#I think making informed decisions is good

[lesbianherald]

Based Jayce take tbh….also I’m gonna confess this on anon but one of my most pretentious takes when it comes to fandom is that everything would be way easier to enjoy if ppl understood story structure a little more. Like Jayce’s arc is a negative arc. He sucked on purpose! If you had bad feelings about him that was intentional and okay (I do think Jayce hate was overblown but I also get why it existed. Like the audience was just picking up on the feelings the show was putting down). But he was definitely Like That for a reason! Usually in good writing, characters are tools for the narrative first you know…you don’t need to justify his actions to like Jayce because he’s fictional and he’s not a real person youre stanning. But also fandom is for fun so I know this take is pretentious but also it’s my truth. My story structure….my characters who are intentionally challenging my theme….my character arc….

NO NO BUT YOU ARE COOKING ON EVERY LEVEL !!!!

(Note: This randomly turned into a very hasty analysis of the shots used in the bridge scene? Because I got on a tangent about how we interpret visual storytelling as well and oops!)

Story structure is so overlooked. The role characters are supposed to play in an overarching narrative is overlooked. So much gets ignored in the way information is presented both in the story structure and visually that sometimes it frightens me and it makes me really bummed! And it's nobody's fault! Most of us live in a society that devalues art and literacy on purpose!

I don't think it's pretentious to wish people better understood the building blocks of the story or at least understood how to take in general arcs. And I think if they did as a whole most fandom spaces would be a lot more interesting and have a lot less bizarre takes/infighting.

I also think that - where arcane's writing can get weird and murky - the visual language will cover it. (Almost to an extreme.)

It makes me think of one of my favorite scenes in the whole show and how misinterpreted it gets and how quick people are to defend jayce here despite how much it is playing on the themes of the show and how clearly he is painted as in the wrong both by the writing and the shots ok fuck -

I think all the time about the imbalance of power represented by that insane low angle on Jayce. You know what fuck it. I'm going to go get it. Fuck. This is about to become a whole thing. Okay.

If I brought an angle like this into a classroom setting, I would be laughed at for it being too obvious. But its one of my favorites because its so visceral. In fact, I've shown this to a lot of friends - the reaction to this shot is usually an audible "Woah!" or even nervous laughter! Because clearly! He's supposed to be intimidating here. This is supposed to be like. Oh. He is not who he used to be. Oh. Oh no. Its so co clearly a representation of power and corruption you may as well stamp it on his forehead.

He's not only Jayce here, he's a representation of piltover as a whole - in its physical and political positions over Zaun. In a position of power over someone he's close with, who just verbally told someone he would "understand." Now we are seeing that he very likely wont. (He will! But right now, we are supposed to be with Viktor in this scene. We are supposed to become convinced he won't right with him!)

Note that the angle we get for Viktor is way less extreme. Way more eye level. And less centered. I could go on about this too. But oooh boy. Like! Clearly we are supposed to be more with him in terms of who we find rational. Clearly he's the voice of reason here. We are level with him. He is at a safe distance. We are seeing how he is looking up at jayce without looking down at him.

In this shot, he is someone we as an audience are level with, who is gathering information, making a decision. He is remaining more measured than I think the audience is supposed to be given the angle we're getting on jayce.

The only time we do get the "reverse" of that Jayce shot on Viktor is when he is quite literally standing out of the frame almost immediately. Whose furious with the position Jayce is putting him in. This is Right after Jayce says, "They're dangerous." He's gathered the information he needs. He sees Jayce for what he is. Somebody he cannot trust. And he refuses to be put in this lower position.

Jayce is not supposed to be the one we are rooting for here. He is the person we are supposed to be disappointed in. We are supposed to question him here. This isn't only dramatically spelled out in the narrative but also in the shot choicesss!

And then we have the apology -

That's why i always question why people are like. Okay but he apologized. When the apology is framed like this! We don't even get to see viktor's face because the damage is done!! JAYCE ISNT EVEN LOOKING AT HIM !!!! It doesn't matter. We don't even get full access to Jayce here! What's at the center of this shot is the barricade that Jayce has ordered!!! This makes the apology, and "I've had a lot on my plate" purposefully look ridiculous in the context of the Narrative here! It's not enough!

Viktor is DYING. And jayce is standing here all prim and proper, with the Talis symbol very visible in that fuckass suit, saying he's had a lot on his plate. We're very clearly not supposed to look at this and go awww! baby boy <3. If this apology was a meaningful moment for either of them that changed either of their minds - it would not be framed like thisssss. These words are empty in the context of it all. Jayce may be genuinely sorry, but he's accidentally revealed way too much about how he views Viktor's people. Even if he didn't mean to. Even if he didn't realize how deeply his biases ran.

And then we have Viktor lying. Viktor knowing he has to go about this alone. And this is the shot. This is the moment of fracture. Viktor looking back at him in disgust with Jayce's barricade in the background. HES ALONE!! JAYCE HAS FAILED HIM !!! This is so critical in understanding Viktor's entire everything moving forward, and it's so so critical for Jayce as well.

People talk a lot about that moment where jayce has his hand on Viktor's lower back because yaoi but that screencap is so hard to get because that moment is almost immediately interrupted by a protestor from zaun throwing a Molotov cocktail in their direction! And the touch, that reluctant familiarity, despite the conflict, gets broken.

Something that I think gets overlooked is Jayce's face after the (Molotov?) gets thrown by a protestor. ITS ANOTHER LOW ANGLE LIKE!!! Once again. Highlighting the power he has here.

We see Jayce in season 1 act 1 really highlighted with a lot of high angles. A lot of doe-eyed wonder. He looks young. Sweet. This is not the same jayce and it is very very clear in the way he is shot. This is the point !!!!!.

There are a lot of scenes i see misinterpreted but this is the big one. And its one of my favorite scenes. Because he's so wrong here! And he doesn't really fully grasp how much so yet.

I love jayce. I love my complex man. Because here's the thing. He needed this low to reach the character highs he does later. Jayce being as loving and determined to make things right as he is in season 2 wouldn't be nearly as compelling or tragic or exciting were he not like this in season 1. It's brutal to watch him get punished by the narrative! But it's also narratively satisfying!

Anyways anon i agree wholeheartedly sorry i made it into a whole thing.

[utilitycaster]

So I am someone who hasnt been on Tumblr very much since C2 ended. I followed a group of story analyzers who were more or less very fond of C2, and of the critiques they had; most were minor or “matter of opinion differences”. This changed a lot with C3, where many of that same group have issues relating to the themes, character and worldbuilding of C3 in terms of Divinity, Empathy, Power Dynamics, “The Status Quo”, and Responsibility. Where the conclusions the story draws clash with a previous understanding of the world and its themes in a way that appears incoherent to many of these Analyzers.

Personally I found most of these analyzers to be very intelligent, so when most all of them view the bells hells and their actions, as them being a selfish and destructive, even possibly evil, force on the world. But the cast and matt frame it as “they are the heroes” how is there such a disconnect that doesn’t lead to “wow if only matt and the cast were smarter” type conclusions.

Matt and crew nailed a lot of C1/C2, and these same analyzers praised both campaigns, so why is this campaign, the one where so many fans here and the cast view the world, characters and the themes so tremendously radically different? What possible reasons exist to explain these divergences? And are these things that could rear their head again in C4?

(I kept this non-anon to show good-faith)

I can only speak for myself, and I suspect a desire to avoid a barrage of anon hate and accusations of arrogance is why no one has said this in so many words but as someone who doesn’t give a fuck if people think I’m arrogant, because I am and it’s justified, actually yeah I do think the cast should have been smarter, or at least more thoughtful, in this specific work. In discussing this with mutuals who are also meta writers, one of them pointed out that the structural critique is, ultimately, us saying to the cast "you should have been smarter about crafting this aspect of the plot/themes/narrative." It’s not phrased as such, but it’s the obvious implication.

As for what’s different: it is a campaign that has a much more narrowly focused plot, which required a stronger DM hand on the reins than in Campaign 1 and 2 (and did not have that). It is much more centered around one specific PC leading the entire time, which is different than Campaign 1 and 2, which had more balance and I think led to bolder decisions. It’s that Campaign 1 was crafted around the characters the cast made, and campaign 2 was a dialogue between characters made for the intended plot and setting and said plot, and campaign 3 had a vast disconnect that was never addressed due to poor planning in the earliest stages. And as for the lack of consequences, I honestly cannot tell, but I think it’s that it’s a combination of the characters being so reluctant to make choices that you sort of had to shuffle them forward without consequence in order to actually make any plot happen; and that was the big wrap up of a trilogy and Matt is, to put it tactfully, a rather more sentimental person than I am and his desire to grant everyone a happy ending won over a desire to tell a good story. I really do understand that actual play as story involves a unique and difficult dimension of people feeling very attached to their PCs, but if a DM and players are dedicated to a happy ending that fails to feel earned by the narrative, that will be a detriment to the quality of that narrative. And if you are someone who analyzes, it will fail to hold up to analysis and feel very empty and unsatisfying. This serves as perhaps an alternate interpretation for those who find it hard to stomach the statement of "the cast should have been smarter," namely "the cast should have been more willing to make risky choices and kill their darlings."

As for a Campaign 4: a narrative with similar problems could very well emerge. I think the general informal consensus among meta writers is that it feels like Matt is (understandably, but again, to the detriment of storytelling) overly precious at this point with Exandria, at least with the ��modern” era and the C1-C3 characters, but a fresh start far in the future or in a new setting feels like it would mitigate the problem. But yeah it’s 100% possible this could be a problem in the future. I’m hoping this was just a “it’s our tenth anniversary and the last longform campaign of my imagined trilogy, let’s give everyone a happy ending” problem that won’t carry over to future works, but it could be a turn towards general self-indulgent fluff. Wouldn’t be the first time someone started out strong and ultimately became a coward who sanded off all the edges, for various reasons. But because of the strength of, frankly, everything but campaign 3 CR has put out, including concurrent works, my attitude is that I’m still here for a hypothetical campaign 4. It is however undeniably true that the vast stores of goodwill I had at the end of C2 are much smaller now, having been drawn on extensively to carry me through C3, and I’ll be less patient with any potential flaws in a hypothetical C4, particularly if they follow a similar pattern.

I guess to end this: if you are someone who follows me or other meta writers or people you consider smart, first off thanks, second off you are allowed to enjoy a story that I think is not very good. I think defending this story as structurally and thematically sound is a bad idea and I have yet to see a coherent argument in that vein, but there is no counterargument, no matter how intelligent or insightful the writer, to someone else’s “well I liked it.” You can like and dislike what you want, and that’s the end of it, and honestly my issue with so many of Campaign 3’s loudest advocates is that they demonstrated a bizarre incapacity to understand the difference between media analysis and personal opinion, and took all criticism of something they loved as personal attack whether or not it was. Speaking only for myself, if you look at my meta and your response is “well I had a good time,” I respect that (and most of us even agree, even if the good time was had more in the analysis than the watching). But if your response is to say “no, you’re wrong, this is narratively well-crafted,” well then you best come correct.

[swordandstars]

Fun headline and teaser from the New York Times on Friday, February 7, 2025:

Full article copied below. Some of the best bits are at the very end.

But a few key takeaways:

1) The calling and other outreach is definitely working and getting attention. Keep it up.

2) Elected officials care most about the opinions of voters who live in their districts. Prioritize your own reps first.

3) Remember: when you call or write an elected official, your outreach becomes part of the public record. If a malicious federal agency/employee/ President/ whoever wanted to cherry pick things to discredit you or get you thrown in jail, they can use your calls and emails to do it.

When making these calls, cosplay as a very polite, but Very Concerned, Good Citizen. Your greatest joy in life is sorting your white socks every Sunday afternoon. You think plain yogurt is too spicy.

Swap out the profanity and threats for quotes from the Bible, the Founding Fathers, or any other highly esteemed entry in the American Pantheon. Get creative! Building out your pearl clutching persona can make this exercise in Democracy a little more fun.

As Trump and Musk Upend Washington, Congressional Phones Can’t Keep Up

In the three weeks since President Trump took office and gave Elon Musk free rein inside the federal government, millions of calls have poured in to members of Congress, jamming the system.

By Maya C. Miller

Reporting from the Capitol

Feb. 7, 2025

Americans dialing their members of Congress for basic services are going straight to voice mail. Interns and young aides can’t answer the phones quickly enough. And a system that usually handles a few dozen calls per minute is straining to keep up with more than 1,500.

President Trump’s moves to upend the government — and his decision to empower the billionaire Elon Musk to carry out a slash-and-burn campaign inside the federal bureaucracy — are dominating the news and reverberating across the capital and beyond. And nowhere is the impact more apparent than the beleaguered congressional phone system, a major conduit for citizens to contact their representatives in Washington that in recent days has been nearly crippled as it absorbs tens of millions of calls responding to the new Washington order.

Congressional phone lines have been jammed to the point of failure, according to lawmakers and officials on Capitol Hill, in a stark reflection of a political system buckling to a breaking point under an emboldened and unbound Mr. Trump.

Calls are pouring in from constituents outraged about Mr. Trump’s unilateral moves and how he has allowed Mr. Musk to gain access to and begin dismantling critical parts of the federal bureaucracy, and demanding that members of Congress take a stand against them.

Others are calling Republican senators incessantly to either demand that they fall in line behind Mr. Trump and his cabinet nominees, or plead with them to break ranks and challenge the president.

The sheer volume of vitriol from both ends of the political spectrum has all but drowned out a core function of Congress: allowing Americans to seek and receive help from their elected representatives interacting with the government for basic needs.

Senators were informed this week that the Senate phone system was receiving 1,600 calls per minute, a sharp increase from the usual 40 calls a minute, according to officials who received the private notification and spoke about it on the condition of anonymity. While the phones had not completely stopped ringing, as they have in the past under heavy loads, members were told that some constituents would be sent straight to voice mail to prevent a complete shutdown.

“I want to thank Alaskans who have been reaching out to my offices in D.C. and across Alaska,” Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, wrote in a recent post on X explaining the overload of calls.

“Thank you for your patience as my staff works to review your messages and share them with me,” she added. “We’re all working to get this issue resolved as quickly as possible.”

An aide for Senator John Curtis, Republican of Utah, estimated that about 60 percent of the calls coming into his office were critical of Mr. Musk, while the other 40 percent concerned Mr. Trump’s nominees. The ratio of favorable to unfavorable calls varied by the day, the aide said. For example, before Mr. Curtis came out in support of Pete Hegseth, now the defense secretary, a majority of the callers were urging the senator to fall in line behind him. But afterward, more calls came in urging Mr. Curtis to change course, defy Mr. Trump and vote against Mr. Hegseth.

“Most of the time, the voice mails are full,” said Janice Germann, a liberal activist and retiree from Florida who said she had called the offices of her state’s two Republican senators, Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, at least once a day since Mr. Trump’s inauguration. Mr. Scott’s staff has answered the phone only twice, she said, and Ms. Moody’s office never has.

On the other side of the Capitol, Representative Becca Balint, Democrat of Vermont, said she normally has two aides monitoring the office phones, enough to handle the handful of calls they typically receive each hour. But since Jan. 20, she has reassigned at least six additional staff members to keep up with a nonstop flood of calls. Most are from constituents outraged that Mr. Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency gained access to personal and private financial information through the Treasury Department’s federal payment system.

“What we usually get in a month, we got in three days,” said Sophie Pollock, a spokeswoman for Ms. Balint.

A junior aide who usually answers the phones and who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with the office’s policy described the recent influx of calls as “overwhelming,” but also said it was “heartwarming” to see that people were engaged enough to call their member of Congress and share their concerns.

Some offices are encouraging people to share their stories through the member’s website in order to relieve phone line pressure and free up staff members to help constituents with basic services, such as navigating the Internal Revenue Service, passport and visa applications, and issues with Social Security or Medicare benefits.

“We’re trying to be creative about how we can be responsive to people’s understandable fear and panic right now, but also still conduct constituent services and have my staff be available to participate in staff meetings,” said Representative Nikki Budzinski, Democrat of Illinois. “They are really overwhelmed with outreach.”

And even though offices are already strained, opponents of Mr. Trump are urging constituents to keep calling their members of Congress.

“We can flood the zone with people,” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote in an email blast on Friday. “Keep calling.”

Some House Republicans say their phones are being overloaded by what appears to be coordinated groups of callers who all follow a similar script and criticize the members for their support of Mr. Musk and Mr. Trump.

“Many of the people use foul language and disparage the members for existing, so it is a particularly vitriolic set of calls,” said Representative Darrell Issa, Republican of California. “It’s a technique that for 25 years I’ve seen, which is, ‘I’m your constituent, you have to listen to me,’” followed by an often profane insult, he added.

Representative Carlos Giménez, a Florida Republican, said most of the calls that have poured into his office in recent weeks have been from people who live outside his district. Those types of coordinated calls from activists, he said, have “very little impact” on him.

“That’s par for the course,” Mr. Giménez said. “We have to take the calls, and we will take the calls, but they are interfering with legitimate calls from my district.”

Maya C. Miller covers Congress and is a Times Fellow, a program for journalists early in their careers. She is based in Washington. More about Maya C. Miller

[redux-iterum]

Hey hey I’m a deputy Patreon reader but I’ve been rereading A Kindling a lot lately and I just noticed how the newest public chap parallels Firepaw as an apprentice, when Spottedleaf first dies and fire’s response is panic and to run without even thinking, up until he hits the houses - and later on, he meets Rosy and Smudge again as Fireheart, and tries to justify it to himself before he tells anyone - the clans love family right? He’s not hurting anyone really, just talking!

And essentially the same thing happens to Cloudpaw, having to face death, he runs off to the houses, where death is just a far off concept, not an everyday fact of life, and he visits his other family, and justifies it to himself because surely no one could be hurt by it, right?

But now cats are being hurt, Aspenpaw thought Cloudpaw was dead, and Cloudpaw could have been trapped against his will for the rest of his life! Suddenly this has serious consequences, and both Fireheart and Cloudpaw have to make this decision - because up until now, Fireheart hasn’t really decided either. He has, but he hasn’t been made to stick to it.

We see both of them decide, and I think that’s very powerful writing.

Fire knows exactly why Cloudpaw is running away, and he genuinely won’t blame him - he’ll miss him, but he wants the best for his family, even if that means letting go for good.

I’m just thinking about this a lot.

This is an excellent ask, good enough that I can't even respond to it with anything poetic or informative that's any better than what you said. Everyone read this and marvel at the beauty.

[hailturinturambar]

This is loss, my dear.

Pairing: Elrond x Galadriel

Word count: 3.183

Author's Notes: English is not my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes or confusion. It's also my first fic in years. Requests are formally open, for trop x reader, or any trop x trop character. I won't write them all, obviously, I'll still post a complete list of who I'm going to write for, but you can still send them.

Warnings: Angst, emotional distress, injuries, blood. Mention of Sauron.

Summary: On the brink of war, Elrond recalls the moments he spent with Galadriel, his best friend and most secret passion, while he must make a decision: choose the safety of all Middle-earth or protect the one he loves.

The blood reminded Elrond of a ruby, he thought, watching the dense trail soak Galadriel's robes. The dirty blade continued to sink into her neck, her elven blood gushing like a spring from the purest river in Valinor. Elrond took a deep breath, trying to concentrate, as he galloped towards Adar's battalion.

He couldn't let Galadriel get hurt, he wasn't going to. And Adar knew it, watching him intently, almost as if foretelling Elrond's next steps. He was deeply confident, Elrond understood. Why else would he look at him with such satisfaction? Oh, he knew perfectly well what he was doing.

Exposing Galadriel before Elrond, as a spoil of war, a bargaining chip. Because Adar knew Elves like Elrond. Good, honest, selfless. Always trying to protect everyone, always determined to play the hero. But Elrond didn't feel like a hero, stopping his gallop, shouting at the troops not to go any further. How could he?

Galadriel's eyes opened and she took a deep breath, the blade no longer pressing into her neck. That was when their gazes met. Elrond looked at her for a few seconds, before keeping his attention on Adar, never letting his guard down near his enemy. Galadriel was afraid, why had he stopped? Why hadn't he left her, even after promising that he would never let Nenya get to Sauron?

“Welcome, Commander Elrond.” Adar said. He sounded so formal to Elrond, so composed. So different from the Uruk who had kidnapped Galadriel.

“You are in Elven lands.” Elrond shouted, staring at the Uruk. “And in possession of one of the most esteemed warriors in the kingdom of Lindon.”

Adar agreed, looking at Galadriel, who remained silent. So this was Elrond, the current protector of Nenya, one of the Three Elven Rings. Adar remained silent, facing Galadriel's cage. She shuddered and turned away, disgusted by Adar's betrayal. Disgusted by his trap.

“And that makes her valuable, Commander Elrond.” Adar didn't suspect, he knew that Elrond cared for Galadriel, that he wouldn't be able to move on, not while she was at risk. “Come, Commander. Let's talk like civilized allies.”

Elrond sighed, looking at Gil-galad. The High King was suspicious. He didn't want to bargain with Adar, with an Uruk, a former ally of Sauron and Morgoth, who would soon be leaving for Eregion. On the other hand, they were at a disadvantage. Only Elrond could get information out of Adar.

Gil-galad nodded to Elrond, who dismounted from his horse, following the Orc who had just pointed the blade at Galadriel's neck. He didn't set off alone, but it didn't matter in the end. The putrid stench of the camp clouded Elrond's senses. He grumbled when one of the Orcs bumped into him, pushing him to hurry. It was almost impossible to walk in the camp. Mud, armor and bodies infested the place, making the air heavy and malevolent.

Vorohil and Elrond were pushed into the largest and furthest tent in the camp. Elrond smiled with disgust, wondering if that was Adar's tent. Adar, however, was not there. Neither was Galadriel. They would leave them waiting, increasing his despair, his mistrust.

All Elrond could think about was Galadriel. If she was all right, if she was safe. Of course Adar wouldn't kill Galadriel, not if he believed he had a chance of convincing Elrond to give in. But Elrond had seen too much pain, too much death to trust Adar, no matter how much the Uruk stood to gain from Galadriel's life.

Sitting in the dark tent, listening to the battle cries of the Orcs, Elrond closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He began to cough, the air impregnated with evil affecting his elven senses, his blood pure like that of his ancestors, free from the evil of Morgoth's creation.

As a child, Elwing taught Elrond and Elros to fight their fear. When the night was dark and sinister, and the wind seemed alive, she sang to her children, stroking their hair, holding them protectively. She would say “When you're afraid, when you can't stand where you are, close your eyes.”

“Close my eyes?” murmured Elros, confused.

“Yes.” She smiled, covering Elros' eyes with her hands. “Think of a place where you were happy and forget the world around you.”

“What if I can't?” Elrond asked fearfully, squeezing his small brown tresses.

“Just think of someone important to you, and you'll be fine.”

Vorohil spoke to Elrond, but he didn't open his eyes, he didn't answer. His mind was too far away, too focused to hear the elven warrior's words. Because now, Elrond was in the past. Trapped in his memories.

Elrond was there, when Galadriel introduced Celeborn as her husband to Gil-galad. She smiled so much, so carefree and happy, stroking the arm of her husband, who smiled at her with deep affection. Gil-galad blessed them, wishing Galadriel and Celeborn all the best. And indeed he did. The High King was concerned for Galadriel's well-being, his concern for Galadriel was almost paternal.

Elrond understood Gil-galad's concern. Since her departure from Valinor, Galadriel, according to those who knew her in earlier days, had never been the same. She deeply resented her relatives and their cruelty. But, whether through the work of Eru or the Valar, she found happiness again. As she danced with the Elves of Thingol's court and was watched by Celeborn.

Celeborn won Galadriel over immediately with his kindness and intelligence. And Elrond was happy for his friend, of course he was! She deserved to be happy, to feel safe and protected, loved after losing so much. How could Elrond not be happy for her?

Yet Elrond was miserably unhappy. He smiled, courteous as ever, and greeted Celeborn, welcoming him with open arms. And the Elf returned the affection, soon becoming Elrond's friend. Elrond had to drown his words, his feelings, as he smiled and chatted nonchalantly with the couple.

In the back of his mind, in his sadness, Elrond thought he had fooled everyone. But he had never fooled Gil-galad, who looked at him confused and worried. The golden days had left even the court of Lindon and Elrond had other worries.

When war came, Galadriel despaired at Celeborn's departure. She wanted to fight by his side, to protect her husband. But Gil-galad forbade her, separating them in the war, fearful that proximity would do her more harm than good in times of war.

Elrond stayed by Galadriel's side, comforting her, promising that Celeborn would return to her. But Celeborn never returned, despite Galadriel's efforts, despite the troops sent by Gil-galad. Celeborn was lost, as was Galadriel for Elrond. She set out, determined to find Sauron, the Dark Lord, and take revenge for the murder of her brother, for the loss of Celeborn, for all her suffering.

For countless centuries, Elrond waited for Galadriel to return. Alone in the flowery, illuminated halls of Lindon, covered in the golden petals of the Great Tree of Lindon. Elrond wandered alone, alone once more.

In the silence of the night, when the castle of Lindon was at peace, Elrond thought of Galadriel. How he had stopped being lonely when she had found him and helped him.

Until now, because Lindon was too big without her, without her stormy temper and melodic laughter, like the Song of the Valar at the beginning of time. Elrond hadn't heard Galadriel's laughter for longer than was fair, even for an Elf.

In fairness, Elrond did try to move on. After all, Galadriel is his best friend, his best friend who is married and completely in love with her lost husband. It was a waste of time, Elrond knew that, but he couldn't resist, couldn't fight the feeling.

He felt so selfish, each day that passed and Celeborn didn't return, believing that it was one more day without Galadriel being taken away from him. So he felt deeply guilty, weeping against his scrolls. It became too heavy a burden to carry.

Elrond knew that when Galadriel arrived, she would have to leave for Valinor. Gil-galad was firm and didn't let worry flood Elrond's mind. Galadriel would arrive soon, after her troop had reached the kingdom of Lindon before her.

And when she returned, Elrond felt as if, for the first time in a long time, the light of Valinor was shining down on him. Despite Elrond's feelings, it had not been an easy reunion, Galadriel was resolute, unable to give up her pursuit of Sauron. Long ago, when Galadriel had met him, she had been his foundation.

And now Elrond would be hers. But Galadriel refused Valinor's blessing and left without saying goodbye to Elrond, never to return.

Elrond left with Celebrimbor for Khazad-dûm. Elrond still remembered how the light of the Great Tree of Lindon shone against Galadriel's hair, but he pushed those feelings aside, focusing on his mission, his fight to protect the fate of the Elves from eternal damnation.

It was a surprise for Elrond to find Galadriel in Eregion after so long, when he believed she was living in Valinor, and what's more, accompanied by a Man. Elrond should have known better, Galadriel never gave up fighting easily, never abandoned battle without good reason. Elrond was afraid of Halbrand, a Man with no past, no history.

But he trusted Galadriel's judgment, trusted her word. The wet parchment in Elrond's hand was proof of all his fears, of how he had been right all along, even if he hadn't known it. Galadriel had lied to him, of all people. He felt betrayed.

Perhaps Galadriel would hate him forever. But when Elrond saw her enchanted gaze at the Rings, he knew he had to protect her, protect everyone in Middle-earth. Elrond ignored his fears and set off from Eregion with the Rings. If he was lucky, Gil-galad would listen to him, but that wasn't the case.

Even with Galadriel in Lindon, swearing she didn't know about Sauron, Elrond still felt so disappointed. He trusted her and knew about Sauron's powers, he didn't blame her, he just wished she had been… honest with him.

Gil-galad asked Elrond to leave with Galadriel, and he accepted. He would never let her face Sauron alone because of a small mistake. Elrond tried, tried with all his might to drown his sorrows, but he couldn't understand why she refused to trust him. When Galadriel was taken by Adar's army, he finally understood. Her shame was so great, so cruel, that she preferred to hide it from him.

Elrond opened his eyes, hearing the tent cloth being moved. The Uruk that Adar called Glûg, pushed Galadriel handcuffed into the tent. Elrond clutched the arms of his chair, hating himself for not hiding his discomfort.

He sighed, pulling his hands away before Adar noticed his reaction. The Uruk whispered something to his Orcs and sat down, facing Elrond. The tension in the tent was palpable, possible to cut with the smallest blade.

"The Ring you carry. Show it to me." Adar said, looking intently at Elrond, Galadriel's eyes widening.

“A foolish act if I had brought it here.”

Well, Elrond almost wanted to pat himself on the back. It had been his best lie yet. But he didn't really have a choice. Galadriel had entrusted Nenya to him, he couldn't leave without the Ring.

“You are a courtier. More suited to wielding a scroll than a sword.”

“You've never seen me wield either.” Elrond sneered.

Adar didn't know the real Elrond, the one who would fight for his kingdom, for his king, for all the innocents of Middle-earth at the first sign of danger. Still, Adar held all the cards here. Galadriel spoke, trying to help Elrond, but Adar was quicker.

Elrond and Vorohil reacted quickly. They wouldn't let Adar hurt Galadriel. Elrond wouldn't allow him to hurt her. And Vorohil, a loyal soldier, also recognized Elrond's true concern.

No matter how hard Adar tried to bargain, Elrond would never trust him. Elrond knew that the same had happened to Galadriel. She wouldn't have been shackled if she had given in to Uruk.

Elrond cared little for Adar's false promises. He was more concerned with the cost that his supposed alliance could cause to all the Elves of Eregion.

Adar was right, Elrond knew more about the court than the battlefield. Elrond also knew the power of words. His clear eyes followed the Uruk's movements intently, the curved sword still pressed against Galadriel's throat. Elrond moved closer to Adar. In war, words can cause as much ruin as sword strokes. If possible, Elrond would turn Adar's sons against himself.

“Not before you have painted the sands of the Glanduin black with the blood of your kin.”

Grunts filled the tent, the motivations of the sons of Adar being shaken. Elrond noticed when Adar's most trusted Uruk faltered.

“My children have endured cruelties your bravest couldn't bear to hear spoken aloud.”

“Are you prepared to spend their lives so freely, Adar?”

Elrond noticed the fruit of his words, how calling Adar by his true name weighed on his actions, and above all, how uncomfortable his children were with Adar's ease in sending them into Sauron's hands.

“Are they?”

The sword left Galadriel's neck, while the Orcs watched Adar, waiting for an answer to Elrond's words.

“The Ring for Galadriel's life. What is it to be?”

Elrond had been expecting this since the second Adar had observed him on the battlefield, when he alone had attracted the Lord Father's attention.

Elrond turned his back on Adar, glancing briefly at Galadriel to prevent the Orcs in the tent from understanding his intentions. His hand went up to his cloak, loosening the pin calmly, his movements as discreet as possible. Galadriel stared at Elrond, frightened that he would choose her instead of the Ring.

Seriously, Elrond stared at Adar, approaching the Uruk.

“Ask me on the field, when the neck with a blade against it is yours.”

“Very well.” Adar said, oblivious to Elrond's words. Cruelty hadn't frightened him for a long time. “I will meet you there, with her head on a pike.”

Elrond stood his ground. Adar wanted him to give up, to protect Galadriel, to be weak. But Elrond wasn't weak, and he wouldn't risk so many lives. He didn't even believe that Adar would keep Galadriel or him alive if he got what he wanted.

“If that is to be the way of things, I should like to bid her farewell.”

Adar watched Elrond, pondering his words, looking for the deception behind them. But not even Adar could understand Elrond's attitude, the genuine concern. He still hadn't agreed, until his Uruk confirmed that Elrond was unarmed.

Taking advantage of the truce, Elrond moved away from Adar, hoping that the Uruk would leave Galadriel free. And he did, keeping his sword away from her as Elrond approached.

After so many centuries together, so many sorrows and joys shared, Elrond never thought he would find Galadriel in the hands of the enemy, bound by chains and shackles like a beast. He hated what Adar was doing to her. Was this the end of everything? Defeat? No, Elrond would not accept it.

Elrond walked slowly towards Galadriel, firm and brave, implacable in his gaze, until the last Uruk was gone. Galadriel looked defeated, waiting only for Adar to decide what he would do with them. She sighed, relieved for the first time, looking at Elrond.

“Forgive me.” Elrond whispered in Sindarin. Those words were for Galadriel and her alone. Not for Adar. Not for his children.

Elrond felt the tears pricking at his eyes, the weight of all Adar's words, of everything that had happened recently, falling on his shoulders. He felt so helpless at that moment.

Galadriel, it was the opposite. He was wrong, she wasn't defeated. She looked firmer than ever, stronger and more beautiful than ever.

“Win.” She said.

Elrond would do it, for her, for him, for Celebrimbor, for everyone in Eregion.

Elrond's breath wanted to leave his body, his nervousness wanting to take over after so much calm. He was bluffing, of course. He wouldn't let Galadriel be killed, no matter what she said. But would Adar really trust his bluff?

Elrond's hand reached for Galadriel's face, uncertain. She was delicate to the touch, a contrast to his fierce, warrior spirit. But she was everything at the same time. Maiden. Warrior. Princess. Prisoner. His best friend. Her secret and impossible love. Galadriel's eyes closed briefly as she waited for Elrond's next move.

If this was the last time he would see her, he wanted her to know how he felt, even if they might not survive. Elrond moved closer to Galadriel, letting their lips meet. He would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about what it would be like to kiss Galadriel.

But for Elrond, it wasn't out of mere desire. He loved her, deeply and eternally. And he wanted her to know that he was really sorry, that he was sorry for getting angry with her, for walking away. That he understood what she had done, and that he forgave her and hoped she would forgive him.

What Elrond didn't expect, of course, was that Galadriel would respond to the kiss with the same intensity. Elrond could dwell in that kiss, drowning forever in the sensation of feeling Galadriel's lips against his, of their spirits seeking peace in each other, when they were all that was left of each other.

Elrond didn't want to go away, he didn't want to be away from Galadriel ever again. But Adar couldn't think that he loved her so much, that he would take such risks for her. But, for the Valar, she was addictive to his soul and he felt at home after a long time.

Elrond forced himself to stand back, panting, his heart racing for the battle to come. Galadriel stayed close, still as unable to move away as he was. Her free hand found Elrond's, taking the pin he offered her. His job was done, he had managed to distract Adar, but why couldn't he move away? Why couldn't she move away?

Elrond's hand caressed his face one last time. Galadriel looked at him in surprise, not understanding the overwhelming feelings that were taking hold of her. Unable to cope with all the love and affection that had been trapped in Elrond for so long. Slowly, reluctantly, Elrond's hand moved away from her.

This is loss, my dear.

He didn't look at Adar as he walked away from her, calling for Vorohil. No, he wouldn't let Adar see his feelings in his eyes. Elrond just left. Adar, too surprised, didn't stop the Elves from leaving.

Vorohil followed Elrond, questioning why Elrond felt so confident. The Dwarves would come to his aid, not even Adar could defeat two armies. Vorohil nodded and left.

Elrond took one last look at Adar's camp, wondering if Galadriel had a chance of escaping. He hoped so. He really hoped so. They would meet again and maybe things would be different.

I hope you enjoyed it. Reblogs, comments and likes are always welcome! And please don't copy my work or post it anywhere else.

tag: @valar-did-me-wrong @redrosesandcharmingsouls @queenwholovestoread

[ct-hardcase]

just typed out a war and peace style post about wanting there to be an equivalent of body neutrality in feminist spaces re: periods/childbirth/etc and though there are so many caveats to what I have to say, I think that there can and should be a middle ground between "your divine feminine body was built for these processes and you will embrace the pain with grace/this is easy for everybody" and borderline misogynistic fearmongering surrounding standard bodily phenomena

[shorthaltsjester]

me as an imogen’s selfishness built from her isolation is one of the most interesting things about her truther (which, before someone vagues me on twitter . i don’t think this doesn’t mean she can’t and hasn’t been altruistic but that’s a separate post) + someone who loves when my favourite characters have their lives threatened and/or they die. i am eating well after last night’s ep.

as someone who cares for the world of exandria and despises everytime ashton opens his mouth about the gods and clocked into ashton and ludinus wearing the same hat a while ago . having to listen to them talk about how they’re better than ludinus because (checks notes) they want to do exactly what ludinus wants to but their motives (the exact same kind of trauma that made him tell ludinus to “grow up” . me BEGGING him to take his own advice) are better ??? i’m not eating as well but what can you do.

my grip on this campaign as a completionist who Is enjoying cr even if i don’t think this is a particularly strong campaign is truly resting on the shoulders of imogen impulsive-and-single-minded temult, fearne “if the world’s burning i want a front row seat” calloway, orym “only member of the group capable of a thought for the ‘little guys’ the party claims to stand for” of the air ashari, and chet who is there for vibes (and to protect his family). also shout out to braius for joining the one party where betraying them would make him easily break into the top 3 morally upstanding members of the party.

[nonokoko13]

Call me Mahoro because I also think her brother is hot af Btw the plot twist in this series is that Arajin is going take his crush last name but not because of her. Sorry for the spoilers peace and love in the planet Earth

And could somebody make this Marito teddy bear real? It's a basic and essential need atp

[calendarwoman]

i have the same fixation last year that someone is pretending to be me somewhere i can’t see and it’s trickling down to me and i have no evidence of this except that i think random posts are about me (bc i have ideas of reference anyways and i at least have enough self awareness to know that even when i feel like things are targeting me they probably aren’t) and they disappear as soon as i start putting two and two together and i think it’s to make me feel like im going crazy. which like i was already crazy before and that’s why it’s happening.

[butchshepherd]

it's almost funny that had things gone a bit differently we would already have a dog, and a rescue at that. wildly different outcome.

[scarysanctuary]

something minor(it can impact your health though) that really bothers me, is when the nutritional facts/caffeine amount is not shown on alcoholic/caffeinated drinks, i know its not required by law, but i really think that it should??

[knittinglizards]

i think in addition to the obvious limiting factor of the writers' politics and biases, the stories in star trek (tos at least, the only other series i know is tng and i don't remember it well at all) that deal with oppression and Space Racism tend to be flimsy at best at least partly bc of the Choice to claim that oppression just doesn't exist on earth in the 23rd century (wild!) and that they generally portray the alien cultures relevant to the story in particular as entirely monocultural (just kinda lazy writing imo and denies any significant sense of historical conflict/makes the violence they try to present seem petty)

[kkujo]

.

[gothic-chicanery]

I just realized if I want to write about Oppenheimer for my final paper for my west class I probably have to rewatch it and it is So Damn Long. I’m also writing about it in comparison to a production I saw of Doctor atomic (the Oppenheimer opera (yes there’s an Oppenheimer opera)) but that will be a little bit easier bc I’m pretty sure no footage exists of that production so like at least I don’t have to rewatch that

[pepprs]

hi update things are fucking terrible and my eyes hurt from sobbing. lol

[pastel-odette]

My favorite thing about edelstans is when characters from Faerghus and Leicester say that what Edelgard is trying to do won't benefit their nation and edelstans say they're brainwashed.