#this is why I like the lord of the rings characters

[blue-blue-blooms]

A Little Crush   

Eddie Munson x Henderson!Reader

Part 1

Summary: In which Eddie develops a crush on the Henderson sister.

You weren't sure exactly when your life had gone to absolute shit. Was it when you found a strange, superpowered adolescent girl living in Mike Wheeler's basement? Was it when you walked in on a baby demogorgan eating your cat? Or was it when you were drugged by evil Russians operating under Starcourt Mall? You couldn't even remember a time when life was normal. If someone had told you that you would become best friends with Steve 'The Hair' Harrington and fight literal monsters from an alternate universe alongside Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan 'The Creep' Byers a few years ago, you would've laughed in their face. Now? You'd survived the most traumatising events of your life alongside these people. You were bonded for life.

The last few years had also made you closer with Dustin. You loved your baby brother and his weird friends, especially since you'd spent so much time babysitting them. But no amount of love could make you say yes to what they were asking of you.

"Please?" Dustin begged, following you down the hallway as you made your way to Ms. O'Connell's class.

"No! I have, like, three essays due this week, Dustin. I don't have the time to sub." You respond.

"It's only for tonight! Lucas can't make it and we really need a sub. We're nearly done with the campaign and Eddie will kill us if we make him reschedule!" Dustin pleads.

You were really happy that Dustin and Mike had found a safe space in high school. Lord knows those two idiots needed it. Freshmen year is probably the toughest of them all. You're new, scared, and lonely. You were really glad that they'd found friends, a place where they could be their nerdy selves and feel accepted. Hell, even you'd dabbled in their interests when you'd babysat them. DnD wasn't half bad, and not nearly as hard to undertand as you once thought. You'd spent many nights in Mike's basement playing with them. The first few times, you'd get your character killed in the first fifteen minutes. But after a while, you started making progress (even though you're convinced that the party was exceptionally lenient with you after you once burst into tears over getting killed off).

"I'll do your half of the chores for a week!" Dustin exclaims.

That makes you stop.

"A week?" You turn around to look at him, "Make it two weeks and I'll sub."

"Two? Are you insane!?" Dustin yells, making a few people lingering in the hallway turn and look at you both.

"Two or no deal, Dusty Buns," You tease, "And be quick, I'm late for my class."

"Fine!" Dustin says, "And stop calling me 'Dusty Buns'"

"Why? Is that nickname just for Suzy Poo?" You tease.

Dustin glowers at you as you walk off.

♡♡♡

"So, who's the DM?" You ask as you walk alongside Dustin and Mike.

"It's Eddie, Eddie Munson. He's a senior. Long hair, wears a hellfire T-Shirt, I talk about him constantly. God, do you ever listen to me?" Dustin claims exasperatedly.

"Oh! Eddie as in your new favorite older male best friend who Steve's weirdly jealous of?" You ask, "I've seen him around. Is he the one who jumps on lunch tables and yells a lot?"

"Yup." Mike responded, "He's a bit scary when he's revved up. Just warning you beforehand in case he comes off...a bit intimidating."

You nod.

"Hasn't he been held back, like, three times?" You ask.

Before either of the boys could answer, you reach the room. The first thing you see is the table where the game is set. There are three boys sat around, all with Hellfire T-Shirts on. Your eyes fleet from one to the other until finally landing on Eddie. You recognise him immediately from the amount of times you've seen him yelling in the cafeteria.

Dustin and Mike failed to mention how cute he was, you think.

His hair was long and wavy. He was wearing multiple rings. And he was covered in tattoos. You're pretty sure you saw a few bats peeking from under his sleeve.

"Who's this?" One of the guys asks, making all three turn around and look at you.

"This is Y/N! She's subbing for Lucas!" Mike says, the words spilling out fast and nervously.

Why the hell are they so jittery?

"Yeah, she's my sister! The one I mentioned a couple days ago." Dustin adds.

"Does she even know how to play DnD?" The other boy asks.

"Okay, excuse me, I wouldn't have come if I didn't know how to play," You finally speak, waving your hand a little to get their attention.

"So, this is your infamous sister?" Eddie finally speaks, his eyes landing on you, "You know, I thought he made you up. What's your class and level? Level One Elf?"

Elf? Is he mocking me?

"Are you mocking me?" You ask incredously.

"Is he mocking me?" you turn towards Dustin and Mike who immediately start gesticulating, probably asking you to shut up.

"My name is Aeren Sirenfall and I'm a level 14 chaotic good half-elf rogue. I will sneak behind any monster you throw my way and stab them in the back with my poison-soaked kukri. And I'll smile as I watch them die a slow...agonising...death." You say, your voice slow and hard as you glare at Eddie, "So, are we gonna play this stupid game or not?"

You're pretty sure you hear one of the boys mutter a 'she's terrifying' to Dustin.

You watch as Eddie's eyes slowly soften and a grin emerges on his face, "Welcome to Hellfire Club."

#eddie munson #stranger things fic #corroded coffin #stranger things 4 #stranger things #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson fic #eddie munson fluff

[eyecan02]

Alastor Analysis

Alastor's background regarding romance and sexuality goes all the way back to early drawings that depict Alastor crushing on Kay-cee.

The story then moves on from a crush on Kay-cee to a full on relationship with Mimzy.

It makes me wonder how Viv jumped from Alastor in a relationship to Alastor being ace. It feels like quite a wide leap. With Viv being the creator, I have nothing but respect for her but I feel like Alastor can still love/possibly do sexual acts while still keeping in character and looking out for #1.

I feel like while Alastor was alive, he leaned toward graysexual and this is why. I don't believe this man died a virgin. As we all know Alastor is from the 20s. He's in his late 30s/40s, meaning that it would've been uncommon for a man his age to still be unwed/unattached to someone. I'm sure he went on blind dates set up by his mom, and even occasionally slept with women in order to keep up appearances. He most likely did this in order to make his mother happy since any mother would've liked to have seen their child happily married.

And after Alastor became an overlord, the occasional sex probably didn't stop there, because Alastor is all about about keeping up appearances and deals. He definitely comes off as someone who would use sex as a means to and end. If a woman wanted to trade their soul in exchange for Alastor's protection and one night with him, I feel like Alastor wouldn't turn her down. It would be a decision that would end up leading to an increase in power for him. He just likely wouldn't kiss during the act.

Now finally onto Alastor's relationship with Charlie. From the beginning, we've all known that Alastor has his own agenda and reasons for involving himself with Charlie. He's a master of manipulation, knowing love is a powerful motivator (the way he manipulates Vaggie by making her feel bad about Charlie and the commercial) and also digging into Charlie's daddy issues.

It was clear that Alastor tried to play the boyfriend card to piss off Luci. It was only after Charlie introduced Vaggie that Alastor changed tactics and switched to the daddy card.

This means that Alastor would be willing to play any role to get what he wants from Charlie, whether the endgame is obtaining her soul or becoming her royal advisor or whatever. If Vaggie had been introduced in the pilot as a mere crush, Alastor would've caught onto the daddy issues quick and would've angled for a romantic role in Charlie's life since love and sex would be easy things for Alastor to manipulate (if my theory is right about him using sex as a means to an end).

I feel like this kind of materializes during the pilot with the way Alastor keeps pushing Vaggie out of the way, and how Vaggie seems jealous whenever Alastor impresses Charlie.

We don't know if this weird competition for Charlie's attention will persist between them as the series goes on considering that behavior was absent in season one. What's interesting is that the jealousy aspect switched from Vaggie to Alastor. The second Luci hugged Charlie, we're shown Alastor looking maliciously at Luci with his eye twitching in irritation.

What do we know about Alastor so far? He's an attention whore . He's used to being one of the strongest demon lords (at least from the pride ring) so suddenly not having attention, particularly Charlie's attention is making him act nuttier than usual.

Usually, it's hard for someone to be jealous without at least having some feelings toward the one they're feeling jealousy over. "Ah, an enjoyable collective to be around. I admit that one could get accustomed." This line is for the entire Hazbin gang, but also a real sign he cares for Charlie.

He can still have his own hidden agenda while caring about Charlie and being attracted to her. And he definitely is attracted to her. Calls her "charming and adorable". The constant touching.

Some might argue that that's just a part of Alastor's power play/dominance but he already knows that those types of moves don't intimidate Charlie. In fact, she never seems bothered at all when Alastor tries physically to get closer to her.

Also, the animators placing Alastor in Charlie's bed with both of them on a HEART pillow is insane. They know what they were doing. We see the way Alastor's hands possessively spider crawl up Charlie's shoulders and the way he grips her face.

And by the looks of it, Alastor seems to lust after Charlie's soul almost as much as his freedom. Viv has said that Alastor can't love anyone because he loves himself too much. Yet, she has also described Charlie as "Alastor's mirror".

The fact that they even made Charlie's color palette similar to Alastor's. Her hot pink jacket is almost a reddish color and they both wear bow ties. If Charlie is a reflection of Alastor then wouldn't that mean he does technically love himself by loving Charlie? He could be Charliesexual.

Not saying Viv will change her mind. She already chose her endgame. BUT what if Prime and Viv compromise and we get to have one sided Charlastor where Alastor admits to someone or even directly confesses his romantic love to Charlie herself (without actually trying to steal her from Vaggie)?

#charlastor #charlie x alastor #musicalshipping #radiobelle

[djpaige]

I mean it was just SUCH. A PERSPECTIVE SHIFT!!! It was-- UGH.

Like, you're watching episode 1 of Calamity, and you open with "Fire." Just that reminder that THIS IS GOING TO BE A DARK STORY. You know this, this is what you're signing up for! These characters are awful! They're all lying about various stuff! They have these ambitions and secrets and lies that will lead them all to RUIN. And you're watching this story unfold, and it's so tense because you KNOW that the Calamity happens. It's already heartbreaking because it's not so much that you know they *can't* stop it, but because you know they *don't*! It's in the lore! It's in the timeline! The Calamity is a thing that happens! TWO THIRDS of the population dies!!! TWO THIRDS!!!

You spend three episodes wondering how the Ring of Brass will mess everything up so bad that the world gets as bad as it can possibly get. Two thirds of the population! Dead!

And then in that fourth episode, Brennan flips that shit on its head. Because he brings in a worse tragedy. One where EVERYONE dies. No one makes it out of Exandria. Complete and total annihilation. And then gently introduces the idea of... what if you could save some of them?

That last fight had characters with HP in the single digits, no spells left, and it was unwinnable if the goal was to win the fight. But the goal changed and became to just survive long enough. You know they can't all survive this. But you sure as shit can hope that they can last those crucial 18 seconds. Just enough to make the difference between losing everyone, and not losing everyone.

It became a story not of how they lost two thirds of the population, but about how they saved one third. And it was an absolute master class in how to use tragedy to tell a story of hope.

#critical role #cr #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #exu calamity spoilers #exandria unlimited spoilers #how do we even tag things anymore. I forget how to use this website for fandom things. #I eat this shit UP I'm realizing #stories like Lord of the Rings and like Rogue One where everything goes to absolute hell #and these characters cling to SHREDS of hope when things are as bad as they can get #and they push just one step further #and one step after that #also Brennan absolutely SLAUGHTERED me with that 'Why do we tell stories?' #I was like 'BRENNAN. FUCK YOU. NO. You put that shit back on the table! Do not take this story above table! I WILL cry and that is a threat

[lesbiansforboromir]

"If Tolkien were here he-" "Tolkien's intent was-" "Tolkien would be rolling in his grave if-" "You soil Tolkien's vision when-" "-which was Tolkien's whole point when he wrote-" "Tolkien would actually support x social issue-" wooooah there bucko.. buckeroono, buckyboy... was Tolkien your fucking dad? Your priest? Was your uncle a Tolkien? Was Tolkien literally without moral fault? No? Then please ask yourself #1 how the fuck you would know any of that and #2 why the hell you should even care in the first place. Love is love, stories are stories, discuss Tolkien's work without invoking him like some kind of avenging angel of literature 2023. He's literally just a guy.

#tolkien #lotr #lord of the rings #text post #BEGGING you #saw someone be like 'so many people don't think of feanor as a nuanced character and I think tolkien would find that so disappointing' BRO #he's not looking over our shoulders checking our work!! we're not reading tolkien shit just to make him proud!! why are you guilting #people about making tolkien sad oh my god

[karpachev]

And here i thought i could escape redrawing this wonderful piece of... meme. I hope you all enjoy shitpost content ✨✌️

#elden ring #elden ring fanart #fromsoftware #godrick #godrick the grafted #godrick the golden #godfrey first elden lord #godfrey #barbie #barbie meme #i saw that barbie meme i was like yeah i should draw elden ring characters like this #Godrick is perfect for the right panel #you cannot convince me otherwise #i'm so sorry for this #i had to #why is my brain like this #mostly shitpost #question is should i color it??? #my art #karpachevart

[nowandforalways]

I have a question for the LOTR people on here at large:

Why is Frodo always in red/burgundy/brown?

I was reading a review of the original run of the musical the other day, and it said something about "Frodo, dressed as always in dark reds and brownish golds" and I was like. Huh. Yeah. That's really weird. The man is, like, always in something around those colors.

Bashki animated film:

Jackson live-action film:

Musical (Drury Lane production):

Musical (Watermill production):

MAGIC THE GATHERING CARD ART:

It happens much less frequently in fanart, probably because people are trying to get away from professional adaptations, which is fair and valid. But like, why all the red and brown in these adaptations? We can't blame the Jackson movies for it, not when all the other character designs in the musical and the mtg cards are obviously deliberately trying to distinguish themselves from the live action movies (and mostly succeeding), and the animated movie came out TWENTY YEARS BEFORE the live action. So what gives?

#lord of the rings #lotr #frodo baggins #lotr musical #like genuinely i have been wondering this for years #and don't get me wrong #i LOVE it #i love the consistency and i think it makes perfect sense from every character and design perspective to put him in red/brown #but i just wanna know Why #yeah

[glorfindel-of-imladris]

The Case of Erestor Half-elven

It’s been a hot minute since my last fandom meta, but this one I accidentally stumbled upon gathering notes for—would you believe it—a Glorfindel meta I intended to write. Man, I’m not even going to question the process, so let’s just get right on to it!

I like to joke around that there are only six instances when Erestor was mentioned in the entire legendarium, and by this I mean in The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion (in which he does not even appear in the latter two). 

But let’s talk about the early draft of him that is often referenced in fandom. If one extends the search, in The Return of Shadow, which details the writing process of what ultimately would be The Fellowship of the Ring, Erestor does get a mention, and is described as follows:

“There were three counsellors of Elrond’s own household: Erestor his kinsman (a man of the same half-elvish folk known as the children of Lúthien), and beside him two elflords of Rivendell.” -- In the House of Elrond, The Return of Shadow 

By the final version of The Lord of the Rings, however, there is no more reference to Erestor as Half-elven. The final published version goes:

"Beside Glorfindel there were several other counsellors of Elrond's household, of whom Erestor was the chief..." -- The Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

By this final version of the story, the Half-elven trait no longer made sense for Erestor, and was replaced instead by him being Elrond's chief counsellor. 

The nature of Half-elves

Tolkien acknowledges three unions of Elves and Men:

“There were three unions of the Eldar and the Edain: Lúthien and Beren; Idril and Tuor; Arwen and Aragorn. By the last the long-sundered branches of the Half-elven were reunited and their line was restored.” –Appendix A, Return of the King

One of the later themes Tolkien came up with surrounding the Half-elven line (which likely did not yet exist at the early stages of the story when he was first forming the fellowship) was how they united and reunited all the houses of the Eldar and the Edain. Beren was a descendant of the three houses of the Edain—the Houses of Bëor, Haleth, and Hador—while Lúthien was the daughter of a Sinda (Teleri) and a Maia. Idril was the daughter of a Ñoldo and a Vanya. Lúthien and Beren had Dior, who then had a daughter, Elwing, who wed Eärendil, the son of Idril and Tuor. Elwing and Eärendil then had Elros and Elrond, and the line was separated for many generations when Elros chose to be counted among Men, and Elrond among Elves. The two lines were reunited with the marriage of Aragorn and Arwen.

One important detail here is that before the “Choice of the Half-elves” that was later gifted to Eärendil, Elwing, and their children, the children born out of an Elf-Man union led lives akin to Men. Dior was able to rule Doriath at age 33, and Eärendil and Elwing married at 22. These, as we know, would have been too young for Elves, given:

“Children of Men might reach their full height while Eldar of the same age were still in the body like to mortals of no more than seven years. Not until their fiftieth year did the Eldar attain the stature and shape in which their lives would afterwards endure, and for some a hundred years would pass before they were full-grown.” -- Laws and Customs of the Eldar, Morgoth’s Ring

and

“The Eldar wedded for the most part in their youth and soon after their fiftieth year […] Those who would afterwards become wedded might choose one another early in youth, even as children (and indeed this happened often in days of peace); but unless they desired soon to be married and were of fitting age, the betrothal awaited the judgment of the parents of either party.” -- Laws and Customs of the Eldar, Morgoth’s Ring

After the events of the War of the Wrath, Eärendil, Elwing, and their sons Elrond and Elros, for their deeds in the war, were gifted with the choice to be counted either among the Eldar or the Edain. Eärendil, Elwing, and Elrond chose to be counted among Elves, and the choice continued on to Elrond’s children: Arwen, Elladan, and Elrohir. Elros chose to be counted among Men, but in his case, the choice no longer extended to his descendants; every descendant of Elros was mortal. 

The only thing I can conclude for why Elros’ line did not get to choose is because the Gift of Ilúvatar—that is, a death that transcends the world of Arda—trumps all other gifts. It is a blessing that followed the line of Elros—never mind that the latter Númenóreans did not all agree that this was a blessing at all.

A similar sentiment can be found in earlier versions of the Quenta Silmarillion, where Manwë said to Eärendil:

"Now all those who have the blood of mortal Men, in whatever part, great or small, are mortal, unless other doom be granted to them; but in this matter the power of doom is given to me." -- Quenta Silmarillion, The Lost Road and Other Writings

Although this was no longer included in the published Silmarillion, Christopher Tolkien still considered this in judging that Dior, son of Beren and Lúthien, would have been mortal, regardless of whether Lúthien was Elf or mortal when she begetted him.

Bonus extra: The fourth case of Elf-Man union

Despite the excerpt from Appendix A, there is another case of Elf-Man union that we know: Mithrellas and Imrazôr. This was alluded to in Return of the King when describing Prince Imrahil: 

“...and with him went the Prince of Dol Amroth in his shining mail. For he and his knights still held themselves like lords in whom the race of Númenor ran true. Men that saw them whispered saying: ‘Belike the old tales speak well; there is Elvish blood in the veins of that folk, for the people of Nimrodel dwelt in that land once long ago.’” The Siege of Gondor, Return of the King

Although it seems as though this was only a rumor among Men, in the wider History of Middle-earth, Mithrellas is indeed mentioned to have been the spouse of Imrazôr who bore him children, of whom Galador was the ancestor of the princes of Dol Amroth. Of their line, it was said:

“But though Mithrellas was of the lesser silvan race (and not of the High Elves or the Grey) it was ever held that the house and kin of the Lords of Dol Amroth were noble by blood, as they were fair of face and mind.” The Heirs of Elendil, The Peoples of Middle-earth

The princes of Dol Amroth, of course, are mortal, and this does not contradict anything that has already been established. It is easy to imagine how, in a world where Elves and Men co-exist, there could be many other undocumented cases throughout the years. But what we do know is that no other Half-elf outside of Eärendil’s line would have led a long life by choosing the path of Elves. Therefore, if there were any other Half-elves in the Council of Elrond, aside from Elrond himself, they would have been not much older than Aragorn or Boromir. 

Erestor’s age and role in Rivendell

We now return to Erestor. One of the clearest things in “The Council of Elrond” is the Elves’ reluctance to take the One Ring. Erestor is one of the most vocal about this, and this is one of my favorite themes to explore about his character in the Third Age.

Thematically, Erestor represents the fading of the Elves. He is most known for his quick suggestion to give the Ring to Tom Bombadil. This tells us:

The Elves do not want anything to do with the Ring anymore, a sentiment that would be especially potent for one who was there during the Last Alliance, in the Second Age when Sauron was at the peak of his power; and 

The time of the Elves is ending, and there is little more they can give to Middle-earth.

Granted, Legolas remained a member of the Fellowship and thus represented the Elves, but by Elven standards, Legolas was young, and did not have the weariness that someone older would have. Erestor reads to me as someone older, even older in spirit in comparison to Glorfindel. 

‘We know not for certain,’ answered Elrond sadly. ‘Some hope that the Three Rings, which Sauron has never touched, would then become free, and their rulers might heal the hurts of the world that he has wrought. But maybe when the One has gone, the Three will fail, and many fair things will fade and be forgotten. That is my belief.’ ‘Yet all the Elves are willing to endure this chance,’ said Glorfindel, ‘if by it the power of Sauron may be broken, and the fear of his dominion be taken away for ever.’ ‘Thus we return once more to the destroying of the Ring,’ said Erestor, ‘and yet we come no nearer. What strength have we for the finding of the fire in which it was made? That is the path of despair. Of folly, I would say, if the long wisdom of Elrond did not forbid me.’ -- The Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

Erestor has a weariness to him that is even notable especially beside Glorfindel's vitality, whom we know was reborn in Aman as though young again, with "the primitive innocence and grace of the Eldar" (Peoples of Middle-earth). Glorfindel, however, is a special case even among all Elves in the Third Age, while Erestor arguably would have been more representative of them, at least of the ones that remained in Middle-earth.

Another case to be made about Erestor being one of the oldest in Rivendell is by virtue of his status as chief among Elrond’s counsellors. Considering the population of Elves in Rivendell, this is no small feat. As Gandalf told Frodo:

‘Here in Rivendell there live still some of [Sauron’s] chief foes: the Elven-wise, lords of the Eldar from beyond the furthest seas. They do not fear the Ringwraiths, for those who have dwelt in the Blessed Realm live at once in both worlds, and against both the Seen and the Unseen they have great power. [...] Indeed there is power in Rivendell to withstand the might of Mordor, for a while: and elsewhere other powers still dwell.’ -- Many Meetings, The Fellowship of the Ring

So what is he?

The last quote about the Elf-lords of Rivendell is one of the main reasons why I say Erestor is likely a Ñoldorin Calaquendi. This makes the most sense given his position in Elrond’s household and given the sorts of Elves that dwell there. Fortunately, this still gives us many options: he could be an Elf from Gondolin, from Nargothrond, even among one of the many houses of the Fëanoryn. 

Could he have been any other kind of Elf? Sure! I even particularly have a soft spot for Erestor being Sindarin, but again, given his position, I would guess one of the older lines. Doriath, in particular, would make sense. Given how Elves seem to be “ranked” by wisdom defined by their exposure to the Valar and the rest of the Ainur, Doriath, with Melian’s influence, would have been a special kind of place. 

Could Erestor still be Half-elven? My easiest answer would be that it’s unlikely. But! Do not despair! With fiction, really anything is possible. Erestor could be an exceptional Half-elf and that is why he is chief counsellor. He could still be a kindred of Elrond’s by some obscure line, such as an unrecorded child in the line of Beren and Lúthien, or as a popular fanon, either Eluréd or Elurín survived. Or he could just be the son of some other Elf and Man. But whatever version it is, Erestor Half-elven would not have had the choice of the Half-elves, and so likely would not have been alive beyond the lifetime of a Númenórean.

#erestor #meta #the way i accidentally churn out meta sometimes is just #i don't know #wow this took up a sunday #but! #i'm glad to have been able to lay down my notes for it #i do love erestor a lot #and i love the challenge that comes with piecing together canon for all fandom character studies #erestor's obscurity and the challenge he gives me is probably why i like this guy a lot #that and because #he stood beside glorfindel at a wedding #LMAO #let's not pretend it started as anything more than that #90's things #tolkien #the lord of the rings #the silmarillion and other histories

[impossiblebeararcade]

reading lotr for the first time and today i got to the part where frodo sold bag end to the sackville-bagginses??????? i could never have predicted this. i was in class and i audibly gasped and closed the book. i was absorbed in the book and it shocked me back to reality. i can’t believe this.

#and listen i've heard tolkien likes to ramble but dear god why are we spending so much time traveling from bag end to frodos new house #i am enjoying reading it #i like the character interactions and it's cute and all #but what the fuck #they haven't left the shire yet #i'm not complaining or bored or anything but as a first time lotr reader #this is a lot #i cant wait to meet faramir #i love him in the movies and i heard he's even better in the books #but i just went from rereading pjo to starting lotr and it's a big difference in writing styles and readability #lotr #lord of the rings #those goddamn sackville baggins

[miirshroom]

A perspective for contextualizing Elden Ring: Marika does not exist

Consider what gods are, in the anthropological sense. Gods do not exist except in the minds and artefacts of people who define them. Marika is a god, therefore, Marika does not exist. Paradoxically, Marika exists because Radagon believed in her.

"The modern gods right now are the things we give our attention to, the things we give our time to, because time is precious, time is what we use to worship." - Neil Gaiman, on the New Gods (American Gods)

A question asked about 4 months ago on Reddit, and which has come up a few times since then:

"What do you make of the nominal primacy of Marika but the de facto centralith of Radagon in the Golden Order? Did Radagon exist at the founding of the GO?"

What I make of it is that Radagon/the Elden Beast/the avatar of the Sun in the Lands Between devoted his time to crafting a dream woman. Attaining this is the Golden Order decreed by the Greater Will. Because that's how it's supposed to work - the ideal masculine man hasn't achieved golden perfection without marrying the perfect beautiful wife - the silver moon reflecting the light of the sun. But Marika gained a life beyond her sculptor's expectations, in becoming a woman crafted not as an ideal partner, but as an ideal self.

Radagon is Marika and has always been the Marika whose echoes are relayed by Melina. Because both Radagon and Marika are personas in the end - both are fabrications of the Elden Beast that was once sent as Envoy of the Greater Will.

"Other dimensional beings are undoubtedly amazed at what human beings will accept as human beings too. 'But it's just a stick with a person on it.'" - Also Neil Gaiman, about bees believing that painted sticks are other bees

And the Elden Beast is itself representative of the order decreed by the Greater Will. The command to become golden. The Golden Order. Something to which so much time was dedicated to following that it grew to become a god of a different magnitude itself.

Therefore, in sequence: the Elden Beast - or "Radagon" for simplicity - created Marika (with her basic characteristics copied and refined from a particular woman who did exist at some point - see Roderika for example). Radagon governed the Lands Between as Marika, for a time (see Mimic Tears, Marika's Mischief, etc for the mechanism, specifics are unimportant. Someday I'll release my queued post comparing Radagon and Loki), because a majority of the population needed to believe in Marika for her to become accepted as a god consort. Then priorities changed when Radagon realized that he liked being Marika more than being "himself", self-image began to crumble, and Radagon went to study at Liurnia how to be Marika permanently. Its all very transgender, although through a strange route that makes sense in the context of gods who do not conform to the grounded limitations of the real world.

To truely become Marika, Radagon had to be destroyed. Because being another person means not being Radagon. But in the end Marika needed to be shattered too, because she had been modelled on a Numen from outside the Lands Between and becoming her could not be anything more than shallow imitation (see Melina being used as kindling to burn the Erdtree as a metaphor for letting go of the dream maiden). So, the status of avatar of the Greater Will in the Lands Between was handed off to someone else, while the discarded shell of Radagon and Marika wait at the Erdtree to be put to rest by the Tarnished.

The revelation that "Marika is Radagon" from using Law of Regression on the statue led Goldmask to conclude that Marika should remain the Inner Order to Radagon's Outer Order. Not a persona to be worn outwardly, but something to be hidden. Jungian psuedopsychology concept of anima. The gods are no better than men. Corhyn either is or represents the monk who wanted to be a maiden so of course he's broken about it when Goldmask concludes that it is impossible and the Elden Ring should be put back exactly as it was (except now not able to be broken). It's a regression that undoes all of the progress that Radagon made studying in Liurnia where he had concluded that for the sake of becoming Marika the ring should be deconstructed and reformed into a new shape.

From a certain point of view, Radagon was at odds not with the original Marika, but with what the idea of Marika grew to become over time while he was the part of the personality that stagnated.

...and that was generally where the original response ended. But now there's DLC on the way that invites us into a dream world to learn about the origins of Marika. And there's Messmer all done up like what I'd expect from a younger Radagon. From what we know of the framing device he won't be - not literally - but this does seem to be circling around more Jungian ideas. Basically, the idea that the 'Shadow' is a part of the unconsciousness where repressed thoughts are shoved, and it is a place accessible to the anima/animus but not the persona. So, the past self of Radagon/Marika envisioned as one of their offspring and buried in the Shadowlands.

And with all the Madonna/pregnant woman imagery I have just this feeling of dread of having to untangle the Freudian pseudo-psychology mother complex stuff that's tied up in this theatrical recreation of Marika's origin.

But anyways this all is what I think about whenever Marika is called a bitch or a tyrant or etc. It's shadowboxing against an imaginary woman whose physical presence is never seen - Marika does not exist.

#Elden ring #media analysis #elden ring lore #the reason why I suspect Freud is because that name was invoked for a character in Armored Core 6 #Also my dismay when I told a friend that god = ideal self & Elden Lord = perceived self & demigods = personas #And he was like “you mean superego & id & ego?” which I don't think is exactly right but it's the pop culture thing #I get the impression that thinking 4th dimensionally to sort out all of this stuff is a major hurdle for most people

[anarchosocialisthalflings]

okay so im finally catching up on all the d20 i missed why dud no one tell me starstruck odyssey was the best season they’ve ever done?!

#literally tore through it in like 3 days #it has me dying #barry 6 is like my all time fave murph character #same with margeret encino #i drop out (lol) of d20 ever now and then but when i come back goddamn its like i don't know why i ever left #i do know #its cuz the episodes are long as fuck #and im doing a masters and i have a serious job now #plus i do most of my media consumption with my flatmate #and like she's normal and has no clue how much of nerd i am #i truly cannot imagine her response if i said to her 'hey wanna watch 3 hours of improv comedians play lord of the rings' #i know only one season is lord of the rings-y but like lotr is her only like reference for fantasy shit #but even tho im a little bitch baby im also up to date with neverafter #so like im watching that shit too #hopefully i can stay on top of it #and pretend like im back in the fandom #which like typically grows every time im not looking #its been a while tho maybe its dying out who knows #doubt it #dimension20

[airenyah]

just finished watching the godfather and god is that a boring movie

#oida wos fiara zacha füm #nd amoi fad na richtig zach is a #the theater production i'm working at has a whole bunch of godfather references and so that's why i had to watch it #i couldn't get through it in one sitting i've been watching it the past few days bit by bit and just wow #it's SO goddamn dull #it seemed like nothing was happening apart from the characters having some sort of meeting and #getting killed off one by one #which also had me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ bc i just didn't give a SHIT about any of them. not a single one #half of the time i didn't even know who the character that had just died was anyway #the director from the theater said to watch the 2nd movie too but #idk. idk if i can do it #i can sit through 12h of lord of the rings in like 24h no problem but this?? nah #zach. afoch nua scheiße zach 🥱🥱🥱 #airenyah plappert #the things that made me most emotional about this movie was hearing the italian language #and seeing the italian landscapes #god i miss sicily #maybe moving to sicily will fix me

[deadandout]

like yeah, dude, i get it, if i had a bunch of crazy, borderline suicidal, rage-filled maniacs on equally crazy horses riding at me at top speed after all taking a moment to holler “DEATH” at the absolute top of their considerable lungs, i’d be pretty pessimistic about my odds of survival too

#lord of the rings #lotr #mouth amok #two towers is hands down my favorite of the three movies as a whole but honestly nothing tops theoden’s speech at pelennor for me #as in like. nothing in FILM HISTORY. not just the trilogy #god the longer i think about it the more i want to talk about why i love the rohirrim. this is why my dnd character is from rohan #man i have the perfect fic to write this into but they’re only on two towers in it #guess i’ll just have to write enough of it to get them to this point 🤷

[isablooo]

SAM NAMED HIS DAUGHTER GOLDILOCKS????

#reading the appendices rn and im aware that this is tolkiens 'translation/anglicisation' of what the name would acc be in Westron #but its still really funny to me that goldilocks is a canon lotr character #i feel like when frodo said call your daughter goldilocks it was a joke but sam took it 100% seriously #i love that tolkien was like nah the hobbits names youve got so used to are not their actual names i translated them for your convience #girl why are you telling us at the END????? 😭 after like 900 pages of getting used to these names #i joke but i love how tolkien meticulously thought out every detail. it really makes feel like hes translating a real history #the level of detail is mind blowing #but also #the way tolkien writes about mixed race charas has always been insidious (the way he idolises 'pure blood' is so yikes) #but reading the part in the appendices about the half-elven being made to choose between being elven or man made me so sad #he doesn't even scratch the surface of how alienating that would be being made to renounce half of your identity like that #this is fuelling my fire to explore mixed race identities in a more nuanced manner in my own fantasy work!! drawing from my own experience #cuz tolkien was a dude from the early 20th century his takes on stuff like this are... lacking to say the least #text post #lotr #lord of the rings #samwise gamgee

[curly-fangirly]

wait are Gollums pronouns they/them bc he refers to himself as multiple

#we wants it we needs it = they/them rep ❤️ #listen…. if this is offensive tell me but i just love hc characters genders and sexualities and i saw someone tumblr post refering to their #account as ‘us’ (prolly just more than on person rumning it) but was like why are they saying us? and then thought to myself as a joke omg #they them ! but like in a fun way? #the brand of thats my gender as in sum u love and wanna emulate not as in a homophobic transphobic lad way? ya know? #but if someone is legit like thats not funny I’m offended by that then pls tel me!! #lotr #lord of the rings #two towers #return of the king #rotk #gollum #babes is that how its spelled #tolkein #jrr tolkein #jolkein rolkein rolkein tolkein #the hobbit! #sorry ill do one w/o the exclamation point i was just excited when i remembered it #the hobbit

[spock-smokes-weed]

Why didn’t anyone tell me two of the writers for the LOTR movies were women!!!

#lord of the rings #lotr #no wonder I prefer the movies over the books #and why the female characters get more than like two seconds of screen time like they do in the books

[lovetei]

Things that the citizens of the Devildom witnessed that will prove that this Human have the characters at their beck and call

Versions: The Brothers, Side characters

Warnings: Gender neutral pronouns for MC, Cussing, Slight yandere themes (Belphegor, Asmodeus)

Links: Masterlist

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

LUCIFER

This demon likes sticking to rules

Running on hallways? Detention

Eating during class? Detention

Not paying attention to class? Detention

No one is safe...

Except for one person.

The cafeteria if filled with loud noises, your voice shouting profanities to another demon specifically.

Everyone listening to the argument feels like they're stomach is about to burst out of nervousness because "What if Lucifer randomly comes in and put all of us is detention because we just stood by and didn't do anything to stop the fight?!"

And he did.

But what surprised them is that he didn't shout or anything, he just stood there for a few second and scanned the crowd looking for one of his brothers.

Spotted Mammon and came close to him before whispering something among themselves.

And then he just stood there

Doing nothing

As if it's just fucking okay to let a human, the exchange student at that, to scream and curse a demon because he won't cooperate into this project.

And when the demon started cursing back at you, the rules are suddenly so strict as if cussing will cause the end of the 8 rings of hell.

The demon is sent to detention, removed from the group, suspended, and many more.

And who knows? Maybe you pulled just a few strings to have that demon expelled.

But what the citizens sure know is that they never saw anyone again after talking to MC like that.

MAMMON

It was cute

Mammon would do anything for you, no matter how big or small it is.

One day, Mammon was spotted running around the halls of RAD.

Looking like he's getting chased by Lucifer, again.

But surprisingly, he's not.

He's just running around the school fetching your fan, notebooks, bag, pens, water or some snacks.

One time, you two were put in a group for this project and were talking about it with your other group mates.

Then you hit him with a "Mammon, I left my notebook on my desk in the potions class, can you fetch it for me?"

With just a blink of an eye, Mammon who was leaning on your shoulder just a few minutes ago is gone.

And with another blink of an eye he's there again with your notebook on his hands then he's back to leaning on your shoulder again as if he didn't just go to the other side of the school for a notebook.

LEVIATHAN

He's introverted

He won't go out his room if it's just for some lame party

I also headcanons for him to be the most unseen brother

Or like him having the smallest amount of photo and information online because he just won't go out.

Yeah, he won't go out if it's just some small, lame party but if Diavolo hosts it, what exactly can he do?

"Do you think the avatar of envy will attend this party?"

"Ha! No way... Lord Leviathan won't attend small parties or gatherings like these unless Lord Diavolo hosts it himself."

"Lord Leviathan really has a high standard when it comes to gatherings..."

And then poof

He's there

Beside you

A happy go lucky sheep beside a gloomy snake

What a match

And if you ask him why he would attend such gatherings when it's totally not even his style he would just go like "MC."

"What can I do? MC really wants to see the fireworks display."

"MC wants me to escort them."

So they got the hint on how to make Levi attend gatherings, either have Diavolo host it or invite MC too.

SATAN

He's angry

But not angry enough to yell when MC is around

Man's can go from 👹 to ☺️ real quick as soon as he felt MC's prescense

He doesn't know why too, but whenever he yell while you're around he thinks he'll fall out of favor

"WELL MAYBE IF YOU'RE SO PERFECT THEN WHY DON'T YOU GO AROUND WHILE YOU HAVE YOUR HEAD FAR UP YOUR ASS- Oh, Hi MC? How are you?"

He'll talk so sweet in front you and then when you turn around you can see some veins popping out of his neck and forehead.

And if he can't really handle it and went berserk in your prescense another scary yet amazing thing you can is to put your hand on his body.

Shoulder, head, neck, wrist, arm, wherever it is.

Just pat him or link your arms with him and he will start to calm down.

ASMODEUS

People headcanon him to like it when you're obsessed with him but I think he's more obsessed to you.

Like he's down bad

You can do anything and he'll literally fawn all over it

"Look at the way they run their hands through their hair!"

"Look at how they work!"

"The way they hold that fork is so graceful~"

Literally, you're the only person that comes to his mind when someone said pretty

Except for himself of course

But I swear, whenever someone caught him staring at you the atmosphere gets so thick

You don't even know why but the atmosphere is heavy and the air suddenly smells so sweet

And those heart in his eyes, the way his pupils dilate

Yeah, you have this man worshipping you alongside himself

BEELZEBUB

Other than the fact that he's actually willing to share his food with you

He's willing to help you in any physical works

Like lifting up things, carrying your stuffs and sometimes even running errands for you

I mean, he actually doesn't do it a lot because Lucifer actually asks Mammon for this stuff because the things Lucifer needs to be done is a little...

Shady?

And he doesn't want to taint Beel's innocence.

So now since you're already a part of the student council when Lucifer needs to have something important finished but it requires physical work.

You and Beel will be partnered

And he doesn't have anything against it either

He likes it so much when you command him to do something actually

I mean, he's tall and buff but Lucifer won't ask him to do anything that includes hard labor except taking care of Belphegor

So you actually helping him make use of all those muscles made him feel a tinge of happiness

He feels like he's actually of use :)

BELPHEGOR

This little brat

He would kill for you and he means it

He's not scared to spill blood on broad daylight as long as it's for you

Someone bothered you? Dead

Oh this person annoyed you? Taken care of

Aw~ He told you you're cute and asked you out on a date? That's sweet! Dead.

He's just like that

He won't tolerate anyone who dared disrespect you

And Lucifer won't even put a stop into this

"I mean, Devildom is quite overpopulated and we don't want anyone disrespecting Lord Diavolo's plan on bringing the three realms together now." Is what he reasons everytime.

Oh, he also wakes up on command as long as it's you.

Lucifer and his brothers could be shaking him like he's dead and he won't even bother to open his eyes

But if you just pulled a "Belphie? Good morning..." Oh dear, he's wide awake and clinging to you.

#omswd #obey me headcanons #obey me nightbringer #obey me shall we date #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me mc #obey me x you #obey me x reader #obey me fluff #obey me scenarios #obey me crack