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ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (2016) dir. Gareth Edwards

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"The reason why I was so happy to play this role and so excited about the idea of being part of this universe because I thought it was so bold, so interesting, and so unique to have an ending like this. [...] It was one film and I knew what the end was going to be. And it’s one of the things that excited me the most, you know, that Star Wars was going to do that, was going to show what sacrifice means, and was going to go for it." — Diego Luna

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY | 2016 dir. Gareth Edwards

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WIP Snippet Whenever

Many thanks to @sallysavestheday and @nycterisg for the tags and the lovely excerpts of their Silm fics! ♥️

I write in LOTR land, so below is a small clip of my WIP/Not WIP about the household staff of Meduseld secretly resisting the influence of Gríma. Here Helswith, an apprentice cook who is new to Edoras, is having her first encounter with Mr Wormtongue himself. CW for creepy dude behavior.

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His [Gríma’s] mere presence, to say nothing of his handling of the plates, was a violation of one of Luftmeda’s only firm directives. Allow no one else near the king’s food. But Helswith had no authority to order around the man everyone knew to be the king’s own favorite. And surely such a constraint wouldn’t apply to someone in his position anyway? She looked over her shoulder, wishing for reinforcement of some kind, but the kitchen remained empty. When she turned back, he’d moved again, coming to the end of the bench as though he might round it to her side. She took an instinctive step backward.

“Everything is nearly ready, as you see.”

“Yes, I certainly do.”

One corner of his mouth curled up into a smile followed by a little huff of laughter at a joke that meant something only to him. He took another step toward her, almost a challenge to see if she’d move again, and she hesitated.

She’d come across men like this before in her life. An uncle of a childhood friend, the man in Eabíge who made and sold cookware, the boatman who operated the small ferry to the Dunlendish village on the opposite side of the river. Men whose eyes crawled all over her body like so many roving hands and whose every utterance carried some hint of covetous menace no matter how pleasant their actual words. Their ominous attentions somehow always left her feeling that she’d failed the encounter. Laughing it off, edging away, gritting her teeth and ignoring it until circumstances intervened — none of these responses ever gave her what she wanted except in the most immediate sense of reprieve. But to do anything more felt charged with danger, requiring her to shoulder risk of a different kind that she wanted as little as she did the leering looks and casual touches.

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No pressure tags to just a few of my favorites @hobbitwrangler @dilettantefeminist @lady-of-ithilien who I know are working on things that I love!

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forever and always thinking about this line in the Silm:

Then Thingol was filled with fear and wonder; and because he would not deprive Lúthien of the lights of heaven, lest she fail and fade, and yet would restrain her, he caused a house to be built from which she should not escape.

just a very bleak admission in the middle of this, that locking luthien up could have killed her, but she needs to be locked up (her love described in the leithian as "a spell of madness") and therefore, hirilorn is the uneasy compromise. incarcerate her for her madness, but not enough to kill her. they know they're doing wrong; in addition to this, the birds etc stop singing, all song vanishes from doriath. there are signs for those who are willing to understand. this does not seem to deter them.

all of doriath is complicit in this, as nargothrond is also equally complicit in the captivity celegorm & curufin hold her in. says something really bleak about the state of elvish society at that particular time for this to be made possible both amongst the iathrim and the noldor (perhaps worse amongst the noldor, because of the threat of forced marriage & all it implies).

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More of my headcanon about Maglor (these are totally stuff based on my taste so don’t take it too seriously)

I interpret Maglor as quite cold despite his pacifist attitude. Maedhros has more of natural charisma; you see that when he wins over diverse allies and organizes forces. But our favorite redhead also makes what can be interpreted as pretty rash decisions like actually going to see Melkor. He also engages in a lot of self-destructive behavior like when he decides to go after the Silmarils in the end. On the other hand, you never see Maglor act out of a passion of the moment. Even when poor Maedhros had been taken captive, he doesn’t just jump out. I like to interpret this as Maglor making more strategic—albeit a little cold—move by choosing to keep remaining brothers/allies alive (at this point, Feanor has been killed and Maedhros taken, so they’ve lost two of their own in a short time). Maedhros expresses and is influenced by his emotions, which is what makes him sometimes act recklessly—kind of like his dad—but also what draws others to him. But the boy also breaks like cookies when things get overwhelming. Maglor, in contrast, acts more even-headed but suppresses his emotions, which is probably why he’s so weary by the end of the First Age. Nevertheless, he’s much more resilient than his older brother. If for overall good, he can stand humiliation while Maedhros can’t.

Another headcanon is that after Thangorondrim, Maglor finds it difficult to say no to Maedhros—whether it’s a song request or some military campaign idea—because he feels guilty for not rescuing his brother himself. He doesn’t act like he’s bothered in front of Maedhros, but he really can’t say no. Maedhros is unaware that Maglor still feels guilty though. He’s just happy his little brother is so nice to him.

Our little(?) minstrel is also a rather a frightening warrior. He’s the one who killed Uldor (this part is canon but my another headcanon is that as calm as Maglor is usually, he’ll take out those who hurt his brothers). Silma always mentions how Maglor is great singer and the reader can be misled in to thinking that this elf is a harmless fluffball of a musician, but we have to remember that in Tolkien’s world, music has a lot of power. Remember. Finrod had music battle with Sauron and Luthien worked her way through her adventure with songs. Generally, if a character is described as a great musician, the said character is also formidable, so it’s not a stretch to conclude that Maglor is pretty powerful (he’s also called Kanafinwe).

Basically, I like interpreting Maglor as wise like Nerdanel but also capable of Feanor’s ferocity. If anyone inherited an ounce of wisdom from Nerdanel, I say it’s Maglor. But then this makes Maglor scariest of them all because anyone who’s gotten a real bit of Nerdanel in them is scary.

*Oh I also just remembered that dear Nelyo also asked his father if they were going back to pick up Fingon. Yeah. He can be rather naive sometimes.

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Tolkien was a conservative and probably held homophobic beliefs and tolerating a handful of gay friends doesn’t change the fact that a Catholic guy born in the victorian era probably at the very least had some “love the sinner hate the sin” beliefs and he probably would be spinning in his grave over people making gay erotica of his characters. which is good let’s all make him spin harder

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It’s time for the fall of Gondolin

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moral questions in the Silmarillion

is it wrong to murder people for shiny objects

what if you REALLY want the shiny objects

what if they were your dad's and a bad guy already murdered your granddad for them

like that's basically justified right?

what if you made a very serious promise that you were going to murder people for the shiny objects and you hadn't really thought through the implications at the time

admittedly you then started murdering people more or less immediately so the implications became obvious quite quickly

in fact you murdered some people and stole their stuff in literally exactly the same way that the bad guy murdered and stole from your family

but maybe you're just quite stupid and don't know about narrative parallels?

what if you felt genuinely bad about the murders

not bad enough to stop but you know, there was some emotional torment going on there

what if you were going to be condemned to eternal darkness for not doing the murders

...because of that very serious promise, which you made on purpose, no one forced you, the promise was your own idea

what if you kidnapped some small children and were nice to them

not even kidnapped, you adopted them, they were orphans

admittedly they were orphans because you murdered their whole family

but being nice to children is a redeeming quality right?

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Songs of Power

Done for the Scribbles & Drabbles Tolkien Event 2025 at @fall-for-tolkien

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Snippet Monday

I was kindly tagged by @queerofthedagger to share a snippet of what I’m working on (thank you so much! <3). Over the past few days I’ve done a lot more reading than writing though ^^' I’m sharing another part of my maemag fic - which I’m planning to post for slimsmutweek (I’m thrilled since I’ve never taken part in one of these events before. So: yaaayy).

I’m still a bit unsure about this section; I felt it was necessary if I’m going to weave in some Maglor/Fëanor as well but mmmh we’ll see. For context, this is something Maglor himself is writing/wrote.

There came a time when His Majesty Kanafinwë, King of the Noldor in Exile, was called upon to decide the fate that would befall the eldest of his brothers ��� he to whom, by right and all accounts, the crown should have fallen, were it not for the unfortunate matter of his abduction. And ill-fated was that day, for His Majesty was not only bereft of the love of the dearest among his brothers, but laid upon him also a grievous burden, one he had never thought to bear, nor did any believe he could endure. Thus, before the attention of the King and His High Council, the following question was set forth: What would His Majesty Fëanáro – master of their banishment and sire to those who now sat in mournful council – have done? From his seat at the King’s right hand, being now second in the line of succession, Prince Turkafinwë declared without the faintest doubt that their valiant and fiery father would never have left his firstborn to languish in the clutches of the enemy; if for no other cause than that of principle. Of the same mind was Curufinwë, who – so he claimed – knew more deeply than any of his brothers the mind of the man whose name he bore, adding that whoever thought otherwise had no right to bear the title of King. It is neither meet nor needful to set down in full the counsel of Moryofinwë who, dwelling far from the royal seat, had ere the debate begun made plain his deep resentment at being set aside in favour of his younger brother. With bitter tongue he assailed the wisdom of the High Council, already affronted, as he said, by the subtle snares with which the Enemy had entrapped their rightful sovereign; and in the end, he declared that, in any case, their sire had been naught but a Supreme Megaloma– "How dare you!" cried Curufinwë. "How dare you, O vile and grasping creature, cast shame upon the name of our sire!" And Turkafinwë, thinking to still the rising wrath or to restore what he deemed to be sound reason, spoke thus: "The Valar have said that our father was, and shall ever remain, the greatest among the Eldar." Then these words gave light to the King’s judgment, and in the secrecy of his own thought he pronounced solemnly: "Our father used to say that the Valar are wrong."

no pressure tag for: @from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras @antlered-vixen @gaydhros @elennalore @conundrumoftime and @sallysavestheday (and anyone else who’d like to join and share something! :))

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Snippet Sunday

I was tagged by @annarobots and @sallysavestheday to once again share a snippet, thank you both!! <3 I did just finish writing my first TRSB fic last night, so have a bit of Maedhros not having a great time 😌

Morgoth’s retribution, when it comes, is as devastating as Maedhros always knew it would be. He stands on Himring’s highest tower and watches as every place filled with people he loves gets hit at once—from Barad Eithel over Dorthonion to Himlad, to the Gap and up to Mount Rerir. The North burns, and Orcs fall upon Himring until Maedhros has no time left to worry for his family. To do so would mean death, and so he fights, and fights, and fights. Makes sure his fortress holds, and grits his teeth against the urge to ride out, to send messengers, to do anything other than what he must. Himring holds. The cost is astronomical. Dorthonion gone, most of their strongholds fallen, except for Himring and Barad Eithel. Barad Eithel, which no longer harbours a king. The tale of Fingolfin’s last duel comes weeks after the battle itself, and slams into them all the harder for it. Maedhros rides west as soon as he can. Swears his fealty anew to the Nolofinwëan High King in public, and weathers Fingon’s grief and rage in private. What did you expect, he never says. What do you think where else this will yet lead us. He knows Fingon can read it on his face, all the same. He is no longer sure for whom it is a kindness, that neither of them says it out loud.

Tagging: @mykingdomcomeundone @emryses @melestasflight @atlantablack @antlered-vixen @balrogballs @ulmondil @hobbitwrangler @polutrope @nycterisg no pressure but would love to see what you're working on! <3

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OROMË Radiant

I hope you all like my version of the huntsman ^^ Let me know what you think!

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Glorfindel before the battle. I don’t know if I remember this correctly, but I feel like the House of the Golden Flower was in the second wave of defense during the fall. It must be hard to be held back when you know your comrades are dying.

(Lol I went back to fact check this and it was actually Ecthelion who was held back. Oops)

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Norman Clifford Jaques (1922 – 2004) Woodland Path 1954

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gently informing my dog that he has free will and thus can choose his own path. nonetheless he follows me into the horrors (floor that makes his paws feel yucky)

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why does making out have to always be amorous or sexual. maybe theyre making out for tax purposes

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“I would die for my kids” your children want an apology