on the other hand isn't quite like the Noldorin Elves that we are used to, he is not like Elrond or Galadriel. He is one of the Sindar, one of the Moriquendi, and when Galadriel meets him he lives in the protected and isolated kingdom of Doriath.
The Magican and the Soldier
The relationship of Celeborn and Galadriel is possibly the longest and most stable relationship known in Middle-earth: for about 6000 years they stay together, which is an impressive accomplishment.
If this relationship wasn't based on sincerity and dedication, I doubt the 6000 years would have been possible.
Between Celeborn and Galadriel, Galadriel is always the one that seemed more magical. She is able to explore the minds and hearts of others, she has a certain foresight, and even a mirror to see in the past or future. And with the help of her ring Nenya she plays a major role in the protection and preservation of Lothlórien.
When it comes to magic, we barely know anything in regards to Celeborn. He may very well be more of a practical character: when Aragorn was unsure where to go next, Celeborn solved the matter for a while by providing them with boats (and Aragorn was very grateful for that). And instead of learning of any magical feats we at least know of two occasions where Celeborn fought in battles: during the sack of Eregion in the Second Age, and when leading the Galadhrim against Dol Guldur at the end of the Third Age. So instead of being a magican, Celeborn could be more of a soldier.
In that regard Celeborn and Galadriel could be quite different, but I think it's still a good match. In combination it could make their defense overall more effective: Galadriel protects Lothlórien with her innate strength, her foresight and with an analytical mind, and Celeborn protects Lothlórien with weapons as the commander of the Galadhrim, with his wife's strategies as basis for his tactics. I can imagine this dynamic quite well and the more I think about it, the more I like it.
The wide ungarded lands
One aspect that could have been quite different for these two people at the beginning is their relation to Middle-earth. And in this regard, I feel that Galadriel may have learned something from Celeborn.
We know Galadriel not onl as a woman with pride, but also with ambition: in her youth in Aman she had a desire to “see the wide unguarded lands and to rule there a realm at her own will”, and even after many years in Middle-earth she admitted that she had “greatly desired” to ask Frodo for the One Ring.
However, Galadriel never actually claims any realm for herself. Instead, for most of her time in Middle-earth Celeborn and Galadriel lived in the realms of others: first in Doriath under Thingol’s rule, then Celeborn is said to have a fiefdom in Lindon under Gil-galad’s rule, after that they are in Eregion were Celebrimbor is lord, and after some traveling they eventually get to Imladris, which is Elrond’s house. Only after Amroth’s death they take up rule in Lothlórien as the Lord and Lady of Lothlórien – and they never take the title of king and queen.
This could be due to Melian’s influence, but it could also be Celeborn’s.
Celeborn loved Middle-earth dearly, and I believe he did so more than Galadriel, who was yearning for the West as many High-elves do. Was that yearning maybe even why they lived close to the sea for a while at Ethir Anduin? I wonder if there is a wonderful dynamic hidden in this relationship where them traveling the lands of Middle-earth is what made Galadriel realise she didn’t need to rule her own lands, and only when Lothlórien was in need of a leader, Galadriel and Celeborn stepped in.
The Noble and the Wise
Maybe while Galadriel learned to love Middle-earth more, thanks to Celeborn, in return Celeborn learned to accept other races in Middle-earth because of Galadriel.
Galadriel is a stateswoman and a diplomat especially in the later ages. She is who Celebrimbor first turned to for advice after Sauron's identity was revealed, and she is who was the first to summon the White Council. Together with Celeborn she took up rule in Lothlórien. Her wisdom goes hand in hand with her foresight, but also with kindness, and it’s probably best demonstrated in her reception of the fellowship in Lothlórien, especially when it comes to Gimli.
Celeborn certainly isn't as wise or as gentle as Galadriel. He is more rash in his initial reaction when he learns of the Balrog in Moria, and seems to be more distrustful of others. Coming from Doriath just like Oropher and Thranduil did, I wonder if he might have become similar to Thranduil – isolated and distrustful – if not for Galadriel.
Because after his initial reaction to the news of the Balrog in Moria he is also quickly calmed by Galadriel. He easily accepts Galadriel’s soft rebuke and corrects himself, which could also hint at him being aware that he sometimes reacts too rashly, so he immediately realises what's happening when Galadriel corrects him.
This scene often leads to readers calling him weak or foolish, but I wonder: how many other Elves do you know that are willing to accept that they made a mistake, and are ready to correct themselves right away? I think this is a strength, not a weakness. And maybe it's one of the reasons why Galadriel calls him "Celeborn the Wise". Not in mockery, but in honesty – it’s possible that she appreciates a man who is willing to accept critisism and improve himself. Eru knows she has many relatives who were very sure of their own judgement – Thingol not being the last of them, who in critical moments often ignored his wife’s advice.
A far green country under a swift sunrise
In the end, Galadriel leaves Middle-earth while Celeborn stays for a while longer. A possible interpretation could be, that after all these years their relationship is failing in the end, but there are also other possible interpretations:
Galadriel had longed for the return into the West, but Celeborn didn’t share that feeling at that time. After having spent most of the time together since the First Age, it's not a bad thing that they can go separate ways for a while. It's not uncommon for Elves to part ways for a while if they have different desires:
It’s unrealistic to expect an immortal couple to stay together all the time. Even with human couples a partner may take a vacation for themselves and it can be a perfectly normal and healthy thing to do.
“Thus, although the wedded remain so for ever, they do not necessarily dwell or house together at all times; for without considering the chances and separations of evil days, wife and husband, albeit united, remain persons individual having each gifts of mind and body that differ.”
– J. R. R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien. Morgoth’s Ring.
Galadriel wouldn't have stayed with Celeborn for all these years if this wasn't a relationship she was commited to. She only left once the ban on her return was lifted – this was the reason for her parting, and not to get away from Celeborn. Her yearning for the sea was independant from her relationship with Celeborn, even if it probably made things more complicated for them.
It seems the urge to sail was really strong within Galadriel, especially after Nenya had lost its power: it could no longer ward off the weariness of the world, and the previous keepers of the Three Rings were probably hit the hardest by that change. Also, while Nenya had been around, it also had increased Galadriel’s desire for the return into the West:
So maybe Frodo wasn’t the only one who had to recover from residual of a Ring of Power…
“[Nenya’s] power upon [Galadriel] was great also and unforseen, for it increased her latent desire for the Sea and for return into the West, so that her joy in Middle-earth was diminished.”
– J. R. R. Tolkien. edited by Christopher Tolkien. Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth
Celeborn certainly was sad about Galadriel leaving Middle-earth, but wasn’t ready yet to make that final journey to the West. It’s a big step, especially for one of the Moriquendi. But as Sam said in the Epilogue draft:
Celeborn's time probably came sooner than later, because not too long into the Fourth Age he moved from Lothlórien to Imladris.
“I think Celeborn is still happy among his trees, in an Elvish way. His time hasn't come, and he isn't tired of his land yet. When he is tired he can go.”
– J. R. R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien. Sauron Defeated.
Long story short: I believe there are many possible qualities hidden in the character of Celeborn, and many start presenting themselves once we seriously start asking the question what Galadriel could have seen in him.
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arofili · 3 years
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Innumerable Stars 2021 Letter
Hello lovely creator, thanks for writing for me in Innumerable Stars 2020! I’m very excited and grateful for whatever you create for me <3
This letter will restate my DNWs, list my likes, give you a brief rundown of my canon preferences, and then dive into specific prompts for each of my requests. I’ll warn you upfront that I tend to ramble, so feel free to skip prompts that don’t interest you and/or use ctrl+F to search for whatever it is you want to write for. I’ve named each of my requests based on the basic idea within it, so hopefully that will be helpful for you!
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Housekeeping
DNWs:
non-con/dub-con
ABO (heat fic is fine)
food involved in sex
abusive/neglectful parenting (especially not with Fëanor; Eöl is the only exception, but even then don’t dwell on it)
sibling incest and parent-child incest (cousin incest is fine)
unhappy/unhopeful endings (unless requested)
jealousy
possessiveness EXCEPT with Russingon, for some reason I love it with those two
cheating
character or ship bashing
hanahaki or any scenario where unrequited love is physically damaging
soulmates, especially soulmate AUs BUT soul bonds are excellent as long as there is an element of choice involved
unrequested modern AU
non-trans mpreg
if you are writing a slash ship where the characters are/were married to/involved with someone outside of the ship in canon, please don’t have the character(s) hate their spouse or not have been actually in love with them. The only exception to this is Finrod; I’m fine with him and Amárië not having been actually in love, but don’t do this for anyone else, especially not Fëanor.
Hobbit/LOTR-specific DNWs:
the concept of a dwarven “One”
any Fíli pairing, even in reference
Alfrid
Legolas or Gimli paired with anyone other than each other
mortals dying super quickly in Valinor
unrequested smut
Silm-specific DNWs:
evil/irredeemable/incel Maeglin
Elwing bashing
Fëanorian bashing
over-the-top Fëanorian apologism (they did bad stuff; it was at least partially their fault. you don’t have to address that, necessarily, but don’t rewrite the story to claim they were blameless)
Fingon with a wife
Fingon or Maedhros ships that don’t take Russingon into account (polyamory, an open relationship, Mae with someone after Finno dies or vice versa for an AU, them with other people while they’re separated on the Ice/in Angband - all of these scenarios are fine, but in the end I need them to be with each other first and foremost)
dark!Maedhros
elvish re-embodiment after death being an actual, literal rebirth that requires the characters to have a second childhood; I much prefer them being granted a new hröa in their prime (feel free to explore what “in their prime” means, though, especially wrt scarred and disabled elves)
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Likes:
queer headcanons, especially aromantic-spectrum headcanons & trans/nonbinary headcanons
trans/nonbinary pregnancy and parenthood
found family
queerplatonic relationships
kidfic
angst with a happy ending
gray morality
explorations of magic
most tropes
fanon and fandom tropes
deconstruction/inversion of fanon and fandom tropes
secret relationships
secret kids (especially secret peredhil)
giving ships OC kids
confessions of love
first times
hurt/comfort
redemption, forgiveness, mercy
ironic foreshadowing
canon divergence AUs and X Lives AUs
fairy tale AUs
politics and scheming
resolving conflicting canonical details
names fitting the time period (Quenya names in Valinor, please; if this is difficult for you, that’s okay, no pressure, but I do strongly prefer it)
choice of character names having a lot of thought put behind them (does the character go back to their original Quenya name upon rebirth? or do they keep their Sindarin name? or come up with something else entirely? do they hate their new Sindarin name and resent having to use it, or do they embrace it? As long as you put some thought into it, I’m sure I’ll like whatever you decide!)
author’s notes where you explain your thought process, if you want; I love hearing how the story took shape!
~
Preferences re: canon:
LaCE compliance is always completely optional. If you do want to include it, that’s great, but if you just want the characters to fuck without having that be an issue, go for it. I love explorations of LaCE that take into account the exceptions, boundaries, definitions, etc; I also love takes that emphasize that they are Laws and Customs, not biological imperatives.
I’m not picky about my Amrod deaths. He can die at either Losgar or Sirion (or, hell, some other time/place if you make it interesting enough!), whatever works best for the story. I do like Lightly Toasted Amrod, aka he almost burns to death at Losgar but survives/gets rescued at the last minute.
Gil-galad theories are all very fun. Please don’t make him the son of Fingon and a wife; if he’s Fingon’s son, I want Maedhros to be involved at least a little bit (adoption or trans mpreg are both fine in this scenario). Otherwise, I don’t have a particular preference, though if it’s not really relevant I usually default to the son of Orodreth (who is in turn the son of Angrod).
Honestly, when it comes to theories and headcanons, my rule of thumb is “convince me”! I’m down for whatever, for the most part, as long as you can justify it :)
~~~
LOTR Books Request
Gigolas tags: Gimli, Legolas, Group: Gimli & Legolas, Group: Gimli/Legolas, Group: Gimli/Legolas & Glóin, Group: Gimli/Legolas & Thranduil, Group: Legolas & Aragorn & Gimli, Group: Glóin & Thranduil, Original Dwarf of Aglarond, Original Elf of Ithilien Suggested worldbuilding tags: Battle of Dale, Differences in Elvish & Dwarvish Histories, Fall of Dol Guldur, Interspecies Relationships, Queerplatonic Relationships, Rebuilding of Ithilien
All Gigolas is good Gigolas, and you can quote me on that - but I do have a soft spot for queerplatonic Gigolas, and I might die of happiness if you wrote me some :) I love elf/dwarf relationships, and cultural differences leading to miscommunication is one of my favorite tropes for this ship.
For the “& Thranduil” and “& Glóin” I’d love to see some “telling the family” scenarios, with Thranduil and Glóin coming to terms with their sons’ relationship. For “& Aragorn” I was imagining a Three (or Four, if you want to keep Boromir alive!) Hunters situation with Aragorn third wheeling them (and/or commiserating with Boromir about how terrible their friends are at expressing their feelings).
I’m very interested in Legolas and Gimli’s new homes post-War, how much time they spent visiting each other and how much time they spent apart, etc. I would love to see an outside POV of Gigolas, what their friends and subordinates think of this odd couple; perhaps an elf of Ithilien and a dwarf of Aglarond strike up a friendship and gossip about their lords! I’d also be interested in Gimli and Legolas visiting their original homes, meeting one another’s parents, and helping rebuild after the Battle of Dale / Fall of Dol Guldur.
I would also love to see an exploration of dwarf/elf relationships and the difficulties that would arise from that. Legolas’ father is a Sinda of Doriath who remembers the Battle of the Thousand Caves, and I headcanon that Gimli’s mother is descended from the dwarves of Nogrod who were involved in that debacle, so them coming to terms with that difficult history (and how that history differs) between their peoples would be really interesting.
~
Gildor Inglorion
...okay, so this is technically a Silm request dressed up as a LOTR request, but I would really love to see an exploration of Gildor’s origins! I have a few concepts for how he can be  “of the House of Finarfin,” mostly relating to this Inglor figure who is his father. I think Inglor was either the son of Finrod and trans!Bëor (and thus the first peredhel) or the son of Aegnor and Andreth; either way, he was raised mostly by Finrod. But who is Inglor’s spouse/Gildor’s other parent? (Edrahil, maybe?) How did Gildor survive the Fall of Nargothrond, or was he born afterwards? Where did he live in the Third Age? Who was awaiting him when he arrived in Aman?
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Took Fairy Wife
I think this concept is fascinating, and I’d love to hear the story of a hobbit/elf romance! Perhaps Pippin or Frodo tell this story to the Fellowship? I also have the headcanon that since Durin I “woke alone,” his spouse was also an elf, so maybe Gimli could throw in that legend as well.
~
Group: Last Prince of Cardolan/Lady of the Blue Brooch Suggested worldbuilding tags: Barrow-downs and Barrow-wights, Necromancy and Hauntings, Sentient Weapons & Jewelry
I’ve recently become a little bit obsessed with the concept of the Last Prince and the Lady of the Blue Brooch being star-crossed lovers. We have conflicting accounts of the Last Prince’s demise, and I’d love to see those reconciled into one story; we also know that the Prince was buried in the barrow-downs, where the Lady’s blue brooch was found. How did that end up there - was it a token she gave to him before his death? Did she visit his grave after it was too late? How did Tom and Goldberry know her? Maybe they are the ones to tell this story to some hobbitish traveler through the Old Forest... I do have my own version of this story, if you’d like to borrow some ideas from there, but feel free to make up your own thing too!
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Group: Eldarion/Elboron
I just think they’re cute :) I like the idea that Eldarion’s heir is not his own child, but the child of one of his sisters, and that Elboron had a sister who was the parent of Barahir of Ithilien, so these two can be gay together. Of course, you could also make one of them trans and have Eldarion’s heir and Barahir be siblings! Or you can explore the beginnings of their relationship - just a cute get-together story would be wonderful.
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Worldbuilding: Arwen reforged Narsil
This is such a neat concept - I would love to see Fëanorian Arwen (bc Kidnap Dads) going full smith mode and personally reforging Narsil into Andúril for her boyfriend. Arwen embracing her dual kinship as both the descendant of Lúthien and the descendant of Maedhros and Maglor would be amazing (especially if Maglor is hanging around in Rivendell). Bonus points if Narsil used to be Maedhros’ sword, and that’s how it got passed down to Elros!
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Hobbit Movies Request
Kiliel tags: Fíli, Kíli, Tauriel, Group: Fíli & Kíli, Group: Kíli/Tauriel, Group: Kíli/Tauriel & Fíli Suggested worldbuilding tags: Almost Everyone Lives AU, Kíli's Runestone, Worldbuilding: Tauriel goes to Erebor AU
I’m a basic bitch when it comes to Kiliel stuff: give me fluff, give me angst with a mostly-happy ending, give me Fíli being exasperated by his brother’s romantic drama! I would be interested in an AU where Thorin dies but Fíli and Kíli survive, and King Fíli has to deal with Kíli’s love life causing political problems; I’d also love to see an AU where Tauriel goes to Erebor with Kíli, Fíli, Bofur, and Óin after the lakeshore scene. And anything surrounding the magic of Kíli’s runestone would be very welcome - perhaps it really was cursed/enchanted, and by giving it to Tauriel, Kíli lost the protection Dís had placed upon him and passed it to her. What if Tauriel had returned it before the end - would Kíli have lived, and she died? Or, in a canon scenario (in this case, full angst is welcome) what if Tauriel and Dís met and talked about the stone and its properties?
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Hilda Bianca
I just think she’s neat. I’d love to see her getting involved in the politics of a rebuilt Dale, either collaborating with or causing problems for Bard. Her being a mentor figure for Sigrid and Tilda would also be great.
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Book of Lost Tales Request
Group: Ómar & Salmar
Ómar Amillo and Salmar Lirillo were brothers in early stages of the Legendarium - I would love to see that explored in a more Slim-compliant verse, where they are both Maiar. Ómar could be a Maia of Ulmo, like Salmar is, or a Maia of some other Vala. Music and water are intrinsically connected in Arda’s makeup, so Ómar as a being of song and Salmar as a being of water would be really cool to see explored somehow!
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Meril-i-Turinqi
Another really neat character!! I headcanon that she is the child of a grandson of Olwë and a granddaughter of Ingwë. How did she rise to power on Tol Eressëa? What are her relationships with her great-grandfathers? Is she friends with other influential elf-women - perhaps Elenwë or Amárië or Galadriel?
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Silm Requests Russingon Request
Russingon tags: Maedhros, Fingon, Group: Fingon/Maedhros, Original Character from Himring, Group: Fingon/Finrod/Maedhros Suggested worldbuilding tags: Elven Gender Constructs, Hair and customs/kinks around it, LaCE as a social construct, Melotorni & Meletheldi, Onnalúmë
Russingon is my OTP, I just love them a lot!! I adore both plot-heavy explorations of their characters and relationship and more slice-of-life fluff/angst/porn stuff without any particular story behind it. If I need comfort fic this pairing is my go-to, and I’d love to have more of that to come back to. PWP would be welcome; plot is also excellent and I’m sure to enjoy that too. I’m always a sucker for falling in love / confessions of love / first times, but ESPECIALLY for Russingon; the beginning of their love story is something I’ll never get tired of. Established relationship, reunions (after the Ice/Angband or after time spent apart in Hithlum/Himring or after leaving the Halls or another scenario) are also amazing. The secret relationship aspect of this ship is very fun, both keeping things secret and having their secret come to light. If you wanted to invert that trope, though, I would definitely enjoy that; something like a fake dating AU or an arranged marriage AU or a situation where they get pregnant and have to tell people. It would also be great to see them trying (and failing) to keep their relationship a secret while they are in Beleriand - outsider POV from a resident of Himring would be great here! I like scenarios where they’re married, and I like scenarios where they’re not married, whichever floats your boat will be excellent. Honestly, I’m likely to enjoy almost any Russingon content you write; I just… *clenches fist* love them… If you wanted to explore a queerplatonic interpretation of them that would be really cool, but I do love love love romantic/sexual Russingon and would be overjoyed to have any content about them! In my DNW I mentioned that I don’t like the concept of soulmates (for Aro Reasons) so please steer clear of that, but having Mae and Finno choose each other over and over again and that affecting their soul bond/mental connection might just bring me to tears ;-;
I adore Fingon on his own - he’s brave and valiant and good-hearted and deserved better ;-; If you wanted to write a Fingon-focused story that touches on his time as a prince or a king or adjusting to re-embodied life in Valinor or his relationships with people other than Maedhros, I am sure to love that.
Maedhros is probably my favorite character in the Silm. I love his character arc, the fire symbolism, his trauma and recovery, his relationship with his brothers and his cousins, his time helping Maglor care for Elrond and Elros - really all of his story. For this exchange I’d rather not receive a fic focused on his time in Angband or his death; I can enjoy fics about that, but I’m looking for something a bit happier here. Art of Maedhros in those situations would be okay.
When it comes to throwing Finrod into the mix with Russingon, what I’m really looking for is some smut, tbh. Maedhros and Fingon are ridiculously in love, and Finrod is a bit of a hoe, and I can’t believe there wasn’t at least one time they had a threesome. Finrod getting fucked by both of them at once would be excellent. Finrod is canonically friendly with the Fëanorians in Beleriand and goes hunting with Maglor and Maedhros, maybe this is a time where it’s Fingon instead of Maglor and they fuck in the woods, or Maedhros and Fingon visit Nargothrond, or Maedhros and Finrod visit Barad Eithel, or Fingon and Finrod visit Himring. Is this a planned encounter? Something spontaneous? Is Finrod seducing them both, or are they inviting him in? Did Maedhros and Finrod have a fling in Valinor, or did Finrod and Fingon find comfort together on the Ice, or both? I’d love to see where you take this!
When it comes to the worldbuilding tags, I’d love to see an exploration of gender and sexuality in relation to Russingon. I adore trans depictions of both Maedhros and Fingon, so that would be extremely welcome - you can also explore how elvish gender concepts differ from our understanding of gender and transness (I mused about that a bit in this post, along with thoughts on elvish naming traditions, if you’re looking for inspiration). LaCE is such a tricky topic, and I would definitely be interested in Mae and Finno experimenting sexually and discovering what is and isn’t biological about those concepts, and what is actually a cultural construct the elves have adhered to over time. Hair customs (what braids mean, hair coverings, etc) are really interesting - and a GREAT opportunity to include some hair kink! I mean, Finno has those gold braids and Mae’s name “Russandol” refers to his hair, I bet they are into each other’s hair.
Regarding the concept of melotorni, I can easily see that as either gay-coding or queerplatonic love; I’d love to see either or both those options explored with Russingon. (As for meletheldi, I mean, if you wanted to make them girls I would be super down for that too. I’m okay with genderbending, though I do prefer trans/nb headcanons, and I definitely don’t want them genderbent to be “straight.”) And as for Onnalúmë - well, that’s just heat fic, isn’t it? ;)
The bottom line for Russingon is that I Love Them and they love each other, and for this request I’d love PWP, fluff, hurt/comfort, falling in love, getting together, reunion, established relationship - really almost anything with them would absolutely make my day!
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Russingon & kids tags: Gil-galad, Erien, Group: Erien & Gil-galad, Group: Fingon/Maedhros & Erien, Group: Fingon/Maedhros & Erien & Gil-galad, Group: Fingon/Maedhros & Gil-galad, Group: Erien & Faniel Suggested worldbuilding tags: Elven Naming Traditions, improbable parentages for Gil-Galad
The only thing I love more than Russingon is Russingon with KIDS!! I’m a sucker for Russingon as the fathers of Gil-galad, and recently I’ve decided to adopt Erien, a discarded daughter of Fingon, into my personal canon as a Russingon daughter. Exploring either Gil or Erien’s relationship with their dads would be wonderful - and, if they exist in the same universe, their relationship with each other!! (I recently wrote a novel-length fic about Erien being Tauriel, if you’d like to borrow some concepts from there, but that’s certainly not my “usual” interpretation of either of them so feel free to make up your own Erien origin story too!) I was very excited to see that someone else nominated an Erien relationship - Erien and Faniel is a great concept! I usually headcanon Faniel as the daughter of Findis and Elemmírë and the younger sister of Glorfindel, but if you have a different origin story for her that would be really neat as well. Discarded Finwëan daughters ftw! Russingon having kids would be a great place to explore elven naming traditions, how gay elves would name their kids (two father-names??), and maybe the Fëanorian tradition of -finwë names :p I definitely selected the “improbable parentages for Gil-galad” with trans!Russingon in mind, but if you’ve got another situation (that one fic where Finrod, Fingon, and Maedhros do Weird Science with a Maia comes to mind...), be my guest.
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Kidnap Dads tags: Elrond, Group: Elrond & Elros, Group: Elrond & Gil-galad, Group: Maglor & Maedhros & Elrond & Elros Suggested worldbuilding tags: Choice of the Peredhil
I threw in Kidnap Dads into this request as well :) I firmly believe this relationship was, in the end, mostly a positive one despite the rocky beginning - I don’t want to see E&E hating M&M, and I also don’t want to see them resenting their birth parents either (however, their bio parents interacting with their foster parents in awkward/humorous situations would be great). Fluff would be wonderful, but some post-WoW angst would be welcome as well. Elrond and Gil-galad Russingonion considering each other brothers because of their shared father Maedhros is a favorite headcanon of mine! I really would love to see a focus on Maedhros and the E twins; Maglor can of course be involved, but I’m more interested in Maedhros as a character.
Some possible scenarios: an official adoption ceremony, cultural differences, M&M giving E&E some more names / teaching them Quenya, sharing traditions, Maedhros teaching the twins some skill (cooking? swordfighting? embroidery?), the twins being Weird (either because they’re part human or part Maia) and M&M learning to deal with that, Elrond reuniting with Maedhros in Valinor, Elrond getting adopted by M&M’s spouses (Maglor’s spouse and/or Fingon), AU where Maedhros lives and is around for E&E’s later lives
Exploring the Choice of the Peredhil would also be great. How did being raised with M&M affect E&E’s decisions when it came to their Choices of kindred? Were there any Men in the remnants of the Fëanorian host, and did that affect their Choices? 
And since this is technically under the umbrella of the Russingon request, of course Maedhros telling E&E about his husband would be amazing. (And quite probably heartbreaking, too...)
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Maeglin Request
Reminder that I am not at all interested in irredeemable/evil Maeglin; I am a known Maeglin sympathizer and I will not apologize for that.
Maeglin & Fëanorians tags: Maeglin, Group: Dwarves & Maeglin, Group: Caranthir & Dwarves & Maeglin, Group: Maeglin & Fëanorians Suggested worldbuilding tags: Cross-Species Mentorships, Differences between Dwarf craft and Elf craft, Elven magic and art and technology, Maeglin Adopted by Fëanorians AU
I would adore an AU where Maeglin is adopted by the Fëanorians!! Maybe Maeglin escapes to Himring instead of Gondolin after his capture, and Maedhros helps him deal with Angband trauma? (I know that doesn’t really make sense timeline wise, you figure out the details, lmao. Maybe it’s actually taking place in Ossiriand, idk, or the timelines get moved around.) Otherwise, I’d love to see a younger Maeglin interacting with the Three Cs and dwarves!! A focus on craft and smithing would be wonderful, in that scenario.
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Maeglin in Gondolin tags: Turgon, Group: Anairë & Maeglin, Group: Fingolfin & Maeglin, Group: Eärendil & Maeglin, Group: Idril & Maeglin, Group: Idril/Maeglin/Tuor, Group: Maeglin & Rôg Suggested worldbuilding tags: Metal Dragons
I think Maeglin’s relationship with emotionally repressed Turgon was difficult because of miscommunication, but they did love and care for one another. A version of events where Idril and Maeglin were friends before she found out about his feelings for her, or where they can work through that, would be really interesting to read. I love the idea of Maeglin begrudgingly coming to love Eärendil even though he’s Tuor’s child; I think that Eärendil’s mithril coat was made by Maeglin as a precaution against himself and the curse Morgoth placed upon him (I also think this is the origin of Bilbo’s mithril coat). Rôg is usually depicted as an Angband escapee; him noticing something wrong with Maeglin and figuring out about his capture would be a great story. Idril/Maeglin/Tuor is a great concept, especially Maeglin being upset about Idril and Tuor’s marriage because he’s in love with both of them - a threesome where finally gets what he wants (and some consensual rough treatment??) would be excellent. Also, some post-reembodiment fic where Maeglin gets to meet his grandparents would be amazing!! As for the metal dragons, some focus on Maeglin’s craft combined with the magics of Sauron and Morgoth would be really interesting. I would prefer if it Maeglin’s time in Angband was Pretty Bad (though I’d rather not have torture depicted on the page), and show him struggling with the excitement of being able to bring these incredible creations to life versus the knowledge that Sauron and Morogth can and will abuse him to get what they want. I’m not particularly interested in a sympathetic portrayal of Sauron and Morgoth.
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Maeglin, Túrin, and Tyelpë tags: Túrin, Group: Celebrimbor/Maeglin, Group: Turin & Anglachel, Group: Maeglin & Anguirel, Group: Maeglin/Túrin Suggested worldbuilding tags: Bedazzling as a love language, Celebrimbor forging Gurthang, Sentient Weapons & Jewelry
OKAY so Maeglin/Turin is my rarepair OTP and I would absolutely die of happiness if you wrote this ship! For this request I’m envisioning a scenario where Maeglin goes to Nargothrond and that’s where he encounters Túrin. I’m also interested in Maeglin/Tyelpe, so throwing him into the mix would be fabulous. One of my favorite aspects of this ship is Maeglin and Túrin’s connections to Anguirel and Anglachel, so having them bond over that (maybe a literal bond...like a soul bond or something???? enforced by the semi-sentient swords??) would be excellent. I definitely believe Celebrimbor was the one to reforge Anglachel into Gurthang, so that could be a way of getting him involved. (Him ~bedazzling~ the sword as a way of flirting with Túrin would be hilarious; or just smiths bedazzling their creations to impress each other in general, lmao.) It’s also quite likely that in this scenario that Maeglin arrived in Nargothrond with Celegorm, Curufin, and Celebrimbor (and possibly Aredhel, though I was kind of envisioning her as dead in this scenario, RIP - or otherwise not present, much like how C&C have been banished by the time Túrin shows up), so he would have a preexisting relationship with Tyelpë. Maybe they broke up? Maybe they’re awkwardly pining and Túrin is what brings them together? Or some other situation. This ship is doomed no matter how you twist it, and so digging into the dramatic irony of it all would be delicious; happy endings are optional for this request.
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Maeglin & Aredhel in Himlad & Nargothrond tags: Aredhel, Group: Aredhel & Oromë, Group: Celegorm/Aredhel & Maeglin & Curufin & Celebrimbor, Group: Curufin/Finrod & Celebrimbor Suggested worldbuilding tags: Aredhel and Maeglin Remain in Himlad, Aromantic Aredhel
This is kind of similar to the previous request, but with a focus on Aredhel, Celegorm, and Curufin as well as Maeglin and Celebrimbor. I would love an AU where Maeglin and Aredhel go to Himlad instead of Gondolin, and eventually end up in Nargothrond - I really can’t get enough of this concept! What happens with Eöl; does Curufin actually kinslay him this time? How do Maeglin and Tyelpë get along? My Aredhel is always aromantic, but I do ship her and Celegorm as FWB (though maybe Celegorm’s caught feelings somewhere along the line...) - how does Maeglin feel about her rekindling that relationship? I’d definitely be interested in a story about Celebrimbor being a Curufinrod baby (trans!Curvo ftw), so that would make returning to Nargothrond extra tense and emotional. As for Aredhel and Oromë, I have this headcanon that Anairë gave all her children Valar-related mother-names, and that Aredhel was named Írissë Aldarindë after Oromë Aldaron. How does she feel about that name and her connection to Oromë? I don’t think she ever actually joined his Hunt like Celegorm did; why is that? Did Celegorm discourage because he’d adopted his father’s anti-Valar sentiment and left the Hunt? Did she just get involved too late, and then the Darkening happened? How do her and Celegorm’s relationships with their patron Vala differ in Beleriand? I think they were both Kinslayers at Alqualondë, but Celegorm is bound by the Oath and Aredhel isn’t - how does that affect things? Can Aredhel and Maeglin’s presence change how Finrod’s demise goes down? All sorts of fascinating things you could explore!
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Misc. Silm Request
Cuiviénen tags: Original Awakened Elf of Cuiviénen (Silm) Suggested worldbuilding tags: In-universe Origins of LaCE, LaCE as a Horror Concept, LaCE as a social construct, LaCE-compliant soulbonding, Non-romantic/sexual Soul Bonds
I’d love to see an exploration of how LaCE came to be, which parts of the rules around marriage and children and re-embodiment are social constructs and which are innate to the fëa and hröa, and/or relationships that defy the norms. If your take on the laws is hetero/cisnormative, how does that affect queer elves? If your take is free of bigotry, what are the flexibilities around queerness, including asexuality and aromanticism? Laws and customs and rules always have loopholes and exceptions, so what do elves who don’t fit into the expected relationship mold do about these norms?
How do soul bonds work on a metaphysical level? Can they be broken? Do they have to be nurtured and maintained? What’s long-distance communication like? Heck, what’s short-distance communication like, is it like talking in your mind or sharing your feelings or more abstract than that? Can elves form soul bonds with mortals? And most importantly—how did elves figure out they could soul bond with one another?? I can imagine that would be quite a shock when they’re discovering sex and then suddenly they’re inside each other’s minds! This could easily be tied into the “LaCE as Horror” tag; especially if the characters were not expecting it or the bond was being abused. (If you do decide to explore abuse, I would prefer you use OCs rather than canon characters, unless you want to write Eöl abusing Aredhel or Sauron abusing Celebrimbor. In any case, please be careful with that kind of relationship, I am quite sensitive to abuse in fiction even if I am interested in this subject.)
For non-romantic and/or non-sexual soul bonds: Explore sibling bonds, twin bonds, parent-child bonds, queerplatonic bonds, found family bonds, adoption bonds, the bond between a Vala and their Maia…any kind of soul bond that is familial or platonic or chosen without regard to romance! (Feel free to take a canon romantic relationship and turn it queerplatonic, I live for that shit!) How are these bonds formed outside of sex? What are the rituals and ceremonies around forming them? Is it a public or private thing? Are non-romantic soul bonds taken seriously, or are they seen as less important than marriage bonds? Since elven parents literally give part of their soul in the creation of the child, is that parent-child bond innate? What are traditions around elven adoption? Are there soul bonds created between the adoptive parents and children? Was adoption even a thing in Aman, or is it only practiced in Middle-earth? Did elves adopt mortals and vice versa? Is adoption extended to found family other than a parent-child situation? How is adoption viewed by elvish society, especially if inheritance/succession is a concern?
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Turgoldo tags: Group: Finrod/Turgon, Group: Mariners send by Turgon to Aman Suggested worldbuilding tags: Songs of Power
This is my rarepair to end all rarepairs tbh. I honestly don’t know why these two are not shipped more! I am desperate for any and all content with them, I am not picky at all, I just love them.
Fun times in Aman before things get dark and serious would be lovely, I think in that context their relationship would be more casual (or at least they’re trying to make it casual and that leads to hurt feelings). I’d rather not focus on their relationships with their canon love interests, mostly because I’m not a fan of stories about jealousy (also because I see both Finrod and Amarië as gay and together mostly for convenience’s sake AND/OR they’re in a queerplatonic relationship, not a romantic/sexual one), but I do ship Elenwë/Amarië so those two having some sort of polyamorous arrangement with Finrod and Turgon could be fun. But feel free to just ignore any of that and depict Finrod and Turgon together without their respective ladies!
If you go into Beleriand times, I like: Turgon grieving Elenwë and finding solace with Finrod; whatever went down that night by the river they never wanted to talk about again; helping each other build their hidden kingdoms; Finrod sneaking into Gondolin maybe??; repressed Turgon being angsty about discovering his bisexuality and Finrod either helping him or making things more complicated; Finrod missing Turgon and trying to distract himself in Nargothrond (maybe in combination with another Finrod ship? honestly I ship Finrod with any dude that moves, feel free to put your own spin on his relationships, though I would prefer a focus on Turgon/Finrod for this request). Post-reembodiment scenarios would also be great.
Or maybe you want to do an AU with them! Supernatural creatures? Some other fantasy setting? A space opera? Honestly the only AU I wouldn’t be interested in is a modern AU, I’m very picky with my Silm Modern AUs. Honestly like I said earlier, I would love ANY content with Finrod and Turgon, you’d make me very happy if you depicted them together!! Feel free to ignore any of the stuff I said if you’ve got a better idea!!
Regarding the mariners sent to Aman: maybe Turgon is trying to pass a message along to a re-embodied Finrod along with the general cry for help to the Valar? And for “Songs of Power” I was thinking about Finrod’s rap battle with Sauron, and if there was any precedent for him being musically/magically powerful before then that Turgon could have witnessed.
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Misc. worldbuilding tags: HoME/UT backstories and events that contradict the Silm, Dragons hunted for their leather, Ossiriand and the Laiquendi
I love incorporating other drafts of stories into the “main” version of the Silm! Please feel free to tweak early concepts to fit the later Legendarium, and definitely explain yourself in the author’s notes, I love that shit.
I can totally see dragons or adventurous Avari hunting dragons for their hides. You could also maybe explore this with the corpse of Smaug in the Long Lake; dwarves harvesting scales as a precious resource, or something?
In writing my recent Tauriel longfic I came to love the Laiquendi of Ossiriand. I’d love to see a nuanced exploration of their cultures - who were their leaders after Denethor? Were they really all nonviolent, or did some fight in self-defense or choose to join the Union of Maedhros? What was their relationship with the Fëanorians, both before and after the Nírnaeth? Do they consider themselves Avari? Do other elves consider them Avari?
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Númenor Request
Early Númenor tags: Group: Elros/Elros's Wife (Silm)
Idk, I just think they’re cute. I have an OC for Elros’ wife that I love, and it would be awesome if you wrote something with her! Or you can use your own OC, whatever you’d like :)
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Late Númenor tags: Group: Amandil & Ar-Pharazon & Tar-Míriel, Group: Inzilbêth & Tar-Míriel, Group: Míriel & Tar-Míriel, Group: Elwing & Tar-Míriel Suggested worldbuilding tags: Númenórean Settlements in Middle-earth, Peredhil Heritage in Numenor’s art & culture (Silm)
Amandil, Pharazôn, and Míriel’s childhood friendship is really interesting to me (especially if you throw in Elentír as well!). Would love to see how that dynamic changes over time, Pharazôn’s time conquering in Middle-earth, and their varying opinions about their heritage as the descendants of peredhil. I’m not really interested in portrayals of Pharazôn and Míriel’s relationship as healthy or even consensual; I’d rather you didn’t dwell too much on the abusive aspect, but even when I incorporate the story of Elentír I like to preserve the narrative present in the Silm where Pharazôn takes Míriel to wife against her will.
I never really thought much about Inzilbêth and Míriel, but now I definitely am! How does Míriel feel about her faithful grandmother? I see Míriel as not particularly faithful in the Valar, not like her father, but more politically against the King’s Men; does Inzilbêth try to instill faith into her granddaughter like she did her son?
I’m not sure how Míriel Þerindë or Elwing would interact with Tar-Míriel (perhaps Míriel Þerindë weaves her story? or they meet in Mandos before Tar-Míriel leaves to receive the Gift of Men? - maybe Elwing watches over her descendants from Eärendil’s ship, or flies to visit Númenor before its fall?) but I’m now interested in how that might happen, and what kinds of advice they would pass on to her. Also, if you go with Tar-Míriel and Míriel Þerindë, I’d love to see a silver-haired Tar-Míriel to mirror Þerindë! (also, “fairer than silver or ivory or pearls” makes a great image for a silver-haired Tar-Míriel)
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Tar-Silmariën AU tags: Worldbuilding: Silmariën Becomes Queen of Númenor AU
GOSH everything would have been SO different if she had been able to rule! Would her descendants have been corrupted like her brother’s? Would Aldarion and Erendis’ marriage end so badly if he didn’t have the pressure of kingship? If the roles in the Amandil-Pharazôn-Míriel dynamic were reversed, how would that change things? Would Sauron get involved? There are SO many directions you could take this, I’d love to see any of them!
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Alright, that’s the end of my prompts/requests! Thanks for reading this far, and whatever you end up writing for me I am super excited to read it!! And if you have questions or ideas or something, my askbox is open and I have anon messages on, I’d love to talk! Thank you again for creating for me, you are the best! <3
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warrioreowynofrohan · 4 years
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On Oaths
“No oath or bond is laid on you to go further than you will. For you do not yet know the strength of your hearts, and you cannot foresee what each may meet upon the road.”
“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens,” said Gimli.
“Maybe,” said Elrond, “but let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.”
“Yet sworn word may strengthen quaking heart,” said Gimli.
“Or break it,” said Elrond. “Look not too far ahead!”
This conversation obviously becomes so much more meaningful and painful when you know about Elrond’s upbringing, but there’s even more to it than that history.
Imagine if the Company had taken an oath to go with Frodo to Mordor. At the Breaking of the Fellowship, they would have felt obligated to go with him even if it meant leaving Merry and Pippin as captives of the orcs. That decision would have been damaging enough, and the Ring would have preyed on it. Gollum, who loathed Aragorn, would not have helped them, so they wouldn’t have gone through Cirith Ungol (which, for all Gollum’s treachery, was still a better prospect than trying to make it through the Black Gate), and even if they made it to Orodruin Gollum wouldn’t have been there at the end to accomplish the destruction of the Ring. Nor would Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli have been there in the battles of Rohan and Gondor, so there might have been little left of the Kingdoms of Men by the end. Everything would have gone horribly wrong.
There’s more to Elrond’s advice, then, than the personal observation of the fallout of one terrible Oath. It’s the awareness, in the lines you cannot foresee what each may meet upon the road and Look not too far ahead, that there’s something fundamentally arrogant in taking an oath, in claiming “in any possible circumstances, this particular action will be the best thing for me to do.” (Though that, too, is a major part of what’s wrong with the Oath of Fëanor! An Oath taken primarily against Morgoth ends up playing directly into his hands.) To refuse oaths is to accept the possibility that your ideas and expectations for your path in life may be wrong, that the world is more complex than you have recognized. (It touches on my previous post on free will, in suggesting that a person’s free will is something that should not be constrained even by themself.)
(For some reason, despite all of the above, I’m willing to give Finrod a complete pass on his Oath to Barahir. Perhaps out of irrational partiality to him. Or perhaps because I feel that, when Barahir’s son and the last survivor of Dorthonion came to him in need, he would have done the same thing even without it.)
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warrioreowynofrohan · 4 years
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On The Lord of the Rings Movies
I have very mixed feelings on on Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies.
On the one hand, the amount of knowledge and thought and work and love that went into these movies is absolutely phenomenal. The settings, the costumes, the props, the casting, are all pretty much perfect, and unbelievably detailed, and it’s very clear that many of the people who worked on them were passionate Tolkien fans. In terms of all the visuals, they’ve done an amazing job of bringing Tolkien’s world to life, and that’s something we would never have without them.
On top of that, there’s the music. It’s really impossible to be effusive enough about Howard Shore’s score. Everything about it feels like the books. The strength and complexity of the leitmotifs and the way they’re varied according to a scene’s mood, and the emotional power of them - it’s an absolute masterpiece.
(It makes me want a Silmarillion adaptation just so he could score it. Can you imagine the music for the Return of the Noldor? Starting off the Fëanor’s theme, something really powerful and inspirational, and then gradually weaving elements of Morgoth’s theme into it, subtly at the first to the point that it’s not consciously noticed, but growing from Tirion to Alqualondë to Losgar and pulling the audience along on the same emotional journey as the Noldor, where you start with fire and passion and drive and purpose and are left with ash and shock and regrets.)
The acting, too, is exceptional, especially from the main cast, and the amount of work and dedication and passion they brought to it is staggering. And that’s before even getting into the roles of the size doubles and all the massive production challenges concerned with that, which they managed so seamlessly that it’s not even noticeable in the final product.
Most of the changes that they made, I can understand, even when I don’t like them. They mainly flow from two cinematic needs: streamlining, and emphasizing.
Streamlining means removing what they need to (Bombadil, the Scouring of the Shire) in order to fit the plot into three movies that function effectively as cinema. I love the Scouring of the Shire, but the book of ROTK is one-third denoument, with the climax squarely in the middle, tryung to write the third movie of a trilogy in that way and have it be effective would be extraordinarily difficult. This is also why we ger Elves at Helm’s Deep - the film doesn’t have appendices to mention the Battles of Lórien, so this change means the audience doesn’t feel the Elves are inactive in the conflict.
Emphasizing means, mainly, that conflicts are strengthened. The Council of Elrond goes from an information-sharing meeting with some mild disagreement to a shouting match; the Ents intially refuse to act, and the Entmoot is treated as frustrating delay rather than meaningful consideration; possible divisions between Rohan and Gondar are played up; and, most-criticized, Faramir and Denethor’s characters are seriously modified. All of this heightens the audience’s sense of crisis. The change to Faramir emphasizes the danger and power of the Ring more than would be the case if only Boromir, Gollum and Frodo were seriously tempted. Denethor is written as being wrong, in blth the books and movies, but the movies have less time and focus to devote to a side character when so many other character and plot arcs are going on. (The changes to Elrond’s character are made for similar reasons.) I don’t like all these changes, and I think some of them could have bern done differently and better, but I do see understandable reasons behind them.
But the one thing I cannot get past is that they changed the scene on the Steps of Cirith Ungol, one of the most beautiful and emotional and tragic scenes in the entire book, and flipped it on its head. Jackson’s view for ROTK that Frodo trusted Gollum due to the malign influence of the Ring, and that Gollum was unreachable at that point, is a misunderstanding of the most crucial themes of the books. Frodo knew Gollum might betray them; he followed him anyway because they had few options and because he understood Gollum as no one else did; Gollum did care for Frodo to the extent that he was still capable of caring about anyone; and showing mercy and compassion to Gollum was not a mistake, it was the right action on which the success of the entire Quest ultimately hung. There was never any possibility of Frodo sending Sam away, or of Sam leaving him. The scene and the whole plot around it hinges not just on a deep misunderstanding of all three characters, but a deep misunderstanding of the moral core of the entire story.
This is why I can rewatch the first two movies and enjoy many parts of them, but I can rarely get through a rewatch of ROTK.
My acceptance of variation in adaptations and fanworks of Tolkien’s writings has gone way up since I discovered the online Tolkien fandom in the last few years. It’s all sub-creation in its own way. And the movies give us many wonderful things that we would never have had without them (Howard Shore’s score! the imagery of the Shire! Khazad-dum! Ian McKellan’s Gandalf!).
But ROTK in particular made me feel that Jackson had captured all of the external details of the book, and lost their soul.
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