Thank you so much for your ask from this lovely Tolkien Fic Rec Ask Game, @ultrarebelheart! 💚 Again, I hope it's okay that I am taking liberties by extending the Silm scope to all of Tolkien ^_^

8. The character or ship that wasn't on your bingo card, but that fanfiction completely sold you on.

I answered this question once here but the beauty of fanfic is that it truly never ceases to surprise you, right? So let’s do 3 more! 😁

Galadriel x Celebrimbor in "Mellon" by @celebrimborsapron . I am a total Celedriel stan so other ships never truly crossed my mind before stumbling over this wonderful story. I instantly fell hard for the peak old-friends-to-lovers vibes, an amazing Galadriel and a thoroughly enchanting spin on Celebrimbor.

I have know for a while that Erestor x Glorfindel is a thing but somehow it was just one of those ships you lazily watch go by on the distant ocean that is fanfiction. Until "Sunflowers" by @celebrimbor-apologist completely destroyed me with its hauntingly beautiful first chapter and recently re-embodied Glorfindel's chrashlanding in Rivendell alone.

and @marshmellin‘s absolutely unique take on Elrond in "It's called tension because you are not supposed to break it". Never ever would I have thought I could warm up to the idea of flustered, madly blushing Elrond Peredhel accidentally stumbling through the wrong door interrupting a very private moment and having a staring contest with a doorknob. But I will never not love this version of him! ^_^

9. Unfinished Tales! Send some love to a fic on hiatus WIP that you loved.

I just went through my bookmarks and history and can't seem to find any Tolkien story that is officially on hiatus. So I'll change the specs of the task (yet again) and go for a few of my favorite WIPS instead. With absolutely NO pressure or expectation at all on their wonderful authors. Seriously! Should you never add a single sentence or exclamation mark to these stories ever again they'd still be an amazing gift! 💚

"Here, Where Fire Grows" by @esta-elavaris. This is a blind recommendation as I have not yet read this particular fic but I just KNOW it will be absolutely amazing. Because a.) all of Esta‘s OFCs are brilliant and unique in their own way and I just know that Sybil will be no different, b.) I blindly follow this author into every fandom she leads me to and always, always come out blissfully happy (if perhaps slightly confused) the other end c.) her Tolkien fics about Haldir have a firm place on my "stories to cherish and re-read for all eternity" shelf and d.) Boromir!!! Need I say more?!?😁

and "A Leap of Faith" by my number one supplier of hand-crafted, swoonworthy Aragorn goodness, @erathene, who managed to completely ensnare me with this gorgeous, supremely pine-y Legolas x reader fic.

Always a good time to burn down yet another village!

Tolkien Fic Rec Ask Game:

Thank you so much for your ask, @hobbitwrangler! 💚

The first character or ship you ever read fanfiction about.

I think a popular saying claims that "you never forget your first" but if that also applies to fanfiction I am apparently an exception 😖 I just checked my 11 year old AO3 account and that starts with reviews on a Loki-centered "Avengers" fic in the good old "And they all lived together in Avengers tower" days while two other ca. 20+ year old accounts bring to light my love for Bleach's Jushiro Ukitake.

The first Tolkien related comment I can excavate is on "A Helping Hand" by the wonderful @scyllas-revenge which I still love dearly.

"Your other hand clenched in your lap, and you took the opportunity to observe him as he worked. He looked terrible. Dark orc blood still splattered his armor, shadows bloomed under his eyes, and his hair hung lank and matted around his face. You had the sudden wild urge to sweep his hair out of his eyes, to cup his cheek in your hand, to— "

Still soooo good! 😁 Even if I really did not expect Eomer to be the one to herald my entry into the world of Tolkien fanfic. Apparently there is still hope for me yet, Rohan Fam! 😂

6. A fic you love about a rare character, ship, or legendarium setting.

So, soo many but I'll try to be a grown up and limit myself to three:

The amazing @illegalcerebral has an absolutly gorgeous, quiet piece on Celebrimbor's mom who doesn't even get a name in canon: After Tears Unnumbered" . I love Quildolorë and her calm grace and fearsome protectiveness of Tyelpe in this fic to bits!!

I will never not be dazzled by @tathrin 's beautiful Galion in "A Nightingale in Mirkwood" and would happily join Glorfindel in pulling a Thingol by staring at him for years and years on end.

And of course @nocompromise-noregrets 's sublimely wonderful Rumil wandering Helm's Deep after the big battle and sharing a quiet moment with Eowyn in "Understanding"

Thank you so much for your ask from this Silm/Tolkien Fic Rec Ask Game! 😁

Using something like a streaming service for the same amount of time, is like driving 10 miles to a grocery store.

That said, these tags were what I needed to hear:

we're all gonna make it

protect “not x, not y, but z” format.

protect short sentence stacking as a stylistic choice.

protect fanfic writers—who are kind enough to share their works with people to read for free—from ai witch hunts, speculations and accusations.

“don’t like don’t read” also applies to any fic that is ai-generated and any fic you think is ai-generated by the way. if you don’t like what you’re reading for any reason, you can always stop reading and exit the fic at any point. but harassment is never ever justified. no matter if you think you’ve found a noble excuse to do it. and also…

how people enjoy your blorbos and how they portray your blorbos in their fanfics, fan art, headcanons, edits are literally NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.

the world does not revolve around you, and there will always be things that upset you. BUT the good news is that you literally don’t have to care or even acknowledge things that upset you at all. that’s what the block and mute buttons are for. you cannot control what other people do, even when it involves your blorbos, but you can curate your own internet experiences.