#got ungoliant

[daily-smol-silm]

If you are taking requests / suggestions / whatever to call it: smol Ungolianth biting into a dandelion (which is comperatively big)

But if you don't feel like it, no pressure!

Day #67 - Accomplice

Two problems for the price of one :0

Bonus extra big dandelion:

[autismmydearwatson]

an important thing the Silmarillion has taught me is that any mighty godlike dark lord can be easily ratio'd by a big enough animal

[fistfuloflightning]

Sauron: Treat spiders the way you want to be treated. Morgoth: Killed without hesitation. Sauron: No.

[omnomnomwisenom]

By the way, if you want to help to get me out of an art block, feel free to send me your old sketches, lineart or whatever kind of unfinished drawings of the safe-for-work kind that have been sitting in your drafts folder for far too long.

Just post/reblog your stuff here on tumblr and add something akin to @omnomnomwisenom Finish It challenge or whatever in the description so I can see it in my notifications.

[honestmouse20]

Me, bitching about it being too early for Christmas stuff

Also me, maybe I should listen to Christmas music whike I clean today 👀

[balrogballs]

some elrond raising aragorn headcanons on this fine sunday (now illustrated):

1. Elrond's irl children have a running joke that he loves Aragorn more than the three of them combined but everyone knows it's just a joke and the truth was that he loved all his children equally: but his love for Arwen, Elrohir and Elladan could be split across thousands of years like a slow burning candle. But he would only have Aragorn for a century or two — simply a blink in the eye of time, so his love for him was fiery and blazing — a sandstorm in an hourglass.

2. Toddler Aragorn was 100% spoilt, and it was entirely Elrond's fault. Most of the Dunedain fosters would normally come to Imladris as adolescents, as per general medieval fostering custom, and leave by adulthood. Aragorn, however, came in as a baby due to his circumstances, and Elrond — whose last baby was a baby 2800 years ago — went FERAL

3. Baby Aragorn was the bane of Glorfindel's life. He would make it a point to personally torment him. Four year old Aragorn once braided Glorfindel's hair to his chair so remarkably it took Erestor an hour to free him. When Elrond found out, he gave Aragorn extra dessert for being clever enough to do such good braids.

4. The best day of Elladan's life was the day Aragorn got his first haircut at the age of three, because Elrond cried for some inexplicably paternal reason and Elladan prayed Mandos would strike him down in that moment so he could die laughing hysterically.

5. Have I mentioned that baby Aragorn was very spoilt? However, nobody in the House of Elrond said anything of it, because that baby being a little spoilt was small payment for bringing joy to a family shrouded in grief for centuries.

6. Aragorn was 10 when Thorin and his company passed through Imladris, and he was OBSESSED with the dwarven lord. He would follow him around, beg him to play chess with him, ask if Thorin wanted to hold his pet lizard. Thorin would never admit it, but he too grew to adore the boy across those few days.

7. The entire household of Imladris spent decades placing bets as to when Elrond would accidentally call Aragorn 'Elros'. Elrond, for his sins, made sure that he never once mentioned Elros to him — so that Aragorn would grow up knowing he was loved for being him, not a facsimile of a long dead twin... until the day they parted, and Aragorn put a small heirloom from his family in Elrond's hand. A tiny gold ring traditionally given to elflings on their first begetting day — that had once belonged to his own ancestor, Tar-Minyatur.

8. Elrond used to scare Elladan and Elrohir with the idea of Ungoliant when they were younger, but when they tried the scare tactic on toddler Aragorn, he was very excited and wanted to hear more about the enormous spider. So they had to resort to drastic measures and tell him about an even more fearsome creature that ate little boys who didn't go to bed: Arwen Undomiel, the giant werewolf prowling the forests of Lothlorien.

9. Many songs were sung about the final parting of Arwen and Elrond, a tragedy that would last beyond the breaking of the world. Less sung about was a quieter parting, where the Lord of Imladris watched King Elessar walk towards the gates of Minas Tirith for the last time — Elrond's final baby. His very, very last.

[shrikeseams]

#which does make me picture post-darkening valinor full of desperate osanwe calls like what if ungoliant also ate little timmy - @welcomingdisaster

i do think in pre-darkening aman kids were largely free-roamed. like it's a land where there's nothing to really worry about outside of accidents. even if they fall into the ocean or something i bet you a friendly maia spirit is going to be fishing them out.

elven parents are not particularly worried if their kids go missing for a few days here and there. probably eating dinner at a friend's or going one some kinda forest adventure.

[silmarillion-ways-to-die]

What I learned from The Silmarillion:

Genesis can be rewritten to be way more beautiful and interesting.

Gandalf and Durin's Bane were probably buds once.

All the Elves in the Third Age are nice because all the assholes got brutally slaughtered in the First Age.

"I have a Silmaril in my hand." "Show me." "Sorry, my hand's not here right now."

Old School Sauron is way cooler than the mopey voyeur in LOTR.

Elrond's dad is a planet and his mom is a bird.

Tolkien's cosmology explains everything—except Eru Ilúvatar, Ungoliant, Tom Bombadil, talking swords and purses, animals serving dinner, and That Fox Who Never Knew Anything More About It.

[perlen-gold]

(For some reasons I can't see my own reblog so here's a repost)

Just an ordinary day (angbang style)

POV: You're Melkor and you're AWESOME!

8 am: Get up.

8:10 am: Wreck the bedroom a little cause you haven't wrecked something in at least 6 hours.

8:30 am: Put sugar into Mairon's blacker-than-black coffe when he's not looking.

8:40 am: Don't listen to the report about who of your prisoners in the dungeons is still alive.

8:45 am: Listen to Mairon spitting hotter-than-boiling coffee at some poor orc and cackle.

9 am: Go to war council. Get bored quickly.

10 am: Get lectured by Mairon for falling asleep on the battle plan.

11 am: Go inspect your fortress.

11:10 am: Get bored quickly. Raise a volcano. Volcanos are fun.

11:30 am: Get lectured by Mairon for destroying half of Angband fortress.

12 pm: Lunch time. Capture some poor elves, then tell their relatives you've eaten them while they're really imprisoned in your dungeons awaiting future torture.

1 pm: Join Mairon in the forge and watch him a little. Get bored quickly cause all he's working on is a dull ring and nothing shiny.

1:20 pm: Get thrown out of the forge for hiding Mairon's forging tools.

1:30 pm: WHIP CLASS time: Teach the balrogs how to use a whip of fire like a lasso to catch wizards with it. Then get bored quickly again.

2 pm: Leave it to Gothmog to comfort the young balrog whose whip you smashed to pieces.

2:30 pm: Write prank letters to Manwë

3 pm: Write another letter to Yavanna, telling her all about the plants you've poisoned last week.

4 pm: Feed the dragons.

4:40 pm: Get lectured by Mairon for feeding the best archers in the army to the dragons.

5 pm: Think of some other terrible creature, start creating them and then leave the rest of the design to Mairon cause you got bored quickly.

5:15 pm: Get lectured by Mairon for setting lose a half-formed monster eating all the best sword-trained orcs.

5:30 pm: Send a self portrait showing yourself wearing the gleaming silmarills in your crown to Ungoliant and spray it with insectifuge.

6 pm: Tell Mairon he's beautiful in the most inaproppiate moment when he's giving a speech to your generals.

6:15 pm: Get shouted at by Mairon for being an absolute asshole.

6:20 pm: Start a huge argument just for the fun of it.

6:25 pm: Start making out heavily just when Mairon's about to desert you. Kiss him hard and kiss him good.

6:30 pm: Oh yes, you know, what your little flame needs.

6:45 pm: Stop just before things get really hot simply to annoy Mairon a little more.

7 pm: Fuck Mairon really hard on the war table cause damn, that little wicked thing knows your weakness (it's Mairon.)

7:30 pm: Call it "making sweet love" just to have Mairon at your throat again.

7:35 pm: Enjoy another round, breaking the war table for good this time.

9 pm: Hide behind a rock and watch Mairon taking a lava bath. Pelt unmelting chunks of ice at him. Listen to him cursing you.

10 pm: Take a night time stroll. Find some lost elves and tell them a bunch of lies about the other Valar.

12 pm: Time for a nightcap. Read Mairon's diary.

1 am: Go to bed.

1:01 am: Watch Mairon sleep (if he wakes, lie and tell him his snores were loud enough to reach Utumno.)

2 am: Go to sleep. Look forward to the next day cause you're Melkor and you're AWESOME.

[sillylotrpolls]

All of the above options got less than 3% of the vote in a previous Silly LotR Poll.

Your favorite Peter Jackson movie is The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 1% (original poll)

You ship Gandalf/Sauron 0.6% (original poll)

You put money on Éomer to win the annual Middle-earth Twerk-Off 0% (original poll)

If forced to share a bed in Angband, you'd sleep with Ungoliant 2.8% (original poll)

You think Legolas and Gimli got "elvish married" at the Black Gate 2% (original poll)

Your favorite song in the LotR musical is The Song of Hope 1.6% (original poll)

In search of advice, you would create a religion around the Red Book 2.4% (original poll)

If you crafted a Silmaril, you would publicly announce your success 2.8% (original poll)

You think Tom Bombadil should be played by Patti LuPone 1.9% (original poll)

You think Denethor is the best father figure in LotR 1.5% (original poll)

You believe the Entwives are vacationing in Lothlorien 2.7% (original poll)

You read LotR and thought it was fine, but not anything really amazing 1.9% (original poll)

[lesbiansforboromir]

The existence of 'Iluvatar' (father of all) implies the existence of 'Iluvamil' (mother of all) but the full name is 'Eru Iluvatar' (Eru meaning 'the one' or 'alone') how can one be a 'father' with an implied partner 'mother' and yet also alone? If the VOID is your partner!!! The devouring emptiness as mother of all!! Alu Iluvamil!! Who does that remind you of?? Ungoliant of course!! Eru and Ungoliant are the father and mother of Arda and they got a divorce after he spurned and discarded her WHERE is the scholarship!!!!!

[eglerieth]

Can you imagine just how awesomely terrifying Morgoth was with his Silmaril crown?!

When Eärendil wore ONE silmaril, he was able to be seen from miles and miles below, shining as a bright star. Probably a thousand times brighter close up. And Morgoth wore THREE of them. So there’s that. That’s on the top of his head. Go down a bit to his face, and we get the Tyrant of Utumno- the form he got stuck in after the whole deal with Ungoliant. That form of his was described as so terrible that all quailed before him. Then we get the scar on his face from Thorondor’s claws. So we’ve got a terrifying guy who would be enough to terrify anyone with his mere appearance, but now he’s scarred and has three huge glowing stones on his head- glowing with the light of all things fair and sacred, the same light from which the sun gets its roots- the same sun that the servants of Angband fear above almost anything. And their leader bears that light. I feel really, really bad for any orc captain that had to enter Morgoth’s throne room to give a report.

[thelordofgifs]

Counting lines of dialogue in the Silmarillion

A while ago (before I even got on tumblr), for reasons best known to myself procrastinating writing cover letters, I went through the entire published silm and counted up the number of lines of dialogue assigned to each character. Here are the results!

Notes on methodology: Quenta Silmarillion only; characters listed in order of first line of dialogue; dialogue that can be attributed to multiple characters because a whole group was talking/the speaker wasn't identified is omitted; so is dialogue spoken by unnamed characters. Also I may have miscounted slightly because I'm not going back to check this.

Eru: 4 Aulë: 5 Yavanna: 10 Manwë: 9 Tulkas: 2 Mandos: 9 Míriel: 2 Finwë: 2 Melkor: 7 Fingolfin: 4 Fëanor: 13 Ungoliant: 3 Olwë: 1 Maedhros: 6 Fingon: 2 Thingol: 19 Caranthir: 2 Ulmo: 3 Melian: 13 Galadriel: 3 Finrod: 5 Angrod: 2 Turgon: 10 Aredhel: 4 Eöl: 7 Maeglin: 2 Curufin: 5 Bëor: 2 Bereg: 1 "Amlach" (actually someone pretending to be him): 1 Amlach: 1 Haleth: 2 Húrin: 12 Galdor: 1 Sauron: 3 Beren: 11 Lúthien: 4 Celegorm: 2 Edrahil: 1 Draugluin: 1 Huan: 1 Huor: 1 Saeros: 1 Beleg: 9 Túrin: 18 Mîm: 5 Gwindor: 8 Finduilas: 2 Glaurung: 6 Aerin: 1 Brandir: 3 Niënor: 3 Gurthang: 1 Mablung: 1 Thorondor: 1 Morwen: 3 Eärendil: 3 Elwing: 1 Eönwë: 1 Maglor: 4

Some thoughts on this:

Thingol has a solid claim by at least one metric to being the main character of the Silmarillion! No doubt this would annoy literally everyone, including Thingol ("What do you mean it's called the Silmarillion?").

Anyone who features in one of the Great Tales gets a slightly disproportionate amount of dialogue, as expected for the more novelistic style of those chapters.

Lots of divine beings chattering in the early chapters, but they're obviously much quieter once the action moves to Beleriand.

Huan, despite famously speaking three times, only has one line of actual attributed dialogue (the others are reported speech).

Maglor, one of the most popular characters in the silm, is the literal last one to be given a speaking role and he only has four lines of dialogue (all of which are very good lines though. do not come after my boy).

Characters who notably don't get anything to say: Orodreth, Círdan, Tuor, Idril.

[buffyfan145]

Word of warning we just got a ton of possible leaks about season 2 of "Rings of Power" coming from The One Ring Net source. However, I will point out while a few of these seem possible this reminds me a lot of other "leaked" things for my other fandoms, especially DC and Marvel movies/shows, and most of those turned out to be false and fans just posting things for their own enjoyment. However, this is how it first leaked that Halbrand was Sauron before season 1 aired. Some of these do match scoops/spoilers we've gotten from Fellowship of Fans an interviews with the cast, but some of these are so out of left field. I'll post a breakdown under a cut of the major ones but you can see the post in full here. But I will point out some of these would be massive changes to the lore that even I'd be shocked if they do it, so again we'll see.

So the first thing that matches what FOF and even Charlie Vickers teased is that season 2 is going to show a lot of Sauron flashbacks and tell his side of the story and that we'll be in on his plans the whole time. But according to this post the Mairon version is a separate actor and that Gavi is actually the Annatar version but Halbrand/Charlie is still the main one going forward.

They're saying the Tolkien estate gave Amazon more access to "The Silmarillion" and we will see all the Valar, Maiar, Eru (he's just a voice though so we won't see a person), Melkor/Morgoth, Mairon (even called this name), Gandalf/Mithrander (who is Daniel's The Stranger), and even Ungoliant as we get this full backstory in the show.

Halbrand will go back to the dwarves and reveal he's Mairon to them and they truth him because of Aule.

It'll be revealed that Sauron/Mairon had a son and Adar killed him, which was why the line Adar said about "a woman or a child" was said in s1. No idea who the boy's mother is but possibly Amelia Kenworthy's character. This is a huge departure but would be interesting to have Sauron/Mairon/Halbrand actually have been a father and the 2nd Maiar besides Melian to have children.

Gandalf/Mithrander will also have flashbacks, including that he almost sided with Mairon, and even introduce Shadowfax.

Tom Bombadil and Goldberry will appear, which we already saw a leak about this possibly happening last year.

Supposedly Halbrand/Sauron does keep up his infatuation with Galadriel but actually goes back to Eregion not as just Annatar but as Celeborn!!! 😮 So they don't rescue Celeborn after all but it is Sauron/Halbrand and it's making it sound like there's romantic scenes between them but again it's actually Sauron/Halbrand with Galadriel and not Celeborn. I know some of us Haladriel shippers have written this exact thing in our fics and if this really does happen that again hints that Sauron/Halbrand really could be Celebrian's biological father which I would be shocked if the show did this even though I'd also love it. LOL Then add in if they do this change where Sauron had a son that died and possibly ends up having a daughter with Galadriel. It does sound like the real Celeborn does come back too at some point so if this happens this is going to be interesting, even though I know a lot of the purists and regular LOTR fans might hate it.

The season does end with Sauron forging the One Ring, which FOF has also been speculating. The thing is if Galadriel will be with him when he does as FOF reported on her being captured by Adar during the Battle of Eregion with this also confirms happens in the last 2 episodes.

They're also saying too that the season will also end with Galadriel making a choice to save either real Celeborn and/or Sauron/Halbrand as Celeborn, which again could point to above that she gets captured and then decides to stay with him. So this is going to be very interesting if any of these turn out to be true.

[eri-pl]

(followup to this poll)

(We are deciding what we want to happen, not what would be most likely.)

Feanor has* a vision of Maedhros throwing himself into a volcano (also, he's got a lot of scars and just one hand and there's apparently some cataclysmic event around + there is a strange glowing thing in the sky + WHAT? why is the Silmaril burning him???)

His heart says to him: "Behold!…

\* assume it is happenning shortly before the action mentioned in your answer, at an appropriate point to not do the thing.

My thoughts on what might happen in some of those scenarios:

[In case it's confusing: I call the bad guy Melkor or Morgoth depending on how he was called at a given point in story. this is the natural way to do it for me.]

Feanor doesn't make the Silmarils is the boring option tbh.

Cooperate with Melkor... you could have Melkor gaining some common sense, and generally those two realizing that they have some ugly traits in common and getting into a more constructive sort of rivarly... but no. :D Realistically, it would end up as bad as the canon, maybe with a different setup of alliances and anmities.

Doesn't go to the party... I think this is what Melkor expected. We end up with Feanor dead but I think he would beat up Melkor well too. Melkor had underestimated him.

Which means that Ungolianth would have a good opportunity to negotiate her payment earlier. We may end up with a hilarious (well, ok, also tragic because Feanor dies) scene where Tulkas is the one to chase Ungoliant off from Melkor's face.

And Melkor gets (impisoned? kicked into the void?) so Beleriand is safe, I guess. Well, except one little admirable guy being left there without any supervision.

Also, the Trees are dead but the Silmarils are probably reclaimed and without Feanor having the opportunity to refuse earlier, his sons may allow the Valar to use them. The problem is: can anyone break them? (Alternatively, they got eaten by Ungolianth)

Take Finwe and Silmarils to the party… I assume Melkor knew (at least predicted) that Feanor would leave the gems (and maybe himself too) at home. So here we end up with a last-minute change of plans leading to a very surprised Melkor.

The Trees are still dead, but the Silmarils are available, and with Finwe being alive... I don't know. Feanor would surely take Finwë's opinion into account, but would Finwë want him to let Yavanna reboot the Trees at the cost of Silmarils? With Feanor believing that it would kill him: no, he wouldn't.

We still very likely get an Oath (to protect them from the Valar, which was imo the main goal of the oath) and Finwë is swearing it too. I like it, this makes 9 of them and 9 is a cool number.

And the Oath means that Feanor is banished, so they leave to Beleriand anyway. They wanted to leave even before the Darkening. Just with Finwë. Which may impact Olwë's reaction and later, Thingol's. Also, Finwë is the one going to "parley" with Morgoth (about what, if he has no Silmarils? idk, but Morgoth would think of something for sure)

Give up the Silmarils… Ooooh. this is the interesting one. I'll be honest: this is the one with best vibes for me. It just feels right and like it would result in the worst of Feanor's flaws going away.

The Trees are still dead, because the jewels are gone. However, I imagine this would change how the Silmarils impact Morgoth (because metaphysics). and by that I mean it's both more painful and somehow more constructive, more helpful to the general story?

Also there would be a Valar-approved army going to reclaim the gems, probably led by Eonwë. And much more coherent and with less tensions. And, of course, no problem with ships.

I like to think that Indis would go to war (why not? Morgoth killed her husband after all, even if she didn't care much for said husband). I like it because then she can die and Finwë and Miriel can live happily again and by letting go of revenge for Finwë, Feanor would eventually get Finwë back which is wonderful.

I don't hate Indis, but she is the third wheel here, sorry. Also, I believe she would stay in Mandos to let Finwë be happy with Miriel, because she is a good person. A good perso that is the third wheel.

Generally, somehow, happy ending. Happier than in the Silm, anyway. And Feanor doesn't die, or at least not for long. Miriel could heal after giving birth to him, he can heal after breaking the Silmarils.

Don't leave Aman... I'm not sure. He may start a civil war eventually (preasure the Valar to chase Morgoth and the preasuring escalates).

Doesn't swear the oath. This is another interesting one. He is not banished from Aman, just leaves by himself. The Teleri may be more cooperative. There may be no or less of doom of the Noldor.

It all may result in the sons of Feanor being much more cooperative after he died, trying to somehow make amends with the Valar? IDK.

Doesn't fight the Teleri… What's the alternative? Trying to build his own ships, or Helcaraxe? With all the tensions among his host? I think it's another "civil war" one.

Doesn't burn the ships… Much damage is done already, and I think Feanor still goes in front of the army and dies. It's just in character for him.

Succession crisis ensues (I don't think Maedhros liked Fingolfin a whole lot at this point?), Morgoth invites a king to a parlay… both of them, asking each to keep it secret… Fingolfin has to save both his cousin and his father.

I don't think there's much improvement overall. There is surely a big improvement for all who died or otherwise suffered the Helcaraxe, but in the historical perspective? Not much.

Doesn't die on Balrogs? This results to Maedhros not gtting captured, at least not so early. Feanor wouldn't go to a parlay— wait. He wouldn't be invited to a parlay. He would be invited to a duel. And go there, of course. Morgoth would be delighted. (Of course there would be no duel. It would be the same as with the parlay... And then he would have Feanor to "play with")

The sons would probably assume him dead? I'm not sure. Or they would die one by one trying to free him?

Anyway, bad idea. Probably worse than canon.

No second oath… I don't think it would change much. It felt like it deserved to be an option, but… idk.

[eleneressea]

In your time travel maedhros au, how are things going between Feanor and Fingolfin since Maitimo got sent to Lorien and it’s becoming increasingly obvious that he and Findekano have feelings for one another. How’s Finwe dealing with all this?

Finwë is doing extremely bad about all this! But mostly for Míriel-related reasons.

Maitimo goes back to just about when Morgoth gets released, and the Ungoliant Incident happens not that long after Fëanor makes the Silmarils, so the Fëanor-Fingolfin relationship is actually not that bad because Morgoth hasn't had a chance to really get the lies going yet. They don't get along, they're still rivals and the family situation is still complicated, but they aren't enemies. This means that there's a chance that they can patch things up. Fëanor is dealing with his "Am I a bad parent?" crisis and knows that Maitimo would like him and Fingolfin to get along, so he's putting in an effort to not snap at Fingolfin. too much. Fingolfin, meanwhile, is very aware that Maitimo saved Findekáno, so he's working on being nicer to Fëanor, and the result is…several very awkward conversations. but they're polite very awkward conversations.

Once Maitimo wakes up and starts manipulating uh I mean influencing his family from his sickbed,* the awkward conversations increase in length and frequency. At one point Fëanor even ventures a comment about Indis that isn't a veiled insult! The bar may be low but they're clearing it!

It is, unfortunately, not obvious that Findekáno and Maitimo have feelings for each other. Emotions are high! Maitimo saved Findekáno's life! Findekáno staying by Maitimo's sickbed and clutching his hand…is not necessarily romantic when he nearly died for you, y'know? So Maitimo knows that Findekáno has feelings for him (because future) but Findekáno thinks that nobody knows how he feels, and to be fair very few people do,** same for Maitimo. They're pining.

*guy arranged large land deals with Thingol in the single year between the Eagle rescue and his abdication; as soon as he's coherent he's going to be judiciously telling his cousins and siblings things to get them to do what he wants. Sometimes that's fomenting rebellion among the Teleri, sometimes that's more pillows and extra treats.

**to wit: Maitimo, Anairë, Ambarussa, Galadriel. Anairë knows her eldest, Ambarussa and Galadriel were (separately) sneaking around eavesdropping and heard Findekáno telling an unconscious Maitimo about his feelings. Galadriel is about four and doesn't understand romantic love yet; Ambarussa think it's very funny. They've nicknamed him "Findekáno Astaldo" sarcastically for his great bravery in confessing his feelings to someone who is unconscious and can't hear him.