[Elentari]

I know, I know. With three ages (not counting the pre-trees period) of bloodspilling, upheavel filled, change-the-fate-of-the-world history in ME, WTF do we need another crossover????

Because, it's fun.

So, just dropping yet another idea in the nursery because (darn!) I just know I will not have the time to give this one shape.

Most of us have seen Mulan in the movies. (No need to deny it, child) Now, try and see the basic same plotline applied to ME. At any given age.

You can show the despair of the men trying to fill the battalions to march against barad-dur in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Surely one (or all) of the mortal kingdoms involved set a law recruiting all lads above a certain age to join the army. All able men. Your heroin could be one of the fleeing faithful numenorean lady who wishes to spare her old father in the battlefield. Or a spitfire western lass. Or a rohirrin lass could decide to join the army in her father's (or brother's, or cousin's) name in order to keep the family name/honor/tradition... in the War of the Ring. Be creative. Lord knows ME has plenty of despair-inspiring, Oh-God-the-world-will-end wars.

Have fun!

[Eruanna]

[NancyBrooke]

[Pounamu]

Indirectly one could say that Tolkien himself already did that through Eowyn. She snuck into battle dressed as a man, and saved the day my defeating the WitchKing of Angmar. Sounds pretty Mulan-ish even though she didn't technically replace Theoden in the field.

[NeumeIndil]

If you poke around through Chinese stories a bit, you'll find the original (as in un-Disney versioned) story of Mulan is really represented at the very end when she is made a counselor to the emperor: the girl warrior premise is not present in most of the versions of Mulan (somtimes called The Wisest Girl in the World I think) that I found. It's been a while since I looked up the stories for a culture course in college, but the basic idea is that Mulan (who is anywhere from about 9 to 16 years old) was deemed the wisest person in her family and through a series of trials, was promoted to counselor to the emperor. Applying that legend to the Tolkien world opens a lot of doors as well. The first that comes to mind is Elessar being gently guided though a difficult decision by one of his daughters. Perhaps, going to the Silmarillion, Nerdanel becomes her father's "second mind"? The possibilities are many, since so little is known of many of Tolkien's female characters.

(And by mentioning this I don't mean to imply that your original idea is somehow incorrect or inferior. I'm trying to point out a different possibility, not be mean, so I hope I've not offended you and I'm sorry if I have.)