Was I planning to be working on the Celebrimbor/Maeglin fic? Yes. Am I instead planning the Tar-Miriel/King’s Man OFC fic? Also yes.
Original Kings Man Do Not Steal
The OFC is starting to get character traits and a backstory. Only daughter of a-- not necessarily noble (and definitely not of the line of Elros), but relatively high ranking due to pretty consistently showing up to Fight For King and Country. She is a King’s Man both in philosophical sense and the fact that she’s is loyal to Ar-Pharazon is particular-- which is why she’s picked to be Tar-Miriel’s bodyguard. Like, she is meant to guard her, but she was picked because Ar-Pharazon wanted to have someone he could trust follow Miriel around and spy on her.
She’s loyal, and cares about justice and fairness and protecting people to a fault. (and goddamnit. that’s Utena. I am describing Utena. fUCK). And she cares. She cares deeply and intensely and passionately. ...and that care and passion for justice and fairness is what brings her around (somewhat) to Miriel’s side. It’s why she falls in love with Miriel (who while much less... showstoppingly obvious about it, cares about those things, and what is faith if not another kind of loyalty.) (The OFC never stops being a King’s Man, never starts being Faithful-- but her opinions of the Valar evolve. They’re not the embodiments of Evil Incarnate, their people. Powerful and flawed people-- but people.)
I have some ideas for her name, but their either ‘Unfortunately, translation’ or ‘Unfortunately, confusing.’
- Unfortunately, translation: I remember reading a headcanon that the Narn i Chin Húrin is big in Númenor, and yep. Especially Túrin, a guy with a canonically low opinion of the Valar. So it’s totally plausible her parents would name her Master of Fate/Whatever Túrambar is in Adunaic. ...guess what language Tolkien never gave words for Doom or Fate? Yeah. And this girl needs an Adunaic name. Definitely not Sindarin, definitely not Quenya.
- Unfortunately, confusing: This girl, in contrast to Miriel, is very comfortable with an Adunaic name. It’s not something forced on her, it’s the best language for her. So why not give her a name that contrasts with Miriel’s Adunaic name that was forced on her... by giving her a similar one. I’m thinking ‘Zimrazagar’ (’jewel-sword’) It’s cool! It suits her! It fits the theme of the story! Unfortunately the way it fits the theme is by being very similar to the name of another character!
What do you do with a problem like Ar-Pharazon (and Annatar)?
This section is a statement of intent. I don’t know how to deliver on this intent, but I want to write it down.
I don’t necessarily want this story to be sympathetic to Ar-Pharazon. I want it to be fair to him. I don’t want him to be cackling evilly because I need an antagonist to drive the plot. He will be the antagonist! He will drive some of the plot in an antagonistic manner! But I want what he does to make sense from his perspective. I want the readers to go ‘I don’t like what he did, but I can see why he wanted what he wanted, I see why he tried to get it that way.. even if I hate what he’s done, I can see why he did it.’
(I don’t think I’ve done this well in my previous fics. I want to do better.)
(While Sauron being-evil-for-the-sake-of-evil is less of a problem-- I still want to be fair to him. I still want what he does to
make sense. If nothing else, I want what he says and does to make some sense, so that the people agreeing with him don’t come across like morons.)
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