#but luthien already exists

[mossiestpiglet]

My new favorite hobby is making before and after versions of my lotr oc (Q:Hrávahín/S:Carandil) when they were younger in valinor (everyone’s favorite, can do no wrong) vs older in middle earth (god’s most confusing weasel)

[peasant-player]

Elrond with dramborleg

"His hair was dark as the shadows of twilight, and upon it was set a circlet of silver; his eyes were grey as a clear evening, and in them was a light like the light of stars."

This drawing was for @armenelols and @polutrope post about elrond using a family heirloom "dramborleg".

Oh boy I had so much fun.

My main thought while painting this was " what would be different about elrond?"

And the answer is alot but a the same time nothing.

Elrond is in a way a sad character he kind of lost everything and the only constance in his life is the heralded past of his ancestors/family and friends.

He almost can't remember his parents but he can read about them even maglor is ,despite being a kindslayer, described as strong imposing and a mighty warrior.

His own brother,who chooses mortality,is a revered king!

This elrond that I depicted here is not the lord of Riverdale. Not married yet.

This is a elrond who will stand between evil and his folk.

Just like his ancestors did.

He is holding a legacy of strong unrelenting men who did change the tides of war who done the impossible no one else did before them!.

This is also elrond who found out that his brothers legacy Numenor is at the bottom of the sea - because of sauron.

This is a elrond who becomes a lord for many different kind of elves because he is a different kind of elve.

[skyeventide]

honestly, Luthien and her descendants don't own the Silmaril because she fought for it or because of weregild or whatever. the weregild situation in the Luthien drama is the weapons of Curufin that Beren takes from him; that's the payment, the weregild, the gold you pay for a wrongdoing. it's Angrist and Curufin's other weapons. not the Silmaril. you need to understand that Tolkien says super explicitly that the Silmaril ownership system is morality (and therefore religiously) based. he declares super clearly, black on white, that the sons of Feanor had right to the Silmarils before that right is forfeited because of their deeds, that presumably meaning Alqualonde's theft of ships and ensuing fight already. that right is forfeited, not as payment, but inherently, metaphysically, which Tolkien also reinforces by having the Valar, authority of Eru in the embodied world, bless them so that only clean hands can touch them. but mind you, what clean and moral hands means is completely arbitrary. the dwarves don't burn for killing Thingol, Beren doesn't burn for killing the dwarves. am I meant to read, say, the dwarves' overreaction to an insult as justified killing, then? as moral? it's okay if they kill someone because he's not giving them what is theirs? it's not possible to construe this narrative unless we understand that its fate is simply not a force of balanced moral judgement, but a force with a specific aim, and it's not possible to make of the story an even field because of it. fate is such that Beren can cross through the girdle; Melian cannot keep him out. in short, the Silmaril's ownership is not a consistent external logic, it's an internal morality that hinges on religious exceptionalism and fatal, near-authorial say-so. remember that Glorfindel is reembodied early explicitly because he aided the divine plan in saving little Earendil: religious favoritism and authorial say-so are a thing (they're the same thing. this is a story, nothing exists that the author doesn't decide. that the in-story divine plan corresponds with the story the author wants to tell and therefore pushes forward with the deus ex machina, that makes it ultimately nothing but Tolkien's say-so). remember also, however, that the final fate Tolkien envisions for the Silmarils is the liberation of their light to remake the world. the imbuing of their beauty for everyone to share. and whatever my opinions on that, it's miles better and a much more apt fate than whatever hoax a rigged religion-based sort of moral ownership represents.

[elficially-done-with-life]

A Quiet Afternoon

Pairing: Celegorm x reader

Summary: You think about Celegorm's return and you marriage to him while you spend a quiet afternoon together.

A/N: Since Celegorm is married to the Reader in here he did not try to get Luthien to marry him (since elves can only marry and fall in love once, Finwë was from what I understood the only exception), he still betrayed her trust and kidnapped her, though. Just for understanding and context.

Hope you enjoy it!

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Tyelkormo's head layed in your lap and he breathed in and out calmly. The sun fell on his silver-coloured hair and made it shine.

It had been so incredibly long since you had seen him so relaxed. The last time had certainly been before he had left for Middle-earth with his father and brothers. Back then, when your beloved had been torn away from you.

When Tyelko had come back, he hadn't wanted to talk to you because he had been so incredibly ashamed of his actions and regretted them that he was convinced you wouldn't want him back.

You had been angry. You had been angry for many years, but over time it had diminished, because through the marriage bond you two had, you could feel his longing for you and his growing despair. You could feel his mental state getting worse and worse and how some days he woke up disorientated, not knowing what to do with himself.

Of course you didn't forgive him for abandoning you or for all the atrocities he had committed in Middle-earth. All the kinslayings, the kidnapping of Luthien and so much more. He had to bear responsibility for it all, and yet you still loved him.

You had lost all contact with him through the marrige bond when he died. You went to Nerdanel that same day and you cried together until the early hours of the morning.

That's why you knew exactly when Tyelko had returned. Suddenly you felt his presence, clearer and closer than you had in a long time. His fëa no longer seemed so broken, but as if someone had tried to mend it. But it was still not healed and whole and you doubted that it ever would be again. To much had happend.

You didn't hear from him for weeks until you bumped into him on the street. He had been looking at some flowers by the side of the road, completely lost in thought, and only noticed your presence when you had already seen him. He later told you that these flowers didn't exist in Middle-earth and that he was really shocked to see them again. That it had reminded him of so many things that once had been.

That day, without giving it a second thought, you had wrapped your arms around Tyelkormo's neck and held him tightly.

Somehow you had expected him to laugh and playfully say: "Did you miss me?" At least he would have done that back when everything had been okay.

But he had started to cry.

He had apologised to you, got down on his knees in front of you and told you not to hate him, even if you would want to go your separate ways from now on. You had felt through the marriage bond that he didn't think he would survive if he knew you hated him.

So you had also got down on your knees and stroked his cheeks softly. Feeling his skin on yours again had been a feeling so great you weren't able to describe it. Tyelko had practically leaned into your touch, which made you wonder how long it had been since anyone had touched him with so much love.

That same day he had moved back in with you, but it was different than it had been before.

Normally Tyelko slept like a rock at home (not in the forest, there he was always on high alert) but he woke up several times a night from his nightmares, shivering all over and seeking your warmth. He often whispered something like: "I let them die." Or "Luthien trusted me... I betrayed her trust." Or he would cry for Curufin and Carnistir.

He was still up before you every morning.

Every day he gave you a flower and did as much as he could around the house until you woke up.

He was also, and you couldn't think of a better word for it, shy.

Actually, Tyelko had always had a certain self-confidence, even if he had always hidden some insecurities underneath, which he had revealed to you at some point. But now he always avoided your gaze when you looked him straight in the eye. He was also much quieter than usual and apologised more often.

When you slept with each other, he always started crying. The first time you panicked, but he later confessed that that was because he is so overwhelmed that you really want him still and to feel your body and fëa so close again. To know that you still want to give him love.

Today you had walked through a wooded area behind your house to a small hill with lots of wildflowers and some large willows. You had loved going here back then a lot.

Last night, Tyelko's nightmares had become particularly bad. He hadn't been able to sleep a wink the whole night after and was quite emotionally exhausted.

His fingers had been trembling with fatigue all day, which was why he had accidentally dropped a glass. At first you thought everything was fine, but half an hour later you found him crying quietly in the garden. He had felt so confused again, as if he didn't know what to do with his sadness.

So you had taken his hand and you had come here.

And now he was lying asleep on your lap as you gently stroked his hair.

He let out a soft whimper and you had to stifle a giggle. Tyelko had opened his eyes briefly and looked directly into the sun. At that moment, he made an expression that you had often seen on him in the years back then.

And then you knew that no matter what happened, he was your Tyelkormo and you would find a way to help him heal as much as possible.

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[brujitaadinbo]

I've been picking up some Tolkien reading again; I am a fan of his writing and I remembered some verses from the most beautiful love story for me in the entire Tolkien universe; after Faramir and Eowyn, the story of Luthien and Beren; a story that crosses all barriers for love.

So when I go back to the story of both characters; How Luthien's love for Beren is so strong (and it's a two-way connection) When Beren falls into the clutches of her captors, Luthien fights with all her might, against everyone who held her and was against her love for Beren, even her father.

How to reach your loved one to save him.

Somehow it made me remember this point and relate it to another universe that I love (and I don't care what other people say) star wars

SW has a lot of Tolkien and it is evident that its female characters exude strength, especially if the fight is for someone or something they love.

When this universe begins with episodes 4, 5 and 6 Leia develops this complicated relationship with Han, but love somehow unites them, thanks to strength and destiny.

She ends up rescuing him even when she is also captured, but her feelings make her throw herself into danger for him

Later, on another SW bridge, one of my favorite couples in this universe develops within the conflict. Kanan and Hera; a couple that I believe is one of the healthiest and best developed. Love was always his hook and compass

When he ends up being captured, Hera does not hesitate at any time to go to his rescue, convincing the entire gang that "just because they are family"

Actually; You could see Hera's need to go rescue her boy. And when she is captured, Kanan does not hesitate to find her and save her.

After; My favorite shipment appears and what I love most recently. A pair of stubborn and deluded Mandalorians, who don't know how to interact in this matter of feelings, but who unconsciously help and support each other. Bo Katan no longer wanted to know anything about this man with silver beskar, he was already resigned, but love seems to have other plans for them.

The force moved its pieces and destiny helped in this play. Din Djarin almost ended up saying goodbye to this universe but Grogu went in search of the most trustworthy person and the one he knew would help them, because Bo has a special affection for that green boy and a stronger feeling for his Mandalorian father.

And he throws himself against the danger and pain of memories and seeing Mandalore fallen. And it continues like this on constant occasions when she is able to save him and keep him safe. This is how they show affection to each other and this is how he swears that he will be close to her.

And finally; the couple that no one understands and that many do not support (but I don't give a damn, the fandom of this shipment exists and we agree that they are very good at being together) Separated by conflict and circumstance; The force has different ways of acting, but that does not mean that mutual feelings disappear, especially if destiny brings them closer again. Sabine and Ezra are in a constant struggle, even with their own feelings, but even when he is far away, she never stops thinking about him.

When the promises made are there, she sets out to fulfill them and see him again, make him come home. Leaving aside everything and sacrificing the safety of an entire galaxy; a selfish impulse but that can only be done out of desperation to have it close, love sometimes makes you act unconsciously.

The only thing you can do is let yourself go. Being captured is the only way to get to him. And that's how they find each other, they manage to see each other, even when they have to separate again.

Luthien and Beren's story is similar to many of these stories of the couples I love in SW We can agree that light, love, strength and destiny are always there to cross your paths. And they will manage to love each other (or already did) or be together in their own way.

This is the way.

[eri-pl]

Melian saw the darkness in Thingol's eyes and married him anyway

Long, chaotic stream of thought below cut (no, nobody owes anybody a relationship)

I'm not saying Idril should have married Maeglin, or whatever. I'm perfectly fine with "Idril didn't want to date Maeglin because she was not into it, and/or he was her cousin and whatever". She had every right not to. Same as everyone.

I'm just saying "saw the darkness in his eyes" is a very weird way of phrasing it. Especially when we look at the three cases of "darkness in eyes" (all essentially fatal):

Melkor (seen by Varda, in the context of romantic rejection)

Feanor (seen by Galadriel in the context of I have no idea) (also I'm sure Nerdanel wasn't blind either. But, as I said, "darkness in eyes" is not a good reason to not get in a relationship, not by itself. "I can't handle this darkness" is a good reason. Nerdanel could handle a lot)

Maeglin (seen by Idril, in the context of romantic rejection)

What do those three have in common?

One of the interpretations (not the one where Thingol easily fits however) is "they're great, best they can, but still not good enough":

Melkor is the most Vala, but he was also the first Vala and he "grew up" being the only finite being he new. and he hated it, he despised himself for being less (it is clear to me from the description of his obsessio with the Flame etc)

Feanor was the most Elf to even elf, but also Finwe wanted more kids, so obviously Feanor got the message that he wasn't enough.

Maeglin was brilliant, and an only child, but also his father was the super-stern, avoidant-attachment tangle of cold trauma that was Eol. I'm sure he got a consistent message of "you aren't enough".

So, there's this inherent not-enoughness. (How is this a reason to not date someone??? I mean, sure, it results in behaviors and problems, but really, really, we could phrase those rejections differently.)

(Or maybe it was "she saw he's going to be evil" but I hate this concept, it rubs wrong with free will to me)

Am I bashing Tolkien? Not really. You know, what vibe I get from those darknesses? CSL's relationship to Susan. You know, "the character he obviously hated". The character he based most on himself.

"Saw the darkness in his eyes" (and hated him for it) really feels like the author looking at himself. So of course I'm not going to bash him, he bashed himself too much already.

So what was that part about Thingol? Just a click-bait?

Melian was an Ainu. Thingol was an Incarnate,. In a world where the very existence of incarnates is a result of the discord, a result (or at least everyone believes so) of evil. of course he would have tons of darkness in his eyes! His very existence is something that shouldn't be if everything went well!

(BTW Feanor "killed" his mother and Maeglin was a child of a marriage that was terrible and not even a valid marriage tbh. they both have very much of the "their existence is the result of some evil" syndrome)

And I'm not saying Melian owed Thingol to marry him. No, she did not. But she saw the opportunity and she chose to and that's passing awesome.

(And then the same motif with Luthien and Beren who was a Men and as we all know, Men are problematic, even compared to Elves.)

And I know this started from Tolkien's wife, but still, the fact that it's always this gender setup... It's interesting in many ways.

I'm not even saying that Idril owed Maeglin (or any other sombination of those) a friendship, or a therapy. No. She set her bounduaries and it was a good thing to do, you need to know your limits and needs and all that.

But when someone can afford it, can afford to look at the darkness, and go forward anyway... it's passing awesome.

Also, going back from metaphysics into attachment styles and relationships and marrying a sad person... One day the darkness will be too much to handle. Not for B&L who lived a short life, but Thingol often ignored Melian, and Feanor and Nerdanel even separated.

But it is normal. And it doesn't make the relationship wrong.

You can handle only a finite amount of someone else's emotions (if you choose to handle them at all, which, again, you are not obliged to) and the point of it is for them to grow and learn to not need your help anymore. It is difficult and doesn't always work and it is normal. It is human.

My point is than it is better to support someone for as long as you are able to without herming yourself and then let them handle it on their own, than to not support someone at all. But again, sometimes "as much as you can afford" is zero, and it is ok. It is ok to not interact with difficult people.

Just please, don't say "I saw a darkness in his eyes". Say "I cannot handle this" or "I have other emotional commitments", or "I need my strength elsewhere" or "I need time and peace to heal" or something like that. It is about your rights, not their wrongs.

You don't owe anyone a relationship, friendship, or anything. But nobody is inherently undeserving of relationship or friendship, or fully incapable of it (some people need more help than others though).

ps: "passing" is a term I borrowed from "le Morte d'Arthur" and it means something like "exceeding expectations". I like it.

And, leaving the theme of romance, I could probably write another long post about how the opposite of "darkness in his eyes" is the light of the Trees in eyes of the Elves (except: Feanor had both) and why I'm not as big a fan of the trees as everyone in the canon (they were a good thing, but not as absolute as everyone paints it) and what Valinor was and what it was not and how the very existence of Valinor is the essence of "you have darkness in your eyes, you can't play with us" attitude but also my expectations are way too high and it's easy to complain in hindsight

Maybe one day I will post something more coherent about it.

Just... let's end this on saying that seeing the darkness, and calling your beloved beautiful and getting married anyway—

[animatorweirdo]

The elves of Imladris as horses

Requested by Anon

Hi! Can I request a Imladris elves Horse AU? I love your horse AU :) congrats on the 500 followers!

(I left Glorfindel out since he already has a headcanon. He does get mentioned though. Hope you like it!)

Warnings: some horses being mischievous, Erestor is a grump, some spooky mystical things happening, some falling, biting, wandering off, and mentions of disappearances.

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- You loved horses when you were young. Those creatures always looked majestic and something out of fairy tales. 

- You would never miss a riding class with your favorite pony and sometimes nagged your parents to let you ride a horse. They didn't since you were too small and young to sit on a full-grown horse. They only allowed it when they were the ones riding the horse, and you would sit in front and shriek in delight when they started galloping. 

- You were so obsessed with horses that you sometimes wandered in forests, trying to find a mythical horse. It always made your family freak out and scold you not to go alone in the woods. 

- You even remember being jealous of your older sibling when they got their own horse. 

- But as time passed and you reached your teens, you began to outgrow your horse fantasies and found other interests. Owning a horse and taking classes was quite costly, so you sought something cheaper and an easier career path. 

- Your family was quite involved with horses, and most of your older relatives have been horse riders, so it was nearly a traditional thing. However, your family respected your life choices and did not try forcing you to become a horse rider as well. 

- Imladris was a famous horse stable where you had spent most of your childhood with your older sibling. You knew the owner and were familiar with most of the horses that lived there. 

- It was a lovely place located near mountains and rivers. The forest paths were filled with wildlife and were commonly known for the nightingales that lived there. Riding there felt like the whole forest was singing. It also felt like a home to the riders as to the horses. It is a wondrous place. 

- One day, when you were visiting your family. Your older sibling asked you to watch their horse and a couple of others since they were so thin on caretakers and they desperately needed to attend other things in their lives. 

- You were on vacation from your current career path, so you agreed.

- Your older sibling was grateful, and since you were familiar with most things you needed to do while caring for the horses. They simply introduced you to the necessary tasks and the other horses that were going to be in your care. 

- Elrond, Celebrian, Elladan, Elrohir, Arwen, Erestor and Lindir. 

- You knew Elrond since he was your sibling’s horse. You simply adore him. You knew Celebrian since she lived in the same stable, and from what you heard, she and Elrond were technically married. You haven’t met their kids but heard how beautiful they are. The twins are named Elladan and Elrohir, and the daughter is Arwen. You also knew Erestor and that he was a crump. Lindir was someone new to you.

- And with all things settled. You stayed at your family’s house, and your sibling was off to the cruel world of jobs and schools. 

Elrond

- Elrond was a beautiful dark brown stallion with a star mark over his forehead. You had heard it was a common trait from his family tree. He was the infamous mare’s Luthien’s great-grandson and even had a twin who lived in another stable named Elros. 

- Elrond is a lovable horse, perhaps one of the most gentle horses in the whole existence. He was happy to see you when you showed up at the stable. He gave you a cheerful neigh as a greeting, and it only made you smile as you petted him and gave him a treat. 

- It was like you two were old friends, and it was true in a way. 

- Elrond was an experienced dressage horse and has done show jumping in the past. Most of the time now, he’s used during riding classes for new young riders to help them get experience, and he’s very gentle with them. 

- He’s pretty much everyone’s favorite horse. 

- He was gentle with you too when you rode him for the first time. You felt nervous since you hadn’t ridden in a long time, but he was patient and always stopped when you had trouble adjusting your position or the stirrups. 

- He’s just so patient, and thanks to him, you gained some experience in riding and became more confident. You finally understood why the younger riders would want to ride him first than any other horse. 

- He was easy to clean and seemed to be okay with everything.  You thought there was at least one thing he didn’t like, but no. He didn’t even mind getting washed with water than most horses who would either hate it or be scared of it. On the contrary, he seemed to enjoy taking baths. 

- There was one thing he didn’t like – the riding crop.  He would walk away from the sight, which felt a bit strange since your sibling had used a crop in the past till you heard he had some rowdy kids who used the crop violently during classes. He then began disliking it and refused to come out of the pasture or his stall if he saw a crop. 

- It was understandable, so you ensured to never bring a crop when it was time for an exercise or a riding session. 

- One adorable thing about him was how he would act around Celebrian. The two would always hang out in the pasture and care for each other. The two were like a married couple.  You heard there was once an incident where Celebrian was supposed to move away to another stable but the two caused a fuss and refused to separate from each other, so Celebrian’s owner had to relent and allow Celebrian to stay at Imladris to be with Elrond. 

- It sounded like a deep romance drama and you were happy the two were allowed to stay together. 

+ 100 / 10 Elrond is a sweetheart. If ‘kind as a summer’ was a horse– he would be it. He doesn’t cause any trouble, and he’s sometimes helpful when you are dealing with his kids. There was nothing negative you could say about him, especially considering that you've known him for most of your life.

Celebrian

- A beautiful white mare with slight silver in her mane. Elrond’s wife and a very adventurous horse. 

- You have known Celebrian nearly as long as you have known Elrond. She's affectionate and has an adventurous personality; she enjoys wandering far in her pasture and the woods during rides.

- She’s also the twins and Arwen’s mother. 

- You have heard her mother was Galadriel, one of the most beautiful horses from Finarfin’s family tree. This was intriguing since it meant that two horses from well-known family trees came together and produced three lovely foals. 

- However, unlike Elrond, Celebrian was troublesome in a way. 

- She can sometimes be a little airhead and wander off for long periods. You would either need a search party or Elrond to call her back whenever she goes missing. 

- She likes to play a lot on the dirty grounds, so keeping her clean was a workout. 

- Sometimes, she likes to tease you during exercises and classes, especially when you are on her back, just to get a reaction out of you. You don’t like it, but at least you learned how to grow stronger nerves and confidence with troublesome horses. She was technically level 2 after Elrond. 

- She enjoys forest runs and tends to be a bit dramatic when it comes to work.

- However, she’s soft toward Elrond and would not leave him alone, and she’s very stern with her kids even if they are already grown young horses. 

+ 10/10 You like her even if she constantly teases you and gets dirty most of the time. You would appreciate it if she would stop wandering off so much. It’s a real trouble to get her back.

Elladan and Elrohir

- Elladan and Elrohir are two dark horses with brown tones in their mane. They share the same forehead star marking and are one of the rare pairs of twin horses. 

- It is a bit surprising since Elrond has a twin too, and there was another pair of twin horses from his family tree. Three generations of twin horses. What are the odds? 

- The two are energetic and nearly as troublesome as their mother as they seemed to take it to themselves to test your nerves as well. 

- They have a tendency to steal brushes and equipment, and sometimes they steal food from the storage. And they always grin at you after you catch them in their criminal act. 

- They like to play with the hose when they are in the pasture and you are trying to refill their water trough. It would get messy, and you would always get wet from all the water they throw around. 

- They are not your favorites, and you nearly lose your patience with them every time they are on to their mischief. They sometimes earn a laugh or two from you from their antics. And you think it had become a challenge for them to make you laugh since they would grin after making you laugh. 

- You are so glad they never do anything damaging. 

- Luckily, they take riding and shows seriously. Elladan specialized in dressage, while Elrohir excelled in show jumping. Sometimes, they even rode together in shows.

- They are pretty tame toward their riders and even the youngest who want to ride them. However, due to their mischievous nature toward you, you do not dare to ride them and let them usually run around together on the field, sometimes making them jump. 

- You were not going to risk it with their shenanigans. 

7 / 10 You find their antics sometimes funny, but they make you mistrust them. You do not like how they get messy and cause you a headache most of the time. 

Arwen

- A beautiful black mare with a similar forehead star like her brothers and father. 

- Arwen is a friendly horse. She’s sweet toward you and anyone she meets, but she has taken after her mother and gained a habit of wandering off into the woods and going missing for some time. Luckily, she comes back before nightfall, so she doesn’t cause you a total heart attack as her mother does most of the time. 

- It seems that Celebrian’s wandering trait is going to be a recurring thing. 

- Strangely, you had noticed that Arwen’s urge to wander into the woods was much stronger than with Celebrian. It might have been a family thing since you had heard Luthien and Elrond’s mother, Elwing, had a strong tendency to get lost in the woods too, so it might not be Celebrian’s trait that was kicking in Arwen.

- It could have also been related to the incident with Luthien’s father, Thingol, and the mystery mare that was never found after he was finally found alone in the woods with his newborn foal. 

- You remembered reading about it in the newspapers; it was still a mystery with no logical answers. People assumed it was a wild mare, but Thingol’s owner once claimed strange things began happening around Luthien when she lived under their care as a foal. If the owner of Luthien's father could assert that something was not right, then there was no way the mare could have been just an ordinary wild horse. 

- Whatever it was, it was a thing of the past. You just have to keep a watchful eye on Arwen, and things will be fine. 

- You two got along well. Arwen was used in riding classes, and the youngsters adored her, but sometimes she was used in vaulting, and you always found it fascinating to watch as her rider and other beginners did complex tricks on her back. You would never dare to do anything like that, especially the flips. 

- You have heard she had won several horse shows, and she was considered just as beautiful as Luthien, and the two are nearly a look alike. 

- Arwen enjoys it when you bring her on rides through the forest, especially with her family. These riding trips often lead to funny mishaps, such as taking a dip in the river or racing beneath the trees.

- However, you sometimes get an odd sensation of being watched when riding through the forests. It was a spooky feeling, and you do not know why, but sometimes, you think you can see a horse wandering behind the trees or hear its voice. Yet, when you investigate, you find nothing – it's as if you've seen a ghost.

- You shared your experience with Arwen's owner, and they revealed that they had similar incidents in the past. The owners of Elwing and Luthien had also mentioned feeling watched and followed in the woods in the news, hearing what sounded like a wild horse but never finding anything.

- It was so strange that you nearly believed Elrond’s family line was haunted or something. Arwen’s owner commented that perhaps it was the mystery mare watching over her descendants, but that was a too far-fetched theory for you to believe. However… you were never sure.  

- One salvation for her constant wandering arrived in the form of a stallion. You noticed Arwen had taken a strong liking toward a stallion named Aragorn. He’s a friendly horse with some past as a guard horse and came to Imladris for retirement, or so you heard.

- Arwen seemed pretty determined to get his attention, neighing, and Aragorn seemed to return the new feelings, and it was like a romance drama upholding behold you. Even though Aragorn sometimes seemed pretty shy around her. 

+7/10 She’s a headache on her own, but at least not a bad one like her brothers. Watching her unfolding romance drama is hilarious. 

Erestor

- The grumpy old stallion with a dark coat and white socks. He was the definition of being an old man in a horse body. He was a very beautiful horse, but his personality was something to work with. 

- He doesn’t give you trouble when it's time to go to the pastures or do his exercises, but he does seem to like to look at you and silently judge you. 

- He’s sometimes picky with the food and brushing, and if you end up on the wrong spot, he might give you the back ears and threaten to bite you. He doesn’t bite but takes a rough nibble, which does feel uncomfortable. But he does bite when you try to give him a bath though. 

- You first thought he hated you for some reason then his owner told you that’s just his personality. 

- They gave you a hint that if you put an online book with a narrator on for him to listen to, he will remain calm and focus on the story while you clean him even during bath times. It was odd when you first tried it but loved it when it worked. Surprisingly, even you got into it and found something you liked with Erestor. 

- Before brushing time, you would check on your phone and ask Erestor what he would like to listen to and he would give you a snort of the book he would like to listen to. 

- It turns out Erestor can be sweet and agreeable when you share a common interest. 

- Erestor has experience in show jumping and cross-country jumping. He was surprisingly calm when you decided to ride him. He didn’t scare anything or try to bite your feet. 

- He seems to like taking rides through the forests with other horses. But he will refuse to cross any river unless there is a bridge. You don’t even think he’s afraid of it, he just hates it. 

- He is sometimes pretty snappy toward other horses, especially toward one golden-colored horse that once came to visit. Glorfindel was his name you think. He’s pretty rough toward the twins, but Elrond and Celebrian he seems to respect. 

-8/10 he’s not so bad once you manage to get past his moody side. Doesn’t cause trouble and you like riding him. Bath time with him is awful thought. 

Lindir 

- Lindir is a soft chestnut-colored stallion with darker tones on his mane. He was new to the stable, so you didn’t know much about him. You only knew he was older than Elrond’s kids but younger than Elrond, Celebrian, and Erestor. 

- He was timid and reluctant to approach you when you started caring for him. 

- It was a challenge, but you quickly learned how his moods changed over things. First, he hated getting dirt on his coat, so keeping him clean was relatively easy, except when it was time to wash him after riding sessions. He hated water and made it difficult for you to get the sweat and dirt off his back. He was literally worse than Erestor when it came to bath time. 

- He was also picky about the food he ate. He had no problem eating grass and fruits when they were available, but when it came to feeding him any concentrates or minerals – there were suddenly several problems. 

- He would refuse to eat if there were too many pellets. He would kick the bucket away if there’s too little of a certain mineral. And he will not even touch the bucket if it's moisturized with water— even if it is good for him. 

- You had to contact his owner for details on the food after he refused to eat the food you prepared for three days straight. 

- His owner explained that he was quite strict about sticking to old routines and asked you to give him a couple of days to adjust to new things. He would eventually start eating different foods and become more lenient with you.

- His owner also told you to play music on your phone, and he will remain calm during washing times. 

- You nearly didn’t believe them till you played some classical music on your phone and watched how calm Lindir turned. 

- He was probably a musician in his past life since he focused on listening while you brushed and washed him. He would step away a couple of times but didn’t try running away like usual. 

- After that, you made sure to play music whenever it was time to clean him. 

- After some days passed, you managed to get past Lindir’s timidness and learned he was pretty affectionate. He got used to other horses and would sometimes bring you flowers and sticks he would find from the pasture.

- He mostly had been on horse shows and wasn’t experienced much in riding. 

- He was training to be another dressage horse, and his owner hoped he would get used to children and younger riders in riding classes, but after several incidents with children— he was pulled out from the list of horses for youngsters. 

- He grew to dislike children and younger riders, especially after being handled by a few rowdy ones. He would refuse unless there’s an adult to walk beside the kid. 

- Lindir also had a peculiar dislike toward ponies. 

- You are not entirely sure why, but he has a tendency to avoid them. It could be because the ponies can sometimes be rowdy and wild, but it still remained a mystery. 

- He does not have a problem with you riding him, but he sometimes gets easily startled, and you fall from his back. 

- You never fall badly or in a way where you injure yourself, but Lindir would feel bad and brood about it for a whole day. It would take his favorite treats, pets, and words of assurance for him to get back to his usual self. 

- He is a one peculiar horse. 

+8 / 10 He's pretty okay. Washing him is not a funny job, but he's not as difficult as Erestor or the twins. You enjoy listening to music with him, but he sometimes has a picky collection.

[annoyinglandmagazine]

Then They All Fell To Their Knees As He Raised His Fist Before He Spoke Chapter 1

Summary: Elrond decides fuck it and joins the fellowship of the ring. Sauron should be getting very worried right about now. Title from Hells Comin’ With Me because that’s kind of the vibe here.

He appraised those before him, many valiant warriors certainly, some with enough good in their hearts to perhaps fight the corruption. Maybe they would stand a chance, just maybe, of overcoming this darkness. They would have to he supposed, after all the age of the elves was coming to an end, his kind were dwindling after so many ages of loss, few remained on these shores and fewer still of the famed heroes renowned in song.

Even they were chiefly renowned in songs recounting their heroic deaths, their last stands, their attempt to fight against total despair just that, attempts; brave ones of course but…. The Elven heroes of song almost always failed, with particular emphasis on those coming from the house all three of his fathers belonged to who in their case were quite literally doomed, ‘to evil end shall all things turn that they begin well,’ summed it up quite succinctly he thought.

Now, Earendil had circumvented that Doom for himself but only by forsaking all else, an untold sacrifice of all he held dear and through incredibly fortunate timing that was unlikely to be replicated and they certainly couldn’t wait for. If there was hope to be found was it really to be found in those great heroes? Perhaps their time had truly passed, now their only role was to provide shelter and counsel to those who needed it and protect their own until the time came to sail.

Had they not already given enough to this Middle Earth? Now they were truly spent and the other kindred must finally learn to do this completely for themselves, they’d needed him less and less as the years wore on regardless, fewer travellers coming through as his house’s existence was occasionally forgotten to mortal memory . In a few more millennia it would be as if they’d never been there.

He was willing to see it done, the Fellowship of the Ring with the hobbit as Ring Bearer, least likely of all the kindred to be corrupted if Bilbo Baggins was any example to go by. He was willing to see it done until the youngest hobbit appeared from where he’d been observing proceedings and demanded to be included in the quest. Elrond knew he would not be able to turn him away, just as he and Elros could not have been made back down from bearing arms at what must be a comparable age.

How many times must this happen? How many would have to sacrifice their innocence for their safety, make such impossible decisions for those they loved? Could he truly let this continue, let more people continue to suffer as he and his brother did in a world torn apart by war? He could not in good conscience stop Pippin from fighting to save Middle Earth from subjugation or refuse him his loyalty to his friend but perhaps he could protect him as he hadn’t been protected.

If Earendil had broken the Doom through sacrifice Elrond would do it through sheer righteous fury. One thing the Noldor could not be criticised for was their lack of will to keep trying when all the odds and common sense were stacked against them. Besides, Luthien and Beren had won against Morgoth. Perhaps he could take some of those ‘whatever the opposite of cursed is’ genetics and combine it with the stubbornness and fury to end this once and for all.

He was definitely not doing the ‘and my weapon’ bit though. This was a time sensitive matter and it would take many more years than they had for him to list all the items he had on his person that would be considered weapons in his hands.

*****

They waited for Elrond to finalise it, surely he must say something, after all this was his council so it only followed that he would announce its end. He simply furrowed his brow, Frodo wondered if perhaps he had decided they may not have hope after all; if Elrond believed it was futile he wasn’t sure what they would do next. There was nowhere else to go, no one more likely to have all the answers.

After a tense moment’s pause Elrond rose to his feet, all eyes in the room waiting for him to voice his approval of the quest. He announced with suitable solemnity ‘You will be the Fellowship of the Ring.’

Gandalf nodded to Elrond in a private moment of conference, accepting the path that had been chosen. Then, for the first time in Frodo’s memory, Gandalf seemed genuinely taken aback when his old friend continued to speak, eyes widening in complete shock.

Elrond smiled at Frodo, with just as much kindness as he had before but an edge of something, of light and passion glinting in his silver eyes that Frodo hadn’t seen anywhere before. ‘I will accompany you on this quest also and give what assistance you may require to see it to its end.’

This was met with a moment of confused silence, no one quite knowing if they had understood correctly; it was one thing for a reckless young archer prince from Mirkwood to volunteer his services but elven lords- elven lords known for their scholarly and healing prowess at that- did not go on quests. They simply didn’t, they hadn’t for more generations than hobbits as a species had existed for, they hadn’t since the One Ring was new to the world.

Glorfindel was the first to recover his voice, ‘My- my lord are you certain?’

The advisor at his side, Erestor if Frodo remembered correctly, looked at him incredulously, distracted from the look of pure exhaustion he was sending towards Elrond, ‘Of course he’s certain. We hoped this day would never come but just look at him, he’s gone full Finwean. There is no way you’ll be able to get him to back down now.’

The look of pure terror that took hold of Glorfindel at these words, when he had shown not a trace of concern at those black riders, was staggering to behold as he swung around in his chair and stared at Elrond in horror, ‘Elrond- I beg you to think rationally. Please don’t do this.’

Elrond spoke gently, ‘Glorfindel, you needn’t worry, I can manage-’

Glorfindel exclaimed in despair ‘I’m not worried about you! You don’t understand, your family will kill me if you pull a Fingolfin. We’ve gotten so far, you can’t do this to me now.’

‘Glorfindel no one is going to hold you responsible. I’m several millennia old, they know I make my own decisions-’

‘Do you think that will be enough to hold off the Lady Idril if I tell her her only grandchild rode off to face Sauron the year he was meant to sail! That’s not even to start on if the Feanorians in Aman have recognised your adoption as making you a genuine heir to their house, they’ll tear people limb from limb! Starting with me!’

Erestor seemed much more calm about the whole thing, inquiring in a voice dripping with sarcasm, ‘Will you require a large hound of some kind? Since we seem to be resorting to plan L of our Last Alliance contingencies?’

Elrond did not pay him much heed and began to move on to other matters, ‘Arwen will take care of Rivendell, she’s more than capable.’ Here Gandalf shot Elrond a questioning look and Elrond nodded in response which seemed to both satisfy and surprise him going from a brief rise of the eyebrows.

‘And I have full faith my captain and counsellors will assist her should she need it. My sons will muster the Dunedain, they are not as many as they once were but I’m sure Aragorn can attest they may be of no small importance in the fight to come.’

‘Is there anything else?’

*******

By the end of the week Elrond had set as much in order as he could, organising a few packs, mostly comprised of whatever healing herbs he may struggle to forage for and anything he thought his companions likely to neglect, he had enough faith to know Aragorn would pack well but it was best to be cautious for the rest of them.

The hobbits were not used to such journeys and while they could be relied on to think of things that would be nowhere on anyone else’s list of priorities such as, from what some of his rather mystified kitchen staff had informed him, pots and pans, they may pass over more urgent matters such as tertiary blades in case they lost their first two. They would have packed at least two wouldn’t they? He’d heard the Shire was a peaceful place but surely not so peaceful they wouldn’t carry little knives in their boots just in case? Maybe it would be best he pack them five each as a precaution.

The old motions brought more memories back than he usually cared to respond to all at once, Maedhros drilling into him what he would need to have on him at all times, yes even while still in Amon Ereb you never knew when orcs could attack, grabbing the essentials from a camp that needed to be abandoned without a trace faster than anticipated.

He knew he was putting this off, it was a greater struggle than he should like to admit to relinquish the power Tyelpe’s last creation gave him; despite never seeking it out, to feel it leaving him, especially on the brink something that would require any reserves of strength he could call on, was no small thing.

The longer he left it the higher the likelihood he would manage to convince himself it was unnecessary when he knew how disastrous the consequences would be if one of the three left Rivendell, where it was safe from Sauron’s designs and protected this place that was so dear to him and would not survive without it.

He found Arwen by the shores of the Bruinen, the spray dancing about her hands as if it had already recognised her as its current mistress; perhaps it had. There was a melancholy air about her, an apprehensiveness; the fate of this quest certainly held more at stake for her than many others as now it would include both her love and her father in the balance.

He carefully slipped Vilya from his finger and gazed upon it for one last time, cradling in his palm the flawless work of one of the greatest smiths who had ever lived, his beloved, far too trusting, cousin, betrayed for his good nature by one he had let into his halls.

This was for him, for his Tyelpe and for his king who had pressed the ring into his hand, entrusting it to his keeping, in the bright dawn of the day he had ridden off never to return, a parting gift to the person he had loved most in the world, given with a chaste kiss to his hands.

This was for Celebrian, his wife who had endured horrific torment and suffering at their hands, who had been forced to leave by the vindictiveness of all that Sauron had created. This was for all of them, what they had begun must finally be called to completion, they must finally be able to see that it had not been for nothing, he would not sail and join those he loved until they could rest in the knowledge that Middle Earth was safe, that their tormentors were gone.

He could not hope to succeed if he allowed his desire for the power he could call on from this ring if situations left his control to cloud his judgement of what would truly be best for their goal. He must be able to trust that he was strong enough himself, if he was going to need to fall back on external power to save them once things got challenging there was no point in this entire endeavour.

So he smothered any lingering hesitancy and sat by his daughter’s side, holding the ring out before her. ‘I think it is time you take this, my daughter. It will give you the power to shelter this valley from those who would do it harm in my absence.’

She met his eyes and took it, watching for any hint of reluctance to relinquish it, cautious as he had taught her of the snare objects such as this held on those who possessed or coveted them. He watched her place it into her finger with a combination of many emotions but mostly an overwhelming sense of pride.

She closed her eyes and he could feel her mind pushing out cautiously around her, prodding her and there and embedding herself into the valley’s fabric, the force of the river setting in her consciousness with the throb of her heart, the earth beneath her bursting into bloom quite suddenly with the excess of power flowing through her veins and spilling out in the form of a few new rose bushes on the river bank.

The valley may have been reluctant to accept another guardian after so long, even one who was in many ways familiar to it, so to intertwine with it fully Arwen only needed a little push. Elrond’s heart was somewhat lighter after discovering that the process did not push him out of alignment but only have her settle in beside him, even without Vilya he could feel the hum of the valley around him as he had before.

He was also much relieved that he hadn’t been relying on the ring as much as he’d feared, hadn’t become complacent enough to forget years of training and he felt his- well Galadriel didn’t like to call her own abilities magic but he was less certain about that matter in his case, as, he believed, was she though she hid it well- was as honed as ever, restless and waiting for a chance to be set free on it’s unfortunate enemy.

When Arwen opened her eyes at last her eyes were wide and shining, reeling from what she felt coursing through her, suddenly having things that she had only glimpsed in her father’s eyes her entire life at her fingertips in a single moment. She had most likely never looked more like Luthien Tinuviel, the certain sense of the otherworldly enhanced to a degree rarely seen in those with as slight Maia heritage as her.

‘Ada, I,’ she blinked rapidly trying to carry a train of thought through when bombarded by that of so many in the valley’s at once than she was used to, finally setting for a disbelieving, ‘Is this how you feel all the time?’

Elrond chuckled, ‘You get used to it my dear.’

‘Really?’

‘Just give it a few thousand years.’ The glare she gave him was met with perhaps less cowering and a good deal more chuckling than she would have liked.

[shrikeseams]

When you skim through the B&L silm chapter to check something and--

[Huan] brought [Luthien] to Celegorm, and Lúthien, learning that he was a prince of the Noldor and a foe of Morgoth, was glad; and she declared herself, casting aside her cloak. So great was her sudden beauty revealed beneath the sun that Celegorm became enamoured of her; but he spoke her fair, and promised that she would find help in her need, if she returned with him now to Nargothrond. By no sign did he reveal that he knew already of Beren and the quest, of which she told, nor that it was a matter which touched him near.

...Luthien really did not give two fucks about politics, huh? Anything anyone ever said about the Noldor in her presence just went in one ear and out the other. Like, she apparently couldn’t link the name of one of the major Noldor princes, who ruled some of the territory RIGHT NEXT DOOR to Doriath, to either his faction or the fact that HE IS A KINSLAYER. She doesn’t care about Iathrim-Noldor political tensions because she never notices that said tensions exist.

...You know what, maybe I WILL accept interpretations where Dior didn’t anticipate the second kinslaying, but ONLY because he inherited his mother’s political acumen.

[marchwardenofmordor]

Introducing my newest Silm OC (he’s based in canon!)

For the sake of showing you his face, I created him in BG3 character creator.

Funny looking for an elf, isn’t he? There’s a reason for his pallor.

So for those who aren’t familiar, in the first age, the Feanorians were horrifcally dead set on getting those Silmarils. A sweet guy named Dior - who was the fairest creature in the world, made up of elven blood, human blood and the essence of the maiar - ruled Doriath after Thingol. He had three children with Nimloth of Doriath: Elwing (Elrond’s mother), and two twin boys; Eluréd and Elurín.

During the Second Kinslaying (in which the Feanorians sieged Doriath for the silmaril previously possessed by Dior’s mother, Luthien), Dior and Nimloth were murdered, and Celegorm’s servants cruelly took the twin boys into the woods and left them there to starve and die. Maedhros later came back to look for them, but they were lost.

This is where the canon ends and the OC shenanigans begin:

One of those boys survived and ate the other after he succumbed to the elements.

The twin who survived fended for himself, feral, naked, and far away from civilisation. As he matured, his nightly torments attracted the attention of the Lady of Shadows, Sauron’s messenger, Thuringwethil, the vampire.

She watched him from a distance and slowly seduced him, before squirrelling him away to Tol Sirion - Tol-in-Gaurhoth / The Isle of Werewolves, where she subsequently sired him, possessive of him and keeping him a well-guarded secret, longing for the company of another vampire. It was his memories of cannibalism that drew her attention, and it was through those memories that she seduced him, expressing that she knew he had tasted the flesh of his kin at a young age, and that there was nothing to be ashamed of.

Thuringwethil, however, was not completely heartless, and sensing that Anlanchon (as he was named, for his nudity) was unhappy in Tol-in-Gaurhoth, she unleashed him upon the world.

When the Third Kinslaying came about, he took out his vengeance on the servants of Celegorm and the other Feanorians, killing as many of them as he could before the break of dawn. His primary target, however (Maedhros, whom he feared), was already far away, and with the help of Maglor, seized his sister, Elwing’s, children after she was felled - Elrond and Elros, whom Maglor then raised as his own.

He is Elrond’s grumpy vampiric uncle, and looks more like Dior and Beren than Luthien, Nimloth and Elwing. He chose to live as an elf rather than a human.

Due to his change of name and the fact that he fled East towards the Greenwood to live as a Silvan elf, not many people are aware of his lineage. What could possibly give him away, though, is the fact that he is still in possession of his chain bearing the symbol of Doriath.

A royal mystery. There were even headstones and statues erected to mark the passing of Elúred and Elurín. Nobody knows he exists.

Despite being ‘naked’ in his demeanour (and sometimes physically, despising the texture of clothing), he fits in relatively well with the Silvan elves and goes completely undetected. He’s deemed ‘eccentric’ or a ‘bit odd’ at most. To blend in further, he even smears his hair, eyebrows and eyelashes with natural brownish-red dye to offset the red of his eyes and make them appear more brown, so he simply looks like a brunette with brown eyes, with a slightly sickly pallor, which gains him the kind-of privileges and both the upsides and downsides of someone who is chronically ill.

He’s infiltrated Thranduil’s court (having followed him, knowing Oropher as a loose acquaintance), and is very subtle and passes easily under the radar, just going about his business and duties in the dark comfort of the halls, his work never requiring him to step outside into the sun… and he only picks off those who won’t be missed. He hasn’t sought a position of power or attention (such as advisor or head of anything); he’s just a lowly servant.

He doesn’t like those of feanorian descent, and from Thuringwethil’s accounts, he also doesn’t like Sauron or his affiliations. There are very few people he actually likes (Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen being a few of them, of course; he sometimes uses magic to ‘check in’ on them every so often). He’s appeared to Arwen and Aragorn a few times to help them whilst in disguise (he shouldn’t have favourites, but he does because they remind him of his grandparents, Beren and Luthien).

(I headcanon that he gave Arwen his chain, and told her to keep it hidden, keep it safe, and to use it to “find him” if she was ever in trouble. Elrond has never seen the chain, but if he did, he would recognise the seal and immediately become suspicious.)

Some inspiration I’ve taken for his character:

- Richard III and the Princes in the Tower

- Prince Aegon Targaryen/Blackfyre

- Jaqen H’Ghar, the Faceless Man

[raointean]

Funniest responses* to the "What does "Mary Sue/Gary Stu" mean?" question

(In reference to my silmarillion fandom linguistics project, the results of which you can find in my "survey says" tag)

*not necessarily the full response, some are just fragments from longer responses. Also, I'm not filtering by "correct" or "incorrect" responses

Like a China doll that has been polished so much it’s face has worn off.

an overly idealized self-insert, one who exerts a black-hole like effect on the surrounding story and characters

Typically a derisive term.

It's like, an OC in a fic who is written to be "too perfect". All the canon characters fall in love romantically or platonically with the Sue/Stu, and they're given uncompelling and unexplainable abilities to solve all problems and be better than anyone else in the story. Often associated with self-insert OCs.

Everyone likes them. They're often instantly good at anything they try. The narrative's darling

Mary Sues are way more common than Gary Stus because people like to shit on girls having fun i guess

even my mom has heard about this one)

Often has a tragic backstory and unusual physical features

Very op character, too flawless (luthien)

OC

often this is used pejoratively against self-insert characters

everyone likes them (except the villain for arbitrary reasons)

Originated from Star Trek fan fiction

May have a comically tragic backstory. Usually in a relationship with the authors favorite character. May be a canon character a fan author has twisted beyond recognition.

Annoyingly perfect female protagonist (Mary Sue been used to mock and belittle stories about women. I've never seen Gary Stu in actual use: male characters with the exact same abilities are just 'strong')

Unrealistic, overpowered, or flawless main character, usually assumed to be a self-insert for the author. However some of the best characters are Sues and Stus, so the term is considered not very nuanced

has little canonical reason for being Like That excepting that it makes the author happy.

A term for an overpowered wish-fulfillment avatar

with a host of "desirable" traits (lustrous hair, shining eyes (sorry I mean orbs))

Overpowered perfect character in a bad story; always negative

Sweet harmless prim rule-following vanilla

super over powered oc who the plot revolves around usually female sometimes self-insert blah blah misogyny. i don't think this term should hold much weight.

idealised character, probably original. Think it was invented by people who enjoyed bullying younger writers on LJ

Batman, gender swapped, would be accused of being a Mary Sue.

they have no flaws except that "theyre just too perfect and thats hard uwu (sad face)"

Sue if female, Stu if male

An OC who is better at everything than the existing characters, unusually beautiful, and often "fixes" all the difficult/sad parts of the plot by Being Amazing and Knowing Everything. Usually written by immature writers. "Tenth Walker" fics and "So-and-so's other/secret daughter" fics are nearly always "Mary Sue" stories. (Also a phrse that gets thrown at any interesting and powerful female character by insecure and sexist men.)

Overpowered (often self insert) character that is loved by everyone

The feminine is much more often used, because sexism

I think the term was often used in a very demeaning way in the past, but it can still be s useful term in modern fandom

Self-insert in an overdone, heroine kind of way. Was originally a derogatory term, but diesnt really have much reason to be.

overpowered, flawless character who has reasonable justification for every Really Stupid decision they make

warp the plot and other characters around them due to their need to be The Most Awesome

Also Feanor

(and also no one ever wants to admit canon characters are already Like That, especially in comics)

for example, a girl's only "flaw" is that she's so small and petite she needs help from the big strong male character. This could be developed into a "serious" flaw with her easily becoming codependent, but with a Mary Sue, this idea would not be pursued (#226)

As for Gary Stus, I think I would also consider a male character a Gary Stu who NEVER shows emotion but still gets the girl in the end. (#226 cont.)

I think the terms are very gender stereotypical in their nature so it kind of makes sense that the descriptions I gave play into those same stereotypes - not to say this shouldn't be questioned, but when I'm asked to define a Mary Sue/Gary Stu, it's very connected to gender stereotypes to me. (#226 cont.)

self-inserty character... over cool

Special Origins (mixed race, super powers, one of a kind etc)

Term used by haters to criticize a character they interpret to lack flaws but without having to do any literary analysis.

A negative connotation word about a character who is unbelievably talented

not every op character is a ms/gs, only the ones that are perfect

(disproportionately applied to women)

someone with a level of pilot-armor so thick it breaks immersion

Bunnies hop at their feet. Darkness flies before their sunny aura. And then everyone appplauds

A self insert character with a protagonist halo

Practically perfect in every way

usually get a romance with The Blorbo

You're asking for an essay here...

Often feels like someone's first D&D character.

considering the source material, I wouldn't use it for a silm fic

I kind of enjoy these sometimes lol

A self insert in a fandom who is you but the idealized version to an unintentionally hilarious degree, often to the point of being awkward and poorly written, “passed off” as an OC

Often associated with preteens (writers and characters)

Central common traits include lack of consequences, unjustified competence or skill, and poor social skills.

what if i was the coolest person on earth

The "Oh, yeah? Well, I have a shield that can block laser bolts" of fiction.

An OC who is too perfect/has no flaws, usually written by someone just starting out

OC thats a bit... inept at doing things in their New World

similar to the og star trek fanfic Mary Sue

there has been criticism in recent years of the term Mary Sue being used in a misogynist (and just plain mean) fashion

& occasionally parenthood.

/ refers to the fact that these two people are portrayed to be in some sort of relationship in the fic

The tea is SMOKING, y'all! 🍵

[radioactive-earthshine]

I don't know if this is a weird question, but have you ever thought about how konbart would fit into a lord of the rings or more fantasy setting

I have thought about Kon and Bart (and DC in general) in a strict Tolkien AU and the thing is, it got so wildly different from DC canon I was basically making OC Tolkien characters by that point because there are some things that just fundamentally don't mesh well.

I did however settle that Kon was absolutely some sort of critter created by Melkor - he's Melkor's attempt to try and create one of the Ainur from scratch via fantasy-esque science that we already have in Tolkien. Naturally, he couldn't do it exactly how he wanted and he needed to borrow material to start with (Clark's Tolkien equivalent which I have noted being a special kind of Ainur that had perished somehow except for him).

Kon's origins to start are a pretty big unknown, I'm not entirely sure if he was made in Utumno or Angband but he was 100% created. I couldn't work in his exploitation really but his personhood is always questioned because "can anything Melkor have made really be alive?"

Clark shut that down damn fast and he's respected enough people listen, but still Kon is sort of held at arm's length and has to frequently 'prove' himself.

I feel like in any 'fantasy' setting Kon would have some sort of origin like that in that he is a being that was created from magic or science, alchemy or necromancy so it leaves a wide range of origins to play around with.

For Bart specifically in Tolkien it gets a little hazy because Bart's comic origins involve time travel. The Lord of the Rings are not strict staunch fantasy stories, particularly not the Silmarillion where there are a lot of science fiction elements - Tolkien was a fan of science fiction and he had a delightful way of interpreting science fiction themes or blending them within fantasy elements.

For Bart... He is 100% from the future, but he's like, from more than 1000 years in the future, he's from more like 100,000+ years in the future because the time difference between ages in Tolkien already can be several thousand years old.

Bart is the same sort of critter that Luthien was but leaned heavily on his Ainur side - he's more Ainur than whatever his second half is (I am undecided) but he really can move like the wind and he dances like light on water.

Ainur do not know what to do with him.

As for his back story I have it scribbled down (tentatively) that he was born just before the end of days in an age where Valinor (for whatever reason) was reintegrated with the physical world. It was an age of peace and unity where technology and nature existed in harmony and unity and all sentient beings worked with each and loved each other - where Quendi that had long since faded due to life wariness now found comfort and joy in life and the Ainur were content to see that what they helped create so long ago really was that beautiful.

Then Melkor came back back out of the void walking around on his stupid little stump legs (<- that's in my notes) and decided to fuck things up.

I don't know how it happened or why but Bart was sent back in time by [redacted] because he's a special boy that Melkor would either kill outright the moment he got ahold of him or would try and manipulate him. So naturally the most logical solution was to send him back in time to the... (checks notes).... First Age... where Melkor is alive???

To be fair they didn't want to send him the First Age, they wanted to send him back only maybe 1000 years but they hadn't really tested this technology and perhaps there are other forces at play and poor Bart ended up in the First Age with his mind a little bit scrambled from the trip.

Max does end up taking him in in this, he's one of the quendi that refused to leave Cuivienen period or go West, he's one of the Avari. He's unsure what to do with Bart really at first but Bart's still a teen when he shows up, and he's in need, so he resigns himself to helping him and they bond. I have a note here about an agreement with Nessa allowing Bart to stay with Max only IF Bart stays there and doesn't leave, there's an implication that they also fear Melkor getting a hold of him.

In a basic more generic fantasy setting Bart can be fun to play with I think but I believe him being something distinctly not human is a must - the more impish the better and I personally think leaning on him being a refugee and being lonely is a plus. ANYWAY how KonBart happen in this AU that is turning more into just an original story at this point because we've broken so many rules and stretched canon thin - Bart doesn't meet Kon until he's actually a few centuries old, which means little to most everyone at this time.

How they meet is Bart decides to, impulsively, go West anyway breaking the agreement Max made with Nessa because he got tired of being there and he wanted to see his kin. Bart doesn't have any context for Kon and just thinks he's amazing and fascinating and he makes him feel less alone.

I don't have anything else for this Tolkien AU kjfnjkrbfe

As for a more generic fantasy setting I haven't gone too far because fantasy can be such a broad range I would need like, a world bible FIRST then build from that; what species exist, is magic a thing, what are the fundamental rules etc etc etc.

I'm not sure if any of this makes sense or is what you were looking for but this is all I have and all subject to change.

[neldeathstar]

Hey, question, was Mairon pregnant durning the Luthien incident. If so what happened. Also how did melkor react to Mairon being hurt by haun

(Headcanon) No :)- all of their children have already been born long before the Luthien incident. Melkor is always upset and looking for revenge when he hears about Mairon being hurt, but he also knows that no one can truly harm him, cause he's immortal as a Maia. As long as Melkor exists he can always get Mairon back..except Eru himself would destroy him.

[theelvenhaven]

Sickening Plan

Celegorm x Reader

2.9k Words

Warnings: Emotional cheating, drinking, alcohol, attempted manipulation and gaslighting, angsty.

A/N: Unrequested work. So since I posted a headcanon for Friday I am adding a fic for Monday. Hope you all enjoy and shout out to my beta readers @batsyforyou and @fandomhoe101 for helping me with this piece and giving me feedback

 * * * 

Fury didn’t begin to describe what it was you were feeling as you entered in your office, a bottle of wine in hand. You wanted to get away from your so called partner as you closed the door with control. Careful not to slam it, not really wanting to draw gossip nor your partner to attention. They had brought here a Doriathan princess, the beautiful Luthien… And it was apparent to you that Celegorm was certainly of the same thoughts and far from caring about how you felt about the whole situation. 

You could tell from the look in his pale blue eyes that he was smitten with her, taken by her beauty and grace. Her soft spoken voice, with a firmness in it. Hair that was inky dark like a long cascade of a starless night, who Huan had taken a liking to it would appear. A Lady who was here on their invitation, and utterly kind. It certainly put her father to shame as you had listened to her plight when she first arrived. 

It wasn’t her beautiful and fair appearance that bothered you, or how long and pretty her black hair was. It wasn’t that she was perfect in appearance nor her kindness and gentle voice that irked you and festered beneath your skin. It was none of those things that was making you feel rage towards her. Then again as you thought about it, you weren’t really vengeful and angry towards Luthien. How could you be? When all she wanted to be was with the love of her life, Beren. 

No it was none of those things. 

What infuriated you was the conversation you had overheard Celegorm having with Curufin in their studies. Wanting to meet back up with them after you spoke to Luthien, to thank them for being so kind and at ease with her. For taking her in and trying to figure out how to assist her in her plight to find the man of her dreams so she could wed him and be together. 

It was the fact that Celegorm seemed to droll on about her beauty and even going on to compare you to her that was your problem. Bringing you to have paused right outside the door as the words just seemed to spill out of his mouth like a broken faucet. It had made ice run through your veins at the reverence he spoke of about her, and it made an ache start in your chest. But you had felt rooted in your spot, listening as Curufin went on to suggest marrying Luthien to Celegorm.

You had waited for him to deny it, to turn down the idea. Because he loved you right? You and Celegorm had been together for quite some time, it was logical those next steps should be considered between the two of you and not between him and Luthien. Yet Celegorm had chimed in all too quickly about accepting the idea. With Curufin rattling off a list of pro’s though Celegorm told him he hadn’t needed it. That being with such a beautiful elleth was motivation enough. 

Now here you were, sitting at your desk in your study. A decanter of wine almost completely drained and your glass of wine was filled to the brim, easily on your second very full glass. Already starting to feel warm and fuzzy, though fury continued to come in waves, ebbing and flowing as you continued to think on how readily Celegorm was going to abandon you for her. 

Your mind wanted to be angry with Luthien, to yell at her. To demand that she leave this instance, to tell her how she was terrible and temptation for already spoken for men and ellyn alike. But as you thought of her and her plight and her current quest, you felt the rage dampen towards her. You couldn’t possibly be mad at her for just existing, for having been in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

On the other hand when you thought of Celegorm and all the years you had been together, and how much you had loved him. Still loved him and thought that he was your one… Yet he was going to squander it all away for Luthien. Someone he barely knew… You were seeing red, all you could do was pick up your wine glass with care and take a generous swallow or two from it. Letting the dry wine and its bitterness slide down your throat as you glared up at the ceiling before setting it back down. 

Hearing the sound of your office door open and to your displeasure, the source of your fury stepped in. Celegorm looked at you with bright eyes, almost as if he was eager to see you. Before they trailed to the glass on the desk in front of you, 

“Partying this early in the evening?” He quipped out in amusement as he shut the door behind himself. You watched as his stupid face seemed to have a smug smirk on it, watching him fold his arms over his chest. Your eyes sharply glanced at him with a tight frown pulling at your lips, before you picked the glass back up, you were certainly going to need another bottle… 

“And without me at that. What’s the occasion?” He asked, moving to grab a chair, dragging it around the desk to come sit in front of the chair that you were slumped back in. Your hand angrily piddling at the hem of your robes, as a tick set in your jaw. Celegorm sat down and you watched as some of the smugness was wiped off his face, picking up the decanter with a quarter cup of wine left in the bottom. Pulling the top from it and taking a swig. 

There was a long moment of silence as the two of you stared at one another. You were still so angry and you couldn’t believe that he was pretending like nothing was the matter. As though he wasn’t conspiring with Curufin to marry Luthien. Like he didn’t worship the very ground she walked upon and they only just met. It took you a long moment to take a deep breath to rein in your fury before you took a breath. Opening your mouth to speak. 

“Well Lord Celegorm,” You addressed in a drunken callousness, feeling emboldened by the wine you had drunk. “It would appear I am celebrating your upcoming nuptials.” 

A look of confusion crossed his features for a moment, before you watched another stupid smirk cross his lips. You wanted to wipe it off his face so bad, you hated it. You were angry. The realization coming to you as the fact that if that was going to be his upcoming nuptials… Then it wasn’t going to be a mutual agreement. Not with how hard Luthien was set on Beren. 

“My upcoming nuptials?” He quipped back, leaning back in his chair, spreading his legs comfortably as he rested the decanter casually on his thigh. Gripping the neck of it with his fist, he tilted his head, with blond hair spilling over his shoulder. 

“Is this your way of proposing? I must say I always pictured being the one to do it and you being less angry with me for it.” Celegorm said in amusement, and you narrowed your eyes as you watched the sense of pride that seemed to fill him at the idea of this being some kind of backwards proposal. You definitely weren’t proposing and did he think you were stupid? To not know what it was he and Curufin were planning? To marry him off to Luthien. And he wanted to be! 

“Going to be hard to accept my proposal if you are already engaging yourself to Luthien, don’t you think?” This time there was satisfaction that filled you as you watched the way the smile seemed to leave his face. The way his pride seemed to deflate and a more scornful look found his face, ah there it was. Finally something other than pride and smugness. It was refreshing. You were looking for an argument at this point. 

It wasn’t like you to get drunk like this, you knew drinking your problems was a bad idea. Always was it. But you didn’t know what else to do, and so you had let yourself- literally- marinate in the wine. Letting everything fester. Now you wanted to take it out on him for betraying you. You were hurt. 

“What are you talking about?” Celegorm asked with a stiffness to his voice that he used when he was lying to you about something and was caught red handed. It was a rare thing for him to lie to you about something but not these days it seemed. Not when they were spent skulking around with Curufin, who was encouraging Celegorm to shut you out. Now he had successfully found a way to do it to you. 

“Do you think I am a fool? To not know what you and Curufin were speaking of earlier?” You pressed in a bitter tone, your hand holding the stem of the wine glass. Turning it slowly on top of the table top as you ground your teeth. You heard Celegorm release a big huff at your words, scoffing even and you knew he was rolling his eyes. 

“You don’t know the whole nature of that conversation, nor do you have all the details.” 

“Oh I heard enough.” You barked back, “I heard plenty about how perfect Luthien was, about how beautiful she was, that she was even prettier than I was. Or about how wonderful she smelled, or how her skin was softer and more perfect than mine.” You glared as you spoke every word to him, a sharp look finding his face yet he couldn’t get his eyes to look up at you and meet your gaze. 

“She’s so beautiful Curvo, she makes Y/N pale in comparison.” You quoted in a mocking voice, gesturing with your freehand with gusto, bringing up your wine glass to drink from. 

“You don’t know the extent of the conversation or what brought it up for me to say those things.” Celegorm countered, leaning back in his chair still. Watching you shift uncomfortably as you cast your gaze away rolling your own eyes and shaking your head. Your hand coming back down to your robes to pick at again. 

“Oh? Really? Are you going to tell me you lied to your own brother?” You scoffed with a sneer on your lips, and you watched a stoic look crossing his features. You didn’t know how it was he could so easily fool others and lie to Finrod. (Which you often fought him on). Yet with you, you could see through all his lying. Celegorm was lying to you. 

“Yes, I did in fact.” 

“I don’t believe you. You’re lying.” Again Celegorm huffed out at your words, he hated that you could see through him. Though he wasn’t going to hint at that to you. You only knew he regretted getting caught saying those things. 

“What about you? What were you doing eavesdropping on a conversation that was private?” Celegorm retorted, trying to twist and turn this back onto you. A defense mechanism to try and take the heat off of himself from you. Yet you weren’t going to buy into the bait, nor were you going to argue. They had summoned you to be there when you finished speaking with Luthien. 

“Don’t change the subject!” You quipped, “Are you or are you not going to marry her?” 

There was a long and uncomfortable silence, and while he gave you a poker face… His lack of quickness to deny that was the plan proved to you that was what his intentions were with her. He was going to force her into a marriage with him, just as Eol had forced Aredhel, and it was sickening. You couldn’t believe that he was going to go through with this!

“You’re sick!” You said bitterly, forcibly scooting your chair away from him, and standing from your spot. You grabbed your wine glass, walking around the oak desk to be on the opposite end of the room. Feeling his hand coming to grab your upper arm to stop you. 

“Wait! Y/N let me explain!” Celegorm said in a firm and deep voice, but you sneered up at him. Feeling the ground sway some beneath your feet and how light headed you were feeling from the alcohol. You wanted to sit again and enjoy the warm fuzzies, that were trying to dampen the immense rage you felt swelling in your chest. To be done with this conversation because you had heard enough from him. 

“What is there to explain?” You all but yelled at him, raising your voice. You were furious. You didn’t want to hear anymore of this sickening plan. He had hurt you enough with what all he had to say comparing you to Luthien. Now he was going to marry her. He was throwing you away so easily.

“It is only in vows! Not through binding of our fea!” He retorted out just as quickly, yet none of it made it any better. If anything it felt infinitely worse hearing that!

“So what? You’ll marry us both? Have two spouses? When bigamy is against our beliefs and not possible!?” You began pulling yourself roughly from his grip on your arm, sloshing some wine over your glass and into the floor. You watched as Celegorm simply took a step back away from you, balling up his fist but keeping it at his side. You weren’t fearful that he would hurt you. 

You had enough arguments with him to know that he wouldn’t. Even now with him being an absolute idiot and having to actually be accountable for his shitty behavior as of late, Celegorm wouldn’t lay a finger on you. 

“Yes, I still plan on marrying you. It is a show! To get Thingol to bend to our will!” 

“How is that better!?” You asked suddenly, “How is that supposed to make me feel better!? When I am the only one you are supposed to be with!” This time your voice rang off the stone walls that surrounded you and you didn’t care who it was that might be passing by and hear you. You were fed up with whatever this sick and twisted plan was, all to try and get Thingol in their pocket. As they had not even attempted to make conversation with the King of Doriath even once. 

“We are going to be together!”

“No! I am not going to bend to this sick and twisted plan that you two have concocted!” You said to him angrily, because there wasn’t anything on Arda or Ea that was going to let you give into this plan. You wanted nothing to do with it at all. It was time for Celegorm to make a choice. 

“You have a choice Celegorm. It’s either me or it’s her.” You hiccuped out, bringing your glass up to sip as you took another step back from him. You could maybe forgive the things he said… Maybe make him apologize for it for the next 100 years and then some. You knew he would, as Celegorm could be impulsive and stupid. His words not yours. Often you didn’t let the excuse he created to be what you used to ignore his mistakes. 

You didn’t want to lose him, no matter how badly those words made your chest ache when you thought back on them. You wanted to make the exception because you feared what life was like without him… Then again you were ready to abandon this life for something new even if it was scary. You weren’t going to be tied to him while he was tied to Luthien forcibly. 

There was a tense silence, and for once you didn’t want to jump to conclusions about what it was he was thinking. You wanted him to be actually considering his options and the consequences they had. Specifically the hair-brained plan that he was going to marry Luthien and you. Or choosing Luthien over you. 

“Y/N.” Celegorm said in a calm voice, taking a step forward to be near you. It made your heart begin to pound with some hope. Looking up at him with a more soft expression, waiting for him to finish his words,

“I can’t choose. This must be done.” He answered in a surprisingly soft voice, and immediately your face soured. You had let your hope grow too immense, and now it was shattered. You felt the returning ache in your chest, the way your heart fell into the pit of your stomach. You were hurt that he wouldn’t choose you over this plan or over Luthien. 

“Fine. If you can’t make the choice then I will.” You answered him bitterly, 

“I’m done Celegorm. We are done.” You said, turning on the ball of your foot and making your way to the door. 

“Y/N!” He called out behind you, there was the slight sound of panic on his voice as you heard him start after you. But you didn’t stop. You were finished. If he wanted to go through with this plan, well then you would make it easy for him. You weren’t going to be tacked on so callously like an extra perk. You were supposed to be his spouse. Not Luthien. 

If you weren’t good enough for Celegorm now, then you knew you’d never be good enough. So with that you slammed the office door behind you. Only to hear the sound of glass shattering meet your ears.

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Tags: @saviorsong @lilmelily @dicksoutformtl @fandomhoe101 @celebrimbor-telperinquar​ @red-riding @miriel-estelwen @ta-ka-shi-ma @nerdysimpy @thegirlwithoutaname87​ @anunexpectedsideblog​ @spidergirla5​ @eunoiaastralwings​ @eternalabysss​  @noldorinpainter​

[symphonyofsilence]

Here are the ages of the Finweans and Luthien in relation to each other according to the Annals of Aman:

(Of course, there are different versions of the events, and in the version of PoME Míriel dies when Fëanor is an adult so he must be much older than his siblings. But it's an early version and the dates here are the latest version. The one that we got in the Silmarillion. And IMHO, they also make the most sense cuz otherwise, Fëanor must have been fighting someone around the age of his children. And it would not be very likely for Maedhros and Fingon, and Celegorm, Curufin, and Aredhel to be so close)

the elves reach adolescence at 50 and adulthood at 100 and marry only after that. (in the NoME, it's said they mostly marry at around 200, but in the same book, it's said that Galadriel must have been around 2880 years old at the time of the flight of the Noldor. Finrfin would have been approximately 3081. meaning that Finarfin had been 201 when his last child was born, so he must have married young.) So at 21, Feanor would have been a little kid when Fingolfin was born. (Findis would have already been born. But we don't know when), and at 61, he would have been a teenager when his youngest sibling, Finarfin was born.

It's said that Feanor married early in his youth (I'm getting the vibe that all of the sons of Finwe wanted to get the hell out of that home ASAP) but we don't have an exact age. But we know that he'd be above 100. So Finarfin would be +39 years older than Feanor's firstborn. and Finarfin is the youngest of Feanor's siblings, so. all of the sons of Fëanor would be younger than all of their aunts and uncles.

Luthien was 10 years younger than Fingolfin and 30 years older than Finarfin. These are not large numbers on the elven scale. (So, Celegorm was trying to marry someone around his uncle's age, not much younger than his father. But they hardly had the most age difference when Thingol married someone who had existed forever and is older than time, and Beren, Tuor, Andreth, and Aragorn are people that existed in the ME.)

Also an interesting detail:

This rate of growth is later changed to 50:1 due to "The Maeglin problem" (and many other problems I might say. like Earendil & Elwing having children at 0.32 y/o)

But according to this earlier rate (144:1), Feanor (who died at 3142) and Fingolfin were 21 when they rebelled against the Valar & came to Middle-earth. Meaning they've only just reached MLDA in the United States. Which....explains a lot.

[lodessa]

Hi, how about 7, 13 and 29 from the RoP ask game?

7. What minor character would you like to see more of? 

RoP is honestly stretched pretty thin already in terms of having too many characters, locations, and plots to do justive to any of them, but I really would like to see more of Cirdan.

13. There is a lot of music in Tolkien. What character would you wish to sing in RoP? What would they sing about? To whom?

In past seasons, I feel like it would have made sense for Halbrand to get caught singing something that should have clued Galadriel in to the fact that he was not who she thought or I would have really loved to see Adar singing something that was another little easter egg about his possible original origin.

Moving forward, I feel like there's something to be done with the existing Tolkien song about Luthien and Beren and either cross cutting it to show all the different descendants on the show or as a moment of connection in person between Elrond and Elendil or one of Elendil's kids.

29. Describe your favourite character using three emojis

Since you did Elendil, I am going to go with Miriel

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