#fiondil

[life-what-life]

When I was younger and I read a fanfic that was abandoned without notice I used to think that it was because the author lost interest in the story, but now I mostly just think it means they’ve died.

[chiliadicorum]

fanfic recommendation

@nyarnamaitar [for any reading this who need context, we were talking about Manwe and the love the Valar have for each other (prompted by the Tulkas post) and how the fics showcasing this trait are few and far between. I mentioned a certain fanfic writer who excels with that theme and she asked for the name and conveying everything via messaging would’ve been a bigger mess versus posting it here.]

The writer’s name is Fiondil, found primarily on Stories of Arda. Given his mass popularity (or so as I’ve perceived it), I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if people recognize his alias, but Fiondil’s written 38 stories, though two of these “stories” are themselves compilations of literally dozens of one-shots. So really, Fiondil’s actually written 150 Tolkien fics, give or take. Though granted, not all of them are about the Valar and the Valar are what we’re talking about here.

Because I can’t simply talk about Fiondil without saying how much I fell in love with his take on the Valar. When I first found him years ago, he astounded me with his interpretation of Tolkien’s texts on them and I honestly believe there isn’t a more accurate portrayal of the Valar than his. This is my opinion, so nobody please take that as a slight if you write about the Valar (particularly if I’ve never read said fics). I’ve read everything Tolkien wrote about the Valar and understood it and everything, had my own conclusive ideas and whatnot, but after I read Fiondil’s works involving them, everything in the canon finally made sense. That’s how much it resonated with me, that this just has to be what Tolkien meant. Like I said, Fiondil astounded me, but his Ainur are so unbelievably rooted in canon (even the most unknown bits of canon) that it’s honestly very difficult now (if not impossible) for me to read other Valar-based fics. Yes, I know, the Valar (of all things) should be open to interpretation and we should take into consideration the various understandings of the text, but Fiondil’s just blew me out of the water that much. And the concept of Love was probably the biggest contributing factor to his interpretation. It just made sense. Everything finally connected together in my brain about them!

He’s literally written fanfics across the whole spectrum. Serious fics, fun fics, crack fics, AU fics, angst fics, you name it. Across all the Ages. He’s written fics dedicated to Ingwe, Namo building the Halls of the Dead, Olorin facing Namo after “dying” in Moria, Finwe creating pronounceable names for the Valar, Elrond dealing with his twins, Glorfindel and his second-best sword, Ungoliant betraying Vaire for Melkor, Melkor finally getting Manwe in his hands to hurt him, you name it. There are things I disagree with (some things strongly so, and there are some fics of his I outright hate), though they mostly pertain to how certain characters are portrayed. (I’m reluctant to talk about it publicly without prompting because I feel like it wouldn’t be fair to Fiondil since he can’t “defend” his work, having passed away last year. Though I’m always beyond happy to discuss Fiondil’s fics with any other readers of his.) But his Valar were what made me a fan of him, and I’m not lying when I say that his Valar are my headcanon bedrock.

Because Fiondil went beyond just characterizing and individualizing the Valar and Maiar. His complex (and fascinating) portrayal of society among the Ainur and showing them to be truly different Beings from the Firstborn and Secondborn, bringing to life that blatant differentiation that comes only from being of an entirely different Theme, showing their mistakes, why they ever even made those mistakes, the true concept of their being Guardians and not Rulers of Arda....It just all finally made sense!

Okay, time to actually give you some fics.

Whenever it comes to recommending Fiondil’s Valar, I always point first and foremost to his Elf Interrupted duology. It consists of two “books” (two gigantic fanfics rather), and the link will take you to the first one, “Glorfindel Redux” (the second one is “Glorfindel’s Quest”). Glorfindel is the main character (his Glorfindel is priceless too, imo), but the Valar play an unbelievably integral part in the story, and they do take up a crap ton of screen time. :) Though that’s no complaint. These are the stories that made me a fangirl of the Valar, after all!  

But if you just want pure Valar and Maiar, then The Wars of the Valar is Fiondil’s star fic in that regard. It’s exactly what it says it is. Pre-Elves and really, pre-Arda, this is the story of the Valar in Ea, trying to bring Arda into existence while Melkor is doing his darnest best to thwart them. I really do think this story is a gap-filler, and Fiondil’s incorporating our cosmos into the storyline makes it all the more realistic and suspenseful. This is one of my favorite fics, and Manwe himself is one of the best characters.

Then you have The Findarato Diaries, wherein newly Reborn Finrod is the main character and it’s time for him to “walk with his father” again. (By the way, Fiondil’s interpretation of Mandos and being Reborn is just as spot on as his Valar, imo. And yes, his Mandos/Reborn portrayal is official hc too) But like “Elf Interrupted”, the Valar’s massive part in this is beautiful (and funny, in certain parts). And Finarfin in this fic warms my heart (he’s such a precious father!)

And his take on the Maiar is just as brilliant, imo. (Again, it made sense) Quite frankly, it reminds of Disney’s Lumiere lamenting “life is so unnerving for a servant who’s not serving. He’s not whole without a soul to wait upon.” (For example, there’s a one-shot Wicked: Maiar Games, a rather fun(ny) and introspective suggestion (I love it, honestly) of what the Maiar do during their “time off” from Maiarin duties, feat. Eonwe and Olorin. And it is funny. a.k.a. “Um, brother, I think that rock is following me”)

I know I’ve only linked a handful of fics, but hey, there’s a 150 to comb through at your leisure. :) And I know that the ones above are multi-chaptered, but the one-shots would’ve taken too long to comb through and I didn’t want to postpone this any longer. And no, these aren’t the only fics Valar-centric or Valar-featured, just a few of my favorites. ^.^ (the “Elf Interrupted” duology is his longest fic(s), but it’s by far my absolute favorite of his stories. I must have read it 10 times through by now, and I’m not exaggerating)

But one thing I wish I could’ve thanked Fiondil for before he died was for how he brought Aman to life for me. Seriously. He literally opened up half the world of Tolkien for me and made it real. When reading LotR or the Silm or the countless fanfics, Valinor was just a place to me. I was always disconnected from it, never felt anything good/bad towards it. I didn’t care. It was only ever a location that was so distant and irrelevant to what was going on. For the longest time, I actually hated the ending of LotR, with Frodo and Elrond (especially Elrond) leaving ME for Valinor? I understood why and all, but I still hated it because to me, it never felt like a happy ending. It just made it tragic.

But Fiondil changed that completely for me because he brought Valinor to life (even if there are things I dislike or disagree on). He brought Finarfin to life, Ingwe to life, the concept of being Reborn or the insane socioeconomics of the Vanyar, Noldor and Teleri co-existing together (especially after the Rebellion) or their reactions to the Exiled Noldor or Sindar going to Aman after the Ban was lifted or just Manwe period in his role as Elder King of Arda....Fiondil brought that whole side of the world to life for me as nothing else ever did, primarily through his Valar and their involvement with the Elves, and it’s for that reason he’s one of my favorite authors.

Sorry this wound up so long, but I’m sure you understand now why I didn’t want to try this through messaging. :)  

[soconfusifed-blog]

EA4

For those of you who may be interested, Elf Academy 4 has begun posting over at Stories of Arda. I am in a bit of a weird happy/sad emotional space right now after reading the first couple chapters. So many thanks to those who have brought this story to light, to his family for their kindness and permission to post, and to all of those who have already reviewed. It looks like it's going to be a hell of a ride, and it is an honor to take this journey with you all. i have said it before, but I have never witnessed such a supportive and kind community as i have found at Stories of Arda. Blessings to you all, if you can see this. With love from the mitten, and see you at the end, may it not come too soon.

[marta-bee]

Wes thu hal, Fiondil

The Tolkien fandom lost one of their own this week. Wes thu hal, Fiondil, and good luck on whatever journey awaits you beyond the Sundering Seas.

I regret I didn't know him especially well, but I met him once in person and found him nice, and always enjoyed the exchanges we had on line. He was decent, kind, and geekish at a level that rivaled my own - and that's saying something. :-) Also a talented author and even though we wrote in different corners of the fandom, I always liked the pieces by him I read when I came across them. Do yourself a favor if you're so inclined: his StoriesOfArda profile is here.

Also, huggles and hobbits to all who knew him better than I did. This death was due to natural causes as far as I have heard, but not some long terminal illness so I'm sure it's a bit of a shock. I'm holding those of you I know knew him well in my own thoughts this weekend.

[soconfusifed-blog]

Sad news today...

I was most distressed to learn of the passing of one of my favorite fanfiction authors today. A lovely gentleman known only to me as Fiondil over at Stories of Arda.

I started reading his work a few years ago, and only recently got over my lurker tendencies to actually review and interact--however briefly-- with the author who's stories I loved so much, and there are many, many stories to enjoy!

One of the things that made me fall in love with what I can only call Fiondil Canon was his ability to take intimidating and remote characters like the Valar (Namo especially) or some of our favorite heroes of the Silmarillion and bring them down to earth enough to be relate-able. It is clear that he had a great  love and respect for the Professor's work, and that he will be very much missed by his readers.

I know I will miss his weekly "visits" very much, and wish I could have known him better. My thoughts are with his family, my fellow readers, and his betas, who were kind enough to relay this sad news to us.