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#it's 6+2 because I couldn't choose just 5 as I initially meant to lol
elesianne · 3 years
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Favourite works of 2020
I was tagged by @houndsofvalinor-art and @alystraea, thank you!
Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your favourite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!
I wrote and posted more in 2020 than during any year before and I do love pretty much all of the fics I finished (unloved works also tend to remain unposted, lol) so choosing works for this was difficult but here are 6+2 of my favourites from the 24 fics I finished in 2020.
1. is Ever-beloved, my exploration of Eldalótë/Edhellos's life from childhood to death, with a focus on her marriage to Angrod. It's a romance story, definitely, but in it I finally managed to cover in one fic all the tumultuous events that the members of the house of Finwë go through. Well, up to Dagor Bragollach, because [spoilers]. I enjoyed getting to know the house of Finarfin much better both through research into everything that HoME says about them and by developing Edhellos, Angrod, Aegnor and Orodreth's characterisations beyond quick mentions for the first time. I also enjoyed writing another quiet, gentle protagonist, showing the inner strength that such a character can have.
2. Of Míriel's line is the 'baby sequel' about Caranthir and Tuilindien having their first child. Romance, a bit of angst (courtesy of Caranthir's inherited fears about the dangers of child-bearing), tons of fluff, and family interactions – all my favourite things to write in one fic! Bits of this fic are from 2017, including the child's name, but most I wrote last year, and stitched all the little bits together – this fic is another one of my (many, many) Frankenstein's monsters…
3. Out of all the fics I wrote last year, I probably had the most pure fun writing Pink dress and high heels, suit and tie (AO3, Tumblr). I initially wrote it in bullet-points because 1) I was afraid I wouldn't be able to capture it in words fast enough (it was one of those fics that arrived in my brain fully formed and demanded, screaming, to be written down) and 2) because it felt so indulgent – being an AU of my own fic – that I didn't know if I'd find the nerve to post it. I found the nerve to make the changes to turn it into a proper little fic and post it, several people loved it which made me very happy, and I've been fighting the urge to write a sequel. Writing a modern AU for a change was fun, and I could finally use as many modern swearwords as I felt the characters' emotional state warranted!
4. In the sun, you (AO3; Tumblr) was my first attempt at writing about the Edain, and my second femslash. I'm proud that I managed to find a 'voice' for Haleth, and I enjoyed writing a… quiet story about strong emotions. I loved crafting the few, short, but very meaningful sentences that Haleth and Aeres say to each other.
5. In another world (AO3, Tumblr) was inspired by @houndsofvalinor-art's lovely art for the TRSB and is my attempt to give Aredhel a slightly kinder fate, at least for a little while. I liked exploring Aredhel and Celegorm's characters at this point in time and how they are together, and the nebulous borders of friendship and attraction and love, and the exceptions that people make for those they love.
6. Inspired by the line 'But it is said that released soon from Mandos, he went to Valinor and there dwells with Amárië' (HoME 11, Grey Annals) and by Rhapsody's digimanip for the TRSB, The faithful is the fic about Amárië and Finrod that I've been trying to write for years. It did not turn out quite as I expected or hoped but I like it anyway. I wanted to explore and build up Amárië – what did she do during the centuries that Finrod was gone? Surely not just sit and pine? – and Finrod after his death and re-embodiment – what does he now want, having lost much but also regained the chance for other things? – and how they renegotiate their relationship on new, perhaps more equal footing.
+1 About 95% of Your spirit calling out to mine was written during 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 (sigh) but that crucial last 5% I wrote in the first week of 2020 so I'll mention it here. It remains and will likely remain for a long time the fic I'm the proudest of. My novel-length elf romance! With many warts and weaknesses, but also a lot of good stuff and nice lines and even some worldbuilding (which I hate doing, lol).
+2 is a fic I've finished but haven't posted because there's a part missing in the Lothíriel/Éomer series before it: A queen's honour, about Lothíriel and Éomer's first serious argument. It has a different tone and attitudes than my fics usually do, and it's a small, neat little fic, and I look forward to posting it one day. A snippet can be read here.
I don't know if they've been tagged already but off the top of my head, I'll tag @arofili @absynthe--minded @cosmicgong @katarrinskey @alkarinqque @busymagpie @aamuusva @forth-eorlinga
Tumblr seems to be making some mentions and links invisible no matter what I try, grr! I hope they work anyway.
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