May 15
@aspecardaweek
Day 6 / May 15th: Intersectionality || Found Family
Fili, Alda, Khel, and Nayaab prepping for a family portrait after Sauron's defeat.
(Further Lore and Rambling Below the Cut)
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@aspecardaweek
Day 6 / May 15th: Intersectionality || Found Family
Fili, Alda, Khel, and Nayaab prepping for a family portrait after Sauron's defeat.
(Further Lore and Rambling Below the Cut)
Sketch commission for @pilkypills; animalizations of their dwarrowdam OCs.
Lauriel
When Lauriel is growing up, she knows her older sister is a better singer than her. This is not because she's heard her sister singing all that much; her sister is fully grown and moved halfway across Aman before Lauriel is even thought of. But it is a thing people tell her of, a little awkwardly, a little gently, whenever she mentions her ambition to be a bard. Her sister is a better singer than her, and her sister is a potter. Ergo . . .
Lauriel takes up the flute. Her sister did not play the flute as a child and her rare letters don't mention it now; her sister cannot be better than her at the flute.
Her mother tells her flatly that this does not mean her sister wouldn't have been better at it, had she ever tried.
"It takes a lot of dedication to your craft to be a bard," her father says, a little more gently. "It's a very competitive field."
Left unsaid, but very much heard, is that Lauriel, of course, is far too flighty to have that sort of dedication.
It is not the first time they have had this conversation.
It is the last, because Lauriel vows to all the Valar that she won't set foot on the farm again until she's the greatest bard the Noldor have ever seen.
It does not take her long at the university in Alqualonde to learn that she is almost certainly never going to be so much as one of the best ten bards the Noldor have ever seen. This does not, however, stop people from still enjoying her music - or, for that matter, from enjoying her dancing, her conversation, her skill at the competitions that are all the rage at parties, and so she never lacks invitations to just about any event in town.
She's friends with everyone, and she hasn't written a single letter back to the farm, and she tells herself she doesn't care that none have come from there for her.
She doesn't talk to any of her friends about that.
She does talk to the woman with the tense, tight shoulders at the current party, swooping in to rescue her from the circle of jabbing fools around her; she's not sure why the other woman needs rescuing from the discussion of the night's musical entertainment, but it doesn't matter; she doesn't need to understand to recruit her to make up the numbers at Lauriel's table for cards.
Aranel is laughing when Prince Makalaure, of all people, comes by their table, which is how Lauriel learns that the woman she rescued is Prince Makalaure's wife.
He sees her flute in its case beside her and asks to hear her play.
He compliments her when she's done. Invites her to another party the next week.
Lauriel, of course, says yes.
She's never political. She's never really bothered about any of it.
But she starts to fall into his circle; their music is so passionate, so innovative, and she likes the way they circle around each other. They're dedicated to each other in a way the endless sea of her other friends aren't.
So when she hears someone being rude about his father, of course she speaks up; for all she knows Prince Feanaro is crazy, but that doesn't give anyone the right to be cruel about it.
She gets offered a job at the university in Tirion, and she thinks Makalaure recommended her for it; she finds out later he praised her skill with people as well as her music when asked for his opinion on the posting.
She finds other people start assuming she's political, even though she still doesn't much care whether they're allowed to sail back to Beleriand or not. She does care, though, about people being rude to her friends, and apparently that is political now, so political she is.
One of her friends is shocked that she's gone this long without hearing Prince Feanaro speak, so even though she still doesn't really care, she laughs and lets them drag her along to his next one.
She gets it now.
Why half of Tirion follows him and why half of Tirion thinks he's crazy.
She still doesn't really care. Even after the Incident - well, that was wrong, of course, but she doesn't see why people have to be rude to Makalaure and Aranel about it.
When the darkness comes, she goes with Feanaro's camp, of course. Almost all of Makalaure's circle does.
Partially because at least Prince Feanaro has a plan. Partially because everyone else is doing it.
Mostly because she hears Makalaure swear the Oath, and -
And her oath is not so burdensome a thing. She cannot go back to the farm; she has accepted she will never be able to go back to the farm. But she could still see her parents if they would come to her, if they would meet her elsewhere, if either she or they would ever just send a letter.
She feels it, though. Always, she feels it.
She wishes she had told him. She hadn't, ever; she hadn't known how to look at the actual greatest bard the Noldor have ever produced and admit to her adolescent ambition. But if she had swallowed her pride and told him - if he'd been warned -
She follows him.
(It is four ages later that she tells him at last; when he asks her, as they prepare to sail with Elrond, what she thinks of at last returning home.
"Oh, home's not really a place," she says in surprise. Home has been people for the past four ages of the world, and she has no intention of leaving those people now. "I suppose I'll have to wait and see if my parents choose to visit; I can't go to them unless they've moved."
This catches his attention. "Whyever not?"
"Well," she says, studiously not looking at him. "I swore an oath.")
(It is midnight when Elrond finds a furious Maglor correcting a beleaguered Lauriel's pitch in the garden.
"Are you planning on making our plea to the Valar for your brothers in the form of a concert?" he asks in bemusement. There is precedent, he supposes, with Luthien, but he would have thought Lauriel would have had more patience with the fevered practice if it were the case.
"It is no true teacher who cannot guide a student to surpassing himself," Maglor says grimly. "And it is no true prince who does not return loyalty. Lauriel will be the greatest bard the Noldor have ever produced."
"I don't want to be," she says in some desperation. "I really don't. I don't care if I can't go back to the farm."
"You should have the option," Maglor says firmly. "Now try again.")
Eleven years into LOTRO and I've finally drawn one of my characters for the first time - meet my high elf warden Arnurwë Túreaquen!
commissions | shop | ko-fi | bluesky
Healers and scamps throughout the Ages... some things never change :3c
Rána and Ancalimon belong to @vinyatar
Some designs for my Tolkien/Snow White crossover, Glossuiel and the Seven Dwarves! This time I've included the Huntsman, the Evil Queen, and the Prince XD Technically redesigns for my old Glossuiel painting!
I drew these back in June 2023 but never got around to posting them because I thought I'd include some actual paintings to go alongside the designs :''') But I never finished those, and this has been sitting in my drafts for a while, so I've decided to just post it (especially since there are more Snow White live-actions coming out eventually).
For Glossuiel, the two designs I have for her include a dress the Dwarves made for her (left) and her Sindarin dress (right)! And as you can see, I've reused her Disney colours; same goes for the Evil Queen and the Prince. For the Dwarves, I redid their colours (mostly; the red one is still Grumpy hahaa); I also pulled a Tolkien and took their names from the Dvergatal in the Poetic Edda.
Speaking of names, the Evil Queen is also known as Grimhild, meaning "masked battle," so I had it loosely translated to Sindarin as Dagorwen (battle-maiden). The Prince's name is apparently Florian, so it's now Lothon (using Sindarin "loth" for flower). And the Huntsman's name is just a mix of name elements from the House of Beor since most of them don't have any name meanings recorded loll
Happy New Year! I saw your reblog and am very curious about the shield maiden OC you mentioned. Is there anything you can tell us about her? 😉 (feel free to save this till later if you like!)
Yesssss thank you for giving me the chance to talk about her!!! Bless you, @dilettantefeminist! <3 And brace yourselves, everyone!
20 SotWK AU Facts About Signyr, shieldmaiden of Rohan
Signyr is an orphan of unknown parentage and origin. In TA 2991 (the year Éomer was born), she was found wandering in the Wold by a Fenfred, a Rider of Rohan, who rescued her and brought her to his home in a small village on the eastern side of the river Snowbourn.
Her exact real age is unknown. Her adopted father estimated her to be two years old at the time he found her, and recorded her date of birth as the day she was found. This makes Signyr (technically) two years older than Éomer.
Signyr was welcomed into a loving home by Fenfred and his pregnant wife, Bríet. Tragically, mere months later, Bríet died during labor (the baby died as well), leaving Fenfred to raise a little girl on his own.
Fenfred retired from his position as a Rider to devote himself to fatherhood. Yet tragedy struck again when, in TA 3000, he was killed while answering the call of his former eored, who needed help dealing with the rise of orc raids attacking the Eastemnet horse herds. (Sound familiar? Éomund was killed in such a raid 2 years later.)
At 11 years old, Signyr was orphaned a second time and left in the care of Fenfred's sister-in-law, who was as abusive as a Wicked Stepmother. Signyr soon decided she would not stand for this treatment, and ran away. All on her own, she followed the Snowbourn and walked many miles to Edoras, utilizing her grit and the skills Fenfred taught her.
SotWK Fancast: Katheryn Winnick as Signyr
6. A chance encounter with Théodred Prince led to Signyr obtaining a job as a scullery maid in Meduseld. Although she was finally safe and well-provided for, she faced bullying by the other children of Edoras.
7. Her friendship with Theodred leads to him supporting and mentoring her on a path towards becoming a shieldmaiden. (Saving the other details of this for the fic!) She started training when she was 13, around the time Éomer and Éowyn arrived at Edoras.
8. In TA 3003, 14-year-old Signyr was accepted as a squire to Grimbold in Theodred’s éored, upon the Prince's appointment as Second Marshal. Théodred bore criticisms and accusations of favoritism in order to bring Signyr to Helm's Deep, where he could continue to guide her. (Without him, her dream of becoming a Rider would be cut short, and Théodred would not have that.)
9. In TA 3007, when Éomer turned 16, he was sworn in as a Rider in Theodred’s éored as well. During this period of time when Signyr and Eomer served together (although she was still just a squire, not a Rider), she finally earned his respect on the field.
10. Faced with many obstacles, rejection, and opposition, Signyr did not become a Rider until she was 22, after training and squiring for almost 10 years--much longer than normal for a candidate!
11. Although many thought Signyr would be sworn into Théodred's éored (including herself), she was instead placed under Éomer’s command at his newly assigned éored at Underharrow.
12. Éomer did not want Signyr to be in his éored and privately argued against it with Théodred (he lost that debate, clearly--heh), but concealed his real reasons: he was starting to develop romantic feelings for Signyr, and did not think it wise to have her under his command.
13. However, to honor her achievement of finally becoming a Rider, Éomer gifted her with a horse, Greywind, sired from the same stallion as his own horse, Firefoot.
14. Although a genuinely compassionate and gentle person, Signyr is introverted and has what we commonly know as a "resting bitch face". She is often advised to "smile more" in order to become more attractive and approachable.
15. Although one of the (physically) weaker fighters in her éored, Signyr more than holds her own and provides great value as a field medic. Several of her fellow Riders owe their lives to her, including Éomer himself.
16. She can read and write and is fluent in several languages, the most unique of which is her fluency in Haradrim.
17. Her closest friend in the Aldburg éored, Léodor, is one of her former childhood bullies.
18. Signyr has (so far) two tattoos: the river on her right bicep for the Éored of Underharrow, and the dragon on her right shoulder for the Éored of Aldburg. Because they have always served together, Éomer has these two same tattoos (but he has more).
19. By her own choice, Signyr has never developed romantic relationships with or slept with any fellow Riders. She has had casual liaisons with other Rohirrim men--much to Éomer's secret displeasure.
20. By the end of the War of the Ring, Signyr is already 30 years old. (For comparison, Éomer is 28 and Lothiriel is 20.)
Please check Signyr out in my fics!
Taken (she is the unnamed "Reader") - completed
Change the Stars - ongoing series
how do you imagine the first time mereneth saw thranduils scars? did she know beforehand they were there or was it a surprise? and what about legolas same question?
Tbh I am not sure if you’re referring to the first time she EVER saw any of his scars, or if you’re asking about seeing them in Valinor specifically. So I’ll do my best to answer both.
By the time that Thranduil and Mereneth met, he’d already survived the attacks on Doraith twice, the War of Wrath, plus lord knows how many smaller battles over his lifetime. Mereneth knew about all of that; Thranduil had told her about it. Maybe not in great detail … but he'd told her. The thing is, most of the Silvans didn't really experience or participate in ‘Organized War’ the way the other elves did with eachother & with the forces of darkness. So it was difficult for her to really comprehend the scope of what he had already stubbornly survived through. Mereneth KNEW about the scars, but they were still a surprise.
The first time she saw most of Thranduils scars was…. Very emotional. For both of them.
For Mereneth her poor brain basically short circuited. To know and love Thranduil in one of the most lighthearted periods of his life, and then to see the evidence of what it had taken for him to get there was extremely difficult to fit together into one cohesive image. Especially because she worked with the Healers as a scribe and had a better idea than the average population about what kind of wounds would leave each type of scar.
He didn't need to tell her that he had been stabbed so deeply in the side, the hilt had almost been flush with his skin. He didn't need to explain the horrible infection he had gotten on his leg that could only be treated by cutting away the affected tissue. Or the slash wounds to his stomach that made it impossible to sit up on his own for weeks.
He didn't need to tell her because she could read it in the scars. It was (understandably) A LOT to take in all at once.
For Thranduil, Mereneth seeing his scars felt extremely vulnerable in a way it usually didn't. Usually, scars were scars. Things happened; warriors got hurt. The good or the lucky ones lived to get hurt another day & kept the evidence to remind them not to be stupid that way again. They were a sign that he had protected those he loved and stood up for things he believed in.
But when Mereneth looked upon them, he was not a warrior with scars. He was just Thranduil, with every worst day of his life written out on his skin for her to examine. He worried that it would be evidence of too much cruelty for Mereneth to still love him, because how could anybody live through such cruel things without being equally horrific? He worried that she would finally realize how broken he still was. That she would finally understand and come to agree that he was not worth her time.
It took a LOT of convincing on Mereneth’s behalf for Thranduil to beleive that if anyting, it only made her love him more.
The first time that she saw all of Legolas’ scars was (initially and externally) less emotional than when she saw Thranduil's. She had a MUCH better idea of what to expect and had done her best to brace herself to not react in any way that might make Legoals feel subconscious or judged or prevent him from sharing things with her in the future.
However, the longer she knew about them, the more she learned about some of the stuff that Legolas had lived through, the more it ‘haunted’ her in a way. She started having nightmares where she was forced to witness horrible things being done to Legolas but was unable to help or otherwise intervene in any way. Mereneth already felt guilty for dying and ‘abandoning’ her family, but that guilt would sometimes become almost crushing. The elfling she had been forced to leave behind had been so tiny and perfect and innocent… The elf before her now was a War Hero in a way even legends struggled to convey.
The scars were reminders of the thousands of things in his life she had missed. The thousands of times he could have used the comfort of his mother, and did not have it. The thousands of things she would never know about him. It was so …. Lonely.
While Thranduil, Ferdan, and Galion did their best to understand and help her through all her feelings, it was hard for them to really ‘get’ waht she was feeling since they were there the entire time. They got to witness Legolas slowly transfomr into the Elf that appeared on the shores of Valinor. I headcanon that Thranduils mother died when the dwarves attacked Thingol over the jewels, and so she also missed ………………. A Lot when it came to Thranduil’s life. The two of them I think would bond very deeply over this, and be important sources of support and comfort for eachother.
