#but i also want to focus on the hobbit inspiration

[awwyeah107]

2023 Fic Recs

Hello and welcome to my GIANT fic recs from 2023 post :)

I have been utterly obsessed with Tolkien’s works this entire year, and I’ve read more fanfiction in one year than I ever have before. My primary fandom this year was Tolkien, and I’m honestly rather astonished that it’s held my attention as long as it has, especially considering that this is a “recurring” hyperfixation (aka, this is not the first time I’ve had this hyperfixation).

So buckle up, ‘cause this is going to be a crazy long ride. The vast majority of these fics are Tolkien fics, but I’ve got a couple of non-Tolkien fics at the very end, and overall there's about 90-ish fics here in this bad boy XD

For each fic, I’ll give a one-sentence summary and then my thoughts on the fic!

I’m sorting them into oneshots, multi-chapter fics, series, in-progress stories, and misc & non-Tolkien fics. Within those sections, I'll loosely group them by various qualifiers like characters, time periods, and locations.

Intro: What to Expect & Fics Legend

Expect: Lots of fluff, lots of angst. Mostly genfic. Mostly Silmfics featuring or focused on kidnap fam, Fëanorians, Halenthir, Arafinwëons. Some Lord of the Rings and/or Hobbit characters are featured, so if you aren’t familiar with The Silmarillion, there are definitely fics that include characters a non-Silm reader would know. Most fics are rated T, with a few rated M.

Do not expect: Stories with a focus on romantic!Russingon (or any other first cousins x cousins ships—those really give me the ick), smut, or really gory or dark stories. No E-rated fics (with one *singular* exception where I did not know it was E-rated at first and only has a few E-rated scenes that can be skipped).

Fics Legend/Key These emojis are used to denote any stories that do have the following elements, and I’ll do my best to put appropriate warnings/mentions of certain potentially triggering topics as well, when needed.

🔒 Fic only available to AO3 users

⚠️ Features smut (skippable/not essential to the story or the focus of the story)

*️⃣ Features background/non-primary romantic!Russingon

🩸 Features somewhat graphic violence and/or heavy topics (including abuse and severe trauma or mental illness)

As I said, I’ll do my best to put appropriate warnings. However, a) there’s some stuff that just comes with the territory; Tolkien does not shy away from violence and trauma, and b) this is such a long list that I honestly may not remember if some of them apply to certain stories. Most if not all the stories do have content warnings given by the author as appropriate/necessary, so if I miss something, the author and/or the fic tags should tell you about it. My apologies if I do miss anything.

I will tag authors who are here on Tumblr; I've included multiple fics by the same authors, so I will only tag each author once.

Also, this may go without saying, but I feel like it does need saying: Your mileage may vary with these fics, especially those that are not particularly fluffy. For example, I don’t like romantic!Russingon, but I’m willing to read some stories with them in the background. I also don’t like smut, so I don’t read stories that prominently feature it, but if I’m already enjoying a story and I come across it, I will skip it. Same kind of thing with intense violence—I’ll skip or skim what I need to. So, read what you’re comfortable with, and don’t read or skip what you aren’t.

I want to give a massive thank-you to all of the fic authors, all of the people posting meta, and all of the artists out there. I was inspired to re-read The Silmarillion (for the third time) this year, and I highly doubt I would’ve been able to actually get myself to do that without all of the amazing stories and musings and art out there that drove me back to the canon we all love. So thank you ❤️

Oneshots

Haleth x Caranthir (Halenthir)

She is the Sunlight by @dreamingthroughthenoise (aka Alantie)🔒 - Caranthir and Haleth have a hike and a conversation. When I saw the title of this fic, I immediately thought of the Trading Yesterday song with the same name—and it turns out, the fic was named after the song, which fits Caranthir/Haleth as a ship so well! The fic itself is (bitter)sweet and beautiful, and I really enjoyed it.

easily sever what was never one by vauquelin - Haleth and Finrod have a discussion, and Haleth pays a visit to Caranthir. I loved reading this fic, and I’ve come back to reread it at least once. It was quite amusing at times, and I really enjoyed Haleth’s no-nonsense characteristics. The debates and discussions she has with Finrod and Caranthir are delightful to read—plus, I enjoyed Haleth and Caranthir’s dynamic and the waxing and waning tension between them. (Warnings: The fic outright says that Caranthir and Haleth have had and do have sex, in generally crude/slang terms, and there is one paragraph/section where things are described a little, but it can be easily skipped and I would not consider it explicit.)

Call It What It Is (Whatever It Might Be) by @sweetteaanddragons (aka Drag0nst0rm on AO3) (featuring art from @lidoshka) - Haleth is visited by several elves related to Caranthir, which raises her suspicions. A delightfully fun oneshot that had me grinning a lot! I love Caranthir/Haleth fics, especially when Caranthir’s denying he’s got a crush on her. Not a lot of Caranthir interacting with Haleth directly in this one, but it’s a great fic. The art was fantastic, I absolutely love Lidoshka’s art style!

Kidnap Fam

Enough by dreamingthroughthenoise (aka Alantie) 🔒 - Maglor and Maedhros argue over the twins, but later Maedhros comes to join Maglor and the twins on a picnic. This one’s a bit angsty, but it does have some sweet moments in it! I like the discussions the characters have; they feel thoughtful and well-characterized, especially in terms of how Maglor and Maedhros respond to each other. Both brothers have strong emotions, but they don’t go out of their way to be hurtful to each other.

Nightmares by @brievel - Snapshots of Maedhros experiencing nightmares and how Elrond and Elros respond. This is one of my favorite “Maedhros is having nightmares” fics where it features Elrond and Elros. It’s definitely angsty and tense, but I love seeing how the twins’ responses change over the course of the story. It really shows how their trust of Maedhros and Maglor develops.

Dawn (The Nightmares Remix) by sweetteaanddragons (aka Drag0nst0rm on AO3) - The aftermath of one of Maedhros’ nightmares from “Nightmares.” Good and angsty with relief by the end! I loved Maedhros’ reflections on the past (his memories of how he was trusted in Tirion with little ones are especially painful) and every aspect of Maglor’s interactions with his brother.

Chill in Your Heart, Life in Your Wings by @jaz-the-bard - After the Third Kinslaying, Elrond and Elros are kidnapped by a band of human raiders in Sirion, who decide to bring them to Maedhros and Maglor. I love JaztheBard’s kidnap fam fanfics, and this one is no exception. It’s a lovely oneshot with lots of feels! Features VERY cute Elrond and Elros. I just about died from cuteness during the fish book part, specifically.

Outrun the Storm by @secretlythranduil - Elrond and Elros are scared of the storm. I love a good kidnap fam thunderstorm fic, and I particularly love all the little details in this one: the guards joking about the claps of thunder being Morgoth’s footsteps, the twins thinking about what kind of state they would find Maedhros in, the reminder of how the Fëanorians found them in Sirion, and how Maedhros picks them up like Maglor had.

In Valinor pre-kinslaying #1

Unruly and ill-behaved, downright feral even by @swanhild - Fëanor and Nerdanel wrangle their rowdy, unruly bunch of elflings. This was quite amusing and adorable!!! I love the younger elflings’ antics and the older elflings’ “teen troubles” (so to speak), and Fëanor and Nerdanel parenting all of them.

Lack of All Trades by @darkfrozenabyss - Young Maitimo doubts that he has a trade or a craft. Cute father-son feels! I loveloveLOVE baby Maedhros and I loved getting to see Fëanor comforting him.

In Valinor post-kinslaying #1

The Spirit of the Law by @mynameisjessejk - Caranthir is re-embodied in Valinor. mynameisjessejk is one of my favorite authors who write the genre of “elves dealing with re-embodiment in Valinor.” This oneshot, along with the other re-embodiment fics they’ve written, is super super good. I really liked this take on Caranthir’s return, and I enjoyed the development of the Caranthir-Finrod friendship—one that isn’t usually seen in fic!

The Return of the House of Finwë by mynameisjessejk - The tales of the re-embodiment of five different members of the House of Finwë. Aaaaaa, this was such a heart-wrenching, feels-filled read! And so wonderful. I loved reading about each character coming back and seeing their reactions to those who came to meet them.

Pity Found by brievel and darkfrozenabyss - Fëanor and his sons are re-embodied in Valinor. Such an emotional fic! All the feels were amazing. I really enjoyed the fic, and I liked how the end left it open for the family to work things out further.

Beyond the Western World by thearrogantemu - Finrod and Curufin meet in Valinor. I really enjoyed this reckoning between the two of them! Finrod has such control in this conversation, yet he still has compassion for Curufin in a way. I liked how their conversation flowed and alternated between focusing on the present and the past. I think both of them needed to speak to each other, not only for closure but also to fully realize things about themselves. It was already a detailed story, but all the little reminders that they knew each other so well lent an even greater sense of depth to the story, which was beautiful. (Plus, I love the title.)

Though All Whom Ye Have Slain Should Entreat For You by thearrogantemu *️⃣ - Thingol has a conversation with Maedhros in Valinor. VERY interesting fic. I had never thought about Thingol and Maedhros interacting before, but hey, that’s what fanfiction is for, right? This was an incredible ride. I loved reading their back-and-forth debate and how calculating and emotional both were. Highly recommend if you’re in the mood for unusual character interactions and a very intellectual and emotionally charged discussion.

There Are Fires, There Is Laughter by ithilielthechosenone - Galadriel and Aredhel take a walk and catch up after Aredhel is re-embodied. I really enjoyed this. It is so beautiful and contemplative, and I love reading about the only two female descendants in the 3rd generation of the house of Finwë.

Finwëons in Beleriand/Middle-Earth

Regrets by dreamingthroughthenoise (aka Alantie on AO3) 🔒 - The Ambarussa have a discussion before the Fëanorians attack Sirion. I really like the characterization of Amrod and Amras in this fic! The way they decided to try to take responsibility for leading the attack in order to spare Maglor and Maedhros is heartbreaking but makes so much sense. I also had never considered how the situation with Eluréd and Elurín might have affected them, so it was interesting to read an interpretation of that!

Lands of the March by @cycas (aka bunn on AO3) - Maedhros discusses the lands and duties he has given to each of his brothers with Amrod and Amras. Quite an enjoyable oneshot! Maedhros is logical…but also quite caring, at the end of the day. I found myself smiling reading it!

Oh Makalaurë… by caeciliusestinforo - Maglor’s guilt over never going to find Maedhros in Thangorodrim causes him to neglect his health, which has consequences. I loved this fic. I’m a sucker for Maglor beating himself up over Maedhros’ torment and then coming to accept it, and Maglor’s desperation is depicted very well.

All the scars we can not see by waitingfover - Fingon has a flashback when he visits Himring. Awwww, poor Finno! Felt a lot of sympathy for him. It definitely felt like he didn’t really want to say what was going on, perhaps because it felt so obvious, but he did. Wish I could’ve given him a hug like Maedhros did.

i will not say the day is done by @southfarthing - Fingon and Maedhros avoid the conversation waiting to happen after Fingon rescues Maedhros from Thangorodrim. SO angsty, so intense, and so good!!! Maedhros and Fingon both have such different viewpoints on what happened and the context surrounding it—it pulls on my heartstrings to see them both struggling, but it makes it all the more poignantly beautiful when they can finally face each other.

Mithrim by @warrioreowynofrohan (aka WarriorEowyn on AO3) - Maedhros has three conversations with different people after his rescue from Thangorodrim. Oh my gosh, this fic is so freaking GOOD! Maedhros and Fingon’s first interaction was so intense and so good (“I’m sorry—” “You’re sorry?” was absolutely iconic. I practically shrieked and had to stop reading for a moment to compose myself). The fic also has a good dose of Maglor guilt, which I’m always happy to read!

Non-Finwëons in Beleriand/Middle-Earth

An evening off by earthbound_misfit - Rog enjoys spending an evening with his friend Egalmoth after work. This was such a good oneshot! So refreshing and peaceful. It felt like having a home-cooked meal :) Lovely!

Sharp Things in the Way by @dawnfelagund - A character study of Daeron, of sorts. This fic is a beautiful mosaic of moments in Daeron’s life—it’s all so bittersweet and deep and full of twisting emotions, and I honestly feel a bit of pity for Daeron after reading it. I haven’t read many fics focused on him, but I really like this one. I thought his and Maglor’s dancing around each other and the musical techniques they shared and took from each other were particularly fascinating parts of the story.

Reflections on Injustice by @hwestalas - Túrin sees Beleg heal a march-warden, and he himself later has the chance to help Beleg heal. Sweet, and a little painful! I enjoyed it. Beleg as a healer and a warrior is awesome, and I liked reading Túrin’s shifting emotions.

see it fall, child of war by swanmaiden 🩸 - Elwing says goodbye to her children. If I had to use one word to describe this fic, it would be “heartbreaking.” I expected it to be painful, and it really, truly was. I teared up reading Elwing telling Elrond and Elros she loved them, and I could feel the fear and anguish felt by the elves around Elwing. This fic really made me feel the terrible weight of the Fëanorians attacking Sirion, which was meant to be a refuge, and I think it was meant to do that. Very well-written!

Among the reeds by Adlanth - Elwing, Tuor, and those of Edain heritage spend time together in Sirion. I absolutely LOVED this!!! This is one of the first fics I’ve read that focus on the Edain and their heritage. I feel like they tend to be less appreciated in fandom, in favor of the house of Finwë (although I’ve definitely seen fics and meta about the Númenoreans). In any case, this was a delightful fic; I really liked seeing the small community of humans grow together and share their culture and history (mainly of the house of Bëor). Beautiful.

LOTR/Hobbit Characters

In A Yellow Wood by @lordgrimwing - Modern AU where Thranduil, wife, and young Legolas go on a hike. SUPER super cute oneshot!! Really enjoyed it. I love how Thranduil and his wife play with Legolas!

The Castaway by warrioreowynofrohan (aka WarriorEowyn on AO3) - Legolas and Gimli meet a stranger as they prepare to sail to Valinor. Quite enjoyable! I loved the difference in Legolas and Gimli’s opinions regarding what they should do, and how Gimli’s perspective and compassion helped Legolas to consider his prejudices. The dialogue between all of the characters was excellent!

A Warg in Sheep’s Clothing by @arofili (aka starlightwalking on AO3) - Fíli and Kíli find an injured warg pup in the woods. This was such a wonderfully fun fic to read! There were a few sad moments for sure, but I love reading stories with Fíli and Kíli because their characters have such a youthful joy and hopefulness to them. I loved “Buddy” and dwarflings’ bond with him was so adorable! (Also, I love the title XD)

General/Misc

Shinystarship Has Invited You To Join A Zoom Conference! by jaz-the-bard *️⃣ - Elrond’s father figures make a plan for how they will support Elrond when he sails to Aman (by using modern technology in Arda). THIS IS HILARIOUS. I love it. The Zoom names are perfect. I’ve reread this a couple times and I laugh every time!

Wealth Enough of Joy by StarSpray - Elrond and Celebrían enjoy time with their newborn twins and more family. This was such a sweet, lovely fic. It has the feeling of a summer evening—which is appropriate, since the description is “Elladan and Elrohir are born at twilight in summer.” I actually drew a picture in my little sketchbook of what I thought Elrond and Celebrían’s room would look like!

Mercy by @nothinghereisworking (aka cuarthol) - Snapshots of Celegorm and Finrod. I haven’t read many fics centered on Celegorm and Finrod, and I really like this! Features scenes in Valinor, Beleriand, and then Valinor again. I love how it comes full-circle and how the meaning of mercy changes over the course of the story.

An Unexpected Friendship by StarSpray (featuring art from lidoshka) - Belladonna Took makes a friend. I didn’t realize how much I needed to read about Maglor interacting with hobbits until this fic—and it made me interested in more fics of the same ilk. This particular one was SO much fun, and I loved how much hobbit culture StarSpray got into. I also really enjoyed Maglor’s and the hobbits’ characterization, too. The art of Maglor and Belladonna is adorable!

To Justify Your Existence by jaz-the-bard 🩸 - Maedhros meets his father and brothers in Mandos and braces himself for the worst. Delightfully angsty! Poor, poor Maedhros. The self-blame is off the charts in this one, whew. The emotional climax is so fulfilling!

AUs

stare death in the face (and never back down) by @oopsbirdficced (aka ingenious_spark on AO3) 🔒🩸 - Instead of returning to Gondolin when Sauron lets him go, Maeglin escapes…and runs into some relatives. This is such a cool AU/twist on what happened in canon! Lots of feeeeels—poor Maeglin. However, I love that he found [spoiler] and that they all essentially took one look at him and decided to adopt him XD

Retaliatory Kidnapping by darkfrozenabyss - Elwing decides that kidnapping the re-embodied Fëanorian twins (Amrod and Amras) might let her make a trade with Maglor and Maedhros for her own sons. This may have been the first fic I read by darkfrozenabyss! It’s so enjoyable and engaging. I loved Elwing taking matters into her own hands and being determined to rescue her sons, as well as the reluctant friendship that began to take root between her and the Ambarussa. Great ending, too! An all-around fantastic story.

Less scary than before by waitingfover - Maedhros is feeling homesick at college and receives a package (modern AU). I seriously enjoyed this oneshot! It filled me with so much warmth, and it reminded me of my family sending me things in college :) I love how each member of Maedhros’ family sent him something that showed how they loved him/thought of him, each in their own unique way.

Wayward Son by @thescrapwitch🩸 - After being re-embodied, Fëanor sets out on a mission to find his second son. This was sweet! I really enjoyed it. Fëanor’s dedication to loving and caring for Maglor is wonderful.

Where the Heart Is by mynameisjessejk *️⃣ - Amarië does not let Finrod go to Beleriand without her. A very cool AU where Amarië goes to Beleriand! We love to see it. I really like how it changes things and how the politics are different throughout Beleriand as a result.

Battle of Sudden Song by AeolianSands - Maglor encounters Sauron and recalls his cousin Finrod. I absolutely LOVE how this is written. I am SUCH a fan of Maglor using Song and living up to his name and reputation! This was so deliciously wonderful.

who could ask to be unbroken (or to be brave again) by @piyo13sdoodles - Tauriel meets a lone elf on the plains of Rhovanion and becomes friends with the mysterious singer. I really like reading “Maglor makes friends with people after being on his own” fics, and this one was so sweet! I enjoyed Tauriel’s curiosity and spirit, as well as how Maglor cares for her. Their relationship is wonderful, and I love how they grow into being each others’ family. It’s a beautiful story :)

Tumblr Oneshots

Wet Boots by @amethysttribble - Baby Maedhros is playing, and Uncle Nolofinwë comes to find him. So fluffy and adorable and silly and SWEET! I love baby Maedhros, and this is one of my go-to fluff fics. (There’s also a super cute fanart/comic of this floating around somewhere—I thought I had saved it but I can’t find it. If I ever do, I’ll add it here.)

Finrod and baby Galadriel in Valinor by @actual-bill-potts (aka oswinry on AO3) - Galadriel wakes up Finrod. SO FREAKING CUTE. I LOVED this little oneshot so much. Tiny Galadriel is super adorable and big brother Finrod is just as adorable. Fluff level 3000.

Multi-Chapter Fics

The following multi-chapter fics are all complete (or have not been updated since 2022), and they all have more than one chapter. If any are incomplete, I will note that.

Girl in Middle-Earth & Modern AUs

Pathology by @wild-houseplant (aka appalled.elf on FanFiction.net) ⚠️ 🩸 - A therapist ends up in Middle-Earth and builds a life in Rivendell. This was one of the first fics I read in 2023, and what a wonderful way to start the year!! I absolutely LOVED reading this fic. This was one of those fics that kept me up late and had me glued to my screen whenever I could spare time to read it. I love its central themes of friendship, grieving, and healing. The relationships that develop between Rhodri and the various Middle-Earth characters felt so real and healthy, and it was simply so wonderful to read! The author adds a lot of notes and information about the mental health care that Rhodri, the main character, provides, which is fantastic. Also, the character-lands-in-Middle-Earth plotline is handled quite well, in my opinion; questions that usually arise with that kind of plot were answered and explained in ways that made sense and added to the story.

(Warnings: There is plenty of language/swearing, a bit of violence [not super graphic, to my memory], and a few smut scenes; the author usually warns ahead of time if there will be any smut, and it’s fairly easy to tell when things are going that direction, so you can skip it if you don’t want to read it, like me. Also, the link I have included is to the fic on FanFiction.net, which is much more updated than the fic on AO3; there are 107 chapters on FanFiction.net as opposed to 29 on AO3. However, the version on AO3 is rated as E, while the one on FanFiction.net is rated as M, just so the reader is aware. I first found it on FanFiction.net, which is why I did not realize it was rated E before I read it, and if you skip the E-rated scenes like I did, I believe it would be considered rated M.)

This fic is incomplete—the last time it was updated was in November of 2022—but the reader is not left on a terrible cliffhanger.

Don’t Panic! by boz4PM - A more realistic "girl-falls-into-Middle-Earth" story. Quite entertaining and interesting! This is a spin on the typical “girl gets transported to Middle-Earth and everything is amazing” story, where things are a lot more realistic: there’s a language barrier, there aren’t high standards of cleanliness, there’s no indoor plumbing…the works! I read basically all of it in one night. I love how Penny and Halbarad’s relationship develops, and it’s fun seeing Penny learn to fit in with elves! There’s also a sequel, which is great too. (Warnings: General…gross-ness, I guess, lol! Also, there’s a LOT of swearing, especially in the first several chapters. This does calm down though.)

Ten Weeks of the Terribles by troiaspider - Maglor is forced to babysit his younger brothers while his parents and Maedhros are away for several weeks (modern AU). I really enjoyed this fic! Didn’t want to put it down. It was so fun, and I laughed several times. It also had many touching moments that I didn’t expect, and I found myself smiling at various moments.

In Valinor pre-kinslaying #1

Make You Pretty by @theladyvanya - Vanifinwë, the only daughter and youngest child of Fëanor, likes doing makeovers for her older brothers, which leads to some…interesting results. This fic is SO CUTE!!! I love how the brothers all give in and allow their baby sister to play with them, even if they know they look extremely bizarre by the end. And when [spoiler] is the only one who is actually truly upset by the game, it does get resolved by the end of the story. The fic is quite humorous and sweet!

Trial and Error by waitingfover - Each of the young Finwëons tries to bake something for their family, with varying results. Adorable set of oneshots! I like how the nature of each of the baking incidents matches the elfling or peredhel that is attempting to make something :)

In Valinor post-kinslaying #1

The Host of the West by mynameisjessejk - Finrod is re-embodied in Valinor. Oh my goodness, this was so good. I loved the exploration of Finrod’s emotions (and how being re-embodied affected him physically as well!) after coming back to life. The tension between him and his parents/those who did not know him in Beleriand felt very palpable, and my heart broke for him multiple times throughout the story. The resolution at the end was touching, and I felt reassured that things would look up for the characters as time went on beyond the ending of the story.

Memento Pugna (Remember, You Must Fight) by sweetteaanddragons (aka Drag0nst0rm on AO3) - Fëanor is re-embodied in Valinor, but from the very start, things are bound to go sideways. This was a great read! I loved the characterization and relationship development throughout the story, and I really enjoyed the chaos and shenanigans that happened. The story is quite hilarious at times and touching and angsty at others!

To save a life by waitingfover 🩸 - Fëanor is re-embodied in Valinor, and he has to deal with several hostile family members and other problems. Really great! It’s quite interesting, and I loved how Fëanor’s character developed over the course of the story, and how he comes to prioritize family over his own desires and pride. I also really liked how the plot changed and how various characters were introduced and included! (Warnings: There is a scene with mention of sexual abuse and a traumatized character expecting further abuse, and a brief scene of physical child abuse by a crowd of unnamed characters.)

More than the Stars Above by sweetteaanddragons (aka Drag0nst0rm on AO3) - Elrond visits his father, Eärendil, in Valinor. This is one of my favorite fics centered around Elrond and Eärendil. Their interactions here are so well-written and so spot-on! I like the alternating point of view, and I simply love how their relationship was portrayed.

The Ransom of the House of Fëanor by @eirianerisdar - Elrond petitions the Valar to return Maedhros and Maglor (and their brothers and father) from the Void. Oh my goodness. This fic broke my heart in the best way. SO. MUCH. ANGST. AND. FEELS. AAAAAGHH. I could see a lot of the different emotional situations coming, which made it even more angsty when they finally hit. I kept having to pause and stop reading because TOO MANY FEELS A;SLDKFJALF. Highly recommend if you want Elrond angst (and just angst in general).

The Last Ember by eirianerisdar - Nerdanel and Fëanor begin to reconcile in Valinor (compliant to The Ransom of the House of Fëanor but can be read separately). I absolutely love this Nerdanel-and-Fëanor-work-things-out-in-Valinor fic!!! Nerdanel’s vacillating emotions were so palpable and real, and both her and Fëanor’s characterization was wonderful. The pacing was done quite well, and I love how things ended :)

Rising as if Weightless by StarSpray - Elwing’s brothers return to life in Valinor. This was such a wonderful, feels-y fic! Elwing’s emotions throughout pulled on my heartstrings—and Eluréd and Elurín were so sweet. I loved meeting so many characters who were important to Elwing, and I really enjoyed the storyline. I couldn’t put this fic down!

In Beleriand & Middle-Earth

Family Reunions by Drapa *️⃣ - Finrod brings his human friend Bëor with him to a family reunion. I don’t think I have ever laughed more at a fic than I have at this one. I fondly remember sitting down to a bowl of soup and some bread for dinner and opening this fic because the premise looked promising…and then proceeding to nearly spit out my soup multiple times while reading. Finrod’s over-the-top behavior, the miscommunications and misunderstandings, the hijinks, and the ridiculousness of all of it was just way too funny. Highly recommend if you’re in the mood for some humor (or even if you aren’t).

Refuge by hwestalas - Maglor comes to Maedhros at Himring and does his best to hide that he is injured; this goes unsuccessfully. I absolutely love the interactions between Maglor and Maedhros in this fic. They are so filled with affection and teasing and the gentle kind of pushing between siblings, and it makes me so happy to read, even though they are dealing with war and deaths of their people. The love they have for each other and their siblings—and their people, too—is clear as day. It’s a lovely hurt/comfort fic, and one that I’ve reread a few times. Wonderful read!

This Taste of Shadow (SPECIFICALLY the Caranthir x Haleth chapters) by Mira_Jade - Caranthir and Haleth meet and slowly but surely fall for each other. I didn’t realize how much I needed a fic that took the question “what would it look like if Caranthir and Haleth really truly decided to get married, and not just in the elvish way [aka, through having sex], but to commit to each other until the end?” seriously and chose to explore it. I literally was obsessing over this fic for three to five days after I read it. SO. FREAKING. GOOD. This is one of the most well-written, satisfying, thorough Caranthir x Haleth fics I’ve ever read; the story is deeply emotionally engaging, and I loved it. Mira-Jade is phenomenal at exploring characters and really understanding them on a fundamental level, and how their relationships play out with other characters. And while it’s her interpretation, it feels very real and true-to-text. (Note: This is specifically a rec for the Caranthir x Haleth chapters; the entire work is a series of ficlets and oneshots that largely make up out-of-order story arcs. The link to each chapter can be found in the index/first "chapter" of the fic, which is linked above. I have not read the rest of the work, so I don’t know if there are any warnings I should give for other chapters. The tags do indicate that there is romantic!Russingon in the fic—there’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it reference in the Halenthir chapters, but otherwise none. Also, warning for a version of Celegorm who lives up to the epithet “Celegorm the Cruel.”)

Of Bright Stars and Dark Skies by @katinkacassio (aka CassioP on AO3) - The Fëanorians attack Sirion and take the twins, which leads to the twins living at Amon Ereb. This was one of my favorite kidnap fam fics I read this year! The characterization was well done, and I will always enjoy tropes like Elrond and Elros running off and Maedhros and Maglor having to search for them. Elrond and Elros are wonderful, and both parties opening up slowly to each other was heartrending and sweet.

Maglor Plays For His People After Doriath by Himring - Maglor contemplates Doriath and plays a lament for his people. Quite enjoyable—the contemplative nature of this fic is beautiful. I liked how Maglor considers what his people need and what he plays for them, and his memories of meeting Daeron at Mereth Aderthad were amusing and sweet. This fic really conveys deep a sense of wistful mourning.

Generally Interesting Lives by @glorf1ndel - A collection of oneshots for Tolkien Gen Week 2023. I love how unique these are and how each one of them stands out! I really liked the vibe of the stories—they were easy to read and the characters’ “voices” and personalities are strong. I particularly enjoyed the chapters about Maedhros and Lúthien, Huan and Oromë, and Galadriel and Bill the pony!

I need you more than ever right now by @senalishia - Elwing and Eärendil weather Elwing’s pregnancy with their twins. I love how this fic explored Elwing and Eärendil’s relationship, their personalities, and their perspectives on their responsibilities and having children! It’s compelling and well-paced. Also, I really liked the OC healer Curunada’s curious yet brusque nature! (Warnings: Childbirth, which is a little graphic)

General/Misc

Of starlight, s’mores and misadventures by waitingfover - A collection of oneshots about elflings and their adventures. These oneshots are SO CUTE and occasionally come with a serving of angst at the end with a flash-forward. A few of them are angsty in general, but the majority are just adorable, fluffy stories. If you ever need fluff, you will find it here! Also, this fic is how I finally got all of the Quenya names of the House of Finwë ingrained into my mind XD waitingfover uses them a lot in the story and provides lists of the names at the start of chapters, so that was super helpful! (Note: This fic is still being updated, but not on a regular basis, which is why I put it in the multi-chapter fics section instead of the in-progress section.)

As the Tides Flow by @starshipsilmaril 🩸 - The story of Maglor’s life, from start to finish. I loved it! Starshipsilmaril does a great job with Maglor's emotions, and Maglor’s love story and family were so sweet. Telumë is a wonderful character, and she and Maglor fit together quite well, I think. Definitely gets more angsty as the story goes on, which is expected. Great read! (Warnings: Silm-typical violence, not super graphic [to my memory] but it’s there. Also, The fic outright says that Maglor and Telumë have sex, and there are a couple paragraphs where things are described a little, but it can be easily skipped and I would not consider it explicit. It’s also pretty easy to see coming—it’s on the wedding night.)

Some Wild Thing by warrioreowynofrohan (aka WarriorEowyn on AO3)🩸 - Aredhel’s story, from Valinor to Beleriand. I love this exploration of Aredhel’s personality and character. The small snapshots and snatches of dialogue that relate the bigger picture are beautifully written, and Aredhel’s fiery personality shines through so well. I also really liked the depiction of her and Eöl (and Maeglin!)—it felt real and the way things subtly changed for the worse over time was chilling. Great read!

To Safety by jaz-the-bard - Young Elrond and Elros get transported to the Years of the Trees in Valinor and encounter their captors once again. I seriously love this story—I felt so bad for Elrond and Elros, and I felt sympathetic towards a bewildered Maedhros and Maglor (or should I say, Maitimo and Makalaurë). It’s fantastic! I’ve reread this at least 3 times XD

In a Field of Blood and Bone by @theheirofashandfire (aka ScribeofArda on AO3)🩸 - The Battle of the Five Armies, from the point of view of the elves. This was fantastic! It was awesome to read the events from a totally different perspective; the elves (and Bard!) come at the situation with different motivations, needs, and hopes for the future than the dwarves and Bilbo, and I think that ScribeofArda handled that very well. I loved the OCs Belhadron and Rhovaniel; they felt very whole and fleshed out, and it made me wish they were in the actual story so I could read more about them. Also, Legolas and Thranduil’s relationship was so sweet, and I love how much Thranduil loves Legolas even though he doesn’t outright show it much. (Warnings: Battle violence, as can be expected from a fic that’s about the Battle of the Five Armies.)

AUs

What once was mine by waitingfover - Maglor is given a second chance to go back and change things, starting at Losgar. What a great fic! I had the privilege to follow this fic from start to completion, and I loved getting updates. The changes—or lack thereof—were quite fascinating to read! This story features a strong dose of Maglor dealing with guilt and depression, which was heartbreaking but also understandable (and, as per usual, I ate it up with a spoon). This one of my favorite AUs!

The Rescue Party by AeolianSands - Fëanor, Fingolfin, and Finarfin decide to travel to Middle-Earth and save their children before the Doom of Mandos takes them. Really enjoyed this! Quite humorous, with some sweet touches of fluff and some angsty bits. There’s LOTS of chaos and things happening at the same time, and it reminded me of a contemporary fantasy story where all these plotlines are overlapping! There were lots of twists and turns I didn't expect, which was super fun.

Waiting for Dawn by theheirofashandfire (aka ScribeofArda on AO3) 🩸 - The Fellowship of the Ring finds Maedhros alive in the aftermath of the Battle of Pelennor Fields. I love “Maedhros-and-or-Maglor-are-alive-in-the-Third-Age” fics, and this one is quite well-written! I absolutely adore Pippin in this fic; his compassion and sprightliness are so in-character and it’s amazing to read. The rest of the hobbits are delightful as well. There’s also a serving of kidnap fam with a good amount of angst and feels :) Gotta love Maedhros being healed (against his will) and coming to accept that he wants to live! (Warnings: There’s somewhat graphic descriptions of the aftermath of the battle and torture, and there is a very disturbing injury in the first chapter that was done by torture. Additionally, Maedhros is suicidal for a while.)

Say NO To Shiny (And Other Valuable Life Lessons) by @fflewddur-feanorion *️⃣ - Maglor joins the Fellowship of the Ring! As soon as I saw the description of this fic, I immediately knew I had to read it. It is absolutely HILARIOUS. I laughed so much! I enjoyed the more casual, less serious characterization of the Fellowship and felt both amusement and sadness towards Maglor at different moments. The story also features Fëanorion brother shenanigans and some epic Song awesomeness!

Little Bird by darkfrozenabyss - Elwing is lost in the woods of Doriath instead of Eluréd and Elurín, and Amras Fëanorion finds her. Oh my goodness, this one pulls on my heartstrings. It’s beautiful and sad and amazing all at once. I loved Amras as a father, and I felt so much for Elwing, having to be so grown-up so young. I also didn’t expect Eluréd and Elurín’s characterization (though it does make sense) and it made me upset for Elwing. I loved reading about her learning about her birth culture and about her relationship with Eärendil. I also liked how the story ended!

Accidently on Purpose by waitingfover - Curufin accidentally turns Finrod into a younger version of himself. I read this almost all in one sitting and it was delightful. I’ve already reread it once or twice since finding it!! The characterizations and handling of the plot were amazing, and baby Finrod was SUUUUPER cute.

The Ghost of Erebor by @mistergandalf (aka ItalianHobbit on FanFiction.net and AO3) 🩸 - In an “everyone lives” AU, Fíli has intense trauma to work through from the Battle of the Five Armies—but nobody knows what happened to him. *slaps roof of fic* This bad boy can fit so much angst in it. Soooo much angst! Fíli is so traumatized and it’s heartbreaking to read. Kíli and Thorin’s attempts to help Fíli are also heartwrenching; they care about him so much, and their worry is so palpable. And of course, the pressing needs of running a kingdom and having an heir don’t make the situation any better. This kind of story is right in ItalianHobbit’s wheelhouse!

Series

Lengthening Shadows series by waitingfover 🩸 - What if Maglor went to bargain with Morgoth instead of Maedhros? This is a fantastic concept and I loveloveLOVE it! The way things go differently is so interesting, and it opens up a whole new dimension of feelings for the characters to experience (especially Maedhros and Maglor). I really like the inclusion of the other Finwëons in the story too. Go give this series some love, these stories are some of waitingfover’s earliest Tolkien works and they’re great!

Sons of the Star series by brievel (most fics in the series are open to all readers, but a few are locked 🔒) 🩸 - This is the “Sons of Fëanor as a biker gang” AU that you never knew you needed. I certainly didn’t know I needed it. But I LOVE it. Brievel is still writing the series and I’m enjoying it! I love the characterization of the Fëanorians as tough and scrappy criminals, but with generally good hearts (especially Max). I get excited every time a new installment comes out. I also highly recommend Óhchikaape, an in-progress story [at the time of this writing], which is set in (mostly) the same universe. (Warnings: There's a lot of violence, and many of the stories deal with heavy topics.)

Maglor is an Eldritch Horror series by thescrapwitch *️⃣ - Speaking of AUs you never knew you needed, the name says it all: Maglor is an eldritch horror. The vibe is “cozy horror,” which I love; I’m not really a horror fan, but the ‘monster’ is on the good guys’ side, and I think that’s what makes it the good kind of scary. Most of the stories in this series are oneshots of Maglor and various characters living in Rivendell, but other characters come in from time to time. This series is mostly complete, but every so often theScrap_Witch has another idea and I get an update to this series in my inbox (which always gets me flailing with excitement). (Warnings: If you’re particularly squeamish or super sensitive to horror/any scary things, you may want to proceed with caution. However, I will say that I’m fairly sensitive to that, and I could just skim past any things that squicked me out—but there have barely been any.)

Return to Aman series by cycas (aka bunn on AO3) - Maglor sails with Elrond, Bilbo, Frodo, and Gandalf to Valinor. Oh. my. gosh. These were stories. SO well-written!!! I devoured every bit of them, and I think I need to reread them because I inhaled them crazy fast the first time around! (I’ve already reread a few out of order, but they work so well together as an arc and I would love to reread it again fully.) There’s so much that gets explored, the characterization is great, and overall the stories are just absolutely DELIGHTFUL. There are 15 fics in the series, and most are oneshots.

Nossecilmë series by fingonsradharp 🔒🩸*️⃣ - Oneshots of the kidnap fam. These are pretty cute (with a bit of angst from time to time)! I particularly enjoyed Little Stars and Nightingale. (Warnings: 🩸 only applies to the oneshot "Little Stars" for kidnappers physically abusing Elrond & Elros.)

Of Half-elven Children and the Difficulties that Result series by waitingfover - Kidnap fam oneshots. This collection of kidnap fam oneshots is so wonderful! These range from full-on angst to pure fluff, and there’s a whole bunch.

Old Maggie Took series by @tanoraqui (aka NevillesGran on AO3) - “Maggie Took” (aka Maglor) has become a friend to those in the Shire. A delightfully fun and touching series! There’s two works and both are simply fantastic. The first is centered around fighting ‘Sharkey’ when he comes to the Shire; I found myself grinning, cheering for “Maggie,” and alternating between laughing and going “awww” at the hobbits and Gandalf. The second story is about a going-away party held for those sailing west, and it gave me the exact feeling I get from being at a good, fun party with friends: celebratory and joyful in the best way.

In-Progress Stories

These are ones that are unfinished that I've really enjoyed and I hope get updated in 2024!

(Also, for any of the authors who see that I’ve included their in-progress fic, please don’t feel pressured to update—me saying that I'm looking forward to more is simply meant to let you know that I like the story and would love to read more if/when you update.)

Daughters of Therindë by darkfrozenabyss - Nerdanel and her 2 daughter-in-laws go back in time to prevent the kinslayings, but they accidentally bring someone along with them that they weren’t expecting: Haleth. You guys. I am glued to this fic. I get ridiculously excited every time I see an update in my inbox; I love it so much and go back every so often to reread my favorite parts of the chapters (and sometimes just end up rereading most of or the entirety of the fic). The characterization is great, and the plot is super fascinating! The tension between Haleth and Caranthir is highly entertaining, and I eat up every bit of Caranthir’s brothers’ teasing with a spoon like it’s ice cream. You will also find me screeching and grinning like a fool at every emotional moment I come across. I seriously enjoy this fic so much!

Óhchikaape by brievel and The_Anonymous_Coauthor 🩸 - Set in the Sons of the Star universe (read about the Sons of the Star series in the Series section); Riser Way [aka Celegorm, for the uninitiated] wasn’t intending to be a dad…but it seems this scrawny, sassy Native American kid is in need of a parental figure, whether either of them like it or not. I am absolutely LOVING this story and get excited over every update. I’ve stayed up late multiple times to read the newest chapter that’s been posted, and I’m 100% sure that I will do it again, given the chance. I love how Riser and Nikki’s relationship develops over the course of the story. There’s a lot of humor and heartwrenching moments, and some serious and soft moments as well. If you aren’t familiar with Sons of the Star, I definitely suggest you read some or all of the series to get an idea of who the Way brothers are, because they (especially Riser and Ken) are primary characters in Óhchikaape. This story is now one chapter away from being done and I'm super excited for the next installment of the series! (Warnings: The story features violence, and it deals with heavy topics, including trafficking and child abuse.)

if somebody loved you, they'd tell you by now by @aurorapillar (aka auroracode on AO3) - Maeglin escapes Gondolin. I’ve been really enjoying this one! auroracode writes Maeglin so, so well—it breaks my heart to see him so traumatized, but it feels very real, and I feel proud of the progress he’s made so far! I also really love how [spoiler] interacts with him and helps him feel safe. I’m excited to see where this fic goes, and it’s been cool to read it from the beginning.

Identity Theft by waitingfover - Eluréd and Elurín come out of the halls of Mandos and are given to Nerdanel by a Maia who implies that the twins are Celegorm’s children; this most certainly does NOT cause any problems in the future ;) If this fic had an alternate title, I think it should be called something like “Olórin Makes a Habit of Kidnapping Elves” 😂  Because (slight spoiler) it’s something that happens multiple times throughout the story and always causes chaos! Anyway, this bad boy has 80-something chapters and is still going strong. The plot of the fic mutates throughout, but it is largely focused on Celegorm and his adventures, with lots of cameos from various Noldor and Sindar elves. I started reading it back in March, and I’ve really enjoyed seeing Celegorm’s character development as the story has progressed!

The Harrowing by @chthonion 🔒 ⚠️ *️⃣ 🩸- Sauron comes back to life from the Void and brings the Fëanorians with him. This fic has such a cool premise: Sauron being reembodied along with the sons of Fëanor and learning how to Be a Good Person™️ and Do Life™️ with all our favorite characters in Valinor. It does feature Silvergifting (Sauron x Celebrimbor), which I virtually never read because I’m not a fan of them together (in large part because the ship tends to remind me of unwanted stuff from my past); that being said, the fic isn’t just about Sauron and Celebrimbor. It’s mainly about Sauron and the house of Finwë (and Frodo!) learning to coexist with each other and heal from the past. Cthuluion’s writing is fantastic, and I love the interactions between the characters. (I particularly enjoyed Finrod and Sauron’s first conversation.) I’ve really enjoyed reading this fic! (Warning: There is a little smut, but only in chapter 16, I believe; I’ve skimmed and/or given a fairly wide berth to most Celebrimbor-Sauron one-on-one interactions to protect my mental health, so there may be more that I’m not aware of.)

Not About Owing by dreamingthroughthenoise (aka Alantie on AO3) 🔒 - Finrod and Amarië come to rescue Maglor on the beach. If there was an alternate title for this fic, I would vote “The One Where Maglor Gets Loved.” All of the characters are determined to make sure Maglor knows that they care about him and want him in their lives, and it’s so delightful. I also love the strong themes of redemption that are woven throughout, and there’s a deliciously dramatic scene with Eärendil that I practically screamed at. Each of the characters and their relationships feel so real and well-fleshed out, and it’s just lovely to read!

The Longest Night by mistergandalf (aka ItalianHobbit on FanFiction.net and AO3) 🩸 - A mysterious creature has attacked a village near Ered Luin, and Thorin Oakenshield and his nephews go to help. I’ve read all of ItalianHobbit’s Tolkien fics, and as I expected, this fic has got lots of whump, even for just 4 chapters so far! ;) It’s so very angsty and I’m eating it up with a spoon. I always enjoy reading Durin family fics—I just love their relationship and I really love how ItalianHobbit writes them. The link to the fic I put above is to the fic on FanFiction.net, but it is also posted on AO3.

When mercy stayed his blade by BarbieBlue - Maglor and Maedhros take Elrond and Elros with them after the Fëanorians attack Sirion. This is one of my favorite multi-chapter kidnap fam fics I’ve found! It’s got a lot of emotion and a fair amount of angst—it’s not super fluffy. I really like Maedhros and Maglor’s characterization in this one; they aren’t totally falling apart, but they’ve definitely got their issues, and BarbieBlue doesn’t shy away from that. I feel a lot for Elrond and Elros, who are certainly quite traumatized. Seeing the trust slowly developing between them and the Fëanorions is sweet, and I enjoy reading the dynamics between all of the characters.

we will make this place our home by @leucisticpuffin - Elrond and Elros get sent to live with their distant relatives Maglor and Maedhros Finuion. This fic is basically ‘The Secret Garden meets kidnap fam’! It is such a lovely story. I devoured most of it one time when I was up late (I had told myself that I really shouldn’t start a fic that had 40-something chapters at 2 am…but then found myself falling asleep at 4:30 am as I was reading. As soon as my eyes were open the next morning, I kept reading until I caught up!). I love the setting and all the little details that make the story work so well, and it’s really fun to read Silm characters in the mode of 1970s England. There’s a few OCs that help fill out the cast, and I enjoy their personalities and how they add to the story.

Less Wise and More Dangerous by DeepWatersWaiting 🩸 - Legolas is mysteriously transported to the First Age and runs into Fëanor and his sons. Great story, compelling and very well-written! I felt a lot of sympathy for Legolas, being plonked down in First Age Beleriand and facing people who he knew would kill his kin in the future. I like the development of the friendships he started forming (especially with Celebrimbor!), and I’ve been rooting for him as he’s been navigating the strange situation he is in. (Side note: anyone remember the AO3 shutdown back in July? This is what I was reading when that happened, lol.) (Warnings: There’s some graphic violence and injury/illness.)

Life After Death by actual-bill-potts (aka oswinry on AO3) 🔒 - Finarfin and his wife welcome Finrod after he returns from Mandos. So so so SO good. Oswinry writes SUCH good Arafinwëan fic. So carefully handled and well-written, and you can truly feel Finarfin’s desperate love and care for his son and his family. It fills a place in my heart I didn’t know was empty until I read the fic. (There have also been a few updates on Tumblr, too! Check out "my writing" and/or "silm fic" tags)

Yet Open Once Again Your Heart by @luteoflorien 🩸 - Maedhros has a breakdown, and Maglor realizes the twins are not as fragile as he thought. This one’s super heartwrenching, and I love it. The way Maglor treats Maedhros when he’s having his panic attack/breakdown/trauma-induced flashback is so well-done, and I really liked how the brothers had learned how to help each other on those bad days. The exchanges between Maglor and the twins (and between just Maglor and Elrond) are so raw and full of emotion, and Elrond himself is so wise and sweet.

What Was Sauron Thinking? by Chisscientist - Sauron is defeated…but it seems that in the process, he turned Gil-Galad into a child. The premise is so fascinating, and smol!Gil-Galad is adorable! I at turns find myself amused by him and want to give him a hug. The characterization is great, and I feel for Gil-Galad, having been unexpectedly turned into a child with memories of his adult self. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes, and I’m glad Gil-Galad has friends/guardians around him who care for him!

Misc & Non-Tolkien Fics

Tolkien fics that don't fit into other categories:

The Silmarillion Rewrite by Jenavira - A rewrite/summary of The Silmarillion in modern language. Amazing. It was quite an enjoyable read, and it honestly helped me remember a lot of Silm characters! I think this was one of the main fics that inspired me to reread The Silmarillion again this year. I laughed several times, and I often loved the wording or phrasing of certain things that happened. (Warnings: There’s a lot of language/swearing, and there’s Silm-typical violence and trauma that happens.)

Never A Monster He Couldn’t Love by luteoflorien 🩸 - Harry Potter/Silmarillion crossover fic where Newt Scamander finds a new humanoid creature to befriend and care for, and Maglor finds a human who believes he is worthy of care and love. I absolutely adore the friendship that develops between Newt and Maglor. I’ve never read Fantastic Beasts fanfics before, despite being in the Harry Potter fandom, but luteoflorien’s Newt feels so incredibly in-character and it makes me want more. He is so kind and caring and curious, and he is exactly the type of person Maglor needs in his life to start healing from his past. luteoflorien’s writing, characterization, and handling of all the mental/emotional issues the characters go through is phenomenal, and the feels are off the charts. (Warnings: Maglor struggles with his severe trauma, and sometimes self-harms.)

Non-Tolkien fics:

hear you calling from some lost and distant shore by @sighonaraa - Loki meets Thor after the events of Avengers: Endgame (mostly compliant with the Loki TV series). Marvel fandom. This was EXACTLY what I needed after the ending of season 2 of Loki. So, so good. The banter between Thor and Loki, and also Valkyrie/Brunhilde’s character was great—the brothers care SO much about each other, and it's wonderful to read.

Lemon Cake by @afaroffsong 🔒 - Rosalind needs to make a cake for Jane’s birthday. Penderwicks fandom. I seriously enjoyed this fic! It's amazingly well-written—it felt to me like it could've come right out of the books! So lovely.

I mentioned this at the start, but I wanted to reiterate because I truly am very grateful: I want to give a massive thank-you to all of the fic authors, all of the people posting meta, all of the artists out there. I was inspired to re-read The Silmarillion (for the third time) this year, and I highly doubt I would’ve been able to actually get myself to do that without all of the amazing stories and musings and art out there that drove me back to the canon we all love. So thank you ❤️

And thank you to all who read this far XD Hope you enjoy some (or all!) of these fics!

#2023 fic recs #2023 fic review #tolkien fic #silm fic #tolkien fic recs #fic rec list #fanfiction #fanfiction recommendation #fanfiction rec list

[a-strange-inkling]

In OH universe Chrissy is a Social Arts teacher. Even though she's also a cheer coach seasonally, I love the idea of finding herself again despite fact that all the people were involved her choices. But I can't deny Eddie's effect a little on this choice of job either. I always thought they wrote a songs together.

🥺 Aw yes, teacher Chrissy! I love her! Eddie calls her a real life Miss Honey after she reads the girls Matilda. I thought a lot about what I wanted her to study and pursue after high school, and I knew I really wanted her to work with children. She’s just so gentle and sweet and I think she’d feel a strong calling to be a source of kindness and a safe space for kids. Yes, Eddie was definitely an inspiration for that, thinking of how poorly he was treated as a kid in school. How he grew up looking after other outcasts like him.

For her focus, I’ve always pegged her as someone desperate needing escapism, so I see her as a quiet reader. Her granddad probably inspired some of this, as a professor of literature. He read out loud to her when she was little, books like The Hobbit, Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia etc. She gets into more advanced reading in college (and of course Eddie’s dense fantasy novels lol) but I picture her reading and rereading sad girl eighties books like: The Lost Unicorn, Bridge to Terabithia, Island of Blue Dolphins, Redwall, Song of the Lioness, The Moorchild for pleasure and comfort in middle school and high school.

She and Eddie do write songs together! They bond very intimately and artistically when he teaches her to play guitar. He’ll often come up with the cords and she comes with the lyrics. I think there’s a little bit of writer and a poet in her that she will explore more when she gets older. She and Eddie both have an inclination to write.

Yes, I also believe she really did enjoy dancing and cheerleading, but it was corrupted by her mother. I wanted her to be able to heal and fall back in love with those passions. I love that she can remind the little girls she coaches that cheerleading is meant to be fun and exciting.

#hellcheer #eddie x chrissy #eddissy #munningham #chrissy x eddie #hellcheer fanfiction #hellcheer fanfic #old haunts #ask answered #anon ask

[mushroomwitches]

Okay so I am very adhd and have like a ton of drafts started for some fanfic ideas and wanted to focus on one to start with, but I wanted to get peoples opinions because I’m also very indecisive! Below the cut I will explain each option I have that I’ve started to help!

Slight Spoiler warnings

Option 1: okay so this idea is inspired by mamuro-chiba-ua ‘s artwork here on tumblr, though I have seen other talk about in on here, but their artwork and Au made me start to wonder how being the uncle to Vivi would effect buggy! This would focus on buggy as he goes about his life and would be a cross guild (crocodile, mihawk, and buggy! )

Option 2: for whatever reason kaveh and Alhaitham give me the swan Princess vibes. So this story would follow kaveh as he is captured by Dori and given to a mysterious man who changes him into a paradisea by day, only allowing him to return to his human form at night to build for him. Can Alhaitham save him or will he be trapped forever ( featuring Tighnari, collei and Layla as the others trapped with Kaveh and also turned into animals, Cyno as Alhaitham friend and Faruzan as the overly annoyed and sarcastic advisor to Alhaitham )

Option 3: so this one could either be gigolas or aralas, both work and I am a multi shipper who loves both options! I could also tweak this and make it a throuple if anyone is interested in that. But basically I was a total band kid and feel like Legolas would be a color guard member. Now if I do Gimli, that boy is definitely a percussionist, and I would say I could see him in the drum line as a bass player. If it’s Aragorn, I am a little more torn on that, I could see Aragorn as either a low brass player or the drum major! Basically a fun marching band AU (specifically based on DCI (drum corps international) which goes to 21 so they would all be over the age of 18!)

Option 4: so I’ll set the stage. Bilbo is the lead in the local theater companies upcoming production of Les Miserables (could totally see him singing who am I, like the voice of the original Jean Val Jean just fits in my head). But oh no, Bilbo’s babysitter ( *cough cough* Gandalf) didn’t show up and now he has to bring baby frodo with him, but he has to practice. So he call Bofur, his friend from college to see if he could come to watch frodo while he’s performing. Bofur agrees easily, but is also currently dealing with a brooding Thorin after a really shitty date and decides to bring him with. Thorin isn’t thrilled, claiming to hate musicals and only like his metal and stuff he can play with the rest of the band, but sees Bofur won’t let it go and agrees to go. He goes right in time to watch Bilbo practice the who am I song and just is like damn. Basically meet cute here and then just follows their life from there with all of life’s up and downs (plus cute little kids with frodo, fili and kili)

Option 5: okay so shanks and buggy give off like such ex energy, and I just love the idea of they got like married real young and got divorced a year or 2 later because they both wanted different things, but they are forced together like 20 years later (either a job, event, taking care of roger who is sick, something like that) and being to fall in love again!

Option 6: so I feel like this is pretty self explanatory. Basically I have begun taking both the hobbit and lotr and putting them into the star wars universe! The hobbit would include ships like bagginshield and lotr would include ships like samfro, Aragorn x Arwen, and gigolas!

But yeah feel free to answer the poll and comment or pop into my inbox with any questions!

#fanfiction #kavethem #haikaveh #genshin fanfic #genshin impact #bagginshield #thilbo #aralas #gigolas #samfro #the hobbit #lord of the rings #lotr fanfic #hobbit fanfic #buggy the genius jester #shuggy #cross guild #crocobug #bughawk #crocohawk #crocobughawk #one piece #one piece fanfiction #op fanfic

[duchessdepolignaca03]

Thanks @priincebutt for the tag! This is an open tag, because I don't want to tag anyone specifically as some of these questions are a little sketch, so the answers below are a little obtuse/long-winded. This was SUPER FUN though!

Are you named after anyone?

Yes - a pop star and a jewelry company/type of diamond cut. 

When was the last time you cried?

During Totality of the 2024 Solar Eclipse, genuinely one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring moments of my life.  I was struck by the beauty of the corona which shimmered like diamonds in the sky, struck by perfect randomness of the universe that that gave us a sun that’s 400x bigger than the moon and 400x as far, creating the perfect symmetry to allow for a solar eclipse, and how this same random perfection gave me my daughter, loving husband and all the privileges I have in my life.

Hours before, I also shed frustrated and sad tears that my enjoyment of a fandom that has given me so much joy and creative inspiration has soured over being soundly, but unexpectedly, rejected. Frustrated and sad that I may have to bow out and give up something I thoroughly enjoyed giving my free labour to and through which I have made some wonderful friends that have buoyed me over the past year.  

Do you have kids?

See above.

What sports do you play/have you played?

I was never a sporty kid, but as an adult I discovered running, which has both been a lifeline and a source of endless frustration and pain. I’ve run a marathon, about a dozen half marathons,  innumerable 5ks and 10ks and kicked the butt of a 30k once in a winter storm. I can’t wait to rediscover running again and start my running journey from scratch.

Do you use sarcasm?

Not as much as I wish I would like. I’m not as spicy as I think I am, haha. 

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

How they are treating me, which tells me how they want to be treated back.

What’s your eye color?

Dark like my soul! You can hardly see my pupils, and its not because I’m high! 

Scary movies or happy endings comedies?

Neither! I love a good story, I love a drama. My favourite films recently have been films that felt simultaneously satisfying and unsatisfying at the same time. Both feature Paul Mescal (Aftersun and All of Us Strangers), and focus on parenthood and the relationships we have with the memories of our parents.

Any talents?

Not really? I suppose I have a talent for seeming more enthusiastic about things than I really am. 

Where were you born?

In a city in an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. 

What are your hobbies?

Motherhood and full time job life doesn’t leave a lot of time for hobbies, but I l have love engaging in the RWRB fandom, and reading and writing and making some amazing friends. Before writing  and posting fanfiction, I did a lot of roleplaying on IJ, Tumblr and Discord. I enjoy broadway musicals and watching too much British television. I also love riding the Peloton and a good strength session!

Do you have any pets?

Yes. But I see you with this revealing security question, potential fraudster :P

How tall are you?

I grew up in poverty in a developing country, subsisting mostly on rice and coffee and white bread with mayonnaise (yes, mayonnaise), raised by a loving but chain-smoking mother. There was no hope for me to become taller than an oversized hobbit. Let’s just say my husband and I have to toggle the Peloton back and forth between the most extreme settings possible.

Favorite subject in school?

History and Politics. The great loves of my life, if its not already obvious.

Dream job?

My current job is nominally my dream job. However, I would like to serve a government that genuinely cares about the public, that thinks beyond myopic and cynical politics and actually wants to improve the lives of ordinary citizens, uplift the vulnerable, tax the shit out of the rich and - at minimum - not support genocide. 

#tag game #about me #duchess de polignac

[bagginshieldweek24]

Bagginshield Week - Guide and Details

Welcome one and welcome all, to Bagginshield Week 2023! A week long, prompt focused event aiming to celebrate and create fan content for the relationship of Bilbo Baggins and Thorin II, or Oakenshield, from The Hobbit, pairing also known as Bagginshield or Thilbo, whether romantic or platonic.

First things first, click here to answer the event interest and prompt poll while the work on the blog page continues!

How does the Bagginshield Week event work? Basically, as every other week long fan event, here in this blog a prompt list is posted at an appropriate time before the advent of the week itself to give creators time (at least two months in this case) to prepare for it and make original works focused on Bagginshield, including the prompts at whichever capacity or born from any interpretation they so choose.

How, when and where do I post? You will be expected/requested to post on Tumblr or Archive of Our Own to have your work associated to the event via reblogging your posts, or being included in Masterlists, or Collections. However, you can post your works in other websites (such as FanFiction.Net, Wattpad, Instagram, etc.) and either skip on being featured, or promote it through a Tumblr post to be reblogged here. As for the when, you may post your work anytime within the set week, during which window your works will be reblogged (so long as you use the tag #thilboweek23) and may be added to the AO3 Collection. Depending on the results from the aforementioned poll, an extra day or two may be added for posting, along with an extra week during which you may add your works to the AO3 Collection. In regards to the how, you are only asked to tag appropriately, making use of any and all necessary warnings and tags (especially major warnings and with NFSW works). This is a hopefully very open event, with the only caveat being mutual respect, and that includes the participants being courteous with one another (hate speech, harassment, or any other form of attack will not be tolerated) and being mindful of the audience’s limits.

What can I make for this event? Art, Prose Writing, Poetry, Fan Edits, Moodboards, Gif Sets, Playlists, Podfics, you name it! If you can make it Bagginshield, it’s welcomed! All that matters is that your creations has not been previously posted/published, is not a chapter from an ongoing work, and doesn’t plagiarized from a previously existing work (be inspired, do not copy!).

How can I use the prompts? Do I have to create something for everyday? In any way you so wish! You can do one work for each day and either pick one of the prompts, or use both together; you can make one big work including any and all the prompts you like the most; you can make a small creation for each an every one of the 14 week prompts; or you can focus on the whump/alternative prompts that will be available! Likewise, you may participate in as many days as you want or can, even just the one!

All that matters here is that we enjoy ourselves and share our loving for this pairing!

#Bagginshield #The Hobbit #Bagginshield Week #Bagginshield Week 2023 #Thilbo #thilboweek23 #Fandom #Fandom Events #Events

[pinespittinink]

<insert obligatory blog intro here>

Goooood evening folks, i figured i would Get With the Times and make a legit blog intro to steal the throne of pinned post. i may add to and prune this post as time goes on, but i will be constantly updating it with wip pages and masterposts as they go up. have you seen me on your dash before? perhaps! i’m the weirdo behind the oc tea piccrew game and the deify yourself piccrew game, as well as the reblog your own stuff post and the read books if you want to write books post.

ꕥ  ꕥ  ꕥ  ꕥ

💫 the necessities, fast and loose edition 💫 

catherine/cat ~ she/her (indifferent they/them) ~ capricorn ~ pansexual ~ 28 ~ 18+ only ➡  about page ⬅ follows from main blog @shireduchess​ ​

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🌿 the necessities, slowcooker edition 🌿

what to expect from me: a bit of everything in the writeblr kitchen sink. refs, prompts, wip and general inspo, memes, ask/tag games (i am friendly to both, but put priority on asks as i get a lot of tags nowadays!). i dig good aesthetics and vivid, sensory writing with emphasis on description and emotional content. i unabashedly write nsfw content, and do not follow anyone under 18. 

at the end of the day, i love writing about love. every story i write has some variant of a love story in it somewhere. that said, i am not a romance genre writer. i have made my bed with fantasy, and to fantasy i will always return, yada yada. my dad read The Hobbit to me when i was four and set me up for life. 

secondary world high fantasy is my specialty, but i also love space fantasy, fairytale and myth retellings, and cosmic horror. my wip Star White, about a man who spends a billion years searching for his lost lover when he is abducted by sentient dark matter, is a blend of all three. 

what a nice segway into MY WIPS <insert Will Smith showing off his wife meme>

you may know me from my 1920s-inspired theater with an interdimensional portal in the belly of the stage wip, The Great Glavenisean Theater, or my very strange giant tree wip, In The Deep of the Trees featuring Titus and Sabine. if you’re an oldie (circa 2018-2020), you might recall Bloodlines, a romantic high fantasy featuring original species, the Gelkins and the skin-changers. my other wips include the aforementioned space fairytale, Star White, a queer fucked up found family epic with trans wizards and missing gods called Solene’s Verse, and a very experimental novella about the worst walking roadtrip known to mankind (i accidentally blow up your village and kill your girlfriend, you get an existential crisis about the nature of reality), aka The Wasteland. 

i will continue to spruce up this space with wip intros as i refurbish everything, but my main focus right now is finishing the first draft of The Great Glavenisean Theater. i do aspire toward traditional publishing, and have had an eye on this industry for twelve years (i was actively querying at fourteen, we’re in this writing shit for life)

[ Romantic and indulgent prose full of filigree, worlds full of whimsy, mystery and a hint of danger, a core of tenderness rooted at the heart of every story. Your writing is always penned in the manner of a love letter not just to the craft or even as an ode to romance but to the subject of love in itself. ] -- @aninkwellofnectar​ 🌹

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🖋 a pinespittinink vintage 🖋

the great glavenisean theater 🎭 {wip intro} {general tag} in the deep of the trees 🍃 {wip intro} {general tag} star white 🌟 {wip intro} {general tag} my writing 📚 my edits  📚 my poetry 📚

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🎐 a quick guide to strange tags🎐

sap spill 🌸 {your one-stop shopping destination for all my thoughts and og text posts} uwu romance 🌸 {catch all tag for everything love and romance related} trope talk🌸 {umbrella tag for all things tropey. overlaps often with uwu romance} character work🌸 {what it says on the tin: non-specific character-related posts} compilations🌸 {don’t we all have a term for these? web weaving and such} i live here🌸 {stuff i jive with on a molecular level}

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🍋 your average writeblr food & fare 🍋

writing references 🌊  writing memes 🌊 worldbuilding 🌊 quotes 🌊 poetry 🌊 prompts 🌊

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“for whom / and to whom all this love, / all this light falling.” 

--@ragewrites, Film Still, for pinespittinink. 

#writeblr #writeblr intro #NOT a new blog folks #you can rb this if u want but this'll just be pinned from now on #mp #annnnnd yeah this looks good enough lmao YEET

[twistedtummies2]

The Price May Be Right - Number 11

Welcome to “The Price May Be Right!” I’m counting down My Top 31 Favorite Vincent Price Performances & Appearances! The countdown will cover movies, TV productions, and many more forms of media. Today we focus on Number 11: The Inventor, from Edward Scissorhands.

While Vincent’s role in this Tim Burton classic is rather small – he’s only onscreen for about five minutes, that’s less time than he had as Baka in The Ten Commandments – it is certainly a memorable appearance. This is not least of all because this was actually Vincent’s final theatrical movie, at least officially speaking. (More on what I mean by that later in the countdown.) Price actually passed away three years after the film was released; there’s actually a misconception this was the last piece of acting Price ever did, period. This is untrue: his ACTUAL last film was a TV movie called “Heart of Justice,” which I must confess I’ve never seen, and he also did some voicework for the cartoon show “Tiny Toon Adventures.” However, it’s perhaps not so bad that “Edward Scissorhands” gets so much credit, because it truly does feel like a swan song for the great actor. For those who don’t know, the plot of Edward Scissorhands is a sort of pastiche of both Pinocchio and Frankenstein. The kindly Inventor – who acts as a sort of combo of Dr. Frankenstein, Gepetto, AND the Blue Fairy all rolled into one – is only seen in flashback sequences that explain the main character’s origins. It’s revealed that, long ago, the Inventor was a humble tinkerer who made wacky food-processing machines up in his tower laboratory. Lonely and aging, he was inspired one day to take apart one of his machines and turn it into a real human being: he wanted a son. It’s not entirely clear how the man managed it, but he did, bit by bit, create Edward from the ground up, and raised him with kindness and sweetness galore. Unfortunately, there was one part the Inventor never was able to give Edward: his hands. In fact, in the ultimate heartbreaker, the Inventor died of a heart attack while in the middle of trying to give Edward the hands he had made for him. Helpless, Edward watched his father die as his lovely would-be hands were ruined at the same time, leaving the poor dear alone for many, many years, until a young lady found him in the tower…but that’s another story. Well…technically the same story, but that’s the extent of Vincent’s role in the proceedings. While the part is small, Vincent still manages to give – in the twilight of his life – a sensitive and surprising performance. The Inventor is memorable not simply because he’s played by Vincent Price, but because of the gentle-hearted and slightly humorous way Price plays the character. He’s an endearing figure in the film, as so much is learned about him and his relationship with Edward not through dialogue, but through their expressions, mannerisms, and the world in which they live. The movie is, in many ways, the kind of film Vincent was used to doing: a stylish, Gothic, but slightly off-kilter picture, with its roots in classic literature. And it is perhaps ironically fitting that – much like Christopher Lee would do with Saruman in “The Hobbit” Trilogy – Vincent’s final cinematic motion picture depicts him not as the villain, but as a good-hearted sage.   Tomorrow, the countdown continues as we move into the Top 10!

#list #countdown #best #favorites #the price may be right #top 31 vincent price performances #vincent price #actors #acting #film #movies #tim burton #edward scissorhands #the inventor #number 11

[maplesyourshade]

Tag thang pt2

Fandoms you dislike: Welcome Home, FNF (sometimes), Cat-girl, DSMP, Turning Red, and Mandela catalogue.

Hyperfixation character: Wooly (Amanda the Adventurer), Rosemary Walten (The Walten Files), Hog (Sonic.EXE 3.0), Lord X (Sonic PC Port), Secret Histories Tails, Suicide Mouse, Max and Ruby 0004, and Amanda the Adventurer.

Creepypastas you like: Max and Ruby 0004, Suicide Mouse, Looney Toons Spatter, Margolo Mouse, 1999, and Abandoned By Disney.

Fav art YouTubers: https://youtube.com/@LelaStudios

https://youtube.com/@ssavaart

https://youtube.com/@liahansen

https://youtube.com/@HappysCharms

Fave art supplies you want: More Alcohol markers, More paints, vintage/Obscure crayons from a thrift store, white gel pen, and thicc sketchbook paper.

What are you currently drawing: Wooly doodles.

Fave art styles:

Martin Walls style.

Shutupjojo style.

Colored micron outline then color with light color with color from same family.

Fav short films: Hamster Hell, Mickey Mouse in Vietnam, and Thingu.

✨Add fave Maps/Meps at the bottom✨

@redscorpiocat @msdragon @gore-iskawaii @nintendoneko64

Also add another fav character in bottom lol

#good afternoooooon #Youtube

[writer-of-random-things]

On Epic Heroes & Hobbit-Holes

"In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit."

The opening line of The Hobbit is one of the most charming yet simplistic in British literature. It's the perfect segue into the fact that Tolkien, in the course of developing Middle-earth, drew inspiration from many sources of Anglo-Saxon literature, notably Beowulf (which is arguably the opposite of simple). His lecture, "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics", gave him academic fame. In fact, the term "Middle-earth" is even used in Beowulf. The quests, the act of defeating of monsters, and the poems/songs scattered throughout Tolkien's works are heavily reminiscent of the style of the epic poem. However, I want to focus on how Tolkien deviates--in both character and symbolism--from Beowulf.

That being said, many parallels have been made between the character of Beowulf and Beorn in The Hobbit: both are larger-than-life warriors, and although Beorn means "bear", it can also mean "warrior". So it makes sense Beorn should be the protagonist--Tolkein's own epic hero.

Yet Beorn is not. In fact, he is a minor character. Who do we get as the protagonist in this epic poem of a children's story, then? Surely someone as heroic as Beorn?

Nope. Meet Bilbo Baggins, everybody. He just wants to get thirteen dwarves out of his house and live in peace. Oh, and there's a wizard. Bilbo is the polar opposite of Beowulf: completely ordinary, sedentary, and slightly eccentric. As Nick Groom writes in Tolkien in the Twenty-First Century: The Meaning of Middle-Earth Today,

"...in a long letter written in 1951 [Tolkien] described [The Hobbit] as 'the study of a simple ordinary man, neither artistic nor noble and heroic' if 'not without the underdeveloped seeds of these things' ".

When all is said and done, that is what is at the center of The Hobbit. The simplicity of Bilbo's lifestyle contributes to the complexity of his character. While Beowulf abides by the Scandinavian heroic code and kills in the name of honor and duty, Bilbo as a main character falls into the shades of gray. He is kind and witty, yet is employed as a thief to rob and lie throughout the book; he takes the Arkenstone from Smaug (more on him later) simply because he is vain and it is shiny. Yet he is brave and risks his life to save his dwarf friends on numerous occasions. He also willingly gives up said Arkenstone for a chance at peace, though it backfires. While the (intended) theme of Beowulf is how one can only gain renown and loyalty by doing honorable deeds, The Hobbit is about adventure, courage, branching out, and most importantly, trying to do good even though you might not know what you're doing.

Bilbo's story focuses on the contradictory actions of life, and how the road to self-discovery includes a lot of stumbling and regrets; he is but a humble hobbit, but rather than rejecting that to become a graceful hero, he embraces it. This is in great juxtaposition to Smaug and the dragon in Beowulf, both of which depict power and greed. In both texts, the dragon is wakened in exactly the same way: a person (or hobbit) enters the dragon's cave and steals and golden goblet, unleashing the dragon's fury and causing him to set fire to nearby villages.

In Beowulf, the death of the dragon--and the subsequent death of Beowulf himself--contrast each other in terms of legacy. For example, while Beowulf is remembered as a heroic warrior and a good king, the dragon is described as such:

"[Beowulf's] nightmarish destroyer, lay destroyed as well, / utterly without life... / the sky-roamer lay there rigid, brought low beside the treasure-lodge"

The dragon, although he perished next his mound of gold, is nothing in death despite being surrounded by riches; the beast shows the shallowness of greed as opposed to honor. However, the dragon (or rather, his treasure) in The Hobbit symbolizes the corruption of greed: the dragon does nothing but sit on his pile of gold, but the influence of said gold corrupts not only the dragon (through fueling his greed) but Thorin as well, showing how power corrodes one's morality.

The excess of materialism and war compared to the strength of friendship and uncertainty is central to the story of Bilbo Baggins. In addition, it demonstrates how an author can borrow heavily from a pre-published text without necessarily adopting it's message: for what it's worth, I prefer the message of The Hobbit over many classics--a testament to the strength of a home-loving creature that is nevertheless always "quite ready for another adventure".

#the hobbit #bilbo baggins #smaug the dragon #middle earth #tolkein #beowulf #seamus heaney #classic literature #tolkien meta

[crowhoonter]

The Lord of the Rings films are no doubt impressive achievements, with gorgeous cinematography and acting all throughout each movie. That said, they aren't particularly good adaptations of Lord of the Rings. The movies deviate heavily from the thematic elements and messages that made the books so iconic in favor of producing a safe, Hollywood type of film over a faithful adaptation.

Perhaps the most glaring change in this regard is the omission of songs and poetry. This might seem a petty complaint, but singing is an important part of Tolkien's world, and ties heavily with the thematic ideas of the novels. These give the reader a glimpse into not only a broader mythology that has been crafted, but also reminds us of the outside world as well. They serve as reminders that not all is doom and gloom, that there is a world out there worth fighting for no matter how bleak it may seem in the moment.

Another important aspect that the movies dealt with poorly is action and violence. Tolkien's writing was undeniably shaped by his service in World War 1, and the books attitude towards violence is indicative of that. We rarely see conflict described in any detail in the books, if at all. The only time where the narrative really focuses on it is when our heroes are losing. It is an effective way to show how terrible the war is, that there is no glory to be won. The movies instead opt to go with typical Hollywood action, the badass heroes getting cool action shots and doing cool stunts. There really seems to be a focus on the action in the movies honestly, in contrast to the books.

The books really focus a lot on the aspect of nature and beauty in the world, rather than any battle scenes. We get these vivid descriptions of the environment, of the people that live with the world. That makes the World War inspired hellscape of Mordor all the more effective, as we have the natural beauty to contrast it with. The films do have many awe-inspiring shots and gorgeous landscapes but tend to focus more on man-made structures than those of nature. It gives the feeling of a dominance over nature rather than harmony with it.

Perhaps the most glaring omission that the films made however, was the ending. Specifically, they fail to include the Scouring of the Shire. I know I am in the minority for this, but I love this part of the books. It really hammers home Tolkien’s messages about war, how it affects all of us. The Hobbits have lived forever in their idyllic little society, untouched by the outside world until Saruman comes knocking. Even the meager, everyday Hobbits are touched by the war, and lose their innocence so to speak. War comes rather we want it to or not, and it permanently alters what "home" is, sometimes to the point that you can never return.

All in all, I feel that by changing and omitting these aspects, Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy end up being poor adaptations of the novels. The themes are tossed away in favor of a safer, typical Hollywood style movie than a faithful adaptation. This isn't trying to rain on anyone's parade or say the films are bad, I still love them. They just don't feel very Lord of the Rings-ish except on a surface level.

#feel free to criticize me here #this is just something that I have thought about for a long time #Also Legolas didn't have blonde hair #lord of the rings #tolkien #j.r.r. tolkien #jrr tolkien #peter jackson #lotr #text post

[insaneshane]

Apologies for the long wait! I'm simply a lil silly thing. Anyways, moving on from the Martinverse (Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon), I'll be covering the Tolkienverse! Now, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit have no shortage of unique swords, and considering my format change, I'll do armour in this post, and swords in another.

As usual, I'll start with armour, and first up we have Thorin(son of Thráin, son of Thror)'s armour!

Now, he wears two distinctive sets, and I definitely have a preference. But I refer to this first set as his Dragonsickness Armour:

Okay so first things first, I *do* like the design. Like, it's very unique, and has personality imo. But I just *know* this shit is heavy. Unless of course it's a special material made to be as strong as steel but impossibly light (/j). Under the fur cloak he's got all the right stuff, pauldrens and whatnot, and we can see that he's wearing mail under it as well, so it's all theoretically practical.

I understand it's "King Thorin" or whatever, but I'd replace the crown with a helmet. I've seen fanart of him with one, but he never wears it in the movies so shame on him. He does have a shield though, so I can forgive him.

Speaking of the shield, I like it. It looks rather small, but that's fine, if he can use a tree branch effectively, he can use this (/s).

Realism: 7.5/10

Appeal: 6/10

Name: N/A

Overall: 7/10

Now, his other armor, what he wears throughout basically the whole series:

It's super simple, it looks like just mail under a coat. Also it seems like there's no mail on the biceps. I understand he was literally homeless, but I'd have to rob someone, I couldn't wear this.

Realism: 9/10

Appeal: 1/10

Name: N/A

Overall: 3/10

Next is the Rivendell Elven Soldier Armour:

I'm sorry it's such a shitty picture, but everything else was either a drawing or homemade. Now, it doesn't look all that protective tbh. I don't see any mail underneath, the elbows are exposed which leads me to believe other joints are as well (knees, ankles, etc.), and honestly it just doesn't scream "sturdy" to me. I understand elves are light weight warriors, but for a vanguard I'd want a little more protection.

Also, I think the solid metal "plume" on top is an interesting choice. Just like with Daemon's helmet, it's unnecessary weight, and will likely give you a sore neck after wearing it for too long. Other than that, it does look pretty cool.

Realism: 6/10

Appeal: 7.5/10

Name: 3/10

Overall: 5/10

Next we have Elrond's Armour, which is surprisingly similar to the standard soldiers armour:

The first thing I see it that he has mail on, which immediately puts this at a higher rank. However, his thighs are exposed save for the mail hanging down, which I think is an interesting choice seeing as there's a rather important artery in there. No gauntlets, or even gloves, is a downside, not to mention wearing a crown in place of a helmet again.

I will say, props to him for not wearing something drastically more fancy than his foot soldiers, it definitely inspires confidence in his leadership imo.

Realism: 6/10

Appeal: 8/10

Name: N/A

Overall: 7.5/10

Galadriel's Armour from Rings of Power! I suppose spoilers?

Firstly, oof. I think this shit is ugly tbh. But, that's more personal opinion than objective.

Onto actually reviewing it, it looks decent enough. However, the chest plate is too form fitting, I don't think it should curve inwards at the stomach like that. And yes, I understand Elrond's was pretty close fit too, but it's still a full round chestplate, not trying to accentuate anything.

Other than that, it's some genuinely good armour. Full chain underneath, so props to her, even though it's a little messy. And let's focus on the elbows a little bit. This is the perfect way to armour that joint, because it's not as exposed when your arm is outstretched as it would be with other armour. But you still have full range of motion!

Also, this is another good example of tasteful ornamentation.

Realism: 8/10

Appeal: 0.5/10

Name: N/A

Overall: 7/10

Last, but definitely not least, Lord Sauron's Armour

I'll try my very best not to be biased here, but like, c'mon, do you blame me?? This is so fucking cool.

Anyways, even without the bias, this armour *would* protect you. Like, it might shred you to pieces while donning it, but it's so worth it.

It's got all the things I usually look for, mail, helmet, joint protection, but also a fucking cape. Hell yeah.

Now, in my attempts to remain unbiased, I will say that any other time I'd dislike the spikes, namely the ones on the pauldrons and helmet, they're simply ridiculous. I do like that he sort of combined a helmet a crown (looking at you two Thorin and Elrond). But yeah this is just badass.

Realism: 7/10

Appeal: 12/10

Name: N/A

Overall: 8/10

And that concludes the Tolkienverse Armour review! As always, if there are any you wish I would've reviewed, let me know and I'll get on it! And remember, I'm aware it's fiction/fantasy, but this is something I enjoy, so I'll continue doing it!

#armour #lotr movies #the hobbit #rings of power #review #criticism #fantasy #movies #tolkien #sauron #galadriel #thorin son of thrain #elrond #rivendell #long post #? kinda

[light-lanterne]

4, 19, 29 ? for the ask game! also i hope you feel better soon ♡♡

hello! i first want to apologise for taking so long to reply x.x got busy with other stuff and forgot :S

- - - - - - - - - - - ♡ - - - - - - - - - - - ....................ask game - - - - - - - - - - - ♡ - - - - - - - - - - -

4. what is the plot bunny you’ve been carrying for the longest? do you ever wonder why you haven’t written it yet and experience deep existential dread?

i actually do know why i haven't written it. when i was in another fandom i did a lot of worldbuilding for a vampire au. i wrote maybe 200k worth of lore. when it came to writing the story, however, i faltered and hesitated for months and then i left the fandom so i never got the chance to write that story. so now i carry that idea with me and i really want to write it (for whatever fandom, doesn't matter which), but i'm not sure i'll get to write it because i don't know if i'm able to match the serious tone of the universe i made up x.x (tl;dr, it's about character a being turned into a "faulty vampire" and having one lunar year to live, and character b, a normal vampire, trying to find ways to make their lives better and maybe, hopefully, finding a way to defy fate. it's full of (twisted for my own means) biblical concepts and nonsense and it was going to be very angsty and serious)

19. what are some books or authors that influenced your style the most?

i honestly have no idea. i grew up with fantasy books but i never really paid much attention to the author's styles. if i had to push myself, i'd say the following book series have inspired me the most: ★ "the hobbit" / "the lord of the rings" by j. r. r. tolkien these taught me to talk about tenderness, emotions and human connection even in (particularly in) the darkest of times ☆ "the kingkiller chronicle" by patrick rothfuss these ones are stellar at showcasing the effects of trauma in characters and groups of people (which i guess is the focus of many of my stories) ★ "a game of thrones" by george r. r. martin this was the first time i properly paid attention to worldbuilding so now i try to consider a lot of the aspects this man seamlessly weaved into the story ☆ "the idhun chronicles" by laura gallego garcía these are very good at worldbuilding too. more than anything, one of the three main characters is the bad guy for most of the story and his redemption arc is as complex as zuko's in atla (which i watched like ten years later x.x) so yeah, it taught me about complex characters (i also read a lot of gothic and classical literature but we'll be here all day if i start talking about that + those came later in my life) all this said, i think my main inspirations have always been videogames (way too many to even mention, but i shall give special mention to the "to the moon" series; i like the non-linear way you learn the story), as well as movies ("the crow" from 1994 is my favourite film ever) and tv shows (i lean towards self-contained stories, so i prefer shows like "hannibal" and "zankyou no terror" / "death parade" over series that go on for so long they become bad x.x). i guess i like the visual aspect of them. last, my actual one defined inspiration: dani filth, singer and songwriter of the band cradle of filth. the man's usage of language and his storytelling have always had a huge impact in the stories i like to tell, and his combination of fantasy, gothic elements, roman satire and shakespearean flare is just outstanding. cradle of filth is an extreme metal band, so probably not everyone's taste; that said, they are a good introduction to that type of music so give them a shot if you want. be careful though; as the name suggest, they usually talk about the darkness of humanity and they are not shy to mention the most harrowing and disturbing topics, so massive trigger warning for just about any icky topic you can think of.

29. give us a spoiler for one of your stories

right, i'm going to give one for each of my main wip's... i guess it's only fair that i start with the darkest eyes, seeing as i haven't updated in a while. so, mike's substance use will continue to get worse and during chapter 11, we will see him at his worst. this triggers some memories, so this chapter is hopper's recollection of the events that transpired two years earlier: their arduous fight against vecna, the state of the party back then and, more importantly, the various incidents that involved mike, from the demogorgon attack, to his time at the hospital (including an incident that's been hinted at, but only max knows about), to his state after the final battle. also, the harold storyline comes back around that time because that asshole killed more than one kid (<- - - - there, an actual spoiler lol) now, about the trees are growing restless,,, mike's not the only one who's stuck in the loop. there's someone else, someone i've already mentioned so you can probably figure out who it is quite easily. anyway, this person at one point suggest that maybe they can get help from owens and his friends, a suggestion that carries many issues because they don't really have a way to contact him. they eventually manage, but for four days mike goes through literal hell and this one is not bad because of the mind flayer or vecna, but because of the various human enemies we've met. also, mike's not in a vecna trance (or is he?). the time loop is decently real and the root is a little someone you know quite well. last, about sin deep, my darling angel (just because i love this story and might start it soon): mike's a demon. it's going to be a tag so that won't be much of a spoiler but i left it ambiguous in the summary i posted

thanks for the good wishes~ hope this answered the questions adequately :]

#💕 #💌 #🌷 #🕰️ #🕊️ #🧸

[mistergandalf]

For one of the fic asks!! (The ask box doesn't let you enter spaces so hopefully this won't be too hard to read) 🍲 When did you start writing and why? / 🍱 Do you read your own fics? / 🍣 What helps you focus or get in the mood to write? / 🍙 Is there a fic you wish had gotten more attention?

🍲 When did you start writing and why?

I don't remember tbh!!! I found a fanfic of the Merlin 1998 miniseries I wrote... IN 1998... and I also remember writing a little book for my little brother once when he was a toddler? so probably around 2000. That was just some little "teddy goes to bed" sort of story that I illustrated and everything.

Honestly, I think I've just always wanted to feel raw, intense feelings, and writing stories felt like a safe place to let that happen without getting trauma or whatever. I don't know. I've just always loved writing.

🍱 Do you read your own fics?

Yes. Repeatedly. Who knows what I like better than I do?

🍣 What helps you focus or get in the mood to write?

Taking my Adderall lmao. But for real I don't really care to edit and re-edit and re-edit, so I spend a lot of time thinking about the story and how I want it to go before I put anything on the page. So if I really want to focus on writing and be in the mood for it, I'll look for inspiration online or by watching tv/reading books, and I'll talk to my friends about what my goal is with what I want to write next. Once I have that pretty close to solid, I can sit down and just go to town.

🍙 Is there a fic you wish had gotten more attention?

Hmmm... I don't know? I'm a little privileged in that I was one of the more "popular" writers in the Hobbit fandom, which is really all I care about tbh. I do wish the fic I'm currently writing was getting more attention but when you're writing for a fandom where the last fresh content was ten years ago you take what you can get lol

#ask Stephanie #awwyeah107

[findyourrp]

Hi! I am 21, looking for people who are 18+ to do a The Hobbit rp with me!🗡 (Sorry, forgot the emoji the first time!)

So, I recently finished listening to The Hobbit as an audio book and I really loved it! I have also started on the LOTR books, but I am only less than halfway done with the first one!

I have seen the Hobbit movies, and even though I know they're not the greatest adaptations they still hold a special place in my heart, so I am definitely down to draw inspiration/events etc. from the movies as well, or base this solely on the movies of you are someone who has not read the book!

So, for pairings:

Bilbo/Thorin. Okay, gotta say, I have become fond of this. In this, I would play Bilbo. Give these two a happy ending!!

Kili/male oc. In this I would play Kili. Also down to play him against another canon character if someone fits with him! With Kili I would love to heavily draw some inspiration and stuff from the movies as I really love his character in the movies for the most part.

I would prefer for the RPs to be set in the canon universe. I am not looking to do something with an AU that is very different from the universe as I really love the magical, mystical universe of Tolkien. I am open to doing smut, HOWEVER I do not want it to be the focus. If there is no smut at all, I won't mind, if your preference it is for it to be nonexistent!

English is not my first language so if you're looking for someone whose grammar and spelling is perfect, I am not the match for you. I do consider myself fairly fluent but I am nowhere near perfect!

Interact if interested!

like & asked will find you !

#18+ rp #rp finder #roleplay #rp #the hobbit #the hobbit rp #fandom rp #fandom roleplay

[coconi]

17. (asking out of desperation lol), 65., and 67.!

17. What do you do when writing becomes difficult? (maybe a lack of inspiration or writers block)

I try many different things. Sometimes I'll focus on a different craft/hobby and let my brain brainstorm in the background. Other times I'll come up with titles, tags and summaries ahead of time to give myself the "illusion" of productivity and perhaps make something click. I change fonts. I go digging for songs that fit my WIP to make a playlist. I switch to brainstorming on paper with diagrams and stuff. I go for walks with headphones on. I allow myself to not write at all for days and weeks, or to simply have the document open while I do something else. I reread my writing. I edit what I've already written. I write shitty drabbles, erase them and close the tab before I can regret it. I reblog ask games. I reread kind comments. I take prompts and ignore 3/4s of them. I switch to a WIP for a different fandom for a change of pace. I fall back into my A-Z Drabble Challenge. I remind myself I didn't write for 10 years, so any hiatus is brief in comparison...

TLDR: I can't push my brain to write if it doesn't want to, so I have to figure out whether it doesn't want to write at all or if it's just that one particular WIP that is cursed. If I have to wait, I wait. And if the creative energy is eating me alive and giving me nausea and both writing and video editing are a big resounding no, I go for something unexpected. Last weekend, I baked cookies.

65. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

Oh I'm so, so excited about my Tolkien Secret Santa fic you have no idea!!! Also utterly terrified!!!! Because I'll be writing it from the POV of a character I haven't written before, and I still feel out of my depth when it comes to The Hobbit/LOTR. But it's a plotbunny I've had for quite a while, so I'm happy this gave me an excuse to tackle it. If all goes well it might be the first work in a series because the AU in question opens so many possibilities.

I can't share any deets except this: 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪

67. Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

Normally I would say independent ideas but these days I've been really enjoying prompts and challenges! They force me out of my comfort zone, and I feel those are the fics that have allowed me to grow the most as a writer.

#ginneke #writing ask #thank you 💖💖 hope the writers block eases soon

[anneangel]

I rewatched the extended versions of six movies ("The Hobbit Trilogy" and "LotR trilogy") and I really have to comment...

As a movie The Lord of the Rings was very well scripted and adapted. The production of visual effects, soundtrack and costumes were fantastic, and the entire team worked hard.

Meanwhile The Hobbit did not bring innovation in terms of production, abused CGI and built on the success of its predecessor (which is common in "prequels" or "sequels").

Lord of the Rings is better than The Hobbit in all technical terms and script. But the "spirit" of these 6 films reflects the books:

- The Hobbit is lighter and more dynamic.

- Lord of the Rings is darker and more complex.

• And in terms of character Bilbo is an "active/proactive" while Frodo is "reactive", so it's easier to identify with Bilbo, in addition to being much more charismatic. So I understand the appeal that The Hobbit has.

1) Also, part of the complexity of LotR's books and movies is that they don't have a single protagonist and their plot is divided into Sub-plots with multiple character cores.

2) The hobbit, as a book, is focused exclusively on Bilbo.

And that's where The Hobbit movies sinned: They wanted to "expand" the plot of other characters with "fillers".

Some Fillers even make a bit of sense like Dol Guldur who only has one line of explanation in the book and what's in LotR appendices was equally insufficient to me, Radagast living in the south of Mirkwood and making some apparitions would be reasonable too, but they exaggerated in the movie, Gandalf's meeting with the council also makes sense and is mentioned in the book and in LotR's appendices, and it makes sense for Legolas to have apparitions in the movies if we remember that in the book not even his father has a name, let alone his son, but only apparitions would be enough, the movie didn't need to give him a plot.

In other words, in the book we see everything from Bilbo's point of view, while in the movie it would make sense to expand on the subplots that actually happened but we didn't see it since Bilbo "didn't see it". These movies had things taken and "inspired" not only by The Hobbit, but also from the LotR appendices and there were some "flirtations" with Unfinished Tales here and there, but they should have stopped with the inspiration for their "Fillers" there. When they started to exaggerate and INVENTED things out of NOTHING the thing went off the rails.

Another big problem, in my opinion, was MODIFYING scenes from the book when there was no need, investing in "action scenes" too much and the worst: changing the arc of the Dwarves. As far as I understand their point, in the book the dwarves were only meant to take back parts of the treasure and leave, they have no individual development or plot.

If in LotR there are several characters to counterpoint with the hobbits, in the book The Hobbit Bilbo is the only character with real development, besides not being the archetype of a "strong and badass" protagonist, there are no other characters to "counterpoint" this. The film assumed that this was insufficient for the big screen, so it gave the role of "badass protagonist" to Thorin with the mission to "take back his kingdom" and revived Azog just to give Thorin a plot, while Bilbo had to share space with several plot cores, which in the end got completely out of the way and that's why the films left something to be desired as an adaptation. Like this:

The book has no female character, so they created Tauriel (while LotR has female characters, with little prominence, but it does). The book has no romance (LotR has a little, but it does), hence they invented a "no-nonsense love triangle" between Tauriel, Kili and Legolas. So the problem was that the movies wanted to create scenes for the general public, because for them a great movie has to have "a little bit of everything", while the book The Hobbit doesn't focus on almost anything other than Bilbo and his personal development. Then the movies got out of hand in the "made-up scenes".

Bigger problem was the greed of Warner execs to expand to three films (one movie with 4h or two with 2h would be enough). But they knew that because it was a prequel to LotR it was going to make a lot of money, so they threw the plot down the drain and the order was to expand plots and characters until they didn't work anymore, invent Fillers and characters until they didn't work anymore. And the rush to do everything as quickly as possible, without any zeal, made them invest too much in CGI (which is more practical).

But there are fan edits that cut a lot of the "bullshit" from these movies or we can just skip these scenes. And you can appreciate the good things they have: costumes, characterization, soundtrack, acting, setting and photography.

In part The Hobbit was a decent film, but a poor adaptation. But what really damaged these films were the "Fillers" that made no sense with the narrative of the books and were not even "lightly inspired" by the books (I mean, from The Hobbit, LotR Appendices, and Unfinished Tales), they were excessive Fillers and without any support, mere inventions without logic, unnecessary. But that aside, the Hobbit trilogy becomes reasonable if we stop comparing it with LotR.

But what's really rotten is a "fan" thinking he's better than his colleague just because he likes LotR more (they look like a bratty child bragging about having a better toy. It's really deplorable!!)

- LotR fans are like: "LotR is great, The Hobbit doesn't, LotR won Oscars, The Hobbit doesn't" repeat 20 more times like a annoying kid!!

Is LotR better? Yes, undoubtedly.

Do fans handle it maturely? Definitely not! Bunch of kindergarten CHILDREN!!

#lord of the rings #lotr #the hobbit #bilbo baggins #frodo baggins #jrr tolkien #peter jackson #movies