#queen-zimraphel

[liesmyth]

The poppy war :P + uhmmm the Farseer trilogy

Poppy war:

never heard of | never read | want to read | terrible | boring | okay | good | great | a favorite

I actually really liked the first part of the first book when it was just. A bit edgy standard YA death academy fare? Then it got obsessively grimdark to the point where it was just boring, but I finished the first book thinking "this has so much room for improvement", especially the misogyny rip. Then a third through the second book I just noped hard - but poppy war by itself was fine

Farseer trilogy:

never heard of | never read | want to read | terrible | boring | okay | good | great | a favorite

I liked it! I read it in high school and was left very traumatized by and for Fitz and I still stand by it. My favourite Robin Hobb is Liveship Traders but Farseer was SO formative for baby me.

[haljathefangirlcat]

i know nothing about 1899 except that aneurin barnard was there, but i've heard of the cancellation and i'm sorry for you <3 this extremely capitalistic culture of any tv show getting cancelled after just one season if they don't get the same ratings of a MCU production is insane

Aw, thank you for your message. <3

And yeah, I totally agree. Especially in this case. See, the thing that makes me so *froths at the mouth* about this is how arbitrary and dumb it all sounds.

Like. 1899 was being written by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, the same people behind Dark. Remember how I used to (and still do) wax poetics about that? XD Anyway, like Dark, it was also shaping up to be a complex mystery show with a gloomy atmosphere, well-placed mythological references galore, and morally ambiguous characters who made questionable life choices and whose stories were probably going to be revealed little by little. So, Netflix basically already had proof that a show like this made by these people could succeed before they even began releasing the episodes, right? And when they actually did release the episodes? 1899 stayed in their top ten shows for weeks. People immediately started posting comments, analyses, theories, fanworks. They were engaging with it and clearly wanted more. And official reviews were generally great, too! Like, "this is one of the best shows of 2022, can we have more German stuff plz" great!

And yeah, this show was a lot more slowburn than Dark had been. And some people didn't like that, I guess. Personally, by the end of the first (and now, only) season I wasn't even entirely sure I could trust anything the characters and the narration had said about themselves anymore... or that I'd even had exactly the firmest grasp on either of them through the whole thing, lol. But that very obviously wasn't the result of screenwriters trying to outsmart the audience and keep us in the dark as much as possible for randomness!!!1 shock value!!!1, it was clearly setting up something much bigger that needed a slow, careful build-up and trusting the audience to have the patience to see it done properly -- the amount of detail and care put into it was honestly insane, and I and many others were more than willing to see all the puzzles pieces be put in their respective places one by one. Because, hey, surprisingly enough sometimes audiences like being trusted instead of being hit over the head with a big sign saying Viewers Are Morons and/or wowed with shiny but empty spectacles and "witty" quotable one-liners!

And yeah, okay, it was probably a lot more expensive than Dark had been, too. But... had the execs at Netflix really not taken that into consideration BEFORE okay-ing the entire project?! There were characters of... what, six different nationalities? All played by actors of those nationalities to make sure their portrayal was accurate? All followed by people whose entire job was making sure the dialogue they were going to be handed in their different native languages was accurate and not stilted, awkward garbage?! And that's without even counting The Volume, the technology they were using to film scenes set on the ship's deck and at sea to make everything feel more realistic, which was the same thing used on HOTD to film flights on dragonback and apparently worked well enough to make some of the actors actually sea-sick during their first scenes with it. I mean... did nobody at all look at all that before shooting started, check the numbers, and go, "wait, no, actually we are not willing to spend that much money on an international series/scifi series/original project that's not an adaptation or a sequel to anything/something that most likely won't start any trends on TikTok or get any outraged kids screaming on Twitter, so how about you tone it down a little"?

Seriously... why give your audience a taste of something so creative and well-crafted only to yank it away because, whoops, you didn't really take enough time to think about it and understand that what you had on your hands wasn't actually the kind of thing you wanted? Why take two people who had already proven their skill and their passion (and likely also their willingness to actually treat their cast and crew well, given that one of the actors from Dark agreed to work with them again in 1899 and others publicly showed their support for the new series) and then pull the rug from underneath their feet? And that's not even counting what a great time the rest of the cast and crew all seemed to be having from the interviews and the behind the scenes stuff...

I guess what stings the most -- besides, you know, being left hanging on a cliffhanger that was obviously going to lead to a much bigger mystery that for once I could actually be pretty confident would get a satisfying resolution while interrogating human nature itself in fascinating ways while getting there XD -- is that people like that, ready to come up with big, fun, interesting ideas like that and to assemble great casts and crews like that, giving plenty of talented and hard-working people their time to shine on such amazing and heartfelt works, don't exactly get Big American Platform Able To Pick Up Or Drop International Projects On A Whim budgets every day. And when they do, and they're even lucky enough to get it a second time... they get discarded, apparently. Tossed away regardless of their talent, passion, great ideas, good relationships with their colleagues and respect for their public. Right in the middle of creating something else that could have turned out to be wonderful.

... and then people like me, who'd love nothing more than to stick with them to the end and fawn over them after seeing them stick the landing again, are left with truncated stories that will never give them the satisfaction of a good ending (how rare have those become, anyway?) and the grim knowledge that they probably won't see anything else like that in a long, long time. Because "anything else like that" won't likely get picked up by the people with the money needed to give it the shape it deserves, or even if it does, it will be picked up and then someone will go, "whoops, didn't think this through, sorry, let's pretend that just didn't happen!"

Sorry for the rant, I really did appreciate this message. I guess this whole vent *gestures upwards* had been building up, too. XD

[laufire]

Not exactly an expert of your other fandoms so... Asoiaf? XD

I'm going to answer thinking strictly about the books, of which I've only read the first three, plus a few chapters of the fourth, all... eleven/twelve years ago now LMAO. It's just that if I thought of the show (which I also never watched consistently), the answers would be very different.

Catelyn Tully. She's a marvel. Can't believe I found her in those books.

Cersei Lannister. She's my #1 in the show, but it's very obvious the writers in one vs. the other felt very differently about her character.

Brienne of Tarth. Same as with Catelyn, it's so rare to find her there!

Daenerys Targaryen. The fact that I read the books when I was her age (14 years old) made her passages particularly hard to get through, so it still says a lot that she's this high.

Arya Stark. I related a lot to her ngl xD

As for less favourites we could be here a while lol. The Stark boys bored me or annoyed me; I have a love-hate relationship with all Lannister men (I'm including Joffrey on this, whatever); Theon both repels me and makes me endlessly pity him.

I had a particularly strong disdain for Jorah though, so I'm going with him :P

[sajirah]

Ruling Queens of Númenór WIPs (yes, I am still working on these, I swear).

Tar-Ancalimë

Tar-Telperiën

Tar-Vanimeldë

Ar-Zimraphel (aka Miriel)

(poor Mirel doesn’t get the crown of her forefather’s because Pharazon stole it 😒)

[rittare]

Ar-Zimraphel and Ar-Pharazon, the last queen and king of Numenor.

[swanmaids]

got tagged by lovely @polutrope and @imakemywings to self-rec five of my fics...ach embarrasing! but i shall give it a try <3

1. spirited away, g, gimli/legolas, gimli & gloin’s wife, 1k

its my magnum opus i feel...well it’s definitely my most popular fic on ao3!! gimli and legolas through the eyes of gimli’s mother, who thinks legolas is an actual freak.

2. post mortem, m, celegorm & caranthir & curufin & curufin’s wife, 1k, light gore

i had lots of fun writing this one!! fake autopsy reports of these four after doriath, done by a very pissed off sinda.

3. haven, m, ocs & elwing, 1k, light gore

i wanted to explore more of the background characters of sirion and WHY it was considered the worst of the kinslayings and i think (hope) i achieved that with this one!! a day in the life of a random sample of victims.

4. mama’s boy, t, earwen & finrod, earwen/finarfin, 1.5k

i love writing about motherhood and i loved writing this fic about my beloved earwen and her stupid fail son (affectionate). i’ve had several people say this is their hc for earwen now and i feel blessed!!!!

5. everlasting darkness, m, curufin & curufin’s wife & celebrimbor, 2.5k, mentions of gore and torture and terribleness...

when i wrote this and sent the first draft to mina with the caption “why the fuck did i write this i want to kill myself now”. yeah. i’m so obssessed with this tragic tragic family and everytime i think too hard about them its like holding my hand over an open flame. so this is the written equivalent of that

i’m tagging @undercat-overdog , @carlandrea, @queen-zimraphel , @outofangband and @verecunda to post yours if you’d like!

[maironsbigboobs]

For @aspecardaweek: aroace Tar-Míriel (and some Númenorean OCs I have grown attached to very fast, haha)

Ar-Zimraphel and her companions discuss marriage.

“And Father says I may wed him, but Mother says he is too young, and – “

“I do not see what your desire is to wed, Inzilkali.”

Ar-Zimraphel’s chambers were often full of this kind of talk; it was the hazard of surrounding herself with young attendants, always eager to discuss matters of love. The queen thought she had heard the tale of Inzilkali and her lover no less then fourteen times in the past few months. Azrabanâth, who had finally worked up the courage to interrupt, sat behind the queen, combing her dark hair into braids.

“What joy is there in marriage? I would rather not wed a man, and if I had no choice, it would not be one so boyish.”

“Have you never been in love, Azrabanâth?” Inzilkali sighed, deep and wistful, and reclined back on the couch, the tight curls of her hair spilling over the arm. Azrabanâth would change her tune if it were a maiden she could wed, Ar-Zimraphel thought, amused by their bickering.

“Not with a boy. You and he are still too young to wed.”

“You sound like my mother.”

Ar-Zimraphel herself had no desire for love; no charming suitors had never moved her heart, though men had called her fair and graceful, had brought her gifts and wrote her songs. Women had fawned over her beauty, praised her grace and wisdom, compared her to the golden sand for the warmth of her skin and the dusk for the rich black of her hair. But none of them had moved her heart (nor any other part of her, except perhaps to draw a smile when they amused her). She envied Azrabanâth’s bold stance: she was the third daughter of a lord, and she could afford to spurn marriage if she wished. Ar-Zimraphel was not so fortunate.

Her gaze drifted down to her hand, adorned with a glittering blue jewel; Ar-Pharazôn’s wedding gift. She was fortunate in one regard. Her husband had no more desire for her than she for him. Or rather, his desire was her claim to the throne, and not herself: there was neither love nor lust in their marriage.

The arrangement had been her idea, though she liked to let Ar-Pharazôn think she had been charmed by him. On her father’s death, there had been few supporters of his daughter. Outspoken and brave they had been, but not enough to withstand her cousin’s claim. Ar-Zimraphel had made a choice then, before any offer had been made to her. She would not give up the royal sceptre so easily. She could not have it by her own right, as was her due, but she would be a queen nonetheless. Ar-Pharazôn had proposed to wed her, to make her his queen, if she would support his claim.

Perhaps this was why she had been born the way she was; perhaps it was best her heart was given to none, so none may break it. She loved only Númenor, her people, and the sea.

“Forgive the interruption, my ladies, but Lady Azrabanâth speaks truly.” The voice came from by the door, where a young guardswoman stood her watch. She wore the dark gold and black of Zigûr’s followers – she suspected the wizard to be planting spies among her. “I am no noble lady, but if I were, I should think I have as much right as any common girl to refuse a husband, if she did not love him.”

“Aglaril,” Inzilkali rolled her eyes as she turned to look at her, “You do eavesdrop terribly. Even common girls know love.”

“Not I.”

“I do not see why,” Azrabanâth chimed in, “A lady may not wed another lady.”

“And she desires not to wed a lady, either?”

“You are being – “

“Ladies.” She raised her hand, and silence fell as the three of the them focused their rapt attention on her. “There is no need to bicker; might it be that thou art all correct?”

The women waited for her to continue – ah, she did not blame them for their confusion. By the years of their people, they were all young and hot-blooded. Wisdom the people of Númenor had been blessed with, but wisdom still had to be learned, and she would share it, if they would listen. Not least because she hoped to put them all at ease.

As a girl she had wondered if she were made wrong, when she had not giggled over training soldiers in the courtyard, or flushed when they took her hand at dances. If she could spare these youth the same confusion, she would. Was it not the role of a queen to care for her people, to guide them, to comfort them?

“In matters of marriage, there is no one answer.” She could not say she did not love Ar-Pharazon in front of one of the wizard’s servants. “A woman may love a man, or a woman, or none at all – these things may be of concern when she decides if she is to wed, but they are not the only factor. To be wed is to be partnered, and respect must be the foundation, not only love, whether one is a farmer’s daughter or a princess.”

Inzilkali sat up.

“You are wise as ever, your grace.” Ar-Zimraphel noted how her eyes darted to Azrabanâth behind her, and how the gleamed with victory. “If only my parents had such sage advice.”

Ah, she thought she had won.

Wisdom was not taught in a day, after all.

[harrowscore]

best books read in 2022 by yours truly, in no particular order:

the seven deaths of evelyn hardcastle by stuart turton (technically started in 2021 but finished in early january 2022, so it counts). murder mystery + time loop + redemption themes = perfect mix, 10/10 recommend

this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar & max gladstone: space lesbians but what if they were enemies? lovely, lovely prose. one flaw tho: more of a ~i'm being poetic for the sake of being poetic~ than a character story. still, interesting read.

the plague by albert camus: i couldn't not include him. 5/5 stars, he's easily becoming one of my favorite authors.

hygiène de l'assassin by amélie nothomb: a female journalist succeeds where everyone else fails and interviews an old misanthropic and cynical nobel-winner author. but not everything is as it seems... insane little book, great characterization for the female protagonist. perfect ending. i couldn't put it down, thankfully it's quite short.

carmilla by j. sheridan le fanu: this doesn't need introductions, does it? :)

hedda gabler by henrik ibsen: a play revolving around a woman - daughter of a general, unsatisfied by her current circumstances and marriage. a fascinating female protagonist, especially for the time; the kind of writing you usually get for male characters, and a role every actress would give everything to play at least once.

salomé by oscar wilde: one act only, but it stays with you. particularly incisive adaptation of the biblical story; wilde's writing as usual is stunning.

an oresteia (agamemnon by aeschylus, elektra by sophokles, orestes by euripides) by anne carson: another read that doesn't need introductions.

the hours by michael cunningham: somehow based on mrs dalloway, it is about one day (and the life) of three women in three different time periods; among them, virginia woolf herself. lovely prose.

the cycle of earthsea by ursula k. le guin: series of 5 books (including one of short stories) masterfully written by ms le guin. the first book is a sort of fantasy buldingsroman about a young wizard named ged who, because of his hubris, makes a peculiar sort of enemy... the next books follow ged as he becomes an adult, a middle-aged, and an old man + a varied cast of characters (most importantly tenar, introduced in book 2). original worldbuilding and story (especially for the time - the first novel was published in the 60s), lovely prose and themes (light/dark as yin/yang, necessary to each other's existence - sw wishes it had what earthsea has) + beautiful love story in the last volumes. bonus: most characters in earthsea are very much not white. again, very avant-garde for the 60s, and something all adaptations deliberately ignored.

grendel by john gardner: based on the beowulf poem - the story told by the antagonist's point of view. just striking, and oh my god the themes. couldn't stop thinking about it for days.

in the night garden by catherynne m. valente: a girl trapped in a garden spins a labyrinth of fairy tales for a boy - the only person willing to listen to her - a la scheherazade. told in the usual beautiful prose made in valente, amazing settings and atmospheres.

the sundering duology by jacqueline carey. (thanks for the rec, @queen-zimraphel ❤️) basically a lotr retelling told by the Bad Guys' povs. the inspiration is clear but also it's meant to be a mirror and say 'what if?'. grey morality everywhere, elegant but simple prose + death and the maiden vibes from the local tormented dark lord/the beautiful elf lady. (tho the main love story is not about them specifically... but still.) a great tragedy, but masterfully told - this is how characters who were dead from the beginning and given a role to play in the narrative by a fate larger than them should be written.

honorary mentions to áqua viva by clarice lispector, waiting for godot by samuel beckett, enrico iv by luigi pirandello, and then there were none by agatha christie, sharp objects and gone girl by gillian flynn, in the margins by elena ferrante, ficciones by jorge luis borges, and obviously demons by fyodor dostoeveskij <3

[harrowscore]

@queen-zimraphel

Everyone should be able to express their small and mean opinions to someone who won't clutch their pearls about it. Being a bitch is a human right

[liesmyth]

for the ship ask game: rhaenyra x alicent

LOVE IT :D

What made you ship it? Honestly the moment I found out Alicent had been aged down to be Rhaenyra's friend I was THERE for it. I never had a chance.

What are your favorite things about the ship? I'm shallow and both sets of actor are gorgeous. Also I have a massive soft spot for "homoerotic young friendship that was in hindsight a massive crush and why does the end of friendship feel like the world is ending!!" kinda stories. This is all that but there's an actual war

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? I have absolutely no idea what the popular opinions are outside of my curated bubble because HOTD fandom scares me <3 I think I've seen takes like "Rhaenryra is more important to Alicent than her children" and that got an immediate NOPE reaction out of me so. That. That I don't agree with.

[haljathefangirlcat]

Tagged by @ziskandra. Thanks for the tag!!

Ten fandoms/ten characters/ten tags

Das Nibelungenlied - Hagen von Tronje (eternal obsession. always gets first place in these things automatically)

House of the Dragon - Aemond Targaryen (current obsession. proof that I Do Not learn from past mistakes and/or that imprinting is a thing)

The Rose of Versailles - Oscar François de Jarjayes (THE Original blorbina tbh. thanks Italian “Lady Oscar” dub)

Ace Attorney - Miles Edgeworth

Doctor Who - Donna Noble

Dark - Jonas Kahnwald

Mozart L’Opéra Rock - Antonio Salieri

Robin Hood BBC - Isabella Thornton

Camelot (STARZ) - Morgan Pendragon

Inkheart Trilogy - Violante

Tagging @galarix @ivylili @queen-zimraphel  @janiedean @octopuscato @enisyposts @princefado @lizaaharmon @kaoribriefs @roavaldamjong

[laufire]

Unfortunately I don't know many shows, so... Supernatural for the characters ask?

Castiel. I resent this but it's what it is xD

Bela Talbot and Ruby (1.0 and 2.0) are very close behind. It's hard to pick between them because I feel ~warmer, more protective towards Bela (she's my metric to decide who's worth my time in this fandom LOL). Still, Ruby is fascinating and her dynamics with other characters are incredibly satisfying. So I can't be sure.

Although others would've come on top while I was watching, looking back I'd give #4 to Mary Winchester (née Campbell). The execution in the show wasn't always to my liking but everything about her character concept is extremely appealing to me.

For 5th postion Meg, Rowena, and Claire would have to fight it out.

As for most hated... it's no secret I've wanted to kill Dean on countless occasions, but I do call him my Schrödinger fave for a reason. It's complicated xD. John is a top candidate too (great in his role, at least in the beginning, but he's on my shit list forever).

Honestly I think the characters I tend to resent most in this show are all the Bela-lite attempts (as in, several characters throughout the show where it seems they tried to subconsciously reproduce the ~magic she brought with far less effective results). But saying I hate them would be too far. They're just annoyances at worst.

I'd say, however, I hate this show's Lucifer. At least in the later seasons; I enjoyed him just fine at the beginning, even if I didn't care for how they adapted his mythos. But after he returned it was like... what did they do to my boy (Paradise's Lost version xDD).

send me a fandom and I’ll tell you my top 3/5 characters, and my most hated one.

[dalleyan]

Elfwine Chronicles (new LoTR stories, Home, ch 1 posted, 8-2-23)

Esgalmir discovers far more on her trip to Rohan than she ever imagined.  (Family, Drama, Insecurity, Romance, Friendship, Angst, Humor) (2 chapter story)

Chapter 1  -  (begins Oct, 45 IV)

The journey from Minas Tirith to Rohan was like nothing Esgalmir could ever have imagined.  Never had she thought to travel so far from home, nor had she ever truly envisioned what the world must look like once one escaped the white walls of the city.  Though Theodred had spoken frequently of his journeys, and the sights he had seen, and loved to tell her of the Riddermark, nothing could compare to actually seeing it with her own eyes.  The forests and plains were glorious, and queen Lothiriel was an unending source of information about all they passed along the way.  Though Lothiriel was an excellent rider, they had brought a carriage along for Zimraphel, who was not quite the horsewoman as her queen, which now proved fortunate since Esgalmir certainly was not up to such a long ride. 

The more unusual aspect of this trip was the other occupant of the carriage.  Arawine, Kata and her family had joined them from Dale at the beginning of October, and they had set out for Rohan.  Arawine and Kata were due to wed shortly after they returned to Edoras, though already the plans had been altered somewhat.  Kata’s sister, Fritha, who herself had wed in August, had intended to join them and share in her sibling’s happy day, but she had become with child almost immediately.  Not only that, she was quickly taken with morning illness that had laid her low, and travel was out of the question.  Though both hated that Fritha would miss the occasion, neither wished to postpone it, so they had tearfully bid each other farewell, and the wedding party had journeyed on without one of its intended members.

These circumstances left a bride with raw emotions on her travel to the south, and Esgalmir was sometimes left alone with her in the carriage.  Knowing her so little, and considering Kata’s history with Theodred, she felt uneasy with the woman of Dale, unsure quite how to relate to the girl or what to say to her.  So, for the most part, they traveled in silence, each keeping to their own thoughts.

Esgalmir did attempt short stints at Theodred’s side each day, usually no more than half an hour in the morning and again in the afternoon, as he taught her the basics of horsemanship.  Lothiriel joined her husband periodically during the course of the day, and Kata would spend some time riding with Arawine, but always there was at least one person in the carriage with Esgalmir.  Zimraphel only rode occasionally, usually when Theodred joined his betrothed, to allow them some time alone.

Another new experience was the camping out in tents.  True, this was a royal party so there was a great deal of comfort to be had even in these circumstances, and there were a few inns that they stopped at along the way, but camping was still part of the agenda.  Certainly, Esgalmir had never expected to find herself sitting around a campfire, under a canopy of stars, and holding hands with a man of Rohan.  And she could not think of anywhere that she would rather be.

After a good week of travel, Edoras loomed on the horizon and Esgalmir’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of it.  Theodred’s home…and now she would count it as her own.  In some ways, though this land seemed most strange and foreign to her, for it looked so very different, and certainly the people of Rohan that she had met behaved in a much different manner than Gondorians did, she felt very much at home here.  She innately believed she was going to like this place a great deal.

continue reading on AO3:

               (https://archiveofourown.org/works/49066210/chapters/123788617)

[swanmaids]

got tagged on the last line meme by @verecunda and @spiced-wine-fic, thanks guys!

 It was a feeling familiar amongst all speaking peoples- and likely the birds and the beasts as well - the longing to be once again safely ensconced in a warm embrace, to have one’s pains washed away with a word and a kiss, to be mothered.

yeah, it’s always parent-child angst hours here. i’ll tag @irisseireth, @imakemywings, @quarantinedwanderer, @polutrope, @noldorinpainter, @courtjestermerlin @carlandrea, @queen-zimraphel, @outofangband  to give me yours if you want. i know there’s been a ton of tag memes going about so i’m sorry if i’ve double tagged anyone!

[ao3feed-tolkien]

A queen she would be

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/VweDK4c

by ohboromir

Ar-Zimraphel and her companions discuss marriage

-

For @aspecardaweek : aroace Tar-Míriel.

Words: 919, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Tar-Míriel, Original Female Character(s)

Additional Tags: Not publish Silmarillion compliant, Aromantic, Asexuality

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/VweDK4c

[harrowscore]

@queen-zimraphel

there is nothing more important than a dear friend you can be a huge fucking asshole hater with