#Elvish royal family

[pridaxus-worldbuilding]

Princely Consort Merielle in the yeah 1072

[homunculus-argument]

More random toying with fantasy cliché tropes: The Main Character, but like, undiagnosed.

A protagonist who's got every single damn Fated Main Character -cliche in the books but keeps insisting they're totally normal. Every single weird omen that happens to them just makes them go "ehh, I'm sure that happens to everyone" and ignores them. The way ravens keep following them around and trying to tug at their clothes is probably normal and the weird birthmark that's shaped exactly like a raven is just a random splotch and it's completely coincidental that it's in the same place as this Hero Who Was Fated For was supposed to have a "mark of a raven" and it's not, like, a perfectly clear tattoo outline or anything so obviously it's not a raven.

And they keep trying to live an everyday life and royally sucking at doing regular things - as a trait that'd work as a fantasy author's cop-out way of going "see, this protagonist isn't a perfect mary sue, they suck at baking bread!" on a Cool Adventurer Protagonist, but since the protagonist refuses to go on an adventure, it wouldn't cross anyone's mind to figure that they'd surely be a natural talent in swordplay and magic and learning elvish grammar - that's just the Tragic Orphan Turned Incompetent Adult who sucks at baking bread and keeps insisting that everyone else is lying about never getting pestered by ravens.

It's made clear from the start that everyone in The Quaint Small Village is freaking sick of this weird person and they keep failing to convince people that they're not trying to be special, and going "look my aunt says I'm fine so therefore I'm fine", when the aforementioned aunt is very clearly the only person who keeps insisting that her sister's child isn't weird, they just suck at everything in ways that shouldn't be possible without the presence of magic.

Also obviously everyone gets prophetic dreams of their dead parents warning them about mysterious things and telling them riddles, right? That's just a normal part of being an orphan. And obviously it's purely coincidental that literally nobody else in the village has That Distinct Haircolour that's a famous feature of the local royal family and everyone making remarks of the protagonist's uncanny resemblance to the prince who is now king who visited the area a year before the protagonist was born is surely just being mean. Like coincidences just happen sometimes, right?

And eventually the protagonist's mother appears in a dream more clearly than ever, going "look, sweetie, you're 26 and you've been ignoring The Call Of Fate for, like, ten years now. You've got to answer eventually. Just go to the damn wizard already."

And the protagonist goes "uuuuuuuuuugh fine. But I'm going to complain the whole way."

[tanoraqui]

Dungeon Meshi Liveblog: Kabru & Mithrun's Life-Changing Road Trip

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safhkjkhf no but also fake!Kabru is entirely flat because Mithrun doesn't have depth perception...

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Between this and the information that the team has a 1:2 ratio of guards to criminals, with the guards often appointed by their families as a melodramatic show of loyalty to the realm - which is...possibly literally true, considering the prestige of badassery; but, considering the criminals and the danger, also very possibly a polite euphemism for what amounts to a public sacrifice... I kind of ferally want to know about the dynamics of the Canaries. Are they loyal to each other, or to the cause? Are they all just under the threat of execution? Kabru expected the captain of the squad to be an aristocratic guard, them being more trustworthy than a semi-pardoned criminal ofc, but instead he's...whatever exactly Mithrun's legal status is; I've avoided some details of his backstory.

...I might have to go back and try to actually mentally distinguish these people from each other.

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Laios Heaven is actually Kabru Hell, and vice versa. It's a very efficient system!

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*giggles* Kabru is having a weird, upside-down day.

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"Don't wish often" is such a threatening thing to say, honestly. Don't want. Don't try. Don't be alive, or this place will try to kill you and eat you, for it, too, wishes to live, and that is how the continuation of life works.

It's so so interesting how elves clearly have ANSWERS, answers that our party have been searching for, which would've made their whole adventure easier, and the elves just aren't telling people. To maintain their own power over other races? Probably. Because knowing about demons who'll offer you unlimited power would be a dangerous temptation to many? In fairness, probably that, too. But it sure as hell serves them first.

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Oh yeah, this definitely reads as aristocratic youths joining the Canaries isn't per se voluntary on their families' parts. It's the elvish Suicide Squad.

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The timeline isn't making sense. When Mithrun banished the giant mushroom, it was clearly implied that it went to where and when Team Touden were when we'd last seen them, just after their first incident with the changeling mushrooms and then the dwarvish cable car. However, now the pop-up side panels are saying that Kabru and Mithrun's week in the dungeon together is happening at the same time as Team Touden goes through their shapeshifter adventure, barometz, Golden Country, griffins... Which makes sense if one assumes the Canaries & co went into the dungeon right after Kabru first spoke to them, which does seem right in terms of those characters' plotline and personal timetables. But there was no indication, when it cut over to them, that we'd suddenly gone backwards a week in the comic's timeline; indeed, the giant walking changeling mushroom incident suggested it was a single continuity...

Is this just a continuity error? Did I miss some clarifying signifier?

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Kabru: [tells Mithrun his own backstory back at him]

Mithrun: You left out the soap operatic relationships rooted in royal intrigue, which in turn was rooted in millennia of other royal intrigue.

Kabru: Yes, but I need it to be understandable to a man who's mostly just going to ask me how the goat-demon tast– I mean, uh... Your story structure was bad, so I simplified it.

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Oh shit, that's the thing Marcille is studying! She doesn't know it summons demons!

...My instinct is, "if only someone told her instead of completely outlawing the knowledge, forcing her to stumble blindly into the consequences on her own!" But, uh... I'm not sure this would actually stop her. She's very determined, and also has her share of wizard hubris. This is, of course, a driving question of the story.

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It wasn't easier to kill them? It wasn't easier to simply stop drawing magic from the infinite-power dimension?

...ok obviously not the latter, because, y'know. Fossil fuels. But seriously it wasn't easier to just kill them?

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It's sooo intersting how everyone else views Laios's love of monsters as a dangerous moral failing, when it's really just...ecologist enthusiasm. The man thinks this class of being is Neat. He is harming literally 0 people about this. He isn't even forcing anyone to eat them, just inviting them really enthusiastically and/or pointing out that this is necessary in order to achieve their shared goal of saving Falin.

Yes, obviously this could be subverted into something terrible by an encouraging demon. Just like, obviously, a desire to protect and preserve people can be! Or a desire to live happily with your loved ones! Laios isn't worse than any other Lord of a Dungeon; y'all just hate monsters!

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Kabru that is SO gay, jfc. I object on principle to the phrase "no heterosexual explanation", but--

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M! V! P! M! V! P!

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Friendship? Teamwork? Mutual respect and shared understanding of goals? Mithrun is a very useful ally because he really does Only want to stop the demon; he doesn't care about the geopolitics of it. Though his perspective is still very elvish and he definitely will kill our beloved protagonists without hesitation if they seem like they're going to be a problem.

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I would read an entire novel about the formation of the halffoot union, honest to god. I bet it was very exciting. I bet someone tried to kill Chilchuck at least once.

[sotwk]

When and where was Thranduil born? (How Thranduil's age compares to other characters)

Thranduil: the Vigorous Spring (Thranduil's name and details of his birth)

Thranduil's royal title (Thranduil's formal regnal title)

Thranduil and hunting (Thranduil's history and skills in hunting, and his family's hunting traditions)

Thranduil’s love of wine (How wine connects with Thranduil's history)

Thranduil the Warrior King (Thranduil’s fighting prowess)

Why Does King Thranduil Glow? (Thranduil's Elvish “glow” in the BotFA)

Thranduil in the Sack of Erebor (Could Thranduil have helped kill Smaug and save Erebor?)

Thranduil's Fate in the Undying Lands (Does Thranduil sail for Valinor?)

Thranduil and Oropher's Tumultuous Relationship (Oropher's opposition to Thranduil's marriage causes a feud)

Thranduil's Mother: Lady Meluiel of Doriath (Thranduil's relationship with his mother and the early loss of her)

OTHER USEFUL LINKS:

Introduction to SotWK

Main Headcanon Masterlist

Fanfiction Masterlist

sotwk headcanon - This tag captures all SotWK headcanon posts, including minor ones that might not be on the Masterlist.

[anghraine]

I've talked a lot about Númenórean aging throughout the Second and Third Ages having its own distinct process. But occasionally I have a fridge horror thought about it with regard to Pharazôn that I've talked about less.

First, the aging context (feel free to ignore if you already know!): according to LOTR, UT, and NOME, Númenórean aging is distinct from (but related to) both Elvish and normal human aging. Like other humans, Númenóreans physically age at a "standard" pace until reaching adulthood. After this, they age more like Elves—very slowly, only showing signs of old age/decay either at the very end of their lives or under enormous strain.

Denethor in LOTR is not an exception to this, but an example of what "something has gone wrong" looks like. Everyone in LOTR thinks it's weird that Denethor, who is clearly not dying (he can still wear armor 24/7 and wield a sword), looks like an old man at the spry age of 89 and started showing these signs in his 60s. It is broadly—and correctly—assumed in Minas Tirith that he's prematurely aged by mental combat with Sauron, although Sauron never does manage to dominate his mind.

Tangent: This is actually important because Tolkien explained (mainly in UT) Gandalf's urgency wrt Minas Tirith in direct relation to Númenórean aging and Denethor. By the time of LOTR, Gandalf knows 1) even contemporary Dúnedain do not ordinarily show signs of physical decay so early, 2) they especially don't in Denethor's family; Gandalf doesn't know the genealogical details but he can tell they're descendants of Elros, making this doubly weird, and 3) the Stewards very likely have the palantír of Minas Tirith in their possession. So Gandalf put the clues together and guessed that Denethor's premature decay was from using the Anor-stone and tangling with Sauron. Gandalf feared that Denethor had essentially pulled a Saruman and been dominated by Sauron, which is part of why he was so anxious on the ride to Minas Tirith. (Even more tangentially: Denethor read this fear in him and apparently found it both deeply offensive and very funny.)

ANYWAY, the point is that this extremely delayed aging process in which physical old age is a sign of impending death still characterizes Númenóreans that late, unless something very strange is going on. It would definitely be the normal process for Númenóreans throughout the entire Second Age, even given the contracting lifespans of the later years.

We also know that one of the factors that led to Pharazôn's disastrous assault on Aman was the onset of old age. This would not simply be a reminder of his mortality for a Númenórean, least of all one from the (honestly rather inbred) line of Elros. It meant he would soon die. If he'd followed the old royal custom of giving up his life when he felt death approach, he might well be dead already. Instead, he's in the "decay" stage and visibly aging.

The point is not that you should feel sorry for Pharazôn. It is very much not that.

No. The point is that Pharazôn was an old man by this time and likely would have looked it.

Meanwhile, here's the Akallabêth's final description of Tar-Míriel, the daughter of the last Faithful king of Númenor and Pharazôn's own first cousin, whom he stripped of hereditary power and forced into marriage:

And last of all the mounting wave, green and cold and plumed with foam, climbing over the land, took to its bosom Tar-Míriel the Queen, fairer than silver or ivory or pearls.

Of course, in Tolkien's treatment, age and beauty do not have to be mutually exclusive. But it really doesn't sound like Míriel was in the final state of decay (and lbr, she didn't have a lot of reason to cling to life beyond the natural end of her lifespan anyway).

Moreover, the shortening of Númenórean lifespans in the Second Age was directly linked to estrangement from Eru/the Valar/their friends among the Elves and hoarding resources and power while developing a paranoid obsession with death. Tolkien said this outright, but also the dates we do have for the Faithful Lords of Andúnië indicate significantly longer lifespans than the later kings of Númenor, their cousins. So if Míriel was privately Faithful, it would be entirely probable for her natural lifespan to far outstrip Pharazôn's.

I do know about the alternate draft Tolkien considered where Míriel was on Team Pharazôn and totally wanted to surrender her power and enter an illegal incestuous marriage, but I agree with Christopher Tolkien that this seems to have been discarded in favor of the purely tragic Míriel of the published Akallabêth. (I also think it's a terrible idea, honestly, that does not fit the overall narrative nearly as well as the Silm's Míriel, tragic as her story is.)

Sometimes I wonder about how the Pharazôn and Míriel of the Akallabêth perceived each other over the years, though. The entire marriage is a nightmare, but I've wondered if he saw her as initially a sort of prize, a possession of great value to adorn his reign—a jewel, even. I've wondered how much Míriel dared, how much she could dare, what the stakes for her really were. And I also wonder what the marriage looked like as Míriel remained delicate, beautiful, and apparently ageless while Pharazôn conspicuously decayed.

The disparity might not have seemed all that significant at first, since Númenórean women typically had longer lifespans than the men anyway (all else being equal). But as time went on and Pharazôn became an old man, obsessed with aging and death, while "fairer than silver" Tar-Míriel remained trapped at his side, I do wonder what the dynamics of that marriage really would have been.

And of course, there'd be Sauron at his other side, notoriously fair and even more truly ageless, willing to exploit any leverage available. I've never envisioned the situation as anything but dreadful, but now I'm like ... yikes.

That said, I'm still fond of the version of Míriel I wrote in 2013:

She firmly puts that and all else out of her mind when Sauron comes to speak with her, eyes frozen and piercing, words honeyed. But the sea is coming and she cannot see beyond it, and Pharazôn is gone with his armies, and that grants her a courage she had thought crushed out of her in all her years of suffering. "I am Tar-Míriel, Queen of Númenórë," she says defiantly, "and you are naught but master of lies and thralls. Step aside or the wrath of the Valar will fall on you once more, and they are in no mood to hear your pleas!" He’s so completely taken aback to be challenged by little Zimraphel that he does take a step back and she runs on ahead to the Meneltarma, laughing. "It shall fall on you still! May you enjoy the fruits of your labours, Tar-Gorthaur!"

[hapalopus]

The Goblin Emperor is a political drama/fantasy of manners set in a steampunk-inspired world where elves, goblins, and other races don't quite live in harmony.

Following the assassination of most of the Elvish royal family, the exiled half-elf/half-goblin boy Maia suddenly becomes emperor. Thrust into this world of systemic violence, political intrigue, and staunch etiquette, Maia draws on his kindness and strict moral code to survive new foes and maybe gain some new friends.

You will probably like The Goblin Emperor if you have a soft spot for sad little guys, if you relate to eldest daughters and/or chosen ones, if you're autistic about worldbuilding, if you fantasize about being loved without the embarrassment of having to ask for love, and/or if you enjoy non-violent conflict resolution and an unwavering commitment to hope.

Here's the Goblin Emperor audiobook.

Here's the Goblin Emperor pdf.

Here's the fan wiki, which explains the lingo and worldbuilding.

Your local library can definitely fetch a physical copy for you.

[camille-lachenille]

Fourth Age headcanons (part 1/?):

Aragorn and Arwen's children: Eldarion, Tindómiel and Tinwërínel, Eldalótë

About the picture: Eldarion is wearing the ring of Barahir as well as the Elessar. Tindómiel favours dark colours, especially the royal colours of Gondor, and a few pieces of jewellery. Tiwërínel prefers a lighter and brighter palette for her clothes, and most of her wardrobe is inspired by Elvish fashion. Eldalótë wears bright colours and Elvish cut gowns, and she prefers pearl jewelery.

Eldarion always looks grave and thoughtful (he’s got his dad’s resting bitch face) but is actually very kind and optimistic. He makes for a good king in times of peace, close to his people and always ready to improve their life conditions. One of his chief missions is to expand the school system his mother established even to the most remote parts of the kingdom and founding affordable universities, the most famed being led by his sister. He is very fond of the sea, and spends as much of his time as he can in the coastal regions of his kingdom. He meets his wife, Medliniel, in Dol-Amroth, and they have a daughter, Míriel, who succeeds him on the throne.

Tindómiel and Tinwërínel are twins, born four years after Eldarion.

Tindómiel is stern and studious, preferring the company of old books to people. She is fiercely protective of her family and, much to the amusement of her parents inherited many of Elrond's mannerisms, notably his Disappointed GlareTM. Famed lore mistress, Tindómiel is the Lady of Isengard and dedicates her life to cataloguing and archiving all the things Saruman and his predecessors left in the tower of Orthanc, turning it in a high place of knowledge and studies in the Reunited Kingdom. She remains unwed but considers all the women of Gondor, Arnor, Rohan and beyond she taught as her daughters. She names one of her great-nieces as her heiress, declaring that the fiefdom of Isengard should always be ruled by a woman since men brought only ruin there. The Ladies of Isengard become known across all of Middle-Earth for their wisdom and knowledge.

Tinwërínel is as extroverted as her twin is introverted and she thrives in the political landscape of the Reunited Kingdom. Clever politician and ruthless diplomat, or vice versa depending of the situation, she is one of her father's most trusted advisors and he names her Stewardess of Arnor. Tinwërínel has to abdicate the function when she marries Elboron and becomes Princess of Ithilien, but she remains an active politician even as she raises three sons, and is part of her brother's council. She remains widowed at the age of 110 and returns to Annúminas where she is Chief Advisor of the Steward of Arnor until her death, several decades later.

Eldalótë, born seven years after the twins, is the splitting image of her mother, with her father’s love for wild places and his gift for healing. She is more than happy to be the youngest of the family, as it allows her to travel and explore without any care for politics. When in Gondor, Eldalótë spends most of her time studying the arts of healing, be it in Minas Tirith or beside Éowyn. It is during one of her stays in Ithilien that she meets Elfwine of Rohan, and they quickly start a secret courtship. They wed the year after she comes of age, making her queen of Rohan much to her dismay and her family’s amusement. Despite her initial reluctance, Eldalótë settles well enough in her role and dedicates much of her rule to building Houses of Healing in Edoras. She outlives her husband and, once their son is secure in his rule, Eldalótë leaves Rohan and divides her time between Minas Tirith, Orthanc and Annúminas. She is remembered in Rohan for her great kindess and constant cheerfulness.

About Eldarion's daughter under the cut:

King Eldarion of the House Telcontar, second king of the Reunited Kingdom, his wife Medliniel and their only daughter Míriel

About the picture: Eldarion didn't change his style much as he appears here in his regalia. Míriel is wearing her formal court attire, icluding the ring of Barahir and the Elessar. The cut of her sleeves is a nod to her Elven ancestry while imitating a cape at the same time, which gives her more freedom of movement than wearing an actual cape. Medliniel comes from lesser nobility and she is more comfortable wearing simpler clothes (compared to her husband and daughter) and favours blue, the colour od Dol Amroth, over red and black.

CW mentions of miscarriage

Eldarion meets Medliniel in Dol-Amroth and it is love at first sight for the both of them. They wed after the shortest courtship and engagement possible without seeming entirely inappropriate and are expecting a child within the year. Unfortunately, Medliniel looses the baby and it takes them a long time before trying again. Medliniel miscarries twice more before finally giving birth to a healthy little girl they name Míriel. Eldarion and Medliniel commonly agree not to try for more children because another pregnancy could be fatal to her. They cherish their daughter and make sure she gets the best possible education as a future queen.

Míriel spends most of her childhood with her parents doting on her, but she also makes long stays by her various aunts and cousins to perfection her education. She studies history and ancient lore in Orthanc under the strict instruction of Tindómiel, rides wildly across Rohan with Eldalótë and learns the subtlety of both ruling and motherhood by her aunt Tinwërinel’s side. Strong minded and free hearted, Míriel has three children without ever marrying, though she openly lives with her lover and make no secret he is the father of her children.

When she becomes the first Ruling Queen of the Reunited Kingdom, Míriel continues many of the social refoms started by her father and grandfather. Her greatest accomplishent is to see Osgiliath fully restored to its former glory and, by the end of her reign, she even moves the capital from Minas Tirith back to Osgiliath. Her reign is highly controversed by the nobility but she is well loved by her people, especially the women. In fact, Míriel leads a great reform of the laws revolving around family, marriage and inheritance, and made sure women had equal rights over their children with their husband. She also funded a network of shelters for abused women and children.

And I'll stop here before turning this massive post into a fully fleshed fanfiction.

Next post of this series will be about Tinwërínel and Eldalótë's lives and their children.

[adleryoung]

Let's take a look at some of your questions.

Do you really believe what you say or is it all an act? Also some rubbish about classism and the decline of the elves.

Elves do not lie. I'm not entirely sure what you're implying with the rest of your comment, but it is an established historical fact that too much associating with lowfolk is bad for our health. Staying aloof is the way to prosper.

Was he dabbing?

I have no idea what that means.

While Zandar was sleeping, did you ever use that magic bowl trick to see into her mind?

Fuma have mercy! That never even occurred to me. You lowfolk are truly devious … and yet some of you have the nerve to insinuate that I am Unseelie! Clearly a case of one of your many cognitive defects, the one called … what is it … projection? I think that's it.

Did you turn a low folk child into stew and feed them to Zandar? how did you come up with the "your original biological kid is missing, sent to lowfolk family, and yes, you did ask what did I do with the original lowfolk babe, so hey I made stew!" explanation?

Ah yes, I knew it was only a matter of time before this came up.

The short answer is, we are Royalty, and elvish royalty do not raise their own children! Additionally I came to trust Zandar less and less the more I learned about her. I couldn't let HER raise my child! She wanted to call the baby "Wulfrida," for Fuma's sake! That clearly indicates complete unfitness to be a parent. Furthermore: You can mock my intellectual ability all you like, but at least I had the sense to know that I was ill-equipped (not to mention too busy) to tend to the newborn princess myself.

Like, do you think you could have phrased it better, given how you presented yourself? Magical gate, fields strewn with skeletons, dead city, skeletal king on his dusty throne! You've clearly showed yourself as a great conqueror and killer of elves, wielder of terrible powers! To someone like her, wouldn't that paint you as someone who'd have no qualms making glazed ham out of random lowfolk and elf alike? Do you think this whole gig kinda, like, backfired a bit?

All of that should have charmed and impressed her! I admit it was my fault for failing to take into account the fact that Zandar was a complete stranger to elvish culture and knew nothing of our ways.

Also what herbs and vegetables do you use in your stews and what do you use as a thickener if you use any?

It requires a magickal spice called "paprika" which I believe is only available in Faerie. I don't want to give away too many secrets, because this information in the wrong hands could wreak havoc on your world … but I will whisper two words that will make sense to the initiated: SASSAFRAS FILE.

Now then, to properly explain what happened to the princess and her lowfolk swapling, I have to backtrack and set the stage.

Zandar and I had venery together, and I persuaded her to crown me. I was then able to issue a Royal Proclamation which lifted the geas confining me to Albric Tor, and also (reluctantly) honored the bargain I had made with Dr. Owter Cesawonki (aka Ash Marten.)

After a while Zandar became pregnant. I cared for her as best I could, even calling upon Barkingthwaite and Venatrix and my Ixie network to procure some of the more exotic foods Zandar craved as her gestation progressed.

Zandar was unfortunately addicted to the pernicious lowfolk habit of SLEEPING several hours per day. I joined her a few times, but ultimately I felt I was simply enabling her dependency. Perhaps during some of these naps, I should have used Estvan's water-bowl trick to spy on her dreams, but in retrospect it's probably best that I didn't.

More importantly, I could not stand wasting time lazing about when there was a world to explore! I hadn't seen anything beyond my stone circle and the battlefield in AGES, so every time Zandar snoozed, I was out wandering with a few of my Ixies, seeing sights and making connections. That's how I tracked down the O'Dor family that Vernier had married into so long ago. I also located the Persoc Tor Gate surprisingly close by (it's much farther in Faerie) and managed to get back in touch with Burnside and Rebecca.

But my goodness! Look at the time! That's enough for now, and I'll resume the tale when we meet again, next week. May Fuma guide your steps and protect you from owls until then!

[hottubraccoon]

Great Kettering; land of Artistry and Pride

south-east corner of the continent, primarily orc citizens

discofairy on Unsplash.

Society:

The social structure mostly mimics the classes of England in the late middle ages. Outsiders will call GK citizens / most orcs spies and eccentric artists, mostly vulgar and sarcastic, although others say they are teachers and healers, genuine and hardworking. GK calls themselves a sturdy and creative nation. The most attractive qualities for GK is dedicated, homely people willing to 'think outside the box', and physically, being neatly groomed and covered in tattoos is beloved. Higher class citizens like to think that respect is universal, they give it freely and expect it in return just as freely. Although that outward respect often turns into whispers and rumours behind closed doors. Orcs born outside GK, other races born within GK, immigrants, even just younger GK orcs will be written off as 'not getting it like we do' or 'trying to hard to fit in'. The need to improve in your skills, whatever they may be, is expected tenfold in these people as well. This mentality will have lots of orcs ultimately staying in / settling down in GK, whilst younger citizens will travel to learn and hone their crafts before returning to their true home. Tattoos are incredibly meaningful for orcs as they show social status, heritage, and personal challenges*. Lacking tattoos makes you too young, immature, or somehow 'lacking character' enough to hinder your tattoo journey. However, for children this is rectified with makeup, as it is considered to be the 'practice tattoo' to mimic their parents patterns, therefore using it as adult can be seen as immature or being so unskilled you have nothing to mark yourself with. Perfume is for lower/middle class citizens as they 'have something to hide' or are not nearly as groomed as the higher class. Jewelry and piercings are a highly sort after accessory in GK, the more gemstones the richer you are to spend so much on something so 'useless'. Especially as they are made to mimic an orcs tattoos.

*to learn more in depth, read about maori tattoo practices in New Zealand

Professions:

Most lower/middle class people teach their children the trade of the family and that's the best they will get. With more money and influence comes more opportunities and these children can go into areas that their parents send them to. The royal family gets a great education in how to rule, economy, trade relations, politics etc. but also how to FIND someone who can do the job for you. Families will spend some time everyday, practicing their crafts together in their home. For this reason, there are generally no school buildings in GK. Some families will 'trade' promising children to either broaden their horizons, or to find a more specialised skill from others. GK is the land of art; visual, writing, musical, dancing, anything that can be 'presented' as such is highly valued among citizens. Art where is meant to be shared, to be seen, there is no such thing as 'showing off' here. Most religious sites will have a gallery section, and noble homes will occasionally open themselves for galas and festivals.

Language:

The main 4 languages of Klenith are human, elvish, orcish, and dwarvish. The language in GK is Orcish. Imagine having a mouth full of tusks. There are lisps and a focus on throat sounds in the Orcish language. The written form uses lots of straight lines and circles or dots*. Poets like to turn the circles into small flowers for flair. There's a GK specific, fishing specific sign language for sailors and fishers. While it is difficult to use while on the open seas, smaller fishing boats will use this to communicate between village waters. There's the 'general' sign language for the nobility** allover Klenith. Most hand signs are reserved for the Spies or fishermen/sailors or the hard-of-hearing nobility. The Spies slang is also never spoken, purely a written dialect stemming from orcish and the equivalent hand sign, that is ever changing. 'The sign of a good fisherman is how vulgar he is and how many fingers he has.' A lot of swearing is against the seas/oceans or allusions to tragedies that happen in the rain, while happiness is in sunshine. There are also religious curses referring to various religious texts of Aeons. The royal family bare a purple crest of three down-facing arrowheads, each a different shade of grey, the palest at the top and the darkest at the bottom, encircled by small red berries. The GK royal colours are purple and red, though many foreigners believe that grey is included. The arrowheads are the cliffs that lines GK, the berries from their Aeons religion, and the red is later attributed to the Spies institution (although it was red long before the Spies rose to power/popularity).

*similar to written korean

**deaf or HoH people elsewhere default to the fisher's sign language

ktabori on Unsplash.

Other Parts:

For Great Kettering. 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

For Solistal. 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

For Kamikita. 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

For Birkina. 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

[glacierruler]

Sanders Sides DND AU Chapter 1

Taglist: @hyperfixated-homo @cutebisexualmess @prince-rowan-of-the-forest Please tell me if you'd like to be added/removed!

Ships: anaroceit, intrulogical

Chapter 1

Words: 1913

Masterpost / Next chapter

Languages: Common is normal text, Thieves cant is small, Elvish is bold, Draconic is italic, Celestial is bold italic, Underdark is strikethrough, and any language that none of the characters know will be represented with symbols.

Reminder: Virgil is genderfluid and uses any pronouns(how he appears changes depending on how masc/fem/androgenous they feel), Patton is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns.

There will be slight cussing in this fic!

CWs: fainting, death, death mention, fantasy racism, stalking, crime, theft, necromancy, misgendering(accidental)

Paranoia was watching his targets move, staying quiet in the trees. Not wanting to startle them into starting a fight. After all he was much better at stealing when he wasn't noticed by who he was stealing from. This was his riskiest job yet, used to pick pocketing those who come to close to the alleyways, or breaking into places at night. But this, this was different. He was to steal the Crown Prince's crown, and his royal guard's bow. In order to do this, Paranoia had elected to follow them out of the castle and to the town of Coajot, and steal their items when they were asleep. But then it became more complicated. There were three of them adventuring, and, on the first day, it looked like they were taking shifts. Paranoia rubbed at the patchwork cloak, and nearly gasped when he swore the guard must have seen him. But thankfully he had chosen to have bark like skin, so he blended into the trees. After a few minutes the guard looked away and Paranoia breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't been caught, but he needed to be more careful. One wrong move and he's in serious trouble, this is the Crown Prince and his guard, not some random noble in the shadows. Everything had to go perfectly, or he was dead.

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Janus felt like he was being watched. He was traveling with the princes to colleges in Coajot, in hopes to find one for both of them. Although he only really cared about getting the perfect college for his love, making sure Prince Remus was entertained enough to not burn the whole place down was important to. So they were looking at not only a college for bards but also for necromancer wizards as well. Which was going to be hard, seeing as necromancy was still seen as this taboo evil thing. Back to how Janus was feeling watched, it started a few days ago, when they were packing for their trip. He swore he saw a set of purple and green eyes before they were gone. And there was the general feeling of being watched. However he could never find where it was coming from. Nor could he tell what it was because it wasn't his favored enemy.

"Love, is everything alright?" Roman, the Crown Prince to the Kingdom of Shalinglah, and also Janus's boyfriend, asked him. Janus really didn't want to lie to him, but worrying his boyfriend who'd been stuck in the palace his whole life wasn't his goal either.

"Everything is fine love, just seeing things or something."

"Oooooh! I see things all the time, often times dead things!" Remus, Roman's brother, piped up. While he wasn't the Crown Prince, he was still important to the royal family. So Janus had to make sure he stayed alive as well, which was harder to do some days.

Janus sighed, "the sooner we get this over with the better. And we're sure we want to venture on foot rather than take a carriage, a carriage would be faster-"

"No!"

"Adventure is fun!"

Both twins interrupted him, before Roman spoke up, "Janus, what is the point of an adventure, if we're just going to be stuck in carriages the whole time? Again love, are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

"Just got a weird feeling about this, it's probably nothing."

"Oooh, what kind of weird?"

"Shut up Remus, Jan and I are talking!"

"Don't tell me to shut up!"

"Both of you stop, we'll walk, but we're going to be extra cautious. Whatever is happening, I want us to be on top of it." Janus snapped, anxious and frustrated with how everything has been these past few days. The twins looked at him, both of them concerned as Janus doesn't usually act like this. "Look, I'm sorry, but one of us is to be awake at all times."

"Oooh, what if we took shifts, that way none of us was too tired to continue onwards!" Remus exclaimed, hoping to be actually helpful for once. Janus nodded, thinking it over for a minute.

"That could work. Remus, you shall take first shift, I'll take the next one, Roman you have the last shift. If either of you see anything suspicious, you wake me up immediately."

After both princes had agreed to this they started traversing through the woods to the town of Coajot. During the first night in the woods, Janus swore he saw something in the trees. But he couldn't see well enough to tell what it was. 'Probably an animal,' he thought to himself.

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Roman was arguing with his brother, Remus, about anything and everything. Yet he couldn't help but be worried about his boyfriend, Janus. Janus was looking around everywhere, trying to find something out of place. And honestly, Roman was feeling watched too, although that may have had to do with the fact that he couldn't use the wastebucket in a private spot. However he had been feeling watched before that, and had honestly felt less watched when he was using the wastebucket. So maybe there was something to the caution Janus seemed to be going through. But whatever, or maybe even whomever, was watching them hadn't done anything yet. So Roman wasn't too worried. Still he was cautious, ready to use his voice to ensnare whatever was following them into a false sense of security before he and his companions struck.

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Remus was bored. And sick of being watched by whatever was hiding in the trees. Scaring Prince Perfect and Snake Face was his job. Not some random forest coward's. While Remus wanted to go into the forest and find whoever it is that's watching them to give this stalker the worst time of their life, he didn't because he couldn't endure as much as the others(and Janus told him not to, that it wasn't worth getting in trouble for. If whatever was stalking them wanted to cause them harm, it probably would have already). So Remus would wait to bring the fear of all living things on this stalker until they showed themself. It had been three days of wandering the forest, and only lightly tormenting his brother and Janus; trying to ease the worry they were both feeling, and they had finally reached the city of Coajot. All three of them thought they would lose whatever was stalking them, or at least be able to tell what was going on. But all of them kept feeling watched all the way to the local tavern, The Flying Crystal, when a sickly thin centaur came out of the alleyway and collapsed in front of them.

"Do you think he's dead?" Remus asked, genuinely curious. Despite studying necromancy, he'd never seen a dead body before.

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Patton knew they should've eaten that sandwich that they managed to buy. But were they supposed to say no to that starving kid on the street? Sure, they were also starving, but it's better that they starve than another kid who can't take care of themself. They knew they were not only small, but dangerously skinny for a centaur, and they felt so hungry, just wanting a bit of food just to eat. But, despite being a thief, they would not steal for themself. If they managed to gain people's sympathy, and they decided to give Patton money or food then yeah, Patton would eat it, if someone didn't need it more than them. They also hadn't had a good sleep in years, and as they came out of the alleyway that the kid was in, everything went dark. They couldn't see, but before they were completely out of it, they heard someone exclaim:

"Do you think he's dead?"

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There were many things Logan was not intending to do today, or expecting to happen. Especially on his routine meal-break. But here he was now, trying to help this sickly centaur, with his minimal medicine skills. Thankfully he had managed to research some just a day ago. So it was easier for him to eliminate what would not work, and use what could. And he definitely hadn't expected to meet the prince's and their guard.

"Ah, it would probably be best to get him a bed at the tavern, and then get him something to eat afterwards, however too much might, erm what's the term, oh right, upset his stomach, and make his situation worse. After that, a diet will be best to put him on, for the longterm, and making sure he sticks to it is important as well." And Logan was rambling again. Coughing to distract from his thoughts, he barely remembered to add, "but taking him to an actual healer would probably work wonders, and they could tell you more than me." There was however something that was bugging Logan, he felt like he was being studied. Like the creatures in the college's nature observatory that he goes to. While normally Logan would even encourage being studied and used as an example for what to do, he did not enjoy being studied without his permission. Before he can start to look around, trying to find the source of whomever was studying him, the guard stops him.

The guard had an interesting appearance, as Logan had never seen scales on a human before, and one eye was that of a snake. He'd only ever heard of them. If Logan got permission, he would analyze that later.

"Will you help us get this centaur to a bed?" The guard asked, his voice silky smooth, and it felt like threads were being woven when he spoke too.

"Of course," with that both Logan and the Prince used the same spell, mage hand, to help carry the Centaur, with all four individuals picking up the centaur with their actual hands.

Once all of them were in the room the guard explained why he had stopped Logan from looking around. All about the stalking by a creature or individual, and how the guard couldn't manage to find any proof, but the feeling was there. And how the only way to stop whoever was stalking them was to let them get as close as possible, without letting their guard down. Also, Logan now knew and had permission to call them all by their names.

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Paranoia was pissed, first of all, of course the tavern that they all go in through is a No Changelings Allowed tavern. One of the one's that meant it and had a way of magically taking down a changeling's disguise through the front entrance. Next, now they have more creature's that Paranoia has to get around. Thankfully the room they got had a window, so he could sneak in. Unthankfully it was on the second floors, so Paranoia would have to climb to get in. So he waited until night, and when the moon was highest in the sky, he would sneak in and steal the crown and bow. As he quietly got in the room, he looked around, and everyone seemed to be asleep. Finding the Crown Prince's bag, it was more extra than he expected; red, with golden jewels glinting in the moonlight, Paranoia looked through it, and found the crown. Right after putting it in his pocket, and before he could turn around, he felt the tip of a sharp weapon, probably a sword, lightly pressed against his back.

"And just what do you think you're doing?"

[bumblingdragon]

can i ask about lee cause he’s super cute

OF COURSE YOU CAN‼️

did you have a specific questions or just a general want to know? lol

I actually have some stuff i don't think i ever posted! a sketch thing of his little tail (that i never get to draw cause its usually under his pants 😔) and one of those blorbo character sheet things for him

He's my second longest running OC and I love him dearly (ill put more of it under the cut)

he still doesn't have a proper reference sheet, i need to work on it

he's a Demi-yara, so he's half human - half yara (and the easiest tldr for Yara is that they are ancient magical Kaiju-like beasts that can shape shift into human form 👍)

but his biological mom turns into a giant lanky bat thing, so he's got his big 'ol bat ears (and little baby tail). he can't echo-locate necessarily, but his hearing is good enough that you can't sneak up on his blind side, he will hear you first

that being said, he was raised by the elvish royal family. I sometimes call him an "ex-prince" but really he was more like a ward of the royal family, an "accidental" adoption, a "by default" friend for the kid-prince. His queen step-mother was a Bitch and Lee is actively trying to distance himself, but he is on good terms with his step-brother, the heir prince, Sael

He's overly polite, a little submissive, and A LOT self sacrificial (which regularly stresses Sael out). Depressed teen turned "maybe not coping as well as he seems" adult. He spends an entire war pining for a girl and it bites him in the ass when he almost dies :)

goddd. i need to make him a proper reference sheet. i know i infodumped a little about him over on Pillowfort but he's been rattling around in my head for at least 15 years. he has so much lore. its all just built up like moss on a rock lol

[pridaxus-worldbuilding]

The Royal Regalia of the Royalty of Pridaxus (these are the ones that are worn)

Some notes:

These are usually only worn of official state functions ie wedding, coronations, and some state funerals. On smaller occasions these rulers usually wear their own personalized belongings

Any space that is brown can replaced with any colors depending on the monarch

For Glimmerier and Elvenwick those crowns are for the consort no matter the gender King and Princess are gender neutral but usually infer their traditional respective gender’s. But a female consort in Glimmerier is a King and a male consort in Elvenwick is a Princess

In Idealps there is no crown for a Prince consort, only a Queen or Empress consort

[silverpathfinder]

Lilinwen grew up as the unaware hostage of a coup that pushed her family from power, leaving her behind as the captive of a human populist leader. She was Jeremiah's prize, his key to keeping the elves always and maintain his petty kingdom away from their influence. To ensure the docility of the sweet elf, he made sure to keep her entrapped in a web of lies and deception.

For a long time, Lili indeed believed she had been abandoned by her whole house, who fled without looking back, giving up on their youngest princess like she meant nothing. From her standpoint, she had been kept under the protection of this man, who presented himself as her guardian and provider. She was encouraged to avoid the outside world and to remain in her tower, away from danger and the rightful anger of the human populace, who she was told suffered immensely under her family's yoke.

Instead of riding horses and exploring the royal woodlands around the castle, she remained inside, reading every book she could put her hands on, and living vividly through the words spread on the pages, for her inner empire was richer than any land in the real world. She was purposely pampered, her captor discovering quickly that the girl had an appetite and would in time grow plump, sedentary, and as she matured, so voluptuous her own curves were making the mere task of leaving a dire challenge. Jeremiah had little use of guards or even locks, while the mere width of the doorway acted as bars in a prison cell. At least, that would have been her fate, but mere weeks away from growing permanently housebound, Lilinwen saw through the cruel mascarade and managed to escape, helped by a daring adventurer sent to free the long lost elven princess. Since then, she lives on the road, an exile, burdened by her complex past, and the weight of a figure that defies everything elvish or even normal. At 20 years old, Lilinwen is heavier than any maiden on the continent, elf or human, and finds food wherever she goes, constantly growing plumper, as if her staggering weight is almost fate made into flesh. Short, friendly, witty, and immensely knowledgeable, she may be more than meet the eyes, for the feyfolks have taken an interest in her during her journey. She doesn't know it yet, but she was more than a mere hostage for Jeremiah, and holds within her bloodline the blessings of the long forgotten harvest nymphs, reawakened by her abundance.

[megabuild]

been thinking 💭 about their time spent as worlds most annoying students

lore dump LOOK OUT

- i will make a proper explanation for the worldbuilding i have for empires one day but basically all thats necessary is that its set in a high fantasy world separate from any other smp, i consider most smps being set on the same "planet" i guess? (special thanks to rendog for making me have to clarify that.) but at different times so empires s1 takes place fairly early, a time similar to the renaissance period for us.

- pix and fwhip knew each other before the series though because as said above They went to school together! About ten years before season 1 is set. Specifically a very prestigious academy in the city they both grew up in, it's more like a university than a school, they're both young adults when they enroll.

- fwhip is studying alchemy not just out of the love of it but also to follow in his father's footsteps (his relationship there is. not great but that's another ballpark) while pix is studying astronomy which in this world is a very important and magical study! the people of this region believe the stars and planets can help predict future events and disasters, so talented astronomers are basically like prophets. he doesn't actually have any prophetic visions or anything though.

- pix has a whole thing i'll get into some other time that basically means his ability to harness and use experience/magic is limited. most humans aren't as naturally predisposed as some other species but pix is especially Not good at this. but he's very studious and wants to learn all he can about magic even if he can't use it, so he's a model student

- fwhip on the other hand has natural disposition for magic due to having elvish genes, and is a bit of a slacker tbh, not because he doesn't care but because of bad past experience with educational environments.

- the two of them meet because they have a handful of classes that overlap. Don't really get along at first (quite badly actually though I'm considering changing that LMAO) but they end up becoming friends and eventually falling into dating yayyyy great awesome who clapped.

- fwhip has bigger dreams though. he wants to become Thee royal alchemist and it's sort of in his game plan that pix will become the royal astronomer even though pix... Isn't really that certain about astronomy as a career path at all. He has a family business that he might need to go back to but more importantly for him he just sort of wants to slow down and focus on rn!! Their relationship ends up falling apart for a lot of reasons but this is one of them.

- I say falls apart but it never actually has a defined end lol fwhip just. Leaves one day before he even graduates because he gets offered a very lucrative position that he can't really say no to. He leaves a letter but he never says bye and pix will hold a grudge to this for over a decade.💙

- their time at the academy is probably the happiest years of their relationship (unless i decide to say fuck it and give them a semi happy ending) and almost definitely the happiest years of fwhip's life. they are the most annoying bitchy gay couple u know. they pull so many pranks (pix has always been a lover of those and fwhip only enabled him in taking them to extreme levels) and generally are quite sweet at times even if its not always clear like. how committed fwhip actually is (he loves pix! he's just allergic to commitment and showing feelings without backtracking to make a joke after)

- on their designs there's not much to say, fwhip cuts his hair shorter including his little horn tufts and generally doesn't let it get long enough for the green to show cause he's trying to be more cool and professional. (Later on he actually starts dying it to make sure no green shows which is fake as hell of him but anyway) Pix bears a striking resemblance to recap!pix which doesn't really mean shit other than he is his great x10 peepaw uncle twice removed and ithought it was cute. Fwhip bought those earrings for him which I think I've posted about before somewhere. Their outfits are sort of lame cause I made them up in five seconds just so I could draw something orz I don't think the academy had any strict uniform though pix probably did wear gloves due to working with magic and fwhip definitely never wore suitable gear for working with highly dangerous chemicals

- tldr blows them up in my mind

[sotwk]

Hi, it took me sometimes to decide to write this ask because I didn’t want to bother you. Then I realised that if an author has requests open is because they like the input so here I am: I saw you write also Celebrian and Elrond they are one of my favourite couples, so I thought to try.

If I’m not mistaken you’ve set the death of the Elvenqueen after the attack on Celebrian (first time I read that my heart shattered), so I would like to know if you haven’t said already what was Thranduil and Maereth’s reaction to what happened or if Celebrian sensing the darkness that would arrive in ME asked her dear friend to accompany her to Aman or whatever you have in mind about their friendship, really. And if you are willing I would also love a little ff about their family.

I loved Cel appearance in your ff: sins of our fathers and how you set the premise of that.

Of course take your time, no pressure at all and even if you can’t don’t worry!

Lady Celebrían in the SotWK AU: the Elvenqueen's dearest friend

I love Celebrían too!!! She is my favorite female canon character in Lord of the Rings--at least the way I envision her in my mind, since we are actually not given a lot of specifics about the Lady of Imladris.

My admiration for sweet, gentle Celebrían factored in greatly in my decision to develop her as a significant supporting character in the SotWK AU:

Not only is she one of Maereth's most beloved friends, but they are blood-relations. Maereth's father Eärondir (oc) is the son of Círdan the Shipwright and Eäriel (oc). Eäriel is the daughter of one of the sons of Olwë, and therefore a first cousin of Galadriel's. This means Celebrían is Maereth's paternal second cousin, once removed. (They are also related through the line of Finwë, but that's a whole other calculation!)

As you read in "Sins of Our Fathers", Celebrían and Maereth were friends even before Maereth met Thranduil. Celebrían was one of Maereth's main confidants through the centuries she struggled with the decision of whether or not to accept Thranduil's affections. Let's just say, if maids of honor were a thing in Elvish weddings, Celebrían would be Maereth's, no contest.

Furthermore, Celebrían is closely related to Itarildë (oc), the eventual wife of Prince Mirion Thranduilion. Itarildë's mother, Nimeithel (oc), is the younger sister of Nimloth (Elwing's mother), daughter of Galathil (brother of Celeborn). This means Celebrían is Itarildë's maternal first cousin, once removed.

Confusingly complex family trees aside, I am just trying to drive home the point that Celebrían means a great deal to the Royal Family of Greenwood. Sure, Elrond and Thranduil eventually become great friends, but the love began with and was always strongest between their wives.

One funny SotWK HC is that while Thranduil and Elrond had serious discussions about betrothing their children to each other (Arwen with any Thranduilion of her choosing) in order to further bond their families, Maereth and Celebrían opposed this, insisting that all their children should have full freedom in choosing their partners.

SotWK Fancast: Connie Nielsen as Lady Celebrían; Jennifer Connelly as Elvenqueen Maereth

Now finally, to address your real question, Anon: How did Maereth and Thranduil react to the attack on Celebrían, and her eventual passing to Aman?

 The attack on Celebrían occurred in T.A. 2509, when things were starting to get really dire in Mirkwood. The Watchful Peace that Mirion had won through his death ended, and the Necromancer was rising again in greater force.

Itarildë’s mother, Nimeithel, was traveling with Celebrían through the Redhorn Pass, and died trying to defend her cousin from the Orcs. Witnessing this added to Celebrían's grief and torment.

As soon as they received word of her capture, Thranduil sent Gelir and Itarildë with a group of soldiers to help recover her. This was ultimately unnecessary since Elladan and Elrohir recovered their mother on their own, but it was a significant gesture from the Elvenking, whose military resources were already strained from Mirkwood's own battles against Dol Guldur.

When Celebrían was taken home to Imladris to be healed by Elrond, Maereth immediately traveled from Mirkwood to be with her. She also brought her son Arvellas, the best healer in their realm, to lend whatever aid he could. (Again unnecessary, but a sign that their family would spare no expense to help the Lady of Imladris.)

Maereth stayed with Celebrían in Imladris the whole time she struggled with her recovery. Although Maereth at first tried to plead with her friend to remain in Middle-earth, the loss of Mirion and her other family members (both her parents, all her siblings) allowed her to understand Celebrían's desire for peace and rest in the Blessed Realm.

I don't believe Celebrían tried to ask Maereth to come with her, especially when she could not convince her own family to do so. But Celebrían's words about the growing darkness affected Maereth greatly, and although she never spoke of it to Thranduil, it made her foresee that her own doom would be coming soon.

Not only did Maereth support Celebrían's decision to leave, but she accompanied her to the Grey Havens (remember that Círdan is her grandfather!) and was there to give her a last goodbye before she sailed.

They truly were bosom friends to the very end, and when Maereth died and was released from the Halls, Celebrían was most certainly there to welcome her.

Thank you Anon, for the opportunity to discuss my Celebrían headcanons! I promise she will make many more appearances in SotWK fanfics, especially when I start writing Elrond x Celebrían stories! <3

Bonus: My Celebrían fancast alongside Hugo Weaving's Elrond. (I think Connie Nielsen is stunning, and is a great match for Hugo!)

For more Thranduil/Mirkwood headcanons: SotWK HC Masterlist

Elves HC Tag List: @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @achromaticerebus @acornsandoaktrees @aduialel @asianbutnotjapanese @auttumnsayshi @blueberryrock @conversacomsmaug @elan-ho-detto-elan-15 @entishramblings @freshalmondpandadonut @fizzyxcustard @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @glassgulls @heilith @heranintomyknife23times @ladyweaslette @laneynoir @lathalea @lemonivall @LiliDurin @quickslvxrr @ratsys @scyllas-revenge @spacecluster@stormchaser819 @talkdifferently6 @tamryniel @tamurilofrivendell

Other useful links:

Introduction to SotWK

Fanfiction Masterlist

Fanfiction Request Guidelines

[anghraine]

I've harped a lot on the Stewards' backstory and its intersection with Elrosian beardlessness per Nature of Middle-earth (and Peoples of Middle-earth and implied in Unfinished Tales). But I think the implications of what we're told are genuinely fascinating in terms of Gondorian culture.

Like, okay:

+ Apparently royal ancestry was essentially required for some very powerful political offices, at least at one point. (Tolkien says Húrin of Emyn Arnen must have been the king's cousin, of royal ancestry, to be given the Stewardship.)

+ Húrin was not, however, a member of the royal house despite being a descendant of Anárion, and his house was not in the succession. The most obvious explanation is that they're descended through a woman. I guess it might be an illegitimate line like the Beauforts (or both), though it doesn't seem like that's much of a thing—but it'd be interesting if the Stewards' refusal to claim the throne was an answer to the Tudors as well as the Stuarts.

+ Royal ancestry doesn't seem as common as it would realistically be after that much time. It's treated as fairly extraordinary (though not as vanishingly rare as I think fandom sometimes treats it) and Tolkien explicitly distinguishes between Dúnedain and Dúnedain of Elvish heritage (esp via Elros).

+ I guess there was an echelon of Gondorian society descended from the royal family that used Quenya names, and only they got to do it. It doesn't seem like it was just the Stewards (before the Ruling Stewardship led to Performative Sindarin) but a whole cultural thing. Okay.

+ UT has this explanation about how the mystique of the Princes of Dol Amroth goes back to one Silvan ancestor and it's really cool even if they weren't descended from Sindar or High Elves. Since it turns out Elrosian Elvish heritage is really persistent, I guess they're not Elrosians? It kind of makes for a fascinating dynamic. (Extra points to Lothíriel of Dol Amroth for naming her firstborn son after Elendil, lol, even if it's not literally in Quenya. Power move tbh.)

+ Buuuut there are definitely some people descended from Elves who just don't inherit it. Tolkien specifically contrasts beardless part-Elves like Aragorn, Boromir, and Faramir with the bearded Théoden and Éomer, but they've got Silvan ancestry too and it just didn't take—I think pretty obviously on the thematic level because they're so aligned with very much non-Elvish Rohan, but it's still suggestive. Is Elfwinë bearded? He's supposed to look like Imrahil ... and what about Eldacar?

+ What are the implications of being bearded or deliberately clean-shaven in Dúnadan society? What do beardless Elrosian Gondorians look like to people like the Rohirrim, for whom beards would normally be a mark of maturity? Do any other Gondorians imitate the beardlessness of the Elrosians? Is that actively discouraged in a sumptuary law kind of way?

I don't know, but I do enjoy how bizarre these people are.