disabled-tolkien

[disabled-tolkien]

[Image description: an elf in a graceful dance pose. One arm is curved over their head and the other is at chest height. They have light brown skin and shoulder length blonde hair. Their left leg is an above-knee metal prosthetic.]

Siryawë Telpëa, spouse of Makalaurë Kanafinwë. Dancer and pearl diver.

Character lore under the cut!

Siryawë Telpëa was born to a Vanya mother and a Teler father, in one of the many fisher villages surrounding Alqualondë. They were born with a fëa that never decided between male or female, and embraced both masculinity and femininity. From an early age, Siryawë twirled around the rooms of her parent's wooden harbour home and on the docks of her father's fishing vessel. She would often join him on his boat where they'd fish for squid and lobsters. This brought her family a steady, yet modest income from which they could live a comfortable life. Her mother was a devotee of Manwë, and as such trained and cared for a flock of messenger birds.

When nearing adulthood, Siryawë decided to make a huge change, and moved to the centre on Alqualondë, and enrolled in the Royal University of Performance Arts and Music as a dancer. To pay her expensive tuition fees and housing, they took up pearl-diving part time. Waking before dawn each day and joining other divers on the boat that brought them to the prime diving spots, and immediately after she's rush to town to try and make it in time for her morning classes. It was a busy, and rather hard life, but Siryawë loved every part of it. They made a lot of friends at school, and eventually found a roommate to split the rent with. Amarië was a percussionist for the orchestra and the two bonded over their shared Vanyarin heritage.

She would meet Maglor and one of the school's play rehearsals, where he would take the role of narrator and harpist, and Siryawë was the main character of the tale. They became fast friends, and Maglor taught her how to play the Telerin flute, while she tried to teach him how to dance. That he was a prince, they didn't really register as significant until one day she saw Maglor casually chatting and hugging with Finwë at the banquet that was held after a big performance. Findaráto joined the university a year after they did, and they became fast friends, and with Maglor obviously already knowing Finrod, he fit right into their group of friends. It wasn't long before Siryawë and Maglor noticed Finrod and Amarië were making heart-eyes at each other, and as such they decided to combine their powers of having no social filter and set the two up.

Nearing the end of their education, Siryawë received an offer from Nessa, to become her apprentice and join her dancers, which Siryawë obviously accepted. Unfortunately, not everything in life would continue treating her well. One day, the pearl-diving ship got caught in a rough storm and capsized. No one died, but Siraywë broke her knee, resulting in an open fracture. Despite receiving the best care that the Estë and her Maiar had to offer, she contracted sepsis. The only thing that could be done to save her life was to amputate the leg. Siryawë had stubbornly refused, but her parents eventually changed their mind, and she consented to the procedure. It all went well, and she swiftly recovered, but their life as a dancer of the highest rank had ended, and thus she mourned deeply.

Maglor, seeing his best friend in such peril begged his mother and father to help Siryawë dance again, stating that he could not live with her being so devastated. Nerdanel and Fëanor then noticed that their little boy had fallen in love, but said nothing of it. They invited Siryawë to their workshops, and with Nerdanel's sculpting and Fëanor's brilliance they fashioned her a leg made out of silver, with moveable joints. Nerdanel managed to get Aulë to enchant it to be unbreakable. The leg was a thing of beauty indeed, but Fëanor had warned her that it would not magically cure her, nor would it be the same as her old leg had been, but that this was only a stepping stone he could provide; the rest was up to them.

So Siryawë trained and trained, becoming more and more in tune with her new leg, Maglor taught her songs of power that made the leg bend and twist to her will. She eventually regained her former glory, albeit in an adapted way. Dance was never easy for her again, but they did make it into Nessa's group nonetheless. After their first performance as dancer of the Valar, Maglor finally realised he was in love with them, and confessed. Siryawë was bewildered, but soon realised she had felt the same. Maglor travelled to her parent's dwelling to ask for their blessing, and got it. They wed 5 years later.

They bought a house together in the centre of Tirion, close to all the big theatres, and together they produced many plays and opera's, becoming famed and sought after. They both wanted children, but decided to hold off on it for the time being, enjoying their free life too much to give it up so soon, and didn't they have eternity?

Siryawë didn't join Maglor in Formenos, because she was touring with her group, but they kept in contact. When news of the kinslaying reached her, they grieved and worried for her family, though she would find that they were all safe, they refused to go to Beleriand, and as such stayed in Valinor, but danced no more for ages, instead joining her father on his fishing vessel, but avoiding the beaches and harbour of Alqualondë.

Eventually, as the ages passed, she forgave Maglor and started dancing once more. In the 3rd age, they made several attempts to sail to Middle-Earth and retrieve Maglor by herself, but Ulmo would not let her pass. So, as her Vanyarin side called, she prayed each day for his safe return, which was eventually granted. After many years, they rekindled their love, and Siryawë birthed a set of twins, the crown of their long journey.

[disabled-tolkien]

Samwise Gamgee is the ultimate icon for friends of people with disability imo. I can't take your arthritis for the day, but I can walk behind you up the stairs and make your coffee. I can't take your adhd while you're working on this assignment, but I can help you stay on task. I can't take your depression upon myself for a bit, but I can come over to your house and help clean your room and listen to you. No, I can't absorb some of your memory loss issues, but I can remind you of things and save you a seat when you're running late. Yes, I know it's a lot, and yes, I know it's a heavy burden to bear, and no, I can't carry it for you. But I can carry you.

[disabled-tolkien]

[Transcript: a reply to this post that says "I love reading LOTR takes from people who’ve never read the books #the elves are angels darling he was catholic and people are just people #I think if you're looking for that analogy you might have better luck with the hobbits #still not there tho"]

Words cannot possibly explain how funny this is as a Silmarillion fan

Once again thinking about the “Tolkien elves are physically superior to humans in every way” thing as a disability parallel

[disabled-tolkien]

an inexhaustive list of diagnoses given only to the quendi

mind-deafness: that is, inability to use osanwë

pre-traumatic stress disorder: characterized by excessive and disturbing foresight of events yet to come; dwelling on an ill future; depressive states following a resignation to fate or compulsive attempts to thwart it. if the event is survived, this sometimes, but not always, may develop into a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis.

partial retrograde amnesia: colloquially referred to as "forgetting," this is a state common and accepted among the edain, but highly unusual and concerning for elven-folk.

major cognitive exhaustion: described as declining motivation and will to live, coupled with anhedonia and a feeling of extreme fatigue. some in the community believe this condition is equivalent to major depressive disorder, and ought to be characterized under the same diagnosis. most elves, however, prefer a separate label.

amusia: tone-deafness; difficulty processing music or beat; inability to perceive musical tone and pitch. this is rarely considered a serious medical diagnosis for edain and khazad individuals, but the significance placed on music in quendi culture means quality of life for tone-deaf individuals is severely affected. elves with severe amusia, or those who find music unpleasant, report very poor social outcomes in quendi society.

[disabled-tolkien]

Dare I ask Maglor.....

hi hi anon!

Substance use and diagnosis head canons for Maglor :)

i think basically all the Silmarillion characters are diagnosable with a trauma disorder or two, so assume there’s background PTSD.

my deep belief is that (even in Tirion!) he’s got some ways of thinking and tendencies that in the modern world would be diagnosable as OCD. deep down he feels he needs his rituals, usually fairly subtle ones, in order to keep himself and his people safe. a lot of this is mental efforts; thinking specifically ‘good’ thoughts about his father, including specific chord progressions in morning songs, etc. what his thoughts are like changes depending on setting. in tirion his fears and rituals are mostly centered around success, though as conflict escalates this changes. in amon ereb he is compulsively precise about Maedhros, with the belief that is he, say, lays Maedhros’ food on the wrong side of the plate his brother will have a fit of madness. he braids words of protection into maedhros’ hair.

substance use: this guy has tried everything he had access to! in his youth he partook often and with great satisfaction in hallucinogenic mushrooms. as life got worse he began to drink, more heavily than he really noticed; by the kidnapping of the twins he certainly had an issue. he’s a quiet, sleepy drunk, and often drank before bed.

during his wandering he largely abandoned drinking and returned to shrooms.

he’s always happy to smoke as a social thing but doesn’t do it alone

[disabled-tolkien]

[Image description: black and white art of Rúmil and young Fëanor having tea together. Rúmil is sitting in a wheelchair with a cup of tea in his hand, smiling slightly. Fëanor sits opposite him, cross-legged in the chair. He is a child/young teenager. He is talking passionately and gesturing with tea in one hand which is spilling out of the cup.]

when you’re rúmil of tirion and the tiny prince of the noldor keeps barging into your house to Yell About Orthography so finally you give up and make him some tea

[disabled-tolkien]

Tolkien really said: a group of people are born with bodies that are weaker, slower, less dexterous, more breakable. They can't do many things that others take for granted. Their bodies are vulnerable and fall to wounds and illnesses that the other group is baffled by. They are physically less able and there are barriers that they will never be able to overcome. They have no magic powers to make up for this difference; they just live with it. Their lives are shorter and they will die earlier.

Still they are heroes, lovers, craftsmen, villains, musicians, warriors, poets, adventurers. Still their existences matter. They are essential parts of the universe. Their lives are meaningful and worthy of honour, however brief they may be.

Once again thinking about the “Tolkien elves are physically superior to humans in every way” thing as a disability parallel

[disabled-tolkien]

Once again thinking about the “Tolkien elves are physically superior to humans in every way” thing as a disability parallel

[disabled-tolkien]

"'But I shall leave you only with Sador, and blind Ragnir, and the old women,' said Túrin. 'Did not my father say that I am the heir of Hador? The heir should stay in Hador's house to defend it. Now I wish that I still had my knife!'" - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Children of Húrin, "The Departure of Túrin"

@tolkienofcolourweek day 6: intersectionality || SADOR & RAGNIR

[ID: an edit comprised of four posters in shades of brown, white, and grey.

1: Two brown circular frames connected by a rectangle in the center. The upper left shows Rudy Harding, an older barbadian model with dark brown skin, a shaved head, and a white beard. He wears a black, high-collared shirt and looks down seriously at the viewer. The bottom right circle contains an image of woodworking tools. The background is a black and white photograph of a plain and snowy mountains. The part of the background in the rectangular frame is in color. Vertical brown and cream-colored text on the right side of the rectangle reads "sador" / 2: A black and white image of a small building made of stone and thatch, amid mountains. A brown frame surrounds the picture, and brown and cream text on a semi-transparent white rectangle reads "Sador had been a woodman, and by ill-luck or the mishandling of his axe he had hewn his right foot, and the footless leg had shrunken. He worked in the outbuildings, to make or mend things of little worth that were needed in the house, for he had some skill in the working of wood." The text is framed by large quotation marks / 3: Same format as Image 2, but the background shows a clearing in a coniferous forest, and the text reads "His blind eye making him an indifferent woodman, Ragnir turned instead to the arts of healing and the cultivation of herbs and remedies. He took joy in this work, wherein he had great skill, and his nursing is thought to have delivered many from the foul breath of Angband." / 4: Same format as Image 1, but the upper left circle shows hanging bunches of herbs, and the lower right frames Fikayo Ifarajimi, a nigerian model with dark brown skin and dark hair in short twists. He has some stubble on his face, and one of his eyes is cloudy white. He looks seriously at the viewer, turned slightly to the right. The background shows the wooded shores of a lake, with one tree higher than the rest //End ID]

[disabled-tolkien]

i just came across your sept disabled characters fic recs and this is wonderful. my reading list just got way longer! i really appreciate you doing this and cant wait to get reading

you probly have things lined up for every day this month already but i read this fic today and found it really meaningful. so thought id send it just in case you were taking recs

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58426930

Thank you so much! I haven't seen that fic before, definitely going to give it a read 😊

[disabled-tolkien]

☆ Month of Fic Recs ☆

For each day of September (which is disability pride month in Aotearoa) I'm sharing a Tolkien fanfiction with disabled characters.

☆☆☆☆☆

Day 30/30: Rescue, Recovery by @arofili

Fandom: Silmarillion

Rating: T

Disabled character: Maedhros and Gwindor (canonical limb disabilities)

Warnings: ableism

Summary: Maedhros visits Nargothrond for the sake of another one-handed survivor of Angband, but his motivations are not entirely altruistic.

☆☆☆☆☆

[disabled-tolkien]

☆ Month of Fic Recs ☆

For each day of September (which is disability pride month in Aotearoa) I'm sharing a Tolkien fanfiction with disabled characters.

☆☆☆☆☆

Day 29/30: Finwëohíni (Children of Finwë) by @mxmia

Fandom: Silmarillion

Rating: G-T

Disabled character: original character (Deaf), Faniel (chronic pain, wheelchair user)

Warnings: ableism, child neglect, canon-typical violence

Summary: A series of fics exploring the relationships between the members of the House of Finwë, and the following generations. Featuring discarded characters & OCs to fill in the gaps.

☆☆☆☆☆

[disabled-tolkien]

☆ Month of Fic Recs ☆

For each day of September (which is disability pride month in Aotearoa) I'm sharing a Tolkien fanfiction with disabled characters.

☆☆☆☆☆

Day 28/30: ilvanya by @arofili

Fandom: Silmarillion

Rating: T

Disabled character: Maedhros and Maedhros' daughter (both with limb disabilities)

Relationships: Maedhros/Fingon

Warnings: ableism, internalised ableism, trans pregnancy

Summary: In the peace of their re-embodied lives in Valinor, Maedhros and Fingon decide to have another child, bringing back memories both sweet and bitter of their son's childhood in Beleriand.

☆☆☆☆☆

[disabled-tolkien]

☆ Month of Fic Recs ☆

For each day of September (which is disability pride month in Aotearoa) I'm sharing a Tolkien fanfiction with disabled characters.

☆☆☆☆☆

Day 27/30: Finding A Voice by @roselightfairy

Fandom: Lord of the Rings

Rating: G-M

Disabled character: Legolas (anxiety)

Relationships: Legolas/Gimli

Warnings: none

Summary: In which Legolas has anxiety and Gimli learns how to become his rock. Fits with book canon.

☆☆☆☆☆

[disabled-tolkien]

☆ Month of Fic Recs ☆

For each day of September (which is disability pride month in Aotearoa) I'm sharing a Tolkien fanfiction with disabled characters.

☆☆☆☆☆

Day 26/30: Just As They Were by @lemurious

Fandom: Silmarillion

Rating: T

Disabled character: Maglor (visual impairment), Celegorm (albinism), Curufin (lower limb disability), Amrod (mutism), Idril (lower limb amputee), Celebrian (mental illness), orcs (varied)

Warnings: ableism, eugenics, ableist violence

Summary: Have you considered how all Elves seem to be perfect in appearance? Have you ever wondered what must happen to the rest?

A series of ficlets set in a dark 'verse where each Elven child would have to be deemed impeccable in body and spirit before even given a name and a permission to survive.

☆☆☆☆☆

[disabled-tolkien]

☆ Month of Fic Recs ☆

For each day of September (which is disability pride month in Aotearoa) I'm sharing a Tolkien fanfiction with disabled characters.

☆☆☆☆☆

Day 25/30: The Wrath of Dragonfire by @ysilme

Fandom: The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings

Rating: M

Disabled character: blind Thranduil

Relationships: Thranduil/Gildor

Warnings: disability due to violence

Summary: Thranduil meets a dragon, Gildor meets a Wood sprite, they meet each other, and battle sets things into motion.

☆☆☆☆☆

[disabled-tolkien]

☆ Month of Fic Recs ☆

For each day of September (which is disability pride month in Aotearoa) I'm sharing a Tolkien fanfiction with disabled characters.

☆☆☆☆☆

Day 24/30: Collaboration by @arofili

Fandom: Silmarillion

Rating: T

Disabled character: Narvi (Deaf)

Relationships: Celebrimbor/Narvi, Celebrimbor + Narvi (qpr)

Warnings: trans pregnancy

Summary: Celebrimbor shares some surprising news with Narvi.

☆☆☆☆☆