Happy birthday my wife 🥹💓 @awesomevictoriau

The most talented editor 🌞 here is your princess Finduilas playing snowballs❄️

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien, TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Legolas Greenleaf & Thranduil Characters: Legolas Greenleaf, Thranduil (Tolkien) Additional Tags: Reconciliation, Reminiscing, Memories, Grief/Mourning Series: Part 30 of My Heart Is An Empty Vessel, Part 4 of Writers’ Month 2023 Summary:

Legolas and his father begin to talk about his mother at long last.

Written for @writersmonth 2023 day 4, prompt ‘memories’.

This one’s for for @verecunda, who very kindly prompted me Thranduil and his Queen for this one, and for @glorf1ndel, who equally kindly prompted me Thranduil and Legolas for the @tolkiengenweek prompt 'family’ (for which I am at least a month late…I can only claim lack of spoons…)

This follows more or less directly on from All The Things I Want You To Say, in which Legolas finally comes home to reconcile with his Ada (and which attempts to explain his Complete Personality Transplant between the Hobbit movies and the LotR ones). The idea that his mother was a swordsmith and jewelsmith comes from the awesome @lemurious, and there’s a very good reason for her leaving her craft behind her when they escape from the fall of Doriath, but it’s not mentioned here because Legolas doesn’t actually find it out until much much later.

@glorf1ndel - it wouldn’t let me make it a gift to you on AO3 but it’s still for you! <3333

[SWG link here]

Gil-galad is released from the Halls of Mandos in the Fourth Age, but settling into Tirion is not as easy as she would hope. Part of my Woman King AU. Written for @tolkiengenweek Day 7 (freeform).

Chapter 3 is now up.

didn't know where else to go

written (slightly late) for @tolkiengenweek

read on ao3

WARNING: implied/referenced rape, rape aftermath

Erestor's quiet evening was interrupted by a weak knock on his door. With a sigh, he placed his book aside and rose.

Outside the windows, the sun had long set, and the moon bathed the courtyards of Lindon in silver light as Erestor went to open the door and froze.

In the hallway, collapsed on the floor, his robes torn and his hair in disarray, knelt the King.

Erestor said nothing, only stared in confusion at the sight.

Gil-galad's breath was laboured, and he clutched the remnants of blue fabric close to his trembling body.

"Didn't know… where else… to go," he muttered, voice rough and weak.

"Your Majesty?" Erestor forgot in his confusion even to sound derisive. His mind raced as he tried to decide what to do.

Ultimately he decided that the first step had to be getting the King into his rooms. Whatever his personal opinions on Gil-galad, the King could not be seen in the hallways like this.

"Come," he said brusquely and grasped Gil-galad's arm, pulling him to his feet and closing the door behind them, before manoeuvring him onto the sofa.

Gil-galad looked even worse in the candlelight, his face and arms bruised, his lips swollen.

Erestor felt anger rise in his chest, burning white-hot, and he knew his face must be flushed with it.

"Who did this to you?" he growled, taking in Gil-galad's face, stained with tears and a sticky white fluid that made his stomach turn.

(And when had he grown so protective of the haughty, spoiled princeling, the one he begrudgingly tolerated only because his Lord had asked it of him, and who tolerated him just as begrudgingly because he was dear to Elrond?)

He shoved the thought aside and focused on the task at hand. Gil-galad was shivering, his lips tinted blue, and Erestor feared that whatever he had endured might prove too much for his fëa, so he hurried to wrap him into a blanket and awkwardly laid an arm around his shoulder.

“What happened?” he asked, schooling his voice to be less harsh. Elrond was better at this, he thought. Erestor was not, as a rule, affectionate – that was his Lord’s domain.

Gil-galad all but pressed himself against him, leaning desperately into the embrace.

“It is my fault,” he whispered weakly. “Círdan told me countless times not to wander alone at night, but the night was peaceful and I wished to enjoy the stars without a company of guards surrounding me. They came across me in the rose gardens. I – I did not even have Aeglos with me. I could not fight them off. They…”

He dissolved into sobs, and Erestor instinctively pulled him closer.

“Do not for a moment think that what those monsters did to you was your fault,” he hissed, one hand hovering over his knives. Whatever crimes his House may have committed, even at their most wretched the Fëanorians had never sunk so low as this, and to think that it had happened in a time of peace, here in the palace of Lindon…

Gil-galad wept into his shoulder, and Erestor let go of the knife to stroke his back soothingly.

“Shh,” he whispered. “It is alright. Stay the night here, where I can keep you safe, and in the morning Elrond will return and take care of you, while I deal with the ones who did this. They will not lay hands on you again, I promise.”

West, West Away

Prompt: Freeform for @tolkiengenweek

Summary: It was the Elvenking. He gazed at the disappearing haven and the encircling hills with a strange, sorrowful expression upon his face, as if he felt the same uncomfortable tug of uprooting that Sam did, feeling as if he had been removed from his familiar soil and planted somewhere he didn’t belong, at least not yet.

Sam watched him, feeling like he was intruding on a private moment, but he couldn’t look away. It was strange to think that a king of the Elves might feel as displaced and torn as he did, but Sam felt suddenly in that moment that he understood the Elvenking, high and lordly though he was.

Sam meets an unlikely kindred spirit on the journey West.

(An expansion of this ficlet I wrote earlier this year.)

Rating: G

Word Count: 3.6k

Excerpt:

The morning mist lay heavy over the land as Sam began the final day of his journey. Somewhere beyond the mist, the spires of the Grey Havens stood above the hills, as he had seen yesterday when the westering sun lit them with gold. And beyond even that lay the Sea, vast and unfathomable—and certainly no place for a hobbit like himself, whose feet were meant to stand upon good, firm earth.  And yet it was to the Sea he went to find his place on one of the last ships, if there were any still—it was rare to see Elves passing through the Shire now and glean news from them of the Grey Havens—and set sail for Valinor and Mr. Frodo, who had waited for him all these long years. “I suppose I won’t see Mr. Bilbo there, though,” Sam said to himself as his pony plodded along the road to the havens. “He was already older than The Old Took when he left, and it’s too much to hope that he might still be alive, even if the Ring did draw out his life. Waited too long, you did, Samwise, and now you’ll never hear one of his poems again, unless Mr. Frodo’s stored some of them in his memory.” A dull ache settled in Sam’s chest, and he blinked away a few tears.  “Well, I hope he found a nice hill to be buried under, somewhere beneath the sun, with lots of flowers over the top and a grand inscription with some of his poetry on it, or some clever phrase making fun of the S-B’s so he can have the last laugh,” he said, trying to think of something less gloomy.

Read the rest on AO3!

For @tolkiengenweek for animal relationships

Follow up to my post here about mobility aids in early first age Beleriand, I wanted to talk more about how animal relationships are utilized to help people who are injured or disabled. This will focus primarily on elves in first age Beleriand but I will make a second one about humans in more detail

I also want to make a follow up post with different animals as I focused on horses and dogs here

As always please feel free to ask more! this kind of world building is so important to me!

Thank you so much @nelyoslegalteam for your support and encouragement with this!!

-Horses

Note: I absolutely love horses but I am by no means an expert on equine therapy or equipment. I did research but I apologize for any potential errors

Second note: I am myself disabled having neurological conditions and brain damage but obviously I do not experience the entire range of experiences of others so I welcome feedback or correction!

Some of the first widely used accommodations for disability effecting mobility were devices that allow those unable to walk or unable to walk without pain or difficulty to ride! For some elves this might be their primary method of mobility especially for longer distances. For others, devices can simply make riding easier and more comfortable.

Elves bond strongly with their horses and there are those who will spend weeks to years ensuring that the devices built will be worn comfortably by the horses and that their riders will in turn be aided by them.

These were first made in Beleriand for various injuries caused by war or accident or torture and predate the rising of the sun.

These are used in pretty much all elven populations that have horses; the Noldor, the Nandor and some Sindar of Eastern Beleriand, some populations of the Sindar in Hithlum and some Avarin groups. Obviously the devices differ from culture to culture. The Noldor use leather and metal, some of the Sindar in Hithlum might use metal or wood as well as leather, for the Nandor, Eastern Sindar and Avari, its mostly cloth, wood and leather.

Many are also aided beyond a physical level both by increased mobility and ability to travel as well as from their connections to their horse which often grow stronger from these projects.

@nelyoslegalteam has encouraged me to use Maedhros as an example! I discussed the nature of his injuries effecting mobility in the post linked at the top

Especially in the period of time between three months and one year following Maedhros’s rescue from Angband when he was starting to travel more and take on more responsibilities but was still very much recovering from his physical injuries, he had a saddle that had greater lower body support created by modifying the balance, as well as modified reigns that allowed Maedhros to steer with one hand. Modified stirrups also allowed him greater balance and ability to steer and allowed him to more comfortably ride with his legs in braces. It was made with leather and steel. The Noldor in general practice riding in different styles, sometimes using reigns and other supports and sometimes not.

(My general thoughts is that some elves use reigns, stirrups and saddle for most riders, some use only one and some use none. But most have at least some devices that can make riding more accessible for younger children or those who are injured or disabled even if in their culture elves generally do not use anything when riding)

Hounds

Hounds are kept by the Falathrim, by the Noldor, and by other Sindar and Avarin groups as well as human cultures. They are rare in Doriath but more common in Brethil where they are kept by the Haladin. They are primarily used for hunting but always considered companions and friends regardless of their primary role. Domestic hounds as we know them are rarely kept by the Nandor though other canine species are.

Hounds have also been trained to aid people who are injured or disabled. Canine companions for those with vision loss started in Northern Sindar cultures but became practice elsewhere, in both human and elven cultures. Typically these dogs will act as the eyes of their person, leading them away from obstacles, acting as support in balance and navigation especially for those whose vision loss is recent or accompanied by other injuries, and alerting them to nearby objects, people or creatures. Because elves who lose vision, whether through injuries related to war, torture, or other causes, often rely heavily on hearing just as humans do, dogs who are trained to help them will often signal to their companion by changing in stance or sitting, letting the change in pressure and feeling being the signal rather than a bark. This often allows their companion more ability to detect their surroundings through their ears and other senses.

(On my posts about inhuman traits in elves I talked about additional senses including echolocation as well as the phenomenon of elves experiencing vision loss from snow! I’m going to talk about that more later too!)

Dogs are also used to assist with other tasks such as fetching objects, navigating difficult terrain, raising alarms or alerts or acting as guards, detecting certain materials, and more. Naturally, these can be still more helpful to people who are disabled.

For someone with mobility issues or chronic pain, having a hound trained to fetch objects or even bring messages to those nearby can be extremely beneficial.

And of course the emotional aspect is vital too! Non judgmental, familiar creatures can be extremely comforting and it is the combination of this and the added autonomy and freedom that service dogs can offer that can make them so beneficial

(I have some ideas about diversity in dogs and horses of Valinor and Beleriand that I'll elaborate on later but in short I think there is selective breeding and some diversity in breeds though not to the extent of today.)

Managed to finally finish this for @tolkiengenweek but couldn’t post it yesterday:

Mirror Image

Summary: For his son, Fëanor swallows his pride. (And interprets a brief moment of foresight in entirely the wrong way.)

Characters: Fëanor, Finarfin, Curufin, Finrod, brief appearances by various other Finwëan grandchildren

Relationships: Fëanor & Finarfin, Fëanor & Curufin, Curufin & Finrod, Fëanor & Finrod

Word Count: 4.5k

Prompts: Family, Friendship, Work and Craft

Excerpt:

“Arvo.”

“Yes?” Finarfin asked, eyebrows slightly raised in surprise at the nickname Fëanor hadn’t really used for him since he had been a child. 

Fëanor hesitated.

“Findaráto. He’s… a good boy,” he finally said, grimacing at himself for his sudden and uncharacteristic ineloquence. “Do you think he’d like to come visit us some time? Maybe stay with us for a while?”

(I basically wanted to explore Curufin’s and Fëanor’s pre-Darkening relationship with the Arafinwëans and so this happened).

Read on AO3

—–

And a shameless little self-plug, since everything I’ve written so far for this fandom is gen fic:

Unruly and ill-behaved, downright feral even

>> The parenting adventures of Fëanor and Nerdanel. 7k of Fëanorian family fluff, if that’s something you like.

Family Portrait

>> A bit of Finwëan family drama (mostly between Fëanor and Fingolfin)

Also a huge thank you to all the people who have commented, left kudos and bookmarked my fics. It’s easy to feel discouraged as a gen fic writer, but people have been lovely so far and it really does motivate me to continue writing.

Day 7 Freeform for @tolkiengenweek: Luthien finding Daeron after the events of 'Of Beren and Luthien' !

(and yes that is in fact Elured and Elurin, yes i realized they should absolutely not be in the same time period as baby Dior, yes i accidentally smashed 2 ideas together in my brain and i didn't realize this until i was half done)

Inspired by a conversation I had with @sakasakiii about Luthien going back for daeron (since apparently the doriathrim didn't want him, or at least not enough to mount a thingol-scale rescue party).

Also partially inspired by another part of the same conversation in which Rin brought up the idea of Daeron going to rescue elured and eluril. Anyways after the accidental timeline-mashing, I decided that well, the forest around menegroth is full of enough weird maia magic to explain elured & elurin time traveling directly into luthien, beren, and daeron's house decades before they were supposed to be born- after all, occasional time travel to weird magic places is Lost Road canon right?

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien, Лэ о Лэйтиан - Смеркович и Сидоренко | The Lay of Leithian - Smerkovich & Sidorenko Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Finrod Felagund & Huan Characters: Huan (Tolkien), Finrod Felagund | Findaráto, Celegorm | Turcafinwë Additional Tags: Canonical Character Death, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Sad Ending, Grief/Mourning Summary:

Huan carries Finrod five times; four times in life, and the hardest of them all in death.

@tolkiengenweek

For the pride art, can you do an aro Nienna? Thanks!!

yesssss!!!!!

(hand gesture based on the ASL sign for mercy, facially based on Our Lady of Sorrows, face paint courtesy of Aurora Asknes -- representing tears and smile lines, a reminder to hold back neither laughter nor tears -- they're an essential part of life!)

I had fun designing her!! Thank you for the awesome request!

You're doing pride requests? Can you do genderqueer Finrod? Maybe along with trans or bigender Galadriel?

love this for them. Thanks so much for the request!

Finwëan Ladies Week: September 18-24, 2023

Hello and welcome to Finwëan Ladies Week!

This is a week-long event celebrating the ladies of the line of Finwë! There have been events within the Silmarillion fandom focused on the sons of Finwë and their descendents, and to add to the fun this week was established to give his wives, daughters, and other female descendants their own time to shine.

Finwëan Ladies Week began in 2019 and has run every year since. We are back for more in our fifth year, this time from September 18-24, 2023!

Any content and creations about the ladies of Finwë’s line are welcome! You can create edits, gifs, fanart, fanfic, fanmixes, and more!

Below are some prompts for each day of the week. They are not mandatory, but they are here to inspire you. This page will lead to a detailed explanation for each one.

DAY ONE: Míriel Þerindë and Indis DAY TWO: Findis and Írimë Lalwen DAY THREE: Aredhel and Galadriel DAY FOUR: Later Generations DAY FIVE: Ladies Who Married In DAY SIX: Original Characters DAY SEVEN: Freeform

This event is being organized by mods Anna @arofili and Elle @elesianne. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to message this blog or reach out to Anna on their main blog. Anna runs on Pacific Standard Time, and Elle runs on Eastern European Summer Time, so we will be active and modding on those schedules, although you are free to post your content at the time most convenient to you!

For further clarification, check out our about, FAQ, and prompts pages! Happy creating!!

Mobile links are accessible here.



lord of the rings ladies week day five | elves | nimloth and mithrellas | @lotrladiessource

[Mithrellas] was one of the companions of Nimrodel, among many of the Elves that fled to the coast about the year 1980 of the Third Age, when evil arose in Moria; and Nimrodel and her maidens stayed in the wooded hills, and were lost.

—Unfinished Tales, “The History of Galadriel and Celeborn, and of Amroth King of Lórien”

@tolkienofcolourweek day three | men | andreth saelind

Andreth was a woman of the House of Beor, the sister of Bregor father of Barahir (whose son was Beren One-hand the renowned). She was wise in thought, and learned in the lore of Men and their histories; for which reason the Eldar called her Saelind, ‘Wise-heart.’

@tolkienofcolourweek day two | elves | galadriel

A sister they had, Galadriel, most beautiful of all the house of Finwë; her hair was lit with gold as though it had caught in a mesh the radiance of Laurelin.

@tolkienofcolourweek day one | ainur | the blue wizards

Their task was to circumvent Sauron: to bring help to the few tribes of Men that had rebelled from Melkor-worship, to stir up rebellion and after his first fall to search out his hiding (in which they failed) and to cause dissension and disarray among the dark East... They must have had very great influence on the history of the Second Age and Third Age in weakening and disarraying the forces of East who would both in the Second Age and Third Age otherwise have outnumbered the West.

lord of the rings ladies week day seven | hope | gilraen | @lotrladiessource

“This is our last parting, Estel, my son. I am aged by care, even as one of lesser Men; and now that it draws near I cannot face the darkness of our time that gathers upon Middle-earth. I shall leave it soon.” Aragorn tried to comfort her, saying: “Yet there may be a light beyond the darkness; and if so, I would have you see it and be glad.” But she answered only with this linnod: “Ónen i-Estel Edain, ú-chebin estel anim: I gave Hope to the Dúnedain, I have kept no hope for myself,” and Aragorn went away heavy of heart.

—The Lord of the Rings: Appendix A, “The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen”