lumovr

[eri-pl]

Silm reread interlude 3: Lay of Leithian canto 6-7

TW: a vividly, suggestively but not explicitely described wolvish violence quoted at the end. Some Sauron-typical levels of wicked but I don't quote the worst of it.

Canto 6

We get another recap, about the Darkening. A description of Feanor's speech: "But all he said both wild and wise, half truth and half the fruit of lies that Morgoth sowed in Valinor". …so, for all that go buy listen to another tale, we are told.

Also, the Oath, in the version when only the sons swear it (and it sounds like they do it in Balariand?): "There their hands they joined in vows, those kinsmen seven, swearing beneath the stars of Heaven, by Varda the Holy […] Who calls these names in witness may not break his oath, though earth and heaven shake". The other names mentioned are the mountain, and maaybe Manwë?

Also, the oath is unbreakable. Huh. We are in a more ancient type of a tragedy, I guess. Well, we are in a fairy tale, but the Feanorians are in an ancient type of tragedy. (However, to be honest, the published Silmarilion too has this sentence with not much change.)

We get a list of them (A&A have different names): "…and Maidros tall (whom after tornment should befall) and Maglor the Mighty" So: Maglor is mighty, unclear if just in song, or he was buff. like him being buff. Also, is there even a single version of this list where Maedhros doesn't get his gloomy foreshadowing?

"Be he friend or foe, or seed defiled of Morgoth Bauglir, or mortal child that in the after days on earth shall dwell, no law, nor love, nor league of hell, not might of Gods, not moveless fate shall him defend from wrath and hate of Feanor's sons, who takes or steals, or finding keeps the Silmarils, the trice-enchanted globes of light that shine until the final night."

OK, so:

It seems like we are still in the Legendarium where Morgoth can create life. Or maybe it's more of a metaphor?

"no law, nor love, nor league of hell, not might of Gods, not moveless fate" sounds so chilling!!! (and is complete wishful thinking bs)

normal verbs, no lisp!

as has been said already, no mention of murder. But they do swear wrath and hate so it's not an improvement, it only makes the Oath easier to not break.

"The wars and wanderings of the Gnomes this tale tells not", says the tale among explaining to us the wars and wandering of the Noldor Gnomes for about 3 pages.

Fingon's banners are white in this version, not blue.

Beren goes to Nargothrond, as in the Silm periodically shouting that he is not a spy.

Either Tolkien really loves the adjective "everlasting" or… huh. anyway: "the everlasting fire of those enchanted jewels all know is cursed with an oath of endless woe, and Feanor's sons alone by right are lords and masters of their light. He [Thingol] cannot hope within his hoard to keep this gem"

And, moving on from the "everlasting", in this version the Oath of Feanor is widely known and Finrod assumes that Thingol knows enough to expect that the Feanorians would attack him. Huh. This does not mean that it is so in the canon, and I still claim that Thingol not knowing makes more sense.

Also, Finrod acknowledges that the Silmarils belong and answer to the Feanorians. Huh. What a mess.

But to each their due: @dfwbwfbbwfbwf you may like this part.

The rest goes more or less as in the Silm. Also, Celegorm has gleaming hair, so yes, blond Celegorm very likely. We get another repeat of the oath, with some variation (in red): "Be he friend or foe, or demon wild of Morgoth, or mortal child, or any that here on earth may dwell, no law, nor love, nor league of hell, not might of Gods, no binding spell shall him defend from hatered fell of Feanor's sons, whoso take or steal, or finding keep a Silmaril. Those we alone do claim by right, out thrice-enchanted jewels bright."

So, the differences:

"seed defiled" to "demon wild" — may be a difference of personality. Celegorm may not care about defilement at thisn point. May be just "sounds better".

"shall dwell" → "may dwell" — this is an important one! The Oath mentioned Men who were said to appear, but Celegorm rewords it to cover everyone who lives on earth (Dwarves, and generally stuff like Ents and so, who were not mentioned in the original Oath, because the feanorians didn't know they exist / will exist), changing the words to match the intent in light of current knowledge about the existing races.

"moveless fate" → "binding spell" Huh. this is a funny one. An "accident" on Celegorm's part? It was fate that brought Beren there, after all.

"wrath and hate" → "hatered fell" — May be poetry, may be just Celegorm preferring a cold, purposeful hate over the passion of wrath.

plural → singular: context. they are talking about a Silmaril, because Beren doesn't intend to steal all 3.

the ending: also very natural.

Celegorm talks about (if they go with Beren) Nargothrond covered in blood and corpses, and Doriath ruined by a battle. Which is clearly foresight, and, ironically, comes to pass even though the people of Nargothrond don't massively go with Beren.

Curufin, things go like in the Silm, people murmur, I love the choice of word, it telegraphs a lot to me [or anyone who knows the Book of Exodus. TLDT they're being wrong and thankless].

Also, Finrod's crown is a silver helmet.

Oh, and also I keep calling him Finrod, but his name is Felagund and Finrod is, in this version, the name of his father, whom we know as Finarfin. I'm sorry, I can't switch to this convention.

Canto 7

Beren and Finrod (well, Felagund) ambush the Orch (which is fine, because Orcs), and the Orcs of course have poisoned spears, because bad guys use poison.

Sauron mentioned! He is called Thû, but just like with Finrod, I don't think I can switch how I call him. Also: "and the road[…] he watched with sleepless eye of flame". Unclear whether it's a spell-security-camera, PJ style or just a poetic description of his actual eyes. Also, sauron never sleeping sounds very in-chaarcter.

Oh, and Men will worship him. When? "in days after". But when? In late Numenor? "and made him ghastly temples in the shade" which is not a thing in the Silm. But not yet, now he's Morgoth's second-in-command.

We get a chilling description of his necromantic minions: "hosts of phantoms and wandering ghosts, of misbegotten or spell-wronged monsters". I love the word "spell-wronged".

We get a description of his throne on the isle, which is "fashioned of blood-darkened stone". C`hilling.

They talk, Sauron is really creepy and explicit about Morgoth's plans for Lúthien. And realizes that those guys are not orcs, because they're not laughing. We get few of the most evil /creepy/whatever lines ever, which I will not utter here (2139 to 2142). Then he asks them whom do they serve, which is again quite chilling. And… were this kind of talk in the Silm, I may have had less problems with reading it with the emotional responses that Tolkien wanted.

And then he switches to a somewhat cartoon villain style: "Death to light, to law, to love! Cursed be moon and stars above! May darkness everlasting old that waits outside in surges cold drown Manwë, Varda, and the sun! May all in hatered be begun, and all in evil ended be, in the moaning of the endless Sea!"

My reactions to this (in order):

team Rocket reference! (Well, not a reference, but it reminds me of) :D

HUH. Either I don't get it, or this text can't figure out what it means by what, or Tolkien just loves poetic terms too much…. or Sauron talks about things he doesn't understand (which would be in character tbh). All seem likely.

you are over the top, Sauron.

Yes, he's got flaming eyes. OK.

Song duel! Finrod's song has some common themes with Lúthien's song when she was escaping from the tree: "freedom escape[..] the prison opening, the chain that snaps". Another reference to the emaning of the title of this lay. Songs of freedom are a repeating motive in this. And not only in this. The song-rescue trope also ties songs and freedom, freeing someone. Makes me think.

Finrod loses, we switch to present tense for one stanza. For some reason? Maybe this is a genre thing, a tool that you are allowed to use in a poem like this.

We end on a dark, but beautifully-described note: "From time to time in the eyeless dark two eyes would grow, and they would hark to frightful cries, and then a sound of rending, a slavering on the ground, and blood flowing they would smell."

"But none would yield, and none would tell." So, ok, we do end on a less-dark note, to be precise.

[magicalgrimm]

The real reason black hat needs a business:

[nedlittle]

i think the next time tumblr makes up a movie in three-four months time it should be an unfinished 1934 screwball that was shut down halfway through production when the hays code came into action and as a result only exists as a half-edited 30 minute negative that mgm was supposed to burn but didn't. i think that would be fun

[anglerflsh]

more of them + speculating about collectors coloring in the tags

[mantisgodsdomain]

Fun note of the specific pronoun situation with the translation errors between Wasp and Bugnish: under normal circumstances, Jayde would get automatically assigned he/him in Bugnish, since she uses the standard "non-queen social bug" pronouns that roughly 95% of the Wasp Hive do, which get translated to drone pronouns in Bugnish due to a roughly century-old miscommunication. She gets assigned worker pronouns in Bugnish specifically because those are what Kabbu defaults to with social bugs, and other people picked it up from him during introductions. This Will Be A Point Of Confusion For Her Whenever She Asks About It.

[dark-twist-fairytales]

Me? Accidentally making Torbek angst? It's more likely than you think! Anyways! it's almost 2 in the morning, but beloved Torbek is here! Honestly, I really enjoyed drawing the gangely limbs. Somehow felt more natural.

Yes, he is holding the ticket from Guys Night in his hand. Why? Well... Snippet of a story underneath >:)

[Warnings for story: Mentions of medical torture and related as such. Spoilers for Torbek's time between episode 8 to episode 19]

~~~~~

It had been... Years, since Torbek last saw the others. Since he had been thrown into the chaos that was the Feywild upon the command of the carnival. Curled up on himself, Torbek stayed in the corner. Nothing felt.. Right. Trapped in a little box, frantic huffs and whimpers left him.

Years, and Torbek hasn't known a day of rest, trapped and bound to beds, to walls, or anything just to keep him restrained. This time was no different, the fluid going through and hitting his veins uncomfortably with the fear. More whimpers left the bugbear as he curled up tighter.

His jacket, that someone had given him to keep warm, was torn at the sleeves, causing him to shiver. When that had happened? Torbek didn't know, other than the pain that followed. The medical shirt was too small for him, sticking and stretching uncomfortably on his fur and the tubes that stuck out of him.

Each time he went under, it only got worse. Grabbing something from his pocket, his hands shook with the mix of fear and the cold chill he felt from the vent blowing on him. A ticket to the Witchlight Carnival. A small smile managed to tug on Torbek's lips, remembering guys night, as he hugged the golden ticket to his chest. A hiss of pain left when he pressed on the fresh tube on his chest.

However, the pain was drowned out by a voice whispering in his head, his ears dropped to try and ignore it, but... He didn't find it easy to ignore. It didn't want to be ignored, and growled in time with Torbek's verbal whimpers: "I will get us out of here. I promise that. Those friends-"

Torbek hugged the ticket close, curling up tighter around it as tears, both pain and fear, stained at the lighter fur markings around his face. "-They can't help you here... I won't stop fighting."

Despite what the voice growled, -Torbek gulping out of worry for his friends- he found that the voice in his head was scared too. Who wouldn't be? It's been years since Torbek had come around.

With the approaching steps of someone walking towards his medical door, he could feel each pin-prick of pain arising on his body, places that had been previously poked at to the point of numbing and hypersensitivity. Today was another day of testing machines. Or worse, experimenting.

He heard a whimper in the back of his mind.

He wasn't alone in his fear.

Torbek wasn't alone at all.

Torbek just had to wait.

[riiviir]

shockingly I drew something other than COTL today

anyways. ocs

[autumngracy]

Not me creeping up to the wordcount of the fourth longest book ever written

[ratcandy]

check out this guy who sucks btw. look at his emo hair. be jealous of his emo hair

Tangle is a WC OC that is Also being used for the @starsofdestinyrp !

[cashewbenoit]

happy easter everyone i’m going to my first london knights game today

[ut-scatteredextension]

Empress and Hero of the Underground.

(Alternate colour schemes below the cut!)

[acaciapines]

rotating noelle around in my brain. i need the dess raises kris au to be real RIGHT NOW.

please talk to me about the dess raises kris au i think im gonna explode. also start writing it this summer maybe :3333

[widevibratobitch]

something about being told im 'the leading person at this whole academy when it comes to interpretation and stage intelligence' by the husband of the woman im trying (not really. but i mean. who knows) to seduce... ok boy you got me. lets make it a polycule.

[kumakuma-circus]

just randomly remembered that during my like 10+ attempts at the shadow yukiko fight i more or less consistently ran out of revival beads so yosuke was just dead (well unconscious but whatever) on the ground for like half the fight gfhfjvhfhfhd-

[aonokumura]

🌀 He's completely still and not responding for a moment that feels much too long.

...until his entire body suddenly bursts into flames.

Looks like whatever magic was used on him wasn't strong enough. 🐈‍⬛

[orcelito]

I'm probably too much of a vashwood shipper to ever write a trigun fic without them dating, BUT ALSO I really do love vashmeryl so fuckin much. Obviously the solution to this would be to write polygun so I can have the best of both cakes AND ALSO merylmilly AND ALSO wolfwood with the girls. See there's literally no losing.

If only my writing energy wasn't so goddamned limited lol