#forge-smith

[queencryo]

ghost:

duke

squire

friend: An ally of their aspect. May manifest as another aspect, which they use to benefit their true aspect

milf

smith: Shapes their aspect

forge: The medium by which others shape their aspect

seam: Keeps their aspect intact. Without them (present? or alive?), their aspect frays and tatters into nothing

lamb: Only through the lamb's slaughter (or otherwise removal from relevance) can their aspect flourish

hound: Pursues aspect, though what they do is they succeed varies

faun: flees aspect, perhaps successfully. May overlap with Lamb, if they're caught.

Sage: who understands aspect qnd helps others do the same, but does little woth that knowledge themselves

started thinking abiut other classes. Can you tell i got more interested the later we got in this.

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Blacksmith Martha Drew Smith at work on a horseshoe in her forge in Greenwich Village, December 1935.

Photo: FPG/Getty Images/Fine Art America

[kryptonbabe]

"Lord, she's beautiful..."

Just like Forge I spend lots of time thinking about how amazing Ororo is

From Uncanny X-Men #186 (1984) by Chris Claremont & Barry Windsor-Smith

[kelsh]

I have no excuses for this,,,, I was initially drawing them with their hair down then it became a tits out kind of moment,,,,

Bonus: my Durge’s own bird’s nest under her hood

[greenleaf4stuff]

Of Convenience 7.1

(all previous parts of "Of Convenience")

Adar x Celebrimbor (silverscars) political marriage AU, 7th snippet, part 1. Once the shock from his previous stroll through the camp has worn off, Celebrimbor risks another attempt. This time, he gets to see one of the uruk forges.

Celebrimbor is finally going to have a chapter in which he experiences no drama. He deserves a break. I have wanted to write about Celebrimbor’s reaction to the (no doubt) much more ‘improvised’ forges of the uruk for a while now, so this is a bit of self-indulgence in that regard. (Also this was supposed to be one part. How does this keep happening to me?!) Enjoy!

Despite how shaken Celebrimbor had been by his encounter with Damrod, he only needed a day to recover enough to chance another excursion into the camp.

He had Adar to thank for that, at least in part – the uruk had stayed in their tent for the rest of the day instead of running his usual errands and engaged the smith in plenty of conversation as he cleaned his sword from Damrod’s black blood. The uruk asked what Celebrimbor had seen of the camp and enquired after his thoughts, but also told him about how the day’s negotiations with Galadriel and Elrond had gone.

This was clearly done to put Celebrimbor at ease, and the elf was grateful for the consideration – even more so because it actually worked.

Still, Adar didn’t seem the least bit surprised when Celebrimbor announced that he would like to explore the uruk camp again by the following day, and sent him on his way with a nod and Glûg by his side.

"Be back by midday," was the uruk’s only request. "So that we may continue our conversation. And so that you might avoid unneccessary danger, perhaps."

Celebrimbor knew Adar’s words for what they were – concern, which also reflected in the tightness of Adar’s mouth and the way he intently stared at Celebrimbor as he spoke. The smith smiled at the uruk. "Of course. I’ll make sure to ask Glûg to usher me back here in time."

Glûg, for his part, appeared almost as if the confrontation with the hill troll had never taken place – he didn’t seem overly cautious or fidgety, and didn’t protest his task to chaperone the elf across the encampment once more. He was, however, quick to ask about Celebrimbor’s wellbeing. Which was surprisingly touching, the elf had to admit.

"I think I’ve recovered quite well, thank you," he replied, and got a nod from Glûg in response.

"Let us walk a different path today." A suggestion which the smith readily accepted.

"Could you perhaps to lead me to one of your people’s forges?" If Glûg thought Celebrimbor’s request to be odd, he didn’t show it – the elf had mostly been referred to as the Lord of Eregion or an ‘elf from a noble house’ in his time here, so he wasn’t sure just how much the uruk as a whole would know about his family history or profession.

"Sure. I think I’ll take you to Gurlak’s – that’s the closest one," the lieutenant pondered, and then jerked his head in the direction they would be heading. As they started to walk, he continued, "Do you want to see how the blacksmiths made the armor Adar gave you?"

"Something like that," was Celebrimbor’s response, coupled with a self-deprecating smile. "I’m actually a smith myself, moreso even than an elven lord I believe."

Glûg raised his hairless eyebrows, then hmpfed. The elf could tell Adar’s lieutenant was skeptical of his claim, but didn’t comment. "In that case, you’ll have to direct your questions at Gurlak herself. I know very little about forging."

The smith hummed and nodded before he answered. "Fair enough."

It didn’t take them very long to reach the forge – Celebrimbor could hear the sounds of large bellows and multiple hammers hitting metal on various anvils from a distance. Sounds that made his heart ache for his own smithy back in Eregion.

He didn’t often allow himself to ponder that which was lost to him – temporarily or permanently. But it was difficult not to think of his apprentices during the quieter hours of the night, or whenever he caught a glimpse of his city through the trees of the surrounding forest.

Working in his forge had been an integral part of his everyday life before he’d fled Ost-In-Edhil. Dare he say it, it had been a part of his identity. And yes, perhaps of his self worth as well. The prospect of getting to witness the craft being performed again, the possibility of maybe even being allowed to perform it himself, eased his heart - at least a little.

He and Glûg finally arrived in front of a ramshackle shed that had obviously been hastily built from scavenged and improvised materials, as seemed to be usual for the uruk. Celebrimbor himself couldn’t find any rhyme or reason to how it had been constructed, just that it would ‘do’ to hold all the neccessary parts of a forge inside.

A group of uruk was scattered around it, working on different anvils. Some halted in their movements as the elf and his guard approached, while others seemed content throwing questioning looks in their direction.

"By the way," Celebrimbor turned to Adar’s lieutenant as they came to a stop, "Adar requested that you bring me back to our tent in time for supper."

Glûg tilted his head, then nodded. As the smith turned back to the shed, he heard the other faintly mutter "Our tent, huh?" under his breath in a tone Celebrimbor couldn’t read, and the elf fought hard not to fluster – or show that his hearing had picked up on the words in the first place, for that matter.

Before the elf could work up the courage to approach and talk to the working uruk around the smithy – most of which were still watching him skeptically –, Glûg raised his voice and bellowed. "Gurlak! Come out, I’ve got someone out here who wants to talk to you!"

Celebrimbor and his guard crossed looks as they heard loud swearing and then heavy footsteps from behind the shed. The smith had no idea whether the way of greeting would prove to be in his favor or not, but he nodded at his guard in thanks nonetheless. The other threw him a grin - not a mean one, but certainly one of humor. Which did not exactly bode well.

The uruk who came around the shed was not at all what Celebrimbor had expected; the one who he suspected to be the aforementioned Gurlak was a tall woman, and built in a manner that would have made some dwarves jealous. ‘Barrel-chested’ seemed like a rather tame way to describe her, with a back as broad as a closet and arms so thick the elf wasn’t sure he could circle them even with both of his own hands. As well as the most ill-tempered expression Celebrimbor had seen that day.

The smith had a hunch that he knew why Glûg might have smirked the way he’d done. He also had a sneaking suspicion the apprehension he felt might be showing on his face.

The uruk, Gurlak, came to stand right in front of Celebrimbor. She was only slightly shorter than him, and unafraid to meet his eyes. Faintly, the elf registered how tiny the smithing hammer she held looked in her hand.

Perhaps that was the reason Glûg had been so skeptical of Celebrimbor’s claim to be a smith, come to think of it – the uruk woman certainly fit the preconceptions people seemed to hold of smiths much more than a tall-grown, comparatively slim elf. Though, to be fair, it had been some time from when he last had to forge things that were as big and heavy as the armor and weapons he could see the other uruk work on behind her.

‘Maybe I should change that,‘ Celebrimbor thought. ‘When I am back in Eregion.‘

Meanwhile, Gurlak was eying him up and down, and then turned herself around to Glûg. "That Adar’s elf?" she asked bluntly. For some reason, Celebrimbor focused far less on the way she was talking about him as if he wasn’t even there, and more so on the fact that she referred to him as ‘Adar‘s’ elf. Huh. "What does he want here?"

Glûg shrugged. "He says he’s a smith. Wanted to see your forge, so I brought him here."

Gurlak turned back to Celebrimbor. "Smith. That one," and then she barked a laugh loud enough to startle the surrounding uruk, before her focus returned to Glûg. "That elf looks as if he’d cough himself to death next to the fire. Noble breed this one, huh?"

"My name is Celebrimbor," the aforementioned elf spoke up, and made it a point to hold Gurlak’s gaze when she turned sharp eyes on him. "And yes, I am the Lord of Eregion. A descendant of a noble elven house. And, in fact, a smith."

He let his words sink in for a moment, before he bowed just a little and continued. "I take it you must be Gurlak? Pleased to make your aquaintance. Glûg said you are a local blacksmith, and knowledgeable when it comes to forging-" a risk, but perhaps it would pay off, "at least more than him, anyways."

For a brief moment, the elf thought he had misstepped as Gurlak narrowed her eyes at him, before she snorted and jerked her chin in Glûg’s direction. "Not difficult to know more than that one. Burned both of his hands when I tried to teach him."

Glûg made a dismissive noise and rolled his head skywards when Celebrimbor peered at him, before he waved the two of them off. "I’ll sit myself down over there, where I keep an eye on you. Have fun," and with that, he wandered over to an empty chair – or whatever counted as one in this camp – next to the shed.

"So, what brings you here, then?" Gurlak asked, drawing Celebrimbor’s attention back to her. There was still something mocking in her stance and tone, which only made the smith more determined to state his intentions.

"I...have not been able to return to my own forge in some time. For obvious reasons," he paused and drew a breath. "I wanted to ask if there was- if I might- could I offer you my assistance in your smithy in some way?"

He was aware that his expression likely held at least a hint of pleading in it – though frankly, he didn’t care. He was itching with the need to do something other than sit around all day and consider his past failings, or withstand the terror that was the immediate, unknown future. He’d go mad otherwise.

Gurlak blinked and stared at the smith for a long moment. "You sure you want to get those fancy robes of yours dirty?" she snarked, and this time it was obvious she was mocking him. Though her tone wasn’t as harsh as Celebrimbor had expected. "I’m afraid our forge is not as pristine as the one you are used to."

In the privacy of his mind, the elf heaved a quiet sigh, and then tried to put on an expression that he had often successfully used when trying to bargain with Gil-Galad. ‘Doe eyes’, was what Mirdania had once called it with a snicker.

"I know it’s likely that I will get ash and soot everywhere, yes. If you could lend me at least an apron or some gloves, that would be wonderful, but I can make do with my bare hands and what tools you have. I just want- need to work."

When it looked like she might hesitate still, he pressed on. "Please, Gurlak."

Celebrimbor could practically see her mind turning his request over, and how slowly but surely, her curiosity won out over her skepticism. "If you insist," she scoffed, and beckoned him to follow her with a wave of her hand. "There’s gotta be something that won’t be too much of a loss if it got messed up. I’ll get you an apron."

The elf’s resulting joy was bright and audible when he said, "I thank you for the opportunity, Mistress Gurlak."

A grunt and a very disbelieving look over her shoulder was his answer, but she did not go back on her word. "Sure. Don’t make me regret it."

[jay-wasstuff]

Hugh Grant on Regé-Jean's small sword

Source: IMDb

[crispyjeans]

So, I had a dumb au idea:

The AU is basically: Morro gets adopted by the Smiths (instead of dying)

When their parents disappear, Morro is the one to raise Kai and Nya. It's easier for him than it would've been for Kai, because Morro's a full grown adult with a stable job.

When the events of the pilot happen, he's the one who gets taken because he's not going to let his siblings get hurt, and he accidentally befriends Garmadon, who asks him to take care of Lloyd.

He adopts Harumi after the Great Devourer incident (it's a coping mechanism for accidentally letting her parents die 😔)

I'm working on a fic for this au right now (not posted yet) but here's some silly doodles:

The last one is when they're on the Dark Island (Morro gets 'captured' instead of Misako)

Garmadon blushes a golden color because that's the color of his blood :)

[grigori77]

Reasons to LOVE Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves

It's brand new in cinemas, so there are still plenty who ain't seen it, so if you're among 'em best skip this and just GO SEE IT, it's SO well worth it, genuinely it's one of the best new movies I've seen so far this year. Hope you love it as much as I did!

So, yeah, there you go - SPOILER WARNING, FOLKS!!! If you don't wanna get spoiled, RUN!!!

Still here? Okay, here we go then ...

This really is, UNAPOLOGETICALLY, a comedy. I mean yeah, this is a classic fantasy action adventure in the Willow, Krull or Ladyhawke mold, but it is also very enthusiastically POKING FUN at the classic conventions of the genre ... albeit CLEARLY done with great affection and love for the material, as only the best lampoons can be. So this is more The Princess Bride or Galaxy Quest than Your Highness or Spaceballs ...

Chris Pine is ALWAYS at his best when he's being FUNNY, so he is PERFECT here. Edgin is most definitely a bit of a douchebag, but he's the sweetest, most lovable douchebag you'll ever encounter.

Holga. Literally just EVERYTHING about Holga. She's my favourite character in this, this REALLY IS the best role that Michelle Rodriguez has EVER HAD, if you ask me. She's a total badass, a truly AMAZING FIGHTER, but I love that despite her dour demeanour she's actually quite sweet, gentle and really a great innocent in many ways. She's an absolute cinammon roll and must be protected at all costs.

OH MY GODS!!! All the easter eggs, SO MANY easter eggs ... FAR too many to count throughout, all the references and nods and winks to the game itself, all the spells and races and creatures and stuff ... but I love how the movie NEVER beats you over the head pointing any of it out, it just lets you enjoy it. So the proper fans will get a huge kick out of spotting it all, but casual viewers will just enjoy it as rich worldbuilding colour and flavour.

Seriously though, it's a D&D fan's DREAM!!! Not just the mimic, or the owlbear, or the gelatinous cube! SO MUCH to spot ...

Justice Smith's Simon gets THE CLEVEREST and best introduction in the film, I love the theatre scene, he's SO BAD at this while also simulataneously being really great. Totally sums up this gloriously clunky hot mess of a sorcerer ...

the opening is GENIUS, totally sets the movie up as it means to go on - the parole hearing is a brilliant comedic take on the scene-setting infodump which is brilliantly carried through in the way the movie delivers exposition in a fun way or just lets you absorb it through what's happening in each scene. This is the perfect, TEXTBOOK way to do it.

"That is one pudgy dragon!" LOL

Doric. Just EVERYTHING about Doric. Sophia Lillis' tiefling druid is a wonderful diminutive little action hero, so fiesty and capable. I love her. It's just a shame she's not primary coloured, I'd have loved it even more if she'd been blue, or red ...

The Wildshape Escape! XD Yeah, I love that, that's THE BEST set-piece in the whole movie, definitely, when Doric gets cught out spying and has to shapeshift on the fly to get away, and it all plays out in one immersive single shot that just leaves your heart in your mouth ...

Oh, the Speak With The Dead montage, that is comedy GOLD. Funniest scene in the whole movie. And with added payoff at the end! XD

Rege-Jean Page's Xenk Yendar. Oh boy, that paladin is something else. I love how LITERAL he is, he's like Drax in GOTG but much more intelligent. Y'know when Holga says: "You're not a lot of fun, are you?" to him? She's so wrong. I just wish there was more of him in this ...

The heist! Oh, the heist! So good ... the portal trick, it's great, love the way they did that, and then that HILARIOUS bard illusion distraction - Pine skipping the song like a broken record was just chef's kiss!

That wonderful wibbly-wobbly illusory reality thing whenever Simon tries to atune to the Helm ... wow, that is some spectacularly trippy shit. Granted, twice is fine for terms of pacing, but I could've done with a few more scenes of that, it's fascinating.

Hugh Grant really has just become a MASTER at playing smarmy, slimy duplicitous gits now, hasn't he? Forge is a reprehensible prick and I love it.

I love how they made Bradley Cooper a halfling for his cameo. They're never gonna let him live down the fact that he's now probably best known for playing a two-foot-tall talking racoon so forever after he will be a Short King.

Wow, Daisy Head's Sofina is a CRACKING villain, she's just SO CREEPY!!! I love how coolly menacing she is, a brilliant dark necromantic wizard that just makes your skin crawl. Especially at the end ... IS SHE a lich? Is that what they were doing there?

That whole big action climax, the showdown in the city centre is FIRE!!! It's so amazing, so brilliantly dynamic, with EVEN MORE great easter eggs! Simon and Sofina having an insanely awesome "arm wrestling" bout with Mage Hand versus Earthen Grasp (I think that's the spell, couldn't be sure), oh my gods! So cool ... and then the way they neutralised the threat! Brilliant.

Chloe Coleman's Kira is an absolutely adorable delight, and I think she's ENTIRELY JUSTIFIED in how pissed she is at Edgin for abandoning her. It makes the payoff when they finally make up so much better.

And that resurrection scene at the end? Yeah, sure, I saw that coming a mile off, but it was so well done, and they played it so well, that it was still SUCH a powerful scene even so. Just perfect.

Seriously, they just did this whole thing SO PERFECTLY. It's visually STUNNING, really it just looks AMAZING, and the action sequences are BRILLIANT but always feel entirely necessary for the story, which is how you want to do it. Best of all, though, is THE PACING!!! This is such a quick, breezy film, it just barrels along at a spectacular clip, so it never drags. Mark Kermode is right, even though this is two and a quarter hours long it doesn't FEEL LIKE IT, it feels like a super-trim 90-minute movie.

And it ties everything off nice and neat, too. Sure, there are definitely possibilities for the future, going forward if they make more, but if the movie DOES tank then it's fine, because this really does do a great job about feeling self-contained and telling its own complete story, so if we DON'T get more it won't be too big a disappointment ...

[just-another-colin-kinnie]

Knock knock ! who's there ? AUTISM.

hi uhm. hi hi Zane and Data and their fuckingn brothers and other shit i came up with (IGNORE THE OLD INVENTOR MAN YAOI!!!!!!!!!)

also theres a ninjago mcdonalds au in here. no i wont explain. just click the photos to see everything better and also the video that noodle doodle is based on is under the cut

[thebestcomicbookpanels]

X-Men #186 by Barry Windsor Smith

LifeDeath: A Love Story with Storm and Forge

[towritecomicsonherarms]

The Secret X-Men #1

[null-entity]

Smithing..

Model: Me.

Photographer: The Remote Camera Trigger.

If you want to help support me and get awesome stuff like early access/polls & pose requests Become A Patron or you can check out my Ko-Fi store for exclusive stock!

Read My Rules Before You Use My Stock.

[zonaperdida]

"Once upon a time, there was a woman who could fly."

Barry Windsor-Smith & Terry Austin, Uncanny X-Men #186, 1984. ⚡

[pastlivesandpurplepuppets]

It was May 7, 1945, nearly five years since German soldiers had goose-stepped into city after city. The Allied victory in the Battle of the Bulge had ended that Nazi occupation; as of February 4, 1945, Belgium was free again. As Malarkey sipped his beer, bells started ringing outside. “La guerre est terminée! Les Allemands se sont rendus!” people were shouting in French. Instantly: Smiles! Hollers! Hugs! “The war is over!” an English-speaker, face aglow, said to Malarkey. “The Germans have surrendered!” The grateful Belgians bought so many drinks for Malarkey that when he saw someone who looked like Frank Perconte walk by outside, he wondered if it was only the buzz from the beer. But then Perconte saw Don, burst through the pub’s door, and gave Malarkey a huge hug. The reunion only got better when Burr Smith, another Screaming Eagle, rolled by on a trolley—in fact, doing handstands atop the trolley—and joined the celebration. What could be greater, thought Malarkey, than celebrating the war’s end with guys you’d been with ever since Toccoa? The three locked arms. “This is it,” said Smith. “We’re going home!”

~ Bob Welch

[unhelpful-ultralink]

series where the drama peaked in the past and in the present it is a mystery to be unraveled fucking SLAP dude. (spoilers ahead for Max Steel 2013) yes Forge, James, and Miles all made N Tek together, Miles betrayed them for Makino, then Forge, Kat, Jefferson, and Molly all saw Jim die in the final battle, but nevermind that because this teenager has to pass his Driving Test

[greenleaf4stuff]

Of Convenience 8.2

(all previous parts of "Of Convenience")

Adar x Celebrimbor (silverscars) political marriage AU, 8th snippet, part 2. Celebrimbor returns to Adar's tent with a surprise and has a reunion with another friend. The new alliance finally seems to have a fighting chance - in more ways than one.

This chapter is finally going to feature poor beleaguered Gil-Galad – Adar, hide your wine stash (or don't, if you want to make a good impression)! Once again I want to thank all the lovely people who like, reblog, tag or comment this fic or who have sent me messages - your support means everything! <3 I hope you enjoy!

Celebrimbor walked back towards Adar's tent with a spring in his step and a smile on his face that was, perhaps, unbefitting the seriousness of the situation. But after how successful his work had been, he felt he was allowed a little levity.

Gurlak herself had been decidedly more skeptical than Adar at first - and pressed herself to the wall of the shed with a loud hiss when Celebrimbor had uncovered Morgoth's crown.

"I am not touching that thing! Not even with tongs and while wearing gloves!"

"I understand, and I am not going to make you! The only thing I ask is that you let me use your forge and your equipment," he reassured the uruk. "This is going to be Adar's weapon to hopefully kill Sauron - for good, this time. But the way this was made...it is no weapon suited for battle. Please, Gurlak, he will need every advantage we can give him. I only wish to try to even the odds for him, at least a little."

She'd taken a shuddering breath and watched the elf dubiously for a while, but eventually, she'd permitted him to use her smithy. "Just make sure he survives it, whatever it is Adar will be facing." Had been her only condition.

Celebrimbor had nodded in answer. "I intend to."

It might be too early to pat himself on the back just yet, but Celebrimbor thought that he'd done his best to fulfill her condition. He allowed himself to feel a little lighter as a result, as well as giddy; he was quite curious about what Adar's reaction to his work might be.

When he arrived at their shared tent, the elf blinked in surprise - aside from the usual uruk guards, there were perhaps a dozen elves in full armor, hands on their weapons and surrounding the tent as they eyed their counterparts with suspicion.

Beside him, Glûg cursed under his breath. "You think this is what I think it is?"

Celebrimbor's heart had leapt into his throat at the sight - but not in fear, this time. "I think it might indeed be," his voice carried the elation he felt.

The High King of Lindon, Ereinion Gil-Galad himself, had arrived in Adar's camp. Heavily guarded, just as Elrond had said he would be.

If the smith's heart could have burst with anticipation, Celebrimbor might have feared for it to happen in that moment. Instead, he took a steadying breath and turned to Glûg. "I am sure you want to come too. I think Adar isn't gonna object to you keeping a close eye on his husband, especially at such a crucial point in time," he said with a quirk to his lips even as he affected pure innocence.

Glûg threw him a sideways glance, visibly caught - the uruk was suprisingly nosy, Celebrimbor had realized. A good quality for a lieutenant, in his opinion, which might have been why he did his best to foster it instead of denying the uruk his inquisitiveness.

Every leader needed someone in their lives who was unafraid to know more, to ask questions...and speak his mind. "Yeah. You are probably right," Glûg said, slowly. Even if his mouth was uniquely shaped due to his long teeth, Celebrimbor could tell the other was smiling back at him.

Steeling himself, Celebrimbor clutched the coarse fabric in his arms, and continued to walk towards the tent.

The elven guards were quick to notice him. Some looked relieved to see him, others were more cautious. The smith could spot Rían among them, who had accompanied Elrond once or twice on previous talks, and he tilted his head at her in greeting before he entered the tent. She gave him a small, encouraging grin in response.

Inside their tent, it was a bit crowded; Celebrimbor almost ran into another elven guard, this one tall as a tree, and needed a moment to catch sight of what went on in the middle of the interior.

Celebrimbor could see Galadriel and Elrond - accompanied by Vorohil - standing close to the table. Adar stood at the opposite side, looking tense but not antagonistic. The table itself held what seemed to be a hastily prepared selection of vegetables, greenery, and fruits, as well as several chalices of drink.

Positioned among his elven friends, shining golden like the sun itself, stood the high king of the elves. Gil-Galad had exchanged his robes for heavy, golden armor and braided his hair as if in preparation for a battle. He, too, looked tense. Celebrimbor had never been so glad to see him. 

Eagerly, Celebrimbor pushed through the throng of guards and exclaimed, "Gil-Galad - I didn't know you were going to be coming so soon!" And then, with a hint of embarrassment, "I'd have made myself look more presentable if I did."

A hush fell over the tent, with even the guards stopping their whisperings, as all eyes moved to the elven smith. It uncomfortably reminded him of the time when he'd cursed his bad luck multiple days ago, and he winced lightly before he soldiered on and stepped close to the table.

Ereinion looked surprised to see him, eyes widened slightly. After a moment, he strode around the table and came to stand in front of Celebrimbor.

"Tyelpe. It is good to see you alive - and whole," the High King stated. His eyes were moving over the smith, searching, before they settled back on his face.

And then, before Celebrimbor knew what was happening, Ereinion had reached forward and drawn the smith into a tight hug.

The smith needed a few blinks before he managed to regain himself. Gil-Galad was many things, but being prone to touching others wasn't usually among them. The elf supposed it was a sign that the king had indeed feared the worst. Tentatively, he freed one of his arms from the bundle he still held, and wrapped it around the high king in turn. "It is good to see you, too, Ereinion."

Suddenly, there was a sound from the other side of the table that almost sounded like a growl. When Celebrimbor startled and turned around, he found Adar staring at him- no, not at him, but at Gil-Galad, nostrils flaring and hands clenched. With a frown, the smith looked at Gil-Galad, and felt confusion as he noticed the high king wear a similar expression of drawn eyebrows and pinched lips.

His eyes flew between the two of them as he tried to understand what was going on, until they settled on Galadriel, who...wore a smirk, of all things. And looked mischievously from Celebrimbor to Adar and back when she caught his eye.

The smith frowned, unsure what she was getting at, and freed himself from Gil-Galad's embrace.

"I am glad we are finally able to sit at the negotiation table together, all of us," the smith tried to dissipate the strange tension that had fallen over the group. He knew his king was protective of those he considered friends and family, but surely there was no reason to sour the current talks with a show of distrust?

And he couldn't even hope to parse what Adar's reaction might have been caused by. He's ask him about it later.

"Please, sit, everyone. I am sure we have much to talk about."

Gil-Galad seemed reluctant to follow Celebrimbor's request at first, but eventually acquiesced. As did the others, who walked to the chairs that had been prepared for them.

Adar, however, was looking at Celebrimbor.

"How has your project gone?" Again, it took the smith a moment to pick up on what Adar was talking about, but then smiled brightly at his husband. It was obvious the other had searched the Celebrimbor with his eyes for the shape of the crown, and hadn't found it.

Well, Celebrimbor would change that.

"Thank you for reminding me - it has gone better than expected! Here-" and he moved the shape in his arms, wrapped in coarse linen, and gently placed it on the table before Adar. It was long and slim, not at all like a crown anymore.

Adar stared at the smith skeptically, then stretched out his bare hand as he gingerly folded aside the fabric. The open surprise on his face caused Celebrimbor to rock back and forth on his feet with both mirth and delight.

The uruk had been right, Morgoth's crown had been tough to reforge, doubly so because the circumstances were not ideal. But the smith had refused to be bested by it - and, in turn, the maiar who had previously worked on the metal. It had taken much coaxing and every bit of his knowledge and skill as a smith, but eventually, the darkened iron had bent to his will.

What had been wrought from it now lay on the table before all of them. It hadn't been enough for a greatsword like Adar's, but with some additional material, a shortsword had been achieved. It was utilitarian, for the metal had refused to let itself be remade into a more pleasing shape, and so it lay, simple and dark and still menacing, but it was a sword now. Certainly easier to use in a fight than a crown, and hopefully, more lethal as well.

At the elves' questioning glances, Celebrimbor pointed at it and explained. "I reworked Morgoth's crown. If this is to be our best chance at killing Sauron, I am not letting you lot walk into this fight and wield something that is meant to be worn as adornment in court, not brandished as weapon in battle."

The incredulous expressions on his friends' faces caused the smith to preen. Yes, pride had been a weakness of his back in Eregion, but he felt entitled to a little bit of it at least.

Working on this sword had felt like reclaiming a part of himself, in a strange way - while Sauron had taken his creations and tainted them, he had taken one of his and reforged it to serve the elf's own purposes.

How fitting it would be, if it caused the Deceiver's own destruction.

"Where did you do this?" Gil-Galad asked, pointing his hand at the sword as he looked at Celebrimbor. The high king did tend to look slightly exasperated even at the best of times, but currently, he held an expression of sheer disbelief.

The smith raised his eyebrows and pointed over his shoulder with his index finger, in the direction of the tentflap. He briefly turned towards it, then back to Gil-Galad, and simply said. "Well. Here, in the camp. One of Adar's smiths graciously lent me her forge."

Gil-Galad's eyes fell to the sword again. Galadriel and Elrond were studying it just as intently, the look on their faces similar to the one they'd worn when he'd first presented the elven rings to them.

It was Adar who spoke next. "I have heard many stories about the house of Feanor - about your grandfather, specifically," Celebrimbr looked up and found Adar staring at him. The uruk was less expressive than most elves, so the sheer, open look of awe on his face felt sent a thrill through Celebrimbor's whole body, made him feel giddy and warm. "The greastest elven smith who ever lived."

"I would claim that you needn't question your own greatness in comparison to him. If anything, I think you might surpass him. No other being I have met, save for a valar and a maiar, have been able to alter this crown."

"And you did it in an uruk camp, with a cobbled-together forge and scavenged tools."

It was a close thing, but Celebrimbor felt as if he could have almost wept with the praise. Many people had paid compliments to him and his work. Compared him to his grandfather and his deeds.

And yet, none had ever felt as sincere, and none had ever touched him as deeply, as that of the uruk he had bound himself to in a desperate bid to save both their people, and who would carry his creation into battle.

Celebrimbor's face broke out into a wide, slightly shaky smile. "Thank you, Adar, I-" a pause and, as fondness overcame him, the smith added. "Consider it a belated wedding present, if you'd like."

And there it was, the faintest hint of a smile on Adar's face, once again.

"...I think I should like that."

Celebrimbor didn't know it, but the smile he gave in response was as radiant and warm as the sun itself.