#miriel (briefly)

[sesamenom]

Aragorn and Arwen taking a walk through Minas Tirith (she's venting about how maglor disappeared again right before el&el were going to drag him to valinor)

(Aragorn has a very good fashion sense, if he was a Noldorin ambassador living in Numenor during the Late Elros Era. Arwen is also very stylish for early Doriathrim royalty. The rest of Gondor got used to it eventually.)

[yandere-fics]

♡ How They React To You Rejecting Their Proposal On Valentine's Day ♡

"I-I don't understand babe, is this because I asked on V-valentine's Day? I-I'm sorry! I can give you a better proposal!" Miriel was sure this would have been the most idyllic day for her to propose to you, lots of yanderes chose this day to propose and yet you seemed genuinely upset about her proposal. It couldn't have been that you were upset about her proposing in general, it must of been the way she proposed that bothered you then because you loved her so you obviously wanted to marry her, you must of just been upset she'd been so basic with her proposal.

"Miri, I don't want to marry you-" You knew better than to continue speaking with how she was hyperventilating and looking around the restaurant frantically trying to figure out every little thing that might have been less than perfect about her proposal. You hated seeing her like this but you had to put you foot down this one time, you didn't want to just be dragged along into a marriage with no prior discussion at all.

"No just tell me what I did wrong so I can fix it babe! I'm more than happy to redo my proposal, you aren't leaving me though! I-I'm sorry this wasn't what you wanted, just please babe, tell me how I can fix it!" Was it the ring? She paid more than any other elvish leader had paid for their wifes rings in the past but maybe it still wasn't enough, oh who was she kidding herself, of course it wasn't enough, she had briefly pondered also getting a necklace and bracelet set to go along with it but bringing those to the restaurant would have been bulky but maybe that was what you wanted. Aww her cute mate said no because they wanted a more traditional elvish proposal, you must be so upset with her, it's okay she would fix this!

"No Miriel, that's not it, I just, I don't want to marry you!" Her heart dropped, were you really not interested in the idea of marriage? She knew you loved her, you definitely loved her so the only other reason you must not want this is for some weird human objection to marriage, perhaps you thought her affection would change in some way after marriage, she'd need to prove to you that would never be the case.

"I feel like I'm suffocating when I'm not with you. Rest assured babe, I know I want to be bound to you forever and I know you want to be bound to me forever. I just want you to love me, forever." She reached over the table, slipping the ring on your finger gleeful that there wasn't anything wrong with her proposal after all while you wished you had protested just a bit harder.

"You're so cute, puppy, gosh I just want to keep you forever!" She picked you up and spun you around in a circle while you frantically tapped her shoulder for her to set you down because you were becoming dizzy.

"Oh right, I forgot, it's so cute that your human body is so fragile! Anyways we're almost where I wanted to take you! Can you guess what we're doing today?" Her tail wagged behind her and you prayed she hadn't dragged you out to a deserted part of the park just to show you how good she was at hunting. She'd mentioned wanting to do that with you several times before but you didn't think she would do such a thing on Valentine's Day, then again it did seem exactly up her alley so you would not be shocked in the slightest.

"For a date hopefully?" You chuckled, trying not to give away your anxiety as her ears perked up in alarm, smelling something in the area, oh god she's going to hunt something you were completely right and then you'd have to sit there petting her as she laid her head on your lap tired from the hunt and just wanting praise. Yet as she ran off you didn't hear an animal scream, instead it was very clearly a person begging for their life and you could hear her chowing down on them. She trotted back very quickly with a frown on her face and covered in blood.

"Well now that they're gone we can get back to what I wanted to do- Wait, why are you crying, puppy? W-who made you cry? I'll go rip their fucking throats out right now for making my puppy cry! Just you fucking watch." You hadn't even realized you had begun to cry, more focused on how she was darting her head around looking for who had made you feel sad in the brief moment she was gone, and paying attention to the ring box covered in blood she was fidgeting with in her hands.

"That fucking bastard ruined my proposal but there's no time like the present is there? Puppy, will you marry me?" Her tail wagged but as you shook your head and began to look at her in horror, her ears slowly began to droop, wondering where she had gone wrong, she had taken you to her favorite place, wasn't that what she was supposed to do? And then you bolted and her entire day was ruined, that stupid bastard coming into her proposal spot had caused her puppy to reject her proposal and run from her, she wished she could kill him again.

"Puppy! Don't run! Please, I'm all you need and you're all I need, it's perfect, just please come back!" No way in hell were you doing that when she was covered in some random dude's throat blood though it didn't seem like you had much of a choice with how fast she was closing in on you.

It was two days ago when you'd said no to her proposal, you had assumed Kassien would be fine waiting for you to be ready for marriage, she'd always been a very patient, at least for a demon, mate but well now here you were locked in her apartment and trying to starve yourself to death as she came by with food almost hourly demanding that you eat.

"Sweetness, I'm going to give you two choices, okay?" Her voice seemed calm through the door but you knew better at this point, there was rage constantly festering at the surface and she could blow up at you any second. "Either you start eating, willingly, or I ram in down your throat. There's no world in which I am allowing you to starve yourself sweetness so get that through your thick head."

"I hate you." You heard a light growl through the door before she let out a loud sigh trying and obviously failing to calm herself down. She had to be patient if she wanted you to and yet clearly you were not going to even at the threat of your own life.

"Why do you keep resisting me?! This isn't fair, don't we deserve to be happy?! If you would stop resisting then we could be so happy together. Until you eat I will not be eating a single thing, maybe if we starve together then you'll finally be a good little mate for me." You had said you hated Kassien but that really didn't mean you wanted her to starve which she knew very obviously when she made the threat.

"Please don't-" "Why do you care if I hurt myself all of a sudden, sweetness, you trampled all over my heart and you were going to fucking leave me. I'm going to make you care though sweetness, you'll see and then you'll regret not instantly agreeing to be my sweet little mate once I show you how good it could have been, you just have to eat first and we can be happy again."

You didn't really understand why Nikki even had bothered to take you out on a date today, she had just spent the entire night holding herself back from snapping people away and the other half gripping your hand because it annoyed her to no end having to sit across from you at the table even if it was human date etiquette. Plus there were two things she kept looking at in her bag, trying to decide when the right time to show them to you was. Probably never because you were sure she likely had something awful to show you.

"Mate, I brought you a gift for this day. Do you know what it is? It's alright, I wouldn't expect you to remember, it's the eyes of that person who kept staring at you yesterday." How... romantic? Well as romantic as this sadist could possibly get at the very least.

"Nikki, can you please not be so jealous today? Please it's Valentine's day, can't we have a nice night?" It wasn't going to happen when you were mated to a high ranking demon who could never take responsibility for her own poor behavior but at the very least you could dream, couldn't you?

"Do you actually believe I'm jealous mate? You haven't seen me jealous yet, I could show you what real jealousy would look like, if you wish." Yeah you were going to have to pass on that 'wonderful' offer. "It surprises me that you have no clue how far I am willing to go for you mate."

"What's in the other thing?" She had a small box in her hand, you weren't a moron, you understood what this meant, you just really hoped you were wrong and she had just bought you a nice piece of jewelry for Valentine's Day even though that didn't sound like her at all.

"Ah this, it's a human custom, a marriage proposal, us angels don't do it but I assumed you would appreciate it. Would you like to marry me?" You shook your head very aggressively and she hummed in thought furrowing her eyebrows. "It seems my coworker led me in the wrong direction, whatever the case it doesn't matter since even without this you are still mine."

Nora had a surprising ability to act like everything was normal even as she had you tied up she still fidgeting with the strings on your hoodie like you had just lent it to your cute fiance despite you rejecting her proposal, causing her to tie you up like a maniac.

"I know the restraints hurt, I'm sorry, I'll untie you as soon as I know you aren't going to run. You l-look so beautiful tied up like this though, it takes my breath away every time." Yeah you knew that because the freak tied you up every chance she got, including right now. It'd be weird if she didn't enjoy the way you looked tied up and was just tying you up for no reason at all.

She withered as you glared at her, trying not to make eye contact, things had gotten out of hand for her too quickly, she didn't mean to take you but well she was sure you would have said yes and when you didn't she got so worried that you were actually breaking up with her even though you weren't and well now you were here in her bed glaring at her as she tried not to cry while also feeling a sick satisfaction that you were trapped here.

"I-I'm sorry I took your hoodie by the way, I just saw it on the ground when I went to get your things and well it smells like you and I just couldn't help it." That seemed like the least of your problems when she literally moved your stuff into her apartment as you were tied up on her bed.

"Let me go."

"I can't, you know you're my reason for living, I can't." Yeah you knew that, she said you were her reason for living fifteen times a day, you just didn't know she was actually batshit before. "You can use me in any other way you want, you just have to stay with me."

You had to admit you were a little worried about your serial killer kidnapper, mainly because if anything happened to her you would be stuck in her apartment and likely rot away to nothing but it was still worry nonetheless. It was about midnight when she stumbled in to the apartment, much sooner than she had been returning recently which did not make you feel any better in the slightest cause this just meant she'd thought of some harebrained scheme to get you to finally agree to her proposal.

"Love, I had an i-idea while I was gone, I h-hope you l-like it!" She lifted her sweater revealing she had carved your name on the side of her stomach which was barely visible because of how intense the scabbing was at the moment. "L-look, I carved your n-name into my skin so everyone will know I'm y-yours!"

"Rudie, what the fuck?! Why would you do this to yourself?!" You rushed over to her trying to see if you could gauge how much blood she had lost, you would probably starve to death if she bled out from this, it did seem majorly scabbed up but it could reopen at practically any time which was very worrying to you.

"Maybe I should hurt myself l-like this more frequently, t-then you'll finally admit how much you l-love me!" She grinned as you examined her wound, god it was going to heal so poorly, you'd have to force her to go on bedrest just so she didn't rip it open again just walking around casually. You hated how she was acting like you were madly in love with her just because you didn't want her dead but if that's what it took to get her not to do anything worse then you'd play along so you simply hummed and nodded.

"You d-don't understand, if you just a-accept me now, I-I'll be your servant forever." She sniffled into your shoulder as you guided her into the kitchen, sitting her down so you can wrap her wounds.

"I know honey, first we have to wrap your wound though, m'kay?" She nodded, sweat and tears matting her hair against her forehead.

You knew what Sawyer was going to do tonight and you knew you were going to say no, sure she was going to make you marry her anyways but you wanted to know you had put up somewhat of a fight against her even if it was a weak fight that didn't last very long. You just hoped it would get your point across that you really did not want a part in this and you would never want one.

"You've been a very good girl these past few months, perhaps I should reward you. Would you enjoy that?" You sneered at her, sure you no longer kicked and screamed at her but that didn't mean you enjoyed your little arrangement any more than you had before. "Don't give me that look dearest, we're at a very nice restaurant, let's try to have a good night."

"So what's the reward?" You knew what it was but you wanted to drag it out for as long as you could, just to make her life as difficult as you possibly could at the very least. "Better be a good reward and not something stupid that's only a gift for yourself."

"You know, when other people look at you, it makes me feel like throwing up. Luckily I plan to put an end to that tonight, it's not as if you could have been with anyone else anyways but now I won't have to even think of you ever being with anyone else." She sighed as she saw you curl your lip at her engagement ring placing your hands off the table so she couldn't grab them.

"All you ever do is think about escaping, I see you daydreaming about it constantly, can you not simply enjoy the night with me dearest? Or do I have to put you in the isolation room when we return home and trust me, when you walk out you will be wearing this ring, dearest." You shook your head and she huffed. "I suppose you intend on being a brat tonight dearest, I was so hoping you wouldn't do this but I suppose here we are."

[d3sertdream3r]

I've been loving trop this season!! I am wondering how the whole SauronxGaladriel thing is going to play out though I'm nervous it won't be very satisfying with everything they've built up and all the marketing hype it's gotten. I'm worried they're baiting shippers to get more people to watch. Thoughts?

Oh boy, I have MANY thoughts!

I am absolutely DEVOURING this season, anon! The first episode in particular really blew me away. As a Saurondriel/Haladriel shipper, I thought all the direct parallels shown in Sauron and Galadriel’s journeys were PERFECT! 

I was worried they were going to retcon Sauron’s genuine feelings of despair and questioning if he should “repent” or not due to the amount of hate and toxicity from the usual suspects on the internet. Instead they really leaned into it, and I loved seeing The Dark Lord having nightmares. It’s a side of him we’ve never seen explored before! And that Annatar reveal… holy moly! Celebrimbor and I were both like: 

Galadriel has been breaking my heart in each episode. Elrond and Gil-Galad need to give my girl a break! Morfydd Clark’s acting is stellar. She is so heartbroken over not recognizing Sauron for who he truly was and even worse… catching feelings for him! She’s really going through it and it hurts, but it’s also brilliant on the writers’ part. 

Everyone else’s acting and stories are great too. Arondir was a favorite of mine last season and continues to be this season. Disa is FANTASTIC and I love her and Durin so much there aren’t any words to describe it. Isildur and Estrid are cute and I’m interested to see how their story plays out. I hardcore ship Elendil and Miriel, and his daughter needs to take a seat before she helps Pharazon destroy their home! I know the story, but MAN was it killing me to see how Eärien is contributing to its downfall in this show (in a good way… I think having her be involved with the opposite side of her father makes for great drama). 

As to the second part of your ask… I have been involved in many online fandoms for about 13 years now, and I gotta say that 98% of the time fans come up with way more interesting storylines than the creators of any show. A lot of the time they just don't deliver. I’ve been burned over and over again, so my bar is pretty low at this point. 

They’ve done a fabulous job with the Saurondriel dynamic so far, and I’ve seen some really interesting fan theories about Galadriel briefly joining Sauron or being taken prisoner by him. As truly fascinating as that would be, I’m not holding my breath. I think it’ll be a rehash of season one’s ending with more violence since they have swords this time around. After that, I’m guessing they’ll focus on Sauron gaslighting, gatekeeping, and girlbossing his way to the throne of hell while Galadriel and company work together to stop him. They’ve hinted at Celeborn a bit, I’m sure we’ll see them reunited at some point. 

I’m sorry if this isn’t very reassuring! I wish I could be more optimistic about Saurondriel in season 3, but I honestly don’t think Tolkien’s estate would go for Galadriel falling to the dark side in any capacity. Sauron taking her prisoner could happen, but I highly doubt it simply because as I said before, fans tend to have better ideas than a lot of creators in my opinion.

I could be completely wrong! I have just learned not to trust creators to handle things the BEST way, but that doesn't mean it won't be handled in a GOOD way. Hopefully that makes sense, lol. I think some people will be satisfied and some people won't, just like every other story. The shippy photoshoots and marketing have been delightful! I can't tell if they're baiting until I see the last episode. I think they were just having fun, but some comments from cast and creators would definitely seem a bit baity if the payoff is underwhelming. We'll see!

I really hope the season goes out with a bang and we all have something to love about it; especially Saurondriel shippers!

[ailendolin]

Live Reaction to TRoP 2x05

lovely transition there right at the beginning from the mountain to the ring

speaking of rings, I think the rough design suits the dwarven rings very well but I still wish the elven rings looked more elegant

the rings are whispering! This is not good

Durin is still being highly skeptical, I see. I love him so much. He and Elrond need to meet up asap so they can bitch about their people not listening to them together

foundation wall, huh? Whatever could go wrong?

okay, nothing this time, I suppose. But this is how they're eventually going to get in trouble with the Balrog, isn't it? Because of the ring

"Khazad!" "Dûm!" Literal chills there

Celebrimbor! I've missed you!

Lol not Mirdania giving Annatar a little pat on the back

Doors of Durin my beloved! Such an iconic part of Middle-Earth!

I love the easy friendship between the elves and the dwarves, the gentle teasing. Different times, just as Gandalf said

oh and now Celebrimbor is patting his arm and look, Annatar is reacting to it. Interesting

btw there is something so tragic about Celebrimbor and Annatar's scenes because you can clearly see how Annatar plays him and Celebrimbor just wants to do good. He is so kind and gentle and just happy to be in his workshop creating things, and Annatar slowly but surely poisons that beautiful mind

Annatar name-dropping Earendil, Tuor and Beren ... I see what you're doing and I hate that it's working. I suppose "finding men we can trust" will include Pharazon and this will all lead to Annatar going to Numenor before or at the end of the season, right?

"I shall make the Nine myself." Celebrimbor, please wake up. Please. That's a huge red flag right there

have I mentioned that have a soft spot for Kemen? I don't know why but he's just a pawn in his father's game and I feel sorry for him. That mention of his mother and "coming to an ill end" was just cruel

that being said I'm obviously Team Elendil & Miriel. I love these two so much

the way he looks at her hand on his chest. I'm crying

"Captain leaving deck." Valandil, I love you. Point well made

"He's nobody's captain now." That remark is gonna get you a punch in the face, Kemen. I just know it

okay, it wasn't a literal punch, but hey now he knows that loyalty cannot be ordered. It is earned, and Elendil has earned that of his men, whether he is still their captain or not

the letter. Ouch. But good to know letters from Eregion can reach Lindon but not the other way around

yessss Gil-galad, please hesitate. Don't send your armada just yet

ELROND! CAMNIR! My little elven mission group is back and being dramatic as shit! I love them! Run, Elrond, run!

also that dramatic variation of Elrond's theme briefly in the background there? Gorgeous!

oh, interesting that Durin and Disa seem to have switched sides now, with Durin having come to believe in the ring's power and Disa cautioning against using it

lol Disa bargaining and Durin knowing he stands no chance once his wife has set her mind of something. I love these two so much

oh no, that geode rolling into some dark, ominous corner cannot be good

stonesinging!

fuck, is that the Balrog?

how have I never noticed before that there is gold in Durin III's beard? That's so pretty

ooooh more alluding to the rings being corrupted by drawing parallels to Bilbo's panic when he thought the Ring gone

and Durin III saying the ring felt heavy plays into that too

"Disa is mistaken. There is no danger." Famous last words

also can I just say I love that Durin has this unwavering faith in his wife? Disa says there's a nameless evil under the mountain and he believes her, no questions asked

can I get a print of those Doors of Durin sketches Celebrimbor has in his forge? Pretty please? Amazon, where's the goddamn merch?

okay, Celebrimbor grabbing that hammer out of the air? Can we have more of that please?

also not Sauron experimenting with rings making people invisible already

Durin saving the day. Thank the Valar for his arrival (I am immensely enjoying Sauron quietly seething because he once again did not get his way btw)

thank you Durin for calling out Annatar on his bullshit. I wish it were enough to wake up Celebrimbor

"a far green country under a swift sunrise." Don't make me cry

"How does it feel to have a daughter who's ashamed of you?" Kemen is really begging to get punched this episode

he is going to smash that relic, isn't he?

YES! Thank you, Elendil! Finally! Not exactly the "calm in the eye of the storm" Miriel asked you to be but totally valid reaction

lol Valandil is not pulling any punches here. I love him so much. He's so done with Kemen's bullshit

I would have tackled Kemen into the water, btw. Though arm-breaking is good too, I guess

not Elendil calling Valandil "son". I swear he adopts everyone he meets on sight (when is it Elrond's turn? Please, show, give me Dad!Elendil to Elrond because the Valar know Gil-galad isn't living up to the job)

Kemen's going to stab him in the back, isn't he?

fuck he is! I hate being right. That's it, Kemen, soft spot for you is gone. Fuck you

the way Elendil is stroking Valandil's face, I can't. I'm sobbing

"Just be mindful someone is not manipulating you." Fuck you, Annatar. Seriously. The audacity

Celebrimbor, let me hug you. The strength it took him to ask if Annatar had altered the rings. He does not want to believe it but his heart is telling him something is wrong

and Annatar is turning the tables around on him by implying he is not blameless and oh, that is so clever it hurts

him telling Celebrimbor to go to Lindon is the first sound advice he's given. Yes, go to Lindon. Go to Elrond where you are safe. Please, Celebrimbor, just leave

(I know he won't but one can hope, right? I desperately want him to be safe because he's nothing more than a pawn and it's going to break him when he realises he has been played all along and I'm not ready for that)

nooo not Durin III telling Durin he is proud of him because of the ring

Disa and Durin's desperation and helpnessness are breaking my heart

oh Celebrimbor. You know it is wrong. You know it

aaaaaand Adar is on the doorstep of Ost-in-Edhil

I have a feeling this is the last shot we'll get of the city before it falls into ruin

ELROND! There is not enough Elrond in this episode

the way Gil-galad sounds so hopeless (those visions? Sauron in his armour that we know so well? Are we talking Last Alliance here?) and Elrond has once again come too late and is not heard. I am going insane. Elrond will gather his own army and go to Eregion, won't he? Out of desperation? Because no one else will take action

yessss Sauron's exes are unionising

well, maybe they are. We're going to find out next week. This was a great episode. I love this foreboding feeling that is hanging over it all. Everything is going wrong and feeling hopeless, and we all know it's only going to get worse

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

Someone asked what I find interesting and not bland: it's Emmeryn/Tharja, mostly, with a side of Miriel occasionally as a threesome that has tea and discusses things. But some of the ways people react to talking about female characters in this fandom, on this blog, has me wary of openly talking about it. I just think the cultural differences could lead to some interesting developments for a romantic relationship. I also like Miriel and Phila, and Sully/Maribelle. Sumia and Cordelia is nice, too, but have you considered Sumia and the reformed Aversa geeking out about their steeds together? Lissa and Nowi in a puppy ship, playing pranks on Chrom together is something I briefly thought about but I very much don't want the harassment that seems to follow shipping Nowi with anyone even in her age bracket.

But I don't feel comfortable openly talking about these ships because it feels like people get weird if you don't toe the line on female characters. And I say this as a woman myself, so the subtle accusation I must not be from people in the replies on the one post. I don't think they realized it, but the comment about "not being interested in the inner worlds of women" was uncomfortable, especially because I've been in other fandoms where harassment for doing things wrong was big (Steven Universe, ATLA) so I've learned to keep my head down. I guess I just hoped pointing this out would get people to reflect that they made at least one person feel unwelcome.

-f/f anon

👀

[in-the-glow-of-a-silmaril]

Nolofinwe and feanor are like ships in the night, okay. They are fundamentally talking past each other. It makes me crazy, it drives me absolutely mad

Nolofinwe was swayed by melkor's lies (it is briefly mentioned, if I recall correctly, that he and finarfin both fell victim to mistrust in the section right before feanor, under the same influence, escalated by threatening his half brother directly). But, it seems like afterwards nolofinwe thought better of it. At the feast the day the Trees went out he reconciled with feanor, swore to be full brothers in heart, and - as far as I can see - meant it! He stuck to it! He followed feanor! He spilled blood for him, and followed again after! Had feanor not burned the boats - but feanor did burn the boats.

And that is the thing. Despite a period of melkor-orchestrated doubt, it seems that nolofinwe, more than any of his siblings, was like finwe in that he wanted feanor to be reconciled to the family. He wanted to be "full brothers in heart." He wanted Feanor to be included, and he wanted feanor to include him in turn. Nolofinwe is looking at feanor and going, "see me! Find me worthy! Take this olive branch! Let's be brothers!"

But feanor is not looking at nolofinwe. Feanor is wrapped up in Miriel; the mother wound he can never move past. He does so much for the principal of the matter. He will keep the thorn in his speech so that Miriel's name does not change while she is...away. he is defending his mother's honor and memory always, at all times. He feels that everyone forgot her as soon as she died. So he is the only one, it all falls to him, he is on the frontline crusading in her name.

From that perspective you can see how even little things like a minor shift in language become a sticking point that can divide a people.

And in that same sense, on a certain level feanor does not give a damn if indis is the scum of the earth or an angel incarnate. It does not matter. It is the PRINCIPLE of the thing. The fact that she married Finwe is the sticking point. It is the only thing that matters. Her personality is not relevant. He is always going to avoid and ignore her.

And that is also the tack he takes with her children, right up until he CAN'T ignore them anymore. See: fingolfin making a political name for himself or scheming to turn finwe against him. (Fingolfin didn't actually do that second one, but morgoth sure made feanor believe that he did.)

But this is the thing that gets me about it all - when feanor confronts fingolfin, fingolfin interprets it very personally. That is feanor, I am fingolfin, this is a matter between us, and it can potentially be resolved by agreements or understandings made between us. But Feanor is not talking to fingolfin. He is never looking at fingolfin. He is speaking symbolically. It is about miriel, it is about feanor and his own legitimacy, it is about finwe.

The valar sanctioned the remarriage. It strikes me as significant that when feanor concludes that the valar cannot be trusted and turns his back on them completely, he also burns the boats to leave fingolfin behind with the valar. Fingolfin, who is in some way, a product of the valar's judgement.

The kicker for me is I think feanor would have gotten along fine with fingolfin, as a person. Fingolfin is a bit like his own oldest son in terms of personality and a bit like himself, and I believe a man who has seven children WANTS to be part of a big family. He wanted siblings, I guarantee it. But the circumstances set it up perfectly so that in his own mind he could not accept fingolfin without betraying miriel. And fingolfin has no way to understand why feanor rejects him. They are always speaking past each other.

[cassieuncaged]

𝙊𝘾: 𝙄𝙡𝙬𝙮𝙣 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧

Baldur’s Gate 3

𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕 𑁍

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎

𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 | Ilwyn Crowdancer

𝗮𝗴𝗲 | 25

𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 | female

𝘀𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 | pansexual

𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲/𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 | high elf

place 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻 | The High Forest

𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄

𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 | round

𝗲𝘆𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿 | blue

𝗲𝘆𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 | round

𝗹𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 | thin

𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 | button nose

𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 | soft and often unblemished

𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 | self cut, messily frames her chin, has a swipe of bangs over one eye

𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿 | copper with a swathe of scarlet

𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 | curvy

𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 | wears a lot of robes considering her class as a sorcerer. Often intricate ones with embroidering and patterned fabric. Wears leather breeches beneath, for comfort

𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 | is very freckly, across the entirety of her body. Has a scar across her left cheek

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 | briefly describe your oc’s personality here

𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁𝘀 |

𑁍 compassionate

𑁍 principled

𑁍 kind

𑁍 strong

𑁍 optimistic

𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁𝘀 |

𑁍 cowardly

𑁍 nervous

𑁍 pretentious

𑁍 childish

𑁍 neurotic

𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀 |

𑁍 charitable work and helping those in need

𑁍 spending time will her companions when she can. She often misses their company

𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀 |

𑁍 violence, though she understands why it is sometimes necessary

𑁍 arrogance, which makes her romantic relationship trying at times

𝗵𝗼𝗯𝗯𝗶𝗲𝘀 |

𑁍 traveling Toril and studying different cultures

𑁍 enjoys baking pies and treacle tarts when she has the time

𑁍 reading ancient historical tomes

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐇

𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 | prone to depressive states sporadically after the premature death of her mother. Often becomes catatonic and unresponsive during these occurrences.

𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 | is of relatively good health a resilient considering her age and species

𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗮(𝘀) | thanatophobia (the fear of dying)

𝗵𝘆𝗴𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗲 | absolutely adores taking a bath with honeysuckle soap though she sometimes smells of sweat and dirt from constantly roaming the continent

𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎

𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 | long time partner and eventual wife of Astarion Ancunin.

𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 | animals, nature, magic, knitting, baking, adventuring

����𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 | tutored in the ways of arcane magic and Druidic teachings

𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻(𝘀) | she becomes a historian after the brain falls. Her specialities are that of elven culture and the war of the Absolute. She’s kind of like Indiana Jones or Evie Carnahan: she should be nose deep in musty books but is more likely adventuring across Faerun.

𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 | None really. Miriel was a stern and often emotionally withholding parent. Ilwyn often set to defy the wishes of her mother which she as born of natural rebellion. Miriel’s sudden death wounded the young elf greatly. Her father then retreated back to The High Forest, leaving his only child to remain in the Druidic sanctum in the city.

𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 | Her father worshipped Silvanus while her mother was brought up worshipping Corellon Larethian but later welcomed the Oak Father’s embrace. Wynnie was encouraged to choose the path that best suited her and chose to study the teachings of both gods.

dividers by cafekitsune

[swanmaids]

inspired by @searchingforserendipity25 ‘s excellent post about uinen holding on to tar-miriel’s bones after the sinking of numenor. warning for implied domestic violence and general death/corpse description stuff

Deep beneath the grey-green waves, there is a cave hidden by a great boulder, where Uinen keeps the bones of her love. Míriel’s dear skull and jaw, her ribcage and the miniscule bones of her little fingertips and inner ear - Uinen has preserved them all with greatest care. Sometimes she forsakes her sea-woman shape and becomes one with the waters, peers through Míriel’s eye sockets and winds around her spine.  Other times, she makes herself a solid form, and lies down on the sand beside her and holds her.

She knows every scratch and chip on the beloved bones of Míriel, made in death and life. The scratches on the left thighbone left by scavenger crabs. The gap in her mouth where a missing upper cuspid should be, had that brute of a husband of hers not knocked it out.

Uinen had seen that wound many years ago, when Míriel was still soft flesh and hot blood. She had lifted her bruised lip to show it to Uinen, and she had been angry. Míriel had loved her, of this Uinen is certain; for her kisses and whispered devotions spoke no lie, but she had always been so angry.

(That was partly Uinen’s fault. Míriel had waded into the waters on her wedding night, pockets full of rocks, and Uinen, appalled to think of the death of one so lovely, had saved her. Míriel had never quite forgiven her for that.)

Míriel, dead, is at peace.

She had not been at peace dying. As the island flooded, Uinen had heard her screams on the wind. She had raced towards her voice to save her one more time, but the seas were choked with mud and rock and corpses. Uinen, who had once drowned the Noldor, was reduced to nothing against the wrath of Ilúvatar.

When the waters had finally calmed and the broken bits of road and palace and monument had sunk and settled like shattered shells on the seafloor, one of Uinen’s handmaidens had bought her the body. It was a hard thing to see - her mouth, made for soft kisses, open in pained fear. Her lungs, so recently alive and breathing, filled with saltwater.

When her handmaidens had seen how upset she was with Míriel’s state, they had offered to take the body away, but Uinen had refused. She would look upon her love in all her ruined beauty. Míriel could not escape her death, so Uinen would not hide from it either.

They had retreated together to the cave.

It hadn’t taken long for Míriel to change. In the temperate waters, her flesh began to swell and purple like a rotten fruit. By the time Uinen had realised what was happening and frantically began to cool the waters, poor Míriel was already floating face-down towards the roof of the cave.

The scavengers of the sea, the crabs and the shrimps, began to tear at her flesh. Uinen, friend to all sea beasts, had hated them briefly for that. She thought to chase them off - that is a queen that you are despoiling! - but then, no. It was only their nature. And Uinen found that she rather liked the image of Míriel, made a million pieces, gone on to nurture and sustain the ocean that she had loved.

Míriel’s feet fell away first, then her hands. Her lovely head, next, fell to the seabed. Her lips and eyes had already been eaten away, but to Uinen her face was still surpassingly dear. Before long, she was all broken apart at the joints on the ocean floor, and once more the crabs came to feast.

When her beloved was all white bone, Uinen finally permitted herself to weep.

She tried for a while to comfort herself with the thought that perhaps it was good that Míriel was dead. Ainur were not really meant to love the Children as the Children loved one another. They were too big for the Children to hold.

There was Melian, of course, but Uinen was no Melian.

Like as not, given time Uinen’s love would have ruined Míriel. Míriel might have become another Celegorm; a spoiled, grasping creature, believing that the whole world was for the taking of the god-touched. Worse, she might have become another Pharazôn, and Uinen her Zigûr.

But in truth, it didn’t matter. Míriel was Míriel and Uinen loved her and would love her in any version of herself; even craven, even cruel. Even dead.

And so in the cave Uinen stays. She buries the bones in the sand and unearths them again, she polishes them day and night until they shine. She leaves the cave at times to dig for sunken treasure, and returns to adorn Míriel as a queen. But quite often, she doesn’t leave the cave for weeks on end.

Is she waiting for something? The end of the world, perhaps? Uinen is not quite sure. Perhaps she is simply content to stay here in this not-place, in the meantime, with what remains of one she loved once and loves still.

[hchollym]

Why would Halbrand be Sauron? It doesn't make sense. Am I missing something?

Let me preface this by saying that I know it is highly possible that Halbrand is just a red herring for Sauron while actually being another character (like the King of the Dead or the Witch-king of Angmar). However, I personally want him to be Sauron for a few reasons (spoilers through Episode 6).

1. There's a lot of clues that point to his identity being Sauron.

-Sauron was a shapeshifter who could have easily taken on another appearance to hide himself, hence Halbrand’s "Looks can be deceiving" comment. -Sauron had a lot of dangerous creatures/beasts who served under him, which could include the giant sea worm. It's a little suspicious that only he and Galadriel survived the attack. -When Galadriel sees the symbol on Halbrand's pouch, she claims that he is the King of the Southlands. He says that he stole the pouch from a dead man and "I am not the hero you seek." He also claims that his family were supporters of Morgoth (just as Sauron was Morgoth's strongest supporter). -Halbrand helped Galadriel learn how to manipulate her opponent (Queen Miriel), so he clearly knows how to do so effectively, and Sauron was a master at bending people to his will. It’s also important to note that Halbrand didn’t have to persuade Queen Miriel to support his claim to the Southlands (that he claims he doesn’t want) - Galadriel convinced her after seeing Halbrand’s pouch and after hearing a few well-placed remarks by him (about his ancestors and their mistakes, making it sound like he’s ashamed of them and would not do the same). If he is Sauron, then he was successfully able to manipulate her into doing his dirty work for him.  -Sauron was briefly a prisoner of Númenor before becoming a trusted councilor through manipulation; Halbrand was briefly locked up and mistrusted on Númenor before Queen Miriel decided to support him as the King of the Southlands. His show of reluctance could very well have been reverse psychology. -Halbrand is a good smith; Sauron was a talented smith who forged the One Ring himself. -Halbrand is a good fighter; Sauron was at least a decent fighter to hold his own against Gil-galad and Elendil. -Adar claimed that he killed Sauron; Halbrand wanted to kill Adar, and he asked him, "Do you remember me?" We never do find out exactly what Adar did to Halbrand to inspire his wrath.  -Halbrand takes his place as the "King of the Southlands" right before Mount Doom erupts and we realize that is Mordor; Sauron was the ruler of Mordor.

2. It would make Sauron a highly impressive villain.

Sauron is the main villain in this series and the Lord of the Rings. He is powerful, dangerous, and conniving. If Halbrand truly is Sauron, and he is playing a long con, then he's doing an amazing job. He's gained Galadrial's trust (a feat in and of itself), the support of Númenor, and he has become the King of the Southlands. His skills at manipulation and foresight would be unparalleled, and it would demonstrate just how powerful and terrifying Sauron truly is.

3. The emotional impact would be huge.

I know that a lot of people ship Galadriel x Halbrand (which is totally fine), but there's not going to be a happy ending for these two, regardless of who Halbrand turns out to be (I highly doubt they'll be together until he dies of old age and then she marries Celeborn after). If he ends up being Sauron, then Galadriel has a strong connection with him; they are bonded; she trusted this man, and he was the one person that she was hunting all along. It’s a devastating betrayal.

She also understood him and saw similarities between the two of them, and that's going to be something that she has to come to terms with - and it could very well be one of the things that causes her to become wiser, less arrogant, and less reckless by the time we see her in the Lord of the Rings (aside from age, of course). There's also Halbrand's new connections with Elendil (who Sauron kills) and Isildur (who cut the One Ring from Sauron's finger and kept it for himself), and that gives those scenes more emotional depth as well.

Like I said, it’s very possible that Halbrand is just a red herring, and these are just my thoughts, so take them with a grain of salt. 🤷

Thanks for the ask! 😊

[henrylovescrows]

My FE Awaking character paired endings

My Robin is named Alexander

Alexander and Chrom

"Many wrote of Robin's legendary exploits, but accounts of their origins and character varied. Scholars, poets, and bards agreed on one thing alone—she loved her husband, Chrom, above all else."

Lissa and Lon'qu

Lon'qu returned to Regna Ferox and served as Basilio's right-hand man. Lissa decided to leave Ylisstol and join her husband, strengthening the bond between the realms even further.

Frederick and Sumia

As Ylisse's new knight captain, Frederick took charge of keeping the peace and training new recruits. His wife, Sumia, traded her lance for a peaceful stretch of pasture and raised a happy group of pegasi.

Sully and Stahl

Sully and Stahl became the left and right arms of Ylisse and conducted crucial missions across the realm. Their red-and-green banners soon became know everywhere as a symbol of justice and strength.

Virion and Cherche

Virion returned home to Rosanne, where he was labeled a traitor and a coward, or else ignored entirely. But Cherche's smarts and kindness eventually brought her husband back into good standing.

Miriel and Gregor

After the war, Gregor briefly sank into a life of excess, but when his wife began to treat him like part of the woodwork, he resumed work as a sellsword. Miriel helped out by researching Gregor's targets.

Kellam and Panne

Once the fighting was done, Panne vanished. Some say she returned to her warren alone; others claim she found fellow taguel survivors. Her husband's name has been lost to history.

Donnel and Tharja

Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Tharja. The latter never warmed to the villagers, but she was said to smile around her family.

Ricken and Maribelle

While continuing to study magic, Ricken realized how childish some of his actions had been. Maribelle went on to be a magistrate, and the couple leaned on each other for the rest of their days.

Cordelia and Gaius

Gaius never lost his sweet tooth, though he ultimately returned to less savory enterprises. As his wife, Cordelia, was in charge of keeping law and order, Gaius dreaded the thought of seeing her on the job.

Nowi and Libra

Many an unfortunate child found joy in the small orphanage Libra and his wife built after the war. Nowi tried her best to take care of the children, but more often than not, they took care of her.

Olivia and Henry

Henry settled down with Olivia and turned out to be a surprisingly good father. Their newborn son inherited both his father's grin and his mother's undying love for entertaining others.

Owain and Cynthia 

Owain set off on a lengthy quest with Cynthia to "stay his sword hand." Their semidelusional journey was said to be one of much mayhem and mirt

Gerome and Lucina

Gerome and Lucina were married and settled down near Wyvern Valley. While her husband never minced the few words he had to say, Lucina understood, and the two built a happy life.

Severa and Yarne

Yarne tried desperately to find a safe haven after the battles were done, but even that journey was fraught with danger- especially as Severa continued to take on dangerous jobs to make ends meet.

Nah and Morgan

Morgan's memory never returned, but he didn't seem to miss it much and lived happily with Nah. Later, scholars would speculate he had come from a different future than the other children.

Brady and Noire

Brady left the priesthood to become the world's scariest violinist. Noire tried to talk him out of it for fear his divine talents as musician and composer would curse them both to an early grave.

The others are lonely

[foxingpeculiar]

FF7 R&R:

Okay. So before I go to Shinra HQ there’s a bunch of stuff to do.

So first, there’s that moment that Barrett and Tifa share after the collapse of the pillar. It’s a tender moment between two characters that don’t get a lot of chemistry, generally speaking, so it’s nice to see that.

Sephiroth appears again, but it seems clear from this scene that he’s not actually present, he’s just a vision in Cloud’s head, probably because of the whole Jenova connection that binds them. Which makes me wonder—we’ve seen a couple of Jenova clones so far in the game, but the Whispers have that same kind of vibe: the sort of menacing, hooded quality. Makes me wonder if there’s a connection there, especially since they seem tied to Aerith and Sephiroth. I guess we’ll see.

Elymra’s memories of the war are poignant, and we briefly see Aerith’s birth mom in them (I should remember her name, but I don’t right now). Do we know what the war was about? Someone in Sector 5 comments at some point “Mako reactors—we’ve got em, they want em,” but surely there’s more to it than that. Maybe we’ll learn more when we actually go to Wutai, whenever that happens.

So Tseng, in that flashback, mentions “the scriptures” and I wanna know more about that. What kind of “scriptures?” Who wrote them? What role does religion play in this world? We don’t really get a lot of that.

Wedge isn’t dead! I thought he was. I wonder if he’ll come back into the story at some point.

What was the purpose of the Failed Experiment in the Shinra lab underneath the city? It must have something to do with Jenova, right? But they don’t really go into that, at least not so far.

When Cloud dreams of Aerith, is she really communicating with him? Is that in her power as a Cetra? She says “You can’t fall in love with me,” which doesn’t seem like something his brain would’ve come up with on its own. Because clearly he kind of has, despite still having feelings for Tifa too. Like, damn, my dude, you are in the mess of it, aren’t you?

Kyrie is an interesting character. When she first shows up talking shit about AVALANCHE, it’s like “who’s this bitch?” But then there’s the sidequest where she’s Mirielle’s granddaughter and clearly something of an accomplished thief in her own right. I wonder if we’ll run into her again—she did say something about getting out of Midgar, so it seems possible.

So it’s fuckin’ sidequest city at this point. I don’t know if I did em all last time I played this, but I did this time. A chance to kind of go back through most of the places I’ve been (that haven’t been destroyed). That Behemoth fight was fun. And none of them are that bad—an open world game this is not.

The whole thing with Leslie kind of threw me cos I’m like “am I supposed to know who this is?” But he has kind of a touching quest—Tifa being like “maybe she’s still out there somewhere” kind of made me tear up a little.

Corneo’s so cringe. He even does his whole “a villain only reveals his plans in a certain situation” bit a second time, like that’s a practiced line for him, a routine he does before he kills people. I’m excited to track him down in part 2 (or part 3–not sure how that’s all going to play out, but eventually).

But okay. Now I have the grappling guns, I’ve got my shit sorted. Now it’s really time to make for Shinra HQ.

It’s fascinating playing this again—how it’s familiar, yet so much more… I dunno, zoomed in and detailed than the story I know by heart. And I do—I got the original game when it came out, ran a Geocities page about it, wrote my own walkthrough and everything. This is a game I KNOW and is near and dear to my heart, so it’s interesting seeing how they’re spinning it in a slightly different way. I’m curious if that will expand in Rebirth—if there will be more deviation, or if it’ll follow a similar formula, where it’s kind of the same, at least in the major beats, but filling in so much more detail. But we’ll get there. Got a tower to climb first.

[sylvanfreckles]

Blinded (FebuWhump 18)

Fandom: Fire Emblem: Awakening Summary: When a renegade noble tries to blind Chrom with a caustic liquid, Robin steps in to protect his friend.

* * *

Robin let his gaze travel around the room as Chrom made his plea for support to Lord Rasmir. Three of the noble houses of Ylisse had yet to acknowledge his friend's right to the title of Exalt, and Chrom was trying to win them over with diplomacy before his public coronation. He didn't need the support of all the noble houses, but presenting a unified government so soon after the war with Plegia would be good for the people.

Unfortunately, Lord Rasmir didn't seem to agree. He hadn't been outright disrespectful, but Chrom and his delegation had been brought in while the lord was holding a dinner party, and had been left standing in front of the high table rather than invited to join. Rasmir himself seemed to be listening to Chrom, although his slouched posture showed a lack of interest, and he toyed with the wine glass in front of him rather than drinking from it. Most of his guests ignored the royal delegation altogether, carrying on with their own conversations despite the Exalt's presence.

Rasmir picked up his wine glass, seemed to reconsider, and set it back down in favor of running his fingers down the cheek of the young woman sitting to his left, curling a lock of her blonde hair around his finger. “House Rasmir has always supported the Exalt,” he finally said.

“You have always pledged support,” Chrom agreed diplomatically. “I am only asking for a public gesture—for your formal attendance to the coronation in two weeks.”

The lord's eyebrow twitched. It was such a small, understated gesture that Robin wasn't sure he would have noticed it if he hadn't been looking. Rasmir lifted his wine glass, his lips twisting into a sardonic grin. “Then I propose a toast: to the reign of the Exalt. May he live long enough to see it.”

Robin saw the movement a heartbeat before it happened. Instead of drinking, Rasmir flicked his wrist to dash the wine over Chrom's face and chest. Robin leaped in front of his friend to try to wrestle the wine glass away from the lord, seeking to at least save his friend the humiliation intended by the insult, but he only succeeded in turning himself into the target. Dark red wine seeped into his hair and clothes and ran down his face and neck...and then it started to burn.

“Robin!” Chrom caught him from behind when his legs gave out. “Shepherds, to me!”

He could hear their friends charging, intent on protecting their Exalt and tactician, but there was the sudden ring of steel-on-leather echoing throughout the room around them. Robin tried to pry his eyes open to see what was going on, but whatever had been in the wine glass burned against his eyelids and the world around him was reduced to shadows.

“Is this a coup, Rasmir?” Chrom demanded angrily. His body was taught with rage, and Robin could feel the subtle shift in his friend's body as Chrom prepared to join the defense.

“When a wounded lion walks into your camp, you'd be a fool to let it walk out again,” Rasmir taunted. “Did you really think you could just take the throne, after everything your family has done?”

“Maribelle,” Chrom called as he shifted, dragging Robin to his feet. “Take Robin and my sister and find someplace to hide. Keep them safe until it's over.”

Lissa started to protest, but Robin found himself suddenly thrust against her as Chrom spun around, then the ring of steel against steel as the prince blocked a blow meant for them. “Now!”

“Come along, dearest,” Maribelle was on Robin's other side, pulling his arm over her shoulder. “Chrom's right: we have to get you out of here.”

The princess didn't argue further, and Robin found himself supported between the two young women as they fled the scene of battle. The liquid on his face burned, trickling in fiery lines down his neck and chest. He wanted to dig at it, to scrape it off of his skin, anything to stop the horrifying burning.

“Here, I'll try this one,” Lissa panted and slipped away from them. With one arm free, Robin dragged his hand up to dig at his eyes. It was worse than the time he'd rubbed his eye after helping cut hot peppers for the evening meal, but it was all over his face this time, and the tips of his fingers were starting to burn.

“No, Robin, don't touch it,” Lissa gasped, pulling his hand away from his face. “Here, I got it open.”

“Excellent, Lissa,” Maribelle sounded breathless as they half-carried Robin into the room. It smelled of clean wood and water, and the women gently set him down against the interior wall before setting off for their own tasks.

There was the heavy sound of the door closing, then the scraping of something heavy against the floor, and a splash of water.

“That should hold it, at least for a while,” Lissa's voice was strained with worried. “Do you think the others...”

“They'll be fine.” Maribelle was back at Robin's side, and he heard her shifting around before the delicate touch of a damp handkerchief was brushing over his face. “Dear heart, is there a bucket? We have to wash this off of him.”

“Mmm...there's a big bowl...I don't think they store much more than the water barrels in here.”

“That would be perfect. Yes, Robin, it's all right. I'm sorry it hurts so much.”

For all her airs, Maribelle actually had a kind bedside manner. She clasped Robin's hand in one of her own and dabbed at his face with the other.

“He's bleeding,” Lissa siaid worriedly. She'd taken Robin's other hand between both of hers, and he thought it was as much for her comfort as his.

“It was some kind of acid or poison,” Maribelle replied. “Miriel can tell us more; she's made a study of such things. Do you have a handkerchief, dearest? No, just hand it to me...you need to keep him calm.”

Robin tried to say he didn't need to be kept calm, but his voice came out as a whimper. Lissa squeezed his hand and scooted closer. She sniffed, and a splash of water landed on the back of his hand.

He tried again. “Liss...”

“I know,” Lissa sniffed, pulling one hand away for a moment, probably to wipe at her own eyes. “I just don't want to lose any of our friends.”

“We won't,” Maribelle replied, her voice ringing with sincerity. “Not in here, and not out there. Lissa, I'm so sorry, could you bring me some clean water? See how it's getting stained? I don't want to risk further contamination.”

It seemed to carry on for hours. Maribelle asked for clean water frequently, but though her ministrations were putting an end to the spread of the acidic burning nothing was easing the pain of the affected areas. Eventually the women worked together to shift Robin's head into Maribelle's lap, which was at least more comfortable than the floor, though the pain on his face and neck was started to drain his strength. She'd resorted to just covering the burned areas with cool, damp handkerchiefs in an effort to at least draw some of the heat out.

“Lissa?”

Lissa gasped. “It's Chrom!”

Robin felt the air shift as she leaped to her feet, then some uncertain sounds like something heavy being shoved around on the floor. “Chrom!”

“Are you all right?” Chrom's strong, familiar voice made something inside Robin relax a little. He hadn't realized how worried he'd been until now.

“We weren't harmed, but it's bad,” Lissa explained. “That stuff, it burned him...he can't see, Chrom.”

Chrom knelt next to them—his friend's presence always familiar, even when he couldn't see him. “Miriel and Stahl are searching the manor for whatever was in that glass. We'll find a cure, my friend.”

Robin nodded, though the movement sent a sharp pain through his head.

Of course they'd find a cure. How hard could it be?

* * *

“It's not as easy as it sounds,” Miriel explained. “We neutralized the acid itself, but there was extensive damage. Regeneration potions or spells are still mostly experimental.”

Chrom let out a sigh and dragged a hand over his face. “Are you saying it's permanent?”

“No, of course not,” Miriel adjusted her glasses. “The damage to Sir Robin's eyes, while extensive, did not result in the loss of his vision. That's due to the inflammation of the surrounding tissue. We're searching for a way to ameliorate his body's natural recovery, but he will recover with or without our help. It will just take time.”

Another sigh, this one of relief. “Have you told him?”

The mage nodded. “He seemed in high spirits when I left his rooms. Now, if you'll excuse me, Your Highness, I must return to this current set of experiments.”

Chrom waved her away, watching for a moment as she bent over a rack of phials with two of the palace's healers and the herbalist from Ferox. At least it was basically good news...he would have hated Robin to face such a challenge permanently, though he was confident his friend would have overcome it.

They'd put Robin in a room close to the healer's workrooms, and Chrom made his way there next. Rasmir's attempted coup had caused more problems within the council, and he'd had to spend most of his time on his return in meetings with advisors, governors, or other lords to convince them Ylisse was not on the point of revolt. He finally had a few hours free now, and was determined to spend some time sitting with his convalescing friend.

“Hello, Chrom,” Robin greeted him as soon as he entered the door. The tactician had a length of clean bandage wrapped around his eyes, to protect the irritated skin beneath, but he still followed Chrom's progress through the room as though he could see him.

“How did you know it was me?” Chrom asked with a smile.

“I'm developing more acute senses due to the loss of my vision.”

Chrom stared for a moment, mind whirling through the possibilities, then Robin was doubled over laughing.

“I wish I could see the look on your face,” he wheezed. “You all sound different when you walk; as long as I pay attention I can usually guess. I do it all the time when I'm reading, you just never notice.”

“Very funny,” Chrom teased, settling into the chair next to the bed. “How are you feeling?”

Robin shrugged, raised a hand to pick at the bandages on his face, but pulled it back down when he realized what he was doing. “A little impatient to be well, I suppose.”

Guilt twisted in Chrom's chest. “Robin, I...”

“Don't,” his friend turned to face him, a grim smile on his face. “Chrom, do you really think I regret this? That I could  regret saving you, even if it meant it hit me?” he gestured toward his eyes, and Chrom winced. Robin hadn't come out of this without a few scars, though they would fade with time. Patches of skin on his face were rough and irregular where the acid had burned too deeply. There were salves and treatments that could help with scar tissue, but they had to wait until Robin's eyes healed.

“So...is there anything I can do?” Chrom asked awkwardly. Robin's face brightened, and he pulled a thick volume out from under his blankets and held it out to Chrom. The prince laughed as he took the heavy book. “Why were you hiding this?”

“Lissa thought I needed to focus on something 'more cheerful' for my recover,” Robin said sourly. “But this one looked really interesting, and I haven't found anyone to read it to me.”

Robin had obviously taken this book from the palace library before their visit to Lord Rasmir, though how he'd smuggled it into his sick room Chrom would never know. “Well...” Chrom teased, gently thumbing through the rough pages. Gods, this one was old...they'd both fall asleep while he was reading it.

“Please?”

Chrom laughed, turning back to the first page. “All right...The Tactics of War Mage Tychius, chapter one. 'In the course of my years serving in the high court of...'.”

* * *

Real talk: Real talk, Robin was probably carrying that book with him the entire time. You never know when you might get the chance to read!

[thessaliah]

Halbrand can't be Sauron. First, he wanted to become a blacksmith's apprentice in Numenor, and Sauron was a Lord, the ruler of Mordor, who would never do craft himself because of pride. He always used elves' and orcs' work, commanded and guided them. Second, when he was imprisoned, he mentioned he got in trouble "because of woman" and unless he meant Tar-Miriel somehow, it doesn't fit Sauron, why would he even care about some Numenorian woman to fight Numenorians because of that?

First: He can be if they are half-assing and writing this "atonement arc" before the relapse, seeing as they are smashing the timeline to make all the Second Age stuff happen simultaneously. That explains why Disc 1 villain Adar took up the leadership of the orcs: because Sauron peaced out after his top was locked up. Never claimed Galadriel's segment had good writing. It doesn't so far.  To further this possibility, they added this ridiculous claim the beauty of the Silmarils almost moved Morgoth not to be evil (briefly!) and cried or something when you know it only stirred more lust and greed in him. And like he hid them instead of displaying them on his crown. Completely wild take. But that and Gil-Galad’s foreshadowing certainly makes it possible that that will happen. 

(But it will explain why Galadriel's not detecting anything in her evil-dar, if he's really running away and trying to start over because he cravenly is hiding from the Valar’s judgement).

Second: The woman phrase was an excuse he gave. A sarcastic joke. He was locked because he beat people up who went after him for stealing that union insignia. Or it was the truth: the underlying reason he’s discriminated is due to his connection to Galadriel.

[scurvgirl]

I just wanted to write Solavellan kisses. I’m tipsy from margaritas so let’s goooo

--

In the days following Solas’s confession on the balcony, Skyhold became a bustling stop for merchants and nobles alike. It kept Miriel frustratingly busy and away from the one man she wanted to be around. She wanted, no needed to talk to him. And kiss him. Shove him against a wall and feel his chest as their mouths locked and his hands found her butt again.

The nobles were making this very frustrating indeed.

She caught glimpses of Solas in passing. She’d walk by the rotunda in a group of nobles, glance in to see his back as he pondered a new addition to the mural. Or she’d see him reading a book in the garden as she spoke to a merchant about a new trade agreement. He’d glance up and give her a smile so small it was near imperceptible by anyone except her. 

Ar lath ma, vhenan. His words fluttered through her mind constantly. It filled her heart and head with incredible possibility and happiness. 

After two weeks of the noble and merchant rigmarole, Miriel sat in her room feeling exhausted but restless. Wind and rain battered the windows and lightning periodically streaked across the sky following claps of thunder. The sun had long set, the servants were long to bed, and still Miriel was awake. She starred out the window until the restlessness got the better of her. She headed down to the main hall, not even realizing she was heading towards the rotunda until she was there. A single candle flickered on Solas’s desk. Large shadows stretched up the walls, warping the mural into something that felt more sinister than usual. Solas wasn’t there, though. 

Miriel’s brow furrowed. Where could he be? She exited the rotunda to the bridge that led to Cullen’s office and leaned over the edge - there! He was walking away from Herald’s Rest, the rain soaking him to the bone. 

“Solas!” She called but didn’t wait for his response or for the rational option which was to wait for him. Nope, she ran back to the rotunda and then exited the grand hall down to the courtyard. The rain sank into her but she didn’t care. It was night and the only light came from the shielded oil lamps Josie had installed only a month ago. Her eyes caught the light and she found herself running to Solas.

In a flash, she was in his arms. His hands cradled her face and he smiled down at her, “Vhenan.” His mouth was on hers in the following moment, moving slowly but purposefully. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and his hands dropped from her face to her butt, gripping her tight against him. His tongue ran along her lips and she returned the favor. The kiss deepened and it was magic. Pure magic to feel him like this. She said everything she hadn’t been able to in the last few weeks with that kiss. She returned his love and needed him to know.

The kiss went on for a long time. They paid no mind to the rain, or to the lightning flashing around them or the thunder rumbling. All that mattered was the kiss. She sucked on his tongue, ran her hands down his chest, felt his thigh slide between her own. 

He pulled away briefly only to rest his forehead against hers.

“I did not know you enjoyed thunderstorms so much.”

She blinked, “What?” 

He chuckled before angling his head to kiss her neck, “Vhenan, where are we?”

“Skyhold?”

“Yes...and no.”

She blinked and suddenly she was no longer in Solas’s arms or in the middle of a thunderstorm, but rather in her bed. The morning sun was beginning to crest over the mountains and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Miriel’s hand drifted up to her lips which should have been swollen from kissing. A full day of handling nobles awaited her but...so did a night where she could dream and find Solas again. 

She smiled. Even though her responsibilities often kept her from him, they would always have their dreams and fade tongue.

[galadhremmin]

The Gardener

It is night when a small caravel drifts quietly into the port of Andúnië, somewhat outside of the trading season.

Its design is unremarkable, though thoroughly odd; no swan-prow adorns this Western ship, though it shines with the dust of gems as ships of such provenance are prone to do. Instead something like the natural shape of the tree the ship once was stretches its branches in the place of a figurehead, its leafless arms reaching for the Eastern sky. There is no sound of singing on this ship, though the Eldar are the only ones to come from the far West as this one has done, drifting in from the open ocean-- usually announcing their presence with their strong merry voices all the while. 

No, this ship is silent, almost ghostly; and between its long branches the masts of every ship look again like the forest they once were. Seabirds settle on its masts, but keep conspiratorial silence.

The sole occupant emerges from the hull not too long after. Wrapped in a grey cloak, she cradles something to her breast as tenderly as a babe, and swaddled just the same. She walks down the plank into the harbor with careful steps, unquestioned yet; there are no armed guards here this early in the history of the island, not here, not to stand guard against the West. And so slips away untroubled, then avoids the paved stones and walks roads that are not quite roads, deep tracks in the white sand until it turns to mud. Eastwards, unshod; the traveler seems hardly to notice. She is physical and not, at some odds the the universe still, or simply not at ease with it. Something about this land feels not quite right, its roots pulled from the deepest Seas, still murmuring of waves beneath the earth. The traveler was used to densely woven foliage, when she last lived, with roots that knew no Sun. 

There is nothing comparable in this too-open country even where trees grow, still bearing the imprint of the Powers. The land itself they shaped into a lopsided crest of Eärendil, that strange unnatural star. It blinks against the dark with cruel familiarity. A light seen around the neck of the one loved by all, then borne by her own love. The Nauglamír an anchor, tightening like a noose; a relic of one who left forever, its light at last muffled in the hurried swaddling of a child she had known she would not see again, not while she lived. 

When the Sun rises the traveler dreams beneath a tarpaulin, hidden beneath some trees. There is no need at all, but there are many things to remember, and the traveler has never grown quite fond of the Sun. Even in a life in orbit of a star they had lived mostly beneath the Earth, and the Silmaril had seemed, sometimes, could only be observed only from afar-- those it did not burn to touch it hardly ever blinded, near yet far at the same time, like a fragment from another world. She supposes that is how he bears it on his brow, the man up in the sky who married her winged daughter. 

It is night again when she enters the city at last, and she supposes there is no evading it now. Her hands are cramped beneath her cloak, though her arms are strong as they have always been. The roots curl around her fingers.

“Lady,” a voice says in Quenya; and even now she cringes at it still, though the lilt is not at all the same, has something of Eressëa in it. “Lady, why have you come to these gates? The guest-houses are in the Eastern quarter, and reputable merchants are asleep or somewhere drinking. Unless it is our King you wish to see, and this is not his audience hour.”

The guard steps out of the shadows, then another. They regard her with friendly suspicion; the Eldar are trusted still, and nothing about the Reborn easily conceals their nature.

“It is the King I wish to see,” she says, surprised there is no more tremble to her voice. She sounds like the Queen she once was and never will be again. A messenger is quickly dispatched; the King agrees to see her despite the hour. He is a traveler himself, always eager for anything new. 

They lead her into a green courtyard, along many high arched openings. The way they build here is strange to her, with its many open windows to let in the Sun from every direction. Marble lines the floors that pass beneath her bare feet, inlaid with many colours. There is nothing of Menegroth in it, not even its memory. Not even an attempt at its memory, no matter how distorted. No, it is of Gondolin she thinks now, seeing these walls. The stories told of Golodh grandeur, the cold white mountain city loved too well. Some part of her is grateful to be spared the sting of almost, even while it grieves for the lack of familiarity.

When she faces Aldarion at last he is nothing like she expected. 

Lúthien, they said, haunts her line through her likeliness, and the dark-haired twins she never saw sound so much like Dior she has been afraid to meet them. He is lost to her like his mother was, a separation unlike all others, beyond anything Miriel or Finwë ever knew. The most beautiful man in Beleriand they had called him at court, and a Man he had been, though age never left its trace on him. No, a sword had carved deeper lines before it. And so far he had failed to sing his way back into her world, perhaps only because his mother’s story was more beautiful through the impossibility of repeat, unique in all of history. The greater pattern, it seemed, often took precedence.

She blinks against the lamplight.

If Aldarion repeats anyone it is his star-bearing ancestor who sails the restless sky above every continent. She has briefly seen him a few times before he ascended into the high airs, unruly blond hair still shining with the light of the world, small and lively, nothing like grim Turgon. There is no objection to the strange hour, no questioning of her purpose; he looks at her with eyes full of curiosity, and invites for her to speak.

She finds it in herself to smile. The roots uncurl slowly from her fingers.

“I have come,” she begins, “to give your people a tree made in the image of Telperion, so that your people might remember the world that bloomed at night before the Sun. This sapling I grew myself from Celeborn in Eressëa. It will remember you in turn. As will I.”

He takes it from her with something like awe, though she can tell he is no forest dweller. There is something restless in him, like the Sea; utterly foreign. But when he cradles the sapling he suddenly looks at her from beneath his too-pale eyelashes, and it is almost too familiar, though still with hardly a trace of Dior. No, there is something of Thingol in it. Something perhaps of herself too, despite the strangeness (something of the pale twins she never saw again, can’t bear to think about, can only hope went safely with their father).

Her voice catches in her throat. “Nimloth.” she says. “call her Nimloth.”

“Nimloth,” he says quietly. “I will call her Nimloth. Should I call you the same?"

His voice is very cautious now, asking a question like holding ancient fabric too easily torn apart. But Nimloth is not so fragile, though memory is an unalterable burden. She suddenly ruffles the young King’s hair like she did her daughter’s, before they came. 

“You may.”

The young blond King’s hair stands up to the side. He looks a bit dazed, surprised to have his hair ruffled by history, though a smile is starting to form. It reminds her of no one in particular.

“Lead on then, Nimloth, and let us plant your namesake while the stars are here to witness it.” 

-

The tree blooms, for a time. 

-

And if a lone gardener in a grey cloak sometimes comes out at night to water the white tree long centuries after, the guards know not to ask too many questions.

[holyguardian]

@wiintereyes

"Nnh... is... someone there...?" The voice was small, pained. Perhaps even familiar. Their paths had briefly crossed. Little more than a friendly exchange, though that had been then, and this was now.

Aerith had sought passage to Jarburg. Partially at the request of Miriel to contact the isolated village, though truthfully, it was a task she would have undertaken without any outside influence. Jar Bairn was pleasant company and she missed conversations with the bright little sprout.

Though the road was long and full of danger. This time, unfortunately, she hadn't been quite fast enough. The patrolling knight had gotten a few good hits in and it was by some miracle she managed to escaped. Bloodhound's step and Mimic's veil had saved her, if only barely.