emyn-arnens

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the dawn of a new sun

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Lúthien Tinúviel and Huan defeat Sauron at Tol-in-Gaurhoth

(acrylics on paper - details here)

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a small doodle of my fav lil guy

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The Armies Gather by Alan Lee

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Be careful what you say. Do not look for welcome here.

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OLD ART TUESDAY

Yet another Éowyn, this one from 28/01/2023.

I broke my own arm about three weeks prior (a whole-ass Adventure which ultimately took six months and two surgeries to resolve, and left me with a massive scar) so I miiiiiight have been working through some things here.

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eowyn, eowyn, in this hour i do not believe any darkness will endure!

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Gifts Gladly Given

by Arveldis (@emyn-arnens)

Legolas and Gimli visit Bag End, bringing with them many gifts.

General, No Archive Warnings

Words: 1,390

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‘But to Sam the evening deepened to darkness as he stood at the Haven; and as he looked at the grey sea he saw only a shadow on the waters that was soon lost in the West. There still he stood far into the night, hearing only the sigh and murmur of the waves on the shores of Middle-earth, and the sound of them sank deep into his heart.’

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So very excited to announce the prompts for the first ever Esoteric Tolkien Week, running July 13th - 19th, 2025! This event celebrates the strange, uncanny, fantastical, and indefinable all across Arda and welcomes all types of fanworks. These prompts are for inspiration only - so feel free to mix and match, use them as a jumping-off point, or ignore them completely as you see fit.

Each prompt is composed of a place, an object, and an action. Choose one or two, combine them all, or work without them - whatever you do, we can't wait to see what you create!

July 13th - Day 1: Mountains & Valleys | Books & Maps | Climb July 14th - Day 2: Seas | Treasures | Voyage July 15th - Day 3: Forests | Crowns | Get Lost July 16th - Day 4: Lakes & Rivers | Vessels | Sleep July 17th - Day 5: Cities | Talismans | Beg July 18th - Day 6: Temples | Clothing | Yearn July 19th - Day 7: Plains | Songs & Legends | Leap

That's all for now, but stay tuned for further updates, including the forthcoming ao3 collection. Thank you so much for being here!

(Banner artwork by John Howe)

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painting old sketches

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For the person in my messages who asked for tips on tackling the Silmarillion and then suggested that I put them in a post — here they are! This is just my personal opinion, and others have weighed in on this topic before. But in case it’s helpful:

1. Be kind to yourself about this task! There’s a reason lots of people find the Silm challenging, and if you do, too, that’s no judgment of you.

2. IMHO, the first few chapters are the hardest, so try not to let them intimidate you out of the whole thing. It starts off with this very formal, archaic tone, and the early chapters take on some very abstract, metaphysical ideas. But you get used to the tone, and the story comes down out of the clouds to something more grounded and closer to a traditional (but still mythological-style) narrative. (Note “hardest” does not mean “bad” — I love those chapters!)

3. Realistically, you are not going to remember every name, place, and detail, so have a plan for that. Everything’s got a thousand names and Tolkien doesn’t always do a good job telegraphing what info is significant and will come back later vs what will literally only ever be mentioned once in passing. So expect to take some notes or spend time flipping back to earlier chapters or to the index or just googling as needed to remind yourself exactly who that angry elf is and why it’s a big deal that his own magical dog wants nothing to do with him now.

4. Find someone to read along/discuss with you. Talking about it helps you retain the info better, puzzle out stuff you found confusing, and stoke your interest by letting you dive deep into characters or themes or ideas that are especially amazing (Gwindor my beloved!). You can read along with someone in real life, someone here (hi!) or with a podcast or YouTube series, of which there are a bunch that go through the book chapter by chapter in an accessible way. (If anyone wants recs for this purpose, just LMK!)

5. Embrace that the story is nuanced and complex, which means your reaction can be the same. If you read it and find yourself wondering, “I’m not sure how to feel about [cursed human X] doing [morally objectionable thing Y]” or “I don’t understand where [spider-shaped creature of darkness Z] came from and how she got so incredibly cool powerful?” — that doesn’t mean you read it wrong! There is room for interpretation, and a lot of questions raised by the book don’t actually have obvious answers. (Questions like, is evil ever justified? Can redemption be earned and how? What do we owe to others even at a cost to ourselves? Big stuff!)

6. DNF it if you want! There’s no rule that says you have to read the Silm to be a Tolkien fan, and you don’t have to suffer through something you find unpleasant just to earn some Tolkien Points. I think it’s a gorgeous book that feeds my need to wrestle with big Life Questions while giving me some indelible characters that will always stay with me, but you don’t have to think that. Art is subjective, and there are plenty of other ways to enjoy Tolkien if the Silm turns out not to be your thing.

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Angrod and Aegnor at Bragollach. Tried to act so dinamics here and also practised designing armory. This one one was really challenging, heh

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Well, it's spring and I am overwhelmed with love for the line of Thingol again, so celebrations are in order on two counts. As you can probably tell, I am going through a bit of an Elwing phase at the moment, so if anyone has any recs for her, feel free to let me know!

untitled by @swanmaids (Elwing, Eärendil, Elrond & Elros, 0.8k) This gave me so many feelings about Elwing and Eärendil's family, and the descriptions of the sea spirits only adds to this absolutely perfect fic.

A Sister's Son by @from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras (T, Théodred & Elfhelm, 1.9k) This fic is so tightly written and so achingly sad, the depth of the relationship depicted between these two is impressive in so few words.

empty spaces by @queerofthedagger (T, House of Finarfin, 2.1k) Sharp, vivid snapshots of Finarfin and his descendants that capture each individual's character so well.

Do Not Let Your Heart Be Troubled by @sallysavestheday (G, Galadriel/Celeborn, 0.6k) Perfect characterisation for both Galadriel and Celeborn, I loved seeing how they were drawn together.

woman into bird by arriviste (T, Elwing, 6k) Such a beautifully written, emotionally raw fic that looks into how Elwing is mythologised.

Everything Is On Her Hand by @chaos-of-the-abyss (T, Elwing, 9.4k) Elwing's anger and despair in this fic is so wonderful to witness, I love how much dimension and defiance she exhibits here.

Carrying the Hope of All the World by @imakemywings (T, Elwing/Eärendil, 7.9k) Wonderfully written Elwing and Eärendil, love the contrast between their reactions to the attack on Sirion and their love and support for each other as the head to Valinor.

only the sleep eternal / in an eternal night by simaetha (T, Shelob, 0.7k) Love this take on Shelob's thoughts and way of viewing the world, it's so aptly sickening and disturbing.

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I can finally post my arafinwean designs project . Finatfin and Earwen in their happy times in Alqualondë

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This one is not very different from movies design except from Galadriel’s crown

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Finrod &the ring of Barahir