Gazing into the Abyss - The Sacrilegium Archives

Original writings and artwork by Tolkien fans.
Balrog
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In addition to the many (manymanymanymanymany) OCs I've been able to create and play over the last year and a half, I've also had the privilege of playing several canon characters to varying degrees and add depth to many of them. Canon characters are sometimes, or at least they were, harder to write because of the heavy weight of tradition behind them, not to mention the fact that they are quite literally the intellectual property of Tolkien himself. How do you write or use a character in a way that is creative, expressive, and original while also acknowledging what the original writer has said about them? It's a puzzle that fanfiction writers have to deal with each time they pick a character and write their headcanons into glorious being. How do you make a decades old character fresh and new? How do you stay true to your own vision and the original at the same time? It can be anxiety inducing and miraculous in equal measures. I'm nowhere near good enough to give a guide on how to do it or even confident enough in my own abilities to share what I do. But I think I am getting better (by tiny increments) every single time I try.

On a less analytical and more practical note, I am still not quite sure how I'm going to organize them and the stories I attempt with them but hey, the world is full of eldritch and incomprehensible organization.

The Baddies (aka the fun ones)
Mairon/Sauron/Mayazōnōz/Gorthaur/Annatar/Zigûr/The Necromancer
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Story Arcs
Omentië - The story of Mairon's discovery of the quendi and the balance of his loyalties (with Moriel)
1. "She"
2. "He"
3. "She"
4. "He"
5. "She"
6. Mayazōnōz
7. "She"
8. Mayazōnōz
9. "She"
10. Mayazōnōz
11. "She"
12. Mayazōnōz
13. Tyelpelfindis
14. Mayazōnōz
15. Tyelpelfindis
16. Mairon
17. Tyelpelfindis
18. Mairon
19. Tyelpelfindis
20. Mairon
21. Tyelpelfindis
22. Mairon
23. Tyelpelfindis
24. Mairon
25. Tyelpelfindis
26. Mairon
27. Tyelpelfindis
28. Mairon - Also featuring Cútaþar and Trasander
29. Tyelpelfindis & Oromë
30. Mairon - Also featuring Kosomot and Mbelekhūrūz CW: Angbang References
31. Tyelpelfindis & Oromë - Also featuring Sombelenë and Davos

The Broken Ouroboros - The story of Mairon during the Dagor Bragollach
1. Fleeg the First

Ungoliant
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Story Arcs
The Voidhanger - Ungoliant's story in her own words

Ulfang and Uldor
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Story Arcs
The Ghosts of Perdition - The corruption of Ulfang and his confederation of tribes
1. Part 1

Adûnaphel
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Story Arcs
Whisperer in Darkness - Adûnaphel's mechanizations within the Haunted City (with Tara)
1. Adûnaphel
2. Theririel

Khamûl
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Thuringwethil
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Gothmog/Kosomot
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The Goodies
Penlod
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Story Arcs
Come Ragnarok with Me - Penlod finds a tribe of Avari deep within the caverns of the earth
Wandering Above the Fog - A tale of Old Gondolin
1. Part 1

Beorn
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Anárion
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Figwit/Melarpo
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Tauriel
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Eldarion
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Eönwë
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Pallando and Alatar
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Arwen
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Story Arcs
The Belladonna's Hymn - Arwen experiences a wide range of love and romance
1. Part 1

Arien
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We Could Be Heroes
1. Part 1 - Also featuring Kosomot/Gothmog

Elrond
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Aragorn
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Last edited by Akhenanat on Thu Aug 11, 2022 3:13 pm, edited 10 times in total.
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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Distant Lands: The Adventure Time Entries

Adventure Time and Lord of the Rings. Do they go together? On the face of it, not at all, one is quite serious with lots of literary aspirations and linguistic roots and the other is about a boy and a stretchy dog who live in a kingdom populated by sentient candy, lumpy creatures, and breakfast food. Even such, both @Marceline and I have embarked on a silly and (maybe) foolhardy quest to bring the two together and find a way to retell some old Adventure Time stories through the lens of Tolkien and to tell our own stories with the characters. Will we succeed? Just between us, I think we have a good chance to write some great heartwarming, silly tales.

What Have You Done?/The Meat Spa: Finn and Jake team up with Marceline the Vampire Queen to rescue the Wildberry Princess and LSP from the dreaded Ice King in the far reaches of the north (with Tara)
Featuring: Finn-Adan, Jake the Dog, Marceline, Hrávapië, Me-Mow, the Ice King, and Umbalatsë
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1. Finn-Adan
2. Jake the Dog
3. Finn-Adan & Marceline
4. Jake the Dog & Marceline
5. Finn-Adan & Marceline
6. Jake the Dog & Marceline
7. Finn-Adan
8. Jake the Dog & Marceline
9. Finn-Adan & Me-Mow
10. Jake the Dog & Marceline
11. Finn-Adan & Me-Mow
12. Jake the Dog & Marceline
13. Finn-Adan
14. Jake the Dog & Marceline
15. Finn-Adan
16. Jake the Dog & Marceline
17. Finn-Adan & Me-Mow
Running Concurrent
1. Umbalatsë
2. Hrávapië
The Arinwatári : a less silly Adventure Time story about the Breakfast Princess, how she came by such a title, and how she plans to use it
Featuring: The Arinwatari, the Breakfast Princess
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1. Part 1
2. Part 2
Last edited by Akhenanat on Thu Mar 17, 2022 10:33 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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The S(hit) Kickers

The S(hit) Kickers are a mercenary group of goblin ladies (goblinesses? goblinettes?) led by none other than Phlegm Fleegsdottir. When it was made clear that the Black Guard would not take her (for reasons she deemed totally bonkers and unrealistic), the scion of the Fleeg line decided to take up her spear and do the work herself. She got herself a crew of misfits, weirdos, and creeps that the Black Guard rejected and set out to... well kick some s(hit).

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Lady Umbri - a former aristocrat determined to regain her place in society, fancies herself an expert lute player (no one has the courage to tell her she's terrible)

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Uzgof - a creepy child with a taste for things that go boom, her parents are missing

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Grandma Myrtle - an old adventurer, wanted back into the Black Guard but denied because of her age, still a legend in the goblin community for her duel with Fleeg the Unlucky

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Yotul - once she says she spent time in the Morgai Prison for the Criminally Insane, people tend to steer clear of her and her poleax

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Demonia Spitfire - a crack shot with a bow and arrow, also a little bit cracked in the head

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Black Annis - a hag, sorceress, and eternal pain in the ass of male goblins, also the progenitor of the legends bearing her name
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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Did some things recently: adding story bits, adding story arcs, icons, and playlists, and such.

No I will not tell you what I did or where I did it because it that would be too easy for all of you. Go hunt!
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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Posts: 3513
Joined: Mon May 18, 2020 11:02 am
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Fjörn the Wanderer
Fjörn's Playlist

Legends persist of a man that was once a simple farmer with no dreams grander than a good harvest and healthy animals. His name is forgotten to history, lost in the great encircling mists of time and legend and mythology. Most of the stories say he lived near the shade of Greenwood the Great, in the marshy flats near the southwestern edge of the forest. He was content with life and his place in the world. He had no grand designs to be a king or lord or even a great man. He wanted to farm his wheat and onions and raise his chickens and goats in peace and quiet. The land did not trouble him and in turn he did not trouble the land. They had a mutually beneficious relationship, one that worked for decades. The man had his peace and quiet. Every now and then, some playful or curious spirit would flitter across his land and he would let it be, knowing the strength of the spirits and their ancient connection with the land he now occupied and tilled. He had been raised to love the land and the spirits, benevolent and otherwise, and to treat it with the utmost respect and loyalty. The man had gave allegiance to no king, no lord, no noble. He was a singular man that drifted on the surface of a world much, much bigger than himself.

That all changed the day a will-o'-the-wisp's curiosity got the better of it and decided to play with him. This in and of itself was not particularly dangerous or foreboding, but in the previous days several of the man's chickens had gone bloodily missing. It was no will-o'-the-wisp that did this. It was something darker and more ancient, something with a sinister purpose. It was the man's misfortune to be out and about that early morning when the stars were falling asleep and the sun had not yet risen. He was caught in the marshes without light or hope. He was caught by the Kumiho.

Instead of being killed out right and devoured, as was the pattern of the Kumiho, he was brought back, forced back into his dead body to answer the questions that piqued her curiosity. Yet, when he came back, the man he had once been was something more, something different. When he died, his mind had been connected with the telepathic will-o'-the-wisp and it had gone into the world beyond alongside him. Now they occupied the same body and their fëa had been fused together so that he was not fully a man, and will-o'-the-wisp was not just a spirit. It's difficult to say if he was the same person or if this tragic corporeal alchemy had changed him into something different, what all the stories are clear on is that the Kumiho enslaved him and the creature inside him, bound them to her will so that even in death they must follow her and wander the lonely, forgotten pathways and hidden hills. A man who had wanted nothing more than a peaceful life with quiet reflection each day, was now forced to give up all that he had loved in service of a being that hated him as much as he hated her.

Stories of his wanderings are told up and down the Anduin, in far flung Rhûn and in the wild ruins of Eriador. Some stories say he is a portent of doom, a harbinger of the lustful gluttony of the Kumiho. Other say he is a sign of personal tragedy, a manifestation of the hardships of lonely life. There are even tales that say he is an omen of fortune, appearing and disappearing and reappearing where the spirts of the land are active and the land is fertile. Whatever he is, he is a lonely man with naught but an interloping elemental and a fox-demon for company.

Story Arcs


Liver and Onions: the rumored story of the man's death and rebirth (with Tara)
1. Fjörn
2. The Kumiho
3. Fjörn
4. The Kumiho
5. Fjörn
6. The Kumiho
7. Fjörn
8. The Kumiho
9. Fjörn
10. The Kumiho
11. Fjörn
12. The Kumiho
13. Fjörn
14. The Kumiho
15. Fjörn
16. The Kumiho
17. Fjörn

Kimchi Mandu: the rumored story of the man haunting a family on the fringes of society
Mutton Stew: the rumored story of the man attempting revenge on his captor
Japchae: the rumored story of the man endlessly trying to die
Jägerschnitzel: the rumored story of the man becoming a hunter
Jokbal: the rumored story of sightings of the man in the Uttermost East

[Please not that all stories involving Fjörn the Wanderer will also involve @Zôrzimril's Kumiho character]
Last edited by Akhenanat on Thu Aug 11, 2022 3:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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Eril Tirdirion
Eri'l's Playlist

Tragedy tears people apart in different ways. Some grow listless and unmotivated, others dwell so much on the past that they cannot see the future, while there are a few that turn to drink in order to forget the past. In Eril Tirdirion's case, it was all three. He lost his wife in an accident, an accident he can't even accurately recall anymore, and his life fell apart. He turned to raw whisky to try and numb the pain but in the process ended up obliterating any way forward for him and his son. He grew so dependent on the alcohol that he even forgot that he had a son, Thom. He grew more and more despondent over the loss of his wife that his grief became the only thing that defined him. He lost his post with the nightwatchmen and nearly lost his house in a fire he caused when too drunk to properly make a fire in the hearth. He had no way forward, no way back, and no present.

It was not until he was called out by a healer when his son was injured (remembering he had a son in the process) that he realized he need to change. His life was nothing but sadness and all-consuming grief, but he never considered the effect his neglect of self would have on his son. He rushed to the Houses of Healing to attend to his son, Thom, and, once there, had a heart attack.

When he recovered he knew he had to live his life differently. He was not much suited for nightwatchmanship so the hunt for a new profession began. He found a small, out of the way herb shop with an owner kind enough to teach him the craft of pharmakeia and employ him to look after her plants and concoctions. He vowed to be a better father to Thom, to be present in his once more and fill their sad, empty home with life and light and joy again. He has become something of a surrogate father to many displaced and lonely souls throughout Minas Tirith, including a young woman named Walpurga and her myriad wild pets, a young ranger enthusiast from Pelargir named Caladcyll, and and overeager governess from Anórien named Ruthrrien. They're an odd family, but they all have someone to rely on in times of tragedy.

Story Arcs

Grey Flowers on the Windowsill: Gothic romance and horror on the Pelennor Fields
1. Part 1

Telling the Taelbook: Eril has to confront his demons before they overwhelm him again
1. Eril
Last edited by Akhenanat on Sun Jul 10, 2022 11:45 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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He'd been christened Hodr Enguson when he was carved, but it became clear that that name, while apt (Darkness, Son of No One) it did not begin to encompass all the potential he had within him. A child of three mothers, Âdhûn was doted on for the first few years of his life. Yet, slowly and inexorably, his family fell prey the wilds of time and rust, casting a pall on his early days. He was carved into a family who were adherents not of Mahal, but Maladûm, whom the rest of the world knew as Sauron. They were part of a clan that worked, labored, and crafted many of the mighty works of the Second and Third Ages. Âdhûn was a noted craftsman, especially with stone, but he longed for something else. He wanted to be a dwarf of action, of violence and mayhem. However, such a vocation was forbidden by the elders of his tribe. Though the served Sauron, they served him as engineer and sappers rather than warriors or killers. But he was never one for tradition. He began killing at a young age, falling in with a troupe of uruks who taught the young dwarf all they knew about hunting and gave him the nickname Âdhûn, meaning "alone" because of his lone status as the dwarf in their group. He excelled, but was forced to keep his accomplishments a secret from his own people, a burden that gnawed at him. After some time though, hunting was not enough. Âdhûn began stalking and hunting more than animals. One by one, he killed the members of the uruk hunting party from whom he'd learned so much, delighting in the savagery he could engage in. He continued on through his formative years, becoming a killer of infamy and renown. There were many hunts to find and stop "Ogzig" or "the Monster" but none of them were able to come close.

However, just because the dwarves of his clan could not find him and did not know about his killing activities, that did not mean his work went unnoticed and unappreciated. A member of the tribe of Easterlings hired him as an assassin and kill their leader to create a power vacuum. Âdhûn took the job with gusto, helping install the leader's youngest son as the new master of the tribe. He gained a reputation among the men and orcs of Sauron's principalities, and even a few dwarves outside his clan.

His undoing came when his sibling, Redeera, was carved by his last mother. When life was breathed into her, she was born an albino, rarity among dwarves, and a sign of great things to come. Immediately, Redeera was lifted up as a paragon of virtue, a prophetess with a connection to the Great Lord of the Dark himself. There was even rumor that the Nazgûl would come and grant her one of the Great Rings they had taken from traitorous clans. That was a step too far for Âdhûn who saw himself supplanted in the minds of his fellows (even if those fellows never knew it was really him). He killed Redeera and made a display of her corpse. He'd been so hasty and so rash, though, in his murder that he'd been seen and left clues behind. He was found out, caught, tried, and sentenced to die. On the day he was to be hanged, fortunately, he was rescued by agents of the Easterling leader and fled into exile.

But now his hunger had found a target. His sister could never have been allowed one of the Rings of Power, such a gift was meant for him and him alone. Now, truly Âdhûn, alone in the wilds, he began to make his play to show the Black Master that he was deserving.

Story Arcs

The Games Foxes Play: On a mission for the Shadows, Âdhûn decides a certain Gondorian needs learn manners before he's killed (with Tara)
1. "Wamgrim"
2. Delioron
3. "Wamgrim"
4. Delioron
5. "Wamgrim
6. Delioron
7. Âdhûn
8. Delioron
9. Âdhûn
10. Delioron
11. Âdhûn
12. Delioron
13. Âdhûn

A Theatre of Shadows: A young Hodr falls in with a group of orcs, until one day when it's not enough
Descendants of the Moon: An ambitious Easterling noble hires Âdhûn to kill his father and brothers
Clown is Dead: Redeera threatens all the Âdhûn has worked so hard to build
Glass Fractals: Âdhûn kills a traveling group of Easterlings, but finds a strange puzzle amidst their belongings
Apophis: Âdhûn comes face to face with Adûnaphel, and is given a task to complete to prove himself
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

New Soul
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Havohej Pantocrator wrote: Fri Jan 07, 2022 12:23 amEril Tirdirion
Ha! I still remember how you mentioned that Eril irked the living daylights out of you and a year and change later here we are. :grin: Looking forward to seeing how his life story will unfold.
She/her.
Solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant
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Balrog
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@Nessa Saelind it's amazing how characters change and grow the more they stick around, isn't it?

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Attention Fair Readers and Lurkers

Very soon I am going to be embarking on a Finnbarr story called "Rúna i Meglin" or "Free the Bears" in Quenya. It's going to be a fantastic story with Finnbarr teaming up with his old friends Amoneth and Amandil (the very same father of Elendil) to save the bears on the island of Númenor. I'll get to come up with all sorts of fantasy bears and show them off in this to story and I think it's going to be a lot of fun to write.

However, I will not lie, it's going to be a hard story to write as well. As anyone who knows me knows, I love bears. It is correct to say that I love bears more than I love people. This story is going to depict animal abuse. There's no way around it. It's going to depict the vile, inhuman treatment of bears on Númenor that reflects the vile treatment so many bears receive in the real world. I owe it to my bear brothers to tell the story as colorfully and as full as I can. I will put content warnings above each entry to remind anyone of this so they don't stumble into something horrific. I was considering simply adding an author's note at the end of each entry to tell people about my love for bears and why I'm writing such a sad, gut wrenching story, but that would get old so the archive it is.

The story takes place in the time that Ar-Pharazôn is ruling, discriminating against any and all elves he sees, and Sauron is on the island planting his dark seeds, another reflection of the world we live in where governments are uncaring at best or adversarial or actively hostile at worst. I am striving to make this fantasy story as impactful, honest, and real as I can. Also, that being said, it's not going to be easy for me to write a lot of what needs to be written because of how much I love bears in all their variety so don't expect parts to come in fast and firing.

The name of the story, Rúna i Meglin, comes from the fantastic organization, Free the Bears. Free the Bears is based in Australia and Southeast Asia that aims to rescue Asiatic Black Bears (also called Moon Bears) and Sun Bears from captivity in bile farms. They do fantastic work; I've donated to them dozens of times, bought all their bear plushes, and been a "bear carer". If anyone you have loved my stories about Osa, the Golden Moon Bear, her inspiration, Brandy is one of the many bears that Free the Bears cares for and looks after. After they rescue the bears from bile farms (often from cages that are so small the bears cannot move or even lay down) the are taken to a sanctuary where they can live the rest of their lives in as much comfort as we humans are able to give them. If you have loved any of my writings about bears or have endured my bear facts on Discord, please, please, please consider giving them a donation for the work they do. It would mean the absolute world to me.

I hope you enjoy the upcoming story and I hope it means as much to you reading it as it does to me writing it.
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Master Torturer
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Will the bears be like our bears, or will they think like humans? Cause if they think like humans I can possibly manage reading them getting hurt. But if they are like a pet (say a horse), then I might not make it through! But totally understand your need to vocalise it <3 Bookmarked the page for RL trib when I get some funds <3

Balrog
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@Winddancer, Unfortunately, the bears gonna be like our bears. I thought about doing a little from their POV but I decided against it because the things they are going to have to go through are really traumatic and I have neither the skills nor the desire to depict that in a way that would do them justice. If you end up not reading them, I won't blame you, the series is gonna move really slow because it just takes so much out of me as a writer and a reader. Take care of yourself first. :smiley17:

Onto some lighter news though! I've done some work on the archive, updated and adding stuff and such, one of the most important pieces that I've written was for "Jorgy Comes Out" in which he, quite literally, comes out. I won't bore you all with too much commentary on the post, but I will say that it was such a joy to write because it wasn't just Jorgy speaking in that post. It was me too. I've never had a "coming out" experience despite (like Jorgy) being ace; I've never been able to tell people that know me that I'm ace and have them open their arms to me (I did come out to someone but that's not something we're going to relive here). Being ace isn't easy to talk about because, in general, there's not much to say, it's an orientation based on the absence of attraction and it's quite hard to portray, it's like filling in parts of a picture with nothing there with an explanation for the lack of things. There aren't a ton of ace characters in film/books/television, in fact a lot of characters I consider to be ace is all head-canon. Like Jorgy, I saw both Frodo and Bilbo as shining examples of ace-ness. The professor's characterization of them is very good, not perfect, but good; their characters are rounded without a portion of their character being devoted to whom they might or might not be attracted to. It's not much to go on, but it's enough for me to have hope, and with my hope I can give Jorgy hope.

Also, on another note, Jorgy's playlist that once stood at a mere 15 songs has blossomed to a playlist with nearly 600 songs and 25 hours worth of lofi goodness to help anyone get into the Jorgy mindset.
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Master Torturer
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:heart: I will prolly not read it then, but glad you have a way of processing :)

And you know I am soo thankful that Nuplaza is inclusive, this would never have been allowed on OP and I am so grateful and relieved we have come this far and that you feel safe enough here to share. Nobody should have to come out, it should just be accepted. Maybe one day <3

Balrog
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While I will soon be asking that this post gets the adequate amount of tribute (aka 1,000 points), I first wanted to come in here and explain why I think it was so wonderful and so life-affirming.

Jorgy was finally able to come out, as the title suggested he would and, for me, it was a huge burden off my shoulders, to be able to be true to the character and give him the stage he deserved to be able to tell his story. Equally though, just like me, Jorgy experienced (or at least will in the closing out of the story arc) some trepidation, some worry about being accepted now that this revelation has been made.

Pearl's response was exactly what I hoped it would be (well, knew it would be considering it was written by @Zôrzimril). Pearl is perhaps the most tenderhearted, loving, and accepting character we have on the Plaza and Jorgy is very lucky to have her as a a friend. She welcomes him with open arms, she listens to him, she cares for him, and most importantly she accepts him. Everyone who comes out should have such a wonderful friend to help them through such an important and critical juncture in their life. Jorgy chose Pearl to come out to first for a reason, aside from my writing relationship with Tara, the relationship between Jorgy and Pearl is incredibly important for Jorgy as a character. His growth was initially stimulated by her friendship and her welcoming nature.

By the time he came to terms with who he is and how he feels, Pearl was the most important person in his life. It is safe to say he loves her, not in a romantic sense naturally, but in a very close, very special way. He opens up to her because he trusts her, he knows that he is safe with her and can share any part of himself with her without any form of judgement. She's seen him at his oddest, and now she's seen him at his most vulnerable and most open. Pearl is the ally that all people need when they are coming out and Tara portrays her affection and sincerity beautifully. Jorgy is, in my opinion, a much fuller and rounder character thanks to his interactions with Pearl and my own with Tara. If anyone wants to know how to write about being accepting, or being accepting in general, read this post and take notes.
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Black Númenórean
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This is a beautiful story, thank you for sharing it with us :rainbowheart:

And I'm so glad that this is a place that both you and Jorgy can be your authentic selves, and have the support of allies like Tara and Pearl. Showers of love to all of you!
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Evil is a lifestyle | she/her

Black Númenórean
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It’s been a great privilege to get to write this story with you, @Sorceress! You and Jorgy deserve the very best and I’m so glad the post lived up to your hopes for it. Pearl is a better character for her friendship with Jorgy, too!
she/her | Esta tierra no es mía, soy de la nocheósfera.

Master Torturer
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:heart: :heart: :heart:

Balrog
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From the time she was born, Tiam'at could tell she was meant for the sea. She bounced between homes of relatives in what used to be Arnor who willing to take her in after her parents disappeared on a hunting trip until she wound up in Bar-in-Gonagwelu and happened to catch sight of the Pearl Queen coming into port. She snuck away from her uncle, a man that paid so little attention to her he didn't realize she was missing for three days, during the night and signed up for as a cabin boy aboard the elven vessel. It was there she attracted the attention of Amoneth, the ship's resident surgeon. They realized that Tiam'at was struggling with her identity and agreed to mentor her through her transition so that she could become her true self with counseling and various herbs. Despite having never been to sea (or even a river) before, Tiam'at mastered many of the crafts necessary for her to survive at sea, much faster than her fellow cabin boys and rose through the ranks during her first voyage. By the time they made port once again, she was promoted to ordinary seaman despite not spending the requisite full year at sea. Within just three years with the crew, she climbed the ranks to boatswain's mate and transitioned, taking the name Tiam'at to signify her newly found identity.

During her time there, the Pearl Queen was largely concerned with finding, hunting, and driving off whalers from Lindon or Minhiriath. She learned how to fight and kill, how to survive, and most importantly how to lead while she was with the ship. By the time her contract with the ship was up, she'd attained the second master. She went with Amoneth's blessing with a promise to stay in touch with the surgeon wherever she went.

She took a job on a merchant vessel transporting goods from one end of Gondor to the other and, while she continued to climb the ranks, found it dull and lifeless compared to her service aboard the Pearl Queen. On her final mission, the ship was captured by a pirate ship called the Grand Conjuration. She was given the opportunity to join the crew or to die. The choice was, as it happened, an easy one. She excelled on the ship under the eye of one Frost, and soon found her niche. She might have missed hunting down whalers, but hunting for treasure and spoils was a good enough distraction. Again, Tiam'at rose through the ranks until she was made second mate, learning how to navigate in nearly any of the waters the Grand Conjuration went. While there, she had relationships with both Frost and Narrien, the captain's yeoman. In fact, it was she alone that knew Narrien was pregnant when she left with Frost's youngest daughter, even though the two had not communicated in years.

After nearly ten years with Frost, she knew it was time to buy her own ship and be her own captain. Thus came the Queen Berúthiel's Revenge. She quickly became an infamous pirate, able to appear and reappear almost like magic (she certainly played into the myths about her to increase her legendary status). She was able to pull off raids in both Minas Tirith and Lothlórien without anyone knowing who she was or how she'd gotten so close. She lost an eye in a fight with a Swan Knight in Dol Amroth, but considering she managed to kill him, she got the better end of the deal. Despite her grandiose reputation, however, she was forced to work for several Fisher Kings, gangsters and mob lords scattered across Middle-earth to make sure the ship was maintained and the crew fed. She fell increasingly into debt to the Antiquarian and the Ironmonger, doing jobs she would never have considered on her own. In fact, one mission for the Antiquarian was to find and kill a rare species of whale so he could have the skull mounted in his home.

She caught wind of a plot, though, that would end her dependence on the Fisher Kings once and for all: she overheard the Antiquarian talking about a trafficking ring run by a man known only as BC. If she broke the ring up, not only would the authorities of Pelargir and Dol Amroth be off her back, but her debts would be nil to a dead man. She was about to recruit Narrien, her old lover when the worst happened...

Story Arcs


Rousing Leviathan: Tiam'at learns what it means to be a whaler hunter in truth
Jib: the doldrums of cargo hauling are broken up when Tiam'at is chased down by pirates
The Jaws of Saturn: Frost and Tiam'at explore an underwater cave system but find more than they bargained for
Hoist the Colors: The Queen Berúthiel's Revenge's first mission is a success, at first
Sing to Me in the Deep: The Antiquarian wants a rare specimen of whale and Tiam'at has to decide where her loyalties lie
Volley'd and Thunder'd: Tiam'at is nearly caught in Dol Amroth and pays for her freedom with the loss of an eye
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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Carníheniel & the Spiders
Carníheniel's Playlist

Carníheniel, the Lady of the Red Eyes, the Monster of the Angmar Mountains, the Eldritch Mother. She has many names and many stories. The greatest child of Ungoliant, she was found by Sauron on one of his many secret sojourns outside of Angband during the time of the Watchful Peace and brought back. She was fed the living flesh of orcs, trolls, and wolves from the hand of Sauron himself and given power beyond something her size should have had. She became a favorite of Morgoth's lieutenant and went with him everywhere, watching and learning from the shadows. Despite the animosity shown her by the other power denizens of the caverns and fortresses of the Dark Lord because of the battle between Morgoth and her mother, Carníheniel made allies that served her well in the coming days of war. Before the Dagor Bragollach, she befriended the goblin lord Fleeg and, during the battle, allied with him to swarm and overwhelm an elven fortress.

Once she was free from Angband, Carniheniel immediately began to fill the world with her webs, ensnaring all sorts of elves, men, and dwarves. Even her erstwhile allies were not immune to the hungry reach of her webs, Fleeg was forced to make a bargain with the spider when she managed to ensnare a good portion of his army outside the Isle of Werewolves, where her master held court. The older she got, the more hungry she became and she began to wonder far and wide in search of something that could sate her hunger, going so far south that she eventually ran into her mother, the great Ungoliant. After a lesson in humility in which she only narrowly avoided being eaten, Carníheniel largely abandoned the wars in Beleriand, deeming them of low interest to her in her ongoing quest to satiate the hunger that continued to grow within her. She blamed her mother for the fault in her biology and vowed to accomplish what her mother could only dream of- destroying the stars

After the fall of Morgoth and the sinking of Beleriand, the Eldritch Mother fled to what would later be called the Mountains of Angmar and spread her vast, black webs across the peaks, ensnaring anything and everything that came within her sight. She sent some spiders to aid her former master in his wars against the elves out of friendship, but did not deign to go herself. It was not a matter in which she had a stake, therefore she could not be troubled with the outcome. She captured Arioch, a vampire lord, and forced him to beg her for his release, wounding his pride. She did, however, offer an alliance should he happen to wander into her webs again and he grudgingly accepted. One goal which she was never able to achieve was coming to Númenor, which she felt would have gained her access to the power she needed to devour the stars. She was too large herself to sneak to the island her and her children were either too unruly or too easily captured and killed on the ships they stowed away on. Perhaps the entire world can breath a collective sigh of relief then.

While less famous than her younger sister, Carníheniel nevertheless played an important, if indirect, role in the shaping of events of the Third Age. She sent spiders to Minas Ithil at the request of the former Witch-King of Angmar and sent more to Mirkwood to spin their ensnaring webs in the now poisoned forest. Still, she has little need or desire to remove herself from her mountain fastness, feeling safe to spin her webs of silk and intrigue. The Monster of the Angmar Mountains is content to watch events unfold from afar...
Story Arcs

Erebus: Carníheniel is found by Sauron and brought to be nurtured in Angband
Said the Spider to the Fly: Carníheniel happens upon a very hungry Ungoliant
Cast My Name in Salt and Stone: The Avatar is nearby and Carníheniel wants to talk with him
May the Unlight Shine Upon Us: Not everyone is arachnophobic, even Carníheniel has a cult devoted to her
Web Sight: The Eldritch Mother sees all
Forever the Pole-Star: an old ally turns into a possible enemy
No Fly-Zone: Carniheniel tries to get to Númenor
Nyx: The tenuous friendship of the spider and the goblin
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Wainrider
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@Hop-Frog Hi! How do you make your characters' avatars?

Balrog
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@Ancalagon the Black! So nice of you to drop in! My icon making process was a very throw enough spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks. In terms of the images themselves, only a few of them were purposefully picked out to represent a character already in my mind (Frost, Walpurga, Finnbarr, and Jorgy are the outliers there), I just searched for images I thought were interesting in some way and the developed the character around the broad strokes of the image itself.

In terms of actually making the icons though, I use GIMP, size the image so that the face, or most of the face, fits in a 70x70 box then put four 1x1 pixel borders around it using colors from the image itself or the color I use for their POV text, then viola

I have a great fondness for searching for images through Twitter, DeviantArt, and ArtStation and I have many, many images that speak to me in ever so slight ways. Most of them of them haven't been made into icons yet, but give me time!
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Wainrider
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@Hop-Frog
I'm looking to create avatars for various Haradrim chieftians and kings etc. Gotta learn image making :)

Balrog
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Whilst I am far from someone you could call proficient in the art of icon/avatar making, I would gladly be of help when and where I could in your endeavor
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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Greetings one and all, lurkers, sneaks, and watchers! For the next few posts here in the archive I’m going to give some commentary on the playlists I’ve made for each character, or set of characters as it sometimes the case, and hopefully give some insight into both the characters themselves and my own processes in creating them. Under normal circumstances I think song-by-song analysis is tedious, it was something I explicitly refused to do during my days as a music reviewer; however, I think in this circumstance a song-by-song break down will give the best insight into a character (woe to me when it comes time to write Jorgy’s commentary with over 700 songs and 30 hours’ worth of lo-fi music). Each playlist will get a spotlight, thus making sure characters like the Frostdóttirs have their day despite not yet having their own entry (yet).

Music, as you might have guessed, is very important to me both within and without writing. I used to write music reviews professionally and during that time I went from writing standard reviews about the sound quality, vocals, and entertainment value of music to something deeper. I began to look at music the way a literary theorist looks at text. I looked for narrative patterns, how production quality affected the flow of the music, how we the listener had a choice in what the music meant or didn’t mean, and so on. While I don’t do much music reviewing anymore, the idea stuck with me that music is text too, that it’s a story just as much as a book or a film or a series. That sort of mindset was how I went into creating these playlists. They not only inform the internal voice of the character, but the external forces pushing them. Some people, when making a character-based playlist, want to create a mood in which they create the character or in which they feel the characters attitudes. That’s a very good approach. It’s not what I do, but it’s still a good approach. I only bring this up because I don’t want it said or believed that I think my way of creating these is the only/best way. Each writer or creator has to make a playlist that suits them and their needs.

Without further ado, let’s get started. Frost, naturally, is up first. He’s the first character I really developed on NuPlaza (having no actual development or background from OP) and thus is probably my most complex and strange. I used mostly black metal for him with a few instances of film soundtracks or instrumental music. Frost is a very aggressive, very angry fellow and the black metal that I’ve picked speaks to that. Black metal is, after all, all about rebellion, being subversive and transgressive, and looking into the darker aspects of humans and philosophy. Sounds a bit like Frost, yeah?


1) Fire of Motion, Zeal & Ardor – You’re going to be getting a lot of Zeal & Ardor here so you might as well get used to them. Fire of Motion is the theme song, if one were inclined to call it that, for Frost. It’s catchy and kinetic, and very, very aggressive. While it’s a short song with only about 4 lines of lyrics, it’s a powerful song, enough to encompass the broad strokes of Frost as well as the nuances of his character.
2) Sorceress, Opeth – Expect to see a lot of Opeth here too, they’re one of my oldest favorites and have a ton of music to help bring out different aspects of Frost. Sorceress really points to Frost’s magickal nature as well as his genderfluidity. It’s a song about witchcraft and its control over the more religiously inclined.
3) Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer, Behemoth – Occult and satanic references, aggression, heresy, what more could a song do to represent Frost? He’s disdainful of any sort of devotion to the Valar or anything in “the West” in general, seeing it with a very Nietzschean worldview, religion is a stumbling block to true nobility
4) Golden Liar, Zeal & Ardor – I told you to expect them, right? Golden Liar comes from the latest album by Zeal & Ardor, it really speaks to the quiet intensity I like to think Frost embodies, with a lot of country/folk sounds and audio themes
5) Ov Fire and the Void, Behemoth – Another Behemoth song means more occult and satanic references, yay! This song in particular has a lot of pseudo-Christ like narration, Frost thinks he’s hot shire, it’s an arrogant and catchy song that plays well into Frost’s self-aggrandization
6) Reptile, Dimmu Borgir – One of my favorite songs from Dimmu and way back in their catalogue before “they went mainstream” and relied less on sweeping orchestral black metals sounds and gave a more intimate, intimidating sound. A song about serving the devil, it fits Frost’s personality and history (service to the Nazgûl and other sinister shadowy folk).
7) A Skin for Dancing In, Akercocke – You might recognize this song only because it’s the title of one his more interesting ongoing solo stories (his only one at the moment actually), arguably a song about possession, it’s a song that has a lot of erotic overtones, perfectly paired with the story that I’m writing and his overall personality
8) Son of the Morning, Dissection – Dissection, despite the front man being a complete asshole, was an amazing narrative band. Son of the Morning is an older part of the catalogue, a praise of the son of the morning (you can figure out who that is on your own), it embodies a lot of Frostian qualities about creating chaos and hopeless and darkness, etc.
9) Nemesis, Azaghal – A band I learned a lot about during my days as a reviewer, I found them mostly to be repetitive and uncreative, however Nemesis stands out from their entire discography as something catchy and unique. It uses both clean and harsh vocals and embodies a lot of aggression
10) The Somberlain, Dissection – My favorite song, bar none. Ostensibly, it’s a song from the point of view of the grim reaper, something Frost can get behind, especially the line “I’m eternal night, I’m the Somberlain, precede my evil, divine, domain”
11) Dusk and Her Embrace, Cradle of Filth – Probably the most recognizable song for nonmetal heads (or maybe just the band), this is the title track of an album devoted to retelling the story of Carmilla, a vampire story that predated Stoker and contained a lot of subversive sexual themes and lesbian eroticism, perfect for a character that is genderfluid and very active
12) Better Grieved than Fooled, Anata – Another of my favorite songs, it’s largely instrumental but the music is incredibly complex, technical, and aggressive
13) Dance of the Black Genii, Melechesh – A short instrumental track really meant as a transition piece both in the original album and here on the playlist, it’s dark and sinister with lots of folkloric implications
14) In Nomine Domine, Funeral Mist – Don’t let the name full you, this is not a Christian track (you’re not going to find anything like that in a playlist like this), in fact it has one of my favorite lines every “see now the brimstone of my psalms come alive” which evocates all sorts of evil apocalyptic rhetoric that Frost embodies
15) Delirium, Satyricon – The only track to actual features Frost, as in the real Frost, Kjetil-Vidar Haraldstad, naturally I have to include it, but it also embodies a sense of etherealness and trance-like vision that I want to be able to cultivate in Frost at times
16) Of Stars and Smoke, Candlemass – I love Candlemass and their brand of epic doom metal. This song has a lot of somewhat depressing, but also comforting philosophical points that informed Frost’s upbringing and his overall life philosophy
17) Bad Moon Rising, Minotaur Jr. – I’m a fan of the original song, and this cover track embodies the sinister, dark nature of the song very well. I heard it on Big Sky and fell in love with the way the lyrics and the melody meld
18) We Never Fall, Zeal & Ardor – This song only exists in live format, which gives it an energy that might be lacking in a studio release, it’s raw and aggressive (sensing a theme yet?)
19) Deathstroking/Creating an Army with a Needle, Blake Neely – While I think the Arrow series was largely a dud, the music was amazing, particular the theme music for Deathstroke, the music is confrontational and bombastic, when Frost wants something and gets angry about it, this is the music that plays in my head
20) Bloodfest, Brian Rietzell – Be honest, you know a Hannibal track was going to appear at some point. This track is beautiful and it overlays one of the most brutal scenes in Hannibal’s second season, both physically and emotionally
21) The Grand Conjuration, Opeth – Such a great track I named Frost’s ship after it. It’s a song about the consequences of summoning the devil, poignant, no?
22) Thy Raven Wings, My Dying Bride – Dark, gothic, and doomy, My Dying Bride are an essential part of the aesthetic that Frost as built, not to mention corvids
23) Riphon – The Tree of Assiyah Putrescent, Mephorash – Pure occultic goodness with a lot of sinister overtones whilst creating a rich, bombastic atmosphere
24) Cold Mouth Prayer, Marduk – I created this playlist and I’m shocked I didn’t add more Marduk, whose evil satanic message goes pretty hand in hand with Frost’s personality. Cold Mouth Prayer is hyper aggressive and hyper blasphemous
25) Erase, Zeal & Ardor – More Zeal & Ardor! The way Manuel delivers the line “I will erase your memory” is chilling, the whole song is a roller coaster of moods going from quiet to loud at the drop of a pin
26) Entering the Pylon ov Light, Behemoth – It belongs in Behemoth’s overproduced days of their discography but it’s still an amazing, on the nose representation of Frost
27) Chosen by No One, Nachtmystium – Despite Judd Nelson, the front man of Nachtmystium, being a scamming, grifting P.O.S., this album was amazing, throwing moody jazz with ambient black metal
28) Any Kind of Magic or Miracle, Anata – The last 2-3 minutes of this song are amazing, bar none. It’s weird, but it gets me emotional almost every time I hear it
29) Isolation, Altars of Grief – Slow and plodding, but dripping with deep meaning and deeper emotions, Isolation is the song that plays in Frost’s most introspective moments
30) Drink My Blood, Mindkult – At one point, Frost had some cannibalistic tendencies, they haven’t quite gone away so I can add this fuzzy doomy song about transubstantiation
31) Faith, Hope, Self-Deception, Anata – Frost’s overall belief about religion, made plain once more
32) Summoning Lupine, Leviathan – While much of Leviathan’s catalogue doesn’t interest me, this song gives me creepy vibes, which Frost has in spades
33) Evil Man, Doctor Smoke – Occult Rock is one of my favorite subgenres, and Doctor Smoke created the perfect anthem for Frost here
34) Lucifer’s the Light of the World, King Dude – King Dude is, well, a king. Going back to the vibe of Golden Liar from Zeal & Ardor, this song really amplifies it and infuses it with whisky blues
35) Black Bird Rising, Black Bird Rising – Someone I found tucked in a corner in Bandcamp in my days of reviewing, I found this song, indeed this entire EP to be a beautiful, soulful version of all the gothic blues I’ve listed here
36) What is a Killer Like You Gonna Do Here?, Zeal & Ardor – To round out this little excursion into bluesy devil rock, I have one of my favorites from the first Zeal & Ardor album
37) SHERlocked, David Arnold – A nice little piece I added to connect Tara’s Zôr character (modeled after Laura Pulver) to Frost
38) Sacrilegium I, Zeal & Ardor – An odd sort of hip-hop esque piece from Zeal & Ardor’s first album, one of the tracks that really told you “we aren’t like every other black metal band”
39) Verbis Diaboli, Khaospath – I heard about Khaospath during my days as a reviewer and soon the front man became a very good friend of mine, this album is what I call Shakespearean Black Metal
40) The Storm I Ride, I – Sometimes, even Frost needs to let loose and be bombastic
41) Directionless Resurrectionist, A Forest of Stars – Probably the band I know the least about, A Forest of Stars still has a wonderful, atmospheric quality to them, a sinister sound that would not be out of place in a folk horror soundtrack
42) Sewages of the Mind, Anata – More Anata, more religious disdain
43) The Pacific, AHAB – There’s a lot of metal that focuses on the sea and the ocean, but no one quite hits the mark like AHAB, they know exactly what sort of music is needed to personify the sea
44) My Eternal Grief, Anguish Never Ending, Nargaroth – A relatively famous act within black metal that I actually got to interact with during my reviewer days, Nargaroth has been able to change and adapt to the current sounds of black metal with every album
45) Ballade Auf Den Tod, Ellende – Moody, atmospheric black metal with lots of folkish elements, gives some depth to Frost’s introspection
46) Children of the Urn, Funeral Mist – Funeral Mist knows how to create a creepy atmosphere that would feel right at home in a horror film while still feeling aggressive and mean spirited
47) Fires in the Dark, Enslaved – Enslaved know exactly how to craft their aesthetic, album after album, this particular track adds some weight to the many emotions that Frost experiences
48) Winter Thrice, Borknagar – I gave this title to one of the Frostdóttirs’ stories not only because I love the mood and atmosphere, but also because it connects with Frost’s shifting emotional state
49) The First Snow, Lustre – I didn’t add as much atmospheric black metal as I could have, or that I really wanted, so when I added this one I wanted it to convey all the emotional depth I could cram into a single song
50) Dualism, Spectral Lore – As with the above song, I wanted to do my best to find a song that encapsulated Frost’s less aggressive and sinister side while still giving him a sharp edge
51) Fenris Gangr, Arckanum – And we’re back to mean and aggressive, the lofi production here gives the music (and thus Frost’s atmosphere) a bestial, feral edge
52) The Fields of Reckoning, Winterfylleth – I will go out of my way to justify adding Winterfylleth to a playlist, just listen to it and tell me it doesn’t belong, I dare you
53) Beyond Light – Beautiful and Malignant, Twilight – The final track of the playlist, it had to be one that packed a punch. Twilight is a US black metal supergroup composed of some of the biggest underground names, several of them have appeared elsewhere on this playlist, this track exemplifies the creeping, sinister atmosphere I’ve been going for, along with the aggressive, showiness that Frost is so well known for

So there you have it, a 53 track playlist that clocks in at just over 5 hours long, it’s a journey, complicated and twisty, in the mind of a character I’ve devoted (probably too much) time to. There’s no way to really boil his character down into a simple list of traits, but hopefully this list, this collection of sounds and texts, give you an insight into his mind and the way I want to portray him.
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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Next up on our list of playlist commentary is one of my personal favorites: Walpurga. Originally, she was conceived as a sort of joke about Frost being very… fertile, but soon she became much more. Of all the Frostdottirs running around and causing trouble, she is my favorite, she has the most depth and the most complex story with a dozen or so different characters and events orbiting her and giving her support. Of all the characters I’ve made, Walpurga might be the most deserving of happiness. She’s had a rough life up until the point she was introduced and even thing things didn’t work out for her. Despite being a Rohir, Walpurga didn’t belong in Rohan. I think I realized that early on when I started writing her, however I tied myself into knots by having her join the Rohan Cavalry and get to know a several other characters therein. She (and I) needed a clean break. Once we got it, her story and all the possibilities blossomed. I created a set of characters in Gondor that would become her family, Vipsania and her relentless bodyguard, Ystr. Vipsania has sort of been introduced but she’s still yet to get a proper arc to her name for me to show her off. I would never call myself a romance writer, but damn I’m gonna try with these two. They both deserve all the happiness in the world.

The playlist I made for Walpurga reflects that desire. It shows a lot of how things are and how Walpurga and I want things to be. There are soft moments, quiet moments of reflection and beauty, that speak to just how positive Walpurga has tried to stay throughout all her trials and the hope she has for the future. There are faster paced moments as well, moments where she and I both feel a bit swept up and out of control of events, thankfully I’m steering the boat so I know things will be okay, no matter how tired and lonely things get. I will admit, I’m not nearly that hopeful and I didn’t have near as lonely a childhood as her (though I did have a rather solitary one). Walpurga represents the part in me that wants to hope even when I see no point in that hope. I want that hope, for Walpurga, to pay off in spades. One of the biggest influences I found for Walpurga’s character development was the podcast “The Far Meridian”. It is an absolutely beautiful story about a girl who conquers her fears (agoraphobia) to search for her missing brother. It’s been called hopepunk on a few occasions and I think subconsciously I’ve tried to make a lot of Walpurga’s story similar despite having never heard of hopepunk as a genre until a few months ago.


1) Window, The Album Leaf – This is Walpurga’s theme song, it’s also the opening track to The Far Meridian’s first season. It’s an absolutely beautiful ambient piece that always gets me, it’s quiet and full of hope
2) Dirty Paws, Of Monsters and Men – Right off the heels of the first song comes this one, a song I’ve loved since I first heard it on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, it has the same hopeful ambience with a sense of accomplishment and motion. I used the title of the song for Walpurga’s arrival in Minas Tirith because I wanted to story to be about new beginnings and the hope they bring
3) Into the Unknown, Taylor Davis – Into the Unknown is going to show up a lot, fair warning. I love this instrumental version because it captures the spirit Walpurga had when she finally left Rohan behind and decided to find who she was, it’s the song of the first step in her journey
4) Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, Sebastian Bach – Vipsania is a violin player, another inspiration from The Far Meridian, and this song has some special significance there, and thus it has special significance in the relationship between Walpurga and Vipsania
5) Together or Not at All, Murray Gold – Moving right along, I think I did a fantastic job in the ordering of this playlist because this song is about commitment to one another in the face of oblivion. I love the story of Amy and Rory and their timeless love; I can only hope Walpurga and Vipsania have the same impact on people
6) Uncertain Truth, Misc.Inc – I found this track when I was making Jorgy’s playlist and knew it fit here with Walpurga as well. I’m not much of a romantic mood setter with music, but I really think this song as kinetic potential
7) Goldberg Variations, Sebastian Bach – Bach and Walpurga really get along, don’t they? This one encapsulates Walpurga’s moods: quiet and cerebral, but also tactile and haunting
8) Ella, Myrkur – I love Myrkur, something a lot of elitist black metal fans would kill me for saying, on her latest album, an all folk music album, Ella stands out as a piece that exemplifies vulnerability and strength without either overpowering one another
9) Ghost Love Score, Nightwish – Perhaps I should have moved this song up in the playlist, as it’s the epic, sweeping song from Nightwish that’s fit for a ballroom. This is the song of Walpurga’s an Vipsania’s first dance, it has to be epic
10) Over the Hills and Far Away, Patty Gurdy – Hurdy gurdy music is amazing, I don’t care what anyone says, this rendition of Over the Hills and Far Away isn’t as bold and symphonic as Nightwish’s, but that’s really the point here
11) Sacrilegium II, Zeal & Ardor – Come on, you knew they’d show up at least once here, right? This instrumental track isn’t quite as blasphemous and evil as the others on the album, in fact it’s downright joyful in my opinion
12) The Laments of Vardan’s Mother, Yeghish Manoukian – I’ve loved duduk music, Manoukain’s in particular, for decades, ever since I heard it on the Gladiator soundtrack, it’s wonderful for mournful, introspective pieces like this that reminds me (and the reader too hopefully) that not everything is roses all the time, even if things are going well for you
13) It’s You, It’s Me, It’s Us, The Newton Brothers – The Haunting of Bly Manor turned into a wonderful ghost lesbian love story, and this was the foundation track for all that feeling and emotion, this song represents just how strong Vipsania and Walpurga are together
14) We Go On, The Newton Brothers – I didn’t mean to have the same composers twice in a row, but I think it fits here, and it’s from Doctor Sleep not Haunting of Bly Manor so I think I deserve a pass, it acts as a companion piece to the song before it, rounding out each character’s emotions
15) Blood to Give, Karl S. Williams – I’ve been a fan of Karl S. Williams ever since I found him in the mire of Bandcamp during my review days. This song is chipper, despite the message of the lyrics, I think it fits Walpurga wonderfully
16) Into the Unknown, Panic! At the Disco – I’ll admit, I know nothing about Panic! At the Disco, but then again, I’m into black metal, not emo/punk, still the vocals are amazing and give Walpurga’s journey song an epic quality
17) Disappear, H.1 & Essence – Another lofi track I found whilst making Jorgy’s list, I thought the stillness of this track was perfect to help portray Walpurga’s sense of longing
18) We Have It All, Pim Stones – Initially I put this song into Ella and Marion’s playlist (more to come on that) because it’s about how incompatible Frost is with any of his lovers or children because of his ambitions, it fits here though, because Walpurga longs to know who he was despite knowing he’s not a good man
19) Up in Flame, Ruelle – Walpurga has a very angry side to her, a gift from her father, and it’s appeared more than once already, just as the guy that tried to hurt her little skunk baby, well he can’t answer because he’s dead with his jaw ripped off
20) Black Moon, Cellar Darling – More angry music for Walpurga, less an anthem of powerfulness and more and angst-ridden shout of defiance to the natural order, Walpurga has no more shire to give
21) Into the Unknown, Hye Na Park – The last of the renditions of Into the Unknown, I loved the vocals and the language on this one (Korean), despite Walpurga not having that cultural influence, I felt this rendition of the song really captured her
22) Leaden, A Tergo Lupi – Quiet but meaningful folk music speaks to Walpurga’s rural upbringing, even though it wasn’t a great childhood (at all) it was still formative and gave her a lot of her personality, that and her love of strange animals that should not be kept as pets
23) The Unquiet Grave, Karliene – What romantic story isn’t complete with a little graveyard angst? I told her before, I’m not the best romance writer so take it with a grain of salt
24) Simply the Best, Noah Reid – If you know me, you know I love Schitt’s Creek, especially Patrick and David’s romance. I took a cue from Dan Levy when he talked about their relationship, homophobia is a tiresome storyline and not worth writing, Walpurga and Vipsania don’t care who approves or disapproves (spoiler alert everyone loves them and accepts them because it’s not that hard), it’s the perfect way to end the playlist, a reminder how just how much they love each other

While not nearly as long as Frost’s playlist, I think Walpurga has more depth and more nuance in just 24 songs than her father does in 53. It’s full of happiness and joy, but also the realities of life and heartbreak. Walpurga is one of those characters that appears and the more you look at her, the more fully formed she becomes. In reality, though, she was never a simple, two dimensional character, she was always complex and deep and wonderful, it just took me a second to see it all.
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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Eglerion di Bordelais

Born in the wine rich regions of Southern Gondor, Eglerion learned to love food from an early age. He learned how to cook it and eat it but most importantly he learned to appreciate it. Food was not just something to fuel the work of the day ahead, it was love letters, it was a bridge, it was way to remember all the things we cannot afford to forget. Food was culture, culture was food. To Eglerion, they were one and the same. The fifth son of a minor noble, he took up cooking as his profession, much to the chagrin of his parents. When he opened his first restaurant though, he seemed to have won them over. He was able to showcase his passion and knowledge, and his hunger to learn and grow.

However, the road to happiness and success was not a straight one, and sometimes it was possible to lose one's way entirely amongst the weeds. Even though his restaurant did well, the first of it's kind in the Bordaelais region, Eglerion was forced to fight his way through addictions, often losing the fight. The restaurant, and as a result his family's name, suffered. In his darkest hour, Eglerion refused his family's aid and support, falling deeper into despair, addiction, and debt.

The restaurant closed and Eglerion was forced to live on the streets for a time, a sobering encounter with an elf reminded Eglerion of gave him joy. The journey back to sobriety was not an easy one, it had many pitfalls, false starts, and wrong turns, but he made progress, determined reignite his passion for food, drink, and culture. He knew, though, that it was time for him to move on from his home in Southern Gondor. It was time to travel the world, to see and understand all the myriad cultures that Middle-earth had to offer and to see them in their own environment, not sanitized and prettied up for a "civilized" audience. He wrote extensively of all the places he went and all the things he saw, urging anyone reading his travelogue to follow the same path, or at the very least, live a little outside themselves and experience the world.

Note: this new character is obviously based on Anthony Bourdain, a hero of mine: chef, writer, tv show host, traveloguer, addict. It's been a little over 4 years since we lost him to suicide and it still feels a bit raw remember that he's no longer here. I remember watching his shows when I was younger and seeing all the places he went and foods he ate, it inspired me to want to do similar things, to go off the beaten track and explore the world in my own way rather than someone else's. Hopefully what I write will do some justice to him and that wherever he is, he gets a laugh out of being turned into a Tolkien character.

Story Arcs

Parts Unknown: travelogue episodes from all over the world, focusing on the parts that most Gondorians know next to nothing about
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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Lady Gîzan & Duathion
Lady Gîzan & Duathion's Playlist

An odd couple to be sure, Gîzan and Duathion were born in the lands of Rhûn, far from the forbidding shores of Umbar. Duathion was born in the slave pits of Carcosa, a forbidding, corpse of a city in the farthest, most inaccessible parts of the East. He was trained to be a gladiator for the amusement of the nobles whose whims changed as often as the wind. He managed to survive, but it was not through good fortunes of any means. He fought a hundred matches against an array of foes that would have given even the Númenóreans of old pause. He fought orcs, men, trolls, and monsters that the Western world had no conceptions of. In Carcosa, the dead city, there are many things that defy rational and logical explanation. Sometimes when he lost, he won, and sometimes when he won, he lost. There was no way to tell how a bout out to be fought in order to come out alive and intact. The world was an strange and unforgiving place for the young uruk; had he been born closer to Mordor and the tribes of his own people, he might have learned a little kindness, but in Carcosa, he learned naught but the ways of blood and madness. He attracted the attention of a noble with strange proclivities, who bought him and brought him to his house with the intention of making him a stud.

Gîzan was the child of an Easterling merchant, a poor one with debts that far outstripped his income. As a result, the merchant sold his only daughter, settling his debt but not his conscience. He drank himself to death within a few months of making the deal in some back alley bar with not much more than grain alcohol on the menu. She was bought and sold a half dozen times, each time moving closer and closer to the dreadful city of Carcosa. She was willful and defiant, earning more than a few stripes across her back, and often owners had no patience with her. She was, however, considered beautiful and exotic for that part of the world, fetishized, and thusly her worth only grew as she aged. She was nearing her maturity when she was bought by the same noble that had bought Duathion, believing that they would make a good breeding pair.

The two turned the tables, however, after bonding, and killed the noble, setting his manse alight and escaping across the dead still lake that ever encroached upon the city. They were pursued by monstrous, otherworldly hounds and other unnatural creatures, but eventually they escaped completely, leaving the horrors of the Yellow City behind them. The pair travelled west, toward the great cities of Umbar and Minas Tirith. Before they arrived, they were given an unwelcomed, but perhaps necessary, dose of reality. Orcs and humans were not meant to be companions or partners or lovers. They would not be welcomed in the White City any more than they might have been in the Yellow City. They turned to the port city of Umbar and there determined that they would start their rise, from slaves to lords.


Story Arcs

Luna Malefica: Lady Gîzan and Duathion seek an alliance with a very dangerous, eccentric force in Umbar
1. Part 1
2. Part 2
3. Part 3

Shadows Over Umbar
The Hounds of Cuiviénen
The Old Familiar
Beyond the Mountains of Madness
The Yellow Sign
The Whip-Poor-Wills
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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Next on the playlist examination tour is Finnbarr Galedeep. Originally conceived as a tribute to one of my favorite characters in fantasy, Finnbarr quickly became more than that. He was still a salty sea dog (sea otter even), but he grew as I decided where in Middle-earth’s history I wanted to place him. He’s the most unelf-like of all my elven characters, often forgoing any or all of the trappings of Tolkien’s elves in favor of a more pirate persona (especially if you happen to be a whaler anywhere within earshot of him). From the beginning, Finnbarr was meant for the sea and the music I’ve picked out for him reflects that; most, though not all, of the music is nautical to some degree or another. However, I didn’t want to throw in too many sea shanties. Why? Well, as much as I love them (and I do, believe me) sea shanties give an air of lightness and frivolity. I know this isn’t the case with all of them and each sea shanty has a history, but by and large it’s what I’ve noticed in their tune. Finnbarr, as a character, isn’t light and frivolous. He’s an old elf, older than the sun by a matter of years (the whole Valian years thing makes it weird but we’re not here to get into that too much), and thus has “seen some shi(t)”. The band AHAB is really perfect for him; they call themselves nautical doom and it’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect. They’re slow, ponderous, and thunderous, perfect for a lot of Finnbarr’s more stormy moods and darker than grey history. That is not to say that there is never anything happy or light in Finnbarr’s life. As an elf over 7,000 years old, he’s had some happy times as well, and those are reflected in the more bombastic songs as well as the sea shanties that sneak in. Finnbarr has experienced such a wide range of emotions that it would be criminal to pigeonhole him into a single feeling. However, above everything, above happiness or sadness or tragedy, is the sea. Above everything in Finnbarr’s life, no matter what friends he makes or loses, no matter what heights or depths he reaches, his one truest love is the sea. Likely more than any other elf (including the great shipwright, Círdan himself) he understood the longings of the Númenóreans to be on the ocean. But his love, as we know, goes deeper. He cares for the sea and all the creatures in it. More so than anyone else in the entire world, Finnbarr understood the life within the sea and sought to protect it from the intrusions of any power, be they man, elf, or orc. This playlist, I hope, shows his devotion not just to the sea and all the aesthetics of that, but also the life within the sea.

1) Beneath the Sun, AHAB – The signature Finnbarr song, it starts of low, slow, and melodic before hitting you out of nowhere with a huge guitar rift that shifts the energy of the entire song (and the album beyond it), like a storm it goes from calm to angry in a flash
2) The Longing – Hurdy Gurdy Version, Patty Gurdy – A hurdy gurdy sounds like, and looks like, a rather silly instrument, but the melodies it can create are downright bouncy; imagine a decent looking child of a piano and bagpipes and you’ll be on the right track
3) Up North, Borknagar – Borknagar is an important band for Finnbarr, but not necessarily because of theme or aesthetic reasons, it was this song I chose to have him sing during the Fall of Thargelion, a heart-rending ode to nature and the seasons
4) The Leper Affinity, Opeth – I did tell you Opeth was going to appear a lot in these playlists, this song in particular was quite popular during Opeth’s more death metal focused years, a lot of aggression spread out over emotionally laden guitar riffs
5) Avalanche, Cellar Darling – More hurdy gurdy! It’s not traditionally a nautical instrument, that I can tell, but damn does it work well with Finnbarr’s whole mood
6) Through the Fire and the Flame, DragonForce – This track really shows the bombastic, almost suicidally frenetic pace that Finnbarr and set himself to, this is a real headbanger but it requires endurance at over seven minutes long
7) Kannon1, Sunn0))) – Drone has to make it into each of my playlists at least once, it’s a rule I had to agree to in order to get on the site (kidding?) and I felt like this one in particular encapsulated a mournful quality that Finnbarr carries with him
8) Psalms for the Dead, Candlemass – Finnbarr has seen a lot of his friends and loved ones pass into the West, but he himself is left behind, patrolling the endless shores, it weighs on his heart
9) The Storm I Ride, I – In a similar vein as DragonForce but not doesn’t come close to the rapid pace, it’s about, well riding the storm and who does that better than Finnbarr?
10) If I Had a Heart (Cover), Logan Kendall – I love the original version of the song, but I felt like Logan Kendall’s voice really matched with Finnbarr, and given that it’s also the theme for Vikings (aka Pirates) it feels thematically appropriate
11) Into the Painted Grey, Agalloch – I didn’t want to overuse post black metal in my playlists, so I didn’t use too many, but the sense of introspection, grief, and the burden of both those things play to Finnbarr’s emotional strengths
12) The Lesser Lights of Heaven, Zao – Finnbarr can’t sail West for a grave sin in his past (you’ll get that story, don’t worry) and no matter how much he tries to repent of that deed, it’s never enough
13) Voices, Borknagar – From the same album as Up North, this song is devoid of most metal trappings in favor of a plea to stop tragedy and pain from overwhelming the singer, Finnbarr in spades
14) My Eternal Grief, Anguish Neverending, Nargaroth – I used this song with Frost and I felt it was even more appropriate for Finnbarr, who isn’t going to die anytime soon
15) Last of the Wilds, Nightwish – Finnbarr’s best friend was a man named Verco, a name that meant “Wild One,” if there was any way a song could play in Finnbarr’s head over and over, it would be this song
16) Bones in the Ocean, The Longest Johns – In a similar vein to the song above, Finnbarr as lost a lot of loved ones over the centuries, it weighs on his heart as he’s still free to sail the open ocean
17) Antarctica the Polymorphess, AHAB – more AHAB, more crawling doom, heavy guitars, and crunchy vocals, the sea is proud
18) Thunderous, Borknagar – Song number three from the same album (it’s a really good album and you should listen to it), this one is a little more adventurous, a little lighter, and little more positive than the previous two
19) The Islander, Nightwish – Dark Passion Play had some amazing songs on it, they were painful but beautiful at the same time, more often than a reader might suppose, this song fits Finnbarr
20) Lemuria, Therion – Imagine Atlantis, but cooler and more magical, that’s what people believed (or still believe in some circles) about Lemuria, lots of mystical oceanic vibes in this song, perfect for Finnbarr
21) Heathen Foray, Falkenbach – It seems out of left field to have a viking metal song blasting through, but remember this: Finnbarr is a much a fighter as he is a sailor
22) Kings of the Sea, Karliene – The next two songs are almost of a pair, sung by the same person and both with thalassic overtones, they give us ideas of what sailors, and thus Finnbarr, often feel on the sea, the highs and the lows
23) Ailein Duinn (An Ocean Grave), Karliene – There’s simply no way Finnbarr is not going down with his ship, by now every reader should expect that
24) Leave Her Johnny, Sean Dagher – No Finnbarr playlist could have ever hoped to be complete without this song, it’s almost as much his theme song as Beneath the Sun, it’s the title I chose for his romance with Saererys, it a song of conclusion and fulfillment as much as it is of mourning loss, it’s about as nautical as it could get, and it’s beautiful in its tragic tone

While not as long as Frost’s playlist, I would call this one more focused and more emotionally bound up in Finnbarr’s state of mind and his love of the ocean. If one were to guess that by the length of the playlist that Finnbarr lacks depth, they would be mistaken. His world is one seen from the deck of a ship for a dozen fathoms below the surface of the water, each of these tracks, be they nautically themed or not, reflect that very mindset.
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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Mokkan, the Rapacious One

At one point in his life, Mokkan was a normal fox who thought about normal fox things and went about under the eaves of Lothlórien doing fox things. But those days did not last long. There was something wrong with the blood red-skinned fox, something rotten at his core. He became a nightmare, a stalking demon in the heart of the elven forest. The Lord Celeborn himself led a hunt to find and kill the evil fox. However, even with the power of the Lord of the Wood, the most the elves could do was drive the fox out of their lands. He managed to injure several of his hunters, including Celeborn by hiding and turning the tables on his pursuers. If the elves had not been armed, the outcome of that day might have been much worse. Despite being of a different species, rumors began to spread through the Golden Wood about the spirit of Carcaroth reborn.

After being driven from Lothlórien, Mokkan took his horrible talents to the dark woods of Mirkwood, following the call of the Necromancer as his sickness spread through the forest. Mokkan made his domain on the edge of the Woodland Realm, stalking the trees looking for elves to hunt down and kill. These elves did not have the same power as those in Lórien and more often than not, the fox emerged the victor in battles between them. His terror, though, was nearing its end as the span of his life was drawing to a close. The fox, evil and horrible as he was, could not outrun his own mortality.

Enter the Red Lady. She saw something in the fox, the malignant, rancid evil that consumed him and drove him to kill and maim and take delight in causing harm and misery, and saw that it was something she could use. She transformed him; killed him and remade him, stealing away his beautiful blood red coat and exchanging it for a coat of deepest midnight, an accoutrement that stole away the light around him and twisted it. He drank in light and colors and turned them all into darkness, a reverse prism. His eyes, too, were taken and reshaped. His natural eyes were taken but in return for his sacrifice, he was given eyes that glowed red with rapacious hunger and hatred for all things that walked his forest without his consent. The Red Lady gave him a single command, one that he performed again and again: kill in her name. The forest floor of Mirkwood was soon littered with bodies, broken and twisted and bloodless.

There was a tree, too, within a blighted grove, woven about with twisted, hungry thorns. Mokkan was drawn to the tree as if it were a part of him, the missing half of his corrupted heart. He watered the grounds with the blood of his victims, honoring both his patron and his partner. The tree, in turn, protected him and shielded him as it grew and grew. In truth, the entire grove benefited from the bodies that were periodically deposited within its bounds. It grew, this grove, spreading the sickness as Mokkan's power increased and the tree grew, gnarled and monstrous. The black skinned fox lived far, far beyond the span of his natural life. In truth, though he outwardly looked the same as he did before, he was something more than a fox, something far darker and more sinister. His power grew as his kingdom expanded, turning him further into something more, something different.

But now his Red Lady has returned and called him away from his brambles and thorns, from his great, broken tree. He undertook the journey, leaving a trail of sorrow and horror in his wake as he made his way to the once abandoned city of the Witch-king: Angmar.

Story Arcs

Ebony: Mokkan feels something stir within him, something that tells him to kill, attracting the attention of the Lord of the Golden Wood
Jet
Onyx
Charcoal
Obsidian
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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Regin Blackwine

Regardless of how one feels about the nature of good and evil in Middle-earth, everyone from who has ever encountered him knows that Regin Blackwine is creepy. While not the most descriptive or kind, it is a word that best encapsulates the albino dwarf. Normally, the birth of an albino dwarf to any clan is reason to celebrate; they are rare, seen as direct intervention from the gods (whoever those might be varies from tribe to tribe). However, it became clear that once Regin had been carved and life had been breathed into him, something was not quite right. Most of his childhood he was merely considered odd or eccentric, but these words were, at best, a painfully obvious attempt to ameliorate his behavior. It was under his guidance, thought to be divine revelation, that his clan moved from the Blue Mountains to the Mountains of Angmar. Most of the tribe did not survive the journey as Regin insisted that the journey be undertaken in the midst of one of the coldest, cruelest winters the land had ever seen. The Trail of Frozen Tears some called it, but never in his hearing, the augur's own parents died on the march as well, frozen statues in the high mountain passes, unable to be brought to rest beneath carven stone.

He pushed for an alliance with the orcs and men that occupied the lands of Angmar, earning enmity and hatred from his fellows. Nearly all those that came with him abandoned him after it was revealed where his "revelations" were coming from. The tribe scattered, some trying to return to their old home, others sojourning south along the peaks of the Misty Mountains. Obsessive and vengeful, Regin hunted them down. He wears a belt of dubious materials he sees as a trophy.

Without a tribe to back him, Regin's power evaporated. He was forced to begin working in the mines and in the forges along with those of his brethren who had not abandoned him. Due to his albino luck (so says he) the mines and forges were profitable, Regin was able to find more than a dozen veins of precious metals that he was able to use to gain back some of the status he lost. Still, he and his dwarves struggle for recognition in a swirling vortex of political intrigue, blistering snows, and hungry shadows. One thing did increase during his time in Carn Dûm, his obsession.

Regin was a dwarf with strange tastes and proclivities. He was a hunter, but found little joy in the hunting of beasts. The emotions of animals did not mimic the emotions of humans or elves or dwarves the way he needed them to. No matter how he cultivated those animals, they always came up short in his mind. He thought himself a gardener of delights, a horticulturist of flesh and pleasure. Most of Angmar did not know, or at least did not want to know, about his more savage proclivities, preferring to stay away from him and mind their own business. It was all well and good for Regin, who traversed the streets at night, watching always watching, waiting for the perfect time to pluck his fruit and taste the sweetness that was his by right.
Story Arcs
Vermillion: Regin sets his eyes on a mysterious lady with ties to the occult CW: Stalking
1. Part 1
2. Part 2
3. Part 3 - featuring Andissë

Coquelicot
Citron
Aureolin
Jade
Turquoise
Ultramarine
Mallow
Eburnean
Gamboge
Viridian
Mikado
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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Istariel, Istarion & Undumë

In the early years of the quendi, before the interventions of the Valar, there had been no word for leader or chief. There was simply no need; no hierarchy of controller and controlled. The quendi simply went about their lives and did as they pleased. It was an idyllic life, one bereft of hardships, pain, or anxiety. Two siblings, Istarion and Istariel, were born into this tranquil era and experienced the fullness of the peace of Cuiviénen. Though their parents were not among the prominent, they were well spoken of and respected for their ingenuity and scopcræftmanship. They passed their gifts of story and song to their children who, in their small community by the lake, gained a degree of renown. They assigned names and personalities to the constellations and stars that wheeled overhead and made up stories to entertain their fellows. This life, however, could not continue in the wake of the coming of the Valar.

There were rumors and more than rumors about something on the edge of their world, something hungry and malevolent, something that existed outside their songs and tales. Whispers soon spread of the Hunters, monstrous things that killed and devoured, shattering the peace of the quendi, awakening them to the ugliness of the world. Stories were woven and sung, but even the most powerful of songs could not stop what was coming, nor could it undo the losses that the quendi already suffered.

Oromë, the Huntsman of the Valar, was the first to reveal himself without a cloak of darkness about him. He introduced an unknown, and frightening world that existed beyond the boundaries of the pristine waters and sacred cedars. He shattered the illusions many had that the world was empty beyond their home, more importantly though, he showed them that they were not as safe as they thought they were. He gave them structure and society, thing previously unknown and unnecessary. Power dynamics and personal conflicts. While he did not introduce these things on purpose, they were a natural consequence. Before his arrival the quendi had all been, more or less, an egalitarian society without knowledge of something else outside. Oromë’s very existence showed the quendi that not everything was naturally equal, that there were those in the far corners of the world that were much stronger, wiser, and more powerful than they.

There were some that could not accept this and, instead of following Oromë and leaving their homeland to a faraway promised place, stayed in Cuiviénen. Istarion and Istariel, along with their parents and community, were some of those that stayed, that refused the calling. They wanted no part of the gods, did not want to be playthings and pawns for those more powerful, did not want to be put on display and ignored. However, the poison had already been introduced. There were squabbles over the leadership of this brave new world with Istarion and Istariel at the forefront, pitting themselves against a woman named Undumë. Protection and Power were at the center of every conflict, specifically how the sundered quendi would protect themselves from the outside world, both that of the monsters that hunted and killed them and that of the Valar who sought to kidnap and control them and how they would use their powers. Should they hide and remain secretive, or should they openly declare themselves? The twins headed the camp that wished to build and create, to climb to the heights, Undumë and her followers believed that hiding from the oncoming storm was the only way for their way of life to survive. They all believed that eventually the Valar would be back, and would not ask them to come, would not use sweet and honeyed words to coax the quendi into leaving but would rather take them by force. To that end, Undumë centralized her power and the power of her followers into a crown made of living wood, black and warped, that would hide them in the lengthening shadows and away from the twinkling stars; Istarion and Istariel taught others to sing and tell stories as they did, using the collective power of the unity and goodwill to grow new trees that reached the height of mountains wherein they could live.

This new society was a tense one, split down the center, and a tree with roots in poisoned waters cannot reach the clouds.

Story Arc
Blackcrowned, Vanity of Vanities
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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Some time ago, on the Plaza Discord channel (likely around 3 in the morning before I headed out to work) I found and shared and image of a mushroom dragon I found on Twitter and in the halcyon days of 2020 the Plaza Discord was quite hopping at that hour (disclaimer: I have no idea how active the group is now since I left it about 6 months or so ago to focus on other works) and immediately stories as to who and what this things were and how they might fit into Plaza narrative poured in. I believe in the end the consensus was that they probably lived around the Shire and evolved to their current camouflaged forms as a means to hide from the big folk.

It took me forever and an extra day to make some icons out of them finally and, ironically, when I did, the first one did not look very good with the normal dimensions I used for icons (70x70 with 4 1x1 border layers added on) so I had to change up how I constructed them to show off the utter majesty that these doofy munchkins are.

What I might do with them is anyone's guess, but I figured all those that plotted in those early hours nearly two full years ago deserve to see them.

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Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Balrog
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Normally, I like to write stories and let them stand on their own and let readers make their own conclusions without any sort of commentary or annotation from me (the exception thus far being Jorgy, but he's special). However, with the beginning of Де слово набуває вічності, I'm too excited not to give background into what this is, where it's going, and why I'm doing it. Buckle up frosties!

Chapter One
Part the First: The Players
I love a good image hunt, especially orcs. When I found this image, I knew I'd struck inspirational gold. Look at her, a Swole as Fred lady orc (aka a Sa'Flo), who couldn't find some amazing inspiration from that image? My mind raced to try and figure out just what kind of story I could create around her.
I also had this image rolling around in the background, an interpretation of a Malazan character that I found both loathsome and fascinating. He had to be used in something where his nastiness could be put on full display.
There will, naturally, be other characters that drop into the story but I'm not exactly who just yet so I suppose this section will need updates as I go.
Part the Second: The What
Everyone knows who Conan the Barbarian is, right? Despite the character nearly being 100 years old now he's still considered one of the best fantasy characters ever made. Robert E. Howard would be pleased to see how much we still love his favorite character. The genre he exists in is called Sword and Sorcery, kind of the opposite of Tolkien's concept of high fantasy. It's very character focused, with little to no wider world consequences, and often the characters are unbelievably badass. Look at any power metal album cover and tell me I'm wrong. With the rise of high fantasy and it's creepy brother grimdark fantasy, sword and sorcery kind of fell into the shadows. It's always been there, and always will, but it's throne has been usurped. Kroda Haftroll (originally I was going to call her Kroda Finntroll but after a bit the just didn't sound as good) is my hopeful addition to the pantheon of Conan, Kull, Red Sonja, and so many others. She's a massive uruk warrior, hence the sobriquet, whose entire tribe has just been rendered dead. No, that's not a spoiler, it's literally the first thing that we see happen to her. Now, she's on a path of revenge against Dhraest, the necromancer warlord of a rival tribe that's come in and killed everyone. I look forward to making up all sorts of orc worldbuilding lore of which Tolkien would assuredly not approve.
Part the Third: The Why
As stated before, I found the image that became the inspiration for Kroda Haftroll and began to think of what I could do with her. After an oddly vivid dream, the first scene became quite clear in my mind. The genre, too, became clear quickly when I realized I wanted to model her after Conan. Sword and Sorcery feels like it would be fun to write, it's very similar to what we all right here without all the extra, heavy worldly consequences. I've never written straightforward sword and sorcery either and this felt like a worthy challenge. And, who knows, I could de-Tolkienize the story relatively easily and maybe I could find a literary magazine out there willing to take a look at it? Consider yourselves all beta readers in that case.

So, going forward I might use this particular post to make some commentary and annotations as I go along, taking critiques and advice and such as you frosties (hopefully) give it, and maybe some real world news if and when it comes. <Frost Edit: Glad to have you aboard Windy!>

Chapter Two
Part the Fourth: The What Redux
So I put a content warning on the second post but as I write this I feel like it might have been unnecessary given the violent nature of a lot of things I write and the relative bland nature of the violence in the chapter, but it's there and people and decide for themselves if they want to read or not. Regarding that moment in particular, I feel like it needs to be extended for a non-Plaza venue. I've taken to censoring a lot of the violence the material I put here to keep within the vague PG-13 rating but I really want to up the ante for the publishable version. I might even try to enlist the aid of a fight choreographer to help me visualize the scenes present and future. Good violence needs to be as fluid as it is visceral. I am happy though with the sequence and pacing of the moment and how it relates to the rest of the chapter.
Part the Fifth: The Who (not the band)
As I was wandering through the internets looking for zines that accepted sword and sorcery (there are quite a few out there if you're interested) and it occured to me that S&S characters are not as new to me as I'd thought. Sure, Kroda is the first Conan-esque badass to grace this site, but she's hardly the first. Gísli and his Supernatural/fantasy monster hunt could easily qualify as S&S and so could two recent favorites of mine: Duathion and Lady Gîzan. Robert E. Howard wrote nearly as much Cthulhu mythos stories as he did Conan, thus it could be reasoned (especially by me) that Weird Fiction and S&S are two sides of the same coin. Those two come from the creepy city of Carcosa, which I stole from Lovecraft, who stole it from Robert Chambers, who stole from Ambrose Bierce, who probably heard it in a bar or something (okay I jest but you get the point), and many of the ideas I have in mind for their adventures revolve around evil cults, monsters, and horrible happenings, seems pretty S&S to me. I suppose you could say that the real sword and sorcery was the friends we made along the way.
Part the Sixth: The Bits and the Bobs
A few stray thoughts for now: the image of Kroda, a massive six and a half foot tall uruk with muscles to make the sanest man go mad, married to a man who almost looks waifish next to her is comical and it's something I had it mind from the very conception of her character. Gotta turn those tropes on their heads, right? Secondly, I really fredegar hate the plaza censor sometimes. I've never understood why it was need and it many cases I feel like it takes away from the feel of someone's writing. Alas, there's not much I can do but kick the barn door.

Chapter Three
Part the Seventh: Le Troisième Quoi
Gonna be honest here, I had no idea what I was doing in this section. I needed to get Kroda from point A to point B but didn't want to do something so simplistic as "and Kroda raced all the way down the mountain" because that deprives both me and the reader of getting to know the characters of the story and their inner workings. In this instance, too, I wanted to find a place I could establish setting. For purposes of the Plaza it's set in the Ash Mountains of Norther Mordor, but when I want to start shopping the story around, I want it to feel unique and different. I think I did a decent job here of making the place seem creepy but realistic. Kroda, too, got a lot of unexpected background. In short S&S stories you don't want to bog the reader down with crap they don't need to follow the story but you also want to round out the characters and make them interesting. I think Kroda is filling out quite well. Also, I'm proud of the monster I made for her to kill because I made it up literally on the spot. As I started writing the encounter I had no idea what it was going to be until my finger decided to make this creepy spider-monkey-wolf-hybrid thing. Is it Tolkien? Well, we don't know a lot of the random creatures Sauron had running around his place other than orcs and trolls and such, so why not?
Part the Eighth: The Home Stretch
This chapter brings to close the first half, the rest of the story should be pure action/adventure in the most Conanian of styles. I've enlisted the help of Moriel to help me flesh out the final fight and make sure it has enough punch (pun intended) so I'm confident the end of the story will not disappoint. Overall, I'm quite proud of the work I've done on this story. My goal is to finish the story by the end of the week (ie Saturday) and I think I've been plowing along enough to actually meet that goal. Most fantasy lit mags I've searched have a cap at 7,500 words so I think I'm going to have to trim some fat off the story for it to make weight, but once I actually finish the first draft I can see where I'm at.

Chapter Four
Part the Ninth (sans Gideon): The Final Whatdown
A big part of the success of this part goes to Moriel for turning a collection of sow's ears into a silk purse (or at least a knockoff silk purse). Having a fight choreographer in your corner that can help you navigate the language and the dance moves is invaluable. I was dreading this section because of the fight scene but I think I pulled it off in the end. I was able to showcase just how much of a badass Kroda is and how evil and nasty her final opponents were. I got the idea to make them unnaturally physical dense from the comedy podcast "Steller Firma" but used to a much more sinister degree. They had to be strong enough to pose a real challenge to Kroda, they had the capability to kill her but she was just better than them in the end. A lot of Conan stories were like that too, while he stared death in the face every other page, he came out on top simply because he was cooler and better than his opponents, no matter how amazing they were. Kroda's foes, like Conan's foes, are foils, meant to be the reverse of the hero (or anti-hero) to show them off. I think Kroda got a lot of showing off in this story. I particularly enjoyed writing the curse at the end. Ironically, I was inspired in part by Pirates of the Caribbean, when Barbossa is explaining that they live forever but they can't enjoy anything. It's a nasty curse that only gets nastier as time goes on. And these assholes deserve every syllable of that curse.
Part the Tenth: A Why-for
When I first thought about this story and how it would end, the Necromancer Lord, Dhraest was going to be killed but Kroda was going to be left utterly alone, with her tribespeople or her mate. Instead, I let him go to sort work in the background as a big bad in future stories, and gave her back her family. It felt important to celebrate that victory since I'd talked so much in the story about the tribe and her place within it. Plus, the battle between Kroda and Dhraest wasn't shaping up to be all that interesting. That conflict needs to percolate some more to come to a real satisfying conclusion.
Part the Eleventh: De-Tolkienization
For the most part I won't have to do much, in the story there's really no reference to a specific place with a proper name so the geography could be anywhere on any world. Given that I also gave the orcs a lot more humanization and world building than Tolkien did, I think I've done well to give distance between my work and his. In fact, in the original, publishable copy of the story, they aren't even called orcs, they're called brogiaur, a nice little word I made up that sounds like it could be real but definitely is not. Is it a species? A nationality? Does it matter? The point, in the end, is that even though I used the Plaza and Tolkien to get a feel for what I was doing, by the end of the process and moving forward, the world is completely mine.

So, all said and done, what did you think, all 2-3 of you that read any part of it?
Last edited by Akhenanat on Fri Aug 26, 2022 9:30 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

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Coming along for the ride!

Balrog
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And there we have it folx, the story is complete! Well, the first draft of the story is at least. I'll add some annotations above tomorrow (it's late and I'm tired) but other than that, this story is in the Plaza vaults. I'll need some real beta readers to give the actual manuscript (surprise, surprise this one isn't the complete one) a read over with whatever feedback they care to give in the coming days before I launch into editing.

Once that process is complete I'll likely have to ask an admin to hide the story. Can't have a copy floating around the internets if I'm hoping to get it published by a major, or minor, literary magazine. In other words, read it while you can!
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:O I didnt know it was gonna get hidden! Glad I read it then! :D Loved it :heart: She sure is one tough orc, gotta love her :D

Balrog
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I hadn't thought about it either until I was nearly finished and started to look at different publishing venues. Technically this place isn't a "publishing entity" but it could be a legal grey area that a magazine might shy away from because they want "new and unpublished works"

Better to be safe than sorry
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Oh definitely! Just let us know when to hide it :) Would you want it moved into the Gondolin forum? You have to be a member and signed in to see that one.

Balrog
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Gondolin is a thought, in general I'm very much opposed to the forum's existence, but if there are people that would actually want to read it passed a week or so's time then I might be amenable to opening a thread there to deposit Kroda
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Just a thought, let me know what you prefer when the time comes :)

Btw spoiler alert: Do we not get to see the "final battle" between her and the necromancer?

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Sequestered Keep wrote: Sat Aug 27, 2022 2:45 am Gondolin is a thought, in general I'm very much opposed to the forum's existence, but if there are people that would actually want to read it passed a week or so's time then I might be amenable to opening a thread there to deposit Kroda


Frost: As you are expressing that above, I feel compelled to post something about it. Admittingly I have visited this thread more than once. But arc-wise I could never make really out what all (short) stories are or how they are connected together, or stand alone. Gondolin has become a bit 'my hub' to post things that I wanted a select group of people (plaza members) to read, not the whole wide world. I don't care much what Tolkien would like still or not, you are the writer of your own stories and you choose and treat them in the way you want. You'll have readers who like and love them, and you'll have readers who cast it aside. I am familiar with Conan the Cimmerian and seen some footage of him in movies. But I never read any magazines, books or comics about this character. And above all, don't consider yourself as Tolkien copyist, but an unique writer who is admired for your own genre choices. And if you say that the Brogiaur are a species, that will be accepted by the reader. Your world is your own, not someone else's. :wink: If you want that I read Kroda's adventures, I'll do it for you. I am doing it with Rivvy's China story as well, to his and mine joy.

Just call me Aiks or Aikári. Notify is off.
Find me stuff in Gondolin.
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Windy: I will let you know, and to your spoiler, no the necromancer "lives" another day

Aik: I hope you didn't take offense to what I said about the Gondolin forum, 'twas not my intent. I don't like it personally, but if you feel good about then I'm quite happy for you. Awhile back, I can't even remember who actually commented it, someone said something to the effect of "[Frost] doesn't follow the sanctity of Tolkien" and I think that sort of rubbed me the wrong way enough that it's become a bit of a chip on my shoulder. I truly appreciate your kind words and would welcome your reading if you chose to do so.
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

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Frost: Why should I take offense? You're entitled not to agree with it. But yeah I feel really happy about the nature of the Gondolin forum, sure with my Little Corner hidden there, which is a more personal blog than anything else. And I stashed my Draco Malfoy Stolen Years novels there, all seven years. :rofl: And Rivvy's place is the older home, where I was invited to by Ennora back in May 2018. Various threads there are my poetry, photo's and essays, and a couple of short stories I wrote, except for Account of Rhovanion, which is Legolas' personal account of threehundred years of events, from pre-Hobbit to way into the Fourth Age. He ain't surely the elf that PJ made of him. I didn't follow surely the sanctity of Tolkien with that. :tongue: Aside of that, back to you. Honestly I have little on hands at home, nobody to talk to than myself. I take a liking in utterly complex characters, either developed by myself or written by others. I'll be happy to read yours and learn Kroda the Brogiaur who she is.
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Ah good, I know I can come off as abrasive at times and didn't want you to think I meant anything negative. I'd like to read your POV of Legolas, PJ did him quite poorly in comparison to the other members of the fellowship, I'd like to see what someone else's take might be. I'm not sure how complex Kroda is yet, she's only been around for about 8,000 words so far but I suppose I'm a tad biased and tend to look down at my own work.
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

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Frost: The POV is about 88 chapters to read. An entire tale over 100.000 words. I tried Legolas from a third person, but failed, and then switched to first person and it rocketed off. Tale is a mix between books and the movies, and the constant threats from all sides around the kingdom I made up myself including travels and battles. They are fierce fighters, who survive without magic barriers or rings. And besides his loving father he got also a living maternal grandmother. He feels more Silvan about himself than being Sinda.

Your 8000 is a good start. It takes some time to get the main antagonist right. Her strong and weak points. No shame if it takes some months. I am currently working out the sixth battle of Beleriand from Valinorean perspective, but it is small while ago since I uploaded any chapters. Sorry, I occupied your thread with my babbles, I leave it free now so you can post your achievements.
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100,000 words? My, my! That's basically the length of LOTR! :lol: well done for keeping up the patience to write that much, I am impressed. I look forward to seeing your Valinorean POV as well.

As for Kroda though, the 8,000 words is the full length of the short story, in fact I need to trim it down about 500 words to get under the cap for most magazines. From a short story perspective I think I did quite well adding pieces here and there to full round her out. With an economy of words though, I had to forgo a lot of background and such and dive right into the action.
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

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Frost: The last elven prince is an underrated character in the Fellowship and at occasions quick to leave the company to 'find the sun'. And in Lothlorien he is more absent than ever. So? What is he doing? Tale is finished. Exact amount: 253.715 words (looked it up). Valinor POV is a huge matter from scratch. Tolkien wrote a paragraph in the Sil of about 700 words and all I have to go with... I am working on the 16th segment of Arda Marred. The actual battle so far: 21.000 words. All is still in search and rescue phase of nature and peoples, and looking for evidence of war atrocities. Most important, how to fill four decades of war passing by?

Sorry you have to curb your short tale, but yeah the economics of magazines aren't easy to deal with. Hope they accept your results! Would be awesome for you.
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And for my next trick!

Nested storytelling, or stories within stories, is one of my favorite narrative devices because it offers a chance to use multiple viewpoints, multiple narrative voices, and do some deep, rich worldbuilding. How deep can a story go?

Three friends sharing a cup of coffee and telling stories about selkies who tell them about selkie culture and meeting famous people who tell them stories of happenings long ago in which a letter is read recounting... you get the point. It can be confusing to readers if the author doesn't guide them through the weaving narrative of dozens of different voices. My own attempt here thus far is a way of testing my own abilities and working out potential flaws in the way I write.

Thus far, too, I've been fortunate enough to either not attract notice and fly under the radar, or have the implied blessing of the TR to tell this nested story bramble in a single thread. Sure it started in a pub, but where is it going to actually end up?

Level One: The Old Guesthouse Pub, with Zadok, Caranó, and Gehrmann
1. The Fishmonger's Guild Meets
2. A Selkie?!
Level Two: The Anduin, with Young Gehrmann and Ringelenwen
3. 60 Years Ago, on the Anduin - with intro from Zadok, Caranó, and Gehrmann
4. Cold, Wet, and Outside a Cave
5. The Inside of a Selkie Cavern
6. Bones of Leviathan - with intro from Zadok, Caranó, and Gehrmann
Level Three: The Selkie Archipelago, with Ringelenwen, Nuada, and Finnbarr (the) Galedeep
7. Selkie Childhood
8. The Shark Hunt
9. Who is Finnbarr Galedeep?
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

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Frost: I have concentrated this far only on the conversation of the three old men, they are the most captivating. I am am wondering what their chatter further is than only that single interruption this far. The start was promising to my surprise. Usually tales about old people are quite annoying or boring or mix of both.
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Balrog
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Aww, thank you Aik! I've really enjoyed writing the three old men as well. I'm using the rather rambunctious interactions I've seen with my father and his friends as inspiration for their characters. I intended to write another interruption in the last section but alas I was writing with a growing headache and ended up leaving it out. However, the next part will pull back and have some more interactions with the old men. :grin:
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I suppose after nearly a year of silence, this thread might be due for an update. I'm not sure why I'm doing an update at all except maybe it might be of interest to one or two people in the wide, empty world or maybe it's a good catalog for me wherein I can fiddle with stuff and see how things work and don't. Who knows. I really don't. There are a lot of things I'm not sure of these days, but none of that is here nor there.

Big News
Most, but not all, of the characters I've been writing for the past two and half years now are getting retired in one way or another.

Characters like Jorgy, Finnbarr, and Sarghest I'm going to work with off Plaza to try and make something of them that stands by itself without the need to laboriously connect them here to the world of Tolkien and that is becoming increasingly difficult. They're interesting characters and I've explored a lot of their psyche (some only in notes rather than by post) and I'm proud of them but at the same time they don't belong here anymore. Much of the writing I did, too, was by myself. It's rather difficult, I've come to find out, to write alone on the Plaza and remain motivated.
Characters like Frost became a little too much if you understand my meaning. Frost, for all his interesting developments along the way, sort of got lost in his own mythos to the point I'm not sure who, what, or even why he is. He's a cool concept blown up to ridiculous proportions. I need to shelve him for now. That sadly goes for his daughters as well. They need better motivation in their lives than to find him and do *waves hands about* whatever it is they were going to do. Honestly they all deserve better and more personal stories that don't revolve around daddy issues.
Speaking of daddy issues, Fleeg too is likely retired for good. His cousin Flegyria (come on you knew she was his cousin, but better looking, smarter, and more ambitious) will be around doing her world domination thing, insulting and insinuating things about Fleeg along the way without ever saying his name.
Canon characters are only fun when you have someone to play off of and since I really don't have that anymore, I'm going to stick with whatever bits I can come up with.
I will use new characters, dipping back into things slowly after about a year or so off where I'm able to work off someone and RP as the literary gods intended, if I'm allowed still at this point. I have a few fun things going and I hope to continue them. Many thanks to those that have agreed (willingly or grudgingly) to write with me.

And onto bigger and more news, I'm going to attempt NaNo this year but instead of simply writing in a Word document and doing whatever and whatnot, I'm going to attempt writing it here, live on the Plaza. It's going to be a relatively simple plot, let's see if I can keep it together long enough to be any good.
Last edited by Akhenanat on Mon Nov 06, 2023 2:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

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