#unnumbered

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How to draw Dragon Wings

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[nowicantlose]

Unnumbered #102 The Riddle

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[r2b2grady]

Probably one of the Devil's greatest lies is the image of hope as something fleeting and ephemeral. It ties into the lie that you have to effortlessly feel something for that feeling to be real. Just because I don't feel like there's gravity, or just because I can't see the movement of the floor as the world whirls endlessly through space, doesn't mean that those things aren't there, and the same can be said for things like hope.

Hope isn't just some flighty butterfly, something fragile and wispy. Hope is the woman praying daily at her husband's side in the hospital, waiting for him to wake and wondering if he'll remember her after his head injury.

Hope is the sailor clinging to the helm in the teeth of a gale, riding it out because he hopes and knows that the storm cannot last forever.

Hope is Samwise storming the tower of Cirith Ungol, not knowing whether he can truly overcome the orcs in the tower, but hoping that he can help his Master Frodo in some way at least.

Hope is the last stand of Húrin the Steadfast: holding the gap against the forces of Morgoth in Nirnaeth Arnoediad, the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, swinging his axe as he and his kinsmen fight to the death to protect the retreat of Turgon and the elves of Gondolin, shouting with each swing, "Aurë entuluva! Day shall come again!"

Hope is not something fleeting, something ephemeral. It can become such, because like any other emotion or feeling, it needs cultivation. But if you cling to it, if you hold it tight, then it will grow. If you let it, hope is a fighter, a shieldwarden, a warrior. Hope is not simple platitudes, but a knowledge that whatever things might feel like, the truth of the matter is different—no matter how hopeless things seem, things will not stay that way.

[eri-pl]

Silm reread 18: Tears Unnumbered ye shall shed

So, we got here. But first, B&L get an epilogue.

First, a tidbit about reembodiment: B&L take their physical forms again in Doriath. I guess they go from Mandos to there in spirit. (It's all "allegedly", anyway). Everyone is happy and afraid when seing them (very reasonable reaction I think) and Luthien heals Thingol from (depression, more or less).

Melian looks in Luhien's eyes and is sad. She "realized they will be apart till the end of the world and after" (huh?) and again, we have Pengolodh's favorite stylistic tool: "nobody ever suffered more from any loss than Melian suffered then".

Oh, I found the quote in original: “But Melian looked in her eyes and read the doom that was written there, and turned away; for she knew that a parting beyond the end of the world had come between them, and no grief of loss has been heavier than the grief of Melian the Maia in that hour."

B&L go to Ossiriand, it vaguelly feels like they don't neet to eat anymore? But unclear.

Anyway, back to the proper plot Feanorians. Maedhros gained hope, because he saw Morgoth is not untouchable. He starts creating the Union, but the wording about him doing it … even without knowing the story, if I read it carefully, I would probably be worried about how it will go.

And we have a clear reminder of the Oath and all that. Orodreth doesn't trust the Feanorians because C&C (makes sense I guess) (Finrod would probably join the Union but anyway). Gwindor joins Maedhros, going against his king's orders… we know how this will end for Gwindor.

doriath. Mae&co had sent brash letters to thingol along the lines of "you will be our enemy if you don't give the Silmaril back" and Melian advised Thingol to give it to them! But he is angry at their tone and at C&C, and also B&L have suffered so much for this jewel…

Sidenote: If your main claim to a piece of treasure is "but I/someone have sufferred so much", keeping it is probably going to end badly.

Also thingol wants to keep the Silmaril, because it is this jewel's power…. wait what? "And every day that he looked upon the Silmaril the more he desired to keep it for ever; for such was its power." [original] WHAT.

Ok, that is new. So, the Silmaril is canonically addictive? Or is it only because it has been in Morgoth's crown?

So, anyway, Thingol sends Maedhros a dissing answer and Maedhros leaves him be, because the Union is more important. Yay, Maedhros, great job, you are doing well! (For now :((( )

Unfortunately C&C threathen Thingol with genocide, after they win the wart. Which they assume they will. So thingol fortifies and doesn't go to the war. (Mablung and Beleg go, but Thingol allows them reluctantely, so they end up better than Gwindor)

Bór! :) and Ulfang :(

Maedhros plays his hand a bit too early :(

Also, another mention of Morgoth's spies (plural) and traitors. So, I guess the fallen Men, enslaved Elves and shapeshifting wannabe-Saurons sabotage the Union as much as they can.

Battle, Fingon doubtful, problems, suddenly: Turgon! First good surprise of this battle (it will be a whiplash…)

The Noldor want to charge too quickly, but Hurin stops them, because he is wise.

Morgoth wants to kill Fingon especially. Why? Probably to break Maedhros. (Also, revenge for the rescue, maybe.)

Gwindor gets unlucky chance (that's what happens when you go to war against your king's orders, I suppose)

The Noldor get really motivated and almost win. Morgoth is trembling of fear XD as they bang at his door. This is pretty cool of them. But then they all die. :(

Another turn: the Noldor might have won, but Ulfang. :( [Maglor kills him and it's probably the only named character that we are told is killed by Maglor, which is interesting]

Also, Glaurung is there.

Fingon dies. Also, his banner is silver and pale blue, which I did not remember.

Hurin, Turgon, foreshadowing for Earendil. Maeglin hears it all, but does not comment, and he remembers it and I have no idea why the book tells us that, this line feels so odd. "Maeglin, Turgon's sister-son, who stood by, heard these words, and did not forget them; but he said nothing" It's apparently odd to more people because there's a reddit thread about it. huh, ok, makes sense.

So, Hurin is brave and great and I will need to make a post about how the story is an ecosystem and the benefit of one character's heroics sometimes lands to another character's lap and it's painful but also quite real. So. Hurin. But we'll get back to him later.

Morgoth is happy, because divides and betrayal and stuff like that. :/

Also this (Ulfang) is why the Elves don't like Men anymore (except the Edain).

Cirdan is besieged, allo we learn that there are Orcs who can use explosives, and orkish engineers and what not. Interesting. they destroy the ports, Cirdan&co escape to the sea and to Balar.

Turgon again sends ships to Valinor, again it doesn't work (again I suppose he didn't ask Ulmo about his opinion or ignored it), and we are told who kills those sailors: not the Valar. "Only one, Voronwe, was saved by Ulmo from Osse's wrath". So yea, it's the "not rebel, but not not-rebel" sea guy. Don't blame the Valar for this.

Turgon is the rightful king of the Noldor (says the book), Morgoth hates him, because Fingolfin, and because he's a friend of Ulmo, and because Turgon's vibe scares him. We have a wonderful line about how even back in Valinor Morgoth was anxious every time he saw Turgon and tbh this is criminally underexplored in fics (this whole period is) and must have been quite hilarious.

Hurin disses Morgoth, Morgoth curses him and his wife and kids, takes him high up, and curses him again for a good measure.

Results of that: in the next chapter.

[threemushroom]

A part of him died that day

[ieatwormsandtheytasteverygood]

dagor nírnaeth arnœdiad was one big wedding, and it's literally canon. you cannot prove me wrong.

LaCE takes precedence over NoME.

everyone got married except the balrogs. because of a legal technicality involving fanar. this is what they get for being úmaiar*!

　“It was the act of bodily union that achieved marriage, and after 　which the indissoluble bond was complete.” —The Histories of Middle-Earth, Volume X: Morgoth's Ring, The Later Quenta Silmarillion (II); Laws and Customs of the Eldar (B), pg. 211

they called it the union of maedhros. the union of maedhros. and they all had bodies. and they all acted (v. sense 1). and because of the treachery of ulfang? the armies of angband were also part of this act of Bodily Union (or ig corporeal union). EVERYONE got married. except for the balrogs. and maybe the fire-drakes/dragons. that one's up for debate.

just imagine the chaos in mandos. i almost feel bad for námo.

[ricelovejacob]

The white flame never leaves

I thought the elf's immortality equated to being imprisoned in time, so I wanted to combine the hourglass into a cage, but it didn't quite look like a cage. Then inside the hourglass are the tears from the Battle of Unnumbered Tears , and I'm thinking that Fingon's departure equates to him losing his right hand again, so it's impossible to ignore and forget. That's why I drew it💪🏻💪🏻

[eloquentsisyphianturmoil]

People hate on Elwing when Ulfang and his sons are right there. Reblog to agree on a common enemy.

[thebackroomswikidot]

Hey, do you remember the stories of Level ! ?

[rjalker]

here they are.

[ID: a digital drawing of two original Flatland characters, seen from above. One is named Jerult, whose pronouns are ey/em/eir/(eirs)/emself, who is an irregular kite, shaped like an Isosceles triangle, but with an extra stubby angle where the base would be. The other is named Cairis Garret, whose pronouns are he/him/his/himself, who is an Equilateral triangle. Both have thick black exoskeletons and purple insides, with their organs as large blobs in different shades of pink, purple, and red, with one single eye at one of their points. Jerult's is at eir stubby angle, and Cairis' is on one of his points. They both stare at eachother from a short distance away. End ID.]

Cairis is named after C'rizz for reasons that will become obvious, at least to other nerds who know who C'rizz is in the first place.

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How to draw Chains

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Unnumbered #1 Koan

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[anne-chloe]

Trust Me | Seven |

Jareth/Goblin King x F! Reader

Summary : As Sarah's next door neighbour, you're often Mrs Williams' last resort as a babysitter. Sarah had never liked this, but she can be extremely unreliable at times. One stormy night, Sarah grows frustrated with her baby brother and babysitter, resulting in saying a phrase that she later wants to take back. Now, you are stuck in The Goblin Kings realm with little hope to returning home again, unless Sarah can reach the castle and defeat Jareth in time.

You practically threw yourself through the hallways, calling for Tobey and Jareth. Neither of them were anywhere to be seen, and they hadn't been with you when you woke up.

You sprinted down some steps, coming to a hallway with multiple rooms. You spun around in a circle, already feeling exasperated and overwhelmed from the choice. You couldn't risk being lost in The Goblin King's castle, not when Tobey needed you more than ever. Not when Sarah had jumped through hurdles to try and find you in the Labyrinth.

You picked a room at random. It was a library. You crossed into the middle and stared in awe at the thousands of books that lined the walls, each all rising hundreds of metres to the ceiling. You couldn't even see the top, it was that high up.

A glass ball rolled out from one of the aisles. It rolled towards you, landing against your foot. You immediately picked it up, watching with wide eyes as Jareth appeared, holding Tobey in one hand and a timer in the other.

8 minutes.

"You should stop interfering," Jareth warned, his amusement long since washed from his face. "You'll only cause yourself harm."

Frustrated with his words that constantly belittled you, you pulled your arm back and threw the glass ball across the room. It smashed against a bookshelf, shattering into tiny pieces. You spun around on your heel and headed for the door which you came from.

Locked.

It seemed as though Jareth was deliberately keeping you away. Perhaps Sarah was getting closer to him, and she was almost there to save Tobey.

Or maybe Jareth was sparing you some kindness, and he didn't want you to see Tobey turn into a Goblin? With only 8 minutes left on the timer, it was entirely possible that Sarah wouldn't make it.

You wandered over to the bookshelves.

But why would Jareth confront you like that? He was cruel and calculated; he wouldn't warn you away if you hadn't been getting close to him. Sure, he had locked you inside the library to keep you from leaving, but there must be another way to leave the library.

You looked at each book carefully, trying to find one that might seem out of place. Your fingers traced the leather bound books, feeling for something that you might not see straight away.

Then, you stopped.

A book that had been placed upside down. You bit your lower lip, praying that it would lead to some sort of secret entrance if you pulled it down. And as a satisfying click resounded through the air, you knew that your intuition had been correct.

To your right, a doorway opened up. You grinned and bolted for it, stepping into the darkness as the door shut behind you again. You glanced at the spiral staircase that only led up, meaning you'd have to follow it.

You climbed as fast as you could, not stopping to take a much needed breath. You couldn't waste any more time. You'd wasted roughly 2 minutes searching for that hidden door.

A glass ball came bouncing down the steps. You reached out to grab it, frowning as Jareth appeared once more. He looked annoyed, his lips curled downwards in upset.

"Can't you see that I'm trying to protect you? Everything I am doing is for you. Don't be such a brat." Jareth said through gritted teeth. "Turn back and wait for me. This will all be over soon."

You dropped the ball and let it continue bouncing down the steps, listening with a smile as it shattered at the very bottom. You continued upwards, feeling triumphant that you were beginning to make The Goblin King impatient with your disobedience.

If Sarah hadn't have made it to the castle, then you would have admitted defeat and sat quietly. But with the chaos in the city and Jareth warning you to stay away, it only meant that you were indeed getting closer to escaping. And that must be infuriating for Jareth.

You reached the top of the staircase and froze in surprise. You had entered the same staircase room from one of the first tricks Jareth had set up for you. You looked around frantically, seeing many more steps, all leading in awkward positions, upside down and on the walls, all defying gravity. You blinked in disbelief, another glass ball rolling to meet your feet.

You picked it up.

"Last chance, [Name]," Jareth muttered. "Go back to the throne room and wait for me. Don't make this any harder than it needs to be."

You ignored him and dropped the ball, once again listening to it smash into pieces at your feet. You stepped into the middle of the room and glanced around, taking in the sight of all the staircases. Which one did you need to get to? You couldn't tell, seeing as how they all overlapped one another. It made you feel dizzy.

Then, you gasped loudly, watching as Tobey came into view, crawling upside down, just out of reach.

"Tobey!" You called, watching as he looked down (or from his perspective, up) at you. He seemed to recognise you, and he laughed while holding out his hands, wanting you to grab him, to hold him. "Stay there!"

You bolted for the nearest staircase and made your way up. You entered through a doorway and reappeared at another staircase, furthest away from where you wanted to be. You knew this entire task would be frustrating, and so you kept your tongue in cheek as you moved on as fast as you could.

Then, to your surprise, you saw Sarah entering a doorway and reappearing across from you. She spotted you immediately, relief evident on her face. But you saw her distress and desperation. You knew that time was still ticking.

A glass ball bounced across the staircases. Your eyes followed its movements, and you flinched as it bounced into Jareth's hand. He stood closest to Tobey, who sat at his feet. Jareth moved away from Tobey and walked to the edge of the staircase, where he stepped off and plunged towards the floor bellow.

The ground opened up, showing a maze of more stairs underneath the floor.

"[Name], there's only 2 minutes left!" Sarah desperately called out. "How do we get down there?"

You peered over the edge. Your heart hammered in your chest. Jareth had free fallen all the way down, and it was clear his expectation was for you to follow him. So, you looked back over to Sarah, who began chewing her nails nervously.

"We jump," you told her.

Sarah looked at you incredulously, as if you had grown a second head. "Jump?" She repeated, "are you insane?!"

"Do you trust me?" You asked her, growing impatient with the time ticking away so fast.

Sarah nodded. "Of course I trust you."

And I trust The Goblin King.

You closed your eyes and stepped off the staircase, now falling fast into the endless abyss bellow. Wind whipped at your hair as the staircases passed you by, the ground finally coming into view.

Just before you hit the ground, someone caught you. You breathed a sigh of relief and slowly opened your eyes, tilting your head back up at Jareth, who merely scowled down at you. He seemed reluctant to set you down on the floor, his hands lingering at your sides.

Behind you, Jareth watched as Sarah floated to the floor. She landed gently, her eyes narrowed at him in distaste.

Sarah then joined your side, her hand grabbing yours. You hugged her gently, relieved that she was truly standing by your side again, and not as a Goblin, but as herself.

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City," Sarah immediately started, reciting the very same lines she practiced repeatedly from her book. Her hand shook in yours, and you gave a reassuring squeeze.

All the while Sarah spoke, Jareth couldn't take his eyes off of you.

"To take back the child and keeper that you have stolen, for my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great—"

"Stop," Jareth said, lifting up his hand and cutting Sarah off. He suddenly approached you, his hand grabbing your free one, his thumb rubbing over your knuckles. You found the gesture undeniably soothing, but you still continued to stare with a firmness at The Goblin King.

"Everything I have done has been for you. Your expectations have exhausted me. You don't have to leave here, you can stay. All I ask is that you fear me, worship me and love me." Jareth had somehow managed to pull you away from Sarah, who was watching in alarm.

He curled his arms around your waist, holding you close to his body, embracing you in a way that he feared would be his last. Jareth lowered his head, his lips brushing against your own, his eyes low and pleading. "Do all of this, and I will be your slave."

You lifted your hands, placing them delicately on either side of his head. You leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss on his lips. You pulled back, with Jareth looking hungry and desperate for more. But you smiled at him and slowly shook your head.

Having listened to Sarah a hundred times as she recited this speech, you knew exactly how it would end.

"You have no power over me."

And the bell chimed in the distance. Jareth's grip loosened on your waist, and you swore you saw tears in his eyes as he finally let you go.

The world began to crumble around you, and before a bright light consumed you, you found Sarah and pulled her into a protective embrace.

[eri-pl]

So, I was thinking about Battle of Unnumbered Tears and its effects (as you do), and I think that after Thrangorodrim the words "hope" and "Fingon" was synonyms in Maedhros' mind.

And then.

(also, I wonder whether Fingon knew, because of he did, that's a very emotionally difficult position to be in)

@dfwbwfbbwfbwf I'm not sure if this counts as "I agree with you about Mae having hope" or not, but it definitely feels relevant.

[athrabeth-me-ah-also-me]

If there is something that sounds like Nírnaeth, this is it. I don't even want to elaborate.

But if you want to read it anyway, the culmination in the 6th minute is when Fingon dies. And what is afterwards is just tears.

[specialagentartemis]

Maybe the artistic challenge I'll do this month, instead of following any of the prompt games, is "finish the shit you already started for real"-tober.  Where instead of starting new things and getting a hundred new plot bunnies, I actually focus on writing/podficcing/sewing the many projects I have started.

Alternately, instead of that, I could do Dissertation Proposal-tober, where I actually finish writing my dissertation proposal. Imagine that.