Death is Black and White by LadyBrooke

[ladybrooke]

B2MeM Prompt and Path: Black and White - Blue Path
Format: Drabble & Art
Genre: Drabble - Horror & Drama; Art - Illuminated Manuscript?
Rating: Adult
Warnings: Character death; Human sacrifice via burning
Characters: OCs, Sauron
Pairings: N/A
Creator’s Notes (optional): Quote in art from The Silmarillion, "Akallabêth", pg 328 in the Kindle edition.
Summary: In Númenor, men will even sacrifice their family members for Sauron


She burns, and her dress turns black from the soot and the fire, crumbling away to ashes as she screams.

Her brother stands next to Sauron, who he calls Tar-Marion, cloaked in white. The same white that her dress was, the same white their mother was buried in and their father was slaughtered in. Sauron smiles as she screams, and says that this will bring blessings down upon Númenor.

She stops screaming as her entire body turns into black ash and black smoke that fills the air.

Her brother’s clothes turn black as he exits the temple into the smoke.



Sorry for the bad scan quality, I'm not used to this scanner and even after an hour of fiddling with it, this is the best I can get. :/

Comments

[kayleelupin.livejournal.com]

WOW this is powerful. Just...*shudders* You made me see that scene so clearly. Well done, and powerful, and horrifying. I've had to consider this sort of thing myself (I've written about a daughter of Anarion being kidnapped and sacrificed) but even my own writing never hit me like that. Well done.

[ladybrooke]

Thank you! :D I'm glad it's powerful.

Can I ask where your story about Anarion's daughter being sacrificed is? I'd like to read it.

[kayleelupin.livejournal.com]

You made me realize I hadn't posted it at SWG yet, even though I wrote it ages ago! Ack! *lol* That has now been remedied. Thank you! http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/archive/home/viewstory.php?sid=3104

[zdenka]

Vivid and chilling!

[ladybrooke]

Thank you! :D

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!
Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ (https://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse?faqid=303).

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

Truly chilling.

[ladybrooke]

Thank you!

[ysilme]

How chilling and bitter! I really like the illumination for it, it fits so well with the powerful symbolism.

[ladybrooke]

Thank you! :D I'm glad you like the illumination. It's the first one I've ever done, so I was a bit nervous about it.

[hrymfaxe.livejournal.com]

I agree with the others - this was supremely chilling. And created really vivid images. Well done!

[ladybrooke]

Thank you! :D I'm glad it does.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

I can't put my finger on why, but you made this extremely effective. *shudders* Considering the subject matter, I hesitate to use the word "good" but... good work!

[ladybrooke]

Thank you! I'm going to chalk the effectiveness up for four years studying/TAing anthropology, and knowing exactly how far descriptions of real sacrifice could go before it crossed from creepy into losing everyone's attention because they're too upset. Because most of the time, my stories are thinly veiled "Isn't this anthropology thing interesting?"

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

I dunno, I've studied cultural anthropology for several years too, but I can't claim that I ever found the line between "effective and convincing" and "yeah, now you've lost everybody". (In any context, really, not just when it's about sacrifice.) So it can't be just that! ;)

Because most of the time, my stories are thinly veiled "Isn't this anthropology thing interesting?"

IT IS! I shall have to check out more of your writing. :D

[ladybrooke]

Well, I did have to teach mini lessons in it too, and hold study sessions for things they struggled with, so...maybe that's it? Life was so much easier when I just kept their attention from the beginning, instead of having to go over it again (especially when there was no TA but me and/or I was tutoring in other subjects, because I like sleep and having time to eat). But I'm glad somebody else studied cultural anthropology for several years! :D

It shows up more in the recent stories as culture clashes (or in my original fics). If you ever want me to point out the ones I think are most anthropology inspired, just let me know! I have too many short fics scattered everywhere to expect anybody to check them out without a map and guide. :P

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Well damn, my lecturers never bothered about that. (Not quite true. I had some great ones who took care to hold your attention, or who just naturally managed to make things interesting. But I also had some who didn't really care how much of what they told you stuck, because it was Basically Your Problem.) But you're probably right that if you had to sit down and figure this out, so that might indeed be it.

A map and guide would be appreciated, sure! :)

[ladybrooke]

I had some who didn't care either, but he was my main professor, and he definitely cared - I mean, the kids who just showed up and played on their phone he didn't care that much about, but if you wanted to learn, he wanted you to learn. Also, he refused to stand behind the podium 99% because he said it added distance. So his TAs couldn't use it either, and I am very good at figuring out how to make it less likely that they're sitting there wishing they could throw tomatoes at me out of boredom when I have nothing to duck behind. :P (I'm joking about that last part, but it does seem easier to make people interested when there's no physical barrier from my end.)

Okay, so most of my fanfics that deal with anthropology things deal with ideas like culture shock and culture clashes between the Sindar and Noldor, so they're not as in your face as this story is. I won't link all of them, because it occurs most of the time I write a story with a Sinda in it, but Pariahs/a> and A Queen both deal with the reborn Sindar in Valinor. The Merits of Spices is a humorous look at how some of the Noldor may have reacted when they reached M-e and the cuisine of the Sindar was different then what they were used to (my Sindar have a healthy trade with areas that grow things like chili peppers, chocolate, and sassafras).

Lastly, there's is the overtly anthropology focused Noldo U series, which is a crack AU where the Noldor have a university and Orodreth is a sleep deprived, slightly insane anthropology student.

It shows up more in my original work (where roughly half my characters are anthropologists), but I'm not sure if any of those would be even slightly interesting, so here's a brief guide to the most anthropological fics out of the 100+ I have posted on Ao3 (Ao3 is the easiest to sort my fics by character and find said stories quickly.)

Oh, and my next SWG monthly challenge fic (if I finish it) has technological anthropology stuff in the form of obsidian edged swords, among other things. That one's probably going to be the closest to this one, since it involves death.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Oh, it doesn't all have to be about death; I'm interested in the whole range of the human experience, really.

Thank you for the links! (Though the one for A Queen is broken - but I'll find it, now that I have the title). I might enjoy the o-fic too but of course it's harder to tell in advance. Fanfic has the advantage of already knowing the characters and setting, so that lowers the decision threshold!

Looking forward to reading (although it may take some time, since it's B2MeM... :))

[ladybrooke]

Awesome :D Because I write far more about quieter moments (quiet as in nobody is dying, not as in it's peaceful, because there's always tension somewhere).

You're welcome! (Gah. Here is a hopefully fixed link to A Queen, in case you want to read it but don't want to find it.) It does have that advantage! (Though there's the disadvantage of not always liking what other people do to the characters, in same case...)

I completely understand it taking time to read them! No pressure. I'll probably still be catching up readiing this year's B2MeM in October...

[silver-trails.livejournal.com]

Oh, I liked this very much! Not the fact that the poor girl died, but the way you wrote the story!

[ladybrooke]

Thank you! I'm glad you like the way I wrote it, and I agree with you - I don't like that the girl died, either (even though I wrote it).

[starbrow.livejournal.com]

So vivid! You make every word count; there's not much description, but I can feel what's going on so strongly. Great portrayal of a horrific event.

[ladybrooke]

Thank you! I'm glad you think so.

[fernstrike]

Oooh that gave me mad chills. Such a vivid, terrifying scene.

[ladybrooke]

Sorry for the late reply! I've been sick and just reached this far back in my messages.

Thank you! I'm glad it was a vivid scene.

[independence1776]

That sent chills down my spine. As everyone else said: creepy and effective.

[ladybrooke]

Thank you! I'm glad it was effective. :D

[nialoke]

I love what you did with the black/white theme here, and wow, I have to agree with everyone else, this is truly chilling. *shudders*

[ladybrooke]

Thank you! I'm glad you love what I did with it, and that you find it chilling.