#why is this the one tag in the entire Silm where all of 3 people go “hehe I wrote these characters cuter than the widely accepted norm!”

[veliseraptor]

Rules: Choose any three fandoms (in any order), answer the questions and tag 10 people you want to get to know better.

I was tagged by @jaggedcliffs!

My chosen 3 fandoms:

MCU (I mean, that’s the biggest one)

The Silmarillion

Wheel of Time (since I fell back into it this year, why not)

The first character you loved:

Loki, yeah, that one’s pretty easy.

Celegorm, though that has a lot to do with the very weird way I came into the fandom, which was mostly via a bunch of people in an RP community convincing me to read it, and I think they were trying to sell me on Celegorm because they wanted one. But I mean, clearly it worked.

Min Farshaw.

The character you never expected to love so much:

I was going to say “Shuri” like @jaggedcliffs but I actually think I have to go with Okoye. I went in expecting to love Shuri (and came out loving her even more than I thought I would), but Okoye I knew nothing about going in and fuck, amazing.

Hmmm. Probably Finrod. This is thanks entirely to @ameliarating. 

Elan Morin Tedronai/Ishamael/Moridin. Thanks, @taimproblem, you did this to me and I know you’re not sorry. 

The character you relate to most:

Loki!!! It’s not healthy but it’s true.

Man, I don’t even know? I feel like I don’t really relate to anyone in the Silm, which is probably for the best, because no one in the Silm is a person that I feel like it’s good to relate to. But then, I said Loki right above there, so maybe that’s...uh, a bit late. I love Celegorm, but I wouldn’t say I...relate or identify with him, exactly, and same with Maeglin, except in very small, particular ways for both. 

As a youth I definitely related most to Min and that is probably still true. 

The character you’d slap:

If I’m not including actual villains...I did just watch Doctor Strange so I’m tempted to say Doctor Strange. I might just say Doctor Strange. Though General Ross is a close second, even if he is, as far as I’m concerned, the real villain of Civil War. 

Eol, 500%.

Gawyn fuckin Trakand. I mean, it’d be a terrible idea and wouldn’t help at all, but I’d still like to do it. 

Three favourite characters (in order of preference):

This is REALLY SKETCHY because it kind of varies (like, Steve and Natasha at this point are pretty much tied) but...

Loki, Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers

Celegorm, Maeglin, Aredhel

Rand al’Thor, Min Farshaw, Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag

A character you liked at first but don’t anymore

Hmmm. I honestly feel like most of the time when I start out liking characters I tend to end up liking them more over time, not less. Maybe Tony because I’ve gotten more and more frustrated with his domination of the MCU and the way fandom talks about him? Though I never was particularly fond of him to begin with...

I was significantly more fond of both Maedhros and Maglor but especially with Maedhros have gotten almost entirely turned off the character, again because of both fandom dominance and the way fandom talks about him. There’s a trend here. 

Hmmmm. I’m not actually sure. I feel like Wheel of Time is very much a series where the characters I liked I either liked more on reread and found more characters that I thought I didn’t care about before but suddenly do a lot more. 

A character you did not like at first but do now

I feel like none of these are really “didn’t like” so much as “was mostly indifferent to.” I feel like that’s a much more common arc for me than actually turning around on disliking characters. 

Actually, I think Thor fits here - not because I didn’t like him at first, but I didn’t think about him all that much or have all that strong of feelings about him, and now I do. I have a lot of feelings about him, and specifically about his character development, and the ways in which he’s a lot more complex than a lot of people give him credit for. Thor is great and I was a fool not to see it. 

I think the best answer I have here is that I didn’t care all that much about Tuor at all and have gotten weirdly fond of him for reasons I don’t even really know how to articulate. 

I did not care about either Mazrim Taim or really about Elan/Ishamael/Moridin and after my reread and thanks, again, to @taimproblem both of these things have changed. 

Three otp’s:

Steve/Loki, Clint/Natasha, Loki/personal healing

Celegorm/Aredhel, Maeglin/Idril/Tuor, Finrod/Curufin

Rand/Min, Mat/Tuon, Elan/Rand

I tag (and forgive me if I’m double-tagging): @portraitoftheoddity, @gaslightgallows, @ouyangdan, @theotherodinson, @led-lite, @ameliarating, @not-poignant, @mostfacinorous, @loxxxlay...uhhh anyone else who wants to? it’s late, that’s my excuse

#meme #about me #long post for ts

[mythopoeticreality]

Tagged by @feanoriansappreciation​. Sorry it took me a while to get to this! These were actually some questions I had to think about for a bit before I could answer them :)

1) Which of the three brothers (Fëanor, Fingolfin or Finarfin) would you have followed, based on political opinions and actions, and your moral code? Why?

Allright. So the Thing about  Fëanor is how much he stands as a  representative of the ideals artistic creations and discovery, of exploration and progress and pushing forward in the eyes of the Noldor, especially at the time of the Rebellion. Here he is, the guy who created not only the Silmarills but invented the entire process of creating gemstones rather than taking them out of the earth. This is the elf who invented the Tengwar, the Fëanorian lamps, and the Palantíri. He founded the Lambengolmor and is acknowledged as the greatest smith amongst all of the Noldor. And here he is pushing for the exploration of new lands across the seas, places that the High Elves of  Valinor had not seen in Ages and are talked about only in stories. I have to be honest based off of these ideals alone, to follow Fëanor would have been veeery tempting. At the same time however, the Rebellion happened at a time of heightened emotion and political tension -- as rebellions are wont to do, of course xD -- and clearer heads were not prevailing. By the time the Rebellion happened, the exploration of new lands wasn’t  Fëanor’s main purpose in going into Middle-Earth, it was for vengence and it was to make war against a being that was basically a god, and in his rush to get over to Middle-Earth before cooler heads could prevail  Fëanor and those who followed him began a massacre. I want to believe that I would not be so swept up in emotion that I would remember that *this* is the guy who started a feud based around a combination of natural linguistic shift and his own myriad of mommy issues. Much as I love  Fëanor for how incredibly awesomehe is, how absolutely over-the-top dramatic and extra he can be...those aren’t the qualities of a sound leader.

I think I would probably end up following Finarfin, and then continueing on into Middle Earth with Finrod if we’re just basing this around morals and political views and who I think made the best actions.He had the wisdom to generally stay out of his brother’s feuding and he seems like a fairly good ruler, while Finrod also has that exploitative streak, but is, like his father, generally more level-headed.

2) What’s your opinion on the doom that befell the Numenorians? Was the drowning of an entire island a just punishment?

I do not think that the drowning of an entire island -- especially where there exists on that island a persecuted minority of people who aren’t involved in the evil, sacrificial cult  that is the reason for  the island being sank in the first place -- is a just punishment. It’s kind of a weird story when you look at it really? I mean, Numenor is basically a riff on Atlantis: A Good, Righteous, Highly-Advanced society meets it’s downfall by corruption from within, until the Gods finally have had it and sink the entire island into oblivion.  The thing is with Atlantis, well...it was an ancient Greek story, and sinking a whole island full of people because they pissed you off is something I could totally see the Greek Gods doing. Meanwhile, Eru, if not meant to be the Christian God himself, is very obviously influenced by Tolkien’s Catholicism, and umm, yeah, when looked at in that light Numenor looks pretty Old-Testament-y....

3) What would you do in Thingol’s place, taking into consideration the prejudices, his views and biased opinions; would you have given the silmaril back? Why or why not?

Taking into consideration Thingol’s prejudices and looking at things from his perspective? Hell no! Why should I give the item that my daughter risked her life for -- let alone anything -- over to thrice-double-damned bastards who not only so arrogantly walk about while their hands are still stained by the blood of their own kind, but who also kidnapped my daughter! 

Oh, because the Fëanorions could prove a danger in the future, you say? Hrmm, perhaps you’re right. I mean, it’s not like I have the power of a Maia on my side, protecting me and my people from any threats that may assail us. Oh...wait.../Thingol

Yeah, basically from Thingol’s perspective he really had no reason to treat with the Fëanorions

4) Would you have followed the Valar to Aman, considering you don’t know what happens/will happen there? Why or why not?

Maybe? I like to think that I’d be brave enough to. I’m a curious sort and well you know...exploring new places, woot!  

5) If you were an Elf, would you befriend or shut out the Dwarves? Why?

“Hey, you like making cool things, I like making cool things. You hate Mogoth, I hate Morgoth, let’s be friends!” Yeah, I really see no reason why I should not befriend the dwarves

6) You have the chance to fix a relationship (romantic or not) between two characters from the Silmarillion. Who are they and why?

Fëanor and Fingolfin, because if those two get along, then pretty much all of the bad stuff that happens in the book never does happen and so many lives are saved.

7) One personal headcanon you have about the Seduction of Mairon

Mairon, at first, was untrusting of Morgoth and it took much time and many promises about what he could accomplish with the power that standing at Morgoth’s side would give him to finally turn Maron from Aulë

8) What do you think of the Rings of Power? Was it a wise move, considering Celebrimbor knows first-hand what happened with the Silmarills?

Well obviously the Rigs of Power were never a “wise” move considering that they were a tap set by Sauron all along. xD However I can understand Celebrimbor’s desire to preserve the world he knew through the use of the rings, knowing how much he had already lost in his lifetime

9) What’s one non-canon OTP you have?

Caranthir/Haleth <3

10) If you were to adapt the Silm into a movie/TV show, what would be the most important points you would consider?

The Timeline. The timeline and how I would even go about telling a story like the Silmarillion, which spans across literal eons would be the most difficult, and the most important thing to look at.

11) Thoughts on the Children of Hurin?

Umm..actually the Children of Hurin is the story I care about the *least* in the Silm, so...yeah...I don’t actually spend much time thinking about it... >.>

#in which I do a meme

[shineoftherainbow]

I was tagged by the wonderful @feanoriansappreciation, who is awesome.

1) Which of the three brothers (Fëanor, Fingolfin or Finarfin) would you have followed, based on political opinions and actions, and your moral code? Why? I’m too indecisive to have followed Fëanor, and possibly Fingolfin, but I think I wouldn’t have chosen to follow Finarfin, if only due to wanting the chance to see new things, so I might have gone with Fingolfin, but by trailing along after Finrod or Galadriel, instead of following him directly.

2) What’s your opinion on the doom that befell the Numenorians? Was the drowning of an entire island a just punishment? I think the destruction of the host that arrived in Valinor was more or less fair. Perhaps not very kind, but fair, especially considering the Numenoreans had been very specifically warned against sailing out of sight of their shores, so they were even given extra time to turn back. The destruction of Numenor itself, though, strikes me as very unfair overkill. It seems to me that it would have been enough if a minuscule part of the power brought to bear against the island had been used to snipe, say, the royal palace, or any particularly visible temple to Morgoth (and incidentally any Saurons standing nearby). The inhabitants of Numenor had been corrupted, yes, but I feel they were essentially innocent, because, you know, Sauron.

3) What would you do in Thingol’s place, taking into consideration the prejudices, his views and biased opinions; would you have given the silmaril back? Why or why not? From my outside perspective, I think the best thing to do would have been to get as much out of the Fëanorians as physically possible, starting with “You will protect my forest more than your miserable lives” and working my way up from there, because they would do literally anything for the silmarils, but most of them didn’t actually want to attack Doriath. On the other hand, I’m not sure I would be capable of this train of thought when actually immersed in the whole story.

4) Would you have followed the Valar to Aman, considering you don’t know what happens/will happen there? Why or why not? I think I would have wanted to follow them, but I wouldn’t have been convinced by the “no going back” part of the whole affair, so I would’ve second-guessed myself into following a single person whatever their ultimate decision was.

5) If you were an Elf, would you befriend or shut out the Dwarves? Why? I very much enjoy creating, and watching others create, and finding out about different ways of thinking, so I think I could’ve gotten along well with the Dwarves, and befriended them as much (as little) as I befriend anyone.

6) You have the chance to fix a relationship (romantic or not) between two characters from the Silmarillion. Who are they and why? I guess I could try for one of the, y’know, plot relevant ones, but I really feel like helping Aegnor and Andreth. As far as I understand it they parted kinda bitterly and I guess if he’s gonna die horribly pretty soon and she’s gonna outlive her immortal nearly-boyfriend, then at least they deserve to be happy before that happens.

7) One personal headcanon you have about the Seduction of Mairon. I think it was very much about ambition. About Mairon feeling limited by only having a portion of Aule’s attention, and relishing in the fact that Melkor was offering him so much more. I think Melkor made it clear that it would be a passage from one servant/student/assistant out of many to a Lieutenant, with the chance to make some of his own choices, and to interact with his new master in a much closer way, simply due to having less “competition”.

8) What do you think of the Rings of Power? Was it a wise move, considering Celebrimbor knows first-hand what happened with the Silmarills? I think the Rings of Power were, conceptually, supposed to be different from the Silmarils, as in, they weren’t Celebrimbor’s, and only Celebrimbor’s, greatest creation, they were a new art and craftsmanship that he shared with many people. In addition, the Silmarils were a show of ability, while the Rings were, I think, at least in part an attempt at making amends, something that had an actual use and was supposed to make the world better after his family, and the Silmarils, had contributed so much to fucking it up. (I’m sorry if this doesn’t make any sense. Words are hard)

9) What’s one non-canon OTP you have? Russingon 5-ever! But really, Maedhros/happiness would be enough. Or just, anyone in the Silm/happiness.

10) If you were to adapt the Silm into a movie/TV show, what would be the most important points you would consider? The prettiness.

But really? I think I would focus a lot on the characters, on trying to make everyone at least a bit sympathetic (including the orcs, probably not including Morgoth, Sauron etc, but who knows), because the worst part of the Silm, the one where everyone dies, wouldn’t be the same if you didn’t care for these people.

That, or just make it a fucking sitcom, that’d also be great. (they all still die at the end, obviously, it’s just black humour all the way)

11) Thoughts on the Children of Hurin? *Uncovering half an eye and reading two lines* Oh. My. God. Why? Why. *Cover eye back up* What the Fuck. *Repeat until I’m done*

It’s very tragic, in the classical “destroyed by powers beyond one’s understanding and one’s own hubris” kind of way, where you wonder if it could’ve gone better if Turin had just stopped trying to fight his curse, even though you know it wouldn’t have, at all.

My questions:

1. Would you have gone to live in Gondolin with Turgon or would you have taken your chances with the outside world?

2. What would you say is your least favourite canon romance? Is this for a rational reason or do you just viscerally dislike it, or not get why it’s a romance?

3. Do you think Nerdanel was justified in not following Fëanor to Formenos? What would you have done in her place?

4. What do you think is Maglor’s ultimate fate?

5. Do you think there is any way (no betrayals, Azaghal not dying, whatever) that the Nirnaeth could have gone not terribly?

6. What do you think was Celebrimbor’s relationship with Narvi? How would you compare it to that with “Annatar”?

7. How do you think Galadriel felt about Elrond (and Elros, if you want) when they first met?

8. Finrod’s duel/rap battle with Sauron, as far as I understand, was a contest of skill and power. Do you think he thought he had the skill, if probably not the power, to win or was he just desperate enough to try anyway? If the first, do you agree?

9. What is your opinion in The Great Debate of Gil-Galad’s Dad?

10. What are your feelings about Dior outside of the whole Silmaril problem?

11. I can’t think of anything else, so, on a scale from 10 to infinite, how awesome is Glorfindel?

I guess I’ll tag @svogliata-mente, @probs-dying, @feanoriel, @cycas@goodguymairon and anyone who wants really, I’m terrible at remembering people.

#silmarillion #wherein i spent forever panicking because i suck at thinking of questions #and at answering #and at expressing my opinions in a coherent manner #and at interacting with humans in any way shape or form

[thelioninmybed]

Misc replies

berrysphase replied to your post “valaraukars replied to your post “AU maeglin in mithrim with grandad...”

I'm sideeyeing myself here for sounding so "MY PET THEORY" when my whole point was there's actually a whole bunch of ways to explain Earendil not getting the Kingship and some of them can leave Maeglin the legitimate heir -- lol sorry (Assuming Gil is Orodreth's, that is, I always do too!) I figure the relative Sindarin comfort with powerful women has a lot to do with Melian, but it turns out I could go on and add screenfuls about Elwe's special status

and king's choice etc etc so uh I'll spare you... Also surely this attitude has a lot to do with why Galadriel married a Sinda.

Elves arguing inheritance politics is my catnip but it's also a bit brain-breaking -- I mean here are these immortal beings arguing about different interpretations of inheritance law when inheritance was just invented out of whole cloth so recently, you get to blatant rationalization s and bad philosophical arguments so fast

No no, it certainly can be done but you’re right, I forgot about Earendil during my analysis. Gil as Orodreth has always made sense to me, especially with how small a player he is until after the War of Wrath. God, the Galadriel-Marries-A-Sinda thing is an excellent point. I tend to skim over the more overtly patriarchal crap in the text (and in my fic, unless I’m making a point) but it explains an awful lot about why such an ambitious woman would spend so much time away from the action - she has vastly more of a say in governance etc. in Doriath than she would have in her own peoples’ lands - and of course she’d marry a Sinda, this is great. 

God, yes, how did the issue of who would inherit Finwe’s crown break society when the issue was, as far as anyone knew, entirely academic? (because it was really a question of who daddy loved more :()

psychopompious replied to your post “valaraukars replied to your post “AU maeglin in mithrim with grandad...”

"and she's his great aunt" you say that like it would be a problem for him. that's only 4th degree consanguinity, same as first cousins!

also re: Celeborn's relation to Thingol, I think in that version it's through the schrodinger's cat brother (aka Elmo) but I'd have to dig up that lovely chart of Doriath's long line of cousin marriages to check

.......okay fuck, you’re right. Maeglin would. 

If that’s the case then I suppose I owe Tolkien an apology. But he’s dead and also we have no idea what happened to Lalwen so I’m just gonna sit on it. 

vardasvapors replied to your post “Paying attention to those things is not my forte but thank you for...”

I just wanted to mention that this series of prompted au's is like my fave thing in the fandom rn

Thx xx I just wish I could be more varied with them than ‘but then everyone died anyway’

crocordile replied to your post “valaraukars replied to your post “AU maeglin in mithrim with grandad...”

to be fair though, nothing in canon suggests elwing held a position of authority by herself; you can easily assume her position comes from her marriage :/ Though ofc that is not my interpretation/headcanon at all!

re: earendil's ellegibility for high kingship: on the purely legalist side cirdan and co might just be following finrod's logic and taking finarfin's to be the royal line after fingolfin's death, or something? i always assumed that (but then again i def hc gil as oro's son which not many do hahaha)

You: “I don't think Tolkien meant for us to interpret it this way."

Me, an intellectual w. a folder of Silm erotica: "He didn't mean for us to interpret a lot of things this way. But we did."

I.E. Elwing is queen and idgaf what Tolkien wanted. 

I am with you on Gil as Oro’s (AND NOT JUST FOR SHIPPING REASONS OKAY, I HAVE LAYERS), someone pointed out the thematic neatness of the three lines of Finwe’s descendants dying to other elves, to Morgoth, and to Sauron respectively and Gil as an Arafinwean falls neatly into that. 

simaethae replied to your post “Paying attention to those things is not my forte but thank you for...”

how about they win a decisive enough victory to reclaim *one* silmaril and then morgoth flips and... volcanoes. or something. anyway you could totally contrive an AU where some of the feanorians, i'm saying C&C for kicks, have to fall back to the safety of Doriath in the ensuing chaos with their newly-obtained silmaril (since after all we know a silmaril can get you through the girdle...)

like i'm sorry this is great but i feel like it just needs more terrible decision making from the noldor to be a silm AU >>;

I’m starting to feel bad for Anon, okay? Just like Mandos, even my cold heart can be moved to pity. 

C+C in Doriath would be exquisite tbh, it’s yet another closed system where they can feed on paranoia, claw for power, and Celegorm can get into a creep off with Daeron while Thingol despises them while coveting the jewel and Melian is like ‘for fuck’s sake guys’ but no one listens. At least maybe the dwarves are free of the murder shenanigans this time around!

emilyenrose replied to your post “Paying attention to those things is not my forte but thank you for...”

ok but any au where luthien doesn't dress up as a vampire is a bad end au anyway

Truer words have never been spoken. 

vardasvapors replied to your post “Idk if you'll agree or not, but for the au where the silmarils don't...”

this is so wonderfully terrible and perfect, i love the...honesty and simplicity of the things they say, in them talking specifically about their relationship, though the feelings and Maglor's claims about finishing it can map onto much more. Also "I'd like that" JUST KILL ME.

It didn’t kill Mae though, more’s the pity :( Okay but realtalk, thank you <3 I suppose by this point all pretension’s pretty much been stripped away, they’re well past the point where lying to each other or themselves would do any good. 

valaraukars replied to your post “Ok I've find that tag .. but you actually read it? You can find it...”

You know who defied the valar? You know who doesn't get any credit? You know who is a character of true depth and nuance, constantly dismissed by an undeserving fandom? Ungoliant

No no Ungoliant, as established, abandoned her children and is a bad mother and thus a bad woman giant spider. Please keep your vile glorification of her off my blog. 

imindhowwelayinjune replied to your post “Idk if you'll agree or not, but for the au where the silmarils don't...”

You are maddeningly good at feelings that cut to the bone and somehow have this soupcon of humor - 'I'd like that,' said Maedhros wistfully - that makes the feeling go straight through the bone to the marrow

I left off the hurtful swears cause I know you don’t really mean them. Maedhros wishes feelings really worked so literally :(

#berrysphase #psychopompious #vardasvapors #crocordile #simaethae #emilyenrose #imindhowwelayinjune #valaraukars #replies