#(also thranduil has feelings about Elrond is my headcanon)

[malkaleh]

For @nocompromise-noregrets really (because I pictured this as Thranduil and book/ROP!Elrond having a conversation about Maedhros and Maglor - dialogue snippets

“They loved us more than anything - they cared for us, protected us and they destroyed our world. I remember my naneth hiding us, telling us she loved us, would always love us. Elros was holding a little wooden ship that Adar had made - one of their soldiers killed our nurse and Maglor had him punished. He told us our naneth thought we were dead or she never would have left.”

“Maglor and Maedhros let us hate them but…we loved them and yet how could we not wonder what would happen if we ever did not, after what we had seen. And it seemed Elros and I broke hearts and caused hurt whatever we did.”

[lucy-verse]

Legolas & Thranduil headcanons because the movies can eat my ass

After his wife died, Thranduil raised Legolas alone - and by that, I mean, he literally refused to let anyone step in and help him, he was a 24/7 dad.

He fed him, bathed him, held council meetings with a baby in his arms, walked around the castle wearing a sling because he wasn’t letting that little nugget out of his sight. Legolas didn’t even sleep in a crib; he slept right in his father’s arms because Thranduil was too scared to be away from him.

An advisor of his once made the mistake of suggesting he let a nanny care for Legolas, and scarcely escaped the conversation alive.

Legolas has always been quiet, but was borderline mute as a kid. Nothing was wrong with him, he just didn’t really feel like talking. Thranduil didn’t care, his baby is perfect.

Mirkwood elves are known for being merry, but Legolas takes the cake. He was a backflipping, tree-climbing, bannister sliding, chandelier swinging firecracker of an elfing who was constantly giving his father mini heart attacks.

A few elves express their concerns about the young prince being too excitable. Thranduil tells them to fuck off, his baby is perfect.

Legolas brings stray animals back from the forest. Said animals range from cute little mice to not-so-cute baby spiders.

On one occasion, he brought home some abandoned duck eggs and kept them in his chambers; when they hatched, Thranduil happened to be the one on egg duty and they ended up imprinting on him.

As Legolas grows older, he becomes restless and wants to see the world beyond Mirkwood. Thranduil is terrified to lose him and can’t help but be an overprotective mother hen. This puts a strain on their relationship.

Only Thranduil is allowed to scold Legolas though, anyone else tries it and they’ll lose an arm because his baby is perfect.

It’s only when Legolas witnesses the horrors of The Battle of Five Armies that he finally understands why his father is so protective. Thranduil also comes to understand that he can’t keep his child under his wing forever.

When Thranduil discovered Legolas had joined the Fellowship, he travelled straight to Rivendell to strangle Elrond with his bare hands. He ends up having a mental breakdown instead. Elrond understands. He’s a good friend.

Legolas returns from the war to find his father on the brink of fading, and he carries that guilt for the rest of his life.

When Legolas sails to The Undying Lands, Thranduil only remains in Middle Earth for a thousand years or so before joining him.

“I can’t believe your son brought a dwarf-”

“Shut up, my baby is perfect.”

“But your majesty-”

“Perfect.”

[z-h-i-e]

Character Study: Thranduil Headcanons

I don't recall how far back I wrote this, but I reposted it on March 8, 2011 on Yahoo!Groups. Of course, that's gone, so now I drop it here, with updates for 2024, because a few things have changed since I started writing Thranduil into stories over 20 years ago.

Author: Zhie

Character: Thranduil

What does your character look like, how do they dress, what are their mannerisms, how would you describe their voice, what is their personality like, what kind of day-to-day problems do they face, and how do these problems affect them?

I see him as fairly proper, and not one who likes those fancy robes Elrond wears.  He's a 'say yes to pants' kind of guy.  He is very patient, but at the same time, once he has an opinion it can be difficult to sway him.  I kind of have Otto Preminger's voice stuck in my head for him, thanks to the cartoon.  Day-to-day, when in Middle-earth, he deals with running a kingdom, which he does very systematically and very diplomatically.  He's very organized, and really gets into whatever sort of work he is doing.  (I don't always directly say what a person's occupation is, but I like to give everyone an occupation.  In Doriath, I had him as a sort of law librarian/paralegal, and eventually move him up to being the Middle-earth equivalent of a lawyer.)

2024 addition: By the time I get him to Valinor, he's an extremely formidable lawyer, and an expensive one. I also have it that he keeps many, many horses that are expertly trained and can be rented for journeys, and thus runs the Valinor equivalent of Uber. Eventually I have plans to have him move up to the level of Magistrate.

When and where was your character born?Due to a lot of storytelling stuff my brother and I came up with before I started putting fanfic down on paper, we decided that Thranduil would be born in Valinor, and made him just a little younger than Ecthelion and Galadriel, his best friends when he was growing up.  He's a few hundred years older than Celeborn.

What problems did your character face growing up?

Not many.  The worst problem was probably dealing with the punishments from going along with whatever mischief Ecthelion was causing, or from kissing too many girls and making them run off startled or screaming.

What are their interests?  What are they good at?  What are their personal strengths and weaknesses?

Great diplomat.  Excellent public speaker.  Not so good at keeping prisoners safely locked up *coughgollumanddwarvescough*  He likes shiny things.  He doesn't particularly like war, but he's good at combat.  He likes to drink, he's a wine connoisseur.  He also likes to sing.

Besides being a lawyer, he has a fair amount of knowledge about healing.  Most of it was learned non-traditionally, from observation or just trying things.  He ends up aiding in the delivery of both of his sons, as well as countless other elflings later (including a daughter Galadriel has later in Valinor)

2024 edition: This is part of what I leaned into in Phoenix, where he offers to accompany Finrod around Tol Eressea when Finrod is still recovering from some injuries he has. Thranduil is very much a person I think strives to take care of people he is close to or likes or whom he feels some responsibility for -- he was a dad mode king. In the story Tusk, I have a side story where Glorfindel learns that in the depths of Mirkwood, there's an area where there are half-orcs and some full orcs, the products of soldiers who fell in love with the enemy and brought them back to Mirkwood, and Thranduil finds a way to keep these families together.

What are your characters favorites (food, color, season, place, type of music, etc.)?  List any you can think of.

Very eclectic musical tastes.  In Valinor, his 'retirement' job is running an inn that includes a large pub and dance hall.  He tends to have a variety of musical acts.  Favorite color is green (which I tend to think is the typical color for an Elf, though from many surveys the statistically typical color a human picks is blue).  He likes to be outdoors among lots of trees more than any other place.  Favorite food would be a good glass of strong red wine.  He enjoys the quiet of winter. 

2024 addition: He likes reading outside and watching fancy birds be around him. White peacocks, silly parrots with big colorful plumes, rainbow pheasants found only in Valinor--bird watching, but like, super fancy bird watching.

Do they have any family?

From the canon, he has parents, and of course there's Legolas, his son.  But I extended the tree a little, and gave names to people (like his mother) who didn't have one before.

Parents: Oropher & Hisre

Wife: Avisiel

Sons: Ilmendin, Legolas (both sons are eventually married, so he's got inlaws from that)

Grandchildren: 1 granddaughter* (I); 1 granddaughter and 1 grandson (L)

Great-Grandchildren: total of three thus far

Also, his father officially adopted Erestor while they were in Doriath, so while he has no blood siblings, he will refer to Erestor as his brother, as well as a character borrowed (with permission) from Mary & Mal named Thaladir, who becomes loyal to Oropher and leaves Doriath when the rest of the family does.

Thranduil is also related to Celeborn in that they are first cousins; his father (Oropher) is the younger brother of Celeborn's mother.

I like to story weave...

2024 addition: *When I finally got a copy of the Mirkwood choose your own adventure book, I pulled the name of the main character as his adventurous granddaughter.

Who are their friends?

From childhood, his best friends were Galadriel and Ecthelion.  When he was in that post-childhood pre-adulthood phase, his best friends were Celeborn and Finduilas.  Eventually, he and Erestor became very close friends, and one part of this was due to them both managing to survive through the three ages in Middle-earth, while another part certainly had to do with their mutual appreciation of good liquor, shared religious beliefs, and philosophical ideas. 

2024 addition: He becomes quite close to Finrod later, to the point of romantic relationships that his wife approves of.

Do they have any pets or animals they are close to or care for (like a favorite horse)?

Not particularly.  He does like sled dogs; those are used more often in Mirkwood than horses, due to the ease of keeping them in the caves, and the greater ability the dogs have to be able to fight giant spiders.

2024 addition: When I wrote Tusk in November of 2010 as my NanoNovel, I gave everyone fun animals -- Gildor had a unicorn, Erestor ends up adopting a cobra, and Thranduil got a giant deer. Do the math - the films started coming out in 2012, I got tired of having people finding Tusk years later tell me I had the wrong animal in the story, so I retconned the deer to match the films -- that was also when I declared I was done aligning Bunniverse with all adaptations. (And thank Eru I did, because can you even imagine the literary gymnastics it would take to reconcile all of Rings of Power with everything else?)

What do they do for fun?

Drink, listen to music, sing on occasion, hold discussions, make love to his wife, watch other people having sex.  He has, in Mirkwood, a beautiful suite, which is offered for use to most anyone who is interested, with the understanding that there are a number of areas where Thranduil can sit behind the wall and look in through a peep hole to observe.  He doesn't do it to get off, he does it strictly for research purposes -- he writes various guides and sociology books under a pseudonym.  Not many even know it's him; he only explains that the room is set up to allow for this unnamed person to observe.  He even makes sure not to be in the observation areas every single time things are going on so that there is less suspicion it is him.  (I guess this goes more into that secret area..)  Since there are a few who are aware of what he does, he has on occasion been invited to observe more closely, and in those cases is very professional, asks questions while he's there, etc.

2024 addition: In Valinor, with plans to finish the most extensive work he's been writing for thousands of years, he get Amarie, Finrod, and Edrahil to let him observe some of the more unique techniques of sexual relations. Later, when he begins a relationship with Finrod, it begins under the terms that it is to allow Thranduil to have experiences so that he can write about them with better understanding. This has led to some of the best scenes I have written, and I don't think any of them are posted publicly as of the writing of this.

Why do people like your character?

He's very intelligent, and very fair.  He sees things with a very legal mind.  He's also fairly generous, depending on the situation.

Why do people dislike your character?

He makes sure you know that he's right when he knows or thinks he is.  He's also a slight bit paranoid about some things -- you would be, too, if your neighbors were evil.

2024 addition: I don't think it gets mentioned in this, but, he is creeped out by goats because of their eyes. Galadriel is almost always seen as keeping them as pets to troll him.

What is your character’s dream or ambition?

To have a happy, healthy family, living together, in a safe place.  At the end of the second age, he sent his wife and his mother to Valinor after the death of his father, so it was a while before he saw them again.  

Is your character romantically involved with anyone?  Who?  How long?  Why?  What is this person like?

Avisiel was living in the wilds of Doriath, much in the same way Nellas does.  Thranduil met her one day while wandering in the woods.  The rest of her family had been captured by Morgoth and turned into orcs when she was very young; she escaped by hiding.  He coaxes her into Doriath, teaches her the language, and eventually falls in love with her.  She's not a very complex character, but I didn't think Thranduil would necessarily fall for one of the elite ladies of Elvendom. 

2024 addition: He also becomes romantically involved with Finrod during the Fifth Age in Valinor. The first time is brief, about a year, which Thranduil ends up fucking up when he agrees to take on the lawyer role in a case against Finrod, in part thinking that not much will come of it, and in the end, Finrod loses and spends some time after that refusing to even speak to Thranduil. Years pass, and they eventually slowly get together again, with Finrod giving the ultimatum that everyone is allowed to make mistakes, but now that Thranduil has made the mistake once, if he does so again, there is no third chance.

What is a secret about your character that no one knows?

Some people know about that bit with the room and the watching and the writing and all that.  This is a tough one.  Well, there's one that his wife knows (hard to keep things from a spouse) and no one else really does.  Sometimes, when he wants to get out of being at a party or to go to bed (or to "go to bed" *nudge nudge*) he'll act more intoxicated and sleepy than he is so that he can escape to his room.  He actually holds his liquor quite well (especially compared to some other Mirkwood Elves)

What else is important to your character?

Religion is very important to him, so much so, that he became the equivalent of what would be an ordained minister/priest in the religion he practices, though he really doesn't do much in terms of that with everything else he does -- it was more a personal spiritual thing.  His younger son, however, also takes that path, but more-so as his occupation (yes, I made Legolas the 'cleric' of the Fellowship... too much D&D influence? you decide...).  Because of all of that, he is very devoted to and protective of his religion, and it tends to influence him with some of the decision making he does.

2024 addition: Of course, this is something that I know is going to weave into and make difficult the relationship with Finrod, whom I have as one of the biggest heretics in all of Valinor, and someone who does not practice any religion, faith-based beliefs, etc. (He only gets away with it because he's so nice.) I have writings (again, unposted thus far) where at one point, Finrod decides to start his own religion, and again, this becomes straining between him and Thranduil because Thranduil is so devout to his beliefs.

[ellrond]

Elrond, 2 and 5-8!

ur my goddess

2. What animal they remind me of? Actually no animal comes to mind for me, he's just so elf hybrid to me. Maybe a liger or zorse :)

5. Social headcanons? for those who meet him and don't find him odd (usually elves are the ones who feel this way especially during the Second Age) he's well liked. Some may be suspicious of him especially in the Second Age given his ability to claim the title of High King of Sindar and Noldor but apparent disinterest, but his mild temperament and genuine interest in others and concern for the greater wellbeing of populations warms him to people. Those who are cynical might dislike him on principle. I think he's looking for peace in the personal relationships he has - no conflict, no friction, just an agreeable meeting of minds. He went through enough tumultuous relationships during his youth, it seems likely he wouldn't want the trauma of those again for the rest of his life.

6. Psycolohgical headcanons? He is always torn about the decision of Elros. He half wishes he had fought to change Elros' mind about mortality, but the other half of him is glad that Elros had such a happy life and long legacy. Whenever he misses Elros and has thoughts like "I wish I changed his mind" he is then plagued with guilt at the thought alone, because who is he to be so selfish to wish that? He feels guilt about his love for Maglor and Maedhros too, because Elros hated them his whole life. How could Elrond love the men who slaughtered his kin? Who stole his home, his youth, his family, his people? Who sacked a city of refugees that they had created after burning the ancient kingdom of Doriath to ashes? It's complicated to love someone who caused so much agony to others, and it burdens him.

7. Ships with them I like? Celebrian/Elrond reigns supreme. Thanks to @runawaymun I also ship him and Celebrimbor (Rings of Power specific). Elrond/Durin/Disa is perfect actually too in Rings of Power. Him and Gil Galad is a classic for a reason. Most other ships with him are dead to me including but not limited to Lindir, Thranduil, Erestor, and Glorfindel.

8. Made-up connections with other characters that weren't in the canon? n/a

[galadrielspeaks]

thranduil (this is a threat)

THRANDUIL!!!!!

Sexuality Headcanon: overall I think he’s “straight” because he’s only loved one person (his wife) and she’s a woman. BUT if i squint my eyes really REALLY hard i can kind of see the vision of him having a super short one time heat of the moment kiss or fling with Bard. if i squint RLLY RLLY hard yeah! so like hetero-flexible maybe. sexuality and gender of elves are hard JNFNDJSJ

Gender Headcanon: just like the dwarfs i believe the elves live beyond the gender binary (especially mirkwood elves) but i think he identifies as male / leans towards masculinity

A ship I have with said character: I feel like he was really happy with his wife :( him and his wife for sure <3

A BROTP I have with said character: I think he and Galion are better friends than people think because how else would that elf find the confidence to get shitfaced with his King’s drink 😭 i think that they’ve been together since Doriath <3 :)

A NOTP I have with said character: Elrond :( i’m sorry it just feels like a bit like HUH. I don’t really see anybody shipping Thranduil with anyone though but sometimes I’ll stumble across an Elrond x Thranduil and it throws me off a little :/

A random headcanon: This is less about him and more about his wife, but I headcanon he married a Silvan elf. Both for love 🥹 and also because ngl it would be politically fortuitous for him to. This is so engraved in my head that fics / content where Legolas’ mother isn’t Silvan throw me off JDJFJDKSKS I feel like Oropher would be pleased with his line merging into Silvan culture so fully like that, given that he wanted to integrate into their culture already. And though he died before Legolas was born i think he would be very excited at the prospect of his half-sindar half-silvan existence. I also head-canon that he has a stronger connection to the forest than his father Because of his wife :D she taught him how to connect with it properly.

General Opinion over said character: I. Love Thranduil. Like genuinely he is like, my favourite character i think. Which is crazy for me to say because I love many of the LOTR characters but I’ll be damned if Thranduil isn’t the character that I am the most in awe of. I think I just admire his persistence in the face of darkness. I mean cmon the dude has no ring of power and has been defending his kingdom for centuries like yes he’s been losing ground but considering his enemy was literally SAURON himself yeah i give my props to him. Especially because he maintained celebration and joy and his connections to his people and to his forest. Very big fan of the fact Thranduil gets a bit silly sometimes drinks too much wine and actively enjoys his people’s merry-making. Love it!

[matrose]

Wait but I wanna hear the unpopular (but correct) opinions about LotR! (No worries if you genuinely don't want to share!)

hi anon!! 😙 thank you for asking 💐🌷💕☺️SADLY most of my opinions are just a response to some take i saw on my pinterest explore page that i personally didnt agree with… im gonna put it under the cut so if this ends up in any tag i wont spam anyone bc its not like different interpretations of characters/text do any harm etc etc its gonna be a long, incoherent rant, without any formatting since im on mobile, so, um watch out :,) also please dont reblog

i really really dislike what feels like majority of the interpretation of the legolas/gimli relationship, like the way people portray them is sooo weird…the constant mutual antagonizing and the focus on bickering!!!! its another movie adaptation thing, because those removed most, if not all tenderness from them (the miniscule gay budget got used up for sam & frodo i guess). the appeal of gimli and legolas is not that they bicker the appeal is that they love eachother so much despite the general tensions between their peoples (although im not a fan of those tensions being overplayed for dramatics) and despite erus prophecy that there would always be conflict between elves and dwarves!!!!!!!!!!

i dislike the common fanon/movie portrayal of gimli but i think ive actually talked enough about that so im gonna talk about legolas because i also disagree with the common interpretations his character seems to find, although it doesnt bother me as much as with gimli, mostly because people still think hes cool. ANYWAYS! i think painting legolas as super hair- and beauty-obsessed (to the point of it bordering on homophobia) was luckily mostly left in the past, though pinterest still bombards me with bad memes, but i still really hate it 😒 another common thing ive seen, thats also more current, is legolas as an idiot who eats bugs or whatever which IS more fun than the first one and also closer to his book-self but i still dislike it simply because i hate when a happy/optimistic character gets headcanoned as being stupid…its unappealing and boring and i dont think its implied anywhere that legolas is exceptionally dumb :( i do like weird kid legolas a lot though hes special to me <3.

anyways since were on the topic of legolas lets talk about his family since thats another fandom/HOBBIT MOVIES favorite to distort! legolas mother is very very likely a silvan elf and very likely not dead in my opinion . i personally think silvan elves are neutral/if not positively inclined towards dwarves 👍 dont like the common fanon of extreme hatred that was taught to legolas by his parents and also dont dont dont like fanon thranduil & everything the hobbit movies made him out to be!!!!!!! i dont doubt that thranduil had some ill will towards dwarves since the whole thingol slaying and doriath thing… but thranduil is canonically a very good king and very kind, and i dont think he would let a grudge against a specific dwarf clan define his relations to a neighbouring kingdom that doesnt even belong to the same clan!!! someone who kept his kingdom save and out of trouble for so long and also has the closest relations to their neighbouring kingdom of men out of all the elven realms would be better than that and atleast be neutral and not hostile sorry this wasnt meant to be about the hobbit movies but i could go ON a out them i cant see legolas in those without laughing at him dear god. the implication that legolas, who supposedly hated dwarves, shared a horse with gimli and then was a changed man is very funny though.

also, since im going off on a tangent anyways, i think mîm didnt do anything wrong and also thingol and the dwarven smiths were both at fault for the conflict. sorry for the dwarf bias but someone has to be on their side because i still see too many people hating on them

back to lotr: i think blond blue eyed legolas is boring, i hate what they did to elrond and boromir in the movies, i think saruman and sauron being basically brothers is a very funny interpretation that we should talk about more and i hateee almost all modern lotr aus because its hars to replicaze into modern world and also aragorn would NOT be a CEO!!!!!!!!!! a good king in tolkienverse is benevolent and puts his subjects first and he is a healer. (and this idolized king figure is, of course, not historically accurate) a CEO IS NOT THE MODERN EQUIVALENT TO THAT!!!!!!! modern aragorn either sells weed, is a nurse, or a mailman more i will not say on this matter. also i hate when modern aus cut everyones hair/beard. stop!!!!!! this reminds me of the one time i saw like a college au on pinterest and it was like. gimli and legolas are forced to be roommates and legolas is disgusted by gimli being sooo dirty… HELLO? you people exhaust me………… restraining myself to go on another gimli tirade because i feel like ive done that so much and all my followers will know whats up you guys get me right yeah yeah yeah

oh about legolas and gimli/mirkwood and erebor again, sorry im a one trick pony, i think that both thranduil & unnamed wife as well as gloin & unnamed wife love their kids too much to truly oppose them being together. gloin may be hotheaded but hes not stubborn enough to not ever back down, see the council of elrond: hes mad, rightfully so, to find out that a servant of mordor was apprentely treated better as a prisoner than thorin & company but seeing as the responsible party, thranduil, is not even there, and how theres very important business to discuss he quickly backs down and even bows to legolas as an apology!!!!

[„You were less tender to me,“ said Glóin with a flash of his eyes, as old memories were stirred of his imprisonment in the deep places of the Elven-king’s halls. „Now come!“ said Gandalf. „Pray, do not interrupt, my good Glóin. That was a regrettable misunderstanding, long set right. If all the grievances that stand between Elves and Dwarves are to be brought up here, we may as well abandon this Council.“ Glóin rose and bowed, and Legolas continued.]

i tried to find out if we know how long exactly the dwarves were imprisoned, and it seems it was about 20 days, while gollum was there for around 90 days, so perhaps they would have let the dwarves get some fresh hair eventually as well . not that gloin wasnt rightfully angry, he was! and still very gracious about it . love gloin hes great

also TRUE unpopular opinion incoming: im neutral on sam/frodo…its cute yes but i dont have any big thoughts about them and i think sam and rosie are very sweet :^) but also i dont trust people who completely dislike it esp cishets…. legolas and gimli are basically canon to me like they did that. okay ready for another TRUE AND REAL unpopular opinion. i think faramir is kind of boring and i dont care much for him, sorry ❤️‍🩹

ok i think im done for now!!! phew!! anon thank you again because this helped me pass like an hour of my very long train ride!!!! <3333

[feanorianethicsdepartment]

Okay but… In a world where Maglor and Galadriel interact semi-regularly in the Third Age, everyone but them would come out of that with so many questions.

Because it’s pretty well established that the Noldor have rather intricate customs, but presumably those either died out or changed when they came to Middle Earth, different lives call for different traditions and all. So by the Third Age (wherein the reaming Noldor probably also mixed in Sindar culture) the traditions and social customs would be completely different.

And both Maglor and Galadriel use these new customs just fine on their own, but when they’re together they slip back into old world ways. And it’s just different enough to set onlookers on edge, although they can’t quite pinpoint why the way Maglor escorts Galadriel is so unnerving, or why their way of using cutlery feels off. All this coupled with their usage of Old Quenya (which at this point is almost impossible to understand) makes everyone else very grateful that the two don’t live in the same realm.

aight i'm just imagining this in the context of my headcanons of third age maglor being absolutely feral. like he sleeps in ditches and eats fish raw and radiates intensely creepy vibes even when he's trying to be nice - except when he's talking to galadriel. if she's about, he'll pick the bugs out of his hair, wipe the muck out of his face, sometimes even willingly have a bath, unbelievably. even his body language shifts from horror movie monster to pretty regular snarky jackass

it's less obvious on galadriel's end, but the lady of the golden wood is noticeably less omnibenevolent god-queen when she's around her somehow-not-dead evil cousin. she's cattier, less serene, and her deliberately cultivated aura of ancient wisdom tends to fall away. she's still formal, but it's a youngest-child-of-a-pack-of-royal-cousins formal, not all-shall-love-me-and-despair formal. they'll have pleasant chats over tea that wouldn't be out of place in the tirion of yore, no matter how blatantly incongruous it is

they're always like this around each other, and nobody has any idea why. círdan thinks they're being nostalgic over what they've lost with the only person left who gets it. elrond thinks they're dealing with their conflicting emotions over each other by defaulting to an old familiar script. celeborn thinks neither of them has the patience left to put up with each other's shit. thranduil thinks it's territorial posturing

[iminye]

Some family trees

because I have no self control, also excuse my handwriting

First up is Nerdanel and her family. Mahtans wife is named Curuwen which is very uncreative but it works. They have two more children besides Nerdanel. First there is their son Carmatan, who is very much like his father in terms of skill and interest's. He never married and feels no desire to but he loves his nephews and nieces to death (even after certain events take place). And then there is Mancariel, a skilled potter. They're married to a scholar named Maquentima. Together they have four children, three daughters and one son. All of them are a lot younger than Nerdanels children.

Next up is the Mirkwood family tree. Orophers wife is Nellas (the elf maiden from CoH because I headcanon them to be around the same age). They have two children, Thranduil and his eccentric sister Aeweneth. Aeweneth has had a betrothed once but she died in the battle of the last Alliance and Aeweneth is mourning her to this day. Thranduil is married to the Silvian maiden Curulaereth, who is adventurous and out going and also captain of his guard until she gives the position to her second in command Tauriel. Thranduil and Curulaereth have three children. Tawandil their heir who is the only one of them who got to know his grandparents and almost aunt, Legolas who we all know and love and Eressil/Silwen (I haven't decided yet), who is their only daughter.

This one's a bit bigger but also the most fleshed out because I have been working on this one for a while.

Maglors parents in-law are Tinwë and Norian the leaders of an Avarian tribe called the Lanyar. Besides their daughter they have two more children: Morgil who is a very stoic but strong willed individual and Gilorn also called Adasser who loved to travel. Gilorn was married to the healer Andis and together they had two children, Meneldil and Isilmir. Meneldil is married to Legolas's sister Eressil/Silwen and they have two sons called Elumir and Ithilion.

Aside from their foster sons Elrond and Elros Cellin and Maglor have three children who are their own by blood and one adoptive daughter named Gilloth who's birth parents were close friends of Maglor who died in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. Maglor chose to raise her in their stead. Gilloth is married to Erestor and they have one son called Arrod. Maglors and Cellins remaining children are called Nelladon, who was a skilled toymaker, Gilrin, a formidable artist, as well as Belegur who would become a great historian.

Dead people: Fëanor, 6/7 of Nerdanels sons, Oropher, Nellas, Aeweneth's spouse, Gilorn, Andis, Isilmir, Nelladon

I would like to talk about each character in more detail on a later date because now it's just a cluster of names.

[notringwinner]

[ ... ] — ACCOLADE.

— Any award, honor, or laudatory notice — re:   Fanmail

[ ... ] — AESTHETIC.

— Having a sense of the beautiful; characterized by a love of beauty. — re:   Aesthetic Posts

[ ... ] — BILBO BAGGINS.

— ❝ I come from under the hill, and under hills and over hills my path has led. And through the air, I am he that walks unseen... ❞ — re:   Bilbo's Thoughts

[ ... ] — BERSERKER.

— Violently or destructively frenzied; wild; crazed; deranged. — A warrior who fights with frenzied rage in battle. — re:   Bifur

[ ... ] — CHRONICLE.

— A chronological record of events. — re:   Admin's Life

[ ... ] — CLANDESTINE.

— Characterized by, done in, or executed with secrecy or concealment; private or surreptitious. — re:   Anonymous Messages

[ ... ] — CUTTHROAT.

— A person who cuts throats; murderer. — Ruthless. — re:   Dwalin, son of Fundin

[ ... ] — DISTRACTION.

— That which amuses, entertains, or diverts; amusement; entertainment. — re:   Memes

[ ... ] — ENDORSEMENT.

— Approval or sanction. — The signature, instructions, etc., placed on the reverse of a commercial document, for the purpose of assigning the interest therein to another. — re:   Promotions

[ ... ] — FEAST.

— Any rich or abundant meal. — re:   Recipes & Food

[ ... ] — FESTIVITY.

— Festive character or quality; gaiety; merriment. — re:   Christmas, 2015

[ ... ] — FINANCIER.

— A person skilled or engaged in managing large financial operations. — re:   Gloin, son of Groin

[ ... ] — FRIPPERY.

— Finery in dress, especially when showy, gaudy, or the like. — re:   Wardrobe

[ ... ] — GAME.

— An amusement or pastime. — A competitive activity involving skill, chance, or endurance — re:   Wardrobe

[ ... ] — GLOSSARY.

— A list of terms in a special subject, field, or area of usage, with accompanying definitions. — re:   Dictionary

[ ... ] — GOURMAND.

— A person who is fond of good eating, often to excess. — re:   Bombur

[ ... ] — HAWKEYE.

— One who bears keen eyesight. — re:   Bofur

[ ... ] — HEALER.

— A person or thing that heals; a medical practitioner. — re:   Oin, son of Groin

[ ... ] — HEDONIST.

— A person whose life is devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification. — re:   Bilbo Baggins

[ ... ] — IMPULSE.

— The influence of a particular feeling, mental state, etc. — re:   Sexual Urges

[ ... ] — INDOMITABLE.

— One who cannot be subdued or overcome, as persons, will, or courage; unconquerable. — re:   Thorin II Oakenshield

[ ... ] — INGENUITY.

— The quality of being cleverly inventive or resourceful; inventiveness. — An ingenious contrivance or device. — re:   Admin's Creations

[ ... ] — INSTIGATOR.

— One who urges, provokes, or incites to some action or course. — re:   Gandalf Greyhame

[ ... ] — JUDICIOUS.

— Using or showing judgment as to action or practical expediency; discreet, prudent, or politic — re:   Elrond Earendilion

[ ... ] — KIN.

— Someone or something of the same or similar kind. — Of the same kind or nature; having affinity. — re:   The Company of Thorin Oakenshield

[ ... ] — LARCENIST.

— A person who commits larceny, i.e., the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods of another from his or her possession with intent to convert them to the taker's own use. — re:   Nori

[ ... ] — LORD.

— A person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler. — re:   Sauron ( filed under 'The Lord of the Rings' )

[ ... ] — MARTINET.

— A strict disciplinarian. — Someone who stubbornly adheres to methods or rules. — re:   Bungo Baggins

[ ... ] — MELODY.

— Musical sounds in agreeable succession or arrangement. — re:   Music

[ ... ] — MEMORABLE.

— Worth remembering; notable. — re:   Good Times

[ ... ] — MINUTIAE.

— Precise details; small or trifling matters. — re:   Small Headcanons

[ ... ] — PATRICIAN.

— Befitting or characteristic of persons of very good background, education, and refinement: — re:   Dori

[ ... ] — PERSIFLAGE.

— Light, bantering talk or writing. — re:   Skype / Friend conversations

[ ... ] — PORTRAIT.

— A likeness of a person, especially of the face, as a painting, drawing, or photograph — re:   Admin Photos

[ ... ] — PRECIOUS.

— Of high price or great value; very valuable or costly — Highly esteemed for some spiritual, nonmaterial, or moral quality. — re:   The One Ring

[ ... ] — PROPOSAL.

— The suggestion of something for acceptance, adoption, or performance. — A plan or scheme proposed. — re:   Wishlist

[ ... ] — PROSE.

— The ordinary form of spoken or written language, without metrical structure, as distinguished from poetry or verse. — re:   Saved Writing

[ ... ] — RECOGNITION.

— The acknowledgment of achievement, service, merit, etc; the expression of this in the form of some token of appreciation. — re:   Bias Lists

[ ... ] — RENOVATE.

— To restore to good condition; make new or as if new again. — To reimagine; refresh. — re:   Blog Work

[ ... ] — RIDDLER.

— One who speaks in riddles. — re:   Gollum

[ ... ] — RIDDLING.

— Any enigmatic saying or speech. — re:   Admin's OOC Posts

[ ... ] — SAVANT.

— A person of profound or extensive learning; learned scholar. — re:   Ori

[ ... ] — SANCTUARY.

— A sacred place. Any place of refuge; asylum. — re:   honorwinning

[ ... ] — SCION.

— A descendant. — re:   Frodo Baggins

[ ... ] — sempiternal.

— Everlasting; eternal. — re:   Thorin II Oakenshield & Bilbo Baggins

[ ... ] — sentiment.

— An attitude toward something; regard; opinion. — re:   PSAs

[ ... ] — SLANDER.

— A malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report. — re:   Hate Mail

[ ... ] — tête à tête.

— A private conversation or interview, usually between two people. — re:   Messages

[ ... ] — usurper.

— One who seizes and holds (a position, office, power, etc.) by force or without legal right — One who uses without authority or right — re:   Smaug the Golden

[ ... ] — valorous.

— Courageous; valiant; brave. — re:   Fili, son of Vili

[ ... ] — venturous.

— Having or showing a disposition to undertake risky or dangerous activities; daring. — re:   Kili, son of Vili

[ ... ] — verdure.

— Greenness, especially of fresh, flourishing vegetation. — re:   Nature

[ ... ] — vindictive.

— Disposed or inclined to revenge; vengeful. — re:   Thranduil Oropherion

[ ... ] — wanderlust.

— A Merriweather, innate desire to rove or travel about. — re:   Places

[ ... ] — wayfarer.

— A traveler, especially on foot. — re:   Belladonna Baggins

[ ... ] — wise.

— Having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right; possessing discernment, judgment, or discretion. — Possessed of or characterized by scholarly knowledge or learning; learned; erudite. — re:   Balin, son of Fundin

THE RINGWINNER MAIN VERSE

ALIAS: Bilbo Baggins AGE: 51 LOCATION: Erebor

An open-ended verse in which Bilbo returns to the Shire after his journey. Whether he stays or goes is up to the thread's discretion.

THE WILD CHILD THE CHILDHOOD VERSE

ALIAS: Bilbo Baggins AGE: From 1-33 LOCATION: The Shire

The lost years, in which Bilbo serves as the local black sheep of Hobbiton. Curious, naive, and somewhat invasive, he wishes to learn all he can about the land beyond his homestead's borders.

THE BAGGINS THE PRE-QUEST VERSE

ALIAS: Bilbo Baggins AGE: From 33-50 LOCATION: The Shire

Properly tamed, Bilbo Baggins lauds the title of one of the most respectable Hobbits in the Shire. He has little to no interest in associating himself with anything to do with adventures, thank you, and would especially rather not deal with troublesome wizards or barbarous Dwarves.

THE TOOK THE QUEST VERSE

ALIAS: Bilbo Baggins AGE: 50 LOCATION: Variable

Baggins or Took? Bilbo struggles with compensating his two warring mindsets as he acquaints himself with the world outside of the Shire -- and the Dwarves who have led him straight into it.

THE DEBAUCHER THE MODERN VERSE

ALIAS: BARNABAS Beckett Baggins AGE: 33 LOCATION: London // Variable

Beck is a boarding school baby and is set to inherit his father's investments. He's savvy and bears formidable intelligence -- but lacks direction in his life. He fills the void by seeking thrills and letting his imagination run wild, and co-heads Durin Corporation, a security conglomerate, with his partner Thorin Oakes.

THE RENEWAL THE GOD VERSE

ALIAS: Bilbo, God of Renewal AGE: Variable LOCATION: Variable

Charming, spirited and not the least bit cunning, the God of Renewal spends half the year tending to the livelihood of fields and forests. The other half, however, sees his life spiral into welcome darkness, where Bilbo is known as Consort and formidable lord of the dead.

THE RAVENCLAW THE HARRY POTTER VERSE

ALIAS: BARNABAS Beckett Baggins AGE: Variable LOCATION: Often, Hogwarts

A clever Ravenclaw who tends toward Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, but has a strange affinity for the Dark Arts in later years. He's also got a knack for Charms.

THE SUNCHASER THE STAR TREK VERSE

ALIAS: Beckett Baggins AGE: 33 LOCATION: Variable

Wherein Beckett holds a career in Starfleet as second in command under his captain, Thorin.

THE CORSAIR THE PIRATE VERSE

ALIAS: Beckett Baggins AGE: 33 LOCATION: Variable

Beckett seeks his cousin, Dominick Baggins, formerly under the employ of the King's Navy and now missing for several months. He will do anything, include stow away on pirate ships, in order to find him. Swords and bar fights haven't stopped him yet.

THE 411 THE UNDERGROUND VERSE

ALIAS: [REDACTED] AGE: [REDACTED] LOCATION: London / Variable

He is cunning, shrewd, and greatly enjoys his ability to run people in circles. His loyalties are hard to pinpoint and his services come at a high price. If one wants information from him, they've got to intrigue him first -- be it a solved riddle or an exceedingly lavish gift. secrets are his trade, and he is not willing to part with them easily. Often he can be found working as an informant for the highest bidder -- unless they win him over completely, that is.

THE KNIGHT THE KINGSMAN VERSE

ALIAS: Percival AGE: 33 LOCATION: London / Variable

❝ After the death of his father, Percival's mother takes him to the forests where she raises him ignorant to the ways of men until the age of fifteen. Eventually, however, a group of knights passes through his wood, and Percival is struck by their heroic bearing. Wanting to be a knight himself, the boy leaves home to travel to King Arthur's court. After proving his worthiness as a warrior, he is knighted and invited to join the Knights of the Round Table." ----LE CONTE DU GRAAL

In which Beckett Baggins takes up the mantle of Sir Percival, rectifying the wrongs of the world with panache and aplomb.

THE SURVIVOR THE WALKING DEAD VERSE

ALIAS: Beckett Baggins AGE: 33 LOCATION: Variable

He used to co-own the most profitable business in the world, but it's all gone to shit and they operate on a new kind of currency. Separated from the man he loves, Beck's ongoing mission is to locate Thorin Oakes. His weapon of choice? One reliable dagger and all the cunning a multi-millionaire can still afford.

THE INSPECTOR THE GARGOYLES VERSE

ALIAS: Beckett Baggins AGE: 33 LOCATION: London

Detective Inspector Beckett Baggins isn't really surprised to be thrown off of the Eyrie Building on an investigation. What does surprise him is the winged, beclawed creature who snatches him right out of the sky -- and proceeds to offer him a story his inner novelist could never resist.

THE INSPECTOR THE GARGOYLES VERSE

ALIAS: BARNABAS Beckett Baggins AGE: 33 LOCATION: Variable

Beckett is The Ghostwriter, who can bring ideas to life with the flourish of a pen and turn invisible at will. He uses his powers as he sees fit and tends not to be persuaded into teamwork, preferring to set forth his own sense of justice.

THE DUALITY THE BBC SHERLOCK VERSE

ALIAS: John H. Watson AGE: early 30s LOCATION: London

In which Bilbo Baggins is John Watson, and John Watson is Bilbo Baggins. ...Wait. That can't be right, can it?

Too bad he can't remember.

( Based on this plot. )

THEY LOOK SO SHARP, THEY LOOK LIKE ONE THE QUINTUPLET VERSE

ALIAS: Bilbo Baggins AGE: Variable LOCATION: The Shire

One Bilbo Baggins is quite more than enough for Middle Earth to handle. Four is just overkill.

[sylvanfreckles]

Day Nine: Midwinter

Fandom: The Lord of the Rings (Over the Mountain and Through the Wood)

Summary: Aragorn arrives at Thranduil's palace to celebrate the mindwinter feast with Legolas.

(Note: I have an upcoming series called "Over the Mountain and Through the Wood" that's basically a fantasy adventure series of Legolas and Aragorn's adventures in Middle-Earth. It's less angsty than the Mellon Chronicles, and has a lot of headcanon I've developed. I'll list the ones from this story at the end.)

* * *

“Aragorn! You made it!” Legolas held his arms out in a welcoming gesture as he swept into the room. “Old Bellyacher thought for sure the storm would keep you away. You earned me a new belt, my friend.”

The ranger let out a snort of laughter at his friend's antics. “Your brother was betting against me?” The thought of Belegdur, Legolas's stern older brother, doing something as trivial as betting whether a guest would arrive before a winter storm seemed uncharacteristic.

“Well, he doesn't know about your winter horse,” Legolas explained. He folded his arms and leaned against the wall, watching the attendant take Aragorn's wet and muddy boots and cloak away to be cleaned and dried. The ranger was now wearing a pair of stiff, soft-soled leather shoes like most of the inhabitants of Thranduil's keep. Not that boot were forbidden, but tramping around an underground fortress in wet footwear was distinctly uncomfortable.

“And you didn't tell him about Song,” Aragorn guessed. For most of the year he rode a bay gelding that had been a gift from his foster father, Eldrond of Rivendell. But in the winter, when the snows of the north washed up in drifts as high as a man's head, most of the rangers turned to the sturdy, powerful animals favored by the local farmers. Song of Thunder was a tall, broad-shouldered mare with the strong build of her sires, a thick mane and tail, and long forelocks that nearly brushed the ground. The war horses of the north were not as fast as the steeds of Rohan, but they were strong and dependable and much more suited for the perilous winter weather.

“Why would I give away my advantage?” his friend asked, pulling Aragorn into an embrace. “Besides, he hated that belt and I needed a gift for Bard next time I go to Dale. Now everyone's happy.”

Aragorn shook his head and looped his pack over one shoulder. “Even Belegdur.”

“He's happy in his way,” Legolas replied airily, leading the way through the halls to the chambers that were reserved for Aragorn's visits. The ranger looked around happily, admiring the palace of the Elvenking in winter. Bright-colored tapestries were hung on the walls to block the chill in the stone and fires were lit in every hearth. The wood-elves moved into the palace for the long, bitter winter, and thus the halls were filled with merry voices and laughter.

“I had hot water sent up,” the elf added as they reached Aragorn's room. “You can wash and change before we join my father and the others.”

“Thank you,” Aragorn's shoulders relaxed in relief when he entered the room. The fire was burning to warm the chamber, and the walls were blanketed in swirling designs of blue and silver, as a nod to the household of Elrond. “That one's new,” he remarked, nodding at one of the tapestries. It was of a silvery tree, with stars peering out through the gaps between its branches.

“Ah, yes. Tathariel's betrothed made that,” Legolas called, as Aragorn slipped behind the room's dressing screen. There was a basin of steaming water next to a small table, where towels and a shaving razor had been laid out.

“Tathariel?” Aragorn frowned to himself. He remembered the name, but not the elf in question.

“She works the northern watch patrol. I think you've met her.”

Aragorn nodded silently. He wiped off the dust and sweat of travel—the palace had indoor baths, but they were not in use at this time of day, so this would have to be enough—and quickly scraped away the stubble on his chin and cheeks. He would have to hope the clothes in his pack weren't too wrinkled...though he doubted there was anything to match the finery of court. Legolas had assured him that the midwinter celebrations were not a formal event, and he wanted to trust his friend...but an elf's definition of “not formal” might not be in line with that of a ranger's.

He stepped back around the screen, wiping the last of the water off his face. Legolas had been busy laying clothes out on the bed—trousers, shirt, and tunic. Not anything Aragorn had packed for the journey, and he approached the bed to stare down at the clothes worriedly.

There was no getting around it. He and Legolas just weren't the same size. While Aragorn was trim and fit for a human, he still had the broad-shouldered build of a man of Numenor, and Legolas had the willowy grace of an elf of Mirkwood.

“Don't look like that,” Legolas teased, flicking him on the arm with the backs of his fingers. “Father had these made for you, to keep in the palace here. He didn't want you to worry about something as trivial as clothes when you visit us.”

Aragorn sucked in a breath, glancing over at his friend. Legolas smiled fondly at him and nodded at the clothes before turning to Aragorn's pack to unload it. “Wear them well, Ranger. We do not dress all of our visitors so grandly.”

The clothes were made in the fashion of the men of Dale. A hip-length wool tunic over a loose linen shirt, both dyed in deep blue and gray. The breeches were black, and they were wool as well, which always felt a little...fragile...to Aragorn after the leathers he wore for the rangers.

“What's this?” Legolas's puzzled voice pulled Aragorn out of his thoughts. He turned around in time to see the elf pull a fabric-wrapped bundle out of the pack and lunged for it with a yelp.

“That's nothing!” Aragorn protested. Legolas held the bundle away, mischief lighting in his blue eyes.

“Nothing? It doesn't look liked nothing.”

“Give it back!”

“Doesn't feel like nothing,” Legolas hefted it in his hand a few times, easily dancing out of Aragorn's reach, then lifted it to his face for an exaggerated sniff. “Smells like leather, not nothing. I think you're lying, Ranger.”

“Legolas!” Aragorn lunged, managing to get one arm around the elf's waist. Legolas gave a shout and tossed the bundle to one side, and Aragorn managed to push the elf over before diving to catch the bundle up and hide it behind his back.

“Come now, Aragorn,” Legolas protested with a laugh. “Why so secretive?”

The heat was rising in Aragorn's cheeks and he looked down, refusing to meet his friend's merry eyes. “It's just nothing.”

“If it's nothing than you can let me see it, hmm?”

Aragorn backed away until his legs hit the bed. He was conscious of his half-dressed state—he hadn't quite managed to pull the linen shirt over his head before Legolas had found the bundle. He wouldn't be able to make a run out of the palace like this, shirtless and clad only in wool breeches and a pair of soft-soled elven shoes.

“All right,” Legolas raised his hands, laughing. “If it's so important to you, Aragorn.”

It was important. It was also embarrassing and so, so stupid. Why had he done it? It wasn't like gift-giving was a particular tradition among the elves...not for midwinter, anyway. That was a human thing, and as close as he and Legolas were the elf was still an elf.

“It's a gift,” he finally admitted, holding the bundle of fabric out. “The rangers have a tradition of exchanging gifts for midwinter. I brought...this is for you.”

Legolas's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but to Aragorn's relief he took the bundle without another word. Quietly, almost solemnly, the elf unrolled the plain fabric to reveal a pair of leather bracers. “These are for me?”

“I had them made. They're...” Aragorn's voice trailed off. He felt small, and ignorant, and far too young. Who was he to think an elf would appreciate a gift from a mortal?

But Legolas was studying the bracer's closely, holding them up so that the firelight caught the grooves of the tooled leather. “This is when we first met!” he exclaimed, a pleased smile lighting up his face.

Aragorn relaxed a little, half-sitting on the bed. The design had taken some time, many long nights spent with the rangers' armorer working out the pattern to apply to the bracers. At the cuff against the wrist were two figures, one with a sword and one with a bow, while at the elbow's end an avalanche tumbled down the side of a snow-covered mountain. Midway down the mountain the rolling snow became the heads of snarling wolves, all intent on charging the two figures at the far end of the bracer.

“Aragorn, these are wonderful!” Legolas exclaimed. “The craftsmanship is excellent—why were you so shy about this, my friend?”

He studied the floor for a moment. “It seemed...it's a ranger tradition, Legolas. I wasn't sure if it was appropriate.”

Legolas threw his head back with a laugh. He dug a hand into the pocket of his tunic and pulled something out, flipping it toward Aragorn. “I was planning on pinning this to your cloak before it was returned to you, then marveling over it the next time you put your cloak on.”

Aragorn caught the small, silvery object and cradled it in the palm of his hand. It was a cloak pin, in dark silver. It was shaped like a leaf, but the intricate design was of a sprawling tree with bare branches reaching toward the sky. Just at the top, an eagle was flying over the tree with a star clasped in its talons.

It wasn't the tree, but it was close enough for those who knew. Aragorn felt himself swallowing back a tear, and looked up at his friend in gratitude.

“Did you think rangers were the only ones who gave gifts at midwinter?” Legolas teased. “Now, come. Dress yourself, Aragorn. Tonight we feast and sing and laugh at bleak midwinter!”

* * *

So. Wanna hear all about how Legolas and Aragorn fought an avalanche full of angry wolves?

Headcanon: 1) Legolas has an older brother named Belegdur. He's a throwback to when I was first writing LOTR fanfic. The two brothers look a lot like their father, except Belegdur has green eyes like Thranduil and Legolas has blue eyes like their mother 2) Aragorn and the other rangers ride draft horses in the winter. Think of the horses in Skyrim. Song of Thunder's name is based on the naming conventions my ex used to talk about for thoroughbreds, where part of one of the parents' names is including in the offspring's names 3) the tapestries on the walls is based off my first apartment, where I couldn't afford to keep the heat up very high. I figured out that hanging blankets on the walls blocked a lot of the chill and kept things warmer. 4) The Mirkwood elves have houses outside the palace, but in winter they all move into the palace to stay warm and share provisions. It's been a while since I read The Hobbit but I know the palace was described as the fortress of Thranduil's people 5) Legolas's mother is not dead, she sailed into the west with Celebrian because they were friends, and she chose to offer her companionship until their husbands could join them again. Thranduil accepted this at first, but his anger built until he shut Mirkwood off from the rest of Middle-Earth. So the fact that he had some clothes made for Aragorn shows that he's trying to move forward.

Please leave a like or a comment! I had a shit day at work or I wouldn’t ask, haha.

* * *

Next time: Sweater - "You traitor!"

* * *

Day Eight - Master List - Day Ten

[oldtowrs]

I’m not sure if you do the characters x-y-z in one post or not. But if you do any I get headcanons/imagines with the elves and their s/o having their child? Like during the pregnancy to how they are with the babies? Would they be okay with the s/o being human so their kid(s) being half elf? What kinda parent would they be? Stuff like that please and thank you so much

PREGNANCY 

(elves of middle earth edition)

a/n: of course! thank you for requesting! feel free to send in more requests, i’m on summer vacay and i’m bored out of my mind! also sorry if there’s any errors, i just kind of whipped this up and didn’t really proof read it

ELROND

telling elrond that you’re pregnant with his child would be the easiest thing in the world

once you tell him, a look of pure adoration would come over his face and his happiness would bring one of the widest and most genuine smiles you’d have ever seen from him

he wouldn’t hesitate to gently take you into his arms and kiss you over and over again, laying loving kisses wherever he can

countless thank you’s and i love you’s would be uttered that night as he holds you close

elrond, kind and wise in nature, would be even more so during your pregnancy. if you needed anything, he would drop everything just to tend to you 

obviously wouldn’t mind if you were human and if he had half-elf children. he’d love you and them all the same

would act like parenting is the easiest thing in the world. even if it’s his first child, he would be sure of himself because he would’ve taken any free moment he had in the months leading up to his child’s birth educating himself on how to properly parent and talking to you about everything parenthood implied. 

plus he would already have everything arranged for the child’s arrival months ahead of your due date

would be slightly worried during the birth, but would try to hide it for your sake. he would be there throughout the whole thing, holding your hand and kissing your forehead and giving you reassuring comments the whole time

when his child is finally born, tears would definitely surface in his eyes. he’d be content sitting with you in his arms, and your child in yours, admiring the little being you two would have brought into existence

as a father, he would bend over backward for his kids. however, that doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t be firm in his teaching them the ways of the world and in their studies. he wants them to bring kindness into the world and be a source of good. 

is the supportive dad™. he would support his kids in everything they are and everything they ever choose to be and do. 

dad of the year award goes to elrond

GLORFINDEL

he would be so overwhelmed with joy that he wouldn’t know what to do with himself 

he would hug you to him and spin you around your living quarters, laughing with you and kissing you over and over again

after you tell him, his every action from then on would be one taken with the goal of making the world a better place for his child in mind

this dedication would also extend to you too. he would always be there to care for your aches and pains and cravings throughout the pregnancy, making sure you have everything you could possibly need and are content

would laugh a little at your mood swings, but ultimately would be there to comfort you when you get sad and calm you down when you get anxious or irritated. 

during the birth he would be anxious, although it would make you laugh because you had always been the one that was anxious or stressed leading up to the birth. 

his child would definitely have his golden curls, and he would already be so proud of his child for having them

honestly, this kiddo would be downright gorgeous from the moment they were born

glorfindel is the happiest dad ever. he would always smile in your child’s presence and would do anything to make them smile too. he would make his little family the happiest family in all of middle earth, even if he had to travel to mordor and back to do so

HALDIR

oh boy. haldir would be so nervous. he would be happy obviously, but he would need some reassuring. 

would be so worried he wouldn’t be a good father. however, if you comforted him with kisses and loving words, he would grow to realize that he can be the father he hopes he can be. after that, he’ll be so happy and he’ll hold you near to him

wouldn’t be outright and obvious with his efforts, but he would definitely do everything in his power to protect you and his child and make lothlorien a safer place. he would take more shifts and make sure that the borders were secure at any and all possible times. 

he would have so much love for his unborn child, but his worry would often cloud the affect of his motives, as he later realizes when you ask him to not take a night shift so he can be with you

just calm this nervous elf down and tell him that as long as he is loving towards your child that he will be the best father there could possibly be.

you and his child would definitely bring out sweeter side to him. one evening after he comes home from guarding lothlorien, he’ll find you reading a book, with the last of the sun’s rays streaming in through the window beside you, blending with the maternal glow pregnancy seemed to give you. he would be in awe and would be very sweet in telling you so. 

‘you look so beautiful, love’

‘i’m pregnant, i can’t look that good’

‘darling, you put the moon and the stars, and the sun and her flowers to shame with your beauty’ 

despite his anxieties, he would be by your side throughout the entire pregnancy and would not yield before them during the birth of your child. he would hold your hand and wipe away your sweat and tears and be a loving and grounding reminder that everything will be okay

his children would either have your delicate features or his stern ones, but either way, they would have his silver hair and he would love them endlessly. 

he would shed a few tears when he first sees you holding your child. he would kiss you over and over again and hold you close. the soft boi elf in him would jump out 

would always be the overprotective dad. he just wants what is best for his child. however, he takes their happiness very seriously and would do anything to see them safe and smiling

LEGOLAS

would be beside himself with joy when you tell him 

he wouldn’t be able to stop smiling around you for weeks

he would be so happy, and he would take any chance he possibly could to hold your hand or hug you tight. 

literally the happiest dad ever

he would try to tell his dad that he wants to arrange everything for the baby’s arrival, such as its clothes, its room, its crib, etc. but thranduil would have none of it

this child is about to be more spoiled than the valar themselves

during the birth, legolas would be so scared for you and your child, but when everything turns out alright, he will be over the moon and floating amongst varda’s stars with elation. 

he’ll be so excited to hold his child, and when he finally gets to he will look at he or she and gaze lovingly up at you, making remarks on how one of their features matches yours

‘he/she’s got your eyes’

would advocate for his child to learn archery, regardless of their gender, while you would advocate for your child to learn the finer subjects of life, such as elvish literature and history, astronomy, etc. 

legolas would never be able to stop loving you or your child 

LINDIR

lindir would be so overjoyed he would break out in tears the moment the meaning of your announcement makes itself clear in his mind

he would grasp your face and kiss you with more passion than you think he ever had before

he kiss you over and over and hug you tightly to him, his long hands splayed over your shoulder blades and back as he cries into your hair and thanks you over and over

countless i love you’s muttered into still night air as he cuddles you close

would definitely be the type to talk to your stomach, telling his child how excited he is to meet his child and how much he loves them already

plays his harp for you and your child

as your pregnancy progresses however, he will become more and more anxious

he would begin to worry about everything from whether or not he is going to be a good father to whether the book of elvish fairy tales should go on the shelf across from the crib or on the table near the door

he would get so lost in the details you would often need to force him to pause his meddling, hold the sides of his face gently and look into his eyes and tell him to breathe. he will greatly appreciate these moments when you remind him all will be okay

however, this seems to be lost on him the moment you go into labor. he will be a ball of nerves the entire time

he will hold your hand just as tightly as you hold his, all the color draining from his face as he listens to your wails of pain

it is a great relief to both of you when, finally, your child’s cries fill the room. its as if both of you can breathe again, although the faint bruises on both of your hands might take a little while to fade. 

would be like haldir in how much he worries for his child and but over time he would become like elrond, calm and collected and loving beyond all else. 

definitely enjoys the little moments he has with you and his child

THRANDUIL

oh boy, you thought the other elves were happy? thranduil’s delight puts any other elf’s to shame

your news will literally hang galaxies in his eyes and oceans of happy tears will fall from his eyes when you tell him

his happiness will be so much it makes you cry too

he’s also quite vocal in letting you know how happy you make him as well

‘oh meleth, whenever i think you couldn’t make me happier, you always prove me wrong’

he will do everything and anything in his power to make sure you are comfortable

whether its buying you new gowns, making you food in the early hours of the morning, or just something as simple as cuddling you, he won’t hesitate for a moment

he will most definitely buy anything and everything he thinks your child might want. although sometimes you may have to remind him that spoiling your child too a certain extreme is never a good thing

when it comes time for your child to come into the world, the reality that thranduil is going to be a father truly hits

he begins to panic, but it will be your cries of pain that remind him that you need him

and so he will kiss your forehead and encourage you on and hold your hands through everything. he will not withhold an ounce of sweetness from you, making sure you always know how well you’re doing and how its almost over

and when your child is finally born, the expression of pure love that crosses his face-with tears in his eyes, his thick eyebrows turned slightly upwards, and an unyielding smile brighter than the sun itself on his lips-breaks your heart into splinters and rebuilds it a new with pure love and happiness, every shred of discontent gone from your heart and soul

thranduil is so loving. there is no doubt in your mind that the child will have the best guidance in matters of the heart and morals than any other elfling to ever walk the lands of arda

all in all, having a child with thranduil will be one of the best experiences of your life, and of his as well

[brannonlasgalen]

I lowkey have a headcanon that Thranduil is one of the most powerful elves in Middle Earth. Thranduil is the only elven ruler that doesn’t have a ring, and yet his people are some of the most powerful out there. In LotR his armies tied up a lot of Sauron’s forces because of how close Mirkwood is to Mordor which helped the Fellowship a lot. So yeah I have a headcanon that he has a type of magic which protects the elves of Mirkwood and helps them fight and be more in touch with their surroundings

Whoo boy, Nonny-moose! You’re reading my MIND! *cracks knuckles*

Thranduil is definitely one of the most powerful elves in Middle Earth. 

First of all, there’s no such thing as a weak leader of elves. Tolkein wrote his elvish rulers as having a sort of divine right/might to rule, meaning they had to be powerful in order to be accepted as leaders.  Considering that, out of all the great Elven Lords/Ladies of the time, ONLY Thranduil was considered a “king”, he would have to be very powerful indeed.

(He was also the son of Oropher, who was actually chosen by the Silvan elves to be their king when they hadn’t even had a king before, soo….yeah. Powerful genes.)

Now consider this: Galadriel and Elrond are also great Elven Ladies/Lords, yet they needed the power of their Rings to maintain the beauty and lushness of their realms. Once the power of the Rings was ended, both Lórien and Imladris fade.  

Our buddy Thranduil, on the other hand, maintains an entire kingdom WITHOUT A RING.

While it’s true that Mirkwood’s dark and dangerous, it’s still a place where elves can live. Since elves physically cannot live in evil places, that must mean there is still life, beauty, and good magic in Mirkwood. Even with Sauron literally squatting inside Thranduil’s borders for centuries, Mirkwood was never completely over-taken by the shadow.  

Why? Well, if Sauron’s Dark Fëa was the cause of the Shadow, then there must have been some powerful Fëa of the Light resisting it to keep Greenwood from falling completely. In fact, in the Hobbit, Gandalf tells the other elves that the Greenwood elves have only recently begun using the term Mirkwood, because it took that long for the shadow to effect the forest enough to warrant a change in name.

Which means Thranduil Oropherion single-handedly holds off the might of a tainted Maiar for MILLENNIA. 

And he’s doing it without a Ring. 

Now, could Thranduil personally defeat Sauron? No, of course not. Sauron’s the Tolkein-world equivalent of an greater angelic Power, for goodness’ sake!  Thranduil’s totally fighting a losing battle, and we know his people are forced to retreat slowly northward over the years. But then again, none of the elves could have defeated Sauron alone, not even Gil-Galad; that’s why they sent a Hobbit, lol.

Still, Thranduil’s power at least keeps Mirkwood from becoming Darkwood, preserving enough of the goodness of the forest that his people can still live there, that Men can still live there; and not just live, but thrive. I mean, have you seen the Mirkwood Army?

Remember, 2/3 of their forces were slaughtered at the Battle of Dagorlad, where Oropher was killed. The rest barely made it home. And yet here, only 3000-odd years later (not a long time in terms of Elvish reproductive cycles,) he can field an army of thousands with, what? A week’s notice? 

Conclusion? Mirkwood elves must breed like rabbits. But…how?? How do the female elves, who have to invest significant spiritual energy to create even a single child, have enough space/health/support/wherewithal to have several children apiece while living under a Shadow?

And how, in a place that is ostensibly “mirky” and “tainted”, does one raise a ball of elvish sunshine like Legolas? How are the elves of Mirkwood still a merry and good and honorable people, (if a bit suspicious of “furriners,”)  whilst surrounded by so much darkness? How have they not become tainted, too?

Someone must be standing between them and the darkness; making them feel safe, preserving that light and goodness so they can live their lives.

(hint: It’s this guy^^^)

Not to dismiss the actual boots on the ground work that the elvish guard does in protecting Thranduil’s people, of course. Obviously, it’s a team effort, and each elf of the Woodland Realm must strive to maintain it. But as neither all of Elrond’s folk nor all of Galadriel’s would have succeeded in maintaining their realms without their leaders, we can reasonably conclude it’s the same with the Silvan elves.

Not only does Thranduil hold the borders of his kingdom without help, he’s secure enough to actually leave Mirkwood for short periods of time. This either means his power has a really long range, or that the echoes of it are enough to sustain the Wood for a period of time. 

And remember, Mirkwood is BIG: 600 miles long by 250 miles wide (or 150,000 mi^2, or over 96 million acres.) For a mental picture, Mirkwood is about the size of the distance from Los Angeles to Mt. Shasta, CA; a distance which covers most of the state. Even if you estimate conservatively, and say that Thranduil’s power could only cover the northern third, that’s still ~32 million acres under his protection.

So strong is the power of Thranduil that during the War of the Ring, Sauron sent two separate armies to destroy Mirkwood, out of fear that Thranduil’s army would come to the aid of Men; one army of orcs, and one of Easterlings. The Easterlings were distracted by the dwarves of Erebor and the Men of Dale; but the other army of orcs/goblins/etc engaged the Mirkwood elves. It’s not explicitly stated, but reading between the lines it looks like Sauron’s guys got trounced so badly that they panicked and tried to BURN THE WOOD TO THE GROUND. 

And even THEN, they lost. 

(And yeah I know, Celeborn’s army came to help destroy Dol Guldur itself; but a part of the reason they succeeded is that Thranduil had already destroyed Sauron’s armies in the region. Celeborn, BTW? Fellow Sindar, also a huge power without a ring. I headcanon that Celeborn and Thranduil get along like gangbusters.)

Then let’s talk about after the War of the Ring, when Sauron’s power is broken and the shadow is lifted from Mirkwood forever. Without Sauron actively suppressing it, Mirkwood becomes Greenwood again, a realm of beauty possibly on par with Lórien or Imladris. In fact, Celeborn actually claims the southern third of the Wood as East Lorien, and his people are perfectly happy living there; which suggests it must be at least as nice as Lórien (sans the giant trees.)

Now, even after Sauron is defeated, the other elves are diminished. They go into the west, their kingdoms fade away. 

But not Greenwood. 

Thranduil’s realm apparently flourished, entering into a sort of Golden Age that lasted well into the Fourth Age. Of the elvish rulers, he’s the only one who hasn’t gone into the west by the time Tolkein’s timeline ends. Which means even in a time of fading magic, when elves have lost their dominion and the time of Men has come, Thranduil’s kingdom endures.

There’s a reason the Elves of the Greenwood call Thranduil Oropherion their Greatest King. 

[aerialflight]

I'd love to see your headcanons about Bilbo

1. Old Bilbo is absolutely the type who would troll the hell out of his neighbors. Or maybe even accidentally troll them without meaning to. Either way, Bilbo Baggins would confuse the hell out of everybody in the Shire. He’d make all these innocuous references to his adventures like, “Of course I can identify who built these weapons! Dear me, old Dwalin would have my head if I didn’t know by this point.” or “These smell worse than Smaug’s breath! Well, when he wasn’t trying to kill us all that is. For someone who talked so much, he certainly seemed unaware of his personal defects.”

Or even better, he would make shit up just to see their reactions. I would pay to see Bilbo bullshit Elrond by saying, “Did you know, when I was, er, strolling through Mirkwood’s kingdom, I saw with my own two eyes Thranduil singing about decapitated orc heads while kicking said decapitated orc heads in his halls? Skipping and prancing about it too. He’s gone mad I tell you, you should do something about that.” Revenge is sweet.

2. I have a little story in me where Bilbo once stole Gandalf’s wizard hat. He just wanted to try it on, honest, and his head ends up nearly swallowed by the thing. Gandalf is looming over him and demanding him to hand it over, causing Bilbo to panic and toss it to a startled Ori who also panics and shoves it to Nori and, well, that’s how he and the dwarves started to play a game of keep-away and it was one of the only times anyone’s seen Thorin laugh himself to tears. When it was Thorin’s turn to catch and throw it to Fili, he couldn’t see properly due to the tears and accidentally threw it in the stream nearby. Gandalf spent the entire day hatless in the heat to let the hat dry and he grumbled over his fate. He got sunburnt and nobody alive has ever seen Gandalf’s face go so red except when he was in Lady Galadriel’s presence. Dwalin guffaws every time someone brings up that story.

3. Bilbo is an odd mix of overprotective/free and wild parenting when it comes to Frodo. Like, there are odd times when he just loses it in certain situations, like Frodo being near holes or exploring caves with unstable walls that Bilbo has learned to identify from the dwarves. But other times, Bilbo teaches Frodo to stand his ground and fight back. “If that little bully pushes you or calls you names again, punch him in the face. Here, I’ll teach you how to punch properly, don’t want you to break your hand.” Or how to lie properly, because such a skill could save your life. Frodo never took on that lesson too well, but Bilbo tries his best to teach him to be. Bilbo lets Frodo make mistakes and while Bilbo is still fussy and polite, he wants Frodo to grow up whoever he wants to be. Someone strong yet retaining that innate kindness that’ll draw people in until it forms a fellowship.

4. Bilbo’s worst and best trait is his ability to feel deeply. Maybe it’s a hobbit thing or just a Bilbo thing, who knows. It’s what makes him such a fierce fighter because he fights for the people he loves and it’s what makes him the best friend you could have. Cause once he counts you as his friend, he’ll never let you fall. He singlehandedly almost dragged Thorin back from the brink of his madness in the Five Armies movie and that’s amazing. But it also means grief can literally kill him. Thorin, Fili, and Kili passing away almost made him lose it. He probably got himself really really drunk with elven wine after the battle, maybe contemplated jumping off the edge of where Thorin was going to throw him off during his madness. When Bilbo grieves, he can’t function. One of the members of the company, maybe Bofur or Oin or Ori would check up on him to make sure he’s okay. And the last time Bilbo felt such grief was when his parents died and he shut himself up from the world. But with the company with him, with Gandalf smoking his pipe and sitting side by side with him in tired silence in the aftermath of the battle, Bilbo feels he could move one step after the other a little easier than the last time he went through this. So when he leaves Erebor and the dwarves, he does it with the resolution to not waste his life. It doesn’t matter if the Shire doesn’t understand, because Bilbo knows there are people out there in the world who knows what he’s going through, whose been on an adventure that changed their lives for good.

5. What if Bilbo is too accomplished in languages? Like, he picks up on other races languages like a sponge. Others are always surprised by how he just, deduces what words mean what from their tones and context of the situation. Like, if Bilbo at one point during the journey, after listening to the dwarves talk in Khuzdul in quiet or from the commands and battle cries Thorin roars out, Bilbo is able to slowly pick up the nuances of the language. And the elves, well, he’s probably been studying the elven language and texts for years in his youth out of a fascination for the outside world. So he meets Elrond and when the dwarves aren’t looking, Bilbo asks a bunch of questions on pronunciation and certain elven stories he couldn’t understand. It’s a pleasant surprise for the elven king and the two start a lively conversation in elvish, Bilbo practicing and Elrond pleased with finding a new conversationalist. Like come on, the elf probably rarely talks to new people not of his race in his own language.

And then when Thranduil comes along, Bilbo reveals himself and tries frantically to convince the king to let the dwarves go with his silver tongue while speaking in elvish. Thranduil demands how Bilbo knows the language and Biblo just responds, “I’m friends with Lord Elrond.” and wow, if that isn’t incentive to not piss off an elvish king if they end up hurting or imprisoning this hobbit. Or alternatively, while escaping Thranduil’s hall’s, Bilbo gives them the middle finger and cusses out the elves in their language, causing them to gape after the escaping dwarves in outrage. Legolas almost loses his supernatural ability to never lose balance and nearly trips over a tree root while fighting and listening to this. Tauriel never lets him forget it and laughs herself to death when thinking about it later.

When they get to Erebor and Thorin loses himself to the madness, what actually snaps him out of it is Bilbo marching up to him and yelling at him in Khuzdul in front of the whole company, finally revealing his ability to speak it. The hobbit basically lectures the dwarf king for an entire hour and finally finishes off with, “Fuck you and if you don’t get your head on straight by paying the people of Dale what is their due and making sure Thranduil doesn’t fucking kill us all, I will personally yell out every embarrassing thing you’ve ever done on this journey, which is a lot by the way, to anyone I meet and it won’t matter who cause I can basically speak every language that counts in order to make sure that happens. So get your shit together, you git.”

Needless to say, Thorin’s gold sickness doesn’t stand a chance against an angry Bilbo Baggins.

[beautymarred]

This visual essay series by dionetaofavalon.tumblr.com [ this post in particular ] made me think.

I know it was supposed to be all secret and everything… but let’s play devil’s advocate––or Morgoth’s advocate, if you would prefer––for a moment and work under the theory: what if Thranduil did know that Galadriel had a ring of power…

And, likewise, he knew that Elrond had one…

Would that not explain some of the tension between Thranduil and the other realms?

Out of wariness and general distrust, he isolates his own realm, aside from a few correspondences/agreements with Laketown. And he’s (whether deliberately or not) excluded from the White Council, though he also likely lived at least at the end of the First Age and was old enough by the Second Age to have fought at the Dagorlad against Sauron, et cetera. WHERE ELROND ALSO WAS. Would that not lend some level of respect to him that he might be included, if only via letters as I doubt he would willingly/without great reluctance leave his realm?

Now, while I can see him being more forgiving of Elrond––both within my backstory with @ofgoldcnflowcrs / @ofmarchwardcns / @ofcldcrdays and outside of it––is it really any wonder that he isolates himself and his realm? To some extent, on top of just being wary and distrustful in general, I’m sure he’s maybe just a little bitter that he and his people got the short end of the stick.

Imladris is protected.

Lothlórien is protected.

And then Thranduil has to deal with damn giant spiders and darkness-twisted woods. Perils that Galadriel––for all of her meddling in the affairs of Middle Earth, and Mithrandir’s as well for that matter––has never offered to purge or make any attempt to aid him in its protection. (Which, ostensibly, could very well have helped to prevent the death of his wife, had such measures been taken, though that’s more of a hypothetical situation.)

Neither was any attempt––to the reader/viewer’s knowledge––made to ask help or advice of Thranduil at the time of the various Council meetings.

[ NOTE: Within RP on my old account, there is an exception to this in my arrow & the song verse with @ofgoldcnflowcrs wherein Glorfindel likely has to practically beg him to journey from his halls to wherever the meeting is being held to share with Galadriel and Elrond what he has seen for himself… only for Saruman to be there––unexpected and uninvited––to try to dispel every concern, and when that fails to make Thranduil pause, he then verbally tears him apart and trivializes him as he has done to Gandalf and to Radagast and makes him seem every bit the eccentric and foolish king with far too much fondness of wine that I’m sure some rumors have made him, causing Thranduil to level a, “I came here against my better judgment and this is how I am treated. I have had enough of this farce.” at Galadriel and Elrond before storming out with every intention of returning to his halls. ]

On top of excluding Thranduil from Councils, when the battles happen in War of the Ring Era, Lothlórien deals with its own issues––understandably, as it undergoes heavy assault from the enemy––but, again, Thranduil’s people are left to fend for themselves. So while that works out well enough obviously as the legions only made the mistake of attacking Thranduil ONCE, it still seems a little odd.

(Though it also proves, as being able to bring back even a third of his army out of the mess that was Dagorlad, that Thranduil is not only an able king, but a skilled leader in battle as well, likely a tactician to some degree, or at least willing to listen to advisers and military commanders who are tacticians. And we already know my headcanon about him basically being a quick-draw with a blade and fearsome in combat.)

But, really, how much more does that say about Thranduil that he’s the only one of the three major realms remaining who doesn’t have a Ring of Power?

And consider that, of all the (elven) realms, his is perhaps closest to multiple of the Very Bad™ dangers/perils and therefore more at risk than others as it is.

Here is a map of Middle Earth.

For the purpose of this, let’s narrow down the focus. Here’s a cropped map with the three ‘realms’ highlighted: Imladris (blue), Lórien (gold), and Mirkwood (green).

(NOTE: I’ve had to approximate the location a little with the latter as it was not marked on this map, so where I’ve colored may not be 100% accurate.)

Now let’s look at what perils surround each realm.

First, Lothlórien.

Lórien is close to the mountains, closer to Mordor itself, and closest to Dol Guldur. But, Galadriel has a ring that offers a great deal of protection to the land and her people. To the extent that, while orcs may raid and cause the loss of lives on the outskirts with the wardens, or that they may even attempt something bold, no true trouble has come from Dol Guldur. For her and her people. Because the darkness of the forest cannot reach them.

Next, Imladris.

Imladris is closest, I believe, to the Misty Mountains and the dangers that lurk there. And while Imladris may indeed be closer to Gundabad as the crow flies, it’s closer across/over the mountain chain rather than across wide open plains and dark woods where anything could lie in wait. And again, there is a ring of power there. Not only that, however, but also there dwells Glorfindel who––by the generally accepted account, I believe––is a reborn Lord of Gondolin, sent back by the Valar with great Power and Light. Power and Light enough to chase away Ring-Wraiths.

Now, to Mirkwood.

Thranduil, on the other hand, his realm is near enough to Gundabad to pose a problem (especially if you do keep the movie canon that his wife was killed there, as I do). His next door neighbor is a dragon. And he and his people were forced to move from where they had originally settled, if I remember correctly, because of the reach of Dol Guldur, which happens to be in the very same forest, even though Lórien is––again, as the crow flies––closer.

On top of that, Thranduil’s forest itself has been twisted by the shadow of Sauron (who nobody believes has returned), and the spiders––if not orcs as well––assail his people and make, what once was the Greenwood, come to be known as Mirkwood.

It becomes even worse when you take into consideration the mindset of Thranduil and his people, whether truly a valid threat or not:

❛ The king’s cave was his palace, and the strong place of his treasure, and the fortress of his people against their enemies.

It was also the dungeon of his prisoners. So to the cave they dragged Thorin––not too gently, for they did not love dwarves, and thought he was an enemy. In ancient days they had had wars with some of the dwarves, whom they accused of stealing their treasure. ❜ [ The Hobbit, Pocket Edition; page 155 ]

Coupled with the actual movie (insomuch as it might be allowed), the Iron Hills could also very easily be added to the list of dangers (and/or perceived dangers):

Yet, despite everything, he keeps his people safe and cared for and as happy as they can be under the circumstances, at least enough that they feel free––in the book––to hold festivals and parties out in the forest. He is impressive enough as a ruler, that Tolkien makes a point of writing into the Hobbit,

❝ In a great cave some miles within the edge of Mirkwood on its eastern side there lived at this time their greatest king. ❞  [ The Hobbit, Pocket Edition; page 154 ]

Which would at least imply that he was held in some reverence and respect, if only by his own people.

All of that, without a Ring of Power, without anything that would have aided in his endeavors besides his own ability as a King.

I know I’ve somewhat combined book and movie-adaption into this post––and into the way that I portray Thranduil––but I think regardless of media, it’s worth noting. There are aspects of things that I’ve mentioned here, even in the films, though it is more difficult to see due to the butchery of the writers and He Who Shall Not Be Named (and likely open to interpretation even still).

I suppose I just find that rather impressive for a character who most people––including the writers and HWSNBN––turn into a villain or into a parody or the punchline of a joke.

[espressotrashcan]

Good luck for your finals! I'm in the same sh*t so I should be supportive and not discract you, but I can't resist an offer for Lotr headcanons *o* Could you feel my some Elrond hc please?

Good luck on yours as well, I’m sure you’ll do great! 

Hm…some headcanons for Elrond:

He has a powerful voice, and can convince people to do things when he sings. For example, if Elrond sang “Peace Train” you can bet people would be leaving the Hall of Fire, looking for a train to get on.

He’s a proud warrior, but he’s also SUCH a Dad when he’s with Elladan & Elrohir & Arwen, and his kindness is unwavering. He supports his kids in whatever they do, although it broke his heart that Arwen made the choice of Luthien.

His reunion with Celebrian in the Undying Lands was the most bar-none romantic thing anyone had ever seen. He was finally, after centuries of missing her, so overjoyed to see her healed and whole. 

Celebrian is his best friend. When they met, neither one of them really knew how to express their feelings, but they hit it off in a way neither one of them ever had (or ever would) with anyone else. 

He is encouragement personified. Unless nobody’s listening to him (ISILDUR! DESTROY IT!) – then he really isn’t. 

He can’t cook, but he can do just about anything else. He’s especially good at playing the piano. 

He really loves fruit-flavored pie. 

He secretly thinks Thranduil is kinda rad, even with his sassy elk and consistent wine-drinking and “too majestic 4 u” attitude. 

[calaquendii-archived]

....i'm asking about your headcanons about elves

you are an amazing person, truly. 

(these are all about elves in my interpretation of the Silmarillion btw, which honestly only uses the canon as something like a guideline :D )

- physically, elves are huge. A short elf is still going to be over 6 feet.  Thingol is close to 9 feet tall, Maedhros and Turgon are pushing 8 feet. The half-elves may be a bit shorter, but they’d still be incredibly tall compared to men. 

- You know Dragon Age II? as far as i’m concerned, that is a GOOD elvish design. i like the almost cat-like face shapes. That said, i take it further bc, as you’ve probably seen in my art, i HC elvish eyes as being all one colour. The calaquendi have incredibly bright coloured eyes, whereas the moriquendi have very dark eyes with just a bit of colour around the iris. All elves have cat-like eyes, so they reflect light. bc that’s cool. Also, the EARS. The only elf in the movies with decent elvish ears is Tauriel, just saying.

- elves are incredibly telepathic. Galadriel talking telepathically with Gandalf at the same time as talking normally with Elrond and Saruman? totally normal. Most elves have a level of mental shielding - for lack of a better description - so that they don’t hear EVERYTHING. There’s also a level of empathy going on, so it’s pretty hard to hide your emotions around elves. Some are mentally stronger than others, e.g. Maeglin, as shown through this:  “Then he called him Maeglin, which is Sharp Glance, for he perceived that the eyes of his son were more piercing than his own, and his thought could read the secrets of hearts beyond the mist of words.” and this is Maeglin as a 12yo. Honestly. I also headcanon Caranithir (and i’m pretty sure i got this from a fic but) as being incredibly telepathic but not having much control, especially around mortals. Hence why he is in a bad mood all the time.

- The telepathy thing also accounts for how clannish elves are. This is based off a Maori concept of relationships, so i’ll try to explain (and this is an incredibly simplified explanation, i’m sorry). The Whanau is your close family, including extended kin such as cousins / aunts / uncles. Your Hapu is, for lack of a better description, your community. Your Iwi is your clan (or the canoe you trace your lineage from but that won’t apply to elves bc, you know, immortal). So if we take Feanor as an example, his whanau is the House of Noldoran, his Hapu would be his House and all the elves pledged to him personally, and his Iwi would be the Noldor. It’s not perfect and i need to think about it more, but essentially what i’m trying to say here is that clan ties are very important to elves and it’s more than just blood or allegiance, there’s a mental link there too. 

- each Iwi (again, using the maori term due to a lack of quenya) has an affinity to some element of the natural world. I.e the Teleri are tied to the seas, the Sindar to the woods, the Noldor to the stone. This affinity affects their magic. For example, the sindar /sylvan elves woke the trees and taught them to speak, can weave enchantments and illusions through their forests (see Eol and Thranduil), can generally speak to the birds and animals with ease. 

- also, although i tend to draw elves of as many skin colours and races as i can, i tend to base the aesthetic of each iwi on the aesthetics of cultures that i admire here in the real world. So the noldor are based off Indian aesthetics, with the bright colours, lots of jewellery, sari, etc. The Teleri are based off polynesian, the sindar off Maori, etc. Currently the Vanyar are based entirely off the Netherfield Ball scene in Pride and Prejudice (2005) but that will probably change. 

- Now i know Tolkien said that elves don’t really have magic, but really, fuck that. I want elves who are so incredibly magical by nature that mortals can’t comprehend it. i want elvish magic based in music and song. I want the noldor to sing power into their fortresses to enhance the strength of stone. I want elvish forges that burn hotter and stronger because of the magic sung there, and elvish weapons that can never be replicated because of the unique nature of the music that enchanted them. i want elves who can casually call on fire, or ice, or water, who know the secret songs of the world, who can hear the echos of the Ainulindale in the very matter of the world. 

la dee da, but this post is getting very long. There is more, especially in regards to individual elves (Hello, Maglor), but i think i’ll stop here. I’m not sure how well i articulated my headcanons, so feel free to ask me questions about these!!! :D