#feanor and his kids in mandos

[silvantransthranduiltrash]

Idc what anyone says, Oropher would love to meet his grandchild and grandchildren via Miriel.

Everyone: They’re KINSLAYERS!

Oropher:

Does It Look Like I Give A Fuck?

[hubristicassholefight]

Hubristic Asshole Fight: Round 1 Part 1b

Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars) vs Feanor (The Silmarillion)

Propaganda below cut

Anakin

Decided that he would become stronger than death to stop those he cares about from dying after failing to accept his mother's death. When he begins getting visions/nightmares like he had before losing his mother of his wife dying in childbirth, he decides to team up with an evil sorcerer and mastermind to learn the secret to stopping death. The price he willingly paid was leading the slaughter of the community of peacekeeping monks who had raised him from nine years old, feeling guilt about his heinous betrayal even as he unflichingly continued the massacre (sunk cost fallacy to a very extreme degree). The unintended price he paid was the loss of his limbs and independence after his injuries during a fight with his mentor and brother figure, his wife dying on childbirth due to the great stress of his heinous actions, and being separated from his children until they were adults firmly opposed to the imperial regime he became the attack dog for (only knowing of their survival until after he had personally attacked them both); He literally did not have to do any of that. his wife Padmè very very very very much did not want him to do any of that. He was completely absorbed in his own inability to deal with loss that he deadlock refused to consider losing family again and then he went and killed what amounted to his extended family, his wife and the man who raised and guided him from age 9. And his own kids unknowingly. In terms of accomplishing your goals there really really wasn't much more he could have fucked up. And when it comes down to key moments, all he had to do was not cut off mentor and co-worker Mace Windu's hand with a laser sword and everything would have been fine. He's a nominee for Fail King of All Time to me

He thinks he's hot shit which, he is, but like cool it dude you don't have to mass murder maim mutilate your way through life to prove you're the extra most specialest bestest psychic space wizard;

Hubrised so hard he 1) lost his limbs and his skin 2) became what he hated 3) caused the very death he sought to prevent, betraying and destroying himself for nothing; So soaking wet and self aware that he cried committing atrocities. If he knew what hubris was, he'd agree he has a lot of it

Feanor

The definition of hubris. Created the silmarils who were so perfect even the gods praised them. Got them stolen by the gods evil brother (so essentially fantasy satan). Then decided to go fight the evil god to get the silmarils back and swore an oath binding him and his sons to get them back no matter who would stand in their way. This drastically backfired when some other elves stood in his way so he murdered them. Got cursed by the gods for this (together with his entire family and everyone who followed them). Told the gods that they were of the same kind as fantasy satan and that they would end up following him

Morgoth (a god) shows up at his house and Feanor (professional hater of gods) tells him to get fucked* and slams the door in his face. *”Get thee gone from my gate thou jail-crow of Mandos!”; He has never spent anything wrong ever aside from all the war crimes.

The Valar (gods) asked Feanor for help in saving the world from being in total darkness and he said “no, figure it out yourselves”. Repeatedly and intentionally goes against their orders leading to war and chaos; I know it’s left open ended to what really happened to him after he died, but I hope he never repents. I hope he stays an antagonistic and egotistical bastard after being reimbodied (brought back to life) and continues to make it everyone else’s problem. I love him.

I’m gonna have to try to do this without a sing Tolkien scholarship words so bear with me. Basically my dude is one of the smartest and most talented elves in the world. Unfortunately he has a lot of daddy issues AND mommy issues largely due to the fact that his mom died when he was a kid and decided not to come back (as elves can do). No one else has this problem. He invented a ton of important stuff and had seven sons. His most prized creation was three gems called the Silmarils, which contained the light of the Two Trees, which gave light to the world before they were destroyed. When the Valar (the gods of Tolkien’s world) asked if they could use the Silmarils to potentially create another light source, he emphatically refused and in fact became so jealous of them that he and his sons swore an oath that anyone who so much as touched them would die by their swords. Sauron’s boss steals the gems and Feanor decides that he will lead his people on a crusade to retrieve and avenge them. This results in the death of him, most of his people, and almost his entire family minus one of his sons, Galadriel, and Elrond; He once yelled at the devil to get off his lawn

went to war with morgoth (satan basically) against the will of the gods and made a whole speech to said gods about how they were gonna feel really silly when he killed morgoth and saved the whole world. he never actually did battle with morgoth because he died on like day 1 of getting to middle earth (he left like 2/3 of his forces behind because he didn’t trust them) and spontaneously combusted upon his death; he’s a huge asshole and a mad scientist and linguist and prince with daddy issues and also mommy issues

Dude thought he could win a fight with the devil, tried to just walk into Angband (Mordor before Mordor actually existed), made an oath to kill everyone that tries to take his creations even the Valar (angelic like beings) and ends up causing his death, his sons deaths and a bunch of other deaths; His name is quite literally spirit of fire Is basically regarded as THE greastest elf Is in fact THE best smith of the elves and crafts their most precious jewels (that end up causing so much death) Is THE linguist to the point of creating the alfabet every one uses even after The Crimes, creates a bunch of things that are used even after The Crimes actually Loves his dad more than the things he made Is the only recorded elf with seven kids Is married to a sculpter that is so good that people confuse her statues as actual people (a propaganda because he had to be good to actually bag her you know) Manages to create jewelry so good even the the angelics beings sent by god are surprised he managed to do it So good at making speeches that it leads to a rebellion against said angelic beings and a lot of people to leave paradise with him His mother died because his spirit was too powerful Invented kinslaying after trying to steal some boats for said rebellion Swears an oath that destroys his whole family (but adds a great flavour to the rest of the story) Tells the devil to fuck off and slams his house door on said devils face Dies via auto combustion because his spirit was just too powerful for a normal death Gets stuck in the afterlife (that elves can usually just return from) for spiting the Valar Is said he will have an important role in Tolkien’s version of Ragnarok by letting the jewels he previously promised to kill for be destroyed to defeat the devil

Because of his pride, he went against the gods because the evil god Morgoth stole his life's work (the Silmarils, 3 shiny gems that radiated the light of the two trees that a huge evil spider had sapped dry). Swore (with his 7 sons) an oath to hunt Morgoth and retrieve his shiny gems. Commited kinslaying, burned some boats, combusted to ashes after suffering mortal wounds at the hands of corrupted demi-gods. Consequences of his actions could be seen long long after his death: the oath was passed on to his sons to hopelessly fulfill (failure after failure, including two more kinslayings, one of them casting himself into a fiery volcano, another wandering the shores for eternity);

[blueflipflops]

Feanor and his kids in the Halls of Mandos (or in the Void™ or whatever) watching Maglor talk to seagulls and crabs and sing Noldolantë for the 5420735891th time in a row:

[that-angry-noldo]

"feanorians shouldn't be blamed for helcaraxe it wasn't their responsibility" BITES YOU BITES YOU BITES YOU

FINGOLFIN ISN'T ARAFINWE

FINGOLFIN CAN'T SIMPLY RETURN HE'S BASICALLY COVERED IN BLOOD

MAY I REMIND YOU THEY HAD AS MUCH PART IN STEALING THE BOATS AS THE FIRST HOUSE, IT WAS A GROUP EFFORT

NOLOFINWE BECAME A KINSLAYER FOR FEANOR, HIS KIDS BECAME KINSLAYERS FOR FEANOR'S KIN, HIS PEOPLE BECAME KINSLAYERS FOR FEANOR'S PEOPLE

they cut EVERYTHING off for feanorians, they burned all the bridges and all the ties, and they can't return because it wouldn't be an act of repentance

And they can't trust the Valar!!! Mandos literally doomed them a week ago!!! What will Valar do with a host of a murderous kin? Will they judge "blood for blood", will they doom them to another exile?? Who knows!!!!!

Feanor left them at the mercy of the Valar he so greatly distrusts. He spit them in the face for all their efforts, he blatantly dismissed their sacrifice. Fingolfin's people want to see Middle-Earth, they are swayed by Feanor's speeches and by his promises, OF COURSE they march through Helcaraxe instead of returning to the beings in power whom they don't trust!!

(also, if you want to blame anyone for Helcaraxe who isn't feanor so much - finrod is LITERALLY right there. poor little meow meow with no blood on his hands who's father choose to return but who leads his people through the cold and deadly path nonetheless)

[stilltrails]

There is nothing wrong about remarring after divorce or widowhood, even if you need to be careful with your relationships in a blended family

But this isn't Finwe's case, or Indis's

Miriel is kinda dead, but still here, they still can talk to her and she can came back when she wants. She just need time to heal and didn't wanted more kids

Indis went after a married man and agree to doom his wife to eternity, her friend no less

Yeah, and I know people want to be "but there's nuance" when it comes to Indis being active in keeping Miriel in mandos, but the nuance is she made a really terrible decision that doomed both her and her children, and she 100% deserved it.

Finwe is often the focal point of why things went the way they did, but Indis is just as much to blame. And we don't talk about it as much.

Miriel could have come back. They both actively prevented her from doing so. Indis isn't a great person if we're looking at it from that sense.

And Tolkien being Catholic probably aimed this a bit to divorce, and knowing how terribly that ruined the Catholic Church in England, and doomed the Tudor line, we can see certain pieces of that replicated in how Indis's descendants are treated. Even if Finarfin is king (idk if that's who it is tbh, I have taken a break from the Silm for a while), her other descendants were brutalized and traumatized, and that arguably would not have happened if she didn't marry Finwe and let his wife heal.

At the end of it all, Finwe didn't even choose her or her children. He chose Feanor. He chose Miriel. After all was said and done, he chose them and gave his life to be with them.

Like and I laugh at that every day

[the-elusive-soleil]

Thinking again about a Silmarillion TV series, and how I would set it up if I were High King of Hollywood and also copyright law (long post):

Let's say we have a three-season setup. Three Silmarils, three acts, and everyone making and watching it knows there's a predetermined endpoint. No spiraling out into infinity, no matter how popular it gets. And I'll roughly hazard ~8 episodes per season; that seems to be the average amount these days.

Will there be whooping great battle sequences? Probably. But as is my wont, I'm focusing more on the ~interpersonal drama~

Season 1 would start off like I've posted about before, with Finwe telling the Ainulindale as a story to kid!Feanor, as a segue to bringing up the remarriage, and then a post-opening-credits cut to Feanor as an adult. We're in the very early YT 1400s. In the first episode, we're laying a lot of groundwork for a Normal Day in Tirion. Various members of the House of Finwe are introduced, and we get a sense for the familial and political landscape. Everybody seems to believe that life is completely perfect--and then there's Feanor, who knows it's not.

And then the news comes that Melkor is being released on parole.

In the next couple of episodes, we see reactions to this, through dinner-table conversations and such in each of the three households. People are tense, but...for the most part, life goes on.

Except for Feanor, who gets an Idea and eventually unveils the Silmarils.

Through part of the third episode and escalating through the fourth, we start to see Melkor stirring the Noldor up. They're making weapons, and the political tensions are starting to get higher. The different sets of Finwean cousins are training with swords and such, and coming up with increasingly thin excuses to each other as to how they picked up those minor injuries.

Episode four ends with a bang, as Feanor's sword incident and banishment occur.

Episode five jumps five years ahead to the festival in Tirion that Feanor's supposed to go to. We get the "jail-crow of Mandos" scene in flashback as he leaves the Silmarils behind. Everything seems fine on the surface, but the background music keeps slowly increasing in tension, and everyone's happiness is just a little too frenetic--and then the Trees go out.

Next episode, we get the Oath, the Flight of the Noldor, the Kinslaying, Losgar. (We're keeping the version where Amrod lives btw.)

(Side note: I think it would be very cool if we got little flashes of foreshadowing that gradually escalate as time goes on. Give me shots of Maitimo's right hand that linger just a little too long. Give me Maglor or Curufin in an early episode, talking about upcoming wedding vows that bear a suspicious resemblance to what the Oath will be. Give me Finrod wrestling with a family dog; give me Turgon and Aredhel teasing each other about his love of cities and how she'd rather die than be kept from running wild. Give me Feanor by firelight, Feanor being gently reminded by Nerdanel that he doesn't have to rush ahead and tackle a dozen projects all at once, Feanor insisting over and over again that things need to be written down and portrayed and preserved because nothing is really, actually permanent...)

Episode seven cuts back and forth between the people struggling across the Helcaraxe and the Feanorians in Middle-earth. The Feanorians fight orcs and lose Feanor, and the Helcaraxe group has their own battles with ice monsters and also the sheer. horrible. cold. Maybe we can have Fingon and Turgon and Aredhel arguing about the Feanorions along the way. Maybe we can have the argument cut short by Elenwe falling through the ice. Maybe we can have that lead Turgon to reiterate that the Feanorions are Doomed and have doomed everyone else with them - and then cut to Maedhros about to ride out to parley with Morgoth.

The episode ends with the Nolofinweans mourning Elenwe, and Maedhros being dragged out to hang from a cliff.

Season finale starts with the Nolofinweans arriving. There is most definitely an emotional, sweepingly epic sequence of the Thangorodrim rescue, the stuff edits and gifsets are made of. And we end with Maedhros ceding the crown, and with Fingolfin's coronation.

Season 2 starts with the Mereth Aderthad, which gives us a chance to catch up, via dialogue, with how everybody's been settling in and what they're planning to do next. We also get the skinny on Thingol and Melian and Doriath. (Luthien should definitely be mentioned at least once.) (Celegorm should definitely be in the shot when she's mentioned, although 50/50 whether he visibly pays attention or reacts.)

We get Finrod and Turgon's dream sequences and them discovering the places where they're going to put their respective cities. Also Artanis meets this Guy...

Dagor Aglareb is probably an episode 2 thing. After it, and after any significant conflict this season (attack on Hithlum, Glaurung, etc.), there should be someone assuming out loud that they are now past the worst of things. Bonus points if there is fire in the background of the shot when the person says this.

We meet Dwarves. I think the optimal way to handle the Dwarves-and-Caranthir thing is to have them be very blunt and no-frills with each other, and leave it up to interpretation whether this is actually them getting along.

Finrod, of course, is so very (gestures demonstratively) Finrod at his Dwarves, and also at the Men when they show up.

(checks timeline) Maeglin is born in YS 320, and he and Aredhel flee to Gondolin in YS 400, and Andreth is born in YS 361. I think it could be interesting to start out an episode with Aredhel being snared and having Maeglin, and interspersing creepy Nan Elmoth stuff with Aegnor/Andreth and Athrabeth stuff. Towards the end, Finrod has a conversation to the effect that it's not just that Aegnor and Andreth's romance was doomed, it's that they're all doomed here (possibly referencing the Amarie situation) and there is no way to have a good love story under such circumstances. And then, of course, we have Aredhel and Maeglin running to Gondolin (and Maeglin meeting Idril) and the deaths of Aredhel and Eol.

I have less of a specific outline for this season, because I want a lot of it to be filled up with...just Long Peace stuff. I want to see the Noldor having their Beleriand Renaissance. I want to see hunting trips that give us beautiful sweeping shots of the landscape, and glittering social events laced with politics, and little moments of relationships between different characters.

Basically, I want this season to make it very clear just how much stands to be lost here.

And then, of course, the season finale is the Dagor Bragollach, culminating in Fingolfin's last stand against Morgoth.

Season 3 opens with the utter chaos that is the aftermath of the Bragollach. We also get to meet Hurin and Huor and see their visit to Gondolin, which contrasts so sharply with the state of things literally everywhere else.

The first episode also introduces us to this random human guy named Beren, out there in the wilderness. And it ends with him stumbling on something in Doriath...

Second episode is just ~*Beren and Luthien*~. It has a very cultivated fairytale feel, right down to the lighting and the music. The world we just saw last episode is so very harsh, but not here, not now. There is never any doubt that there will be a happy ending. And there is! The episode ends with their wedding.

(...and distant wolf howling but don't pay attention to that)

Third episode has the wolf hunt. Beren dies. Luthien goes after him. They both come back. They don't really explain themselves to anyone, and I'm leaving the details mysterious. Luthien singing to Mandos should probably be treated like the Ainulindale in that we don't attempt to make humans portray it. What we do see are the beginnings of fallout: as Luthien and Beren come back to life, Maedhros is wrangling with his brothers. As Tol Galen is settled, as Dior is born, Fingon and Maedhros start to plan the Union, and it's hovering in the background that they need to do this because with the Oath, the only other option is going after the Doriath silmaril, and they're not doing that.

Episode four is the Nirnaeth, and it. is. devastating. If you read the book (and maybe even if you didn't), you know this isn't going to work. But the characters really believe it will! And the music and cinematography are fully conspiring to make you believe it too! There might even be some leitmotifs from the Thangorodrim rescue during the battle to suggest maybe it will turn out this time... And then it doesn't. It was never going to. It was always going to end with trampled blue and silver banners and broken bodies and the sons of Feanor scattered in the wilderness and Hurin chained in a chair to watch his family suffer.

Episode five should be 50% Children of Hurin, and 50% Tuor's story, cutting back and forth for maximum contrast. We go directly from Turin and Nienor's deaths to Tuor and Idril's wedding.

Episode six is all Fall of Doriath, starting off with Hurin showing up with the Silmaril, escalating through Thingol's paranoia and death, and ending with the Second Kinslaying. Bonus points if there is a very subtle Girdle of Melian leitmotif that has been in the background for all Doriath scenes so far, and abruptly cuts off when Thingol dies and Melian leaves. And we end with baby!Elwing being taken through the woods with the survivors, clutching the Silmaril.

Next episode is the fall of Gondolin. I would really like for there to be a specific leitmotif throughout the show for people (Maedhros, Fingolfin, Hurin, etc.) defying Morgoth, and for it to initially emerge for Maeglin...only to break down. And throughout the episode, Eol's theme keeps getting stronger and stronger, until it fully emerges when Maeglin falls.

We end with tiny!Earendil arriving in Sirion and seeing Elwing, and the Silmaril, for the first time.

This season is going to have to be nine episodes long, because what's left might take up one Silm chapter, but I have too many things I want to do with it. Specifically:

Episode eight opens in the middle of the Third Kinslaying. I don't want it to be dramatic like the other two. I want it to be frightening in its banality. I want it to be very, very disturbing how habituated the Feanorians are to this now.

When Elrond and Elros first appear...something shifts. It's not really like the world-apart, fairytale vibes of the Beren and Luthien episode, but there is something Different about these kids. They're who this whole violent, convoluted story was meant to produce. They're going to build a better world someday.

We spend most of the episode going back and forth between Maglor and Maedhros doing their best to raise these children in a world that is falling apart at the seams, and Earendil and Elwing in a Valinor that is almost unsettlingly pristine after the past couple of seasons that we've spent in an increasingly entropic Beleriand. I want M&M and the twins to camp out in ruins of a place that was built "only" a century ago, and Elwing to wander through a building that she assumes is brand new and expensive, but is actually very average and older than the Silmarils.

At the end, the Valar authorize an army, and we see Gil-Estel rise, and the War of Wrath begins.

Most of the final episode is epic War of Wrath stuff, definitely including the slaying of Ancalagon, definitely also undercut by comedy relief bits of people trying to guess who Gil-galad's parents could be. (It's never revealed.)

In the last third or so, Maedhros and Maglor steal the Silmarils.

When Maedhros takes his out and looks at it, he sees himself as he was back in Valinor, perfect and whole and unbearably innocent. We have this whole golden-lit mini-flashback sequence of him and Maglor just messing around at home, teasing each other. Their brothers are in the background. They are almost unrecognizable.

Maglor glances in a mirror and it shifts back to him in present-day, face twisted in pain and screaming at the Silmaril's burn. Maedhros startles, notices that he's burning, too. He doesn't scream, although he's clearly in pain. He just reaches over, gently brushes the Silmaril out of Maglor's hand and onto the ground, kisses his brother's forehead, and then stands and with a great deal of outward calm, walks over the edge of the nearby lava chasm.

Maglor weeps and can't stop, but he has to when footsteps start approaching. He flees to the shore, and flings the Silmaril in, and stares for a very long moment at the water like he might dive in, too. But then he just turns away with an unreadable expression and vanishes into the fog.

The last moments of the show are spent with Gil-galad and Celebrimbor and Elrond and Elros and Galadriel, talking out what they're going to do now. The world didn't end, but their world sort of did. What do you do with that? What can they possibly build from the ruins around them?

They have to try, is the one thing they all agree on. If they give up, what was even the point of everything in the last 600-odd years? And in any case, they can't possibly do any worse than the mess they and their predecessors just lived through.

Right?

[imakemywings]

This is so late but anyway post rebirth, do you really think Celebrimbor's indifference towards his family would matter to them? Like I could see his mother be affected, his father, I don't know, but the rest? I can't see them be that affected? Or maybe my perception of the feanorians aren't that positive hahahaha

Ooh, fun question!

Short answer: Depends on the person, but generally, yes.

Long answer: I imagine the Feanorians are not being released from Mandos without some repentance--that is, acknowledging that what they did was wrong and fucked up, because if they can't show that they've learned something, I don't imagine the Valar want to unleash them on the rest of Elfinesse again.

I think his parents certainly would be bothered, for two reasons: 1. That's their son and most people want their kids to love them, even when they haven't really earned it; and 2) Celebrimbor's disapproval is calling them out. For them to finally come around to admitting the full extent of how wrong what they did was, and be permitted to return to the world, and for Celebrimbor to feel so strongly about what they did that even now he wants nothing to do with them would sting pretty harshly, I think. Maybe they're shaved heads hair shirt ash on the face repentant about it, or maybe they've only grudgingly admitted they were in the wrong as a condition of rebirth, but however they feel, Celebrimbor realized and acknowledge this truth thousands of years earlier and in direct defiance of the truths and perspectives he had been raised in and was surrounded by. That makes them look pretty shitty by comparison.

I also think that in absence of other grandchildren of Feanor, Curufin at the least considered Celebrimbor Maedhros'--and therefore Feanor's--heir, and raised him as such. For that child, raised to potentially take the family throne, to reject Curufin and his teachings would be a pretty powerful statement made directly to the rest of the family, whose loyalty and respect I think Curufin desires.

In short, even if Celebrimbor's parents aren't personally wounded by his rejection (and I think they would be), I think they would be shamed by it, so it would bother them for that reason even if not simply because that's their son and they feel they did a decent job raising him.

As to his uncles: I think this partially depends on how close you imagine they were. I think Celebrimbor was very close with Celegorm, in part just because he was around a lot, because Celegorm was close with Curufin. I can see him having a relationship with Caranthir. But I don't personally view him as ever having been close with Maedhros, Maglor, Amrod, or Amras, the former two especially. So there will be varying degrees of personal upset depending on what you envision the relationship he had with them before his departure was.

I think it also depends on how you imagine each of the Feanorians feels about what they did and how (and whether!) they justified their actions to themselves. The deeper awareness they had that what they did was wrong and the less willing they were to admit that (Maedhros) the more uncomfortable I think Celebrimbor's rejection would be, because again it's forcing them to confront their own immorality, not through the voice of one of their victims, but from someone who's been on their side.

There's also something that stings especially in being rebuked by a child, and while Celebrimbor is obviously not a child anymore, nor was he when he disowned his family originally, I think their memory of him growing up would weave in some of this element.

For the Feanorians who deeply and genuinely recognize their wrongs and want to do better, I think Celebrimbor's reaction would be more understandable, if disappointing. For those who are still struggling with coming to terms, they're more likely to get defensive about it. Anyone who feels they are owed Celebrimbor's respect and affection as a member of his family are likely to be very offended by his response.

The only people I think who would outright dismiss his response would be those who have not yet admitted that they were wrong, and I don't think those types would be permitted rebirth.

[dialux]

would you mind explaining your Indis headcanon of how she makes Feanor hate her?

I don't think it was very hard for her, actually? I think kids-- particularly possessive and defensive kids-- tend to be primed to dislike people that walk into what they define as their space, and unless that transition is handled with a lot of grace and care (which I don't actually think Finwe is capable of!) it can very easily become a) traumatic and b) unacceptable to the kid. And this was entirely Finwe's responsibility, but he was either incapable or unwilling to do what needed to be done in that respect.

Now, that's all canon. What's my approach to this is that Indis saw the path that they were going down-- i.e., one where Feanor would never accept her or her children-- and assessed her options: a) walk away from Finwe, which she and Finwe don't want; b) stay and try to make nice with Feanor, even though Feanor will never reconcile with her because Finwe has to be the one that actually kicks off that process; c) stay neutral with Feanor, because it's a dozen different kinds of awkward; or d) piss Feanor off, because if he's anything like his mother, the anger will serve as both shield and inspiration against a world in which Feanor is already disadvantaged/discriminated against.

And Indis has the clarity of thought to choose (d) because it is the only way she can help Feanor, even if it's the harder choice, even if it's the crueler choice: in this story, in fact, she's perhaps the only adult in Feanor's life that chooses to help him in a way that costs her something. Miriel, of course, chooses to stay in Mandos despite knowing elven children need extensive parental support; Finwe chooses to marry Indis and not address Feanor's wide-ranging abandonment, inferiority, and guilt complexes despite ostensibly having the most exposure to said complexes. Indis chooses (d) despite knowing it will have a negative impact on her own reputation and potential complications in the future.

It's also more meaningful, imo, to give Indis that agency and the choice in tanking her relationship with Feanor. His hatred of Indis/Indis' children is centered not only in nebulous fears and anxieties, but the very real understanding that he and Indis don't like each other and never will, and her children are extensions of Indis herself; he cannot fathom being friendly to them. It destroyed continents and burned cities to the ground, that choice and that hate, but it was still a choice, and not a simple inevitable slide downhill into wrack and ruin.

[maglor-my-beloved]

I have also asked myself many times where Miriel's parents (and Finwe's for that matter) might be and my only conclusion is that they did not follow Oromë to Valinor at all and remained in Middle Earth. We know from NoME that the 144 elves that awoke at Cuivienen refused to cross the sea and remained as one of the Avari. If they had lived in Tirion or anywhere else in Aman, I assume they would have been mentioned. I cannot imagine Miriel's parents going along with Finwe's shenanigans and allowing their daughter to be trapped forever in the halls of Mandos without a chance of her ever changing her mind on being reembodied. I think they would have fought for their daughter's right to live and I also think they would have been very, very close with Feanor and him with them.

oh, absolutely! I think them staying in Middle Earth makes a lot of sense - I cannot imagine how furious they must have been, to find out that not only did their daughter die in what was supposed to be paradise, but that she's doomed to stay dead forever because some guy just had to have more kids, and that they'll never see her again because of it, and the valar acting as if she belongs to Finwe and he's the one who gets to decide about her life or death, as if there's no one else who loves her!

anyway, I definitely think they would've been close to Feanor, and it would've been good for him to have family beyond just his father, and be less dependent on Finwe for familial affection - of course he was terrified of being replaced, he had no one else who considered him family!

[imfromthemiddlekingdom]

Just had a thought. It makes no sense but I’m running with it. Miriel is Thingols daughter from before he met Melian. She married on the shores of the lake to Finwë with his blessing and they all journey to Valinor. Thingol does his hundred years long stare with Melian as his first wife leaves with their daughter and son in law. They get to Valinor and Miriel falls pregnant. She dies as she did in canon but this time her mother who is technically the de facto leader of the Teleri stays to raise Feanor until Olwë’s group arrives. Feanor in this is Olwë’s great nephew so make of the first kinslaying what you will (not sure if I want to go that route tho since I do want the first age to be less tragic but also more tragic at the same time). Finwë petitions to be allowed remarriage and his mother in law is furious. Cue obligated “you’re betraying my daughter! She could still come back and you will doom her to Mandos forever! What will Elwë think with you giving up on his baby girl!!!” He doesn’t listen and goes on to marry Indis. Feanor thus is primarily raised by his grandmother who goes on to tell him all about his mother and grandfather. He’s probably close to Olwë and co. Haven’t really decided yet.

Idk where I’m going to go with this. But I feel like whether or not I wrote the first kinslaying as something that happens in this AU it will still be a tragedy since 1) Miriel isn’t coming back till Finwë dies 2) in Feanors mind another one of his family members betrayed him (his cousin in this au marrying his half brother who’s birth means that his mother could never be alive again) 3) Thingol marrying a Maia when he’s already married and he doesn’t even know his eldest has a kid or is dead 4) the reaction of everyone, especially Thingol, when they find out that Miriel is dead and can’t come back.

The first age would be so much more angsty since Thingol would be choosing between his brothers grandchildren and his grandchildren and grappling with the fact that he lost all chance with his daughter. Maybe throwing a bit of grappling with how consensual the marriage between him an an Ainui is. Idk. I just don’t like the Vala and their kin so I tend to paint them in the worst light possible. Probably gonna write an outline for this late and a fic. Idk yet.

[lordgrimwing]

Fics Living Rent-free in my Mind Game

I was tagged by @runawaymun to talk about the stories/AUs I have loafing around inside my brain but haven't actually written any stories for yet (whether of not said stories made it to the light of day for others to see). You might notice a pattern with the kinds of things I think about but never write 😳. Also most of them are co-parented with Nightie.

Anyone can send me an ask about anything on this list and I will be happy to talk at great length about the insanity of what's in my head.

The Breeding AU - look, Elrond is a blurbo and the only way I got through my theriogenology class was by inflicting what I studied on blurbos... and sometimes I need an au where the elves are desperately trying to rebuild their population at the end of the 1st age.

Tiny Erestor AU - an au of the rarely talked about Tiny Elrond au (which I've written several stories for but haven't got around to posting yet), in which both Elrond and Erestor are two inches tall. Everyone else is normal sized.

Balrog Porno AU - Glorfindel, Turgon, and Ecthelion get hired to act in a high budget porn movie with balrogs. Ecthelion's the only professional actor of the three.

Gil-galad's stressed about being the king. what it says on the tin plus Elrond distracting him with being sexy and then they work together to create a government that doesn't needs a king so Gil can retire.

Art Therapy in Mandos, Feanor-style - Feanor, a box of crayons, a meditative coloring book, and nothing but time.

Stealthros AU - The Feanorians are dragons, the silmarils are eggs, and Elrond just hissed and bit Gil-galad's hand.

[edit, how did I forget!] Marsupial elves AU - everything's the same except the elves are marsupial and they all have pouches for their cute little kids to hang out in, oh and Celebrian, Elrond, and Gil-galad are together. Being part human and maia, Elrond doesn't have a pouch, a fact his children greatly resent.

Ask away!

here's some low pressure tags, and if you don't have fic ideas, how about just aus or art ideas? Tagging @nighttimepatrons, @curufiin, @aroace-moron

[shrikeseams]

AU where elves are reimbodied at Cuivienen and it's not something the Valar haveoN control over.

I mean, the marring of the world may be 'unnatural', but accidental death was always going to be a practical risk. It seems like something Eru should have planned for, y'know?

Namo can still control Mandos. He can probably even still delay or prevent reimbodiment, and faciliate reimbodiment in Aman. But it means the Valar no longer have monopoly reimbodiment on their own private no-exit island.

This probably has like, serious consequences. But what my sleepy brain is imagining is that the elves of middle earth probably have no way of knowing when their loved ones will reimbody. So there's a cultural phenomenon of expressing profound grief by making a pilgrimage to Cuivienen to wait for them. Because they're immortal, so you *can* put everything on hold for them.

Obviously the gesture is less common and more dramatic the further they are from cuivienen. And I feel like it's strongly discouraged for parents whose offspring are still children to go. Probably the distance from Cuivienen is a major point of concern for elves who make the great journey.

But who am I kidding. What I keep coming back to is Feanor fighting to leave Aman, because he doesn't believe Namo that Miriel's chosen not to come back. He thinks the Valar have preventer her from reimbodying in Aman to get Finwe to marry the Vanya princess of their choice. So he wants to go to cuivienen, where elves are *supposed* to be reborn, to wait for his mother.

[lamemaster]

(I have this saved and I have no idea what I was going for so out to the world it goes 🤭)

Coming of men

Melian and Eonwe: emotionally constipated (gays)

Girl slay 💅. Serving cunt (Sauron)

Varda Mother step on me (lesbians)

Yavanna (old souls/almond moms)

Manwe (home depot dads idk why)

Tulkas (gym bros and girlies)

Feanor (gen z they act like his kids, further adding chaos to household. Maedhros is crying)

Arafinwe (pinterest girlies)

Irmo (fanfic writers)

Melkor (people who hate pineapple on pizza and hate chocolate, influencers)

Mandos (moms)

Thingol (nfl teams)

Maiar (educators: whenever shit goes down, somehow it is our fault)

Arien: personality A people

The Void (emo kids)

[eri-pl]

Finished polls masterlist

Worst x:

Worst life choices

Worst father …and second place

Eol is more hated than Morgoth (Why?)

Ar-Pharazon was worse than Palpatine

Misc: 

the Valar (did some wrong)

Which Vala would you rather be (most of you chose Ulmo)

Best brothers (M&M, and E&E are second)

Most conflicted feelings

I won’t cry for

I won’t cheer for

Eol stuck in Mandos

How to recognize whom a Maia serves

Valinorean, not Valinorian part 2

Kids after reembodiment (beautiful 5-bucket Gaussian distribution)

Ósanwe (you can open selectively)

On average, 2.1 Valar are blorbos

Which Valar do you want to be? (Ulmo)

Color of the Silmarils chart

Choose your doom! (Mostly arts, crafts and dating Elves)

Best reaction on being angered. (prophecy)

Not my polls: which characters you like, which you hate?

Do the eyes of the Eldar glow and how? (mostly the iris)

Best part of the Silmarillion (split by equal pagecounts): the Feanorian drama

Best and worst Valar (Melkor not included): Ulmo wins, Tulkas loses

How did you get into Tolkien? (mostly books, but LotR movies are also common)

RoP and Silm (the results say more about my blog viewership than about anything)

Best Maia (Mairon, Olorin and Eonwe)

Who should rule Arda? (Ulmo)

How do you pronounce the king of the Valar's name?

Would a Silmaril burn you? (probably not)

Which Vala is most likeable? (Ulmo, definitely)

Which Vala is most prayable to? (Nienna)

Which Vala / Valie is the best-looking? (Melkor and Varda)

Eyes of the Elves who seen the Trees (glow, mostly the iris)

Best part of the Silm (Flight of the Noldor + early FA)

Dark lords:

Sauron, a creature of fire

Melkor or Morgoth?

Why do you hate him? (orcs)

Sauron or Mairon? Results

Melkor or Morgoth? (shipping correlate)

Why the temple in Numenor?

Was the invasion of Valinor planned as a moral dilemma for the Valar?

Shipping correlate for both

[not mine but I made a chart] Sauron's hair color

Which Silmaril did Beren take from Morgoth? (the left one)

which Melkor or Morgoth is the best? (in Aman pre-Darkening)

Which Dark Lord is better? (Sauron) + which part of the book is better (later) + some talk about independent variables

Religious people don't usually like Melkor more than Manwe (yes, I know, very surprising :D )

What language did Morgoth speak to Maedhros? (Quenya, the Feanorian variant)

You all think Morgoth looks better than Eol.

Best Melkor (shortly pre-Darkening)

Which Silmaril did Beren take?

Where was Morgoth thrown into exactly (another blog, but it's mine) (out of time and space)

…and what's going to happen to him ultimately (classic "Turin kills him")

Feanorians:

Feanor (did some wrong)

Most of you are Feanorian followers

But he’s still most liked of all the hated characters.

And a better jeweler.

If I had a Silmaril (I would give it to Feanorians)

Celebrimbor at Alqualonde(babysit by Huan)

þ(feanorians won)

We’re funding therapy for Finwe and his family

Rings of Power got a free Maglor!

If Finwe was not allowed to remarry (he would die of grief)

Why word the Oath like this? (want recovery of gems & revenge for Finwe, swear revenge for gems with no mention of recovery...): grief.

Second Kinslaying - order of death (not my polls)

Liking Feanor correlates with not liking the Amazon show

Goal of the Feanorians (it varies, but mostly to ditch the Oath and be happy)

Celegorm controversy Earlier poll, less informative.

Feanor morality & canon (inconclusive)

Nobody dislikes Celebrimbor!

Likeability of Celegorm and Curufin vs the world (not my polls, but my analysis): 1, 2

Celegorm the Fair: pretty, not just. Also, pale and pretty.

Also, he did the attempt at Luthien but we still like him anyway.

Redemption for the sons of Feanor (possible, also many votes for not necessary)

If it wasn't about rest of the family, would M&M still murder other Elves?

What do we call a group of Feanorians? (a doom of feanarlings)

What is the Everlasting Darkness (the void) and how Feanor learned about it (mostly from Morgoth)

Ghost of Christmas Oath of Feanor:

Who are we showing things to? (Feanor)

Feanor: which scene? (Mae dying)

Sons of Feanor: which son? (Maedhros)

Celebrimbor: which scene? (forging of the One Ring)

Elements:

Radioactivity (Melkor)

Electricity (Manwe)

Mathematics (Aule, but Varda is close)

Tie-dye (Vaire)

[imakemywings]

Full speculation/headcanon on Tyelpe because he's such an interesting character, though I agree that he would not want to be associated with them anymore, I find his actions later in the second age fascinating because he did carve the feanorian symbol on the doors of Durin which to me meant he still associates himself with his house but perhaps the different kind? The good parts, the good memory of them when they were still the noble people of Noldor, you know? And I guess that was his way of healing? Giving them a second chance (maybe?) or remembering what used to be? Until Annatar happened. His betrayal and Eregion's fall as well as the creation of the ring would be the nail to the coffin for Tyelpe not to trust nor give any second chance anymore. Consequently, at his rebirth, I genuinely agree that he wouldn't want them in his life anymore, as harsh as it sounds, Tyelpe's an adult, a lord of a city, and his uncles are adults, not children who need to be coddled so if he doesn't want to be associated with them, it's justified and understandable. Honestly, though, I find it hard to imagine the feanorians and their followers being remorseful of their actions, I don't think sorry is in their vocabulary (kidding).

It is interesting to explore his use of the Feanorian star! I think there are a lot of possibilities for why he continues to use the symbol of the house of Feanor. These are the first few that come to mind for me:

i. He still considers himself Feanorian in spite of his complicated relationship with his father and uncles (and potentially his grandfather as well)

ii. He uses it in memory of the good that came of his house

iii. He wants to redeem his house and so is trying to associate the symbol with his own good works

iv. Possibly a form of rebellion? He no longer associates with his father but he won't let that stop him from using the family symbol

v. Tolkien included the star of Feanor on the Doors of Durin before he decided that Celebrimbor broke with his family and never went back to remove it. (Setting this one aside as the Doylist explanation)

And it could absolutely be a mix of things.

I'm sure I've talked about this before here but my own take on Celebrimbor and Annatar isn't that Celebrimbor was so foolish he had no idea Annatar was strange. It's that he saw what suspicion and paranoia and mistrust led his family to, and so he was really trying to do better and suppress the instinctive distrust of Annatar until he had some proof that satisfied him as being worth his suspicion. The result was that he trusted someone who he absolutely should not have, and ignored the red flags that popped up in his mind. And that is crushing </3 (which is exactly why it's tasty)

I think there is regret in the Feanorians for what they did, and certainly if they were ever reborn I don't think that could happen without some measure of acknowledging their mistakes and such. Aside from Celegorm and Curufin's actions in "Beren and Luthien," they never seem to take pleasure in their violence, but it is still done, of course. My general take is that they view it as a "necessary evil" to complete their goals, but I do think a long stint in Mandos would be able to make them see their actions with more objectivity. However, even if they fell on their knees about it, that doesn't oblige Celebrimbor to have a relationship with them.

I think Curufin could certainly come to regret the break with Celebrimbor, and perhaps Celegorm and whichever other uncles you might imagine he was close with, but I don't think they'd be incapable of understanding his decision (if he went limited/no-contact). There are, after all, probably a lot of people who no longer want to associate with the sons of Feanor or their followers.

[animatorweirdo]

Finarfin’s and Fingolfin’s reaction to Nerdanel’s adopted kid.

(More stuff about being Nerdanel’s kid. Hope you like it.)

Requested by anonymous 

Warning;None

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finarfin

-Finarfin would have been shocked to hear that Nerdanel had adopted a child. He would have heard it from Earwen, who heard it from Anaire, and because the two sometimes visit Nerdanel to help raise the child. 

-Earwen spoke all good things and how adorable you were. She was happy that Nerdanel was doing okay and had a daughter she always wanted. 

-You were shy when you met Earwen for the first time, but you two got along quickly. You had an aunt gang caring for you, except Nerdanel since she was your mother. 

-When you first met Finarfin, he was kind and gentle toward you. 

-He didn't ridicule Nerdanel's choice in adopting you and was happy for her since she was healing. 

-You were a good kid, and spending time with you made him miss his children more. He missed his sons and daughter and would think about them often. 

-You didn't have a lot of occasions to talk with him since he was busy being the high king, so usually you would see each other at events or some parties. He would make sure you and Nerdanel would be safe from those who bore a grudge toward Feanor and made sure you had fun. 

-He gives good advice and is a supportive uncle, so whenever you need something. You can as for his help. 

-He's a helpful and kind uncle. 

Fingolfin

-When he was allowed to return from the dead, he was surprised that Nerdanel had adopted a child, but knowing her, it wasn't too big of a surprise. 

-Nerdanel almost had the same temperament as Feanor and what Feanor did to her during the darkening wasn't exactly fair, so she had the right to do anything she wanted during the ages. 

-He didn't expect her to adopt, so that was a surprise. 

-Anaire would tell him everything. How you got adopted and how she and Nerdanel have raised you together. 

-He would be glad and interested in meeting you. He would thank you and Nerdanel for looking after Anaire. He feared Anaire would have changed drastically after leaving her, but the spark of love was still there. 

-He would be a pretty fun uncle to have around. 

-He would tell you stories about Middle earth and some memories of Feanor and his sons. 

-He would leave out all the bad things that happened. You were still young and didn't need to know about them yet. 

-When his children returned, and you got along with them. He was glad. 

-He was worried about Feanor's reaction to you when the valars finally released him from Mandos. 

-You would get along with his sons, but Fingolfin feared Feanor would react badly to you. That's what worries him. 

-Luckily, you got along with your new father quite well. It was a good relief for Fingolfin. 

-Fingolfin would constantly make jokes about Feanor's situation and you. Finarfin would also join in the fun. It was harmless, and peace got finally restored to the world. 

-You were a good kid, and Feanor had to accept you, or his wife would send him back to Mandos. 

-The situation would be hilarious to Fingolfin. 

-You saved Feanor's marriage with Nerdanel, so that was one of the primary reasons Feanor accepted you, but Fingolfin saw how Feanor grew soft for you over the time. 

-Fingolfin would tease Feanor for it and still receive snappy comments from Feanor. He didn't mind since it was normal. 

-So all was well.