#arwen got what she deserved which is aragorn | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rainydaymiddleearthimagines · 3 years

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Till the sun Dies Aragorn x plus size!reader

Aragorn sighed, watching the people before him dance. If one more princess or duchess asked him to dance, he was sure to stab someone with the blade that was always strapped to his side. He hated this side to ruling, he was much better out on the battlefield than in a ballroom. This was due to Elrond’s insistence to “Find a queen”. The elf was very insistent to a point of offering Arwen’s hand to prove the point but Aragorn declined. If he was to find a queen it would not be to someone who practically raised him or an arranged marriage, he insisted to have it happen with someone he loved.

Only problem? Aragorn was not in love with anyone and Elrond was so damn pushy, Aragorn threw a party. So now he was in a room with stifling rich women who wanted to marry him. Aragorn just sat on his throne looking very annoyed with this entire ordeal. “excuse me, your highness?” A voice asked. He looked over, keeping the annoyed face making the servant jump back slightly. “Would.. You like more wine sire?” the girl asked. “...Yes. please the one from last week was nice.” He said. She gulped. “The...Cook said it does not go with the dish sire. He wouldn’t allow it.” She said. Aragorn rose a brow. “Then bring me something very strong.” He said. The servant still didn’t move. “...Lord Elrond forbid us from serving anything like that and...” She seemed to shake. “Katerina, it is only me. Tell me the rest.” Aragorn said softer. “It- it’s not you I’m afraid of sire its the chef.” She muttered. “He’s that bad?” Aragorn asked. “He’s terrifying!” she yelped. Aragorn blinked, leaning off of the throne.

“Take me to him.” He said. “What?” Katerina asked. “Staff within these walls should not be afraid of one another. Take me to this man.” Aragorn said. She walked off with him, walking through the halls to the kitchen.

“ARE YOU STUPID? DO YOU NOT COMPREHEND WHAT I HAVE JUST TOLD YOU!?” A voice yelled. You looked over at the poor boy who was at the end of the yelling. “No-no sir I understood but we don’t have--” “THEN. GO. OUT. AND. BUY. IT.” The chef said. You continued cutting potatoes, silent as you looked at Katerina who was shaking in the doorway next to a figure. You dropped your potato before you could see a face, it rolling and hitting the person’s boot. They leaned down, picking it up. “Thank you-” You looked up, gulping. “Sire.” you breathed. Aragorn paused, looking in your eyes.

By the Valar... You were beautiful. Your eyes, your hair- everything was gorgeous. “Oy, fat oaf. Over here, now.” The chef said. You turned around, looking at him. “the king is here sir.” you said, voice shaking slightly. Gods, your voice was nice to hear as well. “What did you just call this woman?” Aragorn asked. “Sire it’s fine-” “No, it is not.” Aragorn said, walking forward. “If I hear talks of you screaming at any of the staff within these walls, I will personally remove you. Am I clear?” Aragorn asked. Katerina leaned over whispering in your ear. “He looks great doing that, doesn’t he?” She said. You looked at Aragorn, his face stern but his eyes gentle. “...Don’t be ridiculous, that is our king.” you muttered, looking down. You expected Gavin (The chef) to back down, after all the king had told him to stop.

Instead the man pointed a wooden spoon to him. “You eat my food, which you all seem to enjoy and you tell me how to operate MY KITCHEN!?” He snapped. You all backed away from the two men. Aragorn looked down at the wooden spoon. “Sorry, would you like to be personally booted from the premises or would you like a guard to handle it?” Aragorn asked. “You do not remove anyone!” Gavin huffed, still waving the spoon. Aragorn gripped it, snapping the spoon from its small hilt. “Try waving it now, I think you could so magic if you wave hard enough.” Aragorn said. You resisted a snort. “I QUIT!” Gavin screamed. “Goodbye.” Aragorn said as the man shoved passed him.

“Now... Who else here cooks?” Aragorn asked. No show of hands. “...None of you cook?” He asked. “He wouldn’t allow us to actually cook. We more.. Cut things and cleaned.” A servant answered. “Allow me to rephrase this... Who here can cook?” He asked. Katerina pointed to you. “Kat!” you said, pulling her hand down. “She can cook sire, I’ve eaten food in her home... It’s quite tasty!” She said. “...I trust your judgement, what is your name?” Aragorn asked. “Y/n.” you answered. “Great. You’re in charge of the kitchens as chef.” He said. “I’m what--” “Now as the chef, I ask that you point the direction of the ale.” He said. “...I wish I could sire but sir Elrond locked the cabinet the barrels are in.” you admitted. Aragorn grit his teeth. “That thorough little shit.” he huffed.

A man handed him a flask. “Kept it because Gavin’s voice got tiring enough.” The stable boy said. “You are a friend to all tonight.” The king said, downing the entire flask in one go. “Thank you.” Aragorn said, walking out. “...Did the King just empty your flask?” A man asked. “...Yes he did.” The stable boy nodded.

the night ended after three more hours, Aragorn not even getting a buzz. Damn his increased tolerance for alcohol. He did feel terrible though from all the drinking, him going to the kitchens late in the night. He walked in, running his hand over his beard as he sat on a stool before hearing a thud. “Ow- By the nine worlds- how many damn apples did Gavin shove in here!?” You asked as another one pelted your head. You sighed, brushing your apron before seeing the king. You bowed, him holding his hand up as if to indicate a “Stop.” You immediately rose. “Tis very late for you to be here Lady Y/n.” He said. “I.. Well this new promotion has me very confused. Gavin would only let us go to certain areas of the kitchen, I’m trying to be well acquainted with it.” You admitted. “And you discovered the cabinet of fruit?” he asked, noticing the mess of apples on the floor. “No sir... Just apples.” You answered. Aragorn rose a brow, walking over to the cabinet.

You weren’t joking. There had to have been at least four hundred apples shoved in the cabinet. “...How in the hell was that even possible?” He asked. “I have no idea...” you admitted. He looked over at you, raising a brow. “How long have you worked here?” He asked. “...My whole life.” You answered. He nodded. “I started as a servant girl. More of a maid for Denethor.” You explained. “What landed you in here?” Aragorn asked. “I eventually became more of an errand girl... Which Denethor tended to eat a lot of food. Until eventually I came to the kitchen so often I ended up working here.” You said. Aragorn nodded. “Why don’t you go home? It is late and you need the rest.” Aragorn said. You shuffled a little. “I do not dare to walk through the woods at night sire.” you said. He rose a brow. “You live in the woods?” he asked. “Yes sire, in a cottage.” you said.

He looked at you up and down. “Do you have a place to stay for the night?” He asked. “I tend to sleep in the stables on late nights.” you said. He frowned. “No lady should sleep in a stable.” He said. “Sire, I’m not a lady I’m a servant.” you corrected. “Any woman, even if a servant, is a lady in my eyes.” he said. You said nothing, looking down. “did you come here for something sire?” you asked. “Oh... Water.” he answered. You nodded, walking away. “I can get it myself-” “Sire it is my job.” you said. “Are you always this insistent?” he asked. “I...” you sighed. “I need to keep my hands busy sire. When I don’t I tend to bother myself with dreadful thoughts.” you muttered. He nodded. “I understand how that feels.” He muttered. “You do?” You asked. “I have witnessed a lot of gruesome things outside and within these walls... They tend to really haunt the mind.” He explained. You nodded with a sad look in your eyes.

You said nothing more, drawing water from a bucket and putting it into a cup. Aragorn took it, looking at you. “Y/n..” He said. You turned around confused. “Did Denethor treat you well?” He asked. You looked down. “Sire, you are the first of royalty to treat me with kindness outside of Faramir and..” you swallowed. It registered who else walked these halls. “You knew Boromir?” He asked. “Yes.” you said, a reminiscing smile on your lips. “Faramir and Boromir were almost like brothers to me.” You said. Aragorn nodded. “Boromir was a good man.” He said. “He was kind to me... Meanwhile Denethor usually called me..” you sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. “A oafish pig.” you said. Aragorn really didn’t like hearing this.

“Y/n, you are by no means ‘oafish’ or a ‘pig’.” Aragorn said. You looked at him with a confused look. “Why do you do that?” you asked. “Do what?” he asked. “You’re being unusually nice to me. I am just a servant, nothing more.” You said. “Every person deserves to be treated with respect until proven otherwise.” Aragorn said simply. “But-” “Y/n, are you usually this reluctant to people?” He asked. “...Yes.” you said. He chuckled. “I should go.” You muttered. “Right! I suspect you know where the guest chambers are?” He asked. “...Sire, those are occupied.” you said. “...By whom?” he asked. “Lord Faramir.” You said, leaving out the second guest. “I see... Which probably means Eowyn is with him.” Aragorn nodded. You blinked. “You... Are aware of the relationship?” You asked. “Of course I am, I introduced them.” He said. You blinked. “You did?” You asked.

“Oh yes. I’m rather good with other peoples love lives.” He said. You noticed how he worded that. “But not your own?” you asked, without thinking. He blinked a couple of times, you retreating back. “I didn’t- I am so sorry--” he laughed. “No my own love life is... Well it’s messy.” He chuckled. You sighed with relief. “What of you lady Y/n?” He asked. “My love life is nonexistent.” you said, looking slightly disappointed by your own answer. “Really?” He asked, looking at you. You were a beautiful maiden, it surprised him that you never had any love interest. “When you look like this no one really...” you sighed. “Y/n, you’re beautiful, what are you talking about?” Aragorn asked without thinking.

You swallowed, looking at the man. “Do you not think yourself to be a fair maiden?” He asked. You shook your head. “I... My whole life I’ve been told otherwise.” you admitted. “Y/n...” Aragorn seemed saddened by your answer. You cleared your throat. “you... Y/n, you can sleep in my quarters tonight.” He said. You blinked. “What?” You asked. “You can sleep--” “sire I couldn’t--” “Y/n, I will sleep in a chair-” “Sire no! I should be the one to sleep in a chair!” “So you’ll do it then! Great.” He nodded. “Wait I didn’t mean- Sire!”

Thus leading to you standing in the man’s quarters as he stood behind a partition changing. You looked around at the walls, them being of stone. Then you saw a sword on the mantle of the fireplace. You had heard the tale of Andúril. How it broke off in the first battle for the ring when Isildur owned it. Now it was rebuilt, on display in front of you.

“Do you like blades Lady Y/n?” Aragorn asked, standing behind you. You jumped, swallowing hard. “I am... More of a bow woman. Easier to hunt with for me.” you said. He rose a brow. “You enjoy hunting?” He asked. “Yes sire. It calms my nerves.” You said. “I take it you have the proper protection when you hunt in the forest?” He asked. You shrugged. “I make it actually.” you admitted. “You make armor?” He asked. You flushed with embarrassment. “I have to...” you muttered. “Why?” He asked. You shifted and he rose a brow. “...no one really makes it in my size.” you muttered. He blinked. “Armor is typically catered to those of...” you cleared your throat. “Of a thinner figure than mine.” you said, right now feeling uncomfortable. He looked at you. “Why are you embarrassed to have such an impressive skill?” He asked. “I’m embarrassed because of the reason I’ve gained the skill.” you said. He hated seeing you tear yourself down like that. “You’re an impressive woman Y/n, make no mistake.” He said. You looked up at him. “...thank you sire.” You said softly.

you slept in a chair, a blanket over you as you did. It must’ve been before sunrise when you heard Aragorn’s mutters. You opened your eyes, adjusting to the lack of light when you saw him. “No... NO!” he yelled, leaning up. You sat up, confused. He clutched his chest, panting like a madman. “Sire?” You asked, your voice soft. He looked over, sighing. “I woke you. I’m sorry.” He muttered. You got up, kneeling beside his bed. “You didn’t wake me.” You assured. In a half asleep state, he leaned onto you, his head landing on your shoulder. You jumped slightly. “I could hear them screaming...” Aragorn muttered. “Who?” You asked softly. “The men...From... Helm’s Deep..” He muttered, you feeling tears fall. You subconsciously started stroking his head gently. “I let them die.” He whimpered. “You saved us all... In more ways than one...” you said softly. He clung to you, your heart pounding. “Please... Stay with me.” He whispered. Your arms slowly wrapped around him. “I’m not leaving sire...” You said softly.

The morning sun was creeping and Aragorn woke up, his arms cuddling something. He figured, from the way he usually slept it was a pillow. But then he noticed when he moved his hand it felt like hair. Wait... He leaned up to see you sleeping next to him. He paused, trying to remember what happened. He recalled awaking in the night, he remembered waking you.... What was he... Oh

You soothed him back to sleep. He asked you to stay. He wondered how he should go about this? Should he wake you? You were up pretty late and honestly it’d be rude to wake you just so you’d leave. Should he not move? Well that wouldn’t work, he had a meeting with Elrond today. Should he just go? Maybe he should leave a note so you wouldn’t be completely confused. That seemed logical... Right? OH FOR VALAR’S SAKE YOU WERE A SERVANT. NOT A LOVER, THIS SHOULDN’T BE THAT HARD.

You let out a small groan before leaning up. He didn’t move and you gasped, realizing that he was looking dead at you. You yanked back, falling off the bed and alarming Aragorn in the process. “I AM SO SORRY YOUR HIGHNESS!” You yelped, moving back and hitting the dresser behind you. “Y/n! It’s fine, I should apologize for making you sleep here with me!” He said. “N-no I shouldn’t have even been here-- Oh by the nine-- WHAT TIME IS IT!?” You asked. “Y/n... You’re the head of the kitchens now, you make the times for your own job.” He reminded. “NO LORD ELROND SPECIFICALLY WANTED ME AWAKE AT SUNRISE! SHIT!” You said, putting on your shoes and hopping around on one foot as you tried to put the other one on. “Y/n, I will explain to him what happen, he will understand” Aragorn said calmly. “I didn’t even hunt for you today! Gah!” you yelled before knocking into a mop bucket. Aragorn stood up, helping you up. “Annndd now I’m wet, this is PERFECT.” you whined.

“Y/n. Breathe. Calm down. We will hunt together.” He said. “...We will?” You asked. “I don’t just go to war Y/n, I was a ranger of Gondor before I was king.” He said. You sighed. “I need to go home then...” you said. “I’ll go with you. You’re technically awake at sunrise by the way. The sun is still rising..” He said. You sighed and nodded. “I’ll warn you now... My home is not much.” you muttered. “My home was a hollowed out tree for a year. I do not care where you live as long as it’s safe for you.” he said simply.

And there you were, walking a woodland path with Aragorn. “You take this path everyday?” he asked, ducking under branches as he walked. “Everyday.” You nodded, stepping over a log. You carefully stepped onto stones before you untied your apron and walked to a small cottage. At first glance, many would have thought that your home was a forge. You walked in, a cat looking up from a chair. You sighed, as Aragorn stepped in behind you. Blueprints were scattered around on a desk by a window for armor. He noticed you walk into a room he presumed to be your bedroom and turned around looking at the rest of your home. He saw your kitchen, it being small but perfect for one person. He saw your messy desk, he saw gardening tools around. He looked out the window and saw a small but well kept garden. He saw near your desk books on the floors, some to do with smithing, others on atlases and the world. He noticed though, the entire separate stack next to the atlases. It was a whole stack of history books and papers with scribblings tucked between the books. There were also language books... Were you trying to learn elvish?

“you really like reading don’t you?” Aragorn asked. “Oh! Yes I do.” You answered from your room. “ Care- tye quet- eldarin? (Do you speak elvish?)” He asked. “ Ni care-! Quite fluentlime actuallime. (I do! Quite fluently actually.)” You answered. You looked up, realizing that he asked you in elvish. “ Tye quet- eldarin sire? (You speak elvish sire?)” You asked. “ Héru elrond raised me an yen. (Lord Elrond raised me for year.)” He said, petting the cat. You walked out in leather armor and a bow. The bow caught his eye. There were small pictures engraved on the bow. They were very detailed, making him shocked that someone could make such small images that beautiful. “Did you do those?” He asked. “Oh... yes I carve pictures into it when I’m bored at home.” you admitted as you opened a cabinet next to your desk. You pulled a dagger from it, putting it into a small sheathe.

You seemed relatively focused when you were hunting. You were very quiet, very careful and very set on finding what you wanted. Aragorn let you take the lead, watching you step forward. You locked onto something, hooking your arrow to the string and pulling back. You sucked in a breath, looking at a deer before releasing the arrow. You quickly fired two more arrows and killed it, walking over to it. “You have good aim.” Aragorn said. “Thank you.” you said, beginning the process of getting the meat. You heard a noise though and looked up. “You remind me of Legolas--” “Shhh.” you hushed. Another noise, along with heavy breathing. You rose, slowly. “Crap.” you breathed.

Aragorn followed your eyes to what worried you. A bear. A very big, very angry looking bear. You stepped back Aragorn drawing his sword. You hooked another arrow to your string, locking eyes with it and watching as it let out a loud roar on its hindlegs. You fired, hitting its jaw. You looked over at Aragorn who was very much prepared to attack and watched as he leapt forward, striking the bear. You aimed again, hitting the shoulder of the bear before it seemed to really be annoyed with Aragorn, tackling him to the ground. “Aragorn!” you gasped. “ONE LAST ARROW!” “I don’t have a clear shot!” you breathed. “DO IT ANYWAY!” He yelled. You nodded, trying to avoid hitting Aragorn. You were amazed by your own aim as you shot the bear, it ceasing movement. Aragorn pushed the bear off of him and stood up.

“Sire are you--” “You have got to meet Legolas, he would love you.” Aragorn chuckled. You looked at him worried. “Y/n?” He asked. “You could’ve gotten hurt you dolt! What were you thinking, charging into a fucking bear like that!?” you asked. He blinked, noticing the change in your personality. “...Sorry for worrying you Y/n.” He said. you covered your mouth reminding yourself who you were speaking with. “I’m sorry I-I don’t know what came over me your highness--” “Y/n, It is fine. I want you to address me like a friend.” He said. “...why?” you asked. “I would say we’re friends. I mean, I do not share my bed with acquaintances.” He said. "I... I still should not have snapped..." You said. "I worried you Y/n. It's fine." He said sincerely. You sighed, saying nothing but walking over and collecting the deer meat and walking back. Aragorn followed, noticing figures in the woods. He wasn't sure if the figures were people or animals, seeing them all around him.

"Y/n are you aware of the figures in the woods?" He asked. You nodded. "That would be the fades." You said nonchalantly. "Fades? Like... Ghosts?" He asked. "Didn't you charge with the dead?" You asked. "Yes, I'm not afraid I'm merely walking with caution." He said. You snorted, laughing at the man's refusal to admit he was scared. He smiled, hearing your laugh. "It's alright to admit they scare you your highness." You said. He watched you turn around and time seemed to stop.

You had this beautiful smile, the breeze blowing your hair and his heart pounded in his ears. He swore for a moment he had seen a painting similar to you. That or you had to have been directly from a painting. Either way? You were gorgeous.

Weeks had passed, you usually finding Aragorn in the kitchens. He actually would end up doing tasks himself, washing dishes, peeling foods, cleaning around the areas. The kitchen staff (except you) could tell why he was there. And the reason was out tonight. “Where is Y/n?” Aragorn asked, confused. “Sick... Katerina is actually very worried, the woman couldn’t even move this morning.” A man answered. He pondered. He knew you said the woods were dangerous at night but if your safety was at a risk... “fuck it.” He thought to himself, going to the stables.

He rode down the path you took, understanding just what you meant when you said it was dangerous. Fades were practically everywhere. Truth be told when he met the King of the dead, he was deeply unsettled by him but kept it to himself because thousands of lives were at stake. Aragorn finally reached your home, opening the door to find Katerina pacing. She looked over and froze. “King Aragorn what--” “Where is she?” He asked. She pointed to your room and he walked in, seeing you unconscious. “What are her symptoms?” He asked. “She’s running a fever, can’t keep any food or water down and she’s been dry heaving when she wakes up.” Katerina answered. Problem number one was the being unable to keep water down. “does she keep herbs around?” he asked. “Like cooking?” Katerina asked. Aragorn sighed. “OH! Medicinal herbs? Yes, in her closet over there on a shelf.” She realized. He opened the door and found various tools in the closet, it being lined with shelves with labeled jars and various potion like things. A book sat in the corner labeled “Discovered Remedies”. Out of both desperation and curiosity he opened it, reading it. He found that you seemed very well versed in remedies for things like a common cold and even stumbled across remedies for poison. Nothing though for what he was seeing.

He thought to himself what would help and reached an answer. “Elvish medicine.” He realized. “There is an elven encampment nearby.” Katerina said. “There is?” He asked. “Yes, two miles west from here.” She said. He nodded, walking out. “You’re not going out there at night!” She gaped. “Y/n needs help.” He said before leaving. You whimpered, feeling unbearably warm. “Y/n, the king has gone to get help..” Katerina soothed. “Ara...Aragorn..” you muttered in a barely lucid state. She held you close, wiping the sweat off of your forehead with a wet cloth. “I don’t care what anyone says... That man loves you.” she muttered. “Love...” you muttered, trying to speak. “Shhh.” Katerina said. “Love...” you uttered again. “Y/n, this can’t be healthy to push yourself.” Katerina said softly. “I... Love... him.” you muttered. Katerina paused. “The King?” She asked. “y...yes.” you coughed out. She looked at you and then smiled. “Oh I’m sure he’ll be glad to hear.” she muttered.

Aragorn rode through the forest, going as fast as he could. He found the encampment rather quickly, seeing the elves eating around a fire. He dismounted, running over. They all drew weapons but he raised his hands. “ Ni maure help. Mime nur na- laiva, se pole-'t get better (I need help. My friend is sick, she can't get better.)” He said. They looked at him up and down. “ Sina nur, does se cui- -esse i cottage atta miles au-? (This friend, does she live in the cottage two miles away?)” An elven woman asked. “yes.” He nodded. They all seemed alarmed. “We will help.” she nodded.

You seemed to be getting worse, your temperature getting to a very concerning point. Katerina was trying to keep calm, waiting on someone to come back. She started thanking Gods when the front door shot open, two elves walking in. “Lift her head.” one of them said. She lifted your head slowly, you whining in pain. One of them opened your mouth, forcing some sort of elixir down your mouth. You coughed but kept it down. “That should subside the vomiting. Get her some water.” The elf told the other elf. The elven woman ran and came back with water. “Now, miss Katerina... We’re going to ask you to hold her down” He said. she blinked. “Why?” She asked. “We know she’s not going to react well to the potion, most actually fight us out of it.” The elven woman said. Katerina reluctantly held down your arms.

They put something in your mouth that made you fight against them and Katerina had trouble holding you back from trying to get it out of your mouth. “Y/n, calm down, please we’re trying to help!” Katerina said. Eventually you calmed down, the sweating and fever dying down by sunrise. Katerina left you with Aragorn, him watching over you from a chair next to your bed. You woke up around sunrise, seeing Aragorn asleep with your cat in his lap. You weren’t entirely sure if this was a dream or not. It had to have been right? For him to be here?

He felt someone staring, opening his eyes to see you yawning. “You’re awake” He said relieved. “When did I even come home?” You asked quietly. “You don’t remember coming home?” He asked. “No... I just remember feeling warm... Now I’m cold.” you shivered. He wrapped his cloak around you, feeling your forehead. “The fever has died down.” He said. He allowed his hand to drift to your cheek, caressing it with his thumb. You knew now this was no dream. By feeling his touch you were now wide awake. “S-sire, what are you doing here?” You asked. He looked down. “Y/n, I noticed you were gone one night. Someone in my staff told me you were sick, why didn’t you mention anything?” He asked. You sighed, “Because I didn’t want to get in the way. Sire, I’ve become a large part in your daily life these past weeks, I didn’t want you to deal with.. with this!” you said. “Y/n, you pushed yourself past the need for human medicine if it hadn’t been for the elves, you would have died.” He said. you shook your head. “I do not need you here taking care of me sire, that is my job for you! Don’t you see that our dynamic isn’t normal!?” “Stop calling me Sire!” “Do you not hear yourself? This is not normal for me to be this close to you!” “Do you wish to be close to me Y/n?” He asked. You sighed. “this isn’t about what I want-” “As your king I am asking you: What do you want?” Aragorn asked.

Your heart pounded in your ears. “...You.” you responded, heart still going. “I’m right here Y/n and if you’ll allow it I will be all yours.” He whispered, very close to your face. You stopped him though looking down. He paused, looking into your eyes. “We can’t. You’re... You’re a king and I’m just your servant, I cannot be your queen. My status isn’t even wealthy.” You muttered. He shook his head. “I do not care for titles or wealth and last I checked, I was king.” Aragorn said. “...Lord Elrond would not allow this.” You said. “Lord Elrond does not Rule Gondor.” Aragorn reminded. “Aragorn. Talk to him first, then we will talk.” was all you told him.

Aragorn sighed now, sitting on the throne as Elrond droned on and on. “Then there is still the matter of finding you a wife-” “I have a suggestion.” Aragorn said. “Oh! Thank the Valar, you’ve found a suitable maiden!” Elrond said relieved. You seemed to have walked in just in time, handing Aragorn a cup of water. He took it, staring at you. You avoided his gaze, in fact you had been avoiding him all week. “Her.” Aragorn said. “Who? The servant?” Elrond asked. “Yes. Her.” Aragorn said. You looked up, freezing in place. “She’s very talented, well versed in history, makes maps, weapons and armor, she grows her own food, she speaks elvish, she’s practically a diplomat in the making she just doesn’t hold the title.” Aragorn said. Elrond looked at you. “Are the things he is saying true?” Elrond asked. “Yes my lord.” you nodded, looking at Aragorn confused. “... Then I cannot stop you.” Elrond said. Was this man happy that this was a servant becoming queen? No. But Aragorn was practically the man’s son and he saw the way that he looked at you.

“What is going on your highness?” You asked confused. “I’m officially asking for your hand.” Aragorn said. You nearly dropped the empty cup you were holding with wide eyes. “Your highness you must be joking.” you said. “I am not. You said to speak with him, I’ve spoken with him. He approves and you are right in front of me. Could you please drop the stubbornness for one moment to tell me how you feel?” Aragorn asked. You gulped. “This is madness.” you said, Aragorn standing in front of you, setting the cup in your hands on a small table next to the throne. “I must be crazy or-or still recovering or-” “Y/n do you accept?” Aragorn asked. You nodded before Aragorn smiled. “I do- I accept--” His lips crashed onto yours, you smiling as he held you to him.

Were people shocked to hear that a servant sat on the throne now? Yes. Were they even more shocked that it was Aragorn’s suggestion to marry you? Again, yes. But were you two happy? Oh hell yes. Aragorn and you would go on horseback rides through the lands, you smiling at your husband. You had one simple thought each time you looked at Aragorn as well.

“I will love you until the sun dies.”

This was a request from @snailcoveredcottage I hope you enjoyed it!

#aragorn x reader #aragorn imagine #aragorn

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lesbiansforboromir · 3 years

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Impossible LotR Quiz Answer sheet with explanations!

As an addendum, since people have been doing the quiz I’ve seen a few mistypes and awkwardnesses that are my own fault so I’ve corrected them. This means some people got a higher score than was shown, know that when I looked over your answers I saw your actually right answers and fully appreciated them! It’s good to not that the ‘fill in the blanks’ questions will not take two words in one space, so I’ve had to get creative with how I apply two named folk like Mardil Voronwe, or people who have numbers like Hurin I.

I would also like to say, to everyone talking about how they’ve never read the Silmarillion, this quiz is very purposefully almost entirely based outside of the Silmarillion. This is Appendices stuff! Indeed there is only 1 question even tangentally related to elves in here, this is by design.

@magaramach, @brynnmclean and @apojiiislands asked to be tagged in this! Answers under the cut.

Q2. Who was Dora Baggins in relation to Bilbo Baggins? - Second cousin on his father's side Dora Baggins is a very elderly woman who was the daughter of Bilbo’s father’s brother. She likes writing people a lot of unsolicited advice! THIS WAS WRONG AND SAID FIRST COUSIN FOR SO LONG AND I AM DEEPLY SORRY FOR IT.

Q3. How many pairs of biological twins are mentioned in the whole of Arda's timeline and what races do they belong too? - 2 for men, 1 for elves and 3 for half-elves Fastred and Folcred, Haleth and Haldar (men) Amrod and Amras (elves) Elured and Elurin, Elrond and Elros, Elladan and Elrohir (half-elves) Now, admittedly Elladan and Elrohir are never actually described as twins. However they appear completely identical and have the same birth date, so it is assumed.

Q4. Baldor is who the skeleton scratching at the door used to be. When Aragorn and co pass through the paths of the dead they find a skeleton clawing at a door to the mountain. It is finely dressed and described as mighty and was later essentially confirmed to be Baldor, the eldest son of King Brego of Rohan, also called Baldor the hapless, who foolishly wandered into the paths of the dead on, apparently, a dare. (the answer to this was originally Brego because of a foolish typo from me, many apologies!)

Q5. When was the Ondonóre Nómesseron Minaþurie written? - During Meneldil's reign. “Enquiry into the Place-names of Gondor” was a text written by settled numenoreans about their new kingdom during Meneldil’s reign, who was the first sole King of Gondor after both Anarion (his father) and Isildur had perished.

Q6. Farmer Maggot's particular friend was Tom Bombadil It is stated that Farmer Maggot sometimes peacefully passes through the Old Forest to go and meet Tom Bombadil, who very much enjoys his company. However! Those who answered Merry or Pippin still deserve excellent recognition, Farmer Maggot was indeed fond of Pippin and respected Merry greatly.

Q7. What was the office of the Steward originally created to do? - Keep the Tradition of Isildur When Romendacil I went to war in the east, he realised that if he died then the secret of the Tradition of Isildur would die with him. Hence he wrote it down in a sealed scoll and gave it to a trusted confidante, to be given to his heir if he should perish. This tradition was maintained by further kings and those trusted confidantes became the Stewards of Gondor. This, admittedly, is a more suggested progression than explicit, but it’s a Impossible evil quiz so :) Q8. What was the 'Tradition of Isildur'? - Remember where Elendil was buried. Elendil had been secretly entombed in Calenardhon, supposedly the midpoint between Gondor and Arnor. This was a hallowed space for only Kings at first, but in later years when the Stewards came to rule Gondor they also were permitted the secret. Cirion had the remains moved when Calenardhon was gifted to the Eotheod to eventually become a part of the Kingdom of Rohan.

Q9. At the time of Pelargir's founding, is the world flat or round? - Flat. Pelargir was founded as a ‘Faithful Numenorean’ haven on the river Anduin. Therefore it was built before Numenor’s destruction in the Akallabeth, the reason for which being that Eru turned the world from flat to round.

Q10. Which of these monarchs were indolent and had no interest in ruling? - King Atanatar I - King Narmacil I - Tar-Vanimelde King Atanatar I ruled during Gondor’s richest generation and seemed to believe that meant he didn’t need to put any work in. Narmacil I, his son, didn’t want to put any work in, but he at least assigned his nephew, Minalcar, as ‘Karma-Kundo’ or regent during his reign. So he at least did something to keep the country going. Tar-Vanimelde had no interest in ruling and allowed her husband to do most of the governence. This backfired when she died and he organised a coup against his son to hold power.

Q11. When looking back on the Ship-Kings of Gondor, King Tarannon Falastur began the invasion of Harad and expanded Gondor's borders, King Earnil-I finally took Umbar but died at sea shortly afterwards, King Ciryandil spent most of his reign trying to defend Umbar and died in it's seige and King Hyarmendacil defended Umbar against seiges for 35 years before making war upon all Harad and claiming Harondor as a province of Gondor, ending the line of the Ship Kings.

Q12. What happened during the reign of King Romendacil II? - I don't know! Nothing? Yes I know this is particularly evil of me but Romendacil II was originally called Minalcar, yes the same Minalcar who became REGENT of Gondor due to Narmacil’s indolent nature. Minalcar indeed did everything else listed as answers to this question, but none of them happened during his reign as king. Indeed, his reign was said to be peaceful and we have no real information on it, so technically saying we don’t know, and suggesting nothing happened, is actually the most correct answer :)

Q13. Who succeeded Tar-Telperien of Numenor? - Her nephew, Minastir Tar-Telperien was a lesbian Queen of Numenor who never married and never wanted too and did an excellent job and I love her. Her nephew built a tower to mope in about how much he wanted to be an elf. They are not the same. Absolutely terrified about what Amazon could do to her.

Q14. Whilst his brethren, the nazgul, were attacking the Prancing Pony, The Witch-King was waiting in the Barrow Downs and probably had a really nice time. Not much to this! Witch King was chilling with the Barrow Wights.

Q15. Which of these characters are described as 'beautiful' at least once in the Lord of the Rings? - Galadriel, Denethor, Eowyn, Frodo, Elanor, Celeborn, Boromir Yes, Arwen is never described as beautiful, but Denethor is :)

Q16. We all love Boromir II, select the similarities he and Boromir I did NOT share. - Renowned relationship with the Rohirrim. - Destroyed the Bridge of Osgiliath - Feared by the Witch King - Retook Ithilien. - Had a brother. In case you’re wondering, yes, I love both Boromirs. But this question is a fun highlight of how many similarities Boromir II has with his namesake. These are the only things they didn’t both do. Although! Boromir I’s son was Cirion who allied with the Eotheod and created Rohan in the first place, the Uruk-Hai destroyed the Bridge of Osgiliath in Boromir I’s lifetime, Boromir II was PROBABLY feared by the witch-king we just don’t know, Boromir II held Ithilien and Boromir I had two elder sisters like Denethor II did.

Q17. Hey, did you know that, from Boromir I's war with the Uruk-Hai of the Morgul Vale, Gondor didn't know peace until Sauron's death on the 25th of March, 3019? Hah hah! How gut wrenching is that? About how long do you think it has been since Gondor knew peace then? Hey wait does that mean Boromir I's valiant victory that came at a personal sacrifice was the beginning of Gondor's wars and then Boromir II's valiant sacrifice was the end- oh god... oh fuck - 550 years To everyone who answered the crossed out answer,,, you’re correct in my heart. You get bonus points. Also hey! What the fuck :)

Q18. Who was Borondir? - The rider sent to find Eorl who made it to him after starving himself for two days but who then rode to the Celebrant with Eorl anyway and died in that battle. Literally couldn’t love this fellow more. Big Hirgon energy. A hero of Gondor for time immemorial.

Q19. The Ruling Stewards, from first to last (with their numbers typed as so Turin-I Hurin-II etc), were as follows; Mardil ; Eradan ; Herion ; Belegorn ; Hurin-I ; Turin-I ; Hador ; Barahir ; Dior ; Denethor-I ; Boromir-I ; Cirion ; Hallas ; Hurin-II ; Belecthor-I ; Orodreth ; Ecthelion-I ; Egalmoth ; Beren ; Beregond ; Belecthor-II ; Thorondir ; Turin-II ; Turgon ; Ecthelion-II ; Denethor-II ; and for like two seconds ; Faramir ; Alrighty, we had a bit of a fight in my discord about this but eventually I did relent in agreement that Faramir IS... very briefly... legally considered a RULING Steward. Ruling Stewards being Stewards that ruled a Kingless Gondor. But! With Aragorn RIGHT THERE is just seemed very redundant. Still! I’ll allow the pedant to win out, ten minutes is still a Ruling Steward. ALSO! I decided that having an extra box for the ‘voronwe’ part of mardil voronwe was just mean as it set everyone’s answers off kilter, so I removed that. ALSO for all of those calling me a bastard for adding this question, @illegalstargender was the one who requested it! I wasn’t going too!

Q20. The Stewards, despite ruling through very tumultuous and violent periods, were often known for boring things (because they simply ruled better than the Kings did, I said what I said) But what boring thing was Steward Turin I remembered for? - Being the only monarch of Gondor that married twice This skeezy bastard really did marry a second time during his OLD age just to father a son. I can only imagine what a dreadful cultural and social effect this had on this prude country. It’s so unnecessary! He had daughters, many of them! One of them certainly had a son before he did. He was just being a controlling arse, down with Turin I!!!!

#my quiz

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thiswaycomessomethingwicked · 3 years

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for the character ask meme: elrond, because we don't talk about him as much as he deserves

Ah Elrond! He’s so great and deserves all the love.

I love these character asks I’m getting. <3

How I feel about this character

Elrond was my first favourite character of Lord of the Rings! I loved him from the start.

It’s the tragic life story and his resilience that really gets to me - and something about him as a character that I admire. He has seen everyone in his life die or leave, he of all people has the right to say ‘I’m done with the dying of others’. His parents, uh, left? Died? Turned into a star, at the very least. Which is a cold comfort. But Elrond and Elros witnessed that whole massacre and mess.

Then his brother chooses mortality, so Elrond watches Elros age. Watches him become an old man with all the pain of senility and the things that happen when your body fails. His proud brother. Then watches Elros die. And Elros never will meet Elrond’s children or grandchildren. Will never see the highs and lows of his life, be there for him. Elrond was there for Elros’ but Elros left him alone to weather his own life.

Then Celebrian. The horrible things that happened to her which he couldn’t prevent or stop. So she leaves for the undying lands - which I 100% cannot blame her for because oh man so would I. But she’s now gone from him in all meaningful ways (until they meet again, yadda yadda).

And, to a certain degree, Elrond lost his sons after Celebrian’s attack and leaving as they became so absorbed in revenge and Let’s Hunt Some Orc. I can’t help but feel they got stuck there, in the moment of their mother’s torture and her inability to live with them afterwards. So Elrond watches his sons relive that time over and over and he can’t reach them.

Then Arwen, with her mirrored name for a cousin she never met born of an uncle she would never know, chooses a mortal life for a man descended from his brother.

Anyway, poor fucking Elrond.

I also, of course, love his intelligence and his grace and his ability to put up with shit from other elves for you know, being One of Those Dirty Half-Elven Sort. Never quite enough. And he bears it all with fortitude and strength. It’s admirable.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Gil-Galad because I’m Like That.

Otherwise, I read Elrond as pretty ace? Did his duty to make les bebes but you know, he’s not a sexual person.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Hard to say. I know Elrond is surrounded by people - his home is the happy haven for the weary (and unweary alike). There is always music and laughter and food and healing but amidst all of that I can’t help but feel that Elrond is alone, in his own way.

I suspect some one of his closer friends is Glorfindel, maybe Gandalf.

But his bro? His bro is Bilbo. Countless lives of men, countless losses among losses, and Elrond’s very alone because he is so devoted to healing others he does not have time or ability to heal himself.

And in walks Bilbo Motherfucking Baggins. Shows up, ‘Bitch you’re sad and alone, but not any more because I won’t let you be.’ Then they leave for the undying lands at the same time because Bilbo is like ‘You’re my friend, we’re doing this together.’

Legolas and Gimli roll up, everyone is aghast. Bilbo thinks this is the Best Thing To Ever Happen. Elrond is also pleased because fuck all that old Elf v Dwarf noise. Where has that gotten any of them? Only to a place of pain and misery.

My unpopular opinion about this character

I don’t think I have one? I feel like my general read of him isn’t too controversial.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

HE NEEDED TO SEE HIS BROTHER AGAIN OK??

I wish he had one final time where he got to be with Elros for a day. For both their sakes’ but mostly Elrond’s. And that he got to see Arwen again, one last time. And Aragorn because he loves his weird feral son.

Arwen, ‘I managed to get him to stop eating bark.’

Elrond, ‘Thank the sweet gods.’

Arwen, ‘And Boromir managed to convince him to sit through most council meetings.’

Elrond, ‘Glad someone was able to.’

Arwen, ‘Adda, remind me again why you thought he was the proper one to be king?’

Elrond, ‘Something something prophesy. Look, I know a good man and a leader when I see one. He just needed some uh ... prodding.’

Aragorn, ‘Adda do you know how traumatizing council meetings are??’

Boromir, ‘You’re fine. Calm down.’

Elrond, ‘How did he get in here??’

Boromir, ‘Snuck in with Gimli and Legolas.’

Anyway, Elrond needs his family and deserves his family.

Thank you so much! i adore Elrond and he deserved so much better than what he got. But so do most of the characters in this series.

#elrond #elros #lotr #lord of the rings #arwen #ask #reply #anon #ask meme

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zalrb · 4 years

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Could you give your opinion on LOTR characters? Not all of them because I know there are too many lol, but maybe the most prominent like the ones that were part of the fellowship or Gollum/Smeagol, Bilbo, Saruman, Eowyn etc... If I'm not bothering of course, thanks. 😊

I was thinking about this because I don’t really know how to give my opinion on LOTR characters and it’s maybe because the epic journey and the world and the characters all have equal parts where it’s kind of hard for me to single out the characters particularly but I’ll give it a try, and I’ll stick to the movies, the only time I’ll mention the books is in relation to Boromir so I guess I’ll start with Boromir.

Boromir

I understand why Boromir was portrayed the way he was in the movies, I just thought that they reduced his character and didn’t really show that he was meant to be a man of valor and that the ring appealed to him as much as it did because he truly wanted to save Gondor and that his people were being killed off considering Gondor’s close proximity to Mordor, he kind of just comes across as a villain and unless you read the books and understand exactly what the ring does then I feel like his story in FOTR is just he was tempted by the ring and then he realized he was wrong and it’s more complicated than that

and to be fair, in the Director’s Cut, they show more of this side of Boromir.

Aragorn,

It’s funny because I remember being a pre-teen when LOTR first came out and I was all about Legolas and then I got older and I was like OK but Aragorn though, he’s got the angst/dark past and the undying love for his woman and he’s got the honour and he’s slugging it in the mud with the soldiers

I was all about that Aragorn life. Now that I’m older still, he’s a character that definitely still appeals to me even though I think his angst over Isildur is a bit much, like come on dude, but also, he absolutely led Eowyn on, LOOK AT THAT EYE SEX

then he has the nerve to be like, oh no that’s all you when Elrond shows up basically as a reminder that he loves Arwen. Mmhmm OK.

Eowyn

I don’t really have much to say about Eowyn, I know people go crazy for “I am no man” which is fine but I just never really cared for her but I never really care for characters who fit the Eowyn-esque mold.

Arwen

I think my affection for Arwen is really more about her style, LOL, my obsession with bell/angel sleeves started with her in LOTR and I really liked her love story with Aragorn (in the books and in the movies) and I liked her etheral-esque presence but next to being there for Aragorn and saving Frodo that one time she doesn’t do much and I always wanted her to have a more integral role

Sam

Sam is literally the best friend you could ever hope for.

He deserves SO MUCH credit. Frodo would absolutely not have succeeded if it weren’t for him, he’s the freaking best.

Legolas

You’re in love with Aragorn, deal with it.

Pippin

His little bitch ass needed to STAY. HOME. Oh my GOD. EVERY TIME I watch LOTR (and it’s often) I’m like REMEMBER WHEN YOU GOT GANDALF KILLED? Telling people in pubs who Frodo is and shit. Uh uh. The minute, the MINUTE he said “Where are we going?” I’d be like, no.

Gimli

I do like Gimli. I remember I had to have a discussion with my TA in tutorial once about the portrayal of Gimli in the movies, which was odd because he was my TA for a Caribbean Studies course and I don’t remember why we were speaking about it, but my TA was saying that Gimli was used for comic relief and he had a Scottish accent while the orcs were evil and they had Cockney accents and he was essentially saying it was rooted in stereotypes so that’s kind of at the back of my mind whenever I watch it but anyway, Gimli has some of my favourite lines.

Elrond

My man said get the fuck out of here with that shit and I respected it.

Gandalf

I like Gandalf. I don’t think I have any strong opinions on him, I just like him, like a stoner grandpa or uncle or something.

Frodo

I fucking love in the first movie when Gandalf is like, so this is a ring that can destroy the world and Frodo is like great, let’s just hide it in my drawer. Bro, what?

Gollum

I don’t think I ever thought of Gollum as tragic on a personal level although I objectively appreciated that the ring destroyed his life and that his motivations are tragic because of that. He was also savage.

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paragonrobits · 4 years

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*deeeeep breath* 1, 2, 10, 12, 21, 22, 24 (I know you have but it'd be nice to see you talk about 'em here!), 25, 29, 43, 46, 49!

1. Books or Movies? To be honest, while i adore a lot of the visual aesthetics and inspirations of the films (taking Rohirrim’s Land Vikings to the logical extreme, Gondor’s Byzantium vibes), I have to say the books. It’s the original source material, its the books that defined the modern fantasy genre, and there is so much subtext and atmosphere that can’t be captured any adaptation so far!

2. Which character do you connect with the most? tbh I kind of really dig Gandalf’s vibe, from the little we know of him on a personal level. And while the hobbits are the most relatable characters, and I really GET frodo’s whole slow descent, i have to say it’s a toss up between Gimli and Treebeard. Gimli because he’s very relatable to me in a way i can’t quite articulate, and Treebeard’s sad note about his people’s inevitable decline and his benevolence in spite of how the world has largely forgotten him is very emotional to me.

10. Who is your OTP? Hard to say! I’m fond of Arwen/Aragorn for obvious reasons, but honestly, if there’s a ship, i probably dig it! pretty fond of a lot of brotps; among them, Eowyn and Merry, and Boromir and the collective hobbit people.

12. What unpopular opinons do you have about the movies? Honestly, Gimli gets played TOO much for laughs in the movies; he’s a fairly poetic warrior straight out of the norse Poetic Eddas and he consistently speaks in the most lyrical ways, so him being a comic relief bumbler feels a little like a disservice to him. (Granted, I still love movie Gimli, but where’s his loving speeches about the careful cultivations of a mine, eh???)

21. What is your favorite line from the movies? I have to say... Gandalf’s speech to Frodo when they discuss Bilbo’s choice to spare him. “Pity? It was pity that stopped his head. There are many, I daresay, that deserve life, and many living that deserve death. Can you give it to them? Then do not be so hasty to give judgement. For even Gollum, I think, has a part to play in all this.” (Sorry for paraphrasing!)

22. What is your favorite line from the books? While it got adapted into the movies, in a fashion, I’m very fond of Sam’s musing upon a fallen Haradrim warrior: “He was glad that he could not see the dead face. He wondered what the man's name was and where he came from; and if he was really evil of heart, or what lies or threats had led him on the long march from his home; and if he would rather have stayed there in peace.”

24. I have, certainly! I’m unsure how the earlier animated Hobbit movie factors into this (though i have a fairly clear memory of it as a kid, and the visual designs of the hobbits influenced me for a long time since), but then there’s the animated Lord of the Rings movie, by Ralph Bakshi. Hoo BOY you definitely know all about that one! Pros, the animation is genuinely experimental and intriguingly weird at times, the regular character animation is fantastic and i really love Aragorn’s grimy, ‘Kay from Sword in The Stone but brunette’ look. Cons: The animation is also experimental. Sometimes, it looks really weird. I MEAN THE BALROG. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT, I TELL YOU, aND WHATS GOING ON WITH THE ORCS. And poor Sam gets hit HARD With the comic bumbler button; that said, i think i would have liked to see how they handled the 3rd movie, and this movie DOES cover some things that didn’t make it into the Jackson films, such as Sauruman’s coat of many colors.

25. How has LOTR changed your life? It remains one of the most influential stories in my life, though I didn’t read it until the mvies came out; as a younger child, i found the tone of the book too difficult to readily grasp, and it wasn’t until later that I was able to do it, but it was a good thing i did; to this day, Tolkien’s writings remain a touchstone in my life, especially in terms of how people try to imitate him without considering the context of his writing, and his sub-text about the corrupting influence of power and the value in struggling against evil, even if it is hopeless, remains a big aspect of my ideas of heroic fantasy.

29. Most attractive character? Gandalf, obviously, that beard was crafted by the Valar themselves! Okay but I think Galadriel is probably my fav, both in terms of personal headcanons (i imagine her as being tall and perfectly capable of ripping foes in half), and canon implications that she is the fairest of all, sort of like an inverse fairy tale queen; she has the evil sorceress queen vibe, but is pure good.

43. “EXCUSE ME, WHO STOLE YOUR TASTE.” And then i prepare a lecture, with bullet points of interest, on the relevance lord of the rings has to the fiction genre as a whole, the symbolic elements of his work, the fact that the man made up several languages and did this story specifically to use them somewhere, the events of his life that likely influenced him and the course of story elements like Eowyn’s disgust at winning glory at the expense of her family’s lives... if they’re not bored to sleep, they will be part of the fandom. I SHALL SEE TO IT.

46. Have you seen the musical, or listened to it’s soundtrack? THERE’S A MUSICAL?! I NEED TO FIND THIS SOUNDTRACK PRONTO

49. Should more of Tolkien’s songs have been included in the movies? ABsolutely! You may assume that the songs/poems are too clunky or long-winded to be produced as good music, but from what I understand, Tolkien created them to be meant to be recited to music, in the style of the poetic tradition he was drawing from: there is a very good youtube channel called Clamavi De Profundis that does EXCELLT covers of Tolkien’s songs, that are often hauntingly beautiful to hear, and I highly recommend them. Here’s one of my personal favorites:

youtube

(the Song of Durin, if you’re not inclined to click the link without knowing which one!)

#replies #ask meme replies #videos #lotr #macrocondy3point0

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thegreatdivorce · 5 years

Text

There and back again...

This post is about a lot of things, but it’s mainly about my love for Faramir and Eowyn… and about how the book is always better than the movie. But we have to go back a lil before we can start.

I read Lord of the Rings for the first time when I was 14 years old. It took me a long time to get through it. I think a whole year, maybe more. I had trouble for a few reasons: one, it’s a big story for a young reader, and two, my motivation was probably in the wrong place. I grew up on a healthy diet of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, my dad read the Chronicles of Narnia series to me as a kid and I read The Hobbit (on my dad’s special collectors edition) not long after that, but I never made it to Lord of the Rings until the films came out. And I only really read the books then because I loved the films so much. Let me repeat that with more emphasis, I loved. these films. so. much. I could recite lines from the movies, yes, but I could also recite lines from the commentary the cast created for each extended edition. I can still recall the jokes, pranks, and memories the cast hold dear almost as if I had lived through them myself as the 10th member of the fellowship. I still call David Wenham ‘Daisy Wenham,’ and if the word ‘wig’ appears in conversation my brain immediately goes to, “your hair changes dramatically from short to long… do you wear wigs?” If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you are not a true fan of the film series. It meant so much to me when I was younger that I think I started the books as a way to stay in that world a lil longer. And I guess constantly comparing the books to a beloved film series is not the best way to read because I didn’t enjoy them as much as I thought I would. To be clear, I didn’t dislike the books, Return of the Kings marks one of the few books to make me cry (Theoden’s death got to me), but the books didn’t impact me in the same way the films did.

Fast forward some 13 years later and something, I’m not exactly sure what, convinced me to read the books again. I have a long book list, one that I am sorely behind on, so choosing a 1000+ page saga (one that I’ve already read before) while other books are waiting to be cracked open for the first time was probably not the most productive decision I’ve made, but I regret nothing. I still own the same copy of LOTR I owned when I first read the series and man, there’s something about the smell of a book that can bring you right back to where you were when you first opened it because that’s exactly what happened when I started re-reading it. There is something nice about feeling like you’re 14 again… feeling like your whole life is ahead of you, but the only thing you have to worry about is reading this one book.

Although the smell of the book felt the same, other things felt different. Aragorn does not struggle at all with the idea of his kingship like Viggo does in the film, Sam feels a bit more of a simpleton in the books, and Frodo seems older and wiser than the 19-year-old Elijah Wood feels in the movies. All of these things are small differences and as I was reading book one and book two, I found I still liked the movies for what they are and tried to be (although that scene where Frodo tells Sam to leave just before Shelob’s lair, that he doesn’t need him anymore, will never make sense to me), but for the most part I liked both film and book fairly evenly. But entering into book three, I realized how certain characters got the short end of the movie stick. Particularly Eowyn and Faramir. I’ll be frank, I don’t know how you would have written more of them into the story without bogging down the pacing of the rest of the movie, but that’s kind of my point, Eowyn’s story is so good she needs her own dang movie so everyone can discuss how amazing and complex she is. And Faramir too, but we’ll get to him in a moment.

Eowyn in the movie is played wonderfully by Miranda Otto. Seriously, the casting of this series is pretty near perfect. Her part is relatively small, but they touch on all the main points of her character. She’s a fierce warrior, but she feels stuck in a cage staying at home having to care for her people and the man she considers a father all by herself, she falls for Aragorn, he doesn’t return her love, she wants to ride to war, she does so secretly, she kills the Witch-King, she receives the honor and valor she has always wanted, she marries Faramir, bada bing, bada boom, done. It’s a nice lil package, but it’s the highlight reel because there is so much more to Eowyn than that...

So to know Eowyn, we have to know the people of Rohan. Faramir does a nice job summing them up when he refers to them while talking to Sam and Frodo in The Window on the West, “If the Rohirrim are grown in some ways more like to us (the people of Gondor), enhanced in arts and gentleness, we too have become more like to them. For as the Rohirrim do, we now love war and valor as things good in themselves, both as a sport and an end. We esteem a warrior, nonetheless, above other crafts.” Faramir continues to talk of war “as is the need of their day,” a necessary evil, but you can tell... he’s really not into it. This is shown in a few different ways throughout the books (his relationship in contrast with his brother/father as one example), but the place it really hits home happens earlier in the same chapter when he states this zinger, “War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.” (Side note, Faramir is the best and I know everybody loves fawning over King Viggo Aragorn, but y'all are sleeping on the best man in the whole series! Faramir is where it is at. He’s far more complex than Aragorn and I will fangirl over him more later on, but we’re still on Eowyn, so I’ll continue.) So the people of Rohan are a proud, fierce, war-loving crowd. They actually sing songs as they are killing people in battle. Think “whistle while you work,” but fiercer and more insane. But Faramir is not dissing them; he is not implying they are war-hungry, or war-mongers, simply the Rohirrim believe proving themselves in battle is a right they deserve.

Enter Eowyn. In contrast to Faramir, who seems to have a sober understanding of war and battle, Eowyn finds her worth in it. We can see this most obviously in her attraction to Aragorn. In the movie, their attraction seems to develop in a natural, innocent way. I vaguely remember Miranda Otto mentioning in some interview for the DVD special features that part of the reason why it’s so tragic that Aragorn turns Eowyn down is that he knows they would make a good match. Essentially if Aragorn hadn’t met Arwen first, Aragorn and Eowyn could be together. Honestly, with how the movie presented their relationship, yah, I get it. Except that’s not how it is in the books. Aragorn, in The Houses of Healing, looks to Eomer and says, “I say to you that she loves you more truly than me; for you she loves and knows; but in me she loves only a shadow and a thought: a hope of glory and great deeds, and lands far from the fields of Rohan.” Eowyn desires the great deeds of war, not like Faramir does: as a means to protect a people, but as a way to prove herself. Faramir seems to find an honor in all crafts and positions, but Eowyn, although protective of them, talks lowly of her own people, consistently stating she is not a “dry-nurse” or a “serving-woman” but higher above them as a member of the House of Eorl. Eowyn speaks of a hierarchy within Rohan, consistently placing herself above the other women who are care-takers or mothers. What makes this even more tragic is that it’s not entirely her fault that she has come to this thinking. Gandalf, again in The House of Healing, explains to Eomer, “Think you that Wormtongue had poison only for Theoden’s ears? ‘What is the house of Eorl but a thatched barn where brigands drink in the reek, and their brats roll on the floor among dogs?’ Have you not heard these words before? My lord, if your sister’s love for you, and her will still bent her duty, had not restrained her lips, you might have heard even such things as these escape them. But who knows what she spoke in the darkness, alone, in the bitter watches of the night, when all her life seemed shrinking, and the walls of her bower closing in on her, a hutch to trammel some wild thing in?” It’s tragic. And what’s worse is Eomer’s shock in thinking about his sister in this light. He never really knew her. No one did. Eowyn has always been fighting alone. Which is what makes her conclusion so satisfying...

Eowyn rides into the Battle of Pelennor and kills the Witch-king (with the help of Merry). As I mentioned before, this is covered very well in the film, there is the great “I am no man” line which is taken from the book and although Eowyn is injured it seems she finally got her chance to defend herself in battle, like the other able-bodied men, so we’re meant to rejoice at her triumph, which I did when I saw the film. Except, again, that’s not the point in the book. Obviously, it’s great that the Witch-king is dead, but that event is the rising action leading into Eowyn’s healing, not her resolution… because Eowyn still wants to die in battle. She survived the Witch-king, she is being forced to heal her wounds in the House of Healing, but all she wants to do is die. Die as King Theoden has just done in battle (crushed by the body of his own horse) because this is the only way she can achieve the honor she feels she deserves. Because, again, Aragorn won’t give her that honor. And Faramir challenges this notion directly to Eowyn when they meet each other in the House of Healing, “You desired to have the love of the Lord Aragorn. Because he was high and puissant, and you wanted to have renown and glory and to be lifted far above the mean things of that crawled on the earth. But when he gave you only understanding and pity, then you desired to have nothing, unless a brave death in battle.” And it is only here, with Faramir, the first person to really see Eowyn and challenge her openly, does she acknowledge the truth, and her darkness (her desire for death) passes. It’s so beautiful. Eowyn exclaims, “Behold, the shadow has departed! I will be a shieldmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren.” And if you find a sadness or a disappointment in Eowyn’s proclamation of a life of peace than you are not paying attention to what Tolkien is putting down.

This is important because I’ve heard this complaint before… Tolkien is not saying that it is wrong for Eowyn to participate in battle, to be a shieldmaiden, because she is a woman, (there are multiple instances in the book where Eowyn is described as a worthy warrior alongside her male companions. Hamma, may he rests in peace, nominates Eowyn as the person to manage the. whole. kingdom in place of the king when Theoden and Eomer leave for Helms Deep. So there’s that.) Tolkien is saying it is wrong to glorify battle, death, and destruction. full stop. No matter who you are. It is a point that is continually being made time and time again throughout the whole series by almost every character. And it should be no surprise coming from a man who fought in the first world war and then lived through the second. “I will not take joy only in the songs of slaying,” is really what Tolkien is trying to drive home here. Eowyn is still a warrior. Right after she accepts Faramir’s proposal and Aragorn is crowned king, Eowyn is like, “Faramir, I love you. I’m gonna marry you. But I have some important business to take care of back in Rohan with my brother, so I’m gonna leave… I’ll be back in like a month probably. Bye.” Yes, girl! That is the moment we should be applauding. Not the moment where Eowyn kills the Witch-king, but the moment where Eowyn realizes herself as a warrior but also a healer and there being a time and honor in both of those crafts if they have a proper foundation. It’s the moment when Eowyn finally sees and knows herself. And you know what Faramir says in response to Eowyn’s leaving? Nothing. He lets her go to do her thing because he is the best and I love him.

On to Faramir!

Ok. So. I’ll be brief here. Or I’ll try to be. One, because I think I’ve already shown a fair amount of Faramir’s great qualities, but also because I think his character in the film shows a stronger resemblance to the book than Eowyn’s. If we can all ignore that scene where Faramir drags Frodo and Sam to Osgiliath (because that never happens *eye roll*), and focus on the dialogue dealing with his dad, we’re getting pretty faithful Faramir content as pretty much all of the Faramir - Denethor dialogue is taken directly from the book, and it’s all golden. And when I say golden, I mean deadly. The, “‘Since you were robbed of Boromir, I will do what I can in his stead. If I should return, think better of me, Father.’ - ‘That will depend on the manner of your return.’” exchange between Faramir and Denethor is brutal. To say that Faramir has daddy issues is an understatement. But that brings us up to an important point. Faramir is just as broken as Eowyn is and their meeting is not so much so Faramir can save Eowyn but for them to find healing in each other.

Faramir’s dad is insane. Literally. By the end of the book, Denethor loses his mind and tries to kill both him and his son by burning them alive. Faramir is not fully aware his dad is trying to kill him because by the time Denethor is building a funeral pyre, Faramir is slipping in and out of consciousness due to his battle wounds (to clarify, Denethor thinks his son is already dead, which is why he wants to share the funeral pyre with him. It doesn’t make it better, but it’s the facts). So the last thing Faramir hears, in full conscience, is that his dad wishes that he had died in his brother’s place and the only way he can prove his worth is sustaining victory in battle. Which he knows he cannot do. So Faramir goes to battle, is injured, and ultimately wants to die. Sound familiar? But he doesn’t. Aragorn calls him back to health in the House of Healing and he meets Eowyn.

Faramir likes Eowyn from the moment they meet but can see she is struggling and doesn’t know the exact cause of her pain. So he talks to the best wingman in Middle Earth, Merry, and puts all the details together that Eowyn is still pretty hung up on Aragorn, and for all the wrong reasons. Faramir decides to gently pursue Eowyn which, if you think about it, is quite the courageous thing to do considering Faramir’s past. Faramir’s whole life consists of being left behind, the man that is not chosen. As we established above, his own father chose and loved his brother, Boromir, over him. Boromir was chosen to join the Fellowship of the Ring, not Faramir. It’s even in his job description to be picked over. Faramir is a Steward of Gondor, he’s to hold court until the proper king appears and then literally step out of the way. Here is another area where potentially someone is going to choose someone else in place of him. Faramir questions Eowyn about her love for Aragorn asking, “[I’m assuming] you cannot choose between us. Eowyn, do you not love me, or will you not?” Ugh, tragic. She admits, “I wished to be loved by another, but I desire no man’s pity.” Faramir clarifies, “I do not offer you my pity. For you are a lady high and valiant and you yourself won renown that shall not be forgotten; and you are a lady beautiful, I deem, beyond even the words of the Elven-tongue to tell. And I love you. Once I pitied your sorrow. But now, were you sorrowless, without fear, or any lack, were you the blissful Queen of Gondor, still I would love you. Eowyn, do you not love me?”

It’s actually nerve-wracking when you leave out Eowyn’s response to this question; to know Faramir is asking someone he loves dearly for love in return, something he was rarely afforded in his life, especially in the beautiful way in which he asked it. He sees Eowyn for who she truly is, someone even she doesn’t fully recognize yet, and who she can be: a valiant queen. And not just any queen, Faramir says the Queen of Gondor, Aragorn’s wife. Faramir basically admits, “I know there’s a chance you could still be with Aragorn, but even if you did, I would still love you regardless.” It’s so courageous and beautiful, and in a lot of ways, the ultimate test to see if Faramir has really healed over the wounds his father has left. The wounds of being left unchosen. But Eowyn does choose, she chooses to be with him, and they ultimately provide healing and understanding to each other.

And that’s all left unsaid in the films. None of it is really in there which is such a bummer because it’s so good. And this whole story has been waiting for me to re-discover it on my shelf for the past 13 years and I’ve finally made my way back. Can’t believe I almost missed it.

Anyhow, thank you for coming to my TED Talk on why Faramir and Eowyn are the best and why reading books is cool.

I probably could write more, but I’ve taken a brief break in reading the dang book to write this essay and I still have a few more chapters to go to finish the whole thing.

Good day.

#lord of the rings #faramir #eowyn #rohan #gondor #JRR Tolkien #aragorn #reading is cool #return of the king

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writingfromkitchenator · 5 years

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Aragorn ~ Marriage

700 Followers Challenge! (I’m finally at the halfway mark!)

Requested by Anon.

Words: 1,438

Warnings: Hints of depression, character loss, marriage suggestion.

Those that met Aragorn after the war took him as a quiet individual, one that knew what he was doing, but that his mind was also elsewhere, which no one questioned due to the responsibility of being king and the amount that he was now having to look after.

Those that knew him, knew that there were other reasons for his quietness.

It hurt you to see Aragorn like this, having been best friends for most of your life, you knew him better than most. He was heartbroken, and while he told you on the quest that he had accepted that Arwen was going to leave, you knew that a part of him had hoped that she would stay.

Now you were left watching him try and deal with the pain as well as pull Gondor back together.

You knew that it wasn’t helping that there were being questions raised about marriage, about securing a bloodline, and you knew that there was only so long that he would be able to avoid the subject.

It was going to be a hard decision when things finally had to be done and you knew that he was going to need all the support that he could.

Which was how you found him sitting alone in the dining hall one night, a bottle of drink ready in your hand and smile ready on your lips.

“That rough a day huh?” You asked quietly as you walk over to him.

Aragorn looks up with a smile that came too late. “Y/N, what are you doing up?”

“Looking for you of course, Faramir told me that it had been a hard day.” You said and sat opposite him, sitting the bottle in front of you. “Thought it might be time I grace you with my company again.”

He gives a soft laugh. “I thought you were still out supervising Osgiliath?”

“I was,” You nod and take the mug that he had in front of him, pulling your own from a pocket. “But I returned late this afternoon to report. You were still buried away in all that nonsense, so I reported to Faramir instead and got filled in.”

Aragorn nods slowly, hardly even registering as you pour the drink in to the mugs and push his back towards him. “You don’t have to come find me Y/N. I’m fine.”

You snort, smirking at him. “Please, where would you be without me? You would have gone mad a long time ago.”

He gives a genuine chuckle, one that you hadn’t really heard in a long time. “Probably, although, sometimes your humour pushes me towards it.”

Smiling, you nod in agreeance, shrugging it off. “Guess we can’t all be perfect.”

The two of you share a laugh but it wasn’t long before silence drags on between the two of you, the air seeming to be heavy with thought.

Finally, you drew in a deep breath. “How are you going Aragorn?”

“Well, for the most part, things are peaceful, the kingdom is settling well.” Aragorn said.

“That’s not what I meant.”

He nods, his voice quiet. “I know, but I think you already know my actual answer.”

“I do,” You agreed. “But it still feels right to ask you. We don’t get to see as much of each other as we used to.”

“And yet you still know where to look for me.” He sighs, even through a sad smile. “I am...struggling. It feels like everything is still settling into place, still feels like we’re all still getting back on our feet after everything, and yet it’s forever moving forward at a pace quicker than what I would like it too. You know as well as I do that I…I couldn’t love another like I loved Arwen, so these constant questions, these bordering on demands, they are tiring.”

You grimaced, taking the mug in hand as your heart ached for him and the pained tone. “You know she wouldn’t want you dwelling on it Aragorn, you know that she’d be happy for you, no matter what you chose to do.”

“I know,” He said, his jaw clenching for a moment as he swallowed. “I’ve been trying Y/N, I have been trying so hard, but each day just seems to get harder and harder. We were all meant to be through this in the end, and while it’s good to know she is safe with her people…”

“Hey,” You said softly, drawing his gaze to you. “You will see her again Aragorn, you two were always bound on a journey together, and while it mightn’t have been how you wanted, there will be more for you when the time has come to move on.”

Aragorn smiles softly. “I always never gave you enough credit for knowing what to say at the right time.”

“That’s because I’m speaking to a friend,” You share his smile. “And while I also enjoy being a pain in your arse, I like to think that I also care deeply about you.”

“Thank you Y/N,” Aragorn said, a smile finally reaching his eyes a little. “It means a lot to me that you’re still here.”

A more comfortable silence drags on between the two of you now, neither of you still having taken a drink.

You drew in a deep breath and tried to put on your best casual look, as if it was something that you’d just thought of and hadn’t been dwelling on it for a while. “You know, we could offer a very mad solution to this whole marriage thing.”

Aragorn looks at you and raises an eyebrow in question.

Giving a nervous smile, you break away from his gaze and stare at your mug. “It’s not an idea to take seriously of course, but if we were to-to, well, you know, people will stop talking and nagging, and I know you would be more comfortable with some you know rather than being forced into for alliance based reasons or something like that.”

When you were greeted by silence, you risked a glance up at him and Aragorn had such a strange expression on his face that you’d wondered if you’d gone too far with the suggestion.

Finally, he frowns. “Y/N, I could not ask you to give your life up like that.”

You give a small smile. “Please Aragorn, you know that I’ve never been big on family life and all that, I simply want to save you from the hassles that are currently before you.”

“I almost wondered why I haven’t thought of it.” He grumbles but still frowns at you. “You know that they would expect an heir eventually?”

“We deal with that when it comes to it,” You said and laugh softly. “I’ve been through many a battles and gone days with food, I’m sure I can handle that if duty calls.”

Aragorn remained looking worried. “Y/N, I could not ask it of you, even as a friend, it would be too much to offer for me.”

“Maybe,” You said softly. “But you aren’t asking Aragorn, I’m offering, both as your friend and as a loyal member of your guard. Should a kingdom not be ruled by those that care for each other? Even if it’s not in romantic love, we still love each other all the same, do we not?”

He stares at you, mulling over your words. “What did I ever do to deserve a friend like you?”

You chuckle, the air feeling heavy, but still with a small glimmer of hope that, clear from the look in his eyes, he hadn’t had in a long time. “Put up with my nuances, let me stick around, that’s pretty much it.”

Aragorn smiles with a small laugh, his fingers tapping the sides of his mug. “Well, it’s definitely something to think about, and, in all honesty, is the best idea I’ve heard in a long time.” He licks his lips slightly. “Let’s…leave it for the moment, okay? I don’t want to rush into something that we may possibly both regret.”

“Of course,” You shrug it off. “It was only a suggestion, I don’t expect you to make a decision right away.”

He laughs slightly and then holds up his mug. “Was this meant to be your actual suggestion?”

You look back at your, still full and then to the half full bottle. “It seemed fitting, we used to drown our troubles when we were younger.”

Aragorn nods and hold his mug out to you. “Shall we drink?”

Smiling, you clink your glass against his and both of you drink and talk well through the night.

#the lord of the rings #aragorn #aragorn x reader #short #drabbles #700 followers challenge

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themerrymutants · 5 years

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Long ass “what if Aragorn and crew were hipsters” modern au headcanons

@loyalservants - since you’d asked to see :)

Under a cut because there’s.. a lot. Also there’s a bit of canon breaking here but what’s a good au without a bit of canon breaking?

Elrond works as head doctor at the local trauma clinic. Having been alive as long as he has he's amassed quite a fortune which he uses to cover the cost of medical care for those who can't afford it himself.

He returned to Middle Earth when word reached him that Aragorn had passed on but his daughter hadn’t. It killed him to leave his wife a second time but, not knowing the fate of his sons, he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her alone so he pleaded to be allowed to go back and join her and was eventually granted permission on the condition that if he or any others who inevitably follow suit do they will never be able to return.

Celebrían eventually rejoins her husband and children on December 24th 2008 (modern calendar). In March of 2009 she contacted her parents, with a bit of help from her children, via text pretending to be Arwen. She wasn’t even able to get a simple “hello” out before she was pulled into a tear filled bear hug

Galadriel is a self defense course instructor at the Y and a very active environmental activist and human rights activist because for the love of Eru she’s way too old for your shenanigans humanity and someone has to fix it. humans are cute but by the valar are they dumb. Galadriel is still very much someone nobody wants to f*ck with and those stupid enough to still try anyway end up regretting it dearly. Rule #1 of telepaths: don’t piss off a telepath.

Her husband is a historian and has long since worked with his colleagues to help preserve Elven heritage sites.

Legolas looks wise looks like what would happen if you shoved him and Skrillex in a blender and put it on “puree” and already has a degree as a veterinarian (specializing in exotics) and is a biology and environmental studies dual major.

Aragorn is a history major and is starting to get the memories of his past life back though he keeps this quiet because he rather enjoys his classes.

Gimli is dual majoring engineering and economics, Pippin and Merry are general studies majors and honestly have no idea what they’re doing half the time but hey at least they’re having fun doing it!

Arwyn, as she spells it in modern day to try and stay lower key, works at a tattoo parlor and has a total Kat Von D look going on which drives her dad up the wall.

Sam and Frodo are ex marines that were on the same squad (only survivors after an IED went off) they are roomies they were honorably discharged and earned a purple heart. Sam is blind in his left eye and Frodo was paralyzed from the waist down both suffer from PTSD. They've got two labs named Samson and Delilah who think they are lap dogs. Samson is a service dog washout (he was supposed to be Sam's dog but he just didn't have the right drive for it) and Delilah is Frodo's service dog. Currently Sam is looking for new candidates. In this AU Frodo died at mount doom so I can have him reincarnate with Sam since there was no way in hell Frodo would come back to middle earth after the sh*t he went through.

Legolas has a blind albino reticulated python named Lucy who was a rescue from a mass breeder. She's a bit off in more ways than one but is as sweet a noodle as possible Legolas often takes in special needs herps that his rescue can't home for various reasons

Gandalf is the history professor and has become resigned to the fact that humans are dumb af and kind of need perpetual babysitting (races and magic and shit have remained unchanged just because it's more fun that way)

Thranduil is tough as nails and gives 0 fucks. if something needs done to keep those in his territory safe he will do it regardless of legality Cops don't bother coming because it's a cesspool and they've got less taxing things to do He's kind of a mob boss archetype but good and does good well except when he kicks some faces in but they always deserve it. He’s kind of the head of his own lil section of an as of yet unnamed city. He's not like crime or mob boss so much as "police don't do sh*t so we keep the peace instead". Police are happy to do so because the area is basically Gotham crime wise and nobody wants to touch it with a 40 ft pole I love the idea that Thranduil ended up blinded after his run in with Smaug he ended up staying in middle earth the entire time god bless his poor soul. In modern era he ran into a gangster with a fondness for flame throwers and got toasty again. Received extensive burns but survived because 1 Thranduil, and 2 like hell he was gonna die now when sh!t still needs to be kept in order.

Elves did sail to the west but it was less going back home and more "FUCK THIS SHIT I'M OUT" Eventually they come back and first land in ireland becoming the basis of the Tuatha Dé Danann Because I will die on the hill that elves are somehow involved with celtic mythology in the universe of LOTR and yes I know it's not earth but come on The geography actually kind of matches ...no I did not have an embarassing phase where I was way too obsessed with LOTR and calculated this stuff for funsies

I'm also super fond for immortals watching throughout history and just going "why did I do this again?" Also Elrond getting even more done with humanity gives me life

Merry is addicted to idle games and half the storage space on his phone is filled with them.

Pippin has won a few Pokemon tournaments and even got a scholarship from one of them. He enjoys building teams from "useless" Pokemon and wiping the floor with them. His favorite pokemon to use is Pachirisu because no one expects to have their ass handed to them by a pika clone.

In this AU Aragorn is reincarnated over and over and over again and Arwen somehow manages to find him each time. Sometimes they’re lovers other times they’re just friends and every once in a while she’ll only manage to briefly brush past him before he’s gone again. Her father tried to convince her to go be with her mother but she found that even the short amount of time she got to spend with her love each time was worth the sorrow of losing him again, and again, and again.

Elrond and Celebrían renewed their vows in 2015 after learning of the practice and finding it fitting. Their first dance was to Like I’m Gonna Lose You

#ooc #lord of the rings #ngl i was tempted to make this a fic or an au blog

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modernlotrhobbitthoughts · 5 years

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Aragorn, Son of Arathorn - Day One

Happy December everyone! As I’ve said earlier, this is going to a 31-part series spanning the entirety of this month, ultimately counting down the new year. These posts are going to be pretty long, as they include many of my thoughts on the character as well as pictures! I hope you enjoy!

To start, we have everyone’s unproblematic dad: Aragorn! Basically, Aragorn is kind of everyone’s favourite, regardless of whether you think so or not, as he’s more or less just a perfect human man.

Elessar, by alicexz (on deviantart)

Yes, he did kind of run from his fate as the ruler of Gondor, but you can’t really hold that against him, seeing as there were people in charge (*cough* fucking Denethor *cough*), and he’d grown up most of his life as though he was an elf, not a king. I honestly thumbed through all the books, looking for a scene where you could say that Aragorn is a shitty character, but I couldn’t really find one. He’s really nice to the hobbits, as well as very respectful to the women throughout the series. He’s also kind to Boromir, despite the feelings not seeming to be reciprocated, and the fact that Boromir currently stands in succession to Aragorn’s rightful position. Also, he’s HIGH-KEY in love with Arwen, and devotes much of his energy and life to her.

Lord of the Rings: Aragorn and Arwen - by Christopher Clark

Speaking of fanart, I’ve found that it’s really hard for me to find fanart of Aragorn that I actually like. I’m not sure why, but I think that it’s incredibly hard to capture Aragorn in most forms of art. I spent the better part of two hours trying to find pieces of art that I actually really like of Aragorn, but I did find them, and included them below!

Strider, by Jerry Vanderstelt

Old Aragorn, by Adam Middleton

Aragorn Samurai, by mycks (on deviantart)

Aragorn by Sakimichan

Let’s talk more about Aragorn’s personality. He charges into battle, not because he has a deathwish, but because the very thought of saving the lives of others, and protecting his friends and his people, far outweighs the perils of war. He never once in the series (book or movies) backs out of battle simply for being afraid. Some may mistake this for foolhardiness, or need to prove or impress, but when has Aragorn’s actions ever stated that that was true? He has nothing to prove to Legolas, who has known him for a long time, yet it’s still to Legolas that he talks before the Battle of Helm’s Deep. He still goes into battle with the people of Rohan, even if he believes they have no chance of winning.

In addition, and I already mentioned this, but he has a great respect for women. As I’ve mentioned, Aragorn loves Arwen greatly. However, his love to her is not the extent of his respect. When Éowyn begs to travel with him into the Paths of the Dead, he is still kind, and responsive to her feelings towards, even though he doesn’t reciprocate them. He honors Galadriel, acknowledging that they are in her home, as well as following the customs of Lothlorien. This could be chalked up to his upbringing in an elven land, but nevertheless, he clearly shows himself to be a gentlemen.

Modern AU - personal thoughts time: In the modern AU, Aragorn grew up poor. Not necessarily starving-on-the-streets poor, but definitely with no vast amount of money. In school, he was naturally very popular, not only for being a sports star, but for being incredibly smart and kind as well. He seemed to have endless spare time on his hands, despite his wealth of classes, sports, and job at a local equine therapy facility, and he spent that time helping to tutor other students. He went to a small business school, mainly on scholarships. The school was very near to a school that Arwen was attending, and they met on a joint campus event, getting along wonderfully. He started dating Arwen after he got out of school (perhaps she was still in school), and they moved in happily together, and ran what seems to be a perfect household on the outside. On the inside, however, it was also a perfect household. He started his own small business (I’m not sure what for), which grew rapidly. He never let the money or popularity get to his head, however. He eventually leaves his business, after leaving it in someone else’s capable hands, and joins the military (perhaps at a time of war, perhaps because he was just a little bit bored, I’m not sure). Of course, he quickly moves up the ranks, eventually leading an army into battle. After the war is one, he returns home and settles down again. He and Arwen have three kids, and Aragorn devotes a vast amount of his time to making sure that they get through school, as well as coaching their sports teams.

I don’t know if that seems in character, but I personally can picture it very easily. Honestly, what a good character. He’s basically the perfect male hero, without seeming TOO perfect or TOO goody-goody. He’s portrayed in the novels as a noble and courageous man, and Viggo Mortensen displayed him as such in a way that simultaneously made him heroic and human. Honestly, I just really love Aragorn a lot. He deserves a lot of love, because he’s a really great character and an even better man.

Sketchbook Aragorn, by teradiam (on deviantart)

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atheistj · 6 years

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Lately I’ve been thinking about all the female fans of Lord of the Rings. The books and movies are very popular among women, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect given that there are far more male characters than female characters. So what’s different about this franchise compared to other male dominated franchises? It’s a pretty obvious answer that I’m sure has been discussed before. It’s the way in which the male characters are portrayed, and the emphasis on their relationships with each other. To put it simply, they’re well written characters that don’t fall into the “macho alpha male” trope, and in a big action franchise, that’s pretty refreshing.

I’d say the only characters that come close to falling under that trope, but still don’t, are Aragorn, Boromir, and Eomer.

Aragorn would be the most obvious character to end up as the macho alpha dude given that he’s one of the best fighters in the movies, he’s a romantic lead, and he’s got the “great destiny” trope. He’s not the macho alpha male in the books at all, and they avoided portraying him that way in the movie. Aragorn is probably one of the softest characters in the series. You can see that in his interactions with Arwen and also Frodo. He’s very protective of the whole fellowship, constantly looking out for all of them, and he doesn’t try to pretend otherwise. He’s never the cold guy who secretly cares. He openly cares. As for his “great destiny” to be king, he rejects it for a long time because he was ashamed to be Isildur’s heir given how Isildur fell to the Ring’s power. He doesn’t take on his destiny to be king eagerly. He gradually accepts it and eventually embraces it, and is able to succeed against the Ring where Isildur had failed.

In terms of personality, Boromir is probably closer to that alpha male trope than Aragorn. He’s a proud and stubborn soldier. His people adore him and see him as a heroic warrior. He rejects Aragorn as king immediately when he discovered his heritage. A lot of these things would typically have him fall under the trope. However, he still doesn’t, for some of the same reasons Aragorn doesn’t. In the flashback scene with Faramir, Boromir is unabashedly tender with his brother. He tries to credit Faramir with their victory at Osgiliath to their father, and when Denethor insults Faramir, he tries to tell him that Faramir loves him and clearly hates his “favorite son” position. He is in no way the jerk big brother. This is further reinforced by how much Faramir mourns him after Boromir dies.

Boromir’s friendship with Merry and Pippin is a favorite among fans, for good reason. Fellowship of the Ring did a great job of including small scenes of Boromir looking out for them, making it all the more heartbreaking when he died protecting them. In a lot of their scenes, you can see that Boromir had a big brother instinct. A great moment is when all the hobbits are crying about the loss of Gandalf and it’s Boromir who wants to let them have a moment to grieve, and not press on in their journey. Yes, Boromir may have momentarily succumbed to the power of the Ring, but he redeems himself when he dies protecting Merry and Pippin. As for his relationship with Aragorn and his initial skepticism of him, the first movie and book shows his developing respect for Aragorn. Ultimately, at the end of his life, he pledged his support for Aragorn as his king. Boromir was next in line to rule Gondor as steward, and he would have given that up to follow Aragorn. Boromir may have been stubborn and proud, traits you’d expect the alpha male character to have, but his relationship with his brother, Merry, Pippin, and others, as well as his development in regards to Aragorn, all prevent him from filling that trope.

Eomer is another character that could come pretty close to falling under the alpha male trope. He has that hard ass personality, far more than both Aragorn and Boromir. I think he shields his emotions more than both of them. When Gimli makes a relatively harmless comment, even if it was a little biting, Eomer’s reaction is to belittle him for his size and to threaten to cut off his head. He also jokes about Merry’s size and believes him incapable because he is small, and that his sister is incapable because she is a woman. All of that is par for the course for alpha male characters.

I think in the book we get more of Eomer’s development. There is more focus on how he and Gimli make up and become friends. We also get to hear more about the loss of his parents, which is likely what turned him into such a hard ass. What the movies did well, and Karl Urban deserves a lot of credit for it, is show his tenderness towards Eowyn. They don’t have too many scenes, but whenever they’re on screen together, Karl will do something like touch her shoulder or make eye contact with her. He’s always very aware of her, and these little moments show us how much he cares for her. This ultimately leads up to his discovery of what he believes to be Eowyn’s dead body after the battle at Minas Tirith. In both the book and the movie, Eomer is devastated. In the book he becomes essentially suicidal, charging into battle recklessly after he sees her. In the movie, he weeps openly and cradles her body in his arms. He doesn’t leave her side in the Houses of Healing. Eomer’s adoration of his sister, similar to Boromir’s love for Faramir, to me, keeps him from the alpha male trope.

Those are the only three characters that I would say come close to the hyper masculine lead we often see in film, but for the reasons I just gave, none of them really fall under that category.

As for the other characters, I wouldn’t say Gimli or Legolas are anywhere near that trope. Both of them are super badass, but that’s about the only thing they have in common with that trope. Yes, they’re distrusting of each other at first, trading insults and the like, but ultimately, they become best friends. This friendship is also a fan favorite. The movies develop it very well, and if anything, it’s emphasized even more in the books. Tolkien describes them as loving each other. Legolas ultimately takes Gimli to the undying lands with him likely because he didn’t want to be parted from him. This sort of emphasis on relationships is part of why this series is so popular. You don’t feel distance between the characters. You do feel like they love each other.

I think Gandalf is also really relevant to this discussion given just about everything he represents as a character. Gandalf is certainly one of the most badass, if not the most badass, characters in the series. The scene when he takes on the Balrog is iconic for a reason. But I think what’s more important about him is the way he loves hobbits, and the simpler things in life. He goes to the Shire because hobbits make him happy. In The Hobbit he says he believes that it is simple acts of kindness that keep darkness at bay. Gandalf is a believer in the good in the world, and the hobbits usually represent that good. Saruman believes it’s all about power, and he is wrong in believing this. Gandalf is both the biggest badass who will take on a Balrog and a softie who loves to go to the Shire and put on a fireworks show for hobbits. You don’t have to be cold and distant to be a badass, and Gandalf exemplifies that.

I hardly think I need to talk about the hobbits. But hey, let’s do it anyway. They’re the heart of the series. Without the hobbits, Middle Earth would not have been saved. The hobbits are heroic not because they’re physically strong or amazing fighters, but because they are good. Deep in their hearts, they are not hungry for power or angry and bitter, they are good and kind, believers in the simple life and simple joys. I think this resonates with a lot of people, because usually the hero is some great and noble warrior, and that is not the case here. I think Merry said it best when he was talking to Eowyn.

“I know there is not much point now in hoping. If I were a knight of Rohan capable of great deeds…but I’m not. I’m a hobbit. And I know I can’t save Middle Earth. I just want to help my friends.”

That I think sums up what is so great about all of the hobbits. Frodo says something similar, that they set out to save the Shire when they went on their mission. They did not do this for the glory or their legacy or any of that. They just wanted to save their home, their friends, and their family. That was what mattered to them, and there is something incredibly noble in that. The hobbits are heroic in a different way than we usually see in movies. We don’t see a lot of characters like them, and that’s what makes them special. Sam and Frodo save Middle Earth essentially with the power of friendship. They loved each other so much that they were able to finish their journey, but only because they had each other to keep going.

I think the other thing that draws people to Lord of the Rings is the optimism of the whole story. There is no cynicism to be found here. In a lot of fantasy, you see this “deep down, everyone is a monster” trope, which I kind of hate. That is not the case in LOTR. Yeah, you see characters succumb to darkness, but they ultimately overcome it. I don’t think you could say about any of the protagonists that they were truly a bad person, and that is something I love about it.

So IDK where this ended up. This started as something about why female fans really love Lord of the Rings, and the alpha male trope, but it turned into just a think piece about the movies. But I think a lot of what I said does relate to why women have been drawn to the series, and why so many of us love it so much.

#lord of the rings #long post #lotr meta

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goforwardgreenwriter-blog · 6 years

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The Worm Reads: Empire of Storms, Ch 30 - 31

We got a special treat for y’all today; a double update! Mostly ‘cause the next few chapters are gonna be massive fish to boil, and ‘cause I love you guys.

After two weeks of inching across the muddy open plains, Elide was tired of using her mother’s name.

Christ, I completely forgot about this subplot. Bad pacing who?

Elide says she’s barely interacted with Lorcan or slept by him which is. What. I thought you were supposed to be smart, Elide! You’re pretending he is your husband, if you two act all distant someone is gonna get suspicious. I thought you were better than this....

Lorcan stalked ahead and said without looking back, “We finished at the three dungeons and their entrances yesterday night. Tell me about what’s inside them.”

Elide gets all nervous and Lorcan points out her scent has changed, which is just, ah.... oof. SJM you uh, you got something you wanna tell the class? Something about a werewolf kink, perhaps?

Elide refuses to spill the beans and Lorcan gets all pissy.

We have a bargain, girl.” Elide met that depthless gaze. “You did not specify when I had to tell you. So I may take as much time as I wish to recall details, if you desire to wring every last one of them from me.”

There’s the Elide I know! Finally, a character doesn’t have to be all powerful and magical to succeed and be an actual force.

“What are you,” [Lorcan] said quietly. “I am nothing,” [Elide] said, voice hollow. Maybe once she found Aelin and Aedion, she’d find some purpose, some way to be of use to the world.

Aaaaand take it back. Unless you’re serving Aelin, you’re useless and have no purpose! Or you’re an evil slutty bitch who should be put down. I am so fucking tired.

They finally finish their bickering session and return to the others, then we switch to Lorcan’s POV. They’re setting up tents for everyone, including one for Elide/Lorcan.

Ombriel came forward, throwing her usual wary glance his way, and slyly informed Elide they’d finally have a night alone together. Arms full of logs, Lorcan could only watch as that pale face of sorrow and despair transformed into youth and mischief, into blushing anticipation, as easily as if Marion had held up a mask.

Finally. It’s like you two want this plan to fail or something.

“I’ll sleep on the ground,” [Lorcan] offered blandly. “You take the roll.” “What if someone comes in?” “Then you’ll say we got into a fight.” “Every night?” Marion pivoted, her rich eyes meeting his. The cold, weary face was back.

zzzzzzzz this drama is so boring please progress the plot or do something of interest

They bicker more about Lorcan getting a bath and he asks her how badly her leg hurts. Such riveting dialogue.

Lorcan’s thoughts drifted toward Rowan and his bitch-queen.

Jfc. At least we’re spared Lorcan splooging over them, instead thinking about how much he hates them and how Rowboat was an idiot for falling in love with Alien. Damn, you know it’s bad when I agree with Lorcan.

Lorcan was about to leave when [Elide] said, “My uncle … He is a commander at Morath.”

So Elide drops that bomb, and Lorcan offers to kill her uncle. Not much else happens. This subplot is so mind numbingly boring and dumb. Next!

Well, on the one hand, at least Rolfe’s map worked. It had been Rowan’s idea, actually. And she might have felt slightly guilty for letting Aedion and Lysandra believe the Pirate Lord had only gone after the Amulet of Orynth, but … at least they now knew his unholy map functioned.

This is the first paragraph + sentence of chapter 31. Who is she? Use names when switching to a new POV gdi!!! Alien doesn’t get name dropped until the bottom half of this page.

As for the rest of it … It was just past midnight when Aelin wondered how the hell she and Rowan would ever go back to normalcy if they survived this war.

I’m imagining it’ll be something akin to the A Court of Wings and Ruin; where you guys will angst about how much the war cost you and how everything is different, but in actuality nobody you cared about died and no one important was even permanently injured, and the supposed trauma was just an excuse for porn.

Alien and Rowboat dramatically sneak into a room through the window, using Rowboat’s magic to close it. Gav and Fenrys are waiting inside.

“You could have used the door,” Fenrys said, arms crossed—a bit too casually. “Why bother when a dramatic entrance is so much more fun?” Aelin countered.

Because this isn’t a video game and you’re a princess who is supposed to be a good diplomat and ruler? I’ll forgive SJM if Alien becomes queen, pulls dramatic shit like this, and is instantly banished from the kingdom and Darrow is crowned king. I’d pay extra to read that.

Gavriel’s tattooed hands closed into loose fists. “You deny me the right to see my son and yet you barge into our room in the dead of the night to demand we divulge information about our blood-sworn queen.” “One, I did not deny you anything, kitty-cat.”

Gav deserves better than to have to put up with Alien’s edgy teenager bullshit. She sounds straight out of the 2012 internet phase.

Fenrys asks if Alien has Settled yet for.... some reason. It’s explained here;

She knew enough about it—the transition pureblooded Fae, and some demi-Fae, went through once their bodies locked into immortal youth. It was a rough process, their bodies and magic needing months to adjust to the sudden freezing and reordering of their aging process. Some Fae had no control over their power—some lost it entirely during the time it took to Settle.

Basically it’s an excuse for SJM’s character to stay young appearing and beautiful forever. Because if you’re old in a SJM book you’re instantly not hot and therefore, not good enough for porn.

“How does she do it?” Aelin asked baldly. “With Rowan, it’s not … Every order I give him, even casual ones, are his to decide what to do with. Only when I actively pull on the bond can I get him to … yield. And even then it’s more of a suggestion.” “It is different with her,” Gavriel said softly. “Dependent on the ruler it is sworn to. You two took the oath to each other with love in your hearts. You had no desire to own or rule him.”

Are we really out here praising and kissing Alien’s ass for not treating her boyfriend like a slave? Are you fucking kidding me???? Next we’ll have them weeping in joy at Alien wiping her ass after taking a shit.

She gave him a little smile that she knew drove Rowan and Aedion insane, and—yes. It seemed it was a surefire way to piss off any Fae male, because ire flashed across Fenrys’s stupidly perfect face.

I fucking hate Alien. Also we get it, Fenrys is drop dead gorgeous like everyone else, you can stop now.

Fenrys’s edged smile flashed. “Oh, the losses of Fae lives would be of little concern to [Maeve]. It likely just increases her excitement about it.” “Careful,” Gavriel said. Gods, he nearly sounded identical to Aedion with that tone.

Hhhhhh stop I hate Assdion.... stop making me fucking have feelings over how much he resembles Gav....

“If we say she gave us the order to take everything,” Fenrys drawled, bracing his hands behind him on the bed, “will you kill us, Heir of Fire?” “It’ll depend on how useful you prove to be as an ally,” Aelin simply said. The weight hanging between her breasts beneath her shirt rumbled as if in answer.

“That’s it?” Fenrys demanded. “Do we get to know what you plan to do with this information, or are we just your lackeys, too?”

Sorry Fenrys, them’s the rules. You either bow down to SJM’s perfect snowflake protagonist or you’re a villain who deserves to be slut shammed and killed off.

Rowboat and Alien start making out. Skip!

Oh, gods—this. This was what drove her out of her mind—this fire between them. They could burn the entire world to ashes with it. He was hers and she was his, and they had found each other across centuries of bloodshed and loss, across oceans and kingdoms and war.

You’re just making out, it is literally not that deep. I hate SJM trying to sell her romances as epic world stoppers. No, you two are not Aragorn and Arwen. You both are just horny assholes who deserve to rot.

“Even when you’re in another kingdom, Aelin, your fire is still in my blood, my mouth.” She let out a soft moan, arching into him as his hand grazed her backside, not caring if anyone spotted them in the streets below.

JESUS CHRIST HAVE SOME RESTRAINT YOU SHAMELESS FUCKERS. And no, they don’t actually have sex here. Just you wait, SJM has something special in store for that.

Thank god this chapter is over. But it is only a preview into the madness SJM has in store for us several chapters down the road......

#the worm talks #the worm reads: eos #anti tog #anti sjm #anti eos

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