#what makes it EVEN BETTER is they're from rivendell

[hmshermitcraft]

Prince scott was the head of rivendell

Prince scott the best ruler they ever had

Prince scott was forced to marry- WAIT WHAT!?

Scott knows for cerntain that the said no again and again about getting married every time it was brought up, how did his council even manage to do that behind his back, he himself isn't sure but being forced into it was definately not on hi to do list

Scott got put into a forced- sorry in they're words politcal marriage with Prince tango of the nether that already got a fiance prince jimmy of the cod Empire, SO WHY IN THE HELL DID THAT EVEN HAPPEN!? IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE AT ALL!!

Anyway the day that he was to meet them, safe to say he was very nervous, but as they started talking and explained the Situation to each other... Maybe they aren't that Bad?

The cod and nether empires are both smaller. They thought their marriage might, perhaps, strengthen how they appear to others. But it seems to have had little to no effect.

Scott, no matter how much he denies it, has been left in a precarious position. After the early death of his parents, followed by the sudden absconding of his brother... People can smell blood in the water. He's a strong ruler, yes, but as yet untested in war. It would be far better to prevent one entirely than test their luck.

The three of them, with their people covering such a wide range of skills, make the perfect alliance.

Jimmy and Tango are happy for Scott to go off and do his own thing. This is a political marriage, after all. If he wanted to be with someone else entirely then they don't mind! Just, as long as the public think otherwise. And for a while, Scott takes them up on that offer. He lives his life, and they live theirs.

Except they keep growing closer. And slowly, Scott is beginning to wonder if he does want to start separate from his husbands after all.

[queen-scribbles]

Hal bought new boots and Hira got a pretty dress(Arwen’s Dinner Dress, dyed Dark Mossy Green) today, and I’m a little closer to memorizing the layout of Minas Tirith. \o/ Also

ofc my diehard animal lover took care of the horses. New favorite daily for him. :D 

AND

This made me giggle, as Hal is ~200 years older than Hira and regularly cites his extra century or two as why He Knows Better as Her Older Brother(she pulls out the letters from Esmerelda Boffin detailing everything she and Hal got up to in the Shire as proof age does not equal wisdom xD).

[tossawary]

I'm thinking about "What if the main character did not have a secret, powerful family background and was just some random person?" AUs for different stories, because I personally find that situation more compelling most of the time and I think it introduces more interesting struggles. While thinking about a bunch of other stories, I ended up thinking about Aragorn in "Lord of the Rings".

Now, Aragorn is a special case because 1) I wouldn't really call him THE main character and the "noble" members of the Fellowship are well-contrasted by the hobbits. The hobbits may be mostly Shire gentry (except for Sam), but on the grand stage of Middle Earth, they're still unimpressive nobodies. Frodo is already our ordinary hero. 2) Aragorn's road to kingship comes with him struggling with his ancestor's failures and accepting the heavy burdens that come with being Isildur's heir. This is specifically an arc of a character struggling with their family history. I am absolutely not saying that Aragorn being royalty makes LOTR a bad story and that it would be better if he was just some random guy. I think this is a well-written character storyline that is a key feature of the overall story.

But I do think it would be really funny to write fanfiction where Aragorn wasn't Arathorn's son. (There is the issue of the heritage that makes Aragorn age slowly, but maybe you could wiggle that so that Aragorn has that kind of heritage from a different source?) Like, the line of Isildur has died out, and let's say that Aragorn's mother takes shelter in Rivendell with her son, and kid Aragorn ends up wandering around to the broken sword and picking up the handle. And either Aragorn's mother lies to Elrond about Aragorn being Arathorn's son or Elrond happens across kid Aragorn with the broken sword and thinks... "Hey, what if we just... lied about it?"

Now, this could end really badly! As I vaguely understand it, the Silmarillion (which I have not read) contains a bunch of examples where lying did not go well, so maybe this lie is how Middle Earth falls into chaos in this AU. Whoops.

But even though this breaks some plotlines, I'm a sucker for adoption storylines. I love adoption being treated as important. It's compelling to imagine Elrond and Aragorn's mother carefully explaining the situation with the sword to him, and then this child just... stubbornly deciding that he's going to become Isildur's heir. Maybe Aragorn's determination falters at some point, he gives up on the idea, and he later has to return to Elrond as an adult and persuade him that no, he means it this time, mankind isn't just about bloodlines, he's going to pick up this burden on behalf of all of humanity. I think that there's something powerful in a person deciding that no, I'm not of Isildur's blood, but I have his same potential for success and for failure, and I'm here. I'm fighting. I picked up the broken sword and that's good enough, isn't it? Who are you to say I'm not his heir? I'm HERE.

I think there's powerful magic in that too. (Also, Arathorn is dead and getting adopted as a father by some random kid. Sure. Okay. I think that's just funny.)

(Also, oh my, there is SO MUCH tragedy if Aragorn being Isildur's heir is a lie and Boromir died believing it. The GUILT. The GUILT that Aragorn would feel when Boromir says, "I would have followed you, my brother, my captain, my king." Like, oh man, now you HAVE TO make it true.)

Now, maybe Aragorn doesn't become King of Gondor in this AU or maybe he does. Maybe Faramir becomes king instead. Maybe it becomes well known by the end of the journey that Aragorn isn't a blood descendant of Isildur and maybe it's a secret known only to the Fellowship. I'd like to think that he still marries Arwen. I like the idea of Arwen happily and knowingly marrying some nobody lying about his heritage and Elrond internally being like, "This is kind of on me."

The most important thing here is that it would be so fucking funny if Aragorn (and Elrond and Gandalf and Galadriel) successfully lied to Sauron the Deceiver. Sauron's like, "Oh? A secret heir come out of hiding to fight against me? Sounds legit." And at some point near the end, just before some hobbits chuck a ring into a volcano behind his back, Sauron is looking at Aragorn like, "Wait a minute, what the fuck, you lying little SHIT."

(Or Sauron finds out via Pippin that Aragorn is lying and feels SO SMUG about how he's going to crush a false king, which just adds to Aragorn's whole "made you look!" distraction keeping Sauron from noticing the hobbits sneaking into Mount Doom.)

[runawaymun]

Ask me about my not-yet-written-fics from this list

@linesofreturninggeese

Okay, so this is something I was talking over with @metatomatoes because I wanted Celebrimbor to survive so badly but like, I just could not see how it was possible, and then we got to talking and fucking around with Elvish biology and I think I can make it work.

this is all based on the foundation that Elrond and Celebrimbor were very close in the second age, and/or it piggybacks on the To Partake universe. Either way, they have an Osanwe bond. Not quite a marriage bond. It's a bit weaker than that, but a bond nonetheless.

there are human burn victims who have lost a tremendous amount of skin with medical care and survived, right?

and obviously the greatest risks here are blood loss, infection, and hypothermia

It's reasonable to me to assume that elves have pretty good blood clotting.

We also know from canon that they're better at regulating their temp than we are

If elves are pretty much immune to infection, we can knock that out.

With some sketchy research the general consensus is that a human IRL could, after being flayed, last 36 hours, or perhaps up to a week (if given fluids and semi cared for).

Reasonable to me to assume because Sauron is Sauron that he might continue to toy with Celebrimbor post-flaying, which means he has a vested interest in keeping him alive a bit longer.

Also reasonable to assume that elvish bodies can withstand quite a lot, considering Maedhros survived torture and being hung off a mountainside for a really long time while captured by Morgoth.

So, the final kicker here IIRC was @metatomatoes' idea - which is, what if elves are essentially able to drop into a stasis state? Like where everything slowly shuts down to minimal functions in order to survive extreme conditions? Explains a lot of things, really.

With that, what if rather than dying, Celebrimbor drops into stasis.

Stasis is no fun for Sauron :( Celebrimbor's not making fun noises anymore when he gets hurt.

So at this point Sauron has him shot full of arrows (assuming that he'll be dead soon) and hangs him up to taunt Elrond and Gil-Galad, per the canon events.

Everyone at this point is pretty confident that Celebrimbor is dead as a doornail,

EXCEPT ELROND.

Because he can absolutely feel through their Osanwe bond that there's something left there, and post-siege of Eregion when they finally recapture everything and pull Celebrimbor down, everyone is like "Elrond he's dead, we promise he's dead" and Elrond is like "I promise he's not!!!!!!!!! he's in stasis!!!!!!!!!!!!"

And Elrond by now has Vilya, which enhances his already incredibly strong healing.

Also I have already established within my own universe that Elrond is a bit of a necromancer, so long as someone is only mostly dead (re Princess Bride hehe).

SO, he manages to bring Celebrimbor back from the grave.

And granted, Celebrimbor is like, severely fucked up and perhaps does not even want to continue living, but Elrond is determined.

Once Celebrimbor has recovered (it is a long, slow road) he winds up just living with Elrond in Rivendell, possibly under an alias idk. But hey everyone talks about that weirdly good smith in Rivendell. Like uncannily good smith.

I like to imagine that he's the one who reforged Anduril :3

[wordbunch]

The Hobbit re-read: favorites, thoughts and honorable mentions

thank u to my tumblr besties for encouraging me to rant abt this book for a little while, and brace yourselves for a LOOONG post; aka We're Going On An Adventure!

this quote abt Gandalf: "tales and adventures sprouted up all over the place wherever he went, in the most extraordinary fashion" like. THIS exactly is Gandalf to me ✨✨✨

the whole good-morninged sequence (as if he was selling buttons at the door! can you imagine! By belladonna tooks SON of all people!!!) 😱

"a cake or 2 would do him good after this fright" me too bilbo

"he had a horrible thought that the cakes might run short" me too bilbo 🍰

Gandalf constantly selling Bilbo's skills to the company and just hyping him up and believing in him all the time!!!! most excellent and audacious hobbit!!! 😎

"this was thorin's style... if he had been allowed he would probably have gone like this until he was out of breath" aka he is Dramatic and Important

"bilbo was getting excited and interested again so that he forgot to keep his mouth shut" how many times will i write ME TOO BILBO in this post

"THE EXPLANATION DID NOT SEEM TO EXPLAIN" 💯💯💯

gandalf: i found him in the dungeons of the necromancer; thorin: girl what were YOU doing at the necromancer's??? 🧐🧐🧐 gandalf: finding things out as usual O M G like what else would he be doing there 😚

bilbo constantly wishing he was back home as soon as he left

"off bilbo had to go before he could explain that he could not hoot even once like any kind of owl" yall this book has so many funny moments but like in a very chill humor way

the fact that one of the TROLLS is called WILLIAM 😂😂😂

"i am a good cook myself, and cook better than i cook" okay bilbo rizz 😏🔥

"they had not at all enjoyed lying there listening to the trolls making plans for roasting them" you don't say. i love this deadpan humor SO MUCH jrrt snapped

that whole beautiful iconic description of kind as summer elrond

"their clothes were mended as well as their bruises, their tempers, and their hopes" WHEN will i go to rivendell 😩

"there is nothing like looking if you want to find something" thorin life coach realness 👏🏼👏🏼

thoring gesturing at a miserable desolate land: these tRuLy hOspiTabLe moUnTaiNs 😍

then gandalf lit up his wand. oF coUrSe it wAs gaNdaLf, but they were too busy to ask how he got there. 4ever mood

he thought of himself frying bacon and eggs in his own kitchen ME TOO BIL- 🍳

"Gollum brought up memories of ages and ages and ages before, when he lived with his grandmother in a hole by a bank by a river" this kind of made me cry. it brings unexpected humanity to such an appalling character; kinda makes you want bilbo to spare him eventually

and the fact itself that bilbo felt so bad for him he decided to just leave him be

"you would have laughed (from a safe distance)" LOVE how JRRT puts random little comments addressed to the reader

gandalf just being like ok i gotta go do other things now. good luck besties. ✌🏼😚

beorn: what are you, a traveling circus? and he is actually right 🤪

"you have got to look after all these dwarves for me, gandalf laughed" and i cried

bilbo being like hmm how will i get down from this tree (except by falling)

bilbo's song while killing gigantic spiders "not very good...but you must remember he had to make it up himself in a very awkward moment"

the dwarves starting to respect him and bowing down until they FALL OVER is such a comical image to me

the whole alluring magic of the elvish feast in the forest which disappears when they get closer!! a whole fairytale mr tolkien!!! 😍

thranduil is a greedy b <3 and especially VERY fond of wine 🍷🍷🍷

"i will lock you all in again and you can sit there comfortably and think of a better plan" bilbo badass mode and we love to see it 💋

tolkien being like WELL u can laugh but you wouldn't have done any better if u were him. real.

when they're in dale i love the numerous references to "songs and stories of old" and all of them basically being a living legend and turning their stay in dale into a public holiday and spectacle

thorin is cocky af

/freeze frame/ "you are familiar with thorin's style on important occasions so i will not give you any more of it" its ok jrrt, let him be a drama queen ��

bilbo when he takes some gold from smaug being like "this will show them!!!1!1" 😠😠

sassy bilbo strikes again with "did you expect me to trot back with the whole hoard of thror on my back? if there's any grumbling to be done i think i might have a say" GO OFF KING 👏🏼

i just rly love him okay, he stole my heart in this book like a real legitimate professional burglar that he is

"i am the clue-finder, the web-cutter, the stinging fly" etc. basically this whole exchange btw bilbo and smaug is pure gold (pun not intended) 🤫

talking birds that eavesdrop. enough said.

the descriptions of the arkenstone which make you actually want to have it too. genius. there could be no two such gems, even in so marvellous a hoard, even in all the world." 💎💎💎

the harps (untouched by the dragon who had a small interest in music).. WHY is this so funny to me

bilbo putting on some elvish DRIP and being like ✨✨ i feel magnificent ✨✨ (but probably look dumb 😩)

"this is the great chamber of thror" ok thorin the tour guide king

BARD MY KING i love one (1) man 🎯

bilbo being absolutely against any wars or battles and just wanting to go home BUT also being a sneaky lil shit who takes the arkenstone to bard and thranduil BUT also still not wanting to leave his dwarf buddies

when he gives them the gem "not without a shudder, not without a glance of longing" AHHH i want it!

ambiguous gandalf returning. always love to see it

"if you don't like my burglar, please don't damage him" 🙄 ffs thorin chill

"you are not making a very splendid figure as king" yes gandalf call him out

defeat seems "very uncomfortable, not to say distressing" to bilbo. we love.

the fact that he was just knocked out cold during the battle so thur we know very little abt what really happened?? jrrt genius writing hack. might use this one 🤔

fili and kili deserved a better sendoff than just mentioning that they died. come on.

thorin's last words and reconciliation w bilbo... PLEASE I WILL CRY until i throw up. "it has been more than any baggins deserves." "no! there is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly west. some courage and some wisdom blended in measure. if more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

i might still be crying

"tea is at 4 but any of you are welcome at any time" my heart... ❤️😭 Guess he's no longer scared of running out of cake

bilbo gifting thrandy a necklace as an apology for eating and drinking his stuff secretly, king shit 😉

bilbo having the absolute NERVE to say to ELVES "your lullaby would wake a drunken goblin". wig wig

he deadass borrowed a handkercheif from freaking ELROND 😳

bilbo arriving home to being presumed dead and his stuff literally being auctioned off

"it was a long time before he was in fact admitted to being alive again…" and sackville-bagginses having sm beef with that HAHAHA

he lost his reputation but he lived his best life so who's the winner here 😌😌😌

the closing lines "you are a very fine person, mr baggins, and i am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all" "thank goodness! said bilbo laughing."

like. THIS. literally embodies everything. he is just a little guy. just some smol person. BUT STILL had a say in how BIG things happened. BUT he remains happy to be just a smol simple person.

overall an incredibly fun read and it was way more genuinely FUNNY than i anticipated. bilbo is a whole mood. thorin is a diva. gandalf is there to start shit and hype up bilbo. jrrt with random author's notes throughout the book gives me life.

[minecraftbookshelf]

The Morning After the Engagement: Rivendell Edition

AKA, Scott got betrothed for politics and now he is suffering

So this one won't actually be in the fic most likely, because plot-wise I don't want Scott and Xornoth to know what everyone else is thinking, but I thought this was funny and was told it was so here. Enjoy.

-

Scott opened the door to a hyperactive flurry of scarlet and rainbow feathers and immediately slammed it shut again on the intruder's foot. The pained yelp was very satisfying.

"Brother, your mistress is here," he shouted back into the house, yanking the door open again just in time to see a very scandalized minister of agriculture hurry away down the road towards the marketplace over Joey's shoulder.

The Emperor of the Lost Kingdom was hopping on one foot, his face screwed up while he clutched at the (now scuffed) heeled sandal that had given his toes absolutely no protection from the solid spruce door.

Once he became aware that Scott was looking at him he composed himself enough to sniff disdainfully and limp past him into the house.

"Xorny!" He smelled like warm humidity. Ugh.

Scott follows him back to the kitchen where Xornoth really looks as if they regret everything ever as Joey dramatically flings himself across a whole corner of the table, nearly knocking their breakfast to the floor. His wings trail through Scott's plate. Serves him right. Scott hopes the honey is hell to wash out.

Joey is already chattering a million miles an hour and it is way too early in the morning for this.

Scott doesn't make his escape quickly enough though because Joey rolls over so he's lounging on the table like its a piece of parlor furniture and gives him the brightest, smuggest smirk of a grin. "And here is the lucky bridegroom himself! You absolutely must let me help plan the wedding."

"Unfortunately we have several professionals who are already hard at work," Scott says in mock sadness. "And it would be an insult to them to remove them from the project."

Xornoth seems to be considering the merits of drowning themselves in their sweetberry juice. Scott squints at it and decides to risk freezing it over. The only possible casualty is Joey.

He successfully freezes Xornoth's juice. And Joey's right wing. And Xornoth's feet. Maybe he's not as okay about this whole thing as he's pretending.

Xornoth gives him a guilty look while they're slowly defrosting Joey's wing. "I should have talked to you first," They admit. "I panicked. I thought they'd try to bargain more."

"They think its some kind of rescue," Joey sniffs, immediately snatching both siblings' attention. He doesn't notice at first, intently preening through his newly freed (and damp) feathers. Eventually he does look up and rolls his eyes at them. "Oh come on. Surely you're aware."

Scott has no idea what he is talking about. Xornoth looks equally confused.

Joey sighs and flops back so he's leaning percariously off the edge of the table, wings draped down to the floor, shoulders held up by Xornoth's. "They think you keep Scotty here locked up in a dungeon or a tower or something and they see this as an opportunity to make sure he's safe from the big bad rebel king or whatever."

Xornoth makes a noise equal parts distressed and amused.

"What?"

Joey rolls his eyes again so hard he almost falls. "As far as they know you were exiled, came back, killed your parents and disappeared your little brother. From the outside it looks really bad."

He idly picks at his fingernails and peers over at Scott. "I'm pretty sure if it weren't for Katherine most of them wouldn't even believe you're alive."

Xornoth just blinks over at them both. "Do I really give off such strong Evil Dictator vibes?"

"You both have the social skills of a dead sheep," Joey says bluntly.

"Like you're any better," Scott mutters under his breath.

"I am a fucking delight. You two have the mutual dream of running off and becoming mountain hermits."

[softboiledwonderland]

Thank you for tagging me in this @konartiste 😊 being very lame and doing it months after the fact <3

LOTR themed tag game! Reblog with your own answers and tag three or more people you want to get to know better!

- How old were you when you were first introduced to LOTR? I was nine when my mum took me to the cinema (I think I'd read and loved The Hobbit by then) to watch the movie. I did not like it at all! 😂 We didn't know what it was about and had no idea it was part one in a trilogy, which came as a nasty surprise after three hours of horrible movie lol. I loved the beginning, but like: the troll terrified me to my core and for a long time afterwards I was scared it would somehow come after me, Gandalf died, I thought Boromir had a suspicious face from the start and didn't mind that he died (cue 20+ years later and I'm writing the most important fic in my life so far about him) but his death was still traumatic, and I just wanted my comfort hobbits to get a happy ending and instead they were crying and resigning themselves to more misery. I didn't even watch the other two movies when they came out I was so disgusted with the whole thing lol. Read the books and watched the movies as an older teen and loved them all.

- Favourite LOTR character? Probably Aragorn, but also the hobbits (they're a unit). The entire Fellowship is so dear to me though. And Boromir is my blorbo.

- Books or Movies? Books! The movies are cool and all, but the books are where Tolkien is.

- Which location in Middle Earth would you want to visit? If I had to choose only one it'd probably be Rivendell, but also the Shire, the Old Forest, Rohan, Dol Amroth, Gondor... and the Great River, just because of my fic. <3

- Favourite Movie? Not sure, perhaps The Fellowship, ironically enough.

- Favourite scene? I'm so bad at remembering movie scenes! Maybe the Council of Elrond? There are so many amazing ones with such beautiful music so I'm not sure. Love Gandalf charging at the Nazgûl with Pippin in tow <3

- Favourite quote? “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”

- What Middle Earth race would you like to be? I'm usually a Hobbit in every online quiz, but it'd be fun to see what being an Elf is like.

- Favourite LOTR ship: This is going to sound weird because I'm writing a long, shippy, Canon Character/OC fic at the moment, but I'm not really into LOTR for the ships so I kind of don't have one? I adore Aragorn/Arwen and Faramir/Éowyn as much as the next person and Sam and Rosie are precious, but I'm not really fussed.

Going all out and tagging all the mutuals I THINK I saw reblogging LOTR at some point, if I'm wrong I'm sorry, if you already did this back when it was making the rounds please ignore it, if you want to ignore it anyway by all means feel free to do so, thank you and have a nice day <3 @dangerously-human @to-be-frank-i-dont-care @phoenixflames12 @ass-deep-in-demons @spifflocated @erathene

[treesandwords]

For anyone who's into LOTR I am rereading (again) and took notes on the weirdest/most interesting bits this time:

There are/were other magic rings beside the main ones, which is part of what makes it so hard for other characters to believe that Bilbo's ring is actually The ring

At one point Tolkien jumps into the POV of a random fox walking by our protagonists' camp and then never brings it up again, no big deal

The ever-controversial Tom Bombadil has several other names we just never talk about? And the elves (at least in Rivendell) know about him and have known about him for many years now

They also consider giving him the ring but ultimately decide it would be a bad idea because "he'd probably just lose it"

A lot of what happens to Frodo after he's been stabbed by the Nazgul is less symptomatic of dark magic and more of just...having a severe shoulder injury?? Like "oh no my hand is numb and I'm weak and can't move it, must be the evils of Mordor" bro you probably just have nerve damage and blood loss

Bilbo straight up writes and sings a song about Elrond's dad in front of him and a bunch of other elves in Rivendell like. The audacity.

There's a river called "Wetwang" (yes it's called Nindalf in Elvish, but that's not important here)

Aragorn never tells anyone else that Boromir admitted to trying to take the ring, it's implied he even keeps it secret from Gandalf once he reappears

The "Two Towers" actually refers to Orthanc and Minas Morgal, not Orthanc and Barad-Dur as the films suggest

Eomer has met and possibly was friendly with Boromir

Also Aragorn, who doesn't look that old, straight up tells Eomer he'd met both his father and Theoden when they were younger and he just...has zero reaction?? Like if a guy who looked not much older than me wisely said "ah yes, I met your father and uncle long ago" in a way that implied they'd worked together as somewhat equals I'd be. A little uncertain to say the least.

Oh and he also hung out with Denethor back in the day

Eomer and Gimli have a running disagreement on whether or not Galadriel is real, and if so, how hot she is

This is common ish knowledge but there are elements of actual Old English embedded into Rohan's worldbuilding (esp. the names/ "Rohrric" language) and the whole location is genuinely just Tolkien's fantasy version of Anglo-Saxon Britain. He is very not subtle about it.

Saruman was FULLY RUNNING DRUGS BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE SHIRE AND ISENGARD

And this actually ends up contributing to a main plot in the third book

Instead of the Palantir falling out of Saruman's pocket when he dies like in the movie, Gandalf shoots a spell at Saruman and makes him run back inside Orthanc and Wormtongue chucks the Palantir down at him from the window in retaliation

I know the potato scene is *iconic* but let's be real the fact that Sam risks a fire and takes the time to make a full rabbit stew plus seasoning while they're on a dangerous secret mission to sneak into the Darkest Of Dark Lords' fortress is kind of hilarious

Minas Morgul is some serious eldritch horror cryptid shit

Denethor is honestly such drama queen. Like I know he's supposed to be a threatening and tragic character but holy shit.

Also the entire houses of healing segment is unintentionally comedic

Like between the old lady who runs the house giving absolutely zero fucks, and the herb master and Aragorn having a mini nerd off about what Athelas/Kingsfoil is called in different languages, and also Aragorn and Pippin roasting Merry - who has JUST woken up from an Evil Coma by the way - about not being able to find his weed

"This weed is better than I thought" -- actual quote by Ioreth re: kingsfoil

This is something I noticed that a lot of people don't mention - the "Evenstar" that Arwen gives Aragorn in the movies that's tied to her lifeforce/immortality isn't really a thing in the books. The closest to it is this green brooch that she gives him via Galadriel in FOTR - but the only necklace she gives to anyone is actually to Frodo, as a token that basically means if he ever wants to go to the Grey Havens (as he ultimately does) he'd essentially be taking her place because she isn't going

Ok the scouring of the Shire is pretty common knowledge but are we going to talk about Lotho Sackville-Baggins became Saruman's dealer and helped smuggle drugs pipeweed into Isengard (see I told you it would come back)

Also!! Lotho was possibly EATEN by Grima Wormtongue, or at the very least Saruman believes he was, yes this is an actual canon thing

Legit quote from ROTK: "Worm killed your Chief, poor little fellow, your nice little Boss. Didn't you, Worm? Stabbed him in his sleep, I believe. Buried him, I hope; though Worm has been very hungry lately[]"

Seriously what the fuck

Saruman is killed by Wormtongue (who is then shot by a bunch of Hobbit archers) and promptly....disintegrates?

Anyway if you're a casual fan who's only seen the movies, or if you haven't read the books in a while, I'd highly recommend.

[yourlocalfriendlyhobbit]

I don't know if your requests are open or not if not my apologies you can just ignore this lol but If you could, could you do a haldir x reader where they have the kind of relationship where they're always bickering but it's always seemingly in jest and they both know they don't really mean it but one day haldir is having a bad day and he accidentally goes too far with the usual banter and says something actually mean like maybe makes some comment about how time passes differently for elves and he won't have to suffer you much longer because mortals fade very quickly and dude I dunno angst ending or fluff ending somehow lol?

Pairing: Haldir x (human) Reader

Warnings: Angst, no comfort

Gender neutral, no hair/eyes/skin colour mentioned. might be a little OOC.

A/N:  

My dear Haldir! I love him soooo much! AHHHH! My first love!

Thank you for your request, anon! I love it!!! i usually like reading angst, but never wrote any, so idk if i’m good x)

Requests are always open, unless stated otherwise in a post, so don’t hesitate to send anything ;)

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From the moment you met, your relationship with Haldir has always been an odd one. To others, people who don’t know either of you, it might seem like you two don’t get along at all; but to the ones who were close to the both of you, they know that behind all your jests and bickering, you really care for eachother.

Some even jockingly said that you acted like an old married couple, but they were quickly chased away by (a flustered) Haldir, while you tried to hide your blush with a forced laugh... Because yes, you both liked (maybe even loved) each other, but were too proud or too scared to admit it.

Because, romance between an elf and a human always end up in tragedy...

...

The day had started normally for you. You woke up a little after sunrise, when the first hushed sounds of elves walking and quietly chatting reached your room... You went to the kitchens to grab something to eat quickly, before going on a small walk in the woods.

You didn’t see Haldir before the early afternoon, when he came back from a short patrol. He looked slightly tired, but was doing a very good job at hiding it. When he parted from his group, you took your chance and walked up to him; you didn’t have the opportunity to tease him for 12 hours... And what was supposed to be a fun time bickering with your friend, took a turn you never expected to take...

You had underestimated how tired Haldir was, and refused to leave him when he told you he wasn’t in the mood for your ‘childish’ behavior. And that word alone started the argument...

Words, said in the heat of moment, that both of you would regret saying later, were thrown back and forth. Both your faces were becoming redder by the second... But then, Haldir said something would’ve never expected him to say:

“Good thing humans’ lives are shorter than elves’; just a few decades and you’ll be off my hands! I wont have to deal with you anymore!”

The silence that followed that sentence was louder than anything known. You could only stare at him with wide eyes and shaky hands, and your face lost all it’s color. You shook your head a little, like you were shaking out of a trance, stumbling back, and tried to swallow the lump that had formed in your throat. You took a step back when Haldir reached out his hand to you. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, you ran away from him...

...

2 weeks later...

You had successfully managed to avoid Haldir until now, dodging all his attempt at talking to you... You couldn’t face him just yet. In those past weeks, you had the time to think about what would be better; the decision was not an easy one to take, but you needed to do what was the best for you...

You decided to leave Lothlorien and go to Rivendell for some time, to heal your heart, until you were ready to face Haldir again.

So it’s in secret, but with Lady Galadriel’s blessing, that you prepared your journey. She had sent a message to her dear friend, Lord Elrond, to inform him of your impending arrival.

...

The day of departure had arrived. It was extremely early, and you were pretty sure that you would be able to leave without anyone noticing; but luck wasn’t on your side...

As you turned a corner to the stabbles, with your bags, you came across Orophin, one of Haldir’s brother. He knew what happened between you and his brother, and he didn’t need to ask to know what you were doing.

“Are you leaving for a long time?”

He asked. You bit your lips.

“No idea. I need time away from here, and him... I need time before I face him again, and hear what he has to say..”

You lowered your gaze. Orophin stood by you and put his hand on your shoulder.

“Take your time. Haldir will understand. Rumil and I might have to hold him back from running after you at first, but he will understand..”

Orophin tapped your shoulder lightly, as a silent good bye, and left to probably tell Rumil everything, so they can figure out a way to tell Haldir in the morning. You were thankful for those 2 elves who always treated like a sibling.

You saddled your horse, and, like a shadow, left the place you had call home for years with a heavy heart, not knowing when or if you would come back... 

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DO NOT COPY, TRANSLATE OR REPOST MY WRITINGS!

[siriannatan]

Victory in Defeat

I had this idea in my head for a long time so in the midst of lack of any motivation for my ongoing stories I wrote it down :}

fWhip glanced at the other side of the holo sim. He had his battleship's movements put in and waited for his opponent to be done with his inputs. As he waited he thought back to how he ended here. On the icy home world of the elves. Sat opposite their king's younger brother and their best commander - at least in fWhip's opinion best commander he faced through the entire war. Scott S. Major. The supreme commander of Rivendell space fleet. How he wasn't the commander of the whole Cod Alliance's forces was beyond fWhip.

Not that the war was fWhip's issue anymore. Grimlands was defeated. fWhip married off to Scott of all people to keep the rest of WRA from retaliating. Basically a glorified hostage. It was alright so far. Aside from the rather awkward and stiff wedding feast. And almost tripping on his new husband's tail multiple times... Scott being a half-dragon was always a rather distracting fact. Mostly due to his fangs rivalling fWhip's own. Which he could not help but bear it as he was reliving his very first battle against Scott. "When did you realise I took over? And how?" the half-dragon asked, finally done with his inputs.

"Your manoeuvres are much tighter and faster, not to mention you like to send light ships against heavier ones," fWhip hummed, sipping his drink. Where did Scott even get blood for him? "And then you changed it the moment I was used to it, it was annoying," he added glancing at Scott. His eyes were not watching the sim but fWhip. "I'll explain my setup later," he said, guessing that was what others were curious about.

He must have been right because Scott seemed to re-focus on the battle. They went through a few rounds, speeding up the usually long space battle significantly. Most that happened were a few small, fast clashes of scout ships as they expanded their areas as their slower ships took their positions. fWhip had a good memory of this battle and liked to think he understood Scott's strategies fairly well. So he set some commands that had the elf's eyebrow raising. "Is there an issue," fWhip hummed, as he ran multiple ideas and calculations through his brain. This sim was really well-detailed.

"Not really," Scott hummed in return, leaning back in his chair. "Compliments to the designer of your cruisers, they're much more mobile than they look," he rambled, no doubt trying to distract fWhip. Luckily he wasn't in his usual uniform and seemed to keep his teeth not showing unless necessary.

"Thank you, I'm rather proud of them myself," fWhip grinned. He often missed the time when he didn't have to command any armies and could just toy with his ship designs. "You really should get comfier chairs, even our smallest scout ships had comfier ones," he huffed as another turn started.

"You don't mean you designed these..." Scott was in utter disbelief.

"I'm a noble and a vampire, I had plenty of free time before the war started to make my fleet exactly to my liking," fWhip grinned reclining as comfortably as rigid elven style and his wedding clothes allowed. He was not wearing a corset ever again unless completely necessary. "Oops, looks you're down a couple of frigates," he smiled, which seemed to shake Scott's shock off as he quickly moved his forces to compensate for the losses.

fWhip won that battle all those years back. And was planning to repeat it. Make it even better. So he chattered to Scott about the technicalities of his ship designs. It was all in elves' hands anyway now that Grimlands was conquered. fWhip could have some fun disclosing what kinds of comforts they managed to fit alongside what kinds of cannons and engines.

"Why weren't you commanding more major battles?" he asked a question that had been on his mind for a long time. They were slowly moving around the map for about an hour. For the moment Scott was holding the advantage.

"I was here to keep you from going to Sigma-Seven, Joel was busy taking that over at the time," Scott hummed. He seemed confident in his new strategy for countering fWhip.

"That was a shame, we could have at least doubled our fleets with that meteorite field," fWhip sighed, at least the feeling he had the whole war was right. For most of the war, Joel or Jimmy would command against him unless they were busy elsewhere. If they were then it was almost always Scott. If it were the other way the war would have been much more of a pain.

"I might have lost but I kept you occupied long enough, not that I'm losing it now," Scott shrugged and sent a surrender request.

fWhip just hummed as he refused and started his master plan. With a swift, deadly manoeuvre his light and fast frigates decimated the guards around Scott's warp station. "Well, if you're supposed to keep me here then let's stay here," he grinned as Scott frantically scrolled the sim logs.

Scott's backguard quickly chased fWhip's frigates away but the damage was done along with the first phase of fWhip's plan.

"Can we agree my getting out is the victory condition?" the vampire asked, sadly realising he was out of his drink. Looks like he'd have to really focus now.

"Not like I'm letting you go anywhere," Scott practically growled, his tail swishing dangerously. How amusing, fWhip thought as he carried on.

After dragging Scott around the battlefield for another twenty minutes fWhip pulled out his strategy. Five heavy grand cruisers and their accompanying guard that was under Gem's command, speeding to aid Sigma-Seven, warped through the ruined warp point. Scott didn't bother checking if it was really destroyed or just looked like it. With these forces, fWhip easily defeated Scott's remaining forces. The elf refused to surrender, hoping to keep fWhip stuck until the round limit they set was out.

He failed. fWhip was out with five turns to spare. "We should simulate Sigma-Seven next time, I'm curious how you'd handle that," fWhip hummed as Scott grumbled over the logs.

"How long were you planning to bring Gem's forces?" he asked, giving up on understanding it on his own.

"Since I saw how detailed the sim is, pretty impressive, but you need comfier chairs here," fWhip sighed as he stretched. He might be technically dead by many races standard but he was still a fan of comfort. 

Scott just grumbled. His face was weirdly flushed. "You okay?" he asked, slightly worried he offended Scott.

"You're damn distracting, you know," the half-dragon growled as he approached and slowly crowded fWhip to a wall. "Really, really distracting, especially with how much you shifted in that chair."

"As I said, it's uncomfortable," fWhip shrugged. What was Scott doing? They didn't have to do anything a normal couple would. Their marriage was primarily political after all.

"I'll get you any chair you want," Scott growled, clearly annoyed his furniture choice was being questioned. "I know we don't have to... But I... ugh... I'm not used to saying it, but I really liked you since that first battle, I have no idea why. It started before I even saw you, it was easy to ignore, and then there was our first video call. And... ugh. You were so damn distracting on that garish chair of yours."

fWhip was quite honestly floored by the revelation. Seeing Scott for the first time certainly left an impression on him. Was it of the same kind? Potentially. Having Scott casually call him in the few sieges they faced off in certainly didn't help the feeling. There were nights where all he could think only of the way Scott said his name.

"We don't have to do anything but I need to ask... fWhip, will you have me as more than just a political husband?" he asked, face mere inches away from fWhip's. "Push me away and this will be it," he assured.

fWhip glanced at the battle sim. That was fun, yes. But what Scott was offering was even more fun. Potentially. "Your bed better be comfier than your chairs," he huffed before closing the distance.

Scott's bed was luckily for him quite comfy. Not as comfy as being carried around but comfy enough for fWhip to delay complaining.

[mischieffoal]

LotR Musical: round 2

This is just a stream of consciousness, and I won't pretend it's a review or anything, it's just extra thoughts I had the second time I saw the musical. This is from September 20th, I've also just posted my notes on 4th October's show

Pre-show

Picked up friends along the way - we were all cloakèd this time! I saw Kelly and told her I loved her Instagram takeover!

Sadly raining, But! The pre show was still done, just indoors!! Met and chatted to Legolas, and Bilbo, and LOBELIA and I gave her a SPOON. Loved that they came upstairs to talk to us, it was well done for what is clearly a back up option. They still had fun dancing and playing hoopla etc downstairs on the stage

New cast member joined literally last week (Zara Naeem) and she just looks so natural and like she's always been there! R described Rosie as "the most wonderfully hobbit like person" (round face, amazing hair, and sheer energy at Bilbo's party)

I really love the ringle dance at the beginning, I think I am even more impressed by it and how tight everyone's choreo is because they're mostly dance moves I know from ceilidhs etc. Also very fun and not sure if intentional or just in character that someone in one of the 5 hand stars ended up facing the wrong way

I absolutely love knowing who they all are now. Aragorn and Arwen were dancing together!! And Pippin is often in the background of the next few scenes, playing her mandolin. I am now so much more cognisant of the foot tap greeting like I loved it last time but now I know how it's done I'm obsessed

Bilbo introduces the story with the “tell us a story” but it's clearly meant to be self-deprecating. Bilbo disappeared into the carved doors, and there's entire smoke, lighting and sound effects that don't happen outside that make it magical in a different way!

Act 1

I'd forgotten that after the party Frodo just... stands by himself in Bag End for a bit. He's burning papers - I wonder why. Just standing and thinking to himself - sings "road flow past your doorstep". Sam comes in, has a chat, then Rosie enters as well, and they're off to the ivy bush (apparently a phrase meaning ‘in secret’??). They are clearly inviting Frodo along, and Frodo is clearly not wanting to third wheel them, but as E said, they are trying to make it obvious that this is a tricycle, Frodo! He doesn't go with them. They foot tap goodbye. 

Frodo carries on reading things, then hides what he's reading when Gandalf knocks...?? Frodo protecting Sam from Gandalf is very cute and also gorgeous parallels to Sam protecting Frodo from Gollum just before mount Doom

Sam packs Mrs. Bracegirdle's plum cake - this man is always thinking of rations unlike anyone else in the entire musical (also E did eventually come to like Mrs. Bracegirdle's ever growing bakery but was at first incensed because "Bilbo makes his own plum cake!")

I love Merry and Pippin. So much.

The elves' lighting is just gorgeous and wonderful and I love how obvious the elf moments are and the clear differences between Rivendell elves and Lothlorien elves, and that Legolas is different again from both of them (it helps with important character status but also that Mirkwood (the northern forests) is a different group of people). However. We couldn't see the elf speaking to Frodo for shit (too high up). Sitting at the back of the balcony was definitely better for comfort but we did miss anything high on the back of the stage

I LOVE Saruman's line "a Dominion of light"

E pointed out that no one has mentioned that Hobbits are a different species yet. Barliman's opening different doors is absolute nonsense if you don't know they're tiny. Bill Ferny being racist is helpfully telling the audience that they're not human. I loved watching so many different characters this time! I was definitely trying to see everything I could, and I loved seeing extra things, but I'm glad I'm going again so I can truly sit back and enjoy it more calmly

Glorfindel is played by Folarin, a bald black dude. Incredible. 

Arwen's song of hope is called "lullaby" in the score, so she's diegetically singing it to Frodo, whilst Aragorn watches on. At the council - the rotation is SO COOL I noticed multiple characters who spoke as they reached the point where they were facing the audience. Insane detail to do 

Star of Yarandil my beloved. Arwen's HANDS they are just ALL OVER THE PLACE. She gives each member of the fellowship a blessing, and she lingers looking at Aragorn as she goes on to bless Boromir... also the hand movements. Damn. She's casting spells/blessings with her song and hands, and the whole ensemble then picks it up as well. They're VERY precise - literally each finger is doing something different, and they all do it in unison

Holy shit quick change - the fellowship finish star of Yarandil at Rivendell with Elrond, he leaves, then comes back on practically immediately as Saruman. I continue to be very attracted to Elrond/Saruman. They both stand very upright, but they have such different affects that they're just so clearly different characters - how?!

Frodo's face. So many emotions. My god that man. Thank you Samwise - so I'm wiser than a wizard? Extremely epic burn. Gimli's song isn't long enough!! I really appreciate it but it doesn't get enough time to shine! 

The songs really aren't musical songs - no character development or plot moments or emotions boiling over into song. They're just people singing songs. Here is a song I'm going to sing you about a story that is completely irrelevant, whilst some other characters have conversations about an entirely different bit of exposition. And that's what Tolkien is all about.

Yeah, compared to Gollum's death, Gandalf's death is sadly underwhelming

The Lothlorien elves do bird calls and Legolas calls back to them!! Hurrah for the stiff necks of elves and dwarves. Why did the movie cut this. Pippin is adorable. E also thought Legolas was in love with galadriel. Musicals out of context, y'all. Loooove the bollywood dancing here. Pippin is SO in character ALL of the time. Her facial expressions and how she dances - she's followng the choreo precisely but it's still clearly PIPPIN. They all sing with their characters voices as well, which is actually i think very hard and you don't really notice it because it's so seamless, whereas it's so easy to be dragged out of the story by singing not matching speaking voice. Galadriel's songs are a bit less fun when you can only see her legs... 

No Anduin we go straight to Boromir. Realised that there's no real explanation of the ring’s power over him, he just seems like an arsehole. I think that's why it's key that Frodo is shown more obviously corrupted, otherwise there's just no reason to like him. The three hunters are so so sweet with his death. Quick stormy music afterwards, including evil piccolo we love it

Act 2

Interval, still very rainy alas. I love Gollum so damn much . Ent moot is not actually plumbing, it's specific pipes they've added. I really really liked the scene with Denethor but it just wasn't dramatic enough. Needs opulence and significant lighting and timing and stuff I think. But I like the bones of it. The *words* of a king are healing. I love the 4 of them fighting together it seems so desperate but hopeful. Fucking love Saruman dude

Now and for always is about how hobbits don't like change. In the stories, they come back from their adventures and everything goes back to the way it was. That won't really happen here. Sam sings it to Frodo when he's stressing about destroying the Ring and losing the elves. Gollum joins in the chorus whilst hanging *upside down*. It feels so meaningful when Frodo joins in

God Aragorn and Arwen"s duet is so hot, they're so in love with each other and in each other and they kiss and yesssss (but also imagine aragorn just singing the harmony to himself alone in a room somewhere)

So Frodo decides to take the ring,  runs away to shelob's lair. Shelob doesn't get enough time to shine. She's wonderful and we don't see enough of her. Also Sam's final stab is a brilliant piece of blocking but didn't even get a second to land.

Sam saves Frodo, helps him better takes the ring to stop his burden. Isn't at all affected. Frodo wakes up, Gollum returns, they say thief, they all fight, Sam gives in and gives the ring back, then Gollum attacks. Sam protects Frodo so hard, don't talk to me or my friend ever again. God I love him. 

Wonder (again we can't see her singing) is a combo last battle build up, Mordor walking, last battle into mount Doom. Legolas and Gimli promise each other if they don't die today :) four orcs fighting. Sam hoists Frodo on his shoulders and carries him through and it has SO MUCH WEIGHT. Denethor is killed. One of the orcs is playing the trombone

Once again, I LOVE gollum's fall. Frodo and Sam put their waistcoats on as soon as they get out of the volcano before they even collapse! Aragorn fucking caresses Frodo. Our lives are forever entwined or some ridiculous romantic thing

I love Rosie!!! She's coming next time! Also who's Galadriel should she be worried

"You love the morning and my love is given to the evening" (apparently this is a Gimli and Eomer line) "But I thought we'd do it together" Fucking tear my heart out why don't you.

Sam is the aro friend when their best mate gets a girlfriend. He didn't realise what Frodo meant to him. Didn't realise Frodo didn't realise it. But I thought we'd do it together. Sing a duet and break my heart, yeah

Also now I've heard it more the dance version of now and for always is a banger 

Post-show

And then after! We spoke to Aoife! Folarin! He said that I gave Lobelia a spoon! We took a photo and he signed my art! Aaron! Peter! Matthew! Aaah!! Everyone on the train home is still insane about it all!! Hobbit step goodbyes!!

[skyeet-the-writer]

Lady of Enmond

Chapter Three: Meetings with Strangers

guys wait i'm really enjoying this, i forgot how much i loved lotr!! hope yall are enjoying it too. feel free to check out my other things as well! also feel free to leave some comments, i want to hear what yall like about this so far x.

legolas greenleaf x female!reader (dw he finally shows up)

summary: after finally arriving in rivendell, y/n is allowed one day of peace and relaxation before quickly having to jump into action the next during a council lord elrond has constructed between all races of middle earth

word count: ~5.8k

warnings: cursing, mentions of violence/weapons, mentions of death and fear-inducing things (lmk if there's anything i missed)

<previous next>

The days seem to blur together as the now five of you make your way to Rivendell. It's much further than you thought, though you're not familiar with these parts. Finally, you reach the Elven city on day five, exhausted and smelly.

The entire time, all of you worried of Frodo. You hope he's alright, you hope he's here, in Rivendell, healed and resting. Something says that he is alright, but still, you don't know and that's what worries you.

You've never been in an Elven city. In fact, the first Elf you've ever seen was Arwen a few days ago. Even now, walking through their beautiful city, you're still in awe of them. Immortal, ever-fair beings are all around you, and they're the ones looking at you oddly.

Aragorn has you meet with Elrond. He's just the same as you've heard in descriptions. He looks old, for an elf, but you suppose he is, as he has seen much. Aragorn tells you he plans to talk with him in private, but at least wanted you all to meet him.

You're not sure to kneel before the Elf Lord or bow or what, but Aragorn does none of these. You exchange a look with the Hobbits and shrug.

"Welcome, all, to Rivendell," says the Lord, spreading his arms wide and smiling, one that is oddly comforting. "You all must have had a long and tiresome journey, so I will not keep you long. Just--"

"Where is Frodo?" Sam demands, immediately growing red in the face from his outburst. Hastily, he stammers, "I-- Apologies, your Lordship, b--but where is our friend, Frodo?"

Elrond does not seem mad, merely amused. "Fear not, Samwise. I can assure you, your friend is safe and healthy."

Pippin perks up. "Can we see him?"

Elrond smiles again and holds a hand up. "Soon. He is resting now, we want him to wake on his own. And I assume you're hungry?"

The Hobbits exchange looks and nods. Elrond nods and waves an arm, and another Elf with blonde hair appears. "Gaelin, show these young men to their rooms. Have food prepared and baths drawn."

Quickly, the Hobbits are ushered off, now seeming in much better spirits. They talk together excitedly and seem to be buzzing with joy.

You yourself feel similar. Frodo is alright, he's here and he's resting and he's fine. And now you are here. You've completed your quest.

"I assume you would like the same, Lady Khaya?" Elrond's voice pulls your attention. He's speaking to you.

But before you can think, your say, "It's Y/N, my Lord. Khaya is an allias. I'm from the small village of Enmond in the Tergue Woods in Rohan." Then your eyes widen and you look at Aragorn. He's smiling just a little, seeming far more at ease here. "I... I don't know why I said that. I'm sorry, I just blurted that out--"

Elrond laughs lightly and holds a hand up. "Worry not, Y/N. Your secret will be safe with me. Now, I expect you request food and a bath?"

A bath sounds amazing. And fresh clothes. And strawberries. Those are your favorites. What wouldn't give to sink your teeth into one in a hot bath. "Yes, my Lord, if you would be so kind."

"Anything for Aragorn's friend. Come, Leilia will lead you." He gestures to a sweet-looking elf with braided red hair and green eyes. She smiles at you and curtsies.

You bow to Elrond just slightly at the waist. "Thank you. However, I do have a quick question?"

"Yes?"

"Do you perhaps have a raven I could use? I wish to send a message to my father, letting him know I am here. He hasn't heard from me in several days, and I do not wish for him to worry."

Elrond nods. "Yes, of course."

Aragorn says, "I'll take it."

You only trust him with it. Elrond seems kind and respectable enough, but you know Aragorn more. Reaching into your bag, you hand him a piece of paper rolled and tied with a black string. "Thank you."

He nods and you are led off by Leilia. She says nothing as she leads you around the city, to an ornate stone building. She takes you up the stairs and leads you into a large room.

Slowly, your weapons clanking, you step into the room. It's large and airy and smells of fresh grass and rainfall. The floors are made of light wood and the walls are slightly darker. There's a bed in the middle and off to one side is an entire open wall with a balcony, and silky curtains flowing in the breeze. There's another room off to the side with a chamberpot and a bath already drawn, the warm water steaming.

"What would you like to eat, my lady?"

You turn to Leilia and ask, "Do you have any strawberries?"

~*~

Not long later, you're in the bath chewing on a strawberry with your eyes shut in delight. You can't remember the last time you've felt this relaxed. A few Elf ladies asked if you needed help washing, but you politely declined. You're a grown woman, you don't want to bother them with something you could do yourself. Besides, you needed the alone time. Being around Aragorn and four Hobbits was draining.

Now, your hair is washed and so is your body. You're determined to sit in the bath until it's cold and you're all pruney. There's a plate full of fruit beside you on the rim of the bath and you've never been more grateful to eat it in your life. Strawberries, both blackberries and raspberries, grapes, melon cubes, oranges, and a few olives. By now, you've devoured most of the plate, not realizing how much you craved the fruit.

The wind blows lightly outside and you toss another blackberry into your mouth, catching it with ease.

Finally, what feels like hours later, the water is finally cold enough to encourage you to get out. Drying yourself off with a soft white cloth, you wrap it around your body and walk back into the rest of the room where Leilia told you clothes would be waiting.

And there are. On the bed, laid out is a fresh set of clothes. A light green flowy dress is before you, with long, loose sleeves and a pair of simple flat shoes.

You put them on a do a little twirl, remembering how much you like dresses. They're so breezy and they made you look so pretty.

There's a knock on your closed door, and you turn. Who could that be? You open the door to see Aragorn standing there, looking clean and rested up as well.

"Oh," is all that he says, looking you up and down.

You grin. "'Oh'? Is that all?"

"I've never seen you in a dress before."

It occurs to you that he's right. In all the times you've been with him, you always wore pants, a shirt, and boots. You were always somewhat grimy and your hair was always a mess of tangles.

"You look good, though," he adds quickly.

Smiling just a little, you say, "Thank you," and curtsy. "You clean up nicely, too." Playfully, you pull at his tunic.

He just smiles and shakes his head. The two of you have always been like this. Playful with each other. Sometimes, people thought you were flirting, but both of you quickly denied it. He was already betrothed to a beautiful Elven lady and Aragorn wasn't your type. You like blonds.

"Anyway, why'd you come to bother me?" you ask him.

"I was wondering if you'd like me to show you around? If you're not too tired, that is."

He's always been such a gentleman, too. And while you are tired, you're not too exhausted that you would pass up on the opportunity to look around this beautiful place with your friend. You quickly nod and soon the two of you are on your way out.

The sun is beginning to sink to the horizon as you walk around, but that seems to make the journey better. The sun's beams bounce off of the glass and bronze of the kingdom, making everything glitter and shine.

Aragorn leads you through gardens and around fountains, pointing out what buildings are what. There's a smithery, several gazebos for sitting or eating, and a giant library filled with history and texts of old.

"Can we go there?" you ask him excitedly. You've always loved history. In your home, you didn't get to read much, only having oral tales.

Aragorn smiles. "Later tonight."

He keeps true to his word. After checking in on Frodo and thanking the gods for his healing, you both head over there.

"I'm happy Frodo is well," you say as you walk down the steps. "I've grown fond of the Hobbit."

"As have I," Aragorn agrees.

As you walk through a courtyard, you see two small men. For a moment, you think they're Hobbits, but these men have long, rough beards and they're dressed in armor.

They are dwarves.

What are dwarves doing in Rivendell?

Before you can ask Aragorn, he leads you down to the library you were obsessing about. The moment you walk down the steps, you forget what you were going to ask. The room is beautiful, the most fantastic place you've seen. It's large and decorated with ornate and silver pieces of furniture. The room is filled with books. To one side of the room is a balcony with a telescope pointed towards the side. There are other astronomy and mathematical devices that you can't name.

Walking up another set of stairs, your eyes land on a fresco painting on the wall. With a small gasp, you slowly cross the way, your shoes tapping against the stone flooring.

A mural of Isildur versus Sauron is before you, looking well-preserved and well-crafted. There's so much intricate detail, you wonder how one could have possibly had the patience to create it. Isildur, a once great king, is laying on the ground before Sauron the Dark Lord, his sword raised in defiance. Something about that image makes a feeling of great pride rise in you, knowing that you share similar blood to that man, to that hero. Perhaps you could be like him one day?

Aragorn stands beside you and you say, "It's beautiful."

"Yes," he agrees, seeming fixed on Isildur. A look crosses his face, of shame? You cannot tell and you wonder.

But something else catches your eye. You turn and spot something glinting on a cloth-covered plinth. You step up and see the shards of a sword. Narsil, the broken blade of Elendil. It was rumored that though Sauron shattered the blade, Isildur picked up the hilt and cut the Ring from Sauron's hand, both banishing the Dark Lord and taking the Ring for himself.

And now, it is around the neck of a small, kind, adventurous Hobbit.

Slowly, you grasp the hilt of the broken blade in both hands and hold it up in front of you. It's heavy, even in your hands. What little sunlight there is left in the sky seems to bend towards the sword and refract against it, sending little glimmers across the room. You expect the broken edges to be dull after all this time, but even looking at them tells you they're still just as sharp.

"I can't believe this is still in such good condition," you whisper, gently setting it back down where it was.

"The Elves have taken good care of it," Aragorn says. "Come. Let's find a book."

He doesn't have to tell you twice, and within minutes, you have one chosen. Unsurprisingly, most of them are in Sindarin, but you find one book you're interested in that is in Westron or Common Tongue.

And so you sit at a bench and open the book and begin to read. It's a telling of legends of old and of history. You flip to the page where the talk about when Melkor was captured by the Valar and how Sauron stayed behind. Ever since running into the Nazguls and discovering the Ring, you've realized how little you knew of the history behind it. So, you figured you should read up on it.

Aragorn comes and sits beside you after choosing his own book and, together, the two of you read in silence. Normally you're both in silence when you're not drunk or bored and want to talk. Aragorn is the quieter of you two, so you assume this is lovely for him.

But you enjoy yourself. You enjoy learning the history behind that one tiny piece of Jewelry, and you also find yourself enjoying the silence. Occasionally, an Elf will come in, but they leave soon and don't talk to you or Aragorn. The sun finally sets and the birds outside quiet down and prepare for rest. You turn the thick page and it seems to echo in the hall.

Finally, as your eyes grow heavy, you close the book, and it thuds. Aragorn looks up and sees how exhausted you are. He gently tucks a strand of hair behind your ear and says, "Go get some rest, Y/N."

The memory of the dwarf pops into your head out of the blue and you blurt out, "Aragorn, I saw a Dwarf in one of the courtyards earlier."

You meet his eyes and he nods. "Yes, I saw him as well."

"Why are there Dwarves in Rivendell? You and I both know very well how much they hate Elves."

Once, while in a pub in a village, you both had a rather lengthy conversation with an extremely intoxicated Dwarf. Conversation, however, was an exaggeration, as he was the only one doing the talking, and how the only talking he was doing was complaining about the Elves.

Aragorn laughs and nods. "Yes, that is true. Elrond informed me that he sent out word to all races of Middle Earth when Frodo arrived with the Ring. He said something about it being up to all of Middle Earth to decide its fate. He's holding a meeting tomorrow at noon. You should come."

With a small frown, you say, "Aragorn, I need to head home. I've already been gone for too long, my father is sure to be worried. He needs me."

"I understand, Y/N, but this is important. That ring is the most dangerous thing on this earth now, and it's important to discuss what to do with it." He takes your hands in his, something he does from time to time when getting into a deep conversation. "You know just as well as I do what is hunting, searching for the Ring. It is dangerous and I know even now that someone must carry it back to Mordor to destroy it."

"Mordor? The Land of Shadows? That's Sauron's dominion, why would it go there? That sounds like the last place someone would want to take it."

"Elrond believes that the only way to truly destroy it is to throw it back into the fire from whence it was created."

You nod. "Oh, makes sense."

"Yes." Aragorn grips your hands. "Please, at least come to the Council. You could provide insight with me."

You bite your lip in consideration. It is only tomorrow, and you don't necessarily plan on leaving immediately, though your mind does tell you that you should go home soon. Even though you informed your father of your leaving and got his clearing on it, you still felt bad, still felt guilty. You are the heir to your village. And while your father is still in his prime, you still need to be there, both for him and your younger sister. She always needs you.

"For me?"

With a sigh, you cave in. "Alright, fine, I'll come. It is only tomorrow. But." Quickly, you pull your hands away and point your finger at him. "I reserve the right to not join any quest or adventure that may be suggested. If there is a quest to take back the Ring, I cannot and will not go. I have other responsibilities."

With a smile, Aragorn nods. "Understood."

You smile at your friend and stand up. "I'm going to retire," you say and pick the book from the bench. "Can I take this with me?"

Aragorn shrugs. "So long as you return it."

"Of course I will." Tucking it under your arm, you bend down to give your friend a hug. "Goodnight, Aragorn."

"Goodnight, Y/N."

And with that, you make your way out of the library, down the steps, and out the door. The night air is cool outside and fresh, smelling of grass and something sweet. Your path is lit up nicely with torches and you recall your way back to your room, surprisingly.

Your room is a bit dark. The moonlight streaming through the large window really seems to be helping you actually see where things are. On the bed, there is another dress, though this one looks more like a nightgown. It's lighter and is a cream color. Your bones start to ache again and so you quickly change from your dress to the nightgown before quickly getting into bed.

The moment your head touches the pillow, you body melts into the mattress. The last time you slept on a real bed was almost three weeks ago, the night before you left to meet with Aragorn. Since then, you've been sleeping in chairs or on the ground. Neither of those was too terribly comfortable.

But this bed feels like a cloud, it cradles all of your pressure points and it provides great relief for your aching back.

The covers are warm and you curl up into a ball to preserve your heat. You suppose you've been a bit conditioned to do that after sleeping outside for so long.

Between the quiet breeze of the wind, the feathery, downy mattress, and the warm blankets, you quickly fall asleep.

~*~

The next morning, you wake up to the sounds of birds and the sweet voices of Elves. For a moment, you think you're still dreaming but when you sit up, you realize that it is real.

Slowly, you get up, your legs sore and achy. Limping towards the balcony, you lean on the railing, looking down at the Elves going about their day. The sun is slowly rising, and you judge that it's just a few hours until midday.

So you get back into bed and continue reading. You may as well get the most out of the comfy bed while you're here.

When you finally need to pee a couple of hours later, you decide to get up and head down to the meeting Aragorn had told you about. You change back into the dress you wore the day before and slip the shoes back on. You pin your hair up somewhat messily and let some strands fall in front of your face before heading out. Before you leave the door, you stop. After thinking, you go ahead and grab your bow. You leave the arrows, but you feel you need just your bow.

Aragorn mentioned it was being held in a courtyard by the library and you find it much easier than you expected. It appears you're one of the first to arrive and quickly claim a seat beside Aragorn.

"You made it," he says to you, smiling.

You nod and shrug. "I didn't have much better to do."

He laughs.

This council chamber is very lovely, with a tree behind it, and leaves fall down onto the ground. There's a semi-circle of stone chairs with a plinth in the middle and a few chairs at the front where Elrond and two other Elves sit.

Gradually, people begin to trickle in groups and sit down. Gandalf arrives with Frodo, who appears a bit nervous, but still in good health. The color has returned greatly to his face and he has that sparkle in his eyes once more. Gandalf the Grey, the acclaimed wizard, looks the part of a sorcerer very well, with his tall grey hat and matching beard.

Elves trickle in and the same group of dwarves you saw yesterday, looking very displeased and uncomfortable take their seats.

Groups of Men sit down, men of Gondor you immediately know. You recognize Boromir, son of Denethor, the steward and acting leader of Gondor. Though your people, people of Rohan, tend to dislike men of Gondor, you've always liked Boromir. He was fair and kind and very brave, earning many titles over the year.

Your eyes scan the crowd as they tend to do, and your eyes stop of a particular Elf. He is exceptionally fair, with blond hair and piercing blue eyes. His jawline is sharp and his skin pale. He wears a sage green cloak and his hair appears to be pinned back.

Quickly, you look away when he meets your gaze, leaning your cheek in your hand to hide the blush.

Once everyone appears to have arrived, Lord Elrond stands from his chair. "Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor." Even the mention of the land sends a chill down your spine. "Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite, or you will fall."

At this, you begin to glance at the others seated near you. Unite? Men, Elves, and Dwarves haven't united together in ages. Though there is a greater evil, part of you doesn't expect this meeting to go too well.

"Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom," Elrond continues, looking tall and mighty with his crown on his head. He looks at Frodo and says, "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo," and extends his arm to the plinth in the center.

You watch as the Hobbit stands and approaches the plinth, aware that all eyes are on him. Gently, he sets the Ring in the center and you swear you hear it thud. Frodo walks back to his seat, seeming lighter and more at ease, and Gandalf gives him a reassuring nod.

The Ring looks simple enough. Just a simple golden band. But there's something that makes you want it. It's so shiny, so pretty. It's powerful, too, your mind tells you.

"So it is true," Boromir whispers, literally on the edge of his seat, his eyes fixed on the Ring.

The group is mumbling, whispering among themselves. You look and see that everyone's eyes are fixed on the Ring and for a moment, you swear you hear whispering in your ear. But you lean back in your chair, clasping your hands and squeezing, pulling your eyes away from the Ring and instead staring at the ground, trying your best to resist the urge. You know its true nature, you know this Ring's true master. And it is no one here.

Boromir suddenly stands up and you thank the Valar that you now have something else to focus on. "In a dream, I saw the eastern sky grow dark." He glances at the Ring and swallows. "But in the West, a pale light lingered." He gradually approaches the Ring, staring down at it. "A voice was crying, 'Your doom is near at hand. Isildur's Bane is found.'" He reaches for the Ring and your breath hitches. He wouldn't dare. "Isildur's Bane."

Before he can even touch the Ring, Gandalf stands and begins chanting in a low and echoing voice. The sky darkens and thunder cracks, shaking you in your very seat. Boromir staggers back to his seat as the language you don't recognize resonate in your ears, sending a feeling of dread down your spine. The speech subsides and the sky clears and lightens up again.

Elrond turns to Gandalf, looking angry. "Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris."

Tongue? Then you assume that it's likely Black Speech to which he refers, the dialect of Sauron and his followers. See, you did learn something useful from that book.

Gandalf bows his head but does not seem sorry. "I do not ask for your pardon, Master Elrond, for the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West!" He stares a Boromir and declares, "The Ring is altogether evil!" and heads back for his chair.

Boromir shakes his head. "It is a gift." He stands up once more. "A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this Ring?" He turns and addresses all races present. "Long has my father, the steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of your people are your lands kept safe."

You sigh and press your tongue into your cheek. Spoken like a true Gondorian, assuming that just because they do their job they are entitled to something.

"Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him!"

"You cannot wield it," Aragorn cuts in. "None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master."

You nod and say, "That is its entire point, really."

Boromir smirks a bit and asks cooly, "And what would two Rangers know of this matter?"

The Elf, who you had been eying earlier, stands and says, "He is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

Son of...? Son of Arathorn? Isildur's heir? No wonder Aragorn kept his past secret. You resist the urge to look at him in shock, but part of you isn't surprised. Somehow, it fits him.

Boromir turns to your friend in shock and amusement. "Aragorn? This is Isildur's Heir?"

"And heir to the throne of Gondor."

Now you're beginning to wish you had some strawberries to eat because this sounded like it was shaping up to be a duel to you.

Aragorn says something to the Elf. Most of it you don't understand but you catch the last part, his name. Legolas. Prince of the Woodland realm. Yeah, you've heard of him before. You still find him pretty.

Boromir looks at Legolas and says, "Gondor has no king." He looks at Aragorn and says, "Gondor needs no king." And he sits back down, glaring at Aragorn.

Maybe, you think, but your ruler right now is kind of a douche.

You gently touch your friend's arm and raise a brow, silently asking if he's alright. He answers by putting his hand over your wrist and leaving it there as Gandalf begins to speak.

"Aragorn is right," says the wizard. "We cannot use it."

"Then you have only one choice," Elrond stands and the words seem difficult for him to get it out. "The Ring must be destroyed."

A heaviness settles across the air, but you know he's right. You've seen what's after it, how undying they are, how fearsome. It's a fact that no one can use it. Sauron's power is linked to the Ring. Destroy the Ring, destroy the wielder.

"What are we waiting for?" asks a wild redhead Dwarf. He stands, grabbing his axe and making his way for the Ring. Before anyone can stop him, he swings his axe down at the Ring. The weapon shatters as if made of wood and the Dwarf falls down, his kin rushing to pick him back up.

Glancing at Frodo, you see that he's clutching his head and slouching in his chair. Your heart aches for him, poor boy. Looking back at the plinth, you see the Ring is, unsurprisingly, unharmed.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft we here possess," Elrond says. "The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came! One of you must do this."

For a moment, the room is silent. Of course it is. Walk into Mordor? That's not possible.

Of course, Boromir speaks up. Again. "One does not simply walk into Mordor. It's black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The Great Eye is ever-watchful."

Yes, you've heard rumors of an eye. A great, fiery orange eye atop a black tower, always watching. That does freak you out, mostly because eyes freak you out.

"It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand Men could you do this. It is folly."

Angrily, you sit up in your chair. What do these Men not understand, this is the only way. "Did you hear nothing Lord Elrond just said? It is the only way, and it must be soon. For something far scarier than any of you is after that Ring." With a jab, you angrily point at the plinth.

Boromir's eyes latch on your, coldly. "And if we fail, woman, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"

Now you stand. "You seemed mighty confident just a minute ago, taking it for your own. Now you're scared of it?"

The room breaks into arguments, Men against Dwarves, Dwarves against Elf, Men against Men. It's loud, but you're angry, so you have no problem approaching high-and-mighty Boromir to chew him out when he steps towards you.

"What would a woman know about these matters?" asks the High Warden of the White Tower. "A Rohirrim one at that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you upset because I'm a woman or because horses like me more than you?" You glare up at the man. You've never taken insults or shit from anyone and though he may be attractive, Boromir is no different. "Though, perhaps it's difficult to tell the difference between a woman and a horse, as you've likely lain with both!"

"I have faced far greater battles than you could ever dream, woman. I see no weapons. Are you truly a Ranger?"

"See, I don't need weapons with men like you, all I need is my knee and good aim, though it is a small target."

As arguments grow louder and more Men begin to doubt your own abilities, you need to step back. You're too hotheaded and you're afraid you'll start a fight. Aragorn takes your hand and pulls you towards him, placing a comforting hand on your face.

"How dare they insult me," you continue to rant to him, anger still bubbling, your skin hot to the touch. "Just because I'm a woman? Like, what the fuck? They're running kingdoms and then insult me just because I'm a girl, like seriously? How old are you?"

"Yes, yes, they're wrong, but you must calm down, Y/N," Aragorn keeps telling you but you can barley hear him over your own voice and Frodo's, which has suddenly picked up.

Wait, Frodo?

You turn to see the little Hobbit standing, his face slightly sweaty, shouting, "I will take it!"

The room quiets down, all eyes turning to the Hobbit in shock. You wonder how many of them knew he existed. "I will take the Ring to Mordor." Then he hesitates, now noticing all eyes are on him. "Though... I do not know the way."

The old wizard, Gandalf, nods, walking towards him. "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins," he tells him warmly with a pat on his shoulder, "as long as it is yours to bear."

Then you do something you do not expect. Just last night, you swore to not go on this quest. But something deep down in your heart tells you that you must go, it's your destiny. And so you walk forward and take a knee before the Hobbit, now being eye-level with him. "I pledge to you, Master Baggins. I will help you in your journey. I will shield your back and keep your counsel and give my life for yours if need be. I will help you destroy the Ring, Master Baggins, for all of Middle Earth."

Frodo smiles at you and you stand to move beside him.

Aragorn is quick to stand next, saying, "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will." Then he kneels before Frodo and says, "You have my sword."

Legolas walks forward. "And you have my bow."

Gimli the Dwarf is next, holding up another one of his axes. "And my axe."

The six of you stand together and you feel pride. This really is shaping up to be a good team to go destroy this Ring.

But the Boromir walks forward. You anger has quickly subsided, as it normally does, but you still feel resentment towards him. Of course, perhaps both of your outbursts was caused by the Ring. That didn't sound so outlandish. But still, you refuse to look at him.

"You carry the fate of us all, little one," he says to Frodo. "If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."

A voice suddenly shouts, "Here!" from nowhere, nearly causing your heart to jump out of your chest. You turn to see Samwise Gamgee running from the bushes to be at his friend's side. "Mister Frodo's not going anywhere without me," and he crosses his arms defiantly.

You smile as Elrond lightly says, "No, indeed. It is hardly possible to separate you two, even when he is summoned to a secret Council and you are not." He seems to play the part of upset, but his voice lightens near the end and he smiles just slightly.

"Oi! We're coming too!"

Two more Hobbits come running up the steps and you resist the urge to laugh aloud. Frodo's friends sure are loyal to him as they stand bedside his side in front of an Elf lord and over a dozen Men, Elves, and Dwarves.

"You'd have to send us home tied in a sack to stop us," says Merry defiantly.

Pippin nods beside him. "Anyway, you need intelligence on this sort of mission...quest...thing."

Merry stares at him and says in a snarky tone, "Well that rules you out, Pip."

Elrond surveys your group and you can't help but smile with pride. Here you are, on a mission to save the realm. A group of three Men, an Elf, a Dwarf, a wizard, and four Hobbits. Sure, not the likeliest of pairs. Even you could never have dreamed it. But something told you that there was no better group than the one you were with right now.

"Ten companions," muses Elrond. "So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!"

Your chest swells and you exchange a look with Aragorn.

"Great!" Pip exclaims. "Where are we going?"

[rodentlady]

Empires Pokemon Pt. 1 Empires Pokeballs Quick note before I start: Each Emperor has one member of their team shiny, simply because I felt like it. The teams are usually fully evolved, unless I'm keeping a pokemon unevolved because it fits the character better. Here's Pix, Scott, and Xornoth.

Pix: Heliolisk, Copperajah, Litwick, Cacturne, Bronzong, Sandslash Heliolisk is Pix's first pokemon, really his known partner pokemon, named Helios. Helios is male, and is kept in a Desert Ball. Copperajah is named Copper, is male, and is in -oh so surprisingly- a Copper Ball. He helps Pix transport trades. Litwick has been an unevolved Litwick for longer than Pix has been alive. Her name is Vigilant, and is also in a Copper Ball. Cacturne is Phantasmal, the pokemon he used as the Phantom. For that reason, he's kept in a Blade Ball. Bronzong's name is Patina, and they work with the beeswax and copper aging. They're in a Honeycomb Ball. Sandslash is shiny, and is named Anthill. She's a great help in getting materials for Pix and is kept in a Desert Ball. Scott: Ninetales, Froslass, Wyrdeer, Abomasnow, Ampharos, Noctowl Surprisingly, Vulp, Scott's partner, is a fire type Ninetales. He's shiny though, so it's hard to tell. Very petty. He's in an Ancient Ball. Froslass is named Gold from when she was a Snorunt. She makes up for this by stealing Scott's jewelry. She's in a Misted Ball. Wyrdeer is simply called Stag, often ridden by Scott ceremonially. A little bit vain, he's in a Misted Ball as well. Abomasnow is Evergreen, and she's fond of helping Scott build and remember to take breaks. She's in a Frosted Ball. Ampharos is actually a Mega Ampharos, very fluffy. His name is Snowball and he's lazy. Also in a Frosted Ball. Noctowl's name is Moonlight, and is Scott's preferred form of communication. As such, he's in a Messenger Ball. Xornoth: Houndoom, Glalie, Seviper, Zoroark, Salamance, Guzzlord Xornoth's first pokemon was a Houndoom called Hound. Him and Vulp were once close friends. He's also in an Ancient Ball. Glalie is named Silver from when he was a Snorunt, given he's shiny. His red eyes are fitting now. He's in a Misted Ball. Seviper is a very tricky pokemon, called Whisper. She has a connection to Exor, and is a Corrupted Ball. He has Shadow, a Hisuian Zoroark, which helps him conjure illusions of despair or power against others. She's in a Magic Ball. Salamance's name actually is Power, and he's the real strength along with all the demonic trickery. Also in a Corrupted Ball. Guzzlord is called Ending, because that the goal with it is. Shrub especially hates this pokemon. It's in a Gnomish Ball. Notes: I'm a little sad Pix doesn't get a "seer" physic pokemon, but Bronzor worked better. If Frosted/Misted pokeballs are confusing to you, they're hard for me to. Blame Pearl for using the word Gilded in her Empire's name, because that was the original name for Misted. Vulp and Hound are named that because the Rivendell siblings got them at about five years old so they wouldn't die of hypothermia, and the two of them were already pretentious enough to call them that. Scott and Xornoth's teams are meant to be mostly parallels for each other. Ninetales and Houndoom as fire "partners", alternative Snorunt evos, Wyrdeer and Seviper as godly influences (Even if Exor isn't a snake), Abomasnow and Zoroark both act as "helpers" in their tasks, Ampharos and Salamance are dual dragons, as well as representing what Scott and Xornoth offer others (Wool trade and "power"). Now if that last one was a bit of a stretch, there's also no comparison between Noctowl and Guzzlord. Ampharos is permanently in Mega Form, because I feel like ignoring poke-lore about how Megas work so that Scott may have a fluffy sheep and also a matching dragon type. I'll explain more about how Ultra Beasts work when we get to Shrub's team, although you might be able to make a guess. Hope you enjoyed my brainrot! If you have any opinions or suggestions, please let me know! Coming Soon: Jimmy, Lizzie, and Joel.

[melpomaen]

Blorbo ask game!

Tagged by: @elithilanor

I've been making Haldir headcanons lately so he is the lucky blorbo today woo

What is your blorbo’s:

1. Favorite season?

He's fond of Spring. The weather is fair, the land is in bloom, and travel is easy. All of the seasons have their merits in his eyes, though.

2. Favorite food?

Fish 🐟

3. Favorite plant or herb?

Elanors and other flowers that look like stars

4. Favorite person/being?

His brothers, without a doubt. I hc that his father died in service to Lorien and his mother sails shortly after, leaving him to watch over his brothers. As a result, Orophin and Rúmil often feel more like his children to him.

5. Favorite place?

The answer changes as he ages. When he was young he would say Lorien. After the War of the Ring he would say something along the lines of wherever his friends and people are.

6. Favorite animal?

Birds 🐦

7. Favorite drink?

Dry mead. All the better if it's on the stronger side.

8. Favorite hobby/activity?

He enjoys reading and/or listening to poetry, stories, and songs. I hc he learns his first bits of Westron from songs and stories Lindir and others in Rivendell share with him here and there. Lindir insists he at least become conversational in it because the more avenues one has to eavesdrop the better.

9. Do they like to read? If so, favorite genre?

He enjoys poetry. He has some books of it that his mother left the brothers before she sailed that he revisits from time to time. I think he enjoys poems about land and nature the best. He appreciates a lament but sometimes it's the last thing he wants to read during his free time.

10. Do they like to dance?

Yes! He's not usually one to dance all night, but he'll dip in and out of dances throughout if there's dancing going on.

11. What is their favorite room in the house?

I haven't figured out how many rooms his house has yet but his favorite spot in it is by one of the windows. He keeps some nice furs and skins (as well as a couple of less nice ones from some of Rúmil and Orophin's first hunts) to lay on near by. He tends to take to the floor to read or decompress.

12. Favorite place to travel to?

It depends on the Age. In his younger years: it's a toss-up between Rivendell and Mirkwood. As far as the traveling itself goes, he finds the journey to Mirkwood more straightforward. He's not a fan of crossing mountains. Post the fading of Lorien: Rhovanion is still his preferred geographical region. Traveling to other places is well and all. He enjoys it and he's good at it. But at this point, the destination doesn't matter much to him as long as people he loves are there. The real problem is that the place that he called home for his entire long life doesn't exist anymore. His people are moving or leaving Middle Earth all together and it takes him some time to find his footing in the wake of that.

13. Who is their best friend?

Lindir,* occasionally against his better judgement. They seem like opposites to others at times, but in many ways they're two sides of the same coin. Lindir is more extroverted and Haldir more reserved. In private, however, they're comfortable enough to let their respective walls down; Haldir talks more freely and Lindir is content to retire his performer's persona and listen. They trade stories often, but are just as content to share an evening in silence. They have excellent banter. Haldir has a dry sense of humor and a sharp tongue; he tamps it down in public, especially when he's on business in other elven realms. Lindir has no such reservations and has made a sport out of attempting to needle Haldir into a slip-up during dinners. *I am LotR fandom old so as a note, Lindir as in 2000s fanon Lindir who is a minstrel and a separate character from Figwit/Melpomaen

14. Favorite bioregion?

His stomping grounds are Rhovanion. A good deal of Haldir's duties eventually include bringing messages, gathering news, scouting, ect. The blue area is where I imagine his area of operation mostly lies at the end of the third age, but the green is where he's most in his element. He loves the area immensely, the forests and rivers especially.

15. Choose one for them: wine, beer, cider, hard liquor, or none?

Beer when he's traveling, wine when he's not.

Tagging @oracleofimladris @parma-formenorion @orophin-of-lothlorien @legendariium @helreginn @tarantula-hawk-wasp to blorbo if they so please or whatever the kids say these days

[pacificwaternymph]

Gem's spell in the Deaf Scott AU doesn't imprison Xornoth. Instead, it just stripped away the corruption, sealing it in the crystal.

Xornoth falls unconscious immediately after being uncorrupted, and when they awaken in a hospital wing, they remember everything. They're horrified, guilt ridden, and scared. Of themself, of what will happen to them now that they're free of Exor's control. And then they remember what happened to their little brother.

They beg to see Scott, to visit him even just once just to see how he's doing. No one thinks that's a good idea. So they keep him in the Crystal Cliffs' prisons.

But they keep asking. And eventually they realize that they aren't going to let them see him. So they break themself out.

Everyone is panicking, search parties are going out, and then Gem remembers what it is that Xornoth has been asking nonstop for the past several days, and rushes back to Rivendell to check on Scott.

To her shocks, when she busts the door open, Xornoth is there. And Scott is in their arms, allowing himself to be cradled and clinging to Xornoth like Gem has only ever seen him cling to Jimmy, sobbing into their chest.

When Xornoth sees her, something akin to resignation enters their eyes. They tell her not to worry, they won't resist. This was all they wanted, and they're satisfied now. She can take them back. They stand up, although Scott still grips their hand, so tightly his knuckles turn white.

Gem tries to separate them, but Scott lunges for Xornoth as soon as she does, fighting back more with more energy and determination than she's ever seen in him since his captivity. The palace guards have to get involved, holding him back.

Even Xornoth can't calm him down. They try to tell him it's okay, they'll be back. But he can't hear them. They try the chalk board everyone's been using to communicate with him, but he won't pay attention to it. When Gem tries to intervene, Scott shoves her out of the way, and screams out in a strained voice:

"STOP!"

It's the first word he's spoken since his rescue.

It's only once Jimmy arrives that they manage to convince Scott to let them leave. Gem takes Xornoth out into the hallway, both of them shellshocked.

When Gem demands to know what they did to Scott, Xornoth insists they don't know what happened. They didn't think he would react like that. Fear, anger, maybe even relief, that was all on the table to them, but that kind of desperation? So strong to draw such a powerful reaction from him?

Gem theorizes that because Xornoth looks different than they did when they were corrupted, Scott may be reminded of the person they were as a child, and thus looking to his older sibling for safety, as he did when he was younger. He may not be making the connection, in his current state of mind, between his sibling and the demon whose underlings were responsible for his condition in the first place.

Xornoth, guilt ridden and on the verge of a breakdown, says maybe it's better if they don't see him again, if they have such an affect on him. But Gem thinks that it would do him more harm than good. Right now, she reasons, Scott is seeking comfort in whatever is familiar to him, and Xornoth as they are currently, is familiar.

There are conditions, of course.

They aren't allowed to be alone with Scott, Jimmy or Gem has to be with them at all times. They have to agree to have their powers restrained and when not visiting Scott, return to wherever they decide to keep them. But Gem concedes to allow them to stay in Rivendell, and help their brother's recovery process as part of their "sentence" for their actions as a demon.

And with Xornoth already drowning in guilt for their actions while possessed, how could they ever turn such a generous offer down?

[afaramir]

I love your posts about Denethor and Faramir. I'm always glad to see someone who loves both him and Faramir and gets that Denethor being this hugely impressive tragic figure makes Faramir so much better and more interesting. The relationship between them is so complex and I love it so much. The film versions make me angry as well.

oh man thank you so much...i find it kinda crazy that you're saying this to me bc im pretty sure i have a bunch of posts from your denethor tag sitting around in my drafts so i can look back at them later. many days i feel very much like an Amateur Denethor Enjoyer but i am thrilled that me just kind of being unhinged on the dash has brought you joy. and get ready bc here i go again LOL

yeah exactly what you said...denethor's tragedy informs and is informed by faramir so so so much and it's just kind of wild to me that on the tragedy enjoyers website so many people refuse to see it. on the second-best enjoyers website...the guilt-and-despair enjoyers website...the "the unimaginable has happened and i AM going to kill people and then myself" enjoyers website...i could go on! he is literally doomed by the narrative and just goes well ok fuck you i WILL die at the end but it will NOT be in the way the narrative wants me to.

it is truly the relationship of all time. faramir does love his father and yet because of the strength of his principles he is genuinely incapable of showing it in a way that denethor can understand. and denethor loves him too but after a certain point just cannot show it anymore because duty has to take precedence. he's not allowed to give faramir any quarter even in private. and YES that includes anything that would resemble a normal emotion. ngl i wouldn't be surprised if that's the only way faramir is like. LETTING him communicate with him. like i feel like the final assault on osgiliath is not the first time faramir's taken the "if you want to get me to do something you ARE going to have to order me to do it" stance. and yet denethor tries. at the end he takes trying to an unhinged level. idk it often feels like even in the general fandom insistance on one-dimensionally dickish denethor there's somehow also a lack of understanding that it IS a toxic expression of love but that doesn't make it not love. like He's Not Winning Dad Of The Year that is not what we're saying at all. we're saying is "it was born of love. it was a terrible thing yet born of love." thats all! that's why it's so tragic because it's all about love!!! augh...

ok i don't typically put quotations from my own writing in like real posts but also ive been thinking about the faramir goes to rivendell au 24/7 and i just. HAVE to pull this line bc it kind of captures exactly how i feel about the denethor-and-faramir mutual Character Honing.

Yet he [Faramir] cannot deny that each of them sharpens himself upon the whetstone of the other, and it is a debt he loathes to owe and yet cannot hope to repay.

i mean.......like are you picking up what im putting down! like! AAA! both in-narrative and out of it they are always ALWAYS making each other better (or worse. but worse in a More Interesting Way) but AT WHAT COST!!! he loves his father he would not be the man he is today without his father both in a good and bad way he HATES that these two things are true. faramir and denethor are not foils they're parallels they build each other's characters up when you put them next to each other!! faramir is who denethor wouldve couldve been without the war!! hey hang on a second is denethor who faramir would've become if he were the lord steward during the war of the ring? (this is a little reductive i think faramir's susceptibility to despair is quite different to his father's. and i wonder how long his gentleness would've prevailed / worked side by side with his duty instead of being diametrically opposed to it. but anyway. well i'll be thinking about THAT for the rest of the night. i cannot start another au i cannot i cannot i cannot). anyway you can't get one of them without getting the other and that is all...

man i always say like oh don't get me started on movie faramir and denethor and then the don't think of an elephant effect GETS me and it gets me started. last night i genuinely said like "well i won't get into it" and then three hours later it was 2am and it was so very clear that i had Gotten Into It. i had to tell our other roommate like "tell me when ur going to bed i am talking about denethor and i will be yelling." my roommate just came home and i told her about this post and then i had to explain a detail and she SET ME A THREE MINUTE TIMER bc she was like i have to go study. and that's fair

anyway i hope you are having a good night/day/whatever time it is for you. thank you for this ask it is always fun to see you pop up in my notifs whenever im denethorposting lol