The road goes on and on, but what if we'd picked a different one? meme

[durinsdaughter]

~An alternate timelines of Arda meme~


{What if Thranduil really liked flowers?}

The road goes on and on, but what if we'd picked a different one?

We all love Arda as it is. The drama, the heartbreak, the joy, all the good and bad dumb buttfaces people that walk its ground. But what if it wasn't quite as we've come to know it? What if Melian just wasn't into elves? What if Tuor had ended up in Doriath and Turin in Gondolin? What if the whole company had survived BotfA or Balin hadn't gone to Moria? What if Galadriel had taken Frodo up on his offer?

Basically, this is a meme to explore all the things that could have been but didn't happen. Go nuts!

"Rules":
♫ Comment with your character, putting their name in the header (OCs are welcome, perhaps add a line about who they are in the comment?). You can offer a starter (saying what went differently) or leave it blank.
♪ Have fun!


A few ideas:
♫ Celebration! Maybe it's a crowning, or a coming-of age; a begetting day or a simple garden party, or perhaps a victory won or a treaty signed.
♪ Never say that it at least cannot get worse. It can always get worse. Maybe there is just an additional war, or maybe you and a beloved one ended up on different sides of duty or desire. Maybe you just weren't lucky or were captured after all, or by an even worse captor. Maybe your decisions sucked even more than they did already.
♫ Family life! Maybe you married someone else, or married at all - or maybe the spouse thought your dumb idea was great this time around, or convinced you that no indeed it was dumb, and thus you stayed together. Perhaps you had children that you wouldn't have had otherwise, or you adopted someone else, or were adopted - the sky is the limit!
♪ Off-screen or This Should Have Happened: Glóin freaking out when Gimli tells him about his new bff; relatives/friends/spouses going U DUMB when their kids/siblings/etc return/are re-embodies/etc; somone inquiring about hobbits and their mushrooms, someone trying to give Radagast a bath...
♫ Born the other way - perhaps this guy was born a girl, or was a girl all along (not that you'd necessarily notice with a dwarf or elf...)? Perhaps your character's parentage is different, or they were born in a different age or belong to a different race?
♪ WHATEVER ELSE really

Comments

[outwards]

[So pick the time and place and timeline, but Maglor managed to produce offspring. Congrats!

And also has a cousin on his hands now who has come over to visit and leans in the door while Maglor tries to keep the baby from screaming too loudly.] She seems to like to try and be alike to her parents already.

[bythewaves]

[ are you sure you want to inflict this madness on the world? ]

[ Maglor looks up, with the slightly harassed but stupidly proud look of all first time fathers and manages a smile as he bounces the baby, keeping his voice low and quiet ]

Hullo cousin! Hush keep your voice down. She's very sensitive to tone, we've found. Ssh, my little butterfly, ada's here. [ A softer hiccoughing wail ]

Do you want to hold her?

[outwards]

Would she permit such a thing, if being with her father already does not calm her upset mind?

[But she's moving over, softly.]

[bythewaves]

She seems to prefer almost anyone to me, unless I am singing [ he sighs softly and hums at her softly ]

Already knows what she wants, eh?

[outwards]

Nobody could rightfully mind her preferring your singing to that of others. [She laughs softly and steps close, holding her arms so they can hand the baby over.]

[bythewaves]

Oh I don't know. She might have opinions to voice in that regards when she is older!

[ He echoes the low laugh and carefully hands her over. Gwilwileth squawks crossly at the change and then blinks up at the new person in confusion, blue-grey eyes focusing in on the ribbons in Aredhel's hair, little hands waving ineffectually at them ]

[outwards]

I doubt that she will tire of your voice, for I doubt that anyone could... [She takes the child and does the universal people-who-find-babies-cute-but-are-not-sure-how-to-hold-them routine of leaning her head down a bit while clutching the baby a bit too tightly.] Aren't you a pretty little girl?

[bythewaves]

[ a hiccoughing wail and then Gwilwileth coos as a hand tangles in a dangling lock of hair and pulls curiously, babbling at this new-person-who-sorta-looks-like-dad ]

Hm, I hope she does not. [ Maglor grins besottedly at his daughter and reaches over to help ] Here, like this.

[outwards]

[She adjust her grip, letting the child tug at her hair for now - the braids are sturdy enough that it doesn't actually hurt.]

Though she might one day surpass you, being your daughter. [teasingly, and still with her attention more on the child than him.]

[bythewaves]

Oh, I am sure she will [ he coos happily ] - already she can wail the house down, I am sure such a set of lungs will one day be put to proper use.

[ Gwilwileth blinks up at them both hand knotted in the braid and promptly starts to gum it ]

[outwards]

Or perhaps she will enjoy the hunt - you will have to let her uncle and me introduce her to it.

[...letting her chew for now.] You would not want to deny her options, I am sure.

[bythewaves]

[ nom nom nom nom ]

That, you will have to discuss with Falmamiriel! But I cannot imagine that she would deny it, if that was what she wanted.

[ utterly besotted yep. Daughter gon be spoilt stupid ]

[outwards]

I will mention it to her. [And she's enough of a troll to hope that the kid will take after Tyelkormo and her more than her parents, just because watching that would most likely be hilarious. ]

[bythewaves]

[ Maglor chuckles lowly, even as Gwilwileth starts to nod off sleepily ]

Best to wait until her temper settles - she is not sleeping well, as yet - this little one is a night owl, alas, and quite strident.

[outwards]

And she'll have to learn how to walk before I can teach her riding.

[Calling dibs here, yup. Children.]

[bythewaves]

I suspect my lady will wish her to learn how to swim before she rides, Irisse.

[ Call dibs all you like, you still have to get past the wife ]

[outwards]

Riding at the beach is very nice, too; or to the beach. We can combine it.

[Also insert a few silly faces at the baby here.]

[bythewaves]

I begin to suspect ulterior motives there, cousin. Are you going to copy my example and steal her away then? [ once upon a time they could not joke like this - but all hurts are healed, if not forgotten, and Elrond and Elros, in any case, do not hold it against him ]

But I suppose there is no harm in combining a few things at once.

[ Gwilwileth is doing the stubborn I AM NOT SLEEPY headbob thing and she chortles at the faces. Silly lady-who-is-not-mum ]

[outwards]

And would I not be justified seeing how wonderful she is?

[He tone is decidedly light; the past is still full of hurt, but it is also distant now, the sea frozen over enough that light steps on it won't break the surface. Smiling softly, she shakes her head, beginning to rock the baby in her arms.]

If not for a child needing two parents, I might be tempted. As it is, it seems that I must be relegated to teaching her those things which I have more passion for than her parents. [Maglor is a splendid rider as well, but she holds more passion for it, and if she had to pick two or three of Fëanor's sons to take on a hunting party, neither of Gwilwileth's parents would be on it.]

[bythewaves]

[ NOT SLEEPY and Gwilwileth responds to the rocking with a sleepy protesting wail ]

She truly is, and I suppose if you could persuade Fal' to let her out of her sight I do not mind sharing her with you. At the least, I imagine you will be a better parent than some of my brothers, at least.

[ Imagine Caranthir as a dad okay. Bad enough he got married without telling anyone. But mini-Caranthirs? ]

[outwards]

You set a rather low bar here.

[Caranthir is definitely the one of her cousins that she would have expected to stay a single forever. She is just a bit miffed that he still won't tell them who the lucky one is.

She'll also continue the motion, but at the same time offer the baby her fingers as entertainment.]]

[bythewaves]

[ NO finger we wants to STAY AWAKE have another hiccoughing wail and that finger gets a beady eye. Careful or she might try to bite ]

I suppose I do, rather, although Curufin did make a reasonable attempt - at the least, Celebrimbor did well in escaping the worse of our madness.

[ Maglor hasn't been able to get it out of him either. Although he does routinely vanish, presumably to visit said wife no one has successfully been able to track him yet ]

[outwards]

[She won't follow down that path; that piece of history is the hardest for her to stomach still, harder even than her own son's deeds, and she will not be able to keep the mood light if they were to speak of it.

So she simply inclines her head a fraction and changes her grip on Maglor's daughter, raising her up so that she holds them almost above both their heads.]

You should introduce him to your daughter, perhaps that would convince him to finally let us meet his wife so she can see her too.

[bythewaves]

[ The lift distracts Gwilwileth from the rocking and gets a delighted burble of baby laughter. Someone, it seems, likes heights ]

I would, if he did not go pale and try to hide from me when I offer to let him hold her. It seems little ellith are more than he can handle. He was like that with all of you, if you remember, until you were old enough to walk.