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i-did-not-mean-to · 2 years

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can (if you feel comfortable) you pls write a fellowship x human reader self harm comfort fic? maybe they see cuts/ scars and ask about it or question reader about blood or why they had to excuse themselves and then reader has to hide it from them more and they find out the reader has relapsed or something - whatever you feel comfortable with! I've been really struggling with this and it would comfort me lots - thank you!

Dear anon, first and foremost, let me tell you (quite seriously) that if you need someone to talk to, I am right here!

I am (unfortunately) not a stranger to the issue and I've done my best to be comforting, writing this at 2 o'clock in the morning because I didn't want to withhold what little measure of solace I might be able to give you for a second too long!

I am sorry if my own experiences (and my utter ignorance of the fellowship) might have skewed this a bit, I hope you can find some comfort in it nonetheless...

Please remember that you are loved and cherished and that I am your friend if ever you need one; I mean every word in my fic, come to me and we'll find other ways to deal with stuff than this, ok?

Lots of love and kisses...

Soul-scars

Words: 1,6 k

Characters: Fellowship x human reader

Warnings: TW self-harm, blood, hurt, hurt and comfort! Be advised!

As this is really sensitive, I've put the whole story under the cut!

AGAIN: TW SELF-HARM

You hated yourself. It was weak, it was stupid, it was despicable.

As the blood ran down your arms like mud, your tears finally dried up; eternally leaking, you felt as if a secret and shameful misery was festering inside your soul and only this – horrible and senseless as it was – could ease the pressure of the bubbling and churning pit of agony in you.

It felt dirty; nothing clean could ever come out of you and the sight of the oozing liquid – looking pitch black in the moonlight – filled you with deep shame.

When you returned to the company, you did your best to pretend that you had not spent the last few minutes frantically digging your dagger into your own skin and watching yourself bleed until the swelling of the indignant flesh had stemmed the trickling flow of impurity and frailty that you tried to hide.

“Are you alright?” Legolas looked up sharply; did he smell the blood? Could he hear your heart roar in your chest?

“I am quite…alright,” you used the same word, only it sounded feeble from your pale, cracked lips.

“You don’t look well,” Gimli agreed with his friend’s worries, “what is the matter?”

Automatically, you tried to turn away from their eyes; you could have dealt with anger, with suspicion, or even with outright pity, but they did not put themselves above you, no, they were worried about one of their own and their gazes expressed concern more than arrogant judgement or disgust.

“Walk with me,” Aragorn asked you gently, leading you back onto the path you had just emerged from.

“How can I help you?” he asked as if it was understood that he knew exactly what you had done.

“I don’t know what you mean,” you tried to deny what seemed so painfully obvious to the others.

Ever since that morning when you had dried your long-sleeved tunic at the edge of the water and everyone had seen the pale scars criss-crossing your arms, they knew; you trusted them with your life so you had decided that you might also entrust your deepest, darkest, dirtiest secret to them.

“Why would you hurt yourself?” Merry and Pippin had been horrified at the mere idea; to them, life was something wonderful that was to be enjoyed fully and pain was merely the price one had to pay. Never in a thousand years would they have wilfully harmed themselves if there was no fun to be had in return; moreover, they had been aghast at the thought that a dear friend of theirs was in such mental pain that they’d decide breaching the integrity of their own skin.

Sam had simply put a small vial into the palm of your hand with the whispered comment that a cut was but a cut until one got a nasty infection. He accepted that there were a million things in the world that he did not understand from the get-go, but Sam was fiercely loyal.

There was not a hurt that would go untended under his care and – no matter whether one had chosen one’s lot or not – he was not the kind of soul to deny anyone help, even if they had brought their fate upon themselves.

“You are precious,” Frodo had smiled sadly, “and it pains me to see that you’re not aware of it.” His tiny, sturdy hand – a hand that held the destiny of Middle-Earth – had closed around yours as if to stay it from inflicting further harm upon yourself.

“Battle-scars are battle-scars,” Boromir had shrugged awkwardly, “even if I cannot see the enemy, I can believe that it’s there and I am ready to fight it.”

With a small side-hug, he had pulled you closer and whispered: “Don’t let them know, but I have come to realise that these fellows might know a trick or two yet unknown to us ignorant humans; let’s pool our knowledge and resources to find a better way to fight and defeat whatever ails you.”

Just like Gimli, Boromir was a practical man, a warrior, a fighter, and a true friend; he had accepted that you were struggling and simply asked you to seek the council and solace of your friends before engaging in the same pig-headed way of dealing with things that had not led to any success this far.

“Oh,” Legolas’ eyes had been as deep as his native forest and almost as sad, “I have heard of souls flickering desperately before petering out; is that what is happening to you?”

You wished you could have said ‘no’, but you had shrugged sheepishly. How could you explain the pain raging inside your heart and soul to someone so pristinely pure and gentle as Legolas?

His was a long and blessed life, the integrity of his graceful body was a gift to be cherished and celebrated, and his people had much more experience with the rise and fall of empires, dynasties, and great hopes.

How could he ever fathom the petty, desperate, pitiful railing of a human soul against the profound unfairness of having so little time at your disposal and yet being denied a single drop of unadulterated happiness?

His life was song and prayer, yours was struggle and almost childish petulance at how much you wanted to live and how tired you were of trying to.

“I am sorry,” you sighed.

“Do not be sorry, my friend,” Aragorn gave you a gentle smile; always in-between, trying to do right by everyone and secretly afraid of failing, he might well have been the person who understood you the best.

“You do not owe us anything,” he went on softly, “the only person you might let down is yourself!”

“I am not the only person hurt though, am I?” you asked tonelessly, remembering Gandalf’s heartbroken expression when he saw scars so numerous, they would have brought great honour to many a seasoned warrior but that were so incongruous and cruel on the flawless skin of one so young and tender yet.

“We are worried about you,” Aragorn admitted, stopping under the wispy, comforting canopy of a large tree, “and it pains me to know that you’d not come to any of us for help and solace.”

“I did not want to bother you,” you whispered, ashamed of your relapse as much as of the wistful expression your weakness had brought into his gaze.

“One day,” he said, staring at the distant horizon, “they might write stories about us, and they’ll pick and choose the best attributes for their rhymes…but we, my friend, we are the chroniclers of our own story.”

He turned back to you, gripping both your shoulders in his broad, callused hands as he spoke insistently: “You are part of that story and I’d much rather you share the truth of it with us; let us keep note of your darkest nights, let us bear the brunt of your most violent storms, let us be there for you.”

“I…” you didn’t know what to say.

“You want to carve your pain into skin? Boromir can stomach pain, Legolas heals quickly, Gimli has tough skin, and I have suffered worse,” he smiled, baring his arm to you, “if you want to eternalise your struggle with blades on flesh, I offer you mine!”

“NO!” you cried, that was absurd, you’d never hurt a friend like that.

“Now you know how we might feel about this,” he said gently, careful not to press you too much, “we’ve talked about this, and you said that sometimes, the pressure gets too strong to withstand. Come to us! Do you think we are strangers to expectations and the crushing weight of the world on our shoulders? We can offer other ways of venting and you may try them all until we find one that works.”

You sighed deeply; he was right. From walks to songs, from cooking to sparring, from brooding silence to frantic babbling, they all had their way of dealing with the hell you had

fallen into and that nobody would make it out alive from if you failed in your quest.

“There are better things to do with blades – axes, knives, arrows, swords – than to hurt one of the most precious souls in this world,” Aragorn shook you lightly, “now go and let Sam look at it.”

That night, after healing salve had been spread on the new cuts, Legolas sat next to you as you drifted over into sleep.

“You might want to curse a dwarf,” he whispered with a small chuckle, “father says it helps.”

A second later, he added with another bell-like peal of laughter: “Father also likes wine. If Gimli was not a dwarf, I think their shared fondness of beverages and seeking someone to fight with, when under stress, would make for a fond friendship between those two.”

You did not truly know where he was going with this, but the sound of his voice was soothing and so, you let him talk you to sleep, smiling to yourself when his cool hand slipped into yours as if to tether you to the earthly plain.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled, already half-asleep.

“You’re doing just fine,” he replied, having counted the days since the last occurrence and the one before and finding – much to his relief and satisfaction – that those breakdowns happened with decreasing frequency and lasted for a shorter period, “it will be alright. We all learn as we go, we all heal as we grow, and – as my mother used to say – it will all be well in the end, if it’s not, it only means it’s not yet the end.”

You wondered when Legolas had become so wise, but sleep pulled you under and – against all odds and your own expectations – you slept soundly and peacefully through the night

Dear anon, I'll be keeping an eye on my inbox :D

Please do not suffer alone; this goes for all of you out there, please do not suffer alone! Reach out, make friends, talk to someone! I am right here!

It was an honour to be asked to write this and I hope I could do this immensely important subject justice.

All my love and friendship!

#request #IDNMT answers #fellowship #fellowship of the ring #fellowship x human reader #TW selfharm #TW #sensitive content #writing #fanfiction #IDNMT works through her trauma as well #sad story #hurt and comfort

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lotr-fangirl · 3 years

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Modern!Thranduil x daughter headcannons

A/n: Ok I am almost sure this is how the mansion will look like because why not. And also if this sucks then I'm so sorry.

Being Thranduil's daughter means you get special treatment.

Wether you're older than Legolas or younger.

You would be spoiled rotten. (obvi)

You like reading?

You got a library.

Drawing? Painting?

Your father will get you the best supplies.

Do you like archery like your brother?

He is now your partner in training.

You would go to a prestigious boarding school.

Most likely to be friends with Elrond's children along with Gimli and Aragorn.

I feel like your father daughter relationship is a very close bond, especially after he lost his wife (your mom) when you were at a such a young age.

He loves you and Legolas so much.

He gets protective tho.

He also taught Legolas that if any being tries to harm you in any way, he has the authority to eliminate, finish, take out, execute, terminate, which ever form you prefer, that person, but then again it depends.

It nearly happened once when a boy was holding your hand in a park when you were six.

Somehow he has the audacity to kiss your cheek.

In front of Thranduil.

Rest in peace to that random boy.

Thranduil glares, and if looks could kill that poor boy would have been dead over thousands of times.

So you get the idea.

Y/n's future boyfriend/ girlfriend beware of the dad. And the big brother.

Overall, the three of you are the sweetest, family even if there is a missing piece.

You love your family and they love you too.

#tolkien #the hobbit #jrr tolkien #elves #lord of the rings #thranduil oropherion #legolas greenleaf #thranduil x you #thranduil x reader #thranduil x daughter #daughter #the hobbit headcannons

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heniareth · 3 years

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I was really curious about what your opinions on the DAO companions are :) I know we have talked about some, but I'd love to hear more and about the others as well :D I hope it's ok to pose this as an ask :)

Sure! That sounds like a ton of fun. This might be a long one tho. Mind you, this is not the finished version of the answer. I'd like to link stuff and add a cut, but rn that's not possible. I'll update it when I can.

Edit: I have updated it ^^

Let's go alphabetically bc why not.

Alistair:

Sweet guy. So sweet. There was a moment when I was hard pressed chosing between him and Zevran (alas, Zevran won). Also, he's weirdly tall according to the wiki? How did I not notice that before?

Let's get a bit more serious now, Alistair is a great guy. The only reason he's not the hero of the story is because he doesn't want to. He has all the qualities of a leader: he's good at dealing with conflict (as evident with the conversation with the mage at the beginning. He gets where he wants to get without antagonizing the mage, but without allowing him to trample all over him). He's a solid tactitian and knows how to make allies (he suggests to use the Grey Warden treaties, after all). I bet if he was in the leadership position, he'd even not bicker with Morrigan. His moral code is pretty tight; some might say too tight, but I think it's less about the moral code and more about learning to judge people by their actions, not by the labels they fit into (Morrigan is a proud apostate and therefore bad. Wynne is a humble circle mage and therefore good). He also has a bit of a black-and-white way of seeing the world. I empathize a lot with Alistair, especially with his experience with the Chantry and his subsequent reluctance to deal with it. I really wish I had gotten to know more about concrete experiences he had during his training as templar, but he seems reluctant to talk about it (gee, I wonder why).

Since I've only played the game once, I haven't really picked up on Arl Eamon's abuse towards him, which apparently exists (Isolde, however... I mean, even if he were Eamon's illegitimate son, he's a kid, ma'am, he didn't exactly get to chose his parents. So that's so not okay). Alistair's way of speaking about them both, however, is either sign that he has not come within a hundred miles of acknowledging how much it hurt him, or that he's already gone through the whole process and has decided to forgive them. The latter shows a very strong character; yes, he relies on the approval and leadership of others, he has his issues, but he's already started working on them.

That being said, irl Alistair would be like a little brother to me. I'd tease him relentlessly (all in good fun and I promise to stop if it makes him uncomfortable, but he's just so teasable). I still wish the videogame gave him the chance to take important decisions for himself. But that, of course, would somewhat defeat the point of the game.

Leliana:

Another sweet, sweet person. Her singing voice is amazing. Her belief in the Maker inspires me (I'm a religious person and seeing religious characters represented in a positive light is Very Cool. It's also sometimes a source of discomfort, because the Church has done a lot of very messed up stuff and positive representation can sometimes veer into apologetics for things that should not be excused, but that's a whole other can of worms. The bottom line is that religious characters sometimes work for me and other times don't and Leliana works for me very much bc she's an outsider inside the Chantry).

Leliana is best friend material, tbh. I'd love to get to know her irl, discuss theology and philosophy and maybe even politics? She makes mistakes and has prejudices, but, tbh, so do I. And I do get the feeling that she tries her best to learn. From the times she intervenes in a conversation between the Warden and an NPC, she shows herself to be compassionate and open to the needs of others. What I get from her character is that she genuinely wants to help, which is something that I adore of her. I suspect that she sometimes has a hard time deciding wether she's a good person or not. She has killed and seduced and worked for a morally dubious person, and she doesn't show the same nonchalance about it as Zevran (though they both do discuss their line of work in very... professional terms). This is, however, more of a headcanon than actual factual canon.

I also very much enjoy her girly side, like her interest in shoes and dresses. She's one badass woman who also looses her cool about the latest fashions in Val Royeaux. I like that. Between her and Alistair, a non human noble Warden has as good a help to navigate the Fereldan court as they're going to get. Leliana is also, I can't forget that, clever and insightful. It'd be easy to write her off as the innocent chantry girl, but she's so much more than that. Her kindness is paired with foresight, I think. She knows that taking on the trouble to help now can go a long way in the future. I just have a lot of respect for her.

Loghain:

This one's gonna be short bc I didn't recruit him. He's an amazing villain and would probably be a great Warden as well. He reminds me of Denerhor from LOTR; once a hero/stewart of his people, ambition and desperation have driven them both down a terrible path. I have also only little idea about his past. People say he lost a lot, and I believe it wholeheartedly; it doesn't excuse the fact that he plunged the country into a civil war in the middle of a Blight. I don't have a lot of sympathy for short-sighted politicians. I wish he hadn't made himself regent. That's what I take away from his character.

Edit: One thing I forgot to mention that really impressed me was his death. I had Alistair duel him (that was a rough duel), and then it kinda just jumped to a cutscene of my Warden nodding and Alistair executing him. That didn't sit well with me. I didn't want to kill Loghain, and less so in front of Anora. But what impressed me was that Loghain just accepted it. That takes a whole lot of guts. Compare that to Howe's death, and how he screams out that he deserved (more, probably, or anything but death) and it's crystal clear who the more noble of the two is. Loghain strikes me as very lawful neutral, and any neutral alignment has the particularity that it can be dragged towards good or bad, sometimes without the characters noticing it (which is interesting from a DnD perspective; neutral is often concieved of as just as stable as good or evil, but that may not be true. But that's a different post). Anyway, Loghain's death was impactful.

Morrigan:

I could kick myself for not maxing out her approval in the first play-through. I got to enjoy a bit of her friendship by the end of it and boy was even that little bit worth it. Friendship with Morrigan is something that is hard-won. It's all the more precious because of that.

Morrigan is full of paradoxes, I think. She's incredibly wise in some ways, yet also very short-sighted (”just kill them, don't solve their problems”. Morrigan, dear, I'm not going to gain a lot of allies if I kill everybody who poses a problem to me). She is so intelligent, but emotionally... not so. She knows so much about some things, and very little about the next. She's incredibly wilful and knows what she wants, but follows Flemeth's orders all the time through. She hungers for power and independence, yet craves closeness, but won't allow herself to have it. She asks you to prove yourself to her and is extremely critical of your actions, I think, because she's afraid. She bites the hand that feeds her because it might hit her next.

Like with Eamon, I haven't managed to catch the undercurrent of abuse that seems to permeate Flemeth's relationship with Morrigan. Except there are signs, because there must be something Morrigan is scared of and who has instilled all that rage in her, and that's Flemeth. Also, she clearly hates/does not care about her and wants her dead (unless killing Flemeth was part of Flemeth's plan as well? Hm.)

Morrigan is that one person who you are nice to, continuously, because nobody else is. And suddenly she becomes less cold. And then friendly. And suddenly you're asking yourself why everybody hates her, because she's a really good friend! I just wish the other companions came to a similar conclusion, especially Alistair and Wynne.

Oghren:

They did this man dirty. He has such great lines and I'm convinced he was a great person before Branka disappeared. He has that dwarven warrior spirit, and while he looks like Gimli, some of his most impactful lines remind me of Dwalin or even Thorin Oakenshield himself. He could be so noble had he gotten some character development, damnit!

Oghren as he is written is somewhat disgusting. I hate the lechering comments and the drunkenness. And still, I don't hate him because of those amazing lines he has when he's actually sober. It's frustrating and I'll give him that character development myself if the game won't. I strongly associate the song Whiskey Lullaby with him, bc that's how he would have ended up if the Warden hadn't taken him along (warning: the song talks about suicide and alcoholism). Like I said, they could have done such cool things with his character. As he is written now... it's just sad. Moments of lucidity drowned in alcohol and creepy jokes. As you can see, I don't blame the character for either. The alcoholism happens all too often irl. The creepy jokes... I put that one on the writers' tab.

I actually think Oghren could have been a great mentor figure (I know, I shock myself as well sometimes). Next to the Grey Wardens, the ones who know most about fighting darkspawn are the dwarves because they have to deal with them constantly. Especially a warrior caste dwarf like Oghren could have brought a lot of that invaluable knowledge to the team, especially since there are no Grey Wardens in Ferelden but two extremely green recruits. Next, you get the chance to give Oghren the command of the teammates you leave behind in the battle of Denerim with the reason that he has lead men into battle before. Where did that suddenly come from? Oghren should have been right up there telling my Warden that they were doing this wrong, that they needed more food (and booze) and a confident leader to keep the armies they've called together going. Oghren should have been able to tell my civilian city elf who got recruited into the Grey Wardens a six months ago how one leads an army. How one presents oneself to inspire confidence, how one doesn't crack under the pressure, how one gets the leaders of said armies (some who hate each others guts i.e. Dalish elves and humans) to work together. And, last but not least, Oghren could have had a great story about grief. This is a man who has lost most of what made him (and what he hasn't lost he's spilling down the drain with every mug of ale). This is a man who, if you take him into the Deep Roads, has to see what his wife did to his family, how his wife got absolutely obsessed, and can be forced to kill said wife or watch her die. All Wardens loose their home and families at the start of the story. It would really have rounded the whole narrative out if the Warden and Oghren could have recognised their grief in each other and hashed it out somehow. Such as it is, Oghren is a depressed drunkard and there is nothing we can do about that. I find that frustrating.

Rascal (a.k.a. Dog):

Best boy. 100/10. I wish we had gotten to see the reaction of the different origins to the mabari (because elves probably have a whole different experience with them from mages or humans. And dwarves just... I think they straight up have none? XD). Other than that, no complaints. The name Rascal was the one I gave my dog because you have to be a right rascal to survive what he did and play the pranks he plays. Smartest breed in the world indeed.

Shale:

Shale is one of those characters that I recruited rather late in the game, so I haven't had the chance to explore their personality and worldview, really. I didn't even get to take them to the Deep Roads (this will be ammended in playthrough nr. 2). As such, I don't have particularly strong opinions on them (or her? The wiki refers to Shale as 'it', but that sounds weird). But, because I know so little about Shale, I have a lot of questions. First, what were they like before they were a golem? Shayle, as she was called then, was the best warrior of her time if I remember correctly. Why did she become a golem? Was it to be able to eternally protect her people? Was the sarcasm the golem Shale exhibits also part of the dwarven warrior Shayle or did that come later (if for thirty years you have nobody to talk to but yourself, you better be entertaining. And I can imagine how it could make somebody terribly jaded as well).

Next, how attached is Shale to their golem form, exactly? According to the banter, they infinitely prefer it to a squishy fleshy form. If that is the case, however, why go to Tevinter to try and become a squishy dwarf again? It's not like that process could be reversed if they wanted to become a golem again; if Shale survives to the end of the game, the Anvil of the Void is destroyed and Caridin is dead. Was the whole spiel about their indestructible form a façade? It might have been, but not because Shale actually disliked their form. I think it would have more to do with the loss of their memories and with the very invasive experiments and alterations of Shale's body made by the mage Wilhelm. The loss of memories means that Shale is unable to remember life as a fleshy creature. They might be deflecting by pretending that they didn't care for that experience anyway because of the superiority of their golem form. The modifications made to their form by Wilhelm would have alienated them from their body. In light of this, it's significant that Shale asks the Warden to decorate their form with crystals.

All of this is, of course, pure speculation. I may have easily missed or forgotten details that would disprove the above thoughts. All in all, I like Shale and I hope we meet them again in DA4 (given that it's mostly set in Tevinter). It's a liking from a respectful distance, because Shale is tall and made out of rock and also way more experienced than I will ever be (they are literally the oldest member of the Warden's little Blight fighting squad).

Sten:

Sten is another person I'd keep a respectful distance from physically. That seems to be the what he would prefer, at least. I've enjoyed his character a lot, especially because he seems pretty clear-cut at first, but slowly lets the nuance of his person show (gruff and stoic, but then he has an eye for art, a sweet tooth and he likes cute animals). It's also very interesting that there's no moment when you learn "the truth" about him the way you do with Zevran or Leliana. There's no big reveal about his life under the Qun before coming to Ferelden. He says he was sent to monitor the Blight, but honestly? If neither Ferelden nor Orlais knew there was a Blight, how could the Qunari know? I think he's lying, and he takes his secrets back with him when he leaves Ferelden. And yet I think I know him enough to say that a Warden who has become friends with him has nothing to fear from Sten.

One thing I find very interesting about Sten is how he thinks. His conversation about how women can't be soldiers has been analysed a lot on this page I think. He seems to be arguing based on a different paradigma than the one the Warden has. He also seems to have a very clear-cut view of the world. What is fascinating to me is that, when arguing with the Warden and learning about their culture, he is not necessarily becoming more lax about his worldview. I think it's more likely that he is expanding his paradigma, the structure of thought through which he understands the world. I don't think that he is now convinced that women can be warriors as well. I think he rather understands that, in Ferelden, the relationship between occupation and gender is different than under the Qun. Which of the two he thinks is more right or more agreeable, I have no idea. I'm also not very interested in that. But I find it fascinating how he always seems to be looking on quietly, gathering data, classifying it and trying to fit it into his understanding of how the world works. I wouldn't be surprised at all if his original party was a scouting party to see how vulnerable Ferelden was at that moment to outside forces. One thing I don't understand with all of this is why he urges the Warden to meet the Blight head on. No smart soldier would suggest that, except if they are foolishly proud (and Sten doesn't seem like that kind of guy tbh). I get that the Warden takes way longer to gather allies than expected because they first have to solve all of their allies' problems. But surely Sten sees the need to have allies? Is he just that impatient? Does he have a death wish (à la, I lost my sword and am without honour, better to die sooner than later and in glorious battle)? Was he his group's previous commander and is he now having trouble following somebody else's orders? Or maybe it's his way to make sure the Warden knows what they are doing? To push them into becoming the self-assured commander their allies will need once they're all gathered? I really don't know. I like the last option best, however.

For me, Sten is my fellow, more experienced soldier. Like Alistair, he can potentially be the Warden's brother in arms, but he's definitely the older brother here. He probably doesn't take kindly to tearful confessions of how hard everything is, but I feel like he's otherwise a solid rock to lean on. I feel like the Warden can trust him to do what is necessary and count on him no matter what, especially after they get his sword back. His devotion from that point on is honestly so powerful.

Wynne:

Wynne was such a support for my Warden (except with the whole conversation about love vs. duty and that she may have to choose between Zevran and ending the Blight and that she should therefore break up with him. Wynne had a point. Astala was so not willing to sacrifice her relationship with Zevran. But the whole conversation came at a point where she was already so disillusioned that she blew up in Wynne's face (”can i please just have one (1) nice thing????”)). But all in all, Wynne is great.

She has a lot of flaws. She was very marked by her life in the Cricle and, for all her age, she has little experience living outside of it. She is also a conformist despite her strong moral core. In a way, her ability to find peace with her lot in life impresses me deeply because it speaks to a lot of strength of character. Sadly, however, strength can be ill applied and used to suppress. I think she has convinced herself that the Chantry is right under (almost) all circumstances to be able to rationalize the life that mages live. She's had her son taken away from her as a baby and an apprentice killed. Her reaction seems to have been to convince herself that this was right, or for the greater good (and now I'm thinking about the Guardian's question at the temple of Andraste's Ashes; are you wise or do you just repeat what others have told you? The answer is not as clear-cut as it might be). This is why she is so irritated by Zevran and Morrigan. By aligning herself with the Chantry, she is, in her eyes, good. Zevran and Morrigan are not; they do not conform to Chantry morality and they defend themselves tooth and nails against somebody who would try and convert them. This is something Wynne never allowed herself to do; she always did the "right" thing and it has cost her so much. I'm not saying she was right (it would probably have done her some good to rebel from time to time, and to trust her own gut instinct more), but in light of this, it hardly surprises me that she's so judgamental. She has to be, or she would be forced to confront all the evil she has not fought against all those years and all the hurt that has been caused to her by the very institution she protects (and thank God she only tries to argue and can appreciate it when people have found a good life outside of her comfort zone. If she tried to convince by force or, for example, drag her former apprentice back to the Circle... boy oh boy that would get ugly). If you think about it, Wynne really is a good example for what happens if you live by a philosophy of always choosing the lesser evil.

Something that I keep forgetting over her grandmotherly and dignified character is how damn powerful she is. She has escaped the carnage at Ostagar; HOW!? She protected those mage apprentices in the Circle tower for God knows how long. In the battle of Denerim, she wades through an army and comes out alive on the other side. The wiki lists her age at 40, I think, but that doesn't make a lick of sense unless 75 years of age are the Fereldan equivalent to 100. This lady, about whom people make grandmother jokes, did all that. It's impressive.

Zevran:

You know, I would really love to know what Wynne thinks about the events at Kirkwall in DA2. It might be a disaster for her, or it might pave the way for one last bit of character development. She certainly didn't want to return to the Circle after fighting the Blight. That may be an indicator of some change in her stance on the Circle of Magi.

Edit: I forgot that she is what the Circle considers a literal abomination! Holy cow, how could I forget that?? Anyway, her conversation about what being an abomination means is so... heartbreaking, actually. It's so tentative. So careful. "Am I an abomination? Am I the same thing that has killed my students? The same thing as Uldred? Am I lost and damned? Did I invite this spirit in? Is this my fault?" Like wow, Wynne is going through something huge right there. I love it. I have to continue playing the game to see what it ends up as, but it's fascinating and such a huge thing that she allows the Warden in on that.

Ah, Zevran, my beloved (he has stolen my heart so much it's not even funny anymore). He's funny, he's charming, he's so so loyal and it breaks my heart. Zevran is the one about whom I've read most meta: these three wonderful posts for instance, as well as this one about his possible lack of scars, and this one about his lack of freedom. All of these have influenced my opinion of him and they are great reads.

I have talked about Zevran with you before, so I'll just skip to the new stuff. I have come to conclusion that Zevran is an artist at heart. This is totally not biased by the fact that I also do art, but hear me out. One of his preferred gifts are bars of silver and gold. While those have the obvious utility of basically functioning as money (they can be sold to any silversmith or goldsmith and their value is pretty stable through time and in different countries), there's also this from his codex: "Zevran shows an affinity for the finer things in life—hardly surprising for an Antivan Crow—but his appreciation can be more poetic than he lets on. A simple bar of refined silver or gold, uncomplicated by a craftsman's hammer, is elegantly valuable." Tell me that is not an artist's eye that sees that gold and sees the beauty in it. Then, there's also the meta about Zevran the Seducer which I linked above and link here again. It talks specifically about how he lets himself enjoy the target and be seen in his enjoyment. Tell me that is not an artist's eye that beholds the beauty of something he is set out to destroy. Even his talk about his assassinations show this. He talks about it as an art, the way somebody would talk about the brutal intervention in stone that produces a sculpture. Yes, it's a rationalization of the act of killing and yes killing is still wrong. But he doesn't go on about it on a moral tangent the way Alistair or Wynne would (”this person was bad, killing them was necessary”) or even through the argument of survival like Morrigan would (”it was either them or me and it sure as Hell wasn't going to be me”). He talks about the pleasure of a job well done, of the satisfaction of striking the precise point and executing a plan to the perfection so as to minimize chances of discovery and to make a clean death possible. And pleasure in seeing and in doing, this I firmly believe, is absolutely fundamental for an artist.

My favourite part about my Warden and Zevran as a pairing is that Zevran precisely brings out that ability to take your pleasures as they come and to really savour them. Fighting the Blight is tough; it's so important to find good things amidst the chaos to stay sane. If Astala saves Zevran from himself by offering him a place to stay and a purpose, Zevran saves Astala from herself by keeping her from running herself into the ground trying to save the world.

There are some things I don't like about Zev. The incessant flirting, for example, sometimes makes me uncomfortable (it becomes enjoyable for me once the Warden and him are in a relationship, but before that? Nah, no thanks). I wish he would also leave the other female characters alone (and there's so many more shameless comments of his aimed at Morrigan, Leliana or Wynne than at Alistair or maybe even Sten).

---

And that's my take on the Origins companions (this was rather long. Whew ^^' I hope it was still readable and that you enjoyed it!!) Thank you so much for the ask!! It's been a joy thinking about this. I was worrying at first that the less prominent companions like Sten or Shale wouldn't get as much content but... well XD

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foxtrottcantfindshit · 2 years

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Can you give us your elladan/legolas hcs?

OH BOY there are so many. Ok here we go, have some:

-First, they totally met years and years ago when they were both young when Legolas was on a trip to Imladris with his father. Legolas was a bit younger than the twins but they got along fast because Legolas was a naturally born wild child.

-They met again on another summer trip when Legolas was grown (hence the photo above) and Elladan was just struck because he grew so beautiful. They grew super close that summer and decided to court romantically after two summer visits later (much to Thranduil's delight).

-When they met that day Elladan found him just walking out of the brush. Still quite a wild heart, which he found so entrancing.

-They travel to see each other in their homes often, though Elladan visits more because his Ranger activities take him past Greenwood often.

-Legolas is the best of friends with the other twin! So they all get along great. Which was exhausting for Elrond when he had all three of them together when they were younger

-Legolas is slightly taller than Elladan

-Elladan learned Quenya from his father and tried to teach Legolas

-They love to go on mounted hunts together. Racing each other through the woods and fields is such a thrill.

-Legolas is far more smooth than Elrond's son, but he's still just so smitten with Elladan.

-Elladan is a push over when it comes to Legolas. All the blonde has to do is give him big brown puppy eyes and it's all over.

- During the fellowship's journey Legolas carries a good luck charm that Elladan gave him. He shows it to Gimli first when he missed Elladan most. They talked about him all night and that's when he decided that Elladan and Gimli must be friends when this is all over. Because "Oh Gimli, you'll adore him"

I have so many more but you know I don't want to write a novel on this post.

#legolas #silmarillion #tolkien #lotr #elladan #Legolas x Elladan #legolas thranduilion #thanks for the ask!#my art

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elvish-sky · 3 years

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A Love Forged by Knives

A.N: Ok, so this is kinda my first ever fanfiction and I'm really excited about it! I had so much fun writing and hopefully, I'll be able to write more soon.

Pairing: Legolas X Reader

Word Count: 1660

Summary: Y/N gets hurt in an orc attack and Legolas has to take care of her.

Warnings: Some fluff, blood/wounds/battle, a little angst.

****

A Love Forged by Knives

When you had joined the fellowship, you hadn't expected there to be quite this much running. Sure, at first it had been just walking, admittedly lots of it, but walking was fine. Now, though, with the eagerness to get to the mountains, Gandalf was setting a hard pace. Aragorn and Legolas were easily matching Gandalf, even foraging ahead for a while, and Boromir would have done the same had he not been looking after the hobbits, all four of whom were struggling but still keeping up. However, you were not having quite as easy a time. Thankfully, you weren't the only one having trouble with the faster pace.

Poor Gimli was huffing and puffing, weighed down by all his armor and unable to match even your slow pace because of his size. There had been a lot of checking on him to make sure he was keeping up over the past few days, and on the rare occasion he passed you, he returned the favor.

While you were looking back at Gimli to make sure he was ok, you heard a shout that sounded like an orc. You spun around to see the rest of the fellowship under attack. Gandalf was whacking one with his staff while slicing another with his sword. Aragorn and Boromir had quickly drawn their swords and were dispatching orcs with apparent ease, while the hobbit stabbed with their small weapons, taking orcs by surprise. Legolas was interchangeably using his bow or daggers to fight and looked like a small, contained hurricane of death.

While you were taking this in, Gimli had caught up, and the two of you jumped into the fight, him with his axe and you with your two hunting knives.

As you whirled around, stabbing and slicing and blocking with your two knives, you heard a cry. You spun around and saw Legolas on the ground, with an orc looming above him. You watched as the orc brought his axe up, ready to bring it down and end your friend's life, but at the last second Legolas whipped out a small dagger from his boot, sprung up, and sliced the orc's throat.

You sighed in relief, and as you did you felt a sharp pain in your leg. An orc had snuck up behind you and slashed at you while you were distracted. You managed to stab and kill him, but then your leg gave out and you collapsed.

"Y/N!"

A shout came from Aragorn as he saw you collapse, and he made his way over to you, having just killed the last orc. Everyone else's attention was drawn by his shout, and Legolas rushed over, pushing Aragorn aside to get a closer look at your wound. It was deep and long, running half the length of your thigh, and you were bleeding profusely.

Legolas examined it, and after he had poked and prodded until you had to bite your tongue to keep from crying out, he said, "Y/N, this needs to be taken care of but we can't do anything until we camp for the night. It looks pretty bad. Do you want me or Aragorn to carry you until we can find a spot to camp?"

"No," you said, "I can walk."

You tried to stand up to prove your point but the second you put weight on the leg you hissed with pain. You stubbornly kept trying to walk, managing to make it about four feet until your leg crumpled beneath you.

Aragorn caught you and wrapped a piece of cloth around your leg to stop the blood, while saying, "I think it's best if someone carries you. We'll camp soon."

Aragorn swept you up into his arms but was quickly accosted by Legolas, who whispered something you couldn't hear. With a smirk, he handed you off to Legolas, who held you gently as if he didn't want to cause you any more pain. You placed your head on his chest and drifted into unconsciousness.

As you fell asleep, you didn't hear him whisper "Sleep well, melleth nîn(my love)."

Later, you awoke as even Aragorn was growing weary looking for a good spot to camp, Gandalf called back to Legolas to hurry up, and you wondered why you were so far behind the rest of the group. Unbeknownst to you, Legolas had been so worried about you that he had slowed his pace to make sure he could walk with the utmost care, so as not to disturb you.

Finally, Aragorn called out "I've found a camping spot!"

Everyone went over to him as he parted the branches to reveal a small glade, perfect for the night. Sam quickly got a fire going and began making stew while the others gathered around and Aragorn and Boromir set up all the sleeping rolls. Legolas gently placed you on yours and began unwrapping the cloth over your wound.

You both gasped as it was uncovered, as somehow it looked worse than it had earlier. he quickly made a dressing and placed it on the gash, while also doing something that you thought looked suspicious with a needle.

"I'm terribly sorry Y/N, but this wound is too severe to leave open. I'm going to have to give you stitches."

"What?" you exclaimed. "Legolas, no. I'm fine. I don't need you to sew me up like a doll."

He ignored you and asked Merry and Pippin to come over to hold your hands, and possibly restrain you from moving while he stitched. As he sewed, he told stories of other adventures he'd had over his long life, and you, Merry, and Pippin listed raptly. The tales he told were so amazing that they made you forget about the pain, and you drifted off to sleep once he had finished the stitches and placed another poultice on.

You opened your eyes to see a pitch-black forest surrounding the small glade, and a shape silhouetted by the fire. You could tell it was the elf by the shape of his ears. You made to rise and walk over to him, but you hissed as pain shot through your leg. Legolas was up in a flash, striding towards you with an expression of worry on his face.

"Y/N? Is everything ok?"

"It's fine," you replied, "I'm just cold, and my leg hurts."

"I'm sorry," said the elf. "Sip this."

"What is it?" you replied.

"It's an elvish sleeping drought. It should take away the pain and help you rest."

"Thank you," you said, and you took a sip and felt the pain begin to leave your body.

You began to fall asleep, but through the haze of drowsiness you felt Legolas kiss your forehead and heard him say "Sleep well, melleth nîn." This time, however, you heard him say it.

You sat up, your sleepiness gone. "What did you say?" you asked the elf, who was blushing like mad.

"Uhmm... nothing. Why?" he replied.

"Oh no, don't you weasel your way out. You called me 'my love'."

You could see his face wince with the words, and then harden into resolve.

"Ok, Y/N. I have been putting this off because I was never quite sure how you were going to react, but you've caught me so I guess I must tell you. I'm in love with you."

You gasped, heat rushing to your face as he continued.

"I've loved you ever since you sent that knife whizzing between Aragorn and Boromir's heads that one night."

Your mind flashed back to a night just after they had left Rivendell when they were all gathered around a fire. Aragorn and Boromir had been boasting about their skill with throwing knives and had challenged each member of the fellowship to a contest. Legolas had, of course, beat them both. Gimli had tied with Boromir and lost to Aragorn, and Gandalf declined to participate. Merry and Pippin both failed miserably, Frodo had been ok, and Sam had shockingly done pretty well. It was only after everyone else had gone that Aragorn and Boromir had begun to tease you. After a while, fed up with it, you decided to show them your skills. You had them stand side by side against a tree, and proceeded to gather the knives of everyone in the fellowship. Then, in about sixty seconds, you made a row of knives in between them, with the last on landing in between their heads. They both looked shocked, and the rest of the fellowship had broken out into applause.

Legolas' cough drew you back to the present, and you listened as he continued. "I don't think I've ever felt as scared as I did today when you fell. I'm going to do everything I can to help you heal, but if you don't want me here then I'll leave at dawn. I'll do anything for you."

"Oh Legolas," you whispered, "I don't need anything. I only need you. I love you, too."

He looked back down at you and slowly sat next to you. "Are you sure?"

"Of course."

He made as if to get up and go to his bedroll, but you grabbed his hand and pulled him back.

"Will you stay with me?"

"Yes."

He lay down next to you and wrapped an arm around your waist, careful not to move your leg.

As you both got drowsy, you whispered "Sleep well melleth nîn."

He whispered back "Gi mellin (i love you)," and you both drifted to sleep.

When you woke in the morning, the sun was out, the birds were chirping, and Legolas' soft breathing filled your ears. You sat up to see the rest of the fellowship looking and you and Legolas and silently each handing a few coins to Gandalf and Aragorn.

Legolas awoke, and, seeing the same scene as you, proceeded to yell out "Did every one of you bet against me except Gandalf and Aragorn?!"

#legolas #legolas x reader #legolas x y/n #legolas fanfic #legolas fanfiction #legolas imagines #legolas imagine #lord of the rings #lotr #lotr fanfic #lotr fanfiction

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lesbiansforboromir · 4 years

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once again you made me deeply emotional over boromir. i don't have the fellowship (much less the english edition) at hand, so i can't even re-read my fav parts with him. any particular boromir-related stuff you may share?

FUCK ok I’ve got a migraine and a passion and I do not know how to use either of them but I’m gonna use this ask to talk about something I’ve been thinking about for months, not kidding on that one.

Galadriel... was the direct cause of Boromir trying to take the ring- HEAR ME OUT.

There are some very important things to remember about Boromir when you’re considering his actions and motives.

- He explicitly came on the quest assuming it would lead them all to Minas Tirith, because that’s where he needed to get back too. It’s very clear, he and Aragorn are literally going because Minas Tirith is on the way to Mordor. And every detour and every delay of the Company amps up his frustration and worry.

- He left Gondor with the certainty that his city would be besieged VERY soon and that they would not be able to break it. His trip to Rivendell is desperation based in it’s entirety, he’s looking for anything that might help.

- He knows absolutely none of these people from adam and whilst he very much wants to trust them, they have yet to win his loyalty or faith in ANY capacity. I’m sorry! I know everyone wants the Fellowship to be that good good found family foundation but it simply isn’t that for Boromir and never has been.

Okay so when they finally leave Moria and Gandalf’s dead, everyone’s grieving and miserable. They are also worried, Gandalf was their guide and as much as Aragorn’s a tracker he doesn’t have Gandalf’s expertise. Then again, Moria had been entirely Gandalf’s decision in the first place, claiming there wouldn’t be many orcs in there at all in an argument he has with Boromir about how dangerous the mines would be in comparison to the Gap of Rohan. Indeed, if Bilbo hadn’t given Frodo the mithril shirt then Frodo would be straight up dead and it would have been Gandalf’s decisions that caused it.

So at this point Boromir’s faith in Aragorn’s ability is pretty low. And no one else in the Fellowship has any interest in leading. Boromir deferred to Aragorn’s judgement because Aragorn’s more knowledgeable of Eriador and also just... a dude who needs to be in control, it’s easy to tell. But now Boromir’s not so sure Aragorn’s up to it, since he seemed to rely on Gandalf so much.

And then Aragorn tells them all they’re going to go through the Golden Wood. Now Boromir knows from the Rohirrim and Gondorian legend that the Golden Wood is Strange And Scary And Dangerous And Men Who Walk in Never Walk Out Again. And he says this, politely. Aragorn tells him he’s foolish for fearing it and essentially that if people got hurt in the Golden Wood then they deserved it. Again, despite the general discourtesy of these comments, Boromir chooses to believe Aragorn’s judgement.

The next thing that happens is they are accosted by Haldir, treated like possible enemies or spies (despite Haldir admitting that Elrond had already told them they were coming) and a day and a lot of dwarfphobia later Haldir is threatening Gimli with death. No I’m not joking, Haldir says there’s a law dwarves can’t come into Lothlorien without a blindfold. And when Gimli gets justifiably angry about this and wants to go back if he’s being treated this way, Haldir says he WILL be killed if he tries to leave. Weapons are drawn! The only reason this de-escalates is because Aragorn suggests they all go blindfold because ‘it is hard on the dwarf to be so singled out’. I cannot express to you how soon this happens after Aragorn assures everyone that Lothlorien is safe. I also cannot emphasise enough how Gimli does absolutely nothing to deserve this, he’s polite and kind as ever until Haldir instigates it.

So again!! Another mark against Aragorn’s reliability! And then we come to the CRUX of the matter, the meeting with Galadriel and Celeborn.

A lot happens here, some of it very funny in terms of Galadriel’s treatment of Celeborn, but the important part is at the end where Galadriel mind-interrogates all the fellowship but Aragorn and Legolas. Again, this isn’t subtext, in-text it says interrogate. And the fellowship discusses it afterwards. Gimli, Sam, Merry and Frodo all agree that ‘Galadriel offered them a choice, to go back home where they would be safe, or to continue on with the quest though there may be far greater perils ahead’.

But that couldn’t have been the choice she gave Boromir. Because he can’t go home to be safe and sound away from the evil!! He lives there!! This has been Boromir’s fight his whole life, it has never BEEN a choice for him. And from this moment on Boromir’s manner changes dramatically. He questions Frodo about what Galadriel asked him, he expresses concern about Galadriel’s motives, he says he believes she was TEMPTING HIM (remember that for later), concerns which are, once again, sharply and cruelly dismissed by Aragorn.

There is then a MONTH of a time skip, we get descriptions of the how the other fellowship spend their time in Lothlorien. Gimli and Legolas become friends. Everyone else grieves Gandalf and has a lovely time in Lothlorien... apparently.

But Boromir has never had any real positive feelings toward Gandalf and did not show any real grief at his loss initially. And whereas the rest of the fellowship seems respectful and awed by Galadriel and Celeborn, Boromir replies to their questions at the end of the fellowship’s stay in Lothlorien with what I would call veiled anger. `As for me,' said Boromir, `my way home lies onward and not back.' Which is a callback to the interrogation, the stark difference between the motivations and priorities of the rest of the Fellowship in comparison to Boromir. Which became VERY obvious to him in that moment. So I would posit that! Boromir did not have a good time at all! Boromir was stuck somewhere he felt unsafe and unwelcome and every extra second they spent in Lothlorien was yet another moment he was away from his currently-at-war home!!!

Anyway just before they leave the fellowship is privately discussing what road they should take when Boromir makes a slip of the tongue, where he’d always been articulate and clear before.

‘But if you wish to destroy the armed might of the Dark Lord, then it is folly to go without force into his domain; and folly to throw away-’ He paused suddenly, as if he had become aware that he was speaking his thoughts aloud. `It would be folly to throw lives away, I mean.'

It is very obvious to Frodo what he actually meant here, and this is where essentially Frodo’s inner monologue lays it all out!

Frodo caught something new and strange in Boromir's glance, and he looked hard at him. Plainly Boromir's thought was different from his final words. It would be folly to throw away: what? The Ring of Power? He had said something like this at the Council, but then he had accepted the correction of Elrond.

The important points in this section are that 1: Boromir has started thinking about the Ring of Power as something usable. 2: He did not think this before now, he had accepted Elrond’s words. This is ‘new and strange’. Something changed here.

And of course it did! Boromir doesn’t trust any of these clowns anymore.

Boromir’s advice, priorities and concerns have been almost entirely ignored and derided throughout the fellowship, even from the very moment he arrived in Rivendell! And after nearly freezing on a mountain, being chased by wargs, dragged through a mine of Orcs, a Balrog, threatened by supposed allies and then mind invaded by some elf he’s told to be in awe of, whatever will he had to trust and stay faithful to Aragorn’s decisions is barely hanging on.

And Galadriel didn’t just invade Boromir’s mind, she was tempting him! He says so himself! And considering the circumstances and how he speaks about it, the only logical conclusion is that she is tempting him with the ring, because Boromir’s shown no sign of conflict or interest in the ring before now. So Galadriel was the one who put that concept into his mind in the first place. It’s Galadriel who initiates Boromir thinking again on whether this was in Gondor’s best interests. And Boromir recognises she’s trying to manipulate him!! Which is fucking heartbreaking!!

'To me it seemed exceedingly strange,' said Boromir. `Maybe it was only a test, and she thought to read our thoughts for her own good purpose; but almost I should have said that she was tempting us, and offering what she pretended to have the power to give.’ (--) `Well, have a care! ' said Boromir. `I do not feel too sure of this Elvish Lady and her purposes.' `Speak no evil of the Lady Galadriel! ' said Aragorn sternly. 'You know not what you say. There is in her and in this land no evil, unless a man bring it hither himself. Then let him beware!’

Do you see?? Do you all see?? Am I making any sense at all?? Well I make sense to ME so lets continue- Here, you see how Aragorn puts all the blame on Boromir again? The twisted knot Boromir is in at this point is unfathomable and EVEN STILL! Boromir resists! For a very long time! This is what I mean when I say any characterisations of Boromir being overemotional or somehow out of control get at me so much, NEVER has a man had so much self discipline in his wholeass life. Boromir’s entire civilisation could be being bulldozed by Minas Morgul at this very moment and yet he takes everything that’s thrown at him without malice and internally continues to desperately hold onto his integrity.

But that’s what’s at stake! His integrity! Because now he’s grappling with what seems like a choice to either keep faith with the fellowship, stay with them and go where they go despite how much his country needs him, or potentially do something drastic in order to bring a the powerful weapon Gondor seems to have ALWAYS been looking for home to finally actually save his people. Because that’s what Galadriel offered him! And whilst he doesn’t trust her, it’s also in his head now as a logical thing to want! He doesn’t trust Elrond either at this point, so why should he believe what he said about the ring! It’s obvious everyone has boundless ulterior motives!!

Oh! Here’s a good place to try and explain my theory of how the ring’s temptation actually works. The Ring can control people one of two ways. The first we see with Frodo and with Boromir, it takes FULL control of their actions for a split second when they are vulnerable. For Frodo it made him put it on on Weathertop. For Boromir it made him attack Frodo. However this effect is exceedingly temporary and the person effected immediately comes back into themselves and recognises that what they did was outside of their control.

The other way is often thought of as this like pervasive constant pull to the ring that effects you even just by being around it, wearing you down etc. But I don’t think that’s what happens. I think, in order for the ring to start exerting real dangerous persistant power over you, you have to know it’s power and logically want it. You have to come to that conception yourself, you have to think about it.

And I have a lot of reasons for this but where it pertains here-!! Boromir is a fine, reliable and solid member of the fellowship RIGHT up until Galadriel’s mind meld. It’s not gradual, he goes from making jokes, carrying Hobbits and fighting Balrogs to BARELY being able to control his speech and biting his nails and staring at Frodo creepily. There is barely any easing into it and it starts with Galadriel!!

And you know what! There’s an even more sinister layer to this because like... WHY was Galadriel doing this mind stuff in the first place? An immediate obvious answer would be to test the fellowship, to make sure everyone was solid enough to carry on, to ensure the folk who continued were focused. But... If that’s the case... and Boromir’s test was the Ring... like... he obviously failed that test right? She was reading his mind! And she does it again before they leave! If we’re to assume that Galadriel’s mind powers are greater than Boromir’s ability to deflect them then... surely she would have known! That this turmoil was in him! And if she KNEW then why didn’t she say anything to anyone? To Aragorn?? But I don’t think yall are ready for that discussion yet tbh and I have to stop typing or I’ll go blind.

TL;DR Boromir didn’t want the Ring until Galadriel tempted him with it and made the idea of it saving Gondor a possibility to him.

#galadriel critical #boromir #erran vs tolkien #UGH that was good to get out even though I am CERTAIN it's incomprehensible #tolkien #lotr #gondor #I've got so much boromir meta built up in me cus I've been too out of it to do any real writing #and so many asks I wanna answer right!!#chats #HHHH #Anonymous

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lord-of-the-queers · 4 years

Text

LOTR Among Us headcanons

Pippin sets his name to vulgar things like ‘c0ck’, ‘b1tchb0y’ etc. Sticks w blue, cyan or dark green if they’re available and likes the cowboy hat. He also has a kid. Uses pog. He always tells Merry what he gets, except a couple times when he’s impostor then he just says vaguely threatening things to Merry, who’s scared to even be around him in the game bc he knows he’s gonna get killed. When he’s the impostor he gets caught almost instantly and his only defense is variations on “no u” in the chat.

Merry always appears before or after Pippin in the waiting area. They almost never play separately. Merry likes the knight helmet and yellow. For a while he didn’t care what name he had but then pip called him ‘mustard shit’ and it stuck. Also uses pog. He always gets crewmate and each round he gets progressively more pissed off abt it. The few times he does he gets caught quickly, but he managed to frame someone once. He and Pippin managed to take down Aragorn once. To this day it’s the best thing they’ve ever accomplished. If you ask Aragorn, he won’t say anything abt it.

Boromir gets red. Always. If someone else has it he tries to get them booted so he can have it. He doesn’t usually wear a hat, but u bet he has a kid. Fuck u know what he wears the hat that is a kid. His username is either his name or “dad of two”. Two being Merry and Pippin (which is what he names the kids). Very good at being an impostor but awful at completing tasks. Doesn’t know how to say stuff in the chat. Has had to ask Merry and Pippin what “sus” “pog” and “bad vibes” means. He always tries to type out full sentences and always misses voting bc of it.

Aragorn is fucking scary to play with. Always chooses black or brown. Picks the cowboy hat that matches. Gets his tasks done super quick. Took no time at all to figure things out when he first played. When he’s impostor he is quick and brutal. Goes for power outages and locked doors as often as he can and is vv smooth when he vents. Never votes on someone if he doesn’t think/know they’re the impostor, # 1 user of the skip voting button. Only time he doesn’t hesitate is if someone’s saying slurs in the chat

Gimli was very reluctant to get the game and only did so bc Legolas talked abt how good he was. (“I’ll have no pointy-ear out scoring me!”) He doesn’t give a fuck abt the color or the hat, or the tasks even, he’s just ready to be the impostor. Gimli has a bad habit of killing right in front of ppl bc he thinks he can just kill ppl back to back. Bc of this he’s the first one to get ejected. He’s always the one who doesn’t talk as much in the chat too and that adds to his guilt. He never stays when he’s a ghost either.

Legolas gets the flower hat. Always. And he always gets one of the greens. He’ll just quietly boot anyone that has it. Like Aragorn, also fucking scary to play with. They haven’t both been impostors in the same round but if they were it’d be one of the rounds that ends way too quickly. He also always manages to get away with shit by saying someone is sus/has bad vibes (usually gimli).

Sam is a fruit!! He always gets orange, wears the leaf hat and names himself ‘carrot’. He’s always the one providing alibis for other ppl. If he says someone’s the impostor he’s right. Also uses pog all the time just because :) he does ok on his own as an impostor, but he and Frodo are the ultimate team. When they’re not impostors they’ll follow each other around. If only one of them is the impostor they’ll cover for each other.

Frodo matches Sam with the leaf hat, and typically picks purple or blue. But instead of his name being a fruit, he named himself ‘told u i’ bc he thinks it’s clever. Finishes his tasks so quickly. Once again, he and Sam are the ultimate duo (in general, yes, but esp when it comes to this game.) Frodo is great at absolving him and Sam of any suspicion if they get caught.

Gandalf manages to convince everyone that he’s never heard of it, which is total bullshit. Is one of the ppl who’s username doesn’t show up. He always picks white (duh). Most importantly, he never says anything. Not in chats, not while playing, not during voting. And he always votes super quick. Gandalf is a total fucking enigma.

#lotr #among us #lotr headcanons #lord of the rings #the fellowship of the ring #fellowship headcanons #lotr modern au #incorrect lotr quotes #lotr meme

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ilovedainironfoot · 3 years

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Ciao :D Match a flower for each member of Thorin's company and motivate your choice!

I totally took the opportunity to practice drawing :D

for Thorin my tablet bugged, it does something weird but it's still ok :)

SO LET’S BEGIN :

1) Thorin Oakenshield :

Asphodel : regret of the past. After all that he has lived through: the illness of his grandfather, the disappearance of his father, the loss of his kingdom, not to mention the hundreds of deaths and exile, I think it is one that best represents him

2) Balin son of Fundin

The olive flower: symbol of peace and wisdom. He's the grandpa everyone wants. all he wants is that the dwarf people can live in peace. And on top of that he comes to the company to guide Thorin and advise him

3) Dwalin son of Fundin

The daisy : symbol of fidelity and esteem, all that he feels towards his King. he would follow Thorin to the Halls of Mandos without complaining if Thorin asked him

4) Gloin son of Groin

The tulip : symbol of love and family ties. I think he loves gold because he wants the best for his wife and little Gimli, he saves a lot so that he can give them everything they want and they don't have to worry about the next day, especially if he goes away for a long time.

( it was hard to choose because the tulip can go for the Ur Family as well )

5) Oin son of Groin

The aster : symbol of patience. He is a healer. He must have patience every day. Especially towards those who have suffered trauma (like Bifur for example) and I can imagine him doing his best to listen to people who want to confide in him, despite his ear problem, like a psychologist

6) Bifur

The poppy : symbol of healing. Despite having an axe stuck in his head, he managed to find a way to communicate with his family. Although he has other after-effects, he has survived and recovered enough to accompany his family on an ultra-dangerous quest

7) Bofur

The geranium : symbol of friendship and kindness. Do I really need to explain ? Bofur is so kind with Bilbo, he cares so much about the Hobbit and his family and everyone in general.

8) Bombur

The dalhia: symbol of abundance and generosity. He eats like ten and has a bunch of kids, he must be the “big teddy bear” dad and do his best to give them lots of gifts . Not to mention the fact that he is a great cook and his dishes must be incredible, especially at parties.

9) Nori

The daffodil: symbol of forgiveness. Especially because of his conflicting relationship with his older brother and his own bad behavior

10) Dori

Wallflower: a symbol of elegance. Dori is someone who pays a lot of attention to his appearance and who, whatever the circumstances, always tries to be well dressed/haired

11) Ori

The eglantine: the flower of the poet. He is an artist, he draws and he is the scribe of the company

12) Fili

Lys : symbol of royalty. He is the one who will succeed Thorin and he knows it. He is rather majestic. ( he looks like a beefsteak and I'm sorry)

13 ) Kili

Field dolphin: symbol of curiosity. He is young, spontaneous and adventurous (without forgetting that he falls in love with an elf)

+ Bonus :

14 ) Gandalf :

The orchid, symbol of mystery. Nobody knows where this old man with magical powers comes from. He appears when you need him. You don't know if his presence means he's coming to party or to take you on a dangerous quest.

15) Bilbo

The red rose: symbol of courage. He never left his Shire and the day it happened he said goodbye to his comfort, almost died 42 times, was almost thrown off the ramparts, eaten by wargs and used as a shield with his little sword. And even if he wanted to, he never went back home until he had fulfilled his contract.

#ask #the hobbit

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whataboutthesecondbreakfast · 4 years

Text

Clone troopers as the Fellowship of the Ring

Cody/Gandalf: Cody gives off a wise, serious-but-occasionally-chill vibe. He’s no nonsense at work but very approachable off-duty. As a marshal commander he’s in charge of tons of stuff, just like Gandalf who organizes the plan to destroy Sauron and the ring.

Rex/Aragorn: A formidable fighter and a compassionate leader. Who’s better than Rex to represent Aragorn aka heir of Isildur aka King Elessar? His name literally means ‘king’ in Latin. He demonstrates his excellent leadership skills throughout the war.

Fives/Frodo: The tragic hero who saves everyone else err *spoilers* at least Rex and Ahsoka in Fives’ case. Fives tries his best to uncover Palpatine’s plot to prevent Order 66 even if it means losing his life. Frodo carries the One Ring and never fully recovers from this burden.

Echo/Sam: DOMINO TWINS. BROTP FOREVER. They’re together since the beginning. You can’t think of Echo without Fives and Sam without Frodo. Even their ending resemble each other: Fives dies and Echo lives, Frodo leaves for Valinor and Sam stays behind.

Gregor/Merry: The one who becomes more serious as the story progresses. Gregor thinks he’s just a normal guy at the beginning. When he knows he’s a clone commando he enters fighting mode immediately. Merry doesn’t understand the stakes at first but he matures as the War of the Ring draws to the end. Plus they wear yellow :D

Tup/Pippin: The Troublemaker. Tup kills a jedi albeit unintentionally and one thing leads to another. Pippin is constantly causing trouble e.g. waking the goblins in Moria, looking into the palantir, etc. Although the Pippin-stressing-Gandalf-tf-out dynamic fits Rex and Fives/Hardcase/Jesse better, idk 212th well enough to decide who causes Cody the most headaches. I’d say Obi-Wan if it’s not a post about clones.

Hardcase/Gimli: Super loud. Always complaining. He’s totally the kind of trooper who competes with his brothers for kill count like it’s a game. He’d probably said this during Umbara arc: “Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?”

Kix/Legolas: He’s beauty, he’s grace, he’ll punch you in the face. He’s the prettiest clone ever have you seen his high maintenance af haircut? He fights with elegance ok I just made this up but no one can change my mind. The elves are also said to be great healers and Kix is a medic so 1+1=2.

Jesse/Boromir: *spoilers* Betrays his friends. Yes I know they’re under the influence of some evil shit (inhibitor chip/the ring) and do this unwillingly. Jesse hesitates when Rex persuades him but he executes Order 66 anyway RIP fuck Palpatine. Boromir realizes his mistake and redeems himself by protecting Merry and Pippin RIP fuck Sauron fuck Saruman.

Some of them don’t match 100% but that’s just me trying to put two of my favourite things ever together. FYI I’m using the film version of the Fellowship. What do you think?

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lotrfics · 4 years

Text

Other moments Boromir acted as a father to Merry and Pippin

Pairing: Boromir + Merry & Pippin

Requested: Yes (This is not exactly a reader insert , i don't know if you may want to write it but i'm asking anyways just in case you would. If you don't it's ok. I was going to ask you if you could write something about Boromir acting like a father to Merry and Pippin. I love those moments and we got so few of Boromir in the films. Thank you anyways. Your blog is very cool) -Anonymous

This is my first time writing a non reader insert fic. Hopefully it’s not so bad. This is also my second fic where Boromir is alive and never died. Just for this to work. Also, to the anon that requested this, hopefully the ending was decent enough. I didn’t know where to end it

When Boromir arrived to Rivendell to attend the secret council, he did not expect to be placed in a group of nine to assist Frodo in destroying the ring the same day. And befriending Merry and Pippin was definitely not what he was planning before they left Rivendell.

Merry and Pippin were the most sociable of the four hobbits. They never stop talking. Each day, they talk to all 7 other fellowship members. Some of the members can go a few weeks without speaking to each other. Merry and Pippin were not exactly the best at giving advice, but they were definitely good at making you laugh if they wanted to.

The two hobbits found Boromir to be the easiest to talk to if they weren’t speaking to Frodo and Sam. It wasn’t that they didn’t like the other members, they simply found Boromir the easiest. Most likely because he was the only one who not only listens to their ramblings, but even comments on it.

Over time, Boromir grew to care for them, to the point that he would sometimes forget Merry and Pippin are adults, not children. But they didn’t really care, they enjoyed the affection they were getting.

Right now, the two hobbits were running for their lives after Pippin threw a tomato right at Gandalf’s face. “Fool of a Took!” Boromir heard Gandalf scold, and he saw Merry and Pippin panting.

“Boromir!” Merry panted out, Pippin doing the same next to him, “He wouldn’t listen! I tried telling him to not mess around, but he only dragged me into this!” He referred to Pippin.

“Don’t mess around, Pippin,” sighed Boromir, and slung his arms around their shoulders, “all your giggling could draw an orc’s attention.”

“But Merry and I miss home, the Shire. And we mess around in the Shire. If we want to feel better, we have to do something that makes us feel at home. So we mess around here to feel at home.” Pippin reasoned, and Boromir gave a small smile.

“You don’t have to risk putting us in danger just because you miss home,” said Boromir, “I understand how you feel. If you’re homesick, you can always talk to me. It took me 110 days to get to Rivendell from Minas Tirith. And I went alone. At least you both have each other. And Frodo and Sam. To remind you of your own memories back home.”

“Whenever I’m not out doing something, I would mess around with my own brother as well, even if he didn’t really like what sorts of pranks I pulled on him. But you are on a quest, and the outcome will either be you live or it’s the end of the world, you can’t be so foolish when there are so many things, not just orcs, trying to kill us, and it is a serious situation. That does not mean you can’t be cheerful at all, it just means don’t be loud. And playing around is being loud and drawing attention to yourselves.” He continued.

Merry and Pippin nodded. “But sometimes we can’t help ourselves.” Pippin admitted. “I know you can’t at times, but try to control yourselves. And try not to touch anything.” When Boromir said the last sentence, he turned to Pippin, giving him a stern look.

“They took the little ones!” Boromir cried, running to Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas after he killed the one Uruk hai that was he was fighting. “Calm down, we will find them.” Aragorn said calmly, unsure what their next plan is. If the remaining Fellowship hadn’t figured out Boromir developed a soft spot for the two hobbits, they definitely already knew now.

Boromir had never been more distressed than he was at that very moment. He was defending Merry and Pippin well enough, then Lurtz the Uruk Hai came out of nowhere and decided to fight Boromir himself, starting by giving the man a good punch, throwing him off, and the orcs got enough time to kidnap Merry and Pippin.

Everyone was tired. They knew they couldn’t rest all day, but some of the wounds Boromir got from the fight were starting to make him feel sick, so they all sat for a couple of minutes before Aragorn spoke up again. “We will not leave Merry and Pippin to torment to death. We travel light. Let’s hunt some orc.” He declared, and Gimli cheered and Boromir smirked, and the Four Hunters ran into the forest.

Merry and Pippin, high after smoking pipeweed, were laughing together after telling each other a terrible joke. They turned their heads and grinned to see Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas and Gimli on horses, approaching them.

“Welcome, my lords. To Isengard!” Merry cheered, standing up and doing a dramatic pose. Aragorn and Boromir gave each other a glance before smiling.

“You young rascals!” scolded Gimli, “that was quite a merry hunt you gave us. And we come here to see you- feasting and- smoking?!” Pippin looked at Gimli. “We are sitting, on a field of victory, enjoying a few well earned comforts. The salted pork is particularly good.” He stated.

“Salted pork?” Gimli asked, bewildered. Gandalf can be heard mumbling. “Hobbits.”

“We’re under orders, from Treebeard, who has taken over management, of Isengard.” Merry said.

“It’s great to see you alive, Boromir,” Merry said, holding onto him, “We grew worried about you, we actually thought that Uruk-hai killed you that day.”

Boromir chuckled. “I see you don’t have a lot of confidence in me, Merry. I am completely alive and well, as you already know.”

“I never doubted you for a second!” Merry exclaimed, feeling accused.

After the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, Boromir and Pippin frantically ran out to the fields again, looking for Merry. They were told to leave the dead, but Merry was nowhere to be seen. If he really was dead, they needed to at least know. Either way, they weren’t going to leave Merry out there alone.

Pippin recognized a familiar figure and started running to it. Boromir heard him running off, turned and recognized it to be Merry. He ran to help Pippin push the body laying on Merry aside, and Pippin held Merry as he looked at his slightly bloody face. “Merry! It’s us, Pippin and Boromir!” He pleaded for him to wake up, shaking him slightly.

Merry groaned a bit and opened his eyes, squinting a little bit. “I knew you two would find me.” He said quietly.

“Yes.” Pippin agreed, and Boromir didn’t say anything, only giving Merry a small smile and a nod.

“Are you going to leave me?” Merry asked, worried. They both shook their heads, to his relief. “No, Merry. We will look after you.” Pippin responded, and Boromir picked Merry up, giving him a piggyback ride while Pippin followed.

In the House of Healing, Pippin sat with Merry, while Boromir was speaking to his brother, relieved that Faramir somehow managed to survive despite being pierced with a couple arrows and their father tried burning him.

Merry begged Pippin to not go to the Black Gate.

“Believe me, Merry, I would never want to leave you, but this is for Frodo and Sam, to buy them some time.” Pippin told him. “If helping our friends means sacrificing myself, then I will gladly do it.” Boromir then came behind Pippin, which told him it was time for him to go. Merry looked at the now Steward of Gondor.

“Take care of him, look after him for me, please.” Merry begged, because everyone knew how much of a mess Pippin can be at times.

“I will. I won’t ever let you down on that, Merry.” Boromir reassured. He ruffled Merry’s hair, and then patted Pippin’s head as they turned and left the House of Healing, to make their way to the Black Gate.

Frodo woke up, in a white room dressed in all white. He sat up, only to see Gandalf in front of him. “Gandalf?” He mumbled, as last time he knew, Gandalf died when he fell. Gandalf only smiled and started laughing.

Soon after, Merry and Pippin appeared at the doorway. They stopped when they saw him awake, then ran straight to him, engulfing him in a tight hug. A few seconds later, Boromir was next to appear, smiling slightly. Frodo grinned when he saw him, telling the man Frodo already forgave him about the one time he tried to take the ring from him.

Behind Boromir was Gimli, who was cheering and clapping at the same time. Then Legolas appeared, and Aragorn came in as well. A few minutes later, Sam arrived, only stopping at the doorway. Frodo and Sam stared each other, then smiled at seeing each other.

#lotr imagine #lord of the rings imagine #boromir imagine #merry brandybuck imagine #pippin took imagine #meriadoc brandybuck imagine #peregrin took imagine

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zukos-scribe · 4 years

Text

Wounds

May I have a oneshot or headcanon or anything you want to do with legolas and a human s/o who's a healer and while she was healing him in a middle of a battle, she gets injured and he blames himself for it. Thank you. Sorry if I'm bothering you.

@books-with-tea-with-a-record-on

Here’s your request! Hope you enjoy :)

TW: Battle, wounds, blood

Arrows few around you as swords clashed together. You ducked and weaved your way through the battle trying to find a way to get wounded soldiers out of the battle.

You were currently and Helms deep, fighting an army of orcs that were coming to destroy the kingdom of men.

You had joined the fellowship when it started at Rivendell, and stuck with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli when everyone had ended up splitting apart.

You were brought along as a healer, tending to everyone’s injuries whenever you were needed. You weren’t the best fighter in the world, but if it came down to it you would be able to hold off the enemy long enough for help to arrive.

There had been no sight of any of your friends for quite a while. Worry was building up in you, however, you tried to keep it under the surface. There was no time for that, you needed to get to work.

Suddenly you saw Legolas at the corner of your eye. He was shooting arrows as fast as he could, but was blind to a small dagger than managed to hit him in the calf.

“Legolas!” you shrieked. He stumbled but never faltered in his duty. You rushed over to him as fast as you could.

“Come on, you need help!”

He shakes his head

“No, it is only a small wound. I must keep fighting.”

“No, you need me to care for it. It will only take a minute and you will be better to fight without worrying about your led,” you respond.

You move him to a tentaivaley safe area and starting bandaging his wounds. Thankfully it was relatively small, and he would be back to the battle as soon as you were done.

You were too engrossed in your task to notice that there was an arrow flying right towards you.

“Y/N LOOK OUT!”

Before you could do anything, an arrow pierced your shoulder.

You let out a scream as you fell to your side. Legolas shot up to catch you. Everything faded away as all you could focus on was the pain.

“Y/N! Oh no, stay with me!” Legolas cried. He cradled you in his arms for a brief moment before realising that there were too many enemies around.

He picked you up and ran to a safer place behind battle lines. As he laid you down he gently eased the arrow out of your shoulder.

“I’ll be back love,” he whispered. He kissed you on the forehead before standing up. You could see tears shimmering in his eyes. “I’ll make this up to you.”

He ran off, shooting arrows angrily into the crowd of orcs. He’d always been a good fighter, but you’d never seen him this aggressive.

You managed to get some bandage out of your pocket so you could stop the bleeding in your shoulder. You don’t know how long you laid there, eventually you passed out.

When you next awoke the battle was over. You were cleaned up and lying on a cot, your arm bandaged properly now.

Legolas sat next to you, his head in his hands.

“Legolas?” you whispered.

He raised his head, his eyes were bloodshot. Relief visibly flowed through him as he relaxed.

“You’re awake, thank the stars. How are you feeling?”

He holds your hands gently, using his other hand to rub the skin of your cheek.

“I’m fine. Are you ok?” you asked. You’d never seen him this way.

He shook his head and placed his forehead against your hands.

“I am so sorry. This is all my fault,” he whispered. “If I had just paid more attention to my surroundings during the battle, you would never have had to help me, which means you never would have gotten shot.”

“Legolas…”

“Please, forgive me my dear.”

A tear escaped his eye. Your brushed it away with your thumb and caressed his cheek.

“There is nothing to forgive. This is war. Things like this happens to everyone. There is nothing that you could do to stop it. I could have gotten hurt elsewhere. There is nothing to forgive.”

A small smile escaped him as he leaned forwards to kiss your forehead once more.

“Thank you Y/N. Though I promise that I will always try my best to protect you.”

“I know. And I couldn’t be more thankful.”

#legolas imagine #legolas x reader #legolas #lord of the rings x reader #lord of the rings imagines #lord of the rings #lotr x reader #lotr imagines #lotr

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writerman · 4 years

Note

Prompt: Bard is a Tired™ man and with Sigrid in college he only has to worry about 2 children (he worries a lot tho) and when winter break happens she gets a ride back with this other kid and his boyfriend(Legolas&Gimli). Thranduil wants to meet Sigrid bc Legolas doesn't have many friends and then invites her whole family over, he has a big enough house (too big, he's lonely) to host all of them for get togethers. Bard is reluctant but goes "less for me to clean up" and agrees.

Thank you for this one! It was a nice wholesome prompt and I had fun with Bard and Thran’s interactions.

Please enjoy!

---------------

“Da, I’m home!”

Bard had heard the door open and assumed Bain and Tilda were home from school and immediately worried as to why they had come back so early, but when he heard the familiar voice of his eldest ring out through the house he set aside his work and moved to greet her.

They met in the hallway and Sigrid threw her arms around Bard her cold nose shocking him slightly. How long had she been outside to be so cold?

“Welcome home, sweetheart, how was the trip home?” They left her luggage in the hallway for the time being as Bard led his eldest to the kitchen to make something hot to drink. Sigrid probably needed something to perk her up after being on the road all day.

“It was fine. It’s much better when you have company, leaving my car back at school was a good call.” Sigrid shrugged off her coat as she chattered about her friends and school work, meanwhile, Bard busied himself with making hot tea for both of them.

“You’ve mentioned Legolas and Gimli a few times if they drove with you here do they live nearby?”

“Yeah, uh, Legolas lives in the nicest part of town and Gimli is related to your friend Thorin. His family moved to town just after he started university so hasn’t been here until now.” Their conversation was cut short when Bain and Tilda stormed the kitchen dusted with snow and sporting red cheeks just like Sigrid had.

Once everyone had settled in and warmed up, dinner was had and everyone went their separate ways, Bard returned to his laptop to continue writing while he had the time off from work.

Being a novelist with kids was hard, and between working at the mechanics, raising kids and writing he hadn’t really found the time to relax or socialise so when he had time off to do those things, well, he didn’t do them.

It was late when Sigrid came to him, she was on the phone to someone but clearly needed his attention regarding whatever was being said on the phone. There was a moment of silence while she listened to the person on the other end of the line before she laughed aloud and shook her head in disbelief.

“Alright, alright, I’ll ask him. Hold on.”

Bard looked up expectantly, hands together rested on his desk as he awaited whatever question his daughter on the tip of her tongue, though he did have a sense of foreboding and was wary of what was coming.

“Da, Legolas said his dad wants to invite us all over for dinner tomorrow, can we go?” She genuinely sounded excited and the pleading tone she used hadn’t surfaced since she was very little so it was difficult to say no.

But, Bard hadn’t heard of Legolas until that day and he was positive he’d never met his dad. Or, had he done the unthinkable and forgotten Sigrid’s friends? She had always had her friends from school come over but he didn’t recall a Legolas…

“Uh… I mean, that is a nice offer, Sig, but I don’t think I’ve ever met your friend or his dad. Wouldn’t that be awkward?” He had to be honest, but that didn’t seem to deter her because his words were responded to with the roll of her eyes.

“That is the point of going over for dinner. You don’t get out much socially, neither does Legs’ dad and apparently, he has been wanting to have people over for dinner for ages. This is perfect timing.” Again, she gave him a hopeful look and Bard relented because why not?

At least he wouldn’t have to do the dishes.

Who was he kidding, he would offer to do them as thanks.

“Fiiine, we’ll go tomorrow. Just give me a time and an address and we’ll be there with bells on or something.” He was half-joking as he got to his feet, the closet needed to be raided for smart yet casual- he didn’t want to look like he was only going to appease his child.

After all, the adult company would be nice. And as fun, as his workmates were at the auto shop he did often wince at their choice of humour. Meeting new people was a top priority while he had the time, he supposed.

There was no further response from Sigrid as he passed her, she had only mouthed a ‘thank you’ before returning to her call.

The next morning at the breakfast table Bard revealed their dinner plans to Tilda and Bain. Neither of them seemed overly enthused about the idea but agreed that dinner anywhere but their own home was going to be interesting at least.

Both of them were in high school and had hoped to use the winter break as a chance to indulge in their favourite pastime of nothing. Bain had mentioned maybe visiting friends but the snowfall dissuaded him for the time being and Tilda just hated being cold so leaving the house wasn’t even an option for her.

Plus, modern technology would allow her to keep up with her friends without ever having to leave the bed.

“Everyone be on your best behaviour tonight, I honestly have no idea what to expect so just- maybe pretend you’re sick if things go belly up, ok?” A moment later Bard had to explain he was joking, well, half-joking but they didn’t need to know that.

A small part of him was excited to meet someone new and just talk about something other than sports and cars. After working at the auto place Bard did have to, eventually, admit to himself that he did not care for sports and it did make some conversation tedious.

When dinner time rolled around everyone piled into the family car and headed out to the fanciest part of town Bard had ever seen. It was the kind of place that had gated communities with gardeners and security. Sigrid had to call her friend to let them in because the security guard really did not like the idea that they were there on an invite.

Legolas was at the door already when they pulled up outside and Sigrid was the first to get out of the car to greet him. They hugged like they hadn’t just seen one another the day before.

The other two took some coaxing to get out but when they did Legolas greeted them cheerfully before turning to Bard, his demeanour didn’t change but he was extremely polite to him.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr Bowman.”

As nice as it was, he didn’t need to be treated so carefully, even if Legolas was brought up to be so polite it wasn’t necessary with him.

“You too, Legolas. Eh, if your father around?” The blonde boy nodded and led everyone inside after realising he had left them stood out on the steps instead of inviting them in. He blushed but no one mentioned it because really it didn’t matter to them.

“He’s in the kitchen down the hall.” Bard was directed to a door at the bottom of the hall but Legolas didn’t stick around long. The kids left him standing alone in the hallway heading to something that sounded vaguely like a games room.

It’s just another adult you can deal with a stranger, Bard tried to bolster himself as he stepped lightly down towards the kitchen, he’s probably really nice.

When he pushed the door open he was greeted with the smell of something decidedly mouthwatering and a sight that almost definitely rivalled it. The blond man was stood before a cutting board of freshly washed vegetables, his hands on his hips as he moved his attention from them to the door.

“Ah, it’s already 6?!” Oh good lord above, that voice was as deep as a roll of thunder and Bard definitely felt the heat of a blush crawl up his neck before he put himself in check and entered the kitchen properly shutting the door behind him as he did so.

“Just a little after actually. Do you- do you need help with anything?” Bard ventured as he moved toward the kitchen island the other man was stood at. He tried to ignore how beautiful he was by not looking directly at him for a few moments.

“It would be so impolite to ask a guest for help but… I must concede and accept defeat. Your help would be wonderful, thank you.” He passed over the vegetables and a knife and Bard go to work on slicing up carrots. “My name is Thranduil, by the way.” It came as more of an afterthought as though it hadn’t mattered what his name was.

“Nice to meet you, I am Bard, father of Sigrid. But I assume you already knew that unless you have more guests on the way?” When Thranduil shook his head Bard felt as though he could relax a little, one parent was fine, unless he had a wife and then two parents were also ok.

“I apologise for inviting you over with such short notice. It seemed the best time to before Christmas and whatnot.” Bard concentrated on slicing up the carrots but he nodded hoping Thranduil would see because for the life of him he could meet his eye.

This man had to be an ex-supermodel or something!

But really he knew he had to answer.

“Aha, it’s no problem. Sigrid seemed really excited that you had invited us all over and she seems quite close with Legolas I don’t think I could have said no even if I’d wanted to.” when he dares to look up Thranduil is smiling at him.

“I admit, it is nice to speak to another adult, I am often here alone so the most conversation I get is over the phone for work or the delivery man.” What a relief it was to hear that Thranduil had the same issues as he did.

When he let out a laugh Thranduil seemed more pleased than shocked.

“I’m sorry, I am in the same boat. I stay at home mostly too, unless the auto shop needs an extra pair of hands. Sometimes the only conversation I get it a one-way argument with our cat.” If there had been tension between them at first it had completely dissipated as they chatted as they prepared dinner.

For anyone looking from the outside in, they appeared as life long friends.

When dinner was nearly ready Thranduil seemed to relax and he offered Bard a drink, Bard readily accepted the beer from the fridge and followed his host to a drawing-room, he took a seat opposite Thranduil by the window.

“I’ll be honest with you, Bard. I invited you all over because I have never really heard Legolas talk about friends before and I wanted to see who this person was and who her family were. Legolas has tremendous issues with opening up enough to make friends, but he is like his father in that respect.

He lost his mother at a young age and while I gave him as much as I could throughout that period in his life, we both knew I was not capable of being both parents.

Sigrid has brought him out of his shell enough that he now has a boyfriend. I can scarcely believe it but I am so very happy and thankful for her friendship to my son.” Realising that he had, perhaps, said too much he gave Bard an apologetic smile before looking away from him and allowing himself to be distracted by the view outside.

“I realise now that it may have been put across to you as though Sigrid was a substitute for his mother, that is not the case. I believe I have said quite enough already.” The pink flush that slowly spread over Thranduil’s face was genuinely delightful but Bard had to put him out of his misery before it got too much.

“Sigrid is a great kid, she lost her mother at a young age too, Legolas probably feels at ease around her because she can relate to his pain. It hurt us all when my wife died, and I admit, Sigrid did end up taking more on than she should have at her age but when I was back on my feet I made sure she got to be a kid.

Also, don’t worry about what you’re saying so much, honestly, I am happy talking about anything as long as it isn’t sports.” They share a laugh at this and the conversation turns to their jobs, Thranduil revealed that he restored antiques and was very enthusiastic when Bard asked him of his methods.

Just seeing him light up when he spoke of his work was a gift and Bard had to remind himself that 1) this man was probably straight 2) he likely believed Bard was too and 3) He was so out of his league AND not interested in him.

It wasn’t long before dinner was served and Thranduil met Bain and Tilda who were very polite in thanking him for their invite to dinner. The kids made him proud that night with the table conversation managing to get a laugh out of both himself and Thranduil.

All in all, Bard found the night a success and even said so to Thranduil when he helped with the washing up while the kids put on a movie in the front room.

“I do not regret my decision to invite you all over. Tonight has been a lot of fun and seeing Legolas so animated was truly amazing. He’s on such a high I may have to scrape him off the ceiling later after you’ve all gone.”

They ended up talking in the kitchen far longer than they had intended but as soon as Bard mentioned he was a writer Thranduil grilled him to within an inch of his life on his books, he was extremely interested and it gave Bard a little thrill.

In the end, though, their conversation had to end and they had to part ways for the night but not before Thranduil made Bard promise to drop by again and soon with the kids.

Sigrid seemed pleased with that evening, even Bain and Tilda had no complaints other than that they had to leave early. This was forgiven when Bard explained that they would probably visit again throughout the winter break as Thranduil was keen to have them over more.

He missed the sly smile Sigrid gave him while he concentrated on driving.

The next time he saw Thranduil he was out running errands and they noticed each other on the busy high street almost immediately. Then again, everyone was noticing Thranduil he really did stand out from the crowd.

“Bard, it’s good to see you. How are you?” Thranduil had easily navigated through the crowds and was now stood before Bard dressed in a long black winter coat and deep purple scarf that was pulled up over his nose and mouth. “Would you like to get coffee?”

There was nothing he wanted more than to escape the crazed throng of Christmas shoppers and so with a quick nod they darted down an alley and to a cosey little bookshop slash cafe with very few customers.

“You’re brave to take on the masses today,” Bard said as they took their seats by the window, the heat radiator by his legs was blessedly hot and he inched himself a little closer to it much to Thranduil’s amusement. “Doing the last bit of Christmas shopping?”

Thranduil was looking at the drinks menu when he responded.

“Hm, no, I was out finding antiques to take home, we’re not exactly big on celebrating Christmas in our home being that there is only the two of us.” It sounded like Thranduil wanted to drop the subject but was too polite to say.

He didn’t know if it was the cosy atmosphere or the sheer giddiness of seeing Thranduil again, because yes he admitted to himself he had a crush on the man, but he went out on a limb when he offered Thranduil and Legolas his home for Christmas.

“You’re welcome to spend the day with us. It would be really nice to have you and Legolas over.”

At first, he didn’t receive a response, just a slow blink of confusion but then a smile spread over Thranduil’s face that could have lit up an entire banquet hall.

“That would be lovely, but would the invitation extend to just myself?” Thranduil began, “I am sure Legolas would have loved to spend Christmas with Sigrid but he is spending the day with Gimli and his family.” The man was embarrassed to admit he would be alone on Christmas that much Bard could tell but he had no reason to feel ashamed.

“Hmm, well, Legolas is the cool one…” Bard feigned a thoughtful expression and only stopped when Thranduil laughed. “If you’re cooler than your kid you can come.”

“I am afraid not but I can bring dessert if that sweetens the deal?”

“Oh, you know how to play me, with your pretty face and your sweet talk.” It had just slipped out and while he was mortified he knew he had to play it off as a joke. Can’t let this man know he was a bisexual disaster and he really didn’t want Thranduil to think he only wanted to hang out with him because he was hot.

“You think I have a pretty face?” The response was smooth and Thranduil’s voice dropped an octave as he near purred with pleasure at the accidental compliment. “Were trying to flirt with me just now?”

Oh no, what am I supposed to say to that? Bard panicked internally, he had absolutely not meant to tell Thranduil that he thought his face was pretty but now they were going into territory Bard was very unfamiliar with.

When was the last time he had actually purposely flirted with anyone?

There was nothing for it, he had to be honest or at least some kind of honest. It was only fair.

“It just slipped out, I didn’t mean to say that but- I mean, well, I do think you’re pretty. Maybe not pretty that seems tame. I uh is it too much to ask you on a date after Christmas even though this is only the second time we’ve met?” He had been reduced to a stuttering mess and it was his own fault but from what he could tell Thranduil found it endearing.

“I would like that very much.”

They spent a long time in silence until their drinks were brought to them.

“You’re still bringing dessert for Christmas, right?”

“I am, along with my pretty face.” Thranduil teased.

It seemed winter break would be just a little more interesting this year.

And Bard had the sneaking suspicion that this had something to do with his very clever daughter and her equally as clever friend.

If they believed that he and Thranduil would be good together, who was he to argue?

Only time would tell.

#Bard the Bowman #Thranduil #The Hobbit #Legolas #writing prompts #This accidentally ended up being 3K words long #Anonymous

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caitlinsfandomthoughts · 4 years

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A film fan’s reaction to reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time.

I’ve been a big fan of the Peter Jackson films (extended versions - nerd that I am) since I was about 11 and I think I know all of the big changes made in the adaptation: Arwen, Faramir, Aragorn falling off a cliff. I did read the first book around the same age (in the first of many waves of my lotr obsession) but I only really remembered Saruman of ‘Many Colours’.

However I have always wanted to properly know the book version of the story so finally started listening to an amazing full audio book reading by Steven Red Fox Garnett which I highly recommend:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwLvFU2onc7cPIEBee-_xMw

………………………………………………………………………………….

And here are my silly reactions and occasional analysis of the differences between book and film that I didn’t know about.

The Fellowship of the Ring part five, one, two, three, four, six

Lothlorien:

I really miss the film Aragorn-Boromir interaction in the aftermath of Gandalf’s death. Where the hobbits are in shock/grief and Aragorn rouses them to go. Boromir says ‘give them a moment for pity’s sake.’ Not only does it immediately set up the unstable power structure of the fellowship without Gandalf, to me it’s one of those really interesting conflicts where both sides are right. And as a leader it would be hard to make the right call. Obviously they can’t stay long, but Aragorn’s coldness isn’t the best for morale. I also like that it is the reverse of what you might initially expect for both characters. Boromir argues for compassion while Aragorn for practicality, and yet it works to add complexity to both. I think Aragorn is probably right, as he usually is, but it’s not like Boromir doesn’t have a point. He actually has more experience with leading large groups in a somewhat kingly manner than Aragorn does, and Aragorn can learn something from that. It can seem like Aragorn is shirking some part of his leadership responsibilities, like an emotional openness, or maybe just communication. It feels like Aragorn is leading in a bit too introverted way at the beginning, or in a way that still shows his reluctance. Anyway it doesn’t have that scene.

What it does have is Boromir being the one who is most reluctant to go into Loth Lorien. He’s like I’ve heard some not so good stories of this place and Aragorn is like well your people have your facts wrong and then is like you’ll only find evil in here if you bring it with you, Aragorn is apparently the king of throwing shade at least.

Haldir! And Sam was the loud breather.

They want to make Gimli wear a blindfold into Lorien but NO ONE ELSE! Racist elves. I mean I know that’s the point but whoa.

Gollum has been following them since like, the Shire, which is a long time to wait. I like the mention of Sting not glowing even though Frodo can hear he is near, nice way to say he’s not an orc, not truly evil. It is one of the few things I really liked in the Hobbit films, the use of this visual symbolism to morally complicate things when you meet him. (Poor orcs it seems you can kill without moral consequences).

Gimli is understandably not ok with the blindfold situation, I support him. Aragorn suggests they should all wear them, I like this, it’s probably the most egalitarian solution they could do, given how much they needed their help. Good Aragorn move. I think message-wise Boromir being the one who is most resistant to Lorien rather than Gimli is better. While there has been some both sideyness in the Elve/Dwarf racism, here at least the fault seems to be more with the elves, which is a more realistic depiction of racism than it being equal fault on both sides. Although perhaps this is better referred to as xenophobia since there isn’t an active exploitation of one race by another here.

Haldir is not a jerk! Or less of one. He doesn’t believe in the blindfold policy but he is still enforcing it so…

Sam says that Lorien is ‘like being inside a song’ I keep saying Sam is musical. ’Frodo puts his hand on a tree and feels the ‘delight of the living tree itself’ rather than thinking about its uses when it’s dead. I’m here for the tree love.

Celeborn is like we shouldn’t have let the dwarf in and then Galadriel is like actually dwarfs are cool! And he’s like yeah you’re right I’m sorry. Galadriel directly calling out anti-dwarfism and then speaking to Gimli in his own tongue gives a stronger reason for him to be enamored by her than basically she was pretty.

I can’t believe I forgot Sam making a poem for Gandalf’s fireworks in the film! Given I’ve been going on about him being a songwriter.

The Mirror of Galadriel:

Frodo sees Gandalf the white aw :’( It gets to me sometimes that Frodo and Sam don’t get to know that Gandalf is alive until the task is done and everyone else (except Boromir) gets to in the second book.

It makes some more sense now as to why Galadriel says she will ‘diminish’ and why the rings tempts her since the one ring dominates the three and with it destroyed their power probably would also.

Galadriel says the ring has a ‘will to dominate’ or something like that, she says Frodo can’t see the three rings through the one because he hasn’t tried, and that if he did it would destroy him. I may not have got that exactly right but it seems like Gandalf et al in Rivendell were saying hobbits can’t use the power of the ring only wizards and elves could. But Galadriel is like no it’s only because you haven’t tried. But also don’t try cause, you know, it’s evil and all (but that goes for everyone).

Sam did you not see the scary immortal lady lit with a power of her own screaming ‘ALL SHALL LOVE ME AND DESPAIR’? No it would not be good for her to take it!

Farewell to Lorien:

Finally the Aragorn doubt that I have been waiting for! Although he’s only really unsure about going to Minas Tirith or not cause Gandalf fell and now he has to take on his role and he’s like well he didn’t tell me what to do so… But still I’ll take Aragorn unsure which way to go and using the river to procrastinate as symbolic of his uncertainty of his own destiny as king, I’ll take it. I am missing another Aragorn-Boromir convo from the film. The one where Boromir is all stressed and kind of tries to confide in Aragorn and ends up goes on about Minas Tirith oh it’s so wonderful oh it’s so beautiful, have you seen it Aragorn? ‘Have you ever been called home?’ and Aragorn is just like yeah I’ve seen it, cool story bro. There’s a 3rd bit of film dialogue before the death scene that I love and I wonder if there’ll be anything like that.

Boromir definitely doesn’t want to talk about his Galadriel vision. But it sure has made him weird.

Why did they guide them out of Lorien only to then stop them and give them gifts? I’m convinced Galadriel wanted to show off her awesome swan boat.

I guess Aragorn’s gift of a personalised scabbard is more meaning full than a random head cutting blade. But I’m still not cool with him already having the sword.

I am surprised at how many of the gifts were different in the film, I think this scene was only in the extended anyway. Sam wanting rope was built up for so long in the book that I was surprised that he got it in addition to his gift. I do like that Sam appreciated the rope though, it was still a nice payoff.

Gimli’s gift is the same though :) I haven’t read the Silmarillion, though I have read that some jerk-elf asked Galadriel for a hair from her head and she said no, and he didn’t get the message until asking another two times. So giving Gimli three hairs (when he only hesitantly asked for one) is a big fuck you to that jerk-elf. In fact Galadriel says that everyone should stop saying that Dwarves can’t be courteous or whatever. Gimli specifically says that it was her calling out Celeborn and defending dwarves that made him like her.

#lotr reaction #lotr book #lotr films #lotr audiobook #galadriel #sam is a born poet #jerk-elf #lothlorien #I stan boromir #mostly #gimli #all shall love me and despair #lotr #steven red fox garnett #lotr liveblog

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