Movie Sub-genres Dark Fantasy

movie sub-genres • dark fantasy

dark fantasy sub-genre is typified by a deliberately ominous tone, reinforcing what is commonly perceived as a “gloomy” atmosphere. standard features of fantasy are deliberately intertwined with a sense of terror and dread to create this sinister subcategory of fantasy.

I’m still crying about the Maglor in the Fellowship thing by @most-definitely-human and I’m absolutely in love with it as a concept.

When the Counsel of Elrond starts screaming at each other Maglor just stands up and starts shrieking because he’s the only one who can make himself heard. Elrond is like, “dad, this was supposed to be SECRET and now the whole Shire knows whats going on.

Elrond doing his bit about swearing no oaths and just looks at Maglor very pointedly like “this is for you. Its because of you I have to say shit like this.”

Bilbo singing his song about Earendil and instead of Aragorn telling him not to upset Elrond he’s like, please don’t do this in front of him, he will start a fight.”

Saruman’s doing his magic snow stuff and Maglor starts yelling back at him.

Maglor and Gimli because fairly fast friends because Maglor has met pretty much all Gimli’s heroes: Narvi, Azaghâl, several of the Durins, and even Aulë (Mahal). 

Sam is easily won over for the same reason, and because Maglor probably wrote a few of the songs Bilbo taught him. Maglor also spoils some of the fun because he’s like “I know you think these guys are awesome and magic and all wise and stuff, but trust me I’m related to them and they’re all idiots.”

Maglor gets them through the gate at Moria in like five seconds. Gandalf makes a smart remark about the Star of Feanor and Maglor just glares at him like “I refuse to take the bait.” They get into a fight about history at least once. 

The Balrog doesn’t phase him at all, he’s just like “listen I’ve fought off dragons, LET ME FIGHT IT” (there’s also probably a degree of “no one will care if I die so I can buy you time”) but Gandalf makes him leave with the Fellowship because they need someone with a knowledge of land and history (Maglor’s been wandering for millennia, he knows Middle Earth like the back of his hand).

They probably do get into Lothlorien - but only because Galadriel sees this is his only chance at redemption - Celeborn isn’t happy and probably tells Haldir to follow him around so everywhere Maglor goes theres just a group of scouts trailing around behind him like angry, overly armed ducklings.

Galadriel looks Maglor right in the eye when she gives Gimli the three hairs, because they both know that Feanor tried to get hair from her and she was like “fuck off.”

Galadriel gives Frodo the Vial of Earendil and just looks at Maglor and goes “keep your hands off.” He spends the whole time being like “keep that thing away from me, I want nothing to do with it. Get that thing within ten feet of me and I will throw it in the nearest ocean. Oh, by the way, HOW AND WHY DID YOU PUT ELROND’S DAD IN A BOTTLE. CAN WE AS A SPECIES JUST AGREE TO STAY AWAY FROM SHINY THINGS??? Damnit, cousin your hair started this whole thing.”

What would she give him as a present??????? 

Frodo and Sam leave and Maglor’s like “I CAN’T LET KIDS WANDER OFF ALONE” and Aragorn spends at least half an hour convincing him that 1) they’re not actually kids, 2) YOU CAN’T ADOPT ALL THE PAIRS OF SHORT THINGS YOU FIND, and 3) we need to get Merry and Pippin.

Gandalf comes back and Maglor isn’t surprised. “Does everyone except my family just refuse to stay dead?”

Theoden tries his “women can’t go to war” thing and Maglor absolutely calls him on his bullshit because listen, we need everything we can get and she could probably kick half your army’s ass with one arm tied behind her back.” Maglor has seen some really powerful women and he does not want to risk pissing off yet another one.

Gandalf is like “pippin don’t touch the Palantir” and then he turns to Maglor, hands him the Palantir and says “just start singing at him.” 

When Elladan and Elrohir show up with the Rangers Maglor’s like “does your dad know where you are? Did Elrond okay this? Are you helping your sister flirt with the guy your dad expressively does not want her to date?” 

Unlike Legolas, Maglor doesn’t pitch a fit about going underground because he’s almost definitely lived in a few caves over the years, and the ghost army probably doesn’t faze him at all because he probably knew them when they were alive and he’s like “YOU PEOPLE KEEP MAKING OATHS AND PROMISES AND NOT KEEPING THEM!”

At the end when Mordor is falling apart and everyone is screaming “help we’re gonna die” Maglor just looks up at the sky and goes “okay this is where Manwe decides to get off his ass and do something.” The birds pick him up last.

At some point before Aragorn’s coronation he brings up the fact that Maglor was a high king once (Aragorn probably wants advice, like, at lot of it) and Mags is just like “You have to find the thing that motivates you. For example: the only reason I did it is because I knew my brothers would have been worse.”

Maglor gets his redemption at the end, because HE DESERVES IT GOSH DARN IT.

I adore "Maedhros and Maglor in the war of the rings" AUs

(and I think I've come up with my favourite one yet)

Timeline to be figured out but:

Celebrimbor as a test before making the 3 elven rings decides to craft his uncles a final gift using the methods that Annatar has imparted (Of course it's not entirely light magic but he doesn't know that yet.) What he intends to make is a ring of protection that defends them from the teeth of the Oath but instead what he makes is a ring that protects them from themselves. The Oath is a magic bound in their minds and thus so is the protection of the rings so when Maedhros and Maglor recieve them what they basically turn into is rings of self preservation. Mae tries to throw himself into a chasm and finds himself turning around and walking away against his will. Maglor wanders around fading but keeps finding himself back in rivendell whenever he's on the cusp until eventually he gives up and settles there. I imagine Mae eventually realises he can't Just Fecking Die and he refuses to fall to what little of the enemy is left and going back to the elves would result in being held prisoner (he assumes, ya boy's paranoid ok) instead of executed. So instead he just says "Well Sauron had allies in the east didn't he? 😈 " And goes off to cause problems on purpose in a way that's useful.

All this wandering and futility carries them right through the first war against Sauron so neither of them are really involved aside from Sauron suddenly losing allies in the east and a really pesky loner who keeps singing random patrols to death around the coast.

However, then the quest of the mountain happens. And all of a sudden there's rumours of a redheaded elf who speaks Khuzdul living with the dwarves but by the time Elrond gets a message to Erebor like "???" Dain is like "oh he's long gone already, didn't find what he was looking for."

By this point Maglor has been living with Elrond for a few centuries and had no idea Maedhros was still alive and basically just disappears instantly. To which Elrond is like "Great.. now there's TWO unattended, feral dads wandering the continent 🙄." Fast forward a couple of decades and Maglor shows up like a cat leaving mice on your doorstep with Maedhros in tow, who is distinctly unhappy with this arrangement. Still, eventually Mae stops hissing and biting long enough to actually bond with his family again. (Especially since Elrond knows how the rings function and has ordered that no one is allowed to remove them for mae or mags.) And things start actually looking up for the kidnapp fam.

But then sh*t gets interesting. Because the one ring appears in rivendell.

(I will probably continue and elaborate on this when its not 2am)

On Thangorodrim, if it hadn't been Fingon

Celegorm would take the shot. He's a hunter, he knows about putting something out of its misery. He would do it and it would burn him up but he would do it, and as he fought his way out some part of him would be waiting, almost hoping, for an arrow in return.

Curufin would shoot as well. It's simple logic. He would shoot, and he would know he'd made the right choice, but no matter how much he rationalised or pretended it would never, never get easier.

Caranthir wouldn't. He would cling fast and fierce to the hope that he could still fix this, and Maedhros would beg him to leave but he would stay and fight at the foot of the cliffs until he was brought down and chained himself. And that, that would break Maedhros.

The twins could never bring themselves to do it. They loved their mother and worshipped their father but it was their brother who braided their hair and dried their tears, and no-one is ever ready to kill their childhood, not when they're barely grown. Maedhros would tell them to run, eventually, and they would, shamed and horrified. Amrod first, and then Amras.

And Maglor? Maglor, of all of them, might have thought to pray.

vince, referring to the really good motorcycle drive thru worker jack can somehow afford: where do you get your juice?!

jack: my mom does all the grocery shopping

I think we should talk more about how Finrod, the Fair and Friendly one, the one who decided the best way to introduce himself to a new race of creatures was sneaking into a camp of sleeping humans and performing a harp solo, that Finrod- killed a werewolf naked with his teeth.

If you lined up all the grandchildren of Finwe, and asked me to rate each of them by their likelihood to die while killing a werewolf naked with their teeth, I think I might have put Finrod dead last. Maybe second to last behind Turgon, who has the least feral energy.

But he just. Canonically does that. In an episode of the story that prominently features Celegorm (the run away leader in the “likely to kill a werewolf naked with his teeth” polls), FINROD FELEGUND is the one who rips out the throat of a werewolf with his teeth.

We don’t talk about it enough. He hauls a ton of gems across the ice because he is so connected to civilization he looks at the helcaraxe and says “when I get to the uncertain future on the other side of this, I’m gonna need to pay for things.”

And then-

naked

WITH HIS TEETH!!!