2, 4, 11, 12, 16, 18, 29

2. What’s your favourite elf (can be Noldor or not)?

So many, but if i had to pick one and only one, I go back to the first I fell in love with: Indis. By the Belain, the moment when her oldest son is threatened with death- and her husband -her son’s father and their king- sides with who has threatened to murder their son? Who abandons her, their children and life together, and their people, for this step-son who has threatened to murder his half-brother? That she stays with her children until everything falls apart and only then leaves -still with one of her daughters. That she threw herself whole-heartedly into the role as queen of a people not her own, adopting their speech and custom, and that her two sons grew to be wise and forgiving and strong kings (and their wise manner rightfully attributed to her). That she suffered and was abandoned in the worst way by a husband, but had the loyalty of her children. Such a tiny role on the pages of the Silm, but her character and the goodness shone out to me somehow. I read the ‘Statute of Finwë and Míriel’ carrying not at all about those two, just searching for what little else I could learn about Indis and if the wrongs upon her were redressed.

4. What’s your favourite Valar?

OOooh. Ummm. Oromë? Tulkas and Nessa? Yavanna and Aulë? Nienna? Námo? …probably Námo.

11. Do you agree with the way the Valar dealt with Middle-earth?

Answered. In part because of the hate heaped up on them, I reflectively counter back. It’s hard having half a heart Vanyar and the other Sindar. The Eglath have an honest grievance against the Valar; the Noldor don’t.

12. Doriath or Nargothrond?

As fun as writing the Nargothrond Soap Opera with assorted OCs, Doriath and Menegroth holds my heart. There is a romance and a sadness in my heart that it touches deep down. (Of my least favorite places in Beleriand, it’s not Angband because hey, writing opportunities! but Himring and Himlad)

16. What do you think of Fingolfin going to attack Melkor?

It’s a classic epic scene – in the old-school meaning of the word. And Fingolfin isn’t fool-hardly enough to think himself the combat equal of Melkor – and yet in his last act of defiance, of ensuring he is selling his death as dearly as possibly, he permanently and grievously wounds the Satan figure itself. Plus Fingolfin is reeling under suicidal grief and he just lost the only princes among the Noldor who were willing to listen and agree with his plans and urging to fight Morgoth. (Yes, I have the Blind Guardian album too, and Time Stands Still is a good rock song.)

18. What do you think Eru meant by “And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.”?

My theology is….about what someone raised without it would be ;). But pretty straight forward, Eru is the Creator of Everything. Plus given enough time the common decency of people overcomes the evil. I’m an optimist enough to believe that, and this is a fantasy universe that runs on that principle of the eucatastrophy.

29. If you were an elf in Midlle-earth after the War of Wrath would you sail immediately to Valinor or wait a little more in Middle-earth?

Answered and answered. 🙂

6, and for shits and giggles, 22

~~You terrible person you~~

6. Would you have followed Fëanor?

Look, this would mean I’d consider Fëanor having the bare minimum requirements of what I consider a good leader. Especially politically and militarily. Someone who sacrifices advantages for his people based on his personal ambitions and prejudices is a nope. Someone who doesn’t show concern and consideration for his sons’ lives, let alone followers or subjects, is an astoundingly bad leader. Someone who in his megalomania and hubris thinks himself seriously the equal if not superior to Melkor has no judgment. And Someone who is a clear parallel to Melkor (and Lucifer) is no one I want to associate with, let alone trust to lead me successfully anyway.

So again, No chance in Utumno 😉

22. If you could marry one of Fëanor’s sons which one would you choose?

Okay, am I marrying them as to get close enough to assassinate one or several of them? Because that would be my goal, to be honest.

Fu~ If I was forced at sword-point to marry one of the terrible seven, I would pick Amrod. He is the ONLY son of Fëanor to go against the emotional control/blackmail of his father, defy the old man, and try to return to his mother and Aman. Nor does he have the absolute black reputation and deeds of his brothers (Tolkien uses the word evil to describe Curufin- how more explicit can you be?). Still, Amras is a mass murderer who swore that Oath, but at least if we go by the Losgar Incident he dies early, nice short marriage. And if I’m lucky he stays in Mandos and I can remarry someone better.

11, 19, 20, 29?

11. Do you agree with the way the Valar dealt with Middle-earth?

Overall? Yes.

Did they make mistakes or not do everything exactly how I’d prefer? Sure. But the errors were in permitting free will, as they should, of standing back and letting others make mistakes or go their own way, oft to ruin but not always, or because they work on such a long scale of time unfathomable to mortals (which, remember, the elves are on the time scale of stars and continents too, not the mere decades of men) I don’t harshly begrudge. The sinking of Númenor must be placed at the feet of Ilúvatar. They offered Aman to the elves- did not demand, and if they did not return repeatedly to ask them and the later generations if they wished for Aman and to be Avari no longer, then at least they did not harass. Yes, I would have preferred the War of Wrath earlier, but then i also would have preferred they captured Fëanor before he led everything to disastrous rebellious ruin and murder. My atheist soul is pleased with the idea of divinities more Deist in manner, and it’s not like the Valar weren’t working in subtle and not-so subtle ways to help. The Eagles were the more overt of Manwë’s hands; every kind and fortuitous wind as well. And they are archangels anyway, not omnipotent gods. Compared to divinities and pantheons in other stories, their flaws and errors and personality folibes are minor.

19. Who do you think had the worse destiny: Húrin or Túrin?

Answered. Plus – longer life, more opportunities for more crap.

20. If you could be a character from the book which one would you choose?

Vanyar elf born in the Second Age, nice and safe and comfy and stories to get from the source without having suffered through the adventure itself. Or a hobbit.

(Nobody, to be honest. I want to read my stories, escape into them, but not live them. Cripes on a Pogo Stick, pre-industrial society would need a metric ton of magic to make up for the labor cost and sanitary concerns and tedium and lack of communication.)

29. If you were an elf in Midlle-earth after the War of Wrath would you sail immediately to Valinor or wait a little more in Middle-earth?

Answered. Smooze my way onto a Falmari ship with the promise of staying with my new friends in Alqualondë until i get a place of my own in Tol Eressëa surrounded by those familiar trees of Beleriand.

5, 14, 15 :)

5. What’s your favourite man of the First Age?

Beren Camlost. No brainer – guy is a Disney Princess complete with forest animals helping him, has serious PSTD and survivor’s guilt, an epic story we get plenty of details about, was Huan’s best friend (they die side-by-side sharing their last words), Lúthien’s choice of lover, so brave and bold and sarcastic little shit, making a running leap and pulls an elf off a galloping horse holy shit that’s hardcore, successfully steals a Silmaril from Morgoth, and icing on the top he’s a Bëorian from Dorthonion also best friends and allies with the Green Elves and Ents and has a peaceful second-life down in Ossiriand. Beren = better than all your favs.

14. What’s your favourite Maiar?

If Huan doesn’t count, Uinen. She’s the part of the sea I love and know best, the coasts and the teeming life, the estuaries and the warm and life-giving part of the ocean that is kind to men. Plus she actually punishes the mass murdering and thieving Kin-slayers for stealing the most precious craft/art/homes of an entire people over the bodies of said peaceful people. Only Uinen gets anything approaching justice and vengeance on those bastards.

15. Would you trust Ossë?

Ossë? HELL YES. A lot more than I trust Ulmo, to be completely honest. Seriously, Ulmo with his using Tuor as a mouthpiece and picking him out as this pawn, plus the mind-wiping the elves to stop fearing the ocean skeeved me out. Ossë goes through the steps of befriending the elves- both those in Valinor and Beleriand, helps them build ships, gives them regular info. And I like storms, their sound and fury, so I understand Ossë’s glee and purpose. And there needs to be a Shiva. And hurricanes do not frighten me. Foolish perhaps, but I have grown up all my life facing the prospect of them, know how to handle them (aka get away from the storm surge, be on high ground) whereas earthquakes and especially tornadoes – nope. Again, Ossë is the ocean close to shore, not the empty and alien deep waters, the wide blue sea days away from shore or the sunless depths.

And Uinen keeps him in-check and on the right side.

I really want to say 6 for the meme because it’d be hilarious (if that’s the right word) even without your dare, but I’m genuinely curious about 27?

6. Would you have followed Fëanor?

(You’re not the only one that took this dare)

This question feels like asking “would you buy into the fear-mongering of a would-be fascist dictator using a crisis to squeeze power illegally and based on a combination of his own irrational megalomania, paranoia, and ubermensch bullshit while falling into sin/rejecting grace and also motivated by his desire for a handful of objects he jealously guarded anyway, plus empire-building and especially the xenophobia of using unseen and unknown mortal men as scapegoating and (not just fascist) tactic of seizing power with that extremist minority by pointing to some innocent outside group as an enemy.” Oh wait, that’s exactly what that question is. Also, omg, asking if I would place any trust in Fëanor’s judgement and rational planning abilities, especially him at his worst and with my life, let alone anything else, in the balance?

AHAHA, Fuck No. 🙂

27. What do you think it was the most evil deed of Melkor?

Orcs.

And while Adanel’s Tale is not considered true, even if it was still included in canon, that men were once immortal, then just how Morgoth tainted the natural end of mortality with a fear and hatred of death that was not supposed to be there, which causes so much misery and problems (and saddles us with the Atlantis parable).

7 (just to mess with u ;))) , 10, 19, 29

7. Glaurung or Ancalagon?

Glaurung is a sadistic horribly-smelling shit that killed my blonde elf bros. Ancalagon at least had the awesome factor (as in including bowel-moving awe and terror) and appears on-screen to highlight how much a bad-ass Eärendil is.

10. Which King of Númenor is your favourite?

Elros Tar-Minyatar. (Okay, it’s the cheap answer, and Vardamir sounds cool too, especially the abdicate for someone interested in governance to rule. But meh, Atlantis~)

19. Who do you think had the worse destiny: Húrin or Túrin?

Húrin- has not only his personal life misery but was forced to watch vicariously through all his son’s horrible destiny, helpless to give aid or comfort or warning.

29. If you were an elf in Midlle-earth after the War of Wrath would you sail immediately to Valinor or wait a little more in Middle-earth?

Okay, let’s talk about how if I had my pick of kindred, my first pick would be Vanyar, because that’s the best king plus a life of peace and quiet and blessed safety and creativity and art and joy – but my second pick, in a very close run-off here, would be the Iathrim of Doriath because Thingol and Melian are second best pick and ♥ Menegroth ♥ (though my weird form of sea-longing means I might be hanging out with Círdan – I can’t choose between sea and trees – Maybe I’m a Falmari?) Whatever, either I only came over with the Army of the Valar so I’m heading back home. Or as a Sinda, while missing my homeland, it’s gone, and while nostalgia and my timid homebody nature might slow my steps, I want the offer of peace and the guarantee of reuniting with my lost kin and king and queen. So many awesome people being reembodied or living in Aman (and a guarantee that the Kin-slayers won’t be) so I want that. I’ll miss the Edain though. But that’s why there’s cruise trip visits to Númenor.