Ranting and Raving

We always talk about "The Problem of Susan" but I think she's not a problem. We are all Susan: distracted by the sparkling lights, heavy under the stresses of growing up, and frustrated with the need to be grown and flown.

Susan is the reassurance that we all have Narnia inside of us and that, when we're ready, we can find it again.

Not trying to be rude, but if everyone who writes Rings of Power fanfiction can make sure that's clearly marked so I can filter it out super easily when I want to read Silmarillion fics, that would be lovely.

Eregion headcanon. Everyone sees the very intense energy between Celebrimbor and Annnatar - not knowing all the toxic behind the scenes behaviour of Annatar - and they think of Thingol and Melian.

Here's a great elf lord setting up his kingdom and actually working with dwarves (properly!) as he rises above his blood-soaked history. People want to follow him just like they once wanted to follow Thingol, who came back from being missing and led them to build one of the strongest kingdoms in Beleriand, despite being 'lower' kindred than the Noldor. You don't get much lower than being a Feanorian after the First Age.

They see Annatar with his wisdom and his power so eager to help them, and they think of Melian, a Maia like him, who created her girdle that protected them from evil for centuries.

Yes, they realise that there won't be any new Lúthien running around (unless Annatar shifts form some mutter very lowly) but they see the resemblance, and they whisper about a new golden age for elves. A new safe haven for all elves despite their heritage...

Annatar hears all this and revels in it. He hates Lúthien and delights in making a mockery of her parents' memories. He pushes to seduce Celebrimbor more because he loves to hear this speculation and hope.

Poor Celebrimbor is just trying to make some rings and is completely oblivious to everyone's gossip. He does, however, notice that Annatar is acting really strange and keeps trying to get him to walk in forest glades. Jokes on him though, Gil-galad and Galadriel have been trying to get him out of his forge and "get some fresh air" for centuries, and he's immune.

I really like Keeley, I do, but a habit I'm picking up on in this re-watch is that she'll do something not-great/kind of toxic, but the main focus is on Roy's reaction and acceptance. Like, I'd like it if one of the characters just pointed out that she acted shitty.

For example, the Diamond Dogs are absolutely right that Keeley can sleep with whoever she likes before Roy and Keeley sort themselves out. BUT she admits that she only slept with Jamie because she was getting back at Roy a bit. Roy was a twat about being 'busy' and not communicating well but it had only been one day before Jamie turned up on her doorstep and she decided to shag him because Roy wasn't texting her back. This is a kind of red flag to me, but the whole issue becomes about Roy not accepting Keeley's past when I really think that someone should have said to Keeley that revenge sex with a guy the guy you like hates because he put her off for ONE day, wasn't the most healthy thing to do.

Also, the space issue in series 2. It's perfectly fine and understandable that she was feeling smothered by Roy, but gossiping behind his back to their coworkers and then blowing up at him completely out of the blue (for him) was the wrong way to go about it. Rebecca does gently point out that she should talk to Roy about it, but after Roy's angered reaction to her screaming at him, it all again just becomes about his reaction and his growth to understand her better. Instead of, you know, Keeley not expressing her emotions properly to the right person.

This happens a couple of times, and I just want someone to tell her that, as great as she is, she was being a bitch in a situation.

Sorry for the shameless self-promotion but I’ve actually made three of these? One for Doriath, one for Gondolin, and one for Nargothrond. All credit goes to the artists, but if you’d like to check them out, and any of my other videos, I’d really appreciate it! 

Thank you! 

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen, Chronicles of Narnia - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Catherine Morland, Aslan (Narnia), James Morland Summary:

A twelve-year-old Catherine Morland goes wandering into the woods at her aunt's house and has a very strange encounter.

I love Martha Jones - her character is one of the best and least appreciated, in my opinion - but I'm dreading if it's true that she'll be back for the spin-off. Because:

1) I hate RTD's writing and general direction right now because it's so bitter and smarmy.

2) Also, the plots are rubbish, and characters lack agency and/or likability.

3) There's been a whole lot of returning companions recently, and I think they need to stop propping up their show on known faces. That was one of the biggest lures of the soft-reboot with Tennant and Tate back. Once in a while, it's good and effective, but they should give it a rest for a bit, or it'll just get boring and incredibly obvious as fan-bait.

4) If they do a whole disillusioned, depressed hermit who is hiding from their past sins shtick with Dr Martha Jones, Woman Who Walked the Goddamned Earth, I swear to G*d... I want Martha living in the countryside as a country doctor with a happy family and a positive cottage core life post-UNIT retirement but gets dragged into alien hijinks in a series of bizarre incidents.

5) I think UNIT needs to be rethought a bit because it's been looking like a discount S.H.I.E.L.D, which is dull, uninteresting, and done. Also, we've seen a lot of them recently, and their appearances have been lacklustre and inconsistent. Especially Kate Stewart, who I adore, but I feel has been just kind of there for a while.

6) This one is slightly controversial, and since I'm white, I'm ready to be told otherwise, but I find it a little alarming how much people are like: "OMG Martha and 15! He's going to FINALLY apologise for 10's racism and they'll understand each other so much!" Firstly, in universe, the Doctor is an alien, and his understanding of human cultures comes from observation and visiting. He was never raised with any racial stigma, any bias or prejudice, and has always held themselves as separate and above humans. So how would him being (again, in universe) black help him understand Martha's life experience. To him, it would be like hair colour except for any passing racism he faces, which he has no qualms dismissing as petty small mindedness from 'lesser' beings. Secondly, Martha does deserve an apology for the treatment she faced (from the Doctor and the bloody writers) but not one that is almost glazed over because the Doctor has experience now as a woman and a POC. The Doctor, as a widely travelled and highly educated person who has seen suffering through the universe, had to have known that was wrong before that, and Martha should get an apology that isn't full of "that white cis man past version of me just didn't get it." Accountability and sincerity are important components to an apology, and I don't know if RTD can write that from his recent, hollow efforts.

Oh, Doctor Who is doing fantasy now?

Huh.

Interesting, I think I'll just stick to actual fantasy where they make an attempt at internal logic and don't just hand wave issues away because: "it's fantasy, lol!"

I'm slightly inebriated right now, and I need tumblr to stop depressing me with clone posts. Stop making me think about their awful fates, damn your eyes! 😂

Let's talk about the happy times before they were forced to turn on their commanding officers and friends. Before they lost hope in the Republic and any personal dreams. Before they died needlessly for a war that, ultimately, only saw them as collateral damage to a larger plan to be eliminated at the earliest convenience. 😭

I feel like Doctor Who is my ex who I share friends with (my favourite characters, episodes, etc.), so I still get updates on what/how they're doing, but I'm only half-listening as I drink a cup of tea and think about what we're going to do with our time hanging out (who is going to suffer in my next fic).

Nothing Doctor Who is doing now is at all my busines. We went through the messy divorce and pain (13th Doctor era, Timeless Children, the car crash of the 60th specials), and now I'm just ambivalent with a sprinkle of vague disappointment that it didn't work out. I'm also allowed to point and laugh at their stupidity.

It's sad that it's come to this, but sometimes things just don't work out, you know?

In honour of Torchwood alum, Indira Varma, let's remember the best episode where the main protagonist falls in love with a guy in a historical ballroom, dances and kisses him in front of many witnesses, and the love interest has a horribly tragic fate that the protagonist can't change.

Of course, I'm talking about Torchwood series 1, episode 12: " Captain Jack Harkness"

Eluréd was Oropher, King of the Woodland Realm and Legolas' grandfather, and Elurín was Amdír, King of Lorien before Galadriel and Celeborn ruled.

I have a headcanon that Maedhros and Caranthir were really close in Valinor. Turko and Kurvo were already in separable, and the twins go without saying, while Káno was everybody's favourite musician with no end of admirers and performances.

Nelyo loves all his brothers, of course, but he sees his younger, easy to anger, always blushing, awkward, and a bit overshadowed brother and gets fiercely protective. He is there with Moryo to support him and help him work through his emotions. His brother is reactive - always - so he helps him talk through why he got so angry about Angaráto's taunt or Findekáno's joke. Moryo is shy and uncertain so Nelyo always makes sure that he actually does what he wants to do without being shouted down for being boring by Turko and Kurvo especially.

When they swear the Oath, something changes. Moryo regrets it immediately but sees that his brother, the ever resolute Nelyo is just following their father like the rest of them. It cracks his faith in his older brother which is only worsened when he sees Nelyo at the burning of the ships finally seeing the foolishness but doing nothing to stop their father when he's the only one that could get through to him.

Their father dies and Nelyo becomes king but then he abandons them to go on a suicide mission to try and outsmart Morgoth. By the time he returns, broken and carried by a Ñolofinwion, Moryo is just angry with him. For sailing in the first place, for never stopping their father, for falling for Morgoth's trap, for putting them in debt to Ñolofinwë and his people, and, the last great injustice, handing over the ruling of the Noldor to Ñolofinwë.

He gets angry and he lashes out at Angaráto which, in turn, makes Nelyo angry at him. They fight and Moryo accuses the still-recovering Nelyo of many things. It breaks the trust between them entirely as Nelyo agrees with all of his hateful words and Moryo would do anything to take them back but his pride won't let him.

They separate - becoming Maedhros and Caranthir - and they become distant from each other. Maedhros becomes incredibly close with Maglor as they support one another while Caranthir convinces himself that he likes to be alone.

By the time Caranthir dies in Doriath, they have barely spoken outside of battle plans and finances in centuries.

So, I have a head canon that's pretty dark but I'm going to share it anyway. Erestor is Maeglin's son.

Idril was super creeped out by her cousin so tried to keep him away from her family as much as possible. Turgon might have been fooled but Idril saw all the red flags and distanced herself as much as her father would allow. (They still have to go to fancy banquets and court occasions together but that's as far as she'll let it go.)

So, Maeglin seduces Meleth (Eärendil's nurse) to get access to the family. He's very convincing and even convinces himself that he's happy with Meleth and just being near Idril. They have a son, Erestor, and it almost seems like everything is going to be fine. Turgon is happy playing grandfather to Erestor as much as Eärendil and is delighted that his daughter and nephew are both thriving with loving partners. Idril even relaxes a little around him!

Then Maeglin is captured and Morgoth digs into all those hidden desires. Suddenly, his 'consolation prize' wife and son aren't enough when he could have Idril as he's always wanted. Idril who smiled at him the other day and told him that he's a good father. Finally, she sees him as worthy and he'll have Gondolin as well! They'll rule together and give Gondolin proper pure-elven heirs...

The Fall of Gondolin happens and both Meleth and Maeglin die. Meleth protecting and Maeglin attacking Eärendil. Tuor and Idril take in the infant Erestor and raise him as their own. He and Eärendil are brothers. When Eärendil sails, Erestor vows to watch over Elwing and their sons.

He keeps that promise to his brother. Always.

Love it when writers put a connection between two male characters calling it a 'profound bond' or 'two sides of the same coin' or that they wonder 'what I'd be without you' and they've 'forged their two lives into one' but then scream "no homo! They're like brothers!"

Like, mate, this passed brotherhood a long time ago, and now they're soul mates who are so obsessed with each other that it is literally destroying them and the lives of all the people around them.

I love them all dearly.

Martha put up with a lot of shit from the Doctor and has learnt to forgive him, move on, and heal so she gets to have her own life with gratitude because she knows that she wouldn't have gotten all the chances she's had without him.

Even so, when she sees 14 walking down the street chatting with Donna (who is obviously present!Donna) she fucking decks him for not telling him that it was OK to contact her bestie again.