The Dark Rider’s Horses and Other Creatures (Other Silmarillion-based locations)

[mistress-tanwe.livejournal.com]

When you need a mount for wandering far afield to the furthest reaches of Middle-earth. (This is the stall for all prompts that are set in places in the Years of the Trees and First and Second Ages that do not have stalls of their own, such as Cuiviénen and Angband.)

Comments are now closed but you can continue using the prompts; no claiming is necessary.

How to Post your Prompts:

Leave a comment with the subject line identifying the main characters, gen/het/slash/femslash/poly (if it’s not obvious), a brief description of the prompt, and possible warnings if needed (MPTTor SWG’s). The comment itself should be the prompt.

If for some reason you cannot make a subject line appear, please write and bold the relevant information as the first line of your prompt.

The subject lines and/or bold text will allow participants to easily scan for prompts they're interested in.

For example:

Subject line-- Frodo and Aragorn, gen, hurt/comfort at the Field of Cormallen
Comment-- While Frodo is unconscious after being rescued from Mount Doom, Aragorn cares for him.

OR

Comment-- Fëanor/Nerdanel, wedding night, sexual content

On their wedding night, Fëanor and Nerdanel end up not sleeping at all, as they are too busy enjoying each other.

*

Remember, no fanworks are to be posted in the prompts posts.

Comments

I want an Origins story -- characters optional--but I like to think of Beleg for one

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

Anything dated from the shores of Cuiviénen to the early days of the march across the mountains to the sea. My favorite possible character would be Beleg mentioned in The of Lay of the Children of Húrin as:

. . . It was Beleg the hunter,
who farthest fared of his folk abroad
a hunting by hill and hollow valley,
Who care not for concourse and commerce of men.
He was great of growth and goodly limbed,
But light of girth, and lightly on the ground
His footsteps fell as he fared towards them,
All garbed in grey and green and brown—
A son of the wilderness who wist no sire.

That last line indicates to me that he was born on the shores of Cuiviénen. I talked about his origins in my character bio on the SWG site.

RE: I want an Origins story -- characters optional--but I like to think of Beleg for one

[zopyrus.livejournal.com]

LOL. We both used the same passage in our prompts, but to totally different purpose! I hope both versions get filled.

RE: I want an Origins story -- characters optional--but I like to think of Beleg for one

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

Has Binka already seen this prompt? *shouts* Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinks *shuts up and wanders off to find her*

RE: I want an Origins story -- characters optional--but I like to think of Beleg for one

[zhie.livejournal.com]

Here... let me just... grab a copy of this...

RE: I want an Origins story -- characters optional--but I like to think of Beleg for one

[ignoblebard.livejournal.com]

I'll take you up on this one. In fact, I just did. :-)

RE: I want an Origins story -- characters optional--but I like to think of Beleg for one

[starbrow.livejournal.com]

*hands over farthing*

Definitely going to need this one!

Earendil/Elwing, het, their canonically young marriage

[starbrow.livejournal.com]

(Depending on how you want to take it, this prompt could contain underage content.)

Earendil and Elwing got married at the age of 22, which for humans would be fine, but for Elves is ridiculously young, probably not even at the age of puberty yet. Elves are roughly the equivalent of 18 years old at/about age 50, so age 22 for a full elf would be about 8 or 9 for a human. Considering that both have some human blood, they probably at least went through puberty before getting married, but it really doesn't seem like much more than that.

So, how did they figure out their relationship, given their unique statuses as part-human, part-elven (and for Elwing, part-Maia)? And who, if anyone, gave permission for them to be married, or did they just get carried away by their hormones and have a marriage ceremony 'in the moment'?

As explicit or not, as you like and feel comfortable with! It's something I've not really seen much treatment of, and I have a lot more sympathy for Earendil and Elwing after figuring this out.

RE: Earendil/Elwing, het, their canonically young marriage

[kayleelupin.livejournal.com]

I've already written fics about their relationship (most prominently "Dear Adar and Naneth...",) but I'm excited to see where others take this!

Cuiviénen, femslash

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

I'd love to read something about a female couple at Cuiviénen who awoke together. The ideas from the Cuiviényarna that all 144 of the First Elves woke up in male-female couples and that all women woke after their husbands and were subservient to them over their love of the world really does not sit well with me, so don't be afraid to mix it up in multiple ways as long as your focus stays on a female couple.

Optional: This prompt was inspired by Anna Margolin's poem Drowse on, My Beloved, and if you want to go for that as additional inspiration, please do!

Drowse on, my beloved, drowse on.
You are like new brown forest earth.
Your eyes are full of sky.

I your peace and I your sword
now watch over heaven and earth.
Every star in amazement hears
what I whisper in your sleep.

RE: Cuiviénen, femslash

[starbrow.livejournal.com]

I'm buying this prompt for International Women's Day!

Voronwë /& Tuor, slash or gen, huddling for warmth

[moetushie]

Voronwë and Tuor huddling for warmth during their journey from Vinyamar to Gondolin.

RE: Voronwë /& Tuor, slash or gen, huddling for warmth

[starbrow.livejournal.com]

Sold! To the person who can never resist more fic about Voronwe!

Tuor & Túrin, gen, what could have been

[moetushie]

I'm fascinated at that moment where Túrin and Tuor's paths intersected. What would have happened if they had spoken and recognized their kinship? Surely it's the definition of tempting Fate! ;)

Anything goes!

Gorlim the Unhappy/Eilinel, het, tragic romance

[moetushie]

Tell me about the tragic love between Gorlim the Unhappy, one of the twelve companions of Barahir, and his wife Eilinel. It can focus on the days before the war, with appearances by Barahir, Beren, or Emeldir. Maybe a story from Eilinel's POV?

This fanart might help you? Or may hurt...

RE: Gorlim the Unhappy/Eilinel, het, tragic romance

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

It does both, help and hurt. Which is to say, please have this Farthing, because I need this prompt. <3

Any Character/Genre, Culture of Angband

[dawn_felagund]

I once read a novel that was essentially a retelling of the YT/First Age from the perspective of Melkor and the residents of Angband. (Names were changed to make it publishable, but to a Silmgeek, it was abundantly obvious, and the author herself acknowledged it too.) The novel wasn't great, but the change in perspective, as a Silmgeek, was interesting and certainly challenged some of Tolkien's assumptions about Angband and the people who live there.

It is highly unlikely that Angband was a true prison in the sense that everything and everyone was strictly controlled and regimented. Even if it was (or in the parts that were), its residents were human and so inclined to develop cultures and societies, similar to those that form in real-world prisons. This prompt is for all stories about the cultures or societies that might have developed in Angband. For example, what was family life like for an Orc in Angband? What education or training did youngsters go through? Among those imprisoned there, how did they spend their days? Did black market economies develop? What kinds of relationships did they form with the permanent residents (Orcs, etc) there?

A positive take on Angband certainly isn't required but bonus points for challenging Tolkien's assumptions or revealing some of the biases that affect how we see the people who live in this land.

Re: Any Character/Genre, Culture of Angband

[independence1776]

Argh! This prompt is so tempting, for the sole reason that I've had an idea about the slaves in Angband for literally years-- and have never been able to make it work despite multiple rewritings. *walks away pulling her hair in frustration*

AU: Earendil/Elwing, Maedhros, enemies working together

[zopyrus.livejournal.com]

In an early draft of the Silmarillion, Elwing’s silmaril is lost when she throws herself into the sea; Maglor steals a silmaril and throws himself into the fiery pit; and Maedhros submits to the will of the Valar. And then THIS happens:

“The Gods adjudged the last Silmaril to Eärendil…because of the deeds of the sons of Fëanor. Maidros is sent to Eärendil and with the aid of the Silmaril Elwing is found and restored.”

In other words, WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ALL, and I want to know all the details! Just imagine all the awkward conversations that must have happened over the course of Mission You Stole My Kids and Turned My Wife into a Bird, How Dare You.

(More seriously, I think helping to restore Eärendil’s family—and waiving his right to the Silmaril in the process—is an incredibly compelling redemption arc for Maedhros, and I’d love to see it explored from any angle.)

RE: AU: Earendil/Elwing, Maedhros, [etc.]

[hhimring]

I hope someone writes this, you know!
I can't see myself doing it, at least not now.

Elwing, bird transformation, spaceship design, family

[zopyrus.livejournal.com]

Elwing's adventures after she and Eärendil land in Valinor. Does she meet Eärwen (or any other long-lost distant family) when she travels to Alqualondë? When she makes friends with all those seabirds and they teach her the secret of flight, how exactly does that work?

I'm a big fan of the rejected drafts where Elwing designs the wings for Eärendil's ship and sails WITH him instead of waiting at home; but I also like the thought of her building a life for herself in Valinor. (Both?)

It's also just occurred to me that Elwing could probably make it to Númenor with those wings of hers...

RE: Elwing, bird transformation, spaceship design, family

[suzll.livejournal.com]

I will not claim this prompt, i will not claim this prompt, i will not claim this prompt....

Rian, the maker of songs (gen or Rian/Huor)

[hhimring]

I just read Robinka's new bio of Huor and was struck by the following quotation about Rian: "she was a singer and a maker of songs".
I'd like to see a story that features Rian as maker of songs.
Bonus points for including anything about her relationship with Huor.
Robinka's bio (with her thoughts about Huor and Rian as a couple) is here:
http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/reference/characterofthemonth/huor.php

RE: Rian, the maker of songs (gen or Rian/Huor)

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

If I were - totally hypothetically - going to buy that prompt, would it be okay with you if I made this a potential sequel to Lily of the Valley, my Rían Lives AU?

Voronwe, a sea-faring adventure

[tehta.livejournal.com]

So here is a little speech Voronwe makes in the Unifinished Tales:

"The Great Sea is terrible, Tuor son of Huor. It hates the Noldor, for it works the Doom of the Valar. Worse things it holds than to sink into the abyss and so perish: loathing, and loneliness, and madness; terror of wind and tumult, and silence, and shadows where all hope is lost and all living shapes pass away. And many shores evil and strange it washes, and many islands of danger and fear infest it. I will not darken your heart, son of Middle-Earth, with the tale of my labour seven years in the Great Sea from the North even unto the South, but never the West.

Now, even assuming that he is exaggerating, as those old sea dogs tend to do, it really does sound like he Saw and Experienced Things that I, for one, would love to read more about, even if this might "darken my heart". I can see the tale being Odyssey-like; or Age-of-Exploration-like; or even just somewhat humorous, on the assumption that Voronwe is full of it.

RE: Voronwe, a sea-faring adventure

[starbrow.livejournal.com]

Sooooo, you've just basically given me an excuse to write The Odyssey as set in Middle-earth? You've actually somehow managed to find my two most favourite things on the planet and suggest a way to combine them?

I can't promise this will be done in March, or fuck, even this year, but dear god, I'm buying this prompt so very hard.

Orc Women

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

They existed, we know as much. In the so-called Munby Letter (middle-earth.xenite.org/2011/12/08/what-is-the-munby-letter/), Tolkien states: 'There must have been orc-women. But in stories that seldom if ever see the Orcs except as soldiers of armies in the service of the evil lords we naturally would not learn much about their lives. Not much was known'.

Which means license to invent, right? Any place, any time, any orcish culture - or how about an orc woman re-embodied in Aman (if you go by the corrupted Elves theory anyway)?

RE: Orc Women

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

*hands over farthing* Can I combine this with another prompt?

Adanel, wisewoman, backstory

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

In honour of International Women's Day, I am offering the prompt to create a story about Adanel, a wisewoman of the House of Marach, married to Belemir and mother of 5 sons. She taught Andreth, another wisewoman in the house of Beor. What is her story, how did she came to know about the 'Tale of Adanel' that can be found in Morgoth's ring? To sweeten the deal, I can provide you with the text of the tale of Adanel. :)

Arien/Ungoliant, gen/femslash, revenge

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

In Myths Transformed, Arien was raped by Morgoth. The premise is that Ungoliant was in love with Arien, and possibly her spouse.

Shamefully self-indulgent prompt anyway, so I'm just going to say that keeping it PG-13 would be lovely. But somehow I doubt that's possible.

What If: Elwing & the Feanorions

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

What if Elwing had decided to use the Silmaril as a bargaining chip with the Feanorions? Maybe to bring peace? Or to buy time until her husband returns?

I'm certain there are a lot of ideas out there of what might happen in such a case.

Finwë/Míriel/Indis, Cuiviénen AU, possible character death

[independence1776]

Finwë never travels to Valinor, instead remaining in Cuiviénen with most of the Noldor. He marries both Míriel and Indis. Some years after the birth of their last child, Finwë is taken by the Dark Rider.

Re: Finwë/Míriel/Indis, Cuiviénen AU, possible character death

[independence1776]

And claiming it for myself.

Emeldir & Morwen, gen, journey from Dorthonion

[zdenka]

The Silmarillion chapter "Of the Ruin of Beleriand" tells how Emeldir (wife of Barahir and mother of Beren) led the remaining women and children of Dorthonion "by perilous paths" into Brethil, and among them were Rían and Morwen. I have always thought that Emeldir, with her courage and determination and willingness to put aside her own feelings for the sake of leadership, must have been something of a role model for Morwen. I would love to read more about their journey, what enemies they had to fight, what perils they faced, and how Emeldir brought them through. But I'd be happy with anything as long as Emeldir and Morwen have a moment together.

Haleth, gen or femslash

[zdenka]

Something about Haleth, on the perilous journeys she took with her people or ruling as chief of the Haladin in Estolad or Brethil. Including other women of the Haladin would be very welcome. (The younger women she taught to fight? Friendship with her brother's widow? The Silm says Haleth didn't marry (a man), but perhaps she was in a relationship with a woman?)

Aredhel/Haleth, femslash and adventures

[zdenka]

I originally started thinking about this in response to a crack!ship meme . . . but now I kind of want someone to write it.

Possible scenario (though it's fine to diverge from it): Aredhel avoids Nan Elmoth and wanders into Estolad where the Haladin have settled. Haleth and Aredhel appreciate each other's desire for independence and skill in battle. Once Haleth sees that Aredhel isn't trying to entangle her people in alliances, eventually Aredhel offers Haleth her friendship more successfully than Caranthir did . . .