#and finrod is good at being distracting

[daily-smol-silm]

Fin rod and maedhros playing chess?

Day #129 - Checkmate

I have only played one game of chess in my life. Please have mercy :'D

[rey-jake-therapist]

Sauron, Galadriel and touch

Each time we see Sauron hug someone, touch their arms or their hair, put his arms around their shoulders etc. it's never gratuitous. He always has an agenda. He does that to manipulate them in a way or another, or to steal them something. He isn't a touchy type of guy, really.. I think he probably dislikes it, most of the time.

In Elendil's case, he probably didn't just pickpocket him but used some magic trick as well, because there's no way Elendil wouldn't have noticed. Not to mention that the dagger literally disappeared from Halbrand's hands up until he gave it back to Galadriel. Anyway, he still hugged Elendil to distract him from what was happening. There was not a bit of sincerity in that move.

Later, he put his hand on the smith's shoulder in an attempt to convince him to take him at his service. It was meant to be a reassuring gesture : "trust me bro, I'm the best !"

In this case, it was slightly different :

Sauron did that to steal Tamar's guild crest, so the intention was similar to when he hugged Elendil. But this time, he didn't do it discreetly. We know now that even as Halbrand (so not in full possession of the powers he had as Annatar), he was able to make his blood look red; so he could have easily projected the image of the guild's crest on Tamar's tunique, to make him think it was still there.

But see, Tamar offended him. He recalled him that Galadriel would probably never want him (though not because he was a "low man", but because he was the very evil she sought to destroy), and Sauron didn't like that. So what he did was provoking Tamar by stealing his crest in plain sight, so Tamar would follow him and give him the excuse he waited for, to do that :

We can also count that as touching, I guess ? But tell me again that Sauron wasn't interested in Galadriel romantically... It makes total sense for him to lose his shit because some man implied he wasn't good enough for her, right...

(I'll later write another meta about the few times that Sauron loses control. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's hot terrifying).

In season 2, I think we saw him touch Mirdania twice, and maybe once for Celebrimbor ? Though I can't find a gif of Sauron touching him except when he grabbed him at the end, so I'm not sure about that.

I've already discussed several times, including today, how Mirdania was a stand-in for Galadriel, so I won't go back to that here. Sauron doesn't feel any affection for Mirdania: wether he touches her hair and hand to manipulate her, or because she reminds him of Galadriel, or most likely, for both, it is, again, not gratuitous and not genuine.

And as for being touched... Oh boy, he doesn't like that at all. His reaction is most of the time him pulling a disgusted "how dare you touching me, you miserable worm ?" face.

This scene in particular was hilarious in this regard. He was very upset by Celebrimbor's refusal to forge rings for men, and Celebrimbor unwillingly added to the offence by giving him a condescending pat on the arm. Sauron probably had a hard time refraining the urge to murder Celebrimbor on the spot, here.

The Galadriel Case

Her case is special, as usual. Until episode 8, Sauron never touches her without her consent : after they arrive in Numenor, he invites it, but doesn't force it on her. it's supposed to be a "friendly" handshake symbolizing peace and a mean to give her Finrod's dagger back, but, well, hmm...

It's just straight out flirting. The way he looks straight into her eyes while pulling her to him, his weird conception of personal space... I can't NOT tag @apoloadonisandnarcissus 's thread about the Freudian symbolism in Haladriel interactions... It's worth reading. There was nothing friendly/platonic in his behavior, but, again... no unnecessary touching here.

Galadriel remains equally guarded towards him, even after she spends time with him and considers him as a "friend". As Sauron in episode 3, she only invites it, on the boat that takes them to the Southlands.

Even when she gives him back his pouch, in the forge, she does it in a way that her fingers barely touch his.

When she finds him wounded, she touches him where he's wounded, to check how serious it is. She could take his hand to comfort him, but.... Nope.

And yet, she's not usually that guarded with her friends, those with whom she shares a (truly) platonic relationship with, as we can see with Elrond and Arondir.

It's definitely not because she doesn't trust Halbrand/Sauron. She does, or she wouldn't be that heartbroken over him in season 2. No, I think she keeps him at arm's length because what she feels for him is not platonic at all, and she wants to keep her feelings in check. Keeping her distance with him (physically) is the way for her to do that, or so she thinks.

Now, back to Sauron. While during all season 1 he was never touchy with Galadriel, in episode 8, he suddenly is.

Not only that but he's also very flirtatious, like... more than usual.

Galadriel seems surprised with this unsolicited touching, and iffy, because she doesn't trust him anymore. She has just asked one of her fellow Elves to look in the catacombs of Eregion for everything they had about the Southlands and their royal lineage; after she heard Celebrimbor talk about "power over flesh" and seen Sauron enthusiastically offer his aid to the smith, she starts suspecting that Halbrand may be not who he claims to be.

Coincidence ? I think not. Even if she remained discreet, Sauron probably felt that something was off. He's very observant, and he knows her mind. If she changed of attitude with him, if she seemed even a little bit wary of him, there's no doubt he noticed it.

He certainly planned to tell her the truth about him very soon, at that point, but he also wants the rings to be forged so he could show her what they'd do with them. So this, imho, is Sauron buying time. He knows she's attracted to him, he may even know she's in love with him... I think he's trying to breach her defenses, here.

Did he succeed, even for the few weeks that separated this scene from the Sauron revelation ? That, we don't know. I'd say probably not, because just before the Elf brought her the records she asked for, she doesn't look like someone who trusts him again.

But then she's still in denial about him even after he admits he isn't the king of the Southlands, going as far as claiming he convinced Miriel to go help the Southlands, while it was her idea entirely... So who knows what happened during these three weeks. It's also possible she didn't suspect him to be Sauron, of all people. And anyways, she loves him. She definitely hoped till he revealed himself that he had a good explanation for everything.

Yesterday I published this post very late, and it's only this morning that I realized I omitted to mention a couple of other very important touches... Stupid me.

How could I forget the chin grab ?

We're in full "unsolicited touching" territory here. Personal boundaries be damned ! The chin grab has several connotations here : it's coded as romantic, but it's also an act of dominance and control, though there's no brutality at all in his gesture. Sauron wants Galadriel to look at him, aka to face the truth : he's still the man she loves, but he's also the monster she hates. They both coexist, in him, hence why the claims that "Halbrand never existed" or "Galadriel loved Halbrand but doesn't love Sauron" are both nonsenses and a complete misunderstanding of the season 1 finals. Galadriel knows who he is in this scene, and yet she's tempted.

The act of grabbing the chin is in itself controlling/dominating, but there's also tenderness : he's gentle, he caresses her cheek almost shyly; he wants her trust for Halbrand back, not her fear of Sauron. He wants to show her that she's loved, but you can feel that if she asked him to take his hand off her, he would back off.

Finally, this post ends with Sauron taking Galadriel's hands into his, with her holding Finrod's dagger.

You know, what he did with Morgoth's crown in season 2, binding her to him through a forced blood oath ? He wanted to do almost exactly that in season 1 already, and that's what this scene implies. Except in this scenario, Galadriel would have been ok with it: it would haven't been a metaphorical rape, but the closest to a consensual sex scene we'd have gotten in this show, if they had followed this route.

I'm not saying I wanted this, just to be clear: Galadriel was tempted to join Sauron in this scene, but it would have been a major breach to the LOTR lore if she had. "Touching the darkness", in Finrod's and Galadriel's minds, was never about embracing it wholeheartedly. It was precisely where Galadriel and Sauron's visions diverge. She knows it will never be the way. She knows she'd end up being a tyrant if she succombed to the temptation, and that's why she rejected it, and Sauron with it.

[eri-pl]

As I said, I am having a Finrod phase, in particular a "Finrod talking to [a character I never before realized he would interact with]" phase.

So, Sauron. No, not the song duel. But a couple of things, more or less noncanon. [Long post after cut, mentions of Sauron's various deeds but not detailed]

Sauron early (just after the War of Wrath, he goes with Eonwë) redemption arcs.

So how would the interactions between him and Finrod look?

First, there's the "I tortured you and got you killed" issue. I think if Sauron was actually remorseful, Finrod would forget that without a problem. (Again: in my reading of it, as opposed to many people's readings, Finrod is not traumatised. It was hard, but he did heal, mentally too.)

Second, there is the more difficult issue of "You fed my men, for whom I was responsible, to a werewolf". finrod would not let it slide unless all of the Ten forgave Sauron. But I think they eventually would, following Finrod's example. Not as fast as him, but not very slowly either.

Third there's the "You tortured my half-cousin at Morgoth's orders," which is even more of an issue, because said cusin is in the Halls of Mandos (at best) and probably won't get to forgiving anyone for a long time. So, for sake of exploring the situation, let's assume that Morgoth did the torturing himself, because, I don't know, he found it fun?

And the general "You tortured people and spirits" but this is not personal, so Finrod would not feel like it's his job to be angry about it, it's the role of the Valar to judge Sauron, and they did. (Have I forgotten something ugly that Sauron did in the FA?)

So assuming all that, and assuming that Sauron— ok, I should call him Mairon at this point— would be allowed to roam relatively freely and talk with people, I think he and Finrod would get along relatively well. Not very well, but well.

Because assuming all is forgiven, and looking just at the personalities — Finrod loves bling and gems and gold. Mairon in many fanons loves bling too, and even if he personally doesn't, he's a Maia of Aulë (even if he shifted to, say, Nienna, because it fit more with his mental state now, he still has a lot of skill). He would be great working with gems, we know that he canonically was great working on jewelry with elves even when he was evil, and I would assume being good makes him more attuned to beauty.

Also, I have a strong HC that Finrod would build something similar in style to Nargothrond (simply because it was beautiful) and I can very well see Mairon helping with that, and trying to convince Finrod to make everything more symmetrical (with little results).

And Mairon, being one of the few have-been-evil Maiar (and much calmer than Ossë) would, I think, understand a certain melancholy that Finrod has. the mourning of the things we lost by our bad choices. Like Nienna's mourning for Arda Marred, but more personal. More "we have a part in this".

And this would first take some convincing (probably by the Teleri) for Mairon to agree, but they would reenact the song duel. It would feel liberating for both of them, to be able to face it and smile. And they would learn that they really like singing together, like making arguements in the form of a song. (Often about the role of symmetry in art)

Mairon would not understand Finrod's deeper philosophical, how to call it, unrest? But he would respect that there's something he can't understand (It's probably one of the most important lessons he needed to learn to come back). That's why they would never be really close: their deepest passions are just too different.

2. Canon Sauron

They would not talk after Finrod's death, of course, but Finrod would have thoughts.

Imagine: Second Age, Numenor is built, Finrod visits it once in a while, then they get a little less friendly and he gets distracted by an architectural project, or child-raising, or whatever and when he emerges back into the world, Tar-Palantir is nearing the end of his reign and everyone is forbidden from visiting Numenor, because it's too dangerous for the Elves (morally, spiritually).

And then Pharazon claims the throne and the repressions return (those things are known in aman to those who are interested and trusted to be able to handle difficult knowledge — like Finrod — because the eagles and the palantir of Tol Eressea and wasy like that).

And those Men are claiming what?

Finrod begs to be allowed to go there, to talk to them, because he would tell them all the things��� he is denied, and of course he knows better than to disobey the Valar. But it does take Námo for Finrod to stop asking.

And then Pharazôn captures Sauron, and this feels bad, this feels so bad, and it does become bad, and the palantir cannot see into the golden dome, but a lot of Men start appearing in the Halls of Mandos, and some of Námo's Maiar, unlike their lord, do gossip.

@edennill you asked in one post: do all the Númenoreans even land at the Halls? I would say: there won't be a clear, provable no (Námo does not say and none of the Maiar knows all what's going on in the Halls) but there would be such gossip. And a lot of speculations as to what this means. And the Maiar would bring the discussion out to all the Eldar who would be interested in listening to it. Definitely they would gossip about it to Finrod, after all this is the kind of thing he seemed interested in.

Imagine Finrod standing at a seashore cliff, looking East and screaming in a powerless rage until his voice runs out.

And then the fleet sails and again it takes a very clear and direct order for Finrod to not wait for them at the shore. And after the sea settles, after the Undying Lands are sundered, he stands at the shore again, wailing, mourning, screaming wordlessly, because he would not dare say the questions that are circling in his mind.

(And just after he calms down enough to return home, he gets visited and yelled at by Curufin's wife or whatever relative that stayed in Aman for not having been there with the rest of the family, and doesn't he even care aboyt Tyelpe? And he asks "What happenned with Tyelpe?" and gets slapped in the face.)

(Yes, Finrod, like all the Noldor, has some hyperfocus tendencies. And maybe not very much contact with the Feanorian side of family at this point.)

And then he learns that, by the way, Glorfindel was sent to Middle Earth to deal with Sauron. Because, you know, there may be a Balrog involved eventually. And no, he cannot go too. First, there may be a need for stealth and second, he clearly is not impartial about the whole Sauron situation.

It takes some processing and some more questions for Finrod to realize that yes, Sauron is very likely still alive.

And then he probably goes to yell on the cliffs again.

3. Late redemption arc Sauron.

…basically the same as above, but with more bluescreening on Finrod's part.

I mean, just imagine it. Finrod is so furious, and justly so, because. Just: because. (And also, tyelpe.)

But also: Sauron has been judged already and it's really not Finrod's job.

But also: he is so angry.

And it would be crazy for Mairon too — I mean, in addition to the normal crazy— because Finrod would be one of the evry few people who Gets Is. Who just get a) how bad it was b) which parts were the worst c) all the implications of him eing still alive d) how insane that is. But also, Finrod would not talk to him, or see him, because he just can't stand it mentally.

And then one day Finrod would, when wandering the shores, find a monument in the memory of Númenoreans —all of them— and there's something about it that resonates with him. there is some truth in it (even if it's too symmetrical). He would plant flowers there, and sing for long. Sometimes he would feel watched, but nobody would appear.

When he would return, there would be more flowers, and the best parts of his song carved into the stone, more intricately than he ever could. He would sing more and it would reeat for a long time: a dialogue of mournings.

[doodle-pops]

Heya darling!!! This is so exciting ahh ! 😳

(totes feel free to ignore if you have done sth similar !i might have overlooked!)

Elves reaction to being kissed at every possible time! !

Good morning kiss, good night kiss, here is your coffee kiss, I'm going out kiss. But they are all sincere and emotional 🥺 as if the human!reader just wants to savor each before their time is up 😔 !!! (Sorry)

Just being a Kiss_Dispenser9000 🤣

Thank you 🤲❤️

A/N: Kiss_Dispenser9000 is officially the new name for us affectionate readers. I love it :)

They are in heaven since their favourite love language is also touch. Running to you for their daily dose of hugs and kisses has become a part of their routine. Dropping their papers once they see you racing towards them for their daily medicinal love. To them, your affection helps to keep them going through the day. "Ah yes, my daily dose of kisses to make my day better! Don't forget my forehead!" they casually state while you rotate their heads to litter it in kisses.

Maglor, Celebrimbor, FINGON, Argon, Finarfin, FINROD, Angrod, GLORFINDEL, Rog, EGALMOTH, Elrohir, ELLADAN, BELEG

They understand that your love language is touch and highly affectionate, but it can be slightly distracting. Even though they know the reason for your volume of affection, sometimes they would request that you kept them down a bit or save for behind closed doors. It's not that they don't appreciate your kisses, it's just that you tend to give them at important times when all their focus is needed. "I know you want to kiss me right now love, but I'm extremely busy and I must focus. Perhaps when I'm finished you can give me all the kisses you want."

MAEDHROS, Caranthir, Curufin, FINGOLFIN, Turgon, Finarfin, ECTHELION, ELROND, ERESTOR, Elrohir, Gil Galad

Return every kiss you give and make it a habit of theirs as well. For every kiss you give, expect one in return with the same volume of vigourousness. Eventually, it becomes their routine. If you are leaving to go somewhere, they're holding you down to kiss. You cannot leave the house or do anything without being showered in hundreds of kisses. "One for waking up, another for looking beautiful while sleeping and here's one for kicking me in your sleep."

Feanor, MAGLOR, CELEGORM, AMROD, AMRAS, Fingon, FINROD, Aegnor, Galdor, Maeglin, Thingol, BELEG, Gil Galad

[anghraine]

I decided to watch Rings of Power and I still like it! General thoughts on the first episode:

This episode does a lot of heavy lifting to introduce everything in a somewhat rough and often disconnected, but engaging enough way.

The voice-over exposition at the beginning is obviously echoing the PJ FOTR one, but it's more awkward and sort of generically high fantasy. I still like it better because a) no Númenóreans were harmed in the making of this voice-over, b) retaining the Finrod-Galadriel age gap while simultaneously leaning into their sibling bond is really cute, c) Finrod using a heavy-handed metaphor in which the greatness of SHIPS figures largely seems entirely in character and also very Telerin (Eärwen's son!!!), and d) the overall story of how Valinorean Elves ended up in Middle-earth is so highly editorialized that it feels like the self-serving Noldor version of the story, which amuses me.

I enjoyed the introduction of present-day Galadriel. She's clearly the most impressive and competent person in the company she's leading while also being kind of unhinged, which I appreciate in a female protagonist. Good for her.

And I like that she's clearly this ancient being and her fixation on FIGHTING EVIL FOREVER is, in part, a product of being old and immortal and stuck in a singular mode of being. However, she's also right and the comparatively young people around her are being condescending assholes (like Gil-galad, but especially that one guy who semi-mutinied against her and is prodding her on the ship).

(Oh, and she has great hair. I actually don't care if the entire wig budget went to her specifically.)

The only one who seems to really feel bad about their dismissive treatment of her is Elrond, which tracks. The hints that he isn't seen as quite an equal ("Elf-lords only") feels silly, but it's not a huge deal for me. And I like that he and Galadriel are bros alongside the tension in her relationships with basically everyone. S2 Celebrían plssss

I still think the complaints about costuming/hair, and incessant comparisons to costuming in PJ!LOTR/WOT/whatever are largely pretty absurd. I particularly liked Arondir's armor and how dissimilar it is from the aesthetic of the Lindon Elves, everything Galadriel wears, and the weirdness of the ritualistic armor removal as they approach Valinor. The Elves spontaneously bursting into unsettling song was odd but extremely on-brand for Tolkien, so it was fun to see it actually done onscreen.

I also think the show is quite beautiful in general and a pleasure to simply look at (no, not only because of the budget).

I don't like how heavily and visibly made-up the main female characters are, however, especially Bronwyn (who also has my least favorite costuming of any of the mains tbh). It reminds me a bit of how Padmé Amidala's heavy and perfect make-up in her death scene in Revenge of the Sith always distracts me from the pathos of the scene. God forbid she wasn't hot as she died, you know? I don't care about middle-aged and older men being cast as Elves, but I'd like to see more older actresses, too!

The Harfoot stuff has an interesting mixture of cuteness and underlying menace. It doesn't interest me as much as what's going on with Galadriel, Elrond, and Arondir/Bronwyn, but I like Nori quite a bit and the whole aesthetic they have going, so I don't mind spending time with them, even though it's kind of detached from what's going on everywhere else.

Speaking of Arondir, the Southlands stuff is interesting because there's so little to work with in terms of canon (even if they had rights to everything) and the canon that does exist wrt them is super racist. So having the textual racism towards Southrons actually be brought up in-story, and rejected by an Elf protagonist who is being played by a Black man, is like ... there's a lot going on there and other people are probably better equipped to talk about it.

Personally, I would have liked to see Arondir fall in love with Bronwyn rather than being presented with it as an established thing, especially with the conversation about how this almost never happens etc. His actor does a great job with what he's given, though, and I laughed at the other Elf who is like "do you know how rarely romances between Men and Elves ever happen? do you know they always END TRAGICALLY?!"

Arondir: mmhmm

Other Elf: THEY DIED, ARONDIR

Arondir gives off big "distracted by drawing hearts around Bronwyn's name in his Trapper Keeper" vibes in that conversation and, idk, it was just really entertaining to me.

Bronwyn herself is all right thus far. I did really like the moment when she's talking about how she's from the allegedly creepy village and the people there are her relatives and friends. By and large she seems the most normal person in the cast, honestly.

I also enjoyed how deeply ominous the "approaching Valinor" music was, lmao. A bit overkill by the end, but I rather like the idea of Valinor being scary if you're not supposed to be there.

ETA: cutting between the different plots via the Middle-earth map is a bit silly as well, but functional enough. Interesting to see Calenardhon on the map before Gondor even exists!

[actual-bill-potts]

The thing abt the nargothrond debacle that makes it endlessly fascinating as a character study is that there’s no good path for anyone involved, and so many of their actions (at least at first) have completely understandable motivations.

Like. starting from the very beginning: was it dumb for the sons of fëanor to swear the Oath? We can all agree it was. And there is some very interesting meta out there on what exactly the oath meant when it was sworn, but tbh in context it mostly reads as a declaration of war against morgoth. Fairly reasonable 🤷‍♀️

And, was it dumb for finrod to swear his oath to barahir? I mean…maybe! On the one hand, by rescuing finrod barahir was kinda just Doing His Damn Job, but on the other hand he did go above and beyond. And it was a very noble and kind gesture, which is the kind of thing finrod specializes in.

So then beren shows up and begs finrod for help, which is a perfectly reasonable thing for him to do. Now, do I wish that he and luthien had told Thingol to get fucked and gone off to live happily somewhere else? Sure! But the thing is, if they stayed in doriath Thingol was probably going to arrange a little accident for his least favorite son-in-law, and if they left doriath Thingol might well have declared war on whatever kingdom they took refuge in, so if beren and luthien had come to nargothrond to ask for shelter instead things might have been even worse.

And for beren, who’s been running a singlehanded guerilla campaign against morgoth forever, it’s actually not that unreasonable to assume that the full might of nargothrond could at least provide a convenient distraction for him to get in and steal a silmaril and then get the fuck outta there. Should he have resigned himself to being a wandering depressed bastard being fed by birds and having a price on his head instead of asking nargothrond to sacrifice many lives for his own happiness? Maybe! But like, the Elves were attacking angband anyway.

So then beren shows up and makes his request, and you gotta feel sorry for finrod because this is genuinely an impossible position. If he says no, he’s breaking an oath (which is not only srs bzns in beleriand, but also seems to be somewhat metaphysically impossible, at least I hope so for the sake of feanorian woobifiers everywhere). And it’s not only the oath; beren is the latest in a line of men who finrod has watched over for ages, a line of men who have loved and trusted finrod, and who have died for him. Since Bëor. Beren probably has bëor’s eyes or smth. He can’t say no.

But on the other hand, if he says yes, either:

a) they succeed, steal a silmaril, and bring it back to Thingol. At which point the wrath of the feanorians is going to fall on doriath, and probably nargothrond too. Right after dagor Bragollach, when things are already so fragile. Also, the feanorians currently in nargothrond are gonna be pissed the hell off.

b) they fail, and morgoth crushes them to death, and probably gets the exact coordinates of nargothrond out of them and crushes the whole realm.

But, the feanorians (Maedhros anyway) can probably be talked round more easily than morgoth. So I’m sure finrod was hoping for option a.

But THEN he breaks the news to c&c. And they can’t take it well; from their perspective, he’s setting his oath, which (presumably) doesn’t doom him to everlasting darkness if he fails, against theirs, which DOES doom them to everlasting darkness if they fail, and. well. that doesn’t seem very cousinly, does it?

It’s ALSO reasonable for the people of nargothrond (independent of c&c) to be a bit wary of their king wanting to go on a mad quest against morgoth when fingolfin JUST went on a mad quest against morgoth and lost rather spectacularly. and idk if finrod could do that much abt it, other than really guilt trip them.

(tbh it’s always seemed to me like finrod gave up real fast to c&c. possibly he figured it was actually better to involve as little of his kingdom as possible in his doom and make it so that the ire of morgoth and/or the fëanorians was focused on him and beren rather than the entire kingdom of nargothrond. and from a purely pragmatic point of view I don’t know that he’s wrong; celegorm and curufin are both good, experienced leaders, and presumably have been helping out around nargothrond anyway, and also there’s orodreth who seemed to do a fine job pre-túrin (the elves of nargothrond are remarkably gullible it must be said). granted finrod could probably have pulled Thingol into the union of Maedhros had he been around, but without the silmaril being stolen the union might never have happened in the first place. Also even if it had the union would have unquestionably still had nargothrond with finrod, which might have helped. but finrod couldn’t be expected to know that.)

anyway i think things went really wrong when c&c started making rash proclamations, and it’s interesting that curufin in particular is so passionate about finrod not going, when there was a different way: just have beren show Thingol the silmaril, then ask him to bring it back to the fëanorians, by theft if necessary. he could hardly say no to that after being helped so generously by finrod. you’d think curufin at least would have thought of that. but I think curufin was feeling so betrayed that finrod of all people was gonna leave and go after a silmaril that he stopped thinking clearly, which is something Elves and also people do a lot.

And of course when finrod throws his crown at their feet it doesn’t help. But again, pretty reasonable after they were like "if you succeed we WILL kill you and probably enjoy it. But you won’t succeed, cuz morgoth is scary and you’re all losers." And after they’ve sent him to his death, well, they’ve cast themselves as the villains of the story, and they have to see it to the bitter end. Not big on redemption and second chances in the first age, elves.

So in summary: no one was being all that evil in nargothrond, but unfortunately they were set at cross purposes by the Narrative, and neither finrod nor c&c were at their best when it came to being a Good Leader bc they were emotionally compromised, but they weren’t bad either…

And also if c&c were to be reunited with finrod in valinor eventually, I think he’d be much angrier abt curufin shooting beren than anything else. They had a point in nargothrond and might even have been playing into his master plan to go alone; shooting beren was just petty. And also a dick move considering finrod had just given his life for beren like 5 seconds ago, I mean come on guys. he ripped out a werewolf’s throat with his teeth, give his last wishes some respect.

So: the majority of the blame goes to the curse of the silmaril for fucking things up yet again, thingol for being a sexist dipshit and not listening to his wife, and of course sauron and morgoth for the whole. yknow. thing

[thegreatzombieartisan]

Rings of Power + Tolkien Fusion Meta

Galadriel & the Curse of Elvish Memory

Galadriel can relive her time with Halbron as if it happened yesterday.

His grip and weight when she pulled him from the Sundering Seas. Every conversation (and argument). The feeling when fighting at his side like a lightness not felt in centuries. Tiny details like how he cut his food. Annoying habits like cracking his knuckles. His scent. The shape and color of his eyes.

His reveal and betrayal.

For Elves have near-perfect memory. Moreover, the “great talent” to relive them like lucid dreams. Even while awake and walking.

For Men, the vibrancy of memories fade with time. Painful ones fade blessedly faster than good. It helps us cope with the unbearable realities of life. But for Elves, memory is no such relief but a heavy burden. A source of great sorrow. Even torment.

It explains why Elves might be reluctant to engage unpleasant experiences like war — they'll never forget them until Arda's end. Why they surround themselves with beauty and serenity. Why they seek to preserve things as they are. In Lothlorien, Galadriel founded a sanctuary that would create only happy memories.

For if she can recall Finrod and her happy lives in Valinor, so can she the moment she looked upon his lifeless, scarred and branded body. The sight of Elves and foes strewn across the battlefield. Some of were her friends. The sickly sweet smell of rot.

Little wonder that by Galadriel was always on the move. Could never sit still and relax. Anything, anything to distract her from drifting into the past. Joyful memories soon turning to anguish.

The taste of the punch she and Celeborn drank at the wedding where they met. The cool touch of armor when she dressed him before he headed to war. She could even relive the last time they made love. Each day he didn’t return.

And every regret of her long life.

All the years of sorrowful and happy memories too would make Elves the wisest beings of all Middle-Earth.

Sources

"...[Legolas] could sleep, if sleep it could be called by Men, resting his mind in the strange paths of elvish dreams, even as he walked open-eyed in the light of this world.— Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

'Beyond the End of the World we shall not change; for in memory is our great talent, as shall be seen ever more clearly as the ages of this Arda pass: a heavy burden to be, I fear; but in the Days of which we now speak of great wealth.' - From the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, Morgoth's Ring

But the Elves saw that [memories] did not provide any escape. For, even if an Elvish fëa was able 'consciously' to dwell in or contemplate the Past this would be a condition wholly unsatisfying to Its desire. The Elves had (as they said themselves) a 'great talent' for memory, but this tended to regret rather than to joy. Also, however long the History of the Elves might become before it ended, It would be an object of too limited range. To be perpetually 'imprisoned in a tale' (as they said), even if it was a very great tale ending triumphantly, would become a torment. - From the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, Morgoth's Ring

[emeraldskulblaka]

Лэ о Лэйтиан (Act 2) - 24/11/2022 - Review

The recording can be purchased here; you can find clips from the performance here.

Review of Act 1

After an incredibly emotional Act 1 finale, Act 2 starts out on a more somber note. Trapped in Doriath, Lúthien is anxiously waiting for Beren's return, clutching her knees with shaking hands. Melian finds her, tells her of Beren's impressionnent, and essentially encourages her to go after him with a knowing look and smile on her face (which I find somewhat puzzling).

I'm not entirely sure how to interpret the scene with Daeron and the masks, but it's visually stunning and leaves you awestruck. (Does he mask his feelings from now on? As in, does he not allow himself to show his emotions, instead choosing to live his life seemingly indifferently?)

Lúthien arrives in Nargothrond and is immediately taken captive by the Fëanorians, but luckily Huan is the bestest boy around and frees her from Celegorm's cape (Celegorm clothed her in Fëanorian colours; an illusion to the fact that he wanted to wed her?). Remarkable elements include Huan bowing to Lúthien, and Lúthien being genuinely afraid of him at first. Their escape right in front of C&C's eyes, who are incapable of stopping them because they can't work together, will be the last opportunity for a good laugh in a while.

Back in Tol-in-Gaurhoth, Sauron leaves Finrod and Beren to his wolf, Carcharoth. Finrod summons his remaining power and forces Beren out of the way to protect him (he knows well that Beren stands no chance; he had already been limping and leaning on Finrod before they reached the isle). Beren will understand this only later. The fight between Carcharoth and Finrod is excellently choreographed (Grigoriev and Egorov get a chance to put their stunt skills on display), but it's a pity that Finrod doesn't get to break his chains here.

With Finrod dead in the corner (sob), Sauron prepares to deal with Beren, who is utterly at his mercy. However, the music announces Lúthien's coming, and as the being of music that he is, Sauron notices this, and is distracted. Beren seizes that opportunity and moves to attack Sauron, but to no avail. However, this enables Lúthien to enter the scene. The duel of Sauron and Lúthien that follows is entirely different from the one we've seen before, Lúthien clearly employs a different strategy; and finally, Sauron is writhing on the ground, held down by Huan. This scene is another one with impressive stunts, expertly executed by Nechaev and Bernada.

Beren as well as all other prisoners are released from the dungeon, and their joy and overwhelming relief upon seeing Lúthien, and the light of the day, respectively, is palpable. The way Beren and Lúthien cling to each other, and the freed people and Huan giving Finrod's body over to Námo, are sure to make you weep tears of tenderness, tears of thanks.

Thanks to Lúthien's incredible strategy, they overcome even the next Dark Lord, Morgoth himself, who (despite proving very resistant to sleep whereas his servants have long given up on fighting and are sleeping soundly next to their weapons) curls up conveniently right in front of B&L in his sleep. His massive, ear-shattering roar after he realises that one of his Silmarils is gone is the reason Angband is now called Lammoth 2. This scene in particular showcases how much Sokolova's Lúthien has grown as a character, how confidently she wields her power.

The next scene in Doriath is surprisingly tender; Thingol has realised his mistake and repents his actions, he holds his wife's (who way right) hand and even gives Beren (who delivers his dad joke with all the grace he can muster) and Lúthien his blessing. But Beren calls for the hunt for Carcharoth, and "The Hunt" begins. It's another visual highlight with Melian bathed in red light (also: there are SLEEVES) narrating the events unfolding far away, which can be seen at the back of the stage: Carcharoth waylaying elf after elf, and finally attacking and injuring Thingol, who is saved by Beren just in time. Rakovsky's Thingol genuinely cares about Beren; his grief and concern are evident in his face. Beren's last deed is handing Thingol the Silmaril before he dies in Lúthien's arms. "Just don't go so swiftly..."

Beren may have gone swiftly, but Lúthien follows right behind. Fearlessly, she confronts Námo and convinces him to give them another chance. Her path to mortality is neither easy nor pleasant (she is struggling to reach the top of the stairs), but truly, what need does she have of eternal Valinor if Beren is not at her side? The final lines are the only spoken lines in the entire show and all the more powerful for it. The darkness has passed, and she caught up with him (look at Sokolova's face. Pure joy)!

General thoughts:

Лэ о Лэйтиан unlocks emotions you didn't know you were capable of and makes you realise just how epic this story really is. This adaptation is crafted with a deep love for the source material, and an excellent feeling for conveying the spirit and portraying the characters of Middle-Earth on stage. I have commented on other creative aspects in Part One of my review, so it remains to say that despite its short runtime, it does not fall short in any other category!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[tanoraqui]

3310 SA

Rawen knocked on the high king’s office door to announce her presence, but it was open, so she didn’t bother waiting to be invited in.

She closed the door behind herself and said, “I’m going to tell you something, but I need you to recuse yourself from the High Kingship first.”

Arafinwë had been perusing some papers in the wide window seat. Thank goodness; she was the first one to bring the news.

He rose swiftly.

“What.”

“I mean it, sir,” Rawen warned. She handed him a new paper. “Sign here. Appoint Fingolfin in your stead, or Finrod. Though to my eye Finrod is best left to what he is already doing, in very openly being satisfied to heed royal edict and leave this to the Men and, at need, the Valar to sort out.”

Arafinwë crumpled the recusal letter in his fist. “What has he done now. What fresh provocation—”

”Recuse yourself, and I’ll tell you,” Rawen said firmly.

“Rawen Ectheliel,” the High King snapped, “if you insist on electing me to this position, than you will do as I say and tell me what I need to know!”

Arafinwë’s temper had been boiling slowly for nearly 50 years, and it was a sight to behold and a force to withstand. However, Arafinwë’s temper at 50 years was only a little greater than Maedhros’s on a north-winded day in Himring when his shoulder pained him upon waking, and Rawen, once known as the Right Hand of Himring, had brought Maedhros reports over breakfast for more than 400 years. Against the brightening wrath of Finwë’s youngest son, she folded her arms and waited patiently for him to stop trying to loom at her.

It was still Arafinwë. And after 1,800 years of working together, Eru bless, he trusted both her instincts for politics and her true intentions for peace. With a frustrated sigh, he composed himself, uncrumpled the paper and reached for a pen.

He didn’t sign the letter of recusal with his usual graciousness. But he did sign it, with his brother’s name hastily scribbled in to clarify the temporary succession.

”Thank you, my king,” Rawen said sincerely as she took it back.

Arafinwë snorted. Rawen opened the door and sent the nearest page running for Fingolfin, Eärwen and Finrod, preferably in that order, and a handful of key ministers and old captains.

She closed the door again. Arafinwë stood with the faintly distracted expression of an elf practicing osanwë—with Eärwen, she guessed. He was calmer when his piercing gaze refocused on Rawen. But by all accounts, he’d been calm the entire time he led an army in systematic, unfaltering, righteously wrathful assault across falling Beleriand.

”What is it?” he demanded again.

Rawen adjusted the eight-petaled flower of her hairpin with deliberate unworry.

“By the accounts of multiple reliable birds, Sauron has convinced the Númenoreans to mount an attack on Eldamar. They’ve started building ships in preparation.”

[AO3]

[ceescedasticity]

Some specific individual reactions—

Dammiwen:

There are probably going to be Lindar going east, which probably means Lindar fighting, and they're going to do this smart.

If that means asking Noldor for benefit of their experience, then fine.

Finds hearing about Curufin's death entirely unfulfilling, which isn't really a surprise

Maybe if Melkor is defeated a situation will arise in which she could non-disastrously spit in Fëanor's face

Duimiwen:

More nervous about the prospect of more battle than she will admit, but still: she's good at this. She'll do it.

Luinél:

They've probably lost her to fussing over the ships for the foreseeable future.

Telperin:

Possibly interested in trying to help?

Since Luinél is so distracted and it looks like they may come in contact with Maedhros, figures he should probably tell select people about Luinél's account of her brief hostage stint

(In which Maedhros gets negative points for injuring Luinél, but positive points for making sure she got treatment quickly without further injury. Also comes across very positively compared to Volue)

Volue:

Lost to Swan-wave for the foreseeable future.

With Swan-wave absent but not destroyed he probably didn't get married.

Nettë:

Secretly vindicated that she was RIGHT about bringing the ships back leading to a massive move towards reconciliation

If there's any question of sides she takes Finrod's. He's her closest cousin.

Calarue:

Dismayed to discover he actually has a bad reaction to hearing Noldorin Quenya, worse if he doesn't know the speaker

Duinipen:

There's a pretty good chance his Fëanorian-faction girlfriend Térandurissë was one of those who brought the ships back

In which case they elope in short order

Olwë:

He just wants all his loved ones to TRY to stay safe is that so very much to ask

Elwë did WHAT [married a Maia]

Elwë did WHAT [shut himself in Doriath leaving everyone else in the cold] [like Olwë basically abandoned all the Teleri who wouldn't or couldn't make it to that last ferrying, but Elwë is supposed to be better]

Fëanor is unworthy of even being called king but least they aren't actually looking to him for leadership

Nénwen:

Very interested in news of Círdan

Big defender of leaving a few ships with the Falathrim — OBVIOUSLY Nowë and his people are competent and worthy stewards who some ships might favor

Bellewen:

Would like to kick Fëanor's ass, apologize for the remark about his mother, and kick his ass again.

Elulindo:

Least angry about Fëanor killing him. He just wants to know why.

Glavarë:

Probably in charge of coordinating the ship-building

Néthalinda:

Her brother's kids who ran off in pursuit of the ships have also returned — at least some of them. There's drama. There's a lot of drama.

Málawen:

Wishing her satirist friends would try being tactful for a couple of hours, maybe?

Highly specific scenario question for the Teleri royals that I’ve been meaning to ask for a while, because I’ll need it for a fic when I finally get to writing it: What would happen if Finrod actually DID bring the swanships back circa 450 FA, and reported that Fëanor and Fingolfin are getting along in Beleriand and the Noldor have Angband besieged, at a stalemate—at least, that’s how it was when Finrod left; apparently he and all his small navy have been enchanted-asleep for several hundred years, and based on many people’s faint senses of exiled loved ones, there was just a massive battle where many died.

How would assorted Olwëans react? How would they react when Finrod inevitably promptly said, “oh god, I have to go back and help fight; who’s with me?”?

Details that may matter:

It’s as near to ALL the Swanships as can be remotely expected—there was attrition of storms, incompetent sailors, 1 or 2 Falthrim fell in love with specific ships and the ships were content to stay with them; but basically all came home, sailed by a combination of the guiltiest, most homesick, and most competent sailors

Finrod reports that Fëanor is officially High King of the Noldor in exile, but functionally Maedhros is High King of the Noldor and Fingolfin and Finrod (now Angrod) are more or less doing as they please as Kings of East and West respectively. Also, Elwë’s forest kingdom is flourishing with his Maia wife and daughter (he thinks the Noldor are collectively assholes), and Nowë and a bunch of people are doing great on the shore, and there’s etc. Laegrim, and dwarves… [Finrod did sail before Men showed up.]

Finrod & co sailed over 300 years ago, and this delay is very directly due to the Valar not letting them in, even though their goal is basically just to apologize and set things right. (If that eases the Doom and/or gets them more allies, well, it’s not the primary goal.)

Ambarussa also came with the world’s most non-apology apology message for Nerdanel from Fëanor, and a smidge of a hint of offer of alliance to the Valar (ie, the instructions for making silima, which he’d previously kept jealously secret). This won’t affect any initial reactions in Alqualondë because the twins sneak ashore separately to deliver it, but the gist of the messages become publicly known.

Of close relatives, Curufin died in that initial terrible battle; more importantly, Aegnor dies within a year afterward. Not long after Aegnor’s death, the Valar assure everyone—and cross-sea death awarenesses confirm—that the conflict has abated again, though it remains more ongoingly active than it has been for several centuries.

It’s narratively convenient for me that no backup reach Beleriand for another 20 years, though you don’t need to hold to that—I can futz with the timeline. What happens in 20 years is, in short order, Fëanor blows up Thangorodrim and active war resumes, and Lúthien comes to Mandos to plead for Beren.

Hmmm…

The ships not getting destroyed is going to make a significant difference in the mood in Alqualondë — for example, Volue will have spent 400-some years pining and fretting rather than seething, and while he's an extreme case he's not alone.

Not pictured: Luinél spending 300 years getting more and more sure the ships are reachable if people will just let her try and quite possibly trying to take Swan-salt out to the Enchanted Isles to look and getting shooed back to Alqualondë by Ainur. —Possibly more than once. —Probably accompanied by Duimiwen, Duinipen, Nettë, Telperin, and in fact Volue on one or more occasion. —Obviously Olwë disapproves of these unauthorized excursions! but he never put Swan-salt under guard, either.

There is still a lot of anger, and still some people who have decided to make hating Noldor their entire personality, but the ships being intact means there's less, and the ships being returned has a lot of meaning.

—I think the end result is going to be some people are still being assholes, but it isn't hard for Olwë to bring the Lindar around to the idea of "the swan-ships aren't leaving our sight [or the harbor, until they get too restless], BUT we will help you build and sail new ships to return to Beleriand".

(When Olwë says that, he adds 'Valar permitting' on the end. Not everyone else does. The ships really being just out of reach for 300 years for Mysterious Valar Reasons hasn't impressed anyone.)

Olwë would rather the Lindar not start volunteering to go to Middle-earth as more than a taxi service, but suspects it's going to be unavoidable.

The Exiles directly involved in the Kinslaying should still expect to be banned from Alqualondë and Lindarin ships until they have made satisfactory apologies.

And like I said there are still angry people — but the predominant mood is more focused on the ships than the Noldor.

[rey-jake-therapist]

wanted to add to ur point about sauron's intentions for stabbing galadriel.

sauron wants galadriel to give in willingly and it was made clear pretty explicitly, imo.

he didn't stab her to kill her, and i don't think that he stabbed her to fully mind-control her. he stabbed her to bind her to him after she told him that their bond was broken, to open the door between their minds. and him being able to talk to her right after has to illustrate their strengthened bond and the door being wide open and nailed to stay open.

*maybe* when he told her to give him nenya while looking into her eyes after stabbing, he wanted to show her his sincere motivations to heal the middle-earth, and he succeeded to do so! gal wasn't as much "deceiving" him, as she was stating what she saw. she believed that he wanted to heal the middle-earth. but! she didn't believe that he would heal it. his methods were still unacceptable for her.

tbh, i never saw that scene as gal deceiving and sau being deceived bfr i came across this reading into it. i always felt like it was gal just saying that she sees what he wishes to do and him being happy that she finally sees it. he just thought that it meant she would join him and that didn't turn out to be the case.

and i don't think galadriel can use nenya to an extent where she is a match to sauron yet. it would be waaay to premature and rushed. and such emphasis on the morgoth crown stabbing, communicating via minds, and the shadow realm pulling her under (finrod's "the darkness tries to pull the ship under" comes to mind), would not make narrative sense if galadriel is suddenly immune to sauron's powers or darkness in s3, idk.

I agree with you, for most of it ! In this post I wrote recently, I expressed similar ideas to yours.

Not only I don't believe that Sauron wanted to kill Galadriel here (what do the writers have to do to convince these people that when Sauron wants to kill someone, he kills them ? Sometimes with a hand wave even ?? JFC), but I also don't think he wanted to mind control her, I don't think he's not interested in her light anymore, and I don't think his plan was to let her soul be absorbed into the Shadow realm.

I don't believe any of that because none of what he did afterwards makes sense, if it was his intention; all he had to do was to snatch Nenya while she was on the ground, even after she fell off the cliff, and patiently wait. Gil-Galad and Elrond would have been unable to help Galadriel without Nenya, soooo... What stopped him, if not that Sauron still craves Galadriel's light, and is not interested in enslaving her ?

I think Charlotte Brandström, or the showrunners confirmed that he wanted Galadriel to give him Nenya to him, because he wanted her to believe that he wanted to heal Middle-Earth. That's exactly why he smiled so happily when she said "you want to heal Middle-Earth"... He genuinely thought "at last, thanks to the bond I've just created between us, she understands now."

I think she deceived him when she seemed about to give him Nenya, but abruptly backed off and jumped herself off the cliff, though. Her behavior was very off, she acted as a robot, as if he was mind-controlling her. But she was able to refuse him and to escape, which can mean two things :

he was indeed mind-controlling her and she was able to snap out of it (maybe thanks to Nenya)

he wasn't mind-controlling her at all, but she was acting as if she had some kind of revelation that would make her join him, to distract him.

It's also worth noticing that he was probably able to read her mind as much as she could read his at this point, and she sensed it, so she had to be extra careful regarding her thoughts.

I agree that if all it takes is Nenya to protect her from the bond created by Sauron, then there's no point in this entire scene at all. If it turns out that the writers only wanted her and Frodo to have matching wounds so they could compare them later in Valinor, it will be really a waste of a good story.

[effervescentdragon]

Headcanons about Círdan please? <3

Thank you for this ❤❤❤ i got like 15 mins free so i can answer this ask, the other one is gonna have to wait a bit longer since im all over the place atm, sorry :(

Okay so CIRDAN MY BELOVED!!!

- hes a real chill dude, like, he doesnt get angry in a regular kinda way, he gets distant

- he is calculated in a kind way, as in, all he ever does is for the good of others, those he takes care of, his ppl, his wards etc

- he thinks of both tyelpe and ereinion as his sons basically, hed adopt elrond but he has too many dads already so he doesnt wanna but in

- celeborn is his absolute bestie, and he never felt completely at ease w galadriel, bcs she reminds him so much of finrod and his eldritchness, it both hurts and freaks him out

- h3 adores lalwen w his whole heart, but he knows she has to figure her shit out herself, and he has a duty to his ppl first and foremost, so he only leaves m-e at the very end

- gandalf pissed him off for yet undisclosed reasons that will be disclosed in the next chapter of hwtwff and they never managed to find a common ground after that

- ulmo likes him v much and helps him a lot in subtle lil ways, even when he shouldnt, and cirdan knows it, but they never acknowledge it

- his moniker of "most far sighted of all the elves" is half weird magic, half him being really fucking good at predicting outcomes and calculations; however, he doesnt trust in himself enough to take a firm stance abt his Sightings so he kinda lets it all pass him bcs he doesnt wanna fuck shit up even more if hes wrong and it drives Irmo crazy

- he loves boats so v much, he could talk abt them all the time, he legit has to consciously stop himself from being cringe af (it doesnt work always)

- hes a bit distracted in general, and sometimes misses the trees bcs hes so v focused on how the forest will look at the end

- his hair started turning silver after lalwen died on the battlefield of dagor bragollach

- hes all around extremely kind and the best adjusted out of all the elves in m-e

Okay thats all i have off the top of my head, i hope you like it!! ❤❤❤

-

[elenothar]

First Lines Meme

I was almost tagged by @hils79 but this looks fun so I decided it counts xD

First lines of your last 20 fics!

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favourite authors!

1. The cold stone of the altar sends chills creeping through the thin cloth of Wu Xie’s long-sleeved shirt and bare legs. (Down is Easy, DMBJ, Pingxie)

2. It is entirely possible Zhao Yunlan has put a bit too much thought into the question of the Envoy’s (and Shen Wei’s) sexual history. (Is or Isn’t, Guardian, Weilan)

3. When Professor Shen had asked whether she was free to help him with an event after the end of term, Jiajia hadn’t hesitated to say yes. (One for the conspiracy theorists, Guardian, Weilan)

4. The kind of places where Flower Tribe Yashou like to live don’t seem to have changed in all the years Shen Wei had spent buried. (Flowers Blooming in the Night, Guardian, mainly gen)

5. Wu Xie is in hell. (The Perils of Accounting, DMBJ, gen)

6. After ten years of nothingness, Pangzi’s arm around his shoulders and Wu Xie’s weight against his side had felt like an awakening. (Settled, DMBJ, Pingxie)

7. If Zhao Yunlan had spent any time imagining Shen Wei’s sleepwear – instead of jumping straight to Shen Wei without any clothes at all – he might’ve come to the conclusion that it would be something fancy. (Sartorial Splendour, Guardian, Weilan)

8. The monthly show-and-tell seminar organised by the newly created Dixing Studies department has swiftly become one of Shen Wei’s favourite consequences of the changes that Ye Zun’s attempt to destroy both Dixing and Haixing brought to both places. (Unburied, Guardian, Weilan)

9. At the end of a long, exhausting day spent mediating an argument over lecture hall allocations between two colleagues, talking a student through an exam-related nervous breakdown and being accosted by the Chancellor’s wife with a whole host of curious but nonetheless invasive questions about “his heritage”, Shen Wei lets himself into their shared flat, hoping for a little peace and quiet and maybe some gentle snuggling. (The Spring of Experience, Guardian, Weilan)

10. Not once in the chequered history of Wu Xie’s life has Hei Xiazi breezing into Wushanju ended in anything short of a disaster. (A Distracting Effort, DMBJ, gen)

11. The final straw turns out to take the guise of a minor incident in the kitchen. (Remant, Guardian, Weilan)

12. In Shen Wei’s defence he hadn’t meant to establish himself as the contact point for young Dixingren finding their way to Haixing. (Above as Below, Guardian, Weilan)

13. “The bear told you?” (Bear With Me, Guardian, Weilan)

14. If Zhao Yunlan had known that Shen Wei would turn out to have the same effect on Zhao Yunlan’s exes as catnip does on Da Qing, he might’ve rethought this whole dating thing. (Extravagant, Guardian, Weilan)

15. Protective rage, icy and cold in his veins, accompanies Shen Wei through the hours after the attempt on Zhao Yunlan’s life (if I had been a second slower/if I had not come to the SID directly from the university/if I had not seen the Crow’s shadow/if if if). (Lay to Rest, Guardian, Weilan)

16. Utter mortification arrives on an otherwise unremarkable Wednesday. (Bambi Eyes, Guardian, Weilan)

17. Zhao Yunlan doesn’t wake up one morning to the realisation that Shen Wei doesn’t know how to be touched, but he also doesn’t not wake up one morning to the realisation that Shen Wei doesn’t know how to be touched. (so I live to know, Guardian, Weilan)

18. Lan Xichen shivers even under the heavy fall of his best robes, reserved for the most important functions, but at least it’s minute enough no one else should be able to tell. (Blue Runs the Water, The Untamed, Gen)

19. Jiang Cheng is having a good day for once, so of course Jin Ling descends on Lotus Pier and ruins it. (Reverberance, The Untamed, Xicheng)

20. Finrod hadn’t set out to conduct a comparative study into the different dance practises in the realms of Arda, much like he hadn’t set out to make a study of human languages or cave building or the way his family seems to implode once every millennium or so. (Ethnochoreology, The Silmarillion, Gen)

-

Things I have learned from this - a) I’ve written a lot of Guardian stories in the past year and b) I’m not good at spotting patterns...

There are actually several of these first lines that I like quite a lot (slightly unusual for me, where my own writing is concerned). I think my favourite is the one from Above as Below (#12 here), but Bambi Eyes (#16), so I live to know (#17) , and The Spring of Experience (#9) also rank high. Apparently I had a good streak a few months ago...

Tagging, with no obligation: @rensrendition/@eirenical, @sasamelons, @flsongbird722, @perkynurples, @t-eyla, @miss-ingno, @achray1, @imaginarygolux, @norcumi, @akathecentimetre

[imakemywings]

I must have missed this post going around on Friday, so I didn’t get this out then, but here are the week’s recs! ╰(￣ω￣ｏ)

high in the halls of the kings who are gone by Arveldis - UGH painful recollections of Gildor returning to the halls of Nargothrond after Glaurung’s death </3 Have to say also that I love this title.

Brushstrokes by theworldisquietheretooquiet - 🚨 RED ALERT 🚨 New Ninduilas fic!! This fic uses that tasty conceit of one character painting the other’s portrait. A great job capturing both characters here!

prick a finger, cut your hands (tell me where this road ends) by @welcomingdisaster - Absolutely fantastic dynamic between Miriel and Indis in this shipfic, and a great job of weaving the past into the present.

Stars as Cold as Forever by asterisq - Terribly realistic look at the struggle for supplies on the Helcaraxe...really drives home the every day fight for survival they were under for so long :(

As a Lie by @meadowlarkx - Ehehe the kind of fucked up behavior you’d expect from Finrod/Sauron. Lark does a marvelous job with the characters and their bizarre and compelling dynamic.

Like New Flowers on Ancient Hills by @starspray - I just loved the characterizations here! Sad Elves finding healing in the Shire is such a lovely theme and it works so well here.

More Ferven Flight by crownlessliestheking - Frankly amazing take on Ingwe/Manwe with a gorgeous blend of religious devotion and love. Beautiful prose too!

Raised by Wolves by @warrioreowynofrohan - A wonderful look at Elrond and his struggle with his identity and his complicated relationship with Maglor and Maedhros. This fic addresses the tragedy of his and Elros’ cultural loss and the difference in their attitudes in their youth versus after some more maturity.

Was Dancing There by @starspray - Ahhh a beautiful work for Ekphrasis Week addressing some friezes on the walls of the Havens at Sirion...TT_TT

Silence Sharper Than a Knife by asterisq - Ow ow ow Daeron watches a performance of The Lay of Leithian. If you love sad regretful minstrels you will love this.

Listen to the Song by @polutrope - Happier Daeron fic! I love how this fic portrays Daeron as a child, and Beleg being good with kids makes perfect sense!

Because the World is Saved by @meadowlarkx - Bittersweet Starwing </3 Their relationship is so sweet here, but you can tell how much they’ve been through :(

Now This, Now Us by crownlessliestheking - Miriel is struggling with the living world, but Indis is there to help. Again, excellent writing from this author.

To Distract by @meadowlarkx - AhhhHHHH that kind of pre-reveal tension that makes you foam at the mouth when Doriath doesn’t know why or how the Noldor ended up in Middle-earth. And paradoxically around that, a very cute relationship between Daeron and Finrod.

Untitled by @elentarial - Frankly losing my mind over this idea. The confrontation between Daeron and Maglor in Menegroth is so fraught I was biting my nails even through this short fic!

Longing by @curanthir - Cute Finwe/Thingol with slight angst. Their youthful dynamic here is sweet! It’s nice to see them before the mantle of kingship starts to weigh on them.

Untitled by @swanmaids - Fantastic look at Idril post-Nirnaeth and the increasingly fraught dynamics in Gondolin. A tragically realistic look at Idril’s logic and why she never raised her issues about Maeglin with her father :(

Untitled by @that-angry-noldo - Staying behind in Aman wasn’t all sunshine and roses for Finarfin and it’s really nice to see explorations of the challenges faced by the Calaquendi in the wake of the Darkening. And this is such a realistic-feeling take on it!

Happy Friday, Fellowship! 💛

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[warrioreowynofrohan]

The Leithian Reread - Canto IX (Lúthien Defeats Sauron)

The first thing to remember for this canto is that Finrod and Beren have been imprisoned in Tol-in-Gaurhoth for a long time. For a long while I had the impression of them being there for maybe a couple weeks, and a wolf eating one of the companions every day or so. But it’s been much longer than that:

First, they were already captive when Lúthien asked Melian about what was happening to Beren. Then there’s any days before she told Daeron about her plan to go rescue Beren, and then all the time she was imprisoned in Hirilorn, including spinning and weaving her hair into the cloak. Then any time travelling until when she met Celegorm and Curufin, then the (deliverately slow) journey to Nargothrond, and then her imprisonment in Nargothrond. Moreover, Lúthien goes in Melian to ask about Beren at the start of autumn (“the summer turns...”), and at the start of the canto after this one, after she’s rescued Beren, it’s winter already. So Beren and Finrod were most likely captive in Tol-in-Gaurhoth for the better part of three months. That is a long, and very impressive, amount of time to hold out against Sauron.

So when Beren is thinking of giving in to save Finrod, and Finrod makes the mistake (in dissuading Beren from this course of action via the obvious point that there’s no way either of them are getting out alive) of saying his and Beren’s names aloud and being overheard by Sauron, it is probable that neuther of them are in a particularly lucid or rational frame of mind. They’re very close to the breaking point by now. (This is something else I only caught onto when it was pointed out by The Leithian Script.) Fortunately - and it can be attributed to nothing other than fortune, or Providence - Finrod does not state their goal outright when he states their names, or the Quest would likely have been doomed:

Nay more, I think

yet deeper of torment we should drink,

knew he that son of Barahir

and Felagund were captive here,

and even worse if he should know

the dreadful errand we did go.

Sauron shows surprisingly little interest in the fact that he’s captured Beren (‘Twere little loss if he were dead, the outlaw mortal) given that he’s the one Beren was fighting in Dorthonion/Taur-nu-Fuin and given that Beren has a price on his head the same level as the High King of the Noldor. But Beren’s guerilla career ended at least a year ago, and maybe the bounty has lapsed; or maybe he’s distracted by the greater prize. When Sauron speaks of inducing Nargothrond to ransom Felagund, he is probably thinking of similarly draconian terms to the ones he will offer to Gandalf at the Black Gate two Ages later.

And here we get the battle between Finrod and the werewolf (which is not, as memetically, him ‘biting a werewolf to death’, but throttling it; though the Silmarillion says “slew it with his hands and teeth”, so there’s some flexibility):

Lo! sudden there was rending sound

of chains that parted and unwound,

of meshes broken. Forth there leaped

upon the wolvish thing that crept

in shadow faithful Felagund,

careless of fang or venomed wound.

There in the dark they wrestled slow,

remorsely, snarling, to and fro,

teeth in flesh, gripe on throat,

fingers locked in shaggy coat.

And what kills Finrod isn’t only the wolf itself, but also the sheer power it takes to break the chains; it’s beyond his normal physical ability (even prior to being imprisoned and tortured for three months):

Here all my power I have spent

to break my bonds, and dreadful rent

of poisoned teeth is in my breast.

And I’m going to quote this next bit, even though I’ve quoted a fair bit already, because the transition from dark to light imagery, and the way the word choice, not just the meaning of the words but their sound communicates that, is exceptional:

Silences profounder than the tomb

of long-forgotten kings, neath years

and sands uncounted laid on biers

and buried everlasting-deep,

slow and unbroken round him creep.

The silences were sudden shivered

to silver fragments. Faint there quivered

a voice in sound that walls of rock,

enchanted hill, and bar and lock,

and powers of darkness pierced with light.

Note all the deep o and u sounds in the fist half - profound, tomb, long-forgotten, buried, slow, unbroken - and contrast with shivered to silver fragments. This is more than description, this is the sounds of the Lay outright creating the phenomenon that they describe. Remember Tolkien’s intense interest in how words sound even irrespective of meaning (‘cellar door is the most beautiful word in the English language’) - here he’s masterfully chosen words where both the meaning and the phonetics are in accord to create the dramatic transition from dark and silence to light and music. And The silences were sudden shivered to silver fragments is such a marvellous line in and of itself.

And Lúthien’s song spiritually transports Beren - a night of stars, nightingales, piping, and Lúthien dancing - a memory of the night they met. And this gives him back the strength to sing and to defy: old songs of battle in the North, of breathless deeds, of marching forth to dare uncounted odds and break great powers and towers, and strong walls shake; and over all the silver fire that once men named the Burning Briar, the Seven Stars that Varda set about the north, were burning yet, a light in darkness, hope in woe, the emblem vast of Morgoth’s foe.

This is the moment that Sam is thinking of in the Tower of Cirirth Ungol, when he sings and Frodo answers. They’d just been talking about Beren and the Great Jewel, on the steps of Cirith Ungol, and even the imagery is similar: nature, the stars, birdsong (though Sam goes for the homier finches rather than nightengales). And defiance even in a seemingly hopeless situation.

Sauron, like many others in thus story, underestimates Lúthien and is more amused and pleased than intimidated. When he finally realizes that Huan is killimg all his werewolves, he decides to manipulate prophecy and make himself into the most powerful wolf that has ever existed. Possible even more powerful than a pre-Silmaril Carcharoth, since the text says as wolf more great than e’er was seen from Angband’s gate to the burning south. Lúthien, nearly fainting from the wolf’s poisonous breath, uses her cloak and a whispered spell to throw it off balance, and Huan defeats it in a fight and keeps his grip on its throat even as Sauron shapeshifts.

And here’s the interesting bit. Sauron is almost about to abandon his physical form (nigh the foul spirit...shuddering strayed from its dark house) when Lúthien gets up and threatens him with precisely what he was already going to do. And she makes the threat of Morgoth’s reaction intimidating enough that he changes his mind, hands over they keys, and gives her the spell to destroy the fortress. Which, one would think, would be something Morgoth would be even less pleased with. This raises the question, for me, of whether Sauron ever went back to Angband (especially given that his failure to provide his master with prompt intel led to a humiliating defeat and the loss of a Silmaril) or whether he just spent the rest of the war hiding out in Taur-nu-Fuin. If so, it certainly adds some context to why he’d consider surrendering to Eonwë after the War of Wrath - even the times when Angband’s power was at its height wouldn’t have been very good ones for Sauron.

Lúthien casts down Tol-in-Gaurhoth and frees its captives, and then seeks Beren, who is so absorbed in mourning Finrod that he apparently doesn’t look up even when an entire fortress collapses around him. At this point, he would still recall Lúthien’s song and his own as something that happened in a dream, not reality. He finally looks up and sees her, and they are reunited in the pits of Tol-in-Gaurhoth.

If you want some fanfiction of this canto, Philosopher at Large, author of the Leithian Script, has also written some prose pieces. Betrayals, Renunciations covers the final days of Beren and Finrod in Tol-in-Gaurhoth, from the beginning of this chapter; Shadow and Silver covers the confrontation between Lúthien and Sauron, the destruction of Tol-in-Gaurhoth, the reunion, and the aftermath.

[arofili]

In the gondolin rises au was there Turgoldo before Finrod's demise?

Hmm good question, anon! Shockingly I hadn’t really thought of that before now! The answer is...probably? I really like the irony of Turgon disapproving of Maeglin’s feelings for Idril while at the same time having feelings for his own blond cousin... though in this AU neither of those relationships really get very far, mostly bc canon divergence starts halfway through CoH so Finrod’s already dead + Turin distracts Maeglin from Idril.

BUT I also love the irony of Turgon disapproving of his brother’s relationship with Maedhros but being a cousinfucker himself. Maedhros is probably thinking “I have to be careful with Turgon, I don’t know how he’s going to react to anything I do, I might be misreading him” especially since Turgon has railed against Maedhros for seducing his brother in the past...but Turgon has more experience than Maedhros realizes, he’s been with Finrod before and probably some other dudes in Gondolin. (Gondolin is basically Tirion 2.0, but considering how gay shit gets there, less homophobic than my interpretation of Valinor.)

So: yes! There was! Thank you for asking :D