#growingingreenwood

[sylvanprincess]

Oh, this got me thinking 😁

Another line that gives me Thranduil vibes is the “Nothing makes me feel more alive” line that follows after the “If you wanted me dead, you should've just said” line.

Another one is the “I was tame, I was gentle til the circus life made me mean. Don't you worry folks, we took out all her teeth.”

“Is it a wonder I broke, let’s hear one more joke”, and “You caged me, and then you called me crazy. I am what I am cause you trained me.”

It makes me think of how Thranduil is a genuinely nice person in the books, to the point that Bilbo wants to protect him, yet he and his elves are described as being ‘more dangerous and less wise’.

The book makes it clear that Thranduil is genuinely beloved by his Silvan Elves, and Gollum ends up escaping due to overkindness.

He's also the compassionate voice of reason in The Hobbit, immediately ordering the dwarves to be unbound once he sees how exhausted they are, giving them good food and drink even after they’ve been rude to him, helping the people of Laketown out of friendship and refusing to ambush the dwarves, going so far as to state that he won't go to war over gold (“Long will I tarry, ere I will begin this war for gold. The dwarves cannot press us, unless we will.”).

Furthermore, Thranduil was essentially left alone to deal with Sauron and his taint for millennia before the White Council realised that Sauron was returning.

Adding onto the above note, the lines “So all your kids can sneak into my house with all the cobwebs.”

Makes me think of Thorin and his company’s interactions with the Elves, and how they were the aggressors. Even Gandalf low-key defends Thranduil by admitting that the whole mess was a misunderstanding.

Turning towards the movies, the lines “So tell me everything is not about me… but what if it is? Then tell me they didn't do it to hurt me… but what if they did? As well as the lines “I want to snarl and show you just how disturbed this has made me. You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum where they raised me.”

It makes me think of the confrontation between Thranduil and Tauriel, where she threatens him and tells him that he won't turn away again before claiming that there's no love in him and Legolas comes to her rescue after Thranduil gets angry.

"At all costs, keep your good name. You don't get to tell me you feel bad."

Thranduil's confontation with Gandalf, where he remarks that "You started this Mithrandir, you'll forgive me if I finish it.

There was also this deleted scene where Gandalf shames Thranduil after Legolas leaves with Tauriel by stating that his wife didn't just leave behind the gems; she also gave him their son. I honestly hate it because it massively oversimplifies the conflict Thranduil is in, especially considering Thranduil’s decision to quit is explicitly because he refuses to shed more Elven blood for this accursed land. A decision that has nothing to do with gems.

Gandalf, I’m not sure how it makes you a good person to come up to someone right after a blow like that and smugly lecture them on their personal failings.

“And that’s why you're still singing along”

Thranduil respecting Legolas’ desire for some space to process his emotions, and even giving him some guidance on where to go-which makes sense because in the LOTR movies, Legolas is kinda odd when it comes to death.

I mean, Thranduil has canonically Seen Some Stuff, and in the movie even he is shocked by the battle and wants to pull his elves out, so I can only imagine how it would be for Legolas.

Philippa Boyen confirmed that in the movie, Thranduil and Legolas are close and genuinely love each other, and that they reconcile between the Hobbit and LOTR movies.

Afterwards, Thranduil offers some sense of comfort to Tauriel after Kíli dies despite her earlier actions and Evangeline Lily confirmed that she returns to Mirkwood, her experiences having softened her and given her the determination to protect her home, this time with greater compassion (in other words, Thranduil forgave her and revoked her banishment).

Despite rebelling against him, both Legolas and Tauriel still turn to Thranduil’s support.

I wish that had made it into the movie as it speaks volumes about just how forgiving of a person Thranduil actually is.

Just, yeah, this whole song is just 1000% pure Thranduil vibes.

One of Taylor Swift’s latest songs “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me” gives me major Thranduil vibes. I can picture him singing this song in both the book and movie universes.

The parts of the song that give me the MOST Thranduil feels are the following:

"The who's who of "Who's that?" is poised for the attack But my bare hands paved their paths You don't get to tell me about sad. ....If you wanted me dead, you should've just said it."

Cause like damn.... that's probably how most of the other remaining powerful 'allies' in Middle Earth made him feel all the time sometimes. Especially the last line. It must have felt quite a bit like he and his people had been left out in the yard to be used as a chewtoy for every dog in the neighborhood.

"… I wanna snarl and show you just how disturbed this has made me You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum where they raised me So all you kids can sneak into my house with all the cobwebs."

He wants to show how much he's struggling in practically every capacity that one could struggle in, how much the events since the War of the Last Alliance have affected him. Changed him. But he knows that won't do anything.

I'm always drunk on my own tears, isn't that what they all said? That I'll sue you if you step on my lawn That I'm fearsome and I'm wretched and I'm wrong."

Because they've already decided how they view him. And it's not favorably.

Thanks for the message! Have a great day and stay safe out there! <3

[lordgrimwing]

wip folder game!

tagged by @zannolin

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

So I don't have a wip folder (because I never finish anything). But here's the documents I have in my Middle-earth folder that I still occasionally worked on:

αβΩ au

Tiny Elrond

thoughts

The Wives Don't Die AU

Old Gods AU

Nasty Finwe au

More Mouths AU

LOTR stories

Glorfindel stories shared with Tia

Foresight

Eleven's a big number, so have some low-stakes tags: @potatoobsessed999, @annab99awritersdream, @camille-lachenille, @curufiin, @eclectickefi, @runawaymun, @thescrapwitch, @hellofeanor, @welcomingdisaster, @tathrin, and @growingingreenwood.

[ravenschildmoon]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who liked or reblogged something from you! Get to know your mutuals and followers ⭐️

Figure skating! ⛸️I try to go a few times weekly and love the feeling of my hair whirling around me while I’m spinning 😊

Exploring new places (usually on foot). This could be finding a new city or just looking for little coffee shops in my hometown

Of course, chatting to people about my fandoms (my current fave is Marauders era Harry Potter)

Wearing pretty outfits 👗 or clothes with particular sentimental value

Baking and cooking; I’ve always found that it calms me down no matter what and I love getting the reactions of the people who try what I’ve made.

This is my first ever ask so thank you so much @chronicallyhomoerotic 🩷

Passing it on to: @heartwasaglass @growingingreenwood

[silvantransthranduiltrash]

https://www.tumblr.com/growingingreenwood/186286669027/elves-from-other-realms-seeing-the-celebrations?source=share

I think you would like this blogger

Believe it or not, i already follow them. But, thank you!

[arofili]

a sequel to this ; written for @growingingreenwood at the request of smilinganon :) I hope this brightens your day!

~

“You can’t be serious,” Legolas huffed. “There’s no way you beat my grandfather in a duel!”

“He did,” Elrond said mildly. “I was there.”

Legolas glared at Glorfindel, who was much too smug than he had any right to be. “Oropher was a master swordsman, he trained with Elu Thingol himself---”

“And I trained with Tulkas the Valiant,” Glorfindel interjected. “I never had the...pleasure of meeting Thingol personally, but I am certain that no matter how skilled he was, he could not best a Vala.”

“And could you?” Legolas stuck his chin out.

“No,” Glorfindel admitted. “But he is a Vala.”

“The Sindar have never needed to rely on the Powers,” Legolas said. “I do not doubt their strength, especially your Tulkas, but in a fair fight we could win.”

“Are you implying I cheated?” Glorfindel inquired.

Legolas hesitated; he was no fool, and Glorfindel was indeed a mighty warrior, the slayer of a Balrog. “No,” he said carefully, “only that you are clearly favored by fate in a way my grandfather never was.”

“You know, the duel in question was for my honor,” Elrond said. “Glorfindel perceived an insult to my heritage and defended me.”

“Why would Oropher insult your heritage?” Legolas asked, puzzled. “You are as much a Sinda as I.”

“Yes, but Elrond is also half-Noldo, where your other half is Silvan,” Glorfindel pointed out. “It is the Noldorin aspect to which he took offense.”

“Well---” Legolas looked briefly to Glorfindel. “Your father came from Gondolin, and lived with the Doriathrim, did he not? In such times I would think that petty grievances would be put aside.”

“Blast it, Elrond, we both know it wasn’t Earendil who you insisted on defending!” Glorfindel cried. “I respect your love for your caretakers, and whatever else they did they hated the Enemy more than even I, but truly how did you expect Oropher to respond to your defense of the Fëanorians?!”

Elrond shrugged. “I was simply stating a fact.”

“Fëanorians?” Legolas sniffed. “Oh, them. Well, that’s ancient history; they’re all dead, aren’t they?”

“Don’t tell him about Lindir,” Glorfindel muttered. Thankfully, Legolas did not hear that remark.

“For some of us the history is not so ancient,” Elrond said. “Truly, I bear your late grandfather no ill will, Legolas; and Glorfindel, I appreciate your defense of my honor. But I don’t see the point in looking for trouble between our peoples, not over grievances long since buried beneath the sea.”

“I still think the fight was not quite fair,” Legolas insisted stubbornly. “I am well-trained in the sword; not as good as my grandfather, for I prefer the bow, but I would gladly take his place in a rematch. Against another Noldo, of course,” he added hastily as Glorfindel raised an eyebrow. ���It would be purely ceremony, for fun, you know--”

“Elrohir also prefers the bow,” Elrond said. “Would you like to duel him? Surely that would be an even match. I’ll even dress him in Fëanorian colors if you think---”

“Ah, perhaps not,” Glorfindel interrupted, glancing sideways at Legolas. “Our esteemed guest may not care so much about the past, but I can think of many folk here who still flinch at the sight of an eight-pointed star...”

[harmfulsilvanelfling]

@growingingreenwood

Okay, I should have finished my homework by now, and I didn't, but I... I can explain... Can't I?..

[lordgrimwing]

WIPs

tagged by the stupendous @zannolin

Rules: Make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! Then tag as many people as you have WIPS.

I don't have specific WIP folder, so here's the files names of things I've worked on that will theoretically still be worked on:

Olds Gods AU

The Wives Don't Die AU

αβΩ au

More Mouths AU

Nasty Finwe au

Ainur Love

Glorfindel stories shared with Tia

Foresight

Tiny Elrond

#15--Beyonders

Very low pressure tags: @thescrapwitch, @runawaymun, @aroace-moron, @curufin, @tathrin, @tethysresort, @bizzybee429, @growingingreenwood, @sesamenom, and @maglorsthighgap.

[citrusro]

Based on this post by @growingingreenwood

Their blog is full of gold but I had to draw this specific interaction 😂😂😂

[chestnut-devil]

🇨🇦To all my fellow Canadian peeps out there Happy Thanks Giving🇨🇦

@growingingreenwood and @fireladybuckley

[sylvanprincess]

Canonical Elven Supernatural Abilities:

Elven musicians "can make the things of which they sing appear before the eyes of those that listen." (Lord of the Ring)

Elves can learn to speak the languages of animals (The Silmarillion)

Elves can speak to trees (Lord of the Rings)

Elves have the ability to see vast distances, and can count the number of people riding in a close formation, and notice their hair color and height, from a distance of at least seventeen miles (28 km). (Lord of the Rings)

Elves, particularly their eyes, glow with inner light (Lord of the Rings)

Elves can walk atop the snow and have remarkable cold tolerance (Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion)

Elves have the power to influence by magic over another person’s mind, and can puts others to sleep. (The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion)

Elves can manipulate or influence elements of nature (The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings)

Elves have the power to forsee possible outcomes of the future (Lord of the Rings)

Elves can read minds and communicate with each other telepathically, no matter where in Middle-Earth they happen to be (Lord of the Rings, Vinyar Tengwar)

Elves can duel with song and knock down buildings with song (The Silmarillion, Of The Rings of Power and the Third Age)

Elves can heal with song (HoME- Lays of Beleriand)

Elves can conceal/temporarily cause to disappear possessions of theirs which they want to disguise (HoME- Lays of Beleriand)

Elves can temporarily shapeshift, but their true form can be revealed if someone greater in power strips their disguised form (The Silmarillion)

Elves can create magical items: rope that unties itself when no longer needed, cloaks that make the wearer nearly invisible, rings that make mortal bearers immortal (though not spiritually and at a spiritual cost), the palantiri, gems that emit light, swords that glow in the presence of enemies and swords which are sentient and can talk.

Note: This reference is probably incomplete. @growingingreenwood (being the goddess of Tolkien lore that she is) and anyone else is free to add if I’ve missed any.

It should be noted that as Galadriel cautions the Hobbits, the supernatural abilities of the elves is not actually magic, as these powers are natural to the elves and can be advanced through practice. I haven’t included anything from the Book of Lost Tales, because that is a mess I don’t want to step into.

It’s unclear if Galadriel's mirror is a magic item or if she has a magic ability to see distant and future things in it. (Lord of the Rings).

And its implied, but never made explicit that Thranduil used a protective magical barrier like the Girdle of Melian to protect the Northern region of Eryn Galen from Sauron’s influence (Of The Rings of Power and the Third Age, Lord of the Rings).

There’s also an implication that either elves can teleport themselves and objects over a short distance or temporarily conceal themselves from the eyes of possible enemies by turning invisible (The Hobbit).

[ravenschildmoon]

I think this is how you do this…

Last Song Stuck in your head: would that I by Hozier

Favourite Dinosaur: carcaradontasorus (I loved dinosaurs as a child, does it show? 😂)

Fun Fact: my tea has to match the wood of my desk for the perfect brew level

Last mode of transportation: walking 😊

Fluff/smut/angst/crack: pretty much everything except for smut; it’s just not my thing. I do love a good hurt/comfort though

Pet Status: gremlin black cat who grooms my blanket like its her kitten and knocks my books off my table

Current temp where I am: 11 degrees! Way warmer than it usually is. It was 3 degrees yesterday though, so I think today is an anomaly 🤷🏼‍♀️

Emoji combo for my current state: ⛸️🌸🩰📑👟☕️🧋

Thank you so much for the tag @holding-hands-and-hearts (please let me know if I did it right, I’ve never participated in one of these before)

Pass it on: @heartwasaglass @growingingreenwood @zzinvolterra @wallwriterstuff

Thanks for the tag, dear @anstarwar !

Last song stuck in your head: Syrener by Olivia Lobato. I just love the sound - it’s a little teenage dream-y but I actually really enjoy it.

Favorite dinosaur: pteranodon! I used to watch a lot of Dinosaur Train.

Fun fact: I figured out how to use a treadmill for the first time last night. Was surprisingly fun!

Last mode of transportation: walking! how I get most places :)

Fluff/smut/angst/crack: smut isn’t my thing, but I’m pretty much a fic goblin otherwise. certainly partial to angst.

Pet status: dog! she’s a Lab who will do anything for food and absolutely loves hiking, so we have a lot in common.

Current temperature where you are: about 40*F - a little warmer than I expected.

Emoji combo for your current state: 🌲🥐☕️🏙️🚏💪

___

Tags: @ladysongmaster @wanderingjedihistorian @shamal17 @ravenschildmoon @graylinesspam + you, if you want to join in! Still getting back into the fandom and haven’t heard from many of y’all in a while, so feel free to pile on :)

[benk625-blog]

Submitted for feedback from:

@gimlas @cowboylegolas @mirkwoodest @wlwhobbits @gaybaggins @stinkylittlegnome @femmefaramir @samwlwise @pippinstook @sindar-princeling @growingingreenwood

Or anyone else who cares to comment. 😃

[orophers-love]

Thanks for the tag, @saimafatimaali 😁

Last Song: Always by Isak Danielson. Pretty good.

Last Movie: Rise of the Gaurdians (finallly!!!) Love it, it’s soooo good!!! Jack!!! 😍😍💙🤍💙🤍 ❄️❄️❄️

Currently watching: Nothing, I’m on a movie break lol

Currently reading: 2nd book in the Ascendance Trilogy, The Runaway King, I think. Jaron just attacked/got attacked...by SOMEONE  🤬🤬

Currently Craving: I dunno. Not a corona, that’s for sure!

Tagging: @windrelyn, @we-were-legends, @brannonlasgalen, @growingingreenwood. Sorry if u’ve been tagged already! You don’t need to do it.

[celebregol]

as a fellow Silvan lover (laegrim specifically) could share your thoughts on them? I’m looking for more people who also like Silvan folk to interact with bc I surprisingly have a lot of opinions on a people who don’t have any lines in the silm lol

You know, that’s very valid of you and such a mood. Before I go on about Silvans, I will mention that @growingingreenwood does have a number of amazing Silvan headcannons. At any rate, she does like the Silvans, so if you’re looking for more people to interact with, I would say she’s a good choice. I don’t know many other tolkien blogs, though, so I can’t really rec anyone else. 

Ok, I also have a lot of opinions about Silvans and the Avari in general, so I’ll put a couple of main ones here, and if you want more or want specific ones, just let me know. 

So you know how it’s commonly stated that the elves love Varda/Elbereth because she kindled the stars? I think that the Avari in general hold Yavanna to a higher esteem, because yeah, Varda made the stars, but Yavanna brought life as they know it. However, while the Avari acknowledge that the Valar are a thing that exists, I think that if they worship anything that comes from the Valar, it’ll be their work. So it’s not really Yavanna that they worship or hold highly, it’s the work that she did. 

Other than Yavanna, I think that the Valar the Avari most acknowledge is Orome, because, you know, he was in contact with them back in the day. But while the Avari revere Yavanna’s work, Orome is acknowledged because his anger is great and the Avari don’t think he’ll take it kindly if he’s forgotten. 

Also, you know how in the text, it often goes like “The Avari of [insert area] accepted this Noldo/Sinda lord as their own”? Yeah I don’t think it actually worked liked like that. Imo, in Mirkwood, the Avari there used Oropher and Thranduil as a cover, like “Hey we have your kind of elf here so don’t encroach on our land thanksssss”. Eventually though, the two stopped being figureheads when they proved themselves and adopted the culture. Not to say that they were ever “true” kings--they were leaders, but they were one leader of many, because the different Avari were bound to have different leaders for their different groups. In Lorien, I suspect that a number of Avari just left, choosing to remain under their own rule rather than under the rule of a foreigner. As for the rest of the Avari elves, I feel that they ended up inhabiting their own territories (I refuse to believe the only elvish lands that existed prior to and after the events of the Silm were the handful we were told about) or became nomadic. 

(Can I just quickly say that, like how indigenous peoples are portrayed oftentimes in history, it’s written as if there weren’t many elves in Middle Earth prior to the Noldo coming? I get that elves don’t propagate quickly, but I still bet that there were plenty of elves who lived in Middle Earth beforehand, just as I’m sure that a large number of Avari died between the battles that occured in the Silm)

In the text, a lot more of the “stereotypical” kind of magic occurs in the Hobbit, and in Mirkwood. I suspect that’s because all Avari have some sort of “wild” magic that comes from their proximity to Arda. Yeah, the Valar crossed over to Middle Earth, but it wasn’t as if they were regulating it, and I suspect that the magic they used for creation kind of leaked into the land. So, yeah, the Noldo and Vanya were close to the singers of the song, but the Avari were more in tune with the song itself. The Sinda are kind of weird, because they’re technically Avari, but they were also going to go to Valinor. They also ended up having a creature of the Valar (Melian) as their queen, so while I think they have some connection to the land, it’s less than what the Avari have. (But this can be another reason why Legolas considers himself more of a wood elf than a Sinda. He was raised with the Silvan culture, yes, but by the time he was born, I suspect Thranduil had already adopted Silvan culture, which meant that he grew up with that magic and already receptive to the song. It also explains why he was so heavily affected by the gulls crying--he heard the cry of Ulmo more clearly than perhaps a “normal” elf). Now why isn’t this the case in Rivendell and Lorien, and for all the Noldo elves born in Middle Earth? Well, I have two main theories. One, I think the magic formed a symbiosis with the Avari, so when they abandoned those areas, the magic left with them. Two, any magic that was in the area gravitated towards the rings that Elrond and Galadriel held. 

Avari do not cross over to Valinor naturally. This may seem obvious but hear me out. Noldo and sometimes the Sinda will get sea longing in their own time, but the only real way Avari will go is because intervention occurred. “But you just mentioned how Legolas was more receptive to the song of Ulmo, and that’s why he left!” Yeah, but 1. I’m pretty certain that that was on purpose, if that makes sense. 2. Legolas as a wood elf has never been to the sea before, and, if he didn’t become a part of the Fellowship, probably never would have gone to the sea. and 3. Legolas is at least partially Sindar, so it could have been coming for him at any rate. Anyways, the deal is that the Avari chose Arda over Valinor, so Arda is where they will rest, not Valinor. And when magic fades out of existence, they don’t necessarily die with it. As magic decreases in power, so do they, and as magic disappears, so do they. They become less and less seen until they’re just... gone. Not dead, just gone. They will rise again for the last battle, though, and they will be some of the few that will have something to fight for. Because when that battle comes, they will fight to protect the earth that they love. 

So this has been kind of a garbled mess of some of my ideas about the Avari. If something didn’t make sense, just lemme know. Thanks for the ask and what are your thoughts and opinions?

[sylvanprincess]

Yes

has anyone else ever had a fanfic that just... haunts them? like it's been months and maybe even years since you read it, but it just lingers with you and you can never truly leave behind the imprint it made on you? and maybe it's just a single line, one sentence that you can't shake off, that takes up residence in your mind and stays there, feeding into your psyche and subtly influencing your brainspace and maybe even your writing or other works?

[noldorin-drama]

Ask Game

@art-of-a-diffrent-color tagged me. Thanks!

Rules: answer the questions, and then tag 9 people

Fave color(s): teal, gray, green and orange-pink

Top three ships: anything written well, even rock with grass

Last song listened to: Planet Earth ll sound track

Lipstick or Chapstick: Chapstick, my lips have natural color already

Last movie watched: Aquaman

Currently reading: Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy

Tagging:

@daywillcomeagain @mirkwoodest @badlotrimagines @myrkvidrs @moriquendii @maglor-still-lives @growingingreenwood @theoppositeofprofound @felagund