#as in. the title of the first chapter of the silmarillion.

[dramatic-dolphin]

augh i hate when a word or phrase gets stuck in my head and i keep randomly repeating it to myself for weeks at a time. get out get out get out

[annab99awritersdreamsideblog]

Characters from my untitled original

(to be updated, revised and more)

[Historical fiction novel set sometime in the Middle-ages/Renaissance. In order to have more creative freedom, I've decided to create fictional kingdoms but, since I have thought of no names yet, I'll use the names of the places they're inspired by when describing the characters. For now, at least. It will be updated when I've come up with decent names]

Families => Main characters

Rúadhán & Cecilia. They live on Celtic-like island (think of a remote Greek Island but settled by Celts) with their four children Órla, Mairéad, Elena and Giuliano. Cecilia was an "Italian" noblewoman of the House of Contarini—that's probably a placeholder name, but I really like it and the Contarini family were an actual Venetian noble family—who gave up everything she had (or was disowned, I still have to decide on that) to marry Rúadhán (he is a merchant and traveled a lot, that's how they met).

Fancasts:

Rúadhán=> Engin Öztürk

Cecilia=> Selma Ergeç

Órla=> Şeyma Burcu Gül

Mairéad=> Isolda Dychauk

Elena=> Synnøve Karlsen

Giuliano=> Ruairi O'Connor

Royal Family (the country is supposed to be akin to Tudor England)

I don't have a name for the king and queen (might as well end up being emperor/empress) yet, I only know he married three times and two of his wives executed.

Children from his first marriage (from left to right): Princess Elizabeth, Princess Alexandra, Princess Mary

Fancasts:

King=> Anthony Head

Queen=> Hülya Avşar

Princess Elizabeth=> Gaia Weiss

Princess Alexandra=> Gözde Türker

Princess Mary=> Holliday Grainger

King's second wife and son, Prince Arthur.

Queen #2=> Vildan Atasever/Nurgül Yeşilçay/Aslıhan Gürbüz?

Prince Arthur=> Max Irons

Prince (King) Henry=> Rıdvan Aybars Duzey

Third marriage to Queen Jane and sons Henry and Edward.

Queen Jane=> Annabelle Wallis

Prince Edward => Oliver Zetterström

-

Lady Catherine, the King's illegitimate daughter, her mother is unknown.

Fancast=> Astrid Berges-Frisbey

House of Venier (family crest=> eagle)

I don't know about titles. Italian nobility (they're Italian) used 'Messer' and 'Madonna' so I guess I might keep them. They're nobles, so why not.

Messer Piero and Madonna Maddalena and their children Leonardo/Lorenzo(?), Laura and Lucrezia. Lorenzo (placeholder name for now, but I think it will stick) serves as Ambassador and ends up marrying Elena/Helena

Fancasts:

Piero=> Dustin Hoffman

Maddalena=> Tülin Özen

Leonardo/Lorenzo=> Daniel Sharman

Laura=> Gonca Sariyildiz

Lucrezia=> Merve Boluğur

Matilda Lutz as Lisa (I still have to pick a name)=> Leonardo/Lorenzo's sister.

(HE HAS THREE YOUNGER SISTERS AND LISA IS THE ONE HE'S CLOSEST WITH- SHE MIGHT BE HIS TWIN OR THEY MIGHT TEN/ELEVEN MONTHS APART)

Both countries (both the "Italian" and the "English" one might have "Ottoman" influences as a result of an alliance)

UPDATE: The "English" one definitely has it, not so sure about the "Italian" one

Main couples

Also, these two up above are basically a more historical version of Elenwë from my LOTR/Silmarillion fic "The Lady of Ithilien". Their chapters will be a RETELLING of said fic in a different context.

These are the main characters, this post will be updated periodically as I come up with new ones!

[curiouselleth]

Be He Foe or Friend; a Silmarillion Choose your Own Adventure Book

Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo, mellons and mutuals!

(a star shines on the hour of our meeting, friends and mutuals!)

So, what is Be He Foe or Friend? It's a Silmarillion choose your own adventure book I'm writing! I've been tagging all my posts about it with "be he foe or friend".

Be He Foe or Friend is written from the perspective of Lalwen, one of Finwe's daughters and a textual ghost. We know she went to Middle Earth with Fingolfin... but that's all we know. So it will read as if you are Lalwen, and at the end of each chapter, you will have to make a choice.

More information and details under the cut!

(edited 1/6/24 to update info)

I'm planning to separate the story into several books, with this first one starting in Valinor, pre-darkening, and ending shortly after the Host of Fingolfin arrives in Middle Earth (probably shortly after Fingolfin is crowned). It’s working title right now is Blessed Lands and Colder Seas.

For example (and this whole bit here is just an example, I am not using this):

What do you want to do as Princess of the Noldor?

Join the Court

Head projects in the city, (construction, social programs, etc.)

Serving (insert favorite/least hated vala here)

Each choice is tied to a certain chapter, so if you choose to servea vala, you would jump to the chapter "In the Halls of Aule" rather than just going to the next page with the chapter "Finwe's Advisors are Annoying" which is where you would go if you chose to join the court.

In some later chapters where survival might be a question, I'm thinking it could be fun to roll dice to determine that, like if you were in the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, you would roll a 100-sided die, and if you got 98 or above you survive. (I'm still kinda rotating how this part should work.)

(All of the above choices and chapters were made up for the sake of giving an example that wasn't a spoiler)

As of now I estimate 26 or so chapters in this book, but there are probably quite a few I can combine, and I will probably find that I need more chapters in certain parts so I can't say for sure.

What makes this complicated is that you won't be reading 26 chapters. Because for each decision you make at the end of a chapter, there will be 1 or 2 other chapters for the other choices... and it all branches off so there really will be 6 or 7 chapters as you read through. (I am so sorry if this doesn't make sense, I don't know how else to word it)

Namárië!

[sindar-princeling]

Hello! I have a question for you and your followers. First I love the newsletter - I even signed my mom up for it and I'm enjoying my second year read through! But I also want to get physical copies of the books. My mom kept our old copies and refuses to let me steal them back to my home, so I figure I'm ready to get my own set. I figure there must be some really pretty editions/publications of the series out there (and of the hobbit and silmarillion too). Do you know of any versions of the series - whether by fan creators or big publishing houses - that are really gorgeous editions of the books?

Hi!

Fist of all - thank you so much for your kind words! I'm so happy you're enjoying the newsletter (again!), and I hope that your mom does as well! 🥰🥰

As for the LOTR editions - I for example love the English edition I own, which I got from a very dear friend (the one I have is the left one in the tweet below). It has Tolkien's illustrations in it, the cover underneath the dust jacket is very minimalistic, and the sides have the One Ring inscription on them, it looks amazing. And it looks great inside, too, there's a tiny bit of color for example in chapter titles, which I really enjoy. And you actually get all of LOTR in one book like jirt intended.

There's also this one, also by Harper Collins, which I really like because it uses Tolkien's originally unused dust jacket designs which he made for the first edition of LOTR.

Then there are these pretty classic editions by Mariner, which have very minimalistic covers and I love that - I actually have The Hobbit from this series! They feel like a pretty obvious choice to show you, but I really do like them a lot.

And then there's this pocket-sized box set by William Morrow which I ADORE. It's so minimalistic and simple and small. I love it so much.

And there are also these STUNNING versions but I'm not sure you can commission the author because he does bookbinding as a passion project. But just look at them, they're gorgeous:

I hope you see something you like here and I definitely encourage others to share their favourite editions!

[of-elves-and-mad-hatters]

"The Azure Sky" - Chapter 11

Masterlist 

Request Guidelines

Shadows to the Brightest Flame: Series

- The legacy of Lumia’s influence is scarred eternally into the lands of Elvendale. Burdened by a prophecy foretelling her demise and need for a successor, she watches for one capable of such power. Yet her enemies are working steadily to undo all she’s labored so long for, and it is millenia too late to make peace. 

Emily Jones, heir to Eimileen, is a bold girl dedicated to protecting Elvendale, but the world she has grown so fond of is not so black and white as it seems, and the titles of Guardian of Portal and Guardian of Light may hold darker legacies some ancient elves have worked tirelessly to hide

In conjunction with the extended version of the Guardian of Light prophecy I wrote previously

Basically a rewrite of all of the Lego Elves & Secrets of Elvendale storylines with an additional arc beyond the Season 4: Into the Shadows. There will be a varying degree of deviation from canon.

Technically a crossover with Lord of the Rings/Hobbit/Silmarillion in terms of worldbuidling, as I set Elvendale as being north of Middle-Earth, cause this is fanfic and I can. So there will be mentions of the Noldor, Sindar, Silvan, and some Tolkien characters, but they will be mostly background. Definitely not an issue if you aren’t familiar with the Middle-Earth fandom; everything will still be easy to understand.

Book 1: The Azure Sky

Grieving over the unexpected death of her grandmother, Emily Jones is accidentally trapped in another world. Befriending a few young elves in an attempt to find her way home, Emily discovers many secrets about her grandmother’s past, but for every truth she learns two more questions take its place, leaving her vulnerable to darker force inhabiting this realm. 

A rewrite of Unite the Magic

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10 

_________________________________

Chapter 11

Eimileen must have loved this place. 

The small, open-air market of Urisil is like something out of a painting, surreal in the way light shines down through the silk canopies, crystals and lanterns illuminating the stalls, the structures surrounded by trees.

Emily’s gaze is darting around, trying to absorb it all, a grin helplessly plastered on her face. She doesn’t even hear Naida’s voice at first; the water elf has to tap her on the shoulder. “Emily, are you sure this will be enough? Do you need anything else?”

She looks down at the small pile of clothes Naida’s about to pay for, absorbing the question. Enough? She’s relying on the water elf’s expertise for what the mountain weather will be like, only Emily isn’t an elf, and humans seem to be frail in comparison. 

“Another coat? Just to be on the safe side?” 

Naida nods, and the shopkeeper suggests a fur-lined one in a dark, muted blue. 

Emily reaches a hand absentmindedly to her amulet. It feels cold again, prickly with static. Unpleasant. 

An intense spark jolts her finger. She recoils. 

A rush of half-faded images, a memory, impress upon her mind. Her eight-year-old self trembling under a quilt on her grandmother’s couch, crying because there was a wailing thunderstorm that night and she hated the way the world looked when it was lit up by lightning. 

They illuminated the dark faces in the trees, the ones too melded with the night to see any other time. And she begged her grandmother to make them go away. 

Her grandmother smiled pityingly, and whispered that she was too old to be hunting spirits anymore, but not to worry, that the dark things were farther away than they appeared, and that there were barriers that kept them locked away. Because that’s how the light deals with darkness, by casting it far away. 

Of course there were the few who dealt with things by swallowing the shadows, but her grandmother told her never to pay them much mind. That you should just tell them white lies because they tended to be grumpy and might not otherwise help anyone with the darkness. 

Little Emily objected. Her parents said that lying was always wrong. 

Her grandmother only smiled gently, tucked a strand of hair behind the child’s ear. Whispered, “Sometimes the only way to love is to lie”. 

And lie, Eimileen most certainly did, only Emily isn’t sure she can see the love in that particular choice. How was concealing her own heritage, the world she’d grown up in and loved, necessary to love her human family? 

“Something on your mind?”

Emily’s eyes flicker over to Naida. “Nothing…everything. I don’t know,” and she shrugs her shoulders. 

“I did not mean to upset you.”

The human shakes her head. “You didn’t. Sometimes, I just feel overwhelmed, still.” She hesitates. “…and I guess it doesn’t help that this amulet continues to surprise me.” 

Naida frowns. “How so?”

“Just little things. Like feeling as though it were charged with static electricity. Like sparking an old memory of my grandmother that I had forgotten…” Emily shakes her head. “I don’t know. It drew me to this realm. It wanted me to come here. But somehow I have this feeling it doesn’t like me very much. Does that sound stupid? I mean, it’s an amulet, not a person.”

Naida reaches out, just grazing the stone with her fingertips. “It is an artifact of great power. I’d be surprised if it did not behave strangely.” She tilts her head, thoughtful. “It was given to you by Eimileen. It should be loyal to you, but perhaps it is not fully confident in its new owner. Sometimes trust must be earned.” She takes a deep breath then, as if washing away her contemplations. “Come. We need to be on our way if we are to still stop by the bakery and return to the others by nightfall.”

________________________________________

After regrouping that night, and a restful sleep, the five travelers began their trek up the mountain paths. They hike in single file; Aira leading with the map, Farran just over her shoulder, Emily securely in the middle of the entourage, and Naida and Azari bringing up the rear. 

The human pulls her cloak tighter over her shoulders, shivers. The spots of green grass along the path are tinged with frost; she can see her breath in the crisp air. The higher they climb, the sky shifts from lavender to a crystal clear blue, unmarred by cloud and occasionally broken by birds flying in the distance. 

Emily feels Naida’s eyes on her, and hears the water elf shout, “It’s time for a rest!”. 

Aira jerks her head back, confused until her gaze falls on the human girl. “The path widens just around the next bend. Plenty of space to set up camp.” Emily can barely hide her sigh of relief. 

The narrows path does end up widening suddenly into a clearing that had been intentionally carved into the side of the mountain. Out on the edge of outcropping, to their left, stands a dilapidated windmill. The sky is quickly dimming to dusk, and Azari builds a fire close to the face of the mountain. Emily drops to her knees, stretching out her hands to warm them. She nods in Aira’s direction,“So, how much farther to the next key?” 

Azari shrugs. 

Aira, overhearing, trills, “Just a few more miles!”

“And what are we looking for, exactly?” inquires Farran. 

The wind elf finally seats herself around the fire, spreading the map on the ground, and reads, 

“Under the wings of those who rule the skies

Buried in the dark with all they find precious

An ancient hold for a beast long dead

Forgotten by those who knew not the days of malice”

Farran’s eyes widen. “A dragon cave.”

Dragon? “Wait, do you mean like an actual fire-breathing dragon, or is that a metaphor for something?” Emily questions. 

“Well, not all dragons breathe fire, but yes,” Naida confirms, “The riddle clearly points to the actual lair of one of those creatures. One long deceased.”

Azari scrunches her face, “But what on earth does the line ‘Forgotten by those who knew not the days of malice’ mean?”

Aira frowns. “Maybe it’s referring to a melkorian dragon.”

Naida mirrors her frown. “Let’s hope not. Their treasure hoards are rumored to be cursed, inciting delirium in those who linger too long.”

Emily winces at the thought. “So, what’s the difference between a melkorian dragon and other dragons?”

“Dragons are native to these lands, present at the time of creation, and friends of the northernmost elves. Melkor, an evil and powerful spirit to the south, captured a dragon and transformed it. Twisted its mind and body into a weapon of war. Its descendants we call melkorian dragons. They range from apathetic to completely wicked. Devouring sentient peoples like cattle, and hoarding gold with a compulsive greed far outweighing the natural dragons’ appreciation for beautiful gems.

It’s easy to tell the two races apart. Melkorian dragons grow to be far larger, and more powerful. Unlike other dragons, who are colorful and shimmer in the light, the scales of melkorian dragons are dull and muted in hue. They dwell along our southern borders, a frequent threat to the cities there. Though some have claimed that in rare cases, elves have been able to befriend these drakes, and redeem their natures. 

The last time melkorian dragons came this far north was before elves had established permanent towns up here, just scattered settlements. A treasure hoard of their kind would be very ancient indeed, at least by our reckoning,” the water elf explains. 

Emily absorbs this, picking a croissant out of the bakery bag being passed around the campfire. She pulls the bread apart, only realizing how hungry she is once she takes a bite. “If the cave was made by a dragon, which can fly, how do we know if it’s even accessible on foot?”

“We don’t,” Aira chirps. “But don’t worry, I’ve invented dozens of different ways to get around the problem of flight!” 

Azari makes a nauseated expression. “Flight is a problem, all right. And something to be avoided, not solved.” 

“Nonsense! Once you get over your fear of plummeting to your death…”

“Aira, stop,” Naida cuts her off. “We’re about to go to sleep, and you’re going to give Azari nightmares over a hypothetical situation.” 

“Fine. But a few pegasi-sky-diving sessions would really do her a world of good.”

_________________________________

Emily opens her eyes. She blinks, slowly, the world around her seeming blurred. The air around her is heavy with fog; she can barely distinguish the forms of her sleeping friends around the remnants of their campfire. 

The mist is dark, but as she peers into the night, she sees even deeper, darker shapes in the distance. They’re indistinct, fluid, with glowing blue eyes. Shadows. 

Emily sits up, wary, pulling her legs to her chest. The shadows are whistling, a high-pitched almost-white noise that makes her ears ache. There are whispers, too, in her head. Overlapping, wispy phrases, aggressive, rambling on and on about mortals and the passageway. 

Electric blue lightning crackles through the fog. Emily’s amulet begins to glow, shining like the shadows’ eyes. It levitates, lifting itself from the girl’s chest until the chain bites into the back of her neck. 

It’s leading her.

Shaking with apprehension, Emily allows herself to be pulled to her feet. She stumbles forward, the heavy fog obscuring anything more than a couple yards ahead. She’s lead further up the narrow mountain trail, winding endlessly towards a sky she can’t see. 

At some point, she’s turned sharply to the left. The girl continues walking forward, but realizes the ground feels different, absent. She looks down to see a gaping chasm beneath her. 

Emily considers, for the first time, that this might be a dream.

As though air were as solid as stone, the girl is lead on. She trips when her feet meet rock again, scraping her shins on a jagged outcropping. There’s a rough-hewn path with deep gauges that perhaps could have been carved from talons, if it was ever possible for a creature to have claws as wide as a school bus. 

The rock is damp from the mist, and Emily ends up sliding down the tumultuous path. Now with a scratched-up arms to match her bloody legs, she barely has time to catch her breath before the amulet drags her forward again, and enters the mouth of a monstrous cave. 

The blue glow of the amulet is her only source of light, and even that is quickly swallowed up by the darkness. Every step she takes sends small, clinking objects scattering. Gold, gems, she can’t tell what kind of treasure she’s stumbling through, but the deeper she’s lead, the more her legs sink into the hoard. 

Emily’s standing knee-deep when the amulet stops. Glow softening, it drops back against her chest with a soft thud, the surface crackling with static electricity. As its light dims, another light, deeper in the cave, moves towards her. It grows rapidly in size as it approaches, a dark, shadowy shape forming in its center, evolving into a humanoid shape. 

Emily’s heart drops. It’s them, the presence she felt in the forest. She’s sure of it, even though a part of her mind reminds her that this could just be a dream, a nightmare. 

“Who are you?” she asks, trying to still the tremor in her voice. 

“Who?” the shadowy figure repeats, tilting its head. The voice is warped, but it sounds vaguely female. “Who I am never really mattered to your grandmother. She held her own assumptions as gospel. So why do you inquire? Or did she not warn her own descendant of the dangers of this realm?”

“She must have had her reasons,” Emily spits back, defensive. “And it’s too late for me to ask her now. But I can ask you why you’ve been stalking me, and how you’re somehow connected to her amulet.”

“It was a gift, and a foolish mistake.”

Emily lifts her hand, letting it hover over the jewel, feeling the sharp pricks of electricity jumping to her skin. “Is that why it hurts me? Because you regret giving my grandmother the amulet?”

“Because I made it, and Eimileen used it for something I never condoned. As long as its purpose is being abused, it will always try to find its way back to me.” The shadow’s voice grows in volume, the cave beginning to shake. “It may be yours, little half-blood, but don’t mistake ownership for loyalty. For your own sake, give the amulet to the guardian of the castle. She has sworn to safeguard it till I return to these lands.”

The shadowy figure vanishes into a wreath of blue and green light, as the ground opens up underneath Emily, crumbling away. She falls, jewels and coins pouring in after her. And far beneath, in the darkness, are hundreds of glowing blue eyes, waiting. 

_______________

A/N: I can't believe it's been two years since I've updated this story, and a full year since I shared a segment of this chapter as a WIP. I'm so sorry to have made everyone wait so long! Hopefully, now that I'm over the hurdle that was this clunky chapter, I can finish the Azure Sky this year? Crossing my fingers.

[sam-glade]

Author Ask Game

Tagged by the lovely @mariahwritesstuff here, @writernopal here, and @tisiphonewolfe here, @void-botanist here - thank you all💜

Gently passing the tag to: @starlit-hopes-and-dreams @vollzz @rbbess110 @flock-from-the-void @pheita @i-can-even-burn-salad (feel free to ignore if you've done it already)

1. What is the main lesson of your story (e.g. kindness, diversity, anti-war), and why did you choose it?

I don't write with the aim to teach a lesson. However, after figuring out the plot, I'll look back and see what message I can focus on. Usually, it's kindness, but I also hope to inspire people to find strength within themselves.

2. What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding (like real-life cultures, animals, famous media, websites, etc.)?

A lot of real world cultures and history. In the case of my main setting, the amount of research into the history and culture of Central and Eastern Europe in the 18th century (especially the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) would probably be enough to write straight up historical fiction, buuuut I like the fantasy elements, and I don't enjoy writing non-queernormative societies. So here we are.

The second instalment, The Truth Teller, is again in a fantasy version of the Eastern Bloc, and I get a lot of inspiration from talking to people who've lived there in the second half of the 20th century.

Finally, The Fulcrum is an exercise in worldbuilding. It started with a question, what would happen if evolution took a different path, and the dominant sentient species was most closely resembling birds. Other than that, I use it as an excuse to explore other periods in history - primarily late-Bronze and Iron Age.

3. What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, help readers grow as a person?

The goal is different every time. E.g. for Days of Dusk:

In Gifts of Fate, Lissan is the MC, and he wants to survive without hurting anyone (the demon possessing him makes it difficult). What I want to achieve with him is to inspire people to persevere.

In The Prince's Shadow Erya is trying to kill Lissan, while dealing with complicated grief. My goal is to inspire people to move on, without preaching forgiveness (the two main characters still hate each other at the end).

In Prodigal Children, Lissan, Erya, and Gullin are the three MCs who are told with absolute certainty that something terrible will happen and it will result in war. They each try to deal with it in a different way. Erya aims to minimise the damage. Gullin thinks he can't do anything about it, so he focuses on protecting his loved ones. Lissan refuses to accept that it will happen at all. My goal as the writer is to showcase that each of these responses has its merits and can't be condemned from the get go.

4. How many chapters is your story going to have?

I'm a pantser, so I can answer it only for completed drafts. Gifts of Fate currently has 49 chapters, averaging just over 2k words each - with the total being 109k.

5. Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

Everything I post on this blog is original. I don't plan to post the novel-length project online - I'm hoping to publish them traditionally. Some side WIPs may end up being posted here or on AO3 (the unnamed parody thingy that still needs a title), and my Silmarillion fanfiction can be found here (more to come).

6. When and why did you start writing?

I vaguely recall writing my first fantasy heroine self-insert story at the age of 11 or so, then Tolkien fanfiction when I was 15-18, then original fiction onwards. It started as an outlet to my creativity, but now it's to get some peace and quiet in my mind. If I don't put the stories down on paper, they keep buzzing in my head, being distracting.

7. Do you have any words of engagement for fellow writers of Writeblr? What other writers of Tumblr do you follow?

Words of encouragement? Just do it. Imperfect doesn't mean bad. Don't let 'perfect' be the enemy of 'good'.

I follow a tonne of writeblrs, so here are a handful of shoutouts: @acertainmoshke @writernopal @tabswrites @toribookworm22 @winterandwords @aether-wasteland-s

Blank questions below:

What is the main lesson of your story (e.g. kindness, diversity, anti-war), and why did you choose it?

What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding (like real-life cultures, animals, famous media, websites, etc.)?

What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, help readers grow as a person?

How many chapters is your story going to have?

Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

When and why did you start writing?

Do you have any words of engagement for fellow writers of Writeblr? What other writers of Tumblr do you follow?

[emarasmoak]

Hot Sauron From ‘Rings of Power’ Has Taken Over The Internet

"...and in the darkness bind them," IYKYK

Article from The Mary Sue. Extract:

What has really pushed Halbrand a.k.a. Sauron thirst over the edge, however, is shipping him with Galadriel, played on The Rings of Power by Morfydd Clark. The two of them flirted, in that intense but chaste way we expect from Lord of the Rings, and he basically asked her to be his Queen in the finale. There was arm touching. There was staring. Is it wrong? Absolutely. There are dozens of red flags. He’s the once and future Dark Lord. He becomes the embodiment of evil. Galadriel is also married, though in Season 1 she believes herself to be a widow. I ask you this: And????

One does not simply thirst into Mordor. Have you heard the word about Hot Sauron on Rings of Power and how everyone is shipping him and … well … you’ll see. While other fandoms fight over whether it’s appropriate to like a villain, TROP fans are quietly falling for one of literature’s biggest baddies. Spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power ahead, definitely for Season 1 and perhaps for some upcoming seasons as well.

Sauron’s hotness is canon.

While the series has condensed the canon and events in Middle-earth history as presented in J. R. R. Tolkien’s books, stories, and appendices, one thing we know is this: Sauron was a hottie. This is something that even the most rigid Tolkien fans cannot deny. In Tolkien’s biblical Middle-earth text The Silmarillion, at the start of a chapter titled “Of The Rings of Power and the Third Age,” Tolkien says this:

"When Thangorodrim was broken and Morgoth overthrown, Sauron put on his fair hue again and did obeisance to Eönwë, the herald of Manwë, and abjured all his evil deeds. And some hold that this was not at first falsely done, but that Sauron in truth repented, if only out of fear."

(I know the chapter says Third Age, but I believe that passage describes events in the Second Age that lead up to it.) The appendices to The Silmarillion also specify that “Annatar,” the name that Sauron uses when he is the “Lord of Gifts” and the titular rings of power are in production, took a “fair form.” The good looks are only temporary, however. When Numenor ultimately falls and Sauron creates the One Ring, The Silmarillion notes:

"In the midst of the Land of Mordor [Sauron] had fashioned the Ruling Ring. There now he brooded in the dark, until he had wrought for himself a new shape; and it was terrible, for his fair semblance had departed for ever when he was cast into the abyss at the drowning of Númenor."

The execution from page to screen was still a surprise.

So we knew that Sauron would be easy on the eyes in The Rings of Power and we knew that he would be seductive in some kind of way. That’s how he gained the trust of the elves, dwarves, and men before stabbing them all in the proverbial back with the One Ring. That said, I don’t know about y’all, but I assumed that Annatar—or whatever calls himself—would be one for the Legolas girlies, a.k.a. hot in an Elven way. I didn’t expect him to be hot in a rugged, unwashed, Aragorn way. RIP me, I guess.

Enter Halbrand, played by Australian actor Charlie Vickers, who we now know was (sing it with me) Sauron all along. Hoo, boy. Handsome and sad and dark and smirking up a tempest. Galadriel meets him on a raft in the sea. She’s on a quest to find and defeat Sauron after he murdered her brother in service to Morgoth, the Big Bad before him, and ends up not only befriending him but clearing a path for his return. Oops!

Shortly after they meet, Galadriel makes a costly assumption and projects a backstory onto him that is immensely appealing to both her and to fans: a reluctant hero and heir to the Southlands—an exiled king, just like Aragorn, right? Wrong! Halbrand will technically rule over the Southlands, but only because that area of Middle-earth is destined to become Mordor. Still, the hero’s journey that Gal and unsuspecting viewers were sold on had us looking at Halbrand and the things he did in a particular way.

Sauron has been manipulating Galadriel, but is also at a crossroads.

One of Tolkien’s letters that likely inspired Vickers’ take on the character states that “when Morgoth was defeated by the Valar finally [Sauron] forsook his allegiance; but out of fear only; he did not present himself to the Valar or sue for pardon, and remained in Middle-earth. When he found how greatly his knowledge was admired by all other rational creatures and how easy it was to influence him, he became prideful.”

Technically, The Rings of Power cannot directly adapt The Silmarillion for legal reasons, so these letters are actually important. Vickers also alluded to using Tolkien’s letters as inspiration in an SDCC interview with ScreenJunkies prior to the Big Sauron Reveal.

That passage alludes to Sauron making an attempt at a normal life, and maybe even feeling some private remorse before ultimately going down the path to becoming not just Morgoth’s servant, but his second coming. That makes him complicated. And complicated characters are very, very, very hot—especially when they’re tempted by a Dark Side.

Swooning over a hot villain is not exactly a new concept.

Anakin Skywalker, Kylo Ren, Loki, Killmonger, Draco, Harley Quinn, the Darkling, the Goblin King, Regina Mills … need I go on? We know they’re bad, but they’re not real. We don’t owe fictional heroes our loyalty. They can’t see us. In fact, we can even cheer for the hero while being attracted to the villain. Fans contain multitudes!

As long as you don’t bully others for not sharing your opinions or headcanons, or start using fictional characters to justify your actions or the actions of abusers IRL, it’s chill. Stories, especially in fantasy and science fiction, help us work through our fears, anxieties, and dreams in a safe space.

He even survived a shower—which I know sounds wrong, but fans were not happy when greaseball Aragon got a wash and blowout in Return of the King. Think Steve Rogers shaving in Endgame, but so bad it had us rooting against basic hygiene.

We know he’s the villain even though he might not necessarily realize it.

If you were less familiar with Hot Sauron as a concept before The Rings of Power, this might make you look at Peter Jackson’s films in a whole new light.

What has really pushed Halbrand a.k.a. Sauron thirst over the edge, however, is shipping him with Galadriel, played on The Rings of Power by Morfydd Clark. The two of them flirted, in that intense but chaste way we expect from Lord of the Rings, and he basically asked her to be his Queen in the finale. There was arm touching. There was staring. Is it wrong? Absolutely. There are dozens of red flags. He’s the once and future Dark Lord. He becomes the embodiment of evil. Galadriel is also married, though in Season 1 she believes herself to be a widow. I ask you this: And????

We know for a fact that this ‘ship is not the endgame.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun, appreciate the time they had, or maybe hop over to an AU in the meantime. Galadriel can have fun too. Strong, confident, zealous, smart female characters like Galadriel in The Rings of Power are boring as Entmoots if they aren’t allowed to make mistakes. Bring on the ‘shipping manifestos, fic, Tumblr posts, gifsets, and many fancams set to Taylor Swift songs.

Let me be abundantly clear: I want someone to look at me like this. I do not want to be deceived by the Dark Lord and under the control of the One Ring he made behind my back and won’t even let me wear in our engagement photos. I don’t actually want to see Galadriel to become a Dark Elf Queen at Sauron’s side, but I want to see her think about it and wrestle with her feelings and/or Halbrand. When Celeborn returns, I want him to be part of a love triangle. There’s a difference!

Too grossed out by the inevitable flaming eyeball of it all to be attracted to Sauron? That’s your prerogative. To be fair, there are a lot of hotties on Rings of Power. But Hot Sauron isn’t in competition with Hot Elrond, Gilgadaddy, or ElenDILF as far as I’m concerned. I love ’em all. The more the merrier! I’ll just be over here with the other dark and twisted devotees.

[mareenavee]

Non-Elder Scrolls Easter Eggs I've Written into My Fic

As a writer, even in my original work, I'm very influenced by Tolkien's writing. When I was seven years old, my uncle gave me a copy of The Hobbit, and I've been rereading it as my first book of the year pretty much ever since as a tradition. Sometimes I read it aloud to family (: It reminds me why I started writing and why I've continued on for so long, despite so many setbacks in my life. That said, here are some Tolkien easter eggs I've included in my fic as an homage. Some of you may know some of these already (: Nyenna's name. She's actually named after the goddess of grief, sorrow, pity and courage, Nienna. In the Book of Lost Tales, her name was spelled this way at one point. There are some strong reasons why I named my MC after this particular goddess, and not any of the others, but I leave it to the reader to decide maybe why.

In my fic universe, it's common for a people known for storytelling to want to name their children after figures from fiction. Nyenna is one such child with one such name, ergo perhaps Middle Earth exists in Bosmeri fiction in this version of Tamriel... (: I know it's silly, but it makes me happy.

Nyenna's step-brother, Eris (a Dunmer name borrowed from older games which happens to coincide perfectly with the name of the Goddess of Strife in Greek mythology. That, too, is on purpose lol) has been known to tell Nyenna that she's always in the wrong place at the wrong time -- out of the frying pan and into the fire. This is a reference to the title of chapter 6 in The Hobbit.

The entire story is based on a quote I discovered by bibliomancy in a fun little workshop at the local Pagan store back when I was in college. I have used its premise for many a story in my time and it also worked well with Nyenna and Teldryn's story, too. In this case, we can equate Nyenna to Beren in this quote (: It's from The Silmarillion:

“You must choose, Beren, between these two: to relinquish the quest and your oath and seek a life of wandering upon the face of the earth; or to hold to your word and challenge the power of darkness upon its throne. But on either road I shall go with you, and our doom shall be alike.” -- Luthien

And that's all I can think of off the top of my head an hour before I should go to sleep. :D I hope it was a fun read.

For those of you wondering, my fic is right here -> The World on Our Shoulders on AO3

Please feel free to reblog your fic's hidden easter eggs, my dudes. I love stuff like this! Include fic links in the comments or in your reblogs and I'll go check em out.

[marietheran]

LotR reread - book 1, chapter 11 - A Knife in the Dark

Wait, doesn't one chapter from the Little House on the Prairie books have an identical title?? (Sorry, those books were my life, before the Legendarium became my life...)

Back to Buckland!

"Open, in the name of Mordor" -- well now you've certainly made yourself look trustworthy...

Probably the only moment in the book where we're given the POV of someone on Sauron's side for a moment??? Unless we're given the POV of Shelob later, even if she may not actually count as that?

The Bucklanders are really badass though. I love them. If I had to live somewhere in Middle Earth and it couldn't be Rivendell, Lothlorien or Gondor, I would choose Buckland.

Neekerbreekers xdd

And midges :/

Gandalf fighting the Nazgul!

How is it dangerous to talk of Gil-Galad with Sauron's servants at hand, but not of Lúthien, which was as great a defeat of Sauron's??

Only reason I can think of is that the Ringwraiths weren't there when Lulu dearest rescued Beren from Tol-in-Gaurhoth.

Long was the way that fate them bore/ O'er stony mountains cold and grey/ Through halls of iron and darling door/ And woods of nightshade morrowless/ The Sundering Seas between them lay/ And yet at last they met once more/ And long ago they passed away/ In the forest singing sorrowless

I love the phrasing "Sundering Seas". Because that is what they are. They sunder - the Amanyar from the peoples of Middle-earth, the faithful from the Exiles, the living from the dead (as here. but they met once more!)

Wonder how "the great enemy, of whom Sauron of Mordor was but a servant" was received by people before the Silmarillion was out. On a first read, one skips over those things, but I wonder how rereads without having read the Silm would have went.

"The bride-price of Lúthien to Thingol" is an elegant way to put "Thingol trying to get Beren killed without bloodying his own hands together with a dose of 'when pigs fly'" haha

No mention of Finrod😡

"Her line shall never fail"... i.e. there will always be her descendants living in the world? But there must be millions by now, 60 generations from Elros (going through the long-lived royal line - going through "random Númenorean sailor who married a girl in Rhûn in S.A. 1200 to the outrage of his family" there'd be 160) That her descendants will always be good people? ❌❌❌ - Ar-Pharazon. That some of them will always be good people? Or that the eldest child to eldest child line of descent will never end?

"O Elbereth Gilthoniel!" Well done Frodo, you were brave, and even if that bravery might have amounted nothing, the cry worked in its stead.

[nothinghereisworking]

Finrod Appreciation

Wanderlust

Rated: T Words: 22,217

Felagund spent much of his time in exile exploring, documenting, and experiencing life in Beleriand's many regions and realms. He kept a journal and scrapbook into which he wrote and drew and collected a great many mementoes of his life.

Through his eyes, the First Age comes to life on the pages of his book, capturing both the joys and the sorrows of the Eldar in exile.

Moonlight In His Cave (in progress)

Rated: M Chapters: 4/? Words: 13,162

The Dagor Bragollach has broken the Noldorin siege and scattered the Sons of Fëanor across Beleriand. Celegorm and Curufin are at last overrun and forced to flee, ending up in the last place they had ever expected: Nargothrond. This is the account of their years there, and how it all came crashing down again.

Finrod: 30-Day Character Study

Rated: G Words: 14,411

For the Silmarillion Writers' Guild 30-Day Character Study prompt: During this challenge, you will choose one character whom you want to study deeply and complete prompts and activities designed around developing a deeper understanding of that character.

I got in a mood and did all 30! Prompt type will be noted in chapter title (i.e. study, writing, art), and any chapter-specific warnings will be noted in chapter descriptions.

While I attempted to stay as close to canon in this study as possible, in some things canon is simply silent, or I folded some personal theories into the prompts.

The reason this 30-day character study is longer than 30 chapters is some days involved both 'study' elements and 'writing' elements and I wanted to break them apart for those who were interested more in one or the other, to make them easier to find.

On Sands of Pearls

Rated: G Words: 5,500

Finrod Felagund returns from the halls of Mandos. Though his body has been restored, he remembers little, and the traumas of his first life and death lie just beneath the surface.

With Lights and Holly and Songs of Good Cheer

Rated: G Words: ~1,200

In Post-First Age Valinor, Finrod and Elwing create a new custom to share with one another, to keep them connected to their past and kin.

The Children of Eru

Bëor/Finrod Rated: G Words: 188

A poetic glimpse into Finrod's feelings as the end of Bëor's life draws near.

All Shall Fade

Rated: G Words: 823 Character Death

Finrod sits with Bëor at the end of his life.

---

The years of the Edain were lengthened, according to the reckoning of Men, after their coming to Beleriand; but at last Bëor the Old died when he had lived three and ninety years, for four and forty of which he had served King Felagund. And when he lay dead, of no wound or grief, but stricken by age, the Eldar saw for the first time the swift waning of the life of Men, and the death of weariness which they knew not in themselves; and they grieved greatly for the loss of their friends. But Bëor at the last had relinquished his life willingly and passed in peace; and the Eldar wondered much at the strange fate of Men, for in all their lore there was no account of it, and its end was hidden from them. The Silmarillion - JRR Tolkien

The Hunt

Amarië/Finrod Rated: T Words: 1,430

Now King Finrod Felagund had no wife, and Galadriel asked him why this should be; ...for indeed she whom he had loved was Amarië of the Vanyar, and she went not with him into exile.

The Silmarillion - JRR Tolkien

---

I thought about why Galadriel, of all people, would not have known about Amarië, the one her brother loved in Valinor. I decided to explore this seeming contradiction and why Finrod would not have told her (or possibly anyone) about Amarië.

Wrought In Secret

Rated: G Words: 1,500

Nolofin and Arafin disagree on the need for weapons, and their sons grapple with questions on the nature of swords.

The Gifts

Rated: G

Collection of pictures featuring FinrodBear in his finest.

[havenotwillnotreadthebooks]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Got tagged by @elevenelvenswords (kudos, thanks for the tag my dude) so here we go 7:P

How many works do you have on AO3?

21, two of which were co-authored by others.

What fandoms do you write for?

These days I write for the Silmarillion, as it’s my biggest hyperfixation currently. I used to write MCYT fics (my last biggest hyperfixation, lasting about 3yrs), but I’ve long since run dry of mcyt fic ideas.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Funny enough, because of everyone else’s hyperfixations my non-silm fics are still top 5, even tho they’re so much shorter than my more recent works lol

(1) Many vegetables, one soup

(2) Close your eyes, let them reawaken Red

(3) MCYT Whumptober 2022 (and then some)

(4) Cradle Brothers

(5) Meteor

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do! I love to give bonus facts about the fic in my comment section.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Either “I keep my enemies closer than the mirror ever gets to me” because of the canon angst foreshadowing or “I take scraps from dinner as little parts of love” because the ending is bittersweet in hindsight of canon (and because it made someone in my comment section cry lol)

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Staccato, Familiar Acceptance and (somewhat) reconciliation are prime in the 2nd chapter.

Do you get hate on fics?

Nope! I don’t write very controversial topics, very long fics, or in very large fandoms, so at the moment I’m just a small fish in the pond. No hate nor attention comes for the small fish.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I’ve written a scene where inexplicit sex was implied to be happening, but I don’t know if i’ll ever write anything with explicit sexual content (Disclaimer: I’m an adult).

Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

The only crossover i’ve ever posted is an abandoned wip in “Discontinued Hermitcraft WIPS - chapter 7” It was a hermitcraft and Phasmophobia crossover.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

To my knowledge, no.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope! Though I’d be open to it if anyone wanted to (given they asked permission first).

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! A discontinued original work titled “Shattered Stars” and a fnaf fic co-authored with a friend titled “Many vegetables, one soup”

What’s your all time favourite ship?

These days it’s either Silvergifting (silm) or Scarian (hc)

What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

An unnamed fic where Post-Canon, everyone is reembodied in Valinor and Russingon + Kidnap Fam are all together Happy Family Style.

Except, so very ago Fingon & Maedhros adopted a tiny Gil-Galad together, Maedhros left at an early age and never treated Gil like his kid afterwards so Gil is real bitter towards Maedhros. Elrond wants them to reconcile but it’s not going well.

“In case you’ve forgotten, Elrond. I’ve met Maedhros Feanorian and he found nothing of value in me.”

Elrond cringes. Maedhros flinches back as if slapped.

What are your writing strengths?

Not sure. Probably writing angst that hurts readers in the trauma epicenter, since i’ve made a few people cry with my fics.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Pretty sure everything needs to improve, but i’d say descriptions and character placement. Maybe pacing too.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I’ve done it a few times for Sindarin & Quenya (reluctantly) but I wouldn’t touch that hot potato for irl languages. Pretty neat when other writers do it tho.

First fandom you wrote for?

Five Nights at Freddy’s, somehow. I wrote a single fic for that fandom but it was my first.

Favourite fic you’ve written?

“I take scraps from dinner as little parts of love” I put so much symbolism, emotion, and thought into this fic. It’s my favorite brainchild for sure. I’m working on giving this brainchild a sequel sibling, too.

Tagging: @crystalcatgamer @foolofatook001 @melestasflight

[thescrapwitch]

⭐⭐⭐

I may not be reading much in the way of LotR/Silmarillion but I'm fascinated by your writing style!

Thank you so much!

And thank you for letting me ramble about a fic very dear to my heart (and very slow to be completed!) "For Want of a Crown".

My first Silmarillion fic started because (after devouring tons of delicious fics and having drawn out the entire timeline of the First Age to try and understand how its plot REALLY worked) I got bored at work. In a notebook, with a purple pen, I wrote "for want of a crown I guess that's the title?" and then just followed the story. No plan or anything, just jumping from character to character, bullet-point style, mostly dialogue, letting it all play out.

I just wrote the first scene and then the next and the next. And every time I returned to it after breaking for real life responsibilities, I would just keep going? Something about not wanting to break the story, or change the colour pen, I don't know? My brain just kept pouring it out until I reached the end and had like 80 pages of a bullet-point fic. I've never written a fic like that before! I joked to my sister that Tolkien's ghost must have possessed me or something. It had a theme, too! The idea of power, what people will do for it and if those decisions are worth it; how a family can be broken up because of this want and if it's worth the sacrifices. I looked back at that entire rough draft and thought "oh that's what this is about!" And it was fun, to take the starting point of the Silmarillion, twist a couple things, and then see where all the dominos would fall.

After some debate, I decided to clean it up and start typing (just for myself) and then, after the first few chapters were polished enough, I thought "why not" and threw them on AO3.

Its a slow process, because even though I have that entire rough draft done there's still lots of places that need to be better filled in (oh god, I am dreading the second Silmaril part!) and character arcs to polish (Galadriel, I'm looking at you, why did you make your arc clear to me SIX CHAPTERS into this story???) but I've been enjoying it. I don't want to rush this one. Its special to me and I'm having fun learning new things and trying to balance all the events and different POVs. Its my attempt at doing a more "epic" long-form fantasy story, with many POVs and covering a very long period of history, with all the family drama a story about power would include, but where all the characters are decent, good people who just make choices that conflict with each other. It's about letting Maedhros be mad at his dad and forcing Feanor to face actual consequences for his decisions; about Maglor seeing everyone's doom but being too broken to warn them about it; about Fingon and Turgon's opposing ideas on faith; about Luthien and Galadriel's friendship; about Aegnor choosing to love Andreth and what becomes of it.

It is very special to me, and, while its not as popular as some of my other fics, I love it very, very much.

[curiouselleth]

I've seen a lot of posts talking about if the elves in the Silmarillion would tra-la-la-lally, so, should they?

Also if anyone has any strong opinions on where in I should put it, I would love to here them!

Little (oops it's long) explanation for Be He Foe or Friend and more detailed update on progress and eventual posting under the cut! (I'll make a dedicated post for explaining Be He Foe or Friend next)

It's a Silmarillion choose your own adventure book I'm writing! I've been tagging all my posts about it with "be he foe or friend". It starts in Valinor before the Darkening, and is written from the perspective of Lalwen, one of Finwe's daughters and a textual ghost. We know she went to Middle Earth with Fingolfin... but that's all we know. So it will read as if you are Lalwen, and at the end of each chapter, you will have to make a choice, for example (and this whole bit here is just a example, I am not using this one):

What do you want to do as Princess of the Noldor? and you will have 2 or 3 options, like joining the Court, heading projects in the city, (construction, socail programs, etc.) or serving (insert favorite/least hated vala here). Each choice is tied to a certain chapter, so if you choose to serve in the court, you would jump to the chapter "Finwe's Advisors are Annoying" rather than just going to the next page with the chapter "In the Halls of Aule".

In some later chapters where survival might be a question, I'm thinking it could be fun to roll dice to determine that, like if you were in the Battle of Unnumbered Tears you would roll a 100 sided die, and if you got 98 or above you survive. (I'm still kinda rotating how this part should work)

As of when I'm posting this, I have roughly 4 3/4 chapters written! (and I'm realizing I really should make a dedicated post explaining this 😅) I'm planning to separate this into separate books, with this first one ending shortly after the Host of Fingolfin arrives in Middle Earth (probably shortly after Fingolfin is crowned). It's working title right now is Blessed Lands and Colder Seas.

As of now I estimate 26 or so chapters in this book, but there are probably quite a few I can combine. But I will probably find that I need more chapters in certain parts so I can't say for sure how many. What makes this complicated is that, no you won't be reading 26 chapters. Because for each decision you make at the end of a chapter, there will be 1 or 2 other chapters for the other choices... and it all branches off so there really will be 6 or 7 chapters as you read through. (I am so sorry if this doesn't make sense I don't know how else to word it)

Now, when am I posting this and where? That is an amazing question that I would love the answer to if anyone knows... anyone? 😂 Okay in all seriousness, I think I will start posting once I reach the halfway point of this book, I will definitely try posting on ao3 (which I will link), and if there's interest, I can try posting here on tumblr too.

Okay well this is three times longer than I expected it to be, but I think that's everything, (for now!) Namárië!

[aregebidan]

Notes from a review of the first section of the Ainulindalë, aka: There Was An Attempt

To be clear, the “first section” refers to the part from Eru’s introduction to the end of the Music/discord song battle.

The notes are for the most part organised into three points, that being the characterisation of Eru and the Ainur; the timeline and presentation order of events; and notes on the discord and Melkor specifically. (The notes are also highly extensive. Please proceed with caution.)

Characterisation

One obvious difference between Eru and the Ainur is that the Ainur are clearly described as singing to make music, while Eru simply has to lift up his hand to produce a complete theme in what is probably his most explicit display of supernatural power since creating the Ainur. 

This appears as part of a larger trend in the text, where Eru is portrayed as far removed and transcendent and the Ainur are portrayed as more “of this world” and even human-like, possibly to foreshadow their eventual state of being bound to Arda:

Eru is implied to be all-knowing, while the Ainur have a limited understanding of themselves and their surroundings and have to actively seek out this knowledge (“in the understanding of their brethren they grew but slowly”).

Most strikingly, the voices of the Ainur are compared to “harps and lutes, and pipes and trumpets, and viols and organs, and…countless choirs singing with words.” These are all instruments that exist in the world and are likely handled by the Children. 

Even Melkor’s music is described in earthly terms- the author compares it to the sound of “trumpets,” and the clash between the discord and the Music is compared to a “storm” of “dark waters.”

Eru’s music, on the other hand, is described only in abstract terms: “a new theme,” “a third theme…deep and wide and beautiful.” The chord that ends the song-battle comes closest to being compared with things that exist in Arda, but even that description sticks close to abstractions: “deeper than the Abyss, higher than the Firmament.”

The last chord is also described as “piercing as the light of the eye of Iluvatar”- associating Eru with the Abyss and the Firmament, and confirming that he is equally strange and awe-inspiring. 

And while we’re on the subject: Despite naming him as “Eru, the One” in the very first line, the text mentions that “in Arda [he] is called Iluvatar,” then sticks to the latter name throughout. Eru has a name and an identity outside Arda and his role in it, and if I remember correctly the name “Eru” itself doesn’t mean much of anything.

In contrast, most of the Ainur are named after Arda is created; their identities are bound to it, and their names are less names and more expressions of what they are like in Arda- “Varda” means “lofty,” “Manwë” means “blessed one,” “one closest in accord with Eru.” Even Melkor, named (by the author) before the creation of Arda, has a job description for a name (“he who arises in might”). 

To conclude: the Ainur and their music are largely defined and described in terms of their role in Arda, while Eru is clearly outside Arda and not limited to it.

Timeline / Presentation of Events

This title is a bit vague, but I couldn’t think of a better way to describe the way Tolkien juxtaposes the start of creation with the end of the world, alludes to things that haven’t yet happened, and generally plays with the timeline of the Silmarillion (or at least the reader’s perception of it) from the beginning:

One thing about the Ainulindalë that threw me off balance on the first read was that there’s a reference to the Second Music, an event “after the end of days,” before we’ve even hit the chapter on the “Beginning of Days” or the First Music has been finished. 

The “human” descriptions of the Ainur’s voices add to this effect- musical instruments haven’t been invented yet, the ocean isn’t a thing, storms don’t exist, and yet the text makes a lot of references to them. 

Aside from helping the audience (both in-universe and out of universe) better picture the described events, this sort of language supports the idea that the Music transcends history, and is closely connected to the flow of history itself.

The author’s nonlinear presentation of images and the resulting sense that “everything is interconnected through the Music” is backed up by his punctuation, specifically his frequent use of semicolons (“There was Eru… called Iluvatar; and he made first the Ainur” “while the rest hearkened; for each comprehended” “began to fashion the Theme…into a great music; and a sound arose”). 

Many sentences in this first section also start with transition words- “And he spoke to them”; “But for a long while”; “Then Iluvatar said to them”; “But the discord rose”- once again emphasising the continuity of the Music and the story of the Silm at large. 

The repeated use of the archaic word “hearkened/hearken” in place of simply “listened” or “heard” could also be significant. Etymologically, “hearken” is related to “hark,” which has the additional meaning of remembering or reminding someone of the past in “hark back to.” (This is of course a bit of a reach. I honestly just thought it sounded cool)

The author’s tendency to hint that the order of events is flexible extends into the actual creation of Arda, which is outside the first section but still warrants mention because of Eru’s procrastination habits. When the Music is finished, Eru shows the Ainur a vision of the “complete” world, then creates the incomplete world as it was described by the beginning of the Music, leaving the Ainur to do the actual worldbuilding, as it were.

The Discord + Unity

Given the solitary nature of Melkor and the Discord and the implications that such solitude is fundamentally negative, it’s fascinating how his rebellion actually brings about a measure of unity in the Music and forces Eru to close the distance between himself and his creation.

We’ve already looked at how the Music is described, so let’s look more closely at the Discord: “The other had now achieved a unity of its own; but it was loud, and vain, and endlessly repeated; and it had little harmony, but rather a clamorous unison as of many trumpets braying upon a few notes.” (emphasis mine)

This description, though short compared to that of the Music proper, offers added insight into Melkor’s character as well as the way Tolkien views the concepts of unity and isolation. 

Firstly, he makes a clear distinction between unity and harmony; unity being typical of the Discord, which consists of multiple (unified) parts under the control of one mind, and harmony being defined by the Music, which is a collaborative work centered around a theme. 

This unity-as-a-feature-of-Discord is linked to Melkor’s arc thus far—he’s said to “[have] a share in all the gifts of his brethren,” but begins to “conceive thoughts of his own unlike those of his brethren” after going out into the Void alone. Thus the use of these gifts that he has are confined to matters of his own limited imagination, which is in line with the description of Discord as unity without harmony—fundamentally selfish, many trumpets (varied gifts) playing a few notes (Melkor’s narrow purpose). 

But an end result of all this discord and defiance is greater harmony, in that Melkor’s rebellion is what finally makes Eru directly interfere with the Music. The Discord is “not in accord with the theme of Iluvatar”—note that Eru dictates the theme and leaves the details of the Music itself to the various Ainur. This is paralleled by the distance between the vision of the world, which Eru creates himself but can’t last, and the actual world that the Valar have to create on his behalf. 

Eru’s creation always takes place indirectly, with input from the Ainur, save when the Discord gets to the point where he has to produce songs himself. If we go along with the author’s view that what is close to Eru is good, by actively producing a flaw that has to be amended directly by Eru, Melkor is bringing creation closer to Eru’s vision. (Compare later interventions—the sinking of Númenor, Gollum’s death apparently?—all interventions against products of Discord.)

Perhaps to reflect that “he that attempteth this shall prove but my instrument,” all is according to the divine plan, etc., Melkor never gets his own paragraph in the text, which stuck out to me as he’s really the only individual character in this section aside from Eru. Over half the section is dedicated to the Discord and its clash with Eru’s Music, but the Discord’s creator is always mentioned/described in the same paragraph as the Ainur’s Music and Eru’s interventions.

TL;DR (which is very understandable really): Ainur are portrayed as earth-bound, Eru as otherworldly; the author seems to have a fondness for nonlinear presentation, extensive foreshadowing, and general connection/continuity between all events; Melkor is characterised as both saboteur and supporting agent to the Music, in that he provides an impetus for Eru to directly plan and realise parts of creation.

[eri-pl]

I am posting my Silmarillion post-canon fic.

It's called

I lahorima anna (the unexpected gift)

(warnings etc below the cut)

Part 1: óre, where we meet our cast and lift off:

Prologue, which happens 8000 years ago and everything is supposed to be well now. (It was not)

Chapter 1, where we meet two sisters: one with a flying machine, and other with an eccentric friend.

Chapter 2, where the ladies, the eccentric friend and another guy go to a museum and talk about many things with little explanations. Also, we meet an object from the past. More than one, in fact.

[26 May] Chapter 3, where we learn why this is a Silm fanfic and not original fiction and it complicates everything beyond measure.

[2 Jun] Chapter 4, where explanations are given and a burglary happens. Also, some heroic ranting.

[9 Jun] Chapter 5, where there are fungi and a history lesson. And fire.

[16 Jun] Chapter 6, where we meet another object from the past and someone we've met before. It doesn't go well.

[23 Jun] Chapter 7, where nothing goes according to the plan. There are some nice views and some not-so-nice events.

Part 2 vala, where we meet some important figures:

[TBA] Chapter 1, where, technically, no-one gets arrested. Also a new place and some new characters.

[TBA] Chapter 2, where some promises are kept. Also, we meet another character, who definitely didn't expect all this.

[the rest in progress]

The rest of part 2, and Part 3: anna, where we visit a forest: in writing, dates of publication TBA, ideally I would keep the weekly schedule

Some introduction for those interested:

Ages have passed and in modern, industrial Middle Earth, the tale of the One Ring is a mere legend, and the tragedies of the First Age obscure myths, forgotten by most.

Two women, who dedicated their lives to stories of old — each in their own way — meet two men, each broken and trapped by his own past. They all look up, towards the invisible Undying Lands, and take to the sky in a smoking, buzzing, spider-bird contraption.

The reasons for this journey are varied: determination to stop the global catastrophe, curiosity, necessity, prophecy, friendship, and a vague hope of redemption. Will those four reach their destination, and if so, will they be able to return to the lives they had before? Will they perish along the way?

When old enemies are forced to work together and long lost friends are reunited, everything will change, in ways far stranger than expected.

(warnings etc below the cut)

Good things:

1500ish years after LotR, two sisters (who are normal humans in their 30s) get entangled in... Ok, it's not exactly true. Rainel builds a weird airplane to get to Aman and her sister gets entangled in this. And then it gets stranger.

Drama, angst, regret, trauma, friendship and weirdness.

Lot of funny moments, but the whole story is emotionally intense, dark at moments, strange and sometimes sad.

A strange mix of vibes, I can't name properly. Some au energy, some Tolkien energy, a little bit of Ghibli, some of the weird Slavic retelling thing but not too much...

"will they get to Aman and how?" is part 1 (the already written) of 3 parts

Evil forests try to kill mankind, and that's even not the main main plot, it's the second of their problems.

It isn't our Earth, otherwise the fic is canon-compatibile, I think, at least in the important parts (though some people would argue)

Dieselpunk-ish? Sort of the 50s but without the world wars, and without the sexism. The seeing isn't the main focus tbh.

Epic stakes, but most scenes are very character-centered and very personal.

Talking sword. And not-a-Silmaril. But they don't appear much.

1/3 is already written, and I'm writing further, I have a rough plan of events

3rd person limited pov

(The "RVY" is for titles of the parts, which are Tengwar letters, other tags are the title in English and Quenya)

Content and trigger warnings:

Tldr: a bit of every difficult thing but not much of any.

I would say 15+, 13+ with responsible adult to talk to. Not much worse than Silm + LotR combined.

It's not 18+, so I'm not putting Community Labels on it, just tags. I think this is how the labels are supposed to work? Please tell me if I'm doing something wrong. I don't want to trigger people or break the ToS, but also I don't want 15-18yo people to not be able to read a fanfic.

Mentions of traumatic things from the Silm (mostly Turin and Feanorians, but also a few references to attempts at Arien and Luthien and to Aredhel, not much but if you get triggered be warned)

Foul language, but very sparse. Yes, I respect if that's a problem to you.

Some violence on screen but not much.

Some self-destructive and other s-word ideation, later in pov character (does the facts that it's an elf helps?) (I don't think it's a lot, but there's some)

Flashbacks /visions of very disturbing things including some torture (but they're short)

Character gets triggered, character gets a panic attack etc: it happens once in a while, including pov characters. Trauma about losing you family she some other, more fantastic events.

One character has a strong reaction on seeing blood (physiology, not trauma)

Mentions of spiders and creepy ocean and exploding planes

I think that's all but I may have forgotten something

Disclaimer

I wrote it as art therapy first, and as a story second, so it has some structural imperfections compared to a proper novel. Also, it has my heart poured in it.

The story has many threads, but be warned: at its deepest core, it is a story of a character who does not deserve it. Yes, this character doesn't deserve a story.

But neither did I.

More warnings:

One (beforementined) canon divergence. One of the main ideas between the fic is... Some would say it's against canon. Probably some minor divergences.

English is not my first language.

No shipping, no sex, no romance. Some people are couples in the background, but that's it. Strong relationships which may be read as romantic, but I don't read them as such.

I've been told that part 1 ends in a somewhat anticlimactic way. The whole thing will too.

I made up some setting stuff and took some geography from MERP because there was none in canon.

Silm fandom on Tumblr is very polarized and I feel like both halves will have something to hate, I'm afraid. Too hard. Too easy. Why is there no ship. Why do they enjoy riding a car. A lot of things.

The Valar are fallible but not actively evil or tyrannical. (Another unpopular opinion)

Osanwe is maybe a little easier than it should in the canon? But not by far.

For things that aren't started clearly in published Silm, I pick my version and it's not necessarily the popular one. Sometimes I make things up.

Silm and LOTR exist as in-setting books and the gals read them.

Chapters 1 and 2 are setup, 3 drops the main plot twist, and after 3 we know where are we going more or less and what's the premise. Part of the premise is very controversial.

Part 1 has 7 chapters, if 2 and 3 are similar size, it's about 20 chapters.

We'll get 4 pov characters in total.

Oh, and it's 3rd person limited so the characters can be wrong in their narration.

I'll probably remember something more to add later.

(start reading)

[ao3feed-tolkien]

Et adducam te super terram meam

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2pmRc03

by pomegranatecountry

After the exile of Curufin and Celegorm from Nargothrond in F.A. 465, Celebrimbor goes to Gondolin.

Title from Biblia Vulgata Ezechiel 38:16

Words: 3241, Chapters: 1/5, Language: English

Fandoms: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Celebrimbor | Telperinquar, Maeglin | Lómion, Orodreth | Artaresto, Finduilas Faelivrin, Turgon of Gondolin, Idril Celebrindal, Other Character Tags to Be Added, Background & Cameo Characters

Relationships: Celebrimbor | Telperinquar/Maeglin | Lómion, Minor or Background Relationship(s)

Additional Tags: First Age, Nargothrond, Gondolin, Celebrimbor in Gondolin, tyelomion is something that is so important to me, Family Drama, References to Canon-Typical Violence, Friends to Lovers, or i mean, cousins to lovers, Sindarin names, Quenya Names, Elf Language Politics, Mutual Pining, Eventual Fluff, Celebrimbor is a bit of a mess before we get there, Getting to Know Each Other, Getting Together, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, (for now) - Freeform, (until Maeglin betrays Gondolin), (but we won't go that far here), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Age Difference

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2pmRc03