#idk this might be my way of revolting to my friends not texting me as well | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

highladyluck · 3 years

Text

Mat/Tuon meta: Will He/Won’t He (Stage A Military Coup)

Back on my Mat/Tuon meta horse! This is about why Tuon is absolutely convinced Mat won't mount a military coup against her, and under what circumstances he just might, actually. Obviously, ‘ware series spoilers. The personal/political dynamic Mat and Tuon have at the end of the series continues to fascinate me. Tuon is well aware that Mat’s prince-consort position, Prince of the Ravens, is a position that could lead a military coup against her leadership; she knows all about the power struggle that imperialist, expansionist government leaders face with respect to their armies and the generals that lead the armies. She also knows at this point that Mat specifically has the skillset to pull that kind of thing off; he has demonstrated political skill even if he's not used to Seanchan customs (she noted that the way he diffused tension in the hell boded well for his ability to handle Seanchan court politics), he quickly inspires personal trust and loyalty in his troops regardless of what troops he's actually leading (see: when he meets back up with the Band in the Altaran wilderness, plus how quickly her own armies took to him), and of course he is brilliant at tactics and strategy (see: the entire series starting at book 4). She is also *certain* that he won't actually use that power against her. He has shown her personal loyalty on numerous other occasions, and Tuon's entire brand and survival strategy is generating personal loyalty due to her power (or potential power), skills, and personal integrity. She knows what personal loyalty looks like and she knows how it works. She's a little appalled at herself for not being afraid of Mat staging a coup, and she even thinks that it's probably not good for her or the empire to *not* be constantly threatened by her top military commander, because she's been conditioned to believe that external threats keep her sharp and focused- but she absolutely does trust him not to be a threat to her. Which is wild!!! You have to understand how wild this is!

Tuon previously only trusted her personal safety to people she thoroughly controls- Selucia, Karede, her damane. She does have a kind of control over Mat, but it's not based on anything she's done or her position, it's based on his personality and choices, and I don't think she thinks she controls him. (I think she believes she has authority over him, and that's at least somewhat true, but that's much different from the total control she has over enslaved people, or even the political control she has over the Blood.) She does also trust people she doesn't entirely control- the people who are almost her peers- but notably she doesn't trust them not to hurt her. She trusts that they'll act in ways benefiting their own self-interest or the interest of the empire, which could mean they might hurt her.

Mat, on the other hand, she trusts not to hurt her except accidentally, by making choices that have implications for her standing. (That's what all the manners lessons are about, she's trying to protect him so he doesn't leave her exposed.) Again, THIS IS WILD. Tuon’s an autocratic empress raised under the threat of assassination from birth, she has MAJOR trust and control issues, and here is someone she does not fully control but whom she implicitly trusts not to physically or even intentionally harm her. Do you think she's ever had that experience in her life before? I can't see how she would have. I think there's room to explore this in a way that would be therapeutic for Tuon, but it's also an extremely tempting vulnerability to exploit narratively. Either way, it's fascinating. So what's Mat's motivation not to harm Tuon, and how much of it does Tuon know? It's both a character thing and a situational thing, and I think Tuon knows about some of it, but not all of it, and she also has some major blind spots about what Mat is capable of. Mat won't intentionally harm her for a couple of general character reasons: he's in love with her, which she knows about and is like 'weird flex, but ok'; I don't know if she really knows how to parse it tbh. Also, because he won't kill a woman, which she knows about and is like 'this dumbassery is going to get my himbo straight-up murdered; however, it's kinda cute'. Also, because he has a saving-people-especially-women-thing, which she may or may not know about; I forget whether it came up in any of her surreal chats with Mat's childhood friends, but even if it did she may not know enough to give it proper context in his motivations, or understand how truly generalized it is. He's also promised to protect her from harm in the past, and while that may have been a time-/situation-limited thing, she's seen that he keeps his promises, assuming he gave the promise in earnest. So while he hasn't necessarily made such a promise recently, she knows that he keeps his word and that's something she values as a mark of integrity and a reason to trust someone. The other reasons she trusts him are more down to circumstances: the Last Battle had him temporarily siding with the Seanchan against their common enemy, the Dark One. I think Tuon's aware that he's not fully committed to the Empire yet, but possibly she doesn't realize the extent to which he is ambivalent, or she thinks it's the kind of thing they can compromise on, like the uniform design, rather than a fundamental disconnect in goals. Or she thinks that once he understands what his responsibilities are, he'll absorb himself into the role the way she has, which is... uh... rather optimistic of her, but we all have our blind spots. Finally, I don't think Mat's fully realized that a military coup (which would likely look like a situation where he spares Tuon's life but gets her off the throne) is an option for him. Or, it's occurred to him, but the circumstance has not yet come up that would justify him taking that path. And I do *not* think Tuon has considered this! She might think he knows that the Prince of Ravens is traditionally a threat to the Empress, but I don't recall that she's actually said that to him. And I don't think she sees a difference between her not being Empress and her being dead- she's conflated 'being in power' with 'staying alive' literally her entire life, and she probably thinks any situation where she's not Empress but still alive, if it's even possible, would be so shameful/painful it would be better to be dead. So it wouldn't occur to her that one outcome of a coup would be to replace her as government head but still keep her alive. And Mat hasn't yet faced a situation where he might have major ethical issues with not just the structure of the army but also the goals of it. (Even his iconic ‘I am accidentally leading an army despite really not wanting to lead an army, because I can’t let these dumbasses get killed’ move was ethically consistent, since he was just trying to run away/save people.) And, as I will never shut up about, he’s done literal war crimes to achieve his goals before- he didn’t stop to give aid after he ambushed the Seanchan in the Altaran forest, even though Teslyn specifically says this is against Randland military convention. And given Mat’s early canonical history of being railroaded into leading military campaigns, I don’t think Mat’s going to balk at leading the Seanchan army just because he doesn’t like the Seanchan empire, though it will matter what specifically he’s asked to do with it and why. I think Mat's way more likely to be willing to lead the reunification of Seanchan than to deal with local Westlands slave uprisings or rebellion. You're going to hit his moral breaking point a lot sooner if there's domestic civil crises. An actual slave revolt or rebellion would get hit with military force, and Mat says as much to Beslan so he's well aware that he'd be, if not in charge, certainly culpable for the Seanchan government response to it. (They might try to prevent it from happening at all with Seekers; but Seekers are mostly focused on the Blood, I think, so I think it's possible that if there's minimal Blood involvement they might not know about it in time to nip it in the bud.) So if you wanted to force Mat to have a crisis of conscience that's one situation you could set up, and I think it's even somewhat likely. Post-TG Seanchan-Westland politics are going to be a Cold War, and many entities in the Westlands would be happy to lend plausibly deniable support to an organic citizen and/or slave uprising! The other thing is, Mat needs to be constantly occupied and he does like using his skills; if he gets an 'acceptable' target for military force he probably will go for it. So if the forces in Seanchan unified under a rando warlord, he'd probably be ok leading the Westlands Seanchan troops there, reasoning that Tuon is probably a better or at least more influenceable ruler than that other guy. (Might be complicated if it was a female unifier, but probably not that much.) He would not be keen on enslaving the free Westlands- not that that’s going to happen as long as the Dragon’s Peace is going on- but a ‘peacekeeping mission in a foreign land’? ...idk, I can see him going for it, especially if he doesn't have enough political capital yet to back up an outright refusal. Mat was conflicted about using the damane he captured in the Last Battle, but he did use her. She was a prisoner of war from the enemy side, which probably eased his conscience a little re: personally owning her, but I don't see anywhere in the text that he had issues commanding Seanchan sul'dam and damane in a less personal way. The Last Battle was an unusual situation, but we've also seen Mat willing to ally or at least put up with plenty of people he dislikes- on personal and ideological grounds- to achieve a goal (see: rescuing Joline) or just figure out his options (see: all that card-playing with nobles in the Stone of Tear while he had emotions about Rand. XD)

So if you wanted to force Mat to have a moral crisis while fighting in Seanchan, you'd make the people he's fighting in Seanchan be people he sympathizes with more than he sympathizes with imperial Seanchan; let's say it's a coalition of rebels who want a different, more equal society. Mat's got gilt by association (thank you for that amazing phrase, Terry Pratchett) and he's not pleased about it, and unlike Tuon, he can envision a situation where she's still alive but not Empress. So I think that'd be another situation that would force him to have a crisis of conscience and start planning a coup or at least using his considerable power for leverage. The key in both cases is that it's not just Mat randomly deciding to take a stand for freedom; frankly, I don't think he would, unless he thought it was the best way to 'rescue' Tuon, and even then he would wait or maneuver until the tactical/strategic landscape was as much in his favor as possible, which is where the external circumstances weakening the Empire come in.

#mat/tuon #wheel of time #wheel of time meta #seanchan #mat cauthon #tuon paendrag #problematic fave tuon #wheel of time spoilers #post-canon #sorry I know no one wants to read more about coups this week

40 notes · View notes

tylerwritez · 3 years

Text

Tuesday, june 22 2021

I've noticed I'm getting "the shiverys" or "the twitchy" a lot today. Like every time I FEEL something I take a moment to violently tic.... every time I think about certain things I tic.... good things, bad things, things from an hour ago and things from years ago. Tic, tic, tic.

Also, I have... some stuff to explain. Its really no big deal, but you know me: I'll freak out about it anyway. Basically I dissed my friend (rightfully so) around the time that we had just met cos they did something that threw me off.

He saw it in my phone... NOW. it's not RELEVANT anymore and I've since redacted that criticism...and now I gotta explain it to him anwyays. Oh well. I'm good at this stuff. I can get myself outta any situation. I dont even know why I'm talking like this tho... it's not a "Situation" it's just smthn I gotta explain rq.

Oh, today's song recommendation is Spirit Crusher by Death. I'm a huge Death fan...

Also! I gotta study... for my replacement exam. How stressful. Its about photosynthesis, but like, it's not simple. We went DEEP inside those fucking leaves.

One sec, lemme hook up my IV tube

Not an ACTUAL IV tube... just my headphones. But since I'm so #emo, it might as well be a fucking IV tube with the way that I cant live without it.

Its 3:08 and I'm walking home now. I was upset last night but me and Star have made up now lol... it was thAt easy. I'm so defective, making shit hard when it doesnt need to be.

It's so hot out damn. Idk. I had school today, so I had Bio class... I ACTUALLY PAID ATTENTION for once. I had lunch with Star and her friend group, and I honestly kinda feel like they're MY friends now too, even just a little bit.

Actually, I used to rant about feeling lonely like all the time but now I have so many friends it's crazy they all keep inviting me places and it's like people WANT ME AROUND... idk. It makes me happy.

Today I gotta ask if tommroow after school I can go to Bee's house to watch Supernatural (famous homoerotic ghost show)

I should also add songs to Erin's spotify playlist for our picnic saturday which I still need permission to go to.

I gotta ask for Wednesday after school to watch Insidious with Jay which is apparently really good

Also hes the friend that I gotta explain stuff to... the DrAmA... the ThEaTrE....

Update my dad said yes to hanging out with Bee but first I'm gonna miss school to fix my broken brackets on my braces

Also turns out the house I THOUGHT we were moving into has substantial damage from shifting so... we aRENT moving there.

In case you didn't know, shifting is when like the house that's been built literally SHIFTS like it moves around.

Anwyays Jay just texted me... I'm gonna change into shorts since it's hot, set up my study area,.... and respond to him.

The time is 3:22 p.m.

Wish me. Luck.

Luck is plentiful! As it so often is in my risky, risky life.

I play my cards right. It's a learnt skill.

But also there wasnt much to explain since it passed already and was tiny anywyas.

XD so I've made up with the whole goddamn world by now.

Its 6:31, we saw 1 house. Only one. Its kinda hot out but I'm gonna bike now since we just had supper. I finally finished my homework... I just have to finish one mixed media piece as my final project for art!

Friday is my replacement. On photosynthesis and cell resp. We know this. But what I didn't mention, or I dont THINK I did, is that if I finish my art project before then I have the second block FREE!!! Me, Star, and her friend

A are planning to leave for second block and maybe get mint chocolate chip ice cream!

Also I might eat her out XD

Anyways idk. I hope I can bike tonight to call Jay.

I keep accidentally using people's real names here then having to correct it... I dont know how much i care about MY identity being discovered... but to have my friends doxxed would suck.

Man I feel bad abt saying fuck star last night cos we made up....

Wait we r looking at another house? Idk I'm in the car still waiting to go home

Oh wait no now we r goin home

Its 6:39... I hope I still have time.

I went biking, called Jay. Went home. Idk, friendly conversation... we talked more tonight and I also talked to my other friend A. Jay is... I LOVE HIM?? SO MUCH??? I feel so happy. Talking to him thinking about him seeing his STUPID FUCKING FACE JESUS. his eyes alone... I could stare at his face all day probably. I want to kiss him... hOLD HIS HAND... omg... huG HIM!!! Eofjwpxjwie he's so sweet like I can't even... and I'm proabably not good enough for him like. Wtf. Hes easily a 10. And I dont rate things outta 10. How tf do I end up with HIM? Doing stuff, as friends. Like wHAT. I guess I got lucky XD. He says he loves my personality and I'm hot XD ofc I dont see it myself. But like. JESUS CHRIST he could proabably easily pull whOever. XD me?

Whatever though. As long as we r together and stuff. I LOVE HIM A LOT. he said he loved me. Every time he says that it makes me so overly happy.

Maybe I'm just sappy and stuff.... whatever. I think it would be nice to be hugged by him.

Yeah I'm cheesy.

I'm sorta tired now so maybe I'm not writing the best.

I just keep thinkinf about love. Love is a muscle of evil suggestion. But how evil can it really be? I am just a human being and that is all. Everything else is applied. I am just a human being with soemthing in my heart that pulls me all over the place. Love is this strange thing because I'm fucked up and to be able to love without that fucked up part of me, without the damage... is this complicated, hard thing to do and I can NEVER tell if I'm doing it right but I know I'm DOING IT. I know I FEEL LOVE. And soemtimes it's such an intense thing like when you go to surf on a wave at the beach with ur belly but u hit it wrong and it's so big and overwhelming it washes over you and PULLS you down to the bottom and smushes your face into the sand and YOU CANT BREATHE jesus Christ it's like that.

Or maybe I just want to experience love as it should be felt.

Obviously all of my problems surrounding this Damage could be easily fixed if I went to therapy but. there are reasons I can't.

I LOVE a lot. Too much for my own good. Enough to hurt me, get me into trouble, etc etc but also... enough to liberate me. I LOVE. I love Jay. So much. LIKE. MY BRAIN ORBITS AROUND HIM CONSTANTLY THINKING OF HIM AND PRAISING HIM AND MWUAH HE IS SO LOVELY I BOW BEFORE HIM...

I think as much as I love, a lot of the times I tend to focus even more on BEING loved.

If I am told I am loved, and shOwN I am loved... it is one of the most powerful things. Especially since I was literally emotionally neglected in childhood... yeah. I feel like I'm always trying to fill that hole.

Not EVERY feeling I have is for that reaosn but sometimes, if you tell me you love me, show me you love me, hug me,... I'll like start crying,,, that's the childhood emotional neglect kicking in. If you call me #smol and #cute and say I look young and fragile which happens more often than you'd think XD, I know I'm not supposed to like that shit, so I act like I dont....but I do. Which is PROBABLY ALSO THE CEN 🤪 like whatever lol

Anwyays I'm fucked up

You see how quickly things become complicated in my mind?

Convoluted? Is that the word?

Whatever. I OVERCOMPLICATE THINGS COS I OVERTHINK THEM BECAUSE I'm LITERALLY MENTALLY ILL IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. I'm not joking. I obviously have unresolved undiagnosed "issues"

I do Suspect things, though.

I can make a list

Maybe I shouldn't.

Maybe I will.

I shouldnt.

Whatever.

I used to hate when people brought up my self harm. I would actually panic. I still self harm but now? Now I'm fine with anyone talking about it as long as it's not an adult who can get me into trouble/force me into therapy over it. Because really? I kinda like having it mentioned. It's kinda validating and it's like hey... people can see that I'm sick.

I dont do it so people talk to me about it though. Dont get me wrong. If I did, I'd go vertically on the arms, not for suicide but so it healed and people would ask XD.

My scars are actually VERY hidden... cos I never intended for ANYONE to see. But for those who DO see them,,,, it's nice soemtimes to have people express concern.

I dont wanna be PITIED or anything, but idk I just think to myself "wow, they're CONCERNED... about ME... they arent angry or mean... they didnt yell at me or threaten me... they respect my autonomy and privacy...

And they CARE ABOUT ME..." and it makes me cry.

That's also the CEN.

I dont know. I just like when people express genuine concern. Even if they see and then just ask if I'm okay. That's all it takes cos then I go wow.

Its validating and irs lovely because finally people care... FINALLY PEOPLE CARE. FINALLY I GET SOME EMPATHY OR SYMPATHY AND NO ANGER.

Even just having them brought up tells me its noticeable enough

My brain does this thing where it thinks nothing bad that's ever happened to me was Bad Enough for me to be upset about.

And I dont know... its nice sometimes to be told shit like "omg that looks so bad" or to see that people who do see my cuts are somewhat shocked or revolted... it's nice because I go... "hey, it was bad enough for them..."

Or to have people comment on them with concern. Just ANYTHINT WHERE PEOPLE NOTICE IT AND ARENT ASSHOLES ABOUT IT IS VALIDATING.

Because I'm not used to that...

Because CEN

I'm. The worst perosn on the fucking planet.

I should kill myself.

I suddenly actually feel so self hating I do want to kill myself... oh god.

I ruin everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. What have I done. Like. Why. Oh god.

I'm just remembering when Star said my kindness seemed like an act. And how I've been called out for seeming fake like 2 other times.

DO I SEEM FAKE???? I DONT EVER PUT ON ACTS OF KINDESS.... CONCIOUSLY? but the very idea that I could be perceived that way...

Should I like not try to be nice or some shit?

Jesus christ she hurts my feelings even now when it was a long time ago.

But I cant blame her. I can't blame anyone for how i feel except my parents because they left me with fucking. Heart nerve damage or some shit.

I'm tired and now I'm sad too. Goodnight guys.

#JudeJournals

1 note · View note

gurguliare · 6 years

Text

HISTORY OF GALADRIEL AND CELEBORN AS INTERPRETED BY ME GOGOL

I’m skipping all the alternate versions of her early life in Aman because I can make no jokes finer than those made in this fic.

The Dwarves of Belegost were filled with dismay at the calamity and fear for its outcome, and this hastened their departure eastwards to Khazad-dûm.

Hey so Celeborn and Galadriel stopping by like, <100 years afterward must have been horrifying huh

She looked upon the Dwarves also with the eye of a commander, seeing in them the finest warriors to pit against the Orcs. [...] Galadriel and Celeborn had in their company a Noldorin craftsman named Celebrimbor. Celebrimbor had "an almost 'dwarvish' obsession with crafts"; and he soon became the chief artificer of Eregion, entering into a close relationship with the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm, among whom his greatest friend was Narvi.

I like the workable ‘implication’ that Galadriel encouraged Celebrimbor’s dwarvish outreach stuff for strategic reasons---I mean, he probably didn’t need that much encouragement, but “enabled,” let’s say; I imagine he frustratingly turned around and parroted her own all-Arda-is-marred logic to her when it came to welcoming Sauron, like, you told me my duty was collaboration as strength, coz!

When he felt himself to be secure he sent emissaries to Eriador, and finally, in about the year 1200 of the Second Age, came himself, wearing the fairest form that he could contrive.

Wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait. He sent emissaries... from Mordor? He came himself... as an emissary from Mordor?

I know it doesn’t state that outright, but it also seems like the simplest way to read this part. I feel like this is probably mentioned in every Celebrimbor/Sauron fic and I just glossed over it, but listen. He came as an emissary from Mordor???? “Hi, I’m Annatar, Lord of Gifts, and I’ve been doing some great work out East---”

But in the meantime the power of Galadriel and Celeborn had grown, and Galadriel, assisted in this by her friendship with the Dwarves of Moria, had come into contact with the Nandorin realm of Lórinand on the other side of the Misty Mountains. [...] It is not made clear when this movement [of the Sindar] into Lórinand took place; it may be that they came from Eregion by way of Khazad-dûm and under the auspices of Galadriel. Galadriel, striving to counteract the machinations of Sauron, was successful in Lórinand; while in Lindon Gil-galad shut out Sauron's emissaries and even Sauron himself [as is more fully reported in Of Rings of Power (The Silmarillion p. 287)]. But Sauron had better fortune with the Noldor of Eregion and especially with Celebrimbor, who desired in his heart to rival the skill and fame of Fëanor.

In Eregion Sauron posed as an emissary of the Valar, sent by them to Middle-earth ("thus anticipating the Istari") or ordered by them to remain there to give aid to the Elves.

Again: shut out emissaries FROM MORDOR??? Is that... is that right? But, okay, in Eregion posed as an emissary of the Valar---that could mean he changed the story entirely and dropped whatever persona he was using w/ Gil-Galad and Elrond, except... all the language in “Of the Rings of Power” suggests that Gil-Galad and Elrond rejected the Annatar identity. Okay. More compatible would be, he came to Gil-Galad as supposedly a direct representative of (or as the king of??) Mordor, and then he went to Celebrimbor and said, no one else knows this, but I’m actually a god. Celebrimbor: ohhhhhh THUS the heat haze

...

That’s so fucking crazy. That’s wild. What the fuck. I’m going to be really sad if someone points out a reason this interpretation is obviously untenable. I mean I also really like all the fic with Sauron two-timing it as Annatar Lord of Gifts and Tar-Mairon Ferocious God-King or whatever, switching hairpieces in a phonebooth, but PLEASE... I JUST... “yes, I’m king of all Mordor, and this is my diplomatic visit to you which will last for 200 years.” Ok that really makes no sense but maybe like, “I’ve been working behind the scenes in Mordor to pull together on-the-ground resistance against that mysterious evil force whose center you JUST cannot place? I’M COMFORTABLE NOW THAT IT’S STABLE AND SO I’VE COME AMONG YOU---” ... like .... what ....

He perceived at once that Galadriel would be his chief adversary and obstacle, and he endeavoured therefore to placate her, bearing her scorn with outward patience and courtesy. [No explanation is offered in this rapid outline of why Galadriel scorned Sauron, unless she saw through his disguise, or of why, if she did perceive his true nature, she permitted him to remain in Eregion.] Sauron used all his arts upon Celebrimbor and his fellow-smiths, who had formed a society or brotherhood, very powerful in Eregion, the Gwaith-i-Mírdain; but he worked in secret, unknown to Galadriel and Celeborn.

In secret? In secret. In secret? SORRY I KEEP HAVING THESE AHA MOMENTS ABOUT VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD PIECES OF INFORMATION it’s been awhile. But seriously how does that even---in secret as in he lived in Celebrimbor’s basement or in secret as in, whenever Celebrimbor tried to buttonhole him at a party where other people could see them, he turned into a cat and ran away? what, come on, tell me

My new theory about Galadriel btw is Celebrimbor just. Didn’t tell her it was a Maia. Like, “oh, no, he’s on a secret mission to heal Middle-earth, I can’t out him, that would deprive Galadriel of the chance to come around on her own.” Galadriel: sweating through her clothes every night but can’t figure out why

...but Celeborn would not enter the mansions of the Dwarves, and he remained behind in Eregion, disregarded by Celebrimbor. In Lórinand Galadriel took up rule, and defence against Sauron.

no um. I do actually love that Celeborn then presumably became Galadriel’s spy in Eregion while she battle-readied Lórinand from afar. ... ... ... How the fuck did Celebrimbor persuade Sauron to also disregard Celeborn? I have yet another theory but it pairs better with this next quote

Sauron himself departed from Eregion about the year 1500, after the Mírdain had begun the making of the Rings of Power. Now Celebrimbor was not corrupted in heart or faith, but had accepted Sauron as what he posed to be; and when at length he discovered the existence of the One Ring he revolted against Sauron, and went to Lórinand to take counsel once more with Galadriel. They should have destroyed all the Rings of Power at this time, "but they failed to find the strength." Galadriel counselled him that the Three Rings of the Elves should be hidden, never used, and dispersed, far from Eregion where Sauron believed them to be.

“revolted against Sauron” is different from “rejected Sauron.” Among other things, it sort of suggests he’d previously accepted Sauron as some kind of overlord. He’s described as taking control of Eregion for himself, together with the rest of the guild---but maybe he’d privately committed Eregion itself to Mordor’s service or aid, and that’s why Sauron was comfortable leaving to resume open rule of Mordor, with Celebrimbor supposedly in his pocket as future lieutenant/petty king? I... uh. idk I know this is a lot of extrapolation, but on the other hand, I like it because it helps me understand why Sauron might have taken such a light touch with, say, the Celeborn issue. Of course you can also explain that as “Celebrimbor wasn’t an idiot and Sauron had no way of pressuring him into it without basically outing himself as a creep” BUT LIKE ... IF THERE WAS ALREADY A COUP---hmm. Anyway, I’m just fond of Celebrimbor playing faith-and-trust chicken with Annatar even before he necessarily developed any suspicions of his identity: Annatar is asking a lot of him, so a lot he will give! But in a way that almost precludes Annatar challenging Celebrimbor’s “loyalties,” because distrust in the face of so much submission would be a sign of bad conscience.

God Celeborn must have made a crap spy, and also hated that job, worst job

I like that he doesn’t go with Celebrimbor to Lórinand either. I mean, to be fair, that would be a hell of a red flag to Sauron, but also I’m imagining Celebrimbor offering absent-mindedly and Celeborn like, “are you going through Khazad-dum???”

Celebrimbor: well... yes... they usually leave the door unlocked for me

Celeborn: FUCK YOU send my love to my wife

It was at that time that she received Nenya, the White Ring, from Celebrimbor, and by its power the realm of Lórinand was strengthened and made beautiful; but its power upon her was great also and unforeseen, for it increased her latent desire for the Sea and for return into the West, so that her joy in Middle-earth was diminished.

[ + from the footnotes: "the resemblance cannot be accidental. She had endeavoured to make Lórien a refuge and an island of peace and beauty, a memorial of ancient days, but was now filled with regret and misgiving, knowing that the golden dream was hastening to a grey awakening. It may be noted that Treebeard interpreted Lothlórien as 'Dream-flower.'"

+ Galadriel cannot have made use of the powers of Nenya until a much later time, after the loss of the Ruling Ring; but it must be admitted that the text does not at all suggest this (although she is said just above to have advised Celebrimbor that the Elven Rings should never be used).]

I’m counting this as support for my vague thing of “the Rings actively help revert the world to an earlier savepoint rather than just slowing decay, a la Dwarvish time magic rather than Elvish preservation stuff”; I love that it acts on Galadriel, too, to access this otherworldly young self to whom Middle-earth wasn’t even real. Also, god, I just love the feeling that Galadriel actually arrests her own development in a way she doesn’t have to, and like, it becomes a thing where Valinor is the only cure because she needs to reconnect with the reality of her fantasy/obsession, but it wasn’t---Valinor wasn’t necessarily the only endpoint of her time in Middle-earth, and it’s partly her very straightforward love of Middle-earth (for its own sake, as well as for the sake of power over it) that leads her into this situation of alienating herself from the world in order to heal it. I know this is Galadriel 101, okay, but listen. It’s a good time. I also like that what she may interpret as an overlong indulgence might instead have been a period of necessary dormancy, protective in the same way that like, the Siege of the Noldor was protective though still doomed. That separate obsession giving her grounds on which to reject the Ring, for example; I can imagine that 3000 years spent maturing more normally, without Nenya and without such a heavy burden of imposed regret, might have prepared her better for a bunch of stuff, but not for the Ring.

The scouts and vanguard of Sauron's host were already approaching when Celeborn made a sortie and drove them back; but though he was able to join his force to that of Elrond they could not return to Eregion, for Sauron's host was far greater than theirs, great enough both to hold them off and closely to invest Eregion.

I can’t believe the new relationship I came away from this reread caring about was “Celeborn and Celebrimbor.” Celebrimbor: overthrows you, ignores you for centuries, sends you out to fight his boyfriend for him in mix of trust and unwanted generosity (he trusts you to fight, and also to escape!), dies. Corpse shows up on a banner. He’s so patronizing

Then Celebrimbor was put to torment, and Sauron learned from him where the Seven were bestowed. This Celebrimbor revealed, because neither the Seven nor the Nine did he value as he valued the Three; the Seven and the Nine were made with Sauron's aid, whereas the Three were made by Celebrimbor alone, with a different power and purpose. [It is not actually said here that Sauron at this time took possession of the Seven Rings, though the implication seems clear that he did so. In Appendix A (III) to The Lord of the Rings it is said that there was a belief among the Dwarves of Durin's Folk that the Ring of Durin III, King of Khazad-dûm, was given to him by the Elven-smiths themselves, and nothing is said in the present text about the way in which the Seven Rings came into possession of the Dwarves.]

Urgh I have such a feeling about... Celebrimbor’s friendship with the Dwarves slowly deadened and crowded out by Sauron’s competing influence, while the outward form was maintained... maybe that’s an uncharitable reading of this. But like, that he was SO far gone by the time Sauron was done with him that all he cared about was dividing up his life into things Sauron had gotten into and things still untouched---the Seven and the Nine written off because Sauron already tainted them, so only the Three matter. Whereas when he gave away the Seven as gifts he must have thought of them as hallowed by that association, although the widening rift is still apparent, since at one point his first thought would presumably have been to work with the dwarves on any gift he made for them. ... Celebrimbor, bud.

Sauron withdrew the pursuit of Elrond and turned upon the Dwarves and the Elves of Lórinand, whom he drove back; but the Gates of Moria were shut, and he could not enter. Ever afterwards Moria had Sauron's hate, and all Orcs were commanded to harry Dwarves whenever they might.

Fun how this changed Celeborn’s opinions on dwarves 0% I guess. I know, I know, Moria and things, I LIKE that it didn’t make a dent but I ... feel... “sad”

[This was Vinyalondë of Tar-Aldarion, afterwards called Lond Daer; see Appendix D. p. 274.]

My boy!! My useless boy!

Eriador was cleared of the enemy, but lay largely in ruins.

...but the Red Ring he kept, until he gave it to Círdan when he set out from Lindon in the days of the Last Alliance.

I don’t know why it’s so funny to me that Círdan kept Narya. The Red Ring. The Ring of Fire. “Of course it’ll be safe with him he’s a merman it cancels out”

In its concluding passage the narrative returns to Galadriel, telling that the sea-longing grew so strong in her that (though she deemed it her duty to remain in Middle-earth while Sauron was still unconquered) she determined to leave Lórinand and to dwell near the sea. She committed Lórinand to Amroth, and passing again through Moria with Celebrían she came to Imladris, seeking Celeborn. There (it seems) she found him, and there they dwelt together for a long time; and it was then that Elrond first saw Celebrían, and loved her, though he said nothing of it.

GOD I LOVE ...... ELROND/CELEBRIAN HAPPENING IN THE WAY BACK OF ALL THIS GALADRIEL DRAMA. Galadriel: WHEN will I be GRANTED permission to cross the sea, which I did not accept the first time, and also I cannot leave because Sauron is here, that rube. Celeborn: Should we talk to Celebrian about her new habit of dropping notes tied to rocks off the balcony when Elrond is walking by--- Galadriel: WHEN????

And before Idril set sail she said to Eärendil her son: "The Elessar I leave with thee, for there are grievous hurts to Middle-earth which thou maybe shalt heal. But to none other shalt thou deliver it." And indeed at Sirion's Haven there were many hurts to heal both of Men and Elves, and of beasts that fled thither from the horror of the North; and while Eärendil dwelt there they were healed and prospered, and all things were for a while green and fair. But when Eärendil began his great voyages upon the Sea he wore the Elessar upon his breast, for amongst all his searchings the thought was always before him: that he might perhaps find Idril again; and his first memory of Middle-earth was the green stone above her breast, as she sang above his cradle while Gondolin was still in flower. So it was that the Elessar passed away, when Eärendil returned no more to Middle-earth.

I Luv Earendil And Idril, also, do you think Earendil and Elwing used to play, like ... “stack the magic rocks.” “balance your apple-sized Silmaril on my walnut-sized Elessar in order to impregnate it with holy radiance!” “ok” “now we’ll shine the Silmaril---through the Elessar’s lens---onto crops! because otherwise it burns the crops because it registers nutrients imbibed from the tainted land as evil!” “mmhmm”

And Olórin said: "This I bring to you from Yavanna. Use it as you may, and for a while you shall make the land of your dwelling the fairest place in Middle-earth. But it is not for you to possess. You shall hand it on when the time comes.”

man I’m simultaneously so married to Celebrimbor-made-Elessar-part-two AND fascinated by the huge gap between “to none other shalt thou deliver it” and ............... “This I bring to you from Yavanna.” lmao. Plus the contrast between Idril giving it to Earendil NOT to pass on and Gandalf to Galadriel in trust is great, obviously. idk it’s weird! it’s weird! passionate about the idea of this lost gem rehallowed by its transformation from a possession to a stewardship, as always, thanks again tolkien. Did Eärendil give it to Yavanna in repentance of his quest or to Idril, because Idril came back?? Idril makes more sense and I love how painful that is, since she clearly intended him to keep it but left open the ‘possibility’ of her return in her phrasing! What a judgment on them both that he followed through! Also, imagine Idril immediately turning around like “UHHHH sure my dad was obsessed with bringing back the trees I’ll fob this off on Yavsies”

But he did not say to Galadriel that be himself was of Gondolin long ago, and a friend of Enerdhil, though his friend in most things outrivalled him. Yet if Enerdhil had not been then Celebrimbor would have been renowned. Therefore he took thought, and began a long delicate labour, and so for Galadriel he made the greatest of his works (save the Three Rings only). And it is said that more subtle and clear was the green gem that he made than that of Enerdhil, but yet its light had less power. For whereas that of Enerdhil was lit by the Sun in its youth, already many years had passed ere Celebrimbor began his work, and nowhere in Middle-earth was the light as clear as it had been, for though Morgoth had been thrust out into the Void and could not enter again, his far shadow lay upon it. Radiant nonetheless was the Elessar of Celebrimbor; and he set it within a great brooch of silver in the likeness of an eagle rising upon outspread wings.

Maybe I’m not that married to Celebrimbor remaking the Elessar actually. I can’t remember why I felt married to it. Maybe fuck that. Although I like: [Celebrimbor struggling desperately to remember Gondolin-related things] “I’LL STICK AN EAGLE ON IT”

btw my official stance on “Celebrimbor in Gondolin” is no, no, never, but that he WAS basically lumped in with the Gondolindrim in Sirion, as were other survivors from Nargothrond.....

The native people were fairly numerous and warlike, but they were forest-dwellers, scattered communities without central leadership. They were in awe of the Númenóreans, but they did not become hostile until the tree-felling became devastating. Then they attacked and ambushed the Númenóreans when they could, and the Númenóreans treated them as enemies, and became ruthless in their fellings, giving no thought to husbandry or replanting. The fellings had at first been along both banks of the Gwathló, and timber had been floated down to the haven (Lond Daer); but now the Númenóreans drove great tracks and roads into the forests northwards and southwards from the Gwathló, and the native folk that survived fled from Minhiriath into the dark woods of the great Cape of Eryn Vorn, south of the mouth of the Baranduin, which they dared not cross, even if they could, for fear of the Elvenfolk. [...] The denuding of the lands was increased during the war in Eriador; for the exiled natives welcomed Sauron and hoped for his victory over the Men of the Sea. Sauron knew of the importance to his enemies of the Great Haven and its ship-yards, and he used these haters of Númenor as spies and guides for his raiders.

ahahahahahahaahahahahahahaahahahahahaha sorry I am dying because somehow every time I forget how detailed and explicit Tolkien is about “alas for the rape of nature, which leads indigenous people without fail to ally with Satan”

(Ornê was originally applied to straighter and more slender trees such as birches, whereas stouter, more spreading trees such as oaks and beeches were called in the ancient language galada "great growth"; but this distinction was not always observed in Quenya and disappeared in Sindarin, where all trees came to be called galadh, and orn fell out of common use, surviving only in verse and songs and in many names both of persons and of trees.) That Celeborn was tall is mentioned in a note to the discussion of Númenórean Linear Measures, p.299.

On occasional confusion of Galadriel's name with the word galadh my father wrote:

in conclusion, fat Galadriel is canon: stoutest and fairest of the house of finwë

#silmarillion #long. long text #galadriel #celeborn #celebrimbor #numenor #sauron #eregion #mmm also really loved the explanation of gwathlo's etymology but mostly still just as a prolonged aldarion burn #earendil #idril

31 notes · View notes

allons-y-to-hogwarts-713 · 6 years

Text

85 Questions Tag!

Yikes! This is very useful for procrastination from homework. 😉

Thank you @party-with-books for tagging me ❤️😊

Rules: Answer the questions and tag whoever you want (originally 20 people but like… that’s also a lot)

The last: 1. drink: Dr. Pepper 2. phone call: I think my mom 3. text message: also my mom 4. song: “Branded” (when I started) and “No More (Acoustic)” (when I finished) by NateWantsToBattle because my cousin showed me his music a few weeks ago and I am OBSESSED 5. time you cried: like an hour or less ago

Have you ever: 6. dated someone twice: lol I’ve never even dated someone once 7. kissed someone and regretted it: familial maybe, but I’ve never had a kiss on the lips 8. been cheated on: that would require dating 9. lost someone special: Yes, several, but the closest and most recent was my uncle, which is the reason for the crying within the last hour 10. been depressed: perpetually 11. gotten drunk and thrown up: never tasted alcohol, I don’t even like the smell of it

Favorite colors: 12. Blue 13. Slytherin Green 14. Black 15. Magic Mint 16. Dark Red

In the last year have you: 17. laughed until you cried: yes 18. found out someone was talking about you: ...I don’t think so? I’m not sure 19. met someone who changed you: sort of yes, and probably other(s) without even knowing it yet 20. found out who your friends are: Yes? 21. kissed someone on your facebook list: technically? (because I don’t have a FB so my lack of kisses can be applied to my lack of a list) 22. made friends: Yes 23. fallen out of love: as in lost love for certain celebrities, yes, but personally I’ve never “been in love”

General: 25. what did you do for your last birthday: went to Dave and Busters with my parents and a friend 26. how many of your facebook friends do you know in real life: All of them, because I don’t have a FB so I know all my zero FB friends 27. do you have any pets: nope, but I’d like to 28. what time did you wake up: around 9:30-10:00am 29. what were you doing at midnight last night: working on homework for my Mandarin Chinese class 30. name something you can’t wait for: seeing Miss Saigon in NYC on Saturday! 31: what are you listening to right now: NateWantsToBattle (OBSESSED)

32: have you ever talked to a person named tom: Several actually 33: something that’s getting on your nerves: lots of things 34. do you want to change your name: no 35. hair color: dark blonde 36. long or short hair: long (but I kinda wanna finally get it cut soon I think) 37. piercings: earrings 38. tattoos: none, unless you count the ones from Racing Stripes Gum that have been applied and removed over the years 39. blood type: I should know but I don’t. But I don’t want the vampires to know what flavor I am anyway so I wouldn’t post it. (Well, there’s a few exceptions...) 40. nicknames: sometimes Kay. (I was given the name 楷莉 in my Mandarin class, so we talked about nicknames today and I guess I’ll go by 楷楷 but only in that class.) 41. relationship status: 🎶everybody’s got somebody but me🎶, and I’m fine with it 42. zodiac: Taurus 43. pronouns: she/her 44. most visited website: This one, but through the app mostly 45. right or left handed: Lefty! 😃 46. surgeries: none that I can think of? 47. sports: umm, mathlete 48. favorite tv show: A LOT OF SHOWS 49. vacations: almost every year with my family to OBX, NC, but idk if we’re going to continue that now without my uncle 😔 50. sneakers: whatever is on sale that won’t fall apart in a week. My newest ones are Vans, but the ones I wore for several years prior were Sketchers and NewBalance

More general: 52. eating: nothing rn, but I recently ate a mini Hershey’s cookies ‘n’ cream bar 53. fave drink: Dr. Pepper, root beer, Mountain Dew Code Red, coffee, tea, EGGNOG, chocolate milk, apple cider 54. what you’re up to: anxiously procrastinating 55. waiting for: better days/a break from all the crap for my family and I, a sense of purpose, a dentist to actually fix my teeth instead of just making them worse, the next Thomas Sanders video, a chance to be in a Broadway musical, etc. 56. want: [see 55] 57. get married: doubtful, which is more than fine with me 58. career: augh idk. Hopefully something in graphic design I guess, since my electives are the only classes I’m actually getting anything out of with this four-year bs b.s. degree in computer science

Which is better: 60. hugs or kisses: hugs if either (at least with my lack of kissing experience) 61. lips or eyes: eyes 62. shorter or taller: no preference 63. older or younger: either? But like a very small age gap either way 64. nice arms or stomach: Both? Both. Both is good. 65. hook up or relationship: solid relationship 66. troublemaker or hesitant: in fictional characters, both, especially if both are in one precious conflicted guy. And I guess even irl, a little bit of both, but small scale trouble, like something that gets me out of my comfort zone that ends up being fun but nothing that’s gonna break a law or get us in any even small amount of actual trouble, so both in one person but weighted toward hesitant.

Have you ever: 67. kissed a stranger: Nope  68. drank hard liquor: Nope 69. lost glasses/contacts: lost a contact once, but I haven’t lost my glasses which I wear more often 70. turned someone down: yes. Well, I tried to anyway, but it took a while for them to actually comprehend it because I guess maybe I wasn’t quite blunt enough about it somehow because I’m soft spoken and don’t want to be a jerk but also know my right to say no. 71. sex on the first date: No (marriage first (and since I don’t plan on getting married, I’ll likely pass altogether, because that’s actually one of many reasons why I don’t want to get married)) 72. broken someone’s heart: No. They might say so, but then that’s their lack of respect for my right to say no as a female, because we were never together for me to have broken their hearts (contrary to the rumor at least one of them spread which was a terrible part of my hs senior year and finalized me not going to prom) [see 70] 73. had your heart broken: yes, but not in a romantic relationship way 74. been arrested: Nope, I’m a good hippogriff 75. cried when someone died: Yes, several 76. fallen for a friend: Not necessarily...

Do you believe in:

77. yourself: lol 78. miracles: yes 79. love at first sight: maybe, but it’s rare if at all, and there’s so much wrongly perceived to be love at first sight that I’d be skeptical anyway even if it actually was. I think you have to know the person to truly love them, and physical attraction by itself usually gets in the way of real feelings and connections or lack thereof. 80. santa claus: 🎶like I believe in love. I believe in Santa Claus, and everything he does. There’s no question in my mind; yes, he does exist. Just like love, I know he’s there, waiting to be missed.🎶 (oh hey look at that, now I’m crying about Mickey Rooney too) 81. kiss on the first date: mayyyyyybe? I’ll let you know if/when I get there 82. angels: yes

Other: 83. current best friend’s name(s): several on here and several in person that idk if I can post 84. eye color: blue 85. favorite movie: too many

I’ll tag: @alys07 @agentmarymargaretskitz @euphoric-melancholyy @karasimmons @swans-and-pirates @cutieodonoghue @hook-come-back-to-me @thegladelf @thesassywitchofthenortheast @techieninja18 @walkmanquill207 @themcuhasruinedme @floridianfireflyfaith @kittennharington @lenfaz @lightsandmetaphors @lieutenantguyliner @captainswansjourney @crowleys-poppet-queen-of-asgard @claravitae @revolting-phantom97 @whatamagicalworld and anyone else who wants to do it, and as always it’s no obligation. 🙂

#kayla speaks #tag games #about me #party with books

6 notes · View notes