(no subject)

It's snowing so heavily that everything behind the houses across the street is kind of blurry, the fir trees like these dark hulking shapes in the mist.

Wow.

Fic Rec Fridays 2019 - part 4

A Tangled Web (87660 words) by TAFKAB, Roselightfairy
Chapters: 37/37
Fandom: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings (Movies)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gimli (Son of Glóin)/Legolas Greenleaf
Characters: Legolas Greenleaf, Gimli (Son of Glóin), Aragorn | Estel, Arwen Undómiel, Thranduil, Galion (Tolkien), Éomer Éadig, Elfhelm (Tolkien), Glóin (Tolkien), Original Male Character(s), Original Female Character(s), Other Character Tags to Be Added
Additional Tags: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Mutual Pining, Angst, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Politics, Eventual Happy Ending, Excessive Drinking, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Miscommunicating morons, Everyone Is A Drama Queen, Aragorn and Arwen are done, the level of stupidity in this story is UNREAL we are not kidding, every time you think they're as dumb as they could possibly be they get even DUMBER, Hair Braiding, Mutual Masturbation, Sharing a Bed, Fake Marriage, Dwarf/Elf Relationship(s), Elf Culture & Customs, Mild Sexual Content, Awkward Sexual Situations, Dwarf Culture & Customs, Cuddling
Summary:

Five years after the War of the Ring, rumors have been spread all around Middle-Earth that the lords of Aglarond and Ithilien are closer than mere friendship. Threatened by Legolas and Gimli's obvious preference for doing business with one another, the leaders of Erebor and Mirkwood turn suspicious eyes to their trading relationships.

Infuriated by the rumors and scheming, Legolas and Gimli decide to pretend they're married in order to prove that their realms would treat fairly with others no matter what. But can they maintain the deception? Will it end their legendary friendship-- or could it lead to more?

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I’ve been trying to think how to recommend this without giving too much away, and decided that at least anything in the tags is fair game.

To start with, the set-up already ticks all the right little boxes for me: fake relationship, mutual pining, UST, political intrigue, exasperated ship captains, and so forth.

And the execution is so. very. enjoyable.

The prose is fluid and beautiful, the dialogue snappy or eloquent as needed, and the mood swings effortlessly from the passages that make you giggle yourself silly to those that make you clutch at your chest because you’ve been struck RIGHT in the feels. I call it humour and melodrama, blended in measure.

Not to mention the wonderful character chemistry that makes this such a very thirsty story. It’s tangible. Thick enough to cut with a knife, I tell you. And it only gets worse. And worse.

Which brings me to pacing; the plot moves unhurriedly enough to justify the slow burn label and build some lovely suspense, but not so sluggishly as to be frustrating; in fact, I often found myself simultaneously rooting fiercely for these two doofuses and bemoaning their continued wilful idiocy (aka “this is almost TOO MUCH but damn it’s TOO GOOD” feeling.) And the resolution… well, I won’t spoil that for you :)

Or, to quote myself from a comment about halfway through the tale:

TL:DNR: IT WAS GREAT AND I'M A FLAILING OCTOPUS OF GLEE.