#the last time i cried while watching something was lotr

[luthielion]

Live reaction to the good omens season 2 ending brought to you by yours truly

[butterflydm]

rings of power - season 1, eps 7-8

Now that I've watched the first season, I want to poke at Halbrand/Sauron a bit and kinda feel out where I feel his deceptions lie, and where I feel like his honesty was too. And maybe active deception vs his low-level tricking everyone because he's literally the most wanted criminal in the lands and doesn't want people to know. The divide between self-preservation and power-seeking, I guess I would say.

First my thoughts on the last two episodes of the season, and then I'll do a bit of a deep-dive into my thoughts and feelings on Halbrand specifically throughout s1. I am definitely looking forward to diving into s2!

Some spoilers for LotR in general and for what I know about the second season.

episode 7: Extremely emotional.

There were a lot of strong emotions in this one. If ep6 showed us war, this showed us the brutal aftermath, and how bitter it can be. Every storyline contained elements of worrying over fault and blame, and then a determination to continue on despite the struggle.

First in the Harfoot & Stranger storyline, where we have destruction and then renewal. "Be true to each other." "What's the good of living if you aren't living good."

Then in the Durin IV storyline, where Durin (and Disa) makes the choice to cleave to Elrond and their own ambitions instead of what the king wants (and suffer for it). The scenes between Durin, Elrond, and Disa were so touching! I love them, your honor! Do they have a ship name?

But I feel bad for the king, Durin III! He is trying to maintain OSHA compliance while Durin (and Disa) are throwing safety out the window. And... and I'm not sure that the king is wrong about the elves either. By the time of LotR, the elves have finally accepted that they must go to Valinor and leave Middle-Earth for Mortal Men. Here, they are not ready to. Galadriel is almost a metaphor for the rest of her people -- on the cusp of leaving, only to turn back and stay.

Miriel also makes up her mind to stick by the side of her alliance to her elven friend, despite the hardships. A lot of really powerful and heartbreaking scenes. Miriel reaching up to cup Galadriel's face while she cries and promising they will return! <3 <3 (Galadriel does not interact with women often, so I must cling to our Galadriel and Miriel moments!)

And we get Galadriel and Theo's extended time together, which I really enjoyed. I'm glad she was able to help him move past blaming himself, at least a little. We got our first mention of Celeborn as well, I believe, which was... interestingly placed for me (I will explain more below). But I really liked their conversations here - Galadriel trying to help him keep a level head and survive past the moment.

But then we have the footsteps of doom coming. Our first sighting of the Balrog down in the mines, after we have just heard Disa and Durin plan to delve deeper. The King was right about the mines. Does that mean he was right about the elves?

And the renaming of the Southlands to Mordor, which was surprisingly heartbreaking for a font burning away and a new word burning onto the screen. Everything that Galadriel was trying to do in the earlier episodes felt like it was burning away too.

My mom said this felt like a finale to her, so I will be interested to see how she feels about ep8! She also noticed everyone taking the blame and said that she agrees that they are all partially to blame to the disaster, because they were too quick to act without enough information. They underestimated the strength of their enemy. It's a really good point -- and we saw that happen with Nori in this episode too, when she thinks she can trick the people chasing Gandalf and it ends up with wagons all aflame.

episode 8: The Stranger's storyline worked here and I liked it, plus it is (again) very informative about the potential powers that Sauron has -- we see one of the bad guys here changing her form, which is something I know Sauron can do (plus I've seen s2 gifs), and we had the... moral, I guess, of all of it here in their storyline, I think.

It's all about choice. Other people can't show you who you are. Only you can do that.

So I did like that plotline and I feel like it was definitely important on a thematic level.

But the Galadriel & "Halbrand" storyline was the one that I was most captivated by in this episode (which I kinda expected).

First, Elrond and Galadriel's reunion was very touching. <3

I was pressing my hand to my chest and just... watching a master at work whenever Halbrand was chatting up Celebrimbor. That was some good fucking manipulation. He was just... in there. Very impressive!

This episode still had a lot of tension even though I knew where it was going. The reveal was so good! That build-up to it, and then the conversations that Sauron has with Galadriel inside her head, trying to convince her to side with him and... hmm.

So, he tried to convince her into two things.

a. Let the work proceed. This is the smaller ask, and I think the bigger ask helped mask it. This is something that he explicitly asked of her and that she ended up doing. She let the work proceed.

b. The two of them binding themselves together, light to power, and ruling over Middle-Earth together. I assume, given what Adar said earlier in the season, that Sauron meant to bind them together with a blood oath (he gave her brother's dagger back to her when he asked her).

That was a big swing for the fences that obviously blew up in his face but... but plan A still succeeded. He still got the first ask that he placed before her -- no need to lie but... let the work proceed.

And she did. So... yeah, very interesting.

She warned Elrond and Celebrimbor about Halbrand, but she didn't mention Sauron. Ashamed of not seeing what he was? Or desperate to stay in Middle-Earth, enough that she was willing to risk the creation of the rings and what they might mean? Believing even more than ever that she is not worthy of Valinor now, and believing that she needs to take care of the problem herself?

And her brother's dagger... symbolic of her vow to hunt down Sauron... being melted and reforged into the three elven rings... that is also very interesting. Lots of things to think about.

One big question I'm left with is - why does Sauron want the elves to stay? They were about to leave. They would have left Middle-Earth if he hadn't saved the project.

It does follow the advice that he gave Galadriel in Numenor, about how to manipulate people: find out what they fear (the elves fear death and diminishment and being forced to sail West), give them a means to master it (the rings), so that you can master them (One Ring to Rule Them All).

So... a calculated risk, because he'd rather have the elves in Middle-Earth and under his control than off in Valinor? He also may be assuming at that point that he doesn't need to worry about any of them picking up on who he really is, so he thinks it's a smaller risk than it ended up being. He clearly didn't expect Galadriel to confront him at this time, though he rolled with it once she did.

My mom's reaction, in her literal words: "He can't be Sauron. He's too handsome!" She was totally shocked and taken off-guard by the reveal. She did feel like the finale was appropriately epic, and is looking forward to watching s2.

I am uncertain if I would have picked up if he was Sauron or not if I were watching it during my first watch, but I would have found his convos with Celebrimbor suspicious just as Galadriel did, I think.

Oh, I did notice that Halband is wearing the same kind of jewelry around his neck that we've seen around the neck of the Sauron worshipper who used the key to blow up the mountain (who is still with Adar at the end of the season, it seemed). So that was a subtextual visual cue before the actual reveal.

Overall thoughts/vibes on each storyline & character throughout s1:

Nori & the Harfoots - this was not always the most exciting storyline, but it had warmth and charm throughout, and I definitely teared up when Nori was saying goodbye to her family and Poppy at the end of the season. The first Hobbit Harfoot to go off on an adventure with Gandalf a wizard!

Gandalf The Stranger: We definitely see lots of hints of Gandalf throughout the season, but culminating in "always follow your nose" made it really obvious. His plotline is still the most separated from everyone else's, and I suspect that it still is in s2, but maybe his path will cross with Galadriel's in s3. But his plotline told us a lot about Sauron's potential abilities, which was pretty useful since Sauron himself was keeping his powers on the down-low this season and relying on manipulation to achieve his goals.

Durin & Disa - I love them, I adore them, oh dear they are 100% responsible for waking up the Balrog due to their ambitions. The sharp divide between Durin III's dedication to safety measures vs Durin IV's 'dig deeper' feelings are... yeah, that's woken the Balrog. (but of course, it's complicated there too, because he doesn't only do it for ambition, but for friendship as well)

Celebrimbor - much like with Durin & Disa, Celebrimbor is a combination of ambition mixed with genuine desire to help. In Celebrimbor's case, it makes him incredibly vulnerable to Halbrand when he shows up and offers Celebrimbor both the solution and the ability to be the one to give that solution to his people. I kinda know what happens to him in s2 because of gifsets but, yeah. The echoes of doom are already there in his behavior. Much like Durin & Disa, he's willing to overlook the warning signs in order to pursue his desires.

Elrond - What a gem! We really got to see him as such a good person during this season, seeing his genuine friendships with Galadriel and Durin (and now Disa) and seeing his moral struggles.

Bronwyn, Arondir, & Theo - I already know that Bronwyn isn't going to be in s2, but I do appreciate what we got with her while she was here. She's strong and principled (just like Arondir), a good mother, a charismatic leader, and we also watched her struggle with moral choices during the season (whether or not to surrender herself and her people to Adar) but she stayed strong and did not give into temptation.

Elendil & family - okay, so I know that Isildur isn't dead (because I have watched the prologue for LotR) but I feel so bad for Elendil. Not only for believing that he's lost his son, but also because his daughter looked into the palantir, and I just feel like that is Bad News Bears. It seems like he's already had so much loss and pain in his life and I am concerned there is only more to come.

Miriel - I like her, I like her, but she is so doomed. Again, back to Durin & Disa and to Celebrimbor -- we have that mix of ambition and genuine desire to help, and we've been watching all season as ambition has led to dangerous overreach. Ambition awakes the Balrog; ambition leads to the creation of the elven rings (which are tied to Sauron, or at least the visuals certainly implied as much), and ambition led to the loss of her soldiers and her own blinding. And yet at the end of things, she was determined to double-down on her plans (just as Durin & Disa do; just as Celebrimbor does).

Galadriel - my feral angel, I adore her. Ambitious, driven by revenge, feeling like she doesn't deserve peace. And, just like in the other storylines, ambition brings doom along in its wake.

I do hope that Galadriel is able to take her advice to Theo to heart next season, and not blame herself too much for bringing Sauron back to Middle-Earth. Doom was not only coming from her side of things but from others as well. The Balrog was woken up because of Elrond & Durin's side of the story, not Galadriel's. Adar's plot to create Mordor would have happened whether or not Galadriel had brought Sauron to the Southlands. What she did was only one piece of the puzzle that leads us into the current situation.

But just like Durin & Disa, just like Celebrimbor, just like Miriel -- Galadriel chooses to ignore the warning signs in order to push forward with what she wants to do. (inversely, in the Harfoot storyline, we almost have the opposite -- it's the baddies in that one who are pushing forward with their ambitions despite the hints that the Maia they're pursuing isn't Sauron, and they get iced for it)

circling around on Halbrand throughout the season:

While I've seen gifsets from s2, I know that context changes things, so I don't know if any of my analysis of Halbrand/Sauron will hold up throughout the second season, but I wanted to place my thoughts down anyway before I press forward.

I think a lot of his early deceptions fall into the "self-preservation" area as opposed to "power-seeking". We know that he can "die" in some sense of the word because Adar believes that he killed Sauron and Halbrand definitely seems to carry a grudge over it.

I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt at the start, mostly because I feel like it's a more interesting story that way, and it's ambiguous enough to be read either way. So - let's say he genuinely wanted to start anew, and saw Numenor as his ticket to not being a Dark Lord again. He's gonna be a weaponsmith; he's gonna be chill and cool; and, hey, if he really needs a way out or he gets bored, there's always the pouch that marks him out as the lost king of the Southlands.

In the first half of the season, Galadriel acts as the great tempter to power and ambition. She tells Halbrand that he's better than just being a smith, and pushes and prods him to join her. He resists for a while, but succumbs after the forge scene.

Is he still trying to start anew, but maybe now he's gonna try to play the role of the King of the Southlands, hoping that it's an elevated enough role that it won't chafe on him?

His burst of temper in Numenor is potentially attributed to two things -- a. there's definitely the Galadriel angle, and disliking the implication that lowly Halbrand isn't ~good enough~ for her and that she deserves a man of "better breeding"; but b. there's also the distinct possibility there that part of what sets him off is being treated like he isn't good enough in general; that these mortal men look down on him at all. That the "clothes of the common" are already starting to chafe on him, as Galadriel tells him in one of their scenes together.

Once Halbrand says 'yes' to Galadriel, we get the King & Commander/Battle Couple section of their relationship, which I am so into. I love Battle Couples (Arondir and Bronwyn are also a great Battle Couple in these episodes, and I loved it for them as well). This is also when they are winding closer and closer together but also when it really feels like Halbrand/Sauron's ambition and deception are shifting more and more into power-seeking vs self-preservation. First the power of a king and then, after Adar cracks open the mountain, the temptation of seeking the power of being a god is irresistible to him, I think, especially if he genuinely believes that he can talk Galadriel into coming along with him.

Because the Galadriel x Halbrand relationship is both built on a lie (of him being Literally Anyone But Sauron) and also absolutely sincere (on an emotional level) from Halbrand/Sauron. And the reason I feel that way is because he doesn't need her! Nothing requires him to have a queen by his side. He wants her there. I remember a certain wizard in LotR talking about how the Dark Lord doesn't share power, but it seems like maybe there was an exception to that, once upon a time! (at least in theory)

And if you ignore the context of her dead brother (which she absolutely never would, but we're in Halbrand's PoV at the moment), then it makes sense that Halbrand believes that he needs to be more than 'just' a mortal if he wants her by his side, because she is the one pushing him to embrace more power in the early days of their relationship. It's easy to see how he might assume that even more power could result in even more approval from her, plus it's what he wants anyway.

We have some big emotionally intimate scenes between them in this section, where they bond over how similar they are. In the forge scene, they both confess to having darkness in them, in having done terrible things. In the woods scenes, they acknowledge that they each needed to be pulled back from the edge of revenge, and admit to the connection between them. Galadriel was into him.

Then the big kaboom happens.

And Halbrand is... yeah. I think this event is what marks his choice.

He was 'found on the road', dreadfully injured in a way that needs Elvish healing to fix. And once Galadriel is there, he can rally enough to ride a horse to wherever she's taking him? Adar created Mordor, but Sauron plans to rule it. When he leaves the Southlanders at the end of the episode, he's... he seems much more detached from them than he was in the previous episode. The King of the Southlands is a dead dream now that the Southlands are dead, but he does not plan to let Adar keep Mordor.

I mentioned in my ep7 thoughts that it was extremely interesting to me that we finally get a mention of Celeborn now. Between when we see Halbrand embracing the role of King of the Southlands (at the end of episode 6) and when Galadriel finds him again at the end of this episode.

Galadriel's husband disappeared into the fog of war and she never saw him again.

The Halbrand in the healing tent... he's making plans. He's being an opportunist. She used him to get an army to the Southlands for her ambitions to kill Sauron, but now he's using her to get to the elves. The Halbrand who was willing to limit his ambitions to being the King of the Southlands... he disappeared into the fog of war. She has lost him already, though she doesn't know it yet.

Those feelings only intensified in episode 8, as Halbrand is charming and ~in awe~ of Celebrimbor and managed to so quickly worm his way into the center of this new creation process. He is the one who suggests each new step as they proceed down the road, who is guiding the process of creating the rings.

If that scroll hadn't been in the catacombs, if there had been no proof that Halbrand wasn't the King of the Southlands, I wonder how Halbrand would have managed to get his (two) rings where he wanted them to be. He could definitely play Celebrimbor to act however he wanted.

But, of course, Celebrimbor did manage to accidentally trip Galadriel's suspicions, by saying something that echoed what Adar had said of Sauron's goals.

She must be so... devastated and humiliated right now. She invested so much into her idea of Halbrand, into making him the King who would help her against Sauron.

Was Sauron being honest in his offer to Galadriel? I mean... I kinda think that he was. But that doesn't help, because of who he is, and what he's done in the past.

The general vs the specific and personal comes into play here -- Galadriel is willing to look past a general dark past, but once it touches her own trauma, then that's too far. This is a very understandable and common barrier -- being deserving of redemption (if you choose to seek it) is a very different thing than deserving being forgiven by the people that you've actively hurt.

Redemption requires more than just doing things differently this time, especially if you are trying to redeem yourself in the eyes of the people who you've hurt. It requires a level of sincere humility on Halbrand/Sauron's part that I'm not certain that he's capable of.

It would mean letting go of his attempts at controlling the situation.

It would mean confessing his crimes and then accepting the consequences of that confession.

Sauron may have tried dedicating himself to "healing Middle-Earth" after Morgoth's fall but as long as that's entirely on his own terms, then he has not changed anywhere near enough.

Anyway, that's not the road that he chose to go down! (and choice is the key, as the Harfoot & Stranger storyline has been reminding us: no one can show you who you are, except yourself)

So I will instead enjoy watching the road that he has chosen to travel, because he is fascinating to watch when he's in full manipulator-mode. Tricksters are fun, even when they're scary. I kinda get Jareth the Goblin King from Labyrinth vibes due to the type of manipulation that it feels like Sauron favors - "Just let me rule you and you can have anything you want".

Yeah, my thoughts on this may change depending on what s2 shows me but for now, that's my feeling.

[nyarlathotep-thecrawlingchaos]

So, as I mentioned in my last post, this is the tale of my Lord of the Rings books, and why I didn't possess a copy of them for seven years until now.

Years ago, sometime in the late 70s/early 80s, a decade or two before I was born in this mortal form, my mom recieved a beautiful box set of the Lord of the Rings series from her grandmother, as either a birthday or Christmas gift.

Those of you who have have been my moots for a while may know that my mom passed away unexpectedly when I was in my late teens, and that I was incredibly close with her. I won't get into why she was so amazing. Just that she was, and if I can ever even be half as good a person and parent and friend as she was then I'll consider my life well-lived.

She and my Nana (her mother, who passed a few years before her, also unexpectedly) amassed a large collection of books in their lifetime in general. A TON of horror and fantasy and science fiction, mostly. I inherited all of them. Intended to eventually pass them on myself, whether to a niece or nephew or mayve eventually to a child of my own (back then I doubted I'd ever be a mother).

Flash forward eight years to 2017. The apartment I'd been living in for two years had gone up astronomically in rent, and I geot laid off from work. I had to give up a lot of things I'd had for years. I had to put most of my books in a storage unit until I found somewhere to go.

My best friend of several years took me in. I stayed with her and her wife until 2019. Her wife decided to move in her mother, and I essentially got kicked out to make room for her, and had to move into a small pop-up camper at my dad's house for a while, while the possessions that I had to leave behind were either left to either rot or to get sold by my friend and her wife.

In that time, between 2017 and 2019, the majority of my books stayed first in a dingy rented storage unit, and then later in my friend's outdoor storage shed. Several of them ended up severely water-damaged from moisture and condensation. Included among them was this beautiful Lord of the Rings box set that my mom had gotten from her grandmother, that essentially started her portion of the book collection that ended up becoming ruined under my ownership.

I never completely forgave myself for letting the books get destroyed. Between being evicted from my apartment and then kicked out by my best friend and her now ex-wife, I had been in a very bad mental state for a long time, and gave up a lot of things that I once held very dear. But I never forgave myself for losing the books, especially that one LotR collection, and never sought out any replacements because of it. I largely stopped reading altogether because of it. I used to read almost every day. After I lost those books, I largely lost the desire. I've tried and tried, but never could finish much. I'm ashamed to say that I can honestly count on one hand how many books I've finished reading since 2019.

Flash forward to a couple weeks ago. I was on Etsy gift shopping for someone, and also in the middle of watching Rings of Power. And something just struck me to search for vintage LotR books. Didn't really have much hope, just wanted to see what was there.

And I found it. The exact set I had lost.

And it was actually in my price range.

There wasn't anything terribly special about it compared either to older hardcover editions, or to newer prettier collector's editions.

It wasn't in perfect condition, either. But neither was my mom's.

Hers was worn with years of love and adoration, with nicks and bends and discoloration in the covers and pages; and so was this one, so much that it looked almost identical to hers.

And I just couldn't let them go.

And now they're mine again.

I legitimately cried when they got here. Now, after years of beating myself up, I feel better about replacing what I lost to circumstances largely beyond my own control, by giving a new home these books that were clearly just as loved and cherished as those I lost.

Lord of the Rings has been my comfort-series for a long time. I rewatch the films any time I need a boost, and now I can reread the books again as well. To remind myself that even the smallest person can do amazing things. That even the tiniest glimmer of hope can prevail over the worst of odds. That, as our Sam told us, "There's some good in the world, Mister Frodo. And it's worth fighting for."

[chaoticdelinqueerwithglitter]

who are your favorite lotr / the hobbit /silmarillion characters

Wuhuuuuu, unexpected question! Since I have a suspicion of who might be... Here is a cute rat too! (worse case and is not who I think it is, well, who doesn't love cute rats? 🥺)

Okay, since I'm probably about to start yapping... Answer under the cut!

First of all, I need to clarify this: I'M VERY BIASED TOWARDS HOBBITS IN GENERAL!

There is reasons for it, but honestly? Have you seen the shrine? I want to be a hobbit and spend my days in a place that beautiful while I smoke weed under the shadow of a tree. THAT'S THE DREAM, C'MON! 😌

When I was a kid, my dad used to read 'The Hobbit' to me when I was sick and had to stay at home bc adhd kid couldn't stay quiet (I have a very vivid memory of feverish me watching as it was a movie how they all went down the river inside the barrels, no idea why that stuck but it did). He did a different voice for every dwarf and I laughed like a gremlin every time he read their moment invading Bilbo's home.

Then we went all together to watch the first lotr movie and I cried like a baby bc "Wtf do you mean Gandalf is dead? No, he isn't!". So as soon as I arrived home (still crying), I quickly went to grab the first book bc my parents refused to spoiler me shit (Don't take me wrong, I'm glad I read them and I enjoyed it a lot, but damn, I was very worried for Gandalf, okay? 🥲)

So... From a nostalgic point of view? Kid me would probably say Bilbo or Gandalf. But if I had to choose right now, it would be a tie between two hobbits (I love them, sorry)

PIPPIN

(He's so real, I feel represented by Pippin every time I watch those movies. His extra scenes always get me)

I love him dearly. Not only bc he's too funny and my most silly side thinks we should be friends. He's so damn real and unfiltered, adhd hobbit, I swear to Cher xD

But also, and that's very important to me... He stays. He can be oblivious and not grasp half of what is happening around him, but he grasps his friends are in danger and he stays. Yes, he screws up bc curiosity does things (no impulse control, I wonder why), but again, once he arrives at Gondor... He stays, he keeps fighting in his own way, he never abandons his friends. I must confess is being a while since I read the books for the last time, but I know how much I loved his part on Gondor, how he walks around the city and everyone ends up knowing him and appreciating him even. Who wouldn't? He's a fool but an honest one who has no malice. So yeah, Pippin deserves more credit! (same for Merry, but the silly one got me, what can I say)

SAM

(I know this speech is movie-only, but it makes me feel things every damn time. This is directly responsible of why every time I finish the 2nd movie, no matter if I was falling asleep or not, I play the next one. Because damn, the way he talks about stories? Hits me)

It's Sam, idk what else I need to say. The loyal companion, who for me would always be the biggest hero (biased, I know). The one that refuses to leave Frodo, that even when Frodo goes all "is my burden" answers "but I can carry with you". He is so damn devoted, how I'm supposed to not love him? And is Frodo, is for Frodo, we all know it. He doesn't seem to consider trying anything against Frodo when he refuses to destroy the ring. No, hurting Frodo is not something Sam considers.

And I might be realizing that apparently I always had a soft spot for characters that are devoted to the point of following their depressed emo boyfriend to hell. Welp, I see a patron, what can I say? I shipped them before even knowing that was what I was doing, arguing with my brother that "Mr.Frodo, I'm your Sam" didn't have any other explanation and one-sided my ass bc no way depressed Frodo didn't accept the affection when he needed it so badly. No way their trip to Mordor didn't have doomed romance, no fucking way! (codependent and unbalanced too, damn.... Yeah, I have a type for ships, fuck xD)

I hope this yapping is somehow an answer to your question! (and I might be thinking about harumai going to Mordor, my brain is going silly xD)

[hyperfixating-rn-brb]

i saw someone else do this and thought why the hell not. some fun things about me :)

1. Were you named after anyone?

My name is Haley, and its loosely after Edmond Halley, who discovered Halley's Comet. My parents just didn't like the double L.

2. When was the last time you cried?

This morning. I listened to a song I haven't heard since I was in kindergarten.

3. Do you have any kids?

I'm only 15, and plan to wait a while. I do love kids and want one or two when I'm older. I already have names picked out in my head

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

I played volleyball from 5th to 8th grade, and had 3 undefeated seasons and 2 conference championships. I'm currently on my high school's varsity bowling team.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

Liberally, when in person. not as much online because tone is harder to get across.

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

General level of colorfulness. Something about people who have a lot of fun with color in their clothes and hair and everything tend to draw me in pretty quick. being free and comfortable with clothes and color is a huge green flag for me

7. What's your eye color?

Brown so dark it looks black.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings every time. I'll watch horror if there's nothing else on, but it's not my go to. Give me the angst then stuff it full of hurt/comfort until they ride off into the sunset.

9. Any talents?

Pretty good at art and have a decent singing voice.

10. Top 3 fandoms?

Good Omens, PJO, then LOTR. This account is pretty much good omens even though it started for PJO, but I interact more with PJO and LOTR content on instagram and other apps. good omens certainly has the best stock of fic writers, meta writers, and fanartists imo.

11. Hobbies?

I crochet a ton, and have sold at a couple craft shows. Current obsession is crocheting replicas of the many sweaters of David Tennant. Other than that, I read and draw as much as possible.

12. Do you have pets?

I have a painted turtle named Oliver, a 21 year old cat named Claudia, and a crap ton of fish. We foster kittens occasionally, current babies are Squadcar, Squinty, Eddie, Beelzebub, and Hastur. i think its obvious which ones I was allowed to name..

13. How tall are you?

5'5"

14. Favorite subject in school?

Current favorite classes are digital art and web design, but favorite mandatory class is AP World History.

15. Dream job?

Something in either animation or museum curation.

16. Favorite books?

Good Omens, LOTR, PJO, Lockwood & Co, The Reader trilogy, The Girl at Midnight trilogy, Song of Achilles. anything myth or fantasy based, really!

[aceofwhump]

15 Questions, 15 Mutuals

Thanks for the tag @hold-him-down!!!

1. Are you named for anyone?: I am actually! My real first name is the feminized version of my fathers.

2. When was the last time you cried?: The day I watched The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies I sobbed my heart out. That was, what, 4 days ago I think? I'm now about to watch LOTR: Return of the King and I suspect I'll be crying then too. Nearly cried multiple times two days while watching Fellowship and any allusion and mention to the events of the hobbit gave me feels. BUT! I did not cry. I'm quite proud of myself for that. Oh wait. No I lied. I definitely cried when they found Balin's tomb in Moria and Oris skeleton was there next to the tomb.

3. Do you have kids?: Nope. Not at all and I don't want kids. I'm never going to have children. I've got my cat: Sable. She's my baby. For now and forever all my children will be cats.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?: Lol yeah I do. Far too often. I need to tune it down sometimes lol.

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?: Oh interesting. Umm... I guess either their tone of voice is they speak first. I'm very conscious of people's tone of voice. If they don't speak I'm usually noticing style of clothing.

6. What’s your eye color?: Blue

7. Scary movies or happy endings?: Happy endings definitely. But I love scary movies and so many of them don't necessarily end happily. Although now that I think of it a lot of my favorite scary movies do end on a positive/happy note (as happy as a horror movie can be lol). So yeah happy ending. I love me a happy ending. Don't enjoy movies that end sadly.

8. Any special talents?: Uhhh yes? Let me see...I can play the trumpet and the bugle (pretty much the same instrument just a bugle has no valves). I can crochet. I can pick a padlock. I can operate a 1940s era switchboard and field phones. I can untie any knot you give me no matter how complicated (my sister uses this weird super power of mine all the time when her box of necklaces get tangled together. I've never not been able to untie a knot). Do photoshop skills count as special talents?

9. Where were you born?: Ohio in the USA. Not getting more specific than that sorry.

10. What are your hobbies?: My main hobbies are crocheting and historical reenacting. That's where I put all my time and money. Some other things I enjoy as a hobby are photoshop editing, writing, reading fanfic, watch tv/movies, and seeing musicals at the theater.

11. Have you any pets?: Yup! Got a cat named Sable, my weird little rescue baby. And I've got a dachshund/jack russell mix named Penny. She's 13 years old and still a spitfire.

12. What sports do you play/have played?: I don't play anything now because I'm super lazy and poor and all the leagues around me cost like $200 to play but I played softball and volleyball in high school. Volleyball is my favorite sport. I miss it terribly. I was a libero. Did basketball for a year but ended up hating it. And on occasion I'd play touch football with the neighborhood guys. I couldn't pass for shit but I'd catch anything thrown at me. Also, and I'll fight you on this, but marching is a sport and I was in marching band all throughout high school and college. I consider that my main sport.

13. How tall are you?: 5′7″

14. Favorite subject in school?: History!!! I loved that subject so much I took two history classes at once in senior year and then went on to get two degrees in it.

15. Dream job?: I'm gonna be really borng here for a second but I don't think I have a dream job anymore. Mainly cause I really don't want to work. I want to have enough money in my life to never have to work at all. But since that's not the case, my dream job is something related to history. Something where I can sit all day surrounded by historical objects. Spending the day by myself, only having to talk to someone on occasion, where I just get to sit at a desk and look at historical stuff. My dream job is quiet and peaceful but has fun times with a few coworkers. I get to do something that gives me a sense of purpose and fulfillment. And pays really well so I can afford to travel and buy all the stuff I don't need but so desperately want.

tagging: Anyone who wants to do it!!!!

[hirazuki]

Tagged by @skaelds -- thanks for the tag!

1.Three ships?

Hmm, I’m going to interpret this as romantic ships, because I have much fewer of those than platonic ones; otherwise we’ll be here all day XD I don’t really have any ships in Tolkien (like, I’m cool with all the ones established in canon and a handful of fanon ones, I’m just not particularly invested in any), so:

Ulquiorra/Orihime (Bleach) Erza/Jellal (Fairy Tail) Sesshomaru/Kagura (Inuyasha)

2. First ever ship?  

Probably Lymond/Phillippa (The Lymond Chronicles)

3. Last song?

The Sea and a Pearl by Junna yes, I’m stll upset about how the series went but the opening song is so catchy damn it

4. Last movie?

I rewatched both Phantom Rouge and The Last Mission, for Hunter x Hunter research purposes 👀

5. Currently reading?

I’m about to start (re)reading the Silmarillion, the entire HoMe, Fall of Numenor, Nature of Middle Earth, and select parts of LotR and the Hobbit -- ideally in that order -- in preparation for some much overdue fic writing and possibly text-supported blorbo analysis because if I see one more take of a certain flavor, I am going to start a cult to Melkor

6. Currently watching?

I’ve been rewatching Space Battleship Yamato in the background while drawing (tbh mostly for the music; I can’t find the soundtrack anywhere and it is gorgeous); and in terms of currently-airing, I’m following Vinland Saga S2 (it’s beautifully rendered but I miss Askeladd SO MUCH), Boruto (I can always rely on Narutoverse to be there for me ♡), and Revenger (still forming my opinion on this one).

7. Currently consuming?

Coffee and water. I should probably actually eat something solid but basic self-care this past week has been at an all-time low.

8. Currently craving?

The attention span to sit down and just. finish editing even just one of the seven different fics I’m working on so that I can actually post something  T___T

____________________________________________________

15 Questions 15 Mutuals

Rules: answer the questions and tag fifteen mutuals.

1. Are you named after anyone?

Saint Alexios; very traditional and typical of my family to name me after a saint. Me? Not so much a fan. I have a very love-hate relationship with my name.

2. When was the last time you cried?

I rarely cry, like once every few years, but I fulfilled my quota this past Wednesday ✌️

3. Do you have kids?

Absolutely not.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Lmao every sentence. Even when I honestly don’t mean to use it, I end up sounding like I’m being sarcastic XD

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

The way they move, primarily their gait. I’ve realized that I recognize people by the way they walk and hold themselves rather than their faces or other more conventional aspects *is actually a dog in human form*

6. What’s your eye colour?

Debatable. I, personally, think it’s green, but I’ve heard others say blue and/or grey.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

I don’t really care for scary movies, so I guess happy endings by default; but honestly, any media that is narratively coherent and consistent and delivers satisfactorily.

8. Any special talents?

Scary levels of organization. Can recognize people from the sound of their footsteps. Dog magnet. When I walk/move, I apparently make no sound and terrify people, even if I’m not trying to be quiet at all.

9. Where were you born?

Greece

10. What are your hobbies?

Drawing, writing, cosplay, swordsmanship.

11. Have you any pets?

I used to have a zoo, but time happens and..... as of this past week, there are none left. It’s been rough. (I live with my sis and she still has hers, so there are still fur babies in the house, but. it’s not the same.)

12. What sports do you play/have played?

I used to be big on soccer and basketball way back in middle school and high school, but none since then. I do practice martial arts, but none that fall into the sports category.

13. How tall are you?

About 170cm/5′6′’ ish.

14. Favorite subject in school?

English. Who knew that all those years of successfully bullshitting literary analysis would lead to online blorbo appreciation?? XD

15. Dream job?

Once upon a time, I dreamed of having a job that let me travel the world, allowed me to work with archaeological artifacts, and provided me with a skillset that I could also apply to my creative endeavors and other hobbies (i.e., objects conservator with a focus in metallurgy/metalsmithing).

Now, I just want something that requires minimum contact with other people/the public, is interesting enough to not bore or irritate me, and that leaves me with enough time and energy at the end of the day to pursue my own interests. Oh, and that pays a livable wage! Unrealistic, I know XD

.

Uh, I don’t think I have 15 mutuals ^^; so I tag: @baked-hylian, @cruelfeline, @nomadicism, @chellekumari, @strangefellows, and anyone else who wants to do it! Do it only if you want, of course! :)

[scyllas-revenge]

I posted 1,764 times in 2022

That's 1,307 more posts than 2021!

133 posts created (8%)

1,631 posts reblogged (92%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@i-did-not-mean-to

@blueberryrock

@heilith

@scyllas-revenge

@stillcantgetoverthesilmarillion

I tagged 533 of my posts in 2022

#boromir - 135 posts

#persuasion - 37 posts

#lotr - 32 posts

#lotr fanfic - 19 posts

#jane austen - 17 posts

#faramir - 15 posts

#north and south - 14 posts

#burn like cold iron - 13 posts

#piranesi - 12 posts

#pippin - 11 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#imagine the hobbits' faces as this martyrdom goes down like o.0 where did his clothes go why is he posing all seductively what did we miss

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

shitty persuasion bingo

part 2 here

366 notes - Posted June 14, 2022

#4

oh you’re half-agony huh?? bitch i saw the trailer i’m full-agony 

408 notes - Posted June 16, 2022

#3

I know I always get overemotional reading Piranesi by Susanna Clarke but for some reason when I got to this part last night I just cried uncontrollably for five straight minutes and I can’t explain why

and basically after reading this book several times I think I’m starting to feel that sea longing that Tolkien’s elves get

907 notes - Posted January 28, 2022

#2

if they’re gonna ignore all period-accurate costumes, dialogue, and social norms to the point where anne calls wentworth her “ex,” i wouldn’t be surprised if they ditch wentworth’s letter completely and instead he just whips out a shiny iphone 12 and texts her “u peirce my soul babe ❤️❤️❤️”

1,007 notes - Posted June 14, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I can watch no longer in silence. I must complain about you by such means as are within my reach. You've ripped out my soul. I am half agony, half hopeless. Tell me not that this is it, that such precious Jane Austen adaptations are gone forever. 

I offer you my screenwriting advice with a heart even more desperate than when you almost broke it with the release of the Persuasion trailer one month ago.

Dare not say that this movie is accurate, that this Anne is a stronger protagonist than her book counterpart. I have loved none but her. Pretentious I may have been, annoying and demanding I have been, but always with the film’s best interests at heart. 

The book alone has brought me to you. For it alone I sat and watched. Have you not realized this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I would not have waited even ten minutes after turning off the TV to write this, could I have mastered my own feelings, as I think you must have guessed mine. 

I can hardly type. I am in every instant recalling something which makes me want to punch a wall. You rewrote Anne as a snarky girlboss, but I can appreciate the nuance of her book counterpart when it would be lost on the Netflix execs. Too horrible, too disgusting adaptation! You do us insult, indeed. You do believe that there is not a single brain cell in your audience. Believe mine to have shriveled up and died while watching this movie, most painfully, in the brain of

-Everyone Watching

I must go, and cleanse my remaining sanity with the 1995 adaptation; but I shall return hither, to laugh at this adaptation with my friends, as soon as I can stomach it. But another sentence of clunky narration, another infuriating wink from this horrible version of Anne to the camera, will be enough to make me cancel my Netflix subscription forever.

2,521 notes - Posted July 16, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[lilacandladybugs]

hi there!!! in your desc you say that your down to talk about your relationship w God, so could you please share some of your thoughts/experiences?? no need to answer if you don't feel like it, i'm just curious. have a nice day! <33

hey anon thanks so much i love asks like this and i just am very excited about it :D also sorry for the delayed response i was thinking about what to say because i think its important, saved my initial response to drafts, and then didn’t come back to it. I don’t know what i was thinking my drafts are not a safe place . they are where posts go to die. anyway—

i guess some people , think of god as a person. like he's some man who's gigantic in the sky somewhere who made humanity and then left us behind. and i think to me ive come to understand that God isn't like a person really. he is what was when there was nothing, and he is what will be after everything. in the Bible, the voice of God is so powerful that when he spoke, all of matter, light, momentum come into existence.

so when i talk about hearing God I don't feel like he's limited to vocally speaking to me. Since God is literally love, like the word love is used to describe things in relation to God. Like things are loving because they look like God. Things are beautiful, good, kind, wise, because they’re like God. 

until i realized this about him i didn’t think i had very many experiences with God. I remember saying that if God were just going to write us a letter (the Bible) and then cut off all contact, it didn’t matter how good of a father he claimed to be that’s a terrible thing to do to anyone. 

But he’s not like that. Eventually I figured that out, God is what was when there was nothing. If he spoke creation into existence, then the world around us is like the sound of his voice. So he isn’t limited to communicating by “speaking,” he can talk to us in so many ways.

I think the first time I noticed him was when three of my family members* died in a crash and a friend of mine was very depressed, and i went to a speech and debate tournament. and the lady who was working lunch was the first person to really look at me and i knew when she looked at me that she could /see/ me. she knew what was going on. her name was mrs. smith. I love Mrs. Smith so much, and she loved God so much. She loved people so much and so well, there wasn’t anyone else who could have done what she did she could pick out people who were struggling, and she could reach into their lives and draw the out and be the hands of God to them. Something bad happened while I was there and she like held me while I cried. I think that since then I’ve really been able to appreciate her, I see that as God’s placement of her in my life. There are not people like Mrs. Smith out there very often that I’ve been able to find. She had seen God too, and she knew what needed to be done and said to love people. She looked like God.

One thing Mrs. Smith told me was when I had a call with her because I was doing real bad and I told her I just wanted to be happy again. And she said, “why do you think kids are happy?” and I said, “They don’t know they dont have things to be sad about.” And she said, “yes but more specifically? What makes kids happy?”

And so I thought about it and I said, “Well like my little sister is happy about bubbles.”

And she said, “You still have bubbles, don’t you?” 

That’s not like a cure for depression or anything. But her point was that there are things everywhere that we can smile about. Like even when it feels like there’s nothing at all, there is always at least one thing that exists that you can find a second to just smile at.

That idea also helped me to see God. When I went to church my pastor talked about all the ways that God created Earth for us to enjoy, how the sunrise and sunset has been going on continuously around the world for it’s whole existence, how it has been an ongoing promise of God’s presence since the beginning.

I just started to notice him ig. Like in Mrs. Smith, in my friends who were the only people who could have talked to me about certain things, happy coincidences, and small promises and small hellos from God over and over in a thousand different ways.

K but. . That didn’t stop me from being really depressed right? I remember over the summer I realized that my just all surrounding pressing anger was at God, and that I felt like he had abandoned me. I was just like seething in anger like how he FUCk could he have left me alone to watch my friends die like that? Like I was in so much pain? @/God wtf? You know? I was telling a friend about this one night and I like intellectually I was so convinced God existed so I was really struggling with reconciling these two ideas, God is real and also he /feels/ like he isn’t. He feels so absent and he feels like he doesn’t care.

The next morning I went to Church, and the guy talking (he was a guest speaker) was talking about grief. The topic was so upsetting that I left the room to go and like cry and I texted my friend, “hey this is really upsetting, i genuinely dont know if i can do this.” (it was making me feel panicky) and my friend said, “you’re really going to tell me that last night you were saying that you aren’t sure if God cares about your grief, and then God SHOWS UP puts an answer in front of you on a fucking silver platter, and you aren’t even going to LISTEN?”

and i was like oh well when you put it like that lmao—

I just felt the presence of God when he was talking idek how to explain it. He used the lord of the rings as an analogy and I cried because I had been using lotr as a way of explaining my experiences to people as well. And he said that God loves us, and that we are promised that we will live together in heaven, and that he will say well done my good and faithful servant. because I guess okay, sin, death and suffering are all as a result of what Christians call “the Fall” which is basically humanity walking away from God. When that happened, death entered the world, because when we separate ourselves from the giver of life we die. But God refused for that to be the end of the story, sacrificing himself in our place, dying, and then three days later rising again. So the point is that we already have assurance that we’re going to be with God again one day as believers. And so even as we grieve we have this assurance that God has already conquered, and while we’re suffering we know what the end of the story is going to be already. When we allow God to be in the center of our life, we enter into that promise. We already know that we’re going to be like Sam and Frodo, when Aragorn comes down to them and says, “You bow to no one.” God will say, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

And I know that I’m doing a bad job of explaining it but the sermon wasn’t for my mind. My mind was convinced. It was somehow for something way harder to do, it was for my heart, and it did that. I felt at peace.

I’ve said before (x) (x) that I felt like when I experienced God, it was like I was lying outside in a gutter beat up staring up at the stars. But it’s also like going on a walk through a meadow and looking at flowers, and laughing with your friends, and sitting in the summer night listening to cicadas. God is there, in the whisper. He loves you.

[winebleeds]

@bnjmin    sent    ❛    5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30. for all :)    ❜

⤑   TAKE A PEAK

you’re really making me add this to a read more again, huh.

5. closet

raleigh: his button up shirts & nicer tee shirts on clothes racks with sweaters on the top shelf and shoes on the floor below. he doesn’t have too much room in it otherwise. liz: her closest is too complicated, fuck that. but, while the majority of it is white, the clothes are organized by shades based on the electromagnetic spectrum. surprisingly, most of her shirts are her nasa polos & the only consistent outfit within the closest. because she usually has less than 10 outfits at a time. she swaps out clothes during the seasons, and resales clothes after wearing them a couple times. her sweaters, her personal ones or stolen ones, are kept in drawers within the bedroom alongside jeans & workout attire. like clothes, she has a selected amount of shoes on a bottom shelf. while it won’t be as big as this closest, this has the general vibes. jamie: like raleigh, his button up shirts and any suits. maybe some of his track wear that shouldn’t wrinkle. nicer tee shirts his tennis shoes... and of course his horse gear hiding in the corner :3 maddie: her clothes are just swung on racks when in a hurry to actually clean. if it’s in order, it’s because liz cleaned maddie’s room. most of her shirts are band shirts and leather & jean jackets.

10. pantry

raleigh: box pasta (he loves bow ties because they look like bow ties), rice, cereals (mainly honey nut cheerios, and he’ll try all the flavors), chips (like pretzels, cheetos, popcorn), and kraft mac n’ cheese. then basic baking stuff like cake mixes, sugar, salt, like, typical foods that’s mixed around where he has to scan for a bit to find what he wants. only his teas are organized. and dog food on the bottom. liz: her apartment does not have a pantry. rip. but they way she has food organized is precise.  jamie: his studio does not have a pantry. but it would have box stuff similar to raleigh... but vegan versions... alongside having the most spices out of everyone else and protein stuff. and his would be organized like liz’s. maddie: her apartment does not have a pantry. it would probably be empty besides her box of animal crackers if she did tho. thank goodness she lives with liz. 

15. bookcase

raleigh: his bookcase holds some of his prized possessions and is one of the few thing he actually keeps organized in his place. and here’s how the bare bones would look like. those science fiction books from his piano instructor, a completed lego models of the millennium falcon and the enterprise as “bookends” with some of his preferred star wars & star trek books, though the models take up more space on that shelf. then everything else is just books with some other trinkets that are vague in my head for now. liz: so she has two bookshelves. the first one is in the living area that most to hold themed books and props to whatever theme caitlyn or liz arranged, though now it’s a combination of whatever maddie and liz want to share in that space. this is what that one would look like, though different items. within her bedroom, liz has a plain shelf with image of it here with several books ordered by the dewey system. she may swap out books when she fells it’s too full, but some of her prized book, like her little women book from her childhood or her engineering textbook from her first class with dr. kumar, will always remain. even if liz may read more on her phone (considering it’s cheaper with the library app), she likes to have physical copies of ones she does enjoy or preorder. oh, slightly off topic, but she’s definitely one of those that reads all the books in bill gates or obama’s book lists every year; she should really join a book club. once liz gets a house, you bet that her bookshelf will look like this one in her study. jamie: this dumbass doesn’t read. maddie: while she doesn’t have too many books for a bookshelf, she does have a vinyl rack. or well, something liz built for her that’s similar to this but maddie would paint lighting bolts on the sides because the sides reminded her of lighting bolts. but she has a simple vinyl rack to store her vinyl that will become canvas for her paintings. and, as for the living room bookshelf, she has one of her 70s cameras she found at an antique store that liz cleaned up for her alongside some of her favorite vinyls to show off or, well, not necessary favorite favorites but ones people will recognize & fit with liz, like fleetwood mac rumors. then, there’s a succulent that liz doesn’t touch that maddie keeps care for; his name is pumpkin because of the orange pot.  

20. refrigerator

raleigh: leftovers from takeout, since normally one takeout plate lasts for two meals. then there’s ketchup, soy sauce, milk, eggs, butter, yoghurt (blueberry or oreo preferred), jelly & jam (mainly blueberry or apricot & there’s even blueberry orange marmalade because why not) some veggies, mainly bell peppers & mushrooms, cheeses, chicken, & hot dogs for his dogs. liz: since maddie & liz would share one, i’m listing things that mainly liz’s here. so she has the meal prep meals in containers throughout the work week. leftovers also last longer for her, about three meals. then there’s meats, mainly chicken & salmon (her favorite), basic things like eggs & milk etc, apple butter, jelly & jam (mainly blackberry & grape), worcestershire sauce, & ketchup. jamie: like, all the veggies you can think of. vegan cheeses, oat milk, cilantro, pickles, jam & jelly (mainly strawberry) leftovers. maddie: the avocadoes in the fridge is because of her. there’s also bbq sauce, sriracha, & leftovers. oh, the the mango habanero jam is hers too. 

25. five most recent google search history

raleigh: 1. names for shades of yellow / 2. beekeeping in urban setting / 3. bee species in california / 4. the most common bee in the world / 5. bees in winter  liz: her google search history has been cleared so i can’t share it :/ jamie: 1. football season updates / 2. how much irrnekg (accidental when holly laid on the keyboard / 3. how much is 8 m in feet / 4. inheritance issues / 5. manage a farm long distance maddie: 1. fairy wings reference / 2. fabric paint in local stores / 3. sour candy lyrics / 4. blinking guy meme / 5. keyboard sale

30. netflix watch history (or just clumping all the streaming services here)

raleigh: the mandalorian, david attenborough’s animal documentaries, x files, dr. oakley yukon vet and yes he cries at every episode don’t judge, indiana jones trilogy no fourth liz: downton abbey, fixer upper, pride & prejudice, the biggest little farm, i am greta, and i guess space documentaries... oh, and the lotr trilogy like, three times already :/ jamie: the office, gilmore girls, flashdance, like all of audrey hepburn’s movies but he tries to hide all of this with fast & furious and cobra kai and action stuff maddie: halloween, nightmare before christmas, the chilling adventures of sabrina, glow, the get down, sailor moon, wayne’s world, magica madoka, the breakfast club

[lesbiansforboromir]

Its been too long since I read the books and last time I saw the movies I was on denethor is a dick to my baby, let the man die. However, now I'm curious, since I remembered for instance that in the books he was devastated when he thought faramir died and your last reblog about that made me rethink my whole stance. Could you give me more positive denethor moments, or do I have to read the books again?

God I- I need so much for you all to understand how much I love asks like this, for PURELY selfish reasons, I just LOVE the idea of people like... doing what I do! Which is think about lotr and it’s characters and consider them in new angles and have fun with that! I feel connection and love in this chili’s tonight- ANYWAY. 

To be clear, Denethor is one of my favourite characters, like JUST below Boromir in how much I love him and how furious I am with his portrayal in the films. I have a tag for him here that has a lot of good posts all about it. But positive moments for Denethor, yes ok! Lets start with my favourite quote from Denethor because it completely encompasses his- literally his ENTIRE book character;

In what is left, let all who fight the Enemy in their fashion be at one, and keep hope while they may, and after hope still the hardihood to die free.

Do you feel all the love and pride in his people and all the folk of middle earth who’re resisting this seemingly impossible threat? Even unto their inevitable end? Do you see the inherent belief that this is an unwinnable war, and yet how Denethor has remained Gondor’s greatest and most stalwart defender for all these years? GOD I do- ‘dying free’ is a VERY important sentiment that also puts a lot of his later, seemingly ‘mad’, actions into a much more understandable light. BUT I WILL TRY to not make this too much of a dissertation, god willing. SO! Onto Pippin’s swearing!

'Little service, no doubt, will so great a lord of Men think to find in a hobbit, a halfling from the northern Shire; yet such as it is, I will offer it, in payment of my debt.' Twitching aside his grey cloak, Pippin drew forth his small sword and laid it at Denethor's feet. 

A pale smile, like a gleam of cold sun on a winter's evening, passed over the old man's face; but he bent his head and held out his hand, laying the shards of the horn aside. 'Give me the weapon!' he said. Pippin lifted it and presented the hilt to him. 'Whence came this?' said Denethor. 'Many, many years lie on it. Surely this is a blade wrought by our own kindred in the North in the deep past?' 

'It came out of the mounds that lie on the borders of my country,' said Pippin. 'But only evil wights dwell there now, and I will not willingly tell more of them.' 

'I see that strange tales are woven about you,' said Denethor, 'and once again it is shown that looks may belie the man – or the halfling. I accept your service. For you are not daunted by words; and you have courteous speech, strange though the sound of it may be to us in the South. And we shall have need of all folk of courtesy, be they great or small, in the days to come.’

The film really had no idea what to do with Pippin offering his service to Denethor as- well essentially an acknowledgement and an honouring of Boromir’s sacrifice for him. Because the Denethor in the film would have scorned it, but it’s an important plot point, so it’s just kinda in there awkwardly and uncomfortably. This is because Denethor genuinely appreciates Pippin’s gesture, his son died for this hobbit! But Pippin is fervent and honest and Denethor can tell! Denethor is grateful, he empathises! These are not traits film!denethor possessed, so we get the.... tomato... scene.... BUT ONWARDS, I consider this a positive scene, simply because Denethor and Gandalf’s rivalry in the books is just so much FUNNIER and interesting than in the films;

'And you, my Lord Mithrandir, shall come too, as and when you will. None shall hinder your coming to me at any time, save only in my brief hours of sleep. Let your wrath at an old man's folly run off and then return to my comfort!' 

'Folly?' said Gandalf. 'Nay, my lord, when you are a dotard you will die. You can use even your grief as a cloak. Do you think that I do not understand your purpose in questioning for an hour one who knows the least, while I sit by?' 

'If you understand it, then be content,' returned Denethor. 'Pride would be folly that disdained help and counsel at need; but you deal out such gifts according to your own designs. Yet the Lord of Gondor is not to be made the tool of other men's purposes, however worthy. And to him there is no purpose higher in the world as it now stands than the good of Gondor; and the rule of Gondor, my lord, is mine and no other man's, unless the king should come again.'

LIKE. IT’S FUNNY! Essentially Denethor’s like ‘oh ho I’m just an auld man dont be angry with me Gandy’ and Gandalf’s like ‘Denethor when you are ENFEEBLED by age you will DIE out of spite alone’ and Denethor’s like ‘OH FINE if you want to be that way, but you’re bloody annoying to deal with and I don’t TRUST you wholly so DEAL with it,’ And again we get Denethor’s like whole deal! Gondor is what he is here to defend! It’s his entire purpose in life! He doesn’t trust that Gandalf’s not going to use him for his own ends to the detriment of Gondor itself, which Gandalf LITERALLY admits he’d do in the next paragraph. Because he says ‘he’s the steward of everything, not just gondor’ which on the one hand is like, yeah, we get that, but you can understand Denethor’s perspective too. WHICH IS. GOOD CHARACTERISATION FOLKS!

'[Osgiliath] was 'It was a city,' said Beregond, 'the chief city of Gondor, of which this was only a fortress. For that is the ruin of Osgiliath on either side of Anduin, which our enemies took and burned long ago. Yet we won it back in the days of the youth of Denethor: not to dwell in, but to hold as an outpost, and to rebuild the bridge for the passage of our arms.a city,' said Beregond, 'the chief city of Gondor, of which this was only a fortress. For that is the ruin of Osgiliath on either side of Anduin, which our enemies took and burned long ago. Yet we won it back in the days of the youth of Denethor: not to dwell in, but to hold as an outpost, and to rebuild the bridge for the passage of our arms.’

This is just like a little thing but I think it’s just kinda important to emphasise that Denethor wasn’t just a politician, he bled heavily for Gondor’s safety too and the retaking of Osgiliath was an incredibly important victory that Denethor achieved for Gondor’s safety as a whole. Anyway SPEAKING of the tomato scene- god this really does entirely emphasise the difference between Film!Denethor and Book!Denethor;

‘Can you sing?' 

Yes,' said Pippin. 'Well, yes, well enough for my own people. But we have no songs fit for great halls and evil times, lord. We seldom sing of anything more terrible than wind or rain. And most of my songs are about things that make us laugh; or about food and drink, of course.' 

'And why should such songs be unfit for my halls, or for such hours as these? We who have lived long under the Shadow may surely listen to echoes from a land untroubled by it? Then we may feel that our vigil was not fruitless, though it may have been thankless.'

In the end Pipping doesn’t sing for him but like?? Look SEE LIKE. It’s not MEAN, Denethor is in general sardonic and kinda harsh and frustrating in tone but he’s not dismissive or uncharitable or heartless; he’s interested, he likes TALKING to Pippin, he likes to hear about the world! Songs about food and drink and weather are fine! Of course they have merit!

'Not – the Dark Lord?' cried Pippin, forgetting his place in his terror. Denethor laughed bitterly. 'Nay, not yet, Master Peregrin! He will not come save only to triumph over me when all is won. He uses others as his weapons. So do all great lords, if they are wise, Master Halfling. Or why should I sit here in my tower and think, and watch, and wait, spending even my sons? For I can still wield a brand.'

Do you hEAR the bitterness in these lines? How he has to SIT here and WAIT as he sends his loved ones to die- but he has too, he HAS to do this, it’s not new, he’s been sending his sons to their probably deaths for years, and god he wishes he could be a reckless man and just ride out himself again but there IS no one to step into his place if he should be lost and Gondor just can’t take that! IT’S cOMPELLING. And so... now we’ll end on the part you mentioned, which really is like... AGONISING, it’s heartbreaking, especially after Denethor’s manners and character up until this point, sharp, sardonic, dauntless, uncowed by ever new loss, every new defeat, Boromir’s death even did not crack him completely but now-

And as [Pippin] watched, it seemed to him that Denethor grew old before his eyes, as if something had snapped in his proud will, and his stern mind was overthrown. Grief maybe had wrought it, and remorse. He saw tears on that once tearless face, more unbearable than wrath. 

'Do not weep, lord,' he stammered. 'Perhaps he will get well. Have you asked Gandalf?' 

'Comfort me not with wizards!' said Denethor. 'The fool's hope has failed. The Enemy has found it, and now his power waxes; he sees our very thoughts, and all we do is ruinous. 

'I sent my son forth, unthanked, unblessed, out into needless peril, and here he lies with poison in his veins. Nay, nay, whatever may now betide in war, my line too is ending, even the House of the Stewards has failed. Mean folk shall rule the last remnant of the Kings of Men, lurking in the hills until all are hounded out.'

 Men came to the door crying for the Lord of the City. 'Nay, I will not come down,' he said. 'I must stay beside my son. He might still speak before the end. But that is near. Follow whom you will, even the Grey Fool, though his hope has failed. Here I stay.' 

I’ll NEVER forgive the appropriation of the ‘my line is ending’ line, he doesn’t MEAN that he’s grieving the loss of his lineage, he’s grieving the loss of his WHOLE COUNTRY, of his people! As well as his son! And in this final moment with him his priorities of heart surface, where his people are banging desperately at his door, begging for their Lord to come to their aide, he refuses, because Faramir is far more important to him in this moment. 

I said I wasn’t going to make this a dissertation but WHATEVER, there you are anon, hope it’s what you wanted than thANK YOU AGAIN for the ask :)

[cosmicbug379]

Ever Northward Gaze

Guys I made myself really sad with this one. Like so sad I cried writing it at 11 last night. It’s not my normal thing, but here we are. Also the title is actually from the book of Lord of the Rings! In the book, when Boromir dies, Aragorn and Legolas sing the Lament for Boromir and it’s really sad and I’ve been listening to the version on Youtube that Karliene did (she’s one of my favorite artists honeslty and she has some really good LotR and Game of Thrones stuff so definitely check her out, she’s amazing!) and I was being sad about it so here we are. It does not have a happy ending so be warned. Also, i picked some pieces from the book, and some from the movies and I combed through the timeline of the fellowship and looked up a lot of distances and stuff so the timeline and days is as accurate as I could make it and it’s literally only mentioned like 3 times so that’s fun. I also only tagged a couple people cuz I really honestly don’t know who even wants to read this. Okay sorry for the world’s longest Author’s Note.

Fandom: Lord of the Rings

Pairing: Boromir x reader

Words: 1496

Warnings: Major character death 

It had been months since you had last received a letter from Boromir, and you hated it. You understood why-the need for secrecy had been clear-but you still didn’t like it. The last letter he had sent was from Rivendell, he said he was joining a quest, a fellowship that was setting out to bring the One Ring to Mordor. You knew he left because Lord Elrond had sent word that it had been found, there had been a council called to Rivendell to discuss what to do with it. His father wanted him to bring it back to Gondor, so they could attempt to use it against Sauron, but the Ring was evil, it couldn’t be used against it’s master.

You missed Boromir terribly. He was supposed to come right back, instead it had been 241 days since he had left for Rivendell and 132 days since his last letter had arrived. He was only supposed to be gone a little over 100 days, and now it had been more than twice that since you had last seen your husband.

You had spent most of your time since Boromir’s departure in the Houses of Healing. Ioreth had taught you from a young age, and you quickly discovered you enjoyed it and you were good at it. Faramir always said you were the perfect balance to his brother. He was always the soldier, ready to fight; you always wanted to help people, heal them. 

When you weren’t in the Houses of Healing, you were in the rooms you usually shared with Boromir. You enjoyed painting, and you had a balcony that overlooked Pelennor Fields and you could just see Osgiliath in the distance. You also enjoyed singing, and Boromir insisted you had the voice of an angel, even when you told him he was wrong. You were writing a song for when he finally returned to you, but you were stuck. You had been on edge for over a week now, you weren’t sure why, but you had a bad feeling about something. Your sleep had been restless and your dreams troubled when you had them.

7 nights ago you had dreamt that you saw Boromir’s body in a small boat passing down the river Anduin. You were sobbing when you woke up, and stumbled your way to Faramir’s room. He said he had the same dream, and it made you even more uneasy. You were worried. A weight had come over you, you feared you would never see your husband again.

You sat in your room now, reading over his last letter again. The ink had started to fade and the edges were worn. You read his letters often, trying to remind yourself of him, but this was your favorite.

My darling wife,

It has been too long since I last saw you, and I fear it will be even longer still. I regret to tell you this will be my last letter for some time. I have volunteered to accompany a brave young hobbit in his quest to bring Isildur’s Bane to Mordor. I hope our path will bring us close to home and I will be able to see you, but I am not so sure. 

We are walking, it is best that way, horses will draw too much attention. It will be a long time before we pass into Gondor or anywhere close to the White City, but I will count the days until I can see you again. 

I miss you more than I can put into words, my love. I miss sleeping beside you and waking up with you in my arms. I miss your smile and the way your eyes shine when you do. I miss the sound of you singing to me, and I miss the sound of your laugh. I even miss the way you scold me when I distract you from your work. I cannot wait to hold you again, to kiss you again. You know me better than anyone, and I think you may even know me better than Faramir does. I miss you.

I must stop now, before someone walks by and sees me becoming a blubbering mess over a letter to my wife. Watch over Faramir, father is too hard on him. Don’t let him take anything my father says to heart. 

All my love,

Boromir

You weren’t sure when you had started crying, but a few tears dropped onto the fading words. It was a few moments later when you jumped, hearing the sound of a horn. The horn that signified someone was approaching the Citadel. Was Faramir back so soon?

You raced to the courtyard and saw a messenger there. He was carrying something wrapped in a cloth and he had a grim look on his face. The uneasiness you had been feeling for days crept up inside you, stronger than ever. The messenger looked at you and showed you what was wrapped in the cloth. The Horn of Gondor. Cloven in two. Boromir had taken that with him when he left for Rivendell. That means…

“I’m sorry, my lady,” the messenger said quietly.

You heard a scream of anguish, the saddest thing you had ever heard. It took you a moment to realize the sound had come from you. You weren’t sure how long you stayed there sobbing, but it was long enough that your handmaiden became worried. She and Ioreth found you and took you to your rooms, but you barely even noticed they were there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You knew Gandalf had arrived in the city with a hobbit that day, and you waited outside the throne room while they spoke to Denethor. You had worn nothing but black for 6 days, since news of Boromir’s fate had reached Minas Tirith. You knew you should put on a finer dress to greet your guests, but you couldn’t bring yourself to wear anything else. All your dresses were ones Boromir had bought for you.

You looked up as Gandalf exited, followed by the halfling. He stopped when he saw you and gave you a look of sympathy. 

“My lady… I wish we were meeting again in happier times,” he said quietly.

“As do I, Mithrandir,” you replied. Turning to the halfling you spoke again, “I know Gandalf, but we have not met, what is your name?”

“Pippin, my lady. You are Boromir’s wife aren’t you?” 

“Yes, Boromir was my husband… I understand you are a friend of his,” you said, waving away Gandalf’s attempt to scold the hobbit.

“I like to think so... He spoke of you often. He loved you, and he was right, you are indeed beautiful, my lady,” Pippin blushed a little and looked down. 

“Thank you,” you hesitated. You weren’t sure you wanted to know the answer to your next question, but you had to ask. “How did he die?” 

Pippin looked at Gandalf, as if asking permission. With a nod from Gandalf he turned from you again. 

“He died defending me and my kinsman, Merry. We were north of here at Amon Hen, near the statues of the old kings. There were many Uruk-Hai and he fought bravely to save us. He was pierced by 3 arrows before he fell.” he said.

Your slowly cracking facade of composure finally broke. You tried not to openly sob, but you couldn’t stop the tears leaving your eyes. That sounded like your Boromir. Fighting to defend those who could not defend themselves.

“Thank you, Pippin,” you whispered. “For telling me. I am glad he was at least able to save you and your friend. I hope I get to meet Merry some day.” 

“I hope we will see him again too, my lady,” he answered. 

“Gandalf? Watch over this one. He is brave and he has a good heart. Boromir would be proud of him,” you said with a sad smile.

Gandalf squeezed your shoulder gently before leading Pippin away. You watched them go, trying to keep your tears at bay. Yes, you could see why Boromir loved this little hobbit. Even from the short conversation, you could see it. 

You wandered to your rooms again, telling your handmaiden not to disturb you unless absolutely necessary; you wanted to be alone. You went through your wardrobe, looking for one of the shirts Boromir had left behind. When you found one, you held it close to your face. You could still smell him on it, you didn’t want to think about when you would no longer be able to. 

You collapsed onto your bed, sobbing into the shirt, clutching it tightly to your chest. 

Boromir was gone, and he wouldn’t be able to come back to you now. You wouldn’t kiss him again, or hold him or fall asleep next to him. You wouldn’t have children that you would raise to be healers and warriors. You would be alone now for the rest of your days, with nothing but his memory.

Tags: @rzrcrst​ @longitud-de-onda​

[whoisthatmovinginthedark]

Thank you for the tag @tessabennet 🥰

1. What do you prefer to be called namewise? If face to face, then my real name. But I also love it when someone gives me a nickname!

2. When is your birthday? In December

3. Where do you live? Scandinavia

4. Three things you are doing right now? Listening to thunder, catching up on things I missed while I was doing a time consuming responsibility and having tea with home made nanaimo bars.

5. Four fandoms that have peaked your interest? So many more than four! How do I even start unpacking this?

First major one, the one that made me seek out other fans, was lotr (book > movies, but both).

Through Marvel I came to love and appreciate fanfiction and fanart and the creativity of fandom more than before, for elevating the original stories to a level the movies can only dream of. There is serious poetry! Well researched massive works of fanfiction giving depth to the characters. Beautiful fanart to help visualize all those scenes that exist in fanon and fanfiction.

The Untamed rocked my world. I don’t have the words to describe the impact it had on me. It just pushes all the right buttons in a way nothing else has ever done before. I have never cried like that over a story, and it’s the good kind of cry. The perfect balance of hurt and comfort. That last minute is the most romantic scene I’ve ever seen in my life! And it’s not just the main couple. It’s all the siblings, and the love and loss within those relationships. It’s the First Jade and Jin Guangyao, the Yi city messed up love triangle. I love all of it!

And The Untamed opened my eyes to all these other wonderful works I’ve spent the past year enjoying. The fantranslated webnovels, other similar C-dramas. Then K-dramas that I found through people here with similar interests. I feel like I’m being spoiled with a lot of good content lately! And the latest fandom I’m getting to know at the moment is the small, but very funny and friendly, English speaking DMBJ fandom here on this platform.

6. How has the pandemic been treating you? It’s been scary and frustrating times, but I know so many that have had it worse than me. I only have introvert hobbies and like to hang out at home by myself. And it helped to fall so in love with a new story like that during the worst of it.

7. A song you can’t stop listening to right now? Fever Ray - I’m not done

8. Recommend a movie: But I don’t know who’d be watching. Hmm. The Grand Budapest Hotel?

9. How old are you? Millenial

10. School, university, occupation, other? I work in tech.

11. Do you prefer heat or cold? Not freezing cold, but cool

12. Name one fact others may not know about you: I play the flute

13. Are you shy? Very

14. Preferred pronouns: I like both she / her and they / them equally. The language I speak at home has gender neutral pronouns, and I like (and am used to) that.

15. Biggest pet peeves? Pulling your mask down when you speak to someone working in customer service.

16. What is your favourite ”dere” type? Ok, I learned a new word today. This doesn’t sound like it would be my thing, so I’m not going to find out the answer to that.

17. Rate your life from 1-10: I’m not able to. But I’m very happy at the moment.

18. What’s your main blog? This is my only one here

19. List your sideblogs and what they’re used for: -

20. Is there something people need to know about you before becoming friends? I don’t think so. I can go for a long time and not reach out and send a message, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think about you or keep you in my heart.

Passing the tag forward to anyone reading this and feeling like doing it!

[xxdragonwriterxx]

I was tagged by the amazing @nefelimalfoy, thank you for the tag! I hope I’m doing this right, I’m still pretty new to the mechanics of Tumblr so we’re just gonna roll with it and hope this is how it works 😂. I made this on a new one to save space but I decided to do this tag because I figured it’d be a good way for you guys to get to know me since I don’t have an About Me page. Either way, thanks again, and here are my answers!

Named after someone? Yes actually! My name is Morgan and I was named after my mother’s maiden name because they wanted to give me a unisex name so I could be whoever I wanted to be, and that name just happened to work really well. It’s still my grandmother’s name so we always have fun calling each other by my name for fun. My mom also just really loved that name, even when she was a teenager, and wanted to call her child that in the future anyway, so here I am!

Last time you cried? The last time I cried was about three weeks ago. We recently moved several states away from my friends and family and I’m having a hard time adjusting since I didn’t really want to live in this particular state in the first place, coupled with leaving everyone, it’s been a little tough for me. Nothing significant, sometimes I just miss my friends 😊.

Do you have any kids? Nope, I’m only 18 so not quite there yet, but I’m hoping to have some in the future! I’d love to have between 2 and 3 but that all depends on what country I live in and the state of the world at the time I’m ready for them. Raising kids is expensive and really hard so I wanna be ready for them. But hopefully they are in my future somewhere!

Do you use sarcasm a lot? I guess I’d say I use it moderately. I love to use it all the time for humor purposes, but in terms of using it for when I’m annoyed, I guess it just depends on how long I am in an annoying situation and who I’m with. It’s my favorite thing to use for jokes but I’d say I use it moderately in terms of genuine use.

Eye color? I have blue eyes! Although they tend to change based on the seasons. In the winter and spring they are more blue and in the spring and summer they are more green, so I guess it kinda depends on the season and temperature.

Favorite book genre? Definitely fantasy but I will honestly read almost anything just so long as the story is interesting. I don’t really have a “least favorite” genre or anything because I tend to judge a book based on it’s story rather than it’s genre. But most of my favorite books of all time come from fantasy, so I’d say that’s my favorite aside from horror and psychological thrillers which are also top tier genres in my book (can’t watch horror movies but could read horror novels any day).

Any special talent? Okay so actually, I do have one talent that would be considered special. I have no idea where it came from or how I learned it, but ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been able to perfectly replicate certain animal sounds (and a few extra ones that aren’t animals too). I can do a dog, cat (both meow and purr), horse, goat, zebra, pig, dove, Golum (from LOTR), Stitch, trumpet, engine from Cruella Devil’s car (I know this is really fucking specific but trust me on this one), dragon growl/purr (think from HTTYD), and Homer Simpson. Again, I have literally no idea how I started, I just know that when I was a kid, I used to bark like a dog and eventually got good at it (according to my mom). Now, I just practice different sounds I want to make until I can completely replicate them. I know it sounds far fetched, but that’s what it is. It’s really fun to shock people with tbh 😂. But I always have to be careful dogs aren’t around when I bark, because I have set off a barking frenzy before 😅.

What country were you born in? I was born in America but I hope to move to Europe shortly after college. I’m looking at somewhere like Scotland or New Zealand but honestly getting to explore Europe will be amazing in itself and I know I’ll find where I want to live as I go along.

What are your hobbies? Well, writing is the obvious one but I don’t just write fanfics. I also write original short stories and I am working on a fantasy novel currently. Aside from writing, I have been riding horses ever since I was 2 years old, riding my first pony on my grandma’s farm. Now I ride and show competitively, showing in the jumper ring with my 17 hand dark bay Thoroughbred, Moose! We jump about a meter 20 (if any of you know equestrian terms/measurements) but we are aiming for the Grand Prix at some point in my life. I also like to wake surf behind a boat on lakes, draw, read books, and listen to music. I also absolutely love classic cars more than anything. It’s my dream to have one one day and fix her up, so while it’s not technically a hobby since I haven’t done it yet and I don’t know much about the mechanics, I do a lot of research and reading up on them, which will hopefully lead to my dream coming true at some point!

Do you have any pets? Oh god, here comes the word vomit. I could talk about my pets for days 😂 but I’ll keep it short. I actually have three dogs currently, two french bulldogs and a street chihuahua (she does not look like a normal chihuahua at all. She is quite a bit larger and has the funkiest ears of any dog ever. She looks like if a weasel, a chihuahua, and a pine marten had a baby) we found abandoned and neglected when I was 9. I also have a horse and my mother has one as well so as a family we have two because both my mom and I ride competitively. My two frenchies are called Herschel and Humphrey, and then the chihuahua is called Ginger. My horse, as mentioned earlier, is named Moose and my mom’s horse (a 17.2 hand Warmblood) is called Rexy. Despite having all little dogs, we used to have two labs whom I loved with all of my heart, so I’m hoping to get big dogs again in the future when I get out of college. My dream dogs are German Shepherds, Pitt Bulls, and Labs, Collies, or Dobermans. Honestly, just any rescue dog will work, but those are the dogs I envision myself having in the future.

What sports do you play/have played? Like I said earlier, I am an equestrian and have been riding for 16 years but when I was younger I went through a bunch of other sports to see  which one I liked the most. Obviously horseback riding ended up winning, but I did try soccer, gymnastics, dance, taekwondo, track, cross country, and wake surfing. Aside from horseback riding, wake surfing was a favorite of mine, and I only stopped when we sold the lake house and boat we had that we would use to surf. But I still love it and hope to try it again sometime! Other than that, I kinda just like exercising in general, so while I don’t do any of this competitively, I like to run occasionally and I ride my bike as much as I can when I have the time.

How tall are you? I am 5’4” or about 163 cm give or take. I am definitely the shortest aside from my mom in both my family in my friend group but I actually like being smaller sometimes. I can officially say I can fit in both a vacation suitcase and a medium sized dog kennel (like for corgis, beagles, etc.).

Favorite subject in school? In high school, my favorite class by far was Vet Med, but I also loved AP Literature. My teacher was the best and reading has always been my strength (rip math). As for my college classes, my favorites are Abnormal Psychology and Creative Writing.

Dream job? Okay realistically, my dream job is Forensic Psychology. Basically a detective with a psychology degree so that you can not only solve cases but also study the criminals behind them. That’s what I am currently going to uni for and what I hope will continue throughout the duration of my college years! I originally wanted to be a Veterinarian more than anything (hence why I took Vet Med in high school), but for a whole magnitude of reasons, I decided against it. I actually worked at a vet clinic for three years during high school and I fucking loved it, but there were just a lot of things that bothered me about the industry (it didn’t have anything to do with the vets themselves, those people are fucking awesome) so I decided it would be for the best if I changed my major. I still fucking love it and I even have an old textbook from when I was going to major in it that I read when I want so I can still stay refreshed on the major injuries and diseases and their cures. I also get some experience with Vet Med since with horses, the owner kinda has to do most of the healing unless it’s something specific like acupuncture, so I take care of all of Moose’s injuries and illnesses in the same way a vet would. If we are talking unrealistic, my dream job would be to train horses in Europe, writing short stories and novels as I travel around the world to train and compete. While I could never support myself with a job like this, horseback riding will always be in my life and I am hoping that my novel will be successful enough to allow me to be an author on the side of my Forensic Psych job!

Thanks again for tagging me, and thank you for reading through my word vomit about my life! In turn, I’m going to tag @mysteriousmagicx for this. Have a nice day!

[shy-magpie]

RQG 154

Wherein red stringing occurs. Liveblog under the cut:

 Not much hype this week, just a lot of being quietly thrilled RSB got the beginning of the episode dedicated to us. I hope the rest of the fandom doesn't feel like Bryn plays favorites. Its sweet he back reads and answers questions but its nothing he wouldn't do in official. Last week was such a gift that I think it cut down on hype for this week because even if (Alex forbid) they immediately time skipped to the end of the week, quarantine still got us amazing backstory and character moments. Unless Alex gets truly desperate and has someone attack the inn or infects both the new kids, the characters are safe from physical danger so no fear hype either.

Yes I want follow up on that Hamid & Zolf conversation: I am so proud of him for calling Zolf out on being patronizing (I can't believe I didn't see earlier with his family, of course that's the aspect that got to him) and they need to figure out how to deal with the chain of command. Zolf already seems more willing to get input on his decisions so its mostly losing the attitude when things happen like Hamid casting lights. Yes I also want Cel to talk about themself more, but I am fine with waiting until they aren't locked up with no privacy. Azu's backstory is coming out at a decent pace and Helen spoils us so not even worried about not hearing more about her becoming a paladin. I am curious if Alex thinks its worth bonding with the new kids and this better not be a set up for splitting the party. So enough pre episode babbling, final bets on if they play with the brorb now or wait until they can take it to Cel's? Gotta love that music. Oh they do want to get back to things! Listen to how fast they're talking. That's nice I wouldn't have thought they'd be as excited about the pure RP backstory and character bits as they get about a boss fight. No Alex neither players nor fans want to skip anything. I will concede that further conversation was unlikely to be productive that night so the morning makes sense. There was only one corridor! Barnes is still using the stairs to get some space. Some might see it as a sign he is infected or afraid of infection but honestly not wanting to puppy pile with a group as tight knit as the party especially while they are shaking out their issues is valid. Azu checks on Carter who passed out drunk face down. Zolf is sleeping in. With Hamid's family issues, Bryn being so careful to specify he has a healthy relationship with alcohol every time makes it a lot easier to not tense up listening. Oh My God thanks Bryn! I know he said the beginning of the episode was dedicated to us but I was expecting a throw away line not a proper red stringing scene! I am grinning so big right now. Azu is watching Hamid Cel is sleeping curled up with the sealed bottle of elvish mead. Because Lydia is as much a criminal as Bryn just plays a longer game. Speaking of criminal, Ben really plays up this rivalry from Azu & Zolf covering similar roles and its a really close second to the rank thing between him & Hamid in character arcs I'm interested in. I think both are aiming towards a happy ending but no idea how the middle is going to play out. I don't think it's aiming for a "this party isn't big enough for two of us". Alex is encouraging this. This is great just going to get a clip of this rather than attempt to transcribe on first listen. Bryn/Hamid is laying this out so clearly: The knowns, assumed, and questions are being labeled nicely. (I wonder if our little discord helped him refresh his memory so he'd be able to match how much Hamid would remember in character.) Bryn also goes 3rd person? Hope it isn't a stress tell like Alex. Yes Bryn is obsessed and as a listener its is utterly charming when he shows up in RSB or Official and is unabashedly as big a fan of the show as us. Zolf wakes up to Hamid red stringing. Thank goodness he isn't letting security concerns lead him to putting the brakes on. I know there was some concern that if one of them was infected sharing they could pass on anything they talk about. As long as they don't get too specific about classified info, using the time and frankly just having a project to distract them is a good idea. Plus in my mind Hamid always looks so hurt when Zolf pulls on the reigns. Lilliana is not allowed to be the connecting thread. Oh seed is finally being addressed. Aw Hamid handed Cel a glass of water. It really is the little things I love about this show: 1)told you he has a knack for leadership: anticipating the needs of team members even as they diverge from his own 2)He does see Cel as a team member not just someone he worked with, you don't hear him cooing over Carter 3)does it quickly then moves on, because as a gentleman he thinks it's what anyone would do. 4)speaking of, I wonder that Azu & Zolf haven't done rounds. its not like they have anything to save the spells for and the field is only in the cell.

Svalbard! Do not taunt us, does Ben have any idea how much we want to see the science dwarves of the north? Um hmm, vindi-fing-cation. I know it wasn't exactly a huge insight but the mixture of science and various schools of magic is key to my theory on what “Erasing The Line” refers to. Oh Frankenstein in this world is such a concept. Plus it makes Mary Shelley canon. Aw Alex thought we'd never get to this bit of lore. Thank you Blue Veins info being given as whole instead of bits & pieces.  Ooh and Barnes is taking it. Time to get a sense of who he is when he's not swinging a sword. Navel engagement with Blue Veins? Hive mind! Minimize harm? Not dead. Paladins are complicated, maybe a rumor, maybe transfer of allegiance. Cyborg kraken Cyborg Zolf Oh splitting the kraken to make more Barnes just checks out as the conversation goes over his head Called it I told you it was a sensible test. (ETA Zolf’s fart test) (ETA: Re: people with Blue Veins) No lies, no embarrassment, very literal. Other instances? Riots London->Paris->Europe Not safe to go to London If you're in their presence you are highly likely to be infected, mass infections,  not passed by corpses? Memetic effect? Tick tock. Ben and Alex have one of their friendly tussles as Carter decides its a me may Yes he did! And Helen name dropped us! I know I'm just a little part of the brigade but I'm going to to be smug for at least a week that we are so good at what we do one of the actual players looked to us. Hey Lydia is welcome too. Paperwork time! Yeah yeah I knew security was going to be used to undermine Hamid. At least it isn't Zolf and they aren't trying to make him look rash for the whole idea. Getting new info from the paperwork is a bit different than talking about what they already know. Make the place bigger? Nice spell Zolf. If this leads to Animorphs again... Oh I was thinking more like a big horde somewhere you could check stone in & out of a stone plane of existence ties in with elemental lore right? Seriously "Cure Hangover" isn't a spell? Or do Zolf & Azu just not approve of using their magic that way? Intoxicants have to fall under mild poisoning, right? Do the studying later in the week? That's a fair compromise; even if Zolf is still presenting it as an order he is explaining instead of giving his advice or IDK putting it to a vote. I'm not positive but I think Lydia is suggesting they go over their character sheets in character. Alex is not amused. Lydia sounds pleased with herself. Perception check? Azu hears someone knocking something over upstairs. Azu tries to not wake Carter as she listens at the door. It had to be her foot in his mouth. Multiple people in the inn. Carter tries to pick the lock. Azu & Carter start bickering. Carter is perception penalty. The inn is being searched Zolf suggests they wake Wilde up by making a racket. Cel hears the door being unlocked. Voices speaking muffled Japanese. Cel just shouts "Hey what's going on?". Zolf joins in. Azu uses her armor to make noise. Thump of someone hitting the floor! Wilde's voice! Lots of feet? Yes Helen, what if it is the kobolds? Oh god what if Skraak checked on them and found out they were in cages underground? Poor guy would think Wilde is their Shoin. Bryn clarifies Hamid shouts out to Wilde Zolf forbids them leaving the basement Cel shields themself. Azu goes for her armor Barnes is keeping Carter from going for the lock again. Hamid casts Fear (!oh that’s a new one isn't it) I assume #jail is already full of angst criminals connecting Hamid's bully days and him going from S1!Hamid scared of every fight to now casting fear as a way to control his enemies). Also these better be his enemies because I still don't put it past Alex to set us up for a tragic misunderstanding. Dragon roar and dragon face is how he casts fear Ok Rusty Quill LOTR night sounds awesome Zolf helps Azu put on her armor The other feet flee Zolf cries out for Wilde as loud as he physically can but still won't let them risk infecting Japan by leaving quarantine early. Oh if that ain't a fic and a half. A set of small claws! It is a kobold End the episode with the kobolds?  

[saelwen]

The Last Dragon

Daenys Targaryen x Thranduil

Crossover: Game of Thrones and LOTR/Hobbit

Chapter 14

Masterlist

Summary:After Daenerys death, her daughter Daenys, flew away with Drogon. Feeling lost with out her mother beside her, but what will happen when Daenys find a portal that will lead her to a certain world, where dwell elves, dwarves, humans and other races.

Warnings: Fluff, sad Thranduil

Words: 1.489

A knock on my door woke me up from my slumber, making the dragons hiss and groaning. I look to the window and notice that was still dark outside. Who could it be at this hour?  

Getting up from the bed, I put a soft white robe over my nightgown. Opening a little the door, I peeking through the slot. A small smile appears on my face as I saw the golden haired elf standing in front of the door with a huge smile “Glorfindel?...What are you doing here so early in the morning?” my voice came out tired and rough from all the crying.  

His smile grew bigger “I’m sorry for waking you up, Mellon nin. But I want to show you something.” he says with his ocean blue eyes full of sparkles. Show me something? I look to my bed, seeing my children sleeping on each other, then I turn to Glorfindel “Ahh...I don’t know...i don’t want to leave my dragons alon—“ “We can take them with us!” he cut me off quickly, his voice full of excitement.

I stay silent for a moment, thinking if it was a good idea. A sigh left from my lips as i nod “Okay...let me just get them.” Turning around, i walk to my children and pick them up. Daenerion jumps to my shoulder a while Viseral and Arcturion cuddle in my arms. Turning back to Glorfindel, I walk to him “Shall we?” he nods and start walking down the hall with me following him close behind.  

                                                       ~~~~~~~~

A huge smile appears on my face as I see the soft blanket lying down on the tall grass, with some pillows around it. Looking to Glorfindel “What’s is this?” I ask softly, he put his hand on my small back and led me to the cozy spot that he made on a hill “I heard you and Thranduil...so I thought to show you something beautiful.” We sat down and I let the dragons jump down, to play with each other.  

I look around, seeing the trees shake with the wind, making a beautiful song. The stars were shining in the dark sky, looking like small pearls painted in a black canvas. It was beautiful!

Suddenly I feel a warm hand on mine, turning around, my eyes met two ocean blue ones. Glorfindel gave a warm smile “This is one of the most beautiful spots to watch the sunrise.” his voice was calm and soft, making my all body relax. I rest my head on his shoulder, watching my children play “Thank you, Glorfindel...I needed this.” he nods and wrap his arm around my shoulders.

We stay like this for a while, in a comfortable silence. Daenerion had fall asleep on my lap, a while Arcturion and Viseral were playing with Glorfindel hair.  

The first sunbeams began to appear, bathing us in its warmth. Illuminating the trees and flowers around us. Glorfindel moves his hand from my shoulder to my neck, making me move my gaze from the sun to his eyes. His hair was shining with the sun light, making look like it was made of gold. He starts lean down, moving his eyes from mine to my lips. What’s happening?

I could feel my heart beating faster on my chest, my body start leaning to him, like it has life itself. When my face was an inch from his, i could feel his warm breath on my lips, sending a shiver down my spine. Glorfindel lick his lips and look to me, asking for permission to kiss me.

I nod slowly, seeing his eyes full of love and passion. He lowers his head, making his lips crash into mine.

The kiss was soft and slow, his lips were warm like a flame, pulling me towards him. He moves the hand on my neck to my cheek, cupping softly.  

I put my hand on his strong chest, feeling his heart beating fast. This feels so good but at the same time so wrong.  

We break our kiss to catch our breaths, a soft blush was on our face. Suddenly, Arcturion jumps to Glorfindel, pushing his hair and letting out little cute roars. A giggle escape from my lips “I see that he already likes you.” I say softly, interlocked my fingers with his. Glorfindel lets out a loud laugh and kiss Arcturion little snout “Yes...and I like his mother.” I giggle and look down to our hands, trying hide my red cheeks “I also like you too...” I say shyly.

A huge smile spread on his face, almost splitting in two “Lady Daenys! Will you let me court you?...I promise to make you happy and give you everything that your heart's desire!” my eyes widened, seeing the love and the loyalty in his eyes. Is this right? I do like Glorfindel, he was always kind to me and have showed me the beauty of this world but....my heart still hurts from all the things with Thranduil...

I rub my thumb on the back of his hand and smile “Yes...i accept, Melleth nin.”  he let out a sigh in relief and pull me into a soft kiss “Thank you....i will make you the happiest woman in all Middle-Earth!” he says happily. Maybe this is for the best...

We stay there almost all day, cuddling and whispering sweet nothings to each other a while the dragons played with Drogon.

Suddenly a group of warriors came running to us “Lord Glorfindel! We need your help! A large group of orcs enter on ours borders!” an elf with brown hair say. Glorfindel shot from his seat “What?! Take me there!” he was about to mount on the horse that they took with them, when I grab his arm “Wait!...i can help! I will with Drogon there. Take the dragons to my chambers and locket.” I say a while climbing into Drogon back, grabbing his strong spikes. Glorfindel stays still for a moment, thinking if it was a good idea “Okay...but be careful!” he says with a firm voice.

I nod “Come on, Drogon!” with that he jumps into the air, flying us to where the orc pack was.  

                                                     ~~~~~~

When we arrive, I saw most of the borders were being attack with orcs and cave trolls. Why are they here?  

I order Drogon to dive down and when we were near the ground, I yell in fury “DRACARYS!” making him blow all his fire to the orcs, burning them to the ground. All I could hear was the scream and cries of pain from the orcs, the smell of smoke and burning flesh was spreading around the place. They will know to not mess with me!

When the orc pack was all dead, except ones that succeeded to run away, Drogon land. I look around and saw all the elves looking at me in awe and relief. The sound of a horn interrupted my thoughts, I turn back and saw Elrond, Glorfindel and Thranduil arriving with an army. They all stop and look around the place with wide eyes, Glorfindel went to me “Are you alright?” his voice full of concern, I smile and nod “Yes! Don’t worry.”  

Elrond dismounted from his war horse and look to me “Lady Daenys! I own you for saving the life of my people!” he says in thanks.  

I climb of Drogon back and walk to him “No need to thank, Lord Elrond! I only was doing the right thing.” I say with a smile. He turns to the rest of the elves “Today will be a feast in honor of Lady Daenys!” they all cheer and bow their heads to me, thanking me for saving they lifes.  

I feel a warm hand on mine, looking up I saw Glorfindel smiling “You did well, Melleth nin” he whisper on my ear. A giggle falls from my lips as I give him a small kiss on his soft cheek, whispering thank you. I turn back and saw Thranduil glaring to Glorfindel with his ice blue eyes, then his gaze softens as he looks to me. He starts walking in our way but I turn around and climb to Drogon back, not wanting to talk to him. Looking down to Glorfindel “What go for a ride before the feast, Melleth nin?” the last words I said loud, making Thranduil frown and looking at us in surprise.  

Glorfindel nods, staring to Thranduil empathy look “Yes, my love.” then he climbs up and sat behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I give Thranduil one last look and then order Drogon to fly us into the blue sky, leaving behind an angry and sorrowful Elven King.  

Hey Guys!!! New chapter here. Well...it seems Glorfindel succeed stealing Daenys from Thranduil but not for long. Hope you like it and feel free to comment and tell me what you think!

XOXO

Taglist: @gwendelerynan​ @foggyturtleknightangel​ @moonchild-stuff​ @tigereyesf​ @crazyonesarethebest​ @yes-captainstark​ @llama2264​ @lasswarrior​ @demonquartz​ @damniitjim​ @kxnngsshirecoffee​ @dipsylou​ @burningcoffeetimetravel​ @nikipuppeteer​ @babyratt19​ @numwoon44​