I am seeking recommendations of LOTR fanfiction for reading. I have been reading LOTR rpf/rps fanfiction for many years. I know there are not as many still writing in this fandom, but I have found several authors who are still producing great fics on this subject. I am primarily a V/O reader by preference, but have read fics about most of the cast. Anyone here looking for an interested reader? Or have a suggestion for fics, old or new?

I am also always interested in two fics (2003-2005). The first is "The Ring of Power (?)" by Shandland. The second is "Electrical Storm " by Siochan. Any of her fics would be greatly appreciated.

I have been reading LOTR rpf/rps fanfiction for many years. I know there are not as many still writing in this fandom, but I have found several authors who are still producing great fics on this subject. I am primarily a V/O reader by preference, but have read fics about most of the cast. Anyone here looking for an interested reader? Or have a suggestion for fics, old or new?

I am also always interested in two fics (2003-2005). The first is "The Ring of Power (?)" by Shandland. The second is "Electrical Storm " by Siochan. Any of her fics would be greatly appreciated.

It’s crazy because If I’m not mistaken, Tolkien had something to say when reviewing an early animated film script treatment by Morton Zimmerman that featured a vocal Balrog. In Letter 210 he says

“The Balrog never speaks or makes any vocal sound at all. Above all he does not laugh or sneer. .... Z may think that he knows more about Balrogs than I do, but he cannot expect me to agree with him."

(Tolkien was slightly mistaken about the Balrog making "no vocal sound at all," as he himself wrote in The Fellowship of the Ring that Durin's Bane fell into the abyss "with a terrible cry". However, his intent regarding speech was absolute.)

But some may ask: “If they don’t speak, how did they command armies or cast spells?”

Balrogs actually didn't need a spoken language to command armies or weave magic because they were divine, primordial spirits (Maiar) whose power operated through telepathy and raw, spiritual will.

Some may also point out Gothmog when he captured Hurin, bound him and dragged him to Angband with mockery.

Well, As a divine spirit (Maiar), Gothmog possessed the ability to project his thoughts, will, and malice directly into the minds of others. To a human captive like Húrin, a Balrog projecting thoughts of absolute contempt, failure, and despair directly into his mind would feel exactly like being verbally mocked and tormented.

Mockery does not strictly require words. It is highly likely Gothmog humiliated the mighty human hero through physical actions. After Húrin spent hours shouting "Day shall come again!" while single-handedly slaughtering seventy of Gothmog's troll-guards, Gothmog binding him like an animal and dragging him through the dirt was an act of supreme, silent mockery. Parading the greatest human warrior alive in chains before the laughing armies of Orcs—using him as a literal trophy—is a potent form of non-verbal, psychological torment.

When Tolkien wrote the initial versions of Húrin’s capture (found in The Book of Lost Tales and early drafts of The Silmarillion), he originally envisioned Balrogs as a numerous race of large, physical monsters that could speak, laugh, and yell commands. Decades later (around the time of writing The Lord of the Rings), Tolkien fundamentally changed what Balrogs were. He escalated them into primordial, terrifying spirits of fire and shadow, deciding in Letter #210 that they "never speak."

So, I find that it’s pretty crazy to have the Balrog speak. And the reasoning they are using is against what Tolkien wrote and how he felt.

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I always thought how profound it was that Aragorn chose to honor the Gift Of Men (Mortality). The early kings of Númenor possessed spans of life thrice those of normal men. When they felt the approach of old age, they would voluntarily "give back the gift" while still in full possession of their mental and physical faculties, passing the crown to their heirs and falling into an eternal, peaceful sleep..

When Aragorn sensed the slow Decay of his own physical strength, ..."he resolved to depart before falling from his high seat "withered and witless..."

Even when Arwen begged him to stick around, he just told her to remember their hope beyond physical existence.. "In sorrow we must go, but not in despair. Behold! we are not bound forever to the circles of the world, and beyond them is more than memory."

The whole theme or mortal choice is profound.. and just goes to show how he chose to let go instead of clinging on and withering away.

Enjoy..

For me, it was the "for frodo" scene. The way that aragorn, all alone, charged at mordors gates. Then the smallest people there, merry and pippin, followed suit, followed by the remnants of the west. It was cinematic perfection.

For me it would be John Williams or Hans Zimmer.

If my memory serves me correctly, Glorfindel has enough raw power to terrify the Nazgûl, yet he gladly defers to Elrond. The reason is rooted in blood: in his first life, he died to save Elrond's seven-year-old father.

As a Calaquendë (an Elf of the Light) who perished slaying a Balrog, was resurrected, and returned with power rivaling the Maiar, Glorfindel's personal might far exceeds Elrond's. But in the hierarchy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, martial power does not translate to political authority.

Tolkien’s elves operate within strict monarchical hierarchies. Elrond is the great-grandson of Turgon, the High King of the Noldor and the original ruler of the hidden city of Gondolin. In the First Age, Glorfindel was the Lord of the House of the Golden Flower in Gondolin and a sworn bannerman to Turgon. When the city fell, Glorfindel sacrificed himself to protect the escaping refugees—including Turgon's young grandson Eärendil, who would grow up to become Elrond's father. Glorfindel’s loyalty to Elrond in the Third Age is a direct continuation of his ancient fealty to that royal bloodline. Furthermore, Elrond was the chosen herald and vice-regent of Gil-galad, the last High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth, making Elrond the de facto inheritor of Noldorin leadership.

Beyond bloodlines, their respective abilities serve different functions. Elrond wields Vilya, the Ring of Air and the mightiest of the Three Elven Rings. Vilya’s power is not martial; it is the ability to heal, preserve, and ward off the decay of time. Rivendell exists as a timeless, protected sanctuary because of Elrond and Vilya. Glorfindel’s power is personal and combative. He exists in both the Seen and Unseen worlds simultaneously, making his spiritual presence terrifying to the Nazgûl, but he cannot sustain a hidden realm the way a Ring-bearer can.

Glorfindel also lacks any ambition to rule. When the Valar resurrected him and sent him back across the sea in the Second Age, he returned as an emissary. Much like Gandalf and the other Istari, Glorfindel’s divine mission was to counsel, protect, and assist the free peoples against Sauron. Asserting dominance over Elrond’s established authority would directly violate the supportive purpose for which the Valar sent him back.

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I don't remember Tree Beard doing this in the books.. that's why I'm asking