<Two women enter a light gray room. One, a human ranger with dark brown hair and gray eyes; the other, a hobbit with light brown hair and brown eyes.>
Human: Oh, hello.
Hobbit: Hello. Are you an original character?
Human: Um, I’m not sure. Who are you? Are you an original character?
Hobbit: Oh, sorry. <curtseys> Bellarosa Baggins, at your service. And I am an original character.
Human: <curtseys despite her ranger uniform> Veredhiel Estelle, at yours. Are you a relation to Bilbo Baggins?
Bella: He’s my twin brother. <tilts her head to the side> Your name reminds me of a human I met in Rivendell. I think you even resemble him too.
Estelle: <surprised/confused> I didn’t know Bilbo had a sister, and I thought I was the only human living in Rivendell.
<Aslan’s Princess rushes in, propping herself on her knees as she catches her breath.>
AP: Yes and no, to both observations. Sorry, crazy schedule so I’m a bit late. Whoo. Okay. Bellarosa Baggins, or Bella, is my original character of one year. Estelle, also Ringorn, Strider, and Oili Earneh, is my version of Aragorn if he had been born a girl.
E: Wait, I’m confused here.
AP: Basically, Estelle, you’re what some call a genderbent character. Honestly, you are probably the first character I’ve done this with. Personally, I’m considering you a blend of original character and Aragorn. Especially after you insisted on becoming friends with Fili and Kili. <to reader> This led to her at the time unplanned dwarvish name, Oili Earneh. Thankfully, still true to Aragorn’s interesting way of collecting names.
B: What about me?
AP: You are largely original with a hint of Bilbo, but only enough for your Baggins side to show.
E: So, why are we here and not in our respective stories?
AP: A part of me wants to see you two hang out together, but that isn’t possible unless I do a fun one-shot or something. (I don’t really want to create a whole other novel to weave the idea together. I already have more unfinished fanfics floating around than I want to admit.) And this is also my final post for NaNoWriMo, and I wanted to make it special.
So, how about you share where you currently are in your stories?
E: <inviting> Miss Bella?
B: Alright. Now, I believe that at the end the last Novel Writing Challenge, my brother, Thorin’s Company, and I were just getting ready to leave Rivendell. However, she had also written a series of scenes concerning the Battle of Five Armies. Throughout the past year, Aslan’s Princess has finally managed to get us to Beorn’s house and we are currently heading for Mirkwood. Estelle?
E: <concentrating a bit> Well, she started my story when I was five; skipped to when I was ten, just when Thorin’s Company arrived, and touched on my sixteenth and twentieth birthdays. <turns a little to glare at Aslan’s Princess> Did you really have to have Ada tell me about my heritage on my birthday?
AP: <shrugs with a nervous smile> That’s the impression I got of what Tolkien did with Aragorn. But Elrohir and Glorfindel did help make it better, right? <to reader> For those who don’t know, Elrohir is one of Elrond’s twin sons, and Glorfindel is a great warrior from the First Age of Middle Earth.
E: So, back to where my story is at. I think that she has left me somewhere in the Mellon Chronicles? Though I also get the sense that she wrote even further than that.
AP: Yep. For the continuous portion, I am in the early part of the Mellon Chronicles when Aragorn and Legolas are just starting to become good friends. However, since I jotted down some scenes during some stolen moments in a notebook, I also touched on a latter tale in the series as well as visited a scene from the end of Fellowship of the Ring and beginning of Two Towers, depending on whether you refer to the film or the book.
And I should probably apologize to Estelle for putting her on the spot. While Bella has been around for a year or so and has thus picked up having an awareness outside her story, Estelle is just barely a month and thus is finding it a little awkward.
E: <shrugs easily> It’s alright. I’m already finding it easier.
AP: That’s good to hear. Now, I’m going to talk to my readers for a bit. How about you two visit for awhile and when I’m finished we’ll tell them all goodbye.
B: Sounds good to me. <catches Estelle’s wrist and drags the semi-stunned woman to the side> Alright, girl, I want to know everything about you meeting those two rascals.
AP: <chuckles> I think that they’ll be busy for a little bit now. Well, this has been a fun month. Now, either because I wasn’t as diligent as I was last year, or I found myself snagged by a couple other interests along the way, I didn’t reach my personal goal of 100,000. But I did have a final count of 56,825 words. Since I fully intend to take this story to the end of Return of the King, if not further, I still have a long way to go. So, much like my Two Hobbits story, I’m going to continue working on Mellonnen, Melethen for quite some time.
One of my writing friends and I are challenging ourselves to write 25,000 words over the course of December since she wants to work on her novel too. We’ll have to see what happens with all the busyness that has become synonymous with Christmas in our area.
I may have an account on Fanfiction.net soon. Sorry, you may not see either of my two above stories for a time because I have a pet peeve about unfinished stories and I don’t wish to fall into that trap myself. Of the two, you’re more likely to see Two Hobbits as the first of at least three parts. And because of how I plan for events to play out, they’ll no doubt be telling me how Lord of the Rings happened differently because of it. <muffled soft groan> But that will be in a series of its own. Another time, another place.
When I get my account, I’ll leave a link here and on my Facebook page so you can come visit me there. I have a feeling I’ll start slow, mostly with one-shots (short stories, only a chapter long) and maybe one or two short chapter stories. I have painfully found that I apparently overthink ideas and they always end up extending way longer than I initially intended. But anyway, back to NaNoWriMo.
I have a fairly good idea of where I’m going with the story, along with notes on my phone thanks to a notebook app. I think that I may get through the early Mellon Chronicles period quickly since I’m only touching on scenes that I believe would be different with the gender switch, either because of situation, or Estelle may point out to me that she would have some strong opinions that need voiced. Yes, she is a human woman living in a world largely comprised of elvish men, but she doesn’t appreciate when they try to make her abide by the feminine stereotype. Oh, she can be delicate and feminine when she wishes, but she is also a fierce warrior. How else does one survive prankster brothers? So, I hope I won’t linger in the fan series too long, but as mentioned in the last paragraph, I can tend to overthink things. I am also looking for opportunities to explore how she knows Tom Bombadil (an odd fellow from the Fellowship book) and maybe touch on a couple ventures she has with Gandalf. <shrugs> We’ll see.
Well, that about wraps it up. Come on, girls!
<Bella and Estelle return, laughing and giggling.>
E: You have to give us a proper story together. This is a woman after my own heart!
B: Hey, I was going to say that. But, yes, even a short crossover. Just imagine her and Aragorn meeting, Elrond’s children, Legolas! It’s too perfect!
AP: <rubbing her temples> Yes, yes. I can almost imagine, but at this point I am only getting the vague idea that it will be full-blown craziness, which would no doubt drag me into the whirlpool of a multi-chapter story which I currently don’t need.
E: Another NaNo Challenge then?
AP: <sighs> Yeah, add that to the growing list.
B: Ah. Bad timing?
AP: Just a little. But, I have the idea on record at least, so one day when I feel like entering myself into the madhouse, I can have a go at it. <she groans, pressing her hand’s heels into her eyes> There is also the headache of how it would actually happen and how the displaced characters would get back to their right world. I don’t need this.
E: <winces> Sorry.
AP: No, it’s alright. Let’s wrap this up and get you girls home before your companions start worrying.
Hope you all enjoyed.
B: Garo lend vaer! [Have a good journey!]
E: Navaer! [Farewell!]
AP: Until next time. Bye!
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