#aul mother

[dullahandyke]

TRANSPHOBIA CURRYS IS MAKING ME CHOOSE A TITLE... just take me out back n shoot me, i look like im in a studeny film abt gender dysphoria staring gormlessly at the dropdown menu of mr or ms

#what if i came out to my mother by calling myself mr eimear surname. like she probs wouldnt notice or think it was anything #but what if #also btw i have solved my headphones conundrum i am orderingggggggg #the same headphones ive had like twice. good aul SONY MDR-ZX310APR #so all the drama was for nothing but sigh oh well! these ones usually last me a while iirc

[stealthily--nobody]

Proud of you

Summary: Curufinwe can never be good enough. Not even when he tries.

Also on AO3

Curufinwe was not crying. He was definitely, absolutely not crying one bit. And if there was leakage from his eyeballs, they were not tears. And if you absolutely had to classify them as tears, it was not because he was sad.  

Because he wasn’t sad. Nor was he in any way heartbroken. 

It was just that, well, he was disappointed. In himself most of all. 

Father had always stressed the importance of excellence and self-learning and pushing yourself past your limit. Curufinwe wanted to be just like Father. He had always tried to live up to those ideals. He made sure to wake up before the sun every morning to stoke the forge fires, stayed up long past story time writing down his next designs and fell asleep imagining hammer strikes. 

He was doing his best. And yet, it wasn’t enough. 

Today was supposed to have been the culmination of his hard work, of his multiple revisions of his designs and proof of his efforts. Father had taken the entire family to visit their grandfather at Aule’s forges and Curufinwe had prepared himself to present his newest design to not only his father but also his grandfather, the best and second-best smiths of all the Noldor and most of Aman. 

He’d made the entire design in secrecy and had entered it into a local competition under a false name waiting for his father and grandfather to choose it as the winner before revealing himself. He could imagine the proud smile his father would give him and the exuberant congratulations his grandfather would heap on his skill. It would be everything he ever dreamed of. 

Only, it hadn’t won. 

He had somehow lost to one of his grandfather’s newest apprentices who’d only touched a forge hammer for the first time half a decade ago. Curufinwe had been in a forge his whole life and had been working at his father’s side for the last 20 years. 

How was this possible? His design was superb with its triangular interlocking structure and steel folded carefully in the hottest fires he could find. He had stress-tested the model bridge himself and it hadn’t experienced any stress when he put his whole weight on it or when he tricked Huan into sitting on it. 

So why had he not placed at all in the competition and instead told that his design didn’t enhance the beauty of Valinor? 

What about it wasn’t perfect? 

But Father and Grandfather weren’t supposed to know that he entered (he couldn’t tell them since he messed up), so he couldn’t be sad or mad or say anything about the competition. He had kept himself very presentable all through dinner and then through grandfather’s stories. It was only after Grandfather had disappeared to do something for Aule that Curufinwe was able to wander off on his own out of their grandfather’s home and into the forest surrounding it. 

He wasn’t crying. He was just a little mad. He just wanted to be alone for a little bit and brood over how unfair the ruling had been. 

And he needed to bury his bridge before Father or Grandfather found it and found out that he’d been the one to build it. 

And so, the forest. He had found the perfect spot, close enough to the house that Mother could call for him but far enough away that no one would see him dig the hole. 

Each shovel felt bitter and he tore at the ground with vigour. Maybe too much vigour that he didn’t realize he’d been found until he heard Tyelko speak right in his ear, “I didn’t know you entered the competition.” 

Curufinwe turned to stare at his brother and kick him in the shins. “I didn’t. I’m just getting rid of some junk that I don’t need anymore.” 

“By burying it in the forest?” Tyelko rose back to his full height so he could tower over Curufinwe and only smirked when Curufinwe glowered. “I’m pretty sure I saw that bridge at the competition. It was so ugly.” 

That was it. Curufinwe tossed the shovel to the ground and threw himself at his brother, punching and tugging and kicking. “It’s not ugly! It’s structurally sound and capable of supporting 10 times any other design presented. The triangles make it stronger. It’s perfect and functional and the judges are stupid for picking the low-lying suspension over this one.” 

“Let me see it then!” Tyelko pushed Curufinwe off of him with strength far exceeding Curufinwe’s child body and snatched the bridge from the half-dug hole. He then held the bridge in two hands before cracking it over his knee. 

Or he tried to. The bridge held and Tyelko dropped it as he swore. Curufinwe kicked Tyelko for good measure and plucked the structurally sound bridge back up. 

“You weren’t kidding about it being strong,” Tyelko moaned even as he rolled back to his feet. “That’s impressive Curvo.” 

“Father and Grandfather didn’t think so,” Curufinwe muttered as he returned to his hole. 

“Hey,” Tyelko pushed his head until Curufinwe was staring up at Tyelko's mud-stained silver locks. “It’s impressive. Even if Father doesn’t see it, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be proud of your work.” 

That made no sense to Curufinwe. “Father is the greatest smith ever. If he doesn’t think it's good then it isn’t.” 

Tyelko sighed in a way very reminiscent of Maitimo and pulled Curufinwe’s hair until he was sitting beside his brother. “Father is not all-knowing. I’m certain he didn’t even think to test the prototype’s strength. If he knew you’d made it, I’m sure he would be proud of you.” 

“That doesn’t matter,” Curufinwe argued, “Father says he’s proud of us when we do anything. He was proud of Maitimo when he started working in Tirion and when Makalaure composed that awful ballad and when Carnistir made that awful tapestry in pastels and when you killed your first deer. He’s not really proud of the work. He just says he is!” 

Curufinwe was panting and kicking at the ground. It was only after that he realized his words and looked up at his brother with guilt boiling in his gut. But Tyelko didn’t look too mad and instead leaned back against a tree and hummed. “He is proud. He’s proud because he’s our father and he’s proud of all our achievements, even yours.” 

Curufinwe didn’t agree. What was the point of Father being proud of Curufinwe’s project just because he made it? Did that not mean he could be awful at it and Father would still pretend he liked Curufinwe’s work? He wanted to be recognized and praised for his skill, not for being Father’s son. He worked hard and he was good at what he did. Why could Father not see past his own bias and just appreciate Curufinwe’s work?! 

Tyelko looked at him once more with an inscrutable look before he ruffled Curufinwe’s hair and told him again, “Father would be proud. I’m proud of you, squirt. You put a lot of work into this project and you should be proud of your work.” 

“Why. It doesn’t matter, does it?” Curufinwe snapped, parroting the feedback, “This is Valinor. No one cares about structural stability. Only ever how beautiful the building is.” 

“It’ll have its uses one day,” Tyelko promised him, “And until then, remember, I’ll always be proud of everything you do. I promise.”

#curufin #celegorm #silmarillion #c+c week 2024

[buffyfan145]

Word of warning we just got a ton of possible leaks about season 2 of "Rings of Power" coming from The One Ring Net source. However, I will point out while a few of these seem possible this reminds me a lot of other "leaked" things for my other fandoms, especially DC and Marvel movies/shows, and most of those turned out to be false and fans just posting things for their own enjoyment. However, this is how it first leaked that Halbrand was Sauron before season 1 aired. Some of these do match scoops/spoilers we've gotten from Fellowship of Fans an interviews with the cast, but some of these are so out of left field. I'll post a breakdown under a cut of the major ones but you can see the post in full here. But I will point out some of these would be massive changes to the lore that even I'd be shocked if they do it, so again we'll see.

So the first thing that matches what FOF and even Charlie Vickers teased is that season 2 is going to show a lot of Sauron flashbacks and tell his side of the story and that we'll be in on his plans the whole time. But according to this post the Mairon version is a separate actor and that Gavi is actually the Annatar version but Halbrand/Charlie is still the main one going forward.

They're saying the Tolkien estate gave Amazon more access to "The Silmarillion" and we will see all the Valar, Maiar, Eru (he's just a voice though so we won't see a person), Melkor/Morgoth, Mairon (even called this name), Gandalf/Mithrander (who is Daniel's The Stranger), and even Ungoliant as we get this full backstory in the show.

Halbrand will go back to the dwarves and reveal he's Mairon to them and they truth him because of Aule.

It'll be revealed that Sauron/Mairon had a son and Adar killed him, which was why the line Adar said about "a woman or a child" was said in s1. No idea who the boy's mother is but possibly Amelia Kenworthy's character. This is a huge departure but would be interesting to have Sauron/Mairon/Halbrand actually have been a father and the 2nd Maiar besides Melian to have children.

Gandalf/Mithrander will also have flashbacks, including that he almost sided with Mairon, and even introduce Shadowfax.

Tom Bombadil and Goldberry will appear, which we already saw a leak about this possibly happening last year.

Supposedly Halbrand/Sauron does keep up his infatuation with Galadriel but actually goes back to Eregion not as just Annatar but as Celeborn!!! 😮 So they don't rescue Celeborn after all but it is Sauron/Halbrand and it's making it sound like there's romantic scenes between them but again it's actually Sauron/Halbrand with Galadriel and not Celeborn. I know some of us Haladriel shippers have written this exact thing in our fics and if this really does happen that again hints that Sauron/Halbrand really could be Celebrian's biological father which I would be shocked if the show did this even though I'd also love it. LOL Then add in if they do this change where Sauron had a son that died and possibly ends up having a daughter with Galadriel. It does sound like the real Celeborn does come back too at some point so if this happens this is going to be interesting, even though I know a lot of the purists and regular LOTR fans might hate it.

The season does end with Sauron forging the One Ring, which FOF has also been speculating. The thing is if Galadriel will be with him when he does as FOF reported on her being captured by Adar during the Battle of Eregion with this also confirms happens in the last 2 episodes.

They're also saying too that the season will also end with Galadriel making a choice to save either real Celeborn and/or Sauron/Halbrand as Celeborn, which again could point to above that she gets captured and then decides to stay with him. So this is going to be very interesting if any of these turn out to be true.

#the lord of the rings #the rings of power #spoilers #sauron #mairon #annatar #halbrand #charlie vickers #haladriel #galadriel x halbrand #galadriel #celeborn #celebrian #morgoth #gandalf #shadowfax #eru iluvatar #ungoliant #tom bombadil #goldberry #adar #amelia kenworthy #morfydd clark #calam lynch #daniel weyman

[mamwieleimion]

Feanorian fall from grace

What if the Valar favoured the feanorians? Wouldn't that make the Darkening and all the Kinslaying even more tragic?

I say yes, so let's dive into it.

So obviously, we start with the easiest Feanorians.

Feanor, Curufin, Nerdanel (yes I'm counting her in, no I will not be answering questions as to why) and Celebrimbor (yes, he also counts, yes he is the cinnamon roll of the family, no that does not make him any less of a chaos agent and mischief maker).

So they, of course, were favoured by Aule. Don't ask me, why (it should be obvious), when nor in what way.

Maybe he guided their hands when they worked, helping them along. I don't know. I'm a writer, and I honestly can't say what smiths, jewelry makers nor sculptors do (that's a lie, it's literaly my thing to say/write something in a way people think I know what I'm doing.)

Second - Maedhros or then Maitimo Nelyafinwe (yes, I'm puting his mother name first, no I will not explain myself). I feel like he would be favoured by Nienna, or Manwe, or both of them. It's a hunch. Nothing more. I just like it. Also maybe, a strong maybe, Este. Because Maitimo is the healer and peace maker of the family. He cares for others and their well being.

Celegrom and Ambarussua are favoured by Orome. They hunt, they love to do it, they care about nature and the hunt and nature cares and loves them. That's the story. Orome is pulled in by the fire of Feanorions and it stays like this (even the kinslaying couldn't fully break the connection)

Caranthir. I headcannon thet he sewed, like Miriel. And thus, Vaire. They are cool with each other. And both like history. I have no idea what is really happening and I'm okey with that. For more detailes go to them. I, however, take no responsibility about what you may find there. (a tea party, and cookies)

And finally Maglor. Here I had a problem bc I had so many ideas and at the same time, none. So heres a list of Valar whom I considered and a little bit of why:

Ulmo - for rather obvious reasons, like you know, wandering the shores, singing to the sea and all that.

Irmo - I know, I know, not something you might expect but.. who is Maglor if not a dreamer at heart? All articians are.. And Maglor can wave his dreams into reality of others minds with his song. So Irmo it is.

Varda - and, here even I paused. Because I have absolutely no idea where it came from. And then I started to consider it and here we are. I think Maglor loves the stars, and Varda likes his voice so here we are, once again. (I will not be answering questions on this one.)

Nessa - I have absolutely no idea. It just feels right and so it shall have a place on this list.

So.. yeah. I know Feanorians and Valar usually don't mix, but the fall from grace would be.. great (not great great but Great). I will maybe write a follow up blog on this about said fall from grace. I might not. I don't know, we will see if motivation strikes me anytime soon.

#silmarillion #tolkien #lotr #maglor #maedhros #feanor #the silmarillion #valar #feanorians #curufin #caranthir #celegorm #celebrimbor #ambarussa #nerdanel #the valar are determined to seem in control #valar and feanorians #fall from grace #blessed feanorians #at least for a time #favoured feanorians #never thought I will write that #remember #english is not my first language #I have dyslexia #dyslexia

[symphonyofsilence]

Of "The Rings of Power" and its many problems

so, so many trailers had been released and all of them are centered around Galadriel & not even one of them had mentioned her canonical ambition of becoming a queen.

I understand that she’s now a military commander and military commanders are and do raise in positions of power. but if she does, it’s not because she was actively seeking it.

what they’ve kept telling us about Galadriel so far is that apparently, only now after thousands of years she has been informed that her brother is dead. (*sarcasm*) & is seeking revenge and for that, "Galadriel has been on a quest for over a thousand years. Scouring Middle-earth."

& if you don't show that she was trying to gain political power, then you're not showing that she desired power, then she's not fulfilling the very wish that brought her to Middle-earth. She wanted to rule her own land, you’re not showing that she left everything she had in Valinor to come to Middle earth to spend years seeking that power, & if you're not showing that she desired power, then there will be no weight to the scene where Frodo offers her the ring & she refuses for the sake of Middle-earth, even if the destruction of the one ring results in the destruction of her own ring & her power. She "will diminish, go into the west, and remain Galadriel."

So, you know WHERE the character will end up & you have a whole series to get her to that point, but you don't, & you make a whole other bullshit not-arc cuz you believe that the only way to write a strong female character™️ is to give her a sword & make it her whole character. I've talked about that problem here. & "the authentic observer" explained the problem in depth in her video essay "the Desecration of feminity" way better than I.(go watch it! It's fantastic!)

and I thought I was being nitpicky when I said that I felt like I just witnessed a student walk up to their Professor & call them by their first name (in our country it’s very disrespectful) when Elrond called Galadriel by her first name instead of “Lady Galadriel”. but really, no, it’s not. It’s even more testimony to how they keep insisting on reducing Galadriel’s position, age, wisdom, caliber, magnitude, and power. one sure way to show such things in a character is by showing others’ reverence towards them. Elrond & Galadriel are not peers to be on first-name terms. they’re not the same age and not on the same level. Galadriel is 4 generations Elrond’s senior on his father’s side, and three Generations older on his mother’s side, she’ll become his mother-in-law, She’s seen the light of the trees, she’s been taught by Aule, by Melian the Maia, she’s seen Elrond’s legendary ancestors, and their land, she’s survived the first age! living with Maedhros & Maglor, Elrond has seen firsthand what the war did to people, and he would respect Galadriel immensely for surviving that. he wouldn’t try to advise her to PuT uP HeR SwoRd, which by the way was a very cringe line, that whole conversation was very cringe, like every other dialogue we’ve heard so far of the show. It sounds like George Lucas is trying his hand at writing like Tolkien, but I digress, Elrond wouldn’t do that because aside from him living through the first age and many personal adversaries and being a loremaster & very wise & having the gift of foresight & canonically always perceiving evil before it reveals itself & suspecting Annatar from the get-go, he would immensely respect Galadriel, he would listen to what she had to say and take her advise & in cases such as this, doubt himself first before doubting her. she knew she’s much wiser. and he would call her “Lady Galadriel”.(these aside, even Maeglin & Aragorn called their mothers “Lady”, and Aragorn called Arwen “lady Undomiel”, and Arwen & Idril called their husbands “lord” & Maedhros called his uncle “lord”. that was just how they talked back then. at least that’s how the “royalties” talked, and by showing them talking like that, you capture the era you’re trying to show. and also the class of the characters you’re showing. GoT understood that. but I wouldn’t nitpick this if It wasn’t for Elrond calling Galadriel by her first name alone, and it wasn’t after many attempts at assassinating Galadriel’s character.)

& then there was that scene of her companion throwing her like a baseball ball. That aside from that being SO FUCKING STUPID OH MY GOD WTF WHAT WERE THEY THINKING! could you imagine someone throwing book!Galadriel, Fingolfin, or Elrond or Feanor like that?! No! ‘cause they great lords & ladies! like second age Galadriel is! even in the show, she’s the COMMANDER of the army!

& she's apparently, as morfydd Clarke said "on a quest for revenge". When has ever revenge worked out for any Tolkien character? Fëanor was after revenge, his sons were, Thorin Oakenshield was, Turgon took revenge when he pushed Eol to his death. Even Eowyn was not after revenge when she killed the witch king of Angmar. She was just protecting her uncle's body.

all their anger was justified! But the story is against revenge. Revenge is answering violence with violence. & the story, written by a war Veteran, is against violence.

& also she's described as "brash & angry". "Angry" is never a positive feeling in Tolkien's writings. Fëanor was angry, three of the sons of Fëanor were angry (even his "better" sons are never described as angry), Fingolfin was angry moments before his death, Melkor was angry, and Turin was angry. Anger was people's downfall. & yes, Book!Galadriel when she decided to "pursue Fëanor in anger"! But what happened? They crossed the frozen Hell in anger and lost people dear to them (& probably blamed themselves cuz they were the ones leading the rebels.) just to find out that Fëanor was dead. & what reunited the Noldor & made them strong & triumphant & resulted in the long peace was Fingon's kindness that made him let go of his anger & forgive the Fëanorians even though he had every reason to hate them when the burning of the ships resulted in his brother's & his sister-in-law's death. Then Galadriel was taught for years by Melian the Maia. She must have learned her anti-anger lessons by now.

"Good" people or "good' warriors are like Finrod the beloved, Fingon who "troth and justice he loved and bore goodwill to all, both Elves and Men, hating Morgoth only; he sought not his own, neither power nor glory", Faramir who did not "love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. only that which they defend.", Elrond "as kind as summer" Peredhel (notice how Tolkien does use "as strong as a warrior but ends the description with "as kind as summer" as though this was the most important & impressive part.) Or BOOK!GALADRIEL!

because being gentle, mild-mannered, nice & kind is not weakness! (Just coincidentally traditionally feminine qualities...hmmm. telling.)

Actually, when you don't give into anger it shows that you're a master of your emotions and behavior. Things cannot easily provoke you. You're in control. & since anger is usually due to other emotions, it also shows that you can process your own emotions. It’s a lot more powerful.

I've also talked here about why her motivation sounds like Fëanor & how they could make it actually meaningful. But I highly doubt that they would end it like this. I'm not saying that she should never be angry. Just that the moral of the story should be anti-giving-in-to-anger as per Tolkien. Yes, make her go after revenge & be angry. But then make her realize that she's becoming the very thing she hated & anger is burning her life away (& maybe make her do sth horrible like unleash all her power without control & hurt some innocents) and let her let go of her revenge. But judging by the route they took, and what they did until now to her character, I don't think it's going to end like this. "Anger" is cool & badass for women in the eyes of Hollywood. You know all these things that are contributed to toxic masculinity like acting on anger, forcing yourself to be stoic & emotionless, not showing vulnerability, acting rudely towards your subalterns & peers, that are condemned, you know, "toxic"? Yeah, it's toxic for men. But women? Nah, it's badass. Do it.

As I've said before I don't have any problem with Galadriel wielding a sword & going to battles, there are parts in the books that indicated that she did.

What I do have problems with, is turning this

To this

'cause apparently, the first one (the canonical one) is not powerful enough. Probably because it's ladylike 'cause with it being said & shown multiple times in the book that Galadriel is very powerful, I don't see what else would be the problem.

& again, could you imagine book!Galadriel, Fingolfin, or Fëanor in this pose?

No, 'cause it's not "genteel" behavior! Being "noble" is a huge factor in Tolkien's writings & noble people act like the court-appropriate upbringing they had!

and I think we all know why there is no word of Celeborn and Celebrian so far at least in the marketing: strong women don’t give in to patriarchy by marrying a man and becoming mothers.

(also you know that you don’t have to make your male characters weak so your female characters can be strong. right? you know it’s very offensive and patronizing like putting an adult in a competition among children to win? right? and besides that, every male character telling Galadriel to “put up your sword” and “why do you fight” so Galadriel can say that she will always fight and “there is a tempest in me” is very cringe you know?)

but enough about Galadriel.

not only they don’t understand the themes of the book but they also went for Tolkien’s worldbuilding!

you know how Tolkien invented some languages & then realized that he needed a world for those languages & then wrote his stories?

well, Amazon went for the languages & the worldbuilding.

there is a hobbit named Elanor. which is a Sindarin name. the name of a flower that the Eldar brought from Tol eressa to Numenor. both lands that the hobbits never set foot into. they also never met any elves. the elves didn’t know that they existed.

let alone that no hobbits should have any important roles in the second age &  Harfoots ARE hobbits!

And the calm & quiet & anti-adventurous nature of the hobbits except the Tooks was part of the world-building. So our heroes could be unremarkable persons of an unremarkable community that left their peaceful lives behind so they could change the world without actually having such responsibility so that the moral of the story could be that "Such is of the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere." & "even the smallest person can change the future."

& ELANOR was significant for Sam, a gardener who travelled through Lorien & saw the flowers & brought the gift of Galadriel with him & revived the Shire after the war. & FRODO was the one who suggested it! It was a big, beautiful moment! Elanor, Keeper of the Red Book of Westmarch must be the first hobbit to be named Elanor!

also, there are two Durin at the same time. they’re father and son. the showrunners said that it’s because of the time compression. but that’s not a convincing reason. the time compression itself doesn’t sound good. how are you going to compress a whole age? not only it will destroy how powerful Sauron was to gain and hold power over Middle-earth for so many years, but it also ruins the rich history of Numenor and its slow, tragic demise. (fast corruption arcs are either like Anakin’s and show! Daenerys’, or look like the character or characters were evil from the beginning.)

also, OC Pharazon’s son is named Kemen. a Quenya name. you know, the Pharazon who hated anything elvish & so firmly believed in only using Aduniac that he even changed Tar-Miriel’s name to aduniac Ar-Zimraphel?

unless they address it in the series (like, say that Kemen’s mother was the one who named him, & that’s why she’s not married to Pharazon anymore cuz they had widely different beliefs, & the name shows how different Kemen is to his father or something like that) it’s just another testimony to their ignorance, with what I’ve seen so far, I don’t have much hope.

& yes, the long hair of the elves, & the beard of the dwarves was unique & proper for their races & suit them & made the elves graceful & ethereal & the dwarves rough. & changing them was breaking the lore & also in the case of female dwarves, once again, trying to appease wider audiences by eliminating creative elements of the fantasy world.

but it was part of the worldbuilding! different communities have different beauty standards & different clothes & hairstyles & different everything!

like in the real world, Chinese people all had long hair 'cause they believed that all parts of their bodies, including their hair, were a gift from their parents & cutting their hair was an offense to their parents. cutting them was for nuns or criminals. native Americans kept their hair long 'cause they believed that long hair shows a connection to nature & power. It’s like if GoT cut the hair of the Dothrakis & or ATLA cut the topknots of the fire nation! it’s not just about appearances, but culture, beliefs, and history, too! like, family is important for the Chinese & nature for the native Americans, etc...

so the long hair of the elves, & beard of the dwarvendams showed their culture, beliefs, history & in the case of the dwarves, genetics,

& It’s funny how some rightists are screaming about how the show is woke while the show is here like, God forbid, traditionally feminine women are strong & powerful & women have facial hair & men have long hair?! not in this house!

& I wouldn’t have this much problem with it had the showrunners not LIED ABOUT ALL THESE!

and well, I think all of these, whether it’s changing a rich, beloved character to the point that it’s unrecognizable from the original because they don’t understand and appreciate the original character because they don’t give enough time to thinking about it, or not understanding or appreciating the themes & the worldbuilding, & or coloring fabrics like metal or scale to look like armor & not even bother to edit out the folds of the fabric, and not bother to use more creativity in the designs of the character, or find a more beautiful wig for Galadriel, or bother to use any accessory for any character, I think it just speaks of lack of love.

and lack of love & appreciation results in a lack of dedication & half-hearted products,

nobody forces fan artists or pays them to draw their favorite characters in the most beautiful way they can imagine. they do it because they love them. nobody forces fanfiction writers to write about their favorite character in the most in-character way they can think of. It’s because they appreciate them.

I don’t think you should make any adaptation of any book unless you love that book. & I don’t see any love in Amazon’s LOTR.

#I think the image of the LOTR!Galadriel is from the amazing ifallelseperished #lotr on prime #the rings of power #rings of power #trop #rop #lotr trop #tolkien #amazon lotr #rop critic #galadriel #elrond #long post #very very long post #tolkien meta

[elluendifad]

Hi sweetie! I went through your tags to search for more elfkind content and serotonine, and I am curious. Why the tag "my mother's name is death?

let's see... i started using that tag in tuile of 2019. i was mourning the loss of a chosen father, the birth father of my then-husband who had reappeared in husband's 20s after being separated when he was a baby, and executing his estate. He had passed mid-narquelie the previous year.

That was the third year of my elven awakening, and of my 'new life' hard won through therapy and buddhism and just slowing down in the woods. That's the spatial context, the tapestry that led to this tag. The shortest possible answer is that i revere the cycles of decay and formation, and that decay and death are a link in the chain of infinite transformations that is life (animistically including nonanimated creation). i reflect on death as an act of love, of compassion, of continuation and creative improv on the Theme of life. Death is Life, Life is Death... we are all made for one another and made of one another. I have a fond feeling about this, as it has made my hroa and this world that i so adore, death has mothered this world and my place in it. longer answer and fiddly words below The forest, and the whole world, is fed on death. my bones once belonged to another, to trees and microbes and cats and fish and mountains. the air i breathe now has been through every manner of respiratory body imaginable, has been high with the clouds, has hung over the ocean, has oxidized metal, has been pushed through lush soil. my skin cells dry and fall off and feed creatures i cannot see, build soil, are transformed into something new. someday, my bones will belong to others again. my flesh will be gifts for beings i cannot even imagine, just as it was originally a gift to me from countless others. Death has made my body for me, and Death will make new things once i have left it. i miss living in the deep woods, but even now i look fondly on death and decay in the garden bed, in the kitchen compost, and in the clover of the yard. in the cold wet air from the river. in the faces and hands of people i love. i associate this with Namo and Vaire, of course, but also with all the Aratar. Yavanna and Aule and Manwe and Ulmo have very obvious places in this sphere--they created the flows of matter that are fed by change and death and that feed other cycles. I feel Varda, Nienna, and Orome have their own hands in death. Varda in hope and what lies beyond just one life, Nienna in metabolizing sorrow and longing and misery, and Orome in the necessity of Death for Life--someone must die for me to live, and i *want* to live just as they want to live. I want to make all the deaths that are linked to my life and death cherished and meaningful. I want my death and daily dying to give life and food and warmth to trillions of beings.

#my mothers name is death #tie eldalieva #ardan paganism #elvenkind #tolkien #ainur #philosophy #personal #communication

[swanmaids]

Ask game for Gimli?

thank you!!

one aspect about them i love

That he's so passionate about the people and things that he loves! Witness the way he talks to and about Legolas and Galadriel, and his speech about the Glittering Caves, which makes even Legolas who was feeling decidedly dubious about the place want to go there. Also his taking Frodo to look in the Mirrormere <3

one aspect i wish more people understood about them

That he's not a joke and dwarves and aren't jokes. Please I beg you understand this

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character

He didn't always pray every day at home, but during the events of lotr he made time to find a quiet place to talk to Aule every night.

as well as

one character i love seeing them interact with

Legolas of course! "What about Legolas and me!" he says, because they're a pair and have been a pair since Lothlorien, and will continue to be a pair until the end of the story and beyond, as they sail together into the west :')

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more

His MOTHER! Tollers man cmon why didn't you even name his mother. Especially interested in the period where it's presumably just the two of them, while Gloin is off on the quest for Erebor - that they probably don't realistically think he'll come back from. Also I want him to meet Aule in Aman.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character

Is an only child and so had a brotherly relationship with Fili and Kili (dwarves also raise children somewhat communally, which helped). Stopped speaking for a long time after learning of their deaths.

#ask game #my hcs #gimli

[arcplaysgames]

Sorry you're having a rough aul' go of it!

Ask-wise, what are your thoughts on Akechi as P5's Justice arcana? Particularly compared to Ken and Nanako.

Well, to me the Justice card is a matter of severity, so in that sense, Akechi is a tremendous Justice.

It's important to know that the canon depiction of Justice is a woman sitting before a veil between columns holding the scales in her left hand (left for taking energy into yourself, ergo she is feeding off her code of justice) and holding a sword aloft with her right hand (evocation, spending power, the transformation of energy into action). So, she feeds on the code, the laws, and she is ready and empowered to act by their energy, basically.

Nanako was.... super not Justice, like, I can't even speculate on their reasoning for picking her for Justice. Temperance or Strength both would have fit her better. As the pivot that the story turns on, Sun would have suited her great. Justice is frankly kind of the opposite of her, lol. She is a mediator, she is the type to take neglect and absorb it, she doesn't have a personal code, she's six and sad. She's so not Justice it's bonkers.

Ken fit much better honestly, lmao. I love that precocious little murder child. He starts off as a classic inversion, so you have the scales on the right (and upside down) and the sword on the left. He was driven by his desire for revenge, for his incomplete understanding of what the situation was that led to his mother's death. The sword empowered his understanding of the scales, see? It's when he gets the full story out of Shinjiro and the others that he's flipped back around and is able to act decisively and follow an actual code. And in doing so, he's a shockingly brutal figure. I mean, he's a child who is comfortable pointing a gun at his own chest, and it didn't escape my notice that his personae were complex balanced machines of motion.

Akechi, though. /laughs

I think Akechi as Justice is absolutely fascinating and is kind of a tremendous joke on the game's part? Like, from the initial impression, it's too-obvious. He is a detective, he is fighting to apprehend the Thieves, that sure sounds like Justice, doesn't it?

But it's all a fucking joke, because for this Justice arcana, the scales very pointedly are tilted. If you look at P5's Justice card, they are weighted with a bag of money on one side and a heart held aloft on the other. The scales in this case are not balanced around people, but around material gain. And I would argue that Akechi's fatal flaw is how he doesn't give much weight to his heart, his emotions. He chooses to value his position, his fame, his academics, all things that matter to him materially. He doesn't think twice about his emotional health until Joker comes along and he recognizes that he's lacking that thing, which Joker has in abundance.

You could also say that the scales represent not Akechi's own code, but Shido's. That is the 'justice' that he is the sword of, and in that sense, he's perfectly capable and effective as a tool enforcing that justice.

#not persona liveblog #cartomancy

[lightdancer1]

My takes on Melian and Luthien:

And ultimately Arwen, though this will get a second and a longer post.

I do think that there is a legitimate grounds in a modern audience reading Melian enchanting Elu Thingol into a trance for 200 years as something that would seem dodgy to us, though not necessarily to the same degrees in-universe.......though even then I tend to treat Melian as essentially the good mirror to Sauron and Saruman. They are all Maiar who took forms of flesh and became rulers within the world and I see Melian as essentially a close kin to Thuringwethil and a Maia whose power relies in what TV Tropes calls 'the Sacred Darkness.' Shadows are her strength and she embodies what the Dark and Night are meant to be without Morgoth's Old Night instilling fear.

In a relative 'power' ranking there's Ilmare-Eonwe-Mairon, all in equal power in different ways, Ilmare representing the light of the Maiar and of the stars and of the sacred aspects of Maiar power, Eonwe as the equivalent of the Archangel Gabriel and the messenger and empowered with the glory.....and Mairon as ultimately the great shapeshifter and the greatest mage, which is the snare Morgoth sets and why as that power grows Mairon in the Second and Third Age is relatively rather more powerful than Morgoth and ultimately the much greater danger.

Melian is the other great mage among the Ainur and it works in a very Aule-Melkor dualism. What Sauron does from pride and arrogance she does from love, and her relationship with Thingol is in no small part an aspect of where she has a very eldritch factor befitting how I portray the Ainur. Tolkien refers to them at times taking 'forms of their own thought, visible in majesty and in dread.' Melian is the singular case of an Ainu who takes shape akin to mortals and becomes very deeply interwoven with it, though as she is not Fallen she retains rather more of her power than her Fallen kin tend to and works within spheres rather than seeking dominion over them and in working within them has a tremendous amount of power that does not fade, but remains consistent.

So why does this matter? Because while the enchantment does have its aspects that make both Eldar and other Ainur uneasy, it works within the world and within the broader plan rather than against it. Elu Thingol is not an ensorceled figure, he has both free will (as is shown by his repeatedly both failing to consult his wife and ignoring her when he does) and he's open about the reality that if it was a mirror to what happened with Eol and Aredhel that he would have left as she did. It is a gesture, ultimately, of love and I tend to see Thingol as teaching Melian as much as she does him, and her students like Galadriel.

He teaches her of emotions and things that as an Ainu made manifest she does not entirely understand, and knowing what these things are and how they work in forms of flesh is a way that things become equal (and ultimately showing Thingol in both hypocrisy and growth as for all that he teaches things in the abstract applying them to himself in his own ways does not work out so well especially when it's foresight).

Luthien in turn, as the first of the Peredhil, has a specific gift with her song that it is a small portion, uncaged, of the Music of the Ainur. It is how she can sing Morgoth into a nap, and how she can cast down Sauron's fortress, and how she sings Mandos and Eru into restoring to her Beren's soul. And it is this that accounts for my particular take on Beren and Luthien and what makes Beren a soul worthy for Luthien to accept her fate. With her glimpse of the Song she has some inkling of what fate holds and as a mirror to my take on things with Arwen she balks at it for much of her life......and she lives in a gilded cage where her mother is beloved and she is seen as much as a prettier Wilbur Whateley as someone worthier of admiration.

Beautiful, yes, in an in-universe 'too beautiful and flawless' fashion. Her singing as a small portion of creation has a haunting effect that leaves strange impressions on those who see her. Melian might have her eldritch factors but everyone knows she's a Maia and while theory and practice differ in dealing with it they also know a Maia will be weird by Eldar standards.

And in this regard she is also very lonely as while others might be smitten with her she can see that they are smitten with the idea and exposure to the actual person curdles that. Enter Beren Erchamion, who sees all the weirdness and loves her unconditionally from the first, and is willing to venture into the belly of Hell for her without being deterred by all the things that chase away others.

And so when the choice comes round at last, it is not some great burden or what she expected of it, for while she and Artanis to a point can see the future they see it as through a mirror darkly, seeing events but not always their context and seldom with ideas of what it's like to actually live the visions until they're there.

#melian #luthien #arwen undomiel #sauron #maiar vs umaiar #Galadriel #beren and luthien

[havenotwillnotreadthebooks]

@ainurweek Headcanons Days 5-6

◄••◈••►

Mandos, Vairë, Death, Fate, Travel,

Námo gets killer migraines

Vaire taught Nienna how to sew

Vaire sometimes makes the feanturi cloaks and veils embroidered with fun patterns like animals, plants, clouds, and constellations.

In Arda Marred, or whatver they call the first time around, Namo rarely left his halls and almost never left valinor.

Namo and Vaire go on roadtrips once everything in Arda Remade is set up, there is no more need for a doomsman nor weaver of fate.

They still have jobs to do but thats what they say whenever Manwë tries to end their vacation early.

━━━━━━━━ ✧◈✧━━━━━━━━

Lórien, Esté, Dreams, Healing, Friendship

Irmo has fluffy moth antenna with all his fana, but you don’t really notice it unless your looking directly at him, which most don’t (Feanor and his kin are the exception to this).

Irmo and Este has made friendship bracelets for each other for the fun of it before.

Bandages with colors and images on them was a result of Irmo rambling about what the hobbits dream about these days. Flowery bandages was such a great hit with Este, she started a project with Aule to create something like that.

Feanor and Irmo used to actually get along in his younger days. Feanor would feel better knowing the Vala he actually had conversations with sometimes was the one watching over his mother.

Feanor and Irmo tentatively rehash this friendship in arda remade (the younger finwean generations are both scared and baffled).

Irmo has moth wings! He usually uses them as a cloak, so most think the wings are just an aesthetically themed cloak. They are fuzzy.

One of the reasons Irmo wears a veil like his siblings is that his pupils are always an dilated and he doesn’t want to creep out any of the elves (or get scolded by the other Valar for creeping out the elves).

#ainurweek #ainurweek2023 #day 5 #day 6 #irmo #este #vaire #mandos #namo #valar #feanor

[lledron]

Sauron Mairon Halbrand y Alicent

I always make the joke that Sauron is Aule's daddy's boy and keep it canon. So I have an idea:

AU Where Sauron in human form ends up in Westeros and sees Yvanna. She is Yvanna, she is the wife of dad / Aule. She is mom. And mom is crying. And yes, I'm adding to the theory that Melkor's giant spider is from Lovecrath's universe, so crossovers are possible!

Sauron can't help. Here he is nobody and he has not recovered his powers. He is sickened by the mess, by the Targaryen traditions of marrying each other. Sauron notices that Mama is biting her nails. Mom should be happy and have trees. And mom should pay attention to it and be happy with those creepy trees with faces.

Alicent does not understand who gives her personalized jewelry with the theme of Mother and Maiden. She knows Sauron. "Hello my lady"

Sauron disguises himself as a cat to attend Alicent and Viserys' meetings. He is against Otto's plan, mom is fifteen years old. Fifteen fucking human years.

This can go two ways:

Sauron kills all the dragons because Alicent made a comment that while Syrax is beautiful she would never ride a dragon. Mom is afraid, now I have to protect her, be the man of the house because mom can't be married to another man who isn't dad.

Daemon boasts that he took Alicent's virginity and is killed by Sauron. Mom is from dad.

Sauron manages to find the equivalent of Aule in this world and cheats on the parents.

Alicent is very sure she is ready to have children after stopping Sauron from conquering Middle-earth.

Sauron takes the form of a child. More shenanigans to come, now he has everything he wants, for now.

Alicent and any poor man who is Aule in this universe, congratulations. Their son is a narcissistic sociopath who loves them with all his heart.

In another line, Alicent marries Viserys, but Mairon has not regained his power, so he cannot prevent his mother from being raped.

Sauron discovers that his siblings are nuisances, but they will give Mom more power. Mom is a goddess, a Valar, but also a 15-year-old girl.

So Sauron takes over Aegon, comforts Mum, tells Aegon he's a little shit worse than Curumo and Aegon's first word is shit.

Helena is born. And here she is different. Sauron hated Curumo for stealing Daddy's attention, but he respected Melian. He now has another sister, who is also a woman in a world of shit. But Heleana has magical potential, so he will teach her well. He will teach her to lie, to deceive, to put on makeup.

All of this happens while Sauron takes the form of a little boy so he can stay with the queen alone. Alicent hugs him and hugs from mom feel good. On one hand, Alicent recognizes that Mairon/Sauron has a connection. She loves him, she is his mother in all the universes. But her son is evil and she knows it. But he hasn't proven to be more evil than the other men.

Aemond is born and Sauron throws a tantrum. He doesn't want another brother and hates him as much as he hates Aegon for hogging Mom's attention. Then Daeron is born and Sauron screams because there is so much evil in the world! Criston Cole is horrible, but he makes mom happy. As long as he isn't platonic, Sauron will keep it. Suddenly, Sauron can shapeshift into a dragon. Since he hates Rhaenyra's bastards he plans to play a little prank at Laena's funeral. Nothing to go wrong. He just needs Aemond's help. Aemond claims a dragon and that dragon leads everyone to see Rhaenyra doing it with his uncle.

And shit breaks loose. Aemond is happy to have a dragon, the Velarions are angry, and Laenor calls for a duel against Daemon for his sister's honor.

Laenor wins and kills Daemon. Rhaenyra will go on trial for being an adulteress and Harwin will be her champion. Then Criston Cole kicks Harwin's ass. Heleana uses her magic to make Rhaenyra admit the truth about her bastards. Alicent rebukes Sauron because now there is a political mess and because his brother thought he had a dragon. "It was just a joke, mom, I didn't know it would go this far," she says with puppy dog eyes.

#the rings of power #sauron #mairon #halbrand #alicent hightower #alicent x criston #aule valar #yavanna kementari #aemond targaryen #aegon ii targaryen #heleana targaryen #melian the maia #curumo #anti daemon targaryen #anti daemon x rhaenyra #team green

[blankdblank]

Arwen

The Valar who have a list of who is arriving on each ship from the East off whose supposed ‘tickets’ they have issued throughout the ages stand beside Celebrian in anticipation to see her parents, husband and daughter again. All who peer down at Frodo who was given Arwen’s ticket.

Vana, being nice, says with a smile, “Your daughter is possibly a fair bit shorter than you let on my friend.”

A comment that has Elrond fighting a smirk mid chuckle from Bilbo and Frodo, the former staring plainly, “Our daughter chose to remain behind offering her seat to young Frodo Baggins here.”

Celebrian ticks her head to the side and says, “My daughter has sent me a third son.”

Frodo wide eyed asks, “What? No...”

.

A good long while after the Valar have gathered to watch an unexpected handmade ship not authorized by the Valar arriving on the shoreline. Elrond amongst the bunch is swift to greet Legolas and Gimli upon their arrival.

Vana again smiling and saying to Gimli, “Arwen, at last, what, a fantastic beard your mother has kept secret all these centuries.”

Loudly Gimli starts to laugh and Elrond can only huff to Aule joining him. Yet before he springs out of the ship he dove back into Legolas opens the end of the wriggling sack he pulled out to reveal Arwen glaring back at her best friend who robbed her of her dramatic death alone in the abandoned Lothlorien wood. “Arwen!” Celebrian shouts and hugs her daughter tightly before showing her proudly to the others while Elrond walks closer to the boat to greet Legolas fondly.

“Thank you, Legolas. I know too well the pain your father must bear at your parting.”

Legolas could only chuckle then watch them turn their eyes to the much larger fleet of ships with Thranduil at the helm of one, completely surrounded by Hobbits. One of which shouts, “Oi! We’re coming too!”

Legolas said, “Pippin, the fifteenth of his line.”

Signal enough for Gandalf wherever he is to go and hide before dealing with more confounding Hobbits of the Took lines willing to set sail to unseen lands. And Aragorn, allowed to be reborn as an Elf who rushes over to embrace his beloved bride and ready her for the renewal of their vows.

#the hobbit #lotr #Celebrian #Elrond #the Valar #Legolas #gimli #Frodo #cute

[aureentuluva70]

Something just hit me.

We know that Galadriel's hair may have been the inspiration behind the Silmarils. But what if it wasn't the only source of inspiration behind their creation, and that the Silmarils were in reality a kind of tribute to his mother, Miriel, the woman whose very name means 'Jewel-Daughter'.

Feanor truly believed his mother to be the priceless beauty and wonder her name claimed, and decided to prove it with the creation of the Silmarils. His mother shone brighter than any star in Varda's sky, beyond the price of any gleaming pearl of the sea, and fairer than any other gem found in Aule's earth.

And ultimately, no matter how well-meaning it may have been, his constant fixation with his mother and her legacy eventually cost him both his sanity and his life.

#Feanor #Miriel #Silmarillion #Silmarils

[stilltrails]

It was most likely easy for Celebrimbor to believe that Annatar came in peace considering his own family was close with Aule. Do you know what that must have meant for Celebrimbor? 

Aule would have been the one connection he had to Valinor, to his grandmother, Nerdanel and perhaps even his mother. Aule had counseled his family against leaving to Valinor, and now one of his maia was with Celebrimbor. 

I don’t recall of Celebrimbor knew what Valar “sent” him, but being a smith I think it was easy to put two and two together. 

The Valar had forsaken the House of Feanor for so long, I’m sure Annatar was a literal godsend to him. So much of Annatar was to be Celebrimbor’s salvation, and his family’s, and he turned out to be his destruction. 

#celebrimbor #annatar #silvergifting #the simlarillion #damn ig it is silvergifting

[junk-whunk-punk]

Okay I’ve seen ur amazing art for punk Mairon but I’d love to hear what headcanons u have for this little bastard

OH *insidiously rubs palms*

Are you ready kids? I dunno there is bunch of punk Mairon headcanons, facts or smthg bebeh babah (sometimes supplemented!)

About AU in general: all the characters are humans in the modern life.

He actually is a little bastard. Total mischief, total cunning, total agility, mutton stubbornness and shamelessness - it's all him.

He is one of those people who, for example, can stand naked in front of a mirror at 4am and squeal with a bottle of port wine and a frog in his hands.

Mairon used to be a latent punk(:D) before dealing with Melkor. After that he was no longer afraid to show his fucked-up nature because he can.

I unreasonably headcanon that he has an accent on the similarity of German or Russian, something like roaring so please pretend that you understand me🥲... ... . .

I've been thinking for a long time about his specific affiliation within the punk community. His filthy soul lies towards crust punk and thrash punk mostly.

His dada and mama Aule and Yavanna and his brudas Curumo and Aiwendil love him unbelievably despite his punk ways and shitty behavior. At least they can say "Yeah, he's dumb, but he's ours"

He grew up in the blandest, most cookie cutter suburb imaginable with Very Wholesome parents Aule and Yavanna who don’t understand his punk ways but support him to an embarrassing amount. (addition by @the-ring-wasnt-even-pretty)

He has freckles! but! I found out that people sometimes get freckles only in the spring. SO MAIRON DOES!!¡!

Mairon and Melkor have always had a specific relationship. They are, of course, very close friends for many years, and therefore they are not at all shy of each other and can easily ask for anything. By saying "anything", I really mean "anything"... But there is no emphasis on their pair or sth, it is a bromance.

He is Melkor's «Meowron» and Melkor is Mairon's «Meowkor». Don't blame them.

He and Thuringwethil paint each other's nails💅

Mairon manually sews himself cool punk clothes. In the evenings he sits with a charmingly intelligent look, sewing up tears on the ass of his favorite torn jeans.

Mairon loves plushies, kittens, puppies and other cuties. And does not hide it. He feeds street animals. what can you say...

«ANARCHY IS THE MOTHER OF PEACE»

Respects some modern tendencies, but prefers the old lifestyle and fashion.

Versatile. He received a technical education but he didn't really need it in life, which is basically obvious. But! he is well versed in electric musical instruments.

Biker 🤝

«Rock, punk and metal are NOT THE SAME THINGS!! But I love them all»

He has tatoos: The One Ring inscription around the right biceps, sharp patterns those look like the eye of Sauron left on the chest. That's all-seeing tit...

A natural blondie💅

Voice of YOUNG Konstantin Kinchev from «Алиса»/«Alisa».

Celebrimbor's crazy salmon--I MEAN BOYFRIEND. And what's about Tyelpë? Sauron always tries to seduce him, but «Mairon please I'm working...». Tragic(((

Mairon's height is 5'9''. His physique looks lightweight, but muscular. Oh boy he is that very meowing comely attaboy with unrestrained energy and unkillable vocal cords. In a good and bad way...

To be continued...

#silmarillion #jrrt #silm #mairon #sauron #the silmarillion #annatar #maia #modern au #punk au #headcanon #silverfisting #silvergifting #silm au

[elliewiltarwyn]

FFXIV Write 2023 | Prompt #27: Sole

me try writing something this month that isn't about mia and her backstory challenge (impossible)

-787 words -cws: character death, violent imagery, one "fuck"

----

It happens so fast, she doesn’t have a chance to think about it. All she knows is that one moment, Aulus had been cackling, Lyse had been gasping in pain; the next, her sword is through his chest.

It’s as if time freezes; the sounds of the battle around them fades away, and Lyse even seems to fall in slow motion. Aulus’s face, formerly a mix of gleeful madness and smug superiority, has fallen into horror and shock as he stares up at her. A drop of blood begins to trickle from the corner of his mouth; it rides all the way down and stains the collar of his Garlean engineer uniform. His hand shudders as he reaches up towards her face; his gauntlet has stopped glowing, its charge apparently dissipating along with the lifeforce of its wielder, though from the strength of the blast that had just struck Lyse, it may as well have just consumed everything it had. Sparks crackle off of it, one or two brushing her cheek. She doesn’t react. She just looks back at him, her face set firmly with resolve. She can feel her heart hardening, inuring herself to pain.

Were even a single circumstance different, this might have been something to mourn. In the abstract, it’s certainly a tragedy that it’s the sword of the man’s daughter that has been stabbed through his chest.

But Aulus mal Asina had disowned her, thrown her out of the house and damned her to a life of exile. Contributed to the Garlean war efforts on innumerable fronts, responsible for who knows how many crimes against mankind. Tortured Lily and Krile for the purposes of empowering Imperial agents with their Echoes. Worst of all, according to one of the notes they had recovered from that ghastly laboratory: killed her mother, attempting and failing to extract her essence to see if it could account for the Echo bestowed upon Mia herself.

“My… dar… ling… Maia…” Aulus gasps.

No. This man may be my father, but I feel no remorse for ending such a monster’s life.

Mia tightens her grip on her sword hilt, her teeth grinding together, as she glares Aulus in his eyes, watching the life slowly fade. “Fuck you,” she says quietly, deliberately. “My name is Mia Longhart.”

Another drop of blood trickles from Aulus’s lip as he stares at her. Finally, he throws his head back and lets out one final, harsh laugh, poisoned with irony, before he slumps and falls still.

She can vaguely sense there’s immediately a flurry of activity around her. She hears Lyse coughing as she reassures Lily and Alphinaud that she’s okay. She hears the low voices of Ellie and Raubahn, discussing something in an undertone. She hears various scraping and groaning noises from the wreckage of the hoverchair they had forced Aulus out of during their fight, as Arenvald and Yugiri appear to search it for usable salvage.

But she can barely parse any of it. She just watches the still face of her father, frozen forever in mockery, and feels the rage draining out of her. More than ever, she’s so tired.

She tightens her lips, places the sole of her boot on her father’s shoulder, and yanks her blade free, slamming and crumpling his corpse into the ground in front of her. Blood begins to pool around him and seep from the open wound in his chest. As she lifts her boot and brings it to rest on the floor once more, his head lolls limply, his face pointed away, but she still feels as if his discerning, disapproving eyes are upon her still. They clearly aren’t… but it feels that way nonetheless.

“Mia?” The tension in her face drains as well as she looks up and sees Ellie nearby, looking at her with a deeply furrowed brow of concern. “…Stupid question, I know, but are you going to be okay?”

Mia smiles ruefully and nods. “He had it coming.”

Ellie gives an exasperated chuckle and rubs her forehead. “That’s… fair enough, yeah.” She looks down upon Aulus’s corpse. “…Still, I’m sorry.”

She shakes her head and swipes her sword through the air by her side, flicking at least some of the blood off of it, before sheathing it. “Forget it. I have no regrets.” When Ellie looks back up at her, she makes sure to smile warmly. “He was no family of mine. I much prefer the one I’ve chosen.”

Ellie’s eyes widen a little, but a soft smile alights upon her lips then too. “I’m glad to hear it.” The tall roegadyn then hefts her greatsword upwards and rests it on her shoulder. “Come on, let’s kick Zenos’s arse.”

“Right behind you.”

#ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite2023 #my fanfiction #ffxiv fanfiction #another sort of thing that's existed in some form in my wips #and when i saw the prompt i just got a really vivid image of her boot on him #...and that sounds way worse than it actually is. maybe? idk it's out here now >.< #i think i just really like writing out “Aulus mal Asina” tbh. what a name. really sticks in my brain meats >.>