#calarphain (oc)

[angbands-last-hero]

[vinyatar]

Calarphain for @the-journey-was-the-point :]

[the-journey-was-the-point]

Steeping

This one's a sort of feel-good distant sequel to this fic! I felt some healing was in order after how intense the previous one was XD

There's a lot of details I'm not sure of yet, so I glossed over some of them ^^"

Summary: While recovering in the blessed realm (after disastrously trying to turn himself into a wraith), Callonduin attempts to make amends with someone he had a falling out with. (Takes place in the Fourth Age after Elrond sails) Relationships: Elrond & Callonduin (a dynamic I don't mention often!)

When Elrond entered his library in Valinor, kettle of boiling water in hand, he sensed a presence hiding nearby. Keeping his wits about him despite knowing he was safe in these lands, he began to prepare a pot of tea.

“There's no need to hide,” he said, spooning fragrant leaves into the teabag. “My schedule is clear nowadays. I will entertain company.”

“I didn't think you'd want to see me so early into your retirement.”

The former Lord of Imladris stalled in his movements, recognizing his guest’s voice. He turned to see none other than Callonduin Gladhellon standing partially obscured by the door to the balcony. Elrond regarded the other Elf’s appearance, noting the light blue robes worn by the patients of the healing halls not far from where he and his wife settled. Callonduin’s dark brown hair fell loose past his chest, neither braided nor adorned. Though he kept a docile expression, Elrond didn’t miss the slight pinch to his features, and the way he pulled at the sleeve of one arm.

The last time Elrond saw him, the younger Elf was flitting in and out of the Seen world, a wraith’s shriek tearing out of his throat. 

Callonduin broke eye contact for a moment and licked his lips. “We uhm... didn't part on good terms.” He brought his gaze back to Elrond, this time more resolute. “If you're open to it, I'd like to iron things out. Say my piece. Then I’ll leave you alone. Forever, if you like.”

Elrond said nothing, instead beckoning Callonduin forward with his hand. 

The younger Elf entered, though he maintained a relatively large distance between himself and his former Lord. 

“I'm sorry for what I did,” Callonduin began. “You didn't deserve that. Your family didn't deserve that. You had nothing to do with Calarphain's death, but I wanted to hurt you anyway, and that was real shitty of me.” 

Callonduin spoke with a rehearsed eloquence, yet there was a meekness and uncertainty to his tone. Elrond chose not to respond for the moment, remembering the events that led up to their falling out, and letting the younger’s apology wash over him. 

“Also... Rivendell's great.” Feeling like his time to speak was running out, Callonduin hastily decided to add anything else he’d like to say should this be the last time he got to speak to Elrond. “It was a privilege to grow up there. And I know I don't need to tell you but, you did a good job. I don't do well with authority… but you're alright. I wouldn't have served any other.”

Elrond nodded and found himself swallowing a lump in his throat. “I appreciate your words more than you think,” he said sincerely. “Only I wish it had been in my power, and my realm's, to give you what you needed. So it wouldn't have ended the way it did.”

Callonduin shrugged, feeling none of the resentment he had in the past. “Life, I guess. But hey, I'm getting better now, right? And I hope you get the rest you deserve now that you’re here.” 

Elrond hummed and poured hot water into the pot, along with the teabag. He allowed the tea, and his thoughts, to steep, taking the time to think on Callonduin’s journey from the valley he was born in, to these blessed lands where he now healed.

“My offer from before still stands,” he said. “Come talk to me whenever you'd like.” Then he turned to Callonduin with a small, kind, smile. “Tea?” 

Callonduin smiled back but declined. “Thanks, but I have this group thing in an hour. I'll definitely come bother you again though. See you.” 

The Gladhellon brought a hand to his chest then hopped over to the balcony, bracing himself over the side. Elrond checked just in case and sure enough, was met with the sight of two identical-looking Elves skipping off into the distance, very much reminding him of his own twin sons he left back in Middle Earth.

He shook his head and poured himself a cup of tea. 

[angbands-last-hero]

[the-journey-was-the-point]

I am once again here with some silly doodles -w-

Linnéa and Calarphain in ASMR situations! They will take good care of your hands and look.

Also!

You honor, they are TWINS!

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Also unexpected OC sketchdump!

The writing on the bottom left says "POV: Medieval sleepover (friend does your make up)"

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6 and 10 for all/any you feel like answering for!

Aaa thank you! Very nice questions!

6. How easily could your OC be convinced to do something that goes against their moral compass?

I'd say the most morally malleable is Linnéa! She already starts off the story on a downhill slope and I like to imagine Elrond sees this and is rightfully critical of her. I've always felt that she was the most likely in the group to get corrupted, and she'd make a darn good protege/asset for any villain to have given her work ethic (which is gonna suck for the good guys XD)

Calarphain is stubborn and passionate, so it's going to take a lot to convince him to go against his own morals. Callonduin is pretty morally gray, mostly due to personal issues, but I think he has the heart of a hero and so has lines he won't cross.

I think for Taran, it'll depend on who's asking and what they're asking for. He's inclined to give way to others, but won't let other people, especially ones under his protection, get hurt.

10. What's an AU that would be interesting to explore with your OC?

Aaa there's so many options! Callonduin's is answered here but the gist is different life circumstances!

Any AU in which Linnèa is mortal will have a huge effect on her character. Another fun thing to consider: what if she grew up around Elves? Or was made aware of her immortality much earlier so left to try to sail with her brother (who does look like an elf)?

I wrote a snippet of a modern AU with the implication that Calarphain was a victim of malpractice or human experimentation. Cus like, what if he didn't grow up loved and sheltered in Lothlórien? He wouldn't be the ingenue he is in the story!

Taran grew up largely during a time when Sauron was laying low so it's interesting to consider how he'd be if that wasn't the case 🤔

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2, 7, 15, 17, and 25 for anyone you haven’t answered them for yet and would like to!

Ah! These are nice questions!

2. What's something about your OC that people wouldn't expect just from looking at them?

All my main OCs have these, complete with specific trope names!

Callonduin - how competent he really is (Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass). Linnèa - how sly and dangerous she can be (Beware the Quiet Ones). Taran - that he's actually very kind and sociable (Rousseau Was Right).

For Calarphain, it's how powerful he really is (Beware the Nice Ones). He tends to walk around in flowy all-white robes so maybe a more genre savvy orc would back away (it's certaintly a funny thought) but his powers are still a surprise given how sweet and pacifist he is!

7. What's one way your OC has changed since you first came up with them?

Linnéa went through the most change so far! It started with me giving her dad a backstory (Fëanorian spy) and then dropping the "cheating lover" part. Though it was an important starting point, I found the latter felt unnecessary and out of place, and realized the story is compelling without it (more so, imo). I enjoy her character much more now!

15. Does your OC have a faceclaim? If so, who?

Unfortunately I don't have any ;__; maybe some characters or photos provide the perfect vibes, but not quite a faceclaim.

I struggle with live action stuff, I feel (referring to the PJ movies). It's why I take so long to design for these guys compared to my other fandoms ^^"

17. What is the worst thing you have put your OC through story-wise?

I think that's a tie between Callonduin watching his brother die, spiralling, then trying to turn himself into a wraith, and modern AU Linnéa losing her dad (disappeared), her mom (dead), and her brother (on death row) in a short amount of time.

Oh, and a lot of the time, I imagine modern au Calarphain as having been subjected to human experimentation/some form of medical malpractice in the past, or just getting targeted for kidnapping a lot ^^"

25. What is your favorite thing about your OC?

I like that they're all very real! They have very fantastical stories but I think their inner worlds and personal problems can be relatable to anyone, even if they're a bit exaggerated.

[the-journey-was-the-point]

1, 10, 23 for Callonduin

25 & 7 for Calarphain

20 & 12 for Linnéa

°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

Hello!! Aaa I will answer these!

Callonduin

1 . What memory would your OC rather just forget?

Oh definitely the memory of Calarphain's death! I don't have all the details yet but it's dramatic and bad enough that Callonduin spirals from it.

10. What's an AU that would be interesting to explore with your OC?

Hmmm... right now I think it's interesting to explore an AU where he either a) got the help he needed much earlier or b) never got separated from his family in the first place. What would it have been like if his mom hadn't died in childbirth? Or, what if he left Rivendell much earlier? It's very interesting to think about how different Callonduin would be!

23. What emotion is the hardest for your OC to process? How about express?

I think Callonduin finds it hard to process feelings of sadness, grief, loneliness, abandonment, of feeling not good enough, of shame (especially shame). He feels all these like 90% of the time and it hurts -- he feels emotions very strongly -- which is why he turns to unhealthy coping mechanisms (a lot of hedonism and reckless behavior) so that he can feeling anything else but "bad". He has a hard time processing all that, and even if he could, putting it into words is a whole other story. A lot of the pain is not just deep, but chronic throughout his childhood, and he feels ashamed of even feeling this way in the first place (the irony of him having grown up in Rivendell).

Calarphain

25. How far is your OC willing to go to get what they want?

Hmm so I haven't developed Calarphain enough to answer this clearly, but I can say he's willing to go up against some dangerous people, even sacrifice himself, if he feels it's the right thing to do. I guess I realized that while the twins are opposites, what they do have in common is how passionate and determined they can be.

But if it's for his own gain, he wouldn't hurt another person for it. He's a pacifist and if something can be achieved peacefully, he'd go for that route.

7. What's one way your OC has changed since you first came up with them?

Honestly Calarphain hasn't changed much since I first made him, probably because I'm complacent with his archetype ^^" I'm hoping that'll change soon though, I'd love to get to know him more!

Although like I mentioned, I've recently realized that while the twins are opposites, they're also pretty alike too-- they're sociable and fiery, just in different ways.

Linnéa

20. Does your OC have a tendency to get jealous? If so, how does this manifest?

Oh yes! The odds are very much stacked against Linnéa, and she does feel jealous towards people who, in her perspective, have it easier.

She tends to not like being around elves, as she feels lesser because of her mixed blood and thus hides it. The whole question on if she'll be allowed in Valinor, and what she'd have to do to earn that spot, followed by the reveal that she can't, feels like a massive rejection, like getting all the drawbacks from her elven blood but none of the perks. The envy gets worse around elves from influential families, who themselves have powerful abilities (especially magic), cus it's really just the opposite of what Linnéa's got in her hand ^^"

Eventually she carves a place out for herself with a butter knife (her underworld era, wherein she gains much power through her own means), and I imagine she avoids dealing with elves at all, very much feeling that they should just leave already XD

In other words, she wouldn't outwardly show her envy, but she'd avoid such people or hide the parts of herself that she considers to be "inferior".

12. Is your OC self-destructive? In what ways?

Oh yes! The fun part about writing Linnéa is that for someone so smart and put-together, she actually shoots herself in the foot a few times XD

When she gets impatient, when she gets prideful, when she just can't trust, when she makes enemies of people she shouldn't, when she goes too far, when she pushes people away so she doesn't get hurt, when she'd rather stay in the darkness because the light is too unfamiliar, when she has a hard time showing vulnerability or expressing herself, or letting down a wall--

it leads to some bad decisions XD

[the-journey-was-the-point]

Decided to make a navigation post!

Welcome to my blog! It's specifically for Tolkien stuff, including OC's and LOTRO.

AU Summary (Follows The Hobbit PJ films)

Basically, Fili and Kili survive BotFA, and together with Tauriel and my OC's, decide to travel around Middle Earth doing sidequests! It's a roadtrip with friends filled with fun and self-discovery... until the plot thickens.

OC List

Fics List (more or less chronological)

Elladan's Prologue (Implied onesided!Elladan/Callonduin)

Reunion (Fili & Linnea)

Confrontation (Callonduin & Feldir)

An Argument (Callonduin & Calarphain)

Handling It (Kíli, feat. Calarphain)

Spare Thoughts (Linnéa & The People of Laketown)

Two Elves (Tauriel & Callonduin)

4 Times Calarphain Forgot His Brother + 1 Time He Didn't (Callonduin & Calarphain)

Taran's Prologue (Part 1)

Taran's Prologue (Part 2)

A Dream (Linnéa/Lanthir)

(Crackfic; AU?) A Solo Conversation (Taran & Elladan, implied Callonduin/Elladan)

Where Mortals Go (Linnéa/Lanthir)

The Times When There Was Only One Bed (Linnéa/Lanthir)

Brother's Keeper I - Family Stakes (Linnea & Lanthir)

Brother's Keeper II - Waste (Elladan & Callonduin)

Steeping (Elrond & Callonduin)

(Bad Ending) Wraith-ified Callonduin Drabble

Modern AU Oneshot (Callonduin & Calarphain)

Rambles

The Psychology of Callonduin

The Psychology of Linnéa

I'll update this as I post more!

[the-journey-was-the-point]

[UNEXPECTED CONTINUATION]

Linnéa and Calarphain exchanged gifts! She made him eyeshadow he's super excited to use :3 he got her a pretty circlet. She wasn't sure she could pull off the look, but he thinks she looks great! 🤍

Callonduin says CHEERS! 🍺

.... and eats cookies that weren't meant for him

Also unexpected OC sketchdump!

The writing on the bottom left says "POV: Medieval sleepover (friend does your make up)"