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arofili · 3 years

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Worldbuilding Exchange Letter 2021

Hello lovely creator, thanks for creating for me in the Worldbuilding Exchange! I’m very excited and grateful for whatever you create for me <3

This letter will restate my DNWs, list my likes, give you a brief rundown of my canon preferences, and then dive into specific prompts for each of my requests.

I’ll warn you upfront that I tend to ramble, so feel free to skip prompts that don’t interest you and/or use ctrl+F to search for whatever it is you want to write for.

My requests are divided by fandom, and in the case of the Silm + Middle-earth Legendarium, by topic too, so hopefully that will be helpful for you! Also, my TAZ request is waaay down at the bottom, so if that’s what you’re here for, just go to the bottom of the page.

Housekeeping:

DNWs:

Non-con

Unrequested dub-con

Abusive/Neglectful parenting (especially wrt Fëanor)

Sibling incest, parent-child incest (cousin pairings are fine)

Unhappy/Unhopeful endings (unless otherwise specified)

Jealousy/Possessiveness

Cheating

Character or ship bashing

Hanahaki/any scenario where unrequited love is physically damaging

Soulmates, especially soulmate AUs (soul bonds are OK, if there is choice involved)

Porn without plot (Porn with plot is fine!)

Food involved in sex

Unrequested Modern AU

Non-trans mpreg

If you’re writing a slash ship where the characters are/were married to/involved with someone outside the ship, please don’t have the character(s) hate their spouse or not have been actually in love with them (the one exception is Finrod; I’m fine with him and Amarië not having been actually in love, but please don’t do this for anyone else, especially not Fëanor)

Hobbit/LOTR-specific DNWs:

The concept of a dwarven “One”

Any Fíli pairing

Alfrid

Legolas or Gimli paired with anyone other than each other

no smut for these fandoms, please

Silm-specific DNWs:

Evil/irredeemable/incel Maeglin

Elwing bashing

Fëanorian bashing

Over the top Fëanorian apologism (they did bad stuff; it was at least partially their fault. you don’t have to address that, necessarily, but don’t rewrite the story to claim they were blameless)

Fingon with a wife

Fingon or Maedhros ships that don’t take Russingon into account (polyamory, an open relationship, Mae with someone after Finno dies or vice versa for an AU, them with other people while they’re separated on the Ice/in Angband - all of these scenarios are fine, but in the end I need them to be with each other first and foremost)

Dark!Maedhros

Elvish re-embodiment after death being an actual, literal rebirth that requires the characters to have a second childhood; I much prefer them being granted a new hröa in their prime (feel free to explore what “in their prime” means, though, especially wrt scarred and disabled elves)

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Likes:

(these might not all apply to worldbuilding, but they might give you a place to start from!)

Gen fic

Found family

Family dynamics

Loving families, even when things get complicated

Friendship, intense/important platonic relationships

Relationships that defy categorization

Queerplatonic relationships

Polyamory

Queer headcanons (especially aromantic-spectrum headcanons)

Trans/nonbinary headcanons (genderbending is also fine, but I prefer trans/nb hcs)

Angst with a happy ending

Gray morality

Explorations of magic

Most tropes

Fanon and fandom tropes

Deconstruction/Inversion of fanon and fandom tropes

Interspecies relationships

Peredhil

Secret relationships

Secret relationships coming to light

Secret kids (especially secret peredhil!)

Giving ships OC kids

OCs interacting with canon characters

Confessions of love

First times

Hurt/comfort

Redemption, forgiveness, mercy

Ironic foreshadowing

Canon divergence AUs/X Lives AUs

Politics and scheming

Resolving conflicting canonical details

Historical/Narrative bias affecting what is and isn’t “canon” (to an extent; changing motivations, consequences, etc is great, but please don’t ignore canon entirely)

Elrond & Elros having complicated relationships with both their bio and adoptive parents

Names fitting the time period (Quenya names in Valinor, please; if this is difficult for you, that’s okay, no pressure, but I do strongly prefer it)

Names having a lot of thought put behind them (does the character go back to their original Quenya name upon rebirth? or do they keep their Sindarin name? or come up with something else entirely? do they hate their new Sindarin name and resent having to use it, or do they embrace it? As long as you put some thought into it, I’m sure I’ll like whatever you decide!)

Author’s notes where you explain your thought process, if you want; I love hearing how the story took shape!

~~~

Preferences re: Canon:

LaCE compliance is always completely optional (except if you’re choosing a prompt that is specifically about LaCE, lol). If you do want to include it, that’s great, but if you just want the characters to fuck without having that be an issue, go for it. I love explorations of LaCE that take into account the exceptions, boundaries, definitions, etc; I also love takes that emphasize that they are Laws and Customs, not biological imperatives.

I’m not picky about my Amrod deaths. He can die at either Losgar or Sirion (or, hell, some other time/place if you make it interesting enough!), whatever works best for the story. I do like Lightly Toasted Amrod, aka he almost burns to death at Losgar but survives/gets rescued at the last minute.

Gil-galad theories are all very fun. Please don’t make him the son of Fingon and a wife; if he’s Fingon’s son, I want Maedhros to be involved at least a little bit (adoption or trans mpreg are both fine in this scenario). Otherwise, I don’t have a particular preference, though if it’s not really relevant I usually default to the son of Orodreth (who is in turn the son of Angrod). Also, I’ve requested “Origins of Gil-galad”; there’s more information on him in that section.

Honestly, when it comes to theories and headcanons, my rule of thumb is “convince me”! I’m down for whatever, for the most part, as long as you can justify it :)

~~~

For all of these, “suggested characters” pulls from the list of characters I requested with that signup, but if you’ve got an idea involving other characters then go for it! And in the end, all characters are just suggestions, this exchange is more about the worldbuilding :)

~~~

The Hobbit (Book)

Adventuring Hobbits Before Bilbo: Who were they? Did they ever come back, or was Bilbo assumed dead because of precedent? Were they all Tooks, or did some other hobbits tag along on adventures, too? Suggested Character(s): Belladonna Took

Dragon Magic & Dragon-hunting: Talk to me about dragons! I’m interested in dragons & dwarves, especially in relation to the first time dwarves were driven from Erebor and into the North and the War of the Dwarves and Dragons. What kinds of dragons set their sights on the mountain? How old was Smaug when all that was happening; did he learn anything from the failures of his kin? Who were the dragon-hunting dwarves who fought in that war? Suggested Character(s): Smaug, Original Dwarf Character

Dwarven Craft and Magic: Enchanted weapons, enchanted armor, runes and spells...all so interesting! Borrowing from the movies a bit, did Kíli’s runestone from Dís have any magic power? What’s the deal with the Arkenstone’s thrall? How do elf and dwarf magics intersect when it comes to objects like Bilbo’s mithril coat? Suggested Character(s): Dís, Frerin, Thorin, Original Dwarf Character (perhaps a craftsdwarf?)

Dwarves and Gender: We need more dwarf women! And I’d love any takes on nonbinary dwarves and/or dwarf-specific genders. Were there female dwarves in the Company that Bilbo mistook for male dwarves? Are dwarven women really only a third of the population? If dwarf men and women are very similar in appearance, how do they differentiate between them, or do they differentiate at all? If you included something about dwarvish braiding styles indicating gender, class, marital status, I would be delighted. Suggested Character(s): Dís, Frerin, Thorin, Original Dwarf Character; in this case I’d prefer a focus on canon characters, but OCs interacting with them would be marvelous, especially people like Dís’ spouse.

The Black Arrow: Bard’s little pep talk to his arrow has always intrigued me. I’d love to see your take on the origins of the Black Arrow. Does it really come from Erebor, and if so, who made it? How did Bard and his forefathers come to acquire it? (I like the movie version that ties it into Girion’s attempt to kill Smaug, so feel free to incorporate that if you feel like it.) Is the arrow enchanted? (Perhaps that could be tied to the Dwarven Craft and Magic tag!) Suggested Character(s): Bard, Original Character from Dale, Original Dwarf Character

The Stone Giants & Were-worms: I don’t have many thoughts on these guys except “neat! tell me more!” I’m fascinated by the creatures Tolkien only gives us a passing mention of; if you feel like it, maybe you could combine these tags with some of the creatures in the LOTR tagset (crebain, cold drakes, Watcher in the Water, Mearas, Kine of Araw, etc...I didn’t sign up with all those tags, but it would be neat to hear about them anyway!)

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The Lord of the Rings (Books)

Cold-drakes and Fire-drakes & Crebain & The Watcher in the Water: Like with the Stone Giants and the Were-worms, I just think they’re neat and I’d love to hear your take on their origins and how they affect the history of Middle-earth. Feel free to combine this with other creature-related requests. Suggested Character(s): Scatha

Ghosts and Hauntings: Barrow-wights? Nazgûl victims? Just your crotchety old hobbit neighbor who still holds a grudge about losing the biggest pumpkin contest despite having been dead for 20 years? There’s a lot of potential for stories here; maybe you could combine a ghost story with some other prompt to add a murder mystery or haunting plot to a relationship you’re exploring!

Dwarf-Elf Relations: I don’t believe All Dwarves and All Elves hated each other! We have famous elf-dwarf friendships across the ages, and really it was just the Sindar vs. the Broadbeams/Firebeards that had the feud. Still, Legolas (a Sinda) and Gimli (raised among Broadbeams and Firebeards in the Blue Mountains) are caught up in that, so their friendship is quite remarkable! I’d love interrogations of how that feud continued across centuries and discussions of what really went down in Menegroth, perhaps with one of the Durins having an elf friend at some point in the past that sheds light on how Legolas and Gimli can get along. (I am here for any and all Gimli and Legolas combinations; I love them as friends, I love them as boyfriends or husbands, I love them as queerplatonic partners, I love them as anything in between! Do whatever you’d like with them!) Suggested Character(s): Gimli, Legolas, Original Elf Character, Any of Durins 1-7

Elvish and Mannish settlements in post-Ring War Ithilien: How do Legolas and Faramir get along, both living in Ithilien after the war? What do Legolas’ people think about being neighbors with a bunch of Men? Faramir and Imrahil were Aragorn’s chief commanders after the war, and Legolas expressed admiration for Imrahil; I imagine Imrahil visited his nephew in Ithilien, so what are the interactions of those three like? I’d love to see an exploration of Silvan elves and their culture here, with Legolas leaning into his Silvan heritage and maybe some Silvan OCs who have spent their whole lives in Mirkwood up until now and have never met Men before now! Suggested Character(s): Faramir, Legolas, Imrahil, Original Elf Character

Relations between the Dúnedain and Rivendell: Talk to me about the Grey Company, or Elladan and Elrohir fighting alongside their distant kin, or Rangers taking breaks in Imladris, how the Rangers think of Aragorn who was raised among elves, etc. I’d love an outsider POV here, such as an OC observing the oddities of a canon character. Suggested Character(s): Original Elf Character, Original Ranger of the North

The Glittering Caves of Aglarond: More Gimli and Legolas stuff - but with a focus on Gimli this time :) Gimli as a lord in his own right, Gimli who takes elves on tours of his dwarf-kingdom and weirds out his people (is it just Legolas, or does he take any Silvan elves with him, or like...his elvish in-laws??), Gimli as a craftsman... Or, alternatively, you could explore the caves before Gimli gets to work on them, what the Rohirrim thought of them and how they were created - by natural processes, or by magic, or a mixture of both? Did Aulë make them for the dwarves to find, perhaps? Suggested Character(s): Gimli, Legolas

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The Hobbit (Movies)

Dragonsickness/Goldsickness: The parallel to mental illness in the movies was really interesting. I’d love to see lingering effects of the goldsickness on Thorin after the Battle (Everyone Lives AU, probably), or an AU where Fíli or Kíli inherit the throne of Erebor and are afflicted by it as well. Or, sticking to canon, how did Fíli and Kíli and the rest of the Company deal with Thorin falling into madness? Were the other dwarves affected by the thrall of the gold? Bard and Thranduil were observers of Thorin’s madness; what did they think of him? Did Thranduil remember Thrór under dragonsickness? Or, since movie!Thranduil is a far cry from book!Thranduil when it comes to going to war over jewels, was he affected by the dragonsickness even from a distance? Was Bard? Suggested Character(s): Thorin, Fíli, Kíli, Bard the Bowman, Thranduil

Dwarves who "choose craft"/Aromantic-Spectrum and Asexual-Spectrum Dwarves: This is pulling more from the books than the movies, but I didn’t have enough nomination slots to include any book nominations, so it went here, lol. Anyway: as I’m sure you can tell from my tumblr url, I headcanon Fíli as aromantic, and I love seeing that in fanworks! It’s really wonderful that Tolkien mentioned that many dwarves choose their craft over marriage, and I’d love to see an exploration of that aspect of dwarvish culture, and how Fíli fits into it. It seems to be fairly common/accepted, but are there different cultural pressures around marriage for the crown prince? How does Fíli figure out he’s aromantic? If aro and ace dwarves are expected to be choosing a craft over romance and sex, what’s Fíli’s craft? Or does he not have one, and people judge him for that? The “choose craft” language I use is very much inspired by this post and the Neo-Khuzdul word “bijebtorva” :) Suggested Character(s): Fíli, Original Character(s)

Governance and Politics in Mirkwood: How did Thranduil and Oropher come to power in the Greenwood? I hate the “lowly Silvan elf” line from the movie; can you somehow justify that with worldbuilding, or show how it’s not accurate? Is Legolas half-Silvan like is implied in the LOTR books? Who are Thranduil’s advisors? Is Tauriel really the only one who dislikes and defies Thranduil’s isolationist policies? Is Mirkwood very patriarchal, and is Tauriel’s appointment to Captain of the Guard something she faced opposition or competition for? Are the Sindar elite colonizers, or did they integrate into Silvan society? How does the average Silvan elf feel about their king, or do they not even think about him? Suggested Character(s): Thranduil, Tauriel, Original Character(s)

Poetry and prophecy: Bard uncovers that tapestry that turns a song from the book into a somewhat ominous prophecy; there’s a lot of discussion of fate and signs from the thrush at the door to the last light of Durin’s Day; Thranduil has seen enough in his thousands of years to have had time to brush up against a prophecy or two. What do these three believe about fate and prophecy? Are any of them prophets in their own right? How does poetry/music lend power to prophecy? (Bonus points if you tie it back into the Ainulindalë...) Suggested Character(s): Bard the Bowman, Thorin, Thranduil

Poisons and antidotes: I love Kíli/Tauriel and the scene where she heals his wound...but the worldbuilding around morgul poison and athelas is a little murky. It’s a decent parallel to Frodo’s condition in the LOTR movies, but it’s confusing lore-wise. Can you make sense of it? If Tauriel is a warrior, where did she learn healing? (In my own headcanons, her foster family are healers, which is how she learned those skills even though she’s primarily a warrior - but feel free to take it in whatever direction you’d like!) Suggested Character(s): Tauriel, Kíli, Original Character(s)

Rebuilding Erebor & Relations between Dwarves + Elves + Men: (I’d prefer an Everyone Lives AU for this situation.) How do Thorin and his Company put Erebor back together again? What are the renovation projects like? How long does it take Dís and the rest of the Longbeards to arrive in Erebor and help out? How long does Dáin stay to help his cousin? I would love to see some politics both internally within the Longbeard dwarves and externally as they relate to Mirkwood and Dale. Smaug’s corpse is just lying in the Long Lake...how do the dwarves feel about their old enemy’s body so close by? Do some Men want to re-establish Lake-town, and demand help from the dwarves who flushed the dragon out of the mountain? Do the dwarves want to harvest Smaug’s corpse for resources? (He’s probably got gold and jewels stuck in his scales, and dragon-skin/scales is probably a good raw material for crafting things.) What’s the process of Bard becoming King of Dale? Does he face any opposition? I love the idea of Hilda Bianca challenging him for leadership, or maybe insisting on some kind of democracy/representation in Dale! And if she doesn’t get her way, maybe it’s her leading some people back to Esgaroth and founding a democracy there that would make the old Master roll in his watery grave... How do Bard and Thranduil and Thorin reconcile after the battle? Does Thorin pay up like he said he would? Does Tauriel hang around, or does she go somewhere else? Are any elves inspired by her, or is she a total outcast? If you choose to explore the Kíli/Tauriel relationship, how does that affect politics between Erebor and Mirkwood? Suggested Character(s): Thorin, Fíli, Kíli, Bard the Bowman, Hilda Bianca, Thranduil, Tauriel, Original Character(s)

Tauriel's fate after the Battle of the Five Armies: This is for exploring what happened to Tauriel in canon. Does she wander the world and explore new places? How long does she mourn Kíli? What does she do with the runestone? Does she return to Mirkwood, and if so, how does she manage to get back into Thranduil’s good graces? There are a million different ways to take this, I’d love to see your take on her! Suggested Character(s): Tauriel, Thranduil, Original Character(s)

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The Silmarillion: Magic & Spirits

Houseless Elves: Why did they refuse the call of Mandos? Do Avari even go to Mandos? Can Melkor and Sauron ensnare these spirits for their necromantic purposes? If the call of Mandos is refused once, does that bar them from listening in the future? What kinds of ghosts are haunting Middle-earth in the First Age? What kinds of ghosts haunt Aman? Suggested Character(s): Original Character(s), Melkor

Magic as a connection to the Music/the Song: Magic isn’t always the best-explained in Tolkien’s universe, but what we do know is the incredible power of the Music. How do the Maiar and Valar, who are not technically beings of Arda, interact with the world? How do elves and men (and dwarves! and orcs!) tap into the Song and manipulate it to their benefit (or detriment)? I have the headcanon that Elemmírë, the elf who sung the Aldudénië, is a priestess of Varda; what was the power of that mourning song, and how was it received by her patron Vala? Suggested Character(s): Elemmírë, Varda, Melian, Melkor, Original Character(s)

Nature Spirits: These holes in Tolkien’s worldbuilding are fascinating to me. What role do nature spirits play? How many are there? I’m thinking particularly of river spirits, like the River-woman and Goldberry, but there are probably also mountain spirits and water spirits and-and-and... Are they Maiar? Lesser beings? What do the Maiar we know of think about them? Gandalf seems the kind to listen to them and learn their stories, but perhaps Melian sees them more as servants in protecting her realm... Suggested Character(s): Melian, Original Character(s)

The Shadow-shapes in the hills above Cuiviénen: What were these shapes? Melkor’s prototypical monsters, Maiar who didn’t know how to interact with the Children, something else entirely? What did the original elves believe about them? Did they fear them, did they try to appease them, did they try to confront them? I headcanon that Elemmírë is an Unbegotten elf, so perhaps she lost friends to the Shadows, or thought she did. If the Shadows did take elves, was it out of malice or curiosity or a desire to protect them from whatever Melkor was planning? Suggested Character(s): Melkor, Elemmírë, Original Character(s)

The Void: Melkor spends a whole lot of time here. Does he have any company? Something or someone he makes to pass the time with? Do the Valar (like Manwë or Námo or Varda or Nienna) visit him there? What is the nature of the Void, is it pure emptiness or chaotic magic or a nightmare machine? Is Melkor being punished or is he being contained? And where are the boundaries of the Void? Varda rules the heavens; does her realm bleed into Melkor’s prison? Suggested Character(s): Melkor, Varda, Original Character(s)

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The Silmarillion: Elven Relationships

Note: This request deals with relationships, and while I’m open to pretty much anything, please keep in mind my DNWs. Exploring these topics using canon relationships is a safe bet; I adore Maedhros/Fingon so having a look at them through this lens would be amazing; I have Aredhel as a character request here, and I see her as aromantic (“to none was her heart’s love given”) so while showing her in a relationship is fine, I’d love it if you could take her lack of romantic feelings into account; if you have a question about another ship, you can check to see what I’ve written and/or send me anon message! Additionally, a lot of these talk about soul bonds, which I’m very interested in, but one of my DNWs is soulmates. To me the concepts are very different things; it’s the destiny and inevitability and universal assumption of romance that really squick me out about soulmates. Soul bonds, on the other hand, have an aspect of choice to them that I really dig. So, please don’t make characters Fated For One Another, but please do explore what joining souls is like!

Laws & Customs of the Eldar: Boy do I have a lot of feelings about LaCE—and I’m always intrigued by other people’s feelings, too! I’d love to see an exploration of how these laws and customs came to be, which parts of the rules around marriage and children and re-embodiment are social constructs and which are innate to the fëa and hröa, and/or relationships that defy the norms. If your take on the laws is hetero/cisnormative, how does that affect queer elves? If your take is free of bigotry, what are the flexibilities around queerness, including asexuality and aromanticism? Laws and customs and rules always have loopholes and exceptions, so what do elves who don’t fit into the expected relationship mold do about these norms? Suggested Character(s): Aredhel, Maedhros, Fingon, Elrond, Any Unbegotten Elf Character(s)

Arranged Marriages among the Eldar: Russingon arranged marriage AU?? Orrrr....Maedhros or Fingon are politically engaged to someone else, and they have to deal with the ramifications of that? (Please don’t have them actually go through with the marriage if you go that route; I’m not interested in a story with Fingon having a wife, even if she’s a beard.) If elves (usually) only love once, and by declaration of the Valar can only marry once (Finwë being the somewhat disastrous exception), how is an arranged marriage justified within the cultural emphasis on these bonds? Are they more like arranged romances, people pushing their children together in hopes that they’ll fall in love? Or is it a stricter rule about “you do what’s best for this family”? (Note: Bad/cruel parenting is one of my major DNWs, so if you’re going that route, please don’t make the parent uncaring or malicious. Stubborn and narrow-minded is fine, as is the genuine belief that this is what’s best for the child, but ideally they’ll learn from their mistakes or perhaps everything will be interrupted and derailed by Canon Events. This is especially important wrt to Fëanor.) Suggested Character(s): Maedhros, Fingon

Creation/Discovery of soul bonds: How do soul bonds work on a metaphysical level? Can they be broken? Do they have to be nurtured and maintained? What’s long-distance communication like? Heck, what’s short-distance communication like, is it like talking in your mind or sharing your feelings or more abstract than that? Can elves form soul bonds with mortals? And most importantly—how did elves figure out they could soul bond with one another?? I can imagine that would be quite a shock when they’re discovering sex and then suddenly they’re inside each other’s minds! Suggested Character(s): Any Unbegotten Elf Character(s)

Non-romantic/sexual soul bonds: I’m good with practically any relationship here. Explore sibling bonds, twin bonds, parent-child bonds, queerplatonic bonds, found family bonds, adoption bonds, the bond between a Vala and their Maia...any kind of soul bond that is familial or platonic or chosen without regard to romance! (Feel free to take a canon romantic relationship and turn it queerplatonic, I live for that shit!) How are these bonds formed outside of sex? What are the rituals and ceremonies around forming them? Is it a public or private thing? Are non-romantic soul bonds taken seriously, or are they seen as less important than marriage bonds? Since elven parents literally give part of their soul in the creation of the child, is that parent-child bond innate? Suggested Character(s): Aredhel, Any Unbegotten Elf Character(s)

Elven adoption: I nominated this with Kidnap Dads in mind (if you go that route I love fluff for them as well as more nuanced/complicated takes on the situation, but whatever you do don’t make M&M cruel, and please include Maedhros as a parental figure alongside Maglor)...but hey, it could work for Fingon (and Maedhros) adopting Gil-galad! What are traditions around elven adoption? Are there soul bonds created between the adoptive parents and children? Was adoption even a thing in Aman, or is it only practiced in Middle-earth? Did elves adopt mortals and vice versa? Is adoption extended to found family other than a parent-child situation? How is adoption viewed by elvish society, especially if inheritance/succession is a concern? Suggested Character(s): Maedhros, Fingon, Elros Tar-Minyatur, Elrond

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The Silmarillion: Noldorin Politics

Original Fëanorian follower(s) who turned on their lords at Sirion: Okay, this is a character tag, but I’m absolutely obsessed with this line: “For the sons of Fëanor that yet lived came down suddenly upon the exiles of Gondolin and the remnant of Doriath, and destroyed them. In that battle some of their people stood aside, and some few rebelled and were slain upon the other part aiding Elwing against their own lords (for such was the sorrow and confusion in the hearts of the Eldar in those days).” Who were these people who followed the Fëanorians into exile, into a Kinslaying, through the burning of the ships, through 30 years of Maglor as a king-regent incapable of treating with the Nolofinwëans, through the scattering of their lords and the harsh conditions of the North, through the Bragollach and the Nírnaeth and a “wild and woodland life” and the Second Kinslaying (where some of them went as far as to abandon children in the winter woods to die because they thought it was what their lord/s would want), through isolation and hatred from every other elven group, through the plan to attack a refugee camp—through ALL OF THAT, and THEN they turn on their lords at Sirion??? Why betray your lords NOW? And the people who DID keep following them after that (after kidnapping children!!!), what were they thinking?? — I firmly believe that Maedhros has many escapees from Angband in his service who are ride or die for him and whose morality was somewhat warped by Angband, but what about Maglor’s followers? Caranthir’s? Ambarussa’s? Even Celegorm and Curufin’s?? There’s just SO MUCH potential for story here, I’m dying to read about them!

Noldorin lines of succession: Was It Sexist Or Was It Not: The Eternal Question aka Why Didn’t Idril Become High Queen After Turgon? Also, what does “eldest of the house of Finwë, and not the least wise” even MEAN, Maedhros?? How did Gil-galad come to power? I find it hard to believe he became king immediately after Gondolin fell; was it a wartime power grab? A battlefield promotion? How did the kingship get established in the first place? Why was Finwë chosen to go with Oromë to Aman? Was Maglor ever really king, or did he only rule as a regent for the missing Maedhros? Suggested Character(s): Finwë, Gil-galad, Maglor

Origins of Gil-galad: I am always so interested in takes on Gil-galad’s parentage. My favorites are Russingon baby Gil (through trans mpreg or adoption, both are good) and secret peredhel Gil (probably an Aegnor/Andreth baby adopted by Orodreth), but I also love Finduilas Is Gil-galad and honestly, any situation is fascinating here—just convince me! A possible way to explore this is through Outsider POV; some noble or historian trying to figure out just what the heck is up with Gil-galad. His parentage being confusing in-canon is so fun!! Suggested Character(s): Gil-galad, Original Nobility of the Noldor

Maglor's Kingship between Maedhros' capture and rescue: Was Maglor ever really king? Did he give up on Maedhros early on, or did he cling to the hope that he still lived? Did his brothers turn to him for support, or did they connive to take responsibility from him? The rift between the Noldor wasn’t healed until Maedhros’ rescue; did Maglor try to cooperate with Fingolfin, or did he keep his people isolated? Was he relieved when Maedhros came back and took responsibility, or was he resentful to lose his power? How does this situation (and Maglor not going to rescue Maedhros) affect M&M’s relationship later on? Suggested Character(s): Maglor, Original Fëanorian follower(s)..., Curufin, Caranthir

Dwarf-Elf relations in the First Age & Dwarf-kingdoms: Dwarf-friends!!! Yes!!! I love elves and dwarves being buds (or partners if you’d like to go that route!) <3 IIRC, Curufin learned Khuzdul, and I’m sure Celebrimbor did too; Caranthir was supposedly rude to the dwarves, but what if that’s just his (and their!) love language? How did relations between the Sindar and the dwarves sour over time? Maedhros was friends with Azaghâl; how did that relationship begin? How did Finrod’s contract with the dwarves blossom into a real friendship? Eöl was also buddies with the dwarves; did he ever bump into Curufin or Caranthir while at a trade festival or something? And the dwarf kingdoms of the First Age are fascinating on their own, too; what was the political structure like? Did the dwarves bring items from the other side of the mountains into Beleriand? How did the petty-dwarves get exiled? What happened to Nogrod and Belegost in the War of Wrath, and were they ever re-established after the sinking of Beleriand? Suggested Character(s): Curufin, Caranthir

Guilds and Noble Houses of Tirion: Give me a Tirion political drama! Finwë trying to appease his lords and craftseldar? Indis integrating into Noldorin society and making connections with the noble houses? Arranged marriage situation between Nolofinwë and Anairë? The younger princes running amok and causing chaos in their elders’ carefully-laid plans and delicately balanced alliances? Suggested Character(s): Finwë, Indis, Original Nobility of the Noldor, Curufin, Caranthir, Maglor

Roles and Responsibilities in the Noldorin Royal Family: There were oodles of princes in Valinor. What did they all do? How did they get the followers who came with them to Middle-earth? Were they free to pursue their own crafts, or did they have responsibilities to the common people? How did this change in Middle-earth when suddenly everyone was in danger and had more pressing needs? What is it like being a re-embodied royal in a society that’s adapted to life without you? Suggested Character(s): Finwë, Indis, Maglor, Curufin, Caranthir, Gil-galad

Fashion as Political Statement: This is an excuse to request Color Coding Politics. Fëanorian red! Nolofinwëan blue! Findis wearing Aggressively Neutral White! Lalwen in orange? Arafinwë in yellow? Finwë in an amazing technicolor dream-coat...or more likely just red, showing his bias once more? Art of this would be absolutely fantastic. I have lots of headcanons about color politics; feel free to ask me about them if you choose this option. Suggested Character(s): Curufin, Caranthir, Gil-galad, Finwë

~~~

The Silmarillion: Trauma & Religion

War of Wrath: For a war that took so long and had such wide-reaching repercussions, we really don’t have very many details about this. It’s free real estate, basically! I have my favorite characters (Maedhros, Maglor, Elrond, Elros, Gil-galad...) that you could use to explore this time period, but literally anyone who’s alive at this point is fair game. And OCs! What do the Noldor and Vanyar (and Telerin sailors) feel about the War and interacting with the war-weary exiles and Sindar and Men of late-stage Beleriand? What kind of culture shock/culture clash is there? Were re-embodied exiles permitted to return to Middle-earth, or were they barred from going to war again? Suggested Character(s): Original Noldorin Character, Original Vanyarin Character

Trauma after the War of Wrath for elves and humans & Exiles adjusting to life in the Undying Lands post War of Wrath & Dealing with psychological trauma in Valinor: Trauma was commonplace in Beleriand, but not so much in Valinor. What’s it like for exiles who sail West to be in a society that doesn’t know how to support them? Are the Valar having to learn how to deal with the trauma of living elves super quickly, or are they reticent to change? How do the exiles interact with their re-embodied kin? What do the Vanyar and other Amanyar think of these elves who have been so deeply hurt? What kinds of treatises on psychology are penned by scholars with little to no previous experience? What is therapy like in Valinor? Do the exiles get together for support groups since no one else understands them? Or did the trauma of the Darkening and the First Kinslaying wake up the Amanyar and get their act together before then; are the exiles surprised by the structures already in place to support them? And what about Avari who have been dying steadily all this time from accidents and incidents in Middle-earth? If they’ve been re-embodied, how do they engage with the Eldar who have similar traumas? Suggested Character(s): Estë, Finrod, Maeglin, Original Noldorin Character, Original Vanyarin Character, Rúmil, Any Avarin Elf Character(s)

Worship of the Valar and Religion & Avarin religious culture: Do the Vanyar really worship the Valar, or do they seem them as hyper-powerful neighbors? What are priests and priestesses like in a world where the gods walk among you? How does each kindred of the elves interact with the Valar? Are Maiar viewed as equal worshippers/servants or as deities in their own right? Do the Avari even know about or acknowledge the Valar? Do they worship the stars, or simply Eru? Suggested Character(s): Pengolodh, Rúmil, Any Avarin Elf Character(s)

~~~

Middle-earth Legendarium: Magic & Spirits

Afterlives: This is pretty vague, but I think it’s referring to the various kinds of afterlife. What are the Halls of Mandos like? What happens to spirits who don’t go to Mandos? Do Men pass through Mandos on the way to Beyond? What happens to Men? Are they reincarnated in the more traditional understanding of the word, do they go to some other realm similar to Arda, are they just endlessly partying it up with Eru? Do dwarves really go to the Halls, or is that just a superstition? And of course, what about orcs? Suggested Character(s): Námo

Fate of orc souls after death: Yeah, really, what about orcs? If the orcs were originally elves twisted into Morgoth’s servants, are their spirits still elven? Are they reborn as they once were, elven despite their life as an orc? What about orcs who are many generations removed from their elvish ancestors? Do they have fëar? Can orcs be rehabilitated? I refuse to accept that all orcs are inherently evil; but what does everyone believe in-universe? Suggested Character(s): Námo, Original Orc Character(s)

Foresight and Prophecy and Doom: I’m honestly not sure if this fanon or canon, but Finarfin and his line having foresight through Indis is a wonderful concept and I’d love an exploration of that. How accurate is foresight? Can fate be circumvented? Are prophecies like the Doom of the Noldor self-fulfilling, or are they warnings about possible futures, or are they curses upon people? If you have a high Doom upon you, does that end with your death, or does it follow you to Mandos and beyond? Suggested Character(s): Námo, Finarfin

Songs and Words of Power: Rap battles with Sauron! ...joking aside, song as magic is just fascinating to me. How does this connect to the Ainulindalë and the Song of the World? The elves named themselves Quendi, the Speakers; how do they view the power of words and their ability to change the world around them? Can music be used as a force of destruction or a weapon (battle bard Maglor)? Can it be used to manipulate someone’s mind (Sauron)? Suggested Character(s): Maglor, Sauron

Stars and Starlight: “All light is sacred to the Eldar...but wood-elves love best the light of the stars.” Okay, sorry for being a Hobbit movie apologist on main, but I do love Tauriel! How do elves view starlight? Is it holy, or are the stars more like their friends and guides? Did the Avari choose to remain in Middle-earth partially because of their love for the stars, which were drowned out by the light of the Trees? How does Eärendil feel about being a star; does he feel blasphemous or holy? What legends and superstitions are there among Avari and Men and others who don’t know the origins of Gil-Estel about the new star in the sky? Suggested Character(s): Morwë, Eärendil

The Unseen Realm: This is the in-between world where Frodo goes when he wears the ring, the world that the Nazgûl in their half-life inhabit. Are Ainur able to slip into this realm at will? Did Gandalf walk invisible in Gondolin? How does Sauron manipulate this realm to his purposes? Is this where elves go if they fade? (I don’t usually like Maglor fading, but it could be an interesting way to explore this...) Suggested Character(s): Námo, Sauron, Nazgûl, Maglor

Magical Artefacts & Magical Communications: Palantíri! Galadriel’s mirror! Ósanwë! All sorts of cool ways to talk with magic. Do the Rings of Power enable long-distance ósanwë? Did the Silmarils contain pieces of Fëanor’s soul? What other marvelous magical creations were there that didn’t make it into the Legendarium we know? Suggested Character(s): Sauron, Maglor, Eärendil

~~~

Middle-earth Legendarium: Politics & Lore

Feudalism between Eldar and Edain: We have Edain entering into the service of Noldorin lords (Bëor and Finrod, Hador and Fingolfin, Amlach and Maedhros) and land being given to Men by elves (or not, in Haleth’s case)...how far did this feudal relationship extend? Were the Edain mostly autonomous or were they very much bound to their elven lords? Were there common elves who paid tribute to Edain lords? Can any relationship between elves and Men truly be equal if this is the way they originated? Fealty kink? Suggested Character(s): Curufin, Original Elf Character

Fourth Age Tirion: What’s Tirion like with a bunch of dead people walking around living again, and a bunch of weird legends now imposing in daily life? What’s the first meeting of Rúmil and Pengolodh like—who geeks out over whom? Are the Fëanorians back yet? Is the average elf even really aware of all the nonsense that happened in Middle-earth, or are they extremely unimpressed with King So-and-So of a square of land that’s now underwater trying to cut them in line at the coffee shop? Suggested Character(s): Original Elf Character, Pengolodh, Rúmil of Tirion, Celebrimbor, Elrond, Galadriel

Relationship between Noldor and Dwarves: See “Dwarf-Elf relations in the First Age & Dwarf-kingdoms” in my Silm request for a starting point...but also, was Elrond’s Last Homely House open to dwarves? How did Galadriel come to respect the dwarves, especially after her Sindar kin grew to hate them? Suggested Character(s): Curufin, Celebrimbor, Elrond, Galadriel

Timekeeping between the Death of the Two Trees and the Rise of the Sun and Moon: Tolkien’s math drives me ABSOLUTELY INSANE. His timelines are contradictory, I get headaches just thinking about the length of elf pregnancy, what does aging mean for an immortal species, WHY ARE TREE YEARS LIKE THAT and WHAT IS A YÉN? Please try and make sense of this for me, I beg of thee. I’m especially interested in the time period between the Death of the Trees and the Rise of the Sun and Moon. Did the Noldor wander the Helcaraxë for 3 years or 30? How long was Maitimo in Angband? Did the Sindar even realize something was different? How did people start calculating Sun years? When was the calendar of the First Age adopted? Who did all this math? Is there an in-universe explanation for these contradictions? Do people fight over math? Do the Ainur experience time the same way the Children do? Did some Noldo genius come up with a timekeeping system that worked with the Moon, only for the Sun to come along and muck it up? Suggested Character(s): Pengolodh, Rúmil of Tirion, Original Elf Character, Fëanor - really any scholarly character, tbh!

Treatment of Angband's Escaped Thralls: Which kinds of escapees choose to go to Himring with Maedhros the Tall, and which choose to go to Gondolin and the House of the Hammer of Wrath? Was Rôg an escapee too? Can Maedhros really tell who’s been turned by the Enemy? Does Thingol have the right of it in turning away thralls from Doriath? (If he even does that, I’m now researching this and I’m not sure it’s actually canon...) What was it like for Maedhros and Gwindor to readjust to elven society? Did Elrond grow up surrounded by Fëanorian followers who escaped Angband, and is that where he learned healing? Suggested Character(s): Original Elf Character, Elrond

In-universe authorial bias in historical texts: All of the Legendarium is a history, which means there’s bound to be unreliable narrators. Was Maeglin really as evil as the story says? What gets left out of the narrative? What gets lost in translation? Who lives, who dies, who tells your story? Suggested Character(s): Pengolodh, Rúmil of Tirion

Trade in Middle-earth: What was trade like in First Age Beleriand? What about Second Age trade between Númenor and the mainland? Was Ost-in-Edhil a trade hub? After Sauron returned and traveling became dangerous, what intrepid traders braved the wilds for the sake of goods and money? How was currency developed around the world? Suggested Character(s): Curufin, Celebrimbor, Elrond, Galadriel

Orcs Surviving the Wars: Again, I don’t believe that all orcs are irredeemably, inherently evil. Were they persecuted and stamped out after the Ring War, or did some escape and adapt to a life without a harsh overlord? What’s orc agriculture like? Would Elrond take a chance on rehabilitating an orc in Rivendell? What if orcs were more complicated all along, and it’s the histories that simplified them to cardboard-cutout villains? Suggested Character(s): Original Elf Character, Pengolodh, Celebrimbor, Elrond, Galadriel

~~~

The Adventure Zone: Balance

My only non-Tolkien request, oops. Don’t think I’m not as interested in this request, though; I’m the only one who nominated for it, so I picked my very favorite concepts and I’d love to see what you do with them!

Angus McDonald’s Grandfather: This guy’s name was lost to time, and he loves silverware, and he has a grandson, and that’s pretty much all we know about him. Was he involved in the Relic Wars somehow? Did his name get eaten by the Voidfish? I imagine he’s a rather eccentric fellow; how much of that did he pass on to Angus? Is he even real, or was Angus lying to Tres Horny Boys about his destination?

Any Wonderland Adventurer(s): I’d love to see what happens to the other people who go to Wonderland before our boys. Do they all die? How many get what they want and get out? Do any of them have weaker moral compasses than THB and agree to advertise for Edward and Lydia? What if Edward or Lydia fell in love with an adventurer and trapped them there? What kinds of things do people sacrifice to the Wheel? We know about the Escape Game and the Healing Game; what about the Recovery Game? How long has Wonderland been around? How has it evolved over time? What was it like before Edward and Lydia got ahold of the Animus Bell? How did they get ahold of it? (Personally I think Barry just gave it to them...but did he have to go through the trials first?)

Differences within species between the Two-Sunned World and Faerun: I love the fanon that Two-Sun elves are juuust a little different from Faerun elves...like Taako’s echolocation, for example. But what if this applies to the other species like gnomes and dwarves and even humans? How are the Seven Birds just a liiiitle off from everyone else around them? Also, Cat Elves. This is an excuse for Two-Sun Cat Elves. GIVE TAAKO A TAIL. (I mean, or not, do what you want, but I’d love to see that, lol.) Suggested Character(s): Any Member(s) of the IPRE, Original Character(s)

Reclaimers before Tres Horny Boys: Who were the other Reclaimers? Who did Lucretia trust to carry out this dangerous mission? How did they all each, inevitably fail? What if Magic Brian was a Reclaimer gone wrong? What was the last straw for Lucretia, the last failure that made her scheme to get her boys back? And the other Reclaimers weren’t officially disbanded right away; how did they feel about the new guys in town, and losing their jobs to these doofuses? Suggested Character(s): Lucretia, Original Character(s)

The Relic Wars: There were wars about the Relics!!! Wars!! That everyone forgot!! Wars where people that THB knew died!! And then we never get into this in canon! It drives me nuts! I would love to see an exploration of this chaotic time period, what the IPRE did to mitigate the damage, which relics were obvious and terrifying and which were secret and terrifying, etc... I’ve written a bit about Relic War-era Hurloane, but what were the other NPCs doing? (Or Hurley and Sloane too, I’d love to see your take on them too!) When Lucretia wiped everyone’s memories, what was lost? (I suspect Angus’ Grandfather got caught up in that...) How did those missing memories lead people to the Bureau of Balance? Suggested Character(s): Lucretia, Any Member(s) of the IPRE, Angus McDonald’s Grandfather

The Robot World's crystal post-Story and Song: The IPRE promised to return the Robot World’s crystal if they ever managed to defeat the Hunger...and we know they can plane hop from the casino liveshow...so, did they ever return the crystal? How did that go down? How does the Robot World rebuild itself? And if we’re going into it being the (K)nights Arc’s setting, are there other characters than Troth that we might recognize? Suggested Character(s): Magnus Burnsides, Lucretia, Any Member(s) of the IPRE

Worlds that survived the Hunger: In the worlds where the IPRE found the Light of Creation before the Hunger arrived, what was it like for the people there who had to endure the Hunger’s attack? What was the scope of the destruction? How did they rebuild afterward? Does uniting against a common enemy bring the people of the world together and create more Tesseralia-like societies? How many people knew about the IPRE, and what did they think about them? When they hear the Story and Song, what’s the reaction? If they didn’t know about the IPRE what myths do they create to explain the Hunger? Suggested Character(s): Lucretia, Original Character(s)

~~~

Alright, that’s the end of my prompts/requests! Thanks for reading this far, and whatever you end up writing for me I am super excited to read it!! And if you have questions or ideas or something, my askbox is open and I have anon messages on, I’d love to talk! Thank you again for creating for me, you are the best! <3

#tmi anna #worldbuilding exchange #exchange letter

3 notes · View notes

teniente-lesaro · 6 years

Text

Dead Name

Tags: Everyone Lives Au, Trans Thranduil, Hobbit/LOTR, Dead Name Trigger Warning, Angst, Gimli/Legolas, Durin/Thranduil.

Characters: Gimli, Legolas, Thranduil, Dain, Ori, Galion, Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Bilbo, Durin, Feren, Elrond, Galadriel, Celebrian, Celeborn, Oropher, Gil Gilad.

Summary: Legolas, Ori, and Bilbo are going through old trade transcripts and treatises of Erebor and Eryn Lasgalen. They keep seeing the same sindarin name again and again, so Legolas asks Thranduil who she is.

~§~§~§~

Albeit a little boring at first, once Bilbo had found the meeting transcripts, searching the archives became very entertaining.

Ori and Bilbo were both thrown into fits of uncontrollable giggles as Legolas tried his best to read the events with a straight face. The farther they went back the funnier it got. Someone had kept a long standing tradition of writing the best parts of meetings and events around meetings.

Durin VI flipped a table after the elf named Lumorneth called him a sewage troll.

Feren will be the ruin of our people, I swear. He just made a dick joke to our Monarch.

Durin VI was seen running the halls naked chasing the elf Lumorneth.

Durin VI was seen screaching and flapping his arms while the elf Lumorneth was found giggling to the side.

Celebrian warns the council of a large threat, Elrond was then heard mumbling, "I'll give you a Large Threat." before Celebrian slapped him.

After a mad search or nine days Durin V and Lumorneth are finally found, they had apparently been hiding not lost.

After shoving me down a flight of stairs, Feren is no longer allowed to drink wine in my presence.

Durin V and Lumorneth fell asleep together during a treatise meeting but no one dared disturb the adorable sight.

Celebrian and Elrond need to stop sucking face at every meeting! We get it you're in love.

Durin V nearly burned down the kitchens in an attempt to make Lumorneth a pastry.

Durin IV was seen screaming and clinging to Lumorneth as they rode an Elk.

Lumorneth called Galadriel Naneth and will no longer look anyone in the eye. Half of her face is entirely red.

Durin IV has been found swimming in the nearby lake with Lumorneth, both admit to shirking royal duties.

Celebrian and Lumorneth got drunk off their asses and can no longer speak common.

The dwarfling Durin IV has found Lumorneth and decided to live with her from now on, this will not do.

Lumorneth had been visiting more frequently and is running out of excuses for why, we all know it's to see Durin III.

Elrond threatened to cut Lumorneth and she responded, "Yes, Please." He's very worried now.

Durin III has given up after his 28th attempt at trying to ask Lumorneth for her hand.

Durin III and Lumorneth sitting in a tree. Isn't there a rhyme of men that goes like this?

Lumorneth hasn't left the side of Durin II in eight days. It's just a summer cold.

Lumorneth has dragged Elrond to this meeting, he doesn't want to be here. It's very obvious.

Durin II should sing less. We all know this. And yet. Here he is, singing to Lumorneth again.

No one has been able to seperate the sobbing Lumorneth from the dwarfling, it's been seven hours.

Durin shared a kiss with Lumorneth today, we fear it may be both their first and last.

Durin is stuck in another tree. You'd think he'd learn to not trust Lumorneth when it comes to trees. This is the twelfth incident.

Galadriel turned three dwarves' hair green. Then pink. Then blue.

Durin is once again teaching Lumorneth Khudzul. It's kinda cute, but she can't pronounce shit.

Durin has been reunited with the no longer tiny elleth. She grew from a mole hill to a mountain!

Oropher chucked a glass of wine at Gil Gilad.

Princess Lumorneth has attached herself to the Dwarven King Durin. All attempts to seperate have ended in tears. She claims that he's her best friend now. This is so cute.

Bilbo cooed, "I guess the elves and dwarves were friends once after all."

Ori and Legolas nodded, but Legolas rubbed his eyes.

Ori gave him a questioning look "What's wrong? This was adorable!"

"Don't you see though! This Lumorneth truly cared for and loved Durin, every incarnation of him. But that also means she had to live through him dying six different times. And after that! He never came back. I don't think I could ever live through Gimli dying. She's was so strong. Who was she?" Legolas looked at the other two but they both shrugged.

Bilbo spoke, "We know as much as you. She was a princess..... We should ask your father! He'll definitely know!"

The trio stood quickly, nearly tripping over each other in haste to get to the dinning hall. In said haste they didn't think about people being moving obstacles, so Ori ran into Dwalin so hard they both fell over, and Legolas followed until they were a mess of limbs. Bilbo, being as old as he was, simple laughed as he hobbled past them.

The other occupants of the room stared in silence before many of them started giggling. Thorin, the worry wart, immediately started assisting Bilbo to his destination, while Dain guffawed. You could even see a hint of a smile behind Thranduil's hand.

Once everyone untangled themselves, with the help of Gimli, they all eagerly say down in front of Thranduil and Bilbo unrolled one of the transcript scrolls.

"We had a couple question for you, King Thranduil. First, I'd like to know who wrote these notes and second, we'd like to know who the Princess was." Ori and Legolas nodded quickly in agreement.

Both King Dain and King Thranduil looked at the scroll, but Thranduil was the first to smile.

"Galion. He wrote this, I recognize his sarcasm and penmanship. And the princess....?" he paused searching the document.

"Lumorneth!" Ori chimed in only to watched Thranduil's eyes widen in fear. His back straightened and he gave a cold response. "She was the daughter of Oropher. She's dead now."

The dwarves all stiffened but Bilbo and Legolas nodded in understanding.

Thranduil frowned and his eyes watered. He opened his mouth, then shut it again before standing a walking out of the hall.

#durin #thranduil #trans thranduil #everyone lives au #legolas #ori #galion #angst

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stories-by-shanna-p · 6 years

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Tale Teller’s Daily Writing Challenge Master Post (2/5)

Below is a list of the authors and stories that were written for this challenge. The writers in this challenge chose a certain character to write for and each day was given a new prompt to create a new story from (a total of 28 days!). They all did absolutely fantastic, and I loved reading them all! I hope you enjoy them too!!! The list of prompts is at the bottom of the post. Because of the number of links, I had to make the Master Post multiple posts. XD

Stories are beneath the “Keep Reading” line

Hobbit/LOTR Fandom (Part 2)

Bilbo Baggins by @tenthousandcolors

Arguments (Prompt 1)

Cookies (Prompt 2)

Nightmares (Prompt 3)

Pets and Dresses Don’t Mix (Prompt 4)

Really Bombur? (Prompt 5)

Untitled (Bonus Prompt)

Aragorn by @mygayisland

Heated (Prompt 1)

Burned (Prompt 2)

Illusions (Prompt 3)

Balin by @amagifu

Stand Off (Prompt 1)

Not That Day (Prompt 2)

Give Me Your Blessing (Prompt 3)

Sturdy Like Us (Prompt 4)

Not Hindering (Prompt 5)

The Right of It (Prompt 6)

Untitled (Bonus Prompt)

Kili by @thedreamsmith

It...Uh...Got Kili (Prompt 11)

Untitled (Prompt 27)

Eomer by @snow-leopardfetishist

A Little Revenge (Prompt 1)

Practice Makes Perfect...Maybe (Prompt 2)

The Darkest Day (Prompt 3)

Banquet Preparations (Prompt 4)

Just Because You Think It...Doesn’t Mean You Should (Prompt 5)

Perfect Circumstances (Prompt 6)

The Clipping Vexation (Prompt 7)

Rough Morning (Prompt 8)

A Beautiful Day with Your Handsome rider (Prompt 9)

Precious Child (Prompt 10)

Clawed Terror (Prompt 11)

New Art Teacher (Prompt 12)

Little Lost Soul (Prompt 13)

Dwarven Drinking (Prompt 14)

Ride Free (Prompt 15)

The Best of Days (Prompt 16)

Dwalin Fundinson by @sweeticedtea (WINNER)

The Peace Agreement (Prompt 1)

Getting Good (Prompt 2)

Late for Supper (Prompt 3)

Buttons (Prompt 4)

Somewhat Dizzy (Prompt 5)

The Green Knight (Prompt 6)

Sassy (Prompt 7)

Notes (Prompt 8)

The Caretaker (Prompt 9)

Gimli’s Questions (Prompt 10)

Ladybugs (Prompt 11)

My Desire (Prompt 12)

From the Shadows (Prompt 13)

Happy Birthday (Prompt 14)

Mourning Dove (Prompt 15)

A Matter of Honor (Prompt 16)

Groans (Prompt 17)

My Pet (Prompt 18)

The Bag (Prompt 19)

The Dwarven Way (Prompt 20)

More Than Enough (Prompt 21)

Blunt the Knives (Prompt 22)

The Doctor’s Visit (Prompt 23)

His Presence (Prompt 24)

Beautiful Lullaby (Prompt 25)

Jealous Mistake (Prompt 26)

Dwalin’s Flower (Prompt 27)

Crying Laughter (Prompt 28)

Guardian (Bonus Prompt)

Ori by @i-am-not-the-real-alice

Shit Happens (Prompt 1)

Stitched Hearts (Prompt 2)

Letters (Prompt 3)

Dear Amad (Prompt 4)

Video Evidence (Prompt 5)

Hallways and Textbooks (Prompt 6)

Sorry, Not Sorry (Prompt 7)

Surprisingly (Prompt 8)

Another Day, Another Destiny (Prompt 15)

Search for Oscar (Prompt 18)

Haldir by @mypatronusisastag-osaurus (WINNER)

Untitled (Prompt 1)

Untitled (Prompt 2)

Untitled (Prompt 3)

Untitled (Prompt 4)

Untitled (Prompt 5)

Untitled (Prompt 6)

Untitled (Prompt 7)

Untitled (Prompt 8)

Untitled (Prompt 9)

Untitled (Prompt 10)

Untitled (Prompt 11)

Untitled (Prompt 12)

Untitled (Prompt 13)

Untitled (Prompt 14)

Untitled (Prompt 15)

Untitled (Prompt 16)

Untitled (Prompt 17)

Untitled (Prompt 18)

Untitled (Prompt 19)

Untitled (Prompt 20)

Untitled (Prompt 21)

Untitled (Prompt 22)

Untitled (Prompt 23)

Untitled (Prompt 24)

Untitled (Prompt 25)

Untitled (Prompt 26)

Untitled (Prompt 27)

Untitled (Prompt 28)

Untitled (Bonus Prompt)

Legolas Greenleaf by @fullvoidmoon (WINNER)

Shit Happens (Prompt 1)

Worth it (Prompt 2)

Wife. Mother...Heroine (Prompt 3)

What You Do Best (Prompt 4)

Music (Prompt 5)

Since Forever (Prompt 6)

Pet Peeve (Prompt 7)

Morning Rituals (Prompt 8)

Little Bundle of Joy (Prompt 9)

Opposites Do Attract (Prompt 10)

Just A Bee Sting (Prompt 11)

Just One Little Hello (Prompt 12)

Little One (Prompt 13)

Chaos and Dinners (Prompt 14)

One Day is Never Enough (Prompt 15)

Unrequited (Prompt 16)

Guilty Pleasure (Prompt 17)

Glimmer of Hope (Prompt 18)

His Queen (Prompt 19)

The Rest of Forever (Prompt 20)

A Lion’s Roar (Prompt 21)

See You Again (Prompt 22)

The “Ereborian” Way of Living (Prompt 23)

Prettier Than You (Prompt 24)

Good Luck Charm (Prompt 25)

More Than Enough (Prompt 26)

In A Child’s Curious Eyes (Prompt 27)

Only Chance (Prompt 28)

What I Have Vowed (Bonus Prompt)

Prompts:

Shit happens. But when your character gets stuck in a room, alone, with the person they hate the most...that shit is going to hit the fan.

“Have you tried getting good?”

Angst

Warning: Costume Malfunction

“I CAME IN LIKE A WRECKING BALL!” “You came in like a bouncy ball...”

Tropes. Write your character into your favorite trope.

Everyone has a pet peeve. What is your character’s and how do they react when someone keeps doing it?!

Warning: Language Ahead

Fluff

Ship it! Characters are always paired up in different ships. Pick your favorite and write a ship story! Either a ship your character is in or a pairing that they themselves ship.

“I’m sorry,” they snickered, “You got attacked by what?”

High School AU (Alternate Universe)

Your character finds a homeless child. What do they do?

The chaos and disruption in the room was evident. Broken chairs, shattered glass, streaks of blood here and there. There was only one response. “So…dinner?”

Your character has been told they only have one day left to live. How do they spend it?

“I love you. I have always loved you. I will always love you.”

Guilty pleasure! Write your character indulging in their guilty pleasure!

Your character decides they need a pet. How does that go?

Your character is in love, what do they do?!

AU (Alternate Universe)--of yoru choice

Warning: Someone being a dumbass ahead

Anthem. Everyone has a song that is ‘their’ song. What is your character’s and how did it become so?

Make your readers laugh so hard that they cry

Open up Tumblr gif search and type in your character’s name. The 13th gif you count that has your character in it is the one you get. Make a story around that gif. Be sure to put the gif in your story somewhere so we all can see it.

Everyone has hat prized possession. What happens when your characters lose theirs?

Apologies. What is the toughest apology your character has ever (or will ever) make?

Perspective is everything. Write a story about your character, but through their eyes and perspective of someone else.

“Please,” they whimpered as a tear ran down their cheek.

Bonus: “You...You saved me. And you’re hurt! Why are you hurt?!”

Tags:

@girl-next-door-writes @msjava1972 @legolas-bromance @evilskank-inthemegacoven @goofynerd-67babylove @super-not-naturall

18 notes · View notes

berjhawn · 7 years

Text

Lost Lothlorien Princess - Part 18 - Army of the Undead

Warnings: Fighting; ETC

Pairings: Lotr X Reader ; Legolas X Reader

Parts:

Part 1 - High School

Part 2 - Rivendell

Part 3 - Concerning Hobbits

Part 4 - Merry and Pippin

Part 5 - Bree

Part 6 - Aragorn

Part 7 - The Council

Part 8 - The Road Ahead

Part 9 - Moria

Part 10 - Lothlorien

Part 11 - Boromir

Part 12 - Fangorn Forest

Part 13 - Rohan

Part 14 - Helms Deep

Part 15 - Haldir

Part 16 - Feast for the Fallen

Part 17 - A Past Revealed

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

As we ride through the barren canyon Gimli says, “What kind of army would linger in such a place?”

“One that is cursed. Long ago the men of the mountains swore an oath to the last King of Gondor to come to his aid, to fight. But when the time came, when Gondor’s need was dire, they fled vanishing into the darkness of the mountain. And so Isildur cursed them, never to rest until they had fulfilled their pledge. Who shall call them from the grey twilight, the forgotten people? The heir of him to whom the oath they swore. From the North shall he come, need shall drive him. He shall pass the door to the Paths of the Dead.” Finally, we approach the entrance to the Paths of the Dead. We start walking, them leading their horses by the reins as Fili follows closely behind me his ears pinned back.

“The very warmth of my blood seems stolen away.” Gimli says as we near the doors and Legolas reads the inscription, “The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead and the dead keep it. The way is shut.” Something comes out of the door towards us at a rush. It spooks the horses, which pull on their reins and they run away from them. “Brego!” Aragorn shouts after his horse while Gimli looks alarmed. I turn to Fili who is now in full crouch mode teeth bared and snarling. I gently pat his head as I say, “Easy Fili, it’s okay. Wait here for us okay?” He takes a step back but keeps his eyes focused on the doors.

“I do not fear death!” Aragorn says as he walks through the entrance leaving Gimli looking scared. I watch as Legolas follows after Aragorn. “Well this is a thing unheard of. An elf will go underground, where a dwarf dare not. Oh. Oh, I’d never hear the end of it.” Gimli says and I smile as I gently place a hand on his shoulder before we both run in after them. Aragorn leads us with a torch. I look down to see many human skulls on the floor. Aragorn moves on but Legolas remains looking at them.

“What is it? What do you see?” Gimli asks pausing by his friend.

“I see shapes of men and of horses.”

“Where?” Gimli asks as he looks around.

“Pale banners like shreds of cloud. Spears rise like winter thickets through a shroud of mist. The dead are following. They have been summoned.” Aragorn’s eyes are wide open with concern as we continue to move on. Gimli spins around to look behind, “The dead? Summoned? I knew that! Huh. Huh. Very good. Very good.” He realises he is alone, “Legolas!” He shouts and runs after us. As we walk through a low floating fog ghostly hands writhe around Legolas and then Aragorn, then myself until finally they wrap around Gimli. They are ethereal. Gimli tries to blow them away. He blows and wafts them away. Aragorn and Legolas turn looking at the hands. Aragorn glances down.

“Do not look down.” Aragorn says and I groan as I reply, “Why would you say that, now I want too.” Gimli pauses and then looks down and sees human skulls on the floor. He steps forward gingerly and the skulls crunch beneath his feet. “This is so- oh god I can’t do this!” I cry out as I start running from the room quickly followed by the rest of my company. We emerge running from around a corner. Aragorn pulls me behind him as he leads us forward into an open space which contains a large building. He turns looking around with his torch.

“Who enters my domain?” I hear a voice say and my blood goes cold as I suddenly slot the King of the Dead as he appears before Aragorn.

“One who will have your allegiance.” Aragorn says as he stands tall before them.

“The dead do not suffer the living to pass.” The King of the Dead says making my skin crawl.

“You will suffer me!” Aragorn says causing the King of the Dead to laugh menacingly.

As he does a whole Kingdom of buildings appear around us. Soldiers emerge from them. A deadly army surrounds us chanting, “The way is shut! It was made by those who are dead. And the dead keep it.” The Ghostly army closes around them. “The way is shut! Now you must die!” The King of the Dead calls out and I instantly draw my sword as Aragorn does the same as Legolas fires an arrow which passes straight through the King and clatters to the ground.

Aragorn walks towards him as he yells out, “I summon you to fulfil your oath!”

“None but the King of Gondor may command me!” The King of the Dead says as he approaches Aragorn to attack him. Aragorn retaliates and blocks his sword with Anduril. “That blade was broken!” He The King of the Dead cries out.

“It has been remade.” Aragorn says as he catches the King by the throat and pushes him back. The ghostly army stand looking at him. “Fight for us and regain your honour. What say you?” He looks at the dead army, walking through them. “What say you?”

“Ach! You waste your time Aragorn. They had no honor in life and they have none now in death.” Gimli says and I gulp down a breath of air as I say, “Please don’t piss them off.”

“I am Isildur’s heir. Fight for me and I will hold your oaths fulfilled.” Aragorn says as he brandishes his sword at them. “What say you?” The King laughs again and the army begins to disappear. “You have my word! Fight and I will release you from this living death!” They disappear, “What say you?” Aragorn cries out. “Stand you traitors!” Gimli cries out and I roll my eyes as I say, “Gimli don’t!”

The Dead Army is gone. There is a cracking sound and the walls of the building in front of them begins to collapse. Hundreds of human skulls fall down towards them. “AHHH HOLY SHIT!” I cry out as Aragorn yells, “Out!” We climb up the thousands of skulls trying to climb over us. We begin to slide down with them, but we manage to move across towards the exit as the skulls continue to fall. Aragorn was closest to the exit with Gimli right behind him followed by Legolas then myself at the end. “Legolas! ______! Run!” Aragorn cries out causing Legolas to grab hold of my hand and drag me to safety.

We manage to leave the place running out of the cave as the skulls continue to rain down behind us. We emerge into the sunlight. I smile as look up to the sky before instantly shaking my body like a dog as I try to get the creepy feeling to leave my body. I look down from the high place to see ships on the river and a burning town. Aragorn sinks down on his knees in despair, tears in his eyes. Legolas approaches him and puts his hand on his shoulder. Aragorn bows his head. Legolas and Gimli also look upset. I bite my lip as I try not to cry with them.

There is a sound behind us and we all look around to see the King of the Dead coming out of the rocks and approaching Aragorn. “We fight!” He says and I sigh as I say, “You could’ve just said so without all the creepiness ya know.” He raises an eye at me and I quickly turn away letting out a loud whistle.

“What are you doing?” Legolas asks and I raise an eyebrow as I say, “I’m calling Fili, he should be here soon.” He shakes his head and I narrow my eyes as I grit my teeth. Suddenly I hear a loud howl and I smile as Fili crawls over the rocks and runs down to me. I instantly wrap my arms around his neck and smile as I say, “I couldn’t leave without you.”

We quickly make our way down to the rocky river beach and wait patiently. When the closest boat reaches us Aragorn calls out, “You may go no further.” The ships boson stands up in response. “You will not enter Gondor.”

“Who are you to deny us passage?” The boson yells back as he walks to the ships side. “Legolas, fire a warning shot past the boson’s ear.” Aragorn says not taking his eyes off the seamen.

“Mind your aim.” Gimli says and I smile. Legolas fits an arrow to his bow and takes aim. Just as he releases the arrow Gimli deliberately knocks the bottom of the bow sending Legolas’ aim off. The arrow kills a mercenary standing next to the boson. Legolas glares at Gimli, Aragorn looks across at Legolas while I bite my lip trying not to laugh.

“Oh!” Gimli puts his hand to his mouth as he continues, “That’s it, right, we warned you! Prepare to be boarded!” The mercenaries laugh. “Boarded, by you and whose army?” The mercenary say and I smile as I unsheathe my swords and Fili growls. “This army.” Aragorn says as The King of the Dead and his army emerges through Aragorn and attack the ships. When the ships are empty the four of us including Fili and the dead army board the ships and start our way to Gondor.

As we near the ports of Gondor Aragorn says, “You understand the plan?”

I smile as I say, “Of course just tell your friends not to hurt Fili and it’ll all work out fine.” He nods and we quickly hide from sight. I look over at Fili and gently motion for him to lay down.

“Late as usual, pirate scum. There’s knife work here needs doing. Come on you sea rats, get off your ships.” An Orc cries out and suddenly Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Fili, and I jump off the ship. The Orcs looks surprised. As we begin to approach the Orcs Gimli calls out, “There’s plenty for the both of us, may be best Dwarf win!”

As we move towards the Orcs the Dead Army materializes behind us and charges at the Orcs who move back in astonishment. The Dead Army overrun the Orcs and kill them all as they make their way to the battlefield like a plague of locusts. As I fight my way through the Orcs I whistle to Fili who after beheading an Orc runs over to me. I quickly climb into his back and as he runs forward start looking for our next target. After a few minutes of slicing and dicing I hear a familiar screech of a Nazgûl.

Suddenly I grasp at my heart as it clenches making my breathing catch. I start to cough and quickly look around for where the cry had come from. Upon seeing Eowyn with her sward stabbed in his face I quickly climb off Fili’s back and say, “Go protect Eowyn and Merry!” He tilts his head at me but quickly rushes over to them. After a few deep breaths and eye blinks later I quickly get back into the battle killing the nearest Orc in front of me. I look back over toward Eowyn to see Fili attacking an orc that was trying to hurt her. I smile as Fili quickly pounces on the Orc ripping his throat out.

A few minutes later I turn to see the Dead Army pouring into the city cleansing it of all evil filth. I look around to see that we had won the battle and I smile as I once again take deep breaths. I quickly find Aragorn and run over to him as he looks around at all the fallen bodies. When his eyes meet mine he smiles and I return the smile as I say, “The worst is now behind us.” Suddenly the King of the Dead along with his army appear and stand in front of Aragorn. “Release us!” He says and I nod in agreement.

“Bad idea! Very handy in a tight spot these lads, despite the fact they’re dead.” Gimli says and I turn around and skip him on the back of the head. He raises and eyebrow at me and I sigh as I say, “Don’t piss him off.”

“You gave us your word!” The King cries out making my skin crawl once again.

“I hold your oath fulfilled. Go. Be at peace.” Aragorn says and I smile as The King of the Dead smiles. There is a great wind and the Army of the Dead disappears. Aragorn looks around, and bows low to someone. I follow his gaze to see my father and a bright smile covers my face as I run to him wrapping my arms around him tight.

“I missed you!” I say as I hold tight to him. “I knew you would be safe.” He replies as he gently pats my hair. I suddenly hear Eomer scream out in agony and I pull away from Gandalf to see Eomer running over to someone who he instantly cradles in his arms while still crying out in anguish. I instantly rush over to him and looking down see Eowyn lying in his arms. Kneeling down I gently place my hand on his shoulder and say, “I will help you take her to the healers.” I turn and looking for Fili, give a loud whistle.

After a few seconds he appears by my side and tilts his head at me. “I need you to carry our friend, can you do that for me.” I ask and he walks over Eomer and gently kneels down in front of him. I help him gently place her on Fili’s back and reaching over touch Eomer’s shoulder say, “She will be okay,” Upon arriving inside we place her down on a palate and I await the help I know is coming from Aragorn. When he arrives I give Eomer a hopeful smile before Fili and I take our leave.

As we walk through Minas Tirith I start to hear Sauron’s voice crying out in my head. “You have come back to me…” He says over and over making my blood boil as I clench my head in pain. After a quick shake of my head and deep breath we make our way up to the great hall. The next day Gandalf is talking to Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Eomer, and I in the Great Hall of Minas Tirith. “Frodo has passed beyond my sight. The darkness is deepening.” I gulp down a breath as I think about what Frodo and Sam were going through.

“If Sauron had the Ring we would know it. _______ Would let us know.” Aragorn says with a quick glance at me. “It’s only a matter of time. He has suffered a defeat, yes, but behind the walls of Mordor our enemy is regrouping.” Gandalf replies and I reach over and grasp Legolas’s hand. He keeps his eyes forward but tightens his grip on my hand.

“Let him stay there! Let him rot! Why should we care?” Gimli says causing Gandalf to turn to him and reply, “Because 10,000 Orcs now stand between Frodo and Mount Doom.” Gimli ponders Gandalf’s words. “I’ve sent him to his death.”

I force a smile as I say, “No you haven’t,”

“No, _____ is right. There is still hope for Frodo. He needs time and safe passage across the plains of Gorgoroth. We can give him that.” Aragorn says as he turns to him.

“How?” Gimli says causing Aragorn to say, “Draw out Sauron’s armies. Empty his lands. Then we gather our full strength and march on the Black Gate.” Gimli chokes on his pipe.

“We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms.” Eomer says and I open my mouth to say something when Aragorn says, “Not for ourselves. But we can give Frodo his chance if we keep Sauron’s eye fixed upon us. Keep him blind to all else that moves.”

“A diversion.” Legolas says and I smile as I say, “Make him pay attention to us while Frodo and Sam destroy the ring.”

“Certainty of death, small chance of success, what are we waiting for?” Gimli says a smile covering his lips.

“Sauron will suspect a trap. He will not take the bait.” Gandalf says as he inches toward Aragorn.

“Oh, I think he will.” Aragorn says and I smile as I say, “He will if he knows I will be there.” Gandalf turns to me eyes wide, “You are not going, if you get too close to Mordor you might not be able to keep Sauron from taking over.”

I gulp down a breath of air as I say, “That’s a price I’m willing to take if it will help Frodo and Sam.”

Gandalf stares at me uncertain and I smile as I say, “I’ve got this, if I need help I have my friends and you there right beside me.” He sighs as he realizes that he isn’t going to win. I pull away from Legolas and giving him a quick smile walk out of the room to mentally prepare myself. After awhile I am sitting on the highest balcony overlooking the valley between Gondor and Mordor when suddenly I am aware of Sauron being near. I jump up and looking around suddenly hear his voice in my head loud and strong.

“It is almost time my child…” He cries out and I fall to the ground clutching my heart as a feeling like being kicked by a horse in the stomach fills my body making the air leave my chest. “Leave me alone!” I cry out as I try hard not to fall into his spell. Then as soon as he appeared he disappeared. I once again am lying on the floor breathing heavily. “Nana, I don’t think I can do this!” I cry out mentally as I cling to my chest. “Have faith my child, you are more then you appear. You will defeat this evil that has hidden itself within you.” Tears fill my eyes as I hear her voice in my head. “I wish I could have seen you one last time.”

Will Continue In - Final Battle

Tags:

@talknerdytome25 @renner-hawkeyeloves @jotink78 @ohmigooosh @laurykat23

#berjhawn #lotr x reader #The Lord of the Rings #lord of the rings #lotr fanfic #LOTR #lord of the rings x reader #lord of the rings fanfiction #legolas x reader #legolas fanfiction #legolas greenleaf #legolas

120 notes · View notes

elljayvee · 6 years

Text

First Lines Meme

RULES: List the first lines of the last ten stories you published. Look to see if there are any patterns that you notice yourself, and see if anyone else notices any! Then tag some friends.

@beatrice-otter tagged me! I tag: @basinke, @travellinglemonworkshop

1. The first time John brings Rosie by after Sherrinford, it's on her first birthday. 221B is still under renovation, but John's bedroom is finished; John's bedroom has a cot in it, squeezed next to John's old bed, the one he'd left behind when Sherlock was -- gone. (an infinite series of accidents; Sherlock/John, Sherlock)

2. Rosie turned one without her mother, with Molly and John singing to her in some kind of sick parody of happy families. After Rosie was tucked in her cot for an afternoon nap, John made tea, and he and Molly sat at his kitchen table, holding hands, letting the tea go cold. "She's a lovely child, John," Molly said. (Where are we now?, Sherlock gen)

3. In Lothlórien, Gimli took advantage of a quiet moment in their camp, when the Men were away on some errand, to unpack khî pack and sort through it, repairing anything broken. “What's that?" asked Frodo, pointing at khî funnel. Gimli hesitated, not sure how to describe what it was for without giving away that khi was not, as they all assumed, male-sexed. (From Sweet Fellowship Comes Nectar, Legolas/Gimli, LOTR)

4. Legolas sprawled on his back on a camp-bed, in the tent he shared with Gimli. He was more than a little drunk, and had been so since the war's end. The celebration at Cormallen had been followed by feasts and days upon days of wine and song, and he was fond of wine, but now he could sense a calm coming. "Next we shall go to the city, I suppose," he said to Gimli. (Numberless the ways, and imperceptible., Legolas/Gimli, LOTR)

5. The warm summer breeze curled through the Burrow, three days after Harry's nineteenth birthday. He ran one hand up Ginny's leg to her knee, and then lifted her foot to his shoulder. The sole was dirty; some hours ago Ginny had kicked off her shoes. He kissed the side of her foot and inhaled. He remembered Hermione talking about the smell of freshly mown grass the day Slughorn had Amortentia in the classroom, and wondered if it was a familial thing. Ginny smelled of grass, too, green summer grass under a scorching sun. (Flaming Aground (I’ve Said Too Much), Harry/Ginny, Harry Potter series)

6. Loki had converted a space near the quarters he shared with Thor for Sleipnir, and Thor found them both there one ship's-night. He wondered if he should ask what was being done with Sleipnir's manure, and opened his mouth only to have Loki interrupt before any sound issued forth. (Ship’s night, residential deck, third corridor, Thor:Ragnarok gen)

7. Gudrun and three other women set to work on a still in the ship’s galley. Gudrun has never built a still before, but she has operated one since she came of age, in her father’s distillery. She learned to repair them with her own hands, and building one is not so different. King Thor will approve, she is sure, both for the sedating qualities of drink and the disinfective properties of the alcohol. They have no soul-forge, no real healing facilities — nothing but the inadequate contents of the ship’s small infirmary. It is outfitted for the sorts of injuries one sustains in vigorous sexual activity, not in a world-destroying battle. First-aid supplies only go so far, with sword wounds and burns to the bone. (The Silent Man, Thor:Ragnarok gen)

8. An Alliance commander that Biggs didn't recognize stuck her head into the pilots' lounge. "Heard there was someone here from Tatooine?" (A Standard List of Questions, Star Wars gen)

9. "Poe. Look at me." (Commentfic: Shields, sort-of Poe/Luke, Star Wars)

10. Kylo Ren hung in the bacta tank, his hair drifting like snakes around his face; the breather a parody of his usual vocoder-mask. The medical droid wheeled up beside the tank and clicked to get Hux's attention. "He will awake in two minutes, General." Hux nodded an acknowledgement, studying the knitted scars over Ren's side, the muscles over the plane of his stomach. He did not let his hands curl into fists; anger at an unconscious man was pointless. (In Hand, Kylo Ren/General Hux, post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

What I learned: I like to pick up threads, loose ends, and I like to try to make sense of the (often nonsensical) canon that we have. The only outsider POV I use is Gudrun’s; it’s not a common technique for me, and when I use it, it is there for a very specific purpose. (I love reading outsider POV stories -- there’s lots of kinds of stories I don’t write but love to read, and that’s one of them.)

Most of the stories are couplets -- two stories in the same fandom, written close to the same time (1&2, 3&4, 6&7, 8&9). Flaming Aground is, as well, although the story I wrote at the same time is incomplete and unpublished, so that leaves In Hand as the only odd man out.

From the titles, I notice that I consider punctuation part of the title: Numberless has a period at the end, and that’s intentional and part of the title. It’s more obvious when there’s a different punctuation mark (Where are we now?) but it’s always intentional. I hadn’t realized that I do that.

I start almost all of these off with a sense of place (Shields is the only exception, and it was commentfic -- so less thought-through and deliberate than the others). It’s important to me to put characters in their environment, and the chosen environment can add a sense of intimacy or of distance. The difference between 221B in an infinite series of accidents (repetition of John’s ownership of the space increasing intimacy even though John does not live at 221B at the time) and the comfort/homey-ness of the Burrow in Flaming Aground (Harry and Ginny are comfortable enough to have romantic contact in her parents’ house) and the coldness and impersonal space of the medbay in In Hand is a big part of setting the story’s tone. infinite is ABOUT intimacy and its complications; Flaming Aground is about comfort and playfulness and communication, and In Hand is about angry people who wouldn’t know intimacy if it bit them.

I want to talk a little about the first two story couplets on the list, because I think the first lines tell you important things about the differences between the stories, and because the stories in these couplets are extremely closely related for stories that aren’t sequels to each other.

an infinite series of accidents and Where are we now? are both post-S4 Sherlock stories with an asexual Sherlock and a heterosexual John. They’re in nearby universes -- they even share some dialog in the early parts of the story — but infinite is a much more hopeful story overall. The creation of intimacy in the first paragraph tells you, right off the bat, where Sherlock (the POV character for the whole story) stands re: John, and it’s an unwavering thread through the whole: Sherlock wants him home, and doesn’t want him to leave, ever, and is hopeful that this can happen.

Where are we now? starts off in John’s home, without Sherlock there, and it’s sad and bitter. It is emphasizing disconnect, the death of Mary, and the way Sherlock isn’t as present in John’s life anymore. Molly’s presence is a lifeline, a way out, a marker that all is not lost. infinite isn’t a fluffy story -- I’m not interested in apologizing for John’s violence -- but it tackles the issues of the Sherlock-John relationship post-S4 from the point of view of healing and connection, rather than the point of view of fear and the struggle for self-control.

From Sweet Fellowship Comes Nectar and Numberless the ways, and imperceptible. are both Legolas/Gimli, and they both address cultural differences and the difficulty people can have communicating their needs and desires. At their hearts, they are both about being seen. Sweet Fellowship is about how people see you vs. how you see yourself, and about how people with a different vision of themselves navigate an unseeing world. Gimli’s cultural background provides khî with emotional armor, but khi also comes to recognize certain dangers and corrosive fears that come along with navigating the world of Men. The opening line tells you that Gimli’s sex is not male and that khi uses an unfamiliar pronoun with no translation into Westron/English, so it brings you into the cultural differences immediately and clearly.

Numberless is about learning to see yourself, when everyone else already sees you accurately. Legolas’s cultural background makes his journey more difficult, rather than offering him protection as Gimli’s did in Sweet Fellowship; he’s ancient and set in his ways, and isn’t expecting a radical emotional change in his life -- so he doesn’t recognize it when it happens. It opens with Legolas in close proximity to Gimli, and with indications of intimacy, but also with Legolas being drunk and somewhat careless of himself and of what’s going on around him. He spends a great deal of the story avoiding self-awareness in any way that doesn’t fit into his entrenched idea of himself, and that’s set up right from the start.

#meme #writing #my fic

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arofili · 3 years

Text

Innumerable Stars 2021 Letter

Hello lovely creator, thanks for writing for me in Innumerable Stars 2020! I’m very excited and grateful for whatever you create for me <3

This letter will restate my DNWs, list my likes, give you a brief rundown of my canon preferences, and then dive into specific prompts for each of my requests. I’ll warn you upfront that I tend to ramble, so feel free to skip prompts that don’t interest you and/or use ctrl+F to search for whatever it is you want to write for. I’ve named each of my requests based on the basic idea within it, so hopefully that will be helpful for you!

Housekeeping

DNWs:

non-con/dub-con

ABO (heat fic is fine)

food involved in sex

abusive/neglectful parenting (especially not with Fëanor; Eöl is the only exception, but even then don’t dwell on it)

sibling incest and parent-child incest (cousin incest is fine)

unhappy/unhopeful endings (unless requested)

jealousy

possessiveness EXCEPT with Russingon, for some reason I love it with those two

cheating

character or ship bashing

hanahaki or any scenario where unrequited love is physically damaging

soulmates, especially soulmate AUs BUT soul bonds are excellent as long as there is an element of choice involved

unrequested modern AU

non-trans mpreg

if you are writing a slash ship where the characters are/were married to/involved with someone outside of the ship in canon, please don’t have the character(s) hate their spouse or not have been actually in love with them. The only exception to this is Finrod; I’m fine with him and Amárië not having been actually in love, but don’t do this for anyone else, especially not Fëanor.

Hobbit/LOTR-specific DNWs:

the concept of a dwarven “One”

any Fíli pairing, even in reference

Alfrid

Legolas or Gimli paired with anyone other than each other

mortals dying super quickly in Valinor

unrequested smut

Silm-specific DNWs:

evil/irredeemable/incel Maeglin

Elwing bashing

Fëanorian bashing

over-the-top Fëanorian apologism (they did bad stuff; it was at least partially their fault. you don’t have to address that, necessarily, but don’t rewrite the story to claim they were blameless)

Fingon with a wife

dark!Maedhros

elvish re-embodiment after death being an actual, literal rebirth that requires the characters to have a second childhood; I much prefer them being granted a new hröa in their prime (feel free to explore what “in their prime” means, though, especially wrt scarred and disabled elves)

Likes:

queer headcanons, especially aromantic-spectrum headcanons & trans/nonbinary headcanons

trans/nonbinary pregnancy and parenthood

found family

queerplatonic relationships

kidfic

angst with a happy ending

gray morality

explorations of magic

most tropes

fanon and fandom tropes

deconstruction/inversion of fanon and fandom tropes

secret relationships

secret kids (especially secret peredhil)

giving ships OC kids

confessions of love

first times

hurt/comfort

redemption, forgiveness, mercy

ironic foreshadowing

canon divergence AUs and X Lives AUs

fairy tale AUs

politics and scheming

resolving conflicting canonical details

names fitting the time period (Quenya names in Valinor, please; if this is difficult for you, that’s okay, no pressure, but I do strongly prefer it)

choice of character names having a lot of thought put behind them (does the character go back to their original Quenya name upon rebirth? or do they keep their Sindarin name? or come up with something else entirely? do they hate their new Sindarin name and resent having to use it, or do they embrace it? As long as you put some thought into it, I’m sure I’ll like whatever you decide!)

author’s notes where you explain your thought process, if you want; I love hearing how the story took shape!

Preferences re: canon:

LaCE compliance is always completely optional. If you do want to include it, that’s great, but if you just want the characters to fuck without having that be an issue, go for it. I love explorations of LaCE that take into account the exceptions, boundaries, definitions, etc; I also love takes that emphasize that they are Laws and Customs, not biological imperatives.

Honestly, when it comes to theories and headcanons, my rule of thumb is “convince me”! I’m down for whatever, for the most part, as long as you can justify it :)

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LOTR Books Request

Gigolas tags: Gimli, Legolas, Group: Gimli & Legolas, Group: Gimli/Legolas, Group: Gimli/Legolas & Glóin, Group: Gimli/Legolas & Thranduil, Group: Legolas & Aragorn & Gimli, Group: Glóin & Thranduil, Original Dwarf of Aglarond, Original Elf of Ithilien Suggested worldbuilding tags: Battle of Dale, Differences in Elvish & Dwarvish Histories, Fall of Dol Guldur, Interspecies Relationships, Queerplatonic Relationships, Rebuilding of Ithilien

All Gigolas is good Gigolas, and you can quote me on that - but I do have a soft spot for queerplatonic Gigolas, and I might die of happiness if you wrote me some :) I love elf/dwarf relationships, and cultural differences leading to miscommunication is one of my favorite tropes for this ship.

For the “& Thranduil” and “& Glóin” I’d love to see some “telling the family” scenarios, with Thranduil and Glóin coming to terms with their sons’ relationship. For “& Aragorn” I was imagining a Three (or Four, if you want to keep Boromir alive!) Hunters situation with Aragorn third wheeling them (and/or commiserating with Boromir about how terrible their friends are at expressing their feelings).

I’m very interested in Legolas and Gimli’s new homes post-War, how much time they spent visiting each other and how much time they spent apart, etc. I would love to see an outside POV of Gigolas, what their friends and subordinates think of this odd couple; perhaps an elf of Ithilien and a dwarf of Aglarond strike up a friendship and gossip about their lords! I’d also be interested in Gimli and Legolas visiting their original homes, meeting one another’s parents, and helping rebuild after the Battle of Dale / Fall of Dol Guldur.

I would also love to see an exploration of dwarf/elf relationships and the difficulties that would arise from that. Legolas’ father is a Sinda of Doriath who remembers the Battle of the Thousand Caves, and I headcanon that Gimli’s mother is descended from the dwarves of Nogrod who were involved in that debacle, so them coming to terms with that difficult history (and how that history differs) between their peoples would be really interesting.

Gildor Inglorion

...okay, so this is technically a Silm request dressed up as a LOTR request, but I would really love to see an exploration of Gildor’s origins! I have a few concepts for how he can be “of the House of Finarfin,” mostly relating to this Inglor figure who is his father. I think Inglor was either the son of Finrod and trans!Bëor (and thus the first peredhel) or the son of Aegnor and Andreth; either way, he was raised mostly by Finrod. But who is Inglor’s spouse/Gildor’s other parent? (Edrahil, maybe?) How did Gildor survive the Fall of Nargothrond, or was he born afterwards? Where did he live in the Third Age? Who was awaiting him when he arrived in Aman?

Took Fairy Wife

I think this concept is fascinating, and I’d love to hear the story of a hobbit/elf romance! Perhaps Pippin or Frodo tell this story to the Fellowship? I also have the headcanon that since Durin I “woke alone,” his spouse was also an elf, so maybe Gimli could throw in that legend as well.

Group: Last Prince of Cardolan/Lady of the Blue Brooch Suggested worldbuilding tags: Barrow-downs and Barrow-wights, Necromancy and Hauntings, Sentient Weapons & Jewelry

I’ve recently become a little bit obsessed with the concept of the Last Prince and the Lady of the Blue Brooch being star-crossed lovers. We have conflicting accounts of the Last Prince’s demise, and I’d love to see those reconciled into one story; we also know that the Prince was buried in the barrow-downs, where the Lady’s blue brooch was found. How did that end up there - was it a token she gave to him before his death? Did she visit his grave after it was too late? How did Tom and Goldberry know her? Maybe they are the ones to tell this story to some hobbitish traveler through the Old Forest... I do have my own version of this story, if you’d like to borrow some ideas from there, but feel free to make up your own thing too!

Group: Eldarion/Elboron

I just think they’re cute :) I like the idea that Eldarion’s heir is not his own child, but the child of one of his sisters, and that Elboron had a sister who was the parent of Barahir of Ithilien, so these two can be gay together. Of course, you could also make one of them trans and have Eldarion’s heir and Barahir be siblings! Or you can explore the beginnings of their relationship - just a cute get-together story would be wonderful.

Worldbuilding: Arwen reforged Narsil

This is such a neat concept - I would love to see Fëanorian Arwen (bc Kidnap Dads) going full smith mode and personally reforging Narsil into Andúril for her boyfriend. Arwen embracing her dual kinship as both the descendant of Lúthien and the descendant of Maedhros and Maglor would be amazing (especially if Maglor is hanging around in Rivendell). Bonus points if Narsil used to be Maedhros’ sword, and that’s how it got passed down to Elros!

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Hobbit Movies Request

Kiliel tags: Fíli, Kíli, Tauriel, Group: Fíli & Kíli, Group: Kíli/Tauriel, Group: Kíli/Tauriel & Fíli Suggested worldbuilding tags: Almost Everyone Lives AU, Kíli's Runestone, Worldbuilding: Tauriel goes to Erebor AU

I’m a basic bitch when it comes to Kiliel stuff: give me fluff, give me angst with a mostly-happy ending, give me Fíli being exasperated by his brother’s romantic drama! I would be interested in an AU where Thorin dies but Fíli and Kíli survive, and King Fíli has to deal with Kíli’s love life causing political problems; I’d also love to see an AU where Tauriel goes to Erebor with Kíli, Fíli, Bofur, and Óin after the lakeshore scene. And anything surrounding the magic of Kíli’s runestone would be very welcome - perhaps it really was cursed/enchanted, and by giving it to Tauriel, Kíli lost the protection Dís had placed upon him and passed it to her. What if Tauriel had returned it before the end - would Kíli have lived, and she died? Or, in a canon scenario (in this case, full angst is welcome) what if Tauriel and Dís met and talked about the stone and its properties?

Hilda Bianca

I just think she’s neat. I’d love to see her getting involved in the politics of a rebuilt Dale, either collaborating with or causing problems for Bard. Her being a mentor figure for Sigrid and Tilda would also be great.

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Book of Lost Tales Request

Group: Ómar & Salmar

Ómar Amillo and Salmar Lirillo were brothers in early stages of the Legendarium - I would love to see that explored in a more Slim-compliant verse, where they are both Maiar. Ómar could be a Maia of Ulmo, like Salmar is, or a Maia of some other Vala. Music and water are intrinsically connected in Arda’s makeup, so Ómar as a being of song and Salmar as a being of water would be really cool to see explored somehow!

Meril-i-Turinqi

Another really neat character!! I headcanon that she is the child of a grandson of Olwë and a granddaughter of Ingwë. How did she rise to power on Tol Eressëa? What are her relationships with her great-grandfathers? Is she friends with other influential elf-women - perhaps Elenwë or Amárië or Galadriel?

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Silm Requests Russingon Request

Russingon tags: Maedhros, Fingon, Group: Fingon/Maedhros, Original Character from Himring, Group: Fingon/Finrod/Maedhros Suggested worldbuilding tags: Elven Gender Constructs, Hair and customs/kinks around it, LaCE as a social construct, Melotorni & Meletheldi, Onnalúmë

Russingon is my OTP, I just love them a lot!! I adore both plot-heavy explorations of their characters and relationship and more slice-of-life fluff/angst/porn stuff without any particular story behind it. If I need comfort fic this pairing is my go-to, and I’d love to have more of that to come back to. PWP would be welcome; plot is also excellent and I’m sure to enjoy that too. I’m always a sucker for falling in love / confessions of love / first times, but ESPECIALLY for Russingon; the beginning of their love story is something I’ll never get tired of. Established relationship, reunions (after the Ice/Angband or after time spent apart in Hithlum/Himring or after leaving the Halls or another scenario) are also amazing. The secret relationship aspect of this ship is very fun, both keeping things secret and having their secret come to light. If you wanted to invert that trope, though, I would definitely enjoy that; something like a fake dating AU or an arranged marriage AU or a situation where they get pregnant and have to tell people. It would also be great to see them trying (and failing) to keep their relationship a secret while they are in Beleriand - outsider POV from a resident of Himring would be great here! I like scenarios where they’re married, and I like scenarios where they’re not married, whichever floats your boat will be excellent. Honestly, I’m likely to enjoy almost any Russingon content you write; I just… *clenches fist* love them… If you wanted to explore a queerplatonic interpretation of them that would be really cool, but I do love love love romantic/sexual Russingon and would be overjoyed to have any content about them! In my DNW I mentioned that I don’t like the concept of soulmates (for Aro Reasons) so please steer clear of that, but having Mae and Finno choose each other over and over again and that affecting their soul bond/mental connection might just bring me to tears ;-;

I adore Fingon on his own - he’s brave and valiant and good-hearted and deserved better ;-; If you wanted to write a Fingon-focused story that touches on his time as a prince or a king or adjusting to re-embodied life in Valinor or his relationships with people other than Maedhros, I am sure to love that.

Maedhros is probably my favorite character in the Silm. I love his character arc, the fire symbolism, his trauma and recovery, his relationship with his brothers and his cousins, his time helping Maglor care for Elrond and Elros - really all of his story. For this exchange I’d rather not receive a fic focused on his time in Angband or his death; I can enjoy fics about that, but I’m looking for something a bit happier here. Art of Maedhros in those situations would be okay.

When it comes to throwing Finrod into the mix with Russingon, what I’m really looking for is some smut, tbh. Maedhros and Fingon are ridiculously in love, and Finrod is a bit of a hoe, and I can’t believe there wasn’t at least one time they had a threesome. Finrod getting fucked by both of them at once would be excellent. Finrod is canonically friendly with the Fëanorians in Beleriand and goes hunting with Maglor and Maedhros, maybe this is a time where it’s Fingon instead of Maglor and they fuck in the woods, or Maedhros and Fingon visit Nargothrond, or Maedhros and Finrod visit Barad Eithel, or Fingon and Finrod visit Himring. Is this a planned encounter? Something spontaneous? Is Finrod seducing them both, or are they inviting him in? Did Maedhros and Finrod have a fling in Valinor, or did Finrod and Fingon find comfort together on the Ice, or both? I’d love to see where you take this!

When it comes to the worldbuilding tags, I’d love to see an exploration of gender and sexuality in relation to Russingon. I adore trans depictions of both Maedhros and Fingon, so that would be extremely welcome - you can also explore how elvish gender concepts differ from our understanding of gender and transness (I mused about that a bit in this post, along with thoughts on elvish naming traditions, if you’re looking for inspiration). LaCE is such a tricky topic, and I would definitely be interested in Mae and Finno experimenting sexually and discovering what is and isn’t biological about those concepts, and what is actually a cultural construct the elves have adhered to over time. Hair customs (what braids mean, hair coverings, etc) are really interesting - and a GREAT opportunity to include some hair kink! I mean, Finno has those gold braids and Mae’s name “Russandol” refers to his hair, I bet they are into each other’s hair.

Regarding the concept of melotorni, I can easily see that as either gay-coding or queerplatonic love; I’d love to see either or both those options explored with Russingon. (As for meletheldi, I mean, if you wanted to make them girls I would be super down for that too. I’m okay with genderbending, though I do prefer trans/nb headcanons, and I definitely don’t want them genderbent to be “straight.”) And as for Onnalúmë - well, that’s just heat fic, isn’t it? ;)

The bottom line for Russingon is that I Love Them and they love each other, and for this request I’d love PWP, fluff, hurt/comfort, falling in love, getting together, reunion, established relationship - really almost anything with them would absolutely make my day!

Russingon & kids tags: Gil-galad, Erien, Group: Erien & Gil-galad, Group: Fingon/Maedhros & Erien, Group: Fingon/Maedhros & Erien & Gil-galad, Group: Fingon/Maedhros & Gil-galad, Group: Erien & Faniel Suggested worldbuilding tags: Elven Naming Traditions, improbable parentages for Gil-Galad

The only thing I love more than Russingon is Russingon with KIDS!! I’m a sucker for Russingon as the fathers of Gil-galad, and recently I’ve decided to adopt Erien, a discarded daughter of Fingon, into my personal canon as a Russingon daughter. Exploring either Gil or Erien’s relationship with their dads would be wonderful - and, if they exist in the same universe, their relationship with each other!! (I recently wrote a novel-length fic about Erien being Tauriel, if you’d like to borrow some concepts from there, but that’s certainly not my “usual” interpretation of either of them so feel free to make up your own Erien origin story too!) I was very excited to see that someone else nominated an Erien relationship - Erien and Faniel is a great concept! I usually headcanon Faniel as the daughter of Findis and Elemmírë and the younger sister of Glorfindel, but if you have a different origin story for her that would be really neat as well. Discarded Finwëan daughters ftw! Russingon having kids would be a great place to explore elven naming traditions, how gay elves would name their kids (two father-names??), and maybe the Fëanorian tradition of -finwë names :p I definitely selected the “improbable parentages for Gil-galad” with trans!Russingon in mind, but if you’ve got another situation (that one fic where Finrod, Fingon, and Maedhros do Weird Science with a Maia comes to mind...), be my guest.

Kidnap Dads tags: Elrond, Group: Elrond & Elros, Group: Elrond & Gil-galad, Group: Maglor & Maedhros & Elrond & Elros Suggested worldbuilding tags: Choice of the Peredhil

I threw in Kidnap Dads into this request as well :) I firmly believe this relationship was, in the end, mostly a positive one despite the rocky beginning - I don’t want to see E&E hating M&M, and I also don’t want to see them resenting their birth parents either (however, their bio parents interacting with their foster parents in awkward/humorous situations would be great). Fluff would be wonderful, but some post-WoW angst would be welcome as well. Elrond and Gil-galad Russingonion considering each other brothers because of their shared father Maedhros is a favorite headcanon of mine! I really would love to see a focus on Maedhros and the E twins; Maglor can of course be involved, but I’m more interested in Maedhros as a character.

Some possible scenarios: an official adoption ceremony, cultural differences, M&M giving E&E some more names / teaching them Quenya, sharing traditions, Maedhros teaching the twins some skill (cooking? swordfighting? embroidery?), the twins being Weird (either because they’re part human or part Maia) and M&M learning to deal with that, Elrond reuniting with Maedhros in Valinor, Elrond getting adopted by M&M’s spouses (Maglor’s spouse and/or Fingon), AU where Maedhros lives and is around for E&E’s later lives

Exploring the Choice of the Peredhil would also be great. How did being raised with M&M affect E&E’s decisions when it came to their Choices of kindred? Were there any Men in the remnants of the Fëanorian host, and did that affect their Choices?

And since this is technically under the umbrella of the Russingon request, of course Maedhros telling E&E about his husband would be amazing. (And quite probably heartbreaking, too...)

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Maeglin Request

Reminder that I am not at all interested in irredeemable/evil Maeglin; I am a known Maeglin sympathizer and I will not apologize for that.

Maeglin & Fëanorians tags: Maeglin, Group: Dwarves & Maeglin, Group: Caranthir & Dwarves & Maeglin, Group: Maeglin & Fëanorians Suggested worldbuilding tags: Cross-Species Mentorships, Differences between Dwarf craft and Elf craft, Elven magic and art and technology, Maeglin Adopted by Fëanorians AU

I would adore an AU where Maeglin is adopted by the Fëanorians!! Maybe Maeglin escapes to Himring instead of Gondolin after his capture, and Maedhros helps him deal with Angband trauma? (I know that doesn’t really make sense timeline wise, you figure out the details, lmao. Maybe it’s actually taking place in Ossiriand, idk, or the timelines get moved around.) Otherwise, I’d love to see a younger Maeglin interacting with the Three Cs and dwarves!! A focus on craft and smithing would be wonderful, in that scenario.

Maeglin in Gondolin tags: Turgon, Group: Anairë & Maeglin, Group: Fingolfin & Maeglin, Group: Eärendil & Maeglin, Group: Idril & Maeglin, Group: Idril/Maeglin/Tuor, Group: Maeglin & Rôg Suggested worldbuilding tags: Metal Dragons

I think Maeglin’s relationship with emotionally repressed Turgon was difficult because of miscommunication, but they did love and care for one another. A version of events where Idril and Maeglin were friends before she found out about his feelings for her, or where they can work through that, would be really interesting to read. I love the idea of Maeglin begrudgingly coming to love Eärendil even though he’s Tuor’s child; I think that Eärendil’s mithril coat was made by Maeglin as a precaution against himself and the curse Morgoth placed upon him (I also think this is the origin of Bilbo’s mithril coat). Rôg is usually depicted as an Angband escapee; him noticing something wrong with Maeglin and figuring out about his capture would be a great story. Idril/Maeglin/Tuor is a great concept, especially Maeglin being upset about Idril and Tuor’s marriage because he’s in love with both of them - a threesome where finally gets what he wants (and some consensual rough treatment??) would be excellent. Also, some post-reembodiment fic where Maeglin gets to meet his grandparents would be amazing!! As for the metal dragons, some focus on Maeglin’s craft combined with the magics of Sauron and Morgoth would be really interesting. I would prefer if it Maeglin’s time in Angband was Pretty Bad (though I’d rather not have torture depicted on the page), and show him struggling with the excitement of being able to bring these incredible creations to life versus the knowledge that Sauron and Morogth can and will abuse him to get what they want. I’m not particularly interested in a sympathetic portrayal of Sauron and Morgoth.

Maeglin, Túrin, and Tyelpë tags: Túrin, Group: Celebrimbor/Maeglin, Group: Turin & Anglachel, Group: Maeglin & Anguirel, Group: Maeglin/Túrin Suggested worldbuilding tags: Bedazzling as a love language, Celebrimbor forging Gurthang, Sentient Weapons & Jewelry

OKAY so Maeglin/Turin is my rarepair OTP and I would absolutely die of happiness if you wrote this ship! For this request I’m envisioning a scenario where Maeglin goes to Nargothrond and that’s where he encounters Túrin. I’m also interested in Maeglin/Tyelpe, so throwing him into the mix would be fabulous. One of my favorite aspects of this ship is Maeglin and Túrin’s connections to Anguirel and Anglachel, so having them bond over that (maybe a literal bond...like a soul bond or something???? enforced by the semi-sentient swords??) would be excellent. I definitely believe Celebrimbor was the one to reforge Anglachel into Gurthang, so that could be a way of getting him involved. (Him ~bedazzling~ the sword as a way of flirting with Túrin would be hilarious; or just smiths bedazzling their creations to impress each other in general, lmao.) It’s also quite likely that in this scenario that Maeglin arrived in Nargothrond with Celegorm, Curufin, and Celebrimbor (and possibly Aredhel, though I was kind of envisioning her as dead in this scenario, RIP - or otherwise not present, much like how C&C have been banished by the time Túrin shows up), so he would have a preexisting relationship with Tyelpë. Maybe they broke up? Maybe they’re awkwardly pining and Túrin is what brings them together? Or some other situation. This ship is doomed no matter how you twist it, and so digging into the dramatic irony of it all would be delicious; happy endings are optional for this request.

Maeglin & Aredhel in Himlad & Nargothrond tags: Aredhel, Group: Aredhel & Oromë, Group: Celegorm/Aredhel & Maeglin & Curufin & Celebrimbor, Group: Curufin/Finrod & Celebrimbor Suggested worldbuilding tags: Aredhel and Maeglin Remain in Himlad, Aromantic Aredhel

This is kind of similar to the previous request, but with a focus on Aredhel, Celegorm, and Curufin as well as Maeglin and Celebrimbor. I would love an AU where Maeglin and Aredhel go to Himlad instead of Gondolin, and eventually end up in Nargothrond - I really can’t get enough of this concept! What happens with Eöl; does Curufin actually kinslay him this time? How do Maeglin and Tyelpë get along? My Aredhel is always aromantic, but I do ship her and Celegorm as FWB (though maybe Celegorm’s caught feelings somewhere along the line...) - how does Maeglin feel about her rekindling that relationship? I’d definitely be interested in a story about Celebrimbor being a Curufinrod baby (trans!Curvo ftw), so that would make returning to Nargothrond extra tense and emotional. As for Aredhel and Oromë, I have this headcanon that Anairë gave all her children Valar-related mother-names, and that Aredhel was named Írissë Aldarindë after Oromë Aldaron. How does she feel about that name and her connection to Oromë? I don’t think she ever actually joined his Hunt like Celegorm did; why is that? Did Celegorm discourage because he’d adopted his father’s anti-Valar sentiment and left the Hunt? Did she just get involved too late, and then the Darkening happened? How do her and Celegorm’s relationships with their patron Vala differ in Beleriand? I think they were both Kinslayers at Alqualondë, but Celegorm is bound by the Oath and Aredhel isn’t - how does that affect things? Can Aredhel and Maeglin’s presence change how Finrod’s demise goes down? All sorts of fascinating things you could explore!

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Misc. Silm Request

Cuiviénen tags: Original Awakened Elf of Cuiviénen (Silm) Suggested worldbuilding tags: In-universe Origins of LaCE, LaCE as a Horror Concept, LaCE as a social construct, LaCE-compliant soulbonding, Non-romantic/sexual Soul Bonds

I’d love to see an exploration of how LaCE came to be, which parts of the rules around marriage and children and re-embodiment are social constructs and which are innate to the fëa and hröa, and/or relationships that defy the norms. If your take on the laws is hetero/cisnormative, how does that affect queer elves? If your take is free of bigotry, what are the flexibilities around queerness, including asexuality and aromanticism? Laws and customs and rules always have loopholes and exceptions, so what do elves who don’t fit into the expected relationship mold do about these norms?

How do soul bonds work on a metaphysical level? Can they be broken? Do they have to be nurtured and maintained? What’s long-distance communication like? Heck, what’s short-distance communication like, is it like talking in your mind or sharing your feelings or more abstract than that? Can elves form soul bonds with mortals? And most importantly—how did elves figure out they could soul bond with one another?? I can imagine that would be quite a shock when they’re discovering sex and then suddenly they’re inside each other’s minds! This could easily be tied into the “LaCE as Horror” tag; especially if the characters were not expecting it or the bond was being abused. (If you do decide to explore abuse, I would prefer you use OCs rather than canon characters, unless you want to write Eöl abusing Aredhel or Sauron abusing Celebrimbor. In any case, please be careful with that kind of relationship, I am quite sensitive to abuse in fiction even if I am interested in this subject.)

For non-romantic and/or non-sexual soul bonds: Explore sibling bonds, twin bonds, parent-child bonds, queerplatonic bonds, found family bonds, adoption bonds, the bond between a Vala and their Maia…any kind of soul bond that is familial or platonic or chosen without regard to romance! (Feel free to take a canon romantic relationship and turn it queerplatonic, I live for that shit!) How are these bonds formed outside of sex? What are the rituals and ceremonies around forming them? Is it a public or private thing? Are non-romantic soul bonds taken seriously, or are they seen as less important than marriage bonds? Since elven parents literally give part of their soul in the creation of the child, is that parent-child bond innate? What are traditions around elven adoption? Are there soul bonds created between the adoptive parents and children? Was adoption even a thing in Aman, or is it only practiced in Middle-earth? Did elves adopt mortals and vice versa? Is adoption extended to found family other than a parent-child situation? How is adoption viewed by elvish society, especially if inheritance/succession is a concern?

Turgoldo tags: Group: Finrod/Turgon, Group: Mariners send by Turgon to Aman Suggested worldbuilding tags: Songs of Power

This is my rarepair to end all rarepairs tbh. I honestly don’t know why these two are not shipped more! I am desperate for any and all content with them, I am not picky at all, I just love them.

Fun times in Aman before things get dark and serious would be lovely, I think in that context their relationship would be more casual (or at least they’re trying to make it casual and that leads to hurt feelings). I’d rather not focus on their relationships with their canon love interests, mostly because I’m not a fan of stories about jealousy (also because I see both Finrod and Amarië as gay and together mostly for convenience’s sake AND/OR they’re in a queerplatonic relationship, not a romantic/sexual one), but I do ship Elenwë/Amarië so those two having some sort of polyamorous arrangement with Finrod and Turgon could be fun. But feel free to just ignore any of that and depict Finrod and Turgon together without their respective ladies!

If you go into Beleriand times, I like: Turgon grieving Elenwë and finding solace with Finrod; whatever went down that night by the river they never wanted to talk about again; helping each other build their hidden kingdoms; Finrod sneaking into Gondolin maybe??; repressed Turgon being angsty about discovering his bisexuality and Finrod either helping him or making things more complicated; Finrod missing Turgon and trying to distract himself in Nargothrond (maybe in combination with another Finrod ship? honestly I ship Finrod with any dude that moves, feel free to put your own spin on his relationships, though I would prefer a focus on Turgon/Finrod for this request). Post-reembodiment scenarios would also be great.

Or maybe you want to do an AU with them! Supernatural creatures? Some other fantasy setting? A space opera? Honestly the only AU I wouldn’t be interested in is a modern AU, I’m very picky with my Silm Modern AUs. Honestly like I said earlier, I would love ANY content with Finrod and Turgon, you’d make me very happy if you depicted them together!! Feel free to ignore any of the stuff I said if you’ve got a better idea!!

Regarding the mariners sent to Aman: maybe Turgon is trying to pass a message along to a re-embodied Finrod along with the general cry for help to the Valar? And for “Songs of Power” I was thinking about Finrod’s rap battle with Sauron, and if there was any precedent for him being musically/magically powerful before then that Turgon could have witnessed.

Misc. worldbuilding tags: HoME/UT backstories and events that contradict the Silm, Dragons hunted for their leather, Ossiriand and the Laiquendi

I love incorporating other drafts of stories into the “main” version of the Silm! Please feel free to tweak early concepts to fit the later Legendarium, and definitely explain yourself in the author’s notes, I love that shit.

I can totally see dragons or adventurous Avari hunting dragons for their hides. You could also maybe explore this with the corpse of Smaug in the Long Lake; dwarves harvesting scales as a precious resource, or something?

In writing my recent Tauriel longfic I came to love the Laiquendi of Ossiriand. I’d love to see a nuanced exploration of their cultures - who were their leaders after Denethor? Were they really all nonviolent, or did some fight in self-defense or choose to join the Union of Maedhros? What was their relationship with the Fëanorians, both before and after the Nírnaeth? Do they consider themselves Avari? Do other elves consider them Avari?

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Númenor Request

Early Númenor tags: Group: Elros/Elros's Wife (Silm)

Idk, I just think they’re cute. I have an OC for Elros’ wife that I love, and it would be awesome if you wrote something with her! Or you can use your own OC, whatever you’d like :)

Late Númenor tags: Group: Amandil & Ar-Pharazon & Tar-Míriel, Group: Inzilbêth & Tar-Míriel, Group: Míriel & Tar-Míriel, Group: Elwing & Tar-Míriel Suggested worldbuilding tags: Númenórean Settlements in Middle-earth, Peredhil Heritage in Numenor’s art & culture (Silm)

Amandil, Pharazôn, and Míriel’s childhood friendship is really interesting to me (especially if you throw in Elentír as well!). Would love to see how that dynamic changes over time, Pharazôn’s time conquering in Middle-earth, and their varying opinions about their heritage as the descendants of peredhil. I’m not really interested in portrayals of Pharazôn and Míriel’s relationship as healthy or even consensual; I’d rather you didn’t dwell too much on the abusive aspect, but even when I incorporate the story of Elentír I like to preserve the narrative present in the Silm where Pharazôn takes Míriel to wife against her will.

I never really thought much about Inzilbêth and Míriel, but now I definitely am! How does Míriel feel about her faithful grandmother? I see Míriel as not particularly faithful in the Valar, not like her father, but more politically against the King’s Men; does Inzilbêth try to instill faith into her granddaughter like she did her son?

I’m not sure how Míriel Þerindë or Elwing would interact with Tar-Míriel (perhaps Míriel Þerindë weaves her story? or they meet in Mandos before Tar-Míriel leaves to receive the Gift of Men? - maybe Elwing watches over her descendants from Eärendil’s ship, or flies to visit Númenor before its fall?) but I’m now interested in how that might happen, and what kinds of advice they would pass on to her. Also, if you go with Tar-Míriel and Míriel Þerindë, I’d love to see a silver-haired Tar-Míriel to mirror Þerindë! (also, “fairer than silver or ivory or pearls” makes a great image for a silver-haired Tar-Míriel)

Tar-Silmariën AU tags: Worldbuilding: Silmariën Becomes Queen of Númenor AU

GOSH everything would have been SO different if she had been able to rule! Would her descendants have been corrupted like her brother’s? Would Aldarion and Erendis’ marriage end so badly if he didn’t have the pressure of kingship? If the roles in the Amandil-Pharazôn-Míriel dynamic were reversed, how would that change things? Would Sauron get involved? There are SO many directions you could take this, I’d love to see any of them!

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#is21 #exchange letter

0 notes

arofili · 4 years

Text

Innumerable Stars 2020 Letter :)

Hello lovely creator, thanks for writing for me in Innumerable Stars 2020! I’m very excited and grateful for whatever you create for me <3

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Housekeeping:

DNWs:

Non-con

Unrequested dub-con

Abusive/Neglectful parenting (especially wrt Fëanor)

Sibling incest, parent-child incest (cousin pairings are fine)

Unhappy/Unhopeful endings (unless otherwise specified)

Jealousy/Possessiveness

Cheating

Character or ship bashing

Hanahaki/any scenario where unrequited love is physically damaging

Soulmates, especially soulmate AUs (soul bonds are OK, if there is choice involved)

Porn without plot (Porn with plot is fine!) - the exceptions to this are Russingon and Finrod ships

Food involved in sex

Unrequested Modern AU

Non-trans mpreg

If you’re writing a slash ship where the characters are/were married to/involved with someone outside the ship, please don’t have the character(s) hate their spouse or not have been actually in love with them (the one exception is, again, Finrod; I’m fine with him and Amarië not having been actually in love, but please don’t do this for anyone else, especially not Fëanor)

Hobbit/LOTR-specific DNWs:

The concept of a dwarven “One”

Any Fíli pairing

Alfrid

Legolas or Gimli paired with anyone other than each other

no smut for these fandoms, please

Silm-specific DNWs:

Evil/irredeemable/incel Maeglin

Elwing bashing

Fëanorian bashing

Over the top Fëanorian apologism (they did bad stuff; it was at least partially their fault. you don’t have to address that, necessarily, but don’t rewrite the story to claim they were blameless)

Fingon with a wife

Dark!Maedhros

~~~

Likes:

Gen fic

Found family

Family dynamics

Loving families, even when things get complicated

Friendship, intense/important platonic relationships

Relationships that defy categorization

Queerplatonic relationships

Polyamory

Queer headcanons (especially aromantic-spectrum headcanons)

Trans/nonbinary headcanons (genderbending is also fine, but I prefer trans/nb hcs)

Angst with a happy ending

Gray morality

Explorations of magic

Most tropes

Fanon and fandom tropes

Deconstruction/Inversion of fanon and fandom tropes

Interspecies relationships

Peredhil

Secret relationships

Secret relationships coming to light

Secret kids (especially secret peredhil!)

Giving ships OC kids

OCs interacting with canon characters (please no OCs without any canon characters around)

Confessions of love

First times

Hurt/comfort

Redemption, forgiveness, mercy

Ironic foreshadowing

Canon divergence AUs/X Lives AUs

Fairy tale AUs

Politics and scheming

Resolving conflicting canonical details

Historical/Narrative bias affecting what is and isn’t “canon” (to an extent; changing motivations, consequences, etc is great, but please don’t ignore canon entirely)

Elrond & Elros having complicated relationships with both their bio and adoptive parents

Names fitting the time period (Quenya names in Valinor, please; if this is difficult for you, that’s okay, no pressure, but I do strongly prefer it)

Author’s notes where you explain your thought process, if you want; I love hearing how the story took shape!

~~~

Preferences re: Canon:

Honestly, when it comes to theories and headcanons, my rule of thumb is “convince me”! I’m down for whatever, for the most part, as long as you can justify it :)

~~~

Prompts:

“The Russingon Request”

For all of the characters and relationships in this request, I would really love to have Russingon involved in some way, though it doesn’t necessarily have to be the focus.

Fingon/Maedhros: I just love them a lot!! They’re probably my favorite pairing, and I adore both plot-heavy explorations of their characters and relationship and more slice-of-life fluff/angst/porn stuff without any particular story behind it. If I need comfort fic this pairing is my go-to, and I’d love to have more of that to come back to. This is a ship where PWP would be welcome; plot is also excellent and I’m sure to enjoy that too. I’m always a sucker for falling in love / confessions of love / first times, but ESPECIALLY for Russingon; the beginning of their love story is something I’ll never get tired of. Established relationship, reunions (after the Ice/Angband or after time spent apart in Hithlum/Himring or after leaving the Halls or another scenario) are also amazing. The secret relationship aspect of this ship is very fun, both keeping things secret and having their secret come to light. If you wanted to invert that trope, though, I would definitely enjoy that; I wrote a fake dating AU for them that was SO fun, and things like that or an arranged marriage AU or something are very very fun ideas! I like scenarios where they’re married, and I like scenarios where they’re not married, whichever floats your boat will be excellent. Honestly, I’m likely to enjoy almost any Russingon content you write; I just... *clenches fist* love them... If you wanted to explore a queerplatonic interpretation of them that would be really cool, but I do love love love romantic/sexual Russingon and would be overjoyed to have any content about them!

Fingon: I adore Fingon on his own - he’s brave and valiant and good-hearted and deserved better ;-; If you wanted to write a Fingon-focused story that touches on his time as a prince or a king or adjusting to re-embodied life in Valinor or his relationships with people other than Maedhros, I am sure to love that.

Maedhros: Maedhros is probably my favorite character in the Silm. I love his character arc, the fire symbolism, his trauma and recovery, his relationship with his brothers and his cousins, his time helping Maglor care for Elrond and Elros - really all of his story. For this exchange I’d rather not receive a fic focused on his time in Angband or his death; I can enjoy fics about that, but I’m looking for something a bit happier here. Art of Maedhros in those situations would be okay.

Fëanor & Maedhros, Fingon & Fingolfin: Stories about these two with their fathers would be lovely. I’d prefer something that shows them as both part of loving families, even when things get difficult; this could be Fingon struggling with wanting to tell his father about his boyfriend, or Maedhros trying to talk some sense into his dad after his latest outburst, but I need there to be genuine love and respect all around even if the situation remains unresolved. Put another way: angst is fine as long as there’s a happy/hopeful ending!

Fingolfin & Maedhros: There’s a lot of fic about Maedhros and Fingolfin during his recovery period and the decision to cede the crown, but I’d love to see them in some other context! Fingolfin helping his nephew adjust to Finwë’s court? Fëanor grudgingly approving of the kind way Fingolfin deals with a young Maedhros? Maedhros trying to intercede with Fingolfin on his father’s behalf? Or in Beleriand: a meeting at the Mereth Aderthad, or some other reunion? Fighting together on the battlefield? Fingolfin coming to Maedhros for advice, or vice versa? Fingolfin cornering Maedhros about his relationship with Fingon? Epistolary fic where they’re talking about politics? I think they had a lot of respect for each other, even if the relationship wasn’t always very friendly or easy, and I’d love to see that explored.

Fingon & Turgon: Turgon is my problematic fav! I see him as having a very complicated relationship with Fingon, especially if/when he finds out about Russingon. My headcanon is that Turgon loves and admires his older brother, but they’re very different people, and he absolutely disapproves of his boyfriend, especially after the Ice where he blames the Fëanorians for Elenwë’s death. Some angst between these two on those subjects (on the Ice, in Beleriand before/after the Rescue, shortly before Turgon leaves for Gondolin, their last reunion at the Nírnaeth, a reunion in or after the Halls) would be amazing - though again, I’d like a happy/hopeful resolution.

Maedhros/Turgon: Speaking of Turgon... Okay, this is a weird one, I’m aware, but stay with me. In my mind, Turgon hates the Fëanorians and blames them for his wife’s death and all the awful things that have happened to him and his family, and since Fëanor himself is dead he shifts all that blame onto Maedhros (and there’s the added resentment that Maedhros is fucking Turgon’s brother). Of course he also blames himself but he doesn’t want to admit that. Maedhros on the other hand (which he only has one of) doesn’t like Turgon but he also blames himself for a lot of the bad things that have happened and basically this all comes to a head after Fingon’s death where they’re both grieving and angry with each other and themselves. This ship would probably require some sort of canon divergence that lets Turgon leave Gondolin for at least a bit, or it could take place immediately after Fingon’s death, before he’s returned to his hidden city. It’s really all about the hatefucking! Fealty - Mae already had a fealty kink from Fingon’s time as king, and now he’s swearing loyalty to Turgon as the new High King... Maybe this is the immediate aftermath of the Nírnaeth and everything is super raw, or maybe it’s some sort of AU where Turgon gets off his ass and tries to unite the Noldor against Morgoth when Ulmo warns him about Gondolin’s fall and he has to confront his least favorite half-cousin. Comparisons between Fingon and Turgon’s physical appearances would be great, Maedhros almost letting himself forget that Fingon is dead for maximum angst, but then Fingon was short and Turgon is almost as tall as Mae is so the illusion is shattered and also Turgon just REALLY hates that Maedhros was genuinely in love with his brother because it would be easier to despise Mae if that was all manipulation. Mae not taking care of himself and purposefully pissing Turgon off and letting himself be manhandled. Turgon who hates how much this is all turning him on. Just a lot of resentment and angst!! For this specific ship, angst all the way through / no happy ending is fine; I can’t really imagine a happy resolution here, lmao.

Fingon/Finrod/Maedhros: This is combining my two exceptions to the “no PWP” rule; a non-smutty fic with them is also welcome but most of my ideas are decidedly smutty, lmao. Look, Maedhros and Fingon are ridiculously in love, and Finrod is a bit of a hoe, and I can’t believe there wasn’t at least one time they had a threesome. Finrod getting fucked by both of them at once would be excellent. Finrod is canonically friendly with the Fëanorians in Beleriand and goes hunting with Maglor and Maedhros, maybe this is a time where it’s Fingon instead of Maglor and they fuck in the woods, or Maedhros and Fingon visit Nargothrond, or Maedhros and Finrod visit Barad Eithel, or Fingon and Finrod visit Himring. Is this a planned encounter? Something spontaneous? Is Finrod seducing them both, or are they inviting him in? Did Maedhros and Finrod have a fling in Valinor, or did Finrod and Fingon find comfort together on the Ice, or both? I’d love to see where you take this!

Worldbuilding tags: These are of course completely optional, but if you wanted to explore these topics in your Russingon fic I would be very happy! Post-reembodiment fic where Mae and Finno get to be happy and soft are a balm to my troubled soul, especially if there’s some kind of leftover angst and desperation around worrying they’ll wake up alone; really lean into the hurt/comfort here! I mentioned the fealty kink thing earlier, but that’s an incredibly juicy aspect of their relationship in Beleriand that I’d love to see explored. If you decide to have them married, exploring marriage bonds/soul sex/telepathic communication would be really cool; in my DNW I mentioned that I don’t like the concept of soulmates (for Aro Reasons) so please steer clear of that, but having Mae and Finno choose each other over and over again and that affecting their soul bond/mental connection might just bring me to tears ;-; I’m also interested in explorations of the Halls of Mandos: for example, a reunion there helping Maedhros heal, or them being kept apart and finally getting to reunite after their rebirth, or how that healing process affects the forgiveness and redemption required for Fingon to come to terms with what Maedhros did after he died.

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“The Turgoldo Request”

Turgon: Like I said before, Turgon is my problematic fav. I’m fascinated by his anger, bitterness, and hypocrisy; it breaks my heart how he loses everyone close to him but Idril; I don’t really approve of his isolationist politics but I’m interested in exploring what shaped him to get there. To me Turgon is “lawful neutral,” though in his mind he’s “lawful good” - he has a strict moral code that doesn’t always take into account all of his personal failings or other people’s differing life experiences. He is staunchly resentful of the Fëanorians, especially Maedhros and Fëanor himself; he blames them for the majority of his problems. He’s got anxiety, he’s traumatized by the Helcaraxë, he’s an overprotective father, he doesn’t have a lot of communication skills. I could go on - but here’s a link to a post where I talk about my headcanons for Turgon and his relationships. So: Turgon-focused fic that emphasizes his angst, loneliness, stiff-necked morality, etc would be great. Feel free to lean into the melancholy aspect; a fic about him doesn’t necessarily have to have a happy ending, though I’d prefer something not outright tragic.

Maeglin & Turgon: The miscommunication here is just...painful and so very very fun. I really do think Turgon loved his nephew, but he’s SO bad at expressing it, and Maeglin has trouble believing any affection he receives is genuine. But some happy moments between them would be great; maybe post-reembodiment reconciliation where Turgon assures Maeglin that he doesn’t hate him? Or an AU where Maeglin confesses to Turgon what happened to him when he was captured? Going along with my Turgoldo request, maybe some extremely awkward conversation about being in love with your cheerful blond cousin...? There’s lots of opportunity for angst and hurt/comfort, and I’d love to see some of that here, though again please make sure to have a happy/hopeful ending, at least of whatever snippet you end up writing.

Finrod/Turgon: This is my rarepair to end all rarepairs tbh. I honestly don’t know why these two are not shipped more! I am desperate for any and all content with them, I am not picky at all, I just love them.

Fun times in Aman before things get dark and serious would be lovely, I think in that context their relationship would be more casual (or at least they’re trying to make it casual and that leads to hurt feelings). I’d rather not focus on their relationships with their canon love interests, mostly because I’m not a fan of stories about jealousy (also because I see both Finrod and Amarië as gay and together mostly for convenience’s sake), but I do ship Elenwë/Amarië so those two having some sort of arrangement with Finrod and Turgon could be fun. But feel free to just ignore any of that and depict Finrod and Turgon together without their respective ladies!

Post-reembodiment scenarios would also be great. I think that whatever the situation between Amarië and Finrod was, she’s moved on from him by the time he’s reborn; maybe she’s with Elenwë now, which would make Turgon’s life a bit easier. Or maybe Turgon can make room for both Elenwë and Finrod.

Glorfindel/Ecthelion: Okay this one isn’t really that related to the other ships and characters in this request, but I do really love this ship and if you wanted to write something about them I would absolutely enjoy it. I don’t have a ton of ideas about them (maybe they’re husbands? a comedy of errors that ends with them getting together? mutual pining for an absurdly long time, maybe even that they’re aware of but don’t act on for years?) but they’re very sweet and I love them. If you wanted to include them in the background of a Gondolin-era fic, that would be great; or maybe some sort of compare/contrast fic with Finrod and Turgon, another blond/dark haired ship :P Or just write some fluff centered on them, that would be welcome too!!!

Worldbuilding tags: Military strategy and tactics around the Hidden Kingdoms seems like a good topic to build a fic around for Turgon and Finrod, especially considering their strategies are so different from those of Fingolfin and Maedhros, who did more to fight the Enemy but whose realms fell long before Nargothrond and Gondolin. Or you could explore what it’s like to live in isolated, insular Gondolin, and the mixed Sindar and Noldor cultures there, what prejudices might be found among high society, etc...go crazy with headcanons and worldbuilding!

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“The Túrin Request”

I didn’t put down ships here that include Túrin/Beleg, but I do take that as basically canon, so some angst about Beleg’s death and Túrin’s love for him would probably come up in any of these situations. Or feel free to keep Beleg alive and throw him into the mix if you feel like it!

Finduilas/Gwindor/Túrin: I JUST THINK THEY COULD HAVE MADE IT WORK, YOU KNOW? There’s some juicy Túrin/Gwindor lines in COH, Túrin has a thing for blonds so I can see him developing feelings for Finduilas even if he didn’t necessarily have them in canon, Gwindor and Finduilas’ doomed romance just breaks me and I want to FIX it!! If they had been better at communicating, maybe…idk, this could be a fix it or not, but they’re all drama queens and they’re all in love with each other and what if Túrin had managed to save Gwindor and Finduilas and they all went to Brethil together, or something?? Who knows I just need them all together! The Finduilas is Gil-galad worldbuilding tag would be a great option here for a fix-it :)

Maeglin/Túrin: I feel like I’m the only person sailing this ship but I will go down with it. So WHAT that they never met in canon?? They have MATCHING SWORDS and they’re both doomed by family curses and I think it would be incredibly sexy of Túrin to go to Gondolin. Or maybe Maeglin and Aredhel escaped to Nargothrond (perhaps with Celegorm and Curufin?) and that’s where they meet? What if their curses cancel each other out and they help each other avoid their dooms! What if Maeglin tries to duel Túrin for the right to wield Anglachel! What if Túrin also has a thing for Idril (again…he’s got a thing for blonds, especially blond elves) and they bond over being jealous of Tuor and then fall in love! What if they refuse to acknowledge the insane amount of sexual tension between them until some incredibly inopportune moment like Idril and Tuor’s wedding! So many possibilities and I just adore the concept of this ship!!

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Celebrimbor/Maeglin/Túrin: I like to call this ship “Doomed Disaster Boyfriends.” I think this works best in that Maeglin in Nargothrond AU; Celegorm and Curufin have been exiled but Celebrimbor and Maeglin and Aredhel stayed behind in Nargothrond when they left, or maybe Aredhel went with them but Maeglin didn’t, or maybe Aredhel fought in the Nírnaeth and didn’t make it through the battle or something. Although if you wanted to take the Gondolin route instead, where Tyelpë makes his way to Gondolin after the Nírnaeth and Túrin joins up with Tuor instead of heading to Brethil, that would be neat too. Or if you want to go a super dark route: Tyelpë was taken captive to Angband after the Nírnaeth, and Beleg didn’t manage to rescue Túrin so he’s in Angband too, and Maeglin gets kidnapped himself, so they all try and break out together…

Anyway: whatever the situation, they’re all horribly doomed, they all have family curses, Tyelpë and Maeglin is a great ship because they’re both smiths and everyone hates their dads, Maeglin and Túrin is a great ship because they have matching swords and they’re both super dramatically emo, Túrin and Celebrimbor is a great ship because honestly of course it was Tyelpë who reforged Anglachel into Gurthang and they were both kind of outsiders in Nargothrond - anyway just. Throw them all together into one screaming angsty mess that probably ends up even worse than in canon, I would LOVE that. And Tyelpë outlives both his boyfriends and eventually falls for Annatar who unbeknownst to him had a hand in both their awful demises... Though again I’d prefer a happy ending for a fic here.

“The Kidnap Dads Request”

Elrond & Gil-galad: I have two scenarios in mind for this - either Gil-galad is taking Elrond (& Elros?) under his wing during the War of Wrath and having to reassess his feelings about Maedhros and Maglor, OR Gil-galad is the son of Fingon and Maedhros and therefore considers E(&E) his brothers because they’re also the son(s) of Maedhros.

Maedhros & Maglor & Elrond & Elros: Kidnap Dads!!! I love Kidnap Dads!!! Please make sure to include Maedhros in this - his dynamic with the twins can be different than Maglor’s, but I want him to be involved in their care and upbringing too. Anything from fluff to hurt/comfort would be amazing; you can write E&E learning to trust M&M, or after they’ve come to love each other, or some time in the future where Elrond and/or Elros looks back fondly on their foster parents. Please, please no bashing Elwing and Eärendil. However - their bio parents interacting with their foster parents in awkward/humorous situations would be great. I think the twins have a very complicated relationship with all their parents, and diving into that would be really interesting - or you can just lean into the fluffy found family, which I would also love.

Some possible scenarios: an official adoption ceremony, cultural differences, M&M giving E&E some more names / teaching them Quenya, Maglor showing up to Elrond and/or Elros’ wedding(s), Maglor in Rivendell, sharing traditions, Maedhros teaching the twins some skill (cooking? swordfighting? embroidery?), the twins being Weird (either because they’re part human or part Maia) and M&M learning to deal with that, Elrond reuniting with Maedhros in Valinor, Elrond getting adopted by M&M’s spouses (Maglor’s wife and/or Fingon), AU where Maedhros lives and is around for E&E’s later lives, Maglor teaching Elrond magical/musical healing

Worldbuilding tags: How did being raised with M&M affect E&E’s decisions when it came to their Choices of kindred? Were there any Men in the remnants of the Fëanorian host, and did that affect their Choices? Where did Elrond’s skill as a healer come from; is it connected at all to the Music, and if so, did Maglor teach him that? How do E&E reflect on their time among Kinslayers, and what is it that helps them come to love their captors/foster parents? Do M&M redeem themselves through raising E&E? As the First Age rolls over into the Second and M&M leave the picture while E&E come to the forefront, what lessons do they take from their foster parents? How do people, especially the other leaders of Elves and Men, react to the obvious Fëanorian influence on E&E? What happens to the remnant of the Fëanorian host after M&M are gone? How do E&E feel about their cousin Celebrimbor and vice versa? These are all just things to think about - feel free to ignore or cherry-pick as you see fit!

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“The Círwen Request”

Círdan/Lalwen: This is a completely unsupported rare pair that I nonetheless really love. In my mind, Lalwen is a political diplomat to the Falas in the early First Age, representing her brother to the Sindar. What happens next is up to you! Círdan and Lalwen as forbidden lovers? Círdan and Lalwen as an arranged marriage? Círdan and Lalwen as the parents of Gil-galad? Círdan and Lalwen in a queerplatonic relationship rather than a romantic one? Any of these would be great to read about! Bonus points if Lalwen gets a sword!

Lalwen & Fingolfin: Why did Lalwen follow Fingolfin to Beleriand when Findis did not, and Arafinwë turned back? If we’re going with my Lalwen the diplomat headcanon, why did Fingolfin choose her as his representative? How does he feel about her relationship with Círdan? Or you can focus on some other aspect of their relationship, maybe mirroring the Turgon & Aredhel relationship or the Fingon & Aredhel relationship.

Gelmir: This tag doesn’t specify which Gelmir we’re talking about, but I’d like to request something with Gelmir who was Círdan’s messenger, who went with Arminas to Nargothrond and warned Orodreth about taking down the bridge. He could be a supporting character and a friend of Círdan, or you could have him missing his original lands (Dorthonion) and lord (Angrod). My headcanon is that he and Arminas are in a queerplatonic relationship; if you’re going with qp!Círwen, maybe they could serve as a model for Círdan and Lalwen as they’re figuring out their relationship.

~~~

“The Halenthir Request”

Haleth/Caranthir: This ship dynamic is fascinating to me. Why did Haleth refuse Caranthir’s offer of aid? Was it the result of a falling out between them, or did he have to pursue her all the way to Brethil to explain his feelings? I absolutely love stories that give Haleth and Caranthir a peredhel child or two, especially when that’s a surprise to Caranthir. Maybe Haleth doesn’t even tell Caranthir they have a kid right away, or at all... If we’re exploring LaCE, does Caranthir consider himself married to Haleth because they’ve had sex, even though that’s not part of Mannish culture? How do the Haladin take their Chieftain’s relationship with this weird elf guy? Do Caranthir’s brothers know about his mortal girlfriend? This is another ship where a queerplatonic take would be excellent; I see both Haleth and Caranthir as being on the aromantic-spectrum, and exploring that weird gray space of their relationship would be wonderful. I also love interspecies relationships in general, so digging into the cultural differences and issues that come along with an elf and a mortal being together would be great (also. height differences!!) Additionally: Caranthir is kind of depicted as the grumpy rich bitch of Beleriand, so exploring trade as an excuse for him to visit Haleth and/or historical and narrative biases that depict him and Haleth at odds with each other when they “actually weren’t” are two interesting ways to take this.

Aegnor/Andreth: So, this request is called “The Halenthir Request,” but I also love Aegnor and Andreth. If you could give them some sort of happy ending, or at least a happy middle, I would love that. What really got me to put them here alongside Halenthir is the concept of Aegnor and Andreth having a child that interacts with a child of Haleth and Caranthir! Go crazy with OCs; they can be romantically involved or good friends or bitter rivals or whatever scenario you can dream up :)

~~~

“The Finwëan Drama Request”

So for this request I’m really down for any and all Finwëan relationships! But here are a couple from the tagset that caught my eye :)

Aredhel & Galadriel & Amras & Amrod: The babies of the family! (not counting Arakáno, or you could replace Aredhel with him, or have him be a much later bonus baby, or just have him not exist in this verse) I can imagine all sorts of shenanigans they got up to as kids :)

Amrod & Amras: Would love an exploration of a “twin bond” between these two, similarish to the marriage bond concept.

Celebrimbor & Orodreth: They were both fourth-gen Finwëans, if we go with the Orodreth son of Angrod version; did they grow up as friends? Did they not really know each other until Beleriand? Orodreth was reluctant to follow his family to Beleriand, and Celebrimbor could easily have been dragged along without having much say; maybe they bond over wishing they were still in Valinor? Why did Celebrimbor decide to stay in Nargothrond when his father and uncle left, and why did Orodreth welcome him there?

Celebrimbor/Maeglin: As my friend May said, “maeglin/celebrimbor is really just the inherent eroticism of the man who gave up information under torture loving the man who did not.” I don’t personally subscribe to the Celebrimbor in Gondolin version of events, so I imagine any relationship between them would be post-reembodiment.

Curufin & Celebrimbor: I’m especially interested in post-reembodiment scenarios between them, too. Do they try and reconnect? Does Celebrimbor forgive his father? I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for Curufin to watch Tyelpë’s demise in Vairë’s tapestries in the Halls; how does that affect their father-son relationship?

Curufin & Maeglin: Curufin (& Celegorm) were friends with Maeglin’s mother; does he feel protective of Maeglin? If Celebrimbor is now involved with Maeglin, is this Curufin trying to get to know his son’s boyfriend?

Celegorm/Aredhel: I see Aredhel as aromantic, and I sometimes see Celegorm that way too; a queerplatonic interpretation or a friends with benefits situation would both be something I’d enjoy reading, at any point in their timelines.

Curufin & Aredhel: I imagine that in a Celegorm/Aredhel situation Curufin would be third wheeling them a lot; or maybe not! Maybe they spend time together on their own, or they gang up to prank Tyelko, or something.

Curufin & Finrod & Celegorm: Were they friends before C&C came to Nargothrond? How did that friendship turn toxic and manipulative? Can they become friends again after they’re reembodied? I’d also be down for a threesome situation with them, though this is a gen relationship tag and I’d love that too.

Eärwen & Anairë, Eärwen/Anairë: These two were canonically dear friends, and I love exploring how that came to be - did they know each other before they met their husbands? Do they meet and fall in love after they’re already married and have mixed feelings about that? What is their life together like after the Darkening and the Kinslaying? This is a ship I really love queerplatonic interpretations of, though purely platonic and romantic/sexual takes on them are both excellent, too.

Fëanor & Findis & Fingolfin & Lalwen & Finarfin: Fëanor and his half-siblings...so much potential for drama! Was there a time where Fëanor didn’t resent them so much? If so, how did that anger grow? Was his feud specifically with Fingolfin, or with all the children of Indis? What were family reunions like, especially once they start having kids who befriend one another? After the Flight of the Noldor, how do Findis and Finarfin deal with the loss of their siblings - especially when those siblings start to die in far-off Beleriand?

Fëanor & Fingolfin: I would LOVE a fic that shows some extremely grudging affectionate moments between these two :) Fëanor being like “no, I’M the only one who gets to pick on my half-brother!” or Fingolfin idolizing his older brother or a Fëanor Lives AU where they they get to have the fistfight they sorely needed to have and then settle into a more subdued rivalry or a reunion/apology in the Halls - or literally anything that shows some amount of hope for their brotherly relationship.

Nerdanel & Eärwen & Anairë & Findis & Lalwen: Give it up for the Finwëan Ladies! Four out of the five of them remained in Aman; how do they grieve Lalwen’s departure? Are they all friends, or are there some rivalries in their midst? My headcanon is that Findis is Glorfindel’s mother, but Lalwen didn’t have kids (until Beleriand?) - does Lalwen feel left out among all these mothers? How do these women pick up the pieces of the mess left by their husbands and brothers in the wake of the Flight of the Noldor? I would love depictions of them as politicians trying to mend bridges with the Teleri and the Valar.

Fëanor/Nerdanel: You cannot tell me that this extremely fiery, passionate man who had SEVEN CHILDREN with his wife did not absolutely adore her! Give me some early-relationship or early-marriage spiciness, or them as new parents (for the first time...or not), or them making things for each other - really, anything that shows how much they love each other, before (or even after) it all went wrong.

Sons of Fëanor: Look I just love the Fëanorians. I’m especially a sucker for Big Brother Maedhros, so having him interact with his younger siblings would be amazing, but really any sibling dynamics between Fëanor’s kids is something I’m bound to enjoy, as long as you show their love for one another even when they’re fighting amongst themselves.

Elemmírë/Findis: Vanyarin lesbians!! I see Elemmírë as a woman (specifically a trans woman, though if you don’t want to get into the details of her gender that’s fine), and a major reason in why Findis stuck around in Aman instead of leaving with her siblings. I like the theory that Glorfindel is Findis’ son, which would make Elemmírë his other mother. But if you’d rather depict them as not together at the time of the Darkening, that would be fine too; maybe Elemmírë is upset at the thought of Findis leaving but Findis stays because she’s realized she’s in love with Elemmírë, or something like that. Elemmírë wrote a song about the Darkening, so I think focusing on that time of fear and uncertainty and having them find comfort in one another would be very interesting.

I’ve kind of sprinkled references to the worldbuilding tags throughout these prompts, but I’d also love to see the “queer elves and their communities” tag explored with the Finwëans. I have lots of queer headcanons (feel free to ask me about specific hcs; I have anon messages on!) but I’d also love to see your takes on these characters’ identities! Do homophobia and amatonormativity exist in your version of Aman and Beleriand? How does that affect the queer community; is it underground and secretive or just another sort of community someone can interact with? If there’s not a focus on queerness being “wrong,” what does that mean for queer folks who want to find other people like them? Do things change in Beleriand - are the Sindar more or less accepting; do the Noldorin realms establish themselves differently than Tirion or Valmar did? I’m very curious to see your take on this!

~~~

“The Gigolas Request”

Gimli/Legolas: All Gigolas is good Gigolas, and you can quote me on that - but I do have a soft spot for queerplatonic Gigolas, and I might die of happiness if you wrote me some :) I love elf/dwarf relationships, and cultural differences leading to miscommunication is one of my favorite tropes for this ship.

Legolas/Gimli & ...: I put a bunch of these for this request. For “& Thranduil” and “& Glóin” I’d love to see some “telling the family” scenarios, with Thranduil and Glóin coming to terms with their sons’ relationship. For “& Aragorn” and “& Boromir” I was imagining a Three (or Four!) Hunters situation with Aragorn third wheeling them, and/or a Boromir Lives AU where he and Aragorn commiserate how stupid their friends are about their feelings.

Fourth Age Ithilien Elves: Legolas’ new home in Ithilien is really interesting to me (as is Gimli’s new home in Aglarond, but that group did not get nominated) and I’d love to see an outside POV of Gigolas, what their friends and subordinates think of this odd couple. Or you could dive into what the founding of Ithilien was like, and Legolas’ relationship with Faramir and Éowyn.

Worldbuilding tags: I also love Fourth Age Valinor fics! What was it like for Legolas to give into sea-longing and sail West, and how did he and Gimli come to the decision to bring Gimli along too? What is everyone’s reaction to the dwarf in Valinor? (LOOK I just think people like Finrod, Celebrimbor, Curufin, Maeglin, Aulë, etc would LOVE Gimli!) Or we can backtrack to the late Third Age and look at the trade relationship between Erebor and Rivendell, and between Rivendell and Mirkwood, and how that affects Gimli’s initial perception of Legolas / Legolas’ expectations upon joining the Fellowship.

~~~

“The Durins Request”

For my Hobbit requests, assume I want an Everyone Survives BOTFA AU unless I specify otherwise.

Fíli: I just REALLY love my boy!! (as you can probably see from my url, lol) Any fic that’s Fíli-centric would make me happy, focusing on his familial relationships, political expectations, learning to fight, friends from Ered Luin, reuniting with them after reclaiming Erebor...all that would be great. Please do not write me any Fíli pairings; as you can also see from my url, I headcanon Fíli as aromantic, and this is not a headcanon I am flexible with. Write me a story about Fíli that shows how rich and fulfilling and challenging his life is without any romantic aspect!

Dís & Frerin & Thorin: I’d love to see something about these siblings; maybe Dís reminiscing on her childhood and comparing Fíli and Kíli to Frerin and Thorin?

Dís/Spouse: I do love that this is not “Dís/Husband” - so take that as permission to give Dís a wife and/or a trans/nonbinary spouse! I headcanon that Dís’ spouse is not a Longbeard dwarf, which leads me to...

Dwarves of Ered Luin: How do the Broadbeams and Firebeards of the Blue Mountains feel about the arrival of the Longbeard exiles? What do they think about the Longbeard princess marrying one of their people?

Fíli & Kíli & Gimli: What if Gimli came on the Quest, or Fíli and Kíli stayed behind? Or, how did Gimli feel about being left out? Was he excited to reunite with his cousins, or still jealous and a bit resentful? Or if we go the canon route, did he feel horrible that he parted with them on not the best terms and never got to see them again? I’d also love some compare/contrast Kiliel and Gigolas parallels :)

Ravens of Erebor: I just think the ravens are REALLY COOL. When did they settle there, and how did their relationship with the Line of Durin come to be? What are raven politics like??

Worldbuilding tags: These seem pretty self-explanatory for the most part, but I’d love to see some post-BOTFA politics both internally within the Longbeard dwarves as they return to Erebor and externally with Mirkwood and Dale. The Smaug’s corpse tag could be some source of contention there; maybe some men want to re-establish Laketown amidst his remains, or they want to relocate him so they can resettle Esgaroth, or the the dwarves want to harvest his corpse for resources (he’s probably got gold and jewels stuck in his scales, and dragon-skin/scales is probably a good raw material for crafting things).

~~~

“The Tauriel Request”

Kíli/Tauriel: As you can probably see from my AO3 profile pic and username (derived from the “she walks in starlight” quote in DOS), I LOVE Tauriel! I don’t so much anymore, but I used to write a lot of Kiliel fic, and I am still very soft for them <3 I’d love almost any sort of AU for them (even a modern AU would be fine!) or a canon-verse everyone lives AU where they get to be happy and domestic :)

Tauriel & Legolas: I love platonic or sibling-esque relationships for these two! I would especially enjoy them growing up together, or Legolas taking Tauriel under his wing when she joins the Guard, or Legolas teasing Tauriel for her crush on a dwarf only for the tables to be turned when he falls for Gimli :D

Tauriel & Thranduil: This is a really complicated relationship - I don’t think Thranduil sees her as a daughter, necessarily, but he definitely feels protective of her and is frustrated when she doesn’t listen to him. I’d love to see the origins of that dynamic, and Tauriel’s side of things as she goes from being fond of her friend’s dad to distancing herself from her king whose politics she disagrees with, or Tauriel returning to Mirkwood after the battle (in an everyone lives AU where she’s just visiting, or in canon where she wanders for a bit but eventually comes home) and them reconciling.

Sigrid/Tauriel: Let’s give it up for our non-canon gals! Okay, I love Tauriel and this ship is so cute. If you’d like to include Kíli/Tauriel in the background (Kíli supporting Tauriel's relationship with Sigrid, for example) that would be great, but a story based in canon where Kíli dies would also be fine; however I'd like it if you acknowledged Tauriel’s feelings for Kíli in some way. Sigrid being all blushy and embarrassed around the hot elf girl who’s hanging around Dale helping to rebuild is kind of what I have in mind, but feel free to take this in any direction you'd like!

Tauriel/Mirkwood Guard OFC: A fling from Tauriel’s youth? A girlfriend she feels torn about leaving for Kíli? A friend she’s always crushed on but never said anything about? Any of these situations would be fun! Like with Sigriel, I’d like it if you acknowledged her feelings for Kíli (if the story takes place in that time period) but otherwise go crazy with this prompt!

Worldbuilding tags: Again, I think these are mostly self-explanatory and they could all definitely relate to Tauriel. How does she become Captain of the Guard - is it because she comes up with some new innovative strategy to fight the spiders? Is Mirkwood very patriarchal, and is that appointment something she faced opposition or competition for? Her healing of Kíli in DOS isn’t ever really explained, so maybe exploring the magic and/or medicine involved there and how she came to learn that. (In my own headcanons, her foster family are healers, which is how she learned those skills even though she’s primarily a warrior - but feel free to take it in whatever direction you’d like!)

~~~

#tmi anna #innumerable stars #exchange letter #is20

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berjhawn · 7 years

Text

Lost Lothlorien Princess - Part 17 - A Past Revealed

Warnings: Blood, dark shit, ETC

Pairings: LOTR X READER ; Legolas X Reader

Parts:

Part 1 - High School

Part 2 - Rivendell

Part 3 - Concerning Hobbits

Part 4 - Merry and Pippin

Part 5 - Bree

Part 6 - Aragorn

Part 7 - The Council

Part 8 - The Road Ahead

Part 9 - Moria

Part 10 - Lothlorien

Part 11 - Boromir

Part 12 - Fangorn Forest

Part 13 - Rohan

Part 14 - Helms Deep

Part 15 - Haldir

Part 16 - Feast for the Fallen

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

I look around and once again I am in the burnt fields of Mordor, Sauron a few feet away smiling maliciously. I gulp down a breath of air as I say, “Answer me one thing,” His smile grows as he says, “What ever you wish my child.” I groan inwardly in annoyance as I say, “What did you do to me that day all those years ago?” He chuckles as he says, “Why should I tell you when I can just show you?” I tilt my head in confusion but before I can say anything the scenery changes to the Elven city of Mirkwood. I look around to see my mother walking through the city followed closely by the Elven King of Mirkwood himself, Thranduil.

I watch in awe as she holds a little baby up into the air smiling at it while the baby laughed at her. “Is that… Me?” I ask as I walk up to them. “It is,” I hear Sauron say and I stare at the baby.

“Thranduil, the enemy is moving. Soon he will come for her. I need to send her away to protect her before it is too late.”

“Then we must contact Mithrandir, it will take the three of us to send her far from his reach.” Galadriel nods as she walks over to a little cradle and gently places the babe down. All the sudden a little blonde headed child runs over to Thranduil and hides behind his robes. “Legolas, my child this little one sleeping is to one day be your wife. You must protect her when she returns.”

“Legolas?” I say as I slowly reach out to them only to have my hand pass through them like they were phantoms of my mind. Galadriel smiles brightly as she leans down and gently places a kiss upon the baby’s brow, “Sleep for now Poikaer, for soon you shall be safe.”

Then with a quick glance back at the baby; Galadriel, Thranduil, and Legolas leave the room. I look back over at the baby right as Sauron walks up beside me and says as he leans his mouth against my ear, “They wanted to take you away from me, but they made one tiny mistake. I am everywhere.”

I shiver at his closeness but watch as suddenly the scene becomes dark as Sauron moves like a shadow into the baby’s room. I watch as he leans down and lifts the child into his arms her eyes wide and staring at the man. “You will leave yes, but you shall return and once you do; you shall be mine.” I watch as the memory Sauron cuts his hand and lets the thick dark liquid pour from his hand into the baby’s mouth. I feel my stomach wretch at the thought of having his blood inside my. “You are now my own blood, you will be my ultimate weapon; my little ______.” He says as he lays me back down into the crib and then instantly disappears.

The scene suddenly returns to that of Mordor and I fall to my knees clutching my arms close to me. “What have you done to me? What have you made me?” I say as my knuckles turn white.

“You were always supposed to be mine. I have every right to reclaim what is rightfully mine!” He yells out and suddenly I feel my body heat up. I look down at my hands to see the fiery vines wrap around my arms burning my skin making me scream out in pain. “Do not fight it my child, you shall soon become like me.”

“I don’t wanna be like you!” I yell out as I force myself to my feet my eyes blazing orange like a wildfire.

He smiles as he says, “You say that, but with each passing second you are becoming exactly what was foretold. You shall join me and help me take over Middle Earth.”

Suddenly I feel my body heat up like it was completely on fire and I stare daggers at the dark lord as I say, “I will never join you!” I feel the heat intensify and suddenly I realize that every time I get angry the heat intensifies making him happier. If I wanted to stay myself and not become what he wanted me to be I had to calm down. “_______!!” I hear a familiar voice scream my name.

“_______! Wake up!” I hear the familiar voice cry out again and I feel my anger subside. “Please Melamin!” My heart jumps as I realize who it is.

“Legolas,” I say a smile covering my lips.

“He will burn, they will all burn!” I hear Sauron say and instead of letting his words get to me I think of my friends, all of them. They all trusted me and in their own way loved me; I couldn’t betray them and turn dark. As thoughts of them fill my head I smile letting my love flow from my heart causing the fire to subside as the silver vines once again return to my arms making me smile brightly.

All the sudden my eyes turn shiny silver and I turn to Sauron as he says, “No… NO! This isn’t how it was supposed to go! It was foretold, you were to be my new vessel!”

My face turns melancholy as I say, “I pity you,”

He growls as he says, “You ‘pity’ me?”

I smile softly as I say, “You shall never know the meaning of love or being loved. That is why you will fall.” His body suddenly disappears leaving his fiery eye staring at me from atop his tower. “I am sorry,” I say as I turn from him and suddenly wake up to Legolas’s frightened blue eyes.

“_______?” He says his eyes searching mine for some sort of sign. I smile as I say, “Iston i nîf gîn,” He pulls me into his chest as he says, “I was so worried.” I hold tight to him for a moment before I pull away to see my father standing a few feet away a worried expression on his face. “Ada, Mani marte?” I ask as I pull myself to my feet.

“We need to speak alone for a moment Legolas,” Gandalf says as he walks over to me. Legolas hesitates for a moment before he nods and walks back inside. Once the two of us are alone he leans down and tilts my face up to look at him.

“Tell me what happened!” He says urgency in his eyes. I sigh as I quickly tell him about Sauron and then looking at his face fill with worry I say, “He was here wasn’t he? It wasn’t just a dream.” Gandalf nods as he says, “he tempted the young Peregrin Took.” I gulp down a breath of air as I say, “I won’t let him hurt anymore of my friends; but I don’t know how to defeat him. I got lucky as I didn’t fall for his tricks now but what if when I get closer to Mordor I can’t control myself?” He sighs as he says, “We do not know, all we know is that somehow you must defeat the bond he has with you on your own.” I sigh as I wrap my arms around him. “I saw everything, I felt the fire burning my skin. I was becoming something dark something evil and some part of me liked it.”

He gently pats my head as he says, “It wasn’t you, it was the part of you that Sauron placed within you.” I sigh and nodding I pull away from him and walk over to Fili who was staring at me in concern. “Once you collect yourself I would appreciate it if you met us in the throne room.” He says and I nod.

After a while I reach the throne room right as my father says, “There was no lie in Pippin’s eyes. A fool but an honest fool he remains.” I look at Merry who was sitting closely to his friend. “He told Sauron nothing of Frodo and the Ring.”

I look over to see Gimli sighing with relief as my father continues saying, “We’ve been strangely fortunate. Pippin saw in the Palantir a glimpse of the enemy’s plan. Sauron moves to strike the city of Minas Tirith. His defeat at Helm’s Deep showed our enemy one thing. He knows the Heir of Elendil has come forth.” He nods to Aragorn before he continues, “Men are not as weak as he supposed. There is courage still. Strength enough, perhaps, to challenge him. Sauron fears this. He will not risk the peoples of Middle Earth uniting under one banner. He will raze Minas Tirith to the ground before he sees a King return to the throne of men. If the beacons of Gondor are lit Rohan must be ready for war.”

I look to Théoden as he says, “Tell me! Why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours? What do we owe Gondor?”

“I will go!” Aragorn pipes up and my father instantly says, “No!”

“They must be warned!”

“They will be.” Gandalf approaches closely to Aragorn and speaks in a low voice, “You must come to Minas Tirith by another road. Follow the river. Look to the black ships.” He turns from him and says, “Understand this, things are now in motion that cannot be undone. I ride for Minas Tirith and I won’t be going alone.” I look at Pippin and suddenly want to wrap my arms around him.

Gandalf walks up to me and says, “My child you must stay with Aragorn, he will need your help with his upcoming tasks.” I nod as I give him a brief smile. I watch as he walks away with Merry and Pippin following closely behind him. “Worry not ______, You still have us.” I hear Gimli say as he stands next to Aragorn and Legolas. I smile as I walk over to them and say, “Thank you, I know you all have every reason to be angry with me; but you must understand why I couldn’t tell you.”

Aragorn smile softly as he places his hands on my shoulders and says, “We understand and will be therefore you no matter what happens. As long as there are no more lies.” I smile and wrapping my arms around him say, “I promise, no more lies.” When I pull away the four of us walk outside right as Merry runs past us and up the steps to the top of a watchtower. “Merry!” Aragorn yells out as He and I follow quickly after him. When we reach him we turn and watch Shadowfax fading off into the distance.

“He’s always followed me everywhere I went since before we were tweens. I would get him into the worst sort of trouble but I was always there to get him out. Now he’s gone.” He looks at Aragorn as he continues, “Just like Frodo and Sam.” I look over at Aragorn as he says, “One thing I’ve learnt about Hobbits: They are a most hardy folk.”

“Foolhardy maybe. He’s a Took!” Merry says and we all laugh.

As the days pass I once again get close to my companions but not too close with Legolas. I had meant what I said when I said he had a future I wasn’t in and I wasn’t going to Welch on my decision now. I was surprised to see that none of them asked me about the future, I didn’t know if they were just scared of the outcome or if they were respecting my wish to not tell them. I was sitting in the hall with Gimli when Aragorn bursts through the door shouting, “The beacons of Minas Tirith! The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid.” There is a hesitation from each person as my eyes move from person to person ending on Théoden.

“And Rohan will answer! Muster the Rohirrim.” Théoden calls out and Eomer bows to him and leaves. The bell rings out to gather the Rohirrim together. I follow closely behind Aragorn as we make our way down to the stables. As we reach them I look around for Fili and see him licking his paws as he nestles into the hay next to Aragorn’s horse. Giving a quick whistle he runs up to me and I smile as I start to fasten his saddlery to him.

When we walk outside I turn to see Eowyn and as she reaches up Aragorn says, “Do you ride with us?”

“Just to the encampment. It’s tradition for the women of the court to farewell the men.” Aragorn moves a blanket to reveal Eowyn’s sword. She snatches it down back over it and looks at him. “The men have found their captain. They will follow you into battle. Even to death. You have given us hope.” She smiles at him and Aragorn turns away uneasy.

“It will be alright Aragorn.” I say as I walk past him to where Legolas and Gimli are once again on a horse together. Giving them a smile I quickly climb up onto Fili’s back as Gimli says, “Horse men! I wish I could muster an army of Dwarves, fully armed and filthy.”

“Your kinsmen may have no need to ride to war. I fear war already marches on their own lands.” Legolas replies and I sigh as I turn back to see the soldiers getting ready to leave. Merry is trying to get his small horse to move. Aragorn mounts his horse as Eomer shouts, “Now is the hour, Riders of Rohan. Oaths you have taken. Now fulfill them all, to Lord and Land! Hah!”

The Riders gallop from Edoras. Merry gallops along with them too. I ride up next to him and smile as we ride forward together. When we reach the encampment A soldier calls out, “Make way for the King! Make way, the King is here!” As we ride through the encampment Théoden calls out, “Grimbold, how many?”

“I bring 500 men from the Westfold my lord.”

“We have 300 more from Fenmarch, Théoden King.”

“Where are the riders from Snowbourn?” Théoden asks and a soldier says, “None have come my lord.”

When we reach our high encampment I dismount Fili and say, “Stay with Merry, I’ll be back in a few.” The dog barks as he quickly follows the Hobbit away. I look around and upon finding them walk up to Aragorn and Théoden. Aragorn, Théoden, and I look down on the armies from their high encampment. “Six thousand spears, less than half of what I had hoped for.”

“Six thousand will not be enough to break the lines of Mordor.” Theoden looks at him and says, “More will come,” He goes to walk away and Aragorn says, “Every hour lost hastens Gondor’s defeat.” He looks at Theoden and says, “We have until dawn then we must ride.”

Theoden nods his head in agreement. A neighing horse attracts his attention. We turn and notice how much difficulty the men have in calming down the horses that seem to be nervous of something. I sigh as I leave them behind and Look for Legolas and Gimli. I find them walking amongst the horses. When I reach them I turn to see Eomer who is saddling his horse. “The horses are restless and the men are quiet.” Legolas says causing me to look up at him. “They grow nervous in the shadow of the mountain.”

I look past him at the small cleft through the rocks. “That road there where does that lead?” Gimli asks following my gaze. “It is the road to the Dimholt, the door under the mountain.” Legolas says and I find myself staring at the cleft as Eomer says, “None who venture there ever return. That mountain is evil.” He walks away and I stare at the cleft as a man struggles to calm down a frightened horse. I see Aragorn stare at the pathway looking worried. “Aragorn!” Gimli says grabbing his arm causing Aragorn to jump and turns toward him as he continues, “Let’s find some food.”

As Aragorn follows closely behind Gimli, I turn to Legolas and nod toward them making him follow me over to them. As night falls and our stomachs full Aragorn leaves us to rest and I follow closely behind Legolas as he walk over to the edge of the cliff. “Do you see him?” He asks as he stares out over the valley. I follow his gaze and a smile covers my lips as I reply, “I do. He will be here soon. He will want to see Aragorn.” Moments later a lone rider on a grey horse appears riding along the steep path leading up the slope. I smile as I go to run to him only to stop as he enters Theoden’s tent.

“Worry not, he wouldn’t leave without seeing you.” Legolas says as he walks up beside me. I wait patiently as Theoden leaves and Aragorn enters the tent only to moment later leave once more a sword in his hand. When the lone rider appears I instantly run over to him and say, “Mae govannen Heruamin Elrond.” He turns to me and a smile covers his lips as he says, “Mae govannen ______.” I instantly wrap my arms around him and say, “I have missed you.”

“And I have missed you.”

“Have you been enjoying the books I left for you?” I say as I pull away from him. He chuckles as he says, “Your old world has quite a history.” I nod and say, “And Arwen?” His smile fades and I instantly remember how sick she gets.

“Do not fear my lord, I know she will live. So you must have faith.” He smiles softly as he says, “I do have faith.”

“I would love to keep you here but she needs you more than I.” He nods and giving me a quick smile says, “Namaarie ______.” I smile back as I say, “Namaarie Heruamin Elrond.” He gives me a quick kiss on my forehead before he returns to his horse and rides off back to Rivendell. Legolas walks up beside me and I say, “I know Aragorn is going to go through the trench. I am going to go with him. Will you?” I turn toward him and he smiles as he says, “I will.” Giving a quick whistle I wait patiently for Fili to arrive.

As Aragorn walks through the camp Gimli pipes up, “Just where do you think you’re off to?” Aragorn stops his horse and says, “Not this time. This time you must stay Gimli.” I smile as Legolas and I walk up from behind him and Legolas says, “Have you learnt nothing of the stubbornness of dwarves?”

“You might as well accept it. We’re going with you laddie.” Aragorn smiles and I turn to see Fili run up beside me. Climbing into the saddle the four of us ride from the camp along the Dimholt road.

Will Continue in - Army Of the Undead