morcondil | Recent Entries

Hello, welcome, etc. I am Morcondil (real-world alias: Renae). I've been writing Tolkien fanfiction since 2008. This is my hub for all things Tolkien-related.

Helpful links:

My tumblr account is here.
My AO3 account is here.
I keep a curated list of fanfic recommendations here.

Looooooooooong time no talk, folks! (*shakes fist at law school*)

Anyway.

I come today with really exciting news.

First, I FINISHED A MULTI-CHAPTERED FANFIC FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!!! I started writing fanfic in 2008, stayed in my OG fandom for about 9 months, pivoted to Tolkienfic in 2009, and have been tinkering away at it ever since, always planning longer pieces, never actually writing them.

But I did it, y'all.

The story is, of course, Olwë's Home for Wayward Elves, my coming of age fic about Galadriel and a summer in Alqualondë, which was written in response to some Teen Spirit prompts over at the Silmarillion Writer's Guild. You can read it there at the SWG, or on AO3.

THEN:

Second, I decided to take the plunge and start posting the fic of my heart, a novel-length romantic drama about Beorn, set during the fell winter. I have literally been writing and re-writing the first few chapters of this since 2010. But I think actually posting it in public will give me the oomph I need to get shit done.

So, without further ado, please do read Between the water and the wood on AO3! (het, mild violence, potentially some non-explicit sex, anthropomorphic dogs and ponies)

See ya.

Well, it's happened. I started participating in Tolkien fandom in late 2008, but it took an entire decade for me to get trolled. Do I get my "Official Fanfic Writer" membership card, now?

Anyway. I provide screenshots below the cut for the laughs. What an oaf.

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I'm also just genuinely amused because a) this ocurred on AO3, and b) the "objectionable content" was a single-paragraph reference to two girls kissing. So...not EVEN as "disgusting" as it might be.

BUT ALSO!!! If you care to partake of some truly HORRIBLE fanfiction, I'm going to plug Olwë's Home for Wayward Elves here. It's about Galadriel's teenage shenanigans when she scandalizes Tirion, and Finarfin decides to pack her off to Alqualondë for the summer in attempt to get her to learn circumpsection. (this doesn't go to plan.)

You can read this on AO3 or ot the Silmarillion Writers' Guild!

Thanks, and wish me luck in Hell! :)

About two weeks ago, I got blindsided with a plot bunny and I decided to feed it some carrots.

So. Right now I'm about 3 chapters deep into Olwë's Home for Wayward Elves, a humorous coming-of-age story about Galadriel. The gist is: Galadriel's having hella growing pains (metaphorical), and Finarfin packs her off to grandpa's for the summer. In Alqualondë, Galadriel makes some friends, and the group of them have a fun summer filled with teenage shenanigans. Story includes: terrible fashion choices, LGBT experimentation, fail!Sex, roadtrips, stars, youthful ambitions, and Olwë as a very eccentric old grandpa.

It's been a lot of fun writing this, and I'll update here when it's done.

In the meantime, you can read Olwë's Home for Wayward Elves on SWG or AO3.

One of my favorite pieces that I've ever written was a bit called Snowfall from late in 2011. In it, a boisterous and somewhat incompetent Manwë tries to celebrate the first snow of the season, and a somewhat disgruntled Varda tries to keep him on task (ruling over all of Arda and whatnot.) I've re-written that piece, and also the inspiration struck for a similarly comedic follow-up, in which the Valier go camping.

As should go without saying, these pieces are not serious and aren't intended to accurately portray the Valar.

Links & descriptions:

Snowfall
General | read at AO3

All Manwë wanted was to go sled-racing. Was that too much to ask?

Rest, relaxation, & other strange pursuits
General | read at AO3

The Valier go on their annual camp-out, and Manwë's curiosity gets the best of him.

Law school is a terrible time-suck, and I seriously do not recommend it. Ever. JUST SAY NO. Anyway. Belatedly, as usual, I'm posting about a couple of new fanfics I've posted to AO3 and SWG.

Links and suchlike are below!

Fever
Teen | read at AO3

Maedhros has been rescued from Thangorodrim, but his mind is plauged with demons.
- Just your general angsty fever-dream, delirious Elf fic — with hints of Maedhros/Fingon for good measure.

Such marks we leave
General | read at AO3

Raising a child of the house of Finwë is no small task, and Elenwë is plagued with doubts as Idril grows to become much like her father’s family. She sets out to give her daughter a gift worthy of a Noldorin princess.
- I wrote this one back in May for the SWG challenge about ladies in science.
- It's a tad bit fluffier than I wanted it to be (read: it's corny as hell), but we need more stories about daily life in Tirion before the Darkening. So here it is.

With sword in hand
General | read at AO3

Many in Valinor sought the hand of the lady Galadriel; to none did she give her heart, for none were worthy.
- I'm REALLY proud of this one, okay. It's a prelude to Galadriel/Celeborn and a smol coming-of-age fic.

I've updated my Fanfic Guide accordingly.

Aside from these goings-on, here's what's up:

I'm working on some humorously snarky Valar pieces (Manwë is a bumbling, self-important buffoon, and Varda humors him). I'm also trying, once again, to finish my Beorn novella that I've been working on since 2012. It's such a niche piece of fic that I doubt anybody will read it, but there we are.

It's kind of "old news" but I wrote and posted my first entirely Brand New bit of fanfiction a few months ago. I've also finished reposting old fanfiction I think is "worthy" of being shared with the general populace.

My Fanfic Guide page has been updated accordingly. You can now peruse my stories of Kick-butt Tolkien Ladies to your heart's content!

Now, onto the new stuff:

There she weaves
General | read at AO3

Eärwen’s daughter was ever willful; they thought to tame her, but she outwitted their snares. In Lothlórien, domesticity is not a cage but a freedom.
- Set during the Fellowship's stay in Lothlórien, Galadriel muses on A) her upbringing, B) the fate of the Quest, and C) Gandalf's death

And thus she wove.

As Nerwen she had been enclosed, the warp upon her loom as bars in a cage. Eärwen, fair and tranquil, sought to tame a froward daughter’s ambition with silken threads.

As Galadriel she was power itself, and all that she hungered for lay within her grasp. The Halfling could not—would not—resist her. Freely had he offered that which would imperil them all, had she only accepted. But she had not. It had taken great will to refuse, but she had done so.

And that's all for now, folks! Go forth!

I said I would be back with Tolkien fanfiction, hopefully: and I am!

I have two newly reworked pieces up on Archive of our Own as well as my old haunts, Many Paths to Tread and Silmarillion Writers' Guild. All future links are going to AO3 because that's my new central hub for fic, but the above links take you to my profiles on their respective archives.

What are these stories, you ask? They're about Elves and might be a little dark/gloomy. One set in the First Age, one set in the Fourth Age. One's first person, one's third person limited. One is saddish (but hopeful!), the other is also...sad. And both feature Galadriel from an observer's perspective, because that's how I tend to work through my thoughts on complex characters: writing about how others interact with them.

So, there's Galadriel of course, and the first one features Aredhel. Two of my most favorite Tolkien ladies. Not sure which I like more, honestly. Hmm.

Links + story info:

No enemy but self
General | read at: AO3

Lost on the Helcaraxë, Aredhel begins to doubt herself. An unwelcome conversation with her least-favorite cousin brings fear and feeling into perspective.
- (Aredhel and Galadriel have a philosophical conversation whilst dealing with a longstanding antagonistic relationship.)

Strength and power clung to her like a second skin, and she wore them carelessly. And her eyes—oh, her eyes!—stormy and deep: an ocean without sunlight. She was completely without fear—even here, even now. Even as we made our way across this murderous ice, Artanis was unafraid. I found myself drowning, lost to the sea of inferiority, trapped beneath the ice.

"Are you all right, Írissë?"

I shook my head, unable to speak for the water that filled my lungs.

Though bright things fade
General | read at: AO3

After departing the Golden Wood, Galadriel and Celeborn rest for a time in Imladris, where Celeborn reveals the doom that has laid heavy on his heart for some time, much to Galadriel's discontent.
- (Galadriel is going to Valinor and Celeborn isn't; there is a Marital Discussion.)

As she looked on him there was a new desperation in her eyes that rocked him back on his heels. "You must not leave me alone! Without you, I have not the strength to continue down this path, though there is no other left open for me. I need you."

"As I need you," he replied. Tenderly, he brought her trembling hands between his. "But our doom is not the same. For many years you have trod upon these lands, and your dream has found its natural end; your path is to pass into the West, while mine is to tarry a while longer on the Eastern Shore. You know this is so, my wife—why do you attempt to deny it?"

"You ask much of me."

"You ask much of yourself."

So there's that. Go forth and read!

In which I re-read The Lord of the Rings for the first time as an adult.

I had originally intended to post about my re-reading experiences "in order" (Silmarillion - Hobbit - LotR) but then life happened and anyway, I had to read The Lord of the Rings for school, so we're going to talk about it now. Cool, cool?

Onward!

So. I think the last time I read anything Tolkien was ~2011. So it's been a good five years since I've jumped into Middle-earth, and in that timeframe I've become an adult and dedicated a significant portion of my time to literary analysis and cultural criticism. Naturally, I no longer approach the legendarium with the same mentality I did as a teenager. Some standout points for me are Tolkien's ~gender issues~ (to be kind) and the anti-science nature of The Lord of the Rings. There are other things to talk about, of course, and I might touch on those later, but for now, ~~we'll just talk about those two~~. Actually, things got too lengthy so we'll just talk about gender here. With more to come as time wills.

Problematic gender representation

So, Tolkien as a fairly conservative mid-century Catholic is likely to approach gender relations differently than most of his modern-day readers today, even those readers who are also conservative Christians with complementarian ideals. Anyhoo. Complaints about the paucity of named female characters within Tolkien's Arda aren't new, and I'm not going to add my voice to that argument. (Not that anything else I'm saying is particularly new, either.)

( Read more... )

Hello and welcome! I'm Morcondil and I'd like to explain myself. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

I am:

a 20-something student, who's re-entering the online Tolkien fandom because school made me do it. Okay not really. But I am taking a Tolkien seminar right now and it made me nostalgic for my livejournal-fanfic-fandom teenagerhood.
not going to take anything seriously, except when I do. I mean, I will totally poke fun at everything and write humorous slapstick fanfiction about the Valar (may or may not have done that), but I will also write at length about gender roles in Ent/Entwife relationships (have definitely done that).
not going to commit myself to any kind of schedule or time commitment because life is busy and the great John Ronald Reuel deserves my best.

I plan to:

re-read all the Tolkienish things and write about them here, since I haven't read Tolkien since my salad days. Adult(ish) Morcondil probably has new insights that 2010-era Morcondil could learn from.
start at the beginning—i.e. The Silmarillion. Then obviously The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and then, if the omens are favorable, everything else Arda-related.
watch the films! Grab the popcorn and grab the caffeine, because I've roped my best friend into watching alllllll of Peter Jackson's Middle-earth ouevre and it's going to be truly epic. Just as a warning I will absolutely be complaining about film-Faramir's character vs. book-Faramir's character; it's obligatory at this point.
write fanfiction again? (uncertain, to be determined, stay tuned)

However, let me make my primary objective very clear: I AM GOING TO HAVE FUN. So much fun will be had. Prepare yoselves.