The first time soap asks what your holiday plans are, you make a joke and successfully avoid the question.
The second time soap asks, you give some on the spot lie about going to a friend's house. It's a shitty lie at best, and a downright obvious one to an SAS soldier. Apparently sorting their papers haven't gifted you with the same skills they have.
The third time...soap doesn't ask. Instead, ha hands you a piece of paper with an address and date scrawled on it, and promises "if yer not here by six, ahm' finding you and taking you myself."
The house in front of you is unremarkable, and you look between the silver numbers on the mailbox and the scrap of paper in your hand. Yes, that's right. There's lights up outside, but beyond that there's no extra decorations.
"Ah, You made it, kid! Come in, stay out o' the kitchen." The door swings open, and captain price greets you. You stare at him for a long moment, shocked to see your boss when soap didn't mention anyone...actually, he didn't tell you anything.
You sigh and walk in, a bit confused.
The interior has much more decorations. Hand-made paper chains, garland, and little ornaments travel from one room to the other. Warm light, and the smell of cooking fill your senses. "The kid's here!" Price announces to the house, closing the door.
"About fuckin' time!" Comes a voice deeper in and...is that lieutenant riley? Sure enough, you follow the voice to the kitchen, and see ghost.
He's standing over the stove, every burner being used as he seamlessly switches between pans. He's wearing a frilly 'kiss the cook' apron, and you realize this is the first time you've seen him without the mask. Ghost looks up, expression blank except for the squint of his eyes "glad you could make it."
...huh? Before you can really ponder why anyone would be glad you made it, a hand grabs you by the shoulders and gaz comes into view.
"C'mon, tables set, we were waitin' for you." He grins, leading you to a dinner table filled with various dishes. This room, like all of them, is decorated.
Kyle sits you down next to soap, and you watch dumbly as ghost brings out more dishes to the table. The others find their seats, and that's when it hits you "...you...you're celebrating with me? Like...intentionally?"
Soap smiles warmly at you, already filling up his plate and yours when you don't move "yeah, kid. Yer family, aye?"
"...oh." you reply quietly, tears welling slightly. Everyone pretends to be too focused on the food to see how you wipe your eyes.
Lords of Gondolin | When You Kabedon Them vs When They Kabedon You
Request: For the house gondolin would you be willing to do a group headcanon for kabedoning their s/o vs getting kabedoned by their s/o? 👉👈 Have a great December!
A/N: Oh anon, I hope this was done to your liking, and what you were expecting. Enjoy!
Synopsis: How the elves react when you corner them compared to when they corner you.
Masterlist | Navigation
.𑁍༊˚ Galdor
Galdor had never really considered himself the sort to be easily flustered. He was a warrior, a leader, someone who had seen battle and withstood its horrors without so much as a tremor. But then, of course, you had to go and press him up against the nearest wall, one hand braced beside his head, your expression positively devious.
He blinked at you as he tried to make sense of what was happening. “Are you trying to intimidate me?” His tone was dubious, a little amused even, but there was the faintest pink creeping up his ears.
The moment you leaned in, his composure wavered. He cleared his throat, but his voice had a rough edge when he spoke again. “This seems unfair. I am entirely unarmed.”
If you stole a kiss, he would recover quickly, cupping your face in his hands and pulling you in for another, deeper one—one that was far more calculated than your spontaneous attempt.
You did, however, manage to fully catch him off guard one evening after training when he was weary and unsuspecting. He had barely unbuckled his sword belt when you cornered him in the hallway. He actually took a step back before realising what you were doing. “...Must you do this while I am defenceless?”
If you ever caught him in a moment of deep contemplation and suddenly kabedon’d him, he would take an obnoxiously long pause before looking at you and saying, “Ah. You have finally lost your senses.”
When Galdor kabedons you:
He is not usually the sort to try and fluster you just for the fun of it, but if you had been provoking him all day, he had no qualms about giving you a taste of your own medicine.
He did not do it gently, nor did he do it lightly. One moment you were standing with him in the corridor, and the next your back was against stone, his arm braced above your head. He leaned down slightly, his voice low. “Let us see how you like it, hm?”
He would be very, very close. Not close enough to kiss you—no, that would be too easy—but close enough that you could feel the warmth of him, could see the sharp amusement in his eyes.
If you tried to lean away, he would follow, not letting you escape quite so easily. His lips would quirk in amusement. “Is this not what you wanted?”
When he did kiss you, it was slow and deliberate, his free hand settling against your hip as if to keep you in place. “I think,” he murmured, “that you rather like this.”
.𑁍༊˚ Ecthelion
Ecthelion was entirely unreadable when you kabedon’d him. He merely arched a brow, his arms crossed over his chest as he regarded you with mild amusement.
“An interesting tactic,” he mused, as if you were in the middle of some military strategy discussion. “And what is your next move?”
You were prepared for teasing, for flustering him, but not for the way he subtly leaned into you, just enough that your breath caught. “Do you intend to keep me here all day, or shall we get to the part where you lose your nerve?”
You did not lose your nerve. You kissed him instead, triumphant, only to realise he had caught your wrist in his grasp, his smirk widening slightly. “Predictable,” he murmured, before reversing the situation entirely.
You were the one against the wall before you could even react, and now he was the one looking down at you, all dark eyes and silent laughter. “You will have to do better than that, meleth.”
You once tried to do this after he had been drinking, assuming his reactions would be slower. The plan backfired. Instead of looking surprised, he merely sighed and reached up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind your ear. “You are determined to test me, aren’t you?”
If you ever did this in front of others, he would react with the same composure, but there would be the faintest twitch at the corner of his lips, like he was trying not to smirk. The moment you were alone, he would absolutely pay you back for it.
When Ecthelion kabedons you:
It was always precise, calculated. He never wasted movement. One moment you were standing comfortably, and the next his arm was caging you in, his gaze sharp with amusement.
“I do wonder,” he murmured, “if you ever consider the consequences of your actions before you enact them.”
The problem with Ecthelion was that he was utterly unreadable. You could not tell if he was teasing or if he genuinely intended to keep you there.
He leaned down, close enough that his nose nearly brushed yours. “You do this often enough. I felt it was only fair to return the favour.”
He always left you thoroughly flustered, if only because he had an uncanny ability to anticipate your every reaction.
.𑁍༊˚ Glorfindel
Glorfindel was not prepared. At all.
One moment, he was talking, all confidence and charm, and the next—bam—your hand was beside his head, your gaze sharp and unwavering.
He blinked at you, utterly confused. “Meleth, are you feeling well?” Unlike Ecthelion, who would lean into the game, or Galdor, who would remain infuriatingly calm, Glorfindel simply did not know how to react.
You had to explain why you were doing it. That only resulted in him grinning at you in a way that made your heart race. “Ah. So this is meant to be intimidating?”
He made it impossible. He leaned against the wall like he was comfortable, like you had not just cornered him. “Oh no,” he said, grinning. “I am at your mercy. Whatever shall I do?”
When you kissed him, he hummed into it, pleased. “I should let you pin me against walls more often.” If you held your ground, he would try very hard to keep his composure, but the faint pink dusting his cheeks betrayed him.
Once, you caught him off guard—he had been mid-sentence when you abruptly pressed him against the wall. He actually stammered for a moment before laughing. “Alright, alright. That was well played.”
When Glorfindel kabedons you:
Oh, you were in trouble.
Glorfindel did not hesitate. The moment he decided to turn the tables, he moved—quick, effortless, and before you knew it, you were against the wall, his body caging you in.
He never did it seriously. It was always playful, always teasing. One arm braced above your head, his other hand catching your chin. “I wonder,” he murmured, “if this is how you feel when you do it to me.”
He made everything ten times worse by smiling through it, utterly delighted by your reaction.
“You look rather lovely when you are trying not to blush.”
If you tried to escape, he would just chuckle and lean in further, trapping you even more effectively. “No, no. I worked hard for this. Let me have my moment.”
The worst part? He would always kiss you after, slow and deep, as if he had won whatever game you were playing.
.𑁍༊˚ Egalmoth
Egalmoth was far too confident for his own good, so when you kabedon’d him, he did not look the least bit intimidated. If anything, his lips quirked in amusement as he tilted his head. “Ah, so this is how we’re playing today?”
He was annoyingly comfortable with it, even bracing one hand over yours as if he were the one trapping you. “How daring. What do you intend to do now?”
The moment you leaned in, he smirked and closed the distance for you, catching your lips before you could even tease him properly.
He was the worst person to try this on because he would never let you win. If you thought you had the upper hand, he would simply turn the tables on you before you even realised it.
You once caught him off guard—truly off guard—while he was reading. He nearly dropped the book, his eyes flicking up to yours with uncharacteristic surprise. That was a victory.
“Is this some new form of strategy?” he mused. “Because if so, I must say, I quite enjoy it.”
If you really wanted to fluster him, you had to get creative. One evening, you cornered him when he had just finished bathing, his hair still damp, his robe loosely tied. That was when he let out a sharp breath and actually hesitated.
When Egalmoth kabedons you:
Oh, he lived for this. You had done it to him once, so naturally, he had to return the favour—dramatically.
It was never just a simple kabedon. No, he had to lean in, let his fingers ghost over your jaw, tilt your chin just so—all while wearing that insufferable smirk.
“Caught you,” he murmured, his voice dripping with amusement.
If you tried to look away, he would chuckle, tilting his head to meet your gaze. “Now, now. You started this game, meleth. Do not falter now.”
He would always steal a kiss at the end of it, just to make sure he walked away victorious.
.𑁍༊˚ Rog
Rog was not easily flustered, but he was a bit too straightforward for these kinds of games. When you kabedon’d him, he just stared at you like you had lost your mind.
“Are you trying to threaten me?” His tone was dubious, but there was an amused spark in his eyes.
You leaned in closer, trying to keep up the act, and that was when you saw his reaction—his hands twitched like he wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. His ears went slightly pink.
“You are playing a dangerous game,” he muttered, his voice lower than before.
The moment you actually kissed him, he melted into it before realising what had happened. Then, with a scoff, he pulled you into a proper kiss, one that left you breathless. “Next time, you will have to do better than that.”
You tried it once while he was in the middle of explaining battle formations to his men. The reaction was instant. He just stopped, his mouth slightly open, his soldiers staring.
“I—” He blinked down at you, utterly baffled. “...Now?”
If you ever pinned him properly, using all your strength, he would let you, just to humour you. But the moment you got too smug, he would effortlessly reverse it, his grin sharp. “Nice try.”
When Rog kabedons you:
He was fast. One moment you were standing there, and the next your back was against the wall, his arm braced above you, his other hand resting on his hip.
“So,” he drawled, entirely too amused. “How does it feel to be on the other side?”
He did not tease like the others—he was too confident for that. Instead, he just watched your reaction, his sharp gaze taking in every flicker of emotion.
If you blushed, he smirked. If you tried to act unaffected, he would leanin, just close enough to test your resolve.
“You do this too often,” he murmured. “Perhaps I should start returning the favour more.”
He always kissed you at the end, but his were deep, possessive things, leaving you breathless and very aware of how easily he could overwhelm you.
.𑁍༊˚ Maeglin
Maeglin had spent his whole life controlling his emotions, keeping his expressions carefully neutral. But when you kabedon’d him?
He froze. Not visibly, not obviously—but you saw the sharp intake of breath, the slight tension in his jaw.
“What,” he said slowly, “are you doing?”
His voice was too steady, too controlled. You could feel the way his pulse had quickened slightly beneath that carefully crafted mask.
You leaned in, tilting your head, watching for any sign of weakness. His fingers twitched at his sides, like he wanted to react but refused to.
“This is—” He cut himself off when your breath ghosted over his skin, his grip tightening. He knew he was losing.
The second you kissed him, his entire frame went tense—but then his hands shot up, gripping your waist with sudden force, pulling you in.
“You like doing this to me, don’t you?” His voice was low, almost a growl.
He let you win for exactly five seconds before flipping the situation entirely. Now you were the one caged against the wall, and he was far too close. “Let us see how you like it.”
When Maeglin kabedons you:
He was silent about it. No teasing, no warning. One moment you were standing, and the next you were trapped.
His hand was braced firmly against the wall, his eyes dark as they flicked over your face, taking in every tiny reaction.
He didn’t need words. He just let the tension sit between you, watching as your confidence wavered.
And then slowly he leaned in.
“You do not look so smug now,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
You were the one flustered now, and he relished every second of it.
He would wait before kissing you, just to see you squirm, just to make sure you felt the anticipation. And when he did kiss you? It was deep, slow, utterly consuming.
“You thought this would be a game,” he murmured afterwards, his lips brushing your ear. “You should have known better.”
thank you ao3 for being an archive and not an algorithm. thank you for letting me like things without consequences, thank you for being free with no ads, thank you for having lawyers to defend our freedom of speech. thank you tag wranglers. thank you to all authors and thank you ao3
Headcannon that Merry has a lisp. He isn't really self-conscious about it, but it bothers him whenever he is singing or angry and the person in front of him is laughing at his lisp.
When Pippin was little and starting to talk, he picked up a bunch of incorrect pronunciations because of all the time that he was spending with Merry, and refused to learn the correct ones because if Merry said it that way, then it had to be right.
This is not a weird question at all! The stars are so important in Middle Earth, and Tolkien put a good deal of effort into making Middle Earth’s astronomy as realistic as possible - by basically mirroring the same constellations we see in our night sky today. The constellations described in the stories are:
Anarrima: This constellation’s name means “sun border.” Though there’s no official explanation as to which modern constellation Anarrima is, it would be visible in the northern hemisphere. Some astronomers suggest that the name “sun border” indicates that Anarrima is really Gemini. Anarrima was one of the constellations that Varda created just before the wakening of the elves, using stars made from the dewdrops of Telperion, one of the Two Trees of Valinor.
Menelmacar: “Menelvagor” in Sindarin, this constellation’s name means “Swordsman of the Sky”, and is today known as Orion. Menelmacar was said to represent Turin Turambar, and told of his eventual return in the Dagor Dagorath to kill Morgoth. Another of the early stars made by Varda.
Remmirath: The “Netted Stars”, this constellation is today known as the Pleiades. The Remmirath was also most likely one of the constellations that Varda created just before the wakening of the elves.
Soronume: This constellation’s name means “Eagle of the West.” Tolkien never confirmed which of the modern constellations this is, but astronomers suggest that it’s likely either Aquila or Lyra. Another of the early stars made by Varda.
Telumendil: Meaning “Lover of the Stars”, this constellation is a bit of a mystery. Astronomers think that it might be modern-day's Boötes, but they aren’t sure. Another of the early stars made by Varda.
Valacirca: This is the most important constellation of Middle Earth. “Valacirca” is it’s Quenya name, and means “Sickle of the Valar.” In Sindarin it’s translated to “Circh i-Mbelain”, and is sometimes called “Ostelen” or “Egedil” - both of which means “seven stars.” The hobbits called Valacirca “Burning Briar”, or sometimes “the Wain”, “the Sickle”, or “the Plough.” And, while it was never confirmed by Tolkien, many readers believe that the Valacirca is the same constellation as “Durin’s Crown”, the seven stars that Durin saw in the Mirromere. Today, this constellation is known as Ursa Major. This constellation was created through the joint efforts of Aule and Varda. Aule was working on making a silver sickle, and when he struck it with his hammer seven sparks flew up into the sky. Varda quickly caught them and set them in the northern sky as a challenge and a warning to Morgoth of his eventual downfall.
Wilwarin: This constellation’s name means “Butterfly.” Christopher Tolkien believes that it is today known as Cassiopeia. Another of the early stars made by Varda.
Beyond these main constellations, Tolkien also identifies several important stars in Middle Earth’s sky, such as:
Alcarinque: It’s name means “the Glorious”, and was one of the brightest stars that Varda made before the elves awoke, using the dewdrops of Telperion (one of the Two Trees of Valinor.) Today, we know this “star” as the planet Jupiter.
Borgil: This red star is said to be found close to the constellation of Menelmacar. Astronomers believe that it’s either modern-day’s Aldebaran or Betelgeuse. It was one of the stars created by Varda before the elves awoke, using dewdrops from Telperion.
Carnil: Another red star, this is actually the planet Mars. It’s another of the early stars made by Varda.
Earendil: Earendil is not actually a star (see this post for a more detailed discussion), but is the silmaril that the elf Earendil carries through the sky each night on his flying ship Vingilot. Because of it’s extraordinary origins, the star of Earendil is probably the most-loved star among the elves. In today’s sky, Earendil is the planet Venus.
Elemmire: Meaning “star-jewel”, Tolkien’s notes suggest that this “star” is actually the planet Mercury. It’s another of the early stars made by Varda.
Helluin: It’s name means “blue”, and this star is part of the constellation Telumendil. Today it’s known as Sirius. It’s another of the early stars made by Varda.
Luinil: This star’s modern-day equivalent is a bit of a mystery. It’s name means “blue”, leading some Astronomers to suggest that it’s the planet Neptune. But it’s described as a bright light in the sky, and Neptune is so far away that it is barely even visible to the naked eye. Other alternatives are Rigel (which would make Luinil the blue “mate” of the red star Borgil, since both are part of the constellation Orion, or Telumendil), or Spica or Regulus - both blue stars. It’s another of the early stars made by Varda.
Lumbar: This star’s name is probably connected to the Quenya word for “shadow,” and is actually the planet Saturn. It’s another of the early stars made by Varda.
Morwinyon: This star’s name means “glint in the dusk”, and is confirmed by Christopher Tolkien to be the star Arcturus. When the elves awoke, Manwe asked Varda to create more stars to give them light and hope. After her great work, as Varda was returning to Valinor, and she accidentally dropped one last dewdrop from Telperion, which became the star Morwinyon. Though it was an “accident”, the elves loved this star a great deal.
Nenar: This star’s name has something to do with the Quenya word for “water.” It seems that Tolkien originally considered this to be the planet Neptune, but later reconsidered, as Neptune would be too far away to be considered a bright star, as Nenar was described. It’s ultimate identity is unknown.
As you can see, we actually have a good bit of information about stars and constellations. As for astrology, though, there isn’t much information that I know of. I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the cultures placed special meaning on certain stars or constellations (as astrology has been practiced by almost every culture in the “real world”), but Tolkien doesn’t seem to describe this at all. This might be because, as a devout Catholic, Tolkien would consider astrology to be a mildly sinful superstition…
SOURCES: The Silmarillion, LOTR, The Histories of Middle Earth vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 5 (“The Etymologies”), vol. 10 (“Myths Transformed” and “Index: Star-names”), this article, “Stars of Middle Earth”, on The Council of Elrond, and Per Lindberg’s “Astronomical Objects Above Middle Earth”
In Numenor the Fëanorians are remembered as tragic characters/heroes.
They talk all about their crimes all right. But they also talk about their tragedy and their pain and the world being set against them from the very start.
The Fëanorians aren't some boogyman. They are protectors who broke, who couldn't go on and stumbled down a line they shouldn't.
They are the symbol of oath wrongly sworn. They symbolise the importance of oaths' and they caution all who attempt to swear something.
The Fëanorians aren't just kinslayers. They are so much more. And that knowledge is passed down all the way to Gondor.
I dislike how clumsy it is to share Twitter threads but here is a portion from a guy I follow (for his trans porn and monster fucking content at that) echoing a sentiment that aces, traumatized people, people with low libido, etc. can fully relate to. The rest is here and it’s absolutely worth the read.
Thank you! I’ve always been fascinated by how sexuality is viewed in such a dramatic, over-criticized way when it’s just another one of those things we do in life, no different from eating, sleeping or playing.
there will come a soldier who carries a mighty sword / maethor tolatha, côl megil velaith / mehtar tuluva, colis melemmacil
he will tear your city down / terthatha ost lín / nancaruvas ostolya
oh lei, oh lai, oh lord / elë, eli, elo / elë, eli, ela
there will come a poet whose weapon is his word / maeron tolatha, escar tîn beth / lairemo tuluva, ohtacarmas quettas
he will slay you with his tongue / dagatha le maetha lammed / nahtuvassel mahta lambas
oh lei, oh lai, oh lord / elë, eli, elo / elë, eli, ela
there will come a ruler whose brow is laid in thorns / aran tolatha, rî dín eitheb / aran tuluva, estirnes neceliría
smeared with oil like david’s boy / livant mo blîw be Balandur / livemillo ve Valandur
oh lei, oh lai, oh lord / elë, eli, elo / elë, eli, ela
the last line i translated as “anointed with oil like a servant of the Valar” to keep the religious connotations, as i wasn’t sure who to pick as a king david figure
elo/ela is an interjection meaning “behold!”
elë and eli are just vocalizations meant to preserve the sounds of “oh lei, oh lai” and keep the first syllable rhyme scheme
Request: Hello, Mina darling, can I please request some small headcanons about asking Feänor to walk you down the aisle? The reader is marrying one of his sons (unmentioned) and she has no family in her life to do it, so she asks Feänor? Thank you for considering, darling. - Anon
A/N: This was fun to write! Thanks for requesting this!
◈ Growing up without a stable family in your life left you with no one. Not once had you ever felt welcomed or a part of the community until you met one of the Princes of the Noldor. A son of the Crown Prince Fëanáro fell in love with you without questioning your background at all.
◈ His family did all that they could to make you feel welcome, not to mention his brothers ensuring that you were a victim of all their daily bullying and antics to make you feel even more like family.
◈ His mother pitied and loved you tremendously, wanting nothing more than to take you in immediately. Nerdanel was ecstatic when she learnt of the betrothment news, meaning that you were about to become an official family. However, there was just one issue at hand, a lack of a father to walk you down the aisle and give you away to your husband.
◈ The only stable male figure in your life was your betrothed’s father and you were unsure if he would be willing to walk down the aisle and give you away to his son. Not once were you on the receiving end of his temper or ill-manners a few people had spoken about, so it seemed all well to make the request.
◈ You’re nervous about the request, so you ask your betrothal if he could arrange a brunch or tea for all three of you to meet as the wedding is approaching. There, you sat, appearing like a bag of jitters before Feanor who was confused at your uneasiness.
◈ In the beginning, everything was running smoothly at the behest of your beloved. Aware of your nerves, he took over and got the conversation rolling between him and his father, occasionally including you at certain times appropriate to throw the question out there.
◈ But you’re unable to for the greater part of the conversation. So Feanor interjects, aware that you have something on your mind and requests if he should depart to give you and his son alone time to deal with the matter.
◈ At his thoughtfulness, your words tumbled out your mouth before you even knew it, and there you confessed your wish to have him walk you down the aisle as your father.
◈ On Feanor’s end, he was appalled that you would have considered him so high in your eyes to fulfil that offer. Being seen not only as your father-in-law but as an actual fatherly figure makes him forego considering and directly accepting.
◈ He ignores the fact that you blurted it out in a vomit of random syllables and removes himself from his chair to usher you into a stance. He is gentle and soft as he celebrates your request with a fatherly embrace and soft words that put him into a chokehold.
◈ “You have brought great joy to me onya. It would be foolish of me to reject your wonderful offer.”
◈ On your big day, any nerves that you had were all washed away by Feanor’s presence at your side as he stood at the end of the aisle bequeathing courage and reassurance that he won’t let you fall or slip up. “It is a father’s job to never let his child fall.”
◈ Your entire wedding ceremony passes in bliss as Feanor takes his time to guide you down the aisle, he even offers his handkerchief to you when you teared up at the altar. During the entire ceremony, he sits patiently with a smile at the memory of walking you down the aisle as his child.
◈ Furthermore, to sink it in that you consider him as a father figure, for the father-daughter dance, you request that he join you on the floor to share that moment with you.
When the Company doesn’t realize you understand Khuzdul
The Company & reader, Fíli & reader if you squint
Requested: nah, I just plucked this from my “ideas for new wips” list because I got frustrated with every existing wip I had and I wanted to work on something new - something silly like this, where I didn’t have to think too much, just write and post
Warnings: Dwarves with no filter, a few saucy comments at the end
A/N: somehow these headcanon posts (that aren’t actually headcanons, just me being lazy and not wanting to write full sentences and paragraphs) are my most popular posts. And I don’t get it, but since I’m a people pleaser, have another one :)
it started from the beginning really
when Gandalf had proposed the idea of you joining the quest for several reasons, some of the Dwarves bursted out in complaints
because how DARE he suggest they needed the help of a human
they didn’t say it so politely of course
makalfûna bintarg siginkann didn’t exactly mean ‘that lovely human over there’
but Gandalf always gets his way so off on the quest you went
the first couple of days most of the Dwarves kept muttering to themselves or each other about you
not necessarily all bad things, but there was a lot of complaining involved
it wasn’t your fault you’d never ridden a horse or pony before
shocking right, living in Middle Earth?
but you were trying
it just happened to be that you and your horse didn’t really got along
which resulted in a few situations you’d rather not find yourself in
at least not in front of a dozen judgemental Dwarves and one wizard who was enjoying this far too much
like your stubborn horse suddenly taking off
cue two or three Dwarves - usually Fíli, Kíli and Bofur - trying to chase you and calm your horse while the others were laughing their arse off
or you failing to properly mount your horse, falling off countless times
that’s when the Dwarves became bolder and amused themselves with saucy comments and jokes on your behalf
all in Khuzdul of course
because some of those comments were definitely not meant for your ears
h o w e v e r
you might have failed to mention that you understood Khuzdul just fine
one of the reasons Gandalf insisted on you joining btw
you spent most of your childhood around the Dwarves of Ered Mithrin (the Grey Mountains) who traded with your village and picked up the sacred language very easily
you always had a knack for learning new languages
at first it was rather difficult to ignore the jabs and insults, pretending you didn’t have a clue what they were saying
but over time you kind of got used to it and it became easier to just ignore them
you almost gave yourself away once when Kíli asked his brother to throw his water flask and Fíli answered that his was empty as well
and you automatically reached for your own flask to give the brothers
but then you realised they had been speaking Khuzdul
you stopped yourself just in time
close call
other times you had too much fun pretending you didn’t understand them
especially when Thorin divided the tasks when setting up camp and he spoke Khuzdul out of habit
“… and the rest of you go gather wood for the fire”
everyone went to go about their tasks and you would still stand in the middle, arms crossed, a smile on your face, waiting
after a few minutes Thorin would roll his eyes and repeat the order in Westron
“Now why didn’t you say so? I would already be done with it by now.”
you loved to get a rise out of the Dwarven king
you promised yourself you would never tell them you understood every word they said
because to be honest, you were rather enjoying yourself and you could only tell them once, right?
but then one night when you were all sitting around the campfire after dinner, you finally broke your promise
it started rather innocent with the usual comments about your terrible riding skills
in Khuzdul of course
cowards
Dwarves usually have not much of a filter to begin with
add some ale they picked up en route and there’s no stopping them
you tried to ignore it and kept your eyes on the campfire
counting to ten, then a hundred, two hundred, …
biting your tongue to keep yourself quiet
but then Fíli - who had actually been rather nice to you - had to join in on the fun
“I bet I can teach her how to ride well”
wiggling eyebrows
cue boisterous laughter from most of the Dwarves
Thorin shaking his head in vicarious embarrassment
some of the others agreeing with Fíli
“I bet you could!”
that was the last drop for you
you could’ve accepted it from anyone but him
not Fíli
you looked him straight in the eye
and answered in fluent Khuzdul with a deadpan face
“I don’t know if you’re strong enough to handle me, son of Durin.”
deafening silence
Gandalf snickering in his beard and then choking on his pipe smoke because he tried to keep his laughter in and horribly failing
all the Dwarves looking at you with wide eyes
“You… You can understand what we’re saying? You speak Khuzdul?”
you made a face that basically said ‘what do you think?’
smiling to yourself when you saw the realisation on Thorin’s face that you had heard and understood everything they said about you
you bid them all a good night after that
the sound of Thorin smacking them on their head lulling you to sleep
if you’re a new tumblr user from tiktok or IG or something and only like posts and dont reblog them yeah people will think you’re a bot and block you but you will also make this website actively worse. they want “algorithmic” users like you, served recommended posts through likes, not people who just follow each other and respond to the direct chronological feed. there is a reason this website is still better than the rest, even with all its problems, do not ruin this
ok i need to make this clearer: if you do not reblog posts and only like them you are contributing to this site actively getting worse and becoming like all the apps you hate. keep likes to things you just wanna keep off your blog. reblog everything else. ESPECIALLY fanart, which always needs a reblog.
and FYI: what i’m saying here is backed up by tumblr themselves. they admit this publicly.
if you want a good RECENT (as of the end of February 2022) overview of what is going on behind the scenes at tumblr, it is basically what i’ve been saying for years: the core staff is tiny, constantly not being listened to when they advocate for us, the community, and working there is a nightmare:
And how it can find itself again for a new generation.
Reblogging to encourage people instead of only liking is really not that fucking hard if you dont want people to be discouraged cuz their stuff get zero interactions and 99% useless likes and be driven off the Platform.
Thank yall for this! I thought reblogging wasnt good because that it just puts stuff out there that is already out there, but now i am going to reblog bc I learned and stuff ig. IDK what i was going to say
ig thanks bc now im not scared to reblog out of fear of hate
These dudes are fucking legit. They don’t just show up one day in court, either, they actually make friends with the kids and let them know they have a support system and that there are people in the world who care about them and will always have their back. And less important, but also cool, is that the few times a couple of them have come into my cafe, they’ve been super friendly and polite and when I told one of the guys that I noticed his Bikers Against Child Abuse patch and wanted him to know how awesome I thought he was because of it, he got kind of shy and blushed and said, “The kids are the awesome ones, we just let them know they’re allowed to be brave.”
The source is long, but so, so good. These men and women are available in 36 states, 24 hours a day to stand guard at home, in court, at school, even if the child has a nightmare. Many of them are survivors of childhood abuse as well, and know what it’s like to feel scared and alone.
In court that day, the judge asked the boy, “Are you afraid?” No, the boy said.
Pipes says the judge seemed surprised, and asked, “Why not?”
The boy glanced at Pipes and the other bikers sitting in the front row, two more standing on each side of the courtroom door, and told the judge, “Because my friends are scarier than he is.”
Bikers Against Child Abuse was founded in 1995 by a Native American child psychologist whose ride name is Chief, when he came across a young boy who had been subjected to extreme abuse and was too afraid to leave his house. He called the boy to reach out to him, but the only thing that seemed to interest the child was Chief’s bike. Soon, some 20 bikers went to the boy’s neighborhood and were able to draw him out of his house for the first time in weeks.
Chief’s thesis was that a child who has been abused by an adult can benefit psychologically from the presence of even more intimidating adults that they know are on their side. “When we tell a child they don’t have to be afraid, they believe us,” Arizona biker Pipes told azcentral.com. “When we tell them we will be there for them, they believe us.”
( Article)
My parents are a part of this organization and they are metal af
They go on runs to protect the child if they feel even the slightest threatened no matter where. If the child needs them to go on vacation with them, they do. Bikers come from across the nation to watch over and take shifts for these kids. And the best part is once you’re adopted into this family as a BACA kid, you’re always one. Even when you’re 40 and the perp gets released from jail, they’ll come meet with you and find your best options for avoiding the person and maintaining the life you’ve built for yourself. Once a BACA child, always a BACA child. In Florida, there’s 100% rate for identifying the perp based on the child’s testimony. Why? Because BACA stands with the child and supports the child so they feel comfortable enough to point out their attacker.
What’s better than a badass biker gang being on your side???
NATIVE AMERICAN CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST WHO IS A BIKER AND NAMED HIMSELF CHIEF HELL YES I’M HERE FOR THAT AND BIKERS BEING BAD ASS TO PROTECT KIDS. HELL YEAH.
Guys? This post changed my life. I saw this post. Forever ago. And thought it was only in america… and wished desperately that they could help me. But then I saw it again, during a bad episode, and checked their site. They aren’t just in the USA
They’re in Canada as well and probably other countries. I met and talked with a native guy who runs the place near me. His name is Shaman. I got in, and I’m considered a BACA child now. Despite being 17, turning 18 when I talked to them. They spent time with me when my abuser was over, they gave me therapy resources. They give you something called a ‘level 1′ where they go to your house with as many bikers as they can, i shit you not a solid 20-40 bikers came from even out of province, and met me. I got to choose my biker name and I got a vest with patches on it and my name on it. They all hugged a Teddybear before giving it to me, and told me if I ever felt the BACA bear was running out of love, to give them a call and they’d refill it for me, and then I got a ride on one of their bikes. Just a day or so ago I went to an annual party with them and they we ate food one of them cooked and had a lot of laughs.
I’ve never felt as loved as I did being a part of the BACA family. They also gave me dog tags with the names, and phone numbers of my 2 workers. So I can call them whenever I feel scared.
BACA is an absolutely wonderful group that will do everything in it’s power to help any child whos been abused.
And it doesn’t end when you’re 18 either. As long as you get in contact/get your level 1 before you’re 18? you’re ALWAYS a BACA kid. I’m 18 now and they still invite me to parties, ask me if I’m okay, and are there for me. They’re still trying to find me resources for therapy.
BACA has changed my fucking life.
I hope you all can read this, and reblog it knowing from someone who fucking been with them, that they are absolutely amazing.
Had seen this before, but never realised that this is on an international level - there’s even a contact address close to where I live (in Germany), very cool (though hoping the only use I’ll ever have to make of it is for donations) ❤
