Admin Post: February 2018 Challenge: Breaking Boundaries

[dawn_felagund]

The ages of Arda are punctuated by encounters between peoples of different cultures.They fight and fall in love and battle and betray and colonize and corrupt one another, forging understandings on one hand and rejecting them on the other. This month's challenge asks you to create a fanwork that shows a meeting between characters of two or more cultures. There are no prompts this month, but if you're looking for inspiration, check below the cut for a list of important cultural encounters and feel free to suggest more in the comments! And since February is Black History Month, we encourage participants to include characters of color or or characters from cultural groups we don't hear from a lot in the texts.

Fanworks for this challenge are due on the archive by March 10 in order to receive a stamp.

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Important Cross-Cultural Encounters in the Ardaverse

There are no prompts for this challenge. The list below is provided only in hopes that it might jump-start ideas and inspiration for the challenge.

Have a favorite cross-cultural encounter that you don't see here? Suggest it in the comments!

Intercultural relations in general

• Oromë/the Valar and the Eldar


• Ossë and the Teleri


• Different Elven peoples, in Cuiviénen and afterwards


• Elves and Mortals (e.g. Finrod, Maedhros)


• Elves and Dwarves (e.g. Eöl, Finrod, Curufin, Caranthir, Thingol)


• Mortals and Dwarves


• The different houses of Men


• Númenórean colonialism


• Annatar and the Mírdain

Intercultural friendships

• Finrod and Bëor


• Finrod and Andreth


• Azaghâl and Maedhros


• Amlach and Maedhros


• Haleth and Caranthir


• Narvi and Celebrimbor


• Aldarion and Gil-galad (Númenóreans and Eldar generally)


• Cirion and Eorl

Intercultural love

• Finwë and Indis


• Finarfin and Eärwen


• Galadriel and Celeborn


• Andreth and Aegnor


• Thingol and Melian


• Beren and Lúthien


• Finduilas and Túrin


• Aredhel and Eöl


• Idril and Tuor


• Mithrellas and Imrazôr


• Vidumavi and Valacar

Comments

[ladybrooke]

:D I really, really, really love this one, which I'm sure is a surprise to exactly zero people who have read any story I've written.

(But, should that Finwë and Míriel under intercultural love be Finwë and Indis? I don't think we're ever given a heritage for Míriel like we are Indis. And I think that Galador might be supposed to be Imrazor, unless you meant parent-child love).

[dawn_felagund]

Yes, this one was pretty much made for you! :D

Thanks for the catches on both of those! I'm not sure Lyra, who wrote the list, intended me to post it rather than just use it to develop examples, but I found it inspiring and wanted to share. Clearly I should have done a better job proofing! :D

[ladybrooke]

:D

You're welcome! I only caught them because Míriel and Mithrellas are among my favorite characters, so my eyes go to them like elves' eyes to the Silmarils. :P

And Lyra, if you see this, you came up with a ton of coll examples I would never have thought of, so thanks!

[oloriel]

Thank you for catching this! It absolutely was meant to be Indis. Should've double-checked my sloppy brainstorming. ^^
And thank you for your kind words!