#míriel daughter of gwindor

[anghraine]

While I'm being self-indulgent (is Self-Indulgent Sunday a thing?) wrt the Aranor (f!Aragorn/f!Faramir) fics/verse, some of my favorite details that have yet to appear in the fics:

—Andreth (f!Denethor) had a much more complicated path to the Stewardship than in canon and was the first woman to ever rule Gondor in her own right. In a case of extreme dramatic irony, Andreth's successful fight for the Stewardship helped pave the way for Aranor to become the first Ruling Queen.

—Andreth married relatively late in life for a first marriage. Although her marriage to the much-younger Gwindor of Dol Amroth was forwarded by both their families, they were passionately devoted to each other. But Gwindor longed for the sea of his home and wasted away in Minas Tirith, under the shadow of Mordor. (I particularly enjoy the reversal here, ngl.)

—Andreth refuses to leave Minas Tirith when she sensibly evacuates most of the other women and children, including her daughter and last surviving heir, Míriel (f!Faramir). Before Míriel's departure, Andreth places her in charge of the evacuees and instructs her to take up the Stewardship and lead their people to Gondor's refuges should Minas Tirith fall.

—The Northern Dúnedain have long prided themselves on the unbroken father-to-son line of the heirs of Isildur. But Arathorn dies leaving only a daughter, Aranor, far too young to forward her claim as heir of Isildur. The N. Dúnedain are inclined to pass the heirship to the nearest patrilineal male relation, ideally one already grown—until Elrond intercedes on toddler Aranor's behalf and takes on her care.

—When Aranor, a lean, greying, middle-aged woman, arrives in Gondor at the head of the army of the Dead and leads the defeat of the Corsairs, the southern Gondorians are grateful but also a bit "bzuh?" That was definitely not on their fantasy bingo cards.

—Even without an Aragorn/Arwen situation (Aranor's love is real but unrequited), Elrond comes to Gondor to see Aranor—as beloved as his natural daughters—become Queen Elessarnë. He ends up having a very kind talk with Míriel, who faces an uncertain future even as she still dreams of Númenor.

—Speaking of the unrequited Aranor/Arwen, Aranor is so used to loving Arwen in a very fairy-tale kind of way that she herself doesn't realize her feelings have shifted until well after the fact, and later, when she realizes she's in love with Míriel, it seems natural to assume this will also be unrequited. (Pining. This is a verse for pining.)

#anghraine babbles #genderbending #fic talk #fic talk: aranor #long post #andreth daughter of ecthelion #aranor #gwindor son of adrahil #míriel daughter of gwindor #otp: love was kindled

[finweanladiesweek]

Prompts

(This is the mobile app accessible version of this page. Please do not reblog this post.)

This post is updated for 2022.

~

The prompts below are a guideline for the week’s events, though you are not obligated to stick to them when participating. They’re completely optional, and more of a source of inspiration than a mandatory guideline.

Prompts may have some overlap, especially when it comes to original characters. Which prompt your idea qualifies for is up to your interpretation; feel free to combine prompts if you want to!

DAY ONE: Míriel Þerindë and Indis Finwë’s wives never appear together on the page, but they also seem to bear little ill will to one another; after all, Míriel told Finwë that “Indis hath my love.” Were they friends before Míriel’s marriage? What was it like for Míriel to be the first elf to die in Aman, and what did she learn in her stay in the Halls of Mandos? How did Indis, a Vanyarin princess, feel as she left her people to become the Queen of the Noldor? What were Indis’ feelings towards Fëanáro, who hated her for “replacing” his mother? Did Míriel return to life upon Finwë’s death, or did she indeed remain forever in the service of Vairë? This day is for exploring the characters of Indis and Míriel and their relationships, not just with each other but with everyone in their lives.

DAY TWO: Findis and Írimë Lalwen Tolkien left us little information about Findis and Lalwen, the two daughters of Finwë. From this, how do you extrapolate their personalities and relationships? What were the difficulties of being Noldorin princesses in a world so focused on the exploits of their brothers? Why did Findis choose to remain in Aman while Lalwen followed the host of the Noldor to Middle-earth? Were they married, and did they have children? Is there a reason beyond narrative sexism that they were left out of the narratives of Arda? This day is for exploring and creating characters around the names and scant details of Finwë’s daughters.

DAY THREE: Aredhel and Galadriel Aredhel and Galadriel are the only known granddaughters of Finwë. Aredhel was as independent as any of her brothers, and Galadriel was extremely influential in the later ages of Middle-earth. What was their relationship to each other—were they fast friends or could they barely stand one another? Why did Aredhel choose to follow her brother to Gondolin? Did she and Galadriel ever meet while she lived in Nan Elmoth? How did Galadriel feel being the last remaining grandchild of Finwë save the elusive Maglor? This day is for exploring the characters of Aredhel and Galadriel and their adventures in both Aman and Middle-earth.

DAY FOUR: Later Generations There are many more women in the House of Finwë, from Idril to Finduilas and beyond. Did these ladies ever get to meet each other, in Middle-earth or in Valinor? How did Idril feel setting out for Aman with a mortal husband in defiance of the Ban of the Valar? Why did Finduilas fall in love with Gwindor, and later Túrin? Did Celebrían feel lonely growing up alone, with only stories about her fallen cousins to keep her company? Was Arwen’s choice truly that of Lúthien, or of Elros, and what did her daughters think of her decision to become mortal? Did Tindómiel ever meet her elvish grandparents? Do you have a theory about how some other canonical character is actually Finwëan somehow? And what about Faniel and Finvain, the dubiously canonical, discarded daughters of Finwë—can you reincorporate them into the family tree? This day is for exploring the lives of Finwë’s female descendants beyond the third generation, canonical or not.

DAY FIVE: Ladies Who Married In From Nerdanel to Eldalótë, the sons and grandsons of Finwë had wives of their own. What did these sisters-in-law have in common? Were Elenwë and Amarië the best of friends or the worst of enemies? What really was going on with Anairë and Eärwen? How did Amarië and Andreth feel, getting so close to the grandsons of Finwë but never quite marrying into the Noldorin royal line? Did Elwing consider herself Finwëan when she married Eärendil, and how did her husband’s family receive her in Valinor? These ladies are as Finwëan as the rest of the family, and this day is for exploring the lives of the mothers and wives who weren’t born into the great extended family of Finwë.

DAY SIX: Original Characters Throughout the line of Finwë, some children are marked down without reference to their mothers, and husbands given wives with no names. Who are these textual ghosts, and how do you create your own original characters to fill these gaps? Who are the indomitable women who braved the house of Fëanor by marrying Maglor, Caranthir, and Curufin? What welcome did the Sinda woman who married Orodreth receive from her husband’s Calaquendi family? Forget Gil-galad’s father, who was his mother? Or do you have original characters without much or any basis in canon—a sister for Orodreth, a mother for Finwë, a wife for a character that wasn’t said to be married in any version of canon, a daughter for your non-canon ship, or someone else? This day is for sharing your original characters within Finwë’s line with the fandom.

DAY SEVEN: Freeform These prompts can’t cover every woman in the House of Finwë, and one day might not be enough to explore a given prompt. This is a day to discuss and create about anything that was missed, or to go back and explore something again. You also might want to play around with gender and/or genderbending: How would the Silmarillion be different if the main characters were women? What if someone’s gender was recorded incorrectly? Do you like to play with the idea of any of the aforementioned lady characters as being men, nonbinary, or otherwise not women? (Note: The creator of this event is trans/nonbinary and asks you to please be respectful of transgender people if you choose to explore genderbending; you are also free to completely ignore this suggestion.)

#mod post #prompts #2022

[silmarillionwritersguild]

This February, we are taking our cue from Valentine’s Day and invite you to join us in a contemplation of love! Your prompts for this month will be quotes from the Legendarium that are all about love. But in Middle-earth as in our modern day and age, love can take many shapes, and romantic or sexual attraction are only two aspects of it. Tolkien’s characters experience different kinds of love: love of family, love of friends, love of a place, love of treasure, love of abstract concepts like duty or freedom … and sometimes, they may feel no love at all. We have made a list of quotes about love from the Legendarium, and you can select one - or several - that inspire you to write about that crazy little thing called love. It doesn’t have to be a love story; it just needs to respond in some way to the quote(s) that you’ve chosen. Although we are sorting the quotes according to their context, feel free to disregard that in your response! For example, you can use a romantic love quote in a platonic way, or turn a feudal reading of love into something romantic. February is also Black History Month, so we encourage participants to focus on characters of color or characters from cultural groups we don't hear from a lot in the texts. Participants are also welcome to combine our love prompts with SilmLadyLove’s Femslash February prompts. Fanworks for this challenge are due on the archive by March 10 in order to receive a stamp.

Romantic or ambiguous love

"[Melian] spoke no word; but being filled with love Elwë came to her and took her hand, and straightway a spell was laid on him, so that they stood thus while long years were measured by the wheeling stars above them; and the trees of Nan Elmoth grew tall and dark before they spoke any word." ~ Of Thingol and Melian

"The love of Finwë and Míriel was great and glad, for it began in the Blessed Realm in the Days of Bliss." ~ Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor

"Galadriel his sister went not with him to Nargothrond, for in Doriath dwelt Celeborn, kinsman of Thingol, and there was great love between them." ~ Of the Return of the Noldor

"But it is said that not until that hour had such cold thoughts ruled [Finrod]; for indeed she whom he had loved was Amarië of the Vanyar, and she went not with him into exile." ~ Of the Noldor in Beleriand

"[Gorlim’s] wife was named Eilinel, and their love was great, ere evil befell." ~ Of Beren and Lúthien

"And it seemed to Thingol that this Man was unlike all other mortal Men, and among the great in Arda, and the love of Lúthien a thing new and strange; and he perceived that their doom might not be withstood by any power of the world." ~ Of Beren and Lúthien

"But Gwindor sat in dark thought; and on a time he spoke to Finduilas, saying: 'Daughter of the house of Finarfin, let no grief lie between us; for though Morgoth has laid my life in ruin, you still I love. Go whither love leads you; yet beware!’" ~ Of Túrin Turambar

"His heart turned to Níniel, and he asked her in marriage; but for that time she delayed in spite of her love. For Brandir foreboded he knew not what, and sought to restrain her, rather for her sake than his own or rivalry with Turambar; and he revealed to her that Turambar was Túrin son of Húrin, and though she knew not the name a shadow fell upon her mind." ~ Of Túrin Turambar

"The Eldar wedded once only in life, and for love or at the least by free will upon either part." ~ Morgoth’s Ring, "Laws and Customs among the Eldar"

"’Love of Indis did not drive out love of Míriel; so now pity for Míriel doth not lessen my heart’s care for Indis.’" ~ Morgoth’s Ring, "Laws and Customs among the Eldar"

"And Ilúvatar spoke to Ulmo, and said: '[...]Behold rather the height and glory of the clouds, and the everchanging mists; and listen to the fall of rain upon the Earth! And in these clouds thou art drawn nearer to Manwë, thy friend, whom thou lovest.'" ~ Ainulindalë

"Now Hador Lórindol, son of Hathol, son of Magor, son of Malach Aradan, entered the household of Fingolfin in his youth, and was loved by the King." ~ Of the Coming of Men into the West

"Thus ended Beleg Strongbow, truest of friends, greatest in skill of all that harboured in the woods of Beleriand in the Elder Days, at the hand of him whom he most loved; and that grief was graven on the face of Túrin and never faded." ~ Of Túrin Turambar

"But when all was spoken, Manwë gave judgement, and he said: 'In this matter the power of doom is given to me. The peril that he ventured for love of the Two Kindreds shall not fall upon Eärendil, nor shall it fall upon Elwing his wife, who entered into peril for love of him; but they shall not walk again ever among Elves or Men in the Outer Lands.’" ~ Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath

Parental and feudal love

"Therefore when [the Ainur] beheld [the Children of Ilúvatar], the more did they love them, being things other than themselves, strange and free…" ~ Ainulindalë

"Nonetheless Ulmo loves both Elves and Men, and never abandoned them, not even when they lay under the wrath of the Valar." ~ Valaquenta

"Therefore those who dwell by the sea or go up in ships may love [Ossë], but they do not trust him." ~ Valaquenta

"Then Aulë answered: 'I did not desire such lordship. I desired things other than I am, to love and to teach them, so that they too might perceive the beauty of Eä, which thou hast caused to be.’" ~ Of Aulë and Yavanna

"The Vanyar [Manwë] loved best of all Elves, and of him they received song and poetry; for poetry is the delight of Manwë, and the song of words is his music." ~Of the Beginning of Days

"Greater love was given to Fingolfin and his sons, and his household and the most part of the dwellers in Tirion refused to renounce him, if he would go with them; and thus at the last as two divided hosts the Noldor set forth upon their bitter road." ~ Of the Flight of the Noldor

"But there were many who loved the Lady Haleth and wished to go whither she would, and dwell under her rule; and these she led into the Forest of Brethil, between Teiglin and Sirion." ~ Of the Coming of Men into the West

"For Turgon took great liking for the sons of Galdor, and spoke much with them; and he wished indeed to keep them in Gondolin out of love, and not only for his law that no stranger, be he Elf or Man, who found the way to the secret kingdom and looked upon the city should ever depart again, until the King should open the leaguer, and the hidden people should come forth." ~ Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin

"'Sit now there; and look out upon the lands where evil and despair shall come upon those whom thou lovest. Thou hast dared to mock me, and to question the power of Melkor, Master of the fates of Arda.’" ~ Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad

"For Maglor took pity upon Elros and Elrond, and he cherished them, and love grew after between them, as little might be thought; but Maglor's heart was sick and weary with the burden of the dreadful oath." ~ Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath

"[The Elves of Beleriand] were admitted again to the love of Manwë and the pardon of the Valar; and the Teleri forgave their ancient grief, and the curse was laid to rest." ~ Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath

Love of things and places

"[Yavanna] is the lover of all things that grow in the earth, and all their countless forms she holds in her mind, from the trees like towers in forests long ago to the moss upon stones or the small and secret things in the mould." ~ Valaquenta

"Oromë loved the lands of Middle-earth, and he left them unwillingly and came last to Valinor; and often of old he passed back east over the mountains and returned with his host to the hills and the plains." ~ Valaquenta

"For Fëanor began to love the Silmarils with a greedy love, and grudged the sight of them to all save his father and his seven sons; he seldom remembered now that the light within them was not his own." ~ Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor

"But the Sindar had the fairer voices and were more skilled in music, save only Maglor son of Fëanor, and they loved the woods and the riversides; and some of the Grey-elves still wandered far and wide without settled abode, and they sang as they went." ~ Of the Return of the Noldor

"’But love not too well the work of thy hands and the devices of thy heart; and remember that the true hope of the Noldor lieth in the West and cometh from the Sea.'" ~ Of the Noldor in Beleriand

"And the Númenóreans answered: 'Why should we not envy the Valar, or even the least of the Deathless? For of us is required a blind trust, and a hope without assurance, knowing not what lies before us in a little while. And yet we also love the Earth and would not lose it.'" ~ Akallabêth

"Moreover [the Noldor] were not at peace in their hearts, since they had refused to return into the West, and they desired both to stay in Middle-earth, which indeed they loved, and yet to enjoy the bliss of those that had departed." ~ Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age

Absence of love

"Therefore all the more did [Melkor] feign love for them and seek their friendship, and he offered them the service of his lore and labour in any great deed that they would do." ~ Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor

"The wedding of his father was not pleasing to Fëanor; and he had no great love for Indis, nor for Fingolfin and Finarfin, her sons." ~ Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor

"There [Aredhel] was often in the company of the sons of Fëanor, her kin; but to none was her heart's love given." ~ Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië

"For Manwë was free from evil and could not comprehend it, and he knew that in the beginning, in the thought of Ilúvatar, Melkor had been even as he; and he saw not to the depths of Melkor’s heart, and did not perceive that all love had departed from him for ever." ~ Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor

"Of like mind with Galadriel was Fingon Fingolfin’s son, being moved also by Fëanor’s words, though he loved him little; and with Fingon stood as they ever did Angrod and Aegnor, sons of Finarfin." ~ Of the Flight of the Noldor

"Men have feared the Valar, rather than loved them, and have not understood the purposes of the Powers, being at variance with them, and at strife with the world." ~ Of Men

"’And this counsel I add: return now to your dwelling in the darkness of Nan Elmoth; for my heart warns me that if you now pursue those who love you no more, never will you return thither.'"~ Of Maeglin

"And however that might be, Idril loved Maeglin not at all; and knowing his thought of her she loved him the less." ~ Of Maeglin

"Therefore [Brandir] renounced his lordship, and all love for the people that had scorned him, and having naught left but his love for Níniel he girt himself with a sword and went after her; but being lame he fell far behind." ~ Of Túrin Turambar

"No love was there between Ar-Gimilzôr and his queen, or between their sons." ~ Akallabêth

#swg challenge #silmarillion #tolkien

[anghraine]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

Aww, thanks! It's hard to pick a favorite when I've written so much, but here are five that I currently have good feelings about.

1- tolerably well acquainted (an elaboration of Elizabeth's feelings during the book canon scenes at Pemberley and after; WIP but all Pemberley scenes are posted)

For, maybe, once in her life, she had yet to reach judgment. He was at all times Mr Darcy of Pemberley, but Mr Darcy at Pemberley seemed so entirely distinct from Mr Darcy everywhere else that she scarcely knew what to think. Instead, the same thoughts coursed through her mind without resolution, returning over and over again with no answers.

She dwelt on them nevertheless, her habits of courtesy carrying her through the Bromleys’ conversation as it shifted to other subjects. All the while, she wondered how a single person could contain so many contradictions, and seem so wholly unaware of it himself. His manners had been so altered, though; the man who spoke to her mother’s brother and the one who had (rarely) spoken to her mother herself might have been different creatures altogether. Perhaps he had realized—perhaps he had listened—

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

2- the voices of the sea (in which f!Faramir dreams of water; part of the Aranorverse, but a completed one-shot)

Míriel dreamed again of Armenelos and the Meneltarma and the shadow of death rising inexorably above all. But there was no waking. The wave slowly began to collapse over them, foam and droplets spattering her face before it reached her. Míriel stood tall and straight, refusing to cower, allowing herself no further weakness than blinking the water out of her face. She opened her eyes to more water, feeling it slosh about her bare ankles.

But it was now deep into night beneath a pale moon, just bright enough for her to see that the water in which she stood flowed smoothly past the familiar shores of the Anduin. The terror of the Downfall had shifted to an overwhelming sense of peace.

As she watched, she saw a small boat come floating up the river.

3- per ardua ad astra (in which Jyn, Cassian, and Bodhi escape Scarif only to be caught in the Death Star's tractor beam; WIP, if mostly resolved)

He tightened his grasp on the crystal; through his gloves, it warmed his cool hands. Maybe the lingering warmth of Jyn’s body—even on this march to possible death, he shepherded his thoughts away from that—or maybe something else. He didn’t know. At that, Cassian didn’t know what he believed about the Force at all, beyond the reality of its existence. He reserved his faith for the cause. The dream of liberation, given shape by the Rebellion. And by Jyn. A Jedi could appear before him, and it would matter less than this chunk of rock.

He believed in Jyn. In a way, that mattered more than loving her.

4- One More Tomorrow (in which Noatak becomes Amon, ft. f!Tarrlok)

He didn’t mean waiting for the council to see reason. They never would, any of them. Even Taraka.

Particularly Taraka. He’d have liked to imagine that she had simply fallen under the malign sway of her peers, as she had lived under his sway in their childhood. But it was Taraka who spoke out most aggressively against the Equalists, Taraka who advocated for harsher penalties for attacks on benders, Taraka whose reputation rose until the council elected her chairwoman, Taraka who seemed the worst of them all. A monster.

And yet, his sister still.

5- [untitled and unposted. ANYWAY] (GW2 OFC/ OFC fic)

Gwen hadn’t cried, and some part of her desperately wished she could. But there was enough of the bandit Gwen left in her to keep her eyes dry. Don’t show weakness. Not here, not ever. Don’t stop until Zhaitan and his kind are gone, and the world is safe for everyone I love. Even—especially people like Tybalt.

Preceptor Doern had summoned her with a new assignment. And worse, with a new partner. But after one glance at the haughty, silk-clad human at his side, Gwen nearly recoiled.

"Lightbringer Althea," she said.

#rain sleet snow #respuestas #nice things people say to me #meme #meme prattle #austen blogging #fic talk #fic talk: pemberley and such #otp of otps #fic talk: aranor #míriel daughter of gwindor #legendarium blogging #otp: welcome home #everything i did i did for the rebellion #death star au #fic talk: edge of darkness #one more tomorrow #the bloodbending brothers #avatar: the legend of korra #genderbending #ascalonian grudgeblog #anghraine's gaming #gwen velazquez #althea fairchild #fic talk: lightbringer otp #long post #jewel of the seashore #fic talk: gwen redux

[anghraine]

Back to my drafts folder: the second oldest draft was from July 9th, 2013, when I was working on an early version of the Aranorverse (AU with f!Aragorn/Aranor, f!Denethor/Andreth, f!Imrahil/Imraphel, f!Faramir/Míriel). I never wrote the full scene, but this concept for the 'verse has persisted:

"War is coming to Minas Tirith," said the Steward. "Tomorrow the beacons will be lit, and most of the women and children must be evacuated to Lossarnach."

Míriel bowed her head. She knew this much already. Why should Lady Andreth have summoned her, alone, to inform her of what was already known? She was not one to waste words.

"You shall lead them, of course."

#fic talk: aranor #andreth daughter of ecthelion #míriel daughter of gwindor #legendarium blogging #fic talk #anghraine babbles #de las bóvedas

[anghraine]

My f!Aragorn/f!Faramir AU is fun (for me) because it's actually an "every Númenórean throwback in LOTR, determined according to me, is genderbent."

So there's f!Aragorn, Aranor, whose existence breaks the father-to-son chain of heirs of Isildur carried on for thousands of years, but who manages to hang onto the heirship by fiat of Elrond and her own resolute will and immense abilities. She proceeds to fight canon Aragorn's uphill battle, but it's harder at virtually every turn. She passes herself off as a man as "Thorongil" but her gender and identity are recognized by—

—Andreth, the Steward's daughter/f!Denethor. Her only brother died young, while her older sisters are both childless and unwilling to return to Minas Tirith. Andreth, trained in both lore and, unusually, war, has recently waged a bitter if victorious political fight to be acknowledged as Ecthelion's heir, rather than at best a potential regent for her son Boromir. She knows all about fighting uphill battles. Despite her intense dislike of Aranor, Andreth's fight for the Stewardship plays a major part in paving the way for Aranor's eventual ascension as Gondor's first ruling queen.

In all of this, Andreth was backed by her ailing husband, Gwindor of Dol Amroth (m!Finduilas), and his powerful family. This included his gay older brother Túrin (m!Ivriniel) and his younger sister Imraphel (f!Imrahil). Imraphel in particular respected Andreth without feeling the need to like her, all the more after her own fight to get taken seriously as a (hulking) lady knight in Dol Amroth. Imprahel has unhesitatingly presented herself as another Haleth, replicating popular Gondorian imagery of Haleth and proving herself a fierce and dauntless warrior and captain.

Speaking of Haleth, Aranor doesn't have a picked bodyguard of women as Haleth herself did—I don't assume all the northern Dúnedain are throwbacks in the Aragorn-Denethor-Imrahil sense—but she does have a beloved cousin named Haleth (f!Halbarad), whom she trusts implicitly. This Haleth has been attached to Aranor from early in Aranor's active chieftainship, and faithfully joins her with some 30 other Dúnedain, but dies heroically on the Pelennor :(

One major figure is completely absent on the Pelennor, though, both in the lead-up to the major battle, and the battle itself. Míriel, daughter of Andreth, and now her only surviving child, has never had the slightest inclination towards war, though she understands its necessity. She has the iron will of her mother and aunt, along with a distinct strain of her father's gentleness, and like all of them, she can convince men and beasts alike to follow her commands. But she follows Andreth's lead as loremaster rather than warrior, making for a stern, commanding, yet personable Númenórean lady when called upon to convey her mother's will.

Andreth evacuates Míriel with the other women of Minas Tirith, placing her in charge of all the evacuees and warning her of the terrible duty that will fall to her should the battle go ill. They've often been at odds, but not this time; Míriel promises to protect their people as far as her abilities extend if the Stewardship should fall to her.

As it happens, Míriel does receive the news after the battle that her mother, after many years away from warfare, rode out to hold the city's troops together against the Nazgûl long enough for them to retreat into the city. The maneuver succeeded in inflicting heavy casualties, but Andreth died of her wounds not long thereafter. Míriel is now the ruling Lady of Gondor—but not for long. The heir of Isildur has come to claim the throne.

#someday i'll make progress on this! #...someday. #anghraine babbles #fic talk #fic talk: aranor #legendarium blogging #genderbending #long post #my interpretation is that male denethor + female faramir get on way better than in canon #because denethor does not expect fíriel to be a warrior or captain of course and she's a fine loremaster with leadership abilities #even if they clash at times #but female denethor + female faramir are basically canon bc andreth is frustrated by míriel not doing what she did #meanwhile aranor is still difficult in the way that canon aragorn is difficult but also greying hardcore warrior lady aragorn? hella.

[anghraine]

Míriel!!!

This doc goes with the 'verse where the Númenórean throwbacks in LOTR are genderbent. The "Míriel" in question is f!Faramir (not Tar-Míriel, sadly, though she shows up in Faramir!Míriel's dreams of Númenor here).

I've only written a little more than that, which stopped at Míriel having a dream-vision of Boromir floating down the Anduin and realized he was dead. But when I get back to it, I want to write the scene where Andreth (f!Denethor) sends Míriel away from Minas Tirith to lead the other evacuees, and we see the complicated relationship between them.

(It's more complicated than Fíriel's and Denethor's in my other f!Faramir fic, partly because I wanted to contrast the two verses, and partly because I genuinely think that a f!Denethor who fought for the Stewardship and actually got it and forged a stable reign would have very different expectations of a daughter than canon Denethor.)

I also wanted to write the scene where news reaches Míriel of the events of the Pelennor—Andreth's death, the victory, then the march to the Black Gate, then Sauron's defeat, so that when she returns to Minas Tirith from the evacuation, she's living in an entirely different world than the one she knew and unsure what the future holds for her under Aranor/f!Aragorn's rule.

#elwing #respuestas #fic talk #fic talk: aranor #legendarium blogging #genderbending #míriel daughter of gwindor #andreth daughter of ecthelion #meme prattle

[anghraine]

One of the reasons that I’m really fond of my f!Aragorn/f!Faramir verse is that ... okay, it’s not news that I think Arvedui’s attempt to claim the throne of Gondor combined a dubious claim and active misrepresentation of previous laws, plus a side of hypocrisy.

But I will concede that the position of the Council of Gondor, led by Pelendur, was ... also not great. They argued that women like Fíriel couldn’t inherit because of war and men couldn’t inherit through women because of Reasons.

In canon, this is resolved by Faramir/Gondor reversing the decision because Aragorn is so kingly and heroic, and also because Aragorn focuses on the male-line heir of Isildur stuff and just lets the claim through Fíriel slide. This makes pragmatic sense, but also ... justice for Fíriel!!!

Anyway, it’s nice to have my own little verse where Arvedui and Fíriel’s heir does become Ruling Queen (in her own right, tyvm Arvedui). And her path is smoothed by Pelendur’s heiress, no less.

#anghraine babbles #deep blogging #aranor #aranor daughter of arathorn #míriel daughter of gwindor #(in this verse finduilas becomes gwindor; ivriniel becomes túrin; and imrahil becomes imraphel—so that's what that's about) #fic talk #fic talk: aranor #legendarium blogging #fíriel #legendarium fanwank #arvedui depreciation blog #but OKAY #pelendur #didn't cover himself in glory either #he wasn't outright lying but his line of reasoning was pretty damn misogynistic #and míriel's support for aranor is ... not exactly a redemption but related to it #with a bonus side of irony bc she's more or less a woman herself #genderbending

[anghraine]

Aranorverse stuff: Gondor edition

Although I use ‘Aranorverse’ for the f!Aragorn/f!Faramir fic, since Aranor (f!Aragorn) is the main point of it ... it definitionally also extends beyond her. The original premise is that the Númenórean throwbacks in LOTR are genderbent: Denethor, Aragorn, Imrahil, and Faramir.

To make it work, though, I had to consider Imrahil’s siblings, and Finduilas definitely reads as a Númenórean/Elvish type, so she became a man and f!Denethor’s husband. For simplicity’s sake, I assumed that Ivriniel is also a throwback, making m!Ivriniel the prince and leaving f!Imrahil free to be a full-time lady knight.

(Canon Imrahil’s shock at finding a woman among the Rohirrim makes this funnier to me, ngl.)

OTOH, f!Denethor really needed to be the Steward for multiple reasons, and I was thinking of how it would happen, since Denethor canonically has older sisters and is maybe-implied to have a younger brother. I ultimately decided that Denethor’s older sisters went off and made suitable marriages, but the brother (here the only son) was unable to ascend / completely opposed to ascending to the Ruling Stewardship.

Denethor says in LOTR that he and Faramir are the last of the House of the Stewards, so it doesn’t seem like there would be undisputed contenders to succeed Ecthelion apart from his children. I imagined that Denethor’s brother, along with f!Denethor herself, was able and willing to fight tooth and nail for one of his sisters to take on the mantle rather than opening the gates to a new Kinstrife, and while the two eldest were “lol no,” lady Denethor agreed. She might even have canon Denethor’s feeling (according to UT) of having been appointed by destiny to lead Gondor through this bleak hour.

Anyway: for names, I was thinking mainly of the Stewards’ propensity for naming children after major First Age figures and/or previous members of their family. I provisionally went with Andreth for Denethor and Belecthor for the younger brother. (I always headcanon the older sisters as Emeldir and Rían.)

Oh, and another idea is that Andreth’s unprecedented ascension to the Stewardship didn’t immediately overhaul the lot and expectations of women in Gondor, but it did blaze a path that some women are able to follow, most notably f!Imrahil (leader of the knights of Dol Amroth) and, ironically enough, f!Aragorn. Aranor might have been able to become queen anyway, but it would have been much more of an uphill battle without the precedent that Andreth set.

(Andreth would hate this if she knew about it.)

Back to Dol Amroth, I’d originally tried to come up with approximations of the canon names (Ivrinion? Fingon?). But it entertained me more to do something different. Since canon Ivriniel and Finduilas seem to have both been named for Finduilas of Nargothrond, I decided to name m!Ivriniel and m!Finduilas after her love interests—Túrin (already attested as a Gondorian name) and Gwindor. I did go for a direct conversion for Imrahil, who becomes Imraphel (mostly bc I like it).

Last of all, there’s f!Faramir, who here is Míriel. That’s partly because I wanted to distinguish her from my other f!Faramir fic (/whistles), and partly because it’s a royal name (like Faramir) that retains the -mir- connection with Boromir.

In the other fic, Faramir was the only genderbent character, and male Denethor had no expectation of a daughter being a warrior. This actually smoothed their relationship in a lot of ways. But while female Denethor doesn’t expect it, either, it’s at least a possibility in their timeline. So Míriel turning out as a gentle, gracious lady is more of a disappointment than in the other ’verse, esp after Boromir’s death, though it’s still far short of the strain between canon Denethor and Faramir.

Míriel, I think, is (reluctantly) evacuated with the other women and children before Gandalf and Pippin ever show up; her argument with Andreth about it is the last time they ever speak to each other. Andreth dies in the retreat across the Pelennor, Imraphel takes command, and Aranor arrives to turn the tide of battle while Míriel is basically stuck doing what Éowyn rejected—leading the civilians while others fight in the battle.

It’s an important task, and Míriel is a charismatic, strong-willed leader who is loved and respected by her people, but it’s still a difficult position to be in. By the time she receives news of Andreth’s death and Aranor’s existence, events have already rushed on. By the time Míriel returns to Minas Tirith, Sauron is defeated (wonderful!) and Aranor, whom Míriel has never met, is Queen of Gondor in all but name (maybe good, maybe bad). Míriel’s own place in the new world is extremely unclear. And then she actually meets Aranor and is, while not quite as swept away as canon without the mystical healing, still very powerfully struck by her and willing to step aside.

And then ... stuff.

#anghraine babbles #fic talk #...lots of fic talk #aranor #legendarium blogging #/ #// #/// #//// #///// #a #b #c #d #e #andreth daughter of ecthelion #genderbending #imrahil #imraphel #denethor #belecthor son of ecthelion #aranor daughter of arathorn #míriel daughter of gwindor #i appreciate that spotify's randomizer gave me 'i'll make a man out of you' while i was typing this out