Welcome

Greetings! My name is HighlandsLady, though you may call me Riley, if not feeling formal, and Thistle if feeling formal. I use she/her/hers standard pronouns. I'm primarily a writer, though I do roleplay on the side.

[celynsdream]

Star Wars Resources (WIP)

Here is the incomplete list of self-created Star Wars resources; including reworked and canon-accepted items. I have been working with others in the community to bring a more realistic creation of stuff introduced in canon Star Wars. If you have any questions or requests for worldbuilding, please feel free to send in an ask my way!

Jedi Resources:

Below is the brainstorming I've created as to give more development for the Initiates of the Order of Jedi. Feel free to use in your writing

Below is the entire list of self-created Jedi ceremonies that are available for use in star wars focused writing. Again, these are open for

Continued from https://celynsdream.tumblr.com/post/704747542656778240/jedi-ceremonies-pt-1 When a Master becomes a Councilor “Master (Inse

Continued from https://celynsdream.tumblr.com/post/704747542656778240/jedi-ceremonies-pt-1 & https://celynsdream.tumblr.com/post/70474765390

Developed from a baseline of real-world applications, I created these Padawan Protocols with help from others in the Star Wars fandom, and a

[celynsdream]

Dragon Age Origins Modlist (Overhauls)

Even though I've never been asked to post this, I have spent months working on complete lists of all the mods I run for my DA metaverse (and corresponding games). All mods are linked in preferred order to work, with required mods clearly marked. Hope y'all enjoy and find use of this! Actual list is below the line.

These first few mods are general mods I highly recommend running any new game of Origins with, as it will save your butt:

The CharGenMorph Complier in particular is a life-saver, working for both DAO and DA2. It effectively removes the hunting-and-pecking of editing character creation features in Origins and 2 and automates it into a simple application! CharGenMorph is also required to run many hairstyle and physical changes for both DAO and DA2, which will be clearly marked below.

Required:

Large Address Aware Fix

CharGenMorph Complier

General:

AddItem_Script

Angel_Console_Fix_Fonts

Awakening Materials in DAO

Upgrade_Items

Overhauls:

Grey Wardens of Ferelden - DAZIP

GWOF Scripts

Glimmering Griffons

Improved Atmosphere - Be sure to only use ONE (recommend Of Ferelden)

Of Ferelden (Improved Atmosphere)

Dragon Age Redesigned

Dragon Age Origins Unofficial Remaster

Replacements:

ALL REPLACEMENTS MUST BE INSTALLED ON A NEW GAME!!!!

A Noble Approach (NPC Armor/Clothing Replacements for Human Noble)

RogueLass' Fashion Bazaar - REQUIRED (RL’s Fashion Bazaar - Medium Armor; Heavy Armor; Massive Armor; AND the Cousland Replacement for Bastard King armor)  - DAZIP

RL's Thedas Arsenal - REQUIRED (Warrior PC, Rogue PC, Ser Gilmore)  - DAZIP

RL's Witcher Emporium - REQUIRED (Oriana)  - DAZIP

Mages of Ferelden (Mage Robe Replacements)

Loincloth Fashion - REQUIRED  - DAZIP

RogueLass' Fashion Bazaar - REQUIRED  - DAZIP

Bug Fixes:

TerraEx’s Silverite Mines Fix

Dain’s Fixes

Awakening Riot Scene Persuade Fix

Goblet De-Gobbler - A Joining Chalice Fix and More

[simstomaggie]

Are the names of the items from the Horsey Pack taken from the Rohirrim of the Lord of the Rings?

eyyyy someone paying attention ;)

the names in the Horsey Pack are not all from the Rohirrim, it's horse names overall.

Asfaloth is Glorfindel's horse, Hasufel and Arod are the horses that are given to Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli by Éomer, Windfola is Éowyn's horse, Roheryn was a gift from Arwen to Aragorn and Snowmane is Théoden's horse :)

you're the only one who ever picked up on it, so congratulations!

xx

[celynsdream]

I have reread the entire Lord of the Rings series so much that my parents have banned me from picking it as the movie for family movie nights, refuse to listen to me chatter about it; and have read my entire collection multiple times that they’re all falling apart. I’m a self-proclaimed Tolkien nerd! 🧐 I sniff out any and all fandom related to my focus

[celynsdream]

[celynsdream]

[celynsdream]

[celynsdream]

Flight rising breeding cards; bought for myself; do not use.

[ellorypurebloodculture]

Hi! I was wondering if you had ever thought about male pregnancies/carriers in Avalon? Would they be considered the "lady" of the family? I have an idea that I need worldbuilding support in.

Hi!

Outside of ABO AUs, no, I haven't. That's what I have the reproduction ritual for.

But you can write whatever you want and whatever inspires you. 😊

If you want some random ideas for how such a thing could work:

Potions

All magicals can carry because magic and you're the author and you said so

Artificial wombs/cauldron wombs? (Voldemort was basically a cauldron baby in the graveyard)

AU where "Lady/Miss/etc" is the title of anyone who can carry if that's what you want

If that's the case, would the person have to follow pureblood witch customs?

[celynsdream]

Awesome, thank you! (I wasn't expecting this quick of a response) I'll keep you updated on what I'm cooking up! Can I private-message you on here?

[celynsdream]

Padawan Protocols

Developed from a baseline of real-world applications, I created these Padawan Protocols with help from others in the Star Wars fandom, and am now sharing them as to help with writing protective masters and clones.

When meeting with the High Council, Padawans are required either have a Knight-Sibling, Master, Grand-Master, or Aunt/Uncle-Master with them. If one of them sits on the Council, they are made to choose Padawan or Council seat to participate in the meeting; choosing their seat over their lineage always causes a stir in the Temple.

Padawans are NOT ALLOWED to visit the Senate building or have any direct one-on-one interactions with Senators or other politicians unless escorted by a member of their lineage and one other full-status Knight or Master.

When a Padawan is in the Halls of Healing, and if they are considered a minor in their culture, their information is only permitted to be shared with their Master and one other legal guardian, and even then, that’s extremely limited what can be shared. If they are of full-adult status, then medical information will be, and can be, discussed at the Padawan’s leisure.

Under no circumstance shall a Padawan be made afraid to speak up about a wrong. If found to be the case, said offender will be punished most severely by the Temple Guard.

Every Padawan, within their first week, is required to meet their entire lineage in case their Master is unavailable for whatever reason.

If, for whatever reason, a Padawan chooses to leave the Order, the people they are leaving with have to undergo a thorough background check and the Order will check in with the Padawan for the first two months of their leaving of the Temple and Order.

Padawans may NEVER enter the under levels of Coruscant without being escorted by their Master or another full-status member of their lineage or another full-status member with permission from their Master. 

If a Padawan is purposefully harmed by their Master, they are to tell the first Knight or Master they see. The Master-in-question will be dealt with most severely. 

All lineages are sacred and therefore, are to be respected. Any bullying or putting down of a lineage by a member of another lineage will be handled quickly. 

Padawans must be mature emotionally, and old enough, age-wise, for certain missions; otherwise, they stay at the Temple under the care of their next full-status lineage member until their Master returns. 

If, for whatever reason, a Padawan loses their Master, they are handed to the next full-status member of their lineage to continue their training. However, if there is no living member of their lineage available, the Padawan is handed over to their god-master.

When a Padawan is selected by a Master, their Master is required to select an outside-lineage full-status Knight or Master to be the Padawan’s guide-master in case of emergencies.

[celynsdream]

Jedi Ceremonies (Pt. 3)

Continued from https://celynsdream.tumblr.com/post/704747542656778240/jedi-ceremonies-pt-1 & https://celynsdream.tumblr.com/post/704747653902237696/jedi-ceremonies-pt-2

◆ Concordance of Fealty

“I, Knight/Master/Councilor (Insert Name-Surname here), entrust my lightsaber to you, Knight/Master/Councilor (Insert Name-Surname here), until I return. In entrusting my lightsaber to you, I give you my trust until the end of days.”

“Knight/Master/Councilor (Insert Name-Surname here), I have something to return to you. It is a product of your own hands, which you once entrusted to mine. In returning this lightsaber, I return your trust.”

When a Jedi is placed on the Blacklist

“You, (Insert Master/Knight’s name here), have overstepped your bounds where Padawan (Insert surname here) is concerned. You swore to them that you would care, guide, and teach them, but you broke that oath. There can be no second chances given when a Padawan is at stake, and we, the High Council, unanimously agree to put your name on the Blacklist.” 

A member of the Supply department is standing by to give the Blacklisted Jedi their new robes, with their embroidery covered in a thick black fabric.

When a Jedi is exiled from the Temple

“Padawan/Knight/Master (Insert name here), you have broken the Trust placed in you by the Order. You have broken the oaths sworn to your Temple, and you will not be given a second chance to break the oaths again. You will be exiled, tracked by the Guards, not to be permitted within one ship-length of (Insert Planet that the Temple is located on)’s airspace until the time of the exile has concluded. Under discussion, the Council has decided that the exile will last (Insert length of time of Exile here). From the end of the meeting, you will have six hours to gather what you need, and then you will be escorted to the ship that will remove you from (Insert planet again here)’s airspace until your time has concluded. May the Force decide your path.”

When a Jedi Falls

“As there are two sides to the Force, there is always a decision to be made as to which path to walk. Padawan/Knight/Master (insert surname here) has chosen to walk the path of the Dark, chosen to walk the path of possessiveness and selfishness. They are no longer considered a member of the Order from this day on. May the Force guide them.”

When a Jedi Leaves the Order

“Despite the years served, Padawan/Knight/Master (Insert name here) has chosen to depart from the Order due to (Insert reason here, if applicable). They still regain the qualifications and inter-galaxy benefits granted to them by their position, but are no longer allowed to consider themselves representatives of the Order. Despite this, they will still be remembered for their acts in service of the Order and the wider Galaxy. May the Force watch over, and guide their path until the end of days.”

When a Jedi Switches Branches

“Padawan/Knight/Master (Insert surname here) has been called by the Force to serve in a different manner than first intended. They will transfer to (Insert new branch here), to serve the Order as a member of (Insert sub-group of new branch here), until the end of their days. May the Force guide their hands as they learn the new branch of service.”

[celynsdream]

Jedi Ceremonies Pt. 2

Continued from https://celynsdream.tumblr.com/post/704747542656778240/jedi-ceremonies-pt-1

When a Master becomes a Councilor

“Master (Insert surname here), you have walked the path of the Force. You have guided others to understand the twists and turns of the Force, helped teach the next generation. Now, the time has come for you to help us all by guiding with the unified and living Force, for the best interests of all, from the oldest senior to the youngest crècheling. We, the High Council, are pleased to count you among the ranks of Councilors, former and present, until the time comes.”

When a Councilor Steps Down

“I have served the Order faithfully as a Councilor and Master for the past (Insert time served as a Councilor here) years, but I feel that my time as a member of this High Council is coming to an end. I thank all of you for the lessons you have taught me over the years, and what I have taught you as well, but the Force is now calling me to serve in a different position. May the Force watch over all of you, and choose a worthy candidate to fill my chair.”

When a Master Retires from Active Service (Also known as Retirement)

“As nature changes, so does the Force. I have served the Order faithfully for (Insert years here, if KNOWN), and the changes in the Force are now calling to me that it is time to retire from active field-service. I am thankful for everything I have learned over my years active, and I hope to have many more years as a senior in the Order.”

When an Initiate is Killed

“There is no foot too small, no step too short, that it cannot leave an imprint on this world. The Force gives, and the Force takes, but (they/she/he) was taken too early. (They/She/He) had years of life, years of brightness ahead of (them/her/him), but the Force called for them to serve in a different manner. May you always find peace wherever you walk.”

When a Padawan is Killed

“Those we have held in our arms for a short while, we hold in our hearts forever. The Force gives, and unknowable twists occur through the days, taking Padawans too early. We say farewell to (them/her/him), a light that was cut too short, in the days of training. The Force called for them to complete their training in a different path, and for that, may they always find peace wherever they walk.”

When a Knight is Killed

“Those we love don’t go away; they walk beside us everyday. (They/She/He) served the Order strongly, following the call of the Force in every mission they took during their active years. We say farewell to (insert Knight’s name here), knowing that (they/her/him) will be serving the Force and walking along us until the days come to an end.”

When a Master is Killed

“The galaxy changes from year to year, our lives from day to day, but the love and memory of you shall never pass away. (Insert Master’s name here) has served the Order faithfully and without hesitation for (insert time served), and have trained skilled members throughout the years of their service. We say farewell to them, knowing that they will remain walking at our sides until the end of days come.”

When a Councilor is Killed

“A golden heart stopped beating, hard working hands at rest. (Insert Councilor’s name here) has served the Order, as a student, Master, and Councilor, for (insert years served) here. They have learned, and taught, and the Force calls for them to teach and learn in a different manner. We say farewell to (them/him/her), knowing that they will always be there even in the most difficult of moments.”

When a Retired Master Dies/is Killed

“To these memories we hold, with their blessing we will go, to turn at last to paths that lead home. (Insert Senior Jedi’s name here) has been a lifelong representative of the Order, bringing their talents to planets and cultures far and wide. They have learned, and taught, even in their advanced age, and the Force now calls them to their side for evermore. The lessons they have taught will always remain, their memories never forgotten, and their presence never vanishing.”

Jedi Convocation

“As we serve the Force, the Force gives us life. The Force calls the Individual Representatives of the Temples of the Order to (Insert Temple & location here), on (Insert date).”

[celynsdream]

Jedi Ceremonies (Pt. 1)

Below is the entire list of self-created Jedi ceremonies that are available for use in star wars focused writing. Again, these are open for free-use as long as you credit back to me. If not, I will not hesitate to remove my resources.

When a Foundling is Brought to the Temple (Also known as the Welcoming)

“From safe beginnings, you come, brought by the Force into our care and responsibility. With the Force, you will learn and grow under the watch of all of Us. May the Force watch over you, and bless your path from now on, present and future, eternally, little one.”

(IF a Foundling is brought with a slave name/no-one’s name, this version is used) “The Force recognizes your name as improper, little one. Force-sensitivity is not a curse, nor is it a reason to enslave children. We, as guardians and keepers of the Force, hereby remove (insert slave/no-one’s name), and bless you with (insert new name here). May the Force watch over you and bless your path from now to ever on, little one.”

When an Initiate Becomes a Padawan (Also known as the Graduation Ceremony)

“You have learned from your clan, crèche, and instructors, and now you have found someone you want to teach and be taught by.”

“Do you, (Insert Master’s name here), take (Insert Initiate’s Name here), as your Padawan learner until the day their Trials arrive? Do you swear to guide them, to teach them, to care for them until the day they become Knights?”

“Rise as one, Master (Insert Name here), and Padawan (Insert Name here). May the Force watch over you and light your path until the end of your days.”

The Braiding Ceremony (Also known as the Master-Padawan Ceremony)

“As you were once an Initiate, so does your journey begin on the path to knowledge. Three strands, three paths. The Past. The Present. The Future.”

“There is the Past, your childhood, now fallen to the wayside. A new path has been laid out for you to walk in the eyes of the Force.”

“There is the Present, the current, the path you now walk. As a Padawan, you will encounter times of peril and times of peace. The Force will always be with you if you remember to listen.”

“There is the Future, the path that awaits you. All Futures are the same, but yet, all are different in the end. The Force will be here to support and guide you, and so will We until the end of Our days.”

When a Padawan Prepares to Take Their Trials

(This is the pre-vigil ceremony, spoken by one Councilor directly to the Padawan) ”Padawan (Insert surname here), the time has come for you to come to the Trials of Knighthood. Five trials that you will face, five trials that will determine your path. The Trials of Skill, Courage, Flesh, Spirit, and Insight await you… and do not forget that the Force is always with you.”

(This is the ceremony that precedes the entrance into the Trial Room)“As you were once an Initiate, you now stand before us, prepared to take your Trials. The Force has guided you through trials and triumphs, tribulations and victories, and now it will guide you through the Trials that lay ahead. The Force is always at your side, you never walk alone. May the Force watch over you and guide you through the paths that lay ahead.”

The Knighting Ceremony

“You have passed the Trials laid out ahead of you, and your Master states that you are ready to be an independent member of the Order. You are ready to serve the Order as a Knight.”

“You have learned from your Master and experiences, and in return, you have taught your Master. Though your padawanship is coming to a close, you take the first step onto the pathway of Knighthood. In doing so, you are always learning and teaching.”

“May you find the strength to remain open to new experiences on the path you now walk. May the Force be with you always.” 

“By the Right of the Council, and the Will of the Force, we name you, Knight (Insert Name and Surname here).”

The most senior member of the newly-Knighted’s lineage steps forward to shear off the braid with the end of their lightsaber.

When Taking a Padawan 

“I, Knight/Master/Councilor (Insert name here), swear to you, Padawan (Insert name here), that I will teach you, care for you, and guide you through all the winding paths that the Force guides us on throughout our years together. If the Force agrees, will you, Padawan (Insert name here), take me as your Master to see you through to your Knighthood?”

“I, Padawan (Insert name here), do swear to you, Knight/Master/Councilor (Insert name here), that I will teach you, care for you, and follow your guiding light through the paths of the Force until the time comes for separation. The Force agrees that you will be my Master to see me through to my Knighthood.”

When a Knight becomes a Master

“Knight (Insert surname here), we have called you to stand before us. You have guided and supported a Padawan from the very start of their life to their Knighthood, and as such, we feel you are ready to take the title and responsibilities, as well as having shown the behavior expected, that come with being a Master of the Jedi Order. May the Force watch over you, from now until the time you step into the Force.”

[celynsdream]

Initiates | Wards

Below is the brainstorming I've created as to give more development for the Initiates of the Order of Jedi. Feel free to use in your writing, but please make sure to credit back to this post or tumblr. If not, I will not hesitate to remove all resources.

Overview:

A Jedi Initiate, Jedi Trainee, Youngling, or Ward referred to a Force-sensitive child who was undergoing the early stages of Jedi training or currently residing in the Créche, at a Jedi Academy. Initiates are found at early ages, typically a few months to up to three years, by Jedi Recruiters and Finders, such as in the case with Master Koon’s Finding of Padawan Tano and Master Kenobi, and are brought to the Coruscant Temple for initial placement and care. 

Initiate Clans:

All Initates are placed into Clans within their third year of life, and placed into care of various selected Créchemasters until they become Padawans. It is typical for a Clan to remain close even throughout adulthood and Padawanship, interchanging Padawans for training, and relying on each other for missions over other Jedi. Below is a list of known, and current Initiate Clans:

Bear Clan

Bergruutfa Clan (Most librarians/archivists come from this Clan)

Boma Clan

Clawmouse Clan

Dragon Clan

Heliost Clan

Katarn Clan

Savrip Clan

Soaring Hawkbat Clan (Most pilots/Aces come from this Clan)

Squall Clan

Thranta Clan

Tra’cor Clan

Wuulf Clan

Vorpaak Clan (Notorious for producing the Disaster Crew)

Education/Training:

Once an Initiate is placed into their Clan, they started their education, typically around the age of five-six standard years. Those aged three-four years are introduced to ideas necessary for their future education, such as numbers and alphabet, and are more play-orientated than the older Initiates. They also start learning the basics of the Jedi Code and the Three Pillars of the Order between various games.

Initiates aged five-eight are considered Junior Initiates, and follow a set schedule, varying days based on Clan, but it rarely changes. Upon waking, the Initiates are led in morning exercises, including a fifteen-minute meditation session. In the mornings, Clans engage in Force studies, usually games meant to help them develop control, such as the “Feather Game”, or “Catch”, under the watchful eyes of their Créchemaster and Padawans doing Créche duty. Before lunch, the Initiates settle down for a fifteen minute meditation session, led by one of the Junior-Créchemasters. Around midday, the Initiates head to the refectory for lunch and story-time, usually about a Jedi of old, then shift into physical training under the watchful eyes of the Initiate Battlemaster, Jardin Eldil. They learn the basics of the six accepted forms of Lightsaber combat, followed by another fifteen-minute session of movement mediation. Once they return to their Clan-room, they engage in crafts or games for an hour, before they return to learning the history of the Order. Around five-six o’clock is dinner for the younger Initiates, then they return to their room to do one final relaxation meditation session, followed by a short story, then get tucked into their beds.

Initiates aged nine-twelve are considered Senior Initiates, and follow a little bit of a less intense schedule than the Juniors. In the mornings, they wake up on the call of an alarm clock, versus being individually woken by the Junior-Créchemasters, as the Junior-Initiates get. A Junior-Créchemaster leads them through morning exercises and meditation, then the Senior-Initiates head to their classrooms for history, mathematics, science, political sciences, including one elective class they choose. Around midday, like the junior-initiates, they head to the refectory for lunch, but while the juniors are having their story time, the seniors are working on their assignments from that morning. After lunch, they attend classes taught by the Initiate Battlemaster, switching over to actual lightsaber work over the six accepted forms, then doing a movement meditation session after their physical training. Once returning to their Clan-room, they help out with the care of the younger initiates because arts-and-crafts can stress anyone out, then finish up their assigned assignments from that day’s classes. Around six-seven o’clock is dinner for the Senior Initiates, then they join the younger initiates for their evening meditation, but while the juniors get tucked into beds, the seniors are given thirty minutes to do what they want before lights out.

At the age of twelve-thirteen is when things start to change for their schedules. The initiates turning twelve that year are given the date of their Gathering, then are permitted to attend classes and seminars in whatever order they want. There’s no set schedule for these initiates anymore, due to them preparing to take the Initiate Trials at the end of the year, hoping to move onto Padawanship. These Initiates spend most of their days studying to prepare for their Trials, knowing that their results will forecast their future path in the Jedi Order. Before these Initiates take their Trials, they participate in the Gathering, a ceremony that had been passed down through the Order for centuries. They are escorted by a Jedi of a higher rank, typically a Master or Senior-Padawan, and travel to Ilum, where they would undergo unofficial trials of trusting their instincts and overcoming inner and outer obstacles in search of a kyber crystal that is fully theirs, in both Force and physical being.

Wards:

Wards are Initiates that are not Force-Sensitive, but live in the Temple. They’re taught the same as the Initiates, usually coming from Corps families or those killed in action, or are even Temple-stork babies. However, the difference comes that when the senior-initiates shift over to preparing for their Trials, Wards change their focus to their future adulthood paths. 

Wards are taught the Jedi traditions, and even as adults, they’re common sights at ceremonies all over the various Temples. Most of the staff, or senior members of various organizations, celebrities, radio hosts, etc, are Wards from various Temples, and sometimes… there can be a decade or two old rivalries between certain Wards that always lead to interesting meetings. 

Wards filter into branches and careers all over the galaxy, and are certainly not held to the same behavioral standards/oaths of the Knighthood, so most Wards do end up having families throughout their lifetimes. The Jedi temples, all across the galaxy, are known to provide a safe place for children to grow up and learn and become strong good adult figures, even in war-torn environments, but the High Council strictly regulates how many Wards to Initiates are accepted each year, unless there’s a particularly good reasoning that the regulation limit won’t work. 

The typical regulation numbers are 25-30 Wards, 30-50 Initiates plus their staff and instructors, at any one time.

Uniform:

The Initiates aged eighteen months or less wear cream-colored onesies, done in patterns to handle their developing forms. The amphibious babies wear waterproof cream-colored onesies, also to handle their developing forms.

The Initiates aged twenty months to eight years wear cream-colored tunics, brown leggings, and soft kidskin leather boots, with a brown leather chest harness for the Crèchemasters’ leash usage to clip onto.

The Initiates aged nine years to thirteen wear cream-colored tunics, brown leggings, brown leather boots, and a colored belt that corresponded with their future path.

Crèche Life:

The Crèche is the full name for the Initiate Wing, though it is more commonly referred as the Initiate Hall, and the term Crèche is used in reference to the nursery. In all Initiate rooms, except during nap times, the sound of cheerful voices and playful kid-voices can be heard from even outside the rooms. There’s always some sort of activity going on down in the Initiate Wing, which contributes to such a permanent joyful atmosphere for all those even walking past.

Caretakers/Instructors:

Crèchemasters:

Junior-Crèchemasters:

Instructors:

Trivia:

Jedi Councilor, and Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, is the youngest known initiate to ever be brought to the Coruscant Temple. He was rescued from Stewjon by Councilor Plo Koon at the age of a month, and quickly enfolded into the Vorpaak Clan.

The most chaotic Clan in all of Crèche-history is the Vorpaak Clan, though they have produced some of the most skilled Jedi of the age. Notable members included Shadow Quinlan Vos, Ace Garen Muln, Healer Bant Eerin, Peacekeeper Reeft, and Knight-Ambassadors Luminara Unduli and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Temple-stork babies are those that were dropped off at the closest temple’s front door, much like the image of the stork bringing babies to their true families.

[lonelysailings-archive-blog]

Resources for Tolkien fans

Here are some useful resources I’ve found while I’ve been in the community, so I thought I’d share! PLEASE ADD YOUR OWN IF YOU HAVE ANY! And please reblog and share!

References

askmiddlearth – A great blog where you can send in questions and receive answers regarding just about any aspect of the Legendarium. 

coco.raceme – A collection of quotes, songs, and important passages from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, arranged by book and chapter.

Fish in Middle Earth – Did you ever want to know what kinds of fish there were in Middle Earth? No? You’ll probably end up reading this anyways. The curiosity will get to you.

henneth-annun – The HASA story archive has mostly moved to AO3 now, but this website still contains hundreds of timelines, character bios, quotes, object descriptions, and more.

silmarillionwritersguild – Essays, meta, biographies, and more – all about the plot and characters of the Silmarillion.

Languages

almare – Tumblr user almare has a great collection of Tolkien language resources, including a handy graphic of the relations between Elvish languages.

councilofelrond – A good resource for translations of canon texts, glossaries, conlang discussions, a dictionary, etc. Of particular interest is their Sindarin mutation chart, which is necessary pretty much whenever you’re stringing more than two Sindarin words together.

dwarrowscholar – Contains everything from lessons to a truly massive Khuzdul dictionary. If you have a basic understanding of Neo-Khuzdul, you can also make use of the translation tool.

Hiswelókë’s – A delightfully thorough dictionary available in a variety of arrangements ( English-Sindarin, Sindarin-English, thematic, etc. ). Available in English, French, and German.

midgardsmal – The blog of David Salo, one of the people who worked on the languages in Peter Jackson’s Tolkien films.

realelvish – A handy phrasebook that provides categories for easy searches, dialects, pronunciation, and multiple translations of the same phrase. Includes fun categories, such as ‘in the bedroom’ and ‘on the internet’, as well as many others that are more in keeping with Tolkien’s tone. 

sindarinlessons – A collection of rules, references, and explanations of Sindarin grammar.

your-sindarin-textbook – On this site, a duck teaches you Sindarin. What more could you want? Includes exercises and references.

Books

All the books in PDF – These two posts both contain links to Tolkien’s works and where you can find them online.

HoME reading order – tumblr user lintamande has put together a list of Tolkien’s texts beyond the Silmarillion, in case you were wanting to dip your toes into HoME but didn’t know where to begin. They also have a general Silm resource page that’s worth looking at, as well as all their meta. 

On Fairy Stories – One of Tolkien’s most-referenced essays.

Tolkien’s letters – A collection of many of Tolkien’s transcribed letters, useful for all those really obscure facts you need to check and to impress your friends.

Non-Tolkien

A shameless plug – I do my best to collect useful references, notes, and masterposts on writing, Tolkien, and more in my ‘references’ tag.

howtofightwrite – This blog contains discussions on weapons and how they’re used, as well as some particularly useful weapon primers that will give you the basics on the weapons your character uses. 

Medieval references – A collection of a few useful references for medieval-type jobs, terms, and more. 

Mood music – Themed music playlists for just about anything you could ever want to write.

Traveling – The methods of traveling in the Middle Ages, and the time it would require.

[anthropologyarda]

Adding links for the Lord of the Rings Family Project, which has the best set of genealogies hands down and I constantly reference it.

Ardalambion is a high quality language resource and has extensive wordlists. Good for obscure languages like Nandorin and Taliska. It’s more in-depth than a dictionary and has notes on in-universe and out-universe history for the languages.

Textual Ghosts Project, a list of unnamed and missing female characters from Tolkien’s works.

Notes: some of the book links don’t work any more.

The working link for OP’s resources tag is now here.

This is really useful! Thanks to OP for collecting these! (I totally looked at the fish essay.)

[baggvinshield]

sometimes i get really messed up thinking about Erebor. 

it’s hugely vast - Thorin says there are “halls upon halls beneath the mountain” and i imagine it stretches vertically as well as horizontally, so like lots of levels climbing upwards and downwards and just a HUGE amount of square footage, an entire city (perhaps larger than Minas Tirith) literally carved out of the interior of a mountain

on that note, travel around Erebor must be facilitated by something. what if they use goats or ponies? imagine little carts, coaches, etc., driven by dwarves and transporting dwarves and visitors from point A to B, ex: the residential level is the main level but the market is three levels below - no one wants to haul groceries by hand up miles of stairs/ramps and damn like, who has enough hours in their day for all that walking? draft animals it is then. (for that matter, oxen could also be involved, in which case they would need cows to keep supplying offspring to be turned into oxen, and that means some dwarves could be dairy “farmers”).

which brings us to… what are all these pack animals eating? hay would be easy enough to purchase from Dale or other neighbors but then it needs to be stored. and if there are lots and lots of load-bearing animals needed for everyday life in the mountain (and also for mining operations, lots of material to be hauled there) then that’s a LOT of hay and other feeds needed.

so maybe the dwarves have something akin to a pasture somewhere in the mountain, high up, with an entire exterior wall made of glass or a similar transparent substance that lets sunlight in and creates sort of a giant greenhouse or cold frame, so they can grow grass year round for the ponies and goats and cattle to graze. otherwise hay expenses could be astronomical. 

i don’t know. just. Erebor everyday life stuff. fascinating. 

[baggvinshield]

it doesn’t have to be coaches and buggies tho, they could use rickshaws (do NOT let me fall into a Memoirs of a Geisha au please)

there are likely very affluent districts and less affluent ones as well, but i’d like to think there’s no abject poverty in Erebor. like, let’s not assume the dwarves have fucked up socioeconomics as badly as we have 

miners, for instance, wouldn’t be part of a lower- or poor class, but instead would be held in places of honor and paid very well for the dangerous and important work they do - after all, they’re directly responsible for unearthing the mountain’s wealth. why should they be underpaid just because they’re physical laborers? no.

gender roles are virtually nonexistent because it’s better that way and dwarves are awesome and i said so

the streets are kept clean and orderly; every citizen has a sense of belonging as well as ownership in the mountain

Bilbo called it “the greatest kingdom in middle earth” and i’m not about to take that lightly

[perkynurples]

EREBOR EVERYDAY STUFF IS SO IMPORTANT TO ME???

venTIL ATION? how do you ventilate such a huge fucking mountain, so that nobody suffocates from the heat down low? there’s a lot of natural updraft and stuff like that, but god the master level skill that would have to go into carving out a webbing of ventilation shafts that pretty much work on their own is kILLING ME

same goes for plumbing, I mean we saw in dos that they are no strangers to using water powered mechanisms, so I’m just imagining the sweltering heat and quiet plip-plop and of pipes running through the entire mountain, meeting in like this massive brain-like rattling sputtering structure somewhere where dwarves readjust their massive cogs and shit maybe that’s too steampunk but I love it anyway

as for the farmyard animals, erebor is a MASSIVE self-sustained kingdom, the expenses if they were to import everything would be EXORBITANT, so I bet rachel’s right, they’ve found a really clever way to grow pastures for their livestock, and also have really resilient animals who don’t mind grazing on the (newly rejuvenated) mountainsides I bet

as for the society aspect, I wouldn’t go so far as to presume they totally eradicated poverty, but they do have a very strong system that I still believe has a lot in common with a caste system (though looser), where you’re probably born into a guild and might be expected to take up that job, but nobody except for your overly traditional parents/grandparents/wider family is going to raise an issue if you decide to do something else

dwarven pubs

dwarven brothels

dwarven LIBRARIES 

DWARVENM ARKETS with like this entire MASSIVE cave spanning AT LEAST five floors dedicated to it and more adventurous buyers can rope right down the bridges if they know where they want to get, they’re selling uncut lapis lazuli down there again brb [whooshes into the depths of the mountain swan-dive style] (okay I’m exaggerating but you get the point)

basically a dwarven kingdom works like a machine of its own, every single person is a cog in it and everyone has to work efficiently for the machine to operate smoothly oKAY FIGHT ME ON THIS (or alternatively send me more headcanons bc this is fun)

[heartoferebor]

Yes but consider this: dwarven engineers.

Dwarves are absolute masterminds not only in mining and smithing, but also engineering - I firmly believe they’d be as far along as we were at the beginning of the industrial revolution.

How’d they get around the mountain? Maybe they soon found out that keeping so many animals simply wasn’t practical, so they worked on mechanical solutions and BOY did they get some.

Lifts operated by a cunning system of weights and counterweights. Being a lift operator and -mechanic is one of the highest honours. They only take on few apprentices and those feel like they’ve just won the lottery. 

STEAM OPERATED MACHINERY AND BASICALLY MINIATURE TRAINS AND WAGONS THAT GO THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN AND CONNECT EVERYTHING. The dwarves would have built a railway through Middle-earth ages ago if they wouldn’t be so secretive (no elf is ever gonna get the chance to hop on a train)

Also, all that fuel for the forges & co had to come somewhere. Either there are also coal mines under the mountain or they have THE most amazingly orchestrated system for getting non-stop coal supplies from other places.

Also the royal heir spends time with every single profession in the mountain because as king it will be his job to know everything about it and be able to earnestly listen to and understand complaints & co

[radioproxy]

Don’t forget this one:

Erebor is so huge that a dragon can walk and fly (more like hover) inside it. Being able to expand the length of his wings, along with the length of his own body inside those halls can determine how vast the interior is. Smaug did just stay around and slept at the treasury, but even so he made that his ball pit, swimming around in endless gold. 

[perkynurples]

THIS GOT BETTER

and let’s not forget the fact that that whole massive forge-bellow-suspended trolley system worked even after like AGES of not being used, and all it took was some heating and some water. DWARVEN ENGINEERING IS THE BEST (and probably only) engineering in that world. steam. water. delicate and fucking intricate mechanisms. DWARVES WOULD HAVE TOTALLY BUILT A RAILWAY. they probably dreamt of connecting their kingdoms through rails, and I bet that they were halfway to building a mine that pretty much operated itself, tiny trains and those lift-y things we saw in auj and everything. come to think of it, everything we saw in auj and dos made the whole mountain look like just one huge machine.

remember this guy?? HOLY SHIT. those are some massive-ass hammers on some semi-perpetual motion like hOW HUGE A MACHINERY do you have to build to operate that??!? I bet that guy has like a pedal close by that he fucking steps on and those massive hammers just STOP, that’s how badass it is. look at all that steam, look at the fires blazing behind him. lots of heat and water and intrinsic knowledge of engineering and physics, that’s dwarves for you.

AND OH SHIT OF COURSE the royals have it as a point of pride to circle through as many professions as possible, and even when they have all their royal duties, they still keep working on whatever they’re best at. they are after all also the cogs in the machine of their kingdom. I’M SMITTEN WITH DWARVES.

[baggvinshield]

THEY DREAMED OF CONNECTING THEIR KINGDOMS WITH RAILWAYS YESSSS ANNIE. i bet they had all the tunnels planned at one point, talk of moving iron from the Hills as well as precious gems from Erebor but also, moving goods that were obtained through trade with other peoples to kingdoms outside of the access area, goDD i wouldn’t be surprised if they had or were well on their way to inventing some sort of steam engine? i mean they’ve harnessed water, fire, they have some fuel that burns hot enough for all this smithing going on ALL THE TIME. man it can’t be just wood, that’s so unsustainable, and most of the trees we saw outside of erebor were pines and pine doesn’t burn that hot. so they’ve got some other fuel, or else an unlikely and practically unlimited source of oak trees lmao OMG DWARVES I LOVE THEM ALL AND THEIR GENIUS 

[heartoferebor]

I AM SO VERY GLAD YOU ALL AGREE WITH ME ON THE RAILWAY IDEA

But no seriously, I can totally imagine that by the time Smaug came they’d been starting to build tunnels already for a massive underground railway system that was supposed to secretly connect all the dwarven kingdoms at some point, yes. Mainly for the purpose of coal & co, definitely. Unfortunately, Smaug’s coming put an end to that at first because Erebor was the starting point where they started tunneling from.

(Imagine them planning to have a secret stop somewhere in Mirkwood thought where they’d suddenly pop out of the ground within like half a day after Thranduil sent a messenger to them :P) 

I’m 100% they had invented a steam engine already or where close to it because COME ON THOSE ARE DWARVES they genius engineers per definition and they’ve had millenia to do so. (Also Steampunk Dwarves is totally a thing, yes? Yes.)

Also, talking about steams, there were DEFINITELY big dwarven hot tubs in the mountains there, community steam baths and so on, because you could very well have some big water cisterns and co above and around where the forge fires were and use that to heat the water for it. It’s one of THE social meeting places in the mountain because everybody goes there after a hard day’s work to relax and chat and fuck gender norms it’s all just one big bath with eg several hot tubs where everyone can mingle with anyone. (There are also children’s baths which are very small so they don’t drown. The number of times Frerin hit Thorin over the head with his little wooden duck in there is amazing).

[inja-y-ddraig]

and now let me add something to this and whisper to all of you:

underground train system between Erebor and the Iron Hills in the Fourth Age, powered first by steam and later with electricity, because duh, steam locomotives are boring

[lonelysailings-archive-blog]

Resources for Tolkien fans

Here are some useful resources I’ve found while I’ve been in the community, so I thought I’d share! PLEASE ADD YOUR OWN IF YOU HAVE ANY! And please reblog and share!

References

askmiddlearth – A great blog where you can send in questions and receive answers regarding just about any aspect of the Legendarium. 

coco.raceme – A collection of quotes, songs, and important passages from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, arranged by book and chapter.

Fish in Middle Earth – Did you ever want to know what kinds of fish there were in Middle Earth? No? You’ll probably end up reading this anyways. The curiosity will get to you.

henneth-annun – The HASA story archive has mostly moved to AO3 now, but this website still contains hundreds of timelines, character bios, quotes, object descriptions, and more.

silmarillionwritersguild – Essays, meta, biographies, and more – all about the plot and characters of the Silmarillion.

Languages

almare – Tumblr user almare has a great collection of Tolkien language resources, including a handy graphic of the relations between Elvish languages.

councilofelrond – A good resource for translations of canon texts, glossaries, conlang discussions, a dictionary, etc. Of particular interest is their Sindarin mutation chart, which is necessary pretty much whenever you’re stringing more than two Sindarin words together.

dwarrowscholar – Contains everything from lessons to a truly massive Khuzdul dictionary. If you have a basic understanding of Neo-Khuzdul, you can also make use of the translation tool.

Hiswelókë’s – A delightfully thorough dictionary available in a variety of arrangements ( English-Sindarin, Sindarin-English, thematic, etc. ). Available in English, French, and German.

midgardsmal – The blog of David Salo, one of the people who worked on the languages in Peter Jackson’s Tolkien films.

realelvish – A handy phrasebook that provides categories for easy searches, dialects, pronunciation, and multiple translations of the same phrase. Includes fun categories, such as ‘in the bedroom’ and ‘on the internet’, as well as many others that are more in keeping with Tolkien’s tone. 

sindarinlessons – A collection of rules, references, and explanations of Sindarin grammar.

your-sindarin-textbook – On this site, a duck teaches you Sindarin. What more could you want? Includes exercises and references.

Books

All the books in PDF – These two posts both contain links to Tolkien’s works and where you can find them online.

HoME reading order – tumblr user lintamande has put together a list of Tolkien’s texts beyond the Silmarillion, in case you were wanting to dip your toes into HoME but didn’t know where to begin. They also have a general Silm resource page that’s worth looking at, as well as all their meta. 

On Fairy Stories – One of Tolkien’s most-referenced essays.

Tolkien’s letters – A collection of many of Tolkien’s transcribed letters, useful for all those really obscure facts you need to check and to impress your friends.

Non-Tolkien

A shameless plug – I do my best to collect useful references, notes, and masterposts on writing, Tolkien, and more in my ‘references’ tag.

howtofightwrite – This blog contains discussions on weapons and how they’re used, as well as some particularly useful weapon primers that will give you the basics on the weapons your character uses. 

Medieval references – A collection of a few useful references for medieval-type jobs, terms, and more. 

Mood music – Themed music playlists for just about anything you could ever want to write.

Traveling – The methods of traveling in the Middle Ages, and the time it would require.

[anthropologyarda]

Adding links for the Lord of the Rings Family Project, which has the best set of genealogies hands down and I constantly reference it.

Ardalambion is a high quality language resource and has extensive wordlists. Good for obscure languages like Nandorin and Taliska. It’s more in-depth than a dictionary and has notes on in-universe and out-universe history for the languages.

Textual Ghosts Project, a list of unnamed and missing female characters from Tolkien’s works.

Notes: some of the book links don’t work any more.

The working link for OP’s resources tag is now here.

This is really useful! Thanks to OP for collecting these! (I totally looked at the fish essay.)