#the Mellon chronicles

[starlight-n-shit]

Just started the mellon chronicles, finally and damn they are. going through it. I'm going to be up until three am with this one aren't i.

[shadowlight17]

Okay I know I’m usually a Star Wars blog and usually in that fandom, but I’m a Tolkien-nerd as well. Would…someone PLEASE tell me if they would honest to goodness join a The Mellon Chronicles discord server because *PLEASE*. Reading that fanfiction series was an integral part of my fanfiction journey. If I could? I’d love to say thank you to the original authors 😭😭 but yeah…fellow Tolkien nerds and Mellon Chronicle loving peeps, would you join it? Does one exist?!

[rainintheevening]

fandom: LOTR

word: secret

"Ah, keeping secrets from Father now, are we?" Elladan's voice was more biting than he intended, and inwardly he winced at Estel's flinch. But he didn't miss the guilty way the boy shoved his hands under the pillow as he turned, contorting his body to shield whatever it was from the tall elf's view.

"It is a good secret, on my honour, I promise," and grey eyes pleaded with his adoptive brother, so that Elladan gave way easily.

"Oh, very well, Estel, keep it to yourself then," he said, but his hand on the boy's shoulder was loving, and the answering smile was a bright one.

[appsartstash]

OC-tober Day 7: Personality

Both of these characters are pretty likely to want to do something dramatic, but while Megan's more reserved tendencies make her a bit more likely to stop their friend's schemes, Switch would be much more willing to both emotionally and literally support any impulsive decisions Meg would land on.

[magicaltimelady44]

Either tumblr's search function is borked or there is no fanart of the mellon chronicles on tumblr, which is an absolute crime

[charlidos]

So came across your blog and decided to check out the rest. I've come to my conclusion... It's all about a modern day version of Aragorn/Legolas from The Mellon Chronicles and I'm fucking in love with it. That's all xx

Ahaha, of course yes! Fiction and reality blending most beautifully.

I imagine the filming of LotR, going on for such a long period of time, was incredibly immersive. They lived their parts for so many hours per day, most days of the week. There doesn't seem to have been a lot of time to completely leave your character, or leave Middle Earth. I'm convinced it informed how they related to each other.

Particularly for Orlando, new to film, it must have been momentous and world-changing. And meeting a person like Viggo, revolutionary. And a character like Legolas, meeting Aragorn. Living a battle, getting lost in the woods, learning, being exhausted, having fun. It must have all muddled together.

It must have changed everything. The only question is how it survived leaving NZ.

[vamp-ress]

Fic Rec: LOTR

Title: The Mellon Chronicles Authors: Cassia & Siobhan Summary: YEARS BEFORE there was a fellowship, at a time when the One Ring remained quiet and unknown in the possession of an unassuming Hobbit and the gathering darkness of Mordor had not yet made itself known to the world, there was an eager young Ranger and an Elven Prince. Fandom: Lord of the Rings

Back in the day when the movies first hit this vaaaast series spanning over most of Aragorn's life was the first entry point into fandom for so, so many people. (Let me know if that is still the case for some today, it would be so awesome.) Over just the course of a few years, duo CasSio wrote 36 stories with over 1million words. There was a mailing-list attached to the series, the whole thing was hosted on its own website (back when people still did something like that) and each story came with one of those horrid cover images that were all the hype back then. We used to call this genre "Aragorn&Legolas friendship fic" and a lot of basic premises from these stories prevail to this day and many probably don't even know where these ideas originally came from: That Thranduil's wife is dead, that Gilraen is dead, that Aragorn and Legolas knew each other pre-fellowship and that they end up in perilous situations on a daily basis. This is mostly adventure with a lot of h/c. Some of the interludes are fluffy or even humorous. And even though it's gen it was highly unfluential on slash writers, too.

[goldkirk]

LOTR fanfics that have rocked my socks

@krowepoison, this one's for you!

Fate & the High King's Falcon, by Baylor

Pippin recovers from his injuries following the battle at the Black Gate.

life comes breaking in!, by InfiniteCalm

Frodo, in the blessed realm, writes a book.

This generates a lot of interest (from old friends and new).

title from quote from v woolfe's diary: "I meant to write about death, only life came breaking in as usual"

These Thirteen Days, by Barrowight

While Frodo and Sam lie unconscious after their journey to Orodruin, the remaining members of the Fellowship encounter despair, conflict and unexpected mirth as they watch over their sleeping friends.

Reunion at Cormallen, by shirebound

Frodo and Sam’s first night awake at Cormallen, and an unexpected adventure with the Fellowship at Faramir's refuge. A more gentle, lighthearted tale.

Over Sea, by amaruuk

Frodo was given the gift of healing in the Blessed Realm. What happened to him, and those he loved, after the White Ship sailed out of the Grey Havens?

Mark of a Warrior, by starryeyedknight

Those Riders who had made up the honour guard of Theoden’s body from Minas Tirith sat about the main hall, breaking their fast as they traded quiet jests about the night before. Until they were interrupted by something very small, and very angry. 

“Alright, which one of you colossal bastards," Merry demanded, waving his abused arm, “is responsible for this?”

After the funeral for Theoden, Merry wakes up to a problem experienced by many a young man after a night of heavy drinking. The ink on his arm doesn't appear to be washing off… 

A White Coverlet to Cool a Hobbit's Toes, by claudia603

After the quest, Frodo observes snow on the top of the mountain. He remembers Caradhras and wants to experience it under better circumstances.

Reunion in Minas Tirith, by shirebound

Faramir and the hobbits reunite in Minas Tirith after Aragorn's crowning. An upbeat, lighthearted look at some Faramir/hobbit interactions in the following days. Amazingly enough, no one is sick, guilt-ridden, or in pain. Enjoy!

The Mellon Chronicles series, by Cassia and Siobhan

YEARS BEFORE there was a fellowship, at a time when the One Ring remained quiet and unknown in the possession of an unassuming Hobbit and the gathering darkness of Mordor had not yet made itself known to the world, there was an eager young Ranger and an Elven Prince.

Mortal and Immortal, the Elven Prince and the man who would one day be King of Gondor formed an unlikely bond.

Ultimately, their very survival may depend on not only the speed and accuracy of an Elven bow, nor even the swift sword of the Dunèdain, but on the strength and loyalty of the friendship they share.

Follow me away now, oh worthy sojourners of Middle Earth to explore the untold adventures of these early years....

Anastasis, by Chthonion

"Forgive me,” Frodo says in his accented Quenya, the syllables strange in his ears. “I—I have an old wound. It troubles me still, sometimes."

"It is I who must ask your forgiveness," says the stranger. "I believe I may be the one who put it there."

*

In Aman, Frodo and Celebrimbor and Finrod forge a friendship, talk about trauma, and deal with the fact that Sauron's ghost is haunting Celebrimbor.

[streets-in-paradise]

Tinuviel - Eddie Munson x (Fem)Henderson!Reader

Word Count 1.4 K

Warnings: Tolkien References, specially regarding The Silmarillion. 

Summary: Your Tolkien nerd discussion with Eddie leads him to discover a new weakness of yours and he can’t stop testing it. 

Notes: If you have been arround my blog for a while you will notice that this is self indulgent, but I am doing it anyways. 

Glossary (simplified): Ainulindale and Valaquenta: the first and second books of The Silmarillion

 Silmarils: The most precious jewels that ever existed in Tolkien lore. Created by Feanor, one of the princes of the Noldor elves. Morgoth ( who Sauron used to serve before being a powerfull evil lord himself) stole them and that unleashed the war that is central for the argument on most of The Silmarillion. 

 Mellon: elvish word for friend. 

Tags: @losersclubisms​ @dark-angel-is-back​​

It wouldn't be the first time you would end up confessing an embarrassing secret to Eddie. He was the keeper of some of your greatest sins in and out of your nerd experience. Details about yourself that no one else in Hellfire would get to know were easier to tell when you were all alone with him.  

He was always more curious that judgemental, even when things wouldn't make sense to him at first hearing. 

" Let me understand this: you have read The Iliad as a kid, but you got lost in your first reading of The Silmarillion ?" 

He didn't mean to offend you, but you felt ashamed. 

" Are you disappointed? Am I going to lose my fantasy nerd club membership card?" 

Just the mention of that was plausible to him. 

" Of course not... How would I ever let you go?" Was his teasing reply. " Homer is only one of Tolkien's sources, but the Catalogue of Ships is a nightmare! The Silmarillion has richer catalogues with interesting descriptions of the people, their land, bits of their culture and their leaders. The second book of The Iliad is just a bunch of names and numbers being thrown at you. I would take ' Of Beleriand and its Kingdoms' over Book 2 anytime." 

" That's exactly the point, it's way more complex!" You defended yourself. " The Silmarillion has the history, cosmogony, religion and philosophy of a completely fictional world all in one while being a chronicle of the entire First and Second ages. The Iliad doesn't even cover the full ten years of war and you can support your reading with history books on mycenaean greece. My first reading of The Silmarillion was four years ago and I had to come back later for a deeper understanding... I guess I am not that smart." 

The worshiping instincts that his secret crush on you had created kicked in, triggered by your ramble followed by self bashing. He could have continued the normal flow of the conversation, but chose not to because he would never help himself when it came to you. 

" You are brilliant, the most brilliant girl I know. I love to hear you talk, you could read to me the Catalogue of Ships and I wouldn't get bored." 

You giggled and to him that was mission accomplished. 

" Well, i bet The Silmarillion is even more epic and beautiful in your voice..." 

"... What is saying a lot, my lady. " He sweetly added, thanking your compliment humbly. " I accept it only because I like flattery and it has an extra taste when it comes from you. Anything sounds sweeter; every praise more magnificent and every victory greater when it is told from your lips, Tinuviel. " 

Eddie had you used to all sorts of lovely compliments, but nothing he had said before affected you in the same way. He was surprised at how helplessly weak for it you seemed to be, wondering what hitted you so deep to end up like that. 

Only after you stopped hiding your face with your hands and your eyes were back on him he got a glimpse of explanation.

" Don't use that name in vain, it's too powerful. " 

The lovely nickname that the mortal heroe Beren gave to elven princess Luthien, the most beautiful of all tales. Their sad love story was the most legendary, serving as inspiration for Aragorn and Arwen in the Lord of the Rings books. 

How could you have done anything but melting with love? 

" It fits you perfectly. " He insisted, refusing to let it go because he knew you loved it. " To the rest of the world you may be a simple mortal lass, human for most. Populars may have confused you for a hobbit because of the taste and skill for hiding you kept for years, but they were all deceived. You are Tinuviel, more precious to me than the Silmarils of Feanor. " 

It was the most beautiful thing he had said of you, so romantic that you almost thought you were just dreaming it. 

" Eddie, don't play with me." You complained, a real clamor from your heart that you tried to hush afterwards. " I wouldn't have been an elven lady, not even in the Third Age. Besides, Dustin has already helped me pick a Tolkien character as kids: I have always been the White Lady of Rohan. " 

" Can't you be both? Just for me? " He sweetly asked, totally convincing you with his puppy eyes. " It can stay between us." 

" It MUST stay between us. " You corrected, just the idea of being called like that in public was getting you even more flustered. " I don't want the guys to make fun of us because you are the only one who can possibly think of using that word on me. It's a sacred nickname: something you say to a top level beautifull girl or someone you love. They will think it is a joke and I wouldn't blame them. " 

Despite being aware you would understand his sayings, Eddie was just realizing he practically dropped a love confession clothed in Tolkien metaphors. Perhaps it happened because most people wouldn't have catched the full meaning with such precision and he previously thought you were going to associate it only with praise on beauty. 

" You are the prettiest girl who speaks to them on a regular basis. Trust me, mellon. If I wouldn't be a firm leader our table at the cafeteria would have become the trojan war."

You chuckled with amused skepticism and he cursed himself for not admitting that both of your assumptions were right. 

“ Helen of Troy? That is way too much, Munson. What is wrong with you? Are you practicing pick up lines to tell Chrissy Cunningham in literature class? Remember you will need someone to distract the king in order to steal the queen.” 

Eddie didn't act called out in the slightest, but he did return the callout. 

" If someone here shall be Paris, it has to be Harrington. That pretty boy who says he is your friend seems to love stealing you from us." 

" ... and you love to confuse him with things you know he doesn't understand. Don't add this one to the list, alright?" 

 If he had to be honest, he would admit he was dying for doing the exact opposite and force him to watch your adorable reaction. 

However, he was then too focused in practicing his new trick. 

" If you ban the nickname in his presence I still have the elvish name. I can call you Luthien, although I prefer Tinuviel because I feel it hits differently, don't you think?" 

Your face was speaking for you, his teasing was just self reaffirmation. 

" It has more love, makes me feel loved somehow. " You forced an answer out of yourself. " I'm sure that hearing you read the book must be incredible because when you say that it sounds so good ... Would you read it to me someday? Even If it is just a few pages of Ainulindale or Valaquenta, I would love that. " 

Seeking to actively romance you in the finest way he had, he accepted your request and made it bigger. 

" Tell you what? That sounds fantastic, but we can still make it better. What if we cuddle in bed and I read you some of 'Of Beren and Luthien' ? " 

The surprise in your eyes was priceless, happiness filling you despite how unsure you were about your chances of survival to such a tender moment. 

" That would be so wonderful! Would you really do that for me, Eds?" 

It was his moment to make it even sweeter and he wasn't going to waste it. 

" Anything for you, my Tinuviel. "

[teitho]

Welcome to the Teitho informational post!

ABOUT TEITHO

The Teitho Contest was an initiative of Aragornwriter, and is currently moderated by Carawyn, Sian and Lotrfan.

The contest runs through our ProBoards site in two separate cathegories - fanfiction and fanart, and invites writers and artists who like Tolkien's world to join in. You don't have to be a member of any particular mailing list or group, but do bear in mind our rules.

The contest was originally created for stories containing the characters of Aragorn and/or Legolas, and their friendship, inspired by the Mellon chronicles. It has been running without interruption since January 2005. In this long time, we have moved on to include more of Tolkien's world and characters, but have kept the emphasis on friendship in the stories - this is not a rule, just a recommendation to keep the spirit of the original contest even through the changes. (Rules are listed later in this post.)

Teitho stands for "Write!" or "Draw!", which is exactly what we want you to do!

Are you a Tolkien-fanfiction writer, interested in friendship stories about Tolkien's characters? Do you like to write angst, horror, comedy, etc?

Or, are you a reader on the lookout for exciting new fics or artist looking for new inspiration?

Then look no further. Welcome to the Teitho Contest, where you can participate with a variety of other writers and artists and send in stories and pictures based on our themes.

Join us in this writing and drawing contest!

New challenge is posted every month. On the first day of the challenge, we announce a new theme on this site. You then have two months to create your entry, which has to be finished when you send it in.

After the deadline of the contest, the voting period begins. Based on the number of entries, it lasts for two or more weeks. The winners are usually announced a day or two after the end of the voting. Teitho remains one of the last prompt-based, independent, Tolkien fan-fiction/fan art monthly contests.

Send in your entries to the following email address: teitho.contest@gmail.com

Do NOT send in your entry to any other list or email address or it will not be eligible! This contest is unique!

All the entries will be posted anonymously, so you will not know which author you are voting for. The voting is individual for both art and fic, and you can vote for just one or both of them, if you want. We will announce the winners on this site and our social media pages.

RULES:

Contest Entries

-The contest runs in two separate categories - fanfiction and fanart.

- Ratings may go up as far as M, but please keep in mind that our audience consists of different age groups.

- The entry must feature character mentioned by Tolkien in any of his works set in Middle-earth.

- You can only participate with one entry per challenge.

- The entries will be displayed on the website anonymously to give everyone a fair chance of winning. Therefore, you may only repost your entry elsewhere after the voting is over and the winners have been announced. The anonymity is one of Teitho's unique features, don't spoil it!

- Of course you can use the Teitho theme as inspiration for a story or picture, even if you don't send it in as a submission. As a courtesy, we would ask you to not post your story until the contest is over as to not influence voters.

- Please use only teitho.contest@gmail.com to send in your entry. Entries sent elsewhere will not be eligible for the contest. Send your stories as an attachment in a text file (doc, docx or rtf) and pictures as jpg or png. (If we can't open it, we'll get back to you, don't worry.)

The header information for stories must contain:

- story title

- penname (revealed only after the voting period)

- challenge

- summary

-characters

-warnings (AU, violence, character death and other potentially disturbing elements to some readers)

- rating (we follow the scale provided by fictionratings.com, which can be found here.

(Please be aware that stories which are graphic to the point of being explicit or inappropriate for readers under the age of 18 cannot be accepted, per the Terms of Service set forth by Proboards. This is not a Teitho rule, but one set by our hosts.)

The header information for art must contain:

- picture title

- name or nickname of the artist (revealed only after the voting period)

- challenge

- technique of creation

- optional: description of the depicted scene

There is no minimum length for stories, or required form - you can write poems or drabbles, submit traditional and digital art, or even artisan crafts. The recommended maximum length for stories is appr. 20 doc-pages.

Types of challenges

A new challenge is posted on the 1st of every month, and every challenge runs for two months (two challenges are always active at the same time).

- Regular challenges - a word or phrase

- Picture challenge - twice yearly, typically in March and September

- Joker challenge - in December, allows you to pick any of the past challenges—from any year—and submit an entry inspired by that prompt

- Other challenge - in June (music, a list of random words or some other type of prompt)

- Illustration for a Teitho story - we have a special artistic challenge running for the entire year (deadline is December 31st) to illustrate one of the stories posted in that year. Due to the long period of this challenge, the entries will not be anonymous and will be allowed to be posted elsewhere and one artist can participate with several entries.

Voting:

- The voting period starts with posting of the entries. To enable the voters to have enough time to read all stories, the voting period will be two weeks for up to 5 stories, and an additional week for each 5 more stories (3 weeks for up to 10, 4 weeks for up to 15).

- If you would like your vote to be as objective as possible, please refer to our voting guide at the ProBoards site.

- The voting is done through a poll, separately for the writing and artistic cathegory. You can vote for 3 entries, ordering them from 1st to 3rd place.

- Please do not solicit votes. Teitho is about creativity and displaying a wide array of entries for a given theme. It is not focused on a race first place. We would like to keep this contest fun for everyone.

- Please note that despite the voting guide, the voting might still sometimes reflect the voter's favourite characters and story genre rather than quality of writing or art. We would like to emphasize that it's more important to participate than to win, and to increase the number of quality stories available to fans of Middle Earth.

If you still have questions about anything, feel free to drop us a line at teitho.contest@gmail.com. We'll be happy to answer!

HISTORY:

The Teitho Contest was an original idea by Aragornwriter, inviting authors to tackle monthly challenges and "write, write, write!" Because that's what teitho means in Sindarin.

Throughout the years, different moderators have inherited the maintenance of the contest, all of them sharing a passion for Tolkien and for writing:

Aragornwriter January 2005 - August 2005

Alina August 2005 - March 2008

Michelle August 2005 - February 2010

Valante February 2010 - June 2011

Marethiel February 2010 - August 2011

Nautika February 2010 - April 2013

StarLight February 2010 - February 2014

Mirach July 2011 - Present

Karri January 2018 - July 2019

Carawyn January 2018 - Present

Sian22 January 2018 - Present

Lotrfan January 2018 - Present

Suggest a prompt!

We always love to use prompt ideas that have come from our participants! If you have a suggestion for the future challenge, please leave it in a comment below, and we'll be sure to consider it.

It helps to keep a prompt as general as possible, so that it can be used in any culture. For example "A picnic in a forest" would leave out any cultures in Middle Earth that doesn't have forests; Harad, for example, or Erebor. But "Picnic" can be used in any culture, and in any age!

We ask that prompts themselves be rated K, even if the stories they inspire may be rated up to M.

[whumpster-dumpster]

I don't remember my childhood too well, thanks ptsd lol, but I think my whump awakening was either Aragorn falling over the cliff and floating down the river, almost dead. That, or it might also have been Snow White where she eats the poisoned apple and faints. I love that image of her hand limp on the floor

On first watch I don’t think I realized how much I enjoyed the Aragorn whump scenes in the trilogy, then I read the Mellon Chronicles fanfic series which was full of whump and sadness for him and went back to those scenes in a whole new light XD

[miladyh]

Fanfiction Masterpost

Rules:

I only write SFW (suitable-for-work), although use your judgment when it comes to violence/whump level.

I write both “Regular” and “Character x Reader” stories.

When it is a Character x Reader fic, all pairings are Female reader.

At this time, I don't take requests, although that may change.

I only do happy endings. This means all whump pieces will be hurt/comfort!

Fandoms:

Shadows House

Legend of Zelda

Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda fan comic)

Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer)

Twisted Wonderland

Mellon Chronicles (Lord of the Rings fan series)

Labyrinth

New fandoms will probably be added periodically...;)

~~Milady

[ruiniel]

@cuarthol lmao dunno! For me personally it was easy because I remember it being something so *new and exciting* 'Oh, I can have more of my favorite characters??? In different situations??? And there's so much more of this it's an actual story omg omg'

I'd forget to eat during those days.

Also, it was the Mellon Chronicles so it kinda marked me @_@

[rainintheevening]

For your ask game: Lotr, sweet

He is older now than the boy I met in the forest, much older according to his kind, but still his eyes light when he sees me, and still he greets me with an embrace. I teach his children to draw a bow, and their children in turn, and it seems to have been but a spring and summer since I did the same for him, that sapling of a young man with an unflattering cut to his hair and the quick Elven jibes of his brothers on his tongue. Now he teaches those insults to the second generation after him, and the Queen Arwen laughs, shakes her head, still as dark as when I first met her at Rivendell. His hair, though, is streaked with silver, and I tease that perhaps, given enough time, he shall become one of us fair elven folk. He laughs in turn, and it is the same warm laugh as ever, sweet as any music to me, and for us, for a time, time ceases.

[brynnmclean]

I was tagged in this meme by @heymacareyna thanks, friend!

tagging: @rain-sleet-snow, @urcadelimabean, @allatariel, and @laurenplayspeople but no pressure to answer, obviously (except for Lauren because I demand to hear Opinions like an annoying little brother)

three ships: current obsession: Galadriel/Celeborn/Halbrand, but also some ships I’m excited for you to meet, Holly: Beren/Lúthien and Maedhros/Fingon

first ship: I... I’m trying to think what my first ship was for Fandom purposes and tbh the only thing that is coming to mind right now is the Mellon Chronicles which is like, not a ship, but was Aragorn & Legolas centric??

last song I listened to: "Nightfall” by Blind Guardian (I am DEEP in a Silm Renaissance)

last movie I watched: ... huh, I’m trying to think... I actually don’t watch a lot of movies (I’m way more of a television person, last TV show I finished was 1899), so... maybe????? The Battle of Five Armies????? when we watched it together????

currently reading: I’m restarting my reread of the Silmarillion for the Venturers, and stalled out on Wheel of Time (The Fires of Heaven), The Fall of Númenor audiobook (made it through the Mariner’s Wife again though, my absolute beloved), and The Vampire Lestat... when I have more energy for literally anything other than the soul-sucking production of the Sound of Music, I’ll finish SOMETHING, Valar witness me

currently consuming: nothing, but going to go make myself a sandwich because I am actually hungry and need to capitalize on that!

currently craving: my blood sugar is High (242 but a downward arrow) so I am very thirsty... going to add water to the list of stuff to consume

[beardedmrbean]

San Francisco's three-year plan to build a single public toilet for $1.7 million could be going down the drain, as California Gov. Gavin Newsom is threatening to withhold the funds until the city figures out a more efficient away to use the money. 

The toilet's sky-high cost was met with outcry last week, prompting California Assemblyman Matt Haney to cancel an event celebrating the new bathroom in the Noe Valley Town Square. 

Newsom, the former mayor of San Francisco, is now threatening to withhold the funds altogether. 

"A single, small bathroom should not cost $1.7 million," Erin Mellon, a spokesperson for Newsom, told Fox News Digital on Sunday. "The state will hold funding until San Francisco delivers a plan to use this public money more efficiently. If they cannot, we will go back to the legislature to revoke this appropriation."

Haney told the San Francisco Chronicle, which originally blew the lid on the $1.7 million toilet, that the governor's office had been in touch with him about the price tag. 

SAN FRANCISCO'S DRUG, HOMELESS CRISES EXPOSED BY CITIZEN JOURNALISTS

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"I support not spending the money — the cost is ridiculous, and it will take far too long," Haney told the newspaper. 

"Noe Valley should get a bathroom, but $1.7 million should pay for seven bathrooms, and it should happen much quicker… I fully support and agree with the governor here, and we’re going to work together to get this done cheaper and quicker and also send the message that San Francisco needs to fix its broken processes."

The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department said earlier this week that the price is due to high construction costs, as well as the "cost of planning, drawing, permits, reviews, public outreach and construction management."

"We estimate high—not because we want to spend more money, but because we want to ensure we can deliver projects to communities even if we are hit with unexpected costs," a spokesperson for the parks department told Fox News Digital. 

______________________

"public outreach and construction management"

That sounds like code for embezzlement to me