withallthatisleftofmyheart

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THE RINGS OF POWER S2E1: Elven Kings Under the Sky

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Fingon and Maedhros for @queerofthedagger <3

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Sometimes, if you’re lucky, there will be a tree outside your bedroom window. It is very important to romanticize this tree as much as possible.

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Sauron & Adar.

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Not even sorry...

I. LOVE. HIM. SO. MUCH.

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When Galadriel Gets Practical

Galadriel: Unapologetically ships it. 💘 Elrond: Hopelessly overwhelmed 😰 Gil-galad: “NO, it's not a love story!” 😩 Adar: “Oh, but it is.” 🖤🥀

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the question of fic comments is very straightforward actually. readers do not owe writers comments. writers do not owe readers fic. there is no bargain, no transaction, no debt.

fic is a gift. comments are a gift. gifts are exchanged between friends, out of love, not out of obligation.

I write for myself. I post it for others, as a gift, because their joy brings me joy. I read for myself. I comment for the author, as a gift, because their joy brings me joy. perhaps we were not friends before, but we are now, however fleetingly, because we have given each other gifts out of love.

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There are a lot of theories on the Silmarils, but one I can really get behind is that the Arkenstone is one of the Silmarils.

In which case I can imagine Feanor and his sons watching from Mandos' halls all of the events in The Hobbit and being EXTREMELY triggered by Thorin.

Literally.

Feanor in particular, I can hear him say stuff like:

"THAT DWARF IS HOLDING A SILMARIL"

"WHY DID HE CALL A SILMARIL THE ARKENSTONE"

"I AM GONNA KILL HIM WHY IS HE ADVANCING ANY PRETENSE ON MY STUFF"

"BRING ME MY SWORD I NEED TO FIGHT HIM AND GET BACK THE SILMARIL"

Et cetera.

whilst Mandos is like

Because last time the remaining two Silmarils were with Maglor and Maedhros. And Maedhros launched himself in the depth of an abyss full of lava, the Silmaril with him. The Silmaril embedded itself in rocks, then the entire Beleriand was basically destroyed and reformed into new land, it can't be that much outlandish that the Silmaril was now in Erebor.

The other Silmaril is in the depth of the ocean where Maglor launched it, so. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway.

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There are about a million reasons why I love Faramir and Éowyn’s relationship and why I think it’s one of the most romantic relationships that Tolkien wrote, but do you want to know what isn’t talked about enough?

‘Do not scorn pity that is the gift of a gentle heart, Éowyn! But I do not offer you my pity. For you are a lady high and valiant and have yourself won renown that shall not be forgotten; and you are a lady beautiful, I deem, beyond even the words of the Elven-tongue to tell. And I love you. Once I pitied your sorrow. But now, were you sorrowless, without fear or any lack, were you the blissful Queen of Gondor, still I would love you. Éowyn, do you not love me?’

A lot has already been said about Faramir’s confession that he would still love her if she were the Queen of Gondor—and rightly so, because he’s basically saying he’s so hopelessly in love that nothing could ever change his feelings—but what REALLY does it for me, even more than that, is Faramir saying that she is VALIANT. He admires her bravery and her accomplishments in battle, and he says she has won RENOWN. Yes!!! YES!!!!!!!!!

Look, part of the reason Éowyn doesn’t want pity is that she doesn’t want to be looked down upon, and that’s what she associates with being pitied. But this isn’t really about another person’s pity—this is about how Éowyn sees herself. All her life, she’s been held back from participating in battle and from doing great deeds. In her conversation with Aragorn at Edoras, in one of my favorite scenes in the book, she delivers these searing lines: ‘All your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house. But when the men have died in battle and honour, you have leave to be burned in the house, for the men will need it no more. But I am of the House of Eorl and not a serving-woman. I can ride and wield blade, and I do not fear either pain or death.’ Aragorn asks, ‘What do you fear, lady?’ And Éowyn replies: ‘A cage. To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.’

But at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, she DOES great deeds! She and Merry slay the Witch-king of Angmar, Sauron’s MOST POWERFUL SERVANT. When you think about the power of fear that the Nazgûl had over most mortals, it’s absolutely astounding how brave this was for them to do. But even afterwards, Éowyn doesn’t appear to know the value of what she’s done. Part of this may be her grief for Théoden, and part of it may be the Black Breath, but the point is she doesn’t know what she has achieved. Because in the Houses of Healing, she says to Faramir, ‘I wish to ride to war like my brother Éomer, or better like Théoden the king, for he died and has both honour and peace.’ Éowyn still does not believe she has won honor—and so she does not have peace.

To this Faramir says, ‘It is too late, lady, to follow the Captains, even if you had the strength. But death in battle may come to us all yet, willing or unwilling. You will be better prepared to face it in your own manner, if while there is still time you do as the Healer commanded. You and I, we must endure with patience the hours of waiting.’ It’s important that Faramir doesn’t tell her she’s wrong for wanting to go to battle, only that she must heal, and battle may still come for them yet—and he says WE must wait. Éowyn didn’t want to be left behind to wait for the men to return, but with her and Faramir both waiting, it no longer has that meaning.

This is all important context for the confession. Because days later, in the most romantic conversation of all time, Faramir says these magic words: ‘For you are a lady high and valiant and have yourself won renown that shall not be forgotten.’ LISTEN TO ME, IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT HE SAYS THIS! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT ÉOWYN NEEDED TO HEAR. It’s the FIRST THING HE SAYS IN THE SPEECH! Before he says she’s beautiful, before he says he loves her, he tells her she is valiant.

This is it. This is why this scene is peak romance to me. Because Éowyn desired to do great deeds and to win honor in battle, and she actually HAS DONE SO, but she doesn’t know it. And Faramir understands her, and not only that, he ADMIRES HER! ‘For you are a lady high and valiant and have yourself won renown that shall not be forgotten.’ I don’t know about you, but that line ALONE would make me fall in love.

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elwing the white

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SLAUGHTER EVERY MORTAL!!

Maedhros in Angbang

Been captured and brainwashed to be a general. Morgoth sent him to fight with other Noldor.

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A Spring Evening.

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Overly dramatic inking practice: the death of Feanor ♥ I had too much fun drawing this (maybe I will color it later...or do some overly dramatic Silmarillion series, as always )