Independence1776

Calling Tolkien fandom

2019-07-31T14:27:02Z

If you were in Tolkien fandom in the early and mid 2000s, I want to hear from you! Lurkers, readers, writers, artists or any combination of that and more. (However, I am not dealing with the LotRiPS side of the fandom.)

I’m writing meta about how the Tolkien fandom culture of that time period influenced Tolkien archive policies of the Tolkien-centric archives that opened in the mid and late 2000s, specifically of the Silmarillion Writers’ Guild but also in general. I can only bring my limited experience to that, so rather than ignore things I know happened but don’t have any personal experience with, I want to know other people’s recollections.

The link goes to a Google form with several questions about specific areas that I remember being controversial, but there is also space for freeform answers.

The form will be open from July 31, 2019 through August 21, 2019.

Please pass this on to anyone you know might be interested.

The link to the form.

Crossposted on Dreamwidth: https://independence1776.dreamwidth.org/603014.html. Comment on whichever site you prefer.

FIC: A Tyrant Spell Has Bound Me

2017-10-18T15:32:13Z

Fandom: The Silmarillion
Rating: Mature/Adult
Genre: Dark canon divergent AU, gen.
Wordcount: 4200 words
Characters: Maglor, Maedhros, Elwing, Eärendil, Elrond

Warnings: Choose Not to Warn, largely because I suspect there would be warnings I missed because it's a dark canon divergent AU. There's a ton of off-screen character death, on-screen suicide-by-battle, and no good answers.

Author’s Notes: Many thanks to Lyra for the beta. The title comes from Emily Brontë’s poem “The Night is Darkening Round Me.” This was written for SWG's Silmarillion40 compilation.

Read on: SWG or AO3.

Crossposted on Dreamwidth: https://independence1776.dreamwidth.org/528480.html. Comment on whichever site you prefer.

Poll about the future of B2MeM on LJ

2017-06-13T01:25:17Z

Hey everyone!

We the B2MeM mods need to know how you feel about B2MeM and LiveJournal, including if we should import the comm from LJ to DW and where to host the event in the future. It doesn't matter your primary platform or when (or if) you participated; as long as you're interested in B2MeM, we want your input.

Please read the post on Dreamwidth, LiveJournal, or Tumblr and then take the five-question poll.

We would love it if you signal boost this, either via links or reblogging the Tumblr post.

The poll will close on JUNE 26 at 11:59 PM Hawaiian time. We will post a reminder in the above communities a few days before then.

Crossposted on Dreamwidth: http://independence1776.dreamwidth.org/515893.html.

B2MeM 2017 Works

2017-03-31T18:42:36Z

So here's what I created for Back to Middle-earth Month 2017: one short story and two rec lists.

A Light Exists in Spring (On AO3): While living in Dorwinion, Maglor receives help in making a life-changing decision. Gen; rated Teens for mature themes; 1200 words.

(Even though I try not to write these sorts of notes, I have to say it's not one of my better fics and the central relationship is out there even for me. I kind of regret posting it.)

Women-centric fanworks: A group of women-centric fanworks for an Act of Kindness, organized by length.

OC-centric fics: A selection of OC-centric fics, organized by length.

Tolkien Tuesday #28

2017-01-24T16:44:29Z

From The Return of the King, The Tower of Cirith Ungol:

In western lands beneath the Sun
the flowers may rise in Spring,
the trees may bud, the waters run,
the merry finches sing.
Or there maybe 'tis cloudless night
and swaying beeches bear
the Elven-stars as jewels white
amid their branching hair.

Though here at journey's end I lie
in darkness buried deep,
beyond all towers strong and high,
beyond all mountains steep,
above all shadows rides the Sun
and Stars for ever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done,
nor bid the Stars farewell.

Posted via m.livejournal.com.

Snowflake Challenge Day 15

2017-01-15T21:22:52Z

In your own space, write a love letter to Fandom in general, to a particular fandom, to a trope, a relationship, a character, or to your flist/circle/followers. Share you love and squee as loud as you want to.

Dear everyone on my flist, including those who've left fandom and those who've drifted apart:

You've made my life so much better, so much happier. Your comments on my fics and my occasional graphics, your support for little and big things, our conversations, being there through the good and bad times-- all of it is deeply held close to my heart. Thank you.

Love,
Indy

Posted via m.livejournal.com.

Snowflake Challenge Day 13

2017-01-13T19:31:02Z

In your own space, write about a moment in fandom that meant a lot to you.

CrossingsCon!

The first (but not last!) Young Wizards convention that happened last June. It was fantastic getting to meet fellow YW fans in person, spending a weekend in an environment dedicated to the book series, a tour of YW-related places in Manhattan, and so many little things.

My main regret is that I didn't meet enough people. There were 120+ people attending and that's just enough (in my mind at least) to be able to completely miss seeing people to the point where you didn't know they were there until you saw photos and con reports and squee after the con ended.

My CrossingsCon tag has pictures (both mine and others'), audio of the jam session, and a lot of squee.

Posted via m.livejournal.com.

Snowflake Challenge Days 8 and 12

2017-01-12T13:04:53Z

Day 8

In your own space, make a list of at least 3 things that you like about yourself.

I'd originally skipped this challenge. I could only think of one thing, which is sad, and then last night I got angry at myself for taking the easy way out and thought of more.

1. I write good dialogue.

2. I step up to help with fannish projects. This is how I became head mod for b2mem: I volunteered to help with tagging in 2012, became the tagging mod in 2013, and then co-head mod in 2015, and then head mod last year. I helped with the HASA Rescue Project when we weren't sure any part of the archive was going to be saved (and we kept going with the project even when we learned it would be ported onto AO3 via Open Doors).

3. That I had the courage in June 2016 despite major fear and anxiety to walk into what has become my synagogue and to contact the rabbi about converting.

Day 12

In your own space, post a rec for fannish spaces and resources - comms, challenges, twitters, tumblrs, etc. Tell us about where you hang out.

My usual answer, being mostly monofannish, is The Silmarillion Writers' Guild: awesome fics, a great resource section, plenty of challenges (that the mods have just revamped and I'm terribly excited about them), a monthly newsletter, and a great community of people. There's satellite communities on LJ, DW, and Tumblr (they're linked at the bottom of the site's side column). It's my fandom home.

Also: b2mem (Back to Middle-earth Month) is an annual fest in March. We welcome everyone, no matter what sort of Tolkien-based fanworks they like to create. My mods and I are working on this year's event, so stay tuned for that if you're interested.

Here's my unusual answer: I maintain a list of Tolkien fanfic archives that I urge you to explore. This is where the Tolkien fandom before the rise of AO3 hung out and many of us still use these archives.

Snowflake Challenge Day 6

2017-01-06T18:33:22Z

In your own space, create a list of at least three fannish things you'd love to receive, something you've wanted but were afraid to ask for - a fannish wish-list of sorts.

~ My Fandom_Stocking (reveals are on Jan. 11): http://fandom-stocking.dreamwidth.org/629069.html

~ Comments on my fics if you like them, especially if you bookmark or rec them. A simple “I liked it!” or writing out “kudos” or stuff like that are just as welcome as in-depth comments.

~ Fanart based on my fics, especially my longer ones.

~ A gen Silmarillion/LotR fic based on this prompt: One winter evening, Maglor and Gandalf run into each other-- literally or metaphorically-- at The Prancing Pony. (I’d prefer the Valar-- if they’re mentioned at all-- to neither be perfect/capable of doing no wrong nor horrible/worse than Morgoth.)

~ Suggestions for a low-pressure way to be more disciplined in my writing that does not involve minimum goals (wordcount or number of stories written), daily writing (too high-pressure and guaranteed to fail and send me into a guilt spiral), or deadlines of any sort. Actively keeping track of wordcount or how often I write is also probably too much pressure.

…I suspect this may be an impossible request.

~ Not fandom-related: Judaism blogs that are convert-in-process friendly, preferably on Dreamwidth. (I want to read in my feed and not have to allow access to my locked posts in order to do so.) I desperately want to find things that are off Tumblr and not focused on “the world is horrible” and “let’s attack each other over minor differences of opinion.” I’d prefer blogs from Conservative, Reform, or other liberal perspectives.

Posted via m.livejournal.com.

Snowflake Challenge Day 5

2017-01-05T16:23:17Z

In your own space, post recs for at least three fanworks that you did not create.

So here’s what I’m doing: one Tolkien giftfic for me that I adore and a handful of old Star Wars Prequel-era fics that I’ve been rereading lately.

Tolkien (Silmarillion):

~ Home for Midwinter by talullahred. Rated G, 2129 words, gen. Someone loves Maglor and eagerly awaits his return.

This was written for me in the 2016 MPTT Yule Exchange and I love it. There are so many things in it that are right up my alley: Maglor living with the Avari post-canon, OFCs, OFC as the main character, family of choice, hurt/comfort. I love it to pieces.

Star Wars

The first person on my list is Magier74/Master_Noi. I’m reccing two fics of hers.

~ For Such a Time as This: Rated Teens; 96,000 words. The Jedi Order was disbanded as part of the Rusaan Reformation and both Jedi and Sith have been extinct for 1000 years - or have they? Extreme prequels AU.

This is my favorite Star Wars fic of all time. It starts just before TPM, but there are so many changes made because the point of divergence is a thousand years before. She keeps the characters in-character despite the changes. It is, however, unfinished and ends right before Obi-Wan, Padmé, etc. arrive on Coruscant. Despite that, I encourage you to read it. It’s one of the fics I mourned losing when tf.n changed platforms and I rejoiced when I found it on ff.net. Seriously, just read it.

~ Path of Shadows: Rated Teens; 65,000 words, gen. Qui-Gon Jinn's final request is for his former apprentice, Xanatos, to train Anakin. Can he keep the Chosen One from making the same mistakes he did. JA/Prequels AU - Xanatos fell and betrayed Qui-Gon on Telos, but returned to the Light side of the Force and the Jedi. Obi-Wan, Xanatos, Anakin.

This fic was known as “A Shrouded Path” on theforce.net forums. It is likewise an unfinished fic, but Chapter 28 ends on a good stopping place (though plot threads obviously remain unresolved). Chapter 29 skips ahead three years and ends on a cliffhanger.

Other Authors:

~ Betrayal by archaeologist_d. Rated Teens; 284,000 words; major character death. Qui-Gon Jinn was dismissed from the Jedi Temple when the Senate decreed cost cutting measures. What the Jedi didn't know at the time was that the Senate was under the control of the Sith. It is now 10 years later and former Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn is accused of illegal activities. Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan are forced to investigate.

The Phantom Menace never happened and this fic takes place at the same time as Attack of the Clones. Very AU.

Locked to AO3 members. I love this AU: sinister and quiet and utterly believable.

~ Crash Course by Lilith Demodae. Rated Teens; 67,000 words; gen. A swoop gang member gets caught up in an undercover investigation of why all of a sudden tensions and tempers are running high between Coruscant's gangs.

Jedi investigations, OFC outsider POV: love it. Not an AU, but is Prequel-era.

~ The Water’s Edge by Obaona. Rated Teens; 123,000 words; gen.

The author's summary is useless (which is why it's not there), but the story is basically: After trying to kill himself after Anakin becomes Vader, Obi-Wan gets transported to an alternate universe galaxy where Xanatos never fell, but AU!Obi-Wan did. Things happen. Begun pre-RotS, so the very beginning is not compliant with the movie. If that isn’t to your taste, Obaona is universally a good SW writer.

~ Some Other Future’s Path by Chaos Rose. Rated Teens; 61,000 words; gen as anything involving post-TPM Anakin and Padmé can be (it clearly would have been A/P had it continued). An alternate universe wherein the Jedi refuse to train Anakin.

What the summary doesn’t say is that Padmé gets involved and Obi-Wan gets appointed an advisor to the court. Stunning descriptions and politics are involved, too. However, it is also an unfinished fic.

So yeah, there you go: a bunch of Prequel-era AUs I love.

Posted via m.livejournal.com.

Tolkien Tuesday #27

2017-01-03T22:53:50Z

The easiest one of all:

Happy 125th Birthday, Professor!

Posted via m.livejournal.com.

Snowflake Challenge Day 2

2017-01-02T16:00:59Z

In your own space, share a book/song/movie/tv show/fanwork/etc that changed your life. Something that impacted on your consciousness in a way that left its mark on your soul.

I was going to skip this one because I've talked multiple times about my love of Tolkien's books and Young Wizards. And then I realized there's one fandom I haven't talked about, that I've loved ever since I first saw it in 1993, and there's new canon for: Star Wars.

(There will be spoilers for Rogue One.)

I'm going to preface this with one little fact: I honestly can't tell you whether The Lion King or Star Wars is my first fandom (aka thing I was obsessed with because organized fandom wasn't something I knew existed until nearly a decade later). I saw both of them in 1993 and I cannot remember which I saw first. All I know is that my sister and I would spend a month playing one, switching to the other, and then switching back. We did that a few times. The Lion King faded into the background (it remains my favorite Disney movie, though looking at my Tumblr, you'd never tell given Lilo and Stitch is the only Disney stuff I reblog (L&S is my second-favorite Disney movie).) But Star Wars stuck around.

Maybe it was the Extended Universe books that I jumped into. Maybe it was the Force. Maybe it was Luke's journey. I don't know. I just love it.

My love extended to the Prequel Trilogy. Yes, it has flaws. Major flaws. There are entire parts of the movies that I will fast-forward through. But TPM gave me Qui-Gon and I will always love it for that.

(I haven't seen any of the TV shows.)

But I stopped reading the EU after the first book in the New Jedi Order series killed Chewie. That sort of dark and grim storytelling was not what I wanted from Star Wars. I read a few of the Prequel-era EU, but not to the extent I read the post-OT era stuff. (Welcome to me rejoicing when Disney made the EU no longer canon because it meant Chewie lived.)

But fandom? I only fell into actively participating in it after RotS was released. And while I enjoyed reading the OT and post-OT/pre-NJO stuff, I glommed onto the Prequel-era side of things. So many stories, so many canon divergence AUs. Those were and still are my favorite things to read in the fandom. So, so many good AUs. The negative side is that the site where I participated (theforce.net forums) switched platforms a few years ago and accidently truncated all the posts longer than 2000 characters. The vast majority of the stories are now unreadable.

I only spent a couple of years actively participating, and not really writing much of anything during that time, but I look back on it fondly. And rejoiced when I found a few of my favorite stories crossposted on ff.net. Oh-- I also made a Jedi costume. :D

Come Lucasfilm selling Star Wars to Disney. Yes, I was wary. But at the same time, I knew that Disney would at least do good with it; they've had a partnership with Lucasfilm for two decades at that point. And while I was disappointed and a bit upset about the EU decision (because while Chewie lived, Mara Jade was no longer canon), I knew it was the best creative decision for the new movies.

TFA was everything I have ever wanted from a Star Wars movie: a Force-sensitive female pilot. (I mean, the only thing I wanted that I didn't get was Rey flying an X-wing. But the concept art did have her flying one at one point, so that made me happy.) I'm firmly convinced she's Luke's daughter (no, I'm not debating or arguing about this; you have your opinions and I have mine). Despite my feelings about Chewie's death, Han's didn't bother me specifically because it wasn't senseless and fit the story. (Chewie's was literally done for the shock value.) This is in my top three favorite SW movies.

I read a few fics in the fandom, but it didn't really hold my interest. The themes and popular plots are just too different from the mid-2000s SW fic I like best.

And then Rogue One.

Holy shit Rogue One. I went into the theater expecting everyone to die and I was not wrong. (I also wasn't wrong in thinking that people would die one by one leaving only one or two people transmitting the plans before themselves dying.) But that was exactly the movie I needed to see. I love it. I can't say it's my favorite movie if only because that would knock A New Hope off the top slot and I don't want to do that. (I also don't know if it's a proximity thing because I just watched it or not.) But it was the best movie I saw in 2016. Because it was what I needed when I needed it and yes. Just yes. I love that it was the little people, the people doing their jobs, the people changing their minds and stepping up when they needed to, the people making their best effort, the people going in knowing they were likely going to die and doing it because they knew the job needed doing.

So yeah. Star Wars. Star Wars is love and squee.

Posted via m.livejournal.com.

Snowflake Challenge Day 1

2017-01-01T14:14:53Z

It's running again! They needed new mods and I wasn't sure they'd get them, but it's running! I probably won't do all the days, but yeah. I'm happy.

In your own space, post a rec for at least three fanworks that you have created. It can be your favorite fanworks that you've created, or fanworks you feel no one ever saw, or fanworks you say would define you as a creator.

So this year I didn't write a lot, but here's the three fics I'm proud of:

The Chain That Snaps (Also on AO3). Silmarillion, gen, rated Adult/Mature, warning for torture. 2680 words. Elrond rescues Maglor from a laboratory. Hurt/comfort.

Complete self-indulgence on my part. It's basically the fic that I always wanted to read and could never find. It's also the type of fic I've been afraid to post for fear of getting yelled at. I am so, so glad I found the courage to post this because it's honestly one of my favorite things that I've written.

In Deep or in Darkness. MCU/Young Wizards fusion, gen, rated Teens. 58,746 words. "In Life's name and for Life's sake…" Loki's Oath changes everything.

I had so much fun writing this story. It's my last MCU fic and I went out with a bang.

A Brief Holiday. MCU canon divergence AU, third in a series, Clint/Natasha/Loki. Rated Explicit. 2847 words. For once, a holiday with Natasha and Clint doesn’t go wrong.

My first and only PWP. Writing one was a challenge I'd set for myself at the beginning of 2016 and I'm glad I met it.

Tolkien Tuesday #26

2016-12-13T14:40:55Z

Well, I managed to hit the halfway point… in December. This obviously did not work out to weekly postings.

From The Fellowship of the Ring, "Strider":

"They [the Black Riders] come from Mordor,' said Strider in a low voice. 'From Mordor, Barliman, if that means anything to you.'

'Save us!' cried Mr. Butterbur turning pale; the name evidently was known to him. 'This is the worst news that has come to Bree in my time.'

'It is,' said Frodo. 'Are you still willing to help me?'

'I am,' said Mr. Butterbur. 'More than ever. ThoughI don't know what the likes of me can do against, against---' he faltered.

'Against the Shadow in the East,' said Strider quietly. 'Not much, Barliman, but every little bit helps. You can let Mr. Underhil stay here tonight, as Mr. Underhill, and you can forget the name of Baggins, till he is far away.'

Tolkien Tuesday #25

2016-11-22T20:42:32Z

Well, it's been a while since I did one of these…

From The Silmarillion, "Of the Return of the Noldor:"

"When twenty years of the Sun had passed, Fingolfin King of the Noldor made a great feast; and it was held in the spring near to the pools of Ivrin, whence the swift river Narog rose, for there the lands were green and fair at the feet of the Mountains of Shadow that shielded them from the north. The joy of that feast was long remembered in days of sorrow; and it was called the Mereth Aderthad, the Feast of Reuniting."

Tolkien Tuesday #24

2016-10-11T18:37:53Z

From The Fellowship of the Ring, "Three is Company:"

"And it is also said," answered Frodo: "Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes."

"Is it indeed?" laughed Gildor. "Elves seldom give unguarded advice, for advice is a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise, and all courses may run ill."

I rather like the more serious turn about why the Elves give advice (or not) as they do: it's a worldview thing, a serious matter and they more than mortals would understand how advice can twist and turn and shape events. Mind, Frodo's line I still find humorous, but yeah, worldbuilding and different natures and worldviews will usually stike me deeper.

Tolkien Tuesday #23

2016-09-20T17:08:56Z

From The Fellowship of the Ring, "Fog on the Barrow Downs:"

That night they heard no noises. But either in his dreams or out of them, he could not tell which, Frodo heard a sweet singing in his mind: a song that seemed to come like a pale light behind a grey rain-curtain, and growing stronger to turn the veil all to glass and silver, until at last it was rolled back, and a far green country opened before him under a swift sunrise.

The vision melted into waking; and there was Tom whistling like a tree-full of birds; and the sun was already slanting down the hill and through the open window. Outside everything was green and pale gold.

Posted via m.livejournal.com.

Tolkien Tuesday #22

2016-09-13T14:29:39Z

Resource gathering question this week:

Ever since DarthFingon's name generators vanished, I've had problems with naming my OCs and textual ghosts. (~~Even the generator's vocabulary lists available through the Wayback Machine's archive of the site are messed up; the accented characters are gibberish.~~ Turns out the gibberish is a browser-specific problem on my end.)

Quenya isn't much of a problem thanks to Quenya Lapseparma.

But Sindarin? I'm stuck. Does anyone have any resources to share?

Posted via m.livejournal.com.

FIC: In Deep or in Darkness (MCU/Young Wizards fusion)

2016-09-04T11:48:27Z

Title: In Deep or in Darkness
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe/Young Wizards fusion
Rating: Teens
Genre: Gen
Wordcount: Fic total is about 59,000 words; chapters vary wildly.
Characters: Loki, Thor, Sif, Frigga, Odin, original characters
Warnings: MCU canon-typical violence
Author’s Notes: First off, I need to acknowledge my thanks and my debt to Chordatesrock's "so dawn goes down to day," without which I would have never asked myself, "What would happen if Loki took the Oath at the usual age for Asgardians?"

Timeline-wise, this fic uses the New Millennium Editions, in large part because of the neat coincidence of the Pullulus War occurring in late April and early May 2010 and Thor occurring in very late May and early June 2010. You do not need to have read the NMEs; the timeline is the only thing of importance I used from them.

A chapter will be posted daily save for on Saturdays. (There's fifteen chapters.)

My thanks to LadyLunas for the beta.

Summary: "In Life's name and for Life's sake…" Loki's Oath changes everything.

Posted on AO3 and on Dreamwidth.

Tolkien Tuesday #21

2016-08-30T15:06:23Z

From The Fellowship of the Ring, "A Long-expected Party":

It was a fine night, and the black sky was dotted with stars. [Bilbo] looked up, sniffing the air. 'What fun! What fun to be off again, off on the Road with dwarves! This is what I have really been longing for, for years! Good-bye!' he said, looking at his old home and bowing to the door.

Tolkien Tuesday #20

2016-08-23T16:10:05Z

From The Two Towers, "The Window on the West":

'You passed through the hidden land,' said Faramir, 'but it seems you little understood its power. If Men have dealings with the Mistress of Magic who dwells in the Golden Wood, then they may look for strange things to follow. For it is perilous for mortal man to walk out of the world of this Sun, and few of old came thence unchanged, 'tis said.'

Dear Innumerable Stars author:

2016-08-15T13:39:54Z

Hello! I’m looking forward to reading what you’ll write.

First off: I prefer fics rated General through Mature; I’m not in fandom for smut. I like both darker and lighter fic and I’m fine with high ratings for violence.

General Dislikes: spoilers, character death, animal death or injury, bees/wasps/etc., rape/noncon/dubcon, incest (including between adopted family members, first cousins, and half cousins), explicit sex, sex or romance solving everything, ABO, character bashing, plot caused by miscommunication, time loops, cheating/infidelity, unrequited love or attraction, pregnancy of any kind, non-canonical kidfic, embarrassment/humiliation, crack, issue!fic, deconstructions of canon, different setting/modern/mundane AUs, sex/gender/race/whatever-bending, unrelenting bleakness and grimdark, non-metaphorical demons, the undead (zombies, ghosts, vampires, living skeletons, etc.), unhappy endings.

General Likes: hurt/comfort (emotional and physical ranging from fluffy to torture), redemption, reconciliation, family of choice, friendship, family, established relationships, enemies to friends, cuddling (platonic or otherwise), communication, trust, characters working through difficult things, people showing they care through small actions and details, competence, canon divergence/fork-in-the-road AUs, slice of life, quiet moments, introspection, accurate science, complex characters, women being awesome, happy or hopeful endings. I like first or third person POV.

General Tolkien Stuff: I’m neutral to mildly positive about the Valar, so please don’t write them as terrible/worse than Morgoth/etc. I think LACE is inherently unreliable. I prefer not to have Quenya or Sindarin in place of common English words (for example: father, son, friend). Also, if it is at all relevant to your fanwork, please use the version of Amrod’s and Amras’ deaths found in The Silmarillion.

What I love about Middle-earth… the sheer scope of the world and the sense that its history actually matters and informs the present. That even though the good guys won, the world can’t go back to how it was. That people are changed by their experiences. That friendships, family, loyalty, and trust matter. Fighting despite the odds. Hope overcoming despair.

Relationship-wise: I generally ship canon, no matter how little the spouses appear in-text or only as textual ghosts. (I’m actually asking for about half of my non-canon ships.) For characters whose relationships are never mentioned in-text, I prefer canon/OC. I am pretty much uninterested in m/m unless it’s part of a poly relationship that includes at least one woman. I do not ship Maedhros/Fingon and my NOTPs are Frodo/Sam and Elrond/anyone who isn’t Celebrían.

REQUESTS AND PROMPTS

Generic prompts: autumn leaf color change, cooler weather, autumn decorations, a harvest festival, abandoned places and ruins, ordinary objects that aren’t quite what they appear to be, secret passages, things go bump in the night, meteor showers, stargazing, log cabins, large dog(s), books

I’ve divided the rest of the letter into sections based on book and then by relationship type, so feel free to skip down to the one(s) you matched on.

Lord of the Rings-- JRR Tolkien

GEN: Arwen Undómiel (LoTR Books), Elladan (Tolkien), Elrohir (Tolkien)

~ Arwen, Elladan, and Elrohir: I view Arwen very much as strong of will and character, not meek or unassuming, and very much willing to defy expectations. I am less than fond of the twins as pranksters, but have no other strong opinions about them save that they both sail West.
Prompts: As adults, I’d love to see them have an adventure outside of Rivendell that does not involve orcs or bandits. I’d prefer for it to be more serious rather than humorous. Or something involving governing Imladris when their parents are away (humorous or not). Or Elladan and Elrohir being big brothers to a young Arwen. Or something involving storytelling or oral history or things along those lines.

HET: Elrond (Tolkien)

~ Elrond/Celebrían: I am happy with almost anything focusing on them as a couple. My only requests are that the fic avoid their first meeting; Celebrían’s captivity, aftermath, and sailing; and that if you write about their life in Aman, please do not focus on their grief about Arwen.
Prompts: poetry, bluebirds, visiting Lothlórien, an autumn in Imladris.

FEMSLASH: Lady of the Blue Brooch (Tolkien), Goldberry (Tolkien)

~ Lady of the Blue Brooch/Goldberry: my main Do Not Want for them is infidelity; please have Tom (and if the Lady is married, her husband) be okay with the relationship. I love a Goldberry who is more of Faerie: beautiful and not human, a force of nature-- both a cool, babbling brook on a hot summer’s day and a raging torrent. We know practically nothing about the Lady, so I have no opinions about her. A bittersweet ending is okay here.
Prompts: a young woman’s romance that manages to span the years, a summer romance that is all the more treasured for its fleetingness, flowers in the Lady’s hair, a summer rainstorm.

The Silmarillion

GEN: Elrond (Tolkien), Elros Tar-Minyatur, Maglor, Nienna

Given the characters I’m requesting, I think it’s best that I say this: I hold very firmly the interpretation that Maglor raised Elrond and Elros and they that do love him as a foster or adoptive father or as a father-figure. I’m also in the “everyone is at fault for the Third Kinslaying” camp, but given the multitude of interpretations of this event and the characters involved in it, I’d in fact prefer you don’t work with the Kinslaying.

~ Elrond: I love how he’s said to be kind despite everything he’s gone through. I think it’s a conscious choice to be so and it colors his every action. (Rivendell’s not called the Last (or First) Homely House for nothing.) As a child or young man, though, I don’t think he’s as perceptive or mature about it.
Prompts: adjusting to life with Gil-galad and his people when no one is sure of Elrond’s place and they’re questioning his loyalties (openly, subtly, and/or behind his back), becoming a healer, becoming a loremaster, a day or night by the seashore.

~ Elros: We know so little about him I’m open to pretty much everything: character studies, building a life on Númenor, politics among the Edain, whatever.

~ Elrond & Elros: Don’t focus on their good-byes, please.
Prompts: brothers being brothers, trying to find their feet when everything keeps changing around them, a board game.

~ Elrond & Elros & Maglor: Kidfic here is lovely. I want to see the twins growing up with the Fëanorians, so anything set during that time, basically.
Prompts: kite-flying, Maglor teaching them something, differing traditions.

~ Elrond & Maglor: A kidfic moment between the two of them, them reuniting in the Second or Third Ages, Maglor in Rivendell, or a mild AU set during the brief time Elrond lived with Maglor after Elrond’s choice (Lost Road, Conclusion to the Quenta Silmarillion, §28).

~ Maglor: I love his character arc. I love that he was willing to surrender to Eönwë and that he tossed the Silmaril into the Sea. I especially love that he wandered away out of canon, which leaves a wide open door for fic writers to explore.
Prompts: Post-canon wandering fic, whether he’s alone or with people (Men or Avari). I love Maglor in history and present day fics (they’re not AU because Tolkien says (among other places) in Letter 211 that Middle-earth is our world). For the canon era, I love pre-Darkening Valinor stuff, especially if it involves politics and music.

~ Nienna: She’s my favorite of the Ainur. I think that mercy and compassion are just as necessary a component of the world as justice is, and so is grief. Ulmo may understand the Elves better than practically any of the other Valar, but I think Nienna allows the active working to understand individuals. So something about that-- whether focused on her or bringing other characters in. Maybe Nerdanel befriended her after leaving Fëanor or the events of the Darkening. Or maybe Maglor stays with her after he returns to Valinor. Or an interaction of some sort with Elrond.

FEMSLASH: Nerdanel, Nienna

~ Nerdanel/Nienna: I am very squicked by student/teacher, mentor/mentee, master/servant, and other relationships that explicitly play on that sort of power dynamic, so please avoid it. I’d like to see this relationship built off a post-Darkening friendship turning into something else and I tend to see it as something essentially temporary (temporary in Elf-Ainu timeframe, not mortal).
Prompts: through sorrow to find joy, sunsets on the shore, endurance in hope.

MULTI: Indis, Finwë, Míriel Serindë

~ Finwë/Míriel/Indis: I love “keep their relationship hidden” fics to happy AUs where Míriel doesn’t die. Or there’s AU fics set after what I call the revolving door of death to the point where Valar throw up their hands and let the three of them live happily together alive. Basically, I don’t want doom, gloom, and tragedy.
Prompts: politics, a day in the life, quiet moments spent together, an unexpected gift.

Tolkien Tuesday #19

2016-08-10T00:11:14Z

From The Return of the King, Mount Doom:

'No, I am afraid not, Sam,' said Frodo. 'At least, I know that such things happened, but I cannot see them. No taste of food, no feel of water, no sound of wind, no memory of tree or grass or flower, no image of moon or star are left to me. I am naked in the dark, Sam, and there is no veil between me and the wheel of fire. I begin to see it even with my waking eyes, and all else fades.'

Irreverently used because this is how editing feels me to right now.

Tolkien Tuesday #18

2016-08-02T23:14:31Z

From Letter 63:

Wed. 26 April [1944]. . . . . […] and struggled with recalcitrant passage in 'The Ring'. At this point I require to know how much later the moon gets up at night when nearing full, and how to stew a rabbit!

Tolkien Tuesday #17

2016-07-26T23:57:22Z

Here's one of my favorite tidbits from HoME. It's from The Lost Road, Quenta Silmarillion, Conclusion to the QS, §28:

Yet not all the Eldalië were willing to forsake the Hither Lands where they had long suffered and long dwelt; and some lingered many an age in the West and North, and especially in the western isles and in the Land of Leithien. And among these were Maglor, as hath been told; and with him for a while was Elrond Halfelven, who chose, as was granted to him, to be among the Elf-kindred; but Elros his brother chose to abide with Men.