#;;boromircanon

[abrazimir]

As collaborators and coworkers, Denethor and Boromir’s relationship was very much one based on trust. Boromir did not tell his father everything he was doing until he believed he needed to know about it and, conversely, Denethor trusted that Boromir would make that judgement well. It kept their work loads helpfully separate and made it clear to others at court and within the army which issues should be taken to the Warden and what needed the Steward’s eye. 

But that did not mean that Boromir and Denethor didn’t work closely and with a casual familiarity. They both had their own offices, but moved between them easily. Often, when Denethor was not taking councils or hearing concerns, Boromir would just take the opposite seat at his father’s desk whilst Denethor penned letters or notes and thought upon his own plans and conundrums in the companionable silence. Every now and then he would actually break said silence to go over the problem between them but most often he would simply exchange a fond smile and farewell with his father before leaving to his own work. 

Such high cooperation between the High-Warden and the Steward was actually quite unfamiliar to most of Gondor, especially the older courtiers and officials within Minas Tirith. Denethor and his father Ecthelion had had, at best, a combative relationship in the past and at worst (some said) the Father had Son had been actively undermining each other, fundamentally disagreeing on Gondor’s defense. It was a significant shock and then relief to the country at large that Boromir and Denethor had settled into such a comfortable and communicative working relationship. 

Boromir had initially (covertly, with the usual social graces) been praised for ‘finding a way to work so well with the grim Steward’ but he resented such assertions and had always bluntly responded that, if a man found his father difficult to work with, that reflected far poorer upon that man, than it ever reflected well upon Boromir himself. 

#;;boromircanon #about:denethor #so sorry i'm still very slow with writing things cus this migraine will NOT release me #it's the sinuses too they're being real bastards #anyway the point is Boromir loves his father uwu

[abrazimir]

The image that people have of Boromir is so curated, but all of them are true to his nature in one way or another, they are all a part of him. To Lords, courtiers and scribes and the servants of the Steward’s house, Boromir is noble, calm, busy and distant but always courteous and practiced with polite smiles, it is not expected to see him in society or debate much, but when they do he is appropriate but focused, all know and respect his priorities and understand that he is always working to their interest. Of course, he has his detractors, especially amongst the more academic and faithful quarters of the nobility, and he is a polarising figure when it comes to more complex matters of both religion and society, but his foundational reputation is well solidified. He is an unshakeable stone of a public figure, he might as well be a stone in Minas Tirith’s walls rather than a person for the position he occupies in people’s minds.

To the Solders who fight with him, he is theirs, their warden to touch and to touch them back, fundamentally entrenched with them and beside them, heaving them out of danger as many times as they do the same to him, the leader of their murmuration, guiding their movements as though they were all one shifting body and yet so much a part of them that it is hard to discern that the command came from him at all. EXCEPT when it isn’t, except in the moments when their morale shakes, when their strength falters, when they need him most and flock to the sight, sound, feeling of him amongst them. The horn winds and the shockwave of it’s effects ripple through them and their enemy both. To Soldiers, Boromir is achingly open to them, they know him as a body, they know his blood, his raw flesh and his hands by touch, everything but his fear or despair. Soldiers may know Boromir’s grit, his brace, his grief and suffering better than even his family, but they have never seen him lost or irresolute. 

To Boromir’s family, he is warm, often quiet and happy to simply exist within the lively conversations of others, but sometimes overbearing in opinion. He has a sense of what should be done, how things should be handled and expectations of people that can be high, especially for those eldest sons in other branches of the family. Still, it is not to the extent that he is an unwelcome presence in their gatherings and, whilst opinion of him varies greatly from relation to relation, all agree that he is loved and valued. He brings a reliable and restful quality to most moments, often only breaking his silence to say something that brings a laugh to everyone present, and has the effect of making his family want to divulge whatever is on their mind simply because he is there, quietly, willing to give his honest and reliable answer. He is the keeper of quite a few secrets and has never reacted dramatically to anything he is told. It is a remarkably similar position to Lothiriel’s reputation in the family, hence they often find themselves quietly sat together to begin their usual ponderous conversations. 

To Gondor’s populace at large, Boromir is simply a hero. No more or less and with just the expected amount of elevation coupled with dehumanisation, he is a figurehead in it’s entirety, trusted and loved, perceived as the masculine ideal by especially the younger generations. Boromir is touchable to them too, but only in an almost  beneficent way, his hand on their shoulder, his commiseration with their grief, his leadership of their communal struggle and defiance, he is both theirs and impossibly distant at the same time. 

But to Theodred, Boromir sleeps. He is soft, weary and regretful, he is an open wound of guilt for all the death left behind him. He is wanting, something so incredibly at odds with every other iteration of Boromir that Theodred finds it nigh on intoxicating, inspiring too. The Boromir Theodred knows wants to live. He does not say it still, would never be able to voice it when, even to himself, wanting feels utterly incongruent with the person he is and has always been, but somehow Theodred and Boromir understand it within one another. The man Theodred holds wants to live, most particularly wants Theodred to live and restrains a very bitter anger that he cannot. But whilst that is perpetually true, he is also just a man who loves, he is tactile even as his body aches, he is talkative in a low and thoughtless way, saying whatever little thing comes to his mind, he likes to press his nose as deep as he can into whatever soft portion of Theodred’s body he can find, they communicate in wordless noises most often and, sometimes, he sings for him.

#;;boromircanon #ship: And even though this life this love is brief I've got him to carry me #about:gondor #IMAGINE BEING JUST MADE OF JELLY thats me

[abrazimir]

I maintain that Boromir actually does have ~strange dunadan/dolamroth powers~ but that they are purely focused on negation. As in, whilst all the fellowship is first happily resting in Rivendell’s miasmic calming atmosphere outside of time, and then again in Lothlorien, Boromir is canonically nearly entirely unaffected by this. Both in Rivendell and in Lothlorien, Boromir is frustrated and impatient with the amount of time passing and he is acutely aware of it as it passes, whilst most other characters report a sense of not being able to tell how long they have spent in both places. This can also be seen with his hinted at encounter with the witch king in the Battle of Osgiliath. Clearly it had some effect, but where most men and even his brother eventually succumb to a kind of sickness, Boromir does not. And the same goes for the Balrog! All the fellowship is petrified by it’s sheer presence, but Boromir winds his horn and actually stalls it’s advance, apparently surprising it enough so that the fellowship can gather themselves and flee. In essence, the influence of ‘magic’ be it elven or maian, has to be very powerful to effect him (like the Ring) otherwise Boromir is built in both body and spirit to endure. 

#;;boromir #;;boromircanon

[abrazimir]

The Mumak and Keep is an eatery within the militarised second circle of Minas Tirith that also doubles as a gay bar. Boromir had frequented it as a teenager and young man, very capable at concealing his own movements and using an alias whilst there. He had to stop his visits when he became Captain-General, but for those few within the community who knew who he was, he keeps some amount of contact with them and so a connection to that community that did so much for him. A few of them helped plan and attended his wedding :)

#;;boromircanon

[abrazimir]

When Boromir stopped hoping, everything fell into place. His internal world reached a calm that allowed him to properly take his life as it was and treasure the joys he was allowed. Hope has never given Boromir anything but torment. People who claimed that, in order to combat despair, they had to hope, baffled and angered Boromir. It was hope that had given him despair, it was fighting for hope that had sapped the fight right out of him. It was the absence of hope and the determination to fight, not because he hoped for a better future, but because Gondor itself deserved to be fought for, even if that fight was doomed, that was what kept Boromir going, what held him unwaveringly strong against the perpetual loss and grief and failure that dogged him his whole life. And indeed! Hope is what kills him! The hope first that, maybe, the fellowship can succeed, that Sauron himself can be beaten, that Gondor might see a new age of peace, it keeps him walking this road he should have turned away from. And it’s the desperation to not let go of that hope that drives his further actions later, that they have this one chance to truly save everyone, for him to actually be the hero of his people, when up until this point he has only been their pallbearer, to let that hope escape by relinquishing it into the hands of people whom have known so little of the evil he has known? Whom are endorsed by people so callous and so threatening, apparently tempting him with the ring itself, utterly untrustworthy and feeling no need to even attempt to win his trust in the first place... If Boromir had never hoped, if he had never believed Gondor’s freedom to be possible, he would have lived. And yet, the Fellowship may also have failed. 

Either way, hope is Boromir’s poison and his death is the only thing the story values in him, in the end. I’m sooooo normal about it.

#;;boromir #;;boromircanon

[abrazimir]

The major theme of Boromir’s whole career as Captain-General was a bold reclamation of a great deal of the abandoned fortresses within north and south Ithilien. Emyn Arnen had always been partly garrisoned but their men mainly haunted ruins rather than properly holding any position of strength. Osgiliath had been relied upon as the only true siege-worthy fortress between Minas Tirith and Minas Morgul, and even that was but a ruin in and of itself. Boromir said this was unacceptable, that if even half of Sauron’s potential allies coordinated an attack they would be swept away in but a single day. And not only that, but the secret holdfast of Henneth Annun was at major risk of discovery, being the most northern garrison and still needing supplies. Their position was unfathomably fragile. No one disputed this, but Hurin (the captain-general at the time) both saw no way to combat it and was unwilling to risk so much in the attempt anyway. 

When Boromir claimed the title, he already had plans. And those plans were costly, something he had been well aware of. There had been no great change, for good or ill, in Gondor’s circumstances by the time Boromir took charge of her defense, he simply argued his strategies well and won the respect of his Captains diligently. It was as much a political victory as a military one when Boromir retook the triangle fort of Haerondir, though it was dearly bought after the orcs of Mordor and a Lord of the Easterlings temporarily allied in an effort to scupper Boromir’s plans. His cousin, Collas, was lost during the first siege and Rondil, one of his cousins husbands, was also killed as the efforts continued to the other northern fortresses. 

And more would die as Boromir pushed his plans, but he was vindicated in the effort in the end. For though this ‘eastern force’ was lost in the majority and it’s last remnant was forced to flee back to Minas Tirith during the Witch King’s attack, the time it took to rout those strongholds dragged the battle of Osgiliath out for ten days more than they might have had, ultimately allowing Boromir the time he needed to marshal a force large enough to retake Osgiliath and blow the bridge to deny the enemy the river.

And yet, even still, it is hard to look back at all he had done, to know it only bought them nine days, and not find it a pauper’s victory. Others might say those nine days gave Minas Tirith a year and that that year gave middle earth it’s freedom whereas even a day less might have meant defeat. But that is difficult for Boromir to see, even if he acknowledges it as true. 

#;;boromircanon #;;boromir #wanna ovo do some threads about this #;;gondor #;;osgiliath #;;ithilien #another thing to be added into the list of reasons boromir is known as the reckless one

[abrazimir]

Hello! I am here today to post an agonisingly long HC about Gondorian-Dunadain/Faithful held beliefs and philosophies on sex and marriage so that the next hc I post will make sense. As per Tolkienian necessity, this is going to be incredibly catholic, homophobic, racist and sexist BUT we’re also subverting it later so... keep hanging on!

Firstly, to define the generally accepted in-world scholastic origin for a lot of these beliefs, some of which are metaphysically ‘true’ for the in-universe offered mechanics of souls. I will be initially stealing a few concepts from an ancient magnum opus fanfic called Hands of the King, namely that Silmariën (daughter of Tar-Palantir in Numenor, ancestress to Elendil and essentially the mother of the Faithful Dunadain) had a massive and foundational impact on the culture of the Faithful. The Silmariën Discourses are a well reproduced and distributed collatation of all her writings on all aspects of living a ‘Faithful life’ that she wrote throughout her life. And whilst they touch on many diverse topics, sex and marriage is one of them. 

Of course, these ideas were heavily influenced by Numenorean understanding of elven traditions, hence LaCE is also an in-universe document in a manner of speaking, written by even earlier Numenorean scholars during the periods of great friendship between elves and Numenor. 

And then, whilst the Silmariën discourses serve as the basis for these customs in Gondor and Arnor and are still quite a common sight within Gondorian libraries and upperclass bookshelves, even taught in schools to a certain degree, other sages and scholars in both Arnor and Gondor have added too or debated their details for generations since then. Hence amongst the Southern and Northern Dunadain you will find differences of custom and perspective. 

And finally, whilst this is technically the attitude of the ‘dominant’ culture in Gondor, it is at the same time technically a culture belonging to an ethnic minority. Even if it is the widespread and reinforced perspective, taught to every citizen within Gondor, it is in no way the only perspective and opinions upon it are complex and diverse throughout the many people groups that make up the country itself. With all that in mind, here is the basic framework of the traditonal viewpoint;

- Obviously, the first major point; sex is for marriage and procreation alone. It is a joy, but only when it is shared between you and your 'one', your partner in body and soul. Otherwise it is a corruption and a symptom of your tragic fall from grace. - In Elves this concept is spiritually enforced, the Faithful (and elves themselves) believe that elves cannot have sex outside of marriage for sex to them is a matter of bonding souls in and of itself and to share that intimacy with anyone who wasn’t your bonded partner would cause harm to you. This is because elves interact with the world using their souls, their bodies are more like vessels, it is their souls that bind them to the world. - However, because humans are connected to the world by their bodies and when they die they leave the circles of Arda never to return, they have been allowed the clemency and mercy of a less restrictive and more fluid matter of choice. It is a grievous hurt to be separated from your soul’s partner, so the atani are allowed ‘lesser’ bonds of love and companionship as they pass through the world. - But this clemency has a downside, it allows room for corruption. This corruption appears in many forms, such as polygamy, queer attraction, promiscuity, marriage for anything but love and sexual violence, but each of them are all to be deeply pitied as signs of a weak and feeble mind and heart that has succumbed to the evil influences of Arda-marred. Such people can resist their corruptions, but they should not be allowed to influence others. - As Silmarien explains it; "If Men are made to be visitors of short passage, then it is right that they shall be loath to bind themselves to someone else and be sundered from that beloved; two wills are deprived of their choice and much grief must follow. Men could give their forms in marriage, yet withhold their full will, something the Elves simply could not do. While this might lessen their grief at the inevitable passing of their mate, it also left open the door for corruption by the Enemy, for Men were tempted very easily into bestial ways, abusing this grace by sharing their bodies promiscuously." - It is generally accepted amongst the Dunadain that, if you are 'a man of high race’, you are more protected against this corruption than those of less blessed lineages. And the truer the blood of Numenor runs in you, the more you are expected to lead a ‘blessed’ life and wed your heart’s true partner. But you are not exempt! Through life or evil thoughts, one might still become corrupted and be inspired to baser deeds and corrupted lifestyles, making you alike to the heretics of old Numenor.  - But the Atani should not despair, for (uncorrupted) men are still capable of the same depths of devotion in marriage as elves. Those of high race can indeed experience similar aspects of soul-bonding, ‘willing’ their souls together and knowing that person on a more intimate and spiritual level, sensing their presence and so forth. And this is believed to be the ‘true nature’ of men.  - And in combination with that, as a combat to this problem of corruption, marriage as a ceremony allows a more physical solution to the issue of men’s wills and partners, both as a public declaration of that will, as well as an aid to those averagely-corrupted men. Marriage creates an environment that will, hopefully, lead men towards their natural ‘willing’ and a blessed life. 

There is some division over one passage within Silmarien’s discourses;

"While Men may not be compelled to will their marriage in the manner of the Eldar, holding forever steadfast to a single choice, still they are capable of it and it is their proper nature. In marital congress are their wills given unity with their forms. It is known among the Dúnedain for some to will thusly from the start or all at once, and those who do are changed and never repent of their choice. Most who will, however, come slowly to this state; their willing is weaker and may sometimes be broken or relinquished. Even so, most Dúnedain will know this joy. To be pitied are those who, like lesser Men, cannot or will not fulfill their natures. They are corrupt."

In Gondor, in the later third age, it is no longer socially acceptable to speak the opinion that ‘lesser men’ are incapable of the same depth of love as the Dunadain. This does not mean none hold that opinion, only that society has enough middle men within it, even in the higher classes, that they have pushed social graces toward a less derogatory view. Though it still often influences the Southern Dunadain philosophy. 

However, within the northern dunadain, it is still a fully accepted wisdom and partly accounts for both their isolationism and the lack of Dunadain marrying into wider families in Eriador. Cautionary tales from Northern Dunadain to their sons and daughters run thus; it is tragic but you must not fall for the illusion of love in the eyes of these middle men, their devotion cannot be true, you are destined for a higher love.  

SO! That’s all the bigotry out of the way, now for the headcanoned ‘true’ mechanics of all this that I am holding as canon for my character and world interpretations on this blog. These hcs both semi-apply to the ideas of ‘fea’ as they are set out, but also allow gay people to exist and for elves to be able to sleep with who they want without canonically being a sickness of the soul or whatever. 

So, yes, Elves have souls that are more seperate from their bodies. They are immortal, as in they live so long it might as well be classed as forever within the confines of Aman. And their body is not what keeps them there, it is just the way they move around the world and interact with it physically. Whereas mortals,  (putting a pin in dwarves for the moment) such as humans and hobbits are bound to Arda by their bodies alone and when their bodies are killed so is their connection to this world and they leave to ‘somewhere else’. Unspecified. As such, elves and their bondmates will not suffer the sorrow of parting forever, whereas humans might. Hence, elven souls ‘bond’ during sex, whereas humans must ‘will’ for it to occur.

Which, in terms of morality, are all neutral facts until you include the machinations of the Valar and Eru and what they WANT it all to mean. I am galvanised by the idea that, whilst some technical aspects of these things are true, the actual meaning of them have been distorted, first by colonialist elves, who then encouraged colonialist humans, and whom were all inspired by Valar unwilling to believe themselves wrong in any way despite the fact that Morgoth also distorted their understanding of the world they had sung of to begin with. And meanwhile Eru does not care about any of it, he only cares if his 'right to the throne of the world’ is being challenged. 

The concept I am running with is the idea that the true ultimate 'divine' aspect of the world comes from the Secret Fire, which Eru used to kindle life yes, but which is in fact a distinct entity from him, unknowable even to him. And in kindling life, it naturally diversified into it’s own aspects of life in completely neutral ways that were meant to coexist and collaborate to produce a harmonious world for the benefit of all. But, upon being placed into a world still ruled by Valar (whom are canonically flawed in actions, motives and understanding whilst also possessing great power) that world and the new life within it was subject to their influences and persuaded by their held beliefs of the ‘right’ way of life, that some of the diverse aspects the secret fire took that they did not understand were ‘corruptions’. Hence the elven faithful belief system was born.

Which, (completely and utterly whoops by accident and unbiased happenstance on my part) creates the situation where Boromir and all of Gondor can say 'I don't care what is divinely ordained to be right as god claims it and I do not care if it is for some great plan I could never understand, I know it to be wrong in my heart' and they are fundamentally correct for saying that, because they (and all other creatures in arda) ARE the secret fire and are therefore actually more divine than Eru is in the end.

They can be handed all of these truths about souls and bonding and death and all the works of the Valar and Morgoth's corruption and so forth that all SEEM to support these Valar-originated concepts and the elves and Eru's divine supremacy and ownership over all creation etc and still say I don't care, I don't care if I'm divinely wrong. I'm humanely right and I would rather hold to that mundane choice than be holy in the eyes of a divinity that claims these things.

Hence Sarte can nod and agree, yes, elves bond, souls become entangled. I have bonded many times, I have shared my soul with many, both in the elven way, the dwarven way and the human way. I unlearned what I was taught and listened to what my soul told me, that elves can create their own realities, we can decide what things mean to us, what a soulbond of love looks like. The fact that I am more soulfully made up of all the pieces of many women who loved me is a beautiful strength not a corrupted weakness.

And Boromir, whom had in essentials been agnostic to the whole thing as a young man and was then confronted by the strange evidence of him being ‘of high race’ in his natural ‘willing’ to Theodred. He eventually acknowledges, yes, I am experiencing some of these things people talk about, which makes it seem like what the Faithful preach is true, and therefore I am corrupted and my love for Theodred is a corruption, despite my ‘willing’ to him. But I have decided I don't care. This is the life I lead, this is the love I have. If it is not acceptable to God then he should have given me a different life and made me a different man. 

And both of them are right! Because the Secret Fire is divine, in and of itself, and what it wills is what is right for it’s own existence. THERE again so sorry, this is even longer than I thought it would be.

#long post #;;boromircanon #;;gondormeta #;;elendili

[abrazimir]

GOD I just remembered that canonically Gondorians use a version of westron with respectful and familiar pronouns and honourifics whilst the Hobbits do NOT and I need to find a way to somehow make up and integrate that into Boromir’s dialogue. Really do LOVE that, to Boromir, all the hobbits treat him like their best mate from day one, Pippin waltzes up to Denethor like BRO I am deeply effected by your son’s sacrifice bud :(

#;;boromircanon #about:gondor #;;gondormeta

[abrazimir]

I have to get this sudden realisation out there into a fully typed post somewhere so apologies to any mutual who remains despite my year long hiatus but this is going to eat me up inside;

Boromir’s relationship with his mother was actually not good. It was not terrible, but it was difficult and painful and unfairly influenced by the impressions of both callous family and public opinion. 

Because Boromir was a large baby, difficult to birth. He did not wean quickly, he did not like to be around strangers or left alone, he wanted to be held often and for all these things and more he was silently labelled as ‘needy’ by many. Not Denethor or Finduilas of course, they were delighted to love him as he needed to be loved and took a great deal of joy in him. However, despite this, Finduilas’ health (that had never been particularly good) worsened noticeably after Boromir was born. 

It is not that people explicitly blamed Boromir for this, but Boromir was also an intuitive child and the cultural and historical concept of ‘mothers who died giving too much of themselves to their sons’ was prominent enough for him to already be thinking about it at a very young age. He did not need casual, gentle urgings from adults that ‘he had to be good, for his mother’, ‘you know how your mother is Boromir, you must give her some space’, ‘you be patient for your mother Boromir, don’t tire her too much’, in order to already begin connecting his needs with harming Finduilas, but they solidified the feeling in him that this was his fault, that he was too demanding. 

Denethor only ever heard of one such comment and he was furious but there was little he could do. And the lesson for Boromir was reinforced time and again. He started pulling away from his mother at just four. Sometimes he was quietly reassured or encouraged to spend time with her and he would relax and laugh and doze in her veils and they would work on some project they loved. But at some point Finduilas would have a coughing fit. And though this might be usual for her in a day, Boromir would see it as his fault. But he also quickly gathered that his mother hated for her ill-health to come between her and the things she wanted to do, so he had to hide that from her as well. 

As he grew he withdrew from her more and more and Finduilas, who did not wholly understand the reasons why, perceived this as a rejection, a boy growing away from his mother’s love and scorning her ‘gentle’ ways (which particularly hurt for Finduilas when she was conflicted by her gender already). Denethor, who had some idea of why Boromir was acting this way, tried to offer him ways to interact with his mother that felt ‘safe’ but Boromir still stopped asking his mother for help. He heard every sweet tease or reminiscence of his ‘needy’ or ‘clingy’ babyhood as an accusation and confirmation of his guilt and almost unconsciously began to ‘need’ much less. He felt he had to give back as much as he had taken, and then more.

Such comments came most often from his maternal grandparents and especially Adrahil, his grandfather. And they were especially prominent after Faramir was born, a smaller baby who was weaned earlier and who was far more gregarious and bold than his brother had been at his age. Comparisons were easy and often made and this atmosphere contributed to the narrative that Denethor ‘loved Boromir too much’ when he felt the need to defend his son from these things and give him the care that he was denying himself. 

Boromir’s worst nightmare became his mother’s death, not because he would lose a mother, but because he would be the cause of it. And, though the family did manage to gentle and settle and find some equilibrium in their day to day, Boromir’s worst nightmare did eventually happen. There was so much love in him, he had built himself for care, and when his mother died he blamed himself. He couldn’t understand why Denethor didn’t. 

But he also couldn’t tell anyone, he couldn’t say a word about his relationship to his mother, especially not to his little brother. And so Faramir, who hated to be out of the loop, got a lot of his answers from Adrahil. Once, when Faramir was a teenager and angry and he wanted to hurt him, he told Boromir ‘you had her the longest and you didn’t even appreciate her’. Boromir just hugged him, ever his protector after all. 

Eventually Boromir did realise that he had just been a child, he had not killed his mother by just being her son and needing her. But by then there was an instinct and an architecture in him that was too fundamental to be rid of. He doesn’t want to need, it does not feel like himself to need things, it isn’t for him. Giving and loving and defending, that is when he feels most himself. And people still joke to this day, sentimental and sweet, of baby Boromir who used to be so cuddly and clingy and who always wished to be held, and how alike he is to his mother. And Boromir just weathers them with a smile.

When Boromir was young Denethor tried to tell him, ‘no Boromir, it is not your fault’. But Boromir couldn’t accept it, it seemed obvious to him, clear that his mother sickened at his hand. ‘You are just saying that to comfort me’ he said, thinking ‘perhaps you do love me too much’ as well. But Denethor didn’t hear that thought until much later, as adults, both talking through and over something painful. And Boromir said it naturally, a humorous answer to some bleak question, with a joking, sardonic tone, ‘hah perhaps you do love me too much’.

And it is the worst Boromir's ever made his father feel, because Denethor knew then, without a shadow of a doubt, suddenly, that that was still real in Boromir, it was still there in him and he wasn’t joking in fact, not in some deep painful part of him. And there was no way for Denethor to dig it out anymore.

#about:denethor #about:finduilas #;;boromircanon #this genuinely feels like a revelation that makes all the pieces fall into place #THIS IS ALSO NOT AT ALL PROJECTION BY THEEE WAY DONT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT...

[abrazimir]

;;OOC You all need to know... Boromir was the roundest of babies. He was the MOST spherical child. He was so loveably round he rolled before he crawled. It was as though he was built to give the most heartbreak possible when trying to imagine this baby going to war in but sixteen years. Did you know grown men were once babies? A terrifying fact.

#;;boromircanon

[abrazimir]

IN GONDOR! It is not acceptable to speak with the dead. Culturally and practically, if you are speaking to the dead and they can hear you, then something has gone very wrong. There is something that is holding them there, perhaps it is you, perhaps if you try to call back to the dead then you will make a wraith out of them. Unacceptable, dangerous. It brings a lot of stigma. When people come to see where their loved ones are buried they must be silent, often wearing veils over their mouths. Poets speak about grief as, ‘I cover my lips and would cut out my tongue, for if I can have no words for you then they should be for no one else’. 

In fact it is more common for people to speak to the dead in insult, after grievous harm and bitter hatred. People will call to the dead who did great evil, to disturb them and try to tie them back here, deny them peace, make them witness their own villainy. 

Radical psychologists have a line of thought that this is detrimental as a practice. There is actually a known psychological phenomenon in Gondor, of people who miss their loved ones so dearly that they can’t help speaking to them in secret, but who feel such guilt for it that it brings all manner of harm to them. Debate surrounding the thought that it’s not possible for someone to create a wraith with just words alone was rising in prominence before the war started sixty years ago, but Ecthelion dismantled a great deal of the institutions for psychological help to fund the war effort and the hiring of mercenaries. After the war and during the painful grieving stage of Gondor, the discussion is begun once again. 

#;;boromircanon #;;gondormeta #about:gondor

[abrazimir]

That being said I am once again thinking about how Boromir was nearly universally loved and accepted in Rohan. I’m thinking about Eomer’s shock at news of his death, I’m thinking about how Theoden grieved him, I’m thinking about Boromir vehemently defending the Rohir at the Council of Elrond. I’m thinking about how Boromir did not just blankly accept Rohan’s allyship, I’m thinking about how he included them in his mind as ALSO his people, that he was able to shift his manners to suit both Rohan and Gondorian society seamlessly. I’m thinking about!! Boromir’s heart!!! 

#;;boromircanon #about:rohan

[abrazimir]

I think Boromir should be allowed to take Aragorn’s legs and hammer-toss him into the Anduin, as a treat. 

Although this reminds me, it’s still canon on this blog that Faramir has been thrown into every fountain Minas Tirith has for all his little brother crimes. Every single one of them. He’s not so noble when he’s looking like a wet rat. 

#;;ooc #but also #;;boromircanon #about:faramir #about:aragorn

[abrazimir]

HERE is finally at least the outline of Boromir and Theodred’s life after Sauron’s defeat. @melnchly and @talesspin may have opinions on marriage and birth dates of children and if you two have daughter OC’s to throw me 👀👀 I shall eagerly add them to the list. 

3019 Third Age (Age 41) March 25th: One Ring destroyed, End of Sauron. May 1st: Aragorn takes the Sceptre of the Reunited Kingdom. Aragorn allows Boromir to retain his title of Captain-General for the extent of the initial war but no longer.  Midyear’s day: Aragorn and Arwen wed. July 22nd: Theoden’s funeral procession lead by Theodred leaves Minas Tirith. August 10th: Funeral of Theoden. September 21st: Minas Morgul is finally subdued and it’s evil remnants are destroyed. Boromir steps down from the Captain-General seat and takes up his full duties as Steward.  November 3rd: Battle of the Bywater.

3020 Third Age (Age 42) March 14th: Drúedain destroy remnant of Saruman's Orcs May 1st: Faramir and Éowyn wed. Last time Theodred and Boromir see each other for a year.

3021 Third Age (Age 43) March 24th: Last day of the third age by Gondor’s reckoning.  First day (Yestarë G.R): Éomer and Lothíriel wed. First time Boromir and Theodred see each other since last year.  September 29th (S.R) Midyear’s day (G.R): Frodo passes over the Sea. End of Shire reckoning of the Third Age.

1 Fourth Age (Age 44) October 6th: Elboron born.

2 Fourth Age (Age 45) Feburary 10th: Elfwine born. June 17th: Death of Lord Sirgon of Lebennin. His grandson, Falasser, becomes the Lord of Lebennin.

3 Fourth Age (Age 46) August 3rd: Theodred decides to cede the crown of Rohan to Eomer after failing to restore his reputation to a level acceptable for a King. Rumours also abound after, despite all urging both public and private, Theodred does not wed. 

4 Fourth Age (Age 47)  Feburary 10th: Theodred officially cedes the throne to Eomer after spending time helping with the transition. He remains for a while afterwards, but soon leaves for Minas Tirith and is welcomed into Merethond as the new liason between Gondor and Rohan. There he lives for some time and is allowed dual citizenship.  November 6th: Death of Lady Vanyalos.

6 Fourth Age (Age 49) Febuary 18th: King Elessar issues an edict that Men are not to enter either Drúadan Forest or the Shire. Elesssar makes the Shire a Free Land under the protection of the Northern Sceptre. March 1st: Peregrin Took marries Diamond of Long Cleeve.

7 Fourth Age (Age 50) Janurary 28th: Theodred and Boromir cease withholding their relationship from the public. The uproar is somewhat mitigated by the slow dissemination of information about it, due to their not truly announcing it in any way. However eventually, with the necessity of confirming it to a few shocked acquaintances, a significant social controversy surrounding it grows. A great many call for Boromir to cede his seat as Steward. 

8 Fourth Age (Age 51) Yestarë: Boromir does cede the Stewardship to Faramir and departs Minas Tirith to live on the island of Cair Andros alongside Theodred. They are welcomed there by the somewhat insular community, most of whom knew and remembered them both with honour and familiarity. With the war taking such a toll on Cair Andros, their presence and help is welcomed as well. 

9 Fourth Age (Age 52) September 8th: Birth of Faramir Took, son of Peregrin Took and Diamond of Long Cleeve. October 10th: After realising that the orphaned sons of Boromir’s old friend from the war, Pedir and Tollon, are living alone, the men ask them to stay with them. Pedir, fourteen, agrees, and eventually they formally adopt the two boys. 

11 Fourth Age (Age 54) April 3rd: Meriadoc Brandybuck, son of Saradoc and Esmeralda Took, becomes the Master of Buckland. Great gifts are sent to him by King Éomer and the Lady Éowyn of Ithilien. Theodred sends some of the pipeweed he has taken to growing and the two hobbits grudgingly admit it is quite good. October 2nd: Death of Lady Terenis.

13 Fourth Age (Age 56) January 8th: Peregrin Took, son of Paladin and Eglantine Banks, becomes the thirty-second Thain of the Shire. King Elessar makes the Thain, the Master, and the Mayor Counsellors of the North-Kingdom. Boromir is the one who journeys to bring them this news, after being asked yet again to visit the Shire. He stays for some months and agrees to return when he can. Mid-year's Day: Samwise Gamgee is elected Mayor of Michel Delving for the second time.

14 Fourth Age (Age 57) December 9th: Boromir and Theodred adopt the newborn daughter of one of Lothiriel’s oldest friends after her life became suddenly difficult and on shakey foundations. She is named Arasser.

15 Fourth Age (Age 58) March 25th: King Elessar rides north and dwells for a while in Annúminas by Lake Evendim. He comes to the Brandywine Bridge, and there greets his friends. He gives the Star of the Dúnedain to Master Samwise, and Elanor is made a maid of honour to Queen Arwen. November 15th: Death of Glóin.

19 Fourth Age (Age 62) August 28th: Death of Farmer Cotton

20 Fourth Age (Age 63) April 7th: Legolas brought south Elves out of Greenwood, and they dwelt in Ithilien, and it became once again the "fairest country in all the westlands." Midyear’s Day: Sam Gamgee elected mayor for the third time.

21 Fourth Age (Age 64) January 4th: Samwise, Rose and Elanor ride to Gondor and stay there for a year. During this period, Master Tolman Cotton acts as deputy Mayor. December 19th: Birth of Tolman Gardner, thirteenth child and seventh son of Samwise Gamgee and Rose Cotton.

27 Fourth Age (Age 70) Mid-year’s Day: Sam Gamgee elected mayor for the fourth time

31 Fourth Age (Age 74) October 1st: The Westmarch becomes a part of the Shire by the gift of the King. Many Hobbits remove to it.

34 Fourth Age (Age 77) Mid-year's Day: Samwise Gamgee is elected Mayor of Michel Delving for the fifth time. November 14th: Death of Imrahil, Prince of Dol Amroth. Elphir, son of Imrahil, becomes the twenty-third Prince of Dol Amroth.

39 Fourth Age (Age 82) June 1st: Death of Theodred after a protracted illness. 

41 Fourth Age (Age 84) Mid-year's Day: Samwise Gamgee is elected Mayor of Michel Delving for the sixth time. At Samwise's request, Thain Peregrin Took makes Fastred the Warden of Westmarch. Fastred and Elanor make their dwelling at Undertowers on the Tower Hills, where their descendants, the Fairbairns of the Towers, dwelt for many generations.

42 Fourth Age (Age 85) May 11th: Boromir returns to the Shire for the last time.

48 Fourth Age (Age 91) Mid-year's Day: Samwise Gamgee is elected as Mayor of Michel Delving for his seventh and final term. June 2nd: Boromir is welcomed to Edoras once again. He remains there for a few months, but dies quietly toward the end of the visit. 

#;;boromircanon #that feeling when... you have to plan your character's death hhh #;;timeline #I'll be editting this as events occur or come to me in visions

[abrazimir]

I think it’s important to recognise that, as painful as a lot of things were for Boromir surrounding his queer identity, he did not have to be that careful with concealing it. In fact, the thing that kept his life so secret for so many years was that, if someone accused him of being ill-fated, it would likely be more damaging to the accuser than to Boromir. His reputation, his position and the respect he commanded from society (both earned and born into) were such that it simply was not worth anyone’s time or effort to tell people what they might have seen or heard, because how could you! The Warden of the White Tower? Boromir II? Our noble defender? The heir to the Stewardship? Why would you fabricate such things so scandalously! (Scandal being a thoroughly dishonourable thing in Gondor and eagerly avoided where possible.) So, despite the fact that quite a few people were generally aware of Boromir’s relationship with Theodred before, they were never much of a risk to him. This is a privilege that Boromir grew increasingly aware of as he grew older, as well as aware that very few other people possessed it. Which was something else that drove his general respect and championing of middle men causes and valiance. 

#;;boromircanon #about:gondor #:) #we're still doing indulgent hcs as I get energy back :DDD

[abrazimir]

HC - Boromir’s outing and his road to ceding the Steward’s Sceptre

From an outsider’s perspective, or even initially the perspectives of their own families, Theodred and Boromir had been simply living in the same city for three years until, suddenly, rumours about them began to stir. Of course with Theodred’s ceding of his crown unmarried, there had been some manner of ‘ill-fated’ rumours following him already. But he had always dismissed them and Boromir had refused to discuss the topic when asked about it, something that most people judged in good taste. 

However the point when they simply stopped hiding their relationship was confusing for all. They are both naturally withdrawn people, so even as a few began to see them together about the place more intimately, they were not many and their testimony was often disregarded or changed in the telling. Boromir and Theodred did, belatedly, send short letters simply informing their various extended family members of the situation. But, what with the delay, it’s likely those family members had at least heard some version of the rumour before receiving those letters. 

After that, it became more and more public and the discussion changed from ‘is this true?’ to ‘what should be done about it’. Majority of public opinion tended towards worry, pity, a concern for the state of the Stewards line as a whole, a concern for the office itself, a concern about the King and his family and Boromir’s acquaintances and a concern for Boromir and his mental state. Opinion turned quite quickly against Theodred, labelling him as the mastermind for this situation. A not insignificant minority of people quickly began calling for Boromir’s removal from his station and that end goal became more and more widely accepted. 

However, it also sparked the beginning of a general upsurge in the queer Gondorian communities becoming more vocal. And Boromir was clear in his support of their voices, though he also urged caution and not to take risks with their safety or anonymity. He submitted himself to various discussions both in chambers and out in society, as did Theodred though he was not called as much after his manner was found to be a great deal more blunt than most Gondorians could weather. But whilst some people began to make progress, others could not.

A great deal of Boromir’s friends and family found it hard to take, hard to marry Boromir with this new aspect of him. Elphir and Erchirion became distant for a long time, even Imrahil had some reservations, though they were mostly political and simply required some time to plan. In Lossarnach, his aunt Vanyalos had good intentions but was too steeped in Imloth Melui’s medicalised academic culture to offer positive help, as did many of her surviving daughters. However he still found support in his aunt Terenis and many of his more distant family within Pelargir.

And yet! It was not a rift in the eyes of the public that could be mended well enough and quickly enough to allow Boromir to continue his duties without significant hampering. This was something Boromir had expected, but it was still a shock for many when Boromir ceded the Steward’s sceptre to Faramir a year later. It was something that a Steward had never done in recorded memory and created a strange ripple of feeling amongst Gondor at large, not least because Boromir had been so loved before all of this. He remained present and active within politics, his and Theodred’s home on Cair Andros a very comfortable distance from Minas Tirith. 

I’ve never discussed this with any of the Aragorn’s I’ve written with, so until I have some manner of synced canon with one I’ll be assuming Aragorn is essentially unwilling to add his voice in support or criticism on the subject. He is reluctant, however, to allow Boromir to cede the Stewardship simply due to tradition and principle. Though he allows it once Boromir makes it clear he will not be distancing himself from Theodred again.

#;;boromircanon #about:theodred #THERE we are #AND NOW! I sleep