Innumerable Stars 2021 letter
Sep. 10th, 2021 04:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
verecundaDear Innumerable Stars creator,
Hello! Thank you for interest in my letter. I’m a longtime Tolkien fan, but only recently fell into the fandom proper, so I’m thrilled to discover this exchange! :D
This letter contains a rundown of my general likes and DNWs, as well as some ideas for each of my requests. If you find something here to inspire you, that's great - but equally, please don't feel restricted to what’s here, either. I’m always keen to see other people’s interpretations of my faves, and if you have ideas of your own, I’d love to see them, too!
If you have any queries, don’t hesitate to get in touch via the mod.
I can be found on AO3 as![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
Verecunda.
Likes
Art likes
DNWs
The Hobbit (Jackson movies)
- Relationship: Female Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
The Lord of the Rings
- Relationship: Legolas/Gimli
- Relationships: Legolas/Gimli & Thranduil, Legolas/Gimli & Glóin
The Lord of the Rings
- Relationship: The Last Prince of Cardolan/Lady of the Blue Brooch
The Silmarillion
- Character: Tar-Míriel
- Character: Sauron
- Relationship: Tar-Míriel/Sauron
- Relationship: Sauron/Morgoth
Likes
• Fic and art of any all ratings.
• Most genres: humour, angst, fluff, darkfic, hurt/comfort, slice-of-life, character pieces, plotty pieces. I like happy endings as well as a good tragedy, or even a bittersweet ending. One of the things I love most about Tolkien is that there is so much loss and decline, yet always hope and wonder and beauty, no matter how remote or fleeting it may seem.
• I’ve got a special fondness for things that fill in characters’ backstories, “missing scenes” from canon, and alternate POVs on canon events. Outsider POVs on requested ships are always, always fun!
• I love canon compliant fic, but I also love canon divergence AUs. What if X had happened instead of Y? What if characters A and B met sooner or later than they did in canon? I love exploring the possibilities!
• Worldbuilding detail. I always want to know more about the worlds these characters inhabit.
• Intelligent characters being intelligent and competent.
• Characters with tough/stoic/snarky exteriors having to confront and/or show their vulnerabilities.
• Pairings and friendships that cross cultural/class/professional lines, and how they navigate the conflicts that arise.
• Odd couples. I love opposites that attract: characters who seem so different but who end up complementing each other perfectly. (This can be either romantic or platonic.)
• Banter! I love witty characters who have a good back-and-forth.
• Gen and ship fic are equally good. I love my otps, but I know how it is. Sometimes you love the characters and their relationship, but just don’t catch the shippy vibe. In that case, there’s no pressure: I’ll be just as happy with a gen take on their dynamic.
• When it comes to ships, I love both first times and established relationships. I’m also weak for all those moments of quiet intimacy: heart-to-heart talks, kisses on cheeks, foreheads, noses, etc., hand-holding, light touches, face-stroking, hair-stroking, cuddles, resting heads on shoulders or chests, etc.
• Smut is great, but by no means obligatory. Pure G-rated fluff or even just a few sensual details sketched in are equally fine by me.
• Pining!! I live for good old-fashioned, hopeless pining, especially if it’s mutual and all parties are in silent agonies, equally convinced it can never be. UST and unrequited love also hurt so good.
• Apart from my requested characters, I'm quite happy with other canon characters and pairings making an appearance.
Art likes
I know virtually nothing about art, so I find it harder to come up with prompts on this side. Suffice it to say, anything in your own style will be wonderful! I’ve included some art prompts with each requested character/ship, but here are also a brief list of some very general art likes.
• Straightforward portraits of my requested characters/ships, or an illustration of one of the scenarios I’ve prompted. Illustrations of key scenes from canon would also be very welcome!
• Details of costume and material culture: jewellery, weaponry, everyday articles, etc. I’d love to see your vision of what the peoples and places of Arda look like!
• I love bold colours as well as black and white, contrasting shades, mingling of light and shadow, cell shading.
• If it helps, here are some artists I particularly love: Van Gogh, Matisse, Caravaggio, Ivan Aivazovsky, John Atkinson Grimshaw, Arthur Rackham, Alan Lee, Beatrix Potter.
• Homages to/spoofs of famous paintings.
• Characters drawn in distinctive styles: art nouveau, Disney, etc.
• Effects of different light sources, especially firelight and candlelight; sunsets and sunrises; moonlight and starlight; light on water;
• I love water in general: rivers and pools, waterfalls, fountains, oceans. I love ripples, currents, spray, etc.
DNWs
• First or second POV.
• Modern/mundane/coffee-shop/other setting change AUs.
• Soulmate and soulmark AUs. Specifically for Tolkien fandom, no concept of Dwarves having a “One”.
• A/B/O.
• Unrequested non-canon ships. (Appearances by/references to canon pairings are fine.)
• Unrequested gender/sexuality headcanons.
• Watersports.
• Scat.
• Rimming.
• Mpreg.
• Tentacles.
• I’m fine with references to characters being married or having sex in their early teens, but would prefer no explicit sexual content involving any characters under 16. Fade to black is fine, though.
• I don’t mind dub-con/non-con in a kink context, but I don’t want rape/sexual abuse/prostitution as plot devices for tragic character backstory, unless it’s already canon. Even then, I’d prefer not to dwell on it.
The Hobbit (Jackson movies)
Relationship: Female Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
I have a soft spot for a good Rule 63!Bilbo AU, so I was tickled to find this already in the tagset. :) As far as Bagginshield in general goes, I enjoy it in all its various moods: from the romantic slow-burn, the development of mutual trust and loyalty, to the more obsessive, claustrophobic, vaguely dub-conny sort while Thorin’s under the influence of the gold-sickness. It’s all good. :P Equally, I’m happy with canon compliant tragedy, or an AU where Thorin lives. In the latter case, I tend to prefer Reshirement to a Happily Ever After Under the Mountain — but see below!
One of the fun things about genderswap specifically is getting to explore in-universe gender roles and how they may or may not affect the swapped character. In this case, I’m thinking about what sort of differences/similarities exist re: gender expectations in hobbit and Dwarven society - and since this is a shippy prompt, what differences there are with regards to courtship and betrothal. What if, given the comparative rarity of Dwarf-women, Dwarvish betrothals tend to be complex, intricate, custom-laden affairs, to ensure the union will hold, while hobbits have a more relaxed approach to personal relationships? Or maybe, given their focus on family and inheritance (wills signed by seven witnesses in red ink!), it’s hobbits who have the labyrinthine betrothal customs, and poor Thorin finds himself having to jump through all sorts of hoops in order to decently declare himself to Miss Baggins!
On a similar note, I wonder how a female Bilbo would be seen by her fellow hobbits. Is a single woman of fifty considered a bit of an odd spinster, or is a respectable, comfortably middle-aged lady with a good property considered a very desirable catch indeed? Does Thorin have competition in this ’verse?
If you want to write something set during the quest, I’d love to see anything with Bilbo adapting to being the lone female among the Company, and dealing with any awkward situations that might arise from that. (The Dwarves’ communal bathing springs enthusiastically to mind… 👀) As well as the central Bilbo/Thorin relationship, I also love m/f friendships, so feel free to include as many other members of the Company that you want. (Balin, Bofur, and Dwalin are my particular faves.) Do Fíli and Kíli adopt Bilbo as their Cool Auntie who blows epic smoke-rings, makes up songs, and occasionally rescues the entire Company? Or are they just mortified by the spectacle of their uncle blatantly pining for the burglar?
I’d also love to see Bilbo interacting with Dwarf-women, especially Dís. If Thorin lives, do she and Bilbo become friends, perhaps with Dís helping her get to grips with being Queen? Or on a sadder note, perhaps she goes to visit Dís in the Blue Mountains to give her the news of Thorin’s death?
There is an interview somewhere with Richard Armitage, which - typically - I don’t have a link for, where he said he wondered if Thorin had a lost love in his past, perhaps a Dwarf princess? It could be interesting to bring that into the mix. Did she die during the fall of Erebor, or was the relationship broken off because he now no longer had the appropriate status? Has he guarded his heart for so long that he's rather chagrined to find himself falling hard for the new burglar? Or maybe, in a fixit where Thorin survives to become King Under the Mountain proper, everyone’s boggling at the fact that he could have his pick of every noble beauty throughout the seven Dwarven kingdoms, but he has his heart set on that absurd, frumpy little halfling (she doesn’t even have any facial hair!!!).
If you decide to keep Thorin’s death, how does that affect things? How much does Bilbo choose to tell Frodo about her relationship with Thorin? What gossip circulates about the Shire with regards to her adventure? What memories does she hold onto?
(Incidentally, naming can be a tricky issue with rule 63, especially when the character’s name doesn’t have an obvious feminine equivalent. In this case, I’m fine with simply "Bilbo", though a lot of fics choose to call her Bella(donna). Entirely up to you what you want to do!)
Art prompts: I’d love to see your design for rule 63!Bilbo, especially if you use the same sort of colour scheme as his original costumes in the films. :D Any reimagining of canon scenes would be lovely, whether that’s the big shippy ones like the hug on the Carrock, the acorn scene, the mithril scene, or your own underrated favourite! I'd also love to see them among each other's people, whether that's Thorin as Miss Bilbo's beau in the Shire, or Bilbo as Queen Under the Mountain.
The Lord of the Rings
Relationship: Legolas/Gimli
GOD. These two are everything. On the big dramatic world-shaking level, you’ve got two members of races that have hated each other for millennia, who form this unexpected but profound bond that mends relations between their peoples. Then on the purely personal level, they’re just so much fun. They go exploring together! They keep a running tally of baddies they’ve killed! They take the piss and slag each other off and look after each other all the time. Old married couple ain’t in it! And then, when it’s all over, they sail off into the West together, completely bending the rules of their universe as they do so. In short, they’re amazing.
I’d love absolutely anything more about their story. First impressions? Perhaps they keep running into each other in Rivendell while everyone’s waiting for the scouts to return. Anything filling in those first uncertain days as the Ring goes south, where the ice hasn’t quite broken but they discover, to their discomfort, that they actually have quite a few things in common? And what about when they reach Lothlórien? We’re told that’s where the friendship between them really takes off: what was the turning-point? Was it even one identifiable thing? Where do they go when they go wandering in the Golden Wood, and what do they end up talking about? Anything else: does Gimli’s wound need any patching up after Helm’s Deep? What about Legolas - does he ever get a wound that needs a bit of TLC?
And I’d love to know when the line between friendship and romance starts to blur. Is there any formal courtship, or do they just kind of fall into it? Do they have any angst about falling in love with each other, given the history between their peoples, or do they just take it in their stride? Anything about that transition from friends to lovers would be great: realisations, confessions, first kiss, first time, etc. Outsider POVs could also be really fun here, especially since there are a few moments in the book when people see them walking about together like “…well that’s something you don’t see every day.” Are they obviously, ridiculously in love, with the rest of the Fellowship wondering when they’re going to get together, while they remain utterly oblivious themselves?
And what about after the events of canon? Do they go on any more journeys together? Do they split their time between Aglarond and Ithilien? I’d especially love to know more about the circumstances that led to them sailing West together, especially since the in-universe appendix writer seems rather uncertain what to make of it! Was the immortal/mortal divide something that weighed on their minds, especially as the years went by and their friends all departed, one way or the other, from Middle-earth? Did Legolas dread having to watch Gimli grow old and die? Did Gimli ever fear that one day Legolas’ sea-longing would grow too great and that he’d end up leaving him to go West? Does he even feel guilty about perhaps keeping Legolas from his desire? Or was it always an unspoken given that neither of them was going anywhere without the other!
Art prompts: Their wanderings in Lórien, fighting side-by-side or back-to-back, celebrating Aragorn’s coronation together, anything dealing with the height difference!
Relationships: Legolas/Gimli & Thranduil, Legolas/Gimli & Glóin
One of the post-canon scenarios I’m most interested in for these two is how their relationship affects relations between their peoples, and I’d love to see them meeting each other’s families. Whether you want to do a comic Meet the Parents kind of scenario, or something more serious, I’m up for it either way!
Gimli visiting the Wood-elves’ Halls in Mirkwood would be great: does he end up telling Thranduil off for holding his dad prisoner, or is he as charming as he was to Galadriel? I’d love to see his opinion on the architecture of the halls themselves, considering that Dwarves had a hand in building them (this is contradicted in Unfinished Tales, but in this case I’d prefer to go with what’s canon in LOTR itself). Does he get to sample the famous Dorwinion wine, and take part in the Elves’ feasts under the stars?
I’d also love to see Gimli bringing Legolas back to the Lonely Mountain, giving him the tour and introducing him to Glóin and the surviving members of Thorin’s Company. There’s the potential for real poignancy here, too, as presumably it’ll be up to Gimli to pass on the news of the fate of Balin’s expedition in Moria. Maybe he’s glad to have Legolas with him at that time. And of course I’d love to see how Legolas fares among the Dwarves: joining in their feasts and sharing songs and tales, etc. Was he present at the Battle of Five Armies, and does that win him some credit with the Dwarves? What does he make of Erebor compared to the Glittering Caves?
Whichever relationship combination you’re writing, I’m absolutely here for the boys proudly showing each other off, while their relatives react. Does it take a while for them to come round, or is the acceptance surprisingly easy? Are Legolas and Gimli an item by the time they return home, or is it through their families’ reactions that the final realisation occurs? Want to go with Thranduil or Glóin as your POV characters? I'd love that!
If you like, this could also be a good opportunity to explore the effects of the war in the north, following the Siege of Erebor and the routing of Dol Guldur. Do they get involved in restoring Dale/Erebor/southern Mirkwood following the battles, perhaps paying respects to the fallen of each other’s kindred? Do Thranduil and Glóin end up becoming friends through their sons?
Art prompts: Legolas presenting Gimli to Thranduil, or Gimli presenting Legolas to Glóin et al. Gimli at an elven feast, or Legolas at a Dwarven one. Exchanging gifts or wearing the clothing and/or accoutrements of each other’s cultures.
The Lord of the Rings
Relationship: Last Prince of Cardolan/Lady of the Blue Brooch
The Barrow-downs have been one of my favourite locations in the story since I first read the book, and I find the atmosphere and the lore of them absolutely captivating. I’m forever intrigued by the people who inhabited the Downs before the wights moved in — in particular the lady who owned the blue brooch, and what relationship she may have had with whoever else was buried there.
Assuming, then, that the barrow was the final resting place of the last prince of Cardolan, and that the lady of the blue brooch was his wife/betrothed, please tell me their story! It sounds like it has the potential to be a great, heartwrenchingly tragic tale. At the same time, if you want to use their story to explore the history and culture of Cardolan and the other kingdoms of the North, the settlements of the Barrow-downs, and the war with Angmar etc., that would be wonderful!
Was theirs a love story from the beginning, or a political union that grew into more? We can probably assume that the prince was a Dúnadan descended from the Kings (though feel free to explore other options!), but what about the lady? Was she also a Dúnadan, or was she from somewhere else — Rhovanion, Forodwaith, one of the Hillmen of Rhudaur — and if so, was their relationship subject to the same prejudice against intermarriage with Middle Men expressed by the Gondor Númenoreans? Or, hell, she might even have been a barmaid from Bree! (I can never resist a good class difference romance.)
Does the blue brooch have any special significance to their tale? A wedding- or betrothal-gift, perhaps? What are its origins? Or maybe it’s a status symbol of some kind: the way Tom Bombadil specifies that the lady wore it on her shoulder puts me a bit in mind of those jewelled brooches worn at the shoulder in Saxon and Visigothic etc. societies, or the ones you see in late Roman and Byzantine images.
I’d love to know more about them during the war with Angmar. Were they involved in any of the significant events of the war, eg. rescuing the palantír from Amon Sûl when it was burned? If we assume the prince led his own war-hosts, what role did the lady play? Did she ride with him, or did she remain behind to oversee Cardolan’s strongholds, perhaps organising supplies for the army, shelter for refugees, etc.
If Merry was indeed possessed by the memories of the prince, that would imply he fell during a surprise night raid. (Alternatively, those memories may have been someone else's.) What, then, was the lady’s fate? Was she killed at the same time as the prince, or did she last a bit longer? Maybe she killed herself to avoid being taken by the Witch-king’s advancing forces, in classic saga fashion. Or did she survive in one of the refuges among the Downs or in the Forest, being buried with him later? Are their names and deeds remembered among the Dúnedain, or are they long forgotten by the time Frodo and the others are imprisoned in their barrow?
Most of my prompts here do tend towards the darker and tragic side of things, but if you want to write something a bit happier, that’d be great, too. The history of the Downs that Tom Bombadil tells the hobbits makes them sound like quite a nice place before the wights moved in. Did they have any favourite trysting spots among the old stones?
In the same vein, does Tom’s description of the lady being “fair” imply that he knew her? The prince and the lady meeting Tom and Goldberry could be a nice scenario. Maybe the prince, like Tom, is accustomed to going out and getting the last flowers of summer in for his lady. :)
Art prompts: the prince and the lady in life, in all their splendour, or decked out for war and flight from Angmar. Equally, an image of them being buried together in the barrow, when it was still a hallowed place. Details of the brooch. An image of the couple out on the Downs in happier days (details of the standing stones and barrow-mounds would be wonderful!), or perhaps with the shadow of Angmar gathering in the distance…
The Silmarillion
Character: Tar-Míriel
I find Tar-Míriel to be a fascinating, utterly tragic figure. The rightful Queen of Númenor, usurped and forced into an illegal marriage, forced to watch her people descend into corruption and darkness — then, right at the end, swallowed up by the sea just as she’s trying to reach the summit of the Meneltarma. I’m dying to know more about her, so I’m open to pretty much anything! What were her younger days like — what did she learn from her father? Did she help him tend the Tree? Did she ever know her grandmother Inzilbêth? And how did she feel after being usurped? I’d be fascinated about anything from this period: an introspective piece, maybe, or even something dealing with palace intrigue! Was she able to help the Faithful in secret at all?
I’d be interested to know more about her relationship with Ar-Pharazôn. We know she was forced into the marriage (how did he pull that off?), but what about afterwards? Was it open loathing between them, or did Míriel try to make the best of a bad situation? Did she have any influence over him, perhaps able to offer him counsel to mitigate some of his worse decisions — at least until Sauron shows up?
I’m particularly interested to know just what the hell she made of Sauron scheming his way into Númenor and leading her people down the path to ruin. I like to imagine that as the daughter of Tar-Palantir, she had the insight to recognise him for what he really was, and refused to be taken in by his manipulations. I’d absolutely love to know what their dynamic was like — surely they must have crossed paths pretty often! I think they would make for a fascinating hate-ship (see below), but equally, I’d be fascinated by a gen take on their dynamic. Did Sauron ever try to corrupt her too? I can imagine he must have tried, perhaps by working on her various grievances: the fact that her rightful queenship was usurped, or perhaps working on her feelings of isolation, trying to make her feel that she had been abandoned by Elendil et al.?
The account of her last moments is haunting, and I’d love to know what thoughts were running through her mind. Was she trying to reach the mountaintop simply to get out of reach of the wave, or, as the rightful Queen, was she hoping to reach the sacred hallow, to propitiate Eru and so save her people? The narrative tells us that she tries to reach it “too late”, and that intrigues me. Why was she too late? Did it only occur to her too late, or was she perhaps being held captive by the minions of her husband and/or Sauron?
Her fate is a harsh one, considering she was essentially one of the Faithful, so what about an AU where she survives after all? Perhaps she’s rescued by Ulmo or one of the sea Maiar, and cast up on the shores of Middle-earth? Does she join up with Elendil and/or his sons, or does she form a new kingdom of her own? Perhaps some of the Faithful who have continued to regard her as their rightful Queen flock to her, and she becomes a major player in the Last Alliance herself.
Art prompts: The image Tolkien draws of Tar-Míriel’s death, struggling to reach the peak of the Meneltarma while the Great Wave rages about her, is so epic and haunting, I’d absolutely adore any take on that! Equally, any sort of character portrait would be great: let me see your vision on her — “fairer than silver or ivory or pearls” — and your take on Númenorean fashion and artwork! Perhaps something incorporating the motif of the White Tree? Or a scene featuring young Míriel and her father?
Character: Sauron
I adore Sauron! He’s a pure, copper-bottomed bastard, and clearly having the time of his life. In particular, what he does to Gorlim makes me cackle at its sheer, inspired bastardtude. However, he also gets his comeuppance, several times, in various delightful ways, so it all balances out.
If you want, I would be very happy indeed with a slice of life kind of thing, just a typical day of him being evil - laying waste to neighbouring realms, hanging out with his werewolves and vampires, tormenting prisoners in fiendishly inventive ways, etc… just generally living his best evil life. >:)
I’m fascinated by his origins, especially since we don’t get very much detail. Morgoth’s Ring describes him as a "great craftsman in the household of Aulë", which would seem to suggest he didn’t join Melkor at the very beginning. So what changed? What was his relationship with Aulë/the other Valar/his fellow Maiar before he turned to evil? What was it drew him to Melkor in the end? How was Melkor able to corrupt him in the first place: was he somehow able to make contact personally, or did they communicate through more magical, long distance means? Once turned, did he desert the Valar at once, or did he remain among them for a while as Melkor’s spy?
I find the relationship between Sauron and Morgoth especially fascinating. I do ship it, mightily (see below!), but I would also be very happy with a gen take on them. I love the fact that Tolkien establishes that Sauron was genuinely devoted to Morgoth, and worked for his glory, rather than his own. The idea of the future Dark Lord™ being loyal to another, rather than just trying to use him to further his own designs, is one of the interesting shades of grey that Tolkien draws in his character, and I’d love to see that explored further. How did he establish himself as Melkor’s most trusted lieutenant? How did he work for him during all the ages that Melkor was confined after the Battle of the Powers?
While we’re on the subject of moral greyness, Tolkien has several fascinating things to say in his letters about Sauron and his motives, especially after Morgoth’s final defeat: especially that he did have “fair motives: the reorganising and rehabilitation of the ruin of Middle-earth, 'neglected by the gods’", but at the thought of having to submit himself to the Valar’s judgement, he balked, and reverted to evil, becoming the true successor of his former master. I find that thrilling - that potential that maybe, just maybe, he could have been redeemed, but failed at the last hurdle. I’m not at all interested in a redemption arc for him, but I would adore anything exploring these little nuances and flickers of grey in his character. Getting his POV on it all would be so interesting!
I’m also interested in what he was up to during the Second Age: going into hiding, setting himself up as the new Big Bad, etc. Particularly, I’d love to know more about his time in Númenor. How did he manage to insinuate his way into Ar-Pharazôn’s confidence? Granted, Ar-Pharazôn was already - uh - kind of a dick, but they were genuinely enemies, so how was Sauron able to turn the tables? Apart from the evil deeds already noted in canon, I’d love to know what other intrigues he got up to while he was there. I’m very interested to know what he and Tar-Míriel made of each other (see above and below), and I’d love any shippy or gen take on their possible dynamic: the true Queen and the (not-so-)humbled Dark Lord.
Apart from all that, one of the things I also like about Sauron is how, although he is the (second) Baddest to Ever Bad, he’s also closely associated with beauty: craftsmanship, jewellery, his “fair guise”, the power of music, even if it’s only surface level, and all used to bad ends, so if you want to do something playing with that, that’d be great!
Art prompts: I’d love to see your take on Sauron in any of his forms: as a Maia, as Gorthaur, in wolf, vampire, or snake form, as Annatar, as the Wizard in Númenor — whatever you fancy! One detail I find interesting is that although he can appear beautiful enough to put the Elves of Eregion off the scent, his appearance also has the power to terrify, as when Gorlim is “daunted” by looking into his eyes. If you fancy, then, I’d love to see a take on Sauron that combines the two: beautiful, but with something unsettling and eldritch about him.
Relationship: Tar-Míriel/Sauron
As I said above, I assume these two must have crossed paths pretty often during Sauron’s time in Númenor, and I’d love to know what their dynamic was. I like to imagine that there was some sort of struggle or stalemate between the two of them over their influence with Ar-Pharazôn, and I think it would make for a pretty delicious Enemies With Benefits scenario. Maybe, since at this point Sauron still has the ability to appear beautiful, he tries to add seduction to his manipulations, and is equally frustrated/turned on by the fact that Míriel doesn’t fall for his wiles. As for Míriel, she knows what he’s up to, but she hates her husband enough that she’s willing to humour Sauron just enough to let him ruin him… only to realise too late that it’s not just her husband who’ll be ruined, but her whole civilisation.
I'm into the idea of Sauron being relentlessly manipulative, but also genuinely attracted to Míriel. Perhaps, too, he sees something of her ancestress Lúthien in her, and so considers seducing her as a kind of revenge for the humiliation he suffered at Tol-in-Gaurhoth. Is Míriel aware of this lore, and does she use it against him — perhaps straight-up laughs at him for him for it!
Or you could do an AU where he does manage to turn her to the dark side, after all. I’d certainly be interested in that angle! Is that the reason why she isn’t spared? Alternatively, you could carry the AU further: perhaps Sauron is able to spirit her away at the same time that he escapes from the wave, and takes her back to Middle-earth as his captive and/or consort? Any fucked-up dub-con scenario here would be absolutely delicious, as would Dark Queen Míriel, with her and Sauron forming a genuinely evil partnership. Go where your heart takes you!
Art prompts: the two of them have the potential to be very handsome together, with Sauron in his fair guise, and Tar-Míriel being “fairer than silver or ivory or pearls”. As for scenarios: charged looks behind Ar-Pharazôn’s back, fraught clinches in odd corners of the palace? Art that incorporates the symbols of the White Tree and the Eye, or some suggestion of the Great Wave looming in the background.
Relationship: Sauron/Morgoth
I love how in the Silmarillion, Tolkien stresses that Sauron was genuinely loyal to Morgoth, and that Morgoth’s Ring even says that he “adored” him. To think of Sauron being capable of adoration - which implies the capacity to love - is delicious, and I’m obsessed with it! I’d like to think that loyalty and adoration was mutual. So in a nutshell, give me these two being thoroughly evil and thoroughly in love, as they lay waste to Beleriand and all its peoples!
Going right back to the start, how did Melkor go about winning Mairon over to his side? Why that Maia, specifically? Obviously Mairon was powerful, but what if Melkor was equally captivated by his beauty? Was it a seduction in every sense of the word? (Want to have them going at it in Aulë’s forge? I’m here for that!) Perhaps Melkor originally just intended Mairon to be a notch on his bedpost, only to discover along the way how truly powerful and cunning and ruthless he also was.
You could also go for something more slow-burn, after Sauron becomes Morgoth’s lieutenant, marking himself out as an exceptional sorcerer and war-leader, proving himself worthy of his trust beyond all doubt… give me UST-charged magic teaching, tormenting of Elves and other captives, creating various evil instruments of death and torment, etc. Or something about them being a particularly terrifying battle couple!
I’d also love to know if there was any fall-out from the Lúthien debacle. After all, Sauron would surely have to face his master some time after emerging from Taur-nu-Fuin. I can only imagine that for any other minion, the loss of such a key fortress as Tol-in-Gaurhoth would have resulted in the said minion being blasted with extreme prejudice — so how did Sauron manage to avoid any reprisal? Did he manage to charm his way out of Morgoth’s bad books, or was he sleeping on the proverbial couch for a while? And how did they patch things up afterwards? Considering Morgoth was also bested by Lúthien, maybe they just agreed to brush the whole thing under the carpet and never speak of it again. XD
Or you could do something set towards the end, during the War of Wrath, when the tide starts going against them at last? An impassioned farewell, maybe, before Angband finally falls? Is Sauron quite prepared to be taken alongside his master, and does Morgoth have to convince him to save himself? And what about after Morgoth’s defeat? Even after Sauron rises to become the new Dark Lord, does he perhaps view himself as essentially a steward for his absent master? Does he harbour any ambitions of somehow freeing Morgoth from the Void?
This is one ship where I’m here for pretty much all of the dirtybadwrong sex you can stand. D/s dynamics, bondage, painplay, mutual masturbation, orgasm denial, toys, magical (over)stimulation… you name it, I’ll take it. At the same time, I can also imagine there being a lot of enthusiasm and worshipfulness. Consensual, but not at all safe or sane!
Art prompts: I’m especially taken by the idea of the contrast between Sauron, in one of his fair guises, and Morgoth in his terrible, ravaged final form, scarred and burnt and just generally horrifying, with Sauron being just as worshipful of him as he was when he was still fair to behold. I’d also be interested in seeing your take on Melkor and Mairon in their favoured Ainu/Maia forms.
Hello! Thank you for interest in my letter. I’m a longtime Tolkien fan, but only recently fell into the fandom proper, so I’m thrilled to discover this exchange! :D
This letter contains a rundown of my general likes and DNWs, as well as some ideas for each of my requests. If you find something here to inspire you, that's great - but equally, please don't feel restricted to what’s here, either. I’m always keen to see other people’s interpretations of my faves, and if you have ideas of your own, I’d love to see them, too!
If you have any queries, don’t hesitate to get in touch via the mod.
I can be found on AO3 as
Likes
Art likes
DNWs
The Hobbit (Jackson movies)
- Relationship: Female Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
The Lord of the Rings
- Relationship: Legolas/Gimli
- Relationships: Legolas/Gimli & Thranduil, Legolas/Gimli & Glóin
The Lord of the Rings
- Relationship: The Last Prince of Cardolan/Lady of the Blue Brooch
The Silmarillion
- Character: Tar-Míriel
- Character: Sauron
- Relationship: Tar-Míriel/Sauron
- Relationship: Sauron/Morgoth
Likes
• Fic and art of any all ratings.
• Most genres: humour, angst, fluff, darkfic, hurt/comfort, slice-of-life, character pieces, plotty pieces. I like happy endings as well as a good tragedy, or even a bittersweet ending. One of the things I love most about Tolkien is that there is so much loss and decline, yet always hope and wonder and beauty, no matter how remote or fleeting it may seem.
• I’ve got a special fondness for things that fill in characters’ backstories, “missing scenes” from canon, and alternate POVs on canon events. Outsider POVs on requested ships are always, always fun!
• I love canon compliant fic, but I also love canon divergence AUs. What if X had happened instead of Y? What if characters A and B met sooner or later than they did in canon? I love exploring the possibilities!
• Worldbuilding detail. I always want to know more about the worlds these characters inhabit.
• Intelligent characters being intelligent and competent.
• Characters with tough/stoic/snarky exteriors having to confront and/or show their vulnerabilities.
• Pairings and friendships that cross cultural/class/professional lines, and how they navigate the conflicts that arise.
• Odd couples. I love opposites that attract: characters who seem so different but who end up complementing each other perfectly. (This can be either romantic or platonic.)
• Banter! I love witty characters who have a good back-and-forth.
• Gen and ship fic are equally good. I love my otps, but I know how it is. Sometimes you love the characters and their relationship, but just don’t catch the shippy vibe. In that case, there’s no pressure: I’ll be just as happy with a gen take on their dynamic.
• When it comes to ships, I love both first times and established relationships. I’m also weak for all those moments of quiet intimacy: heart-to-heart talks, kisses on cheeks, foreheads, noses, etc., hand-holding, light touches, face-stroking, hair-stroking, cuddles, resting heads on shoulders or chests, etc.
• Smut is great, but by no means obligatory. Pure G-rated fluff or even just a few sensual details sketched in are equally fine by me.
• Pining!! I live for good old-fashioned, hopeless pining, especially if it’s mutual and all parties are in silent agonies, equally convinced it can never be. UST and unrequited love also hurt so good.
• Apart from my requested characters, I'm quite happy with other canon characters and pairings making an appearance.
Art likes
I know virtually nothing about art, so I find it harder to come up with prompts on this side. Suffice it to say, anything in your own style will be wonderful! I’ve included some art prompts with each requested character/ship, but here are also a brief list of some very general art likes.
• Straightforward portraits of my requested characters/ships, or an illustration of one of the scenarios I’ve prompted. Illustrations of key scenes from canon would also be very welcome!
• Details of costume and material culture: jewellery, weaponry, everyday articles, etc. I’d love to see your vision of what the peoples and places of Arda look like!
• I love bold colours as well as black and white, contrasting shades, mingling of light and shadow, cell shading.
• If it helps, here are some artists I particularly love: Van Gogh, Matisse, Caravaggio, Ivan Aivazovsky, John Atkinson Grimshaw, Arthur Rackham, Alan Lee, Beatrix Potter.
• Homages to/spoofs of famous paintings.
• Characters drawn in distinctive styles: art nouveau, Disney, etc.
• Effects of different light sources, especially firelight and candlelight; sunsets and sunrises; moonlight and starlight; light on water;
• I love water in general: rivers and pools, waterfalls, fountains, oceans. I love ripples, currents, spray, etc.
DNWs
• First or second POV.
• Modern/mundane/coffee-shop/other setting change AUs.
• Soulmate and soulmark AUs. Specifically for Tolkien fandom, no concept of Dwarves having a “One”.
• A/B/O.
• Unrequested non-canon ships. (Appearances by/references to canon pairings are fine.)
• Unrequested gender/sexuality headcanons.
• Watersports.
• Scat.
• Rimming.
• Mpreg.
• Tentacles.
• I’m fine with references to characters being married or having sex in their early teens, but would prefer no explicit sexual content involving any characters under 16. Fade to black is fine, though.
• I don’t mind dub-con/non-con in a kink context, but I don’t want rape/sexual abuse/prostitution as plot devices for tragic character backstory, unless it’s already canon. Even then, I’d prefer not to dwell on it.
The Hobbit (Jackson movies)
Relationship: Female Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
I have a soft spot for a good Rule 63!Bilbo AU, so I was tickled to find this already in the tagset. :) As far as Bagginshield in general goes, I enjoy it in all its various moods: from the romantic slow-burn, the development of mutual trust and loyalty, to the more obsessive, claustrophobic, vaguely dub-conny sort while Thorin’s under the influence of the gold-sickness. It’s all good. :P Equally, I’m happy with canon compliant tragedy, or an AU where Thorin lives. In the latter case, I tend to prefer Reshirement to a Happily Ever After Under the Mountain — but see below!
One of the fun things about genderswap specifically is getting to explore in-universe gender roles and how they may or may not affect the swapped character. In this case, I’m thinking about what sort of differences/similarities exist re: gender expectations in hobbit and Dwarven society - and since this is a shippy prompt, what differences there are with regards to courtship and betrothal. What if, given the comparative rarity of Dwarf-women, Dwarvish betrothals tend to be complex, intricate, custom-laden affairs, to ensure the union will hold, while hobbits have a more relaxed approach to personal relationships? Or maybe, given their focus on family and inheritance (wills signed by seven witnesses in red ink!), it’s hobbits who have the labyrinthine betrothal customs, and poor Thorin finds himself having to jump through all sorts of hoops in order to decently declare himself to Miss Baggins!
On a similar note, I wonder how a female Bilbo would be seen by her fellow hobbits. Is a single woman of fifty considered a bit of an odd spinster, or is a respectable, comfortably middle-aged lady with a good property considered a very desirable catch indeed? Does Thorin have competition in this ’verse?
If you want to write something set during the quest, I’d love to see anything with Bilbo adapting to being the lone female among the Company, and dealing with any awkward situations that might arise from that. (The Dwarves’ communal bathing springs enthusiastically to mind… 👀) As well as the central Bilbo/Thorin relationship, I also love m/f friendships, so feel free to include as many other members of the Company that you want. (Balin, Bofur, and Dwalin are my particular faves.) Do Fíli and Kíli adopt Bilbo as their Cool Auntie who blows epic smoke-rings, makes up songs, and occasionally rescues the entire Company? Or are they just mortified by the spectacle of their uncle blatantly pining for the burglar?
I’d also love to see Bilbo interacting with Dwarf-women, especially Dís. If Thorin lives, do she and Bilbo become friends, perhaps with Dís helping her get to grips with being Queen? Or on a sadder note, perhaps she goes to visit Dís in the Blue Mountains to give her the news of Thorin’s death?
There is an interview somewhere with Richard Armitage, which - typically - I don’t have a link for, where he said he wondered if Thorin had a lost love in his past, perhaps a Dwarf princess? It could be interesting to bring that into the mix. Did she die during the fall of Erebor, or was the relationship broken off because he now no longer had the appropriate status? Has he guarded his heart for so long that he's rather chagrined to find himself falling hard for the new burglar? Or maybe, in a fixit where Thorin survives to become King Under the Mountain proper, everyone’s boggling at the fact that he could have his pick of every noble beauty throughout the seven Dwarven kingdoms, but he has his heart set on that absurd, frumpy little halfling (she doesn’t even have any facial hair!!!).
If you decide to keep Thorin’s death, how does that affect things? How much does Bilbo choose to tell Frodo about her relationship with Thorin? What gossip circulates about the Shire with regards to her adventure? What memories does she hold onto?
(Incidentally, naming can be a tricky issue with rule 63, especially when the character’s name doesn’t have an obvious feminine equivalent. In this case, I’m fine with simply "Bilbo", though a lot of fics choose to call her Bella(donna). Entirely up to you what you want to do!)
Art prompts: I’d love to see your design for rule 63!Bilbo, especially if you use the same sort of colour scheme as his original costumes in the films. :D Any reimagining of canon scenes would be lovely, whether that’s the big shippy ones like the hug on the Carrock, the acorn scene, the mithril scene, or your own underrated favourite! I'd also love to see them among each other's people, whether that's Thorin as Miss Bilbo's beau in the Shire, or Bilbo as Queen Under the Mountain.
The Lord of the Rings
Relationship: Legolas/Gimli
GOD. These two are everything. On the big dramatic world-shaking level, you’ve got two members of races that have hated each other for millennia, who form this unexpected but profound bond that mends relations between their peoples. Then on the purely personal level, they’re just so much fun. They go exploring together! They keep a running tally of baddies they’ve killed! They take the piss and slag each other off and look after each other all the time. Old married couple ain’t in it! And then, when it’s all over, they sail off into the West together, completely bending the rules of their universe as they do so. In short, they’re amazing.
I’d love absolutely anything more about their story. First impressions? Perhaps they keep running into each other in Rivendell while everyone’s waiting for the scouts to return. Anything filling in those first uncertain days as the Ring goes south, where the ice hasn’t quite broken but they discover, to their discomfort, that they actually have quite a few things in common? And what about when they reach Lothlórien? We’re told that’s where the friendship between them really takes off: what was the turning-point? Was it even one identifiable thing? Where do they go when they go wandering in the Golden Wood, and what do they end up talking about? Anything else: does Gimli’s wound need any patching up after Helm’s Deep? What about Legolas - does he ever get a wound that needs a bit of TLC?
And I’d love to know when the line between friendship and romance starts to blur. Is there any formal courtship, or do they just kind of fall into it? Do they have any angst about falling in love with each other, given the history between their peoples, or do they just take it in their stride? Anything about that transition from friends to lovers would be great: realisations, confessions, first kiss, first time, etc. Outsider POVs could also be really fun here, especially since there are a few moments in the book when people see them walking about together like “…well that’s something you don’t see every day.” Are they obviously, ridiculously in love, with the rest of the Fellowship wondering when they’re going to get together, while they remain utterly oblivious themselves?
And what about after the events of canon? Do they go on any more journeys together? Do they split their time between Aglarond and Ithilien? I’d especially love to know more about the circumstances that led to them sailing West together, especially since the in-universe appendix writer seems rather uncertain what to make of it! Was the immortal/mortal divide something that weighed on their minds, especially as the years went by and their friends all departed, one way or the other, from Middle-earth? Did Legolas dread having to watch Gimli grow old and die? Did Gimli ever fear that one day Legolas’ sea-longing would grow too great and that he’d end up leaving him to go West? Does he even feel guilty about perhaps keeping Legolas from his desire? Or was it always an unspoken given that neither of them was going anywhere without the other!
Art prompts: Their wanderings in Lórien, fighting side-by-side or back-to-back, celebrating Aragorn’s coronation together, anything dealing with the height difference!
Relationships: Legolas/Gimli & Thranduil, Legolas/Gimli & Glóin
One of the post-canon scenarios I’m most interested in for these two is how their relationship affects relations between their peoples, and I’d love to see them meeting each other’s families. Whether you want to do a comic Meet the Parents kind of scenario, or something more serious, I’m up for it either way!
Gimli visiting the Wood-elves’ Halls in Mirkwood would be great: does he end up telling Thranduil off for holding his dad prisoner, or is he as charming as he was to Galadriel? I’d love to see his opinion on the architecture of the halls themselves, considering that Dwarves had a hand in building them (this is contradicted in Unfinished Tales, but in this case I’d prefer to go with what’s canon in LOTR itself). Does he get to sample the famous Dorwinion wine, and take part in the Elves’ feasts under the stars?
I’d also love to see Gimli bringing Legolas back to the Lonely Mountain, giving him the tour and introducing him to Glóin and the surviving members of Thorin’s Company. There’s the potential for real poignancy here, too, as presumably it’ll be up to Gimli to pass on the news of the fate of Balin’s expedition in Moria. Maybe he’s glad to have Legolas with him at that time. And of course I’d love to see how Legolas fares among the Dwarves: joining in their feasts and sharing songs and tales, etc. Was he present at the Battle of Five Armies, and does that win him some credit with the Dwarves? What does he make of Erebor compared to the Glittering Caves?
Whichever relationship combination you’re writing, I’m absolutely here for the boys proudly showing each other off, while their relatives react. Does it take a while for them to come round, or is the acceptance surprisingly easy? Are Legolas and Gimli an item by the time they return home, or is it through their families’ reactions that the final realisation occurs? Want to go with Thranduil or Glóin as your POV characters? I'd love that!
If you like, this could also be a good opportunity to explore the effects of the war in the north, following the Siege of Erebor and the routing of Dol Guldur. Do they get involved in restoring Dale/Erebor/southern Mirkwood following the battles, perhaps paying respects to the fallen of each other’s kindred? Do Thranduil and Glóin end up becoming friends through their sons?
Art prompts: Legolas presenting Gimli to Thranduil, or Gimli presenting Legolas to Glóin et al. Gimli at an elven feast, or Legolas at a Dwarven one. Exchanging gifts or wearing the clothing and/or accoutrements of each other’s cultures.
The Lord of the Rings
Relationship: Last Prince of Cardolan/Lady of the Blue Brooch
The Barrow-downs have been one of my favourite locations in the story since I first read the book, and I find the atmosphere and the lore of them absolutely captivating. I’m forever intrigued by the people who inhabited the Downs before the wights moved in — in particular the lady who owned the blue brooch, and what relationship she may have had with whoever else was buried there.
Assuming, then, that the barrow was the final resting place of the last prince of Cardolan, and that the lady of the blue brooch was his wife/betrothed, please tell me their story! It sounds like it has the potential to be a great, heartwrenchingly tragic tale. At the same time, if you want to use their story to explore the history and culture of Cardolan and the other kingdoms of the North, the settlements of the Barrow-downs, and the war with Angmar etc., that would be wonderful!
Was theirs a love story from the beginning, or a political union that grew into more? We can probably assume that the prince was a Dúnadan descended from the Kings (though feel free to explore other options!), but what about the lady? Was she also a Dúnadan, or was she from somewhere else — Rhovanion, Forodwaith, one of the Hillmen of Rhudaur — and if so, was their relationship subject to the same prejudice against intermarriage with Middle Men expressed by the Gondor Númenoreans? Or, hell, she might even have been a barmaid from Bree! (I can never resist a good class difference romance.)
Does the blue brooch have any special significance to their tale? A wedding- or betrothal-gift, perhaps? What are its origins? Or maybe it’s a status symbol of some kind: the way Tom Bombadil specifies that the lady wore it on her shoulder puts me a bit in mind of those jewelled brooches worn at the shoulder in Saxon and Visigothic etc. societies, or the ones you see in late Roman and Byzantine images.
I’d love to know more about them during the war with Angmar. Were they involved in any of the significant events of the war, eg. rescuing the palantír from Amon Sûl when it was burned? If we assume the prince led his own war-hosts, what role did the lady play? Did she ride with him, or did she remain behind to oversee Cardolan’s strongholds, perhaps organising supplies for the army, shelter for refugees, etc.
If Merry was indeed possessed by the memories of the prince, that would imply he fell during a surprise night raid. (Alternatively, those memories may have been someone else's.) What, then, was the lady’s fate? Was she killed at the same time as the prince, or did she last a bit longer? Maybe she killed herself to avoid being taken by the Witch-king’s advancing forces, in classic saga fashion. Or did she survive in one of the refuges among the Downs or in the Forest, being buried with him later? Are their names and deeds remembered among the Dúnedain, or are they long forgotten by the time Frodo and the others are imprisoned in their barrow?
Most of my prompts here do tend towards the darker and tragic side of things, but if you want to write something a bit happier, that’d be great, too. The history of the Downs that Tom Bombadil tells the hobbits makes them sound like quite a nice place before the wights moved in. Did they have any favourite trysting spots among the old stones?
In the same vein, does Tom’s description of the lady being “fair” imply that he knew her? The prince and the lady meeting Tom and Goldberry could be a nice scenario. Maybe the prince, like Tom, is accustomed to going out and getting the last flowers of summer in for his lady. :)
Art prompts: the prince and the lady in life, in all their splendour, or decked out for war and flight from Angmar. Equally, an image of them being buried together in the barrow, when it was still a hallowed place. Details of the brooch. An image of the couple out on the Downs in happier days (details of the standing stones and barrow-mounds would be wonderful!), or perhaps with the shadow of Angmar gathering in the distance…
The Silmarillion
Character: Tar-Míriel
I find Tar-Míriel to be a fascinating, utterly tragic figure. The rightful Queen of Númenor, usurped and forced into an illegal marriage, forced to watch her people descend into corruption and darkness — then, right at the end, swallowed up by the sea just as she’s trying to reach the summit of the Meneltarma. I’m dying to know more about her, so I’m open to pretty much anything! What were her younger days like — what did she learn from her father? Did she help him tend the Tree? Did she ever know her grandmother Inzilbêth? And how did she feel after being usurped? I’d be fascinated about anything from this period: an introspective piece, maybe, or even something dealing with palace intrigue! Was she able to help the Faithful in secret at all?
I’d be interested to know more about her relationship with Ar-Pharazôn. We know she was forced into the marriage (how did he pull that off?), but what about afterwards? Was it open loathing between them, or did Míriel try to make the best of a bad situation? Did she have any influence over him, perhaps able to offer him counsel to mitigate some of his worse decisions — at least until Sauron shows up?
I’m particularly interested to know just what the hell she made of Sauron scheming his way into Númenor and leading her people down the path to ruin. I like to imagine that as the daughter of Tar-Palantir, she had the insight to recognise him for what he really was, and refused to be taken in by his manipulations. I’d absolutely love to know what their dynamic was like — surely they must have crossed paths pretty often! I think they would make for a fascinating hate-ship (see below), but equally, I’d be fascinated by a gen take on their dynamic. Did Sauron ever try to corrupt her too? I can imagine he must have tried, perhaps by working on her various grievances: the fact that her rightful queenship was usurped, or perhaps working on her feelings of isolation, trying to make her feel that she had been abandoned by Elendil et al.?
The account of her last moments is haunting, and I’d love to know what thoughts were running through her mind. Was she trying to reach the mountaintop simply to get out of reach of the wave, or, as the rightful Queen, was she hoping to reach the sacred hallow, to propitiate Eru and so save her people? The narrative tells us that she tries to reach it “too late”, and that intrigues me. Why was she too late? Did it only occur to her too late, or was she perhaps being held captive by the minions of her husband and/or Sauron?
Her fate is a harsh one, considering she was essentially one of the Faithful, so what about an AU where she survives after all? Perhaps she’s rescued by Ulmo or one of the sea Maiar, and cast up on the shores of Middle-earth? Does she join up with Elendil and/or his sons, or does she form a new kingdom of her own? Perhaps some of the Faithful who have continued to regard her as their rightful Queen flock to her, and she becomes a major player in the Last Alliance herself.
Art prompts: The image Tolkien draws of Tar-Míriel’s death, struggling to reach the peak of the Meneltarma while the Great Wave rages about her, is so epic and haunting, I’d absolutely adore any take on that! Equally, any sort of character portrait would be great: let me see your vision on her — “fairer than silver or ivory or pearls” — and your take on Númenorean fashion and artwork! Perhaps something incorporating the motif of the White Tree? Or a scene featuring young Míriel and her father?
Character: Sauron
I adore Sauron! He’s a pure, copper-bottomed bastard, and clearly having the time of his life. In particular, what he does to Gorlim makes me cackle at its sheer, inspired bastardtude. However, he also gets his comeuppance, several times, in various delightful ways, so it all balances out.
If you want, I would be very happy indeed with a slice of life kind of thing, just a typical day of him being evil - laying waste to neighbouring realms, hanging out with his werewolves and vampires, tormenting prisoners in fiendishly inventive ways, etc… just generally living his best evil life. >:)
I’m fascinated by his origins, especially since we don’t get very much detail. Morgoth’s Ring describes him as a "great craftsman in the household of Aulë", which would seem to suggest he didn’t join Melkor at the very beginning. So what changed? What was his relationship with Aulë/the other Valar/his fellow Maiar before he turned to evil? What was it drew him to Melkor in the end? How was Melkor able to corrupt him in the first place: was he somehow able to make contact personally, or did they communicate through more magical, long distance means? Once turned, did he desert the Valar at once, or did he remain among them for a while as Melkor’s spy?
I find the relationship between Sauron and Morgoth especially fascinating. I do ship it, mightily (see below!), but I would also be very happy with a gen take on them. I love the fact that Tolkien establishes that Sauron was genuinely devoted to Morgoth, and worked for his glory, rather than his own. The idea of the future Dark Lord™ being loyal to another, rather than just trying to use him to further his own designs, is one of the interesting shades of grey that Tolkien draws in his character, and I’d love to see that explored further. How did he establish himself as Melkor’s most trusted lieutenant? How did he work for him during all the ages that Melkor was confined after the Battle of the Powers?
While we’re on the subject of moral greyness, Tolkien has several fascinating things to say in his letters about Sauron and his motives, especially after Morgoth’s final defeat: especially that he did have “fair motives: the reorganising and rehabilitation of the ruin of Middle-earth, 'neglected by the gods’", but at the thought of having to submit himself to the Valar’s judgement, he balked, and reverted to evil, becoming the true successor of his former master. I find that thrilling - that potential that maybe, just maybe, he could have been redeemed, but failed at the last hurdle. I’m not at all interested in a redemption arc for him, but I would adore anything exploring these little nuances and flickers of grey in his character. Getting his POV on it all would be so interesting!
I’m also interested in what he was up to during the Second Age: going into hiding, setting himself up as the new Big Bad, etc. Particularly, I’d love to know more about his time in Númenor. How did he manage to insinuate his way into Ar-Pharazôn’s confidence? Granted, Ar-Pharazôn was already - uh - kind of a dick, but they were genuinely enemies, so how was Sauron able to turn the tables? Apart from the evil deeds already noted in canon, I’d love to know what other intrigues he got up to while he was there. I’m very interested to know what he and Tar-Míriel made of each other (see above and below), and I’d love any shippy or gen take on their possible dynamic: the true Queen and the (not-so-)humbled Dark Lord.
Apart from all that, one of the things I also like about Sauron is how, although he is the (second) Baddest to Ever Bad, he’s also closely associated with beauty: craftsmanship, jewellery, his “fair guise”, the power of music, even if it’s only surface level, and all used to bad ends, so if you want to do something playing with that, that’d be great!
Art prompts: I’d love to see your take on Sauron in any of his forms: as a Maia, as Gorthaur, in wolf, vampire, or snake form, as Annatar, as the Wizard in Númenor — whatever you fancy! One detail I find interesting is that although he can appear beautiful enough to put the Elves of Eregion off the scent, his appearance also has the power to terrify, as when Gorlim is “daunted” by looking into his eyes. If you fancy, then, I’d love to see a take on Sauron that combines the two: beautiful, but with something unsettling and eldritch about him.
Relationship: Tar-Míriel/Sauron
As I said above, I assume these two must have crossed paths pretty often during Sauron’s time in Númenor, and I’d love to know what their dynamic was. I like to imagine that there was some sort of struggle or stalemate between the two of them over their influence with Ar-Pharazôn, and I think it would make for a pretty delicious Enemies With Benefits scenario. Maybe, since at this point Sauron still has the ability to appear beautiful, he tries to add seduction to his manipulations, and is equally frustrated/turned on by the fact that Míriel doesn’t fall for his wiles. As for Míriel, she knows what he’s up to, but she hates her husband enough that she’s willing to humour Sauron just enough to let him ruin him… only to realise too late that it’s not just her husband who’ll be ruined, but her whole civilisation.
I'm into the idea of Sauron being relentlessly manipulative, but also genuinely attracted to Míriel. Perhaps, too, he sees something of her ancestress Lúthien in her, and so considers seducing her as a kind of revenge for the humiliation he suffered at Tol-in-Gaurhoth. Is Míriel aware of this lore, and does she use it against him — perhaps straight-up laughs at him for him for it!
Or you could do an AU where he does manage to turn her to the dark side, after all. I’d certainly be interested in that angle! Is that the reason why she isn’t spared? Alternatively, you could carry the AU further: perhaps Sauron is able to spirit her away at the same time that he escapes from the wave, and takes her back to Middle-earth as his captive and/or consort? Any fucked-up dub-con scenario here would be absolutely delicious, as would Dark Queen Míriel, with her and Sauron forming a genuinely evil partnership. Go where your heart takes you!
Art prompts: the two of them have the potential to be very handsome together, with Sauron in his fair guise, and Tar-Míriel being “fairer than silver or ivory or pearls”. As for scenarios: charged looks behind Ar-Pharazôn’s back, fraught clinches in odd corners of the palace? Art that incorporates the symbols of the White Tree and the Eye, or some suggestion of the Great Wave looming in the background.
Relationship: Sauron/Morgoth
I love how in the Silmarillion, Tolkien stresses that Sauron was genuinely loyal to Morgoth, and that Morgoth’s Ring even says that he “adored” him. To think of Sauron being capable of adoration - which implies the capacity to love - is delicious, and I’m obsessed with it! I’d like to think that loyalty and adoration was mutual. So in a nutshell, give me these two being thoroughly evil and thoroughly in love, as they lay waste to Beleriand and all its peoples!
Going right back to the start, how did Melkor go about winning Mairon over to his side? Why that Maia, specifically? Obviously Mairon was powerful, but what if Melkor was equally captivated by his beauty? Was it a seduction in every sense of the word? (Want to have them going at it in Aulë’s forge? I’m here for that!) Perhaps Melkor originally just intended Mairon to be a notch on his bedpost, only to discover along the way how truly powerful and cunning and ruthless he also was.
You could also go for something more slow-burn, after Sauron becomes Morgoth’s lieutenant, marking himself out as an exceptional sorcerer and war-leader, proving himself worthy of his trust beyond all doubt… give me UST-charged magic teaching, tormenting of Elves and other captives, creating various evil instruments of death and torment, etc. Or something about them being a particularly terrifying battle couple!
I’d also love to know if there was any fall-out from the Lúthien debacle. After all, Sauron would surely have to face his master some time after emerging from Taur-nu-Fuin. I can only imagine that for any other minion, the loss of such a key fortress as Tol-in-Gaurhoth would have resulted in the said minion being blasted with extreme prejudice — so how did Sauron manage to avoid any reprisal? Did he manage to charm his way out of Morgoth’s bad books, or was he sleeping on the proverbial couch for a while? And how did they patch things up afterwards? Considering Morgoth was also bested by Lúthien, maybe they just agreed to brush the whole thing under the carpet and never speak of it again. XD
Or you could do something set towards the end, during the War of Wrath, when the tide starts going against them at last? An impassioned farewell, maybe, before Angband finally falls? Is Sauron quite prepared to be taken alongside his master, and does Morgoth have to convince him to save himself? And what about after Morgoth’s defeat? Even after Sauron rises to become the new Dark Lord, does he perhaps view himself as essentially a steward for his absent master? Does he harbour any ambitions of somehow freeing Morgoth from the Void?
This is one ship where I’m here for pretty much all of the dirtybadwrong sex you can stand. D/s dynamics, bondage, painplay, mutual masturbation, orgasm denial, toys, magical (over)stimulation… you name it, I’ll take it. At the same time, I can also imagine there being a lot of enthusiasm and worshipfulness. Consensual, but not at all safe or sane!
Art prompts: I’m especially taken by the idea of the contrast between Sauron, in one of his fair guises, and Morgoth in his terrible, ravaged final form, scarred and burnt and just generally horrifying, with Sauron being just as worshipful of him as he was when he was still fair to behold. I’d also be interested in seeing your take on Melkor and Mairon in their favoured Ainu/Maia forms.
