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madwomansapologist · 3 months

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Autumn Thunderstorm | Chapter 9 - Gandalf does not know all

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series synopsis: Thranduil thought the recent attack of spiders on a periphery village was the only thing deserving of his attencion. If he could've imagined what he would found there, who he would found there, the Elvenking would wait a millenia in front of that river so he could see her sooner. Or: how Gandalf managed to keep a secret for 14 months.

nineth chapter synopsis: Gandalf had his first good morning in ages. It ended as quickly as it started. [1K]

warnings: female!reader. pre-Smaug. the plot is plotting.

glossary: Mithrandir: Grey Pilgrim

It was a good morning. An absolutely good morning for Gandalf. Either he wished for it or not, it simply was. He felt good that morning. It was a good morning to be good.

Gandalf can count on the fingers of one hand how many of those he had in his life. Not a bad, wrong or slightly annoying occurrence this far. The sunlight was gentle on his back, a cold breeze of autumn stroked his skin with a dear friend kindness since he entered this path. As his sorrel went up hill, his worries turned into something else.

Into something easier to bear.

It has been far too long. Elrond needed them. With the hordes of vile creatures attacking Rivendell, Gandalf and Saruman helped Elrond to reign instead of only react. Now, Gandalf is back to the inn he saved a lifetime ago. Back to you. Just as he promised them months ago when their hopes were near extinction.

Saruman’s plans were almost perfect. There was no way for them to be sure of how your mind would react, if your conscience would break and shatter to their interference. Doubt tasted like vinegar on their mouths. Even the brief light of an alternative, the possibility of some sort of cure, died before their eyes. But as much as they fear the outcome of that solution, they needed to do something.

They could not just sit and watch as you agonized towards death’s embrace.

That is the reason why, even without any proof that it would work, Gandalf agreed. And that is exactly why Radagast did not.

He was determined to do things his way. Radagast kept on searching for a cure, a forgotten knowledge that would save you. He did not liked Saruman’s plan, and for the sake of honesty so did Gandalf, but it was the only one they had. The more they waited, the paler your eyes got.

At the end, Radagast gave in. A choice made out of pure despair, but a choice nonetheless. With conditions, they all had theirs, the cousins put an end to your suffering.

Saruman needed you to recover somewhere safe. Somewhere far away from any sorts of dangers. Radagast wanted it to be near nature, so his eyes and ears could watch over you. And Gandalf needed someone able to keep you in line, keep you safe, until…

(you recovered? you came back to being you? you remembered what happened that tempestuous night? your body finally give in to the deep, piercing power still crawling inside you? you came to an end and something else takes your place?)

Aerin’s inn fit perfectly on their necessities, and so did her.

The stable’s door were open. Gandalf dismantled his corsel, and watched as a tall boy took care of it. Did you grew tired of the horses? Mayhaps Aerin decided you are better doing something else. Disappointed you were not the first person he saw there, Gandalf grabbed his staff and wandered towards the inn.

At the entrance, he heard Aerin complayinig. A frame that should have been higher, candles way to close to her precious scarlet curtains, the shuddering need of better chairs. Gandalf stood quiet on the main hall, watching as the elve walked around and took care of her precious inn.

“You are not able to begin to imagine the amount of energy I put into…” Aerin turned around, and her body suddenly stopped. Her words died inside her mouth, and a crippling silence tamed the room.

“Is that how you welcome an old friend?” Gandalf teased her.

Aerin thought about moving, she wanted to, but her body chose not to obey. She looked somewhere, anywhere, and tried to find the right words. The world was never so loud. With her left eye twitching, Aerin breathed in. “Mithrandir, have you read any of my letters?”

Gandalf’s smiled died slowly. He held his staff closer to his body, and took the pipe he fit on it. Glancing at the stairs, searching for you, Gandalf lit it. “We both know the answer to that question. Tell me, what happened?”

Controlled by fear and shame, Aerin guided him to her office. A few flight of stairs felt like a journey. Aerin locked the door, but did not let go of the knob. Her forehead fall against the wood, and Aerin allowed the cold to ease her mind. “The Elvenking was there,” she begun by the easiest part. “For weeks.”

Gandalf knew he would be close. When Thranduil announced it at the Counsil, he felt relieved. Better him than Elrond or Galadriel. They would have recognized you instantly. But now, after seeing how Aerin looked eons older, maybe it was a mistake from his part.

“They became friends, I thought so, but when the warg bit her… The look on his face,” Aerin turned, now brave enough to face the man to whom she broke her oath. “Gandalf, it was the face of a man in love.”

His hands trembled. You were not there to welcome him. Months passed since the incident, more than a year, but you were not fully recovered. A warg bit you. “How is she?”

“Alive,” Aerin answered. Oh, if only the warg was their biggest problem. She opened a drawer, and hesitated before giving him the sealed letter. “Recovered, as good as new.”

Gandalf tored the seal open. It was your calligraphy. Your words. Your signature. That letter was not only a goodbye, but also an invitation.

Gandalf burned in front of her eyes. He absorbed the light, as if even the sun knew better than to not surrender to his powers. “YOU LET HER GO TO MIRKWOOD?”

Aerin almost fell to her knees. “She runaway during the night. I swear, I did everything so she would stop exchanging correspondences with the Elvenking …”

“YOU DID NOT WARNED ME!”

“Of course I wrote!” This time, Aerin yelled. “I wrote for you when she was bitten, when she woke up, when the Elvenking became a problem. I wrote when she was gone, when I followd her in the path to that sick land, when I came back without her.”

Gandalf dropped the letter, and light went back to work as it usually does. Aerin breathed deep, air burning her throat, and closed her eyes. When his hand touched her shoulder, it was not threatening.

“I will find her,” Gandalf warned. “And she will come back. Will you take care of her again?”

“Of course, Mithrandir,” Aerin did her best not to bust into tears. “But the Elvenking…”

“The Elvenking can try to stop me, but nothing will keep me from defending my family.” Gandalf unlocked the door, and glanced at Aerin one last time. “After all, I was invited. Thranduil does not strike me as a bad host. ”

Good morning. What a fucking lie.

AUTUMN THUNDERSTORM: @ferns-fics @notanalienindisguiseblink @rayrlupin @elvyshiarieko @graniairish @whore-of-many-hot-men @h0ly-fire @h0n3y-l3m0n05

if you enjoyed, please reblog! i promise it makes a difference ♡

@ madwomansapologist.tumblr.

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x-fantasy-is-my-reality-x · 7 months

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Full Masterlist

Updated: 4/10/23

💥 Attack on Titan:

Attack on Pranks

→Attack on Pranks: Chapter 1 (The First Task)

→Attack on Pranks: Chapter 2 (Keep Running)

→Attack on Pranks: Chapter 3 (How it All Started)

→Attack on Pranks: Chapter 4 (Showdown)

Attack on Titan Short Story Collection

→Attack on Titan Short Story Collection: Fireworks

→Attack on Titan Short Story Collection: Towels

💥 Kengan Ashura:

Muscle Heads: Ohma x Raian

→Chapter 1: Shut up, Raian

→Chapter 2: Off His Ass

→Chapter 3: Naughty

→Chapter 4: FishFace

💥 Dragon Ball:

A Serendipitous Future

Goku Black x Reader: Forbidden Fruit

→Chapter 1: The Flames of Destruction

→Chapter 2: The Game Begins

→Chapter 3: Blink of an Eye

→Chapter 4: Cat out of the Bag

→Chapter 5: The Room

→Chapter 6: Chained Freedom

→Chapter 7: The Calvary Arrives

→Chapter 8: The Curse of Immortality

→Chapter 9: Hate Me Not

→Chapter 10: Victory

→Chapter 11: Zamasu’s Revenge

→Chapter 12: Hidden Treasures

→Chapter 13: The Wolf

→Chapter 14: Infiltrator

→Chapter 15: An Unlikely Allegiance

→Chapter 16: The Forest

→Chapter 17: Red Lights

→Chapter 18: Reunion

→Chapter 19: Even Nightmares Dream

→Chapter 20: The Pact

→Chapter 21: The Ritual [SMUT]

→Chapter 22: Back Again

💥 Baki:

Not Really Katsumi

💥 One Punch Man:

Mayhem

💥 Friday the 13th/Halloween:

Friday the 13th Oneshots: Michael x Jason

→Chapter 1: Handful

→Chapter 2: Halloween Headache

→Chapter 3: You Make Me Go Crazy (SMUT)

💥Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit:

The Elf and the Elk

Red of Rivendell

Mischief

→Mischief: Chapter 1

→Mischief: Chapter 2

→Mischief: Chapter 3

→Mischief: Chapter 4

→Mischief: Chapter 5

→Mischief: Chapter 6

→Mischief: Chapter 7

💥Tangled (2010):

Dirty: Stabbington Brothers/Reader [SMUT]

Works In Progress

If there's anything in particular that you want to see posted, just comment on this post or shoot me a DM, and I'll try to get that one out a bit faster! If you have any questions also feel free to let me know. Some of these were written a while ago and forgotten about but I hate leaving things unfinished.

💥 House of Wax/Halloween:

You Look Like Me (And I Don't Like It): Bo Sinclair x Michael Myers

💥 Friday the 13th/Halloween:

Sharp Love: Jason Voorhees x Michael Myers

Friday the 13th Oneshots: Michael x Jason-Chapter 3

💥 The Collector (Asa Emory):

On Your Own: Professor!Asa Emory x Reader

Never Kiss a Stranger At the Bar: Professor!Asa Emory x Reader

Wrong File: Professor!Asa Emory x Reader

The TA: Professor!Asa Emory x Reader

💥 Hannibal (NBC):

Symphony of Murder: Asa Emory & Hannibal Lecter

💥 Slasher Harem:

House of Horror: Brahms/Asa/Michael/Jason/Harry/Pyramid Head/Bo/Thomas/Ghostface/Jason x Reader

💥 Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit:

Gold and Brown: Lindir x Legolas

Elven Encounters

Taste of Revenge

The Three Hunters: How it Should Have Been

💥 Mo Dao Zu Shi:

No Choice But the Wrong One: Xue Yang x Reader

💥 Banana Fish:

Cold Blue: Frederick Arthur x Reader

💥 Baki:

To Love a Monster: Yujiro x Reader

Triple Doom: Implied Mouth Triplets x Jun Guevaru

💥 Attack on Titan:

Attack on Titan Short Story Collection-Body Swap

💥 Kengan Ashura:

The Shadow That Never Sleeps

Muscle Heads: Ohma x Raian-Chapter 5

Kengan Ashura Oneshots-That's Not a Swimsuit: Ohma Tokita x Reader

Strong, Stronger, and the Strongest: Ohma Tokita x Lihito x Kure Raian

💥 Dragon Ball:

Goku Black x Reader: Forbidden Fruit-Chapter 23

The Devil's Promise: Goku Black x Reader

💥 Record of Ragnarok:

Cherrypop: Buddha x Reader

💥 Toriko:

55 Days to Tame the Beast: Zebra x Reader

💥 Sherlock Holmes (BBC):

The Untold Tales of a Second

💥 Squid Game:

All I See is Pink: Pink Soldiers x Reader

💥 Harry Potter:

Pranking Severus Snape

Mercy for the Brave: Severus Snape x Reader

💥 Marvel-Loki:

Not So Cold: Loki Odinson x Reader

💥 How To Train Your Dragon 3:

DragonSlayer: Grimmel x Reader

Betrothed to a Killer: Grimmel x Reader

#masterlist #multifandom

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biographydivider · 8 months

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I recently went to watch Fellowship of the Ring at the cinema with a friend who'd never seen it, and obviously afterwards I had to hunt down every autistic person's dream bingewatch; the behind the scenes from the Special Edition DVD.

I tell you what - compared to today's cheap CGI, green-screen, careless blockbusters, there's really nothing like watching these amazingly talented people gush about how much artistry went into every tiny detail of LOTR. The matte painted backdrops. The miniatures. The forced perspective. Bringing trees inside so they could recreate Rivendell. Sean Bean climbing a literal mountain to get to set. The riders of Rohan being mostly women with beards glued on. Yes, Gollum was mo-capped, but they talk about it as an amazing storytelling tool, not an easy way out. It makes me think of Marvel actors bouncing around on empty sets with ping pong balls on a stick for their eyeline, and it makes me sad.

#lord of the rings

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catofadifferentcolor · 1 year

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Terrible Fic Ideas #20: LotR, but make it First Age!Legolas (2.0)

The more I think about this idea, the more I love the idea of Legolas being one of the oldest elves left in Middle Earth by the time the events of The Lord of the Rings take place.

It does, however, involve creating a lot of back story for Legolas and his family that doesn't exist.

I've seen fan!backstory for Thranduil make his father Oropher the younger brother of Galadhon, Celeborn's father - thereby making the royal family of Mirkwood descendants of Elmo and cousins to Celeborn, Celebrían, and Elrond's brood.

I, however, prefer the idea that Oropher and the rest have only tangental relations to the important elves of the First Age. Mainly, that Oropher's sister was Galadhon's wife, keeping the kinship between Celeborn and Thranduil, but making their claims to kingship in Mirkwood that much more presumptuous.

As I said before, I also love the idea of Legolas being born as his family flees Doriath in 506 of the First Age.

To make the whole situation as painful as possible, give him an older sister in the Doriath guard, who died in the fighting the same day as he was born.

Give his mother and maternal grandmother high positions in the guard as well. His mother was obviously unable to fight due to her pregnancy and feels guilty about this for the rest of her life, while his grandmother was captain of Elwë's personal guard and died with her king when he refused to pay the dwarves for the Nauglamír four years before.

Legolas, his parents, and his paternal grandparents spend some time at the Havens of Sirion with the other survivors of Falls of Doriath and Gondolin. I love the idea of young!Legolas meeting barely older Eärendil there, if only because it introduces the whole my old childhood friend is now a star issue to cope with.

Although only 40 years old at the start of it, Legolas and the rest of his family fight in the War of Wrath. I imagine Legolas watching his mother die on the battlefield there, though his father and grandparents - who I all imagine for some reason as being apprentices of Melian - survive.

In the Second Age, Oropher leads the remnants of his family and some followers east, eventually winding up in the Greenwood. Rather than conquer the local Silvan population and make themselves king, I rather like the idea that the Silvans chose them as kings - either out of a strangers from far away being elevated to kingship narrative that happens in RL every so often, or because they'd rather live their lives in their trees and left dealing with foreigners to other foreigners.

Legolas adapts to being a prince not at all, and spends a lot of time hunting orcs and the like outside the borders of Greenwood until the War of the Last Alliance. I picture his paternal grandmother dying in the fighting there, leading Oropher to throw his life away in the Battle of Dagorlad.

At the start of the Third Age, Legolas and Thranduil are all that's left of their family. More than most other elves, death haunts their line - but even so, they've never quite learned how to cope with it.

Legolas caries on as before, hunting orcs and spiders, and rather than any of the movie nonsense falls into the Battle of Five Armies on accident, having followed and harried the host from Gundabad until they took the field.

I also imagine Legolas' reason for being in Rivendell for the Council to be somewhat different - he found himself west of the Misty Mountains and hoped to winter there, but instead was drawn into the fellowship because, as the elves say, he is a child of war. He was introduced to death and destruction too early; for all he loves his adopted forest, he's most at ease fighting the darkness that he was born into.

I go back and forth on how much of the fellowship I want to be aware of Legolas' great age and background and at what point any learn the truth, but I want little bits of it to slip out regardless of how everyone around him choses to interpret it.

Most important, however, is that after 6000+ years is the fact that Legolas doesn't learn how to cope with death until he spends time around mortals.

I also want to play into the whole lust is something elves only feel for the person they fall in love with, which happens only once thing. Because I love the idea of Legolas seeing Gimli in Rivendell before the council and just... falling head over heels and having no earthly idea what is happening to him or how to deal with it.

I also have this idea that Legolas is just horrible with directions, which is how he ends up on the wrong side of the mountains in Rivendell to begin with - mostly because his memories of these places are thousands of years old and landscapes have changed since he was last there, so he keeps looking for landmarks that aren't there anymore.

His relationship with Thranduil is also complicated and tinged with grief, and the suggestion that, as much as Thranduil loves his son, there is distance between them because they're always preparing to lose the other, as they've lost everyone else important to them.

But otherwise: 1) a lot of Legolas learning how how to cope with death and romantic attraction, both deeply intertwined with the other because his love is mortal; 2) Gimli having to make nearly every move in their relationship because Legolas is utterly clueless; 3) exasperated Aragorn watching all of this from the sidelines like a soap opera he has become invested in against his will; 4) the immense, inescapable weight of history echoing in everything from the last time I was here... to stealing boats has never gone well for elves.

So, yes, mostly just expansion upon the original idea and a whole bunch of things I would want to include if I had the time, energy, or willpower to do a LotR fic justice, but I had to share. As always, feel free to adopt the bunny, just let me know.

Other Legolas Headcanons: First Age | Second Age | Third Age | Half-Maia | Half-Elven

More Terrible Fic Ideas

#plot bunny #fic ideas #legolas #lotr #lord of the rings #legolas x gimli #the lord of the rings #legolas headcanon #tolkien #lotr headcanons

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bisexualbumblebee-writes · 1 year

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Returning Home Chapter 6- Thorin Oakenshield x OC

Thorin Oakenshield x Bellarose Baggins

Description: The Company arrives in Rivendell to talk to Lord Elrond about some runes on a map.

Word Count: 2.2k

Bellarose saw a few Elves stroll about the valley as the Company walked across a bridge to enter Rivendell. She had to refrain from staring at them, but she came really close. She just couldn’t help it though, she’d never seen any in real life. She’d only ever read about them or seen drawings of them.

It was only when the Company came to a stop in front of a large staircase that she couldn’t see the top of that she finally tore her wondering gaze from their surroundings to look at her companions. She was surprised to see that all of them either looked on edge or just uneasy in general. She opened her mouth to question Bofur, who stood closer to her, but was stopped by a smooth and soft voice.

“Mithrandir.” Bellarose turned to see a dark haired Elf walking down the flight of stairs they stood in front of. He was beautiful, but she should have expected that.

“Ah, Lindir,” Gandalf greeted with a smile, stepping closer to the Elf. Bellarose heard several Dwarves behind her murmur amongst themselves, obviously not trusting the very visibly harmless Elf.

“Lastannem i athrannedh i Vruinen (We heard you had crossed into the Valley),” Lindir said.

“I must speak with Lord Elrond,” Gandalf informed him.

“My lord Elrond is not here.”

“Not here? Where is he?” That same horn Bellarose heard when they were in the cave suddenly rang out again. Everyone turned around and was met with a group of armed horsemen approaching them at a rapid rate.

“Ifridî bekâr (Ready weapons)!” Thorin yelled. “Hold ranks!” The Dwarves bunched up together in a tight circle that Bellarose was pushed into the middle of, their weapons pointing outwards. The Elves rode in circles around them before coming to a stop. One of the horsemen separated himself from the rest and grinned at the Gray Wizard.

“Gandalf.”

“Lord Elrond,” Gandalf bowed to him. “Mellonnen! Mo evínedh (My friend! Where have you been)?”

“Farannem ‘lamhoth i udul o charad. Dagannem rim na Iant Vedui (We’ve been

hunting a pack of Orcs that came up from the South. We slew a number near the Hidden Pass),” the Elf explained as he dismounted his horse. He and Gandalf shared a hug before continuing.

“Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders. Something, or someone, has drawn them near,” he commented, holding up what appeared to be an Orc sword. He showed it to the group before handing it to Lindir as Gandalf spoke.

“Ah, that may have been us.” Thorin stepped forward from the circle, and a look of recognition crossed Lord Elrond’s face.

“Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain,” he greeted.

“I do not believe we have met,” Thorin muttered.

“You have your grandfather’s bearing,” the Elf explained. “I knew Thror when he ruled under the Mountain.”

“Indeed; he made no mention of you.” Bellarose shot him a reprimanding look that he ignored. Elrond chose to ignore the Dwarf’s insult as he looked at his fellow Elves.

“Nartho i noer, toltho i viruvor. Boe i annam vann a nethail vin (Light the fires, bring forth the wine. We must feed our guests),” he instructed.

“What is he saying?” Gloin questioned fiercely. “Does he offer us insult?” The Dwarves grew bellicose and gripped their weapons uneasily, which made Bellarose roll her eyes.

“Of course he doesn’t, master Gloin,” she retorted, catching everyone’s attention. “He’s offering you food.” The Dwarves looked amongst themselves, having a quiet discussion before facing forward again.

“Ah well, in that case, lead on.”

“You speak Elvish?” Bilbo asked in surprise.

“Surely you don’t think I read all those books just to look intelligent,” the younger Baggins joked in response as she followed the others up the staircase, earning a few laughs from their companions.

Dinner was rather…eventful. The Company was given a shorter table so they could dine comfortably, which they appreciated. What the Dwarves did not appreciate was the abundance of vegetables and lack of meat. Not to mention the music that accompanied dinner. The Dwarves ate as much as they could manage (which wasn’t a lot, to be honest), then everything went off to either bathe in luxury or just relax in their temporary rooms.

Bellarose, meanwhile, found herself following Thorin, Bilbo, Gandalf and Lord Elrond out to an open area not far from the Last Homely House in Rivendell. She watched with bated breath as Lord Elrond walked to the middle of the space and set Thorin’s map on a large crystalline table. Her eyes spared a quick glance to her leader, immediately noting how tense he was, likely because an Elf was holding his precious map (which she had learned by now was the equivalent of spitting on his father’s grave apparently). As if feeling her eyes on him, he faced her. She merely offered him a reassuring smile as Lord Elrond spoke.

“These runes were written on a Midsummer's Eve by the light of a crescent moon nearly two hundred years ago,” he paused then faced Thorin.” It would seem you were meant to come to Rivendell. Fate is with you, Thorin Oakenshield; the same moon shines upon us tonight.” At that, everyone looked up to see clouds passing over the moon, which shone on the crystalline table. Bellarose watched in awe as light flowed through the map, causing glowing white runes to fade into view. Once they were all there, the Elf Lord read them aloud.

“Stand by the gray stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole.”

“Durin’s Day?” Bilbo repeated curiously.

“It is the start of the Dwarves' new year, when the last moon of autumn and the first sun of winter appear in the sky together,” Gandalf explained.

“This is ill news,” Thorin shook his head. “Summer is passing. Durin's day will soon be upon us.”

“We still have time, Thorin,” Bellarose interjected.

“Time? For what?” Bilbo questioned from the other side of Thorin.

“To find the entrance,” Balin answered this time. “We have to be standing at exactly the right spot at exactly the right time. Then, and only then, can the door be opened.”

“So this is your purpose, to enter the Mountain?” Elrond asked.

“What of it?” Thorin shot back gruffly. Elrond merely shook his head.

“There are some who would not deem it wise.” He held the map out, to which Thorin took it while Bellarose stared at the Elf confusedly.

“What do you mean by that, Lord Elrond?” The Elf didn’t look at her, but at Gandalf as he answered.

“You are not the only guardian to stand watch over Middle Earth.” With that he walked away, leaving everyone else behind and Gandalf turning away, deep in thought.

Later that evening Bellarose took a bath, happy to finally scrub away the dirt and grime she’d accumulated without having to wait her turn in a freezing river. It was refreshing, like she’d been given a reward for making it this far in the quest. She stayed there for hours, far after her fingers and toes began pruning. After she finally managed to pull herself out of the tub she took great care in drying herself off, reveling in how soft the towels provided for her were.

Once that was done, she was hesitant to put her dress (which had been taken, cleaned and dried while she bathed) back on. Now don’t get her wrong she loved her dress, it was one of her favorite traveling dresses. But she’d come to learn that dresses were not good to wear during a journey such as this. The chafing of her legs was a testament of that. She sighed softly and picked up her chemise, slipping it on. Before she could get much further she heard a knock on the bathroom door.

“Come in.” With her permission the door opened and in walked an Elf maid, Marina.

“I hope you enjoyed your bath, My Lady,” she spoke, earning a nod from the girl.

“I did, thank you.” Marina smiled at her,

“Well, I’ve just come to make sure you did not require anything else. Is there anything else I can do for you before you return to your companions?” Bellarose opened her mouth to say no, but then she paused.

“Actually… Can I make an odd request?”

Just a little while later Bellarose stood in front of the bathroom’s mirror, now wearing brown trousers. They were form fitting, and surprisingly comfortable despite that. Apparently they belonged to Lord Elrond’s daughter Arwen, and he graciously donated them to the Hobbit upon her request. It felt odd to have her legs so constricted, having worn dresses all her life, but she couldn't deny how much movement it gave her. Not to mention how good they looked on her. The thought made her smile as she faced Marina, who walked back into the bathroom once again.

“These are the smallest pair I could find,” the Elf informed her, looking apologetic as she held out a small pair of shears. They were still a bit big in the Hobbit’s hands, but they were okay nonetheless.

“They’re perfect,” the girl reassured her with a grateful smile. “I require nothing more, thank you, Lady Marina.” The Elf merely bowed her head before leaving, closing the door behind her and leaving Bellarose alone. She took a deep breath then faced her reflection in front of her, grabbing the chemise in one hand and holding up the shears in the other.

By the end of it the girl had cut off the entire skirt of her chemise, leaving only the top, which was now under her green girdle. It took a while to even it out to her liking, but she eventually managed to get it. She threw the skirt away and decided that she was ready to meet up with the rest of the Company.

She quietly made her way down the hall to the Company’s quarters. As she grew closer the smell of sausages cooking filled her senses, which made her stomach grumble (hey, even a Hobbit couldn’t live on vegetables alone). Just as she opened the door she heard Bofur call his brother’s name. She watched as he threw a sausage at Bombur, who caught it with ease from where he sat on an Elven bench. It seemed that the sausage was just too much for the bench because without warning the bench broke. Bombur shrieked as he fell straight onto his back, spilling his plate of food everywhere. In an instant the Dwarves burst into uproarious laughter while Bellarose stared at them in shock.

“Boys!” She exclaimed in a reprimanding tone, causing all laughter to cease and the entire Company to face her. “It is incredibly rude to break and burn furniture that doesn’t belong to you. Where in the world have your manners gone?” Everyone stared at her in shock, though it took her a moment to realize that it wasn’t because of her scolding. Instead all eyes were on the lack of skirt that covered her legs and pants she now wore. She rolled her eyes and huffed in annoyance.

“Here, take a good look,” she said, holding her arms out and spinning once to allow them to see the full extent of her wardrobe change. “Alright, now listen to me!”

She began to scold them, but was unfortunately stopped short when the door opened behind her. She turned and was met with none other than Thorin, and just like the others whatever he was feeling at the moment was replaced with shock upon giving her a once over. He just stood there for a minute or two, staring at her. With the others she didn’t care what they thought, but for some reason it felt different with Thorin.

It looked like he was trying to figure out whether he liked it or not. For the first time that night she felt…self conscious? And what a confusing and uncomfortable feeling that was. Why was she letting his examination get to her like this? She had no idea, but she hated it. Just when she felt like she couldn’t take it anymore, he finally looked at her face. Once again their eyes met, though instead of having an impartial gaze, his eyes now had a hint of mirth in them. A small smile formed on his face as he nodded at her.

“You look good,” was all he said. Bellarose tried to ignore the heat in her face as she smiled at him.

“Thank you.” The Dwarf merely nodded at her before looking around.

“If we are to slip past Elrond we need to leave right at dawn, so get as much sleep as you can,” he instructed, making his way over to one of the beds. The Company did as he said and finished eating quickly. After making sure the fire was extinguished Bellarose climbed into bed, falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, allowing her to sleep peacefully and comfortably for the first time in months.

#the hobbit #the hobbit imagine #thorin oakenshield #thorin imagine #thorin x oc

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ariminiria · 1 year

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I'm curious, but may I ask what the major issues of the Hobbit trilogy were, please?

ohhh boy I could go on for ages... in fact, I think I previously made a whole post about it, let me see if I can find it

okay I couldn't find the exact post, but the two I rbed below me are a couple reasons. but, I'm going to be visiting the discord for this one bc I know I've definitely ranted about it there

but first, I want to start out by addressing an attitude I've seen since Amazon's fanfiction came out. a lot of people have started to point to the Hobbit trilogy and say, "see! it wasn't so bad! aren't you grateful for them now! we trested it so badly but we didn't know!"

to which I say: absolutely not.

more below the cut because this is gonna be loooong

that's like trying to excuse a turd in comparison to a post-taco bell night mess. one is more disgusting than the other, but at the end of the day, they're both terrible pieces of shit.

the Hobbit films didn't magically get better just because the Fanfic came out. it being worse didn't suddenly erase that trilogies flaws.

so with that clarified, let's get into what actually makes the Hobbit films so bad.

I actually think the first one is pretty good. It had potential and is easily fixable.

but movie two... it was all downhill from there.

where to begin... ah, the writing.

so, it's clear that the writing was attempting for the same tone as the original LotR trilogy. and while that may seem like a good idea on the surface, The Hobbit was written for children. the tone of the book is overall more light-hearted and adventurous. therefore, trying to force the more despairing-yet-hopeful, dark tone of the original trilogy already starts the story on the wrong foot. you get conflicting messages from the subtext because the film writers' vision is so different from the basic intent of what Tolkien wrote.

I like to say it this way: they were more interested in making a "LotR prequel" than they were in making a "Hobbit film adaptation". the Hobbit should've been one film, maybe two. but they clearly only painfully stretched it across three films like butter scraped across too much bread for the sole purpose of having just as many movies as LotR - but that one actually makes sense because the book is divided into three volumes providing natural breaking points and content enough for for three movies

now I own the extended editions of the Hobbit, literally just for the sake of owning them, and.... the first one? hardly "extended" at all. I'm pretty sure the extended Unexpected Journey is literally still shorter than the shortest THEATRICAL cut LotR film. it felt like the only material they cut was cut for the sole purpose of being able to sell an extended version.

also pardon my French but it genuinely makes me so angry-- there's this one fucking joke. this stupid. Fucking. Joke.

why would you hire a COMEDIAN to be in an epic fantasy like Tolkien?? Tolkien has funny moments but not Modern Comedian Funny.

this stupid. motherfucker. I am SO angry about this, he looked at a candelabra and fucking said MADE IN RIVENDELL??? I literally yelled over the movie for two solid minutes about that one, three word, throwaway line. it pisses me off more than the entirety of love triangle plot (we'll get to that later, don't you worry)

anways, I am taking deep breaths, I am calming down, we are forgetting about The Joke...

*ahem* now, let's talk about how the films look. first off, they filmed in 30 FPS. for context, the standard Frames Per Second is 24. 30 is typically only used for special effects such as slow mo, and even then youre better off using 60, so its essentially pointless in the end. this results in a weird, subconscious "off" feeling as you watch the movement on screen. everything just looks... not-quite-right, even if you can't put a finger on what it is.

the main visual issue is overuse of CGI. one of those posts I rbed below this has visual examples, comparing between the trilogies. namely, comparing between Lurtz and Azog the Defiler (who wasn't even in the books, btw. he was named dropped once, to say "oh yeah and Bolg, the orc leading the Orc army was the son of Azog the Defiler" and that was it).

the atrocious CGI sabotages any goodwill you mightve had for the production value.

the LotR trilogy was believable because of the well managed practical effects, with minimal and careful use of CGI. Peter Jackson said it was made like "a Kiwi indie film", and that simplistic yet passionate charm shines through The Hobbit, on the other hand, shot like any major hollywood production with approximately Zero indie charm, said "computers can do anything and everything, right?" and they just. Did That.

all the backgrounds are NOTICEABLY green screen. they're fuzzy and just. weird. im talking noticable green screen. there's even a behind the scenes set photo of Ian McKellen with his head in his hands, weeping, because he's surrounded by nothing but green fabric, without even another human actor across from him.

remember how I mentioned Azog? the orcs look like these weird, clay models that somebody ran through a computer program, and it's very distracting. not to mention, most of the orcs' acting is lost in the motion capture translation because CGI tech is constantly changing, whereas practical effects are what they are. theg stay the same and hold up consistently, making them far superior and able to last far longer, because CGI will inevitably evolve and be left in the dust (isn't that right, original Jumangi?) I once found a side-by-side gif of the original Azog actor in the motion capture suit vs the end product and I was absolutely gutted at how much of the intensity was lost. that same man, in a prosthetic effects costume? I have full confidence it would've been beautiful. but alas...

and i promised earlier that we'd talk about it, so its time to address that love triangle.

holy bad idea, Batman. you don't add OCs to someone else's work outside of fanfic period, but especially not to works like Tolkien. you just don't. heck, I even have issues with Legolas being in the Hobbit movies since he wasn't in the books! however, that could have been excused because he legitimately is Thranduil's son, and it would have been a neat fan service cameo, but with what they did to his character, it would have been better off not to have him at all. he had no business being so involved in the Plot, a simple popup in Mirkwood would've been enough

and then

then...... they had to do That. with Tauriel. Tauriel..... look, I get it, they wanted Female Representation™️, but. No. a multi billion dollar trilogy made to get money from nerds is not the place to crowd test your Dwarf/Elf/Elf love triangle fanfiction. that whole arc was also clearly time padding to have more material to justify 3 movies lol.

but, in addition, because of the love triangle/unnecessary Azog subplot combo, they ruined the depth of certain character deaths. Fili and Kili were meant to fall defending Thorin, and Thorin died three days later of his wounds, which is a huge part of his change of heart in forgiving Bilbo.

one thing that makes me laugh more than makes me angry is Kili's death. they try to make it all dramatic, like "oh no, Bolg has thrown the Strong and Dexterous Female Elf Warrior to the ground, and now he is going to kill Kili in slow motion" but like. she could have gotten up. she wasn't gravely injured, and she's like. an elf.

and it would have been so easy to fix this too, ignoring the fact that she shouldn't even exist. watch this, I'll fix it right now: she has almost fallen off the cliff, hanging on by her fingertips just the same way Gandalf did in Moria. she struggles to regain her grip to get to Kili, but before she can even get back up onto the ledge, Kili has been killed.

instead what we got: she's just like slowly writhing on the ground as Bolg deadass pauses for dramatic effect before slow mo shanking Kili with this giant spear that should have killed him instantly, but like he has enough slow mo time to gasp and groan and then finally mouth "i LoVe YoU!1!1" before mercifully perishing and escaping this trash movie. it's hilarious.

and don't even get me started on the weird sexual undertones they put between Gandalf and Galadriel, like??? that's a married woman my dude, why are she and the wizard making eyes at each other

anyways I'm sure there's more I could talk about but this is long enough as is. maybe someday I'll take all the footage of all 3 movies and edit it down into one single-film extended cut of What Could Have Been but until then I'm just going to keep rightfully trashing on this movie

#hollywood hate #tolkien

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viola-ophelia · 9 months

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💀 Hey, did you know-: What is your favourite piece of behind the scenes trivia?

⏳ time and age: which poorly aged scene from LOTR is your favourite?

📽 action!: rank all six of the films (or three if you're a hater)

YES thank you for the ask archi!!

1. the fact that orlando bloom is 2 years older than lee pace, even though lee pace was supposed to be his dad in the hobbit, is really funny to me lol. also, everyone knows this one but the scene where aragorn kicks that random orc helmet and viggo mortenson broke his toe irl lol

2. THE WEIRD BED SCENE AT THE END where frodo is in bed in rivendell and all the characters come in one by one in slow-mo and frodo doesn’t seem to know who tf legolas is. i will never not find it fucking hilarious

3. oh gosh. from best to worst…

two towers - return of the king - fellowship of the ring - battle of the five armies - desolation of smaug - an unexpected journey

i actually freaking love the hobbit films, but lotr is just a little more nostalgic lol. BOTFA has the best/most fun plot, but thranduil is so hawt in desolation of smaug… and as for lotr, i had to put two towers as #1 because as iconic as the return of the king is, NOTHING beats the battle of helm’s deep for me. it’s the best battle scene ever ever ever

#lord of the rings #tolkien #ask

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tossawary · 3 years

Text

Because my brain does NOT stop even when I’m grounded, today my brain told me, “Hey, I figured out how to make a Hobbit Fusion AU work.” And I was like, “Great! We’re working, though.” And my brain was like, “I’ve figured out how to make it a Pre-Canon Canon Divergence AU for Moshang.”

And I was like, “...I’m listening.”

The Hobbit is another one of my Comfort Media and it got brought up when I was asking about that, but I was feeling kind of “eh” about mixing Tolkien mythology with SVSSS. I mean, the mental picture of Dwarf Mobei-Jun is extremely funny and Shang Qinghua would make a great hobbit! But that interpretation felt a little too direct for my AU tastes.

So, hm, now I have another potential Big Bang contender. My love for The Hobbit is very, VERY strong and looking at my current outline, I have to be like, “Yeah, this could be 50,000 words, no problem.”

It’s a very good outline!

After saving Mobei-Jun, Shang Qinghua bailed A.S.A.P. because he honestly thought Mobei-Jun was going to kill him. He psyched himself out of sticking around before Mobei-Jun woke up. Mobei-Jun didn’t get enough information to track Shang Qinghua down.

Shang Qinghua (who isn’t SQH because he isn’t the Peak Lord) decides that he can’t fucking take it anymore and bails from Cang Qiong Mountain Sect too. The System objects, but also falls into line when Airplane shrieks at it. Airplane is going to go become a humble merchant and inventor and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop him!

It turns out that Shang Qinghua’s presence or help was actually crucial to stop some Emperor of the Abyss from taking over the Ice Palace and the Northern Desert. Airplane is like, “Oh, yeah, I remember… offhandedly writing something about that happening in the past off-screen?” It was one of those things that he just threw in there because it sounded really cool, and it gave Mobei-Jun another reason to “owe” Shang Qinghua and not kill him immediately, but he never got to elaborate on it because he was too busy writing stallion novel bullshit.

So, borrowing the lore from my “Horns” one-shot, an extremely powerful Emperor of the Abyss escaped the Eternal Abyss. This is some devouring horror being from the depths of the abyss, which ate everything in its vicinity in the abyss itself and crawled into the Demon Realm to eat more things. The Emperor of the Abyss was attracted to Mobei-Jun’s father. They fought. Mobei-Jun’s father should have won, but didn’t, because he was too fucked up (thanks to his own hedonism or something) to fight properly. What an asshole.

Mobei-Jun’s father was killed and devoured by the Emperor of the Abyss, which has made it… exponentially powerful. It’s now… basically a calamity. The desolation that it leaves in its wake across the Northern Desert is unspeakable. Mobei-Jun and his family, their allied clans, and pretty much all demons in the Northern Desert have had to flee.

Mobei-Jun is currently essentially a “guest” of the Sha Clan. He’s homeless. He’s lost the power of his ancestors. He’s a “king” without a kingdom. It’s humiliating. He needs to kill the abyssal creature to retrieve: his title, his ancestors’ power, and his kingdom.

While working for other demon clans to support his family and people, Mobei-Jun crosses paths with Airplane. Airplane has become a relatively successful merchant and inventor, and he calls himself Shang Houhua. He lives a very comfortable life and does his best to ignore anything resembling the plot. He’s pretty successful at ignoring the plot.

Mobei-Jun is never in a good mood these days, but he’s especially pissed off to see that human who abandoned him all those years ago. Airplane tries to argue that Mobei-Jun told him to fuck off, but Mobei-Jun is too angry. Airplane makes lots of offers in an effort to get Mobei-Jun to spare his life, one of which ends up being a claim that he can help Mobei-Jun kill the Emperor of the Abyss and make him a king again. Mobei-Jun pauses, now even more pissed off than before, and Airplane just starts babbling desperately to save his own skin.

Mobei-Jun was already forming a company to take on a Quest for the Northern Desert - in the hopes of slaying the Emperor of the Abyss and retaking his homeland. Part of the issue has been that forming the company is difficult. Mobei-Jun wants people who are loyal to HIM and ONLY to him. He won’t owe anyone else anything or promise them pieces of his homeland.

(Airplane is like, “Bro, I don’t know if you can afford to be so picky, but okay.”)

So Mobei-Jun is like… “I still want to kill you, but fine, you can come on our quest and help us.”

So Airplane ends up on the Quest for the Northern Desert, led by his very angry future murderer the “king without a kingdom” Mobei-Jun, to fight the calamitous Emperor of the Abyss who killed Mobei-Jun’s father. Fuck.

Some details beyond this opening premise:

Airplane and Mobei-Jun fall in love over the course of the quest, obviously. They have their own hijinks like each chapter of The Hobbit (equivalents to the trolls, to Rivendell, to Goblintown, to Beorn, to Mirkwood, and to Laketown, etc.).

Oh, damn, I just realized that making a pre-fall Tianlang-Jun and Zhuzhi-Lang the Beorn equivalents would be so fucking funny.

The Emperor of the Abyss is a horrifying Smaug equivalent. It can totally talk because Airplane having a conversation with a draconian horror sounds incredible. I would love to have Airplane outwit the Emperor of the Abyss in some fashion.

Mobei-Jun and Airplane somehow manage to successfully kill the Emperor of the Abyss together. Like, together. Probably using some plot device whipped up or some clever plan devised by Airplane on his feet. Mobei-Jun trusts Airplane at a crucial moment and it all works out. Airplane actually gets Mobei-Jun his kingdom back.

I’m tempted to just skip over the Ring and not having a Ring equivalent. BUT if I made this into a longfic instead of a one-shot, I would have a Ring equivalent (if it was a one-shot, I would ditch the Ring equivalent). I think I would make Xin Mo the One Ring equivalent. During the Goblintown equivalent event, Airplane falls either into the Eternal Abyss or into Bing-Ge’s dimension, where he proceeds to successfully take up Xin Mo because he knows the trick and portal himself out of the Eternal Abyss, or he proceeds to outwit Bing-Ge in some fashion and uses the Xin Mo sword to portal himself back to the right dimension.

So then Airplane is stuck with this super powerful sword that he doesn’t want to use again because he KNOWS that it will fuck him up. He KNOWS that it will FUCK HIM UP. So Airplane has to go through the rest of the quest ignoring the temptation of the Xin Mo sword that he is absolutely not supposed to have and can’t possibly let anyone else have.

(Oh, man, imagining the influence of Xin Mo giving Airplane extra horny thoughts about Mobei-Jun on the rest of the quest is very funny. Like, Airplane was already hot for Mobei-Jun, but now it’s worse and he might never have a normal thought ever again.)

Bagginshield Movie Hug when Airplane turns up again, for sure. Mobei-Jun thought he was dead. Mobei-Jun smiles and everything, until he remembers to frown again.

I’m feeling like I don’t want Airplane to use Xin Mo to help defeat the Emperor of the Abyss, but it makes sense if he does. Him not using it doesn’t make much sense. I do like the idea of Airplane dealing the killing blow and Mobei-Jun’s pride being hurt by Airplane being the one to kill it. I also like the idea of Mobei-Jun being a little smitten by Airplane just… loyally handing him his kingdom and restoring the power of his ancestors. I also really like the idea of Airplane just… not having some super powerful plot device up his sleeve on the quest.

Like, instead of Airplane’s Author God knowledge totally setting him up to deal with this thing no problem, Airplane had NO FUCKING PLAN when he set out with Mobei-Jun. He was talking completely out of his ass when he said he knew how to help Mobei-Jun. That this all worked out at all is almost completely due to luck and improvisation.

That feels MUCH more true to both Shang Qinghua and to Bilbo Baggins. Lucky lads of fast-talking, complaining, lying, not knowing what the fuck is really going on, thirsting after kings with tragic backstories, and somehow not dying despite winging it all the time.

Instead of goldsickness, Mobei-Jun is forced to deal with some side-effects of consuming the Emperor of the Abyss to regain the power of his ancestors. (Demon cannibalism rituals. Yeah.) He starts acting really scary and out-of-character and forceful, until Airplane loses his nerve and runs away. Maybe under the influence of the late Emperor of the Abyss, Mobei-Jun actually tries to kill him? I could see Mobei-Jun trying to kill Airplane for the Xin Mo sword which dealt the finishing blow on the Emperor of the Abyss.

(I need a better name for this thing. If I can’t come up with something that actually sounds good, I might just call it “The Calamity”, but that’s giving me BOTW vibes so I don’t like it. Maybe I’d call it “The Desolation” or something? Ehhhh, I don’t really like that either.)

I want to have a Battle of the Five Armies equivalent, if only so Tianlang-Jun and Zhuzhi-Lang can swoop in as benevolent helpers as the Beorn equivalents. Currently, I’m seeing three options. 1) The orc army equivalent are neighboring demon lords who want to strike while the new Mobei-Jun is getting established. 2) The orc army equivalent is Linguang-Jun trying to kill his nephew and take power at the last minute. 3) The orc army equivalent is Bing-Ge here with an army and he’s pissed off and wants his sword back.

On one hand, 1 and 2 would be SO MUCH EASIER to pull off. I could be really lazy about the whole thing. On the other hand, 3 would be much fresher (more surprising and links back to the Xin Mo element), more challenging and the idea of pre-fall Tianlang-Jun facing off with Bing-Ge delights me. Kick his ass, Tianlang-Jun!

(Su Xiyan gets involved? My brain says YES. Kick his ass, Su Xiyan!)

Also, I was sad about there being no Fili and Kili equivalents, because Mobei-Jun has no friends, and I’ll have to make up a company pretty much from scratch. (Sha Hualing is too young and Luo Binghe hasn’t been born yet.) BUT then I was like, “Where’s Linguang-Jun in all this?” And I would absolutely have Linguang-Jun be a part of Mobei-Jun’s Company. Instead of nephews, Mobei-Jun has a sketchy uncle who might be trying to kill him. Keeping Linguang-Jun out of it might be easier, but actually doing some character-building with him sounds fun and challenging, and I’d rather limit the number of OCs if possible.

Mobei-Jun manages to shake off the goldsickness equivalent somehow, probably through “the power of love” (and/or straight-up “dual cultivation” with Airplane?). Moshang makes up while Mobei-Jun is apparently mortally wounded from fighting Bing-Ge and Airplane thinks this is all his fault. But Mobei-Jun doesn’t die! It’s all good!

It’d be pretty funny if there was a “Returning to the Shire” equivalent where Airplane leaves because he thinks Mobei-Jun hates him now and never wants to see him again. So then Mobei-Jun has to track his man down like, “Get back here and marry me. (Also I am so sorry for trying to kill you. Please forgive me. I hate myself so much for that.)��

And they all live happily ever after!

Holy shit, this wasn’t in Proud Immortal Demon Way.

#svsss hobbit fusion au #tossawary updates #tossawary svsss #moshang #mobei jun #shang qinghua #comfort media fusion aus #fic ideas

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certifiedskywalker · 4 years

Text

Under the Stars - Legolas

While traversing Middle Earth, on a quest to deliver the One Ring to Mount Doom, you and the Fellowship try to move stealthily. Some are better at sneaking around than others. For instance, you seem to struggle in masking your feelings for a certain Elf. The rest of the Fellowship can so easily see the affection you hold for Legolas while you believe you’re being quite slick. Turns out, you’re the only one that was fooled.

AN: This is purely a selfish writing endeavor. I’ve been stressed and watching the LOTR and Hobbit movies to relax...I forgot how much I love Elves….Human!Reader X Legolas...

“I’m sick of smelling of grass and grime!” Merry announced. As he spoke, he dropped his cloak on a patch of nearby dirt beside the fire Boromir had begun to build. Silently, you hoped for Aragorn and Legolas to return with supper soon. Once the Hobbits’ stomachs were full, they would quiet.

Legolas had described them as ‘children’ to you one evening: once fed, quick to bed. It had been one of those first nights, back when you were too nervous, too giddy, to sleep. You would stay up with Legolas as he took watch. Despite what Gimli had told you about Elves, you found Legolas to be good company during those restless nights, a great comfort even. He would tell you stories from the centuries he had lived through and you would listen, hang off every word. When you finally did fall asleep, rare as it was those first days, it was because you felt safe with Legolas by your side.

If you dwelled too long on the memory, your face would warm with longing. How simple it had been before your heart began to complicate matters. Luckily, the Hobbits, hungry and noisy as ever, pulled you from your thoughts.

“We’re all sick,” Sam sighed as he took a seat next to haggard Frodo. “But we’ll be back at the Shire soon. Drinking and eating Rosie’s lovely supper roast.”

Boromir scoffed and shook his head at the Hobbit’s squabbling. “We have many more weeks of travel yet. Do not kid yourselves.”

Pippin frowned and plopped down beside a freshly disappointed Merry. This was the first time any of them had been away from the Shire, from their home; especially for so long. Due to that new homesickness, Boromir’s true words hit hard for the Hobbits. You gave them a sad smile before looking to Boromir. You bumped your shoulder against his to get his attention.

“Take it easy on them,” you said softly. “They’re not like us, not ready to leave home to save it at a moments notice.”

“They’re not fighters, you mean,” he countered as he struck the flint and steel. Sparks shot out from the metal and stone. After another strike, small flames began to burn. With a sigh, Boromir set his tools aside and sat back.

“You could change that, you know.” Boromir stole a glance at you, an eyebrow raised at your words. “You could teach them to fight, to defend. It would make things easier.”

“Easier?”

There was an edge to the man’s voice that caught you off guard. It was the same tone his father had used with you and Faramir when the pair of you tried to get Boromir to ditch his ‘steward prince’ duties as children. You cringed that familiar cruelty. Boromir was annoyed and you, already tired from the days travels, were not equipped to handle his irritability. You started to stand, brushing the dirt off of your trousers.

“Easier?!”

“It was just a suggestion, Boromir,” you explained, already starting to turn your back to the man. As you started to take steps into the forest, to find Aragorn and Legolas, Boromir let out a hearty laugh.

“It would be easier if you did not fawn over our dear Elf companion as well, but you seem to be falling just the same.”

You stopped dead in your tracks and felt your skin, every inch of it, warm with embarrassment. Slowly, you turned to meet Boromir’s bright eyes and knowing smirk. His expression resembled his younger self, the boy that affectionately tease you as you trained with Faramir. Growing up in Gondor with Boromir had toughened your hide to his ribbing; but this struck a chord. This was not the good-natured jokes you were used to.

Despite the truth in his teasing, Boromir’s tone was changed, twisted into something kissed by darkness.

“I know nothing of which you speak,” you replied through slightly gritted teeth. You had gone so long without anyone seemingly noting your admiration of Legolas that you were clambering for a defense.

“Oh deary me,” Gimli, groaned. You looked over at the Dwarf and saw his saddened eyes. Behind him, the Hobbits watched, wide-eyed, as you seemed to seethe.

“Everyone here sees it,” Boromir continued, “except for possibly the Elf and yourself. Blind to your own feelings and you talk of making things easier.”

Your heart leapt in your chest. For a moment, your thoughts are clouded by Legolas.

His blonde hair, flicking with the wind as you walked towards destiny, towards Mount Doom. Those first nights spent chatting about adventure. His eyes, soft as he explained to you the significance of his braids and recounted the sternness of his kingly father. For the past few days, when he wasn’t scouting ahead, he was walking by your side, letting his hand brush ever-so slightly. In those moments, you tried your hardest to keep calm, stay steady while Legolas seemed wholly unfazed by the incidental touches.

If anything it was the Elven prince who was blind, oblivious to how his mere presence was driving you mad with want. No, Boromir was wrong. You were not blind to your feelings, you were just ignoring them. Or, at least, trying to ignore them. After all, how could an Elf like Legolas, beautiful and immortal, want you?

“You are mistaken, Boromir,” you snap coldly. “I have no...inclination towards the Elf. Perhaps it is you, who is blind.”

Boromir shook his head and sighed. “You are grasping at thin air, Y/N. Even from the low spots at which they stand, the Hobbits can see your fonding eyes towards the archer.”

“Hey!” Merry stood in a flash, “we see lots of things.”

“So you agree with him?” You asked, turning to the four halflings perched beside the fire. Frodo was stunned in silence, as was Sam who had even stopped nibbling at his lembas. You imagined such human drama rarely reared its head in the Shire. Merry and Pippin, however, used to causing chaos, nodded.

“I mean, it’s the truth. Is it not?” Pippin asked, a hopeful half-smile on his lips. Despite his kind expression, you felt a bolt of hot anger in your heart.

“Not!”

“Aye, the man is right,” Gimli stood before you. Stout and strong, he looked up at you with true Dwarven candor. “Everybody sees how you look at ‘im. I don’t begin to understand it, the pointy ears and all, but-”

“Neither do I.”

The words left your lips edged with a saddening truth you were not expecting. You didn’t understand how you could fall for someone so hard, so swiftly. Let alone someone who was an Elf, an entire world away from yours. The thought brought stinging tears to your eyes. To hide them, you turned your back to the camp and started to walk into the surrounding forest.

As you left, you heard Frodo finally speak up.

“It feels that we have just begun and we are already crumbling.”

For a moment, you’re tempted to stay. Whatever feelings you had for Legolas, they were not worth tarnishing the Fellowship. But the thought of facing Boromir, the others, after they so plainly set your heart’s affection on display made you feel ill. So, you kept walking.

You walked until you found a clearing lined with grand, old trees. They towered but their branches did not dare to obscure the stars that shone down. Moonlight gleamed along the green blades of grass in the center of the clearing. The glow was soft, inviting, and you felt drawn to it.

When you moved to stand in the light, you found yourself looking up. Away from the fire light and pyres of Minas Tirith, the stars shone with abandon. Never before had you seen anything as breathtaking. Though, that wasn’t quite true.

You had seen Legolas in the heat of battle: graceful and deadly, slinging arrows with startling accuracy. From the first moment you saw him at the Council of Elrond, you knew there was a fire beneath his skin and you felt honored to see it burn in battle. You had seen his gentleness too as he studied particular flowers along the trail. As you walked with the Fellowship, you would steal sneaky glances at the Elf when he wasn’t at your side.

Apparently, your awe and stolen looks had not gone unnoticed. You winced as you thought back to the camp, to Boromir’s borderline cruelty. He had seemed different ever since you left Rivendell, ever since he learned of the Ring. Could a little band of gold, a promise of power, change a man so quickly?

You pushed the thought from your mind and tried to focus solely on the stars. In the silence, there was a brief peace. Worries slipped away, melted under the light of the Moon. The next day would come and bring fear with it. For this moment, you closed your eyes to better savor the quiet and its strange joy.

“Stars never seem to shine as brightly outside Mirkwood.”

Your eyes opened wide at the sound of Legolas’ voice. When you craned your neck and saw the Elf standing at the edge of the tree line, your breath caught. In the starlight, he looked all the more fair and handsome. His eyes, darker in the limited light, met yours and he dipped his head.

“I did not mean to frighten you,” he raised his open palms and approached you.

“No, you didn’t, I...I wasn’t expecting you.” You tore your attention away from him and looked back to the sky. It took all you had to keep your breathing steady as Legolas moved to stand at your side. From the corner of your eyes, you could see his strong shoulders, his chest, so close. Why must he stand so near?

“You were expecting someone else then?”

“I-I,” you looked back to him and saw that he was looking at the stars. Though your floundering reaction to his question did not go unnoticed. The slightest of smiles played on his pale lips. “No. No one.”

You moved your eyes back to the stars in the hopes of recovering some of your dignity. A sudden fear flooded your senses. Had he returned to camp with Aragorn? What had the others told him? You thought back to Boromir’s attitude and tensed. Before you could ask after anything, Legolas spoke up.

“Tonight, they remind me of home.”

You swallow hard before you dared to look his way. “What do you mean?”

“The stars,” he whispered, turning his gaze to yours. There was a gentleness in his features that made your chest warm. “And the company.”

Your breath caught in your throat at his words. “I fear I don’t understand.”

“You remind me home,” Legolas replied smoothly. You let out a forced laughed and frowned at him. Elves, by nature, were poetic but did Legolas did not see how his words could have a double meaning? He must see the pain on your face, the desperate hope his words gave you. Everyone else did, apparently.

“How could a human remind an Elf of his woodland home?”

“You are beautiful.” Legolas didn’t miss a beat with his reply.

“Legolas.” When his name fell from your lips, it was heavy and full of warning. Yet, the Elf seemed to care less as he turned his eyes back towards the sky. Silently, you cursed yourself for thinking he meant anything by the compliment.

“When I was younger, my father would bring me to the canopy to study the constellations. He would tell me the stories that accompanied them.”

Frown still firmly planted in your expression, you commented, “that doesn’t sound like the grim man you described to me.”

“He could be bitter, but beneath the asperity there was always love.”

His words stirred up for you an image of Boromir. While you heart still stung from his teasing, you could not forget the childhood you shared with him. The boy you once played with, trained with, alongside his younger brother, was still there. Buried beneath the hardened, stubborn man, but he was there all the same. There was hope for him yet.

“Love endures,” you added softly. The chilled night air gave your breath the form of a small cloud. Instinctively, you pulled at your cloak and fastened it a bit tighter around your shoulders.

“It endures all of Time and wild weather,” Legolas agreed. His eyes found yours once more and, with a look of concern, he leaned close to you. “Are you cold?”

“No, I’m not, I…”

You trailed off, unable to think clearly with Legolas so near and looking at you like that. His eyes were kind, framed by the long, fine strands of his blond hair. With his dark brows furrowed together with worry, he looked older despite the Elven gift of eternal youth. How tempted you were to reach out and pull his lips to yours. Your fingers twitched and itched to do so, but you forced your hands to stay still. Bitterly, you imagined that those in the Fellowship would smirk at you if they could see how you were acting.

“Y/N, you sh-”

“Did they tell you?”

Legolas cocked his head to the side like a confused hound. “Tell me what?”

“The Fellowship did they...I am tired of being played for a fool,” you pressed. “I have been parading about as if I have masked my every feeling yet I could be read as plainly as any tome. I refuse to believe you, with your Elven sight, could not see what mere men and Hobbits have.”

At you plea, Legolas’ straightened his posture. While he leaned towards you no longer, his eyes remained soft and as watchful as they ever were. You took in his furrowed brows and slight frown before pressing a hand to your forehead with shame. In an attempt to calm yourself, you hung your heavy head and took a deep breath.

“I, I am sorry, Legolas. I think it’s time I had some rest.”

With your hand hiding a portion of your downturned face, you did not see him move closer to you until you saw the toes of his boots before your own. Still embarrassed because of your outburst, you did not dare to move. Only when you felt slender, warm fingers wrap around your wrist did you allow your hand to fall away. When you lifted your head, you were met with Legolas’ eyes focused solely on you.

“Do not apologize, you are right. They did not tell me; they do not need to. I have seen the feelings of which you speak and I am sorry that I have been so quiet.”

A breath was hard for you to find, but when you did you used it to ask the question balanced on the tip of your tongue. “What do you mean?”

“I mean to say there are many differences between your world and mine. I should have made my feelings more clear.”

Legolas’ grip on your wrist loosened slightly and you thought he was going to let go. Your stomach dropped with the dread of an affection gone unrequited. Then, just as you felt true doom, Legolas joined his hand with yours. Your gaze fell to watch how his fingers entangled with yours. Nervous, you looked back to Legolas and found there was a tender smile playing on his lips.

“At night I do not sleep but with these long evenings, with you slumbering so near, I have wished to. I have lived through many centuries and never once wanted to sleep. Never once did I see a beauty and longed to hold it dear until I met you.”

“Legolas,” you whispered, breathlessly, “I now truly feel like a fool.”

He lifted his free hand, the one not holding yours, to your face. Light as feathers, Legolas’ fingertips traced along your cheek. The touch sent a shiver down your spine that you did not even try to hide. There was no point now. Everything was clear for everyone to see. You did not want to hide from Legolas any longer.

“Perhaps we are both fools,” he said softly. This close to Legolas, even in the dim light of the stars, you could see the depth of blue in his eyes. The itch in your fingers returned as the smell of him flooded your senses: beech bark and pine. Before you could even think of holding back, your hand reached up and pulled his lips to yours.

Legolas was quick to respond. Both his hands moved to cup the sides of your face and he moved his lips eagerly along yours. Your hands gripped his armor, holding him close. Every feeling you had held in poured out into the kiss. Each stolen glance and longing stare finally coming to a head. Still clinging to him desperately, you pulled away from Legolas to catch your breath.

Slightly winded, you rested your forehead against his, sharing the air between you. Relieved of your worries, you felt a surge of bravery overtake you. Laughing lightly, you pulled away to meet Legolas’ gaze.

“I wonder if the Fellowship saw that coming.”

Legolas smiled at your joking, the widest smile you had seen from the Elf since meeting him. With his hands still holding your face, he brought you in for another kiss; less needy than the last but all the more passionate. Warmth surrounded you both but you hungered for more. Just as you were about to pull on Legolas’ armor, you heard someone clear their throat.

Immediately, you and Legolas pulled away from each other. You both looked over to see Aragorn, smiling smugly at the two of you as he walked out from the shadows created by the looming trees. A new sort of embarrassment rushed through you as the Ranger took in the sight of you and the Elf. You could only imagine what you both looked like with lips kiss swollen, chests heaving, and all wild eyed.

“I can not speak for the rest, but I saw this coming.”

You snuck a glance at Legolas and saw his pale cheeks had pinkened. Never before had you seem him flustered and you felt overwhelmed with pride that you had played a part in it. The starlight made the Elf’s features all the more pleasing. You wanted to kiss him again but, before you could reach for Legolas, Aragorn spoke up again.

“Come now, you’ve worried the party with your extended absence. And the Hobbit’s have supper ready.” As he turned to walk back, he added, “there will be time for that when our journey comes to an end.”

You and Legolas start after the promised king. Not before sharing a look that told the other that neither of you would be willing to wait that long. For so long you had both waited, danced in silence around the other. Now, there was no holding back.

#legolas #legolas x reader #legolas imagine #legolas imagines #legolas fanfiction #legolas x you #lotr #lotr imagine #lotr imagines #lotr fanfiction #the hobbit #legolas greenleaf #legolas greenleaf imagine #legolas greenleaf imagines #legolas greenleaf x reader #legolas greenleaf fanfiction

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minecraftbookshelf · 9 months

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Honey and Beekeeping

This post is primarily about Pixandria and Helianthia, as they are the two empires with the largest honey sources/trade, but it does also have a nod to Rivendell and The Overgrown.

Beekeeping is a a major cultural thing in Pixandria, and is most notable for being based out of the oasis city, rather than The Anthill. Pixandrian bees primarily feed off of desert wildflowers, supplemented by cactus blossoms and the vegetation of the oasis. (There are so many bees and their honey production is important enough culturally and economically that there are regulations about what foreign plants people can and cannot plant in the oasis city, because you can't just tell bees, "no not that one" bees do what they want.) Bees are also revered culturally, and Pixandrians take great pains to avoid injuring them as they go about their business, they are referred to in Pixandrian as "the little people/citizens."

The honeycomb is harvested in its raw form and is usually separated into honey and the comb itself, as the wax is as much of a desired and required commodity in Pixandria as the honey itself. The wax is often purified and shaped into its final use in Pixandria. It is used to treat copper and prevent it from aging, but candlemaking is also an art there, and wax is often used to aid in sealing and/or waterproofing (or sand proofing) seams in waterskins, clothing, lids, and many other things.

Pixandrian honey is known internationally for its light, floral flavor and light color. It is distinct but not heavy. It is one of their major trades and it is not unusual to find a dish of Pixandrian honey on the table or in the kitchen of any house among their allied empires. Crystallized honey is a very common candy in Pixandria and very popular with the children (and also certain semi-immortal emperors)

(Their mead production is also notable)

The main difference between the way Helianthia and Pixandria store and sell their honey is that Helianthians usually leave theirs on the comb and it is sold and served that way, as they do not have the high wax demand that Pixandria has. They do process some wax and honey separately, but its much less common.

Beekeeping is also less culturally central in Helianthia, though equally as common. The honey has more variety as well, throughout the regions of the empire, depending on the local flora. Helianthian honey is the easiest to obtain, even outside the WRA. Helianthian honey butter is widely hailed as their greatest accomplishment of all time.

Rivendell does have bees, but fewer hives and the majority of them live in an apiary/greenhouse combo specifically designed and maintained to protect them from the harsh weather conditions of the Southern Mountains. Rivendell honey has a very distinct flavor, due to their restricted diet, and its a stronger, almost nutty flavor and its color is usually on the darker side.

They don't really trade their honey internationally, due to the lower quantities of it they have, but it is not uncommon as a gift between royalty and there will definitely be some in Scott's dowry.

A significant portion of their honey is also turned into mead. Rivendell mead is both famous and infamous(ly strong).

The Overgrown has bees and honey but their honey is Not Safe for mortal consumption. The magic of the Spring is too concentrated in the flowers that grow there and it gives the products thereof something of a...kick.

AU Masterpost

#pixlriffs #pearlescentmoon #empires smp #empires s1 #the rivendell siblings #rain rambles #smajor1995 #marriage of state au #katherineelizabeth #mos: worldbuilding #mos: pixandria #mos: helianthia #mos: rivendell #mos: the overgrown

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roselightfairy · 3 years

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After watching a bunch of ROTK behind-the-scenes with @daisyfornost this weekend, I’ve decided it’s time for Part II of my writing-things-actors-did-as-though-they-happened-to-the-characters: AKA that really sweet moment with Orlando Bloom giving his horse a sweet little nose-smooch. Except I was also reflecting on how there’s not enough Gimli hurt/comfort (especially re: Paths of the Dead), so it turned into something... kind of different. But here it is anyway, for your enjoyment. Legolas and Gimli, gen but very possibly heading towards something more...

It’s slapped-together and unedited, so maybe someday I’ll clean it up, but don’t hold your breath.

...

Stabling a horse should not take so long.

Gimli shifted from one foot to the other in the doorway of the small inn room he would be sharing with Legolas, fighting the urge to glance behind him as though to ensure that the room was truly empty. After days of long hard travel, he still felt the chill of the Dead at his back, the stir of displaced air from the shapeless ripple of their presence. They were gone now, or had seemed to disperse – but how could something without form be trusted to truly vanish?

He shivered, rubbing at his arms, the chill swarming like ants over the skin of his back. He must trust their absence, must he not? After all, their presence had been real enough.

Aye, real indeed – he shuddered again at the memory of that shapeless mass exploding at last into form behind him, beside him, spears and swords flashing into being in the gleam of sunlight, fighting with the ferocity of ten men each – but it was not the fighting that stayed with him. The source of that fear was not their blades, but something deeper – something that clawed at his gut in that primal birthplace of screams: the horror of something that was and was not: something without stable form, that left impression without taking space –

Even in his thoughts, he could not put words to it, and that elusiveness of description only added to the distrust.

Around him, Aragorn’s Ranger companions made their way down the halls, returned from stabling their horses to find their own rooms. They were finished, it seemed, worn from fighting and the long ride preceding it and ready to snatch the first night of rest any of them had had in days at this small inn in Pelargir – and yet still Legolas did not return.

I will just see our friend settled, he had said to Gimli, with a hand on Arod’s nose. Go find us a room, will you not? I will join you soon.

Soon, he had said, and yet the last of the Dunedain trickled in and still there was no sign of him, and Gimli found he could not bear to settle in alone.

How long had it been since he had been alone? Months since Rivendell and the privacy of his own room there, certainly. There had been Lothlórien, of course, but that had only been perhaps a fortnight ago, for all that it felt like so much less – and even then, he had rarely been alone, for Legolas had always accompanied him.

The question was not, perhaps, how long it had been since he had last been alone – but how long since he had not had Legolas at his back, at his side. A few short weeks only since Lothlórien, and already he felt as though he had known the elf all his life. His steady presence, his soothing words – they were the only thing that had kept Gimli with the Company through that long, hard, freezing ride with the Dead at his back –

Gimli closed the door behind him, tucking the key away in his breast pocket, and set off for the stables.

Ah, but his muscles ached with every step – the twinge in his hips and chafing burn between his thighs from days on horseback, a position he had never intended to know so intimately; the stretched-out ache between his shoulder blades from swing after swing of his axe. He had not felt these aches in days, too busy accumulating new ones by curling up so tightly in his bedroll at night that he could not feel the chill of the Dead, by clinging to Legolas’s waist during the day, his face buried against the elf’s back. But they were present now, making themselves known on their first – and only – night of real rest before they must make their way forth again tomorrow, sailing to Gondor.

At least these boats would be larger than the tiny leaflike canoes they had paddled down the Anduin. And at least he might have a rest from the horse’s back.

A few words from the innkeeper set him on the path to the stables, though he could have found his own way from smell alone. He had grown accustomed to the scent of horse in the last few days, but the scent was intensified in the stables, with all the horses gathered together: hay and dust and dung and sweat. Most of the beasts seemed sleepy as well, he noticed as he passed, and it was no wonder – for all that he felt the ride of the last few days, he had at least not been the beast of burden!

Legolas had settled Arod in a stall at the far end of the stable. The horse seemed well groomed, at least to Gimli’s untrained eye, but Legolas stood still beside him, passing a brush over his back in slow, almost dreamlike circles.

Gimli stood still for a moment, watching the almost hypnotic motion of the brush. It was strangely peaceful; he could be almost lulled to sleep – and for a moment he wondered if Legolas was asleep, in that strange way of elves. But no – after a moment, Legolas sighed deeply and turned to face him, his face drawn as Gimli had rarely seen it, eyes and mouth folded in tired lines.

For a moment, there was no sound but the quiet shuffling and snorting of horses, and Gimli forgot why he had come to seek Legolas as the silence stretched between them. But at last he found his voice again and took a few steps forward. “Not settled yet, hm?”

“Not - ? Oh.” Legolas looked at the brush in his hand and then gestured with it in a half-shrug that sagged as quickly as his attempt of a smile. “I was merely . . .” He trailed off.

Gimli waited for him to finish, but Legolas only gazed at him – no, through him, his eyes vacant as sleep again. As though he had forgotten he was speaking.

Gimli cleared his throat, and Legolas started as if out of a dream, his eyes focusing again, but did not speak – so Gimli took it upon himself. “You said you meant to settle our friend,” he said. “He seems well settled, unless I miss my guess.”

“Yes,” murmured Legolas. “He is . . . I was only – thinking.”

“Thinking?” Gimli prodded. For the first time in days, some emotion other than his own misery was returning to him – concern for whatever this strange mood might mean. “Will you share your thoughts with a friend?”

Legolas let the hand holding the brush fall to his side and took a few steps, but stopped at Arod’s head and began to stroke his nose instead. “Perhaps . . .” he said. Arod whuffed and nuzzled his head into Legolas’s hand, and Legolas gave the smallest of smiles and murmured something in elvish.

Gimli hid his fond smile behind a snort. “I meant myself, not the horse, Master Legolas,” he said. “Come, now, what troubles you? There is a hard road ahead, but the Dead have left us, at least.”

“The Dead do not trouble me,” Legolas said vaguely, and then as though he had heard his own words, his head snapped up. “Oh! But” – And then he was turning to face Gimli in full at last, his eyes clear as though he finally saw him. “Yes, they have left us. And how do you fare now, Gimli?”

Gimli’s cheeks heated under the warmth of his regard. He had not meant – but then, at least Legolas seemed present in the moment at last. “I am well enough,” he mumbled. “But if it is not the Dead, it seems something is amiss with you. Will you not come back to our room and unburden yourself to me?”

Legolas let out a long, sad sigh. “I think not,” he said, “not yet. It is still too near, and I do not know what it means – but yes, I will come back with you. Thank you for coming to fetch me; I do not know how long I would have stayed here.”

“Too long, doubtless,” said Gimli. “Our friend deserves his rest as well as we do; he has run hard these last days and endured more than any horse of Rohan ever ought.” For Arod too had loathed the ride with the Dead. Gimli approached him cautiously – he did not feel as at ease with the horse as Legolas did, but he thought they had reached an understanding in the last two days. And sure enough, Arod whuffed gently, a gust of warm air over Gimli’s outstretched palm, and let Gimli pat him cautiously on the nose as well.

“He does, and he has,” Legolas said softly. He took in a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh, his shoulders slumping. “Very well; you are right. I will leave him in peace and come with you. Good night, my friend,” he said to Arod, and leaned in to press his lips to the horse’s long flat nose.

The sight made something in Gimli go soft and loose, but he forced himself to hide it behind a laugh. “Such a farewell!” he made himself say. “You will see him in the morning!”

Legolas shrugged and laughed a little. “He deserves it,” he said, and then he was eyeing Gimli speculatively.

The gleam in his eye made something in Gimli’s belly clench, but before he could speak, Legolas was coming toward him, stopping only to drop the brush into a bucket of grooming tools, and taking his face between both hands. Gimli had no time to react before Legolas had leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead as well, directly between his brows.

His lips were there and away in a moment, but Gimli swore he could still feel them tingling, a print against his face. “What was that for?” he managed to splutter, pretending amusement even as his bones threatened to melt and leave him a puddle on the straw floor.

Legolas looked at him for a moment longer, some strange combination of melancholy and tenderness in his eyes, and then shook his head. “Everything,” he said simply, and slung an arm around Gimli’s shoulders, turning them both towards the entrance to the stable and letting it rest there as they made their way together back towards the room.

Only moments before, he had wondered if the chill of the Dead would ever be banished – but now, Gimli thought he had never felt so warm.

#my fic #legolas x gimli #legolas and gimli #arod #lotr #paths of the dead #nerdfriending

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fillingthescrapbook · 3 years

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Zoey's Extra-Frustrating Playlist

This is gonna be short, I promise.

I loved 95% of Zoey's Extraordinary Session (Episode 12 of Season 2). Loved how Zoey is opening up about her past to her therapist. Loved how most of the episode was spent in the past, on Zoey's first day at Sprqpoint and how she got to know Max and Leif. And Tobin, sure. I loved how the writers worked around the lack of musical powers, and even how they wrote around the fact that they didn't have Lauren Graham to play Joan.

I loved how the episode focused on Zoey and her relationship with her family. I loved seeing Mitch again. I loved seeing him and Maggie together. I loved that we got to see how David and Emily reconnected, and even finding out how they started their relationship. I loved that the writers remembered Mo had that friend she was supposed to start her jean company with.

Leif's man-bun was atrocious, but I loved long-haired Leif. He looked like he was heading back to Rivendell after his day at Sprqpoint.

I loved how the episode was about connection and emotion, and I loved that the writers really leaned into that.

Unfortunately, the whole episode was marred by the therapist saying Zoey's story about loss was also a love story. Hers with Max. Like, what the absolute f--?

We do not want to go back to the love triangle, show. We want out. You already chose Max at the start of the season and then moved to Simon somewhere in the middle. We don't need to go to Max again. Stop it. This relationship has already become toxic. Zoey doesn't deserve this. Max doesn't deserve this. Simon sure as hell doesn't deserve this. And we, the viewers, don't need this.

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist does not have to revolve around a love triangle. There are so many more stories about love that can be explored without resorting to a 'who will she choose?' story-arc time and time again.

I hate that that one choice... that one line from the therapist and that one follow-up interaction between present-day Zoey and Max marred an otherwise perfect episode.

It's frustrating as sh--.

#zoey's extraordinary playlist #tv talk #tv review #my words

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dialux · 3 years

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Fic Writer Asks

Oooof tagged by four excellent writers- @ferrame, @skyeventide, @stormwarnings, and @tol-himling- so do check ALL of them out when you get a free mo (which I don’t have enough of!!!! Sadly!!!). Still, yk, it’s Friday, I’m home from my first week of work, and there isn’t anything really pressing to do apart from another 15k on that last TRSB fic which I’ve been procrastinating for too long..........

Here we go!

how many works do you have on AO3?

what’s your total AO3 word count?

1035292, which means I crossed a million words this year! I hadn’t realized that lmao

how many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Hell, I’ve written for too many. Top three are definitely ASOIAF, Tolkien and HP, but there are a couple others sprinkled through like... Fleabag (Yuletide fic), King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (Yuletide), Jodhaa Akbar (Yuletide), Padmaavat (me, losing my fucking mind over Mehrunissa in that movie), and... Good Omens? The Old Guard, too, for a while there. Oh, and let’s not forget the MCU that dragged me to AO3 in the first place

what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

I had no idea before I went looking, but-

1. if you try to break me, you will bleed - the fic that will haunt me to the day I DIE

2. a tempest, a cyclone, a goddamned hurricane - that Sansa can see ghosts story

3. made weak by time and fate, but strong in will - the fic where James and Lily Potter live and defeat Voldemort through the power of lightning, rings and friendship

4. one burning candle, one wind-whipped flame - TOG fic!! I enjoyed this one, but still cannot believe it has more kudos than that Booker character study

5. we do not surrender - second in the time travel series, probably just because of sheer exposure lmao

do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try to! Sometimes it’s late (....very late) but usually I do get to all of them. Unless I have no idea of what to say, at which point I mark it as read just so I can get that sweet, sweet “0″ in my ao3 inbox

what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Enh, I don’t like sad endings, so... let’s just say none of them

do you write crossovers? if so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

One crossover. ONE. The one where Sansa lands in Middle-Earth and mistakes Boromir for her dad, kicks ass, takes names, drags Arwen out of Rivendell. The whole shebang

have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes! Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it isn’t, but it’s not like I wasn’t blooded in HP fandom circa early 2000s and that was a vicious set of reviewers on ff.net, so I don’t, like, mind. Keeps my ego from getting too big.

do you write smut? if so what kind?

Not often, and certainly not well, but everything that has been written has been.... very much more evocative than descriptive. Let’s put it that way.

have you ever had a fic stolen?

One GO fic that existed on a locked community in LJ- I think, like, 10 people had access to fic once it went private or something- I don’t remember the correct nomenclature- but I did see something being recced when the first season came out that just made me go “hm” for a second lol. NOT that it matters, or that I care- I certainly am happy to have all my stories from those dark times disassociated from my name- but it is an interesting thing to happen

have you ever had a fic translated?

Four- all into Russian, by a very, very sweet person that I don’t think is on tumblr at all, or I’d link them!

have you ever co-written a fic before?

One, recently, with @nienna324. It was definitely a very fun- and different experience- and one that made me grow as an author <33

what’s your all time favorite ship?

Lmao I’m more of a sibling / parental relationship author, with the attention span of a magpie. All time is literally until I see the next shiny thing!

what’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

That GODDAMN JonxSansaxSatin AU. It has everything done for it, all the plot, it’s gorgeous, but I’ve got no ideas for the dialogue and probably never will because I managed to write myself into a corner

what are your writing strengths?

Probably turns of phrase. Some think it’s purple prose, probably, but I call it poetry and turn my nose up at their snobbishness XD

what are your writing weaknesses?

Expository writing sucks ASS like you’d never believe

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Fun? esp if you’re willing to put in that effort

what was the first fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter- no, I refuse to be embarrassed XD

what’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Right now? Got to be the Caranthir post-rebirth character study. There’s another trsb fic with Aredhel that I’m SUPER proud of, but it’s not published yet- which reminds me that I need to get back to that!!!

Haven’t been on here in a while and have zero idea of who’s been tagged/finished this already, but do it if you haven’t already!

#my writing #thank you to all of you who tagged me you're very very sweet and i had a fun time answering these

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theleakypen · 3 years

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first lines: fic-writers meme

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favourite authors!

I was tagged by @la-muerta! I've mostly been archiving my kissing fics on AO3 lately, so that's what these will be, probably. I'm going to skip the ones where the first line was given to me by another person, since those are not illustrative. I am also skipping my filks. XD

1. Terms of Care - in answer to the prompt: "wei wuxian & wen ning + forehead kisses"

“Ah, Wen Ning, come join me!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed, waving Wen Ning over to his spot in the bunny clearing.

2. Not To Be Alone - in answer to the prompt: "jiang cheng/song lan - hating separation"

“I was in shock still, and I said such awful things… So I’m looking for him now, to apologise. To say: traveling with you is better than traveling without you.”

3. This One's Spicy - in answer to the prompt: "lan jingyi/lan sizhui - yi city"

Lan Jingyi was still making elaborate disgusted faces, scraping his teeth over his tongue and the like.

4. fell through the cracks, but we're okay - in answer to the prompt: "oyzz/a-qing, au where they meet when they're both alive"

“Excuse me, are there any powerful people around here? Powerful people who cultivate?”

5. All This Burning Sexual Tension - in answer to the prompt: "wei wuxian/wen qing + laughter"

“Qing jiějiě!” Wei Wuxian shouts, bursting into the mess. “Jiang Cheng has brought it to my attention that we need to work out the unbearable sexual tension between us.”

6. In the Officers' Baths - in answer to the prompt: "mu nihuang/xia dong - something fun and not sad"

“Jùnzhǔ!”

7. in this great golden tower - in answer to the prompt: "qin su/wen qing, koi tower"

Qin Su has never asked xiǎo-Qing about her past.

8. sharp words, soft hands - in answer to the prompt: "chengxuan after like a big battle or something and one of them is hurt and the other one is worried and expressing it through getting snappy?"

Jin Zixuan opens his mouth to speak when Jiang Wanyin strides into his tent, but before he can say anything, the Jiang sect leader snaps, “Don’t bother. I saw exactly how it happened. You’d think someone raised in the great Lanling Jin sect would have learned a modicum of tactics.”

9. corpse kiss - in answer to the prompt: "how about wn/jzx with the prompt “qiongqi path”" (content warning: this one is noncon)

There was no longer a flute playing, but Wen Ning was still rushing toward Jin Zixuan like a hurricane in human form.

10. Closed Fist, Warm Mouth - in answer to the prompt: "xianxuan, in the middle of an argument"

It was lucky that Jin Zixuan had stomped away from his entourage as well as from the Jiang contingent, because it meant that there was no one to stop Wei Wuxian from throwing a punch this time.

11. Growing Things - in answer to the prompt: "lan sizhui & ouyang zizhen (my underappreciated boi!), growing things"

The Baling gardens were one of Lan Sizhui’s favorite places.

12. what's left when revenge is over - in answer to the prompt: "Sisi/Nie Huaisang post Guanyin temple"

“It’s done, then,” Sisi says, standing behind Nie Huaisang and beginning to take his hair down.

13. a good bruise - in answer to the prompt: "chengqing, jiang-furen wen qing. after training disciples"

They have been married for just over a year, but it still somehow seems scandalous to Wen Qing that she gets to be here, in Sect Master Jiang’s own personal quarters, as he gets ready for his post-training bath; that she gets to pull at the ties on his outer robes, skim her fingers along his collarbones to feel him shiver, help him shrug off each successive layer of clothes until all that’s left between her and his sweat-slick skin are her own clothes.

14. why the hell not - in answer to the prompt: "wwx/nhs, burial mounds. why the hell not"

“Nie xiong, what the hell are you doing here?”

15. Rivers and Lakes, Towns and Cities - a prequel of my Songxiao Middle Earth AU, where the Elf Xiao Xingchen meets the Human Song Lan after leaving Baoshan Sanren's mountain (which is, like, an Asian equivalent of Rivendell)

Baoshan Sanren always said that the world west of the Mountain was full of corruption and iniquity, that the Western Elves were liars to a one, and that the gods they called the Valar were betrayers.

16. A Hundred Beautiful Things - The Untamed (TV) fandom, Jiang Yanli/Nie Huaisang political marriage set after the Qishan indoctrination arc.

It was an adjustment, to be sure.

17. Taste You In My Core - 魔道祖师/Mo Dao Zu Shi novel fandom, Nie Huaisang/Xiao Xingchen monster4monster porn with Eldritch Xiao Xingchen and Beast Nie Huaisang.

“Are you all right, gōngzǐ?" the young man asks, and Nie Huaisang does his best not to laugh.

18. A Fruitful Correspondence - The Untamed (TV) fandom, Lan Wangji is forcibly befriended by Jiang Yanli (and by extension Jin Zixuan and Jiang Cheng) during the time that Wei Wuxian and the Wens are holed up in the Burial Mounds.

Lan Wangji’s plan upon attending the wedding between Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli is to put in the bare minimum of appearances and then go home at the earliest opportunity.

19. Bored - Leverage (!!) fandom, in Season 2, Episode 1, Parker mentioned stealing the Hope Diamond and then putting it back. This is the story of that heist.

Planning the heist still carries the same thrill as it always does: scoping out guard rotations, evaluating the schematics for their new security system (laughable, even with the increased bandwidth to support a greater number of security cameras), visiting the museum as a paying guest… Parker loves this part, and it’s good to stretch her muscles in this way, relying on no one but herself.

20. Best Friends for Best Friends - The Untamed/MDZS fandom (could go with either canon) fic for Jin Ling's birthday featuring the Juniors quartet and a whole litter of puppies - this is an archived threadfic that was cleaned up and then thrown on AO3.

Jin Ling totally forgot about the "no pets at Cloud Recesses" rule, okay?

I've noticed that I tend to like to start with some kind of dialogue most frequently; otherwise, something to establish the POV character's interiority. The big exception is the Middle Earth fic where I was emulating Tolkien's narrator, somewhat.

I think of these twenty, my favorite opening line is probably either 7 or 16. They're so sparse, but still set up a lot.

Tagging @hunxi-guilai, @iamwestiec, @bladedweaponsandswishycoats, @shadaras, @withbroombefore, @vyther15, @vivisextion if y'all wanna play! If not, no worries ofc :3

#long post #tag game #puck writes

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