#god… how did i sleep on lotr so long

[but-the-desserts-were-okay]

Oh Spotify you can’t put on Helplessness Blues while I’m thinking about Frodo you caaaannntt

[sindar-princeling]

The previous post made me think some more about the real life influences on LOTR, so because I’m down with a cold and have a lot of time to spare, I finally wanted to write a coherent post about those comments GRRM made about Aragorn and his tax policy.

For those who haven’t heard the actual quote, here it is:

Tolkien can say that Aragorn became king and reigned for a hundred years, and he was wise and good. But Tolkien doesn’t ask the question: What was Aragorn’s tax policy? Did he maintain a standing army? What did he do in times of flood and famine? And what about all these orcs? By the end of the war, Sauron is gone but all of the orcs aren’t gone – they’re in the mountains. Did Aragorn pursue a policy of systematic genocide and kill them? Even the little baby orcs, in their little orc cradles? In real life, real-life kings had real-life problems to deal with. Just being a good guy was not the answer.

And my god, do I have problems with this approach to Tolkien. It’s kind of like asking why Bilbo was unconscious for a lot of the battle of five armies, when we know it was a story Tolkien was telling his kids before sleep.

When looking at LOTR, I think you can’t not read it as an ultimate escapist fantasy - and what’s most important, Tolkien’s personal escapist fantasy.

He is Frodo - a man born into a middle class family, educated, well-read, with close friends coming from the same “social sphere”, like Merry and Pippin, who died in WWI. Sam is in a very literal sense the batmen Tolkien fought with, which he said he considered “so far superior to myself”.

Tolkien had a few batmen during the war, like the article from my previous post mentions. Most probably because he fought in a few different units, but also, he may have lost some of them to war.

And in LOTR, they all get a happy ending.

Of all four of them, Frodo is the only one who can’t return home, most probably mirroring Tolkien’s trauma. He’s the only one whose ending is grounded in trauma, PTSD, loss. The rest of the hobbits get happy endings - very simple and traditional in a way that after the war was nothing but good - they marry, they have kids, the kids marry each other, everyone is happy and lives long lives.

Sam, especially, gets the happiest ending of all in this sense - he marries a woman he grew up with, he has so many beautiful kids, he is mayor for like seven times and everyone loves him, the Shire thrives.

Tolkien was too traumatised after the war not to write Frodo as a mirror of his experiences. But then he took all the people who fought alongside him, who suffered alongside him, people who he lost, and gave them the happiest fairy tale endings he could think of. And it’s not that Merry, Pippin and Sam weren’t as traumatised - this ending is not meant to belittle their experiences - Tolkien is simply giving them the ending that real life didn’t give them.

Returning to the original point, to Aragorn - it’s just another version of the same mechanism. Gondor was struggling, Gongor had Mordor as their immediate neighbours and was heavily affected by the war as well. And then there came a just, good king, and everything was fine. The end. It’s a subplot of the same fantasy as the hobbits’ endings. It doesn’t matter how hard ruling is, we trust that Aragorn is a good king, because people of Gondor deserve a good king (the people of the real world deserved a good ruler who wouldn’t drag them to war), and we know that Aragorn is an honorable, just man.

Nothing about the LOTR ending - apart from Frodo’s trauma - is meant to be realistic. Why would Tolkien want to write WWI and the aftermath - this time fictional.

[anxiteyandsleep]

I'm so sorry if I made you flustered about the smut question- didn't mean to! 🫢🫣😆

Okay so I'm gonna try and request this: 🙏

Could I please request Thranduil x Male reader who's this tall and buffed tiefling (big horns, long strong tail) who looks scary asf but is actually a total sweetheart? He only looks intimidating bc he's always wearing his armor, covers his face with a cloth/a mask, has dark makeup around his eyes and basically looks like a fricking demon?

He wears a cloth/a mask around his mouth bc he has a big open scar on his cheek (naaah nothing too graphic he just can do this trick with food where when you're facing his healthy side he sticks a carrot into the opening (scar) on the other side and chews without even opening his lips- totally normal- he did it in front of Legolas once and that poor child didn't sleep for a week). He's not ashamed of it, he just doesn't like the stares.

Even tho I'm as old as the first LOTR movie I only just now became a fan and I saw that Thranduil has an injury on his face as well (but hidden) so that got me thinking...

Maybe reader and Thranduil are a couple (reader was treated badly for being a barbarian tiefling -> not by Thranduil <- but proved himself when he saved him) and he then made reader his personal guard, became friends and then lovers.

Thranduil is curious about reader hiding his face but never pushes him to uncover himself (Like why are you hidding yourself from me hmm? Why don't you kiss me? Your other facial features are gorgeous asf, for a tiefling barbarian who rips goblins in half with his bare hands you could even compete with some elves I know-).

One day Thranduil has some issues with his own injury which reader sees and comes to his aid, Thranduil is embarrassed and nearly breaks down, tears fill his eyes bc his love saw his hideous face and is afraid he will leave him (god I'm so bad at romance bro) but reader just chuckles, takes the cloth/mask from his face and shows Thranduil his own injury.

Now they both have scars! They know each other struggles! And they love each other like never before! Happy ending- No but really, angst with fluffy comfort for our two boys and mainly for the elf himself, he needs the love.

Maybe even emotional way back to their shared bedroom by sunset all lovely dovely bc why dafuq not- just Thranduil giggling kicking his feet and twirling his hair as he's princess carried-

Jesus...I got way too into this. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Sorry for it being so long, I honestly don't know how to write short requests...also sorry for any mistakes, english is my second language.

Add something, remove something, it's up to you. You don't even have to write it if you hate it or you're not comfy with it. 😘😘

This is adorable ahhh and dw you didn't make me embarrassed or anything! I may have missed some details, this was written over the course of multiple days with very little sleep😭

I included my head canon that Thranduil is blind in his one eye from the dragon fire, as well as that when low on energy he can't keep the disguise up.

Slight TW for blood, scars and such???

It has been almost a year since you and Thranduil had started dating, you were his personal guard and beloved boyfriend, he adored you so much. He never knew why you hid your face but he didn't pry, especially considering he hides his face in a way too.

Thranduil had always been impressed by you, a strong tiefling with a kind soul, much like a gentle giant. Sure you were rather... Gruesome in battle, using your bare hands to fight and always returning covered in blood and gore. It was truly terrifying but Thranduil loved it, especially after you had saved him from a spider attack.

Today, however, Thranduil was hiding away from his beloved barbarian, tucked away in his room with nothing but a small candle dimly lighting the room. He had overworked himself again, his head was aching and he had no energy left to maintain his disguise, the burnt skin and muscle visible, a sight he despised.

When you heard that Thranduil was taking the day off and locked himself in his room, you grew worried. He's never done that before, usually on his days off he spends them with you, taking a walk through the garden or getting some much needed sleep. So of course you immediately went to check on him, making your way to your shared bedroom.

"Thranduil? Are you alright? I heard the guards say you weren't feeling well and I-" you fell silent as you entered the bedroom, squinting as you adjusted to the dim light but you knew exactly what you saw. You never knew Thranduil had such a scar, it covered the left half of his face and his eye was completely white.

Thranduil had to turn his head completely to actually see you, quickly attempting to cover up the scar but alas, he couldn't manage to use his magic in such a state. He never wanted you to see this side or him, he wanted to keep this horrid scar hidden from you.

"(Name)... What... What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on patrol?" He managed to get out, clearing his throat and doing his best to speak in his usual tone but his voice still sounded shaky. Perhaps if he didn't bring attention to the scar, you would just ignore it as well

"I just got back, my love..." You replied, slowly walking closer to Thranduil, head tilted slightly in curiosity as you examined the scar. When you reached the edge of the bed, you knelt down before him, resting your chin on his legs. "is that from the dragon you faced?"

Thranduil sighed softly, closing his eyes as he couldn't bare to look at you, afraid he'd see disgust in your eyes. "yes...I managed to survive but..." He vaguely gestured to the scar, shaking his head slightly. Thranduil finally opened his eyes again when he felt your strong hands holding his, the touch was so gentle and caring, he just had to see you.

The way you were looking at him surprised him, your eyes were full so of love and admiration, it made his heart swell.

"We kinda match" you hum in a soft whisper, reaching up to remove the mask you always wore and revealing your own scar. You weren't ashamed of it, you mostly hid it for everyone's comfort as the sight of your open cheek often made people uneasy and you hated the looks they'd give you.

it was now Thranduil's turn to stare in awe, one of his delicate hands reaching up to gently trace around the scar, his fingers soft and gentle as always. "hm I suppose we do, my love" he replied softly his hand trailing up to gently trace over your horns, following the pattern and ridges of them.

"forgive me for keeping this from you... I... I do not like people seeing me in such a state but I should've told you" Thranduil apologized, moving his hands back to gently cup your face, being careful to not disturb the scar

You couldn't help but chuckle a little, leaning into his touch while your tail wagged slightly. "there's no need to apologize, I kept a secret from you too"

Thranduil felt as if a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders, the stress slowly melting away as he held you in his hands. "Well now that we both have told the truth, how about we rest?" He whispered sweetly, leaning down to capture your lips in a tender kiss, one you eagerly returned.

Without breaking the kiss, you got off your knees, cradling the back of Thranduils neck with one of your hands. You kicked off your boots, accidentally sending one flying across the room but you didn't care. "a nap sounds good, yeah" you muttered against his lips as you carefully push him back onto the bed, climbing on top of him to continue the kiss.

Thranduil couldn't help but chuckle, pulling back from your lips just enough to talk. "My love, this is not napping ~" he didn't really mind as you continued to pamper him with kisses, his delicate hands reaching up to gently tangle themselves in your hair.

"mm we'll nap after, then"

[child-of-the-nights]

You holding them while they fall asleep part 2

Lotr and The Hobbit characters x Reader

Trope: Hurt/Comfort

Summary: You comfort them after a long day and they fall asleep in your arms

Featured: Elrond, Kili, Fili, Aragorn, Gimli 

Previous part: Thranduil, Thorin, Legolas, Bilbo, Tauriel

Warnings: mention of near death experience, mention of death, mention of vomit (only in a joke) 

- Gender neutral reader -

Elrond:

It came as no surprise that Elrond worked a lot. You were pretty much used to it at that point. But even if he was busy, Elrond made sure to come to bed while you were still awake to get to spend some time with you. Sometimes he returned to his work but most of the time he slept alongside you.

This night however, he was unable to finish his work in time. He was far too stressed to think and he felt like his head was going to explode. The ring was yet to be destroyed, Arwen, his own daughter, wanted to leave for a mortal man, and to top it all off, Elrond had to look out for his people. The pressure was just too much for him to handle. 

So he sat in his study, staring at the papers yet his mind was elsewhere. Elrond sighed before putting down his pen. He knew that if he couldn’t get anything done then he should probably retire for the night.

Only when he saw you sleeping form on your shared bed did he realise how long he’d been in his study. He attempted quietly sitting down as to not startle you but the exhaustion got the better of him. 

“Elrond?” you asked as soon a you opened your eyes. He sent you a reassuring smile before taking off his boots. After setting them on the floor he turned to you with tired eyes. 

He sighed as he moved closer to you, finally wrapping his arms around your sleepy form. You started stroking his hair as he buried his face in your neck. 

“Is everything okay, melethronen (my beloved)?” you whispered after pressing a kiss on his forehead. 

“Yes, melethen (my love), be at rest now.”

You knew something was wrong but you were smarter than to press a topic he didn’t wish to talk about. 

Elrond pressed a kiss to your neck before wishing you good night. You returned the endearment and closed your eyes. It didn’t take long for the both of you to fall asleep as you both were exhausted. 

Kili: 

Oh god Kili was just so tired. He nearly lost his life twice, nearly lost his brother and uncle, had to go to war for his home and so on. He just wanted to rest and once everything was over, he finally could. 

He quietly excused himself after saying goodbye to Bilbo and took you with him. You were confused for a second of course; you thought he would rather enjoy feasting with the rest of the dwarves. But Kili had other ideas. 

Kili took you to a quiet room, where he placed something soft on the floor and sit down on it, patting the place next to him. You chuckled as you sat down and he immediately pulled you to the floor. So now you were both lying there. 

He placed his head on your chest and you began playing with his hair. It wasn’t until you’ve been there for at least twenty minutes he finally decided to explain why he dragged you here. 

“I’m really tired, amrâlimê (my love).” he whispered. “This journey was long and exhausting.”

“I know but it’s over now” you pressed a kiss on his head, “and we get to rest for as long as we wish.”

Kili smiled a little as he looked up at you. The admiration and love in his eyes were enough for you to understand that no matter what you have to go through, you will always have each others’ back. Even if that something is war or a bunch of orcs trying to kill you.

He turned his head back hugged you a little tighter. You chuckled and closed your eyes. You could feel how Kili slowly started to relax in your arms. 

Because of how exhausted you were from your shared journey, you two fell asleep very quickly. Of course, people came to look for you but when they saw you sleeping, they left without a word. Fili did end up teasing his brother about it though. 

Fili: 

Even though you’ve been traveling for some time now, you still weren’t anywhere near Erebor. You knew from the beginning that the journey was going to last for a long time, yet you became rather sick of constantly wandering. 

Fili couldn’t blame you for it as he felt the same. He wanted to get Erebor back with his entire being but the journey was so long and tiring. What he missed the most was probably spending time with you. It’s not that you were separated now but Fili wanted some alone time with his beloved. 

After succesfully running into trolls, orcs and literally everything else, he felt oddly relaxed when they could settle down for the night. You didn’t get much of a chance for a peaceful night so he found it sort of weird. 

But he snatched you away from everyone to sit in a quiet corner. You didn’t do much there as both of you were too tired to even talk but you did listen to the stories the other dwarves and Bilbo had to share. Occasionally you would even laugh when the little hobbit said funny. 

“If this wasn’t a mission to get the mountain back, I would simply think we are out here to camp.” you commented. “It is rather cozy if you ignore the fact that we are chased by every being in Middle-Earth.”

“The elves aren’t chasing us.” he shrugged. “Not yet at least.”

“Should I be concerned of whatever you wish to do to change that?”

“Of course not, amrâlimê (my love).”

By his short answers, you could tell that Fili was exhausted so you just sighed and started stroking his hair. You could practically feel him melt under your touch. 

Soon you could hear his quiet snores. You gently pressed a kiss to his forehead as you got comfortable enough to fall asleep. It took you some time (thanks to the loud laughter near you) but you did manage to follow Fili to the land of dreams.

Aragorn:

Aragorn was used to fighting and you were too. No matter if you knew how to fight before you met Aragorn or not, you had no other choice but to learn. Aragorn made sure that nothing would happen to you, of course, but there were powers even him couldn’t protect you from. 

That being said, you traveled around Middle-Earth with him. He took you to a bunch of places. You were able to learn about a lot of different cultures. Especially while you were in Rivendell with Aragorn. 

But constantly moving and fighting did take it’s toll on you. When you finally had time to rest, you didn’t hesitate to do so. Aragorn on the other hand had some other business to attend to. 

While he was out, you decided to take a long awaited nap. You could feel the tension leave your muscles as you lied down. With a sigh you closed your eyes and almost immediately fell asleep. You only woke up to the sound of Aragorn entering the room. 

When you opened your eyes you saw the slouched form of your lover. You were still sleepy so you could barely comprehend what was happening so you just whispered ‘welcome’. After he didn’t respond you sat up and rubbed your eyes. 

“Is everything okay, my love?” you asked and he finally looked at you. Aragorn’s eyes weren’t as full of life as you remembered them. They looked dark and serious so you knew something had happened. 

You reached out for him and he gladly took your hand. Aragorn slowly laid down beside you taking your hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to it. After that he rested his head on your chest as he put his arms around your waist. 

“Long day.” he muttered. “But it’s all better now.” 

You chuckled at that as you stroked his head. Aragorn hummed at your reaction before pressing a kiss to your chest. 

“Good night, Aragorn.” 

“Good night, melethen (my love).”

Soon you both were asleep. 

Gimli:

You knew the journey would be long, dangerous and tiring when you signed up for the Fellowship. And you did lose a lot. Boromir gave his life for the cause and that took it’s toll on you. 

Thankfully, Gimli was there to cheer you up. Sure he was a little unsure what to do but a few jokes did the thing. You smiled and laughed, which was enough to satisfy Gimli. That being said, he never stopped. He even got Legolas to share some encouraging words with you. 

But that didn’t make the journey less tiring. When you got the chance, you went to sleep only to be jolted awake by one of your friends saying that orcs are nearby. So constantly running around and killing orcs definitely didn’t help you relax. 

However, no matter how tired you felt, you promised Gimli that you would join the trio on that night’s party. And you did indeed join them; that was until your dwarven lover got beaten by Legolas in a drinking game. You had to drag Gimli away from the table before he could do something stupid. 

Gimli could barely stand on his feet by the time you got him to a place you could sleep at. You laid down, him following you. Not that he had much of a choice, seeing that he just groaned as he landed on your bed. 

You sighed as you pulled him on your chest. He grumbled something under his nose but you didn’t understand what it was. Gimli wrapped his arm around you and snuggled closer. 

“If you vomit on me, you’ll sleep in the main hall.” you whispered as you pressed a kiss to the top of his head. 

“I’m not drunk.” he muttered. 

“Sure, love.” you sighed. 

You kept your eyes on the ceiling for a few minutes before you wanted to ask how your lover was feeling but the voice died in your throat when you heard his snores. With a smile, you closed your eyes finally being able to rest. 

[cornerful]

Lotr Jan 13th

'What did I tell you, Mr. Pippin?' said Sam, sheathing his sword. 'Wolves won't get him. That was an eye-opener, and no mistake! Nearly singed the hair off my head!'

The line that's in so many adaptations! Oh Sam how I love you :D what's fun is that the line is kept across mediums but not always used in the same place...

That day the weather changed again, almost as if it was at the command of some power that had no longer any use for snow...

LITERALLY the weather gods reading lotr at the same time as me apparently, maybe a day or so behind but you can't make this up, we had a snowstorm for one day and then the wind died down and it's supposed to be blue skies tomorrow :D unbelievable

'But you can't leave poor old Bill behind in this forsaken place, Mr. Gandalf!' cried Sam, angry and distressed. 'I won't have it, and that's flat. After he has come so far and all!' (...) 'He'd follow Mr. Frodo into a dragon's den, if I led him,' (...) [Gandalf] laid his hand on the pony's head, and spoke in a low voice (...)

Sam stood sullenly by the pony and returned no answer. Bill, seeming to understand well what was going on, nuzzled up to him, putting his nose to Sam's ear. Sam burst into tears, and fumbled with the straps, unlading all the pony's packs and throwing them on the ground.

I am on the floor I am distressed I am bereft, SAM 😭 BILL 😭

...slowly on the surface, where the wizard's hands had passed, faint lines appeared, like slender veins of silver running in the stone. At first they were no more than pale gossamer-threads, so fine that they only twinkled fitfully where the Moon caught them, but steadily they grew broader and clearer...

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL

'There are the emblems of Durin!' cried Gimli.

'And there is the Tree of the High Elves!' said Legolas.

....Gandalf talking abt the old friendship and here's the proof literally set in stone for our elf and dwarf to see. They might be older than most of the fellowship and extremely capable, even seem mysterious and learned, but they're just so young in this vast and tired world.

Lotr is so much about fledglings picking their way over ruins, telling each other tales and listening for whispers of times long ago. Their lives are far from empty of course, a people will go on and build rich life wherever it can...but still there's this sense of tremendous loss :<

Some dwarf-gates will open only at special times, or for particular persons; and some have locks and keys that are still needed when all necessary times and words are known.

Dwarven craftsmanship <3 How fiddly and wonderful. It seems capricious to the fellowship maybe, but the suggestion of a culture that has such particular and varied mechanisms built into the foundations of their lives, in something so simple as a door...you just know there's such depth there! Beating on the walls that we never really get to go to Gimli's home by the way!!

...said the dwarf. 'But what the word was is not remembered. Narvi and his craft and all his kindred have vanished from the earth.'

:(((

'The answer to your first question, Boromir,' said the wizard, 'is that I do not know the word – yet.'

>:] Autism...

The star shone out briefly and faded again. Then silently a great doorway was outlined, though not a crack or joint had been visible before. 

Dwarf magic <3

the horror that seemed to have rooted all but Sam to the ground where they stood, 

THAT'S MY BOY RIGHT THERE

'...boulders have been piled up, and the trees uprooted and thrown across the gate. I am sorry; for the trees were beautiful, and had stood so long.'

D': nooooooo I hate this those poor trees

'Who will lead us now in this deadly dark?'

'I will,' said Gandalf

*Frames this*

Oh Olórin...

The last thing that Pippin saw, as sleep took him, was a dark glimpse of the old wizard huddled on the floor, shielding a glowing chip in his gnarled hands between his knees. The flicker for a moment showed his sharp nose, and the puff of smoke.

This image is rattling around my brain so vividly I really want Donato Giancola to draw it...

[signiorbenedickofpadua]

20 questions for fic writers!

I was tagged by both @honeyteacakes and @acedragontype. Thank you my dears!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

7 right now. I think I had three or four up on my first account, but that one was randomly deleted by the site in like 2019? Or something? I never could get it back, and I never republished the fics, because I kind of lost motivation for writing for a while because of that, and now that I'm back in the game, it's been so long since I wrote that stuff that I either don't really like what I wrote then, or figure that I'd rather rewrite the one fic that I do still like. Oh, god. I just remembered that there was ONE fic that I actually orphaned back then, which means that it's still up. Oooh Christ... I'm not going to name drop it, because I orphaned it for a reason - the reason being that it's the crackiest crac!fic imaginable, born out of sleep deprivation and giggly group chats... I'm looking at it now, and it's apparently 10 years old. Oh. Oh no. I reread it. Oh, god. This was the first "attempt" at smut I ever wrote, and it was between a woman and a sentient inanimate edible object. 8d10 psychic damage, do not recommend.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

At the moment: 296.290 words When I'm finished updating This Dream Is Over (Another Has Begun) it will be around 350.000 words, and I just hit 105k on the Regency fic I'm working on, so by the end of the year we might be close to 500k... written in one year...

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Just Sandman, currently. On my last account I wrote for Merlin, ACD Sherlock Holmes (a school project, believe it or not), and a LotR/HP crossover (yeah, I don't really feel like re-publishing and finishing that in 2023, for obvious reasons). I might go back to writing for Merlin again, some day. I sort of want to rewrite that one fic I did post, because I quite liked the premise...but I feel like I would need to rewatch the entire series before I did that, and who's got the time?

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. My Stranger, My Dream - 1507 2. Totus Mundus Agit Histrionem - 818 3. Yours for the Taking - 579 4. Body and Soul, Always and Forever - 565 5. Stay, Just this Once - or - GroundHob Day - 499

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to reply to almost every comment, because I want the commenter to know how much I appreciate that they took the time to comment. I crave that validation, perhaps a little too much, but that's robably common with authors... When I'm updating a fic one chapter at a time, I usually manage to reply to all of them, even if it's just with a couple of heart emojis (if I couldn't think of anything else), but once the whole fic is up and I get one reader who is leaving a bunch of comments in rapid succession, I sometimes skip the one's that are just emojis or exclamation marks and focus on the ones I have real replies to - not because I don't appreciate the emojis just as much, but because I worry that I'd be spamming the reader with like five identical heart-emoji replies :P

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hm, I tend to end things rather happily, but I suppose Stay, Just this Once could be read a bit angsty, since it ends with Hob in 1889 going "Dream kissed me and then left with an implication of potential future kisses? Oh boy, I can't wait until 1989!" when, you know, Dream won't show in 1989.

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

Probably This Dream Is Over. I mean, they're all pretty happy, but that one is just so hopeful and soft... You'll see what I mean when I post the last chapter ;)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really. There was one reader who left a couple of comments with very much unasked-for advice (and fairly bad advice, at that) which made me feel a bit meh, but that's hardly hate. Then there was this one comment that went a bit like "Well, that was stupid," and to this day I have no idea if they meant the writing or the characters (who were, to be fair, being very stupid in that chapter). Tone can be very hard to read in text, so I'm trying to give them the benefit of doubt. But no, no real hate, thankfully.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yup. When I started writing again about a year ago, I decided to give it a try, not really thinking I could make it work, considering the last time I wrote romance I had trouble even describing a kiss (which was almost a decade earlier), but it actually worked (I hope)! Then I just couldn't seem to write something without smut. I tried to deliberately leave things off before the explicit parts in one or two stories (making them "just" mature) for people who aren't into the stuff, and I also try to make all the explicit content skippable for those who want to read the rest of the story. What kind of smut? Idk, I've written M/M and M/F so far, I'll probably write F/F at some point too. I think most of it has been fairly vanilla so far, with some light themes of BDSM maybe, if you squint.

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

Only that LotR/HP one I mentioned earlier, which I abandonded when my account was deleted. I did start planning a Star Trek AU for Merlin, but I think I only wrote a chapter or so before my motivation died and I never published anything. I think I'm generally more interested in AUs taking place in other franchises than "real" crossover with actual characters from both universes.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. Let's keep it that way!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not yet! I suppose I could do it myself, but as the only language I speak well enough to translate into is Swedish, and Swedes tend to read stuff in English anyway, I don't know that there would be much of a point.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I'd be open to trying! Could be either super fun or incredibly frustrating, but you never know until you try!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I mean, I think it's a draw between Merthur and Dreamling. If I went back and started reading and writing fic for Merthur again, I'm sure I'd fall right back into it, even if Dreamling is my current obession.

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

Only the couple of WiPs I have from my first AO3 account, I think. I'm trying really hard this time around not to jump between projects too much, but finish what I have before I start something new. If I give myself free reins, my ADD is going to make sure nothing ever gets finished.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, for sure, and characterisation - or at least I fervently hope that my readers would agree on that point.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions, definitely. What does anyone look like? I don't know, I couldn't decide, make it up yourself. I had to go back and make myself add a sentence about Hob's friend Dana being blonde in the last two chapters of This Dream Is Over, since she's an OC and my readers would have no idea at all what she looked like otherwise. It's a struggle, and I do try to practise, but it doesn't come as easy as dialogue and character.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Fun! I've written a few scenes with some Middle English in them, and I have this vague idea of part of a scene where Hob and Dream are walking in London or something and Hob overhears a couple of Swedish tourists discuss how to get somewhere or something, and him turning to them and giving them directions in hilariously outdated Swedish, and Dream going, "When did you last visit Scandinavia?" And Hob says, "Um, 1745, I think. Why?" and Dream is like, "...Nothing." I just don't know how funny that would be to readers who don't speak Swedish... Might still use it some day.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Technically? The Redwall series. I was like 10 and we had to write a story in school, and I was obsessed with Redwall and wanted to write something with talking animals, and I couldn't come up with a better name for the place, so in the end I straight up copied the world and wrote more or less a self-insert who ended up there, entirely oblivious to the concept of fanfiction, but I suppose it counts anyway. I won a prize for it. I have no idea if the adults who judged it knew it was fanfic or not...

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I think it's the Dreamling Regency AU I'm currently working on. If I manage to pull it off as well as I'm hoping to, I think it will be the best thing I've written so far. I'm even considering looking for beta readers for the first time, because I think it has potential and I want it to be the best it can be.

21. CHEEKY EXTRA QUESTION BECAUSE I FELT LIKE GIVING ADVICE - What's the best advice you have for other writers?

If you write longfic, NAME YOUR CHAPTERS! My first couple of fics just had numbered chapters, and whenever I had to go back to double check some detail, or rewrite some sentence I had to retcon, I had to be like "uuuh I think it might be chapter five??" and then waste a bunch of time checking. Now, I have chapter titles which are descriptive enough to remind me of exactly what the chapter is about, and it has made my life so much easier... Also, connected to this, actually using the chapter headers etc. in your word processor so that you get a list of chapters you can pull up to navigate.

Tagging:

@pellaaearien, @arialerendeair, @hardly-an-escape, @ml-nolan

[heartshapedcas]

Was tagged by @castielsupernatural @emeraldcas and @pinkinthenightdean to do this! (Thanks pals mwah💖)

rules: answer some questions and tag 20 people you are contractually obligated to get to know better

name: Maddy!

star sign: sigh. Leo

height: 5'4

time: 11:15pm

birthday: August 6th (this question just made me realize how close I am to being 28! yikes!)

favourite bands/artists: lord huron, first aid kit, hozier, Allison ponthier, Phoebe bridgers, etc etc

last movie: watched the second venom movie with my cousin for her bday

last show: um. The originals, once again my cousin picks all my media for me, sorry for watching bad TV I run a supernatural blog

when did i create this blog: I made this sideblog in like, march or april of last year I think?

what i post: Supernatural! Things that remind me of supernatural! Nature! Music! Roadtrip things!

last thing i googled: big eden, to see if I could find a place to watch it online!

other blogs: my main is @sendmetothemountains

do i get asks: once in a while yeah and I love it<3

following: 746 (tons are inactive though I've had my main since like 2015)

average hours of sleep: usually 6 to 7 hrs

instruments: OOOOHHH OK I only really play my acoustic guitar <3 but I have a problem where I buy(or am gifted) instruments with the intention of learning to play them and never do, SO I also have a violin, banjo, 12 string guitar, mandolin, harmonica, djembe, an electric guitar, and the piano my family still has which I sort of remember how to play from when I took lessons as a kid! I love instruments

what I'm wearing: black shorts and a tie dye shirt that says keep choosing love

dream job: *nervous laughter* god I wish I knew the answer to this question

dream trip: roadtrip with the mutuals ok but also I've always wanted to go to Ireland and I've always wanted to go to Iceland! I also think it would be cool to do a cross Canada roadtrip, but I also want to do a roadtrip all the way down the coast, but also a roadtrip up to Alaska, honestly, idk, literally anything, any trip, every trip

nationality: canadian

favourite songs: a few all time faves: just like heaven by the cure, landslide (the chicks version), from eden by hozier, emmylou by first aid kit

and a few more current faves: long lost, ends of the earth, la belle fleur sauvage, love like ghosts, the birds are singing at night ALL by lord huron, angel by first aid kit, the man himself and forbearance by gang of youths, halls of sarah and this tornado loves you by neko case, ceilings by lizzy mcalpine, julia by hollie col, lafayette, hexie mountains, kalahari down by orville peck, bees by the ballroom thieves, make it holy by the staves, good legs by jensen mcrae. Ok. Forcing myself to stop, sorry

last book I've read: I haven't finished it yet but I'm reading Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong!

top 3 fictional universes I'd like to live in: stealing Sophie's answer of the fictional cell universe she invented and also her tags answer of halloweentown. Also stealing Sammy and Mel's answer of lotr universe, we have no original thoughts here sorry<3

I'm assuming everyone has either done this already/doesn't want to, because I was tagged while I was away! But I'm gonna tag some pals anyway<3 if u guys want to and haven't yet! @theghostontheshoremp3 @tornadocountrymp3 @meatmensch @monstermoviedean @jasminecas @cuntcas @heartcastiel @queerstudiesnatural @tiarnanabhfainni @cashairytits @blushmp3 @novaklesbian 💓💓💓

[mywitchcultblr]

Not people saying "Solas want to destroy the world to bring back Arlathan'"

In Tevinter Nights he said this:

But then he said this:

So 'Before this world ended' is contradictory with 'What I am doing will save this world, and those like you—the elves who still remain—may even find it better when, when it's done'

I think this is intentional, Solas often speaks in double meaning and half-truth. I have a weird feeling that his plan is not the apocalypse, this world ended could just be the world of Thedas that we know now end. Doesn't mean all lives will die apocalyptic level.

Still i have no idea whatever only elves who will survive or maybe all people surviving. It's possible even with the veil down, other races survives too (they just gonna be mages, which is the natural state of everyone)

What if tearing down the veil might be a necessary step to deal with blight? Evanuris? Other threats??

Who knows it remains to be seen. But i found it hilarious that some people are falling for 'solas is the next big bad' no, Dragon Age always have a secondary bigger threat that is revealed half-way through or in the end.

Also the last thing Solas wanted is the old Arlathan. You can tell from the way he talks about his fellow elven gods.

I bet all of my money theres another legitimate reasons behind his plan. And I bet with and without Solas, the veil is going down anyway. You can't keep the evanuris there forever.

@thedreadblog Morrigan also made a remark about how change is necessary, there's sandal and his prophecy, i also read Drakon's vision about the maker returned and make the world paradise or at least harmonious again from Felassan post (yes Drakon is a piece of shit egocentric zealot lying bastard but still it's a piece of lore) and WHO just returned from his long lost sleep? Solas.

Make the world harmonious again (or something like that) sounds like no-veil world again.

Also there's people who speculating that Solas doesn't care about his people because he wants to tear down the veil then that's mean all people will die including his followers

Look at this picture below:

This is a very modern looking ship, definitely inspired by aravel. But i think this is an ancient transportation from Arlathan era. What if there are thousands ships like this or even more??

Solas definitely has an ark or more prepared to save people, especially his followers maybe??

I just... It's just doesn't make sense if he let them all die. One of his plans is TO SAVE the elves, not damning them even further.

Also one more crucial info from Tevinter Nights

The nevarran mages thought that Solas is using demon army or bind Spirits to do his bidding, but no! Solas would never do that. Those necromancer are just delusional and arrogant, they think they know everything about Spirits.

They thought "NOOO justice and valor would never follow Fen'harel"

But what if they did? And because Solas is against binding spirits, that's mean spirits are following him out of their free will.

Do you honestly believe spirits of justice and valor would follow him if his cause is not justifiable or noble? Bold?

They wouldn't follow someone who is just 'Evilz'

Edit: This is something that I just remember, but i wonder if let's say the veil is down and not all people die and people just turned into mages (as their natural state should be, because I believe any races who can dream are connected with the fade) which will make them powerful

Mage inquisitor and mage hawke's power would be boosted up to an unfathomable level... I wonder if it'll be enough manpower to defeat the evanuris?? And blight??

LOTR style battle? And people who have their magic back fight alongside Solas to defeat their enemy? Just like what happened in the past??

[yehet-me-up]

Content Tag Game

Tagged by EXO sister-wife Kat @yeoldontknow​ <3 1. what fandoms have you written for (but do not currently)?

2. what fandoms are you currently writing for?

3. how long have you been writing? on this blog?

uhhh I definitely wrote half of several harry potter and lotr fanfics in HS but that was ‘the dark times’ many moons ago. so as an adult this is my only fandom! just stumbled into kpop and stumbled onto fanfics in the most backwards way possible (was sent a meme of a 1D ‘imagine’ and was like hey I wonder if they have these for kpop and then I found them and they were not a meme, but were fucking incredible AND NOW 4 YEARS LATER (started August-ish 2017???) here we are hahaha)

4. on which platforms do you post your stories?

oh dear god i just remembered I have an AO3 account..... WHOOPS, shit 😅 might need to, y’know, update that at some point. jfc adhd object permanence is something else.

5. what is your favorite genre to write?

Personally it’s sci fi/fantasy, but here in the fanfic space I’d say..... uhh slice of life, romance, angst but make it a happy ending?? fanfic is a way for me to share all the sort romantic hopeful feelings I have about love and life and friendship and purpose 💕

6. are you a pantser or a planner?

Used to be a pantser when I started this (and when fics used to be like ?? 3k-5k) now that fics in general are longer for one-shots and series my good lord I need an outline. Especially for exo mall which is *insert meme of crazy guy with the bulletin board* a lot for my brain haha

7. one shot or multi-chapter?

8. what is the perfect chapter length in your opinion?

I’d say mine are usually 5k or so?? some series were shorter per chapter, depending on subject matter. I tend to write like... interconnected long as frick oneshots, so i don’t count those as chapters ☠️

9. what is your longest published story? is it complete?

uhhhhh good question haha. my book was 95k and I think exo mall is like *dammit math* 140k or something that has significantly gotten out of hand. I have two more fics so it will probably be like 180ish when it’s done?? not including the drabbles to come haha 

10. which story did you enjoy working on the most?

I loved No Quarter and torturing Kat with her husband, also staying up all night to finish Chanyeol’s exo mall knowing kat had NO idea it was coming was a BLAST. Kyungsoo’s exo mall was one of the most ‘in the flow’ writing experiences i’ve ever had. I wrote this Baek oneshot at like 3am when i couldn’t sleep once and tbh it felt like I wrote it in a dream. ja;slkfjasd I love so many of these this is like a trip down memory lane, so I’m going to be a wh*re and say two more haha.  This is the most honest and close to ‘real life’ thing I think I’ve written on here (and also one of the only sex scenes I didn’t lose my goddamned mind trying to write a;sldkfja;sdf). And lastly Ablaze, which was the longest thing I’d written (I think) and let me know that hey? maybe I could write a book someday <3

11. favorite request you’ve have written and why (if any?)

This request for Exo Mall Baek was such a joy to write! And for some reason this Taeyong drabble makes me wish I had the time/energy to write it into a full story, it gripped me so much when I wrote it, like a movie had fully downloaded into my brain out of nowhere.

12. are there reoccurring themes in your stories?

For sure! I’d say found family is a big one. Trusting that you’ll find your place even if things don’t make sense or you feel unsure. Believing that love is worth the risk and fear of trusting someone ;laksjdfal;sd. That love can be big gestures and super intense, but that after that fades away it’s the small daily moments that matter most - the people who stay and listen when you’re sad, holding hands and forehead kisses, taking care of people when they’re sick or scared or just need company, showing up to try again or to communicate even when things are hard. 

Someone commented on a fic of mine ages ago that I helped them see that real love (of that small, daily, consistent kind) is possible and MAYHAPS I cried because underneath it all, that’s what I’d want people to take away - that love of all kinds is scary, but it’s always worth it in the end <3

13. current number of wips?

Surprisingly just ... 3? wow how time has changed hahaha. I have Jun + Baek for exo mall (plus some drabbles but that will be something people write in about, so I wouldn’t consider them wips) and then I maaaaay continute on here with the Jun + Min regency baes series. We shall see :)

14. three things you have noticed about your own writing?

1. I can’t NOT write Baekhyun as the biggest cheesy dork in the entire world 2. That I’ll always have endless fantasy world to live in. I have to try actively to not start new WIPs because it’s so damn easy to be inspired. If I’m ever bored I know that I can jump into some story and let myself be carried away for a while 3. that who and how i am in real life is not usually the same person that i am when it comes to the vibe of my writing, and that that’s totally okay <3

15. a quote you like from a published story.

“I wish it had been with someone like you, though,” you say, squeezing his hand.

“Someone like me?” he says, raising his eyebrows, waiting for an explanation.

You look down at the floor, trying to figure out how to put how he makes you feel into words. “Yeah, someone strong, and steady. And safe.”

He lets out a laugh. “Safe? That sounds awfully similar to boring.”

“No, no. You don’t understand,” you say emphatically, coming to stand fully in front of him, grabbing his other hand as well. “You never ask me to be anything but who I am. You’re patient, kind, caring. For the longest time I thought that falling in love would be stifling. That it would… I don’t know, take my independence. Take my spirit. Make me into someone I don’t recognize.”

You step closer, holding his face in your hands. “But I can’t think of anything I want more than to be with you. You make me the best version of who I am. I don’t know how it is for you, being with me. But when I’m with you, it just feels like… home,” you finish gently.

- from Kyungsoo’s exo mall because THIS is how I feel about falling in love now, and this story was me working out what I believed about the process (like a goddamned emo bish haha)

16. a quote from an unpublished story.

For a moment you allow yourself this weakness. It won't destroy you to admire the strong lines of his body, the intensity and focus in the set of his brows, the deep, warm color brown of his eyes as they - oh lord, he's looking directly at you. As he notices you watching him his lips press into a small smile, inclining his head towards you.

'Oh no,' you say, mortified. In a breath you've blinked and drawn your arm through Maggie's, weaving your way through the crowd and dragging her with you.

'What's wrong?' she hisses in your ear, slightly off-kilter from the drink and revelry. 'You're going to tear my arm off.’.

'Sorry, he -' With a hand you push through the front doors, gulping in the cool night air and breathing deeply to steady the erratic pace of your heartbeat. 'Maggie, what's happening to me? He looked at me and I felt so... naked. I can't explain it.'

She realizes you aren't in actual distress and laughs. 'Good. About time you fell in love. I'm delighted.'

- From perhaps a future chapter of Jun and Min regency baes series....

17. space for you to say something to your readers.

Thank you so much. Truly, from the bottom of my heart. This fandom brought writing back into my life after such a long time away and I had no idea I would love it so much. The friends it’s brought me and the kind words that made me cry or cheered me up on a shitty day or made me laugh out loud and the watching other writers grow on their journeys. Getting to hear how something I made could help you feel less alone or less sad on a shitty day is all I’ve ever wanted from sharing all this. Thank you for being here and thank you for sharing parts of yourself with me <3

Tagging anyone who sees this who would like to do it, even if you don’t consider yourself a “real writer” yet (yes you are, stop doubting yourself!!!!) 😘

[deathbydarkelves]

I decided to make playlists for Cathala and Tarinne plus explanations for why I chose each song because I entered one of those ADHD fugue states and if I didn't finish this task I would die

Anyway here are the two links (they're youtube playlists because I don't have spotify. I would obviously recommend using an adblocker if you're just gonna watch on youtube) and the explanations for each song are below the cut :) Each playlist is about an hour long.

For Tarinne’s:

1. Foggy Nights: I consider this her theme so putting it first as a sort of intro only makes sense.

2. Here’s a Health to the Company: I think this works as an example of her general disposition. She’s a people person, and always a fan of singing these sorts of songs in taverns, on ships, or what have you. It also kind of feels like a sendoff to soldiers, which I imagine symbolizes her joining the Sentinel Army and quickly thereafter fighting in the Third War.

3. Wartime Prayers: Somewhat self-explanatory, this is symbolizing her seeing war for the first time, but I also included it because the last line transitions SO WELL into the next song.

4. The Hollow: This song is an intro to an album I've never heard so I don't know the context, but I really love it because it sounds like someone praying to their deity and like I mean c'mon. Elune. Tarinne's praying to Elune to guide her through the war. Do I need to elabo-

5. Wave Walker: KILL DEATH MAIM AHAHAHAHA

6. Isil Elun’falo: Just a super rad fan-made night elf song that's basically "wow we sure do love Elune" said in twenty different ways for four and a half minutes. But it ROCKS and I LOVE it.

7. Chewing Cotton Wool: This song is about losing a loved one (I did have to check but yeah that's what it is) and I use it to symbolize Tarinne losing her mom during the war. The last line, which includes the song's title, I especially like. It's referring to how morticians (apparently) put cotton gauze in a corpse's throat and mouth to keep body fluids in and make the face look more natural. So there's a fun fact for you.

8. See U Soon (Song for Dad): Just a short lofi piece to rest a bit, and it was also chosen because the title's in reference to Tarinne growing closer to her dad after losing her mom. She still visits him at his leathers and furs shop in Stormwind fairly often, especially after dangerous adventures. She just wants to make sure he knows she's alright ;-;

9. No Lullaby: Right back into it with a song that I use to represent Tarinne's general feeling of not being able to go home because it's not there anymore. She's felt like this since the end of the Third War, but it's especially strong since the whole Teldrassil thing. But I like the ending, "who said you're on your own," because it contrasts the repeating of "alone" in the rest of the song. And it's kinda like "hey, listen, you're not the only one who feels like she can't go home." I mean that's probably how basically every single night elf feels right now skxnks

10. The Moss: This song juxtaposes classic fairy tales with scientific facts about the world and I love it to BITS. I'm using it here to represent both Tarinne's love for storytelling but also her sort of... part-time historian/archaeologist/conservator career.

11. Rasputin: I just associate this song with her for some reason and this was the best place to put it.

12. Electric Feel: Moving on to focus more on Tarinne's relationship with Cathala now. This is an extremely great and somewhat 😏 song that I also included because the electricity theme is appropriate because Cathala has lightning powers and y'know it's from Tarinne's perspective or whatever.

13. Bedroom Hymns: You know why this is here.

14. Movement: I can't talk about love songs without talking about Hozier, okay. This is just a nice, slower song to relax a bit with.

15. Never Let Me Go: I have an entire goddamn music video in my head with Cathala and Tarinne for this song and it’s very dramatic and emotional and I had to include this song or I’d die. Basically just listen to near the end of this song when she's repeating the title over and over, and imagine the two of them seeing each other at opposite ends of a battlefield after the dust settles and they rush towards each other and fall to their knees holding on as tightly as they can because they got separated early on and each thought the other was dead. Then you'll know how I feel when I listen to this song.

16. Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control: First of all I love the title, and second of all there's a big section in the middle (1:49 to 2:47) that I like to interpret as the two of them grappling with the fact that they're not really quite sure who or what they're fighting for anymore. Their people, yeah, but there's so many alliances and semi-permanent enemies and only-on-every-other-thursday-enemies all intertwined and the world is just so very confusing and they're trying to make the best of it. Elf school didn’t include international, interracial politics in its curriculum. It did however include how to properly plant trees, and AP calculus (this is a joke).

17. In Dreams: I like to imagine this song is something the two of them would say to each other, as a way of saying “even when everything we know is gone, even when the world ends, I will still be by your side. And if I’m not, don’t fear, for I will find you.” It makes a nice note to end on :)

For Cathala’s:

1. muse: Just a nice lofi intro to get us into things :) I don't see this song as her theme, like I do with Tarinne and the first song in her playlist, but I like it quite a bit. I don't actually really have a theme for Cathala yet, I'm currently going with a version of Way of the Monk from WoW's OST but I'm still looking for something better.

2. Frogs Singing: I included this because it's about just appreciating nature, which works because night elf and also mindfulness and meditation is a whole thing.

3. Tongues: This is a song about feeling distant from your peers which is like Cathala's whole existence! She's this weird mix of two cultures and ultimately she feels out of place regardless of where she is or who she's with. Also the theme with not understanding what people are saying works because the poor woman had to learn Pandaren from scratch and that shit ain't easy. I think blizz said somewhere probably that Common is just a language that EVERYONE knows inherently because Video Game but that's bullshit in my opinion. I'll allow spells that let you understand foreign languages to an extent (Comprehend Languages from D&D lets you understand the LITERAL meaning only, which I like), but every culture and species in the universe knowing Common is silly if you think about it for more than two seconds.

4. Kung Fu Fighting: I'm legally required to include this song. Also I prefer the Kung Fu Panda version, I'm sorry.

5. Harder Better Faster Stronger: I vicariously experience having a great work ethic through Cathala and that's why this song is here because she has 999 Determination and does Too Many push-ups every day or something idk. I was gonna say "every morning" but I have a headcanon that elves only need to sleep every couple of days (sort of a nod to "elves don't need to sleep at all" from D&D, and to explain why NIGHT elves are active at all hours of the day) so that doesn't work.

6. What's Up Danger: This song is Cathala's whole Vibe. Almost zero threat assessment skills in this woman's brain. If it can be punched, she will punch it.

7. Eye for an Eye: Fairly self-explanatory, it's a song about wanting revenge so... yeah. Checked that box. It was this or The Vengeful One by Disturbed but ultimately The Vengeful One's religious symbolism probably makes it fit better as a Tyrande theme lol ("I'm the hand of god, I'm the dark messiah." Did you mean: the Night Warrior)

8. Survivor: Cathala's survived a lot of shit and this could kinda be her making fun of herself for it because "Gods, man! Don't I deserve a break!"

9. Ashes: Really the reason I include this song is the last chunk (2:42 to the end) because holy shit. Listen, if I was gonna include a song with fire motifs, it was gonna be a somber one like this.

10. Into the West: This can kinda represent Cathala just trying to fucking breathe and recover from Teldrassil. Also works because I dunno it has stuff to do with the elves in LotR, I haven't seen those movies in a while. It sounds nice and is melancholy so I included it.

11. Like Real People Do: Cathala loves Tarinne a lot you guys have I ever menti-

12. Into the Wild: Tarinne changed Cathala's world for the better and she's super fucking grateful she has her by her side. Kinda goes without saying but you know.

13. Chasing the Moon: I have a vague music video in my head for this of them falling in love and it's very cute so there's that. Also it's in this specific spot because hey she may be deeply traumatized but she's still got a fair number of things/people in her life that make her happy so :)

14. Follow My Girl: I've got a theme going in my head that while Tarinne is fairly certain of her place in the world, Cathala is still trying to find hers. She outlived all her connections on Pandaria because Elf Lifespans(tm) and the only members of her family still alive are distant relatives she never knew very well.

15. Wish That You Were Here: This works both to represent Cathala on Pandaria feeling super homesick, and for more recently after Teldrassil. Either way, it's a message to her parents and sister.

16. Mr. Fear: She does her damnedest to hide it but she's absolutely terrified something like Teldrassil's gonna happen again! That fear drives her to do everything in her power to protect who and what she can. As long as they're not Forsaken, cause she's still got her biases, that compassion even extends across faction lines. She never really got the whole Alliance/Horde thing anyway. Innocent people shouldn't have to die, regardless of who or what they are.

17. Ordinary Day: Not to get super out there but I think this song works as symbolizing Cathala really trying to hold on to her faith in Elune, but ultimately feeling pretty abandoned. I mean she can clearly see Elune's influence everywhere. But Elune sure ain't doing Cathala any favors as far as she can tell! It also ends the whole playlist on maybe a bit of an uncertain/open-ended note, because this "losing faith" aspect is a new thing with her and will definitely be something she continues to struggle with for a while. On a related note, I should say Tarinne is still very much devout but she gets what Cathala's feeling and doesn't force anything on her, and vice versa. And Cathala wouldn't become atheist, the night elves aren't monotheistic and she still worships all the other deities, it's just specifically Elune she's a little :/ on.

[prettywordsyouleft]

Bloodstone | Part 1

Summary: You knew all about the ring your grandmother had told you about and yet when the stone fell from it one fateful day, you weren’t truly prepared for its return, nor who it came back with.

Pairing: Kim Namjoon x reader

Genre: fantasy / romance

Warnings: talk of witchcraft, and a bit too much LOTR banter >_>

Index: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

After the initial shock wore off and your legs regained their feeling, you cradled your hand to your chest, protecting it as you swiftly moved through the afternoon crowds to the closest subway station. There, you grew more apprehensive once the underground train hurtled its way across the grid to where you needed to be the most. After departing the subway, you walked as fast as your legs would carry you to the little shop at the very end of an alleyway, opening the door and listening to the bell above it chime in your arrival.

The store owner lifted his glasses further up the bridge of his nose in curiosity, only to sigh when he saw you there. Yoongi then narrowed his gaze at your evidently anxious state and stood up. “Are you alright, Y/N?”

“It finally happened, Yoongi!”

“What did?”

“The ring!” you cried, thrusting your hand out at the man as you approached the counter, looking at him for a cure. You were beyond reason now and your best friend merely contemplated the situation before him and then scrunched up his face in disbelief.

“Are you… high?”

“Oh my god, really?!” you breathed with frustration and Yoongi grimaced.

“Well, put yourself in my shoes right now. You sound really crazy.”

“Maybe I will go crazy. She always said it would test everything about me.”

Yoongi slumped back down on the stool behind the counter, though he didn’t shift his concerned gaze from your face. “Your grandmother? Didn’t she give you that ring when you were ten?”

So he did remember. Nodding with relief, you placed your hand down on top of the glass countertop, the overhead lights now illuminating your hand brightly. The tarnished silver reflected the light, the gaping hole in the center of the ring only further emphasised. Your best friend leaned in and inspected the wounded piece of jewellery.

“Maybe the stone fell out because this ring is ancient,” he offered but you shook your head adamantly. The ring was old, but it was strong. You had once tried to remove the stone yourself. It was wedged in there for good.

Or so you had thought.

“Do you remember what my grandmother used to say?”

“A whole lot of gibberish?” Yoongi stated with a wry smile and then shrugged. “I dunno, Y/N. I used to go to her house with you so I could get some sleep. Her couch was the comfiest…”

“Because she had put a spell on it for those who had tired bones could rest well,” you murmured and Yoongi snapped his dark gaze up to your face with surprise. You were equally astonished. “Please don’t tell me you never once noticed she was a witch, Yoongi.”

“I just thought she was kooky like some old women can be,” he sheepishly responded, scratching at the back of his head. “Really? She was a witch?”

“I wish she had taught me more than I know now. It was all good to warn me, but what am I meant to do without her powers?”

“What did she used to say?” Yoongi asked, pulling out a pen and paper from beside the cashier.

“That the stone in this ring wasn’t from here, and one day it would return to its world. She told me when that happened I’d have to be ready for a test that will challenge me in every way possible.”

“I feel like I just stepped into Lord of The Rings,” Yoongi muttered and you cocked your head to the side to give him an unimpressed look. “Look, hobbits aside, the information she gave you isn’t very specific. Where was the stone from?”

“She couldn’t tell me, just not from a human race.”

Yoongi visibly swallowed before continuing. “Okay, what about why? Why with its return to the world it came from does this affect you?”

“Because I wear the ring?” you guessed and Yoongi groaned, pointing at you incredulously.

“Yes! Why did you wear something so god damn dangerous for?! You could have said, no thank you grandmother, I want to live a normal life, instead of taking on the ring of Mordor and I don’t know, tainting us all with this quest of yours that you’re now on!”

Rolling your eyes at Yoongi, you shook your head. “Just because you run a comic bookstore doesn’t mean we live in a world where…”

You trailed off with the pointed look Yoongi gave you as he folded his arms over his chest. You let out a huff in defeat.

“So you wore this ring since you were ten,” Yoongi refocused. “And now today the stone disappears. Do you feel different?”

“Well, apart from the stress from losing it, no. But today isn’t just any day, Yoongi.”

You implored him to think and his mouth fell ajar, nodding softly. “It’s been a year since your mother…”

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence the stone left this world exactly a year after my mother did,” you managed to say, blinking rapidly and looking up at Yoongi through an increasing veil of tears. “If anything, I would connect the two.”

“I hate that your words sound logical to me right now,” he admitted with a heavy sigh. “So we have no knowledge of what to do next, why this is happening, or anything really. How is this being prepared?”

You wondered the same thing.

Namjoon hadn’t stopped staring at the bloodstone since he first saw it. He had simply sat back down at his desk and cast his gaze upon it for an immeasurable while.

Whilst his body was completely still, his mind was anything but. Warnings of his father from the past flooded his mind, holding him back from the temptation of reaching out to inspect the stone closely. He had looked at it from almost every angle now, fascinated by the perfectly structured gem. He had never seen such beauty before and he had played a part in sending some of the rarest of stones to earth over the years. The red was not dark like a garnet and yet not nearly as bright as a ruby either. It was rich and full, enticing him to continue his examination. He wondered if the stone would be as warm to touch as it was to look upon. Blinking away his hazy thoughts, Namjoon clamped his hands to the base of his seat, pushing back the desire mounting within him.

He wouldn’t touch this stone.

But after another length of time and an equally strong longing to just pick it up once and then put it back down, Namjoon knew he had to put space between him and the bloodstone.

“You’re luring me in, aren’t you?” he murmured at the wicked thing, getting up and walking over to the farthest spot in his studio. However, he couldn’t train his gaze to stay away from the stone, chewing on his bottom lip in deliberation.

Was it really that bad? He had been told not to do many things in his life and found out later it was out of fear something bad could have happened. He had survived through them all. And where had the stone even come from? Could it have fallen from the Heavens? Travelled from Earth? Either place, Namjoon yearned to travel to. Especially after the loss of his father all those years ago.

He wished the man was here now to guide him away from the very stone he had warned him countless times to never get involved with.

“I won’t do it,” he concluded, nodding weakly at his decision. Turning to switch off the lights in the room so he could head into the main house he shared with his sister, Namjoon gave a final look at the red glow around the room and shut the door.

Only to re-enter mere moments later with haste. “I need to hide you in case Marian finds you.”

The fear of his sister touching what had been forbidden by his father made Namjoon dash around the studio, looking for a box and something to gently guide the stone into it. And, because he was so focused on doing just this, he wasn’t as aware of his actual surroundings, tripping over the leg of his stool as he hurried over to the desk.

It all happened too fast to prevent calamity. The tools he held dropped from his hands as he fell onto the desk, his chest being the first part of him to connect with the gem. An image of a human woman appeared in his mind right as he felt the stone absorb him entirely.

The studio was now empty of both the bloodstone and its keeper.

_________________

Part 2

All rights reserved © prettywordsyouleft

[BTS Masterlist] | [Main Masterlist] | [Request Guidelines]

[jiangwanyin]

ooh ok; 1, 15, 17, 20, 22 :)

aw thanks thanks 😌💗💕

1. if someone wanted to really understand you, what would they read, watch, and listen to?

well the list does get longer and more specific the better you want to know and understand me, but for everyone's sake i think i'll just stick to things that give you a good general idea!!

read: first and foremost lotr of course and if you want to go even deeper, the silmarillion (and if you want to go still deeper, various bits and pieces from the history of middle earth especially athrabeth finrod ah andreth), norwegian wood by murakami, h is for hawk by helen macdonald for an insight into me coping with grief and trauma (no idea why anyone would want that but it's a deeply personal book to me and i can't just not include it), and the shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafón

watch: oh boy i can think of way too many but including but not limited to again obviously lotr, rocketman, howl's moving castle, empire records, kill your darlings, fallen angels, 10 things i hate about you, moulin rouge! and good will hunting as for tv shows, atla, seasons 2-4 of doctor who and i wouldn't force you to watch the whole thing but probably a few episodes of the untamed and merlin too

listen to: big god by florence + the machine, goodbye yellow brick road by elton john, rock n roll suicide and rebel rebel by david bowie, born on a different cloud by oasis, 5:06AM (every stranger's eyes) by roger waters, wooden ships by jefferson airplane, space truckin by deep purple (more for the vibes than the lyrics though) and aquarius from the hair soundtrack

15. five most influential books over your lifetime.

okay i spent way too much time thinking about this but i think i'm going to just recycle three from my last answer whoops sorry 😳

lord of the rings obviously

h is for hawk by helen macdonald

norwegian wood by murakami

on the road by jack kerouac (i'm not sure how influential it really was in the long term but i did center my entire personality around it when i was like fourteen so it goes on the list)

aand i'm going to be really pretentious and say oedipus rex OR 1984 i can't choose

i feel like i'm forgetting something but here you go also i guess i could include some children's books that definitely shaped how i turned out like the neverending story and the secret garden and inkheart and the series that maybe not started but absolutely fueled my dragon obsession aka the last dragon chronicles aand i can think of others that maybe as a whole weren't particularly influential as a book but did make me realize/come to terms with something about myself *cough* loveless by alice oseman as well as others i was into when i was younger ranging from the tibetan book of the dead (which i never actually read cover to cover but i was a nerd and i found it fascinating and although i wasn't exactly new to the idea of rebirth etc it definitely influenced the way i see life and death) and various books about greek and egyptian mythology i grew up on to random YA books i enjoyed at the time and that actually had an impact on me like life: an exploded diagram by mal peet and junk by melvin burgess — neither of which i remember too well now but again, fourteen year old me was OBSESSED so they deserve a place on the list just as much as the books i've read more recently and feel the same way about 😌

17. would you say your tumblr is a fair representation of the “real you”?

ah gosh for the first time in a quite some time since i've been on here i can actually say yes?? which is a very welcome change,, i mean obviously it's pretty fandom-focused and i seem to have lost most of my classic rock and astrology mutuals in the process of moving accounts so there's considerably less of that on here than there is in my life but other than that i think it is for the most part :)

20. would you rather be in middle earth, narnia, hogwarts, or somewhere else?

middle earth of course 😌💖🌷🍃✨

22. list the top five things you spend the most time doing, in order.

oh wow vicky you really decided to choose violence and expose my boring lifestyle 😔😔

sleeping obviously hsnfdj

probably just being on my phone especially on here yikes

watching movies/tv shows

listening to music

ahh i want to say reading but i've been slacking off lately but i guess it still counts in the long run if you add up all the time since my childhood (actually that may even move it higher on the list but i have no idea)

[kilibaggins]

Johnmurphyisbisexual's Writing Challenge!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(My writing challenge is a bit different because I'm opening it to be for SHIPS TOO! For Example: Drarry (Harry Potter) and Murphamy (The 100). But you can do ANY ship from any fandom!)

1.) Reblog this post (following me would be appreciated but it's not mandatory!)

2.) Send me an Ask with the full name (first and last) of the person you want to write for -or the name and fandom of the ship you want to write for- as well as the prompt you choose from the prompts I give you bellow! (Two [or one] prompts per fic and Three people per prompt) (You can write multiple fics for this challenge, but I might cut you off after a few. Because there needs to be enough for everyone.)

(I will be crossing out the prompts that are unavailable and I will be writing your account name and which Character/ship you're doing under the prompt(s))

3.) If more than 2k words add a keep reading option, so people don't have to scroll through it all if they don't want to read yours.

(It's fine if you can't since you can't do it on Mobile)

4.) No end date!

5.) Use the tag #ryswritingchallenge and tag me in it! If i don't see it in 2-3 days send me an ask telling me you did it!

FANDOMS

The 100 • Marvel • Harry Potter • Supernatural • The Hobbit/LOTR • The Walking Dead • And anything else, though I'd love to read these ones.

Writing Prompts (Send which list in ask):

Fluff

1. ) "Kiss me."

2. ) "Cuddle with me."

3. ) "Please take care of yourself."

4. ) "Dance with me."

5. ) "I'll take care of you."

6. ) "I'm happy I met you."

7. ) "Are you scared of me?" "No. Never."

Blaise Zabini X Reader | @angelinathebook

Remus Lupin x Reader | @shaynawrites23

8.) "I love you so much."

9. ) "I do."

10. ) "Marry Me."

11. ) "You're so perfect."

12. ) "I don't care if you have scars, you're handsome/beautiful anyways."

Bellamy Blake/John Murphy/Reader (The 100) | @justarandomgirlreadingstuff

13.) "It's not a defect, it's a special feature!"

14. ) "I'm Pregnant."

15. ) "God, you're so beautiful/handsome."

16. ) "I could read to you, if you want."

Bellarke (The 100) | @edgelessness

17. ) "Your hair is so fluffy!"

18. ) "Stop looking at me like that, or I'm going to start blushing."

19. ) "*Insert cheesy pick up line here*" "Try Again."

20. ) "You're the one thing in my life I don't regret."

21. ) "Hold my hand, I'll protect you."

22. ) "You can sleep, I'll keep you safe."

Murphamy (The 100) | @ceruleanoctober

23. ) "You're the only person that makes my self preservation fly out the window."

24. ) "Quit stealing all of the pillows!"

25. ) "I'm sleepy."

26. ) "I think in dying!!" "Baby, it's a cold."

27. ) "You're my new pillow."

28. ) "It doesn't matter what they think, I love you and that's what matters."

Remus Lupin x Reader | @shaynawrites23

29. ) "You're hands are so soft"

30. ) "Come back to bed, I'm still sleepy."

Angst

1. ) "It hurts."

2. ) "Please dont die, oh god baby, please."

3. ) "You broke my heart!"

4. ) "Don't leave me, I need you!"

5. ) "I'm sorry, They're dead."

6. ) "I want to die."

Blaise Zabini X Reader | @angelinathebook

7. ) "You said this time it'd be different!"

Bellamy Blake/John Murphy/Reader (The 100) | @justarandomgirlreadingstuff

8. ) "I don't love you anymore."

9. ) "Don't push mr away!"

10. ) "You are so selfish!"

11. ) "When will you stop thinking about only yourself and care about others?"

12. ) "You killed her/him/them!"

13. ) "I'm sorry."

14. ) "It wasn't your fault."

15. ) "It's all your fault!"

16. ) "I need to be alone."

17. ) "I'm dying."

18. ) "I have cancer."

19. ) "When did our love turn into possession instead?"

20. ) "You could've- could've stayed. You could've helped me fix things."

21. ) "Stop calling me."

22. ) "Why did they have to die?"

23. ) "Leave."

24. ) "Get out of my fucking house!"

Game Night Gone Wrong

Clarke Griffin/John Murphy | @malvieswift

25. ) "I thought you loved me?"

26. ) He/she/they're gone."

27. ) "Did you ever actually love me?"

Bellamy Blake x Reader | @im-a-writer-right

28. ) "My heart can't take this!"

29. ) "Stop! Please stop hurting him/her/them!"

30. ) "I love you." "Well, I hate you."

Bellamy Blake x Reader | @im-a-writer-right

Hurt/Comfort

1. ) "Get back in bed, you're still healing!"

2. ) "It hurts" "Oh, I know it'll be okay."

3. ) "I think I'm going to puke..."

4. ) "Can you see me?"

5. ) "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Clarke Griffin/John Murphy (The 100) | @malvieswift

6. ) "Can I have some water?"

7. ) "They can't hurt you anymore."

8. ) "Who hurt you?"

9. ) "Crying is a perfectly fine thing to do."

Murphy x *TBD* | @ceruleanoctober

10. ) "None of this was your fault."

11. ) "Its okay, let it out."

12. ) "Come here. Cry into my shoulder."

13. ) "You're safe."

14. ) "I'm not going to hurt you."

15. ) "Try to breathe for me."

16. ) "Don't cry baby, it's okay!"

The Great Pancake Mishap

Clarke Griffin/John Murphy/Emori (The 100) | @malvieswift

17. ) "Let's get you cleaned up, okay?"

The Great Pancake Mishap

Clarke Griffin/John Murphy/Emori (The 100) | @malvieswift

18. ) "Need to be held?"

Clarke Griffin/John Murphy (The 100) | @malvieswift

19. ) "Let's patch you up."

20. ) "I'm going to make you some food, and you're going to just lay there."

21. ) "How long has it been since you ate?"

22. ) "Those idiots hurt you, I'll tear them to shreds!" "..." "After I cuddle you and take care of you."

23. ) "I told you to be careful and what do you do? You go and break your arm!"

24. ) "You love me right" "Nope" "oh... Okay..." "No wait I was kidding! Wait!"

Remus Lupin x Reader | @the-moon-and-the-book

25. ) "Don't fucking touch her/him/them!"

Remus Lupin x Reader | @the-moon-and-the-book

26. ) "You can hold onto me if you're scared."

27. ) "Do you need a kiss?"

28. ) "Want to kiss it better?"

29. ) "They did WHAT to you??"

30. ) "I'm going to take care of you until you're better, I promise."

Smut

1. ) "Make Me."

2. ) "God, you're so hot."

3. ) "Did you just look me up and down and then bite your lip? Because if you did, then were having sex. Right now."

4. ) "You're so big."

5. ) "Stay quiet for me."

6. ) "You're my slut."

7. ) "I want to try something... Kinky."

8. ) "I need you in me so bad!"

9. ) "You like being full?"

10. ) "It hurts so good!"

11. ) "I'm going to eat you out/rim you for hours, baby."

12. ) "Can you cum again?"

13. ) "Alright, I'm not into choking, but I wouldn't mind if you grabbed my throat every once in a while."

14. ) "Beg for me."

15. ) "Aw, are you hard/wet? You need some help with that?"

16. ) "Kneel for me."

17. ) "You look so hot like this."

18. ) "I'm really sensitive."

19. ) "It's too much!"

20. ) "I'm going to overstimulate you all night, baby girl/boy."

21. ) "Don't you dare cum yet."

22. ) "Touch yourself for me."

23. ) "On your Knees."

24. ) "You're a pretty slut aren't you?"

25. ) "Fuck me."

26. ) "Harder. Faster!"

27. ) "Handcuffs? Sounds fun."

28. ) "I want you stripped and on your Knees when I get home."

29. ) "That wasn't sex, that was making love."

30. ) "I'm going to make you feel so good."

[going-there-and-back-again]

Thank you so much to @theleavesoflorien and @shiremaiden for tagging me in all of these <3 <3 I AM SO SORRY about how overdue all of these are (exam season this year is over a month and a half long and actually cut through christmas and new year’s sighh) and so i’ve just done a huge mashup tag-game post

1) rules: share your 12 favourite songs from this year (one from each month or just your favourites overall)

(i couldn’t find one per month but here are the ones i did find! these are the songs i listened to and liked the most each month)

january: i took the dust of a long sleepless night and i put it in your little shoe

(the boxer - simon and garfunkel // one of us cannot be wrong - leonard cohen)

february: and i’ll sing you to sleep, and i’ll sing you tomorrow

(sleepsong - secret garden)

march: - n/a (didn’t listen to much from march to april unfortunately)

april: n/a

may: the lost and forgotten

(god help the outcasts - hunchbach of the notre dame)

june: so she took her love, far to gaze a while, upon the fields of barley

(fields of gold - peter hollens & tyler ward & lindsey stirling)

july: you can’t escape forever, mistaking smoke for heaven’s light

(stomach it - crywolf)

august: how do you know, when to let go

(where does the good go - sleeping at last)

september: try to quiet the noises in your head

(only us: dear evan hansen - peter hollens & evynne hollens)

october: smile because you’re the deer in the headlights

(deer in the headlights - owl city)

november: slow down, you crazy child

(vienna - billy joel//just the way you are - billy joel)

december: they sleep on the wind and...never light on this earth but one time when they die!

(bird song: the fugitive kind - kenyon hopkins)

2) @thesleeplessartist (sorry this has been sitting in my ask for ages):- list 5 things that make you happy 

i’ve interpreted this as thing things, so like objects/experiences, tangible or intangible

i) i love the smell of rain

ii) books !!! lord of the rings. tennessee williams. william faulkner. virginia woolf. 

iii) the feeling you get when you’re laughing too hard to breathe, usually over something completely ridiculous (and really not that funny)

iv) string lights/fairy lights, indoors or outside

v) this strange blue website where i come to scream into the void

3) Choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) @theleavesoflorien i haven’t really made any fanworks this year (i’ve actually never made a graphic though i really want to try sometime) so i’m listing a bunch of works from other people i really liked instead!!

these are all based on the recent works i’ve tagged as a favorite so it’s missing a ton of lovely work but here goes:

- https://southfarthing.tumblr.com/post/632794337179287553/i-am-sorry-sorry-you-have-come-in-for-this (so SO pretty and it ripped my heart out; @southfarthing you are too talented)

-https://shiremaiden.tumblr.com/post/169663273253/lotr-chapters-the-return-of-the-king-chapter ( @shiremaiden the color and atmosphere of this is just too much; i was going to link your 12 days of tolkien series but decided last minute to change it but really i love all your gifs in general)

- https://evepolastrl.tumblr.com/post/106563880499 (not okay)

- https://watson-sighs-and-tuts.tumblr.com/post/115406956466/on-his-face-is-a-map-of-the-world (oh my god ‘i dreamed that i was old’ I DREAMED THAT I WAS OLD, REALLY, how could you do this to me)

-https://pippinforthewin.tumblr.com/post/90804656804/the-world-is-indeed-full-of-peril-and-in-it - :’))

tagging: @shiremaiden, @theleavesoflorien, @southfarthing, and @et-earello to do any part of this you like!!

[lesbiansforboromir]

Its been too long since I read the books and last time I saw the movies I was on denethor is a dick to my baby, let the man die. However, now I'm curious, since I remembered for instance that in the books he was devastated when he thought faramir died and your last reblog about that made me rethink my whole stance. Could you give me more positive denethor moments, or do I have to read the books again?

God I- I need so much for you all to understand how much I love asks like this, for PURELY selfish reasons, I just LOVE the idea of people like... doing what I do! Which is think about lotr and it’s characters and consider them in new angles and have fun with that! I feel connection and love in this chili’s tonight- ANYWAY. 

To be clear, Denethor is one of my favourite characters, like JUST below Boromir in how much I love him and how furious I am with his portrayal in the films. I have a tag for him here that has a lot of good posts all about it. But positive moments for Denethor, yes ok! Lets start with my favourite quote from Denethor because it completely encompasses his- literally his ENTIRE book character;

In what is left, let all who fight the Enemy in their fashion be at one, and keep hope while they may, and after hope still the hardihood to die free.

Do you feel all the love and pride in his people and all the folk of middle earth who’re resisting this seemingly impossible threat? Even unto their inevitable end? Do you see the inherent belief that this is an unwinnable war, and yet how Denethor has remained Gondor’s greatest and most stalwart defender for all these years? GOD I do- ‘dying free’ is a VERY important sentiment that also puts a lot of his later, seemingly ‘mad’, actions into a much more understandable light. BUT I WILL TRY to not make this too much of a dissertation, god willing. SO! Onto Pippin’s swearing!

'Little service, no doubt, will so great a lord of Men think to find in a hobbit, a halfling from the northern Shire; yet such as it is, I will offer it, in payment of my debt.' Twitching aside his grey cloak, Pippin drew forth his small sword and laid it at Denethor's feet. 

A pale smile, like a gleam of cold sun on a winter's evening, passed over the old man's face; but he bent his head and held out his hand, laying the shards of the horn aside. 'Give me the weapon!' he said. Pippin lifted it and presented the hilt to him. 'Whence came this?' said Denethor. 'Many, many years lie on it. Surely this is a blade wrought by our own kindred in the North in the deep past?' 

'It came out of the mounds that lie on the borders of my country,' said Pippin. 'But only evil wights dwell there now, and I will not willingly tell more of them.' 

'I see that strange tales are woven about you,' said Denethor, 'and once again it is shown that looks may belie the man – or the halfling. I accept your service. For you are not daunted by words; and you have courteous speech, strange though the sound of it may be to us in the South. And we shall have need of all folk of courtesy, be they great or small, in the days to come.’

The film really had no idea what to do with Pippin offering his service to Denethor as- well essentially an acknowledgement and an honouring of Boromir’s sacrifice for him. Because the Denethor in the film would have scorned it, but it’s an important plot point, so it’s just kinda in there awkwardly and uncomfortably. This is because Denethor genuinely appreciates Pippin’s gesture, his son died for this hobbit! But Pippin is fervent and honest and Denethor can tell! Denethor is grateful, he empathises! These are not traits film!denethor possessed, so we get the.... tomato... scene.... BUT ONWARDS, I consider this a positive scene, simply because Denethor and Gandalf’s rivalry in the books is just so much FUNNIER and interesting than in the films;

'And you, my Lord Mithrandir, shall come too, as and when you will. None shall hinder your coming to me at any time, save only in my brief hours of sleep. Let your wrath at an old man's folly run off and then return to my comfort!' 

'Folly?' said Gandalf. 'Nay, my lord, when you are a dotard you will die. You can use even your grief as a cloak. Do you think that I do not understand your purpose in questioning for an hour one who knows the least, while I sit by?' 

'If you understand it, then be content,' returned Denethor. 'Pride would be folly that disdained help and counsel at need; but you deal out such gifts according to your own designs. Yet the Lord of Gondor is not to be made the tool of other men's purposes, however worthy. And to him there is no purpose higher in the world as it now stands than the good of Gondor; and the rule of Gondor, my lord, is mine and no other man's, unless the king should come again.'

LIKE. IT’S FUNNY! Essentially Denethor’s like ‘oh ho I’m just an auld man dont be angry with me Gandy’ and Gandalf’s like ‘Denethor when you are ENFEEBLED by age you will DIE out of spite alone’ and Denethor’s like ‘OH FINE if you want to be that way, but you’re bloody annoying to deal with and I don’t TRUST you wholly so DEAL with it,’ And again we get Denethor’s like whole deal! Gondor is what he is here to defend! It’s his entire purpose in life! He doesn’t trust that Gandalf’s not going to use him for his own ends to the detriment of Gondor itself, which Gandalf LITERALLY admits he’d do in the next paragraph. Because he says ‘he’s the steward of everything, not just gondor’ which on the one hand is like, yeah, we get that, but you can understand Denethor’s perspective too. WHICH IS. GOOD CHARACTERISATION FOLKS!

'[Osgiliath] was 'It was a city,' said Beregond, 'the chief city of Gondor, of which this was only a fortress. For that is the ruin of Osgiliath on either side of Anduin, which our enemies took and burned long ago. Yet we won it back in the days of the youth of Denethor: not to dwell in, but to hold as an outpost, and to rebuild the bridge for the passage of our arms.a city,' said Beregond, 'the chief city of Gondor, of which this was only a fortress. For that is the ruin of Osgiliath on either side of Anduin, which our enemies took and burned long ago. Yet we won it back in the days of the youth of Denethor: not to dwell in, but to hold as an outpost, and to rebuild the bridge for the passage of our arms.’

This is just like a little thing but I think it’s just kinda important to emphasise that Denethor wasn’t just a politician, he bled heavily for Gondor’s safety too and the retaking of Osgiliath was an incredibly important victory that Denethor achieved for Gondor’s safety as a whole. Anyway SPEAKING of the tomato scene- god this really does entirely emphasise the difference between Film!Denethor and Book!Denethor;

‘Can you sing?' 

Yes,' said Pippin. 'Well, yes, well enough for my own people. But we have no songs fit for great halls and evil times, lord. We seldom sing of anything more terrible than wind or rain. And most of my songs are about things that make us laugh; or about food and drink, of course.' 

'And why should such songs be unfit for my halls, or for such hours as these? We who have lived long under the Shadow may surely listen to echoes from a land untroubled by it? Then we may feel that our vigil was not fruitless, though it may have been thankless.'

In the end Pipping doesn’t sing for him but like?? Look SEE LIKE. It’s not MEAN, Denethor is in general sardonic and kinda harsh and frustrating in tone but he’s not dismissive or uncharitable or heartless; he’s interested, he likes TALKING to Pippin, he likes to hear about the world! Songs about food and drink and weather are fine! Of course they have merit!

'Not – the Dark Lord?' cried Pippin, forgetting his place in his terror. Denethor laughed bitterly. 'Nay, not yet, Master Peregrin! He will not come save only to triumph over me when all is won. He uses others as his weapons. So do all great lords, if they are wise, Master Halfling. Or why should I sit here in my tower and think, and watch, and wait, spending even my sons? For I can still wield a brand.'

Do you hEAR the bitterness in these lines? How he has to SIT here and WAIT as he sends his loved ones to die- but he has too, he HAS to do this, it’s not new, he’s been sending his sons to their probably deaths for years, and god he wishes he could be a reckless man and just ride out himself again but there IS no one to step into his place if he should be lost and Gondor just can’t take that! IT’S cOMPELLING. And so... now we’ll end on the part you mentioned, which really is like... AGONISING, it’s heartbreaking, especially after Denethor’s manners and character up until this point, sharp, sardonic, dauntless, uncowed by ever new loss, every new defeat, Boromir’s death even did not crack him completely but now-

And as [Pippin] watched, it seemed to him that Denethor grew old before his eyes, as if something had snapped in his proud will, and his stern mind was overthrown. Grief maybe had wrought it, and remorse. He saw tears on that once tearless face, more unbearable than wrath. 

'Do not weep, lord,' he stammered. 'Perhaps he will get well. Have you asked Gandalf?' 

'Comfort me not with wizards!' said Denethor. 'The fool's hope has failed. The Enemy has found it, and now his power waxes; he sees our very thoughts, and all we do is ruinous. 

'I sent my son forth, unthanked, unblessed, out into needless peril, and here he lies with poison in his veins. Nay, nay, whatever may now betide in war, my line too is ending, even the House of the Stewards has failed. Mean folk shall rule the last remnant of the Kings of Men, lurking in the hills until all are hounded out.'

 Men came to the door crying for the Lord of the City. 'Nay, I will not come down,' he said. 'I must stay beside my son. He might still speak before the end. But that is near. Follow whom you will, even the Grey Fool, though his hope has failed. Here I stay.' 

I’ll NEVER forgive the appropriation of the ‘my line is ending’ line, he doesn’t MEAN that he’s grieving the loss of his lineage, he’s grieving the loss of his WHOLE COUNTRY, of his people! As well as his son! And in this final moment with him his priorities of heart surface, where his people are banging desperately at his door, begging for their Lord to come to their aide, he refuses, because Faramir is far more important to him in this moment. 

I said I wasn’t going to make this a dissertation but WHATEVER, there you are anon, hope it’s what you wanted than thANK YOU AGAIN for the ask :)

[my-woozi-happiness]

Get to know me tag!

I was tagged by @seohopeful

I’ll tag: @candiedmingyu @glasses-and-bandana-s and anyone else who wants to do this~ 

What day is your birthday?

August 23rd~ 

What is your favorite color?

Purple~ 

What’s your lucky number?

I have always liked the numbers 5, 7 and 23

Do you have any pets?

6 cats and a dog hehe

How tall are you?

5′5 I think lol

How many pairs of shoes do you own?

probably 4 or 5 but I only ever wear 2 lol

Favorite song?

oof as of now it’s From now on - Hugh Jackman (The greatest showman)

Favorite movie?

LOTR, The Hobbit, Harry Potter

Who would be your ideal partner?

Someone who is willing to love me for who am I am, act the same when with friends/family and not treat me differently when with others. Willing to accept my weird habits

Do you want children?

Fuck no. But if it happens it happens LOL

Have you ever got in trouble with the law?

Nope

Baths or showers?

We don’t have a tub so showers it is lol

What color socks are you wearing?

Grey~ They are Dobby socks! 

What type of music do you like?

I’m a huge kpop fan but I’m also drawn to chinese and japanese music lately, if it has a pleasant sound I will love it (I’m a huge sucker for ballads)

How many pillows do you sleep with?

1

What position do you usually sleep in?

Uh...I start on my side then roll over to my other side...back then back on my left side/stomach and then pull one leg up LMAO

What you don’t like when you are sleeping?

Light, sound, too hot/humid

What do you typically have for breakfast?

A typical dutch breakfast, bread with chocolate sprinkles

Have you ever tried archery?

Yes once! Loved it so much

Favorite fruit?

Strawberries but sadly allergic :(

Favorite swear word?

god fucking dammit or fuuuuuuuuuuuu

Do you have any scars?

Oh yeah LOL 1 right on my hairline from a nail, a really long dark one that goes from my stomach to my back(apparently got stuck in barberwire when I was younger) and just lots of scars from burning myself and kitten scratches lol

Are you a good liar?

Yes but it needs to be a quick lie and I would need to walk away quickly otherwise I will start shaking and cry LOL ah....guess I’m not huh lol

What is your personality type?

eeh I don’t really know...LOL

What is your favorite type of girls?

A girl who’s herself <3 

Are you an innie or an outie?

huh what...

Left or right-handed?

Right! 

Favorite food?

Anything meat or seafood!! If I can add rice with it PERFECT

Favorite foreign food?

welp..I have only ever had chinese food so...I can’t really say.

Are you a clean or messy person?

Messy LOL

Most used phrase?

"Nah it’s fine!” 

How long does it take for you to get ready?

Like 5min lol

Do you talk to yourself?

Oh yes every single second of the day LOL lots of giggling and laughing going on

Do you sing to yourself?

Oh I do~ its fun!

Are you a good singer?

I’ve been told I have a really nice voice when I did youtube covers but that was 10+ years ago LOL

Biggest Fear?

Wasps, spiders, darkness, death, clowns

Are you a gossip?

I try not to...but sometimes it happens I guess?

Do you like long or short hair?

On myself? Long! I’m not a fan of short hair on myself lol

Favorite school subject?

I LOVED history so much

Extrovert or Introvert?

Introvert, like, you can stay for 5min and then leave me alone introvert lol

What makes you nervous?

People standing to close to me. Looking straight at me while talking. Having to talk/ask something to a complete stranger.

Who was your first real crush?

I think it was either Mamoru(sailor moon), that guy from Shinzo(when he transforms) or Kai from Beyblade

How many piercings do you have?

None

How fast can you run?

I hate running.... but from the kitchen to the couch? VERY FAST

What color is your hair?

Dark brown~ 

What color are your eyes?

According to the eye doctor(or whatever its called lol) I have green, grey, brown, blue and 1 black little spot in my eyes(the spot is in my right eye lol)

What makes you angry?

When people talk over me, it happens way too often multiple times a day and its very frustrating. Also knowing someone didnt do something and they keep on making excuses on why didnt or couldnt do it(ahemmybossahem)

Do you like your own name?

Nah, not really

Do you want a boy a girl for a child?

No

What are you strengths?

I think I’m a kind person...thats it...lol

What are your weaknesses?

I’m so scared of failing that I give up after a short amount of time. When I see someone else grow quick in whatever they do I just question myself a lot and just give up.

Color of your bedspread?

uuuh.....right now its pink LOL

Color of your room?

2 walls are dark grey the other wall is a book wallpaper