Boromir lives AU where instead of being around for the events of Two Towers and ROTK he just kind of shows up in Minas Tirith after the Ring is destroyed all bloody & bedraggled like ‘you GUYS i had to swim all the way back what the hELL’
Aragorn: *watching Boromir’s funeral boat drift away* you checked for a pulse right Legolas
Legolas, who definitely does not know how human pulses work: sure did!!
*later*
Aragorn: LEGOLAS I TOLD YOU TO CHECK FOR A PULSE
Legolas: I did!
Aragorn: …..
Legolas: ….
Boromir: …..
Gimli: …..
Legolas: oh you meant check that he DIDN’T have one?
This is the only version of LOTR that I accept now
and Boromir sarding Not Dying, because fuck canon, I do what I want.*” *WHOOPS* FUCK YEAH FAM!
:D:D:D
… Huh. I’m pretty sure I only have two AUs where he dies and doesn’t get better somehow. *goes to poke at their list of Tolkien AUs* Ok, three.
Let’s see. Eriador Architects is a modern AU and no one dies.
Requiem Court is a ressurection apocalyptic AU, and of course Boromir dies. They all die, and it is glorious and Melkor’s plan to destroy the world doesn’t exactly go as he planned, and somewhere he’s screaming in frustration because all these self-sacrificing sorts to make the next iteration of the world what THEY want, instead of what HE wants.
Immortals of Arda… Boromir dies, and then comes back to life halfway down the coast of Harad, and Methos gets a new student (and later, things go terribly wrong, but Boromir still is not dead, thank you).
Gate of Morning doesn’t even go that far, because it’s Sheppard and Dex and an OC accidentally visiting rather earlier in the Third Age, when the dwarrow were mostly hanging out in the Grey Mountains, before they moved back to Erebor because dragons.
Into the Fire… well, I may get that far, but right now, the furthest I’ve got is a ten year old Aragorn, and a not-much-older Denethor visiting Coruscant. Boromir is not even a thought yet.
Gray Ships involves Boromir not dying because Sirius Black or Draco Malfoy, and only not Andromeda Tonks because she spent the whole decade between accidentally landing in Middle Earth and the War of the Ring in Imladris. However, Sirius finds her mildly terrifying, and Draco would like his aunt not to have reason to come bother him where he’s finally found a home, even if he does spend quite a bit of his time arguing with Haldir.
Time and Valar. Well, time travel, and technically he died, but he got better. And yeah, technically he’ll die again at some point, but definitely not at Amon Hen, and bugger if I’ve quite figured out when yet.
Meren and Gladhant does have his canonical death, but the AU isn’t about Boromir, it’s about OCs, and doesn’t actually have a name, just a designator that tells me who I started with as an important figure.
Two more unnamed AUs going down the list, but one’s a post-BoFA AU that is unlikely to get that far, since it’s an excuse for femslash, and the other is a post-Azanulbizar AU wherein Thorin gets a warg puppy because Frerin is not very discering about puppies, and even Denethor isn’t even a thought yet.
War Consort – this is probably going to get a rewrite along with some deleted comments, because fuck damnit. I remember that I did not kill Théodred, but I don’t remember what I did with Boromir. I need to figure that out.
Road to Mundburg, Boromir doesn’t die because Boromir has very good reason to tell the Ring to fuck off. He gets his head rung but good, and then gets sent home to ready Minas Tirith for the coming seige.
Queen Under the Mountain has not even been planned that far, but probably will keep Boromir alive, because I’m changing things way back before the quest for Erebor, so. (Thorin gets kids. And they live. And stay with their parents.)
Northern Night – well, see post to which the reply was made. 😀
Flame of Durin. Erm. I dunno that I’ve planned that far yet, and don’t wanna go looking at my notes yet.
No Shield For My Soul – not only does he survive Amon Hen, he gets to cause mayhem at the Black Gate, and meets the ever-delightful Alagosiell and her family. This would be the AU that gave me an excuse to make banners, or at least stylized variations of them in Illustrator.
Gaearon Rhûnen’s entire reason for existing is that Boromir doesn’t exactly die at Amon Hen. But he does. But he doesn’t. And Randír o Annûn is what happens when head trauma plus wound feaver plus the One Ring is a little shit all conspire together to make off with a lot of memories, and Boromir doesn’t keep his name, and by the time Aragorn is crowned king back in Gondor has begun to call somewhere else home.
Dis and Smaug is not that far, and is honestly an excuse for cute awkward baby dragon who grows up with a stubborn dwarrow princess, and hordes dwarves and humans instead of gold. Fuck canon, I do what I want, seriously.
Agnu Ra Nutû. Yeah, I did kill him in this one. Not at Amon Hen, but still during the War of the Ring. Gamekhdarân. *waits patiently for people to read it*
I saw him ride over seven streams, over waters wide and grey;
I saw him walk in empty lands, until he passed away
Into the shadows of the North. I saw him then no more.
The North Wind may have heard the horn of the son of Denethor.
YES PLEASE. I love me some Sean Bean but like. The LOTR series? V. white. The humans on screen had little to no color variation amongst them. Looking at that series now, years and years and LOTS of love later? I probably would have enjoyed it just as much with some more diversity.
Ten Things About Boromir the Bold That Never Made It Into the Red Book of Westmarch
I. His strongest memory of his mother was the smell of the sea she carried in her hair; how dark and tall she stood, looking towards a west Boromir would ever only long for in her honor.
II. Boromir did not ever doubt that he was loved. He was the first son of Gondor, swaddled in a walled citadel and rocked in Pelennor’s arms. He did not question why his father’s love was like stone, nor why his brother looked to him like he was the highest point of the ramparts. They were a city, and how else was a city to love?
III. For Boromir’s fourteenth year, the master of hounds promised him a pup of his own—One of Huan’s own line, the man swore, As befits a prince. What Boromir received, however, was the runt of that spring’s litter, a wheezing, stumbling thing that Boromir stubbornly nursed with a cheesecloth dipped in milk, then fed meat from his own plate.
Bellas, he called her, and ignored any who dared laugh.
Bellas never grew taller than Boromir’s knees, but she was strong and stubborn and loyal—for three years, Boromir went nowhere without her shadow at his heels. Bellas slept at the end of his bed; waited patiently during Boromir’s lessons; loped after his horse when he went riding.
Boromir was seventeen when Bellas was killed, her neck broken by an orc who had stumbled into their hunting party. She had put herself between her young master and the interloper, and afterwards, Boromir had carried her in his arms all the way back to Minas Tirith.
He buried her beneath a sapling tree on the slope of Mindolliun, and wept where no one could see him.
IV. Faramir looked west, and dreamt of great waves. Boromir watched him, heart heavy in his chest.
V. He had been in love with—well. He never said.
VI. Boromir was ill at ease in Elrond’s house, feeling too rough with travel, and heavy—all of Gondor on his shoulders, the knowledge that Faramir’s fine speech and strange visions might have meant something here, where Boromir, Protector of the City, did not. But he burned when they dismissed Gondor, his fingernails biting into his palms when the strength of Men was so questioned. (He had not seen any Elves come to Osgiliath’s defense, nor heard of any wizard-craft that kept the Corsairs from their brazen pillaging of Langstrand and Belfalas. What had these mighty peoples done to battle back the Shadow in the East except sit in their cool green palaces and speak in riddles?)
VII. He liked the Hobbits best, even after. They reminded him most of his own men, with their stubbornness and light-hearted complaints, their love of food and pipe-smoke and story. Three of them had left behind the whole of their world, to walk into darkness beside just one, and—yes, Boromir could respect such brotherhood.
VIII. (Aragorn remembered when Boromir was only a child, rosy-cheeked and happy to leave his mother’s side, to follow Thorongil around the citadel burbling in some tongue only Denethor and Finduilas could decipher. It was strange to meet the man that child became, to stand at a height with him, to wield a sword at his side, to listen to him speak of peace for Minas Tirith like other men spoke of lovers.
It made Aragorn feel very old, an ache deep in his bones that had not been there before. Careful, he wanted to caution the man, as he had once cautioned the child. Reach too high and you will fall.)
IX. One rainy night, when Boromir was keeping watch over the sleeping Fellowship, he sketched it out in his mind—the streets he would lead Aragorn through, the hidden corners of the palace he would show to Merry and Pippin, the great gates of the city whose craftsmanship he might justly boast of to Gimli. How Minas Tirith, that shining city, would chase the sorrow from the Fellowship’s faces, might shield them, might give them rest.
The rain dripped down his neck, cold, but he was gone to Minas Tirith—This is my home, he imagined himself saying to his companions, his brothers. This is home, may you always be welcome.
Agarlandoffreshlycuttears asked me to talk about my love of Boromir since I have a few Aragorn hate posts out there and boy does this topic of discussion take me back.
(For the record, a lot of my earliest opinions of Boromir was formed as an impressionable 14 year old experiencing her first head-over-heels male crush (I mean seriously, look at this guy:
) but people aware of my love of Thorin have probably noticed I tend to have a thing for complicated characters who experience a fall from grace. I find them much more interesting than characters who never need to struggle with morality or see a serious risk to their soul. I don’t hate Aragorn as such, but I have a lot of issues with the way his character was handled, so I hope the negative stuff comes across as more tongue-in-cheek and critique-oriented rather than bashing.)
So let’s begin from the beginning with some very Nuanced and Intellectual™ reasons to love Boromir.
If I can’t guess, or I think it’s several characters, are you willing to tell? Pretty please?
There are a lot it could apply to to different degrees. Off the top of my head?
Complex PTSD is different from regular PTSD in that it happens when a person is trapped in a situation, unable to escape, for a prolonged period of time. So you adapt in order to survive, usually in ways that are not terribly healthy in any kind of normal environment. It affects your entire development.
People with CPTSD also don’t have the kind of flashbacks that you see in regular PTSD – we have EMOTIONAL flashbacks (which are confusing and hard to identify and it takes practice).
I’ve yelled at people and then had to apologize because I did not
realize I was having a flashback. I am fortunate in that I live with
people who are very supportive and good at helping me recognize what’s
going on – but that usually doesn’t happen in fiction.
Anakin Skywalker – Ani actually had a good mom, but that isn’t enough to negate the fact he was enslaved for the first 9 years of his life and then the Jedi Order did nothing useful at all in terms of How To Deal With Your Feelings. It’s no wonder he latches onto Padme the way he does. He also exhibits emotional dysregulation which definitely happens when nobody in a safe environment has been able to show you healthy ways of dealing with feelings and how to express them. It’s also why Palpatine is able to manipulate him.
Harry Potter – People complain about Harry’s recklessness – people with CPTSD often don’t have the best self-preservation because a lot of times they don’t see themselves as someone who deserves to exist – or go “LOL, Harry’s so dense” when he grew up in an environment that punished him for succeeding and nobody ever protected him. It really does not help that he’s sent back to the Dursleys every summer to continue compounding the trauma.
Severus Snape – I KNOW, okay, I am not interested in arguing about this. I’m going to point out that brains do WEIRD SHIT when you’re having a flashback – which is what I think happened during the whole Snape’s Worst Memory thing – and you can react in unpredictable ways. (Feeling helpless to that extent would be VERY BAD for *me* and I am not entirely sure what I would do either.)
I would also make the argument that there’s no definitive textual evidence that he wanted to date Lily or have sex with Lily. Latching onto Favorite Person Who Doesn’t Think I’m Scum can just as easily apply to a best friend. I would distraught if my best friend decided to date one of the people who hurt me.
And I’m reiterating this because I do not feel like yelling at anybody over it later: I’m not saying “Everything they did was fine because they were abused” I’m saying “Because this person was abused and did not have healthy behaviors modeled for them, they literally do not know how to react another way, mental illness SUCKS, so maybe consider having some compassion".
Obi-Wan Kenobi has CPTSD so bad that he will literally flirt full-bore with people who are TRYING TO KILL HIM, ACTIVELY TRYING TO KILL HIM, because the response he gets is still preferable from basically everyone else in his life who dump a constant stream of disapproval, or far too many responsibilities to be normal, onto his head, and then are unhappy when he solves those problems anyway.
Ahsoka Tano was given a strategic, constant command in a three-year war at age 14 in which billions died. I wonder how fucking awful her CPTSD is.
I haven’t posted anything for a while on tumblr, music or otherwise, so here’s a little something. It’s one of my older songs with added harmonies! Hopefully now that I’m at school, I’ll be able to start writing and recording more regularly again. Thanks for being patient and for listening!
Lament for Boromir
(original music, poetry from The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien.)
Aragorn:Through Rohan over fen and field where the long grassgrowsThe West Wind comes walking, and about the walls itgoes.‘What news from the West, O wandering wind, do youbring to me tonight?Have you seen Boromir the Tall by moon or by starlight?’’I saw him ride over seven streams, over waters wideand grey;I saw him walk in empty lands, until he passed awayInto the shadows of the North. I saw him then no more.The North Wind may have heard the horn of the son ofDenethor.’’O Boromir! From the high walls westward I lookedafar,But you came not from the empty lands where no menare.’
–
Legolas:From the mouths of the Sea the South Wind flies, fromthe sandhills and the stones;The wailing of the gulls it bears, and at the gate itmoans.‘What news from the South, O sighing wind, do you bringto me at eve?Where now is Boromir the Fair? He tarries and I grieve.’’Ask not of me where he doth dwell – so many bonesthere lieOn the white shores and the dark shores under thestormy sky;So many have passed down Anduin to find the flowingSea.Ask of the North Wind news of them the North Windsends to me!’’O Boromir! Beyond the gate the seaward road runssouth,But you came not with the ailing gulls from the greysea’s mouth.’
–
Aragorn:From the Gate of Kings the North Wind rides, and pastthe roaring falls;And clear and cold about the tower its loud horn calls.’What news from the North, O mighty wind, do youbring to me today?What news of Boromir the Bold? For he is long away.’’Beneath Amon Hen I heard his cry. There many foes hefought.His cloven shield, his broken sword, they do the waterbrought.His head so proud, his face so fair, his limbs they laidto rest;And Rauros, golden Rauros-falls, bore him upon itsbreast.’’O Boromir! The Tower of Guard shall ever northwardgazeTo Rauros, golden Rauros-falls, until the end of days.’
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Highlander, Lord of the Rings, Actor RPF, Sanctuary (TV), Stargate SG-1 AU: Immortals of Arda Series: Five + One Things – Boromir Word Count: 693 Characters: Anubis (Stargate), Boromir, The Doctor (Tom Baker), Helen Magnus, J. R. R. Tolkien, Severus Snape, Willow Rosenberg
Helen Magnus (Sanctuary)
He had been ever so careful not to seem to court her though he thought her beautiful and worth the effort, for he had no desire to find out what she might think if Druitt challenged him for the affront and he killed her fiance. But he’d been more than happy to spin her stories of the gardens of Imladris and Lothlorien, of plants not seen anywhere else. Of elves and the mearas and men who could not die.
When she arrived, tired and alone and seeking refuge at the gates of Imladris almost a year later – and more than a century later, apparently – he wasn’t terribly surprised.
Anubis (Stargate SG1)
There was something satisfying about reducing a being that claimed godhood to nothing but dead flesh and a scattered army, particularly when he could take a greater hand in it than he had done when Sauron had finally fallen. Sometimes, though, he missed the feel of a sword in his hand in battle, for all that he couldn’t reasonably work the skill set into this lifetime’s hobbies. He simply hadn’t had enough time.
However, he doubted that a sword would come in handy against the being currently running around the base and inhabiting people. Although falling on it at the moment might be useful, if he could move a muscle at all. At least then Anubis and he wouldn’t be attempting to occupy the same space, and leaving his body on auto-pilot while they failed in the attempt.
Willow Rosenberg (Buffy)
“It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady,” he said with a smile as he brought the young woman’s hand to his lips. Willow had been brought by one of the Devon witches to Imladris, and Boromir had gladly allowed them inside when the situation was explained. After all, this was a place of healing, and he doubted Elrond would be upset to learn he’d given a woman who had all the power of one of the Istari – more than any witch of Terra – refuge so she wouldn’t become kin to Sauron.
Severus Snape (Harry Potter)
The desire to break the beak of a nose that Snape sported was, as ever, almost more than Boromir could resist. Although this time, at least, he had restraining Haldir from doing just that to distract him from his own desire.
The Doctor (Doctor Who)
“You’re late.” Boromir didn’t even look up from the book he was reading, lounging against the foot of a mallorn while the grinding noise of the TARDIS faded away. “About seven thousand years late. I asked you to return Lady Galadriel’s mirror in a timely fashion last time.”
He finally looked up, meeting the puzzled gaze of a man with a riot of curls and the longest scarf Boromir had ever seen. Not the face of the Doctor when he’d borrowed the mirror. Earlier, he thought, if he remembered the rapid-fire babble from the first meeting. “Or you could have not met me yet.” He sighed, and wondered if mortals who found out about Immortals had such a hard time dealing with them as he had coping with the idea of time travel.
J.R.R. Tolkien
“I miss it, sometimes.” Boromir leaned against the wall of the trench, glancing over at the young man he’d been telling about Arda. “Terra is a very different world.”
“I would imagine so.” The young man looked torn between believing him, and thinking him driven mad by the war.
Boromir chuckled, and straightened a little, thinking about the well-thumbed copy of Bilbo and Frodo’s book he had in his pocket, copied out by hand time and again since the changing of the world. After a moment, he took it from his pocket, handing it to the young man. “I’m afraid I don’t have a copy in English, but you’re welcome to keep this for now. I’ll teach you the language it’s in if there’s time.”
He would have time, of course, but the question was more if the mortal had time. Boromir was pleased when he survived, and took Boromir up on the offer to teach him Westron.
There's a Mirror on the Wall 