And the deep river ran on

Mostly a Tolkien blog, with occasional smatterings of other things I like. Many thanks to @kashyurio for letting me use her splendid drawing of Nerdanel as an icon!

[crackinthecup]

Hii <3 for the ask game 38) and 41) if you're comfortable with it!

Thanks so much!

38: My childhood career choice

Hmm I thiiiiiink my earliest dream job was vet. I still ended up in a helping profession after a few twists and turns, just geared towards humans rather than animals!

41: Where I want to be right now

Scotland always and eternally. I've had the chance to go to the Highlands twice now, and there's just something about being up there, for me, that feels very grounding and peaceful, and I feel I need some of that right now as I'm a little burned out.

Ask game here

[crackinthecup]

For the ask game: wanna share a fact of your personality or your favourite movie?

I can do both!

1) I have a stubborn/determined streak that means I will almost never quit something or leave something unfinished (even if it might be good for me to do so)

2) For favourite movie I’ll go with the LotR trilogy and Fellowship especially. Feels like coming home.

Thank you for sending this my way 💖

Ask game here

[a-dwarfs-dream-of-space]

For the Wip Game - which one? As it is my wont, i've lost track of things 🥴

Light rain fell through the open oculus of the vault. Where the cone of light lit the ground, bird droppings were smeared across the floor. From out of the encircling darkness, he blinked into the rain-sprayed shine in front of him.

Usually, his mind was a blade, cutting the gloom like that cone of light; calm, focused, floating.

The vast room lay in silence. Apart from the faint whisper of the drizzle hitting the stone, the occasional flapping of wings drifted through the air.

Nothing good ever came from his moments of contemplation.

Sometimes, Melkor would notice and say something like "keep working", and he'd just snort in response. Sometimes, Melkor would add "or else you'll get depressed again" in a mocking, very Melkor-like manner that was oddly comforting even though he felt like a fool.

He raised his head. His eye met the eye of the sky. The hovering oculus was a blind eyeball, staring down into the gloom. A bright, unknown vastness lay beyond the territory of the Dark Lord. Nothing concrete such as realms still to be conquered but rather an aspect of reality he was unsure about.

He summoned the birds.

The darkness came alive with movement. Parts of the dark walls seemed to head for the sky. He watched as a flock of Shadow Hunters rose to the oculus. Their flickering silhouettes stirred the beam, then speckled the sky.

He thought of Finrod's scent. Tried to recall it. Couldn't.

He remembered leaning towards the rack, where strands of hair lay, blonde beneath the blood.

When the last wing had disappeared, a lone feather, lit by the light, was floating in the beam, spinning slowly. The lieutenant watched it slide to the ground until it went out at his feet.

~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~

A while ago, @perlen-gold tagged me, and a very long while ago @sauron-kraut and @crackinthecup tagged me (when i only had a poem to offer), and i think a VERY long while ago @moringottocake tagged me. Thank you so much for tagging me 💖💖💖, i am sorry for being super slow.

Maybe you would like to share a snippet? No pressure: @saintvoids @a-litt1e-emo @oakenting @yewfae @gauntletgirlie @cilil @silversandwichsomewherehere @lvsifer @trashipsinc @mai-komagata @admirably-abhorrent

[shelbzxcupcakes]

Wanna be nosy? Here's your chance.

0: Height 1: Virgin? 2: Shoe size 3: Do you smoke? 4: Do you drink? 5: Do you take drugs? 6: Age you get mistaken for 7: Have tattoos? 8: Want any tattoos? 9: Got any piercings? 10: Want any piercings? 11: Best friend? 12: Relationship status 13: Biggest turn ons 14: Biggest turn offs 15: Favorite movie 16: I’ll love you if 17: Someone you miss 18: Most traumatic experience 19: A fact about your personality 20: What I hate most about myself 21: What I love most about myself 22: What I want to be when I get older 23: My relationship with my sibling(s) 24: My relationship with my parent(s) 25: My idea of a perfect date 26: My biggest pet peeves 27: A description of the girl/boy I like 28: A description of the person I dislike the most 29: A reason I’ve lied to a friend 30: What I hate the most about work/school 31: What your last text message says 32: What words upset me the most 33: What words make me feel the best about myself 34: What I find attractive in women 35: What I find attractive in men 36: Where I would like to live 37: One of my insecurities 38: My childhood career choice 39: My favorite ice cream flavor 40: Who wish I could be 41: Where I want to be right now 42: The last thing I ate 43: Sexiest person that comes to my mind immediately 44: A random fact about anything

[weltenwellen]

Emotionally I think I really need it to be autumn

[havingapoemwithyou]

all the oranges of tripoli by Ruth Awad

[crackinthecup]

I was listening to a song then I thought “wow this gives off the swords have been cast down vibes” which tells me that I might be brainrotting over it. What can I say, your writing makes me emotional ❤️

(the song was the language of the lost by riproducer)

Oooof oooof oooof those lyrics hit HARD and are making me emotional too 😭😭😭 No but really, it means the WORLD that Swords lives in your head. Thank you so much for telling me, this is going straight in my positivity tag for when bad days rear their heads 💖

[simonabrunilde]

“The Valar dragged Melkor back to Valinor for judgment before Manwë, in the Ring of Doom. Melkor laid upon his face and begged for mercy from Manwë, but his prayers were denied.”

I wanted to draw exactly the moment after Manwe's sentence, but showing Melkor's face... And I admit it, yes, I would really like there to be a chance of redemption for him🖤

Do we have any fanfiction? 🥹

[foxindarkness]

Melkor (and Mairon) redemption fics are one of my favorite things! here's a few recommendations:

Feeding the Sheep is Prohibited by Naamah_Beherit and Vampiric_Charms, series, mostly G and T rated

Melkor returns from his imprisonment without Silmarils, and he and Mairon decide to abandon war and conquering and take up life together in a cottage with a herd of sheep. Middle earth keeps disturbing their peace. Really fun and light hearted.

Mighty Love by @chrissystriped, E rated

Melkor falls in love with his slave and gives up everything for his sake. It's a long path to find their way back together. A far reaching, massive story with amazing worldbuilding and characters. 477k words and I wanted it to never end.

The swords have been cast down by @crackinthecup, series with ratings from T to E

Melkor and Mairon are reincarnated after the Dagor Dagorath has ended all war and remade everything. Adjusting isn't so easy. Mairon and Melkor spend much time reevaluating the past and their relationship. Quiet and painful and moving.

Build Up a New Us by Harp_of_Gold (that's me!), M rated

I have to include my own here. Mairon and Melkor receive a chance at a new life in Valinor after Mairon's defeat. Melkor reluctantly does whatever is necessary to give Mairon all he deserves.

[a-dwarfs-dream-of-space]

contrapuntal poem #12

Hurin / Melkor

A seat of / Power rising above

pain / the world

made of andesite / impassive

amidst the slag / Its rule

askew / a pull, irrefutable,

tilting me / like gravity

along the slope / forcing resistance

downwards / to its knees

yet keeping me / the master

bound in place / without mercy.

Thank you very much for tagging me for the Wip Game, @sauron-kraut and @crackinthecup. Sadly, i'm far too late, but please have a little poem instead, and maybe i'll find the courage to post a wip these days.

[darknnesmi]

Aredhel

[moredhel]

Tyelpë

Therefore the Three remained unsullied

[crackinthecup]

Guys guys guys I'm officially a doctor!!!!!!

[echo-bleu]

The tapestries made by the Aubusson manufacture based on the art of JRR Tolkien are currently exhibited at the Collège des Bernardins in Paris until May. @actual-bill-potts and I went there yesterday, they're so beautiful!!

These are all handmade tapestries, each is based on a Tolkien artwork (the Rivendell one has the facsimile on the right for scale).

Under the cut: group ID and bonus details

ID: 7 photos of the tapestries, which are each about 3m high, located in a 13th century monastery. The first is the map of middle earth, the others are illustrations Tolkien made of his books. The bonus photos below are details of the tapestries.

[chechula]

Gandalf, Bilbo and smoke dragon :3

My commissions are open!

[uhhhhmanda]

Just came home from a dinner party with the friendgroup at which several people kept saying "Ask Pedro" or "Pedro will know" and I was terrified that they were referring to an AI like Claude but no, thank fuck, they were referring to a cardboard cutout of Pedro Pascal that someone left upstairs and who has been designated a kind of patron saint status in the household.

[a-dwarfs-dream-of-space]

contrapuntal poem #11

Sauron / Pharazon

blades / raised against the sky while the sea

of grass / engulfs me, sails roar and masts heave

swaying / forlornly

in the wind / playthings of my pride

nothing but / imagination

toys of time / tumbling towards death

like / clinking straws that are about to break

the bent backs of / all those that follow me

humans / done with hope, drowning in depletion

[untiloblivions]

thinking about “you haven’t met all the people who will love you” and like!!! you also haven’t found all the things that will make you happy!!!! there will always be new authors and musicians and artists whose work you will one day discover and love!!!! there will always be new hobbies and skills for you to learn and feel fulfilled by!!! there will always be new things around the corner that will bring sudden and unexpected happiness!!!!!!!!!!!