Story Recommendation

[dawn_felagund]

A few months ago, I posted a chapter I'd been dreading to AMC. Dreading? Why? Because it went beyond the realm of "slight AU" in which I usually play and did something flat-out awful and extreme to a canon character. Granted, it is never said that this flat-out, extreme treatment of such a character didn't exist...but I think we all agree that it was mostly my twisted imagination.

In AMC, the loremaster Rumil of Tirion is a survivor of Angband who was mutilated horribly by Melkor, both deafened and muted, leading him to design the Sarati as a means to communicate. I thought that I'd be skewered by readers for this little non-canon spin, but the chapter actually provoked some of the best discussions of any of my AMC chapters.

Still, I was quite surprised when, a few nights ago, tuxedo_elf IMed me to ask if she could borrow Rumil. Not her usual adorable Lorien Rumil but my angsty mutilated one.

She showed me the resulting story today, and I must say that I thoroughly love it. It expounds on the tragedy of his story but ends with hope and leaves me loving his character all the more. If Tux isn't on your flist, I encourage you to check out her story, "A Gilded Cage".

And thanks, Tux, for writing such a wonderful story! :)

Comments

[tehta.livejournal.com]

You know what's interesting? I believe that Tyellas did a pretty similar thing to Rumil in Mangweth Pengolodh. There's got to be something about the poor Elf that draws such treatment...

[dawn_felagund]

Really? How interesting. I've never read that story (obviously).

I think it was myrsine I saw make a post once about mutilated loremasters in literature or something like that. Intriguing....

[tehta.livejournal.com]

Well, a mutilated Elf can be a loremaster much more easily than a warrior or a smith. And Western culture has a long tradition of 'blind poets' and so on--not to mention that to us mortals crippled might imply old which might imply wise...

[tyellas.livejournal.com]

And I've never read your story! I can see where we both got the idea, with Tolkien's old-looking elf who's escaped from Angband. Can you please oh please post the link to your mutilated!Rumil story? I'd really love to read it.

[dawn_felagund]

Sure! It's a chapter of my monstrous ne'er-ending novel, actually. It's Chapter 22, here. The Rumil bit will stand on its own, at least, though.

And I shall also have to read yours too! I'm just thoroughly intrigued that we both had the same idea. GMTA, I guess. ;)

[tyellas.livejournal.com]

Like I said in my other comment, I found it, and I have more feedback. After reading every Tolkien canon scrap I could find about rune-Rumil, I honestly don't think your interpretation of rune-Rumil is that AU. It doesn't seem to me to contradict the little canon there is about Rumil, beyond his being unable to talk and hear, which would make talking to birds and beasts irrelevant. The escape from Morgoth is still there, as is his invention of writing.

Another thing your Rumil reminds me of...and I mean this in a good way...is Frankenstein. The lank hair, the hollow cheeks, the height and broad shoulders and big hands, the isolation and horror, the parallels with monstrosity.

Now I'm off to read Tuxedo Elf's story.

[dawn_felagund]

Yes, I guess he does! Now I'm snickering at the idea of Feanor knocking on the door and Frankenstein answering...thanks.... ;)

[tyellas.livejournal.com]

Okay, I found it. Very interesting and poignant! Thank you so much for writing that. Now I have, what, 30+ more chapters to read?

Your Rumil is almost like a Buddhist monk, in his way, and definitely more high-minded than mine. My Rumil is a crotchety old slyboots.

I'd love to see a story where the fanonically good-looking Lorien Rumil runs across some people who knew the other Rumil and are expecting something very different indeed.

[dawn_felagund]

Very interesting and poignant! Thank you so much for writing that. Now I have, what, 30+ more chapters to read?

Thank you! :) Yes, I think my last chapter was 34...and I figure it will be about 50. The ne'er-ending novel....

My Rumil is a crotchety old slyboots.

I've had your story on my reading list for some time now but was too busy with the holidays to do any reading at all. Now I shall have to bump it up the list and definitely read it!

I'd love to see a story where the fanonically good-looking Lorien Rumil runs across some people who knew the other Rumil and are expecting something very different indeed.

Lol! I'll leave that to tuxedo_efl, as she's the expert on Lorien!Rumil. I keep to the mangled Frankenstein types, personally.

[kaikias.livejournal.com]

Indeed. There was another author who put Rúmil of Tirion through Angband pre-story, one who gave Denethor II of Gondor a badly deformed librarian for an OC sister, and then I made Andreth a sickly borderline-midget who in her last years loses her mobility as well. I was wondering where this impulse in all of us comes from (and had forgotten about the tradition of blind poets that tehta just mentioned, else I'd have cited that too).

[dawn_felagund]

Maybe tehta has a point with saying that since they can't be warriors or laborers, they turn to books instead. It does seem that, in real life, some of the brightest people are not exactly tiptop in terms of physical prowess. (Although it is hard to say which is a consequence of which.)

Perhaps also it is our human intuition that someone can't be so perfect as to be a brilliant genius and a world-class athlete, for example. This is certainly the stereotype: the dumb jock and the reclusive, sickly nerd.

[kaikias.livejournal.com]

Mm. Very true.

[tuxedo-elf.livejournal.com]

Awww you're welcome, I'm just glad you liked it! Thank *you* for the inspiration!

I seem to have a thing for mute Elves. LOL.

[dawn_felagund]

Yes, don't you have a mute Lorien!Rumil?

I have a thing for traumatized Elves. Really. My original Elfy novel has made me realize that, since both of my main characters are suffering from a degree of trauma.

I'm also happy that you've forgiven my abuse of Rumil enough to write him! ;)

[tuxedo-elf.livejournal.com]

LOL I do... that's partly why I didn't come down on you *too* hard! ;D

Traumatised Elves are so much fun though!

Heh, it's more a case of me feeling sorry for him! :D