#creagorn

[dunadaan]

So how did you end up shipping Aragorn and Créa? What's the story with them? I'm curious :)

This ask made me realize I hadn't actually talked about that before here?? At least, not in detail I think? I honest to god can't remember. But uh, it's a bit of a long story with a lot of explanation, as the ship is 8 years old and has had a lot of development!

Originally it came about as a ship between a friend who roleplayed Aragorn. We were joking around with some things, thought about it, and decided we liked it, and fleshed it out from there. After some time she no longer wrote him, so I took what we had come up with and built upon it and made it my own!

Of course, as we know, in canon Aragorn is rejected by Arwen (the first time, anyhow). By the time he meets Créa, he had balmed that wound and the infatuation with her had faded, and they had remained good friends instead.

When they first met, Aragorn is quite new to being a ranger- he's 23, and Créa is 20. Her home was in a small village in the Wilderland, and one night when the weather is particularly poor, he happens to be passing by and she offers him shelter; they get to know one another (as much as a Ranger would let someone get to know them :P), and when it comes time to leave, she refuses his payment- a kind gesture, and one he doesn't forget.

He comes back and stays a little longer each time and they talk a lot, and she asks lots of questions and is very curious. Eventually after a handful of months he reveals who he is and his heritage and she’s like okay! No idea who Isildur is but glad to know your name isn’t really Strider :)

Aragorn had a big crush on her first because she always asked him questions, was interested in him, and she always made him smile and reminded him that there were good things in the world, and good people. In turn, she found him really intriguing, somewhat mysterious, and noble, and he always seemed to know so much of the world she longed to see. He brought her things (pressed flowers, etc) from his travels as small gifts, as she had always longed to explore the greater world outside her small settlement.

Their “first kiss” was when, one night, she admitted to him when they were stargazing that she had never kissed anyone and it would probably stay that way, and he offered to be her first kiss just to say that she had one (toootally just to be noble, no other reason whatsoever....). She hesitated for a moment then agreed, and she was super shy and he had to guide her hands and they kissed. It basically blew her mind LOL and she was super flustered and joked that she’d have to practice more with him, then because she was worried she would ruin their friendship and also oblivious to his feelings (like Créa, he wouldn't offer if he didn't have feelings...) she was like “still friends?” and they agreed...but she couldn’t get that kiss out of her head and he couldn’t help but keep flirting with her. She absolutely caught feelings and It takes nearly a year of them to actually kiss again (bc Crea is OBLIVIOUS and was worried he wouldn’t be receptive) and officially become a couple.

Their time spent together was often domestic, and she loved to hear his stories of his people and history, of far off lands and ruins. For some reason, though, however faintly, it seemed familiar. She could never place why. There were some hints with Créa that not all was as it seemed- she had an innate ability to understand creatures, and was tall, dark haired, and she had pale eyes...all characteristics that pointed towards a certain heritage, unbeknownst to her.

This portion of her backstory I've never fully settled on, but Créa had lost her father, Baranhir, when she was about 10. He traveled very often and would leave but come back, often bringing her small tokens of the outside world to her and her mother, but said he helped protect traders traveling over the mountain pass- but she had never seen him come and go with any caravan; always by himself, and his stories seemed limited in what he could tell. Her uncle on her father's side would often stay with her, training her and helping out her and her mother when her father could not be there. But Baranhir was killed in an orc ambush on the other side of the Misty Mountains, and his body was never brought home, and no one could, or would, tell her why. (This is a different story, and will make this ask too long to go into here).

Her mother wants to leave the settlement in her grief, unable to stay in the house she and her husband built, but young Créa refuses- she doesn't think her father is actually dead, she never saw the body, and held out a deperate hope that he would one day return- none could convince her otherwise. From here, it's a toss up on how she's raised bc i've been rethining this portion of her bg- her mother might stay for a while and return back to her parent's village, her uncle might take over instead, etc. I've had Créa for 10 years and you'd think I'd have had it concrete by now!

During the events of The Hobbit, goblins and wargs come down from the Misty Mountains and attack villages and kill and take people back into their tunnels. One by one each village is plundered, and it's Créa's village that gets attacked next, nearly decimated. In the aftermath, in the husk of her stable, she finds a box hidden beneath broken floorboards, buried what seems long ago.

Inside is a seven pointed star brooch, old and weathered, a few of his things, and at the very bottom was a leatherbound journal. With that, she finally discovers the truth; that her father was a Dúnedain Ranger, which in turn made her Dúnedain as well.

The revelation, of course, is huge- much that did not make sense to her, the secretiveness of her father, the reluctance of her mother to ever tell her much of her and her father's heritage, now finally became clear. Her father wrote of all the lands he visited, what he did, how he had missed his family- and most shockingly of all, that he had been very good friends with Arathorn, and had even looked after toddler Aragorn from time to time, noting that "Arathorn's son and my daughter would've gotten along splendidly."

He was more than right, of course, but Créa had been robbed of the knowledge of her heritage, and she is shocked, to say the least. When Aragorn returns, they have a very, very long talk, and she shows him the journal. He investigates on her behalf, wanting to know if its true, but even just from reading Aragorn knows that it's true, and his research only confirms it. In the end, Créa is disillusioned, feeling that although her settlement had been saved, it was not saved for her, and wishes become a Ranger of the North, following in the footsteps of her father, as well as travel with Aragorn. She wants to defend people who can’t defend themselves, and he warns her of the lifestyle, but she’s determined, and not long after she says goodbye to her home and they travel together to the west.

And it’s a huge change to her life, and she struggles a lot. She discovers new lands and plants and people, she’s in an entirely new culture and lost heritage that she tries to navigate, feeling outcast and struggles with worthiness and trying to find where she belongs among them. She was robbed of being raised among her people, of knowing her father for who he was, as he had clearly wanted to tell her of their kin and their past. And there are probably some Dúnedain who don't want her there, even if her father was Dúnedain, so she fears not being good enough and has to work twice as hard, if not harder, to prove herself to both everyone and herself!

It's an interesting dichotomy between the two of them- Aragorn's past was hidden for reasons of safety, and for her, technically, it was the same- her mother did not wish for her to follow in her father's footsteps, and refused to have her heritage revealed until she came of age- and when her father died, in order to protect her, decided not to tell her at all. Créa feels desperately behind in everything, and feels overwhelmed and lonely. Even her name, from her mothers culture, makes her stand out more than she'd like.

Aragorn helps her navigate this, but a lot of it Créa does on her own- this'll grow into a long tangent so I'll try and steer back on course. They often travel together, him as her guide, and she also travels with others who help her gain the skills she lacks in order to become a Ranger. When Aragorn feels she is ready, she travels alone, and eventually becomes sworn in as a Ranger. There's a lot more to their story, but this is the beginning of it.

I think, personally, what makes this dynamic really interesting is that it's not quite fate. I'm always nervous to talk about the ship in the sense that I'm aware that it breaks a lot of canon! I'm aware of the parallels and the impact on the stories and the meanings and what is taken away by it.

But with that friend and later by myself, I've worked quite hard to make it canon compliant in a way that's not terribly jarring, and while I think Tolkien relies a lot on fated love and things just working out, I love the gnitty gritty human aspect of it all. Créa is no elf princess, and I think that's what makes it so interesting to explore a different dynamic. Also I love Arwen so it's not abt that either (I love her and Tauriel <3), it's just fascinating to explore other possibilities!

I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility for Aragorn to love a Dúnedain woman- his mother would be very pleased, as it's canon that she prefers Aragorn not marry an elf, and it would be a great relief to Elrond as well, for obvious reasons, and like I said before, I think Aragorn's infatuation would eventually fade. Their romance blooms in the spring of their youth, and through hardships and turmoil their relationship grows stronger, forged like steel. To be able to come from a similar heritage, to understand one's struggles as a Ranger, to know their duties come first but knowing that they can rely on one another. It's not fate, but hard work and determination. It's interesting to see them grow as characters, but also see their relationship mature and change- they're together when they're young and unhardened by the world, and spend 60 years together- having been through so much, but still by each other's side in the end.

They're both characters who exist outside of each other, who have their own stories and arcs, but they also have a lot of parallels and are interesting foils for one another- one example being Aragorn's heritage and knowing it, and the weight behind it- and Créa struggling with having next to no heritage- much of the information of her family has been lost, and leads to an interesting dichotomy- what weighs more? Knowing your heritage and the expectations of it, or potentially never knowing at all, having been lost forever? How does that effect one as a person and their view of themself?

There's a lot of hurdles they go through and it's so complex and fascinating for me. I could write a few more examples (their hurdles in trying to get married, their duties that keep them apart, the expectation of Aragorn being king and the post war future they struggle with) but this is already realllyyy long and I don't think anyone's read this far haha. But you're more than welcome to send in any asks if you want to know more <3 I appreciate the question and the chance to talk about them in depth! I really can't remember the last time I got to do so and this made me happy.

[dunadaan]

AAHHHHHHHHH thank you so much Vik!!!!!! I love it so much 🥺😭 They look so cute and cozy and Elrond really did set them up with the best room in Rivendell…this came out so wonderful I’m gonna be looking at it all day!! ❤️

happy bday @dunadaan !!

[dunadaan]

         It’s @tolkienocweek, and it’s Day 1: a character you ship with a canon character.

        So here’s a piece I did of my dunedaín ranger of the north oc, Créa, and Aragorn! :) They met fairly soon after Aragorn left Rivendell and fell in love, and traveled together as rangers. This is the moment he realizes he wants to be with her for the rest of his life--context under the cut!

        Annumínas!

      How his heart sang for the city of old, yet mourned for its fate, the tragedy of its fall and decay. Once it had been the jewel of the North, this city of forgotten kings, now pillaged ruins that only give the barest glimpses of its former glory. Fingers itched to see it restored, returned. And one day it would- he would see that it would be so.

    He brought her to this place, to where their ancestors had once dwelt and thrived. To few he had admitted his desire to see Annumínas rise once again by his hands--not many believed it could be done.

    But to her, he lowered his walls. She listened with rapt attention as he spoke, leading her through the city- his hopes, his desires for this place. That one day he would walk these grounds and his ancestors would smile on him, and their people would wander no longer. They stood together in an old square, overgrown and dilapidated when she spoke.

      “I look forward to that day,” she said, a smile upon her face, her hand squeezing his tightly. Her grey eyes glittered in the fading light, eyes crinkled. ”And I’ll be right beside you when we rebuild it, together.”

    And it was in that moment that he knew, pausing as the words sank in. The world faded away to just them. Watching the setting sun’s rays light her face, the wonder in her eyes as she stared at the city--hope and love sprung within him. She believed in him, and would be there, by his side, to share in his vision--to help him see it come true.

         He would have it no other way.

[dunadaan]

Now that everyone pretty much has them, I wanted to post these here :3 I made some really fancy wedding invites for my friends for Midsummer and mailed them out- the date on the card is specifically the date Midsummer starts in LOTRO this year ✨

[dunadaan]

I will write my epic gray company fic as soon as I get medicated for ADHD…..then you bitches will see….

[dunadaan]

I posted 4,648 times in 2021

13 posts created (0%)

4635 posts reblogged (100%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 356.5 posts.

I added 55 tags in 2021

#fave - 12 posts

#🥺 - 7 posts

#creagorn - 6 posts

#aragorn - 6 posts

#lotr - 5 posts

#cats - 5 posts

#crea - 4 posts

#jamie - 4 posts

#save tag - 3 posts

#:( - 3 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#i feel like an elf painted this cuz they must have had a photographic memory to get them in such detail despite the rangers being in a rush

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

I need to shower but I’m laying on the floor rotting instead........I just don’t wanna get up ever again

1 notes • Posted 2021-04-05 06:26:33 GMT

#4

Part of me wants to start putting my own art up here (mostly lotr/oc stuff) but I have a few ppl in real life who follow me unfortunately but also I don’t want to make a new blog just for art you feel

3 notes • Posted 2021-04-17 08:33:13 GMT

#3

For the love of GOD can someone help me find the “BUZZFEED PAY ME ROYALTIES” post where it has a million dancing gifs. I’m looking for the one of Elaine from Seinfeld dancing at the speed of light and it’s KILLING ME

5 notes • Posted 2021-06-06 22:45:43 GMT

#2

Idek who follows me or cares about my posts but! I got my first doll commission from someone on Twitter 🥺 they want me to make an Aragorn and later a Boromir to match and I’m really excited and ngl my dolls are really cute.

6 notes • Posted 2021-05-18 03:40:59 GMT

#1

         It’s @tolkienocweek, and it’s Day 1: a character you ship with a canon character.

        So here’s a piece I did of my dunedaín ranger of the north oc, Créa, and Aragorn! :) They met fairly soon after Aragorn left Rivendell and fell in love, and traveled together as rangers. This is the moment he realizes he wants to be with her for the rest of his life--context under the cut!

        Annumínas!

      How his heart sang for the city of old, yet mourned for its fate, the tragedy of its fall and decay. Once it had been the jewel of the North, this city of forgotten kings, now pillaged ruins that only give the barest glimpses of its former glory. Fingers itched to see it restored, returned. And one day it would- he would see that it would be so.

    He brought her to this place, to where their ancestors had once dwelt and thrived. To few he had admitted his desire to see Annumínas rise once again by his hands--not many believed it could be done.

    But to her, he lowered his walls. She listened with rapt attention as he spoke, leading her through the city- his hopes, his desires for this place. That one day he would walk these grounds and his ancestors would smile on him, and their people would wander no longer. They stood together in an old square, overgrown and dilapidated when she spoke.

      “I look forward to that day,” she said, a smile upon her face, her hand squeezing his tightly. Her grey eyes glittered in the fading light, eyes crinkled. ”And I’ll be right beside you when we rebuild it, together.”

    And it was in that moment that he knew, pausing as the words sank in. The world faded away to just them. Watching the setting sun’s rays light her face, the wonder in her eyes as she stared at the city--hope and love sprung within him. She believed in him, and would be there, by his side, to share in his vision--to help him see it come true.

         He would have it no other way.

58 notes • Posted 2021-07-26 23:17:52 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →