#why not a fourth hobbit

[retellingthehobbit]

Retelling The Hobbit Chapter 15: Unattached First chapter / Previous / Next Read full comic on: Webtoon/A03 

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Thank you for reading! The next chapter of this comic adaptation of The Hobbit will be titled (drumroll)....The Song of the Lonely Mountain!

Check under the cut for notes on the callbacks to previous chapters of this comic, and to Tolkien stories like the Unfinished Tales! —-

—-

One of my guiding ideas for this comic is that the story is being written/drawn by Bilbo Baggins, an  “unreliable narrator,” who has a biased way of recounting events. As the comic goes on, parts of the story get retold through new perspectives (or through the eyes of other characters), and you realize the initial version you read was incomplete. 

A lot of you probably noticed that this chapter features a ton of callbacks to the earliest chapters of this comic! We saw child Bilbo and Gandalf's friendship told from Bilbo's POV in Chapter 3.....but in this chapter we see it retold from Gandalf's POV. However, Belladonna Took is our biggest instance of that!   Not to overexplain my own writing, but Chapter 1 is an older Bilbo painting an idealized happily-ever-after fairytale picture of Belladonna, while Chapter 15 features a younger Bilbo telling a far less optimistic version of her life.  While there's truth to both of them, neither of them is the full truth.

In the Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo tells Frodo that ‘books need to have good endings,' like endings where everyone "lives happily ever after." If I were to continue this comic to the end of the novel, Bilbo’s habit of “rewriting things to be happier" would become a whole Thing. 

Second: Much of this chapter is taken directly from “The Unfinished Tales: The Quest For Erebor.” That story was Tolkien’s attempt to unite the tone of The Hobbit with LOTR, by having Gandalf explain what The Hobbit looked like from *his* perspective. The gay line about Bilbo feeling incapable of settling down into a Traditional Marriage with a Wife And Kids is taken almost directly from the Unfinished Tales. So are all the lines where Gandalf reflects on what Bilbo was like as a child, and the moment where Bilbo reflects that all of his desire for adventure has dwindled to a private dream.

Third: Obviously, the other big influence on this chapter (outside the original novel) was a similar scene in the PJ film. The little bit where Gandalf reveals the lore behind Bullroarer took monologue is the only dialogue I’ve directly lifted from that scene. ;3

Fourth: some of you may have caught that I used a quote describing Frodo’s wanderlust in the Fellowship of the Ring to describe Bilbo. The bit describing "the maps that only show white spaces beyond their borders" is also why I emphasized Bilbo’s canonical nerdiness around  maps in earlier chapters (chapter 5 especially, but also in Chapter 6, Chapter 7, and a blink-and-you-miss-it moment in chapter 14.) 

Fifth: one of my favorite things in the original book are all the scenes where Gandalf does fun Whimsical things with smoke/smoke rings. In the book he usually makes them change color or race around; in my comic he usually makes them turn into butterflies (he also does this in chapters 3 and 11.) you may have noticed that Butterfly Symbolism is a big thing in this comic.  But yeah, in another callback: Gandalf finally had time to blow smoke-rings with Bilbo, which he said he 'had no time for' in Chapter 2!

Thanks again for reading! I tentatively plan for the next chapter to arrive on November 13th.

#the hobbit #lotr #lord of the rings #the hobbit comic #retelling the hobbit #chapter 15 #bilbo baggins #belladonna took #gandalf the grey #YEEEEEEEEEEEET #anyways #thanks again for reading!!! #long post

[riality-check]

steddie prompt! steve struggling with his dyslexia and feeling like he isnt smart enough compared to eddie and the kids?

In an effort to, in his words, "convert him to the light side," Dustin had given Steve an armful of what he deemed "essential reading" and sent him away to "learn the ways of the Force."

If Steve didn't like Star Wars so much, he would've made fun of that little nerd.

But, honestly, he's a little grateful. With no more monsters to slay and it being way too cold to venture outside of his house to go swim or play basketball, the books fill up a good chunk of time.

Too good a chunk.

It's taking him way too long to get through them.

He didn't try The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings because those looked way too intimidating. Dune's first twenty pages were boring as shit, and Ender's Game was a lot, to say the least.

So, he's been making his way through A Wrinkle in Time.

Slowly making his way through it. Too slowly.

Steve has been quickly reminded about why he hasn't voluntarily read a book since elementary school, and why he stopped reading the required books in high school.

It's hard. Reading sucks.

He doesn't know how other people get through it when the letters don't make sense and seem to switch, like how "b" and "d" or "f" and "t" look way too similar.

"Whatcha readin'?"

Steve looks up from the book - god, it's probably taken him at least an hour to get through chapter one, hasn't it - to find Eddie in the doorway of the living room.

Guess he's taking advantage of the spare key, Steve thinks to himself, but he's not mad about it, not even a little.

"A Wrinkle in Time," he says, holding up the book so Eddie can see the cover.

Eddie lights up. "Oh, I love that book! I think the last time I read it, I was in, shit, maybe fourth grade?"

Steve knows he didn't mean it, but damn. That hurt a little bit.

He can't even get through a book Eddie read when he was in elementary school?

"What part are you at?"

Steve tucks the book against his chest so Eddie doesn't see how the bookmark isn't very far in. "Not very. Just met Mrs. Which. It's kind of hard to get through-"

"Oh, yeah," Eddie nods. "It took me, like, three days."

"- because the letters keep switching."

Eddie frowns. "What?"

"The letters," Steve says. "Like, they're moving a lot for this book. I don't know why."

Eddie looks at him blankly.

Oh.

"Does that... not happen for you?"

Eddie shakes his head.

Steve huffs out a laugh because of course this would be a uniquely him problem. Of course people like Dustin and Eddie and the rest of the party would like reading, because of course they would be able to do it right.

"I guess I really am stupid."

"It took me three tries to get through my senior year," Eddie says seriously, putting his hand on Steve's shoulder. "Does that make me stupid?"

"No," Steve says instantly. It doesn't. Just because Eddie wasn't good at school doesn't mean he isn't smart. He's a brilliant storyteller and musician, and both of those take brains.

Steve doesn't have a hobby that takes brains because he just... doesn't have enough. Plain and simple. That's how it's always been.

"Ok, then you're not stupid for having trouble reading," Eddie says like it's the simplest thing in the world.

"But-"

"But what? We're all gonna struggle with something. For me, it was school. For you, it's reading. It's why we've got other people to fill in the gaps."

Other people don't fill in the gaps. Steve does. Steve stretches himself thin, makes sure he's everywhere at once to make sure the kids and Robin and Eddie are okay.

No one else can do that because. Well.

Steve has to be irreplaceable somehow. He's gotta be necessary somehow.

This is the only way they need him.

"Get out of your head, martyr," Eddie says, reading his mind. He's not as good at that as Robin is - Steve doesn't think anyone will ever be able to read him like Robin can - but he can still do it.

It's weird, just like Eddie is. Steve's learned to love weird over the past few years.

"Do you want me to stick around?" Eddie asks.

"You can stay, if you want," Steve says.

"I always want to stay with you," Eddie says, and damn if that sentence doesn't take Steve's breath away. "But I figured I'd ask."

So, Eddie lays his head in Steve's lap as Steve dives back into a world of tesseracts and space and time, and when Steve tilts the book down and points to a word that just isn't making sense, Eddie reads it for him.

He doesn't comment on how often he hears the pages flip.

#sorry this sat in my inbox for SO LONG #but i hope you like it anon!! #this was really fun!! #anon #asked and answered #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie ficlet #stranger things ficlet #stranger things #tw internalized ableism #ria writes #dyslexic steve harrington

[renthony]

"Why do grown adults watch cartoons, it's so cringe, it's so childish, go watch something else and learn about REAL media--"

The Hobbit is a children's book written for Tolkien's kids and assigned to me as required reading at age 9 in the fourth grade. Are you telling Tolkien fans to go read another book, or do you just have a stick up your ass about animation, which is a MEDIUM and not a genre or an age rating?

#original post #nobody's been a dick to me about this today but it's been on my mind so have an idle thought

[ichorai]

ties that bind ; nanami kento ; november 4th.

pairing ; nanami kento x reader drabble synopsis ; it's movie night—bring your own tissues! themes ; fluff, slice of life, established relationship (married), pregnant au warnings / includes ; lord of the rings fellowship spoilers, pregnancy, lots of blubbering from reader and yuji HAHA

series masterlist.

4th november, 2018

The large glass bowl you had cradled in your hands was still quite warm, full to the point of near overflow with buttered popcorn. You slowly eased onto the middle of the couch (being seven months pregnant made all your movements irritatingly sluggish) with a wide grin.

“What is this movie even about again?” Nobara asked from your right, plucking three popped kernels into her mouth. There was clear disinterest in the film splayed over her features, but she was adamant on spending time with you regardless, even if the two idiots had to tag along with her. 

Yuji mirrored her actions from your left, except he took a fistful from the bowl. “Just the best fantasy adventure trilogy to ever exist on screen! It’s full of raw emotion, and the coolest action scenes, and the soundtrack is so—!” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, can we start already?” Nobara barked, impatiently snatching the remote from Yuji’s eagerly-gesticulating hands. 

You hummed in agreement, before jutting the bowl towards Megumi, situated on a smaller, adjacent couch. “You want some popcorn, hon?”

“I’m good, thank you.” One of his legs crossed over the other as he leaned back, fixing his gaze to the screen.

You smiled fondly at the stoic, dark-haired boy and nodded. Then, you drew your eyes down to your husband sitting on the carpeted ground, his back leaning against your shins. “Kento?”

“We should start the movie first,” he said, glancing at the clock hung by the television screen. You’ve made him watch this about a hundred times before, and he was well aware of its lengthiness. 

“Okay, then.” You clapped your hands excitedly, Yuji practically vibrating in anticipation (this would be his fourth time rewatching). “You can press play, Nobara.”

With that, the five of you started the first Lord of the Rings movie. Unsurprisingly, the popcorn bowl was completely cleaned out two hours later (largely thanks to Yuji), but he volunteered to go make some more when Nobara started berating him. Nanami told him to stay seated, and left to go make another bowl of popcorn, brushing the tips of his fingers along your shoulder on his way to the kitchen.

By the time he came back, you and Yuji were holding onto each other, sobbing profusely. 

“Boromir was too young to die!” Itadori blubbered, furiously wiping at his leaking eyes with the back of his hand.

“He gave his life saving the Hobbits!” you added on with a warbling voice, dabbing at your face with a soaked tissue. 

Nobara and Megumi could barely hear the movie anymore, and so had taken to staring at the sobbing pair on the couch. 

“Is it really that serious…?” Nobara muttered, accepting the freshly-made bowl of popcorn Nanami handed her. 

“This happens every time,” Nanami replied, patting your hair from behind. 

Megumi frowned at a particularly heinous wail that emitted from Yuji. Samwise was willing to drown to get to Frodo, which was a completely understandable reaction, at least in your eyes. “Every time?” he asked his solemn-faced teacher.

“Every time.” Nanami sat back down in front of you and you flung your arms around him from behind.

Nobara snorted and munched on some warm popcorn, but not without leaning forward to snap a selfie of all of you, capturing Yuji mid-sob. There was the faintest of amused smiles on Megumi’s face, and he quickly threw up a peace sign for the photo.

“Why do you let me watch this movie? Never let me watch this again!” you cried, not entirely certain if your pregnancy hormones were at fault for your emotional state, or if the movie really was just that sad. Maybe both.

Nanami remained silent, but let you hold onto him as you cried through the rest of the credits with Yuji.

#nanami kento x reader #nanami kento fanfiction #nanami kento x you #jujutsu kaisen fanfiction #jjk fanfiction #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #nanami kento ff #kento nanami x reader #kento nanami fanfiction #nanami kento fluff #nanami kento drabbles #nanami kento imagines #jujutsu kaisen fluff #jjk fluff

[homunculus-argument]

For some reason I follow a lot of blogs dedicated to specific kinds of artfully curated aesthetics, and I'm aware that nobody probably actually lives like that but I'm intrigued by the idea that someone could. Having some clear and coherent, consistent and distinct kind of aesthetic, a style to their lifestyle, that they'd not only be able to maintain, but do so in such a natural and easy way that keeping it up takes no special thought or effort. I'm not saying "that could never be me" with any negative thought or feeling towards myself nor those hypothetical people, but that could never be me.

My brain is too full of dumbass random shit. Like yeah I could go to a park to sit down and savour the autumn breeze in the city air, to observe the world bustling all around me while I romanticise my own life and think of poetic thoughts written in perfect loopy cursive on my soul.

But really I'm going to be having like 8-11 random thoughts going on at once, one of them is trying to remember when I last saw an acorn, a second one about those gummy plastic bracelets that were a thing in like 2005, a third one is trying to remember who the fuck is Joe Abernathy and why did his name pop into my head without any recollection where I heard it. Fourth one is wondering if you could use rogaine to grow hobbit foot hair, fifth one is thinking about licking a concrete wall, the seventh thought is trying to track down the steps of the sixth thought in hopes of figuring out why I've got Akakabuto's theme from the 80s anime Silver Fang playing in my head, the eighth one is contemplating which Warhammer faction is most likely to have the most fucked up porn about it, and the ninth one is pretty sure that I'm doing this wrong.

[nocturne-pisces]

Jewel Encrusted

pairing: Bucky Barnes x avenger!reader

w/c: 1.4k

a/n: here’s some word vomit.

warnings: smut. it’s uhh- there’s some angst i guess? i also wrote like way too many similes and metaphors but whatever, yknow.

His knuckles turn white, his hands fisted at his sides. You don’t think his eyes could get any wider with the way he drinks you in like he’ll never see this again, like you’ll never let him this close again. He has to commit it to his Swiss cheese memory so he doesn’t lose the image of your face lit up in pleasure like neon signage.

You’re above him; the bounce in your tits matching the rhythmic slap of your ass against his thighs. This must be what it’s like to be ridden within an inch of your life, he thinks. Heaven lies between your legs and if he lets go he’s sure he’ll see salvation.

***

You might as well have invented antigravity when you waltzed into his life. The sway in your hips spun his world on its axis and Steve told Bucky that for the first time in a century he’d seen a glimmer of his best friend in the boyish smile he gave you.

***

You can’t imagine he could get any deeper if he tried, pressed to the limits of you while the springs in the couch are tested of their limits too. You look so soft, so supple, he wants to plant his hands on your hips and fuck himself a home in your chest where the heavy thud of your heart would make his echo a response.

But he won’t, his traitorous hands will not ruin this for him.

***

You asked him out the third or fourth time he’d choked on his own tongue trying to talk to you. A handful of near completely crushed daisies in his fist as he talked about making sure you had a good umbrella in case wind accompanied the rain later.

“Wanna buy me a coffee?”

The question had slicked off your tongue like oil and the gentle chime of your voice bound him tight. He answered yeah with too much breath but the way your face lit up made him remember that he brought flowers.

You’d tried not to laugh when he held them up and they all fell over his fingers like some stupid cartoon, your hand over your mouth and your tongue firmly held between your teeth. His head hung in defeat, but he appreciated the way you put those depressed daisies in a vase all the same.

Green tendrils of smoke curled from your fingers and he watched as each and every blossom stood to attention again.

***

“Are you going to touch me, Barnes?”

He feels like he has to unroll his eyes from the back of his head- physically peel his tongue from the roof of his mouth, dumbstruck as he feels every ridge and quiver in the wet and hot of you.

You slow down, cradle his face in both of your hands and suck his bottom lip into your mouth. You can feel the tension roiling in his thighs beneath you, the fraying thread of his self control as you still your hips, grinding against him slow and dirty.

He chokes on his tongue again, the head of him nudging against your deepest parts while your wet slips a small river down the seam of his nuts. He can’t think through the haze, can’t think past the way your skin feels against his. The only thing anchoring him in this reality is the vice tight grip he has on the couch cushions.

***

You’d struck up a conversation about books, noticed the worn copy of The Hobbit that he carried around like a stuffed animal when Steve was on a mission and made conversation about it. Bucky says that he’s been making slow progress through it, his eyes averting to the cup of coffee sat in front of him when you ask him why.

He doesn’t lie to you. Steve told him once that people who mind didn’t matter, and those that mattered didn’t mind. Bucky says that it’s hard to follow the story through all the clutter in his mind and without missing a beat you offer to read to him. The most beautiful woman he’s ever managed to stumble over himself in front of offers to read him his favorite story.

It doesn’t hurt anything but his ego when the coffee spills over the saucer and into his lap, but the red creeps up his neck and into his face all the same. You move your own coffee to the side and lean across the table, those same green tendrils looping around broken ceramic and affixing them back into place.

You apologize because you can’t put the coffee back in the cup, or at least you haven’t figured out how yet. He shakes his head and tells you that spilled coffee isn’t the worst thing that’s ever happened to him. You give him a sad kind of smile, one that he feels in the marrow of his bones.

“Why don’t we make sure it’s the worst thing that happens today?”

***

“Bucky, please, put your hands on me, baby, please.”

You plead with him, but he still doesn’t move, his hands refusing to budge from their spot on either side of him.

Finally, you stop, chest heaving, pulling his gaze up to yours. “Hey, are you okay? Do you want to stop?”

He shakes his head, his eyes falling shut and his forehead coming to rest in the valley between your breasts. “No,” he gruffs out, hot air puffing against your skin. “No, I don’t want to stop, I just—“

Even from this angle you can see his jaw flex, wincing as he beats himself internally for ruining this incredible moment. “Things break when I’m not in control and—“ his voice cracks, those sea blue eyes tinged with a hurt you wish you could pluck out, “I don’t want to break you.”

Bucky says it with all the reverence in the world, with so much sincerity that your heart breaks for him. You lean down and kiss him, lace your fingers into his hair and steal the breath from his lungs and he still keeps his hands firmly locked on either side of him because you’re still rested snugly in his lap and on his cock.

***

“She’s not pretending, Buck.”

“You can’t possibly know that.”

“I can. She’s not like that with anyone else. Just you.”

“Like what?”

“You don’t see the way she looks at you?”

“How does she look at me?”

Steve ponders it for a moment, tries to come up with any other time he’s seen that same look on your face. “She looks at you like she could understand where religion comes from.”

***

Bucky understands why some people are willing to die in the name of God. He understands why people are willing to live their whole life in devotion to something that may not exist. The difference is that there is real, tangible evidence that you exist in the purples and blues that blossom across his neck in the wake of your mouth.

“I’m not breakable, Barnes,” you pant, the heft of him still nestled deep.

“Everything has the capacity to break,” he groans back, swallowing hard when you clamp down around him.

“If you’re still coming up with Oxford words I’m not doing good enough.” You try to joke with him, but he’s so consumed with trying to keep himself under control that he can’t find it within to laugh at your joke.

You pull yourself out of his neck, kiss him back into this universe and rest your hands over his. “I can’t,” he pleads, like your hand rests on the dagger driven into his heart. “I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself—“

Your thumb presses his lips closed, fingers splaying against his cheek while you hold him steady. “I never asked you to be anything but who you are. I know what I signed up for and I want all of it.”

“I-“

You lean in close to his ear, press a kiss to the hinge of his jaw, let your green unfurl from your fingers, trail down his shoulders, and wedge his grip from the couch. Your hands slip from his face, down the slope of his neck, and rest on the plane of his chest.

“It would be an honor to be broken by you, Sergeant Barnes.”

The single note that sounded from the snapped harp string of his self control wrote a symphony in understanding.

He painted you in your favorite shades of sapphire and amethyst because nothing is ever perfect; and he kissed every single bruise when the sun came up because you know he is.

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes smut #bucky x female reader #bucky x reader #bucky x y/n #bucky x you #bucky barnes angst #bucky barnes drabble #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky

[spinningalbinoturtle]

Valinor Fourth Age

Finrod: Hello everyone and welcome to the Fuck-Sauron Club where we say Fuck You to Sauron. I’ll start he’s whiny bitch and I’m pretty sure his red hair is fake

Celebrimbor : I may have misunderstood the purpose of this meeting

Frodo (absolutely horrified): Why would you want to fuck Sauron the other way?!!?!?

Celebrimbor: You didn’t see him when he was hot okay. He was very persuasive and sexy

Finrod: Was he though?

Frodo: He literally tortured and killed you

Celebrimbor: But he looked hot while doing it

Finrod: [facepalms]

Frodo: THAT DOESN’T MAKE IT BETTER

Celebrimbor: Oh come on you guys are really telling me you wouldn’t fuck Sauron if you had the chance?

Frodo and Finrod together:

NO!

Celebrimbor: Well I guess we just have different tastes.

Frodo (who has amazing taste in hobbit men aka Sam): Clearly

#lotr #lotr incorrect quotes #incorrect tolkien quotes #frodo baggins #finrod felagund #celebrimbor #sauron

[noirbriar]

What if/ headcanon things

Been running around The Hobbit/LOTR tags for awhile so i'm still learning lore and things. Recently gotten hooked to The Silmarillion side and after thinking about Gondolin Erestor, random thoughts of Feanorian Erestor/ Erestor Caranthirion got me thinking so what ifs: 1) Fili and Kili actually met Maglor and saves him from fading/despair on one of their work trips.Until Erestor, on one of his trips to seek out Elrond's father, finally locates Maglor with their help. Watch the drama unfold later in the Hobbit when Glorfindel&Erestor returns to Imladris to find the vegan feast and the chief councillor's surprise to find the young dwarrow he met are princes. They catch up and talks about Maglor until Erestor notices something off. Like,dear Valar, Lindir, is the kitchen slow today in bringing out the food, why is it all just salads? Quietly with a raised brow in wonder to dear Lord Elrond? They helped your Atya, why are we not being a better host? The rest of the company are now looking at Fili and Kili for answers, with the Great Stare from their uncle. Whereas Bilbo and Gandalf are on the side watching the drama. Glorfindel gets emotional seeing the swords from Gondolin, especially his dear friend's and King's.And the dwarrows are intrigue with the balrog slayer and his mate casually giving pleasantries in Kuzdul though with an old accent. will this change the hobbit's plot? maybe idk

small ficlet for this AU here

2) Elrond sails and upon arrival on the Western shores (after elf-napping his foster father) He is reunited with his parents & Celebrian and spots Maedhros and his brothers and Celebrimbor beyond the docks. Before he can even reach out to his other father, Carathir swoops in and is brokenly asking where is his "lil owlet". Elrond is confused until Maedhros wrangles his emotional brother and clarifies to the stunned group that he meant Erestor. "Oh?Erestor?He is staying for his belated honeymoon.He just bonded and-""WITH WHO??!THE TAPESTRY DIDN'T SHOW THAT!?" "Was a lil impromptu really. But they couldn't wait and Glorfindel-"LAUREFINDIL??" Caranthir and the rest of the Feanorians turn to Glorfindel's side of the family and both side stares.Until Carathir storms off to confirm the tapestries again.

Into the Fourth Age, when the couple finally arrives: Carathir: How could you get married without a family's blessing?! Erestor: Like I could?! Besides I had my cousin!*gestures to Elrond* and my uncle!*gestures to Maglor sneaking away* Carathir: WTF Erestor: Besides, YOU didn't marry with your family's blessing! everyone else:...

Ambarussa: he has a point brother

Carathir: *losing his mind*Laurefindil is too old for you!

Erestor: YOU were too old for amil!

Celegorm: oof

Carathir: *seething and struggling* I can't argue with that why can't I argue with that?? Maedhros: hello Laurefindil, welcome to the family. Glorfindel:...

Ecthelion and Egalmoth meanwhile are laughing their asses off. Elrond and his sons as well.

#glorestor #erestor #glorfindel #headcanon #what if #silmarillion #the hobbit #fili #kili #maglor

[entishramblings]

The Innocence of Brutality Pt. 4 [Legolas/F!Reader]

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 5 | PART 6 | PART 7

A.N: so here is the fourth part! unsure if I will make more parts because this fic hasn’t been as popular as my previous ones idkkkk? But I do wanna get a chapter of FATE up before I consider adding to this series?? lol don’t mind this ramble. EDIT: okay I will not discontinue this series I didn’t realize so many people did like it???

Request: none

Pairing: Legolas X Fem!Reader

Summary: The Reader is Rámaitë Mahtar, a warrior spirit race, and she meets the fellowship on their quest to destroy the ring.  

Disclaimer: Any mythology relating to the Rámaitë Mahtar is not canon as I made up Rámaitë Mahtar. Also, all elvish was translated from a translator site—it may not be accurate.

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: nudity (not sex), mentions of war, mentions of torture, violence, fluff

MASTERLIST | AO3 | WATTPAD

The Innocence of Brutality Masterlist

Only a couple days later, the fellowship approached a small town. It was small enough not to be very noticeable, yet large enough to have a marketplace to purchase some clothing for (Y/N) along with other supplies that they may need.

Aragorn nodded to Legolas. “Check her wing. See if it is healed.”

The elf turned to (Y/N), his eyes asking for permission. 

She dipped her head ever so slightly, granting it.

He took to unbinding it and, as the fabric fell away, his lips parted. The wound was basically gone. It was still noticeable that there had been an injury, but it was mostly healed and feathers were beginning to grow back over the thin fleshy material.

“(Y/N), how do you feel? Does it hurt?”

She frowned, snapping them open. She then flapped them slightly, sending a large gust of wind at her friends who wobbled at the pressure. “No pain. They feel…better.”

“Can they retract?” Aragorn asked.

(Y/N) nodded as she lowered them again. Slowly, they began to fold in on themselves…until there was nothing.

With parted lips, Legolas walked around her form. His eyes fell upon her exposed back and….nothing. No scar. No mark. Just skin. 

She looked human–ish. She still had that distinct ‘something different look’ but only ever so slightly. One wouldn't be able to pick up on it. At least none of the humans or simpler-minded creatures. 

“Okay,” Aragorn stated, appeased. “(Y/N) and I will go with the hobbits. Boromir will go with Gandalf. And Legolas and Gimli, you go alone. Most will see either of you as a messenger of your people stopping for the night. Boromir will seemingly be assisting an old man with his travels. And (Y/N) and I will be seen as a family with the little ones.”

At this, Legolas clenched his jaw. He didn’t know why, but heat brewed in his chest. 

“We will all stay in the same inn, but don’t make obvious contact with one another. Is everyone sure of the plan?”

Nods followed.

“Good.”

The smaller groups took turns entering the village, (Y/N), Aragorn, and the hobbits first.

They muddled by the market first, purchasing clothing and other essentials, before heading towards the inn. As they walked the streets, they passed all sorts of people—some chasing their children, and others trying to sell goods or services. One of these, services, caught (Y/N)’s attention.

A woman sat upon a man’s lap, her lips smashed against his. As their mouths moved in sync, the man’s arms wound their way across their hips. Aragorn knew that soon enough they would make their way into an ally or room for rent and do what they pleased. Of course, the others were not aware of such a lifestyle.

“What–what are they doing?” (Y/N) asked.

Pippin, rocking back on his heels, replied in a playful tone. “Kissing!”

The winged warrior frowned. “What is this…kissing?”

“It’s what people do when they love each other!” Sam replied.

“Love?” (Y/N) questioned.

“You know,” he began. “When you really like someone. When you really care bout ‘em.”

“I care about you.”

“Well of course you do.” Frodo said gently. “But love is different. It’s very special.”

Merry decided to interject at this point. “It’s like when you wanna be with them all the time!”

“You want to be with Pippin all the time,” (Y/N) said.

“Well, he’s my best friend! It’s different!” Merry defended.

Surprisingly, it was Aragorn who settled this debate. “All of those things are love, just different kinds. Romantic love is what you are asking about.” He ushered them along, still speaking in a quiet tone. ‘Romantic love is when your soul is bonded with another’s forever. It is when you would do anything for them. It is when you feel most cherished, most cared for, and most safe.” His hand drifted to the necklace that hung around his neck. “It is when you would want nothing but the best for that person, even if it breaks your heart.” He cleared his throat. “Now come along. We need to get to the inn.”

(Y/N) frowned, but followed along, her eyes lingering upon the couple.

They got a room, one as large as they could, and cleaned up, before making their way down to the bar for a meal and drink. (Y/N) sat, in her new clothes, at a nook table with the hobbits and Aragorn. It was then when Gandalf and Boromir walked in. They exchanged a quick subtle nod before drifting to a table nearby. Gimli entered about a half hour later—loud and complaining for some ale and mead. And Legolas soon followed. 

However, when the elf entered and scanned the room, his eyes froze on the Rámaite Mahtar. Her hair, clean and sparkling, framed her face nicely. Dark trousers wrapped around her waist and her feet were now clad by brown leather boots. A green tunic was covered by a simple leather armor, one that the Rangers often wore, and a matching cloak was tied under her neck. She looked put together…less homely and rugged. She looked normal…almost. Regardless, she was blending into their cover story quite well. She was smiling, talking, and eating with the hobbits. Aragorn’s arm was wrapped around her too as he held an ale. They looked sorta like a family traveling through the area. Legolas hated it.

(Y/N) caught a glimpse of the elf from the corner of her eye and flashed him a smile. 

He sent her a small one in return, trying to mask the jealousy boiling in his blood. 

With that, he disappeared into the bar.

As the night continued on, each small group began to subtle make their way into their rooms upstairs. 

Currently, Legolas sat upon the mattress in his small room. His dirty clothes were discarded and he wore only a clean pair of rousers. He was writing in a little book, a journal, that he was keeping throughout the journey. If he didn’t survive this, he wanted his father to find it. He wanted his father to know why he undertook such a journey. He hoped it would provide at least some comfort for the man.

It was then that a knock sounded upon his door. 

“Come in,” he called, for he knew it could only be a member of the fellowship. No other here would disturb an elf. His people had a reputation that led others to stay away.

A loud creaking sounded as the door slowly swung open.

“(Y/N)?” Legolas said, surprised.

She entered and closed the door behind her.

“I have your clothes,” she said simply, before placing a rumbled-up pile of green on the small table next to the bed. 

He smiled. “Thank you for returning them. I see the new ones Aragorn got you fit quite well.”

“Yes.” She walked towards him, standing right in front of him. “What are you doing?”

“Journaling,” he said. “I am writing of our adventure—taking notes, sketches. I want to keep a record of it, just in case.”

She frowned, peering at the book. “Just in case what?”

He looked up at her, sorrow in his blue eyes. “Just in case I die.” He cleared his throat, looking back down at the pages. “I want my father to have it. As an explanation. I assume by now he knows I have taken upon this quest.”

“I don't want you to die,” (Y/N) responded with a bit of a waver in her voice. 

Legolas sighed. “I don’t want you to die either–any of you.”

Surprising the elf, (Y/N) reached forward. She pulled the notebook from his hands as well as the ink and feather. She placed them carefully on the bedside table before returning in front of Legolas. 

“(Y/N),” Legolas began, confused. The sentence that was to follow, however, didn’t.

His voice faltered into nothingness as (Y/N) lifted one leg at a time to sit on his lap. As she settled upon him, she brought her hands to his cheeks.

“(Y/N),” he began again. Still, his words could not form past her name.

She leaned forward, her eyes fluttering closed, and pressed her lips to his. At first, he didn’t respond, shock filtering through his bones, but his body soon responded. His mouth began moving in pattern with hers and his arms encased her form. Her lips tasted of lavender and light, hints of ale filtering through that. She tasted different. She tasted ethereal. He liked it. He pulled her body close as they shared one breath. He let her fingers weave into his blond locks, entangling themselves deep into it, and he didn’t stop her when her hands ever so slightly brushed his elvish ears. He did, however, have to resist the sexual urge that came from such a touch. It was a slow kiss, one of hesitation and unsureness, but not unwanted. 

When the pair pulled away, Legolas looked up at her face. His next sentence was not that of accusation, but rather of question. “Why did you do that?”

She bit her lip. “Sam said that is what you do when you care about someone. It’s called kissing.”

“I know what it is called.” He chuckled lightly. “So did you kiss the hobbits too?”

She shook her head. “It is only for when you really care about someone.” 

He raised a brow, his arm wrapping tighter around her back. “Is that so?”

She nodded, not picking up on his teasing manner. “Yes. They said it is when you love someone.”

His second eyebrow lifted upwards to meet his first. “Do you even know what love is?”

(Y/N)’s expression turned to that of determination and seriousness as she spoke her next words. “I will kill for you.”

“(Y/N), you are a race that brings death. Killing for someone isn't love—”

She shook her head. “No. You don’t understand. I—I don’t like war…not really. I don’t like that people hurt. I don’t like where I went after…after the first time I was here. With–with a man named Morgoth.” Her voice turned into a whisper. “He–he tortured me. I bled because of him.” (Y/N) blinked a couple of times, trying to hold back tears. It didn’t work. “But I would do it again…for you. I  am doing it again...for you.”

That was the most words he ever heard her say consecutively. “I–I don’t understand—” he stuttered, a bit surprised by the content. 

“I ran. I escaped. I came here to…to hide.”

Legolas tilted his head with his lips parted as he reached forward to brush away the water running down her cheek. He now knew what she was trying to say. “(Y/N),” he whispered.

She inhaled deeply. “If they find me, they will send me back. But–but I dont care. I have you.”

With that, Legolas grasped her cheeks. “(Y/N), I will fight anyone, including the Valar, who tries to take you away.” He paused, just for a moment. “Anyone who tries to take you away from me. ”

The Prince then slammed his lips against the winged woman’s. He held onto her tight as his one hand weaved its way into her hair. He presented more pressure upon that hand and the one around her waist to pull her towards him, almost frantically. Every ounce of his soul held onto her as their mouths melded together—instantaneously, urgently. It was wet, it was rough, it was desperate. 

He knew she was capable of emotion. He knew she was capable of more than the basics. She could feel it, live it, experience it. So much so that she could identify love…in herself and in others.

The Rámaite Mahtar were more than just warriors.

Legolas had known it all along and (Y/N) had just proved it to him. 

He needed nothing more.

He could finally allow himself to love her…not that he hadn’t this entire time.

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 5 | PART 6 | PART 7

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[sotwk]

I've always thought that the reason for Tolkien elves losing interest in sex after having the kids that they want is a by-product of his Catholicism. My mum was raised Catholic and she says that she was raised to believe that children were the thing that redeemed sex and that ideally sex wouldn't happen at all. (Idk if that's a universal experience but it was hers) So it makes sense that Tolkien's elves, as 'higher' more spiritual beings would be less sexual beings and so would not partake in sex after they'd had their kids. (Which is why I ignore that particular titbit of Tolkien lore😉)

Ooof! I'm quite familiar with Catholic teachings on sex, and it sounds like the values your mom grew up with were quite extreme! (Religious values and beliefs run across a very wide spectrum, but let's not invite debates on that!) That sounds a lot more like something Mrs. Kim from Gilmore Girls would say. LOL.

I admit I lean more towards the puritan, "higher being" interpretation of Elves, especially the Calaquendi who have seen the Light of the Trees. There has to be something that distinguishes them from the other Middle-earth races, and temperance when it comes to carnal needs and urges (i.e. sex, food), is one of those characteristics. So yes, Elves are less interested in sex than Dwarves, Hobbits, but especially Men, but even their appetites vary within their race.

When it comes to the SotWK AU's interpretation of Thranduil and his Elvenqueen wife, Maereth, here is a rundown of my take on it:

(My headcanons are mostly guided by what was written in the LaCE, because I'm a Type-A nerd who likes rules and manuals, but these are just MY interpretation of it. It's not hardline LaCE compliant either, and regardless, my takes are neither canon nor law!)

Thranduil and Maereth are descendants of Calaquendi, but had not made the journey themselves. Technically, Maereth is closer to the Light of the Trees and arguably more "blessed" in that manner, since her mother was born in Tirion (Valinor), as opposed to Oropher who never completed the journey.

Thranduil was always more free-spirited ("as wild as one of Araw’s Kine", Oropher described him in my fic "The Crown") than the average Sinda, and over the years became even more alike the Silvan people he ruled over.

Silvans are culturally more sexual than the Sindar or Noldor, not necessarily in the sense of being promiscuous, but rather that they take more pleasure in the act itself as way of bonding with their partners, not just for the sake of begetting children.

The Silvans do not lose interest in sex even after thousands of years, and are able to retain monogamous relationships with their partners because Elven bonds (platonic, familial, romantic, etc.) are as enduring as their physical immortality.

This is what helps the Silvan/Greenwood population endure through the millennia, throughout the "Mirkwood" dark ages, and into the Fourth Age and beyond in Eryn Lasgalen. They keep having sex, keep reproducing, and their population is sustained even through attacks and wars.

Oh, and culturally, the Silvans also love children and celebrate the process of raising them as a community. That's a key factor in their population growth too.

Thranduil and Maereth are, foregoing more eloquent terms, absolutely bananas for each other. Epic, epic, love along the vein of Professor Tolkien's love for his wife Edith, and its parallel romance--Beren and Lúthien. Could you imagine Lúthien replacing or loving anyone other than Beren? (I guess you can imagine anything in fandom, but I hope you get my point.) Well, it's the same with Thranduil and his Elvenqueen. It's a rather unpopular take on his love life, but that's how it is at least in the SotWK AU.

So yeah, they never tire of each other and never stop wanting each other, in any way, by any definition. They naturally stop begetting children after Legolas (their 5th), but the lovemaking definitely continues.

Sorry for the delay in this response, Anon--I hope you're still able to see and read this. And I hope the uncalled-for infodump makes it better, not worse! LOL. Thank you for the Ask!

#sotwk answers #anon asks #kind anons #i have the best anons #thranduil #thranduil headcanon #sotwk headcanon #elvenqueen maereth #sotwk ocs #silvan elves #mirkwood #mirkwood elves #tolkien #the hobbit #lotr #tw sex

[laora-ryn]

Omg y'all, my husband's family had a tradition growing up that when any of them were sick (which was pretty often, since he's one of seven kids), they would watch the 1977 Rankin/Bass Hobbit movie. Their dad really loves Tolkien but was generally not a fan of letting the kids use The Tech (tm), so I think this is the compromise the older kids wrangled from him

I have heard about this movie from him and his siblings, but didn't really know anything about it myself since my parents weren't super into Tolkien, so I got into it with the PJ LOTR movies

ANYWAY so we've been sick all week and James found out that movie's on HBO, so he sat me down and made me watch it as a Time Honored Tradition

And I.

Bilbo has approximated Leia buns??? I spent an hour and seventeen minutes looking at him, but still have not figured out what is going on with this guy's hair

They really leaned hard into "there's thorin and uhhhhhhhhhh twelve other dwarves idk their names don't matter." The only ones I could keep straight were fili and kili, since they were blond, and balin and dwalin, because they have like, six-heads and brain wrinkles on their head lol

James always described Gollum in this movie as a booger, and now I understand why. They also made him blind, which doesn't make a ton of sense in the context of Bilbo using the ring to escape, but imo it's a neat design choice nonetheless

They really did THIS to thranduil oropherion I am still laughing my ASS off at this. He also spoke with a really shitty, half assed French accent for no discernable reason

And then there was? Smaug??? Who has laser beams for eyes?? And fur on his back?? And a tiger's face???? And pecs????????

I was too flabbergasted to remember to take more pictures but the conversation right before the battle went like this:

Thorin, Bard, and Thranduil: let's fuck these guys up!!

Gandalf: STOP you fools!!! As we speak there is a FOURTH army of goblins on its way here!!!

Thorin, Bard, and Thranduil:

Thorin: King Thranduil, my dearest friend and greatest ally, I would be honored to join forces with you to defeat this evil

Thranduil: oh mighty king thorin, it would be an honor [I wish I was making this up, if it weren't made in the 70s I would've thought it was a meme]

Also, at the end, bombur shows up in front of Bilbo only to keel over and die, before we cut to Bilbo's conversation with gandalf:

Bilbo: how many of our original thirteen remain??

Gandalf: seven :(

Bilbo: and thorin??

Gandalf: soon, it will be six :((((

No explanation for this or like, explanation of who else they arbitrarily killed off or anything

So anyway, this movie was An Experience (tm) and I wanted to share and also, y'all should watch it if you get the chance bc lol

#mine #the hobbit #lotr #i think thranduil takes the cake for me #but smaug is such a 'wtf???' that he gets an honorable mention too #sry for long post lol

[velvet4510]

Ok here’s a whole essay’s worth of headcanons about some of the LOTR main characters’ lives in the Fourth Age, particularly their children.

(note: some of these names and marriages I’ve invented, and some I’ve borrowed from Elenya54’s phenomenal fics “All That I Had” and “The Gift of Ilúvatar,” which have many elements that I’ve absorbed into my hc, including Frodo leaving letters for Sam & Elanor and jewelry for Rosie, as well as Legolas ending up with Frodo’s healer’s daughter. Elanor & Fastred’s historian work is mentioned in Tolkien’s appendices. Frodo-lad’s love of dwarves and Rosie-lass’ love of the Entwives are taken from Tolkien’s unpublished epilogue.)

All dates in Shire Reckoning.

Frodo wrote Sam a love letter before he left, which Sam carried in his waistcoat pocket close to his heart every day.

Frodo left a letter for Elanor to read when she was older, letting her know how much he loved her and how sorry he was that he could not be there to watch her grow; he signed the letter “your Frodo-dad,” to which Rosie referred to him as she firmly felt that her daughter had two fathers in her life before Frodo had to leave. This is why Elanor called her father “Sam-dad” all her life.

Frodo left Rosie a set of freshly-polished jewelry (necklace, earrings, and bracelet) that once belonged to his mother Primula. Rosie always cherished these trinkets and wore them to every formal event she ever attended; she lent them to Elanor to wear at her wedding to Fastred.

Sam & Rosie’s entire family adopted the Gardner surname in the year 1424.

Sam taught all his children to read and write in both Westron and Sindarin. He was known as “the People’s Mayor,” as he helped the rich and poor alike. He came to know everyone in Hobbiton, regardless of class, on a first-name basis. He advocated for literacy in the entirety of the Shire, and his agenda ultimately modernized the Shire and created new opportunities for education, including the land’s first-ever public school in Michel Delving. He managed to change many conservative minds who used to not believe in the importance of reading by emphasizing how he only was able to accomplish what he did because of the knowledge he gained from Bilbo Baggins. He also personally planted many public and private gardens in the Shire, including a memorial garden for Frodo in the Party Field; his continuation of manual labor despite his affluent position went a long way in weaking the previously strict Shire social class system.

The efforts to rebuild after the Scouring, combined with Sam’s rise from lowly gardener to Master of Bag End and Mayor, shook up the class system. Many formerly upper- and middle-class families who had lost big chunks of their fortunes in repairing the Ruffians’ damage turned to manual labor to help the work move faster. It was a humbling experience for many, and the working class gained more respect than it’d ever had before. Sam’s brothers and cousins had their hands full taking on apprentices to learn their skills and help out. As a result, the Fourth Age saw more employment for hobbits than ever before; the bourgeois lifestyle became far less common.

Rosie became a leader in her own right, helping all the poorer hobbits in one way or another. She threw many parties at Bag End, including an annual celebration on September 22nd in honor of Bilbo and Frodo. Having been taught to read and write by Sam as a child (who passed on Bilbo’s lessons to her curious mind), she set her husband’s educational goals into motion by becoming a part-time tutor for hobbit children once her own children were older and in less need of her constant care. Many of the hobbits she tutored went on to become schoolteachers. She became extremely popular and respected, and when she died, a major party was thrown in her honor that went down in Shire history alongside Bilbo’s famous party.

Legolas and Gimli paid visits to the Shire as often as they could.

Elanor was a lifelong bibliophile and linguist. While working for Queen Arwen, she became fluent in Sindarin and translated many Elvish texts in the library. She was far more interested in the Elvish language and culture than any of her siblings. Besides Elfstan and Fíriel, she and Fastred also had 4 other children: Frodo, Astred, Arwen, and Rosemary. The couple led the Westmarch community together, doing a lot of impactful philanthropic work, and created an extensive library filled with historical records of the Shire, as well as Elves and Men, all the information that Elanor could compile while working in Gondor. Elanor also was struck with many dreams throughout her life of events in the Red Book, as she vividly imagined all the descriptions she heard and read so many times. A natural empath, she developed a deep understanding of Frodo’s suffering post-quest - mainly because of the personal connection she felt with him through his letter to her - and wrote several volumes of original poetry in both Westron and Sindarin, inspired by her two fathers. She became a beloved celebrity in the Shire, and eventually throughout Middle-earth when the Queen requested and published a copy of her work (with her permission). She, her husband, and their children continued to visit Gondor through the years and maintained a lifelong friendship with the royal family. Elanor eventually surpassed Bilbo Baggins as the oldest-lived hobbit in Middle-earth history, living to the age of 133.

Frodo-lad shared his father’s deep passion for gardening and they worked together on the flowers and vegetables at Bag End every day. He often teamed up with Elanor, his best friend as well as his sister, to help their parents manage their younger siblings growing up. He developed a love of Dwarves after reading about them in the Red Book; Gimli once created and gifted to him a harmless toy dwarf axe for his birthday. He was as skilled a scholar as Elanor, but didn’t enjoy it as much as she did, preferring the outdoors. However, he did help her with her research on Shire history for her library and eventually wrote his own book on gardening. He later married a hobbit lass named Violet, who hailed from the Bunce family. Besides Holfast, they had 3 other children: Heather, Wilfred, and Lavender. Frodo eventually became Mayor after his father retired and inherited Bag End when his father left the Shire. By this time, enough residents of Hobbiton had learned to read to enable him to open the town’s first-ever public library, which included copies of his own gardening book. The title of Mayor was later taken up by Holfast after his own retirement, and then later by Holfast’s son Harding of the Hill.

Rosie-lass was an in-demand artist who sketched and painted illustrations for the Red Book as well as portraits and landscapes which were given away as mathoms. The walls of Bag End were covered with her art. Framed in her and her sisters’ bedroom was her favorite creation: a drawing of a fantasy in which she found the lost Entwives. She later married Fredegar Bolger’s son Rudecar and they had 7 children.

Young Merry eventually took over operation of the mill formerly owned by the Sandymans and purchased by Frodo after the Scouring. He married Robin Smallburrow’s daughter Hazel and they had 3 children.

Young Pippin became a skilled furniture maker and married one of Fredegar Bolger’s daughters, Jessaminta. They had 5 children.

(The mother of Fredegar Bolger’s children was his wife Angelica Baggins, the last of the Baggins bloodline. Sam and Rosie were thrilled that their family was united with one of Baggins descent via Rosie-lass and Pippin’s marriages.)

As per canon, Goldilocks married Pippin Took’s son Faramir. They had 6 children and eventually became the heads of the Took family. Goldilocks loved to cook with her mother as a child and later insisted on helping the cooks at the Great Smials hands-on with preparing meals, class system be buggered. She and her husband made sure to pass this egalitarian mindset onto their children.

Hamfast loved the story of the Ents so much that he dedicated his life to forestry. He married Malva, who hailed from the Burrows family, and they had 3 children.

Daisy inherited her father’s knack for songwriting and composed many tunes which she eagerly performed at parties. She sang at all her siblings’ weddings. She herself married and had 4 children with Merry’s son Théodoc.

Primrose, a tomboy all the way, inherited her father’s talent with knots and became Hobbiton’s exclusive roper, alongside her cousin Anson’s latest apprentice, Nico Goodbody; they married and had 3 children.

Bilbo enjoyed a simple life working for the Quick Post and co-owning a bakery with his wife Azalea Hayward (daughter of Shirriff Hob), with whom he had 2 daughters.

Ruby became fascinated with medicine and eventually took on a career as a midwife. She was deeply moved by Frodo’s words in the Red Book about cherishing the beloved land that was saved by him and her father, and she took it upon herself to help bring the next generation of hobbits into the world to honor his wishes. She eventually married and had 5 children with Pippin’s son Beregond.

Robin followed in his namesake’s footsteps and became a Shirriff. He married Merry’s daughter Éowyn and they raised their 4 children in Frodo’s former residence at Crickhollow.

Tom became a merchant, traveling constantly between Gondor and the Shire. He never married but had a lifelong partnership with Pippin’s youngest son Beren. The two of them looked after the old hobbit in his final years in Minas Tirith, as he needed walking sticks to help him move due to lasting effects of troll-inflicted wounds. They shared their luxurious house with Pippin until his eventual death at age 106, two years after Merry had succumbed to a long illness in Pippin’s arms at age 112. Tom himself became quite an adventurer, retracing the Fellowship’s steps and sightseeing all of the quest’s locations with Beren. They both eventually rose in esteem to become advisors to the king.

Many times, but even more so in his later years, Sam had dreams of the Sea.

All of the children moved out of Bag End when they married, except Frodo-lad, who raised his own family in Bag End while also looking after his aging parents.

When Rosie fell ill for the last time, Sam and Frodo-lad summoned all 12 of Frodo’s siblings to Bag End, and they all were present in their mother’s last moments. On her deathbed, Rosie bequeathed Primula’s jewelry to Elanor.

Before sailing West, Sam showed Frodo’s love letter to Tom, Beren, and later Elanor. Although he never saw the letter, Frodo-lad also sensed his father’s true feelings for his namesake. They were the only members of their generation to be aware of Frodo & Sam’s secret romance; they honored Sam’s wish that this detail be kept private and left out of all records.

Elanor, Fastred, Frodo-lad, Goldilocks, Faramir, and Pearl all collaborated on the creation of the Thain’s Book, mainly working on it in the two years between Elanor’s inheriting of the original book and Pippin’s impending departure, which he was already considering and discussing with his family even before Éomer wrote to Merry.

When Sam sailed, he took with him several flower seed packets to plant in the West, a stash of Old Toby, letters for Frodo from the rest of the Fellowship (updating him on their lives and families), and a book of Elanor’s poetry which she intended as a present for Frodo. He also was given a small trinket from each of his children, which he kept and cherished as mementos of them. He left the Star of the Dúnedain and Sting to Frodo-lad, and both became cherished Gardner family heirlooms.

Sam happily reunited with Frodo on Tol Eressëa. Since time passed differently there, Frodo had not aged. Sam’s physical youth was gradually restored by the island’s rejuvenating energy, as was Bilbo’s. The couple lived happily together in a hobbit hole which Frodo had built for Sam.

In his time on the island, besides being fully healed by the combined efforts of Gandalf, Elrond, a Vanya healer, and Nienna herself, Frodo became good friends with Celebrían, as they understood each other’s similar reasons for sailing West. He became a gardener, realizing how much knowledge he absorbed from Sam through the years, and helped tend to many Elves’ private gardens as well as his own, and also became fluent in Quenya as a necessity for communication.

When Sam had settled in, Frodo taught him to speak Quenya and to swim.

Bilbo eventually chose to lay down his life after leaving nothing unsaid between him and the younger hobbits. However, Frodo and Sam continued on, and were still living when Legolas and Gimli finally arrived. They and Gandalf enjoyed many happy times together, especially at the beach, and reminisced about their lost friends.

When the hobbits finally accepted their mortality together, lying in each other’s arms after saying all their goodbyes, their bodies were laid side-by-side and housed with Bilbo’s body in a permanent memorial for them in Avalloné. They left all of their possessions to be placed within a historical museum on Eressëa, containing artifacts from all the ages of the world.

Pippin & Diamond were friends since tweenhood, but only saw each other in a platonic light for many years, and Pippin had some fun flirting with and trying to impress lasses when he returned from the Quest. An avid reader, Diamond was fascinated by the stories of what happened to him. But she was also an unusually empathetic and insightful hobbit, and she could sense that not all of Pippin’s adventures were fun, and that he had some lingering trauma. She became his safe space to talk to, and they quickly fell in love. As Tolkien put in canon, they finally married in 1427 (when Diamond was 32 and not even of age yet, as they couldn’t wait any longer) and the heir to the Thainship was their son Faramir, born in 1430, who later married Goldilocks. Here’s my version of the rest of their family:

Faramir took after Diamond more than Pippin. He had his sense of humor but had a sense of responsibility much earlier on in life and grew to be a fine leader in his own right, long before becoming Thain. He bonded closely with his namesake during a year-long visit to Gondor in which he served as a page to the King. He overcame Goldilocks’ shyness toward boys via their lifelong friendship from childhood that blossomed into more in their tweens.

Once Faramir was born, Pippin & Diamond realized that they loved parenting and wanted a big family, not unlike Sam & Rosie. They wanted to take on the adventure together and they did. Diamond wanted all her children to have special unconventional names and encouraged Pippin to borrow names of people he met on his quest and who he’d read about. Pippin agreed as long as his wife agreed to allow herself her own honor by naming all their daughters after jewels like her. They visited Gondor together often.

Their 1st daughter Pearl was born in 1433. An introvert, she preferred to read and draw than go to parties. A natural scholar like her mother, she was responsible for the cultivation of the Great Smials’ library, collecting and writing much of the history of Gondor, helped largely by her youngest brother’s frequent travels to the kingdom. She eventually married into the Goodbody family to Elio, brother of Nico (who married Primrose Gardner). They had 2 children.

2nd son Boromir was born in 1436. He helped his older brother keep their younger siblings in check. He initially in his youth felt hurt that he was named after the man who tried to steal the Ring, but as he grew older and came to understand the full story better, he came to deeply admire and respect his namesake. He opened a law firm alongside his best friend Estel Brandybuck, and married Fredegar Bolger’s youngest daughter, Miramunda; they had 7 children.

3rd son Beregond was born in 1438. He worked as an auctioneer and married Sam & Rosie’s daughter Ruby. See above.

Twins Bergil (boy) and Opal (girl) were born in 1440.

Bergil followed in his grandfather Paladin’s footsteps and made a living from farming the fertile earth of Tuckborough. His sister-in-law Goldilocks was helpful in this endeavor, as she arranged for him to gain experience in his youth by helping her mother’s family, the Cottons, at their own farm for a year. He married and had 3 children with Lydia Hornblower.

Opal founded the Shire’s first theatrical company and wrote many plays that retold the full story of the Fellowship. It was her plays that enlightened the rest of the Shire regarding the extent of Frodo Baggins’ sacrifice, and his reputation vastly improved as much of the population finally understood his heroism. Opal married into the Grubb family to a lad named Aldo, and they also had 3 children.

When she heard the story of Beren and Lúthien for the first time while pregnant with Emerald, Diamond loved it so much that she insisted they name their next boy after Beren.

3rd daughter Emerald was born in 1443, named in honor of her great-aunt Esmeralda Brandybuck. She married into the Burrows family to Marco, brother of Malva (who married Hamfast Gardner). They opened an affluent restaurant together near the Three-Farthing Stone, which blended Shire cuisine with those of Gondor and Rohan via recipes collected by Emerald’s father and “Uncle Merry”. They also had 2 children.

5th son and youngest child, Beren, was born in 1446. He never married but had a romantic life partner in Sam & Rosie’s son Tom, with whom he worked as a merchant. See above.

After many happy years, Diamond died at age 86 in 1481, six months before Rosie’s passing. She held on until she heard the news that her youngest grandchild had been born safely earlier that day.

Estella pursued Merry for many years until she finally won him over. They married the same year that Faramir Took was born, and decided they wanted a smaller family than the Gardners and the Tooks. They ultimately had 4 children:

1st son Théodoc was born in 1432. Merry knew he wanted to name his firstborn after his late king; Estella agreed, admiring the king greatly from her husband’s stories, but wanted to continue the tradition of giving the future Master a name ending in “-doc.” This was their compromise. Théodoc was a born scholar like his father and helped him put together his book on old words and names. He later married Sam & Rosie’s daughter Daisy; they became the Master and Mistress of Buckland when Merry left the Shire for the last time.

2nd son Estel was born in 1436. His parents were amazed at how perfectly the name worked as a tribute to both Aragorn and to Estella herself. Estel was a mama’s boy and never minded his name’s resemblance to hers, even before making the thrilling discovery that he was also named for a king. He opened a law firm with his best friend Boromir. On a family trip to Bree, Estel met a real Underhill, named Sarafina; they instantly fell in love and he brought her home to Buckland as his bride. They bore 3 children.

1st daughter Éowyn was born in 1439. She worshipped and maintained a lifelong friendship with her namesake, who sent her birthday presents every year, and in whose footsteps she followed by becoming the Shire’s most reliable healer. She also helped her father gather research for his herblore books, and gained much knowledge of herbal medicines from this project. She later married Sam & Rosie’s son Robin; they first got together when Tom & Beren played matchmaker.

2nd daughter Athela was born in 1441, named after Athelas in honor of her father’s love of herbs and her mother’s appreciation for the specific herb that saved her father’s life. She married into the Goldworthy family and had 3 children with her husband Fabian. She shared her sister’s passion for independent thinking and eventually became a teacher at the Shire’s first public school.

Merry was the first of the Travellers to be widowed, as Estella passed in 1480 at age 95. The following year, Athela named her newborn 3rd child after her mother.

As Tolkien wrote, Aragorn & Arwen’s firstborn was Eldarion, born in 1422, who eventually succeeded his father as king and created a long-lasting dynasty. According to me, Eldarion was followed by three younger sisters:

Idril was born in 1425. She remained in close touch with her Elvish roots and arranged for the history of Elves and Men to be taught in all of Gondor’s schools. It was for her and her sister’s sake that her parents were inspired to issue a law requiring girls to be educated as well as boys. She later married Elboron, son of Faramir & Eowyn (b. 1424), and they became Prince and Princess of Ithilien after Elboron’s parents’ deaths, and helped Legolas restore the land to its former glory. Their son Barahir wrote The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen (Tolkien canon).

Twins Celebrían and Gilraen were born in 1429.

Celebrían was a linguist and expert diplomat and helped her father with peace talks among the Southern and Eastern lands, made easier when she became fluent in the languages spoken by the Haradrim. She was close friends with Elanor, as they shared a passion for learning languages.

Gilraen was a tomboy who joined the remaining Rangers of the North in patrolling the woodlands of Arnor, eventually marrying a fellow Ranger.

All four of Aragorn & Arwen’s children were raised bilingual in Westron and Sindarin. The Sindarin language became common in Gondor once again, and was taught in schools.

Eldarion oversaw the restoration of Osgiliath alongside his father.

Aragorn also arranged for absolute premogeniture in the Reunited Kingdom’s line of succession, echoing the similar policy of Númenor.

Two centuries later, Eldarion’s firstborn, Silmariën, became the first Ruling Queen (regnant) of Gondor. Her younger sister was Nimloth.

Also, in Ithilien:

Besides Elboron, Faramir & Éowyn had a daughter, Elwyn (b. 1427), who became a healer like her mother. She exchanged much information with her close friends from the Shire, the hobbits Ruby Gardner and Éowyn Brandybuck.

As for Legolas and Gimli:

Gimli was gray and aged when he and Legolas sailed West, but had a few steps left in him.

On his last journey, Legolas took with him letters for Sam from his surviving children, all of whom he had stayed in touch with through the years (especially Elanor and Tom), as well as his own copy of the Red Book in Quenya, which he’d made himself in Gondor from the Thain’s Book, in order to keep the details of the story recorded for the populace of Valinor.

They were thrilled to reunite with the hobbits on Eressëa, having hoped they’d still be alive.

Gimli bonded with the Elves who specialized in mining and delving on the island, and eventually learned Quenya.

Legolas fell in love with Laurëalotë, a Vanya resident of Tol Eressëa and the daughter of Frodo’s healer.

Gimli, being 260 years old when he sailed, ultimately lived to the age of 330.

Many years after the hobbits and Gimli had finally passed on, Legolas married Laurëalotë and they had two daughters, Malinalda and Altáriel, and a son, Elessar. They settled on the island and often visited the permanent memorial built in honor of their late friends.

Gandalf sailed on to settle in Valinor. His reward from the Valar for his deeds was to travel freely among the Blessed Realm whenever he pleased, no longer bound to be a servant. Thus, he often visited Legolas and the memorials on the nearby island.

Legolas’ copy of the Red Book became the most cherished item in his household, as he read the story to his wife, daughters, and grandchildren, and kept it alive forever.

For the rest of time, Gandalf and Legolas personally reminisced about the Fellowship, and their memories of and love for their friends never faded.

The Last Ship sailed from the Grey Havens in the year 201 of the Fourth Age. Among those onboard were Círdan, Celeborn, Elladan, Elrohir, and one Elf who had long served his repentance through many lonely millennia in Middle-Earth and was at last granted passage back to his homeland: Maglor.

#lotr #lotr headcanons #lord of the rings #samwise gamgee #rosie cotton #pippin took #merry brandybuck #aragorn #faramir #eowyn #eldarion #elboron #elanor gardner #estella bolger #diamond of long cleeve #samfro #frodo x sam #frodo x sam x rosie #maglor #cirdan #celeborn #elladan and elrohir #fourth age #arwen undomiel #farawyn #frodo baggins #bilbo baggins #legolas #gimli #valinor

[morvith]

Sam Gamgee's last adventure

Or, how Maglor was conned convinced to return to Valinor.

In the year 1482 (61 Fourth Age), after the death of his beloved wife Rosie, Samwise Gamgee entrusts the Red Book to his daughter Elanor and her descendands. After he left the Tower Hills, it is said that he made his way to the Grey Havens and was allowed to cross over to the Undying Lands.

But what if, on his way to the Grey Havens, Sam heard a faint, mournful song?

It doesn't quite match what he has felt since Mid-Year's Day - he is still a simple Hobbit at heart, he wouldn't dare presume, but... He recognises that feeling.

So, before he even realises it, his feet turn down a different path, following the music for days and days (he is not as spry as he used to be when he first set out with Master Frodo), until he reaches the sea shore, and sees a lonely Elf, singing his heartbreak to the sea.

There's something terribly wrong with this Elf, and not just because one of his hands is badly burnt. The deeds of which he sings are terrible, enough to freeze the blood in one's veins.

No one would blame Sam if he turned back the way he came, and left the (lonely, lonely, lonely) Elf to the fate he chose.

Before his Quest, Sam might have very well done so. None of his business, what call has he to meddle in the Fair Folk's business?

But that was years and years ago. Sam has a keen sense of justice (he wouldn't have been elected Mayor of Michel Delving seven times in a row otherwise), but he has also learned the value of mercy.

So, Sam grabs Maglor by his good arm and plays up "poor lost frail old Hobbit" for all that he is worth!

Fëanorian stubborness? Tsk. Have you tried managing an entire city worth of Hobbits? Yeah, thought so.

So, after much (much, much) arguing, Maglor agrees to put that stubborn little creature on the road to the Grey Havens, and that's it.

....yes, he does know where they are! And the reason why he hasn't left yet is none of the Hobbit's business!

All right, so he will take the stubborn old Hobbit to the Grey Havens, but no further!

Then, there is nobody waiting for the Hobbit and it appers that all boats left are Elf-sized, and.... Maglor has done a lot of things he is not proud of, but he is not, at heart, evil. (He was once considered the gentlest soul among Fëanor's sons). He can't leave this small, old Hobbit to drown, which is exactly what is going to happen if he insists on taking a boat alone.

The Hobbit, of course, insists.

So, fine! Maglor will help him sail, but only halfway to Valinor. He is not going all the way!

Sam, meanwhile, is laughing up his sleeve and patting Maglor's hand and addressing him as winyamo (Quenya for "youngster". Look, Maglor refused to give a name, he only has himself to blame. Besides, it reminds Sam of Mister Bilbo.)

Spoiler: Maglor does, indeed, end up going all the way to Valinor.

(with many thanks to @wings-of-indigo )

#the silmarillion #the lord of the rings #samwise gamgee #maglor #headcanon #I might actually have to write this...

[theriverwild]

Writer Asks

This was fun, thank you @demonscantgothere and tagging @galbrand, @tmwillson3, @jhalya, @myfavouritelunatic, @thrillofhope and anyone else who wants to do it!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Eight (for now...)

2. What's your total A03 words count?

568,161.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I am writing exclusively for the Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power fandom and incorporating significant lore from the broader Tolkien Legendarium (LOTR, Hobbit, Silm, Unfinished Tales, etc.).

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

(596) That Which Lies Across the Sea (WIP): Fourth Age Mairon x Galadriel. Sauron/Mairon redemption arc taking him and Galadriel through the Dagor Dagorath and beyond to Arda Unmarred. It's a long tale!

(195) Autocorrelation (WIP): missing Haladriel scenes during TROP.

(136) Aftermath (WIP): Second and Third Age vignettes. Saurondriel plus other stories like where was Celeborn? And a little sprinkle of Celrond. Set after TROP with lore from LOTR and Unfinished Tales.

(82) Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Duplicity (WIP): Mairon's time as a double agent with the elves in Valinor before Morgoth is released from captivity. Character study vignettes with some one-sided pining for a young Artanis.

(82) Land of Enchantment: my first AU! This is a bit of dark fic with a much darker sequel but just watch me make it an HEA (of sorts). Haladriel / Saurondriel.

Note that the first four are part of my Use Well the Days series which is all canon compliant according to my own interpretation of Tolkien's works and The Rings of Power series.

(And more below the cut! Trying to avoid an overlong post for you scrollers)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! Every single one is special to me.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Ah, well, I only have two finished fics so that would have to be Land of Enchantment which has a bit of a crushing epilogue, later explained and expanded on in the sequel.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

My fic for a funny smutty term challenge: Sunny Days Chasing the Clouds Away It is a fluffy and feel good Haladriel one-shot!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully, no. I tagged everything I could think of up front on Kingdom of Rust because the first four chapters are rough. I'm hoping that prevents any hate.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Yes I do! There is noncon/dubcon in Land of Enchantment, Kingdom of Rust, and Marring of Mairon but generally my smut is consensual and ranges from fluffy to mildly kinky.

I like to write extremely visceral smut that does not leave a lot to the imagination. So far there is a little M-M and a lot of M-F.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Nope! At least not yet.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Sort of. The first chapter of TWLATS was modified and translated and linked to my original story.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

No. This sounds fun, but also terrifying given my propensity for "I'm not as good as anyone else" syndrome.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Well, I was a silent reader of many ships for over a decade but I have to say, nothing has struck the same chord as Saurondriel -- which pulled me out of the shadows and into fandom proper.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Nothing. I'm going to finish all my WIPS. They all have complete outlines.

Exceptions to this are my vignette fics, which do not have outlines, but I could call them complete today and it would not be out of place for how I set them up to support the rest of the series they are a part of.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Commenters have very kindly complimented my detailed plotting. I have short-term and long-term payoffs and like to weave events and interactions across years and different character arcs. My prose isn't the best and everything is quite wordy, but it's all there for a reason.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

My prose lacks consistency. Love some lines, hate a lot of others. I publish stuff I'm not very satisfied (in terms of prose) with when I reach diminishing returns so I can keep the plot moving. I'm not trying to be sloppy, but I'd rather post and keep the story going instead of get stuck on a scene for two months.

That said, I welcome concrit in my canonverse fics because I really do want to improve.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Yes! Quenya, Sindarin, and Spanish so far in my fics. I post the translations in-line.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power. And still here!

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

I absolutely love my Use Well The Days universe but when I finished Land of Enchantment I felt like, 'whoa, that was something else.' And I feel the same way about the sequel I am trying to exorcise from my brain so I can get back to TWLATS and my more popular WIPS.

#my fic #my wips #trop fanfiction #tag game #tag asks #ask a writer #basically I get to advertise my fics #I like talking about them #100% bias over here #haladriel #saurondriel

[cailynwrites]

Writing Patterns

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

Thank you @squibstress for tagging me in this. Though I’m not a writer (publicly, anyway), there’s clearly something about first lines that draws me to recording a podfic. This is such a fun idea. Working backward from my last posted podfic today (!), here goes …

1. “There was certainly something amiss with the temporal forces that morning, for Sybill Trelawney awoke with a splitting headache.”

From Ambiguity (podfic) by @vermin-disciple, Rated G

This is a perfect encapsulation of what’s to come. I already waxed rhapsodic about this character study in another post, but this first line crystallizes the dichotomy of the character and the world view, the tragedy and the comedy, the ethereal and the mundane, the two warring factions inside Sibyll Trelawney. She prances around dispersing her gift of Sight and great wisdom while at the same time completely wrapped up in the lowest level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. It’s so hard to tell what’s real and what’s a sham with her, because she doesn’t even know herself. And all of that is in the first sentence! Masterful.

2. “The summer after Draco’s first year at Hogwarts was perfectly lovely.”

From there and back again (podfic), the 3rd installment in the dogfather AU series by @nonasuch, Rated G

Of course, the unspoken part is that nothing every would be again after that point. Draco fares much better in this AU than in canon or in many other fanfics. He reads The Hobbit, gets support from cousin Sirius, and ends up more or less on the right side of the war, though definitely not unscathed. @nonasuch is a whiz with a turn of phrase and leaves so much unsaid to be inferred. This fic in particular is almost like a series of interludes; it’s never telling the story as the exciting parts are going on, but rather it gives Draco's version of (semi-)canon events in the calm denouement periods after. As a reader, it keeps you on the edge of your seat because you don’t know when the next time jump will be or what things will have radically changed when you see Draco again on the other side.

(I’m going to cheat here and also give the first lines of the other fics in the series that I’ve recorded thus far, because I think they’re similar in an interesting way and I just want to celebrate every day what a masterful writer @nonasuch is.)

“Remus woke up warm and comfortable, and that was all wrong.”

From the black dog (podfic) by @nonasuch, part 2 of the dogfather AU, Rated M

A prequel to the original story, the dogfather, in which Sirius breaks out of prison and meets up with Remus much earlier than in canon. Again, this first line leaves us to infer so much and imagine what has changed, why Remus hadn’t been warm and comfortable before, what is to come. The first line presages all the angst and hurt/comfort to come.

“To begin with: this is a version of events where, on the morning of November 1st, 1981, the police are called to a house in Surrey.”

From the dogfather (podfic) by @nonasuch, Rated T

This one is slightly different and although this story also has very economical prose, it is much longer than its prequel and sequel above and has more room for details. The author spends a lot of time giving details and breaking the fourth wall, so to speak, to explain character motivations. But it’s all so blunt and bittersweet and funny. As I said in my original post, I think it might be my favorite wolfstar of all time, even though it barely wolfstars at all (especially compared to its M-rated prequel above).

3. “Looking at his watch for perhaps the twentieth time, Ron sighed loudly.”

From Libiamo! (amor fra' calici più caldi baci avrà) (podfic) by @khasael, Rated E

What better way to start a story than to drop our hero in media res at a restaurant with his future enemy-to-lover, Pansy Parkinson? And this is such a pitch perfect Ron characterization in my mind, all rough edges and a gooey, melty vanilla and caramel center.

4. “You can’t be serious?” The words were out of Hermione’s mouth before she could stop herself when Minerva broke the news about Hogwarts’ new Arithmancy professor.

From Stay (podfic) by vendettadays, Rated T

Another in media res and another pairing with Pansy. (I’ve been devouring Pansy fics since I recorded ‘tis the damn season (Pansy's version) by @the-francakes - podfic during the holidays and I can’t get enough of her, paired with just about anyone. I recorded this for @femslashfebruary and it really only features female characters, even the students.

5. “Poppy could feel sweat building around her temples as she continued to cast.”

From The Anniversary Quilt (podfic) by @vdoshu, Rated G

More in media res, with Poppy trying to heal her long-time partner, Minerva, after she gets hit with all those stunning spells. Throughout, we see Minerva through Poppy’s eyes and through the lens of their decades-long relationship.

6. “Severus found Hermione in the kitchens.”

From Mating for Life (podfic) by Arsenic, Rated T (sequel to Care of Magical Creatures (podfic), Rated E)

It may not be fair to compare a sequel opening line to the first in a series because it doesn’t have to do the same work. A first work needs to exert itself immediately to draw the reader in. But presumably, if you’re reading a seven-years-later sequel to a beautiful, pro-werewolf Remus/Hermione/Severus polyamory fic written almost 20 years ago before the book series was finished, you’re already hooked to the characters, the relationship, and the premise. You are drawn in by a desire to see a story you loved continue. And it does!

7. “Oliver Wood had one single year left at Hogwarts.”

From messin’ up my mind (podfic) by SkyRose, Rated T

This one is so nice and simple, but it sets up the stakes for the whole fic, a mutual pining story of Oliver and Percy finally getting together, with a little help from some of their Quidditch teammates. A lot of this story is Oliver’s internal monologue, so it’s fitting that this first sentence lays out what governs Oliver’s motivations - that this is the beginning of a series of “lasts” and that he still has so much he wants to do before leaving school.

8. “What are you doing?”

From The Cat With The Stars in Her Eyes (podfic) by @peachonified, Rated G

The first line isn’t spoken by the main character, Luna, but rather Ginny as an audience proxy to lead us into the story. We also want to know what, in fact, Luna is doing. Turns out she’s creating beautiful magic tattoos and therapizing all of Hogwarts (and later all of the Wizarding World) at the same time. 

9. "Well, that's the last of them," Arthur said musingly, over breakfast on September second.

From Empty Burrow (podfic) by @copperbadge, Rated T

When I was looking for a little fic for Arthur’s birthday, I found this little gem, also written pre-Half Blood Prince. All the dialogue in this fic is sparse, like is so often the case with an older married couple who no longer need words to communicate most of what they want to say. 

10. "I must ask one more time," said Dumbledore, the picture of grave concern with his fingers steepled on his desk, "If you are entirely sure about this decision."

From the stranger in the shell of a lover (podfic) by @slashmarks

Once again, the first person to speak is not the most important to the story, nor even the second most important. But it sets the tension and has a good hook, and once you find out in the next line that he’s talking to Lily, you’ve got to wonder what he’s so worried about …

Looking back over my recent work, I think a few things are clear:

I like fics that start with dialogue. I work hard on my voice acting and my accents, and though they are by no means perfect, I think they add something to the work. Being able to come out of the gate with a Dumbledore or a Ginny voice is a joy.

I also like jumping into the action of a story. It’s easier to tune out audiobooks or podfics than a story you’re actively reading (at least that’s true for me), so making sure that I have a story with a good hook is important to me.

Ever since I did A Very Pair-y Christmas in December, I’ve been branching out with different characters and ships, as opposed to doing mostly Drarry and Dramione a year or two ago. It’s been an absolute joy, I’ve discovered so many amazing new authors, and I welcome any suggestions for future recordings, especially if they’re different than what I’ve already done.

On the other hand, as I've moved away from recording Dramione and into more queer pairings, I worry that a lot of the fics I record wouldn't pass the Bechdel test. I'm pleased to see that in the start of 2024, the majority of my protagonists have been women.

On the other other hand, there's only ONE Explicit-rated fic on this list?!?! What have I been doing? Well, I promise there's some smutty stuff coming very soon ... 😉

This ask was so fun! I love gushing about other people’s writing. Thank you @squibstress for tagging me. Send me more of these so I can procrastinate on the Spanish paper I’m supposed to be writing.

Tagging @teledild0nix, @sweatersinthesummer, and @theselittleponders.

#harry potter fanfiction #hp podfic #first lines

[davidfarland]

David Farland’s Writing Tips—How Long Should Your Series Be?

The expectations for a book series is growing.

There is of course a great reason for writing a series. When you write a standalone novel, it may go to the bookstore and sit on the shelf for only two months before the stores strip them off the shelf and return them to the publisher. Just about the time that you think you have a hit, the books get destroyed. There isn’t much time for the book to build a presence, to garner reviews, and take advantage of word-of-mouth advertising.

But if you put several books into a series, the stores tend to reorder the early books in the series, and it greatly lengthens the shelf-life of your books—sometimes taking the shelf-life from months to years. If the series sells well, the books will even be put on permanent reorder status, so that each book that sells automatically sends out a reorder.

Now, back when I started writing, Lord of the Rings had been published as a “trilogy,” and every fantasy author seemed to be writing trilogies. We all knew the reasoning. We were trying to establish ourselves as authors, and if a publisher liked the first novel in a trilogy well enough, it wasn’t hard to sell the whole thing.

But that’s not enough anymore.

Recently I had a movie studio looking at one of my series for adaptation to television and they made a strange request: they asked that I outline the broad story arcs for the first eight seasons, with each season consisting of eight episodes.  Think “Game of Thrones” or “Breaking Bad.”

In case you’ve never done that before, it can be an onerous task. You have multiple characters with different kinds of arcs. One character may be seeking to solve a mystery while another is searching for love. A third is hoping to overcome a weakness while another is struggling to deal with a catastrophe and a fourth wants to save the world, and so on.

With a long series like this, you aren’t just developing one person’s story, you may be developing the story for an entire cast of characters—perhaps as many as a dozen people, and you have to deal with broad changes in history and locations over the timeline.

The goal of the studio of course is to get a general idea of how big a cast they will need. How many major sets will there be? How many characters? How many battles? What will the special-effects budget need to be? Do we need to plan on twenty million spent per season, or two hundred?

And I don’t think that the request was an anomaly. That request for an eight-part series was followed two weeks later by a request for another series sketched out ten seasons ahead.

I suspect that this will be the new norm.

Here’s why: Twenty years ago, Lord of the Rings was introduced as a movie trilogy. It was going to be three films. But when the first film became a hit, everyone—studio, director, and distributors—all wanted a longer ride on the gravy train. The same happened with Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, then with The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and so on. Every studio is looking for an open-ended hit. As a result, the final book in a trilogy got turned into two films.

As a result, we got a lesser book like the Hobbit bloated up into a trilogy where even its biggest fans complained that it was just overwrought.

Now, we’ve got a new goldrush in television. The cable channels and networks all want a hit series. It’s not enough to plan a season or two, the way I was doing a couple of years ago. The studios are asking for a decade, “just in case.”

As a novelist, I’m concerned of course that plotting too much for a television series is a waste of my time. Even if a series does become a hit, the showrunners are going to want to revise everything, “make it their own.”

Still, as I’m plotting a couple of new book series, I suspect that paying attention to these longer arcs will make a big difference in how the books perform. It could have a huge payoff.

We all may need to learn the art of perfecting longer tales. At the very least, you now need to think about it.

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