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moonylantsovs · 6 months

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RULES | 2.01: THE FORTY-EIGHT

summary: gabriella kane and what is left of the hundred get separated from the dropship camp after the battle with the grounders. people who gabriella buried and mourned join them on earth. when she finds out most of her people are missing, she is ready to go through whatever she has to in order to get them back ─ even if that means making a truce with the grounders

pairings: john murphy x fem!oc, bellamy blake x fem!oc ( slowburn )

warnings: best friends to enemies to lovers, enemies to allies to lovers, swearing, daddy issues, blood and gore, death, trauma, mentions of addiction

taglist: @lotr-got

series masterlist

Unwavering sunlight.

That was the first thing Gabriella Kane saw once she opened her eyes. The second thing she noticed was her location -- she was on the back of a moving horse in the middle of the forest. Over the pounding in her head, she could hear deep male voices speaking in another language, it sounded similar to English but it had a weird accent and the words were twisted.

"'Bout time you woke up. I was beginning to get freaked out."

Gabriella's head snapped to the sound of the hushed whisper and her eyes connected with Wells'. She let out a sigh of relief. She was glad that she was not alone.

When she tried to sit up a little, she felt that her legs were bound. She tried to move her hands next, only to realize her wrists were bound too.

"Great." The blonde huffed in frustration, tilting her head to connect her blue eyes with Wells' dark ones. "Well...I'm glad we spent so much time together before we died."

"How did you get to be such a dick, Murphy?"

Murphy flinched at the coldness in Raven's tone and closed his eyes, leaning his head against the metal of the dropship. "I'm sorry for shooting you, okay? I'm sorry for a lot of things I did and didn't do that day. Is that what you want to hear?"

"Let me guess. Mommy and Daddy didn't love you?" Raven continued taunting, ignoring his apology.

"No, they loved me." Murphy said, staring at his bloodied hands that lay in his lap, trying to keep the image of a teary-eyed Gabriella watching him leave through the hole in the dropship out of his head.

Raven made a noise of amusement in the back of her throat and mocked him, "Are you gonna cry, Murphy?"

"Screw you, Raven."

"No, tell me. I want to know." Raven spoke, venom in her voice, "How does a kid who's loved by his parents, who has the greatest girl in the universe willing to die for him, turn into a murdering psychopath?"

Murphy stared at the wall, refusing to make eye contact with the wounded mechanic beside him, and spoke "He gets the flu. His father steals medicine that turns out wouldn't help anyway. Gets floated for it and...his mother, she starts drinking pretty heavily after that and the last words she says to him before he finds her in a pool of her own vomit is that..." He swallowed a sob threatening to escape him "...is that he killed his father. Then, he finally gets the freedom he always wanted, gets sent to Earth with the only important person in his life, gets hanged for a crime he didn't commit, and then gets banished because a little girl could not handle the guilt of being a murderer...and when he comes back, he finds out the girl he loves has feelings for the guy that banished and hung him."

"Boo-hoo."

"How do you think they're gonna kill us?" Wells spoke up, in a hushed whisper, after what felt like hours of moving through the woods. They both knew trying to escape would only result in dying sooner and when Gabriella tried to ask them where they were going, she was ignored.

"I don't know, probably chain us up, torture us like they did with John. Or they'll just lock us up in a room together, alone. Until eventually we die from dehydration." Gabriella responded dryly, shrugging her shoulders as best as she could and giving him a mocking grin that did not quite reach her eyes. "That would be painful enough."

"You're hilarious, you know that right?" Wells deadpanned, annoyance dripping from his voice.

"Well one of us has to be." Gabriella sighed, closing her eyes in the hope the lack of light would ease her headache, only for her eyes to snap open in alarm when the horse Wells was on stumbled a bit and made the boy beside her fall onto the ground, right on his bad shoulder. Gabriella's shoulder wound would probably only leave a scar, his looked like it would not heal anytime soon.

Both horses came to a halt and the grounder that kidnapped them turned to glare at Wells, who was too busy groaning in pain to notice anything.

"On your feet." The grounder ordered.

"He can't keep up." Gabriella was quick to defend him. "Give him a minute."

The grounder ignored her and got off the horse he was previously seated on. While Gabriella desperately tried to get Wells to stand up with her tied hands, the grounder stepped in front of them with a murderous glare. "I said get on your feet."

"Come on, Charming. Get up." Gabriella hissed quietly, trying to lift the boy up by taking hold of his good forearm.

Wells weakly stood on his knees, giving Gabriella an apologetic look. Once the grounder saw he was not getting the reaction he wanted out of either of them, he took the sword in his hand and stabbed Wells' wounded shoulder, making him cry out in pain while Gabriella's face flashed in panic.

"That's one." The grounder spat "I lost three hundred."

"Give us a minute and we'll get going." Gabriella glared but her face turned pleading as she spoke her next words. "Just let me help him."

The blonde did not wait for a response before she looked down at a half-conscious Wells, who was looking up at her with hooded eyes.

"If you die I'm gonna kill you, you hear that, Junior? I'm gonna kill you." Gabriella rambled, putting pressure on his wound, just like she had seen Clarke do multiple times. "You're not dying before we get back to Clarke. And even then you can't die" She let out a small sigh of displeasure at the feeling of Wells' blood on her hands. "I haven't run out of nicknames for you yet." Wells let a breathy chuckle escape his lips before he let his eyes close. Gabriella's eyes widened at the sight and she elbowed him in the stomach in hopes the pain from his old wound would get him to stay awake. "Don't fall asleep, Wells. Stay awake."

"I need to keep one of you alive to talk to The Commander." The grounder spoke up again, sporting a bored look on his face. "Now, get up."

"No." Gabriella said stubbornly, not even flinching when the grounder lifted the sword in his hand in the air threateningly. "You can kill me if you want--" She pressed harder against the bleeding wound, earning a grunt of pain that made her realize the boy on the floor was now conscious again, "--but then you won't have anyone to bring to your precious Commander. Wells and I come as a matching set. If you let him die then I will gladly slit my-"

Her words were cut off when a loud "Hey!" was heard behind them. Gabriella's head snapped to the source of the sound to see Bellamy with a spear in his hand. She squinted her eyes at his unmoving figure. Why the hell wasn't he throwing it?

The oldest Blake looked through the trees expectantly -- almost as if he was waiting for something to happen.

"What the hell are you doing?" Gabriella yelled, "Get out of here!"

The grounder did not waste a second before marching up to Bellamy with his sword raised high. Bellamy clenched his jaw and tried to hit him with a spear, only to have it fly right above the grounder's head and next to Gabriella. If this was not a life or death situation, the girl would have his ass for almost killing her, but she was too busy trying to keep Wells alive and worrying whether her co-leader was going to get himself killed. The grounder used the back of his sword to knock Bellamy to the ground, straight on his back.

Bellamy coughed out blood and Gabriella could only stare in horror as the grounder started beating him up. If her legs and wrists were not tied, she would not waste a second to help him but she was helpless.

There was nothing Gabriella Kane hated more than being helpless.

She felt helpless when her mother got floated, when Sam died, when Murphy got hung, when Monty and Clarke went missing when Murphy locked Jasper and Bellamy inside of the dropship and tried to kill them...

And she absolutely hated it.

"Stop it!" She pleaded desperately, her voice shaking slightly. "You'll kill him!"

After a few minutes of the nameless grounder beating Bellamy into a bloody pulp and Gabriella begging for him to stop, he finally did and tied Bellamy up to stand next to them. In the meantime, Gabriella was able to tear a part of her shirt off and wrap it around Wells' shoulder.

Wells grunted and opened his eyes, when the fabric was secure around his shoulder. "I didn't know you cared that much."

"I don't." Gabriella deadpanned. "But Clarke would kill me if she found out I left you to bleed to death. But you and I? We still hate each other."

"Noted." Wells nodded weakly, letting Gabriella help him stand up and flinching as she did.

When Wells was on his feet, Gabriella gave Bellamy a death glare, which he responded to with an almost sheepish shrug.

"Why are you here?" She whispered, wiping the blood off her hands on her shirt. "You're supposed to be in the dropship."

"I didn't make it in time" Bellamy whispered back, defending himself quickly, "so I went looking for you."

Gabriella took a deep breath before turning to the grounder. "Can you untie my feet? I can't walk like this."

The grounder hesitantly cut the rope off her feet, which allowed her to finally properly stretch her legs.

"Why were my legs bound and his weren't?" The blonde could not help but ask, not expecting the grounder to give her any type of answer but he did anyway.

"You kick in your sleep."

With those final words, the grounder turned around and left the three delinquents tied up, with Gabriella not taking her annoyed glare off of Bellamy.

Another surprise to all of them except Bellamy, was the sound of teenagers' battle screams. They turned around to see Finn, Sterling, and Monroe running to them with their weapons in hand.

The trio was not able to get far when a bullet went straight through the grounder's skull. All six delinquents gaped at the dead body in shock and surprise.

Their surprise increased when Marcus Kane stepped out from behind the trees with a couple of guards behind him, all of them armed with a gun. Gabriella felt as the world froze as she watched her father put the gun down and connect his eyes with hers. Her father was alive, he did not die when the exodus ship crashed.

"We're here now. Everything's gonna be okay." Marcus assured them, his eyes flickering from his beaten up daughter to the remaining of the hundred behind her.

The guards untied their hands and Gabriella assessed Bellamy in not falling on his ass again, while Finn led Wells over to Abby Griffin so she could check his shoulder.

"I'm fine. Ella fixed me up. We need to get back to the dropship." Wells said, shaking off Abby's concern, his mind solemnly on coming back to Clarke.

"Hey. Where's Clarke? Is she all right?" Abby asked, mainly looking between Wells and Gabriella even though her question was directed towards Bellamy and Finn too.

"She was when we left." Finn answered, drawing Abby's attention on him. "We'll take you to her."

Marcus was quick to stop them from making their way back to the delinquent camp. "Wait. Slow down." He looked over their shoulders to someone in the crowd. "Sinclair. We're splitting up. One guard detail comes with me to the dropship. Everyone else here goes with you to Alpha Station. You have the coordinates. We'll follow later, as soon as we can."

"Yes, si--"

Sinclair's words were cut off when Gabriella tackled him into a long-awaited hug, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. The head of engineering stumbled backward a bit but hugged back as soon as he realized who it was. Gabriella knew he was not in the exodus ship because he was still needed on The Ark but knowing he was down on Earth and safe, made her feel at ease.

She was relieved she did not lose anyone else important to her.

Gabriella pulled away with a small smile. "I'm happy you're okay."

Sinclair ruffled her already messy hair and smiled back. He noticed she had some blood in it, there and all over her but other than that, she seemed perfectly fine. "You too kiddo. I knew you would not go down easy."

With one last smile, Gabriella turned around to connect her gaze with her father, who was watching the interaction with slight envy, before she made her way back to her friends.

"Okay, you six with me." Marcus commanded a couple of guards before he turned to the remaining delinquents. "You four, lead the way."

As Gabriella got closer to camp, with the three boys, her father, Abby and six guards trailing close behind her, she saw dead bodies lying all over the ground. Some were grounders and some were their people -- her people. Teenagers who followed her and Bellamy into battle without a second thought, teenagers who were willing to fight and die for their ground -- for their home.

"It's too quiet." Bellamy commented, eying the dead bodies with an unreadable look on his face, most likely having the same dreadful thoughts as Gabriella.

The female Kane connected her wary haze with Bellamy's and they both went to stand up from their kneeling position, only for Marcus to take a hold of their forearms.

"We'll take it from here." He said in a dismissive tone Gabriella was so used to hearing whenever he was speaking to her. She tore her unamused gaze away from her father and looked back at Bellamy to see him already looking at her with a knowing look.

The two leaders could faintly hear Marcus commanding two guards to stay with them while he and the four other guards check out the dropship, but they were too busy trying to make a plan only by holding eye contact.

But they both knew one thing, they needed to find out what happened to their people.

Marcus led Abby and four guards inside and left the four delinquents with the two remaining guards. Gabriella pursed her lips in annoyance, the fact that her father was still treating her like a child and trying to act like he's suddenly the one in charge, after everything he did, passing her off more than anything in the last few weeks.

"We need a stretcher!" A voice was heard from inside of camp and all four of them perked up in worry, trying to get through the guards and inside.

Bellamy tilted his head at Gabriella and nodded behind her where she knew a foxhole was located. The blonde leaned her head between Wells and Finn so she was out of earshot to the guards and whispered, "Follow our lead."

And a second later, the two remaining leaders of the hundred made a beeline towards a foxhole, Wells and Finn hot on their trail. They could hear the guards yelling after them but they ignored them and ran straight through the foxhole and into their camp.

Gabriella took a deep breath at the sight in front of her. Everything they built, everything they worked so hard for was ruined, burned down, and with dead bodies burnt to ashes across the ground. But most importantly, it was empty.

"Where is everybody?" Wells asked, echoing everyone's thoughts out loud.

"It was awful. There were hundreds of them and if it wasn't for Raven-- I don't know what happened."

Gabriella's jaw and fists clenched at the familiar voice and she turned around to see none other than John Murphy being carried out of the dropship by a guard.

Once the limping boy caught sight of the four delinquents (but mainly the leaders) his mouth dropped open in surprise and he stuttered out "Ellie, Bellamy. You're . . . you're alive."

Gabriella was about to pounce on him, throw a few punches, until Bellamy beat her to it. She wasn't sure of the exact reason she wanted to be the one to do it. Maybe it was for betraying her trust like that, for holding Jasper at gunpoint, hanging Bellamy, or shooting Raven but he gave her so many reasons to hate him in the last forty-eight hours she couldn't not want to beat the shit out of him.

"You murdering son of a bitch!" Bellamy growled as he tackled Murphy to the ground. He threw the first punch, then another, and another...

If it was any other day, Gabriella would have stopped him and yelled at him for doing so but instead of her, it was Finn who screamed at him to stop. Gabriella could feel her father's curious gaze on the side of her face, probably wondering why she was not doing anything about the situation, but she was not going to give him the satisfaction of turning around. he wanted to know what the hell happened between her and her so-called best friend since they had been sent to the ground.

The engineer was too busy watching the fight to notice Marcus motioning to a guard to pull Bellamy off of Murphy but she took a cautious step forward once she saw the guard step closer with a shock baton in his hand. She did not even get a chance to warn Bellamy before the guard shocked him and he fell off of Murphy and onto the ground with a painful groan.

Marcus brushed passed his daughter and looked down at Bellamy with something close to disgust, speaking in a cold tone. "Place him under arrest."

"No." Gabriella exclaimed, moving away from Wells and Finn to stand in front of Bellamy almost protectively. "You are not in charge here anymore, Kane. We have been surviving on our own these last few weeks and Bellamy has no reason to get arrested." Her eyes flickered over to a blood-covered Murphy lying on the floor as she added, "If you're planning to arrest any of us it should be John."

"Exactly." Finn agreed, "Murphy murdered two of our people. He shot two others and tried to hang Bellamy."

One of the guards took hold of Gabriella's forearms and moved her away from Bellamy so the other two guards could get him up and tie his wrists together.

"I don't care. You are not animals. There are rules. Laws." Marcus spoke, turning around to look at his glaring daughter. "You are not in control here anymore."

"Let me go." Gabriella grunted in frustration, trying to get out of the guard's grip. "Tell him to let me go."

"I can't do that, Gabriella." Marcus told her, but there was nothing genuine in his voice. "You'll stay locked up until we get to our camp."

"Go float yourself." The eighteen-year-old spat harshly, using the back of her heel to kick the guard's shin and making him let her go. She turned around quickly and raised her knee to kick him between his legs and he quickly put his hands over the place, grunting in pain as he did.

Once she was satisfied with her work, Gabriella turned around and flashed her father a sarcastic grin. "Looks like you have to lock me up permanently this time, Dad."

Marcus clenched his jaw and motioned for one of the guards who was holding Bellamy to tie her up as well. When her hands were bound, she was placed next to Bellamy with two guards standing behind them warily.

"That was idiotically Gabriella of you." Bellamy levels her with an unimpressed look, which she shrugged at.

"You're the one to talk after what you did an hour ago."

Bellamy scoffed in slight offense. "Excuse me for saving your ass. Seems like I've been doing a lot of that since we landed."

"I thought it was the other way around." Gabriella snapped with an annoyed glare.

Suddenly, all attention turned to Raven being carried out of the dropship with Abby behind her. Gabriella's eyes flashed in worry, suddenly remembering what happened to her friend before the battle even started.

"Raven." Finn gasped, stepping closer to his ex-girlfriend's unconscious body.

"She's lost a lot of blood. It's a miracle that she's still alive." Abby explained before a permanent frown full of disappointment settled on her face- "There's no one else in there."

"What?" Gabriella muttered to herself, wide eyes connecting with Bellamy's equally confused ones.

"What the hell happened here?"

Gabriella was seated on the ground beside Bellamy with a stressed and pissed-off look on her face. The guards were scouting the area around the dropship, trying to see if anyone else was there but finding no one yet.

"We're leaving." Finn announced as he and Wells marched over to their two remaining leaders.

"What?" Bellamy asked, confusion clear on his face- "This is where they'll come back."

"I don't think they're coming back. The grounders took them and you know that." Finn said, shaking his head solemnly.

Seeing both Gabriella and Bellamy were skeptical, Wells quickly added, "Look, according to Finn, there's supposed to be at least fifty of our people missing from the dropship, which means they didn't leave like that. Clarke would not allow so many of them to go through the woods after the war we just went through."

Finn nodded and scrunched down in front of Gabriella and Bellamy. "We go with Kane to Alpha Station, we get reinforcement and weapons, and then we find our friends."

"One question." Bellamy spoke, still a bit skeptical. "How many more of us will be dead by then?"

Finn's eyes briefly flickered to an unconscious Raven before he turned back around to look at Bellamy. "Abby says Raven needs surgery or she's gonna die."

Tense silence settled among them and Gabriella gaped at his words.

"Shit." Was the only thing that she was able to make out, but even that came out as a whisper.

Wells gave her a sympathetic look. "It's time to go."

And just like that, they were leaving their home behind, again.

#the 100 #bellamy blake #john murphy #clarke griffin #bellamy blake imagine #raven reyes #the 100 rewrite #octavia blake #bellamy blake x oc #john murphy x oc #bellamy blake x reader #john murphy x reader #wells jaha

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starsuncounted · 1 month

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Writing Patterns

Tagged by @tortoisesshells—thank you! <3

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern.

Faramir watches as the sea draws back and the bays are scraped bare of water. (Like a Wave That Should Engulf the World, LOTR)

You and I are among the last remaining descendants of David Rittenhouse himself. (I've been putting sorrow on the farthest place on my shelf, Timeless)

When he first began hunting Rittenhouse, Flynn would see Lorena in his dreams, her face a picture of perfect sorrow as she stood silent before him; she didn’t need to speak to tell Flynn what she thought of who he was becoming—he could provide the words well enough himself, for they ran endlessly in his mind in the hours he lay awake, unable to sleep, haunted by the past and haunted by the present and everything in between. (All My Demons Greet Me As a Friend, Timeless)

Flynn pours himself a second drink and throws it back—not that he tastes it, but it numbs him better than anything else has so far and silences the faint whisper in his mind that Lorena wouldn’t have wanted him to become like this, numbing himself with alcohol and wondering idly how many more drinks it might take to tip him over into permanent oblivion. (The Bottom of Every Bottle, Timeless)

Caspian’s eyes still dance with laughter, his hair and shirt damp from where she splashed him with water, when Lucy takes his hand in hers, and he stills, reading in her gaze what she does not say with words—has no need to say with words, for they have each felt this thing unspooling between them, a hook in their hearts drawing them nearer, ever since the blissful days on the Silver Sea, when the feeling first tugged at their hearts—and he allows her to tug him out of the seafoam onto the beach, glimmering like a silver ribbon in the moonlight. (Like the Waves, Narnia)

A rustling sound came from the edge of the fighting-top, and Lucy did not need to look to know that it was Caspian, for he was the only person who ever joined her up here, far above the deck, where she was one with the wind. (Beneath the Milky Twilight, Narnia)

The Hunt passed over the plains and hills of Beleriand, roving far beneath shadow and starlight, and the sound of their approach was as thunder echoing in the deep hills, striking fear into the hearts of all who heard, and the cry of the Valaróma at their head was as lightning piercing the deeps of the night. (As Thunder Echoing in the Deep Hills, Silm)

The things of the forest and hills crept back to Nargothrond, in time, when the reek of the dragon had lessened and the horror of his memory had become a memory itself. (As Watchful As Any Living Thing, Silm)

Though the many towers of Ilmarin stood crowned with golden domes, catching the light of the rising sun on their facets, the Tower of Varda stood open to the sky. (Beneath the Innumerable Stars, Silm)

“Come, come!” Nessa cried to her maidens. (In a Noon of Gold, Silm)

I start out with a lot of scene setting and rumination, although that might be because most of these were written for the 3SF (also why some of these are egregiously long), and I don't tend to write much dialogue for 3SF ficlets. And, as per usual, the sea and stars feature heavily. It's what comes of writing so much Tolkien fic!

Tagging @bywayofmemory @sallysavestheday @thelordofgifs @thescrapwitch @searchingforserendipity25 if you want to participate!

#tag games

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mykindofgeeky · 1 year

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An Exhausting Review of The Wheel of Time

Apologies for the delay. Unfortunately round 2 of @fantasybooktournament ended right before my work week. On top of that Tears of the Kingdom and Gideon the Ninth have been consuming many of my waking hours outside of work. At this moment I am taking a break from both of my current obsessions to try and organize my thoughts about WoT. I will be providing a spoiler free TLDR followed by a more in depth review of the first four books.

SPOILER FREE TLDR:

The Good:

The Wheel of Time is an exceptionally well written high fantasy epic.

It utilizes its main cast well and most of them have satisfying narrative arcs.

The magic is unique and well thought out.

The women of the cast share just as many interesting personalities and skills as the men.

The series plays a lot with gender roles directly related to the magic system.

It has a lot to say about destiny and the heroes journey.

Several interesting mentor figures that all have just as many negative traits as positive ones.

A focus on one character's PTSD that is very believable and taken seriously by both the narrative and the characters around them.

A beautiful ending that still makes me cry when I think about it.

Brandon Sanderson

The Bad:

There are several villains that are sexual predators utilizing brainwashing, violence, and grooming to get their way. Jordan doesn't write sex scenes so none of the acts are recorded in the books but they are heavily implied.

There is exactly one trans woman character and she is a villain. She is also a sexual predator.

There is slavery in this series. It is done by one of the antagonist factions but it is not really resolved by the end of the series.

EXTREMELY LONG.

The insane amount of characters is a lot to keep track of. That said you don't NEED to know every character by name.

Major low point in the series that can be difficult to read due to a dramatic shift in narrative pacing. This starts in Book 5.

While the women are interesting they were still written by an old white guy. A lot of the "strong female characters" we have are described as overbearing, conniving, and arrogant.

The romance is often forced and the end of the series appears to be obsessed with pairing up all the characters without lovers.

Many of the characters have repeating physical habits as well as repeating experiences. Jordan will describe these things the same way over and over. There's a lot of fingering of blades, knuckling mustaches, yanking of braids, and adjusting of shawls.

Jordan clearly takes a lot of inspiration from Eastern faiths and cultures in both his magic system and the religion of the setting. He doesn't represent these things particularly well and it feels very Orientalist to me.

Brandon Sanderson

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

The Wheel of Time as a series is the absolute height of high fantasy epics in my opinion. It represents this sub-genre very well with nearly every trope of in the high fantasy tool box being utilized. That said it also carries many of the perceived negative aspects of the genre.

When I said this series was "very long" it is very much an understatement. The main series of books tops out at 4.4 MILLION words spread over 14 novels and 1 novella. It also has hundreds of characters with well over a hundred receiving a POV throughout the books. Yes that's right, this series has multiple characters sharing their perspectives.

The first three books I'm going to call "What if Robert Jordan wrote The Lord of the Rings?" These books are The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, and The Dragon Reborn. Are these books direct rip offs of LotR? No absolutely not, but they do share a lot of the same structure. The fourth book The Shadow Rising is when things really get spicy.

***

The Eye of the World's primary purpose is to introduce important characters, set the narrative pacing of the series, and establish the setting.

It follows a group of youngsters from the village of Emond's Field; Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, and Nynaeve. Several strangers come into the village for the Spring festival, Moiraine the Aes Sedai, Lan the Warder, and Thom the Gleeman. These characters serve as guides and mentors in the outside world later on. Shortly after this they are forced into a world of adventure after evil creatures called Trollocs attack their home.

The Eye of the World is a great opening to the series. It invites you into the setting and holds your hand through the first day before plunging you into the first night. The juxtaposition between the warm and gentle opening day and the horrifically violent night afterwards is a perfect synopsis of the two opposing forces of Light and Darkness.

It later lays the groundwork for the main characters' arcs that they will go through in the series while leaving room for doubt on if they will make it at all. There is also tons of foreshadowing not only within the book but also for the series as a whole. These are fun to piece together on a first read and even more fun to find on rereads.

The combat scenes are tense and you can really feel the Emond's Fielders panic contrasted with the wizened mentors calm. The social aspects of how the Aes Sedai fit into the world also provides plenty of tension. One of the main antagonistic forces in the series is introduced early on in Perrin and Egwene's travels and they are portrayed beautifully as the cruel bastards they are.

The ending is a little confusing, especially on a first read. Unfortunately Jordan seemed to have a bit of trouble writing around wanting the main antagonist to be in the book and for the main characters to think they've won in the end. It is a short and weird ending but most of the other books get much better endings.

***

The Great Hunt's job is to flesh out established villains and introduce new ones, flesh out some of the major factions, and provide more POVs on these weird ass situations. It primarily focuses on two storylines: "The Boys' No Good, Very Bad Day? Month? Year???" and "Little Witch Academia: Spy Game."

The Boys (Rand, Mat, and Perrin) are chasing down thieves who stole an important plot device called the Horn of Valere. They need this back because there is a concern that the horn could be used by the forces of evil to summon ghost heroes to fight for them. In addition they stole Mat's fucking drugs (an evil ass dagger from the first book) and now he's in withdrawal. The dagger is needed to break Mat's reliance on it.

The Girls (Egwene and Nynaeve; and new friends; Elayne and Min) are learning magic at the White Tower, home of the Aes Sedai. Egwene and Elayne are "Novices" together while Nynaeve has been allowed to become "Accepted" due to her being a bad bitch. Min is basically in a comfy jail cell and bored because she's not a witch. As they are learning magic they have been accidentally recruited into finding secret "Dark Friends" (followers of the main antagonist the Dark One) amongst the Aes Sedai.

Once again The Great Hunt does its job well. We get to learn much more about the world from several POVs. The White Tower is filled with political intrigue. The factions that have been introduced so far get a lot more development and the new ones are interesting. We see an introduction of several significant bad guys including the Seanchan who are really interesting.

At this point we have had a lot of growth with our main cast. They are still scared of conflict but they know how to defend themselves. They become more comfortable with the outside world some willingly some unwillingly. The mentor characters are starting to step away from being mentors which allows them to be more independent characters in their own right. That tenseness from the first book never really goes away. This book has a lot of twists that will have you on the edge of your seat.

The ending is far more comprehensible in The Great Hunt than The Eye of the World. It is extremely epic with an incredible three-way struggle that is referenced throughout the rest of the series.

***

The Dragon Reborn is our epic conclusion to Jordan's Lord of the Rings. Its job is to finish a lot of what was started, and develop our main cast further. It follows four groups of our cast to the city of Tear where The Dragon is to be Reborn: "The Al'Thor Identity (Crisis)," "Nanny Damodred: Manhunt," "Little Witch Academia: Spy Game pt. 2," and "The Guilt Trip."

Rand has been proclaimed the Dragon Reborn by Moiraine after the events of the second book. Rand is not a fan of this. He is so not a fan of it that he decides to try and speedrun this whole "Chosen One" thing. Of he skips to Tear by himself where he is supposed to claim a special sword that proves he's the Dragon Reborn. Reality literally bends around him on his way leaving a pretty clear path to follow.

Moiraine is not a fan of Rand going off leash and needs to chase him down. She takes Lan (who is basically glued to her ass anyway), Loial the Ogier (elves but thicc), and Perrin. He's pretty easy to follow since there's a Rand shaped hole left behind everywhere he goes. On the way Perrin makes two new friends; Gual the Aiel, and Faile (who are now both glued to Perrin's ass).

Nynaeve, Egwene, and Elayne are hunting more dark friend Aes Sedai after there was a theft and breakout of several of them from the White Tower. These dark friends stole several items of power and they must be retrieved. The girls are tracking them down disguised as Aes Sedai which is leading them to Tear unbeknownst to Rand and Moiraine.

Mat has been brought to the White Tower to be healed and separated from the dagger. In addition it is revealed that Mat is now connected to the Horn of Valere due to the events of the second book making him a very valuable asset to the White Tower. Mat nopes the fuck outta that and manages to escape after a lucky run of dicing and finding his old mentor Thom the Gleeman. After traveling to Caemlyn to deliver a letter, Mat becomes aware of a plot to murder Elayne. He knows that she's heading for Tear and decides to go after her.

Overall this is my favorite book of the first three. Its a more complicated plot but its easy enough to follow and every time the POV switches you get excited to learn more about that part of the story. This is the beginning of Rand's "madness" which is a side effect of being the Dragon Reborn as well as being a male witch and I enjoy how its written. You really feel for Rand as he acts like a cornered animal with nothing to lose. Perrin's interactions with his two new companions are fun with Gual being a fast friend who gives good advice and Faile being a compelling romantic interest with an acid tongue. I really enjoy how Perrin really appreciates Faile's beauty over time as he gets to know her. That said they kinda fall for each other really fast out of nowhere. Although they are probably one of the more interesting couples in the series. The girls have a fun roadtrip down to Tear with lots of new characters introduced. They aren't as prominent in this book but once they get to Tear they get to do a lot of cool shit. Mat's roadtrip with Thom is a fun reflection of their trip together in the first book with a far more competent Mat and a Thom who sees Mat as more of a man. We also get to see Mat's intelligence shine in this book which is great because he was more of a side character in the first two books.

The ending is a chaotic mess but in a fun way. All of these characters are smashing into each other by coincidence and foiling each others plans, rescuing each other from danger, and of course getting into arguments. There isn't really a big antagonist in this ending but it doesn't detract from the book at all.

***

OK NOW WE ARE GETTING SPICY! This is where the series really starts to shine bright!

The Shadow Rising is widely considered to be one of the best novels in the whole series. Personally it is my favorite fantasy novel hands down! The Shadow Rising is trying to do many things here but primarily it is: expanding the scope of the setting, circling back to previous plot points/details, increasing our main cast's influence on the world.

The Shadow Rising is the longest book for a reason. It is covering many, many storylines at the same time but I'm going to try and narrow it down. Primarily I'm going to focus on four groups: "Al'Thor of the Three-Fold Land," "Back to the Shire," "Little Witch Academia: Spy Game pt.3," and "How to Stage a Coup: Paint It Red."

Rand has been reading. This is a mistake. He decides that he must go to the Aiel Waste in order to become their chosen one, the Car'a'carn, The Chief of Chiefs. He is joined by Mat, Egwene, Moiraine, and his Aiel allies. During their journeys they are forced to discover more about themselves. Egwene goes to desert witch bootcamp. Mat gets a fancy spear and a new hat. Honestly, everything is coming up Al'Thor so far.

Perrin is worried about Emond's Field and decides to go back home and make sure everything is ok. He is joined by Gaul, Loial, Faile, and two additional Aiel Bain and Chiad who have taken a liking to Faile. They show up to the Two Rivers being invaded by Trollocs and the White Cloaks (who are chasing Perrin). Perrin and friends rally the Two Rivers to fight against both invaders.

Nynaeve, Elayne, Thom, and a new friend from the last book Juilin are still trying to smoke out the dark friend Aes Sedai. They track the traitors to Tanchico and begin searching the city. They end up finding more than they bargained for.

Min is continuing to be an endlessly annoyed guest of the White Tower. She is being used as a spy by the Amyrlin Seat (head of the White Tower) but she soon finds herself in a dangerous situation. Elaida the Red Sister is attempting a coup to claim the Amyrlin Seat for herself. Min manages to fine Siuan (the original Amyrlin) and Leane (her right hand woman) but they are both powerless and can no longer do magic. As they are escaping they also collect the dangerous criminal and False Dragon, Logain.

This is what we were waiting for. This is the true first chapter of the series. Everything up to know has been a prologue in my mind. We get serious character development, expansion of the setting, violence, romance, and so much more magic. If you want to read this series but don't think you'll finish it I BEG OF YOU read to this book. The Aiel are so goddamn cool and their culture is really interesting. The magic fights are getting more intense with them being narrated almost like sword fights. The politics within the White Tower and the Two Rivers is really cool. The drama in the Two Rivers with Perrin is so intense! I just can't praise this book enough.

I think I have to leave it there this is already too damn long. I really hope you give this series a chance and see if it is for you. Happy reading everyone!

“You can never know everything, and part of what you know is always wrong. Perhaps even the most important part. A portion of wisdom lies in knowing that. A portion of courage lies in going on anyways.” - The Eye of the World

#the wheel of time #wheel of time #book review #wot book spoilers #fantasybooktournament

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holdoncallfailed · 8 months

Note

top 5 movie soundtracks, also (if you're comfortable sharing!) top 5 playlists ✨️

ooooh this is such a good one, thank you scarlett!!

velvet goldmine OBVIOUSLY

trainspotting

almost famous

i, tonya (tho i do resent that they used romeo & juliet by dire straits in conjunction with scenes of abuse because that is a deadly serious love song to me and should NOT be corrupted)

pulp fiction

honorable mentions: scott pilgrim vs. the world, most wes anderson films

playlists...hm...i am going to assume you mean my own so that is what i will answer with...

cringe alert but i do think my goldfinch fanmix is like. basically perfect i think it captures the entire narrative arc of the story and hits all of the relevant emotional beats. i like listening to it on the train cos it's effectively the same as listening to an audiobook plus it kills a good hour and 40 minutes of the journey

songs for the end of the world. i don't listen to it so much partly because it captures the dull placeless anxiety of early covid lockdown really well and it still kind of makes me uneasy lol.

my sam/frodo fanmix hehe...i think the tone of it is perfect and i cry every time i listen to it. also thinking of 'living room' by grouper as being about the fellowship is so funny to me ("we're all of us at this ill-fitting party..."). same with strange boat by the waterboys ("we're sailing on a strange boat / heading for a strange shore...we're living in a strange time / working for a strange goal...") actually i think a lot of the lyrics on the playlist are weirdly relevant to lotr if you're listening to it with that in mind (especially 'carry me' by nick cave and 'millersdale' by william doyle).

my depressive summer playlist

my cheerful + chill springtime playlist. every time i have people over i put this on and it's usually a good vibe!!

honorable mentions: billie's go west playlist AKA one of the biggest cultural resets of my life; basically every playlist gen has ever made (whether for her newsletter or for her writing) (iykyk); the playlist i have of songs that are loud enough to hear over the sound of the subway & therefore listen to pretty much every day

dishonorable mention per devyn: clown (r*ddie) fanmix

#playlist

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xxleviathansimpxx · 11 months

Text

LOTR x immortal fem reader

Please dont repost or like steal my writing because that not nice.

Also my first time writing a actual fanfix and it may or may not be horrible to read ad grammar mistakes are also my bad

Tw. Mentoins of death, Chronically ill, and memory loss

I can barely hold onto what little life i had left, my bones were brittle and my mind was foggy.

for I am near death.

I'm weak and sick, my death will be one more chore check off a list

i'm scared and cold and restrained with cords that keep me barely alive

I look at the ceiling, I'm thinking.. recalling my life.

my life.. was worthless... i am worthless,

i have not a single meaning but burden

nothing is what i am

I want more, more than what I am! so please…

I muster the strength to speak aloud

"I beg you lord ... give me one more chance... a healthy body, one that can run, jump, climb, and do things others can do even more if possible..." my voice is soft and frail

I feel my eyes slowly close as I lay on my death bed alone.

I thought I was ready but I'm not. I'm afraid of death.

my heart beats faster than ever before "i- i don't want to die!... Please I don't want to feel my life slip away... someone please help, I want to live!" i say in almost a shout hoping someone would hear

i rip the cords that decorate my body and slowly and painfully move off my bed

I can feel blood dripping from my nose but I keep on walking slowly. one baby step at a time

The scrawny weak legs i have are shaking profusely and i feel as if i'm going to pass out

i open two double doors to my balcony and feel the fresh air hit my body, i sigh in relief

i haven't felt the crisp cold night air in years

my baby steps become crawls as my knees have finally given up

I think I'm ready.. i crawl using my arms and slowly and painfully move to the railing and pull myself up, my hair has become undone and flows in the fast cool wind

my eyes regester the full moon that shines so bright

i stare at the moon for what felt like hours it probably was

i can no longer hold my body up right i'm on the floor crying waiting the sun rise

"please" i no longer know what i'm pleading for but i know that it's my last few minutes

"someone please..." I mutter.

my eyes are now fully closed, only black i see now. After seeing the beautiful array of colors I now see the comforting black.

Wet grass

I smell wet grass around me

“Wha-? Why am i wet” i sit up expecting pain but i move so fast i fall over on my face

I have to sit up wipe my face clean from earth that sits on my face

Once my eyes adjust to the light I see my hands… my hands? “OH MY GOD MY HANDS” i shout so loud birds flutter out of trees

My hands are full of life, not just some boney crusty appendage. “So pretty” I blurt aloud my mouth curls upward into a smile.

I look around and am amazed by what I'm seeing. Not some tall metal glass buildings or loud car honks, just soft bird chirps and beautiful greenery

My hands feel my entire body, one that's plump and squishy.

I slowly stood up and hoisted myself up on a tree so I'm not overwhelmed. I slowly walk forward and pick up pace and begin to run as fast as I can.

“Thank You!” i shout while running until i see a decently sized lake that i rush towards

My knees fall to the ground and tears are falling from my eyes

I look into the lake only to see a lively youthful face

“Wow, is that me?” i say so quiet i could barely hear myself

I hear soft gingles from afar and someone humming

I see a path that enters from the one side of a patch of trees to the opposite side of the lake. Very rustic i think and i stand up and walk to the rode and see a old man riding a very rickety wagon and wearing an odd looking hat

“Why hello there! Wonderful day we are having today isn't it?” the old man says

I say nothing but look at him. He looks almost offended by my blanket stares

“Oh sorry, hi..”

“Hi?” he looks at me with a cheerful smile

“I'm sorry, do you know where I am right now?” i say nervously “i'm a bit lost” geez i haven't had a full conversation with someone in ages or at least someone who wasn't a doctor

“ It's quite alright, you’re in middle earth and right out the outskirts of hobbiton” he says and points to a direction down hill

“I'm heading to hobbiton right now, would you like to join me?” he says and shifts to the left to make space for me

“I've never heard of middle earth or uh hobbitson before actually” i say and begin to wonder if this is just some crazy homeless old man

“It's pronounced hobbiton actually, are you not from around these parts?” he says questioningly

“No, I'm not from anywhere near here actually i've never seen such green grass!” I said awkwardly “hehe… okay, ill um join you to the hobbiton?” i quickly respond to his original question

“Alright hop on and stay still it's a very bumpy ride” the old man says almost laughing at my nervousness

And I'm getting on he says “Im Gandalf and you are?”

“Oh uh i'm…” I struggle to say my own name. My name? What is my name again

My new ‘friend looks at me patently and has almost a pitiful look on his face as i struggle to remember

“I'm sorry I don't really remember…” I said " almost ashamed “you don't remember? That alright i'll just call you Y/N” he says trying to make me feel better

“Is that a good name for you? Or do you prefer something different?” he say as i finally hop on the waggon

“Yes i think it's a very nice name actually” i say smiling again

Gandals whips his lead and we begin to move slowly down the road. We talk about our lives although i have not much to say

All I remember is how unhappy and miserable I was but maybe tomorrow I'll remember who I am.

#Lotr #gandalf #the hobbit #x reader #y/n #should this be a series #could it be romance #legolas x reader #frodo baggins #bilbo baggins #lord of the rings #lotr fandom #lotr fanfic #first fanfic #i might delete later idk

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soulswordlesbian · 13 days

Note

what reminds you of home (doesn’t have to mean house… just things that remind you of the feeling of home)?

what’s something you do to de-stress?

what’s the best personal gift someone could give you (playlist, homemade card, etc.)

what movie would you want to live in?

what calms you down?

what’s something you’re excited for?

say three nice things about yourself (three physical and three non-physical).

what song makes you feel better?

what color brings you peace?

what flower would you like to be given?

---

i know it's a lot, take your time and write your response in peace. i love getting to know you 🩵

SANS <333 i super super appreciate this ?? thank you for the ask, prepare for a LOT of yapping :') what reminds you of home ? I tend to associate smells with feelings, so home is petrichor, savory chili oil, and exhaust fumes (combined) or alternatively; eucalyptus, the dusty smell that lingers after a campfire, and freshly printed paper what’s something you do to de-stress? honestly, i'm still working on this one because i'm not the greatest at managing stress yet; but for now I enjoy baking, drawing, or some kind of physical activity ( usually it's going to the archery range or ice rink for something repetitive that i don't really have to think about ) (or i just sleep (and end up more stressed) 2/10 would not really recommend ) what’s the best personal gift someone could give you? literally anything. just the thought that someone is thinking about me; and appreciates me enough to give me any kind of gift is enough to make me ridiculously happy - but i super love the little ones that put extra thought into ( like playlists, mixtapes, compilations ) what movie would you want to live in? LoTR, hands down ( minus the. collapsing society part - so maybe The Hobbit, actually )

what calms you down? music. i like to blast music, close my eyes and just think thoughts for hours haha

what’s something you’re excited for? the release of TTPD, (in four days !!!) i'm always unbelievably hyped for new taylor music, especially this album that so far looks to be right up my alley <33

say three nice things about yourself (three physical and three non-physical). wouldn't that make it six, then? /j i'm ngl i left this for last because it's genuinely difficult for some reason haha physical: 1 ) i like that i'm physically quite fit, so i can get away with stupid shit like falling down a flight of stairs (oops) 2 ) people have told me i have really healthy nail beds (?) so that's a plus haha 3 ) my cat likes me :) non physical: 1 ) i have the best and awesomest friends (you included ofc), every day is an honour because of them 2 ) i like that i have a bunch of random miscellaneous skills, they can really come in clutch sometimes haha 3 ) my cat likes me :) thank you for this, i think i needed that <3

what song makes you feel better? it depends on the situation !! but my go-to comfort song at the moment is Bitter Water by The Oh Hellos

what color brings you peace? brown. it's a really comforting colour, and has so much versatility :') It's also my favourite colour, i just love it a lot. a deep purple-navy blue is also a lovely, peaceful shade one day, i'd like have my walls be that colour, and paint little golden stars and constellations over it, i think

what flower would you like to be given? daisies and sunflowers have a special place in my heart, but if anyone gives my any kind of flowers, best believe i will be a puddle on the ground and crying in appreciation

#sans tag #beloved mutuals #ask #thoughts of mine

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meganlpie · 2 years

Text

Attacker

Based on this request: Can I ask for ficlet with Eomer from LOTR? Reader, his huge crush, had seruously wounded some attacker in her/their defence and since she/they have never hurt anyone reader start panicking over it and not paying attention she/they are seriously injured too. And Eomer trying to calm and comfort her/they, relieved she/they are alive but still being worried about her/them. Maybe confessing his feelings? Or not? I hope it’s not too detailed. Anyway, thank you for opening requests again and finding time to write! You are amazing Meg! 💕

Here you are! My apologies for the wait!! *I do not own Eomer. He belongs to Tolkien!*

Warnings: Mentions of violence, injury, and blood. Fluff. Angst with a happy ending.

Pairings: Eomer x reader

Your hands started shaking before you even let go of the knife. After what had seemed like hours of fighting, it was finally over. Questions swirled in your mind. How had he gotten in the keep? Why had he attacked you? But the question that burned your mind most was: What had you just done? You'd never even hurt someone before, let alone kill them.

You let go of the knife as your door burst open to reveal Eomer. His eyes bounced between you and the person on the flooring writhing in pain. Your eyes met Eomer's and you felt tears beginning to form. "I-I," you started, but couldn't get the words out. Eomer rushed over to you. "Are you alright?!" he asked, his voice tense with emotion. You shook your head before immediately starting to cry.

"He-He…I'm sorry, Lord Eomer." Eomer's brows dropped down over his eyes. "Whatever for?" You gestured to the man on the floor. "Did he hurt you?" You stopped for a moment, mentally taking in your physical health. It was then that you remembered the injury to your side. You nodded without speaking. Before you could protest, Eomer scooped you up in his arms, bridal style. You let out a little shriek of surprise.

Eomer's brows remained furrowed as he carried you to the healer. He didn't say a word, even after he laid you down. He moved out of the healer's way, but didn't leave the room. His eyes remained riveted on you while the healers did their work. You didn't know it, but his heart was threatening to beat out of his chest. He couldn't lose you. He'd already lost his parents and his cousin. His uncle was under the influence of the venomous Grima and his sister would most likely leave soon as well (whether to be free of Grima for herself or through marriage had yet to be seen). He couldn't lose yet another person he loved.

Eomer adored you. Everyone knew it. Well, everyone it seemed except you. He wasn't sure how you hadn't caught on yet. Eomer, while usually fairly stoic, made no secret of his feelings for you. He felt like a lovesick fool whenever he talked to you for more than a minute. Often times, he would completely forget pieces of a conversation because he would get lost staring at you.

When he heard the commotion coming from your chambers as he made his way down the corridor, Eomer had felt sick as two scenarios popped into his head. The first was an unpleasant thought but the second, and real scenario, had filled him with dread.

Now here you were, injured and in pain, while Eomer was kicking himself. If he had only told you how he felt earlier, he may have been in the room with you. If he had been you wouldn't have been attacked. You wouldn't have had to hurt another person. Eomer knew that you would have a hard time coming to terms with what had happened even though you had only been protecting yourself. He only hoped you'd allow him to be there for you. He was so lost in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed that the healer had finished and you were watching him with curiosity.

"Y/N is free to go. They need rest to heal, but they seem to be alright," the healer stated before scurrying from the room. "Should I escort you to your chambers?" Eomer asked and your eyes widened. The word "NO" practically exploded out of your mouth. You instantly looked embarrassed. Eomer slowly moved to he could sit next to you and take your hand in his.

"I cannot say I blame you," he whispered, "I could, that is, you could rest in my chambers until we get new ones for you." Your brows lowered over her eyes in confusion. "I couldn't ask you to that. You need rest as well." Eomer rolled his eyes. "Between the two of us, you are the one who is injured. You need rest. It will just be for the night."

You sighed, knowing how stubborn Eomer could be. You agreed and Eomer once again scooped you up in his arms. "Eomer," you hissed but he merely chuckled. "I can walk," you muttered. Eomer's smile fell a bit. "I know you can, Y/N. I just-let me have this moment?" You cocked your head to the side.

"I should have been there. If I wasn't such a coward, I would have been. I should have protected you. I should have told you long ago how I feel so I could have been there for you. I cannot protect you from the past, but I can be there now, if you'll let me," he explained softly, though his words echoed through the empty corridors.

"And how do you feel?" you asked in the same quiet tone Eomer had used. He didn't answer for a moment. He was still unsure of how to put it into words, but he knew he needed to. The attack tonight made certain that he knew that. Coming so close to losing you was the most frightening moment of his life. But how could he tell you that? It wasn't until you were safely in Eomer's chambers and he set you on the bed that he spoke again.

"I am utterly devoted to you. Everything about you. I love the way you argue with me. I love that you would do anything for those you care about, especially my sister. I love that you always avoid me before breakfast in the mornings because and I quote 'you would put the Great Goblin to shame with your foul temper'. I love that you believe me I say something feels wrong, but that you aren't afraid to tell me when I'm being ridiculous. I love that you can spend hours with your nose in a book even if it's one you've read a dozen times before."

Eomer grew tense when you didn't reply. He knew his words had been clumsy. Romantic confessions were not typical for him and now he'd made a mess of things. This was exactly what he'd feared. Rejection. "Eomer. Look at me." Eomer glanced up at you and you smiled. "I never thought I'd hear those words from you. Eomer, you are the most amazing man I have ever met. It pains me that it took an attacker to bring us together this way, but you have to know I much I love you." Eomer swore he would never feel as happy as he did now ever again…

…He was that happy again a few years later. When he asked you to marry him and you accepted.

(a/n: I hope you liked it!)

Forever Tags: @fizzyxcustard @brewsthespirit-blog @sirkekselord @aikibriarrose @lady-of-lies @motleymoose @esoltis280 @stories-by-shanna-p @dark-angel-is-back @supernatural4life2022

Tolkien Tags: @jotink78 @thealbersclan @evyiione @iwillbeinmynest @legolaslovely @wingedlandwasteland @justcallmecinammon

#tolkien #lotr #eomer #eomer x reader

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papermint-airplane · 7 months

Text

People you’d like to get to know better

I was tagged by @milky-cowplant, @ares-in-a-jar, @stargazer-sims, @weisskralle, and @happy-lemon. I feel the love! 🥰

last song: Blah Blah by Itzy. Their Japanese releases are always so 🔥

favorite color: Red and metallic gold. It's just a coincidence those are Iron Man colors. Total coincidence.

currently watching: At the moment, I am chipping away at a 17 hour Creepypasta iceberg video because it amuses me so much. I love Creepypastas sfm you have no idea. When they're good, they're amazing, but when they're bad, they're hilarious. Either way, it's literally all hits for me, no misses.

last movie: Hmm I don't watch movies much anymore so I think the last one was Across the Spider-verse. I need to carve out a good 12 hours at some point though because I've been dying for an LOTR rewatch. I need 12 uninterrupted hours and a day afterwards for recovery because I know I'm going to cry at the end of Return of the King like I always do and nobody else gets it but it's so bittersweet like I'm only fucking human what do you want from me. And furthermore--

currently reading: Due to my ever-dwindling attention span and stupid ass schedule, I read with my ears. I'm currently listening to Turn of the Screw read by Emma Thompson. The intro is read by Richard Armitage and his voice is like 🥵🥵. Can a voice be a zaddy? Because GOT DANG his voice is radiating zaddy energy. He kept moaning and shit and it was so unnecessary because this story is not like that and I'm like "yesss please keep talking forever". 🥵🥵🥵🥵

Sweet/spicy/savory: Savory most of the time, sweet sometimes, spicy almost never. I have intestines of glass. 😭

last thing I googled: The difference between inductive and deductive reasoning.

current obsession: Kinda dumb but I'm pretty obsessed with my new Rocketbook. It's a notebook that you can scan and digitize super easily and when you're done, you can use water to erase it and reuse it over and over. It's perfect for my random Sims notes because I can just send them immediately to my Dropbox and then erase it all so I don't have 1, 572, 349, 023 sticky notes all over my damn desk every time I wanna write down a hex code or something. Literally zero paper waste. It's awesome.

currently working on: Still puttering away on my Bachelor story even though I don't think most people really care about it. It still amuses me so I'mma keep posting it until it's done. I have non-Bachelor future plans for Aiden, though. 😈😈😈

Edit: Ya girl forgot to tag people. Still thinking about Richard Armitage, it is not my fault, I cannot be held responsible. I think literally everyone has done this by now but um....I can't think of a single person I follow who hasn't, actually. So...yeah. Ok anyway Ilu bye.

#tag #tag game #tag meme #just simblr things #not sims related #tangentially sims related

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starsofarda · 1 year

Text

And I am here once again crying over The Two Towers.

When I feel low and depression strikes me I rewatch/reread the LotR trilogy and my favourite of the three books is the Two Towers.

I am 100% sure that Tolkien did not intend that, but I feel like it is a very good metaphor for depression et al.

Especially when we see Rohan, King Theoden and his people for the first time.

King Theoden is under Saruman's spell, has been for a while, Grima is poisoning his mind and cutting away all the good support system the King usually relies on, aka Eomer and the Rohirrim, the king's son dies, Eowyn is trapped between hammer and anvil and the whole thing feels hopeless.

Come on. This is King THeoden in the deepest thralls of his mental health issues Saruman's spell.

And then Gandalf arrives and - yeah, I did that in one of the "I can't articulate stuff" moments:

And King Theoden breathes again, finding once again his will to fight and live. Just like my own experiences with my mental health, but I ill not unpack that here.

And the thing is, it's not like King THeoden is suddenly happy, the struggle carries on:

"Who am I Gamling?"

"You are our King."

"And do you trust your King?"

And then again:

"Where is the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed like rain on the mountain, like wind in the meadow. The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow."

And once again, at Helm's deep:

"So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?"

And yet Aragorn is there to support him,saying "Ride with me" and the consequent quote really drives in thepoint for me. He is struggling, but he will not let evil overcome everything.

"The horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the deep one last time. Let this be the hour when we draw swords together. Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath, now for ruin, and the red dawn. Forth Èorlingas!"

I find this such a good metaphor for mental health and its struggles, all of this gives me so much hope and courage - and here I am crying again.

This is paralleled wel with Frodo and his own struggle against the ring's power and Sam is there reminding him that the struggle is real, but we have to keep going on nevertheless.

I love this piece of media/book so much.

This constantly strikes a chord in me and reminds me, a disabled, chronically ill person that I too have my own Saruman and Grima and my own Uruk-hai to fight against. I have my own Rohan to defend.

Now, again, Tolkien probably never meant to tell Rohan and King Theoden this way, but is this not the beauty of finding something that we can relate to that can help us on our own journey?

Anyway, I love Rohan, I love the character of King Theoden, Eowyn and Eomer and I just wanted to get this out in the sun.

I am now going to cry more.

#the lord of the rings #lotr #king theoden #rohan #meta #let's call this meta but really it's more like a rant #parallels #mental health #theoden #the two towers

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findusinaweek · 1 year

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Top 10 movies

Tagged by @aeide like....29 days ago. Cool. A lot of stuff happened lately and also I had to think about this and remake the list at least 7 (now 9) times. So. This is probably not true but it has old favorites and current bias and I’ve put far too much thought into this. Under cut because of gifs causing loading/flashing. Uhhhhh. I feel weird about tagging this, since it’s been so long. I can’t remember who has done it and who hasn’t. Gonna tag folks who I don’t remember seeing. If you’ve done it, or you don’t want to, that’s cool! Sorry I took forever with it. @blue-mono, @cataliinaa, @whereforartthoumisthios, @fikali, anyone else who wants?

1) The Hours

It has music by Philip Glass! Meryl Streep plays a queer woman and that was important to me as a teenager. It’s very sad but it is always there for me when I feel bleak. It’s just a part of my psyche and I can’t really explain it at this point.

2) Lord of the Rings 2: The Two Towers (Extended Version)

Every Thursday for about 8 years the closest group of cousins and I would watch a movie while we had our piano lessons and most of those years we just watched LOTR 2 and 3 extended versions. Every Thursday. For about 8 years. 2/4 people (including me) are most likely autistic, yes. 2/4 (not including me) can play the piano. We are very annoying about LOTR. Anyways, look! It’s Haldir! The first man I loved to die of a weapon through the head. Yeah. I love that guy. Also, this film has great french horn!

3) Pride and Prejudice (2005)

I cannot express how much I love this movie. I cannot explain all the things about it I love. I cannot. Music is by Dario Marianelli (I can play to the second page of the score to “Living Sculptures of Pemberly” on piano. It only took 5 years), Directed by Joe Wright, Kiera Knightley stars as Elizabeth Bennett. I adore the dresses, the hair, the casting, the music, the fact that Simon Wood’s hair continued growing red after filming, the statues in Pemberly, the tiling on the floors in Pemberly, the way Mary plays the piano, Georgiana, Darcy’s sideburns, the HAND FLEX, the weird pig scene, The flower Tom Hollander holds, the nod to Henry Purcell, ect. 4) Anna Karenina (2012)

Dario, Joe, Kiera, and a train walk into a movie. Do not get me started.

5) The Parent Trap (1998)

I saw this as a kid and made my mom watch it with me over and over and over again. She didn’t mind. She thinks she’s like Chessy, but she’s not. She doesn’t cook, for one. And she doesn’t wear a denim shirt. I do though. We still quote this to each other. Formative.

6) A Place Promised in Our Early Days

An earlier Makoto Shinkai movie. The plot is confusing and boring if I’m honest. The background animations are breathtaking. If you like anime but also like realism in art, I’d highly recommend any Makoto Shinkai movie for visuals.

7) The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

Do you ever just want to eat a sandwich and listen to old italian music and watch your enemy best friend and lover drown? No? huh. Amazing soundtrack! Spy drama! COSTUMING. It makes me laugh! Henry Cavill! Solo/Kuryakin/Teller should be canon. I was pretty upset about the whole Armie Hammer thing, tbh, because I really wanted a sequel to this. But I’m ok with that not happening.

8) Fly Away Home

The first media I wallowed in. Would rewind to the scene with Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “10,000′s miles” and sit way too close to the screen. When we got it on dvd my life changed. I could just press the button!? I didn’t care about the geese, really. I cared about the deep grief this kid was having. Someone probably should have questioned why I was watching it on repeat and gotten me into therapy a lot earlier. All in all, it’s a pretty movie.

9) A Single Man

I love this movie but I gotta admit I skip around watching it. It’s so depressing, I can’t watch it all at the same time. I like the music a lot, good cello. I love watching Colin Firth be miserable. I like crying with George. I don’t give a shit about Charley (except for her house and dress. Sorry Julianne Moore.) I hate Kenny. I want to live in George’s house. I want to live there. It is the J.W. Schaffer House. It’s a modernist house built in 1949 by John Lautner. I want to lick touch that woodwork. UGH. The glass. UGH. I love it. UGH. It’s such an impractical house. UGH. It’s so dumb. UGh. I want to go lay down on the floor, surrounded by books, in that house. uGH.

10) Underworld

What a dumb movie. Somewhere in my mom’s house is a Windows XP with a folder of photos of Selene that I thought were really cool, for some reason that I couldn’t figure out. That computer also has viruses from badly pirating the movie in 2008. I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen and probably the first R rated movie I snuck. On this list because of the family computer destruction. And the ‘armor’, if you can call it that.

#top 10 movies #tag game #sorry I took 5 million years with this one #I love gifs so much

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