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Crocodile finds a strange stray cat an 11-year old Nico Robin (AU where they met 13 years earlier. Robin's been on the run from the World Government for 3 years. Crocodile's 27 and has not set up base in Alabasta yet)

It seems like I have become possessed. By some sort of demon.

Bonus:

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Shanks fumbled Buggy so hard it's not even funny anymore it's just sad.

24 years later, the man is still depressed

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I started the six fanarts ! Can you guess the character? Clue : It start with M and the skeleton at her left will be her son.

I'm sorry it takes so long, i don't have much energy lately even for fun things like this :(

I'm also trying something different with lineless art so it take more time than usual

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Yeah fanwork can be a lot less taxing than original work because like you said it's a sandbox, it's always easier to do something because we want to instead of needing to.

For years when i was in a really dark place in my life, i was unable to draw anything else than fanarts and i had to completely give up on drawing my original comics, no matter how much i tried i just couldn't do it, i didn't have the physical or mental energy required. I think i'm getting better now and it's because i gave up on the comic path and got back to my first love, writing. Starting fresh on something new was the right move for me at the time. But it's always difficult to know what choices will help us and when to make them in an artistic path, there is no right answer, we have to figure everything out ourself. And do it again and again and again because the circonstances change depending on where we are in our lives. I hope all goes well for you and that you'll be able to switch between projects as you want ! 💙

I just saw your post about Lady Of The Lake ! I'll wait until next month to buy the ebook (month ends are difficult, i have to plan my budget for July first), but i can't wait to read it !✨

Sorry I haven't slept well lately so i'm really tired right now and my brain is a bit too foggy to write well articulate sentences but i loved ready your thoughts !

It may be weird to say, but I love reading about your thoughts on writing. I don't know how to explain it, but it makes me happy to see someone else taking all of this so seriously because writing is, and has always been, the most important thing in my life. It's a shame i can't read Finnish because the way you talk about your writing makes me certain I would LOVE your books.

I can relate to the being too focused on fanworks to focus on personal writing because that's the reason I stayed away from most fandom stuff for a year. I try not to get as involved in fandom anymore (despite how much i love it) because it really clogs my personal work. I used to spend too much time thinking about the stories I love to make significant progress on my own stories. (I think I've finally found a balance. I can only hope I'll manage to keep it!)

Anyway, that was just a bit of rambling in your inbox, sorry if it didn't make sense. I hope you have a wonderful day 💙

Saying what you did couldn't possibly be weirder to say than my rambling is in the first place. 🙈🩵 If that makes sense. And I relate, I absolutely love to read writers go all out and unfiltered about their process, because there are certain things about it that would probably only occur to someone who is, not just a writer, but a similar writer, and that connection is really precious to find... And on the other hand it's also really interesting to learn about completely different writing processes. Actually you're making me feel like maybe I should ramble more often myself. 🙏

And I'm really touched that you would think you'd love my books. 🥺 (*Cue impostor syndrome*) I do want my books published in English at some point, even if I have to do that myself, so I actually did this little experiment... I'm about to have a short story collection come out by the end of the month, which I translated myself, with the help of a native English speaking editor, and my publisher decided to take it, since we are going to an international book con which is a good place for it to come out. Anyway... there is also going to be an ebook of it soon. I just wanted to tell you in case that would interest you. It's just four short stories and a novella, because translating a full novel myself seemed somehow too risky to me. But yeah, it's an attempt to branch out, which I really hope won't blow back in my face in some way. 😅

And oh yes, the dilemma about fanwork vs. original work. It's forever, really. I was really strict about it when I was younger, I didn't do any fanworks for seven years, after I had drawn a fan comic in high school for a year and it had swallowed me whole. But then I had to give in for KagaKuro, they were so pressing, somehow, and that's how I started writing fic. And I was so happy I did. I grew so much as a writer through fanfiction, because I was able to be a lot more experimental with it, than my original fiction. It was so good to have a sandbox where all pressure was off. And for years I was able to write both as planned. But then, shit happened in my life, and I think it was because I was really depressed and sick that I only had energy for one thing really, and fanfic became that. And then I didn't write new original fiction for two years. (I just edited old manuscripts for publication). Maybe it's dramatic but I felt like fanfic was my purpose in life, like that was the only thing why I was still here. And now I'm doing a LOT better so... I hope that I'll be able to balance both and not leave fanfic out because I really get so much from it. But I do have to reduce my pace with it. 😅 I guess I'm hoping that I might write one original project, then fanfic, and so on, keep switching after I've completed one thing, somehow, since I'm not good at focusing on multiple things at a time. But yeah. The struggle is real, even though both feel so important to me I'm not ready to give anything up. I'm really happy to hear you've found balance! I guess the hard thing about it is, that balance is an active thing and what works one time, won't necessarily work at another time... So, good luck to us both. ☺️

Oh, you absolutely made sense, don't worry. 🩵 Really happy to see you in my inbox and to talk about writing. ✨ My inbox is a free space to ramble. 👍 If you ever need another writer to talk about your writing with, or just ramble, I'm here.

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I'm sure Finduilas wrote frequently to Imrahil, who therefore knew of her friendship with Thorongil.

Then Aragorn returned to Gondor, saved them all with his ghost army, and even more than his sense of honor and allegiance to the true king, it was his love for Finduilas that convinced Imrahil to follow him.

Boromir Week Day 3: Son of Denethor, Paternal Family, Thorongil

Here is what we know: When Denethor was a young man, Aragorn served as a captain in Gondor under the name Thorongil. He was so skilled and wise that he soon became invaluable to Steward Ecthelion, which made Denethor jealous.

So here's today's headcanon: Ecthelion wants to keep Thorongil close while Denethor is constantly trying to edge him out, which means Aragorn is just constantly around. And Finduilas, as we know, is very, very lonely. She's alone in a world of grim, older military men, she dreads being so close to Mordor, and her husband has no emotional fluency. So when Thorongil speaks kindly to her and holds genuine conversations with her, it's one of the only friendly anchors she has. She sees him as closer to her in age--though he's not--and feels like he actually values her for more than just being a quiet, dutiful wife--because he does. He's there throughout her first pregnancy and when she goes into labor with Boromir.

Meanwhile, Denethor's attention has been on being valuable to his father. He's been hoping and praying this baby will be a son, because he thinks it will be what he finally needs to wrest Ecthelion's favor away from Thorongil and back to himself.

But while Ecthelion adores his grandson, he still relies on Thorongil's skills and leadership, and Denethor only grows more jealous. Recognizing this, and perhaps also recognizing that he's become a wedge between Finduilas and Denethor, Aragorn surprises everyone by making that abrupt decision not to return to Minas Tirith after the battle of the Corsairs.

TO BE CLEAR, I don't hc that Boromir and Faramir's parentage is anything other than what's laid out in canon. I'm just saying THERE'S A LOT OF MATERIAL TO WORK WITH HERE.

@boromir-week

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So here's one of the coolest things that has happened to me as a Tolkien nut and an amateur medievalist. It's also impacted my view of the way Tolkien writes women. Here's Carl Stephenson in MEDIEVAL FEUDALISM, explaining the roots of the ceremony of knighthood: "In the second century after Christ the Roman historian Tacitus wrote an essay which he called Germania, and which has remained justly famous. He declares that the Germans, though divided into numerous tribes, constitute a single people characterised by common traits and a common mode of life. The typical German is a warrior. [...] Except when armed, they perform no business, either private or public. But it is not their custom that any one should assume arms without the formal approval of the tribe. Before the assembly the youth receives a shield and spear from his father, some other relative, or one of the chief men, and this gift corresponds to the toga virilis among the Romans--making him a citizen rather than a member of a household" (pp 2-3). Got it?

Remember how Tolkien was a medievalist who based his Rohirrim on Anglo-Saxon England, which came from those Germanic tribes Tacitus was talking about? Stephenson argues that the customs described by Tacitus continued into the early middle ages eventually giving rise to the medieval feudal system. One of these customs was the gift of arms, which transformed into the ceremony of knighthood: "Tacitus, it will be remembered, describes the ancient German custom by which a youth was presented with a shield and a spear to mark his attainment of man's estate. What seems to the be same ceremony reappears under the Carolingians. In 791, we are told, Charlemagne caused Prince Louis to be girded with a sword in celebration of his adolescence; and forty-seven years later Louis in turn decorated his fifteen-year-old son Charles "with the arms of manhood, i.e., a sword." Here, obviously, we may see the origin of the later adoubement, which long remained a formal investiture with arms, or with some one of them as a symbol. Thus the Bayeux Tapestry represents the knighting of Earl Harold by William of Normandy under the legend: Hic Willelmus dedit Haroldo arma (Here William gave arms to Harold). [...] Scores of other examples are to be found in the French chronicles and chansons de geste, which, despite much variation of detail, agree on the essentials. And whatever the derivation of the words, the English expression "dubbing to knighthood" must have been closely related to the French adoubement" (pp 47-48.)

In its simplest form, according to Stephenson, the ceremony of knighthood included "at most the presentation of a sword, a few words of admonition, and the accolade." OK. So what does this have to do with Tolkien and his women? AHAHAHAHA I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED. First of all, let's agree that Tolkien, a medievalist, undoubtedly was aware of all the above. Second, turn with me in your copy of The Lord of the Rings to chapter 6 of The Two Towers, "The King of the Golden Hall", when Theoden and his councillors agree that Eowyn should lead the people while the men are away at war. (This, of course, was something that medieval noblewomen regularly did: one small example is an 1178 letter from a Hospitaller knight serving in the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem which records that before marching out to the battle of Montgisard, "We put the defence of the Tower of David and the whole city in the hands of our women".) But in The Lord of the Rings, there's a little ceremony.

"'Let her be as lord to the Eorlingas, while we are gone.' 'It shall be so,' said Theoden. 'Let the heralds announce to the folk that the Lady Eowyn will lead them!' Then the king sat upon a seat before his doors and Eowyn knelt before him and received from him a sword and a fair corselet."

I YELLED when I realised what I was reading right there. You see, the king doesn't just have the heralds announce that Eowyn is in charge. He gives her weapons.

Theoden makes Eowyn a knight of the Riddermark.

Not only that, but I think this is a huge deal for several reasons. That is, Tolkien knew what he was doing here.

From my reading in medieval history, I'm aware of women choosing to fight and bear arms, as well as becoming military leaders while the men are away at some war or as prisoners. What I haven't seen is women actually receiving knighthood. Anyone could fight as a knight if they could afford the (very pricy) horse and armour, and anyone could lead a nation as long as they were accepted by the leaders. But you just don't see women getting knighted like this.

Tolkien therefore chose to write a medieval-coded society, Rohan, where women arguably had greater equality with men than they did in actual medieval societies.

I think that should tell us something about who Tolkien was as a person and how he viewed women - perhaps he didn't write them with equal parity to men (there are undeniably more prominent male characters in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, at least, than female) but compared to the medieval societies that were his life's work, and arguably even compared to the society he lived in, he was remarkably egalitarian.

I think it should also tell us something about the craft of writing fantasy.

No, you don't have to include gut wrenching misogyny and violence against women in order to write "realistic" medieval-inspired fantasy.

Tolkien's fantasy worlds are DEEPLY informed by medieval history to an extent most laypeople will never fully appreciate. The attitudes, the language, the ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS use of medieval military tactics...heck, even just the way that people travel long distances on foot...all of it is brilliantly medieval.

The fact that Theoden bestows arms on Eowyn is just one tiny detail that is deeply rooted in medieval history. Even though he's giving those arms to a woman in a fantasy land full of elves and hobbits and wizards, it's still a wonderfully historically accurate detail.

Of course, I've ranted before about how misogyny and sexism wasn't actually as bad in medieval times as a lot of people today think. But from the way SOME fantasy authors talk, you'd think that historical accuracy will disappear in a puff of smoke if every woman in the dragon-infested fantasy land isn't being traumatised on the regular.

Tolkien did better. Be like Tolkien.

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As an autistic person, you can literally tell someone "I mean this genuinely and literally and this is all genuinely good faith. I mean this all completely neutrally, I'm not implying anything else and this is all extremely literal and good faith" and someone will still misconstrue you in ways you never thought was possible.

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I was talking to my friend about LOTR (as one does) and the topic of how much Tolkien fans love a specific type of ship came up and she called it “fancy elf falls for grimy trash can boy” and I’ve never heard something so funny and yet so fucking accurate

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Back when i worked i spent 8 hours packaging chicken skewers and the first day i was so exhausted that i couldn't stop shaking and whenever i closed my eyes to sleep i kept seeing chicken skewers and i couldn't get the smell out of my clothes so i did my best to picture images of The Beatles instesd but they kept fading & turned into chicken skewers like in some horrible nightmare and i was miserable

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I have enough names to do this twice, but I'll start with the first six I received and if I still have energy left, I'll do the others as well.

Only characters from Tolkien legendarium please <3

I'll take requests here because it'll reach more people but i'll post them on @firefly-artwork (you can send your request directly there if you want)

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I feel like 99% of the Silmarillion fans forget that Fëanor was actually a very likeable guy for most of his life.

That is literally a significant part of why people followed him. A lot of people loved and admired him. He wasn't mean to random people, and definitely not "a toxic husband/father." The whole point of his story is that he was universally beloved, which is what made his fall so impactful.

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I was very brave today! (I replied to an email)

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A set of Finwë illustrations i did !

With Elwë, Miriel & Baby Fëanor (+ Adult Fëanor looking at the painting) and Fëanor

I don't know why i draw him so much ?? His relationships with other characters are just too interesting i guess

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After more than 10 years of struggling with insomnia, I finally decided to ask the doctor for real medicine.

It doesn't work. I fall asleep HOURS after taking it (it's supposed to be 15-30 minutes).

When I do fall asleep, I sleep for 10-11 hours, which, added to my 'trying to fall asleep for half the night' time, gives me less than ten hours of waking time. A whole day wasted.

When I wake up, my brain is ultra foggy for the whole day. Again, a whole day wasted.

I'm this 🤏close to drinking coffee right before going to sleep as, for an unknown reason, it makes me sleepy.

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A post special Sabo and Koala with a Robin bonus for no particular occasion. I just love them.

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Celrond Week 2025

"...and it was then that Elrond first saw Celebrían, and loved her, though he said nothing of it."

Announcing Celrond Week, a Tolkien fandom event celebrating the relationship between Celebrían of Lothlorien and her husband Elrond Peredhel, Lord of Imladris and Middle Earth’s favourite wifewise-guy. This event will run from October 20th — 26th 2025, and will feature three elements from which participants can pick and choose if and as they wish, or just go rogue!

A traditional “prompt list” — as seen in most fandom events, seven overarching themes and several literary/visual prompts within each one, to provide a spark of optional inspiration.

Bingo Challenges — a set of “bingo boards” that cater to those preferring to write sentence-fics, drabbles or shorter ficlets. These will be thematic, and feature short, or single-word, prompts that you collectively 'tick off' to reveal a 'prize' image underneath. Inspired by the @silmarillionwritersguild Potluck Bingo challenge.

Visual Prompts: for the artistically minded among us! These will include photo prompts, colour/mood boards, and even meme templates (Eg: “I bet Elrond is thinking about other elves…” Elrond: *thinking about taxation*) that you can take in whatever direction you see fit.

Prompts and boards will be shared on this blog across the next few weeks and in the run up to the event so do follow to keep updated, and the AO3 Collection will be linked here when live. 

Click here for a detailed guide to the event, including content guidelines and an FAQ. 

Happy Celronding!