That was exactly the problem - it felt like the sort of thing that I expected of myself, and I had this sour-faced nanny aspect of myself chiding me. Ugh.

Yes, I hope, Valinor fic! I always felt the spiritual "children" of Yavanna and Aulë got the short end of the stick.

This Tolkien revival is so, SO awesome! We are everywhere! And I'm finding myself interested in aspects of the mythos that never grabbed me as hard before, like Dwarven culture. I can't wait to see how it'll grow and unfold over the next couple years.

I do want to slap the prissy gatekeepers upside the head. No chilling effects, please.