"Aredhel the White was younger in the years of the Eldar than her brothers; and when she was grown to full stature and beauty she was tall and strong, and loved to ride and hunt in the forests. There she was often in the company of the sons of Feanor, her kin; but to none was her heart's love given. Ar-Feiniel she was called, the White Lady of the Noldor, for she was pale, though her hair was dark, and she was never arrayed but in silver and white."
—The Silmarillion, Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalie
I actually made two palette versions and can’t decide which I like better: above is “sunset” (more dramatic), and below is “twilight” (softer).
After doing a few quite illustrative, stylised paintings recently I think I may move back towards doing some realism for a bit
I’ve never really enjoyed sticking with one style of painting for too long - it’s more fun to switch around between stylised, realism and painterly imho :)
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Matters of Stamina (Glorfindel x Reader)
Pairing: Glofindel x Reader
Genre: fluff
AN: I have human pride, sue me idc :)
"We elves have always been known for our faithfulness. Consider the story of Luthien who defied fate for the sake of Beren," you mused, inwardly struggling to recall the name of the elf seated before you. You were quite certain he had some connection to Anaire, Nolofinwë's wife, but the name eluded your memory no matter how hard you tried.
If only you could remember the name, you would have reminded the elf that even among the elves, there were instances where individuals prioritized their own desires over the happiness of others. Thingol, for instance, had subjected Beren to a daunting quest driven by his own greed, endangering the happiness of his own daughter. However, you chose to exercise restraint, not wanting to offend another of your beloved's kin. By Eru, Glorfindel had shit ton of kin!
Marrying the renowned Balrog slayer, you had come to expect such bouts of elven pride. Elves did have a tendency to take boasting to another level when it came to their lineage. But your love for Glorfindel was unwavering, and you held him in the highest regard. Love came with respect and honor, and you did not require anyone to remind you of the magnificence of your beloved.
What puzzled you, though, was why showing respect for elvenkind seemed to necessitate belittling your own kind. Did men need to be diminished for elves to shine brightly? But what good would an argument during such joyous times yield? You wouldn't want Glorfindel to bear the weight of your choices.
Resigned to your fate, you nodded in agreement to the huffing Noldor before you. "Yes, indeed, it is a great honor," you replied, scanning the room for Glorfindel who had promised to bring you a drink. It had been a good thirty minutes, and since then, you had been stuck with the elf whose name continued to elude you which barred you from politely excusing yourself in hopes of escaping the awkward conversation.
"Although," the elf began, "I must say, it must be challenging for your kind to commit like us firstborn, for men do not bond in the same way as elves do." You stared directly at the elf in front of you, incredulous at his earlier statement. "It is understandable that your love is more fickle than ours. I just fear for Glorfindel..." The smug smile on his face made you contemplate throwing a punch, but you refrained from doing so. Mustering a pleasant smile on your face, the kind that your loved ones dreaded you acknowledged the duel of words the elf initiated.
"I agree there is indeed a lot Glrofindel and I must work on for our marriage to work," the Noldo beamed at your admission.
Leaning in close, your voice took on a sincere tone, and the elf mirrored your actions, eagerly anticipating the gossip you were about to deliver. Seizing the moment, you waited for him to take a sip of his drink, creating a perfect atmosphere of dramatic anticipation. And then, you dropped the bombshell, struggling to contain your laughter. "I wonder if your kind can keep up. We men… we have more stamina, and well, you know how elves are," you gestured vaguely, pretending to understand their limitations.
The Noldor's reaction was priceless, his drink spewing forth as he choked in surprise, caught off guard by your audacity. The hall fell into a stunned silence, the heightened elven senses ensuring that everyone had heard your revelation. Ignoring the disapproving gazes fixed upon you, you feigned a morose sigh, pretending to be engrossed in the embroidery of your gown. You were fairly certain one of those glares belonged to your seamstress somewhere in the crowd.
To your surprise, the Noldo remained rooted to his spot, rather than storming away in a fit of rage. "How much?" he managed to ask, his eyes widening with surprise and disbelief.
"Five to seven times a day," you whispered, using your fingers to motion the number, relishing the sight of the elf's eyes losing focus as his mind struggled to process the information.
"But it is all right, a small price to pay for love, isn't it?" you leaned back, breaking away from the trance you had cast upon the entire room. The elf sitting across from you nodded stupidly, and you restrained your laughter. Well, this was the price Glorfindel would pay for subjecting you to the painful conversation for the past half an hour.
The Noldor, still recovering from his momentary shock, stared at you with a mixture of disbelief and bewilderment. The smugness had vanished from his face, replaced by an expression of wide-eyed surprise. The room buzzed with stunned silence and hushed whispers as everyone struggled to process the audacious revelation you had just made.
Unable to contain your mischievous smile, you savored the victory in this playful battle of wits. Gradually regaining his composure, the Noldor managed to speak, his voice tinged with disbelief. "But… but that's… quite impressive," he stammered, his eyes still slightly glazed over.
You shrugged nonchalantly, maintaining an air of innocence. "Well, it's a matter of stamina, as I mentioned. We humans are renowned for our endurance, after all."
A few chuckles and snickers rippled through the room, with some onlookers struggling to contain their laughter. Glorfindel, finally returning with your drink, shot you an amused glance, clearly relishing the unexpected turn of events.
Rising from your seat, you took the drink from Glorfindel, intertwining your arm with his as you leaned your head on his shoulder. "Oh, my beloved, rest assured, I will always love you, no matter what," you said, evading the obvious question written on Glorfindel's face, and steered him away from the bewildered Noldor.
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A few thoughts on Galadriel's Valor, Story, and "Girl-boss" energy
I've seen many things written about the "girl-bossification" of Galadriel, as though she 1. did not need anything extra given to her character, 2. she was diplomatically power hungry rather than vengeful, and 3. she was already Married and had her daughter by the time this show was taking place.
I'm not attempting to defend any creative choices or say why the show is "right" to portray them as they have, but I do think some things could be discussed with a bit more context and I do love some lore-diving and graceful discussions, so here goes.
To the first part (1.), she is recorded as not only engaging in the first kinslaying (she fought AGAINST Feanor, protecting the Teleri, but almost certainly killed other elves and elves aren't known for their weakness), but Tolkien himself said she was a "great warrior" in her youth. In the same vein, canonically she did initially go to Middle-earth to rule, but that is not clearly stated to be false here, merely that she is currently fueled by anger, pride, and vengeance, and rejecting the Valar's pardon which is canon for the most part (pg. 242 Unfinished Tales). Again, not defending, but I do think that this fits into established context as well as the next two points.
2. We're not given a clear reason as to why she, specifically, comes to Middle-earth in the show. There is a general reason why the elves go, yet not her. But I also realize that such logic goes both ways and I also understand that adapted stories are told by admissions AND omissions. However,
3. We know soooo little as to the intentions of the story yet. There's so much left to see, but the one thing I do think is the most important to bring up is the fact that this "character reversal" has been done before, by Peter Jackson and the character of Aragorn.
Aragorn in the books not only knows he's the king, but is downright giddy and excited to get going, reforging Narsil into Anduril before they even leave Rivendell. The rest of the trilogy is him slowly spreading his influence and making his grand "Return" Yet, in the movies it's the exact opposite. Movie Aragorn is not just reluctant, but almost hostile to the mere idea of reclaiming his throne, and slowly throughout the series he is pushed towards that reclamation of power.
In the RoP, we see Alatáriel/Artanis (Galadriel) as the daughter of a great Noldorin lord, single and alone in a quest for vengeance. Yet, we know she will become the most influential Elf in all of Middle-earth. The reason she doesn't fit that bill yet is because THAT is the story that I think they are telling. Literally the first episode is setting up the journey towards finally letting go of the sword, claiming the influential (but non-martial) power of her birthright and marrying (quite scandalously, I might add) a sindar elf that will unite the Noldorin and Sindarin Elves into a United people.
I think the story we are going to see is Alatáriel, the sword-wielding daughter of Arafinwë, become the Galadriel, Queen of the Elves of Middle-earth.
(*POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR SHOW-ONLY WATCHERS*)
After all, when Sauron/Annatar does return and sway the Elven people, there are only two elves that find him untrustworthy and reject him (Galadriel and Elrond).... and the fact that no one listens to her has always been questionable and unexplained in the cannon narrative. If the most powerful and influential leader alive said someone seems sketchy and shouldn't be trusted, it doesn't make sense that you'd ignore those warnings off-hand, especially if she was regarded as one of the wisest elves alive.
But if it's a blood thirsty, vengeful war-leader who has spurned the commands of her king who is saying that this beautiful and gracious elf who has been kind and generous and infinitely helpful to all of her people is actually evil incarnate, perhaps she would not be given much credence and would instead be ignored. It might actually HELP explain a few things lol.
(*POSSIBLE SPOILERS CONCLUDED*)
In the end, we will simply have to wait and see. But I think she's (Morfydd Clark) bringing something to Galadriel we have never seen but always known about, and that's a personal history. Just like Aragorn, I'd bet my last penny that we will see the Galadriel we all know and love, but that's the journey she is on. And I am so excited to see it happen!
But perhaps I'm like Elrond and harbour naive hope for the future, only time (or perhaps a certain Elf's magical mirror) will tell.
In any case, I wish you all well!
Na lû e-govaded 'wîn, mellon nin!
~ Ramoth13
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