#Among Elves and Trolls

[comicaurora]

We know that Elves and Humans are among the elder races, but are there adapted humans or younger races that are functionally equivalent to dwarves, orcs, or other stock fantasy races?

Stone-adapted humans are kind of a blend between stock fantasy orcs and classic folkloric trolls

[glorfindel-of-imladris]

"Erestor!"

The call came… oddly pronounced, which was perhaps what made Erestor turn towards the noisy hall. He tended to avoid the Hall of Fire on evenings such as this, when the brisk air called for the inhabitants of the valley to gather around the fires, keeping warm and making merry.

He was not necessarily surprised to find Glorfindel with the usual group of Elves: Lindir, Elladan, Elrohir, Galadir from the guard, among others. Lindir, often the leader when it came to mischief, waved and smiled his innocent smile at Erestor—which, of course, had Erestor instantly suspicious.

"Erestor, you have to help me,” implored Glorfindel, stretching his arms as Erestor neared their table. As though the slight slur in his words wasn't a clue, there was also a telling flush on his cheeks where it caught the light. “I am being made fun of and I do not care for it!”

Erestor stopped to stand on Glorfindel's side of the benches, though he pointedly stayed out of reach of those—just what is Glorfindel doing?

“Hands off the robe, Glorfindel,” he admonished, swatting at the hands reaching for his robes. “What is this that you are complaining about this time?”

“These terrible trolls! Sorry excuse for friends!” Glorfindel made a clumsy kind of wave at the Elves around him, who only snickered amongst themselves. “They have been teasing me all evening!”

“To be fair, Master Erestor,” said Elladan, “we do that most evenings.”

“As I thought,” said Erestor, looking back down at Glorfindel, “which is why I am wondering what could be so terrible this time."

If possible, the flush on Glorfindel's cheeks grew higher as he declared, affronted: “They said I will never marry!"

The laughter from the other Elves was on cue. It was just as well that they were all distracted, for Erestor did not join in on their amusement, and instead had grown quite still.

It took a moment for him to respond, and when did, it was a careful: "I did not know you wanted to marry.”

"Well, I do!”

Another moment, then a quieter, "I see."

"But they said!” Glorfindel cried again, oblivious to the racing thoughts his sudden claim caused within his oldest friend. “They said that I couldn't, and do you know why? Because they said you obviously do not plan to marry ever, to which I said, no! No! They cannot very well know that about you, can they? Unless you have told them—”

"Eru forbid."

"Right? So I said—"

"Why exactly am I involved in this equation?"

Glorfindel looked up at Erestor as though this was a very silly question. "Why wouldn't you be? There is no one else I want to marry, is there? But then if you are not intent on marrying, then obviously I cannot get married either."

Erestor took a moment again—a different kind of moment, this time around. “O-Oh. Obviously."

He glanced at the other Elves around the table, who this time conveniently found something of interest on the floor, on the ceiling, or on their nails while the two of them were speaking. Erestor picked up the vessel nearest to Glorfindel. "Is this your cup?"

"Aye! Good stuff.”

"Hm. Potent, too. I thought you do not drink?"

"I don't."

"You are as drunk as a Dwarf."

"I resent that,” said Glorfindel with a—oh, by the Valar—a pout. "You said there is nothing attractive about Dwarves."

“I have said no such thing.”

“Erestor!” This time, Glorfindel looked distressed. “Are you saying you are, in fact, attracted to Dwarves?”

By this point, Erestor could no longer resist the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "No, but what I can say is that there is nothing attractive about this picture either."

“Oooh,” Lindir finally chimed. “Harsh.”

[velvet4510]

Ok this is the most random Frodo/Sam thing to be talking about but I must say it.

In the book, two of Frodo’s lines “it did not sound like the old Sam Gamgee he thought he knew” and “[Sam] was a conspirator, and now he’s a jester!” are among my absolute favorites, yet I’ve read a few interpretations of these moments that are so bizarre I feel I must defend and point out their real meaning.

A few chapter-by-chapter analyses/reviews of LOTR that I’ve read, including some on this site, seem to think that Frodo is being condescending here, that because Sam is his servant, he’s surprised to find out that Sam has “actual opinions about things and actual talents other than gardening.”

Clearly these people don’t understand Frodo. Frodo is not condescending towards anyone! That’s one of his best qualities - he treats everyone with respect. Sam and his father both point out how Frodo, like Bilbo, has always treated them with kindness and thoughtfulness.

These lines certainly have a lot to do with the social barrier between Frodo and Sam, but it’s not because of any biases on Frodo’s part. It’s because Frodo and Sam are not close friends. Frodo’s besties are Merry and Pippin, and Sam’s besties are the Cottons. They’re not buddies who hang out and chat all the time at this point. Until now, Sam has always worked outside while Frodo is either inside or lost in thought in a book outside. They’re quite friendly with each other, but they’re not close. At this point there is still a LOT they don’t know about each other. Another reason for this is that Shire life is practically routine. Things are always the same, day by day, and there’s not much opportunity for hobbits to discuss things that are unusual or uncommon to them.

Tolkien wrote these moments to show how Shire simplicity plus the class system has prevented Frodo and Sam from being able to fully know each other. And it’s when they leave the Shire and its class system behind that Frodo learns more about Sam.

Plus don’t forget that most hobbits don’t like things that are different. At all. They dismiss anything they don’t understand. Sam has been wondering about Elves for a long time, but when they actually meet Elves, Frodo is naturally assuming/worrying that Sam will change his mind and be like everyone else. He’s thinking “now that he sees just how different they are from what we’re used to, he’ll stop liking them.” And why wouldn’t he believe this? 98% of hobbits think this way about things that are different. This is why Frodo has never fit in and has been outcast and considered “odd.” He feels like there’s nobody besides Merry and Pippin who share his curiosity about new things. And Sam’s father is so set in his ways and indifferent toward what he doesn’t understand, so why wouldn’t Sam feel the same? Frodo doesn’t know Sam well enough at this point to assume any differently.

This is why I just cannot get enough of that “it did not sound like the old Sam Gamgee he thought he knew” line. It’s just like that classic moment in love stories where one realizes they didn’t really know the other at all but is now discovering they have something special in common. Frodo worries that Sam will dismiss the Elves… but instead, Sam says something very insightful and deep about them. Sam struggles to word what he means, but Frodo gets it. And he’s amazed. It hits him that Sam is different too, like him. Sam is actually interested in foreign things and thinks deeply and critically about them, just like Frodo. Sam is a kindred spirit, and Frodo is amazed. IMO, THIS is the moment where Frodo develops deeper feelings for Sam. He discovers that Sam thinks on the same wavelength that he does.

The same thing happens when Frodo says the “jester” line. He says this after Sam spontaneously invents and sings the song about trolls. Improvising an entire song on the spot, with perfect rhymes and all, isn’t exactly something that everyone can do. I certainly couldn’t do that. That takes a certain gift. Sam’s place in the class system has nothing to do with it. There are plenty of rich snobs in the Shire who could never improvise a troll song if their lives depended on it. Trolls are foreign to the Shire and yet another thing hobbits don’t really understand, but not only that, rhyming is just plain HARD. And here Sam does it like a pro. Of course Frodo is impressed. Don’t tell me you weren’t impressed when you first read this part in the book, and I bet you weren’t looking down on Sam for being the servant. Actually this scene shows Frodo giving Sam more respect than Pippin does. Pippin asks “where did you hear that?” assuming Sam heard the song from someone else. Only Frodo can tell that Sam made it up himself. (Side note: there’s another similar moment with Pippin earlier. Pippin orders Sam to make breakfast like one would order a servant; Frodo punishes Pippin for this rudeness by yanking Pippin’s blanket away and rolling him over. Of course Sam doesn’t mind cooking at all and would’ve done it even if Pippin hadn’t asked, but that scene, though subtle, shows Frodo doesn’t like anyone talking to Sam that way. Frodo himself never orders Sam to do anything. My point holds up.)

And it goes both ways. The horrors of the Quest cause Sam to see new depths to Frodo that he never saw before. He sees Frodo’s incredible endurance against both the Wraith wound and the Ring. He sees Frodo’s incredible nobleness and bravery, choosing to take on the burden of the Ring himself. Normal life in the Shire could never have brought out these qualities in Frodo for Sam to see. Sam, too, has a lot to learn about Frodo, and the Quest lets him see Frodo at his best and at his worst.

And everything they learn about each other only makes them love each other more and more.

[blue--ingenue]

soft!sebastian headcannons - part 5

Author's Note: *shakes this post like a bag of cat treats* i'm back with some more soft sebby :) as a reminder my taglist is open, and if you'd like me to write any specific hc, feel free to send me an ask! and if you'd like a break from the fluff i did post some angsty!seb hc (link in my masterlist)

he’s an advocate for house elves. his parents found the idea of keeping house elves bound to their family barbaric, so he never had any growing up. stands up for house elves being mistreated by cruel students, so he’s a natural favorite among the Hogwarts house-elf community

boy is Public Enemy Number 1 for Peeves. they’ve hated each other even before the poltergeist ratted him out in the restricted section. he once dedicated an entire restricted section trip to finding books on how to cast spells to make his day a living hell (most common spells pass right through him). Peeves was livid, and so began a relationship of mutually-assured destruction

(they’ll never reach a truce, but they’ve both decided to keep their distance from the other to avoid further headaches)

back to the house elves, the kitchen elves are especially friendly towards him. he recruited their help to bake you a birthday cake, and they gladly obliged

he inherited his father’s pocket watch. his father had pasted a beautiful photograph of his mother on the inside. he has since stored the picture safely in an album and tucked a candid photo of you in its place

Anne is two minutes older than him, and she uses the ‘older sibling’ excuse to justify bossing him around. he makes it a point to wake up before her on their birthday every year so that he can feel ahead of her for once

if you’re smaller than him, he absolutely loves just picking you up. loves patting you on the head, comparing hand sizes, scooping you into his arms to deposit you in your bed if you fall asleep in the room of requirement

when he’s sick, he’s a total drama queen about it. (especially if he thinks you’ll fuss over him for it). his extra-large slytherin scarf is wrapped around his neck. he’ll pull it over the bottom half of his face and burrow into it while napping during professor binns’ notoriously dry lectures. he positively refuses to take medicine. boy has faced everything from trolls to dark wizards, but will sit and pout like a toddler if madam blainey faces him with a spoon of cough syrup

(it’s gotten to the point where Madam Blainey calls you to the hospital wing before she sends for sebastian because she knows you’re the only person who could convince him to take the medicine)

his parents used to take him and Anne to the seaside every summer. every once in awhile during the warmer months he’ll fly you to the Clagmar coast for a picnic lunch. he ties a basket laden with little sandwiches, delicate cakes, a bottle of champagne, and a blanket to the broom handle before you both take off

he’s constantly keeping an eye out for pretty shells and stones he thinks you’ll like. he's constantly running up to you with his latest "treasures." once he was so excited to show you a whelk shell he tripped over a sand dune and dropped it. he spent nearly half an hour digging through the sand to find it until you reminded him that he is, in fact, a wizard, and could use accio

he manages to find a pearl in one of the clams in a tidepool and uses the muselet from the champagne bottle to fashions it into a ring for you. he kneels in front of you in the sand, exaggerating a proposal and sliding the ring onto your finger. (naturally it’s a perfect fit. he’s spent so long memorizing the warmth and shape of your hands for it to be anything less). you laugh at his antics, but he’s sincere when he tells you it’s merely a placeholder for the real thing 

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Taglist: @mlktea13, @mrsbrookesallow, @ithinkweallsing, @snickette, @crispywiz

[ardafanonarch]

The Others: Ringil, Dagmor, Glamdring, Orcrist, Sting

Swords of the First Age, Part 3 of 3

[This is a continuation of the response to this ask]

Ringil

Meaning: From ringe- “cold”. Quenya. (Eldamo).

Maker: Unknown

Owned/wielded by: Fingolfin

Notable for: wounding Morgoth seven times and hewing his foot.

Fate: Unknown.

But Fingolfin gleamed beneath it as a star; for his mail was overlaid with silver, and his blue shield was set with crystals; and he drew his sword Ringil, that glittered like ice. The Silmarillion, ‘Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin’

Discussion

We don’t know a lot about Ringil besides its epic, climactic moment. Who made it? Was it brought from Valinor or made in Beleriand? Did it somehow survive Fingolfin’s fall? Lots of room for the imagination to roam.

Dagmor

Meaning: Uncertain. Possibly “Slayer of Darkness”, combining dag- “slay” and môr “darkness”. Sindarin. (Eldamo).

Maker: Unknown

Owned/wielded by: Beren

Fate: Unknown

Danger he sought and death pursued, and thus escaped the doom he wooed, and deeds of breathless daring wrought alone, of which the rumour brought new hope to many a broken man. They whispered 'Beren,' and began in secret swords to whet, and soft by shrouded hearths at evening oft songs they would sing of Beren's bow, of Dagmor his sword… Lay of Leithian Recommenced, 503-12

This is the only mention of Beren’s sword’s name.

From the Trolls' Lair

There were lots of clothes, too, hanging on the walls—too small for trolls, I am afraid they belonged to victims—and among them were several swords of various makes, shapes, and sizes. Two caught their eyes particularly, because of their beautiful scabbards and jewelled hilts. Gandalf and Thorin each took one of these; and Bilbo took a knife in a leather sheath. It would have made only a tiny pocket-knife for a troll, but it was as good as a short sword for the hobbit. The Hobbit, Chapter 2: Roast Mutton Elrond knew all about runes of every kind. That day he looked at the swords they had brought from the trolls' lair, and he said: ‘These are not troll make. They are old swords, very old swords of the High Elves of the West, my kin. They were made in Gondolin for the Goblin wars. They must have come from a dragon's hoard or goblin plunder, for dragons and goblins destroyed that city many ages ago. This, Thorin, the runes name Orcrist, the Goblin cleaver in the ancient tongue of Gondolin; it was a famous blade. This, Gandalf, was Glamdring, Foehammer that the king of Gondolin once wore. The Hobbit, Chapter 3: A Short Rest

Glamdring

Meaning: Foehammer. Sindarin. Called Beater by the goblins.

Maker: Elves of Gondolin

Notable for: slaying the Great Goblin.

Owned/wielded by: Turgon, Gandalf

Fate: Unknown

Discussion

Glamdring is a significant First Age weapon for having been the sword of Turgon, though no mention of it is made in the “Silmarillion” legends, as with the other “Troll’s lair” blades. (Tolkien never returned to edit or rewrite the narrative version of the story of the fall of Gondolin — other than the unfinished ‘Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin’, which ends with Tuor’s arrival to the Hidden City — after the publication of The Hobbit; he may have intended to incorporate Glamdring and Orcrist into the legends and never got around to it.)

As the only weapon known to have been in Gandalf’s possession in his last standoff with Dúrin’s Bane, Glamdring may have dealt the death blow to the Balrog. It is not known whether Gandalf took Glamdring to the Undying Lands when he departed or left it in Middle-earth.

Orcrist

Meaning: Goblin Cleaver. Sindarin. Called Biter by the goblins.

Maker: Elves of Gondolin

Owned by: Unknown; Thorin Oakenshield (taken from him in Mirkwood)

Fate: Placed by Thranduil on Thorin’s tomb.

It had killed hundreds of goblins in its time, when the fair elves of Gondolin hunted them in the hills or did battle before their walls. They had called it Orcrist, Goblin-cleaver, but thegoblins called it simply Biter. They hated it and hated worse any one that carried it. The Hobbit, Chapter 4: Over Hill and Under Hill Upon his tomb the Elvenking then laid Orcrist, the elvish sword that had been taken from Thorin in captivity. It is said in songs that it gleamed ever in the dark if foes approached, and the fortress of the dwarves could not be taken by surprise. The Hobbit, Chapter 18: The Return Journey

Discussion

Though Elrond says Orcrist was a “famous blade” he does not say to whom it belonged. As Gondolin had no shortage of great warriors and other nobles, there is ample opportunity for the imagination to run wild.

Sting (dagger)

Meaning: Any previous name unknown; named by Bilbo after he killed a spider of Mirkwood.

Maker: Presumably also Elves of Gondolin.

Owned by: Unknown; Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee

Notable for: slaying Shelob.

Fate: Unknown.

Somehow the killing of the giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark without the help of the wizard or the dwarves or of anyone else, made a great difference to Mr. Baggins. He felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach, as he wiped his sword on the grass and put it back into its sheath. “I will give you a name,” he said to it, “and I shall call you Sting.” The Hobbit, Chapter 8: Flies and Spider

Discussion

Sting, as a dagger, may not have been an especially significant weapon in the First Age, though of course one can always imagine tales for it involving well-known canonical characters! As with Glamdring, we do not know whether Sam took it with him when he sailed or not.

Finally: Elrond surmises that the “Troll’s lair” weapons survived through multiple plunderings over the Ages — but it’s not a sure thing. There’s room to invent other histories for these blades.

Tangent: Glowing Blue

The ability to glow blue in the presence of Orcs seems to have been a feature unique to these three Gondolin-forged blades. Whether or not other Elven weapons had this ability is unknown, though it’s not implausible that they would possess this or other “magical” properties. For those who enjoy coming up with explanations, the “science” behind the blue glow is also left to the imagination.

Research

Note that these websites contain some inaccuracies and incomplete citations and were used to help with finding quotations.

The Tolkien Forum: Weapons

Wikipedia: List of weapons and armour in Middle-earth

Elven Swords by Iain Norman (This one is an interesting and well-researched essay comparing the sword designs in the Jackson films to Tolkien’s canon; accurate info to the best of my knowledge)

Tolkien Gateway

Part 1 | Part 2

[bluebellhairpin]

Thorin Oakenshield X Fem!Reader

Summary; For the Company Rivendell holds a place to rest, and for you it holds the reason to why you're there at all.

Warnings; Talks of nightmares (visions of the future, but nothing described). Reader is female-body-coded, uses she/her pronouns, and is Human (Is called 'milady' once (maybe twice?)). OOC Galadriel maybe? (Idk I just want this fic to almost past the Bechdel Test. Also shes my wife so shes here now).

Listening to; 'King' by The Amazing Devils - "I’ll keep the king, keep him safe at bay. I’ll keep him safe from the dark things that wait."

Part 2 || Part 4

Series Masterlist || Masterlist || Ko-Fi

Even with Thorin’s insistent quips about Elves and muttered comments about his dislike of them, you weren’t letting him ruin your mood. Not right now.  

You’d travelled around the outskirts of such Elvish territory before - seen parts of it from a distance - but never this close. Never like this. Nothing could prepare you for how beautiful the sight that was Rivendell looked before you. 

The valley before you held lakes and trees, waterfalls and buildings like none other you’d seen before. It looked other-worldly. So foreign and yet so very breathtaking. 

The Company was urged forward - most done so with the promise of safety and a warm place to sleep, something quite lacking recently. Your shoulders slumped with the realisation that brought - the night before spent in the hold of Trolls, and the day after having been at the mercy of Orcs, a rest somewhere safe above all things was more than welcome. 

Right then, not even Thorin could take that away from you - you were more ready to laugh at him in amusement than be annoyed. 

The trek further towards the city led you and your group down to an entrance to the main building. Gandlaf moved to the fore, and looked down at Thorin - pointedly - instructing them all to not speak, and leave it all to the wizard. 

They reluctantly agreed. 

You stood in the middle of the Dwarves, still more in awe of your surroundings than paying attention to who was in it, when a hunting party approached and started circling you all. Around you Dwarves readied themselves, still with their hackles up from the ordeal with the Orcs - and with Thorin’s biassed prompting. Aggression swirled in the air around you. Bilbo was pushing into your side as the blunt end of Bifur’s spear dug into your back. 

You huffed, casing a look at Gandalf to see him not nearly half as worried as everyone else was, and pushed your way towards Thorin - minding your elbows so you didn't smash someone's ear accidentally on the way. 

“Don’t you think this is a bit of overkill Thorin?” you hissed, leaning down so he could hear you better. 

“You should think less,” he glared up at you - not an unfamiliar sight, but this time it sent an unfamiliar pang of hurt to your chest nonetheless, “How do we know they’re not going to hurt us? Or worse - stop us?” 

“How do you know they won’t?” you quickly replied, “Your distrust is going to do you no good. Keep it up and it will be your downfall Thorin.” 

“Does he offer us up insults?” A voice behind you piped, Golin. He pointed at the Elf who was talking with Gandalf - again you felt that itch, an urge inside you that told you you knew his face, and his name, but nothing more. 

“No, master Golin, quite the opposite. He offers up food.” Gandalf said. 

A murmur of discussion roused among you. You looked down at Thorin, smug that you were right where he was lacking, and saw as he stiffened when he looked to find you already watching him. 

An agreement rose soon after. 

“Well then, lead on.”

And everyone's guards were officially lowered - with the lone exception of Thorin. You had no idea what to say to him, or if it was truly your place to say it. He was the embodiment of the stubborn nature his kind was known for, but it couldn’t always be for the better. A fixed personality like that breeds pride, and that is the fruit of fools. 

But you knew Thorin was no fool. 

“Milady,” Elrond said, falling in step beside you as you all were led up the flight of stairs, “I believe I haven’t yet come to know you. Forgive me for saying so, but you are an oddity among your other travelling companions.” 

Thorin a few steps behind you - busy eyeing the Elf. You could feel the heat of it through the back of your skull. 

“There’s nothing to forgive, Lord Elrond. It’s quite an obvious observation.” 

You heard him go quiet beside you, you wondered if you did something wrong - you’d never met an Elf lord before. Should you have curtsied first? Washed your hands? Kissed his feet before speaking? 

“Have we met before?” he asked. Your head turned to him, looking up at him with a face like a gaping fish, surely. 

“No of course not - I’d remember. Why do you ask?” 

“You knew my name, yet I cannot recall yours.” He said, and you felt your face heat with a rush of embarrassment. But he wasn’t done. “And your face, I’ve seen parts of it before. It holds a familiarity I’m sure was lost to this world long ago.” 

“I might just have that kind of face.” You said, turning your head back to the stairs so as to not have to meet his eyes anymore. Maybe he wouldn’t pursue it anymore. 

“Of course,” he nodded. But again, Elrold wasn’t finished. “I’d like you to sit at my table during dinner. If you find it pleasing.” 

Thorin’s steps behind you became as loud as a hammer in an iron forge, even his gaze felt hotter - but you were always one to stir up coals. 

“That would be really nice. Thank you.”

The Company were all given a place to set up camp for the night, a neat little area with a view that had you wishing you could stay longer than Thorin would allow. 

No sooner had you dropped your bag and weapons when you were ushered out and offered a place to have a bath. 

Agreeing, you were after led to a small room with a golden glow, and a bathtub full of hot water and sweet smells - truly you’d be out of your mind to say no. After peeling off your travel clothes and sinking into the bath, you let out a deep, long sigh. The water felt like warm molasses soaking through into your bones, proof of how needed it was to let the tension leave your neck for even a moment or two. 

The way you could feel the dirt coming away from your hair just by getting it wet was almost by a miracle. Soaps and lotions lined a small ledge beside you, and you took your sweet time to smell them all and decide which one you liked best. Sandalwood and vanilla were you pick that day. 

It felt so nice to get clean. 

You sunk under the water until only the top of your head from your nose poked out, thinking. You could feel Thorin’s irritation though the stone walls, and it was driving you half mad. Why it was bothering you made you even more irritated. 

How he got on your nerves so. With his stupid gruff voice and the way his eyes turned icey so often when they looked your way. How he always took that stubborn unselfish route when it came to your past dealings with Trolls and Orcs. How he looked out for the younger Dwarves like Kili and Ori, or the less experienced Bilbo. 

You could see how he was warming up to that little Hobbit, so slightly. You’d hardly know him well enough to say so for sure, but you liked to think that he wasn’t so harsh anymore. 

Growth such as that could be plainly seen, even by you.

Dinner went by with little fuss. Or as little of a fuss as dinner with Dwarves could be. 

You were sitting half a room away from most of the Company, but you could hear their displeasure in being dished salad - it was food you didn’t have to prepare yourself, and you were grateful even if they weren’t. Then Bofur decided the music wasn’t meeting their standards - not uncharacteristic - and trod on the table to rectify the situation. 

All in all, it drove home the reason why to not invite Dwarves over for dinner - but as rowdy and uncouth as it was, it also was very amusing. You’d almost choked on your dinner because of laughing. Twice. Which in turn made Thorin break a smile - twice. 

It was clear from their stories and joyous laughter that they were in a place where danger wasn’t so dominant over their thoughts. For that you were most grateful of all.

The meal finished, and slowly everyone dispersed. You were among the last, but before you could go and join the others - to sleep, finally - Elrond took you aside. 

“A word, please?” he asked. You nodded for him to continue. “I have someone with whom you should speak. She will be able to help you.” 

“Help? - With what?” 

“With why you’re here. I assume you do not know.” he said with a small but knowing smile. 

“Yes of course,” you said, “I mean no - I know nothing about what I’m doing here. I’ll be more than happy to speak with her.” 

“Very well, follow me.” Elrond said, smiling more notably at your enthusiasm. 

Before you could get very far, you felt a grip on your forearm. Thorin stood beside you, looking up at you with an unreadable expression - or simply a foreign one since his face was often so grumpy. You tried to shake him off, but he didn’t let go.  

“Thorin.” You said, voice low as you tugged your arm lightly again, warning him as to what might happen if he didn’t let go. 

“Let me come with you.” he said quietly. You had to take a moment to process what he said. He wasn’t stopping you, not at all - this sounded quite like the opposite. 

“What?” You asked, looking back at Elrond, of which was patiently waiting a little ways off. “Why?” 

“You might need someone there. Just in case.” he explained - or tried to. 

You almost couldn’t believe it. Not only two days ago Thorin wouldn’t have cared much less about what went on with you in private conversations, and here he was offering emotional support as if he weren’t the most emotionally constipated Dwarf you’d ever met. 

It was kind of sweet. 

You nodded at him, accepting his offer. Soon after he fell in step behind you and you both followed the Elf towards a more secluded area. 

“I spoke to Lady Galadriel. She sensed you coming, wondered how long it’d take you to reach her or us for help, advice, or guidance.” Elrond said, motioning for you both to take a seat - which you took, but Thorin did not. He stood a ways back, still giving you space to do this on your own. 

From across the room a woman walked in - an Elf whose beauty matched the place she lived - the ‘She’ mentioned previously, and the ‘Lady Galadriel’ in subject now, you realised. 

You felt a sudden need to do something again - like when you first met Lord Elrond - to bow, or make some other gesture of obeisance, but she took the seat beside you before you were able to get your brain to work fast enough. She even started speaking before you could process the fact she was sitting so close. 

“Look at you,” she said, “You’ve travelled so far already.” 

Her words touched you, calmed you. You’d never felt so seen before in your life, let alone by someone you’d never met before, and she had only said one sentence. 

“You do not come from this world.” The way she was looking at you made you feel like you were a small child being told something far too complex - you supposed in a way, you were exactly that, “If you wish to find a way home, I can tell you, but it will not be an easy path back.” 

“Home?” you breathed. “You mean I do have a family? Another life? Is that why I can’t remember anything from before a few months ago?” 

“I’m afraid so.” Her voice was so gentle. You sat, staring at your lap, processing. Moments past, long and slow and yet too fast all at once. 

“How would I get back?” You asked, looking up at her. Galadriel’s eyes were sad, and you swallowed thickly at what was to come. 

“You’d need to die.” she said, “Not kindly, but a ferocious death. Death by the sword is your only way to return - but it must not be one held by the hand of an Orc.” 

“Not an Orc? Not an Orc! Do you know how many we see? Do you know how many Orcs I’ve seen us fight?” You felt your knuckles tighten from holding onto the cold bench beneath you. “I could so easily die! Or worse - I could die and not go back home!” 

“It’s okay,” she said, taking both your hands in hers - calming you with the cool of her fingers, “There’s a reason for which you were sent. Our world wouldn’t have taken you if you were not able to do what it needed you to.” 

You took in deep breaths, settling. Your eyes cast over to Thorin, worry still evident in his eyes, but he set it aside to nod at you - telling you it was okay. 

“‘Need to do’? Are you saying there’s a reason I’m here?” Galadriel nodded, her eyes gaining a sudden far off, almost misty, sheen. 

“There was someone like you before. She came to our world in an hour of its greatest need. She helped so many of our kind, and now it’s their turn.” She looked over at Thorin - still dutifully standing aside, even though his face was drawn all over with concern. “A change is needed, and when it’s so drastic someone else is needed. Someone with otherworldly knowledge. Those dreams you have - visions - they are nothing but memories. A past in your time, but a future in ours.” 

“But those - those dreams are so often horrible,” you said, a panicked twinge in your voice, “Surely I’m not meant to change it all.” 

“What a daunting task that would be if it were true.” She said, smiling reassuringly. “But no, many of the things you see are not meant to be changed. You’re meant to protect them. Keep them safe.” 

“Them? Whose -” you trailed off, seeing Galadriel looking over your shoulder. You followed, and saw Thorin. ‘Them’. Him and his nephews. “The line of Durin.” 

“Exactly.” she said. You looked back at her, feeling her hands go lax in yours. 

“That doesn’t sound so bad.” 

“If only you knew how much joy it could bring.” Looking up at her, you sighed, nodding. “I’ve said all there is to say, I’m afraid. But know you’re always welcome to rest here in Rivendell. All of you.” She said, directing her last comment over your shoulder at Thorin. You didn’t know what they did, but she nodded once, and then stood.

So you and Thorin were left alone.

Thorin had accompanied you back to the others, but he was soon whisked away by Gandalf with a few others. 

You felt he wanted to talk about what happened with you - since it clearly had so much to do with him - but it would have to wait. You’d heard whisperings about a key for Erebor, and a map - you knew from your just meeting with Lady Galadriel that the Elves here knew a lot. You’d hoped Lord Elrond could help them with whatever it was they needed. Hoped that Thorin would let himself be helped. 

Those around you seemed as carefree as ever, laughing and eating without the worries of the past few days weighing on their minds. It was good, you thought, to have a quiet time together where no one had to stand watch. 

You sat watching them, content with being a wallflower. Your new sword was in your hands, and you were caught between watching the Company’s antics and sharpening the fresh blade - as if it needed it. Though, soon, a large weight settled beside you. 

There Thorin sat, looking ahead, with the edges of his clothes brushing yours. He made no acknowledgment of your presence aside from clearing his throat gently. It took a few waves of heavy, hearty laughter to wash through Bombour before he took the opportunity to speak to you in hushed tones. 

“What have you seen us face in our travels?” he asked. You looked beside you, barely moving your head and almost looking from the corner of your eye. 

“Why?” You asked, lips soon quirking up in a mischievous grin. “Does it bother you knowing I know more than you do about your future?” You felt surprise wash over you when he looked over at you with a small smile of his own. 

“No.” he said, “I just want to make sure everyone will be okay.” You saw his eyes flicker over to where Fili and Kili resided. “Something bad happens, you’re meant to stop it. I want to know how I can help.”

He looked back at you, clear and sure. Steadfast, you realised, not stubborn. 

“Dont worry, I’ll do whatever I can to stop it.” You said, “Everything I can, you have my word Thorin.” 

“And you have mine,” he said, brushing his little finger against yours, “That I’ll do anything you say if it’s to keep them safe.”

“And you.” you said, a sweetness in your voice you hadn’t even heard yourself direct towards him before, “You’re quite important too you know.” 

“Perhaps.” He said, but you could see he wasn’t fully convinced, “I’m going to trust you. I hope I don’t regret it.” 

You took his gingerly waiting little finger, looping it in yours and bringing it up between you both. 

“I pinky promise that you won’t.” His eyes squinted at yours, quite unsure about that whole act. 

“I’m quite familiar with promises, but what does that mean?” 

“It means you need to take special care to never break it.” You said softly, eyes never leaving his, “You have to take extra care to never break a pinky promise. If you do, it means you have to cut your finger off to atone for forgiveness.” 

“That’s quite the promise.” he said, taking his hand back for himself - but there was something in his face that told you that in that moment he was both as serious and playful as you were. “I’ll have to keep it now.”

“Too right you will,” you said, turning back to your sword, unable to meet Thorin’s eyes anymore, “I fully expect to see you on your knees with a bloody, severed finger if you don’t.” 

He was caught in the middle of a scoff when a voice called your name and a small sausage found its way to the wall right beside your head. 

“Oops?” 

“Bofur! That’s such a waste!” 

“You could’a taken her eye out you daft bastard!” 

“I ought to throw your hat out the window for that,” You said, shifting forward on one hand, “You know I’d be fast enough to snatch it from you, right?” 

The way your voice lowered sent a shiver down Thorin’s spine. 

He watched the way your eyes darkened with the shades of the candlelit night, noticed how you had two small braids that came over your shoulders from each side of your neck, and how they brushed your collarbone. 

You shifted quickly from sitting to standing and had the Company in an uproar of jeers and laughter. He watched as Bofur and you played a game of cat and mouse around the room. He had to admit, you did move fast weaving in, out, and around the obstacles before you. You thought quickly on your feet. 

He had doubted you, greatly, and he was never going to do it again.

[romanticiisnm]

hii!! could your write something where legolas (if you write for him of course, I couldn't find any character list so if you don't feel free to ignore this) defends reader's honour after another elf insults them? thank you🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️

Hello :D Yes I do write for him, sorry for not providing a masterlist, I will be working on it this week. I hope you enjoy reading this work as much as I enjoyed writing it! Lastly, sorry if the characterization is not perfect, this is my first time writing for Legolas :,) (There might be SOME typos here and there, uni fried my brain for seven hours <3)

----------

04.05.23

Word Count: 1609, nb!reader

“I don’t know why we still have them among the guards–” The first elf spoke, voice a little louder as he assumed the two were alone in the woods. It was late at night and it was now their turn to guard this part of the woods.

“Shh!” The other interfered, “I think they have a shift tonight as well, they might be close.” He said in great contempt. “And they might have the prince with them as well.”

“They got real close, don’t you think?” The first guard seemed not to care about his friend’s warning and kept on complaining, “I mean, I wonder how they got in here in the first place?” Then he chuckled at his own words, not that he found it funny but rather infuriating. It had been a couple of months since a new elf had joined the guards and most of the other elves felt indifferent about them, even towards the fact they and Legolas got along exceptionally well. 

As expected, however, there were also quite a few elves that were not too happy with the new addition to the group. They thought the new guard had joined them using their friendship with the prince, which was not true at all; sure, they knew who the prince was beforehand (as did everyone else) but they hadn’t spoken a word until meeting each other when they had to work together. After a few nights of taking shifts together, they had grown close. The two of them started eating most meals together, spending nights in the library together… But of course, none of this had started until they were already a part of the team, which some people forgot to mention.

The elf knew that some people spoke about them, but they seemed not to care. If they actually believed in their claims that the new guard had joined them through their friendship -or a little differently, in some scandalous rumors- then they could say so right in their face. Those who spoke ill of them somehow forgot that they were also good at using their bow, which surprisingly(!) played a major role in them becoming a part of the guards. So if anyone dared to say something to their face, they knew just the way to respond to them and so far there had been no one that took that offer.

The first guard looked at his friend again, who looked around anxiously, “Do you really worry about them being here? They’re probably on the other side of the damned woods! Don’t look so disturbed!”

“Ignoring the new guard and the prince, I don't think talking loudly at night, in the middle of the woods nonetheless, is a good idea.” He sighed and kept looking around, as a part of his job, this time. “If you only summon the new guard rather than a few orcs, I might feel grateful for seeing them for once.”

As he said so, they heard a rustling in the woods, causing them to draw their arrows out of their quivers. The speaking ceased immediately and they exchanged nothing but terrified looks between each other.

Once the owner of the rustling noise, they had to put their arrows down, no weapon of choice could’ve saved them anyway, “Oh, your majesty!” Spoke up the second guard, hoping he hadn’t heard their conversations from earlier and just decided to check up on them, assuming they were trolls or something else, “Weren’t you supposed to be guarding with y/n?”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” He stepped a little closer to them, “You’ve been talking about y/n ever since they arrived, am I wrong?” The guards couldn’t dare to lie, thus nodding along with Legolas. “They might be allowing such nonsense, but I won’t. If I ever hear either of you speaking ill about them again, you’ll be begging to every god in existence for mercy.”

“B..But your majesty! We just thought they might’ve had an advantage over others while joining us!” The first guard spoke, his friend couldn’t help but punch him in the guts over that, “What! You said the same thing, just yesterday!”

“And what would that advantage be?” Legolas asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I think,” The second guard said, visibly shaking, “My friend is referring to your friendship with the new guard.” 

The prince looked at them, sending shivers down the guards’ spines, a look so cold might’ve frozen them in their place, “Have either of you ever seen me being friends with them before they joined us?” The guards shook their heads, “Then what gives you the right to speak so poorly of them? Have they not fought on our side? Sacrificed themselves for us? Is it all in vain because you thought we were friends before?”

“It won’t happen again, we swear!” One of them said, and Legolas left their side before saying anything else that would eventually result in a fight.

Being approached by Legolas himself terrified them enough, so any word he spoke to them in that moment was enough fear for an eternal lifetime. Since, for the first time, they couldn’t find anything to say in return, causing the prince to leave them alone for the rest of their shift.

“I told you to shut up!” The second guard aggressively whispered to the other, “Feel lucky if we don’t get fired, idiot.”

“As if you weren’t complaining!”

For the rest of the night, the two guards kept on arguing as to who had complained the most, then guessing what would happen if they actually got fired, causing them to plan a whole future for themselves, just in case.

***

Legolas looked around cluelessly as he couldn’t find y/n at first. Then an acorn hit him on the head, causing him to look up, only to see his friend smiling at him from the top of a tree branch. He quickly climbed it and sat right next to them, their smile spreading to him. 

“Where were you?” They spoke quietly. 

Legolas looked away from them, pretending to monitor the ground, checking it for potential enemies, “I thought I heard something, went to check it out.” The other looked convinced, even if they were not, they didn’t push the question any further. This was something Legolas usually appreciated as having the option to ignore awkward situations helped the two greatly, everyone deserved their privacy after all.

“The forest is very quiet tonight, unusually quiet.” They turned to Legolas, “Nothing in the wind, not a single creature of the night moving…”

The prince looked back at them, “I noticed that too, adad** too, it’s stressing him out more than usual.”

The elf still seemed disturbed, “What is bothering you tonight?” The moon shone perfectly on their skin and long, neatly braided hair; Legolas just adored the sight next to him, yet that happiness quickly vanished from his mind as he saw their pained look. He put a hand on theirs reassuringly, waiting for them to talk.

“Have I not proven myself as a good fighter?” They spoke softly. It was rare to see y/n to complain about their problems: Legolas had to work with them for weeks and they only opened up about their issues with their mother after drinking several bottles of wine in y/n’s chambers. This was a great moment for the two to bond over, nothing quite like parental issues to help two people get closer.

So to see them like this, voice low and visibly upset, Legolas quickly regretted not putting arrows between their eyes. “You are a great fighter,” He said, “Is this about the rumors?”

The elf nodded, “I know it’s stupid and I try to ignore them as much as possible.” They briefly paused, “But I don’t want people to think I got here because of you. Not that anything is wrong with you but when people assume I got in with someone else’s help, I want to tear them apart.

“If I talk against them I’ll seem insecure and if I don’t they just keep going… You’d think that… after existing for a few thousand years they would be wise somehow—-but no, it’s more enjoyable to mock people.”

Legolas gently rubbed their hand with his thumb, which was much more physical contact that might be considered for their kind, but neither mentioned it. “I don’t think they’ll say anything from now on, at least we’ll hear them less.”

Embarrassment replaced sadness rather quickly and y/n let out a loud groan, “Don’t tell me you spoke to them yourself.” Seeing that his friend wasn’t truly mad at him, he nodded, “Give me a reason not to push you off this tree right now.”

“Because you actually appreciate me talking to them?” He squeezed y/n’s hand, “And I would just climb back up.”

Finally, Legolas saw them break into a smile, “You’re right, I actually appreciate that.” They placed a small kiss on Legolas’ cheek, “Thank you.” 

For the rest of the night, there were no enemies, only the two of them on that same branch. Legolas’ hand remained on top of y/n’s, they never muttered a word about it, as if it was the second most normal thing to share between the two. Either sitting in comfortable silence together or talking about distant memories. All and all, it was a peaceful night that the two of them enjoyed very much.

By early morning, other guards showed up to replace them in their shift, so the two of them walked back to Greenwood side by side, not necessarily hurrying to go back.

[nirawrite-holab-if]

Can we get prompts of Astas siblings with MC and Irusya with MC ?

Wow..this is going to be big...

Asta's siblings and the MC

"It seems like you can't escape the most boring social events of the season either, don't you?" Hartwin flashed a crooked smile at the MC who was approaching him and his siblings.

"I can play late into the night if I come and behave, Uncle Hartwin," the MC said in a confidential tone, looking around.

"Ha! Are they throwing this one at you too?" Rigan laughed loudly ignoring the stares he received, he patted the MC's head. "Say the word and I'll get you out of here"

"Don't be silly, Rigan" Silvina intruded pulling the MC into the middle of the circle they formed. "The MC has to attend this type of event to stand out among the other realms and already start making alliances"

"They're seven, sister" Rigan reminded her, mocking, as he pulled the MC to his side. "Their only Duty is to run around and steal sweets"

"Steal sweets for their queen-aunt" Mairenn approached the conversation keeping her hand on her already visible belly "You'll do that won't you? Go get some sweets for your future cousin"

"You can't ask them that!" Objected Silvina "They have to make alliances not be your servant"

"That's an alliance" Mairenn smiled at the MC "I will make your cousin, the future monarch, swear allegiance to you, MC. Now, help your aunt

"You all are unbelievable!" Asta interrupted looking disapprovingly at her siblings as she reached over to take the MC's hand. "You are all nobles of the court! Hartwin, Mairenn, you sit on the throne of the neighboring kingdoms, have more decorum!"

"I'm just the king consort, Queen Asta. I don't need to have so much decorum" Hartwin winked at the MC. "And Mairenn was never very diplomatic"

"Excuse me?"

"I hope you're not behaving like troll puppies in front of our most important allies" Aedh's voice echoed through his children who fell silent immediately, across the room, Aedh stared at them without blinking.

"You're in trouble," the MC laughed looking at their family. They had also heard Aedh's voice "More than I do"

Irusya and the MC

"Why did it take so long for you to notify me of their birth?" Irusya approached her son ignoring the guards and servants who watched her tensely. She used the language of vampires. "You're not planning on keeping me out, are you?"

Carmello ignored his mother's accusatory tone and held the MC more firmly in his arms.

"It's been hectic times we've had here, Mother," he replied neutrally, "Taking care of a kingdom and also taking care of a baby and keeping my enemies away have occupied me quite a bit"

"And still miss the chance to annihilate the elves once and for all," Irusya added without getting carried away by her son's words. "Let's cut this conversation that isn't going anywhere, let me hold them."

Carmello had a moment of almost imperceptible hesitation before handing the MC over to Irusya.

She looked directly into the MC's eyes, noting every detail of their face and bright eyes.

She smiled with satisfaction and pride, one of her hands caressing the MC's face gently.

"I have so many expectations for you" she said only to the baby but Carmello's sigh was enough for her to know he had heard it too. "You're going to be the best of us. I'll make sure of that"

The MC smiled, still toothless, and she felt a small spark ignite in her heart again.

[welcome-to-my-bullshitery]

Things that i've noticed that no one ever talks about in LoTR

This is a huge post by the way so im putting it under a cut

you have been warned

TFotR - Book 1

'A day or two later a rumor (probably started by the knowledgeable SAM) YES. SAMWISE GAMGEE. OUR LITTLE CINNAMON ROLL STARTED A RUMOR. idk it's so funny to me

The entire paragraph about hobbits and gift giving is too ADORABLE.

Bilbo put INSTRUMENTS in PARTY CRACKERS. AND LIKE NEW ONES.

Bilbo calling Gandalf 'an interfering old busybody'

Bilbo: "You'll keep an eye on Frodo, won't you?" Gandalf: "Two eyes as often as I can spare them."

All the gifts Bilbo gave out and they all had meaning AND ITS ADORABLE

Lobelia, to Frodo: "...you're no Baggins - you - you're a Brandybuck!" Frodo: "Did you hear that Merry? That was an insult if you like." Meriadoc (Merry) BRANDYBUCK: "It was a compliment, and so, of course, not true."

Gandalf, shoving his head through Frodo's WINDOW: "If you don't let me in, Frodo, I SHALL BLOW YOUR DOOR RIGHT DOWN YOUR HOLE AND OUT THROUGH THE HILL."

That one Hobbit who had seen Ents IN CHAPTER TWO. HAL. HAL SAW ENTS AND IT WAS MENTIONED IN CHAPTER TWO. TWO.

"Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them?" GANDALF. WHAT THE FUCK.

Sam, freaking tf out about just being caught 'dropping eaves' by Gandalf: "DON'T LET HIM HURT ME MR. FRODO!" Frodo, hardly able to keep from laughing: "He won't hurt you."

Sam being all excited about being able to go on the adventure and then he just. bursts into tears. like.

Gildor (AN ELF) calling Frodo ELF FRIEND. ITS TOO CUTE.

Frodo, in elvish: Thanks for the food :). The Elves: HERE IS A JEWEL AMONG HOBBITS

Pippin just flat out saying he didn't want to leave Frodo any food but Sam insisted.

Frodo, about who's taking a bath first: "Eldest or Quickest first? You'll be last either way PIPPIN." GEE

Pippin, talking about Sam: He would jump down a dragons throat to save you, if he did not trip over his own feet." GEE

The ridiculous bath song. And it's Bilbos favorite. Of course it's ridiculous if it was Bilbos favorite.

Gandalf, writing in a letter to Frodo: If he forgets, I shall roast him. Frodo, four seconds later: He deserves roasting.

Sam getting mad at Ferny or someone and throwing an apple at him. AND AFTER IT KNOCKS THE IDIOT FERNY SQUARE IN THE FACE AND HE FALLS DOWN CURSING SAM JUST GOES "Waste of a good apple." AND KEEPS WALKING.

Sam, an intellectual: "What do they live on when they can't get hobbit?" AND REFUSED TO CALL THEM THEIR ACTUAL NAME AND JUST CALLS THEM 'NEEKERBREEKERS' BECAUSE ITS THE SOUND THEY MAKE

They found the trolls from The Hobbit. About the middle of Chapter 12, Flight to the Ford. The whole group thought they were real until they saw they were actually stone.

Frodo, after discovering more about Sam: "He'll end up by becoming a wizard - or a warrior!" Sam: "I don't want to be neither." OF COURSE YOU DON'T YOU JUST WANNA LIVE IN THE SHIRE AND GARDEN ALL YOUR LIFE. OH SAM.

TFotR - Book 2

At the very beginning of chapter 1 - PF COURSE SAM WAS ALWAYS THERE AND OF COURSE HE HAD TO BE TOLD TO GO AWAY AND REST. YOU ADORABLE LITTLE SHIT.

Frodo calling the Big People 'Big and rather stupid' Accurate though.

Sam holding Frodo's hand and then blushing and thEN JUST SAYS 'It's warm! Meaning your hand, Mr. Frodo. It has felt so cold through the long nights!" SAM YOU GAY LITTLE SHIT I LOVE YOU.

Aragorn: Gollum is safely kept by the Elves of Mirkwood. Legolas: *sweats*

Elrond, to Sam: "It is hardly possible to separate you from him (Frodo) even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not!" Sam, blushing (ITS SAYS IT IN THE BOOK THE LAST SENTENCES OF COUNCIL OF ELROND): "A nice pickle we have ourselves in, Mr. Frodo!" Me: Does Samwise is gay? Does SamwISE IS GAY??

Pippin, hasn't even done anything remotely wrong yet: "There must be someone with intelligence in this party!" Gandalf: "Then you most certainly won't be chosen, Peregrin Took!" Pippin: D:

Gimli: "His (Sauruman's) arm has grown long indeed if he can draw snow down from the north to trouble us here three hundred leagues away." Gandalf, channeling his inner sassy bitch(bilbo): "His arm has grown long."

>TBC im not even close to being done yet< ^^

[blackcurlsgreeneyes]

Sail Among Liars (Wallflower) // Closed RP

@fidelixcorde

The O.W.L.s were every bit as exhausting and daunting as their professors had been warning them all year. Harry had thought that the increased homework load was brutal enough, but now that the time was upon them, the last-minute studying was mind-numbing. Even Hermione was frazzled, constantly muttering notes under her breath, and regularly fretting that she had no time to make more hats and scarves to free house elves.

Well, perhaps that one counted as a perk to all the stress.

Harry was personally glad that they got Potions over with first; he had no idea how poorly Snape would score him, but he did his best, and felt lighter with it done. Charms went better than he had expected, even putting a smile on his face as Harry read the first question: a) Give the incantation, and b) describe the wand movement required to make objects fly.... Harry had a fleeting memory of a club soaring high into the air and landing loudly on the thick skull of a troll as he began to write.

Transfiguration and Herbology were fine, beyond a near-bite from a Fanged Geranium. Harry actively enjoyed the Defense exam, as he and every single member of the D.A. visibly excelled with every practical performance--and he even got a bonus point from Tofty for producing his Patronus, staring smugly into Umbridge's face as he did so.

They all put their best effort into Care of Magical Creatures, determined to reflect well on Hagrid. Divination was just as doomed as the classes, not that he or Ron minded....

But it was during their Astronomy exam that things went badly....because Umbridge, fuck her, dared to try and attack Hagrid in the night. He and Fang fled, and it was poor McGonagall who suffered, taking multiple Stunning spells to the chest when she tried to stop them.

He wanted that woman dead. Harry was not used to feeling that level of rage, but it was true.

History of Magic took place the next afternoon. The fifth years entered the Great Hall at two o’clock and took their places in front of their overturned examination papers. Harry felt exhausted. He just wanted this to be over so that he could go and sleep.

“Turn over your papers,” Professor Marchbanks instructed from the front of the Hall, flicking over the giant hourglass. “You may begin....” Harry stared fixedly at the first question. It was several seconds before it occurred to him that he had not taken in a word of it; there was a wasp buzzing distractingly against one of the high windows. Slowly, tortuously, he began to write an answer.

He was finding it very difficult to remember names and kept confusing dates. He skipped a few questions with hopes of going back if he had time, and guessed on several others.

All around Harry quills were scratching on parchment like scurrying, burrowing rats. The sun was very hot on the back of his head. He glanced towards the window, pausing when he noticed that Taylor was just a few seats away from him and also in the light. It made her dark curls gleam, and gave her skin a rosy glow that he imagined would feel pleasantly warm to touch....

Harry blinked and refocused, but after another minute, he had to close his eyes against the tired stinging. Think, he told himself, his face in his hands, while all around him quills scratched out never-ending answers and the sand trickled through the hourglass at the front....

Harry was walking along the cool, dark corridor to the Department of Mysteries again, walking with a firm and purposeful tread, breaking occasionally into a run, determined to reach his destination at last. The black door swung open for him as usual, and here he was in the circular room with its many doors.... Straight across the stone floor and through the second door...patches of dancing light on the walls and floor and that odd mechanical clicking, but no time to explore, he must hurry....

He jogged the last few feet to the third door, which swung open just like the others.... Once again he was in the cathedral-sized room full of shelves and glass spheres. His heart was beating very fast now; he was going to get there this time.

When he reached number 97, he turned left and hurried along the aisle between two rows.... But there was a shape on the floor at the very end, a black shape moving upon the floor like a wounded animal. Harry’s stomach contracted with fear--and then with excitement. A voice issued from his own mouth, a high, cold voice empty of any human kindness, “Take it for me.... Lift it down, now....I cannot touch it...but you can....”

The black shape upon the floor shifted a little. Harry saw a long-fingered white hand clutching a wand rise on the end of his own arm, and he heard the high, cold voice. “Crucio!” The man on the floor let out a scream of pain, attempted to stand but fell back, writhing. Harry was laughing. He raised his wand, the curse lifted, and the figure groaned and became motionless. “Lord Voldemort is waiting."

Very slowly, his arms trembling, the man on the ground raised his shoulders a few inches and lifted his head. His face was bloodstained and gaunt, twisted in pain yet rigid with defiance. “You’ll have to kill me,” Sirius whispered, his voice cracking.

“Undoubtedly I shall in the end,” Voldemort's cold voice replied. “But you will fetch it for me first, Black.... You think you have felt pain thus far? Think again.... We have hours ahead of us and nobody to hear you scream....”

But it was Harry who screamed as Voldemort lowered his wand to curse again; he fell sideways off of the hot desk onto the cold stone floor, hitting the ground as he woke, yelling as if it was he being Crucio'd. His scar was on fire, and he covered his face, writhing as panic erupted around him.

[morannon]

Rings of Power: Episodes 1 & 2

I honestly couldn’t find it in me to simply sit through it as if I wasn’t compiling a mental checklist of all of the offences. And the offences are many. It’s just my first watch so I’m sure I missed a lot of finer details. It’s hard comparing certain things to anything because it’s all just made up by the showrunners and the timeline is at this point irrelevant because this whole thing is some weird AU.

I also mostly don’t comment on the acting because although it’s of exceptionally inconsistent quality from actor to actor, and it’s obvious that some of them have not managed to get into character, I find more fault with the writing. Had the writing been better I’m sure that the actors’ deliveries would have felt more natural. With that said...

Episode 1:

Even the opening scenes of baby Galadriel playing with other children like a bunch of little gremlins who appear of accurate age to their physical development doesn’t sit right with me. Elves mature much slower than Humans physically, but develop much faster mentally. According to The Nature of Middle-earth they reach puberty only at over 200 years old. Which means that an Elven child that looks 7 might instead be over 100 years old and has lived for what would be for a Human a whole lifetime or more. To portray Elven children as comparable to Humans in their speech and manners is absurd.

In the first few minutes of the episode Galadriel is portrayed consecutively by two actresses whose accents are cardinally different and it stands out.

The timeline is such a disaster, that much is obvious before the first 10 minutes.

Galadriel’s history lesson in the beginning could have had a much better effect if they took any notes from the prologue to The Fellowship of the Ring. Controlling the pace and emphasis, even modifying Cate Blanchett’s voice achieved an effect that has been carved into our minds permanently. Morfydd Clark’s delivery falls face first into mud. It’s just dull, monotone and unfeeling.

Obvious makeup. Very meh.

I honestly think the use of this weird font to mark location on screen looks really cheap and like as if their graphics department couldn’t find the original font so they just used the papyrus one instead. Like what is that? (I know I’m a design snob but seriously.)

The dialogue is just stiff, awkward and unelegant.

The fight scene with the troll is just terrible. Galadriel singlehandedly takes down a massive troll with almost no help and without a hair out of place. Complete with entirely unnecessary sword flourishes. It’s embarrassing to watch honestly. Seems also like Galadriel’s entire company is purely decorative as she does all the fighting, is always right and does everything on her own while others try to keep up with her. Mary Sue down to a T.

The Harfoots are a travesty. Irish cosplay, but make it primitive. The moment you take a closer look at their setup it’s hard to believe they’re nomadic. So much seems decorative, rather than functional to them. And that’s before we get to the characters. They’re just made to look pointedly primitive. 

They’ve also deisgned the Lindon set without being able to decide whether it’s fall or summer. Because it’s both at the same time. It’s seemingly fall where they walk among yellow trees (canonically there are NO mellyrn outside of Lorien; Gil-Galad had the seeds, but none grew in Lindon) and on layers of fallen, yellowed leaves. At the same time the surrounding hills are in full greenery as are all the other plants surrounding them. Like there’s no biological consistency to the living environment and the result is that Elves almost look removed from nature, rather than in utter harmony with their environment as they’re meant to be.

And what the hell is it with those Roman civic crowns everywhere.

The dialogue is... it’s to Tolkien what Aliexpress is to haute couture.

And speaking of the costumes. Aliexpress sale bin.

They’re importing present-day social issues into Middle-earth as if it didn’t have enough of to go around already. On top of that it feels forced and shoehorned, which it didn’t have to be if they had chosen to make the xenophobia contextually authentic to Middle-earth. Like fear of the unknown peoples and lands, which wouldn’t be much of a stretch. Rather than synthesising anti-Elf racism to show how one black Elf in particular is the victim of this, as if this then wouldn’t apply to all the other Elves somehow. So is it about the ears or is it about his skin color because there are no other black Elves on record and none appear in the series besides him? Make it make sense.

The short hair on Elven men is so weird. WTF is this? The Witcher?

Also the way Galadriel’s memory of her conversation with her brother is overlayed the scene feels terrible because the audio is too similar to those speaking on screen and there’s not enough of an echo or some other sound effct to distinguish it. So it sounds like director’s commentary.

They are all way too unphased by a giant fireball falling from the skies. Plus the way everything is on fire, but somehow his loincloth is unharmed. Right. There would have been so many other ways of dealing with that for the sake of modesty which would have been a lot less laughable.

Episode 2:

The Harfoots are supposed to be way more archaic than their Hobbit descendants. And they are made to look the part visually, but their dialogue has been bothering me since the beginning because it’s way more contemporary than that of Hobbits in LOTR, and it stood out since episode 1. It’s only stylized to the extent of using ‘unrefined’ language so to speak. The manner of speaking doesn’t feel authentic to bygone times. And neither does their acting, manners etc. Which again makes it feel even more like Irish cosplay.

Looking at the set decorations in Eregion reveals that apparently they just went thrift-shopping in Camden market or something. It’s more of an eclectic mix of 19th century European furniture and neo-styles with some accent decorations from Italy and Morocco than anything I’d associate with Elves of any Age. It’s not even Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts dominant. And I swear one of those lanterns is painted plastic and not even made of metal. WTF is this Disneyland giftshop shit? I’m not seeing the millions in anything but VFX.

All of the Dwarven costumes are a massive downgrade. I feel like all of the effort was put into prosthetic noses and that’s the extent of it. Meanwhile the culture is shown to be brutish above everything else, to the point that it makes me question how they could possibly create such fine things. There’s a major disconnect there. 

Plus this one sure feels like Scottish cosplay. Remember groundskeeper Willie from The Simposons. Yeah.

Also I feel like everything to do with Durin is essentially everything criticized about the Hobbit trilogy and more. Plus this domestic scenery (which is pulled out of their asses) completely breaks the decorum characteristic to Tolkien. It’s just awkward to watch.

The breaking of decorum gets its own bulltepoint. Because it’s just that big of an offence. Would Elrond really call a Dwarven princess by her first name even though they just met? Really?

With all the gold, mithril and jewels under the mountains. And they still made Disa’s jewelry out of old hubcaps. 

Galadriel still remains a foot too short. She’s towered over by literally everyone and she’s supposed to be the TALLEST WOMAN IN ALL OF ARDA.

[mask131]

Read-list for an "old school D&D" fantasy (plus bonus)

This is a remake of an earlier post of mine, that I decided to update (some additional books were suggested to me, others I found out about later).

This is a reading-list of various literary works that heavily inspired or were heavily used in the creation of the first editons of Dungeons and Dragons - and thus, reading them will allow you to plunge back into what the original D&D was meant to look what/what it tried to emulate.

J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit". No surprise here, Tolkien's works were the start of modern fantasy and thus the main source of old-school D&D. In fact, D&D was originally created to be just a Lord of the Rings role-playing game - or to be precise a LotR wargame. This was the original intention. Which is why, quite famously, the very first version of D&D included elements such as the hobbits, the mithril and the balrogs. And when the Tolkien Estate pointed out the consequences of what was plagiarism, D&D changed these concepts to... "halflings", "mithral" and "balors". The only Tolkien-element D&D could preserve vaguely unchanged were the orcs, because the Tolkien Estate could not prove Tolkien had invented the term "orc". But even beyond that, D&D's dwarfs and elves and ents (sorry, treants) and wights and rangers all were heavily inspired by Tolkien - the gods of the orcs even use symbols such as an "eye of fire" and a "white hand"...

Poul Anderson's "Three Hearts and Three Lions". Poul Anderson was quite influential on early 20th century fantasy, and this specific book influenced D&D in three ways. On one side, it was one of the two sources for the "Order versus Chaos" conflict of D&D (the other being Moorcock). On the other the D&D trolls were inspired by the Three Hearts and Three Lion trolls. And finally the Paladin class was inspired by Anderson's Holger Carlsen character (the same way the Ranger was Tolkien's Aragorn). [This book also seems to have had some influence over the Fey of D&D?]

Michael Moorcock's "The Elric Saga". With Anderson's work, it was the other main source of the Order vs Chaos, Lawful vs Chaotic division of the D&D game. It also served as the main inspiration behind the D&D Drows, due to the Elric Saga shaping the original image of "Dark Elves" in fantasy, through its Melnibonéan Empire. D&D also originally collected references to the Elric world - creating many variation of Elric's evil magical sword Stormbringer through a variety of cursed soul-drinking weapons.

Robert E. Howard's "Conan the Barbarian". The source of heroic-fantasy the same way Lord of the Rings influenced epic fantasy, the world of Conan was also a huge source of inspiration for D&D - the most obvious reference being the Barbarian class, shaped for those who wanted to play Conan.

Fritz Leiber's "Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser". Originally intended as a parody of the Conan-style heroic fantasy, but promptly becoming a serious and admired work that created its own sub-genre of fantasy (the "sword and sorcery" genre), they also were inspirational for the first editions of D&D. Sometimes it is indirect - the "Thief" or "Rogue" classes were inspired by Leiber's Gray Mouser character - other times it is MUCH more direct. For example, among the numerous pantheons you could choose to use in early D&D, one was the various gods of Newhon and the city of Lankhmar, the universe of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. And the fantasy trope of "Thieves' Guild" made famous partially by D&D was originally an invention of Leiber.

Jack Vance's The Dying Earth. This emblematic series of the "science-fantasy" genre offered to D&D its magic system, which is generally known as "vancian magic". It was Jack Vance who had the idea that a wizard had to learn/store spells in their mind, with a limited number of spells they could carry in their brain, and that once cast the spell had to be re-learned or restored. Several spells and items of early D&D were also directly taken from the Dying Earth books - the "prismatic spray" or the "ioun stones".

H.P. Lovecraft's "Cthulhu Mythos". No need to explain how Lovecraft's brand of eldritch horror and alien-fantasy shaped the creatures and deities of early D&D, to the point that early on the deities and monsters of the Cthulhu Mythos were part of the pantheons you could chose to use - listed alongside the Newhon gods of Leiber, or the gods of the Conan universe.

While not fantasy works, the most famous creations of Edgard Rice Burroughs - Tarzan on one hand, and John Carter of Mars on the other, were claImed by Gygax to have been very influential to his creation of D&D.

Another author Gygax mentionned as being a huge influence for D&D was Fletcher Pratt - through his Harold Shea fantasy series, about a main character being carried away in various magical and fantastical worlds very different from each other, in which he has to adapt himself to new settings and learn new rules to avoid dangers and threats... Sounds familiar? The idea of world-travelling might also have been inspired by the science-fiction series by P.J. Farmers' World of Tiers: the rules of travel in D&D between the various planes of reality seem to have been inspired by Farmers' own rules for dimension-travel.

One of the lesser known influences of D&D is the fantasy series "Kothar" by Gardner Fox: Gygax explicitely said that the idea of the "Lich" as a D&D monster came from Fox's Kothar series.

Not a book, but movies: the Sinbad movies of the mid 20th century were influential on early D&D. Various monsters and creatures referenced pictures such as "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" or "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad".

"The House on the Borderlands" by William Hope Hodgson was explicitely referenced by Gygax's 1979 module "The Keep on the Borderlands", and it might have heavily influenced the original depiction of the D&D orcs as pig-men...

The Shannara series by Terry Brooks has also been pointed out as an influence on D&D - while not on the very first edition, elements of the Shannara world seem to have influenced later ones...

Mind you, this is but a fragment of a much longer list known as the "Appendix N" composed by Gygax, and that lists all the books and pieces of work he took inspiration from when designing D&D. Beyond the most famous works evoked above he also listed:

Poul Anderson's "The High Crusade" and "The Broken Sword"

John Bellairs' "The Face in the Frost"

Leigh Brackett's works

Fredric Browns' works

I evoked before Burrough's Mars series, but Gygax also listed his "Venus series" and his "Pellucidar series".

Lin Carter's "World End" series

L. Sprague de Camp's "Lest Darkness Fall" and "The Fallible Fiend" and "The Carnelian Cube"

August Derleth's continuation of the Cthulhu Mythos.

Lord Dunsany's writings, of course.

Gardner Fox's "Kyrik" series

Sterling Lanier's "Hiero's Journey"

A. Merritt's "Creep, Shadow, Creep", "Moon Pool" and "Dwellers in the Mirage"

Michael Moorcock's "Hawkmoon" series (which is technically part of the wider universe of which the Elric Saga is the central piece)

Andre Norton's works

Fletcher Pratt's "Blue Star"

Fred Saberhagen's "Changeling Earth"

Margaret St. Clair "The Shadow People" and "Sign of the Labrys"

Stanley Weinbaum's works

Manley Wade Wellman's works

Jack Williamson's works

Roger Zelazny's "Amber" series, and "Jack of Shadows".

In 2007, Gygax even updated his Appendix N with a handful of new titles reflecting elements added to later editions of D&D:

Sterling Lanier's "The Unforsaken hiero"

Piers Anthony's "Split Infinity" series

And of course, Terry Pratchett's Discworld series

And since this post is all about updates, I will also include a list of works that were used as inspiration for current day/modern D&D - especially the fifth edition. Like that, you'll have the evolution of "old school D&D versus new school D&D". This list is taken from fragments here and there of interviews given by Mike Mearls, the Appendix E "Inspirational Reads" of the fifth edition, and Rodney Thompson's interviews.

Appendix E replaces several elements Gygax talked about in interviews or in his Appendix N: Leiber's work, Burroughs's Mars series, Howard's Conan, etc...

Appendix E adds among other things China Mieville's "Perdido Street Station", and Elizabeth Bear's "Range of Ghosts".

Mike Mearls said that what inspired him in his design work of modern D&D was Ursula LeGuin's "Earthsea" series, Patrick Rothfuss "The Name of the Wind", Saladin Ahmed "Throne of the Crescent Moon" and Octavia E. Butler's "The Parable of the Sower".

But Mearls also repeated several of the picks already used by Gygax. He invoked again The Elric Saga, and Roger Zelazny's Amber series, and Tolkien's Legendarium of course...

Rodney Thompson rather insisted on returning to the Anderson roots of the D&D fantasy: mostly "Three Heart and Three Lions", but also "The Broken Sword".

[deathbydarkelves]

So if I had to guess, night elves are your favorite warcraft race? What are your thoughts on the other races?

What could have possibly given you that idea? :P

They certainly are, and honestly they’re probably among my favorite fantasy races period. When I first played Warcraft III as a too-young-to-be-playing-WC3-year old, I immediately picked them and have never gone back. They’ve meant a lot to me for a very long time.

But beyond them, my favorites would be trolls, orcs, worgen, and dwarves. If they gave us playable sethrak like they SHOULD HAVE (>:c) they’d be on that list too. And while I like the appearance of the dracthyr and think they’re gorgeously animated, their lore feels so restrictive to me… so I’m not as invested in them as I’d like. That really just comes down to me not dedicating the time to coming up with a story that intrigues me, though.

Anyway. I really enjoy the design of trolls in this game and their music slaps. The sheer variety of tribal cultures you can draw on for your characters is awesome. I just wish — well, like with almost all WoW races — the sexual dimorphism wasn’t… like that. Let troll ladies have big tusks too 😔 And, of course, I also wish Blizzard hadn’t gone so hard into the racism when designing trolls, but that’s what headcanon is for. Out here we fix that shit to the best of our ability.

Orcs I also just really enjoy the design of (again, sans the lame dimorphism), and their lore is really excellent, especially compared to most other orcs in fantasy. Blizzard did an amazing job writing a people you can genuinely sympathize and/or empathize with, and then sprinkling the ‘warmongering orcs’ archetype flavor on top. It maintains that part of the power fantasy that appeals to so many people, while still ultimately subverting the cliche and making the orcs feel like actual people.

I just like worgen because werewolves are cool :) I wish they had tails because they look so unbalanced without them, but whatever.

And I just really enjoy dwarves in any fantasy setting. You put a dwarf on screen and I’m happy. I don't play any dwarves, but I deeply enjoy watching them do their thing. They're like bugs to me.

And pandaren get an honorable mention because I like their vibe. But also because I’m a simple woman and I love fantasy SE Asian aesthetics. I know there’s appropriation issues, as with just about everything in fantasy, but they’re just so lovely. There's a reason Cathala's backstory is the way it is.

[yay855]

Honestly I do like how Warcraft initially had Orcs be generic evil monsters, only to turn around and say they were victims of the literal demons causing these wars just as much if not more so than the humans, Dwarves, and Elves... and then the humans, dwarves, and elves turned around and literally enslaved the orcs long enough for their demonic taint to fully fade, by which point nearly all of the Orcs had lost all sense of cultural identity and no longer had a homeland to return to. So they managed to free themselves and fucked off across the ocean to another continent entirely, settling down in a literal desert and finding out that there were several other races the humans didn’t care for or just didn’t bother helping, the Trolls were considered nothing but monsters and the Tauren were nearly going extinct thanks to Centaur aggression, so the Orcs, still reeling from their loss of identity and all but the oldest among them having been born slaves, chose to help these people. The Darkspear Trolls were welcomed into the Barrens with open arms and the Tauren given military and material aid against the Centaurs- and then a group of undead managed to break free of the Lich King’s clutches and regain their mental freedom and senses of identity, and the Horde welcomed them in too! Maybe not with love, the Forsaken are a pretty gloomy people who use biological warfare with gusto, but still allies.

The Orcs did fight with the Night Elves from time to time, but that’s because the Orcs lived in a freaking desert and a savannah and desperately needed wood to build homes and light fires for cooking and such, and the Night Elves chose to go to war over their forests being cut down instead of, say, help the Orcs learn about druidic magic and teach them how to upgrade their new home’s environment so they don’t have to intrude upon Night Elf territory.

And basically every conflict between the Alliance and Horde since then has been caused by the humans and their allies refusing to let bygones be bygones and accept that the Orcs were betrayed and forcibly turned into monsters but have since healed and only seek stability now.

...and then Blizzard turns Garrosh Hellscream, son of the man who freed the Orcs from their demonic enslavement, into a bloodthirsty villain who waged war for the sake of waging war and who accidentally murdered the leader of the Tauren.

Then they made Vol’jin, the wise and compassionate leader of the Darkspear Trolls and personal friend to Thrall, leader for literally a single expansion before killing him off in an opening cutscene.

And then they turned Sylvanas, a former High Elf turned banshee turned queen of the Forsaken and an extreme pragmatist seeking only to protect her new people from those who see them as nothing but unnatural monsters, into the villain by having her become the new warchief of the Horde, and then blame her for things her new political opponent did with glee but now speaks out against as if it was all her fault, as well as meaningless babble about honor from a man with none. Now she’s fucked off to who knows where, abandoning her post and the people she fought so hard to protect.

I just... the Horde’s story was one of persecuted minorities banding together for mutual protection and support against human aggression, but they’re still treated like the aggressors and the villains in every expansion, and their iconic characters are all killed off with no (good) new ones introduced in turn. Meanwhile the Alliance’s golden boy Anduin Wrynn went from a spoiled brat of a prince to a grown man and genuine leader, the three Dwarven clans have made efforts to reunify under one banner while the former King Bronzebeard has become an avatar of Azeroth itself, the Night Elven leaders are now both present and still alive, and even Gilneas is part of the Alliance despite their centuries-long isolation. And also the gnomes are there, but they never really played a major part in the story to begin with. Meanwhile the Alliance has allied with elves who use void magic (which, in this universe, is as bad as demonic fel magic, just with less of an awful reputation because the Void Lords are more subtle and are playing a longer game than the Burning Legion), abandoned their longstanding allies the High Elves for dipping into Fel magic to stay alive, and the Nightborne (literally a faction of Night Elves who were enslaved to demons for a time) allied with the Horde despite both factions helping them.

I just... at every turn the alliance is praised and upheld as being righteous for waging war with their former slaves, while the Horde is depicted as evil and backstabbing despite having been founded and lead by persecuted peoples seeking community and understanding from one another. But if you actually look at their actions as a faction rather than just their leaders’ personalities, the Alliance is instigating conflicts with races who would mostly be fine with opening negotiations, even if they don’t really trust the Alliance due to a long history of oppression and genocide. And the Horde’s leaders undergo character death or literal death to keep having them be the villains, even when the Horde’s actual populace and military fight those characters too! The Alliance’s new allies are ones of convenience, half of whom would (and in the case of the Dark Iron Dwarves, did) backstab them in any other circumstances, while the Horde take in refugees and victims to help them recover. Blizzard keeps trying to have it be both ways, to have the Alliance be the righteous heroes and the Horde be monstrous villains, while still having the Alliance be racist colonizers and the Horde be victims of the Alliance and the burning legion.

[innumerable-stars]

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil Promo Post

(This is the first in a series of promo posts we’ll be making over the signup period highlighting the smaller Tolkien canons, with the hope that people will enjoy them, request them, and/or offer them. If you have a particular favourite small canon that you’d like to write a promo for in roughly the format below, please let us know!)

Summary: The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is a collection of poems set in Middle-earth around the time of Lord of the Rings. Some of them are purported to be written by Frodo or Sam, but many have more mysterious origins, or have clearly been passed down from older times as oral tradition among hobbits.

Why should I check out this canon? If you’re into hobbit lore, poems, exploring the corners of Middle-earth and mysterious things happening in strange places, then definitely have a look. Some of the themes of the poems involve shadows and reflections, trolls, Frodo’s experiences after the War, dragons and their hoards, Elves inviting mortals to go to Valinor, cats, Mewlips and Gorcrows, the Man in the Moon, Tom Bombadil, and much more.

Where can I get this? The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is sold as a book on its own wherever you would normally purchase books. It’s also available in Kindle format from Amazon. If you aren’t able to obtain it for whatever reason, let me (@edgeoflight) know, and I’ll provide you with a copy.

What fanworks already exist? There are 12 works so far on AO3, and they involve everything from femslash about Mee and Shee, to exploring what Gorcrows are, to works inspired by the various poems.

[bracketsoffear]

The Broken Sword (Poul Anderson) "The book tells the story of Skafloc Half Elf (actually a human stolen by the elves), son of Orm the Strong. The story begins with the marriage of Orm the Strong and Aelfrida of the English. Orm kills a witch's family on the land, and later half-converts to Christianity, but quarrels with the local priest and sends him off the land. Meanwhile, an elf, Imric, seeks out the witch to capture the son of Orm, Valgard. In his place he leaves a changeling called Valgard. The real Valgard is taken away to elven lands and named Skafloc by the elves. He grows up among the fairies there. Later, he has a significant part in a war against the trolls.

The eponymous weapon, named Tyrfing in the 1971 revision, was given to Skafloc as his naming-gift by the Aesir. He later travels to the ends of the Earth to have it reforged by Bolverk, the Ice Giant.

Anderson wrote the book during the Cold War, and it does reflect on the story. For example, the Elf-Troll conflict is basically a proxy war between two great powers, the Aesir and the Jotuns; the latter two do not fight directly because that would lead to Ragnarok, the final battle in which most of the world would be destroyed. The parallel to the real-world threat of nuclear war is obvious. Even the titular sword may be an allusion to nuclear weapons; Skafloc contemplates throwing the sword into the sea, but realizes someone - probably much less moral than himself - would eventually find and use it."

A Song of Ice and Fire (George R. R. Martin) "Torture, war, bloodshed, sadism… it would be easier to list the aspects of Slaughter this doesn't include."