For the Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations ask game: 1. What tropes or themes do you enjoy reading from time to time but do not want to write or make art about yourself?
5. Do you have any OCs (original characters) for your fandom? Tell us about them!
10. Are there any tropes, themes, and stylistic choices often present in your fanworks that go beyond enjoyment but are part of who you are?
Thank you so much!!! And this is going to go under the cut because that second question got long:
1.) What tropes or themes do you enjoy reading from time to time but do not want to write or make art about yourself?
I still haven't figured out how to write good smut just yet (same with action scenes actually, too many moving parts that I struggle to keep track of), but I do enjoy reading it!
And while I've dabbled in fluff, it's very much not my wheelhouse, even though I do love a good comforting read!
5.) Do you have any OCs (original characters) for your fandom? Tell us about them!
So I just checked my OC folders to get a proper count and... Well it turns out I collect OCs like some other people collect stamps. In total for both my main fandoms, I've got thirteen so far (some are more developed than others). Keeping it to just Tolkien OCs though (and only those I might revisit/write for further in the future, I'm sorry Marjoram), for brevity's sake, I've got these six:
Hild: My human servant girl in the third age who is working in Minas Morgul and suffering from all sorts of terrible poisonings but she's still going to try and get some payback/satisfaction even if just through petty means (petty means here would be putting mercury in the drinking wells for the officers). She's also got a little voice in her head that popped up after she started working there that's very encouraging of her plans, and is totally not a bad sign of what's going on with her
Cenrir: Elf guy who got lost and fell into the WIP pit where all the scrapped concepts go to die. So now he's hanging out with Tavros and Tevildo (occasionally the scrapped Valar war twins), waiting to see if someone can come get him out (Tom Bombadil can apparently cross to and from but he rarely visits). He's trying to keep up a good front about this, but things are pretty weird. At least he didn't get eaten by spiders, which is a plus.
Hîthwen: My take on Orodreth's wife who I'm counting as an OC because she's barely a footnote in canon. An archivist and a massive nerd, she accidentally seduces Orodreth via debate while worrying about whether or not she's committing treason. Also she has a lot of thoughts on the Noldor and how they keep butting their noses everywhere. Doesn't like Tengwar even though she's learned to write it perfectly
(The next three are from the continuation to my Finduilas Lives AU, so not POV characters, but important nonetheless)
Eritha: Human woman from the southwest of Eriador who is traveling with a caravan across the Blue Mountains on her way back home. She's in her late forties and has seen enough of the world to call bullshit on a lot of things. Best person to have around if you need to track something or build a fire (or stop people from setting things on fire that they shouldn't), but please never let her near food or the apothecary materials, for everyone's sake
Dúramdir: My half-orc, half-avari character who is the healer in the caravan. Not the most talkative, but that's mostly due to some cultural reasons I still need to write down the meta for, but a great friend to have (and a serious mother hen if pushed, seriously, if you're told to stay on bed rest, stay on bed rest)
Saewine: Most unfortunately named sixteen year old in the world because he has a terrible case of boat-sickness. His family and friends will tell you he never thinks anything through. He will tell you he does in fact think everything through, he just always thinks whatever he does is worth the risk. Voted most likely to bring a stray home (or several)
10.) Are there any tropes, themes, and stylistic choices often present in your fanworks that go beyond enjoyment but are part of who you are?
I'm very bad at self-analyzing, but I think grief, memory, and stories within stories are safe bets when it comes to my writing. I love that stuff a lot and I always have it on the brain
infinite combinations game