#silm live blog

[girlelrond]

Deluxe edition of silm is so good just read the guide on elvish pronunciation and my autism is going WILD. Yes please tell me all the letter sounds I need to know them all

[anghraine]

I love the Númenóreans for a lot of reasons (peak problematic faves!), but a big one is how much they love the Edain.

[holytrickster]

listen i dont like fëanor but i can't deny that getting so mad you literally burst into flames and crumble away into ash is kinda fucking relatable

[eri-pl]

Reblogging, because "nearly everything in our life is there because sometime somewhere some evil happened. (Heck, I am personally here only" is such a mood.

Also, back to your tags and Tolkien: this whole philosophical condurum is sooo big in the "people are literally only here because one guy decided to be a jerk and mess up the symphony and invent evil" thing. (Which I HC into "Rúmil is misinformed" jar, probably even "the Ainur don't understand it well" jar, but canonically, it's there)

👀

[indigoneaway]

Hello Silm fandom! I'm considering taking on a new project and would like some opinions on it.

- What?

A translation of The Black Book of Arda, one of the most influential texts (not counting Tolkien's works) in the russian fandom. Written in the 90's, it's a fascinatingly poetic, but very unusual take on the First Age from Melkor's and those faithful to him point of viev. At the height of it's popularity it had a fandom of its own, several feuds with the larger community, talks of people living in Arda in their past lives and general mild insanity included. I seriously recommend doing some research on it, I can't even begin to describe everything.

- Why?

Fandom history is a beloved subject of mine, the post-soviet Tolkien fandom especially so. I've been wanting to shed light on this book for a while now, and what better way to do it than a full translation? (I'm going to suffer, send help)

- How can you contribute?

Anyone who speaks both Russian and English fluently is welcome to help me with the actual translation. For the rest of you, the blog url is @the-black-book-of-arda )

So yeah...

[sindar-princeling]

I am still baffled by some of the choices made by rop so far, and in a big part it is because. there is such a good story right there. and unless they had no rights to literally any plotline ever described in any of tolkien's works... why fix something that isn't broken, you know? ESPECIALLY if you're not actually fixing it ajsjdjdjdfjffj

I can't really get (yet, at least. benefit of the doubt until the whole story is told) what justifies adding Isildur's sister or those women dressed in white or Sauron pretending to be Just A Human Guy On A Raft while the story we have, however generally described, is fascinating

elves get tricked by Annatar because he says he's an emissary from Valinor - the HOME they're banned from just got brought to them! you can show why and explain just how big of a deal it is that they can return at the end of LotR so much better than "we're told it's a big deal but Galadriel jumps and returns anyway". AND this way it's the elves' collective mistake, not just hers. were they too hubristic to believe Annatar's offers? did they just miss home too much? there's a big, deep story here about AGES of middle-earth's history. and even if you wanted to tell a new story in this show - it IS new to most people who know LotR anyway, because most people know it from the movies and have never read the book, let alone the Silm! this is a new story for them!

maybe things could get wrong slowly even before Sauron creates the one ring - at first deniably, until it can't be ignored anymore. maybe there's some agitation among the free peoples, and elves can see that their mortal acquaintances are different, they're not sure what is happening, but it's wrong. there's a growing, nearing sense of dread, and by the time the one ring is forged, by the time they realise the threat was right under their noses this whole time, it's too late, and it has been too late for a long time. by having made the three, the elves managed to create not a solution, but barely a means to stop MORE damage, but they only managed to help themselves anyway.

the world starts to grow smaller, weaker, diminish into the third-age middle earth that we know, and there's some sweetness in it for us as viewers because this is the world we're most familiar with, but it's first and foremost bitter and tragic. it's not a happy ending. the war will continue, and many of our characters will have no choice but to continue seeing it through because they're elves. they will live to see it, or they will die, or they will run - and not all of them can run

series fucking ends.

anyway, I will. try. to not make this blog into a pool of bile in the next few days after s2 comes out, but as it turns out I'm still pissed about the "stronger than the foundations of the earth" bit coming from sauron and not galadriel in s1 and stripping her of her best character trait so! 👍

[just-an-elf-with-the-socks]

I've never really talked about any of my other LoTR and Silm ships on here, but I definitely have them and I also thought it would be funny to just make a comprehensive list of why I fucking like them at all

Aralas (Aragorn x Legolas)- This one is so goofy to me but I love it. I enjoy the "childhood best friends turned lovers during the middle of a war" aspect of it and the fact that it's pretty much two horse girls in a romantic relationship. It was mostly dredged up when I saw the rerelease of Fellowship of the Ring in theaters and was like "huh some of this shit looks a little more gay than I remember." Its one hundred percent the least angsty ship of them all and that's saying a lot considering they're one hundred percent not canon. They're cute, simple, and traveling together across Middle Earth as lovers makes me smile.

Angbang (Melkor x Mairon)- Oh boy. If you already follow me you knew this was coming. A lot of this ship revolves around me loving Mairon and his story and also the fact that my heart breaks for him. I love writing them and exploring the dichotomy of how to write them. Canonically they're both terrible people, so it stands to reason they didn't have the healthiest relationship (Mairon got the brunt of it). I love writing about they're doomed from the beginning, about how the people they already are guarantees that they'll crash and burn. But at the same time I like the cheesy, if not a little out-of-character fics of Melkor genuinely caring for him or missing him or realizing he fucked up by treating the only person he's ever loved like shit. I love the fics of Mairon taking care of Melkor, and even the angsty ones where Mairon isn't worth to Melkor half of what he thought he was, that it feels like he was never worth anything to anyone. I also adore the community of Angbang shippers, they're so tightknit and one hundred percent unashamed of everything they write/draw.

Russingon (Maedhros x Fingon)- I represent the duality of shippers that loves Angbang but also adores Russingon and wants to kill Sauron when it comes to the latter ship. Maedhros actually is my favorite Silm character and a lot of that revolves around personal reasons and also the fact that I have a lot of intense feelings about him (as we all do). Russingon is the closest you get to a canon ship beyond Beleg and Turin and the deliberate statements of "they were married" concerning other characters. I'm absolutely not normal about Fingon rescuing him from Thangorodrim, I'm not normal about the Helcaraxe or the First Kinslaying, and I'm sure as hell not normal the mourning that comes with Fingon's body not being able to be brought back. I also legitimately cry at the fics that write Fingon as waiting in the Halls of Mandos for Maedhros to join him because god.

Barduil (Bard x Thranduil)- I saved this one for last because they're my favorite across both mediums of Tolkien works and Thranduil is my favorite character (you wouldn't guess by this blog). Everything about Thranduil as a character breaks my heart once you look into him deeper (I have a type) and realize that the motivations behind most of his actions aren't a result of greed and spite, but a result of intense trauma and grief. And I love Bard because he's literally just a guy. He's just some guy who lives on a lake town with three kids and has a simple job as a bargeman. There was never anything special about him until he became a Dragonslayer, and even then in the Hobbit (the book version) he doesn't kill Smaug with anything special, it just happened to be his last lucky arrow. The two of them couldn't be more different on the surface. But they both lost their wives, they've both raised kids on their own, they were both forced into a position of power before they were ready and they've both seen the horrors of war. I love every fic about them, especially the ones where Bard sees Thranduil's wound for the first time and the ones where Thranduil realizes it's not so scary to let himself love again, even if it doesn't last forever. Also every modern AU is so fucking cute, I can't even deal.

I have other ships but these are the big four and the ones I'm least normal about and have the most vague ramblings of.

[meadowlarkx]

I was tagged by @i-am-a-lonely-visitor - thank you so much!

As we're finishing out 2024, what is one thing from your writing this year that you're particularly proud of? And what is one fic you wrote that you would recommend for others to read?

I love this kind of ask as a way of revisiting stuff from throughout the year--thank you!! 💐

One thing I'm particularly proud of: Finishing my Finrod/Sauron One Thousand and One Nights-esque AU series this summer! (That's a mouthful... I know).

Stars winked into being in the darkening sky beyond the chamber’s window: distant, gleaming chinks of light. Beyond their celestial circles dwelt only the void, the endless night, and the song that pulsed on.

I started writing this before I was even done reading Silm and before watching the (formative and awesome) two Leithian-related rock operas. A lot of stuff in my life has happened in the nearly 3 years this was in progress, too! We have been on a journey together. Getting back into writing this story after a break from it was honestly intimidating and I am proud of myself for doing it anyway. At 41k total this is far and away my longest fic so I'm proud of that as well--I usually tell myself I won't bother trying to slog through writing longfic since it's not my usual style and I have abandoned WIPs in the past. That's actually one reason why this one is arranged as a series instead of by chapters. I coaxed myself into starting by telling myself it was low pressure, that I would just see how far I got while inspiration lasted and how much of their arc I wanted to fill in with scenes. But the muse was strong and I have been certain all this time that I wanted and needed to get them to the ending I had in my mind. I can now rest knowing it's done!

I'm also just generally really happy and proud of some of the feedback I've gotten on this story. It is so moving to know something that means a whole lot to you also resonates with other people. And on a sillier note, I want to organize and post a few playlists excavated from the jumbled 13+ hours writing playlist for this series, mostly just for me to have them on my blog somewhere. So stay tuned for that if you want...

One fic I wrote that I would recommend: join my barren soil (Maedhros/Maglor, Bad Guys Made Them Do It, 11k, E) written in a month of complete fic writing possession for Innumerable Stars this fall in response to @jouissants' excellent prompt!

I really love how indulgent this story is with its angst and resolution. I wanted it to feel satisfying and lived-in (this is my longest single Silm fic!). Also grim, resigned Maedhros who sees Maglor as the one good thing left in his world is like a warm bath to me. So if it is to you (general Tumblr users) you might enjoy this one!

I tag @imakemywings @swanmaids @queerofthedagger @polutrope and anyone else who wants to do this!

[dying-suffering-french-stalkers]

God I hope this isn’t weird but I just wanted to say that all your LotR/The Silmarillion posting is like such a delight to me just FYI like I don’t blog about it much it’s been my dearest deepest love since like 2002 so I am enjoying your enjoyment so much rn

Not weird at all!! I'm having so much fun finally getting into it. I've casually circled around LotR for the last 10+ years or so but once I actually read the Silm something clicked and now these guys live here rent-free

[niennawept]

about me

Call me Nienna or Ni! I'm a 30-something queer Tolkien fan (she/they), currently obsessed with orcs/uruks, elves, and the Ainur. I'm primarily a Silm fan, but I like all Tolkien's works, including the live action tv and film adaptations.

This is my main blog, and it'll mostly be Tolkien, personal, and writing reblogs. If you are here for updates for Scars and associated work, search my blog for #scars of silver and gold.

I also have an art blog that you can find here: @niennadreamt.

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

fanwork: (contains 18+ content)

✧ Rings of Power

✧ The Hobbit

✧ The Silmarillion

[glorfindel-of-imladris]

Hihi! Was trying to ask as my silm blog @mae-it-be-an-evening-dhros but apparently that's not allowed 😅. I'd love to hear your interpretation of 18, 19 and 25 for the glorestor otp asks!! ✨ ✨ ✨

18. What are they like when they're drunk? How do they act together? & when 1 is drunk, while the other one's sober?

This one can be found here!

19. What do they fight about most often? (Alternative: what was their biggest fight?)

Glorfindel and Erestor are very different people, so I imagine their fights to mostly be small and/or petty ones where they misstep over things that may be minor to them but is a big deal for the other. Erestor is more particular and is more likely the first to raise an issue, but it is also thanks to this that their relationship settled early. They might have fought a lot in their first few years—about the cleanliness of rooms, how late is late on times agreed, how much they require from a partner—but they were important fights that ensured they got things right for one another.

Where I think Glorfindel would put his foot down would be related to people. Erestor is old, somewhat jaded, and even in his younger days he's never one to give too much attention to the careabouts of individual people. He is a practical, big picture kind of guy, and while he is never one to be malicious, he is also not naturally sympathetic. Although he never means to, there might have been times when his seeming lack of care can tick Glorfindel off, and they disagree on how much of themselves they are willing to give to other people.

Their biggest fight though I would say would've been triggered by danger. Glorfindel's work is to protect, but how he does so especially under the employ of whatever ruler Erestor counsels, Erestor (by his own occupation) has a say. There might have been a time when Erestor thought Glorfindel's approach was unnecessarily reckless and Glorfindel was injured in the process. Once Glorfindel was well enough for it, you can bet they fought about it.

25. (a lil sappy, but..) What do they like about each other?

It's wonderful that this question got asked together with 19, because the answers are two sides of the same coin! 💛

Glorfindel and Erestor are very different, but it's also these differences that they admire and grew to love in the other.

Glorfindel, maybe unexpectedly for many people in Rivendell, has a quirky sense of humour. Erestor amuses him immensely, opinions and sharp edges and all, and so I imagine he stuck to Erestor early. He likes that Erestor is difficult and speaks his mind, that he takes a stand despite opposing voices, which is a refreshing thing considering Glorfindel himself would naturally lean towards harmony and diplomacy.

As for Erestor, similarly, he respects Glorfindel for his capacity to care enough about Middle-earth to constantly be at the frontline of its wars. He admires Glorfindel for his ability to inspire people even in the darkest of times. But also, one of my longest running jokes about Erestor is that out of all the things one can say about Glorfindel's goodness, his courage, how he was chosen by the Valar because of his virtue, even down to how he is just a very reliable colleague, the fact of the matter is that Erestor was attracted to Glorfindel primarily for his looks. 😂 Erestor hates that he—with his supposed intellect, wisdom, even the prestige and dignity of his office—would ever be so basic, but alas, he is not immune to the charms of the renowned hero of Gondolin. Sunkissed skin, golden hair, that dashing smile—ugh, Erestor, how easy can you be? He can never live it down. 😂😂😂

[girlelrond]

Going to live blog reading the Silmarillion

[lamemaster]

Shores of Styx (Achilles x Patroclus)

Pairing: Achilles x Patroclus

A.N. - I have never written for Achilles and Patroclus and only plan to post the Silm fic on my blog but this...this was a challenge between me and my roommate.

Patroclus never gets the chance to thank Thetis. His feet move almost on their own as he sees his name on the gravestone. He is free at last, unbound from the limbo between life and death. Death comes with a newfound power that promises peace and rest from the noise of the world. Patroclus's soul travels faster than ever before, leading him to the depths of the underworld, a place he has been denied for so long.

In this world, his beloved resides. But the darkness of the unlit halls of Hades doesn't bother Patroclus, nor do the eerie shadows that have haunted him for so long. While others may have resented this fate, no one in the world has ever yearned for it more than Patroclus.

The silvery gushing waters of Styx greet Patroclus, a river that protected and destroyed his beloved. A river of irony, that separates the living from the dead, a river so formidable that it holds the power to curse the gods. While Styx is known for its hatred, Patroclus finds nothing but joy at its very sight.

He spots the ominously robed Charon, unmistakable despite the tattered dull robes and hood that obscure his face. It is remarkable to believe that the fragile boat, which seems to glide over the unrelenting currents of Styx, has carried shades for eons.

The three gold coins in Patroclus's grasp feel heavier than ever. Their weight had never been so concrete during the eternity he had carried them as a wraith. Three gold coins that his beloved Achilles had placed on both his eyes, the last coin followed by a tearful kiss.

 Their last kiss. Patroclus had witnessed it all, helpless as he watched his beloved break. The fire of his pyre had shattered everything. Even as a wraith, Patroclus had rushed to catch Achilles as he fell to his knees. "Patroclus, Patroclus, Patroclus," Achilles had called him for hours until the sun rose and time left his voice a hoarse whisper. Achilles had sat unmoving for the entire time Patroclus's pyre burned. Heat, soot, or even the smell of burning flesh did not move him.

When the fire had finally mellowed, leaving behind only ash of what once had been Patroclus, Achilles stood up. His steps were brittle, stumbling in the rough sand next to the roaring seas. Achilles gathered Patroclus's ashes carefully with the most gentle movements. The greatest of Greeks, Son of Thetis and Pelus, a demigod, did the labor of widowed women.

In that moment, Patroclus couldn't help but question if his sacrifice was worth it. Was there any victory, queen, or beauty that could be more valuable than his Achilles? Had he not wronged his lover in the worst possible way? What would he have done if he were the one left alone?

All that he had once valued felt vainer than ever. Achilles' anger, hubris, and stubbornness had vanished from Patroclus' mind. Everything that had once troubled him, that had forced him to fight in his beloved's armor now seemed insignificant. What sin would he not bear to be with his beloved again? What labor, what fate would he not challenge to take away the pain that followed from Achilles' eyes?

Yet, the pain had only grown when Patroclus was denied the chance to love and comfort his beloved even in death. Perhaps it was his penance to bear the separation. His repentance was a due paid to Achilles, the one who suffered most. The one who was isolated from the world, from godhood, from sanity for a war he never asked for.

So, Patroclus' wraith existed as a carrier of memories made of Achilles. For years, Patroclus reminisced about his beloved. Not the rage-engulfed demi-god who turned the tides of the battle, but his lover. Achilles, who played the lyre with the most gentle fingers, whose laugh lit a thousand suns on fire, who was born out of the seas but ruled lands. The Prince of Pithia, who generously offered friendship to him. Achilles was much more than the infamous Hector Slayer. He was the pious fragrance of jasmine, the sweetness of figs, and the comforting shade in the burning summer.

Now, he was closer to his beloved than ever. Achilles was here, in the same realm as him, in the halls of Hades. Patroclus would finally hold his love and assure him. He would take away all the grief and misery that had stretched between them like an unending chasm.

But where would his beloved Achilles be? In the heroic fields of Elysium or the Asphodel Meadows? Patroclus couldn't help but ponder as he anxiously waited for his ferry to touch the shores of Hades' kingdom.

The judgement of the Kings of the Underworld loomed over his head. Would he be given a fate similar to his lover? He needed it, and so did Achilles. They needed to be together after all this... Patroclus would beg once again. He would grovel for an eternity next to Achilles.

As the shore drew closer, Patroclus found his thoughts breaking away from the past that gripped his heart. He reassured himself of the future that awaited them. Death would be kinder.

However, as Charon slowed down his boat with approaching land, Patroclus couldn't help but notice a crouched figure on the other end of the shore. What wandering shade had been left unjudged on the solitary shores?

As Patroclus disembarks from the boat, he spots a crouched figure with a ripped tunic barely covering the fresh wounds on their back. The sight of the person, as if their skin has been ripped off by a whip, makes Patroclus recall his past life as a healer. He feels a strong urge to help the tortured soul in front of him, even in death.

As Patroclus approaches the figure, he realizes that it is none other than Aristos Achaion, whom he had promised to recognize even in death. The memory of his promise floods back to him, but he struggles to remember who Aristos Achaion was.

Overcome with emotion, Patroclus falls to his knees beside the figure, who turns out to be Achilles. But the Achilles he sees is not the great Greek hero he once knew. He is a broken, tortured shell of his former self, with blisters, missing fingernails, and a bleeding scalp.

Patroclus tries to reach out to his beloved, but Achilles flinches away, chanting a desperate plea to go. His glazed eyes hold no recognition of Patroclus or their past life together. All the memories Patroclus cherished are gone, and Achilles is lost to him forever.

A venomous voice whispers in Patroclus' mind, blaming him for letting Achilles go. The pain of the loss is too much to bear, and Patroclus can only repeat, "He's gone, no, no, no, no..."

Aristos Achaion had vanished. The person who now groveled at the unforgiving walls with bloodied fingers was not the greatest of the Greeks. His Achilles would have known him, and responded to Patroclus' mere breath.

“Achilles,” Patroclus called out to his beloved, but only silence welcomed him. The figure next to him continued scratching at the walls that refused to yield to his force.

Patroclus inched forward to touch his beloved, to carry him back to Elysium where heroes like him lived. But Achilles flinched. “Go...I need...go, must go…” the figure chanted.

“Achilles...please,” Patroclus pleaded. Please come back. Achilles' glazed-back eyes looked back at him, holding no recognition. His beloved did not smile, cry, or utter his name with the determination he had done long ago.

Patroclus' vision blurred as he took in his lover's appearance. His hands were full of blisters, his fingernails had fallen off, his golden hair had been ripped, leaving a bleeding scalp. Every pore of the figure next to him spoke of ruin.

Gone was the wrath, the love, and the life that formed Achilles' soul. Memories that Patroclus had carried for eons were gone. Achilles was gone.

Patroclus crouched next to the figure that shuddered as it tried to shuffle away from him. A venomous voice whispered in Patroclus' mind, "He's hiding, or escaping from whatever torture reigned on him on these shores."

"He's gone because YOU let him go," the voice continued. "He's gone, no, no, no, no..."

Now, as she observed him digging his fingers into the unrelenting walls of Hades' palace, she couldn't help but mellow her currents. She had known him and his mother, and for some reason, even the river of hatred felt a sense of pity.

Styx remembered the man who knelt by her. She remembered him from the time when he was a mere babe.

Achilles Pledis knelt next to her as he called for a name that faded away from him every passing second. A name that was once uttered with the certainty of day and night was now a hushed whisper from a hoarse throat.

Styx observed the Greek hero as he persevered through the harsh whips of guards who tried to drag him back. Yet, he did not go. Achilles remained by her shores. Resentful souls in her body itched to get a hold of the vulnerable demigod.

But Styx held them back. She would spare him of this torture.

[tears-of-burden]

CÓLONIÉLË

AU/Canon Divergence Friendly - RULES

Follow From: @eunoiaastralwings

Other RP Blogs: @luthriel-tinuviel | @quiet-flower-wonderlings | @illicit-unknown-shadows | @son-of-the-moon-and-sun

Non-Tolkien: @shadow-hazehuntress | @spider-lily-droplets

Feel free to reach out – with an idea of your own

FICS/Artworks:

Heartbroken Niélë | Niélë | Niélë

Epesse: Cóloniélë

                      q. Tears of Burden

Sindarin:  Pelineldes

                      s. Fading Star Woman

Reason: Given to her by the Sindar when she is in middle earth as she a star (referring to the light in her) ready to fade away. 

Nicknames: Niélë

Home: House of Nienna (Far western Valinor, near Mandos)

Race: Maia

Ethnicity: Ainur

APPEARANCE:

Height: 7′2

Build: Lean and silm

Hair Color: Black, with highlights of golden brown

Hair Style: Left long or small bun on the top of her head, down to her waist. 

Eye Color: Deep brown

Eye Shape: Almond

Skin: Fair

Hands: Thin, long fingers, squoval nails

Scars: None

Types of Clothing: simple silky gowns - usually darker colors than pastel or light.

Usual Accessories: Long earings

Feet Appearance: Usually in flats in Valinor - boots in Middle Earth

Mannerisms: Nods her head a lot when talking - biting nails when nervous or anxious.

ABOUT:

Alignment: Lawful Good

Occupation: Mental Healer

Canon Love Interest: Nerdanel

RP Love Interests:

Multiship: Yes

Sexuality: Panromantic Demisexual

Likes: Art, reading, painting, romance plays, music

Dislikes: Fëanor’s oath and the pain and sickness it brought.

Fears: Melkor. Nerdanel fading

Favorite Colors: darker richer colors.

Literature: Anything with happy endings.

Hobbies: healing, reading, painting.

Favorite Memory: Meeting Nerdanel.

PERSONALITY:

What words or phrases do they over use: “Let me heal your mind. . .” or “I shall take the pain. . .for I must.”

Are they more optimistic or pessimistic: Pessimistic after Nerdanel marries Fëanor and all that followed

Love Language: Acts of service, quality time, words of affirmation and physical touch.

Strongest Character Trait: Her mental healing abilities.

Weakest Character Trait: Refusing to treat her own health.

Greatest Fear: Melkor winning and Nerdanel fading.

Overrated Virtue: Temperance.

If they could change one thing about themselves: Not to change - but really whatever she does not have that Nerdanel saw in Fëanor.

What Haunts Them: The constant fear of Nerdanel fading.

Smell: Vanilla

Songs: Can I be Him by James Arthur, I'll Be Waiting by Cian Ducrot

OTHER NOTES:

Cóloniélë is maia of Nienna - Nienna and Cóloniélë are almost close as mother and daughter. She has the ablity to heal people mentally. She touches them and heals them mentally - helps them get over their fear or stress and guilt. But it inflicts on her - she feels their pain and it flows through like liquid fire in her veins - she cries and screams the worse they are - or faints if she cannot take it.

Niélë used to be lively and happy - her most precious memory is meeting Nerdanel, she was the happiest then and slowly fell in love with the daughter of Mahtan too.

She never liked Fëanor - or how close he was trying to get to Nerdanel.

But just as when she was about to confess her feelings, Fëanor had won Nerdanel’s heart - it had completely shattered her, especially when they decided to get married at their young age. Niélë had to watch Nerdenel get married and never be able to have her heart - as elves only loved once. Nienna tried her best to comfort her, but what can soothe a broken heart?

Niélë is devasted and hates Fëanor completely when he takes the oath with their sons- leaving Nerdanel heartbroken and left behind – she tries to comfort her while keeping her feelings hidden – she never reveals not wanting to burden her. Plus – since elves only love once, so Niélë will never have her chance. . .

Niélë travels to middle earth sometimes to give comfort as ordered by Nienna - when she returns Nerdanel asks her about her sons and unfortunately, Niélë never has good news for her until the time Maedhros and Maglor had taken in the Peredhil twins.

[strawberrymeriadoc]

Hi all,

I've been trying to get this blog at least somewhat organized.

A quick note about the header. This is what Gimli shouts when he saves Eomer from the Orcs during the Battle of Helm's Deep. It's clearly based on Hebrew (as Dwarves were supposed to be based on Jews, for better or for worse) and so I wanted to tie it in as both my Jewish culture and my love of all things LOTR.

Here are the tags I mostly use and what they mean:

#lotr art = catch all for any fan art from Tolkien's world (mainly, LOTR itself, a some of the Hobbit, and, rarely, the Silm)

#lotr gifs = similarly catch all for LOTR or (less often) Hobbit gifs.

I try to reblog smaller posts if/when I can find them. I think gif makers and fan art makers are doing good work and I want to make space for them in this fandom/on my page anyway.

#a hobbit in minas tirith = is my very self indulgent 2020 pandemic-esque fanfic of a sort of modern? au of trans!merry and his queerplatonic partner roommate pippin living and going to school in minas tirith.

#merry and #meriadoc = any posts with significant Merry Brandybuck action. Could be fanart, meta, writing...he doesn't come up a ton and he is my favorite character, especially the book version of him.

#lotr memes = self explanatory

#lotr books = anything that primarily engages with the book version of lotr (or hobbit) rather than the peter jackson movies

#birbs = art, photos etc. of birds...

#kitty katty = posts of cats, art, photos, memes, etc.

#anismals = all other animals

#jewish stuff = (mostly) positive Jewish things. i try to keep doomscrolling/posting to a minimum but sometimes i think a psa is in order...

#lgbtq = catch all queer tag for all things queer and trans etc.

#transsexual on main = when there is explicit mention of transsexuality (my favorite!)

#XD = things i think are funny/might cheer me up later

#hope = positive, affirming things

#good news = current events or general news that is positive/encouraging

#psa = something i think is important to know, often solidarity with other minority groups

Ok I think those are the main ones...

I am going to try to put image descriptions especially for things tagged lotr art. I will be using the tag #described lotr image for that purpose.

[child-of-hurin]

yours tags going (#i honestly believe fandom could be healed if there was a ban on thinking about the feanorians for a mere two weeks#challenge: engage with the vast world of the legendarium without mediating everything through these five tertiary characters#sorry. six).............i've been peripherally aware of the silm for YEARS and never read it because the people i was around (feanorian stans of a certain strain....) made it sound like the dullest and most flat, classics-y, interchangeable thing, that had nothing in common with lotr or the haunting things around its edges. after reading excerpts from your blog and other actually good blogs i finally read the whole silm last week and it was incredible, i barely thought about the feanorians once the entire time unless they were being put in front of my face by the text, but that's ok because they take up so little pagetime. (feanor was better than all his sons put together and he still wasn't in my top 10). absolute delight of an experience <3

🥺💖 I am SO happy my soon blogging helped in any way convince you to give it a chance, and that you didn't regret it!! It IS a delight, no???The feeling of vastness & time in it are arresting to me, I feel invited to inhabit sentences and paragraphs, and I think it has such a delicate/skilled touch on the cosmology of it all -- which I also feel in LOTR! I would not enjoy it nearly as much if it was a parable, which is how soooooooooooo many fans around here seem to see it as... zzzz

I think Feanor + Feanorians work so well in the text for what they are meant to be and for the space they are given tbh, like, whenever I manage to dodge most of the fandom for a while, I remember I truly, honestly appreciate them, and even what some fans do with them! (They're none of them my top ten either though ^^)

The classic-y thing gets me, god, I think it's because that's the cultural lens so many bloggers here primarily have to look at stories that they take it for granted. Obviously, unavoidably, unapologetically , there's a lot of classics inspiration in it, but Tolkien's inspirations and aspirations with this work are essentially, avowedly and perceptibly other mythologies. That's not just Tumblr either, some months ago a friend was live blogging this published essay that tried with all it had to shoehorn meaningful parallels between The Fall of Gondolin and the Aeneid.

It also annoys me immensely when people act like this book is essentially a Catholic fantasy -- that can be a relevant lens to look at free will vs fate in Tolkien (avowed by the man himself in some extra-canonical texts), but not when looking at the Ainur, for example, or specific storylines and characters. No offense to people who find real meaning in it, but statements like "Earendil/Aragorn/Frodo is Middle Earth's Jesus" and "Galadriel is a Marian figure" are to me proof of lazy thinking and/or fundamental ignorance of catholicism :/