Strider

I try not to treat Legolas as a self insert in my fic, but at times I can't help it. We have so much in common, we're both coming of age into a world clouded by a shadow of evil, we have complicated relationships with our family, we have complicated relationships with our gender identity and our sexuality, we both struggle to walk the line between what our family and society expects from us and what we actually want. I can't help but relate to him at times.

I decided that I was going to make Legolas transmasc for a number of reasons, there's nothing in cannon that directly goes against it, elves canonically have different relationships with gender than other races, and it just makes sense within the cannon of my fic.

Because Legolas is trans though, there is a part towards the end where he could be pregnant and he has to figure out how he feels about that. I also might be pregnant right now. I haven't told anyone and it's too early to test, I haven't even missed a period, but I've had to think so much about what I'm going to do if I am pregnant. Best case scenario would be that I'm not pregnant, that way I don't have to make a decision, but at the same time through writing Legolas's reaction, I've learned that maybe I do want a baby.

Sam - Sam would love PSLs. If it were up to him they would be available all year round, but when they're not he'll get a chai latte, perhaps iced during the summer.

Frodo - when Frodo goes to Starbucks, it's always with Sam and Sam usually just orders the same thing he was going to get already for Frodo.

Merry - Merry likes something sweet, but caffeinated, and he likes to switch it up. He'll usually go for whatever seasonal frappuccino or latte they have and a cake pop

Pippin - Pippin is not allowed to have caffeine (that's Gandalf's rule of course) so he usually gets one of the creme frappuccinos and a cake pop

Boromir - Boromir is definitely one of those guys who thinks that anything other than black drip coffee or cold brew is too "girly", until Merry or Pippin makes him try a sip of one of their drinks and he realizes that they taste much better. He still will only order black coffee if he's not alone though.

Aragorn - Aragorn on the other hand isn't so insecure in his masculinity that he would sacrifice taste. He's a slut for iced caramel macchiatos any day.

Legolas - maybe it's just the green aesthetic, but I feel like Legolas would like an iced matcha latte, or maybe a starfruit refresher

Gimli - I have two words for you COLD FOAM. It would get all up in his beard and mustache, but he would love it too much to stop ordering it.

I've tried to come up with loopholes, like Eru made Tuor immortal, couldn't he do that for Aragorn? Couldn't Legolas sneak him into the undying lands like he did with Gimli in cannon? Aragorn is technically part of Elros's bloodline, so theoretically shouldn't he be able to choose between mortality and immortality like Arwen?

But in the end I keep coming back to the same place. Yes, there are plenty of ways I can make him immortal, but maybe I don't have to. Maybe in the end Aragorn dies and he and Legolas don't get to be together in the undying lands, and maybe that's okay.

When characters constantly cheat death it cheapens it, it takes away its meaning. Aragorn, and the rest of the men for that matter, were given the gift of mortality, a precious, precious gift in the eyes of Eru. Why should he give that up?